Nothing But Grey

And here I was yet again…

At the bottom of the deep dark pit with that thing slithering around getting closer. I knew it could hurt me and whatever he did stayed with me when I went back, which meant if he killed me here, I may not get back.

Which meant I just had to stay as far away from it until I got pulled up again.

So I ran, as fast as I could. As far as I could. When I fell I crawled and when I couldn’t do that because the water was too heavy, I hid.

“Hanna…” It taunted. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…”

Click click click…

What I would give to have Natasha’s gun in my hand right now.

“You’re making this harder than it has to be…” It continued.

“Hurry the hell up…” I whispered looking up and noticing that the light on the ground was starting to fade. The light on the ground where I had fallen was getting smaller. Not by a lot but I don’t remember that happening before.

Screw it, I wouldn’t be able to hold it off forever. I got back onto my feet and ran towards the light.

“Take me back!!!” I shouted making a break for the light. “Get me out of here!!!”

“We haven’t even had a chance to play yet!!!” It groaned as I could hear the water splashing as it ran after me.

“Take me back!!!” I shouted as my hand reached for the light.

I saw a shadow swing towards me but I ducked just in time for it miss me. I took a step into the light it grabbed me by the ankle and tried to pull me back.

“You’re not going to go home Hanna, this is where you belong…” It whispered.

“Fuck you.” I kicked as I dug my fingers into the ground refusing to let that thing drag me back. “I. Am Going. Home!!!”

With that I got yanked up but not before it took a swing at me and cut my arm.

When I sat up gasping for air I was alive again, but not in my world or home.

“Hanna!” Hercu-Thor greeted.

“Oh come on!” I groaned falling back on the hammock I now realize I was sleeping on.

“Hanna?” He asked cautiously. “Are you alright? That was a rather gnarly fall.”

“I want to go home.” I whined.

“There there…” Hercu-Thor said hugging me as he patted my back. “Do not fret. Mi casa es su casa.”

“Can you just use Mjolnir and zap my heart please?” I mumbled into his very hard and braod shoulders. My Thor was a better hugger.

“No can do brah…” he continued. “It’s against the code.”

“The bro code?” I asked internally groaning as I knew what he was about to say.

“It’s only code that matters.” Hercu-Thor said putting his hand over his heart.

“Roof?” I asked pointing down the hall.

“How about a coconut water before you go?” Hercu-Thor offered.

“I hate coconut.” I said running to find a roof to jump off of or a bus to jump in front of.

Multiple Jumps and Multiple Hits from the Shadow Monster Later – Earth 1218

Home sweet home…

There was a special something about this place that I didn’t even need to open my eyes to know I was home. The smog, the gum on every inch of pavement, or the fact that everyone here just was a special brand of jerk that could only be found here.

I woke up on a bus bench, and lucky for me, it was the bus that left me a block away from the loft. It’s the little things that make the biggest difference.

I snuck onto the bus and jumped off at my stop. I was sore and looked like a complete wreck but I guess it’d be weirder if didn’t considering I got hit by a bus.

I let myself in expecting no one to be home since it was the middle of the day.

“Mom!” Jamie shouted running to hug me tight.

“Ah!” I groaned returning the hug.

“You’re okay.” Jamie cried.

“Better now.” I said pressing a hand to my side. My ribs were still a bit tender from my last round in the pit.

“You… you were and then…” Jamie cried.

“It’s okay.” I said hugging him tight and rubbing his back. “I’m okay.”

“What the actual fuck?!” Theo said.

“You know how we always say the LA bus system sucks?” I said to Theo. “It’s got nothing on our hospitals.”

“You…How…” Theo cried before hugging me.

“Ow…” I whined as he hugged me.

“Shit, shit, what the fuck happened?” Theo said crying before hugging me again. “Jamie and well everyone said you were… and that the ambulance took you but I called and… And you weren’t in the morgues and…and… you smell so bad…”

“Hospital lost and found clothes.” I said. “I think these were some dead guy’s clothes.”

“I thought you were dead.” Theo cried into my shoulder.

“Okay… I… there’s a lot… But… I need a shower. I feel gross and I got hit by a bus.” I said crying and laughing. “What the fuck?!”

“What the fuck?!” Theo sobbed not letting go of me.

“Mommy you’re bleeding.” Jamie said looking at the cut on my arm.

“Oh shit.” Theo said. “Did you sneak out of the hospital?”

“Maybe?” I said.

“Hanna!” Theo said.

“I’m fine, I made it all the way here didn’t I?” I said.

“You got hit by a bus.” Theo said.

“You disappeared.” Jamie said looking up at me with teary eyes.

“I know, and I’m sorry about that. I tried calling you guys but the hallway they had me waiting in didn’t have a phone and the nurses wouldn’t tell me anything. They kept saying someone would call you.” I said trying to wipe my face with my sleeve only to get a whiff of what I smelled like.. “I just… wow I stink.”

“Looks like they also forgot to give you a sponge bath.” Theo said. “You… really need a shower.”

“Actually, I’ll think I’ll risk a bath. I’ll still a bit sore.” I said.

“Come on…” Theo said refusing to let me out of his sight. He helped me get in the bath and then stayed behind the shower curtain to preserve my dignity.

Eh, not like it wasn't anything he hadn’t seen before.

Once I had finished scrubbing myself clean and was back in my cozy matching grey waffle knit lounge set.

