"Are you sure you about this?" Peter questions, and I can see the apprehension written across his face in a hundred different ways. "There has to be a way for you to come with us."
"It's too risky." I remind him. "The safest option is for you to meet up and go home with May, while I shadow step to your apartment. If it helps, I'll wait until you text Happy you got there so you can catch me when I pass out."
"Way to be comforting, Lia."
"I'm just being honest. Traveling a long distance in a split second by creating a bridge of dark energy is literally exhausting, but it's the only way that I can't be traced back to you." I take a step closer and cup his face in my hands. "I promise, it's perfectly safe."
"I know. I just don't want to leave you again—or, you know—"
I cut him off with a soft smile, "I'm not leaving again. Not without giving you a proper goodbye."
Peter let's out a sigh of relief. "It doesn't stop me from worrying." Happy calls that Aunt May is here, and a soft grin tugs at Peter's lips. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
"Without a doubt." I whisper and give him a quick kiss. "Now go say hi to May before she has a heart attack from worrying." I can see the hesitation on his face as he takes a step back and heads out.
I watch through the tinted window as Peter and May hug. It's nice to see both of them so happy, but it doesn't make me any less anxious about breaking the news to May. Luckily, Peter said he'd try to break it to her as easily as possible. I just still have my doubts about how easily she'll handle my spontaneous return.
Six months can feel like an eternity—which it has, but it makes the hour of waiting for them to battle the traffic back to their apartment feel like a little less than it is. Luckily, a lot of that time is taken up by Happy flying the jet back to the Stark hanger.
"You know, I'm proud of you, kiddo. It's taking a lot of guts to come back, and I know how much it scares you."
"It terrifies me." I whisper back. "They've been tracking me for longer than I initially realized, and after all the damage I've done to them, they want my head. I just keep thinking what will happen if they catch me."
Happy nods understandingly and nods towards the cockpit. "Trust me, we won't let anything happen to you. You've got a lot of people on your side who care about you. Whoever is behind this won't stand a chance."
"Not when I find them they won't." I reply and lean back into a seat. "So, I never got to ask. How are Mum and Morgan doing?"
"They both miss you a lot." He tells me and sits down next to me. "Morgan talks about you everyday and plays the videos you left her all the time. She even makes me take some of her to give to you since she doesn't quite understand it all."
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and hands it to me with a video of Morgan and Pepper pulled up. I can't stop the tears that stream down my face as I watch one after the other. "Morgan's getting tall." I whisper and try not to cry even more as I hand the phone back. "I still can't believe Dad's not here to see it all."
"None of us can." Happy replies and pulls me into his chest. "He knew what he was doing, and he knew you would be okay."
"I'm still waiting for things to hit 'okay.'"
"Give it time, kid. Even the bad stuff doesn't last forever." Happy reminds me, and I nod. It's hard to believe, but I hope with everything in me that it's true. There's no way I can keep this up forever, and I'm already running on fumes except for the small nap on the flight back from London. There's also the lingering worry that the longer I do this, the closer the Reaper gets to me any those I love.
Happy's phone pings, and I push myself to my feet. "Let me guess, Peter and May are back?"
"Yeah, and he's really nervous."
I pause mid-motion of putting my backpack on "He told you that?"
"No, but he's using a lot of emojis, which is a sure sign." Happy says it so seriously that I can't help the laughter that bubbles out of me. "What? I know what emojis are, Lia. I'm not that old."
"I never said you were." I counter and secure my backpack on. "Alright. This is where I get off. Wish me luck."
"Why? You know where you're going."
"Yeah, but a shadow step isn't an exact science." I pause and look at Happy. "Don't tell Peter that or he'll freak out even more. Plus, I'm pretty sure it will be fine."
"Pretty sure is usually what Tony would say before something blew up."
"C'mon, Happy. You know me better than that."
"Yes, I do. Enough to know that you're just like Tony in that aspect."
"Oh, would you look at that. Gotta go. See you later, Happy!" I rush the words out as I mentally bridge the gap between the plane's cabin and Peter's apartment—specially his room, right in front of his bed in case I fall. Once I feel the connection made, I step forward, pushing my atoms through the familiar energy that when traveled this quickly feels like walking in mud.
I can see Peter's room in the distance, slowly nearing like the light at the end of a dark tunnel, and by the time my foot touches the ground again, I'm there. It's only then that I remember how much energy I just used up, but Peter is there, just like he promised. His arms wrap around my waist the same moment my knees buckle under me.
"Thanks, hot stuff." I manage to slur out and use the last bit of energy in me to collapse on Peter's bed instead fo the floor. "I'm gonna take a nap now."
Peter's laugh fills the room as he pulls his blankets over my arms. "Enjoy your nap then." I hold onto his hand so he can't walk away, and I don't need to open my eyes to know the exact soft smile on his face. A moment later, he's laying down next to me. It's the combination of his fingers gently running through my hair and the melody of his heartbeat that lulls me to sleep.
It feels like only minutes later that an alarm starts blaring me and startles me awake. Within a second I'm on my feet, shadow blade formed in my hand. My eyes dart around fully prepared for a fight with the adrenaline being pumped in my veins.
Movement outside the door catches my attention, and I press my back to the adjacent wall, ready to take down anyone that comes in. The door opens, and I swing my arm, blade in hand, before I can even register who it is.
Luckily, Peter's spider-sense kicks in, and he ducks low enough for the shadow blade to harmlessly swing above his head. "Woah," His arms pin mine at my side as the realization hits me like the train did to him in Berlin. The blade dissipates in a second as tears begin to stream down my face. "Hey, it's okay. I'm okay. You're okay. You're safe." Peter whispers hurriedly.
I want to tell him it's not okay, but my throat is too tight. My body is frozen in place, the only movement is the uncontrollable shaking. Peter's hand grab my face every so gently as he keeps reassuring me everything is fine.
"I'm sorry." I manage. "I didn't—I heard the alarm and—and—"
"You don't need to apologize, Lia." He tells me with eyes full of pain and sadness. "I'm okay, and you're still safe. That's all that really matters."
I nod, still feeling lost amidst the overwhelming numb. "What—um—what happened?"
"May was making her famous cookies and burnt them. When the alarm went off, I figured you'd panic and came to make sure you were okay."
"Which clearly I'm not."
"After everything that's happened, no one expects you to be perfectly okay." I bite my cheek and stare at the floor, which makes Peter tuck his fingers under my chin until I look at him. "Hey, stop blaming yourself."
"But I could have hurt you—or May." I shake my head. "Maybe this was a mistake."
"Don't say that. No one got hurt, and this wasn't a mistake. Okay?" He sighs when I don't answer. "I don't care what it takes, but I'm going to help you stop these people once and for all so you can come home for good without it feeling like a mistake."
I melt in his arms in relief, appreciation, and love. All I can manage to reply is a simple, "Okay." But I think he knows everything that I can't bring myself to say.
We stay like that for a little while, just silently reassuring that the other will always be there will always love them, and will always fight for them.