Till The End Of The Line

Chapter 2: I've Got No Strings

 Matilda woke the next morning to the sun shining in through her windows. She grabbed her phone off of the night stand and checked the time. She saw that there was one missed text from Tony. She swiped up to unlock her phone and read the message.

When you wake up around noon, go check the kitchen. I left you a little something. See you in two days. -T

She looked at the clock in the upper right-hand corner and saw that it was 10AM. She groaned and threw her phone down on her bed. She was mad at herself for not being up when everyone left, and mad at Tony that he didn't wake her up to say goodbye. She picked her phone back up and re-read the message.

"Left me something?" she mumbled to herself.

She sighed and threw the covers off and padded into her bathroom. She splashed some cool water onto her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Her olive complexion was so plain to her. Reddish brown waves framed her face, her chocolate brown eyes the only feature she tolerated. She took a brush to her hair and tried to get out some of the knots that had formed over the course of the night. She grabbed a scrunchy from the messy counter and threw her hair up into a bun. She stepped out of the bathroom in search of her slippers. She found them hidden under the small desk in her room. Once she had them on, she headed to the kitchen to see just what exactly Tony had left her.

When she arrived at the kitchen, the last of the morning crew were leaving. She sprinted over to the espresso machine to make herself a cup of coffee. The remaining chefs chuckled at her actions.

"Morning, Matilda. Late night?" A chef named Cher asked her as she was finishing packing in the coffee grounds.

"Didn't sleep well. Everyone left for a mission this morning, and I was worrying."

"I'm sure they will be fine like always. Mr. Stark is a very smart man; he knows what he's doing."

"I guess so."

Matilda pulled her cup out from under the espresso machine and took a sip. She closed her eyes as that first sip of coffee washed over her, its warmth spreading and the caffeine making her head tingle.

"Well, I got to run. I managed to save you one of those blueberry scones that you like from service this morning, and I think there's something for you in the office." Cher headed towards the kitchen doors and threw a hand up to wave at Matilda. "Bye, Till!"

"See ya, Cher."

She went to check the desert cart for the scone that Cher promised and upon finding it, headed towards the small office. Once there she could see a small rectangle gift wrapped in red and gold colors, Iron Man colors, sitting on the desk. She smiled to herself and pulled out the chair to sit down. She placed her coffee and scone down and lifted up the package to examine it. There was a small card attached that read:

For when you start to worry, write your cares away.

Matilda smiled and ripped open the red paper. Inside was a beautiful, dark green, leather journal. She ran her fingers over the intricate design on the cover and smiled. She had always loved to write, and could remember having a diary or journal since she was a little girl. But when her father died, she had lost all interest in the hobby. Seeing the book now, made that fire re-ignite. She took another sip of her coffee and a bit of scone and looked for a pen on the cluttered desk. Once she found one, she pried the cover open to the first blank page and started to write.

***

May 1st, 2015

Tony and everyone returned safely today. I can't exactly say in one piece because Clint went and got himself hurt. Luckily Dr. Cho and Agent Hill arrived shortly before the quin jet got here, and she was able to mend his wounds. I was able to talk to Tony before he pulled Bruce into his lab and closed the door. He said that the mission went well. Striker was in custody and they had the scepter back safe and sound. He didn't say much else. I think I'll go see if Steve can tell me anything. Tony seems distracted, worse so then usual. I'm worried he might be up to something.