Jamie had gone ahead and made me a cup of hot chocolate as we sat around the couch and I gave them a breakdown of everything that had happened over the past couple of days that I came up with while I was taking a bath.

The condensed version was that I was unconscious for about two days and when I woke up the hospital I was at was overcrowded and I was in a gurney in one of their hallways.

And finally I embellished a bit.

“And… that’s about it… almost.” I said.

“We’re so going to sue.” Theo said.

“Steve was there.” I said.

“Steve?” Theo asked.

“Captain America?” Jamie added.

“Yeah, he’s here waiting for his next assignment, pulling a few EMT shifts.” I said.

“He’s an EMT? I thought he worked construction?” Theo asked.

“He does a little of everything.” I said.

“And he couldn’t have called?” Theo said.

“He’s not family.” I said. “He barely got to sneak in to see me. I actually thought I was hallucinating until I saw the note he left pinned to my hospital gown.”

“Wow, so?” He asked.

“He said we should grab coffee.” I said.

“You’re the only person I know that gets hit by a bus and finds their long lost boyfriend in the process.” Theo said.

“He’s not… uh…” I said.

“Huh?” Theo said.

“But you disappeared.” Jamie said. “There was a light and you were gone.”

“Jamie, that was the ambulance lights.” Theo said.

“But dad…” Jamie started.

“It doesn’t matter but your mom is back, and… that’s all that matters.” Theo said trying not to cry again.

“But there really was…” Jamie started before I subtly signaled for him to drop it with a wink.

“Steve. Small world.” I said distracting Theo.

“Does he still look like a hot lumber jack you want to jump?” Theo said.

“He shaved the beard off.” I said.

“Oh…” Theo said disappointed. “I can’t picture him without a beard.”

“He still looks great.” I said.

“Enough to think you were hallucinating him?” Theo teased.

Later once Jamie was asleep and I promised him that I was still going to be there when he woke up,

“As cliché as it sounds when that bus hit me, my whole life flashed before my eyes.” I said.

“And you saw Steve?” Theo said wiggling his eyebrows.

“I saw him. Nat, the rest of them.” I said. “I saw you and Jamie and I saw everything I wish I could have done. Every single regret… and there’s a lot of them. Also, I’m kind of a bitch.”

Theo just stared at me dumbfounded before he started laughing.

“Oh sweetie…” Theo said giving me a side hug. “Of course you are, that’s the only way you can survive in this world but we love you anyway.”

“But is surviving, living?” I asked taking the icepack and a hot cocoa.

“We’re still here?” Theo retorted wincing as he saw the giant bruise on my ribs.

“Don’t you feel like there’s something missing? Like there should be something else besides waking up every morning and living the exact same day on repeat?” I said.

“The last time you started talking like this you almost got a lord of the rings quote tattooed on your ass.” Theo said.

“First of all, it was my thigh not my ass.” I said.

“I saw the stencil Han, it was going to end up on your ass.” Theo said.

“I’m not talking about tattoos or getting my nose re-pierced or going bungee jumping at the county fair because YOLO. I want to have a good life, a full life, with adventure, meaning, love. I want both of us to have that so that one day when it finally is our time and I am talking old, grey, senile, surrounded by our grandkids and our life flashes before our eyes we can go out with our smile on our faces not regretting everything we didn’t get a chance to do.” I said.

“That is your dream and if there is anyone that deserves that and more, it’s you.” He said and he hesitated before finally speaking again. “You’re going back with him aren’t you?”

He knew me so well.

“How much do you hate me right now?” I asked.

“I don’t hate you.” Theo said with a smile. “I’m jealous you get to live on a white sandy beach and wake up every morning to that gorgeous specimen of a man but I don’t hate you. As long as I've known you, you’ve never really lived your life. You made your dreams smaller so you could be everything and anything for Jamie, for me. My dream, is in that room, it’s the job that I’m going to start next week with that very generous signing bonus, and it’s getting to live every day breaking the cycle.”

“You deserve the entire fucking world.” I said.

“That kid is my world.” Theo said. “We’re going to be okay Hanna.”

“I know, I still feel like a selfish jerk.” I said.

“Don’t be, it’s your turn to be happy.” Theo said. “And you’re going to pop in when you can.”

“Promise.” I said.

“I can’t wait to meet them, after you get them to take you back.” Theo said. “And then you’re going to have to explain to me how that all works?”

“I’ll let you know once I figure it out because I still don’t know.” I said making him laugh.

“You’re also going to have to break the news to Jamie.” He said.

“Did I scar him for life with…” I said.

“Getting hit by a bus, making him think you were dead?” Theo said.

“Yeah that.” I said.

“Not as traumatized as he would have been if you had actually died.” Theo answered.

Oh Boy…

“When I picked him up he kept saying you disappeared into thin air. That the bus hit you and that there was this light and you were gone. I was reading up on it and apparently it’s really common for kids brains to try to make up fairy tales to explain trauma in a way that isn’t so scary to them.” He explained.

“So I totally traumatized him.” I said.

“No you came back.” Theo said. “I think you two having a one-on-one talk, sorting it out and gently breaking the news that you’re leaving but coming back is really important.”

The Following Morning…

Theo had errands to run and I took this chance to take Jamie out for the day. Since this was the last day out we were going to have for a while, I decided to make an exception and used Tony’s AMEX to fund our day out.

