Saving Grace

Seventy Nine

"Hey, just in case, play this part for May, okay? Okay, here goes: May, I'm so sorry that I... that I failed you. And Peter. He... He didn't make it. But before he... He asked me to tell you he was sorry. Either you or Grace. Maybe both. I'm sure he means it either way, though. And I'm sorry too..." He clears his throat. "Okay, Grace, I'm back. Just had to... cover all the bases. I'm sorry too, you know. I'm sorry I couldn't make it back home. And you know what the funny thing is? I don't even know if you're there — you or Pepper. I hope you are. I hope you're alright. But if you're not, I'll be seeing you soon, right? Win-win, I guess? Maybe not. I don't know. But I do know that I love you. Remember... to remember that, sweetheart." He exhales, his eyes starting to close; he can't keep them open. "I'm gonna... I'm gonna rest now. Just... Just for a moment..."

He lay down, putting his jacket half on, trying to keep warm, even though he knows it won't fight off the cold. He uses his arm as a pillow for a while, then he's vaguely aware of Nebula pushing him onto his back, trying to see if he's still alive. She lifts him, puts him in the pilot's chair so that he can sit up. There's deep, blue light behind his eyelids, soft enough to fade away to.

But then it brightens.

It brightens, and brightens, and brightens, and with it comes noise, a booming, a sound of power.

Tony opens his eyes, but he can't see what the source is; it's blinding. He has to shield his eyes.

It seems to move, getting closer, and then, Tony sees a woman — one he doesn't recognize — in that light, smiling at him in accomplishment, and he almost thinks he's imagining it.

He looks much thinner than in the picture, but Carol is certain: that's Grace's father.

~~~~

Grace is sitting in her room, alone, the state she thought she'd rather be in to try to gather her thoughts, maybe calm her mind. But it might actually be worse than sitting around with a bunch of other worried, hurting, waiting people.

She lay in bed, unable to sleep, not wanting to draw or paint or read or anything. She isn't even crying, something she's been doing a good bit of lately. Just laying, curled up in a ball as if that will lessen the pit of worry in her stomach.

The ground begins to rumble, so faintly at first that she believes she's imagining it, but then it's stronger, shaking her easel, her desk, her dresser, her bed. Unignorable.

She gets up on unsure feet, moves to the window. In the distance, a large ship is getting closer and closer, a bright light underneath, carrying it home.

Carol.

Grace turns and runs, shouting for her mother, for Happy, for Nat, for Rhodey, Steve, Thor, Bruce, Rocket, or anyone that can hear her. She runs outside, barefoot, into the grass, Pepper right next to her. The ship lands far away, seemingly miles, and they run to meet it. The others are behind them.

Carol sees Grace from a distance and nods at her, and Grace turns as the ship's steps are lowered and a strange, blue woman helps her father down them. Steve rushes forward to help too. Tony's thin. He's so, so thin.

Skin and bones, ragged breathing, pallid complexion. He looks like death, but he's alive.

He's alive.