Chosen | The Winter Soldier

Four

I woke from my sleep, stretching my arms and yawning. The light from the window caused me to squint my eyes as I got up; walking into the bathroom and brushing my teeth. I could hear the distant sound of birds chirping outside, making me smile. I looked outside my bathroom window- as the events from yesterday hit me. I widened my eyes and finished- rushing into my closet to find clothes. I threw them on and walked downstairs- looking for Tony. Pepper walked up to me and smiled softly before speaking.

"He's downstairs- and he wants to talk to you." She spoke, brushing a stray hair away from her face. I nodded, smiling softly before walking down the steps into his workshop. He noticed me and flicked his eyes up- stopping his tinkering and taking his goggles off.

"Hey, kid." He said, getting up; cleaning his hands with a dirty cloth. I stopped walking as I saw what he was tinkering with- the same ark reactor I charged the day before. I sighed watching it- as he spoke again. "I'm just," He paused, looking back at the reactor. "I'm just trying to figure it out." He finished, shaking his head slightly. I nodded slightly, understanding his curiosity.

"It's nothing. I should have known something like this was gonna happen." I spoke with honesty, leaning my body on one of the metal support beams. "That's the thing, Blue. You didn't. But you shouldn't bring yourself down because of it. If anything- you should see it as a good thing." He said to me, placing the glowing reactor down. He walked over to me, before speaking.

"You're like my... personal battery." He joked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I laughed as he walked up the stairs; me following behind him. We walked up to meet face to face with Pepper. I furrowed my eyebrows at the suitcase next to her, not really understanding what was going on in that moment. She clearly noticed; an annoyed expression plastered onto her face as she put a hand on her hip.

"Seriously, Tony? You didn't tell her?" Pepper stood there, glaring at Tony. He threw his hands up in the air; before speaking. "I thought maybe we both could." He said, fake smiling, trying to ease the look on Peppers face.

"Nick Fury wants you to visit for a while! He wants to catch up on things." Pepper spoke- causing me and Tony to exchange brief eye contact. I understood what was happening instantly; Tony had to tell Pepper I was leaving, but left out the details I'm glad he left out. I immediately put on a fake smile before speaking.

"Really? That's so exciting. Wow- I mean, this is great. I haven't been there in a while." I lied. Well, not necessarily. "I'll go get my other things, then." I said smiling, walking to the stairs and climbing them. I knew lying to Pepper wasn't the best thing he could have done, but I was glad he did. She didn't need any more stress placed on her shoulders. I walked into my bedroom and grabbed my phone, purse and my necklace. I stood, fiddling with the necklace that hung around my neck; it was a rose, made of medal.

'One day, you will bloom just like this rose. Not just on the outside, but in your soul. When the time comes, you'll know. Your powers will become stronger everyday; you're gonna save lives one day. Never forget that, Blue.'

His words felt like they were said to me just yesterday, even if they didn't mean much then, their importance grew with time. I put my phone in my pocket, swinging my crossbody purse around myself- slowly walking out of the room. I stopped in my tracks, glancing to the right. A small photo of me, my father, and Steve Rogers hung in a collage on my wall. It made me smile; we were so content. Even though the craziest things were going on in the world at that time, we stopped to take a photo. I would have never believed something so small would mean as much as it did to me- but that picture held a special place in my heart.

I felt a tear escape my eye, causing me to wipe my face abruptly. I gathered myself together, continuing to step out of my room. I walked down the stairs and into the living room, watching Tony and Pepper have a small conversation. They both darted their eyes up at me as they saw me- Pepper throwing a small smile. "Sorry again sweetie. This must feel so rushed for you." She worried, looking at me with an apologetic expression. "No, it's fine. I'm actually happy- it's kind of like a surprise, I guess." I said smiling, pulling my suitcase beside me.

"Alright- well, I packed all of your favorite outfits when you were down talking to Tony. Don't worry about that." She spoke, causing me to nod my head and smile. I do trust Pepper- she has a good judgment of style. "Alright kid, jets waiting." Tony said, looking at his watch. I nodded my head, as I heard the sound of crushed concrete outside. I walked up to Pepper and hugged her, then to Tony.

"I'm just gonna have a quick talk with her outside. Just some parental precautions. I'll be right back." Tony spoke to Pepper as we walked out the door- proceeding to the dark SUV waiting outside. He shut the door, then looked down at me. "Listen- if anything gets out of hand, you tell me. Okay? You tell me first- you tell me right when it happens. I don't want anything happening to you-" I cut him off, as the driver took my suitcase.

"I know. I'll call you. Don't worry, I'll be fine." I reassured him, as the driver opened the door for me. "Wait- did you say 'parental precautions'?" I questioned- stifling a laugh; resulting in a dramatic eye roll from the infamous Iron Man. "Shut up and get in the car." He spat sarcastically, motioning me to walk. I laughed, getting into the car. I rolled the window down before speaking- looking into the eyes of Tony. "I'll miss ya." I said, pressing my lips in a fine line. He laughed a little- folding his arms. "I'll miss you too, Blue." He spoke- causing me to smile. I nodded my head- before the car started rolling; and before I knew it, the house was out of my capable view.