We started in Malibu. I took Jamie to the same brunch place Tony and I would go to after therapy. It felt like a lifetime ago.

“You can put cereal in your French toast?” Jamie said reading the menu.

“Yeah, they also put it in their fried chicken to make it extra crunchy.” I said.

“That’s so cool.” Jamie said before dropping the menu. “Mom, the French toast is thirty dollars.”

“Don’t worry about that.” I said.

“That’s like a week of boba.” Jamie said in disbelief.

“It’s really good French toast.” I answered but that didn’t convince him. “Hey, don’t look at the prices. Get whatever you want.”

“But…” He started.

“No buts, this is our special day.” I said. “So what else are we getting?”

“Can I try coffee?” Jamie asked.

“Why not.” I said with a shrug. There was no way he was going to take more than one sip before he realizes he doesn’t like it.

“It’s really nice here. I can see the pier from here.” Jamie said.

“Yeah, it’s a great view. I came here once with a friend.” I answered.

“Dad?” Jamie asked.

“No. You know I have other friends besides your dad?” I said.

“You do?” He said with a smirk.

“I do. My friend Tony, was the one that brought me here. The food’s good. It’s a good place to talk and I brought you here because we need to talk.” I said.

“Uh oh.” Jamie said.

“You are too young to start thinking that it’s a bad thing when someone says that.” I said. “You’re not in trouble, I just thought we should talk about what happened and what you saw.”

“I saw the light.” Jamie said. “It wasn't an ambulance.”

“I know that’s what think you saw because what you saw scared you.” I said.

“I saw the light mom.” Jamie insisted. “You were there and then there was a light and you were gone and everyone just kept going like it didn’t happen.”

“You’re the only one that saw it?” I asked.

“Everyone saw but they acted like they didn’t.” Jamie said. “You weren’t moving and then you were gone.”

“Bud, it’s okay.” I said.

“How?” Jamie asked. “You weren’t breathing. There was blood and you were gone.”

“But I’m not gone. I’m right here.” I said gently squeezing my hand.

“I’ve seen people die before. I know that there isn’t a light, I know people don’t come back from that.” Jamie said.

“They don’t.” I said to him. “Once you are dead you are gone. I got lucky and for now that’s all there is to it.”

“Mom.” Jamie sternly.

“Buddy, I know you’re smart, smarter than any kid your age and that you have been through so many things no kid your age should have to deal. If I could go back and do it all over again I would do everything to protect you from that but I can’t do that. What I can do is protect you now.” I said making Jamie frown.

“One day when you are much older and ready we’re going to have a very long and hard conversation about what happened. For now, all that you need to know is that you have a mom and dad that love you so much, that we are lucky because if it had been anyone other than me that day we’d be telling a very different story and that no matter what happens I will always come back.”

“Promise?” Jamie asked holding out his pinky.

“Pinky promise.” I said linking pinkies with him.

“Are you leaving with Captain America again?” Jamie asked.

“How did you…” I asked.

“I heard you and dad talking last night.” He said and I was about to say something but he quickly added. “I wasn't eavesdropping, the walls are thin.”

“I know, your room isn’t actually a room.” I said with a sigh. “and Steve isn’t Captain America.”

“He looks just like him.” Jamie said. “Talks like him, there’s a tiny bit of green in the blue of his eyes, he keeps a black notebook in his pocket to make notes of things people give him tips about and he has the same butt.”

“Steve looks similar to Chris Evans and it’s just a coincidence that he had the same name, as the character. Why are you looking at people’s butts?” I asked.

“If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then guess what mom, Steve is Captain America.” Jamie said not asking but telling me he was.

“Steve is Steve.” I said.

Jamie glared at me trying to start a staring contest to see if I would break. Two could play at that game and I was still the undefeated champion at this game.

I stared right back. This kid was good, we were nearing two full minutes before we were interrupted by our server.

“Are you guys ready to order or should I give you another minute?” She chirped.

“We’ll have the eggs benedict, an order of the cereal French toast double strawberries, no blueberries…” I said not taking my eyes off of Jamie.

“I like blueberries now.” Jamie corrected.

“Scratch that, normal fruit and regular coffee for me and de-caf for the munchkin.” I said as we both handed her our menus not looking away from each other.

“Al-righty…” She said walking to quickly place our orders.

“You know, the fact that I can do this for hours is the reason your dad and I started using MarioKart to break ties.” I said.

“I don’t have my switch.” He said blinking.

“I win.” I said. “I’m sure Steve will be very flattered that you think he looks like a superhero.”

“Mom.” Jamie said sternly.

“Yes I am going back to…” I started. Crap where did I tell him I went to last time?

“Do you have to?” Jamie asked. “You just got back.”

“I know.” I said. “But there are people waiting for me over there. People that have been waiting a really long time for me and there are people that need our help.”

“What about me and dad?” He asked.

“You and your dad have each other and you’re going to be okay.“ I said. “You’ve done it before and you’ll do it again.”

“But it’s better when the three of us are together.” Jamie said. “We’re a team.”

“We’re still a team. This past year your dad went back to school to find the place that he belongs in the world, now it’s my turn. We are still your mom and dad, and when you need us we will be there.” I said.

“Promise you’re coming back?” Jamie said holding out his pinky.

“Promise, I will always come back.” I said linking pinkies. “But I’m not leaving today. Today is our day and we are going to make the most of it. So you tell me what are we going to do?”

