Iron Beta 3: What to do When your World Explodes

Chapter 20 (Epilogue)

Chapter 20 (Epilogue)

"Sprocket wrench." I request as I stick out a hand, blindly reaching from underneath the old 1967 Chevy Corvette Stingray.

I pause in my tinkering when nothing lands in my waiting hand. "Sprocket wrench?" I ask again, just in case one of the bots didn't hear me.

Still no response. I sigh as I roll myself out from under the car. "Dummy?"

Then I realize something odd: save for my questions, the lab is silent. No music, no clanking, no bots, no explosions...no nothing.

I stand and grab a rag, wiping the motor oil off my hands. "Jarvis, where is everyone?"

"The rest of the Avengers seem to be gathered in the communal living room on the fortieth floor, ma'am, along with Miss Ross, Doctor Foster, and Miss Lewis."

"Right. Thanks, J." I say as I switch off the lights and close up the lab and make my way up a few floors, bypassing vents and elevators because construction still has not been completed from when S.H.I.E.L.D. held our tower hostage.

I thread my way down to the common floor, dodging masses of workers and piles of construction materials.

I eventually reach the right floor, following the sounds of laughter and Darcy squealing. I cautiously open the door and relax once I found where everyone went.

Steve is lounging on the couch watching whatever is on while my dad animatedly tries to explain how TV and movies have progressed since the 20th century. Clint is sitting Indian-style on one of the ottomans while Thor is one again sprawled on the floor, conversing and watching the TV with a level of excitement only he can manage. Jane is seated on the loveseat, using Thor's stomach as a foot rest. Betty is seated next to Jane and talking quietly with Bruce, who is occupying the recliner and watching the scene in front of him with an amused expression. Natasha and Darcy are manning the kitchen, organizing bag of popcorn and chips.

"Did we have a movie night and not tell me?" I demand with mock seriousness.

Everybody freezes and looks at me like a deer looks at headlights. Clint is the first to snap out of it, dragging another ottoman next to him and patting it.

"Hey, sparrow! Um, no...I'm not entirely sure what this is." He admits sheepishly.

"We all just...sort of ended up here." My dad explains with a bewildered look on his face. "I was getting coffee."

"I was watching baseball." Steve offers.

"Natasha and I were making cooking experiments!" Darcy calls from the kitchen.

"We were reading." Jane, Betty, and Bruce all supply simultaneously.

"And I was stalking the vents." Clint concludes.

I just blink and shrug, trotting over to the other ottoman and stealing a handful of my dad's popcorn along the way, ducking as he swings a pillow towards my head. I dive onto the ottoman, sending it sliding into Clint, who just braces and grunts as I hit him, laughing and trying to tickle my ribs as I squirm away.

I end up laying half on my ottoman, with my feet hanging off one side and my head in Clint's lap. I turn my eyes to the movie - some nameless old comedy - with half-lidded eyes as Clint plays with my hair.

I'm asleep in five minutes, but I can still feel the peaceful smile on my face.

Peaceful. A strange concept, to me; between government agencies, psychotic parents, planning anniversaries, and keeping up with all of the above, I don't get much time to do much of anything else.

Which is why I cherish jumping in puddles, singing my heart out to old rock, and being able to sleep and breathe for a moment knowing eight of the best people in the world are behind me.

I have an adorable, loyal boyfriend, an amazing, supportive dad, and six other people that I consider friends - family, who am I kidding - who would step up to the plate for me in a second, just like I have for them.

My mother is in prison; I get that, I really do.

But who needs her?

I found a much better family all on my own, thank you very much.

With a little bit of superhero on the side.

A/N

Ta-da! All done.

And this will probably be the last book. I can't keep pulling villains out of a hat.

But never fear! I will be writing one shots and short stories, and I will be starting a collection of one shots. If you want to see a topic, just message me.

P.S: Sorry for the weird formatting changes, not my fault. Blame the site.