Universal Displacement

Closure and Endings

She had to disappoint Maggie and Avery with little to no details about her injury and time recuperating. Being gone for several months, around half a year even, was not easily explained away. But telling people that you had been in a coma for most of the incident really helped cut down on the amount of story you had to make up. The women showed their true, amazing colors with how they took the story in stride and didn't actually press for more information than Sutton was willing, or able, to share. It seemed like a drastic change from how she'd remembered them. For the first time, Sutton let herself acknowledge that these women could truly be good friends. That perhaps she might be able to befriend them, enjoy their company, and not feel guilty for it.

If she was going to be living here, after all, no use in being miserable; right? Isn't that what her family would really want? And after all her near death experiences, Sutton thought the present was a much better place to live in.

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Moving back out of the Tower and into her own apartment was a process. Tony had put her old place on a sort of hold and everything was where she had last left it.

A plus of owning the building, probably.

When the time came, it'd be a simple transition, but she just hadn't quite worked up to staying on her own again. At first, given her physical state, Tony had outright told her she needed to stay within easy reach, especially given the continuous modifications her reactor needed to function properly. But now that she'd started working again, could run without her heart going out, and with the nightmares slowing slightly, she knew the time was close. But she figured that while Steve and Natasha were still in the area, she could stick around. Natasha was actually unintimidating when you got to know her, with a sly sense of humor and larger knowledge of useless trivia than Sutton would've guessed.

The assassin liked to include emoticons in her texts and slip movie quotes into conversations.

Sutton was sitting in one of the common rooms with the redhead now. It was knitting time, and Sutton was just about done with her scarf as Natasha worked on what looked to be a beanie with arrow motifs incorporated in it. The way she was able to deftly switch between colors of yarn baffled Sutton, as she was still mastering just basic knitting with one strand of yarn at a time herself.

"So who do you think the killer is," Natasha asked. Her fingers moved without thought, the muscle memory doing the work for her as she slipped needles through loops. Sutton hummed in contemplation as she measured her scarf around her neck again to see how much more she'd have to do.

"I'm not sure," she said. "At first I thought it was the boyfriend, but then he ended up having that alibi. I guess that would have been too obvious anyway."

"My money's on the deputy."

"What!" Sutton gasped. "But they're so nice!"

Natasha smirked, glancing up through her brows.

"I know."
Sutton frowned and turned the idea over in her head a moment before sighing and going back to knitting. The scarf still needed a few more inches.

"I guess that would make a big plot twist. And they do have the inside scoop to help them get away with it."

"Exactly."

Sutton replayed what scenes she could remember with the deputy as she knit and tried to recall if there had been any odd or suspicious looks on the character's face that might have hinted at ulterior motives.

A few rows of stitching later and Sutton fidgeted on the couch, pulling her legs up in order to tuck them under herself.

"Sort of related, I was thinking of taking a karate class," she said in a casual tone. Natasha looked up from her beanie. "After all," Sutton continued, "New York isn't exactly the safest place and I've already been running with Steve, so what's a bit more exercise, right?"