“What can we do?” Jamie asked.

“Anything you want.” I said.

“Anything?” Jamie said.

That was how we ended up spending the rest of the day riding roller coasters and eating funnel cakes.

There was no denying it, Jamie was definitely my kid.

I stayed for a few more days making sure to meal prep enough frozen lasagnas and other quick meals for a month, I wrapped up a few of my freelance jobs letting my clients know that I would be traveling for a while with no set return date.

Then I had to go into the office to submit my formal resignation. My boss threw a pen and notepad at me and said to write down whatever number would get me to shut and leave him alone for another year.

When I said I was serious he started begging me to stay. I think at one point he started crying.

I didn’t think I was that good at my job. Most days I phoned it in.

I transferred everything in my savings account to Theo’s and set up auto pay to make sure he wouldn’t forget to pay any bills.

Lastly there was only one thing left to do, pack up my things and go.

I used to pride myself on my minimalistic aesthetic, particularly in my consumerism but over the past year I had to expand my wardrobe sue to work events. Most of my work clothes I ended up donating to the needy and the local shelter. I packed up a bag I was going to stash in a storage locker to keep up appearances and made a big fuss of our last meal together.

Jamie was tucked in for the night and Theo and I had our last beer on the roof.

“I’m going to miss these talks of ours.” Theo said.

“Oh shut up. Knowing me I’m going to screw up things and come running back before you even get a chance to miss me.” I said.

“Don’t do that.” Theo said.

“It’s true.” I said.

“It’s not. They are lucky to have you and they are not letting you go.” Theo said. “You’re going to ride off into the sunset and you’re going to be happy. We all are.”

“Always the optimist.” I said.

“Once of us has to be.” Theo said. “What time is your flight?”

“Soon. Almost time to head out, which reminds me that this is for you.” I said handing him Tony’s AMEX.

“You already gave me your savings account.” Theo said refusing the card.

“I told you that was child support.” I reminded him. “This is for everything else.”

“Since when do you have an AMEX?” Theo said taking the card.

“A while.” I said.

“Is this a black card?” Theo said. “How did you…”

“Theo, it’s not important.” I said.

“Do you have any idea how much money you have to spend for AMEX to even offer you one of these?” Theo said in disbelief.

“Theo…” I started.

“I know you make a lot working for big Pharma but not this much.” He said.

“Theo!” I said snapping him out of it. “I've had this card a while. Think of it as a financial get out of jail card. Anything you or Jamie need if you can’t use your account or something comes up, don’t hesitate, just put it on this.”

“Don’t you need it?” Theo said still afraid to touch it.

“Things over there are covered.” I answered.

“I’m sure rent split 7 ways is cheap but still…” He said.

“Trust me, whatever you put on that card is covered. If that isn’t enough take it for my peace of mind.” I said.

“Okay, I promise just for emergencies.” Theo said.

“And special occasions. Christmas and birthdays.” I said.

“Okay.” Theo said tucking the card into his pocket. “You excited?”

“Excited, nervous, anxious, a bit scared.” I said.

“What’s there to be scared of?” Theo said.

If only he knew…

“I’m just over thinking it. My uber is around the corner.” I said looking at my phone.

“This is it then. Do I get a phone number this time?” He asked.

“A storm took out the phone lines but I’ll call when I can and email.” I said. It was a good thing I had learned to set up emails to automatically get sent out for this very reason.

“That’s something.” Theo said putting his beer down. “Just so you know, while you’re gone, you’re going to be the bad cop.”

I looked at him wondering if he was serious before I started laughing.

“I’m serious, it’s your idea that we’re having string beans as part of dinner tomorrow, and Brussel sprouts. It’s your fault he can’t have that second that second scoop of ice cream. Theo said.

“I think I can be the bad cop for once.” I said. “Take care of our kid.”

“Always.” Theo said hugging me “I love you Han.”

“I know.” I said hugging him back. “I’ll see you later.”

After a quickly dropping off my suitcase at the locker I went to my favorite rooftop bar. Hard to believe that two years ago I was here for one last hurrah because I wanted to end it all. That I had given up on life and had nothing to look forward to.

What was supposed to be my ending, ended up being a new beginning. A second chance.

Now here I was enjoying another mango-tini as I took it all in before I went home to new start and looking forward to seeing my soulmates.

I took my drink and went over to the ledge. I raised a glass to this very messy and cruel world before finishing my drink, throwing the glass behind me and for the first time jumping looking forward to what was waiting for me on the other side.

But before I could see them again I had to face It again.

I faceplanted at the bottom of the pit and I immediately heard it chuckle.

“Hahaha… Here again.” It taunted. “What a surprise…”

“Leave me alone, I’m just passing through.” I said not leaving the small ring of light but it was starting to fade and get smaller and smaller.

Shit, there was no safe spot here which left me with only one thing I could do. Run.

I had been here enough times to know how far I had to run before there was a pillar I could hide behind if it didn’t catch me first.

“I’m getting tired of playing this game Hanna…” It said as it moved around trying to find me.

That made two of us.

“Oh come on light.” I said looking up waiting for it to reach the ground.

“Don’t ever wonder why you keep coming back here? I’m sure this is not where humans expect to end up when they die.” It taunted.

Click click click…

‘Just because I’m dead now does not mean I’m staying dead’ I reminded myself.

“You’re making this a lot harder than it has to be.” It taunted. “Hanna… Come out, Come out wherever you are. You can’t hide forever.”

His voice sounded a bit closer than I was expected. I moved back but I bumped into something. I tried to move away but it grabbed me around the waist and pinned me against a wall.

‘Ah!” I wrapping it’s hand around my neck.

“Oh Hanna, what am I going to do with you?” It taunted before I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

 I glanced down and saw that it stuck its hand through me, impaling me on the wall.

“Now where was I?” It said before the light beamed down on me and I was painfully yanked up again.

“Ah!!!” I chocked spitting up water I didn’t realize I had aspirated.

I heard a very loud horn and looking around I saw it was a ferry, but not just any ferry, the Staten Island ferry.

Oh shit, I was in the East River. That explained the smell… and why I was missing a shoe.

I had no way to tell if I was in the right universe but right now that didn’t matter. I just needed to get out of here, get clean up, and then make an appointment for a tetanus shot. After waking up in this river I could see why every mayor of New York made campaign promises to clean it up.

By the sky and where the sun was rising I could tell it was early morning. Maybe around five or six in the morning. The trains should be running by now, I just had to get to one of the stations.

Two Hours Later…

After getting a lot of dirty looks on the New York subway, and carefully walking on the streets missing a shoe during trash pick-up day, I made it to my apartment building.

The doorman almost shooed me away not recognizing me but one very harsh glare from me shut him up. It surprisingly helped when I started throwing up. That subway car was never going to be the same again.

I made my way into my apartment, confirming that I was back in the right universe or that I had somehow become really good at breaking and entering.

Either way I was in desperate need of a shower and I only had one hour to get ready for work.

It took 45 minutes in the shower to feel clean again, another 10 minutes after that to find some clean clothes in my closet. It ended up being the only things I had never worn. A white lace pencil skirt and a light blue button up.

It actually looked really cute together. I slipped on a pair of nude heels and put my bracelet back on. There was no time to do my hair so I quickly put it up in a messy bun with my bangs framing my face and accepted that it was going to be a bad hair day. It is what it is.

So there I went back on the subway. I picked up breakfast and coffee for everyone on the way in. I had been MIA for months and I knew I had a lot to make up for at work.

“Morning, morning…” I said passing out cappuccinos and bagels to the receptionists and security guards in the lobby.

“Hanna?” Happy said.

“Happy, Breakfast sandwich, vanilla latte.” I said.

“Shhhh.” He said shushing me.

“Did I get it wrong?” I asked.

“No just… thanks for the black coffee Hanna.” Happy said loudly trying to protect his macho image.

“You mind?” I said as we got to the turnstiles.

“You know this is a huge security violation.” He said.

“You want to tell that to our boss and the big guy before they’ve had their morning espresso and chai latte?” I said staring down Happy.

“Don’t make it a habit.” Happy said swiping me in.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I said jumping into the elevator right before it closed.

‘Welcome back miss.” Jarvis greeted me once the doors closed.

“Oh Jarvis, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” I said.

“If sir had programmed me with feelings I would say the feeling is mutual.” Jarvis said.

“Can you fill me in?” I asked. “What have I missed?”

“It has been approximately.. fifteen days, thirteen hours, and twenty three minutes since you were last in the tower.” Jarvis said.

“Any word from, Natasha, Clint and Steve?” I asked.

“Agents Romanoff and Barton have not been seen or heard from since the Battle of the Triskelion.” Jarvis said. “Captain Rogers is currently in DC trying to find the Winter Soldier.”

“Bucky Barnes.” I corrected.

“Sir prefers if I refer to him as the Winter Soldier.” Jarvis said as the elevator doors opened.

“I’m overriding that.” I said.

“Of course miss.” Jarvis said. That was surprisingly easy. Normally I had to talk him into a loop hole.

“Alright, what’s on the agenda for today?” I asked.

“Sir has cleared his schedule.” He asked.

“And if he hadn’t cleared his schedule?” I asked.

“The Stark Industries PR department has advised sir to keep his appearance to a minimum until the gala.” Jarvis said.

“They want to create buzz by creating a shortage of Tony Stark. That’s smart and I’m guessing he’s loving the uninterrupted lab time.” I said thinking out loud putting the drinks and bagels down on the counter. “Alright, Buddy tell me. Where is our boss?”

“Sir is in his room asleep.” Jarvis said.

“He’s asleep? Is he alone?” I asked dreading the answer to that question.

“Sir has not had any company or visitors since he last saw you.” He said. “He has been working in his lab.”

“That’s…” I started clearing my throat. “Not surprising. How long was he at it before he crashed?”

“Over 72 hours.” Jarvis informed me.

“Let him sleep.” I said. “It’ll give me a chance to catch up on some emails. Speaking of would you do me a favor and start sorting them in order of most to least important.”

“Yes Miss.” Jarvis said as I took Tony’s coffee and prepped it the way I liked it.

“Is the gala team meeting today?” I asked.

“With the gala less than a month away they are meeting three times a week.” Jarvis said.

“Alright, bring me up to speed.” I said grabbing the tablet Tony had left on the counter and heading down to the lab.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the lab was that it was messier than I left it. Then upon closer look I realized that it wasn't Tony’s or Steve’s projects causing the mess but in fact the mess was my desk.

Oh Boy…

“Alright Jarvis, we’re going to have to rethink how we’re going to catch up.” I said. On average if I looked at a page for about 5 seconds, everything on that page would be stuck in brain forever. “Any chance you can just flick through all of my emails on the screen on a loop until I have them all?”

“Is this the appropriate speed?” Jarvis said flicking through the emails on the monitor.

“A bit faster.” I said moving some of the files off my chair to sit down and get through it all. “Digital version of all of these too please.”

“They may not all be updated.” He informed me.

“Then let’s get an intern or someone with the right security clearance to scan these. Also make sure that Maria Hill’s job application process gets expedited. We need to get her back to work.” I said.

“Agent Hill is already scheduled to come in for a polygraph.” Jarvis said.

“Always thinking ahead, that’s why you’re the best.” I said staring into the screen. “Get me a two minute reminder before the meeting and see if you can get something delivered. Croissants, fruits… something that says sorry I disappeared and am now back at the last minute to probably get credit for something I didn’t even do.”

“I don’t believe that would all fit on a cake.” Jarvis retorted.

“Who would want to eat that cake anyway?” I said. “Stick with bagels and coffee then.”

An hour later I was mostly caught up with everything. I walked into the meeting with the team and made changes to a couple of things, tweaked the budget for the entertainment and then addressed how PR was handling things post DC.

The Stark Foundation was helping with clean up but those three helicarriers sticking out of the Potomac were not going anywhere anytime soon.

“Tony can’t do press, not right now.” I said.

“Agreed.” They said.

“But Pepper can.” I said. “How about we divert the attention from the Avengers and DC? Leading up to the gala we have smaller events or maybe we just co-sponsor other events. I know Pepper has that luncheon in a few weeks at the New York botanical garden?”

“The same botanical garden Mr. Stark destroyed with a laser and a bunch of other robots?” Someone else said.

“He didn’t destroy the botanical garden, Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer’s hammeroids did. Tony and Colonel Rhodes stopped them.” I reminded everyone.

“Smaller events. Lower profile highlighting the work of the Stark Foundation and other organizations helps us control the narrative.” Our publicist said. “We’re not trying to sweep everything under the rug, we’re helping out the little guy.”

“Exactly.” I said.

“Would Tony go for it?” our head of marketing said.

“He’ll go for it.” I said without a doubt.

“We’ll start pulling ideas, see what we can come up with on such short notice.” One of them said shooting me a dirty look.

“I’m sure it’ll be great, like always.” I said ignoring her snark.

I stood up heading back to my desk to continue catching up.

“Miss Marin.” Jarvis informed me when I stepped into the elevator.

“To the lab Jarvis.” I said.

“Sir is awake.” He said.

“How many hours is that?” I asked.

“Nine and a half.” Jarvis said.

“Nine and a half hours of sleep, that’s probably a record.” I answered. “Is he eating?”

“Sir is freshening up.” Jarvis said.

“Alright, I’ll handle breakfast.” I said going to the kitchen to whip up something. Looking around it was obvious no one had bothered putting in a grocery order in a while. The cleaning crew had made sure anything that was spoiled was cleaned but breakfast options were pretty limited.

It was a good thing I was great at improvising in the kitchen and that my son was a foodie.  I took the last of the eggs with some of the cheese and chives we had lying around to prep an omelett garnished with chives and potato chips.

Once the coffee was brewed I put my waitressing experience to use, carrying the coffee, omelet, my tablet and napkins downstairs to the lab.

“Jarvis put in a grocery order.” I said walking into the elevator.

“Would you like to start a list miss?” Jarvis said.

“Yeah, put everything on it. What do people eat around here?” I asked.

“Sir’s diet consists of coffee, green juice and takeout.” Jarvis quipped.

“At least he cut down on the scotch.” I said walking into the lab where Tony was being Tony as he went over the new security department which was going to be comprised of fully vetted former Shield agents.

“Are you going to have Fury head it?” Bruce asked.

“Not sure…” Tony said. “He’s not really taking my calls.”

“I’d hope not, he’s supposed to be dead.” I said letting them know I was in the room.

“Hanna!” Bruce and Tony said.

“Morning. My vote’s for Maria Hill. She’s got the experience, and she saw first hand everything that went wrong under Fury’s command and learned a few things from it.” I said putting down Tony’s omelet and coffee down in front of him before I took the cutlery wrapped in a linen napkin and sternly handed it to him. “Eat.”

“You’re back.” Tony said with a grin.

“I’m back.” I confirmed. “Eat.”

“And you made breakfast?” He said.

“Which is getting cold.” I said turning to Bruce. “How was London?”

“London?” Bruce asked confused before realizing I was speaking to him. “London! Oh yeah it was great. Dr. Foster is working on a new book on the Einstein Rosen bridge and its really fascinating stuff.”

“I can imagine.” I said. “Portals to another world, can’t get enough of it.”

“Right…” Bruce said cringing.

“Oh, while I have you. Do you happen to have a tetanus shot on hand?” I asked.

“Why do you need a tetanus shot?” Tony asked putting down the bit of the omelet he was about to bite into and started to look me over.

“You, Eat.” I said pointing at his plate.

“I think we have some downstairs after the last time Tony accidentally shot a rocket in the lab.” Bruce said.

“It was a boot from the mark...” Tony said.

“That doesn’t make it any better.” We said.

“Come on.” Bruce said.

“Oh we’re going to play doctor…” I teased making Bruce blush and Tony almost choke on his omelet.

“Uh… uh…” Bruce stuttered not knowing what to say.

“Kidding. I don’t think you can play doctor when you have seven Ph.D’s.” I said walking to the elevator.

“Uh.. what…” Bruce started.

“Mhmm wow, that is a good omelet.” Tony said finally taking a bite of the omelet.

“Come on Bruce.” I called out holding the elevator door open for him.

Bruce sighed and followed after me not saying a word in the elevator until we got to the medical level. Correction the medical research level. Bruce and Tony were still working on getting Helen Cho to come by for a tour in the hopes that she would relocate some of her research to New York.

It looked promising but still no answer.

“They should be right over here.” Bruce said going to the refrigerator and looking through it. In the meantime I started unbuttoning my blouse to free up my arm.

“I should warn you now, I hate needles.” I said.

“I’m not sure I should ask but, why do you need a tetanus shot?” Bruce said washing his hands and slipping on a pair of gloves.

“Well, when I woke up this morning, at the crack of dawn I was in the East river, washed up on the shores of long Island, missing a shoe. I then had to walk to closest train station, hop over a  turnstile, and walk five blocks to my apartment on trash pick up day.” I said. “Did I mention I was missing a shoe?”

“Sounds like quite the morning.” He said using a wet wipe to wipe a spot on my arm.

“New York is not the cleanest city in the world. I thought it’d be good to take some preca-ahhhhh…” I groaned feeling the needle go in. “tions…”

“Done.” Bruce said.

“I hate that feeling.” I said moving my arm in a circular motion and feeling how sore my ribs were.

“A tiny pinch is better than an infection.” He said.

“Agreed, that would be a really dumb way to die.” I said.

“That’s not the word I’d use.” Bruce said. “Are you okay?”

“Never better.” I said. “Why?”

“You’re back.” He said.

“I’m back.” I said.

“The last time I saw you, you were trying to stay as far away from here as you could.” Bruce reminded me.

“I do remember that part.” I said thinking back. “It’s been a really long year.”

“It was month ago.” Bruce said confused.

“Over year for me. Long story.” I said.

“Norway?” Bruce asked.

“Total blur, we can blame Odin for that one.” I said. “Cliff notes version, I don’t know why I decided to go to Norway, I apparently bumped into Thor’s dad there and he doesn’t like me very much so he pushed me off a cliff but not before messing with my memories.”

“Thor’s dad killed you in Norway?” Bruce said in disbelief.

“Yup, and I have to break the news to Thor somehow. That’s going to be a fun conversation. I went home for a year, worked on myself and came back in time to be in DC when Hydra tried to make their move.” I said.

“That’s a really long year.” Bruce said.

“But I’m back, and getting back to work.” I said putting my arm through my sleeve again and buttoning up my shirt.

“I’m glad you’re back.” Bruce said. “We missed you.”

“Missed you too.” I said smiling. “I've been thinking a lot, about our last conversation and what it means to be soulmates. I’m really lucky to have you as one of my soulmates. You are patient, kind and understanding, everything I am not and you don’t hold that against me.”

“You’re all of that too.” Bruce said. “Our situation is complicated.”

“I probably made it even more complicated than it needed to be.” I said. “I could have handled things better.”

“You did what you needed to do.” He said giving me a reassuring smile. I didn’t say anything instead I got up and hugged him. Bruce put his arms around me gently.

“I missed you.” I admitted.

“I missed you too.” He said.

“I’m glad you’re getting out more.” I said.

“Yeah, it’s… still a lot sometimes but it’s good.” Bruce said.

“Pardon me miss,” Jarvis said interrupting us. “It’s almost time for your next meeting.”

“Right, thank you Jarvis.” I said letting go of Bruce. “Duty calls.”

Three back to back meetings later and I was briefly considering if I could go back to Big Pharma.

I groaned finally back at my desk. The paperwork was still there but now it was in three piled I had dubbed, crap I don’t need to know, crap people want me to know, and lastly crap that I actually need to know to do my job.

“You look like you need this.” Tony said putting a cup of coffee in front of me.

“Thank you.” I said taking a sip.

“Long day?” He asked.

“A lot to catch up on.” I said.

“Speaking of things to catch up on…” Tony started.

“The next words out of your mouth better not be, ‘I want to put a shield around the world’.” I said.

“I was going to ask how things went with the kid.” Tony said.

“The kid? Oh my kid.” I said sipping my coffee. “Uh, well he knows I’m alive. He’s definitely going to need therapy at some point. I had to do some light gaslighting because he saw me die and disappear in bright light.”

“Did you tell him?” Tony asked.

“I told him we’d talk when he’s older.” I said.

“That’s a classic.” Tony said.

“What else was I supposed to say? Mommy dies a lot, goes to different universes, and came back from the dead only to leave again?” I said.

“Maybe not that.” Tony said.

“We had a good talk. I took him to our favorite brunch place.” I said.

“I miss that place.” Tony said.

“It’s hard to find a good brunch spot like that.” I said.

“We could try to find one. I know a couple of places.” Tony said trying to play it cool, probably trying to get a read on how we were doing at the moment. “I don’t know if they make potato chip omelets.”

“They probably won’t for a while.” I said. “And uh… I may have had a tiny ulterior motive for making you breakfast.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m in trouble?” He said.

“You’re not in trouble.” I said.

“It’s only been two weeks, I can’t have screwed this up already.” Tony said.

“Tony, you’re not in trouble. Surprisingly. Everyone in PR is really happy with you right now.” I said.

“And you?” Tony asked.

“I made you an omelet that was actually edible.” I said. “We’re working on the gala and we think you should be doing some selective appearances.”

“Selective appearances? I don’t think being on the cover of a magazine without any clothes on…” He started.

“Oh no, you’re definitely going to be dressed for these appearances. In fact it’s mandatory for you to be in a tailored suit, not a suit of armor. You may be able to get away with a t-shirt and blazer for some of the more casual events…” I said making a note to loop in Tony’s stylist and tailor once we had these events lined up.

“Am I going to be making these appearances alone?” Tony inquired.

“No Pepper will be there for some of them. You’re presenting her with an award and maybe giving a short speech.” I said making him frown. I guess that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. “Not one hundred percent sure yet. Alyssa still thinks you don’t know how to stick to approved talking points.”

“And are you going to be at these events?” Tony said. “With me?”

“I am your personal assistant. It’s my job to be there, on standby in case you need anything.” I answered.

“My assistant. Right…” He said looking at me confused and unsure if he should say something. “because you’re my assistant…”

“That’s the official job title.” I reminded him.

“You assist.” Tony said.

“It’s in the name.” I said.

“Yeah, right at the beginning.” He said. “If you think this is a good idea and if Pep’s on board I’ll be there. With you. My assistant.”

“Exactly.” I said.

“Just my assistant. While I have my assistant… didn’t we have a meeting with HR today?” Tony asked.

“HR?” I said picking up my tablet to look at the calendar to see if there was anything scheduled.

“I think we were talking last time you were here about us, and us going to HR together, to fill out some paperwork. Together?” Tony said cautiously.

“Right….” I said. “We don’t have an appointment and I didn’t mean it literally.”

“You didn’t mean it?” Tony said hurt.

“No! No I meant it!” I said standing up taking his hand in mine. “Every word. I just didn’t think you actually literally wanted to go down to HR to fill out paperwork for us..”

“I want to go to HR.” Tony said stepping closer to me. “I've been looking forward to going to HR. Together.”

“We can go to HR.” I said as he let go of my hand to put his hands on my waist and I put mine on his shoulders slowly getting closer.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Yeah. It sounds really nice.” I answered as Tony gently pressed his forehead against mine slowly moving to press his lips on mine.

And just like the last time there were fireworks and a sparked that I could only describe as feeling right. This was exactly the way things were supposed to be.

“Can we go now?” Tony asked still holding me close.

“Actually sir, the Human Resources Department has closed early for their yearly Employee Appreciation retreat offsite.” Jarvis said.

“You’re got to program him with some better timing.” I whispered.

“I’ll work on that for the next update.” Tony answered slightly annoyed. “Jarvis, read the room.”

“I have taken the liberty of downloading the required forms from the HR server for you and Miss Marin to complete and shall file them discretely one they are completed.” Jarvis said.

“Buddy I don’t know if you were paying attention but we’re making a whole thing out of this huge relationship milestone.” Tony said.

“I am very well aware of that fact sir.” Jarvis said. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes at his creator. “You are welcome to wait until tomorrow during office business hours.”

“Am I the only one hearing the attitude…” I said.

“I think Jarvis is rebelling.” Tony said.

“Don’t even joke about that.” I said.

“We can wait.” Tony said a bit disappointed. “It’s just one more day.”

“Or we can print out the forms, fill them out, and break into HR and file them ourselves?” I offered.

“I don’t think it’s considered breaking in if I own the building.” Tony retorted

“We’re going to HR.” I said.

“We’re going to HR.” Tony said kissing me before taking my hand and leading me to HR.

No one would ever believe me when I said that Tony willingly went to go fill out paperwork himself.

“You know this is the first time I’ve been here.” Tony said as I was initialing and signing on all the parts that belonged to me.

“Somehow I find that hard to believe.” I answered. “Does it live up to your expectations?”

“It’s uh… really beige.” Tony said. “It wouldn’t kill the to put up a poster or something.”

“Like a hang in there kitten poster?” I teased. “That’s exactly what people want to see when they’re getting fired or sitting through an hours long sexual harassment seminar.”

“Maybe we should do a remodel down here? Or hire a decorator? Get some flowers?” Tony said pensively.

“That’s a nice idea. I’m sure they’ll really appreciate it and the flowers will go really nicely with the new polygraph machine.” I teased signing my name on the last form. “Done.”

“That’s it?” Tony said.

“Yup.” I said opening the electronically locked filing cabinet and putting it into Tony’s HR file which had its own drawer. “It’s official.”

“We’re official.” He said. “We should go out to celebrate.”

“Right now?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Tony said. “Jarvis get us reservations somewhere nice.”

“That’s kind of short notice.” I said. “I’m not dressed for a date.”

“Of course you are. You look great.” He said. “Come on, for the first time in what feels like forever we’re here without worrying about the next bad guy around the corner.”

I thought about turning him down and focusing on work but… it was after five.

“Okay.” I said getting up.

“If you need me to ask or get you flowers…” He started not hearing what I was saying.

“Let’s go.” I said.

“Wait, you mean…” he said.

“You’re driving.” I said.

“I’m driving!” Tony said running after me.