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It had been a few weeks since Rey and Jay discussed whom to contact in a way that they were not directly associated with the Avengers. Someone like the director of S.H.I.L.E.D. Nicholas J. 'Nick' Fury. But to contact him they had to find a way into S.H.I.L.E.D. which was easy for Rey since she could change her appearance.
Rey uploaded all the files she thought were necessary for S.H.I.L.E.D. to know about on a hard drive. She uploaded only and only the ones she wanted them to know about. Since she used to work for HYDRA she did not want S.H.I.L.E.D. to know her identity. Or anything she had done during the years of her life before the cryosleep.
Rey sat at the computer staring at the screen as she kept pressing the top button of the clutch pen in her hands. She was on a Google search page she stared at the blank search bar wondering if it would give her the right answer to her question.
"Rey, you have been staring at the monitor for fifteen whole minutes." said V.E.R.O.N.I.C.A. Rey looked away from the screen and at the keyboard, as she clutched her fingers tightly around the pen in her hand. "And the pen in your hand is going to break." Rey immediately dropped the pen on the desk sighing as she ran her hands through her brown locks.
"Is it just me or is the Rey Irani too frustrated to search on the internet." Jay quipped as he walked into the room with two Starbucks Bobas.
"If it makes you happy then yes." Rey countered with a smile before they both chuckled as Jay handed Rey her Caramel Macchiato boba.
"Which is what might I ask?" Jay asked amusingly. Rey smiled sadly at the screen.
"The location of where Popa and Popy lay." Jay raised his brows in shock with wide eyes as he pulled his boba away from his mouth he chewed and gulped it down.
"Hmm." he nodded wordlessly before looking at Rey. "Well, I guess I can help you with that" Rey looked at him immediately. "The graves're somewhere in the city." he said. "It's all I know." he said raising his hands in defence. Rey looked at her fingers that lay on the computer keyboard but still hesitated.
Searching where the Starks lay would be accepting that they were dead, which was something Rey did not want to do. Accepting that her grandparents were gone and she never saw them again was something Rey could not handle. She was only five when she last saw them and now years later she finds out they are dead and were killed by someone who was a father figure for her.
She of course, never blamed Bucky because she knew it was not his fault he was being controlled. She too, like Bucky had done things she would have never done if it was not for HYDRA. She would always wonder what her childhood would have been like if HYDRA had not killed her mother and abducted her.
Seeing Rey's hesitation Jay took the keyboard from under her fingers and typed in what she wanted to search. It was important to move on from a loved one's death who could know that better than him? Only visiting the Starks graves would help her accept who she is now.
The search result loaded and it showed the link to the maps. Jay clicked on it and the maps opened showing the directions to the grave. "Mount Olivet Cemetery." Jay read. Rey looked up at the screen and saw the picture of the graveyard and the picture of Howard and Maria's tombstone "Rey..."
"I wanna go tomorrow." Rey said. Jay just nodded.
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Rey:
The next day Rey wore a catsuit that can camouflage with her surroundings just as efficiently as she can. Above the catsuit, she wore a trench so no one could see the guns in her thigh holster.
Rey and Jay walked down the busy streets of New York it was a lot different than Rey remembered it. The buildings were taller, there were large billboards and LED screens, the streets were a lot busier. What stood out the most for Rey were the cars, they were considerably smaller yet they had more space on the inside. She noticed that most of them were in yellow with a phone number written on the doors and a white sign on the top that said 'TAXI'.
"Rey, I was wondering... should we eat something first?" Jay suggested while Rey was busy looking around at the development of the city. "Rey?" he called a bit louder as he shook her slightly.
"Hmm?" she asked as she turned to him.
"I was wondering if you wanna eat something first?" Jay asked. Rey did not reply just nodded. "Okay. I know this place makes the best sandwiches in Queens."
"Okay." Rey said nodding with an emotionless face. Jay looked at Rey as they walked down the sidewalks and sighed.
"Hey, look. Rey, if you're not ready for this we can just go back." Jay said. Rey looked down fiddling with the necklace she wore on her wrist just like her mother used to do.
"No, no. I am. It's just..." Rey sighed "The last time I saw Popa and Popy was when was five and now they're gone and I never got to say goodbye." Jay pursed his lip thinking of something to say to Rey to comfort her.
"You're only anxious 'cause you blame yourself," Jay said Rey looked at him "but it's not your fault. You can't control the cryosleep." Rey nodded.
"I just wish there was a way I could have stopped it." she said. Jay placed a comforting hand on her shoulder giving it a light squeeze before they continued to walk.
Jay walked into a deli grocery store and started to order a sandwich for himself waiting for Rey to tell him what she wanted. She picked up a few things she wanted, she grabbed a few candy and Cheetos packets. she started walking to the cashier where Jay was waiting for her when she bumped into someone.
"Shit!" Rey exclaimed. Jay turned around to see what had happened.
"Oh my god, I- I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking." said a meek voice and he immediately bent down to pick up everything Rey dropped.
"No. It's my fault. I was the one who bumped into you." Rey said kneeling to help the boy pick everything up.
"Yeah, well, my uncle says 'you should say sorry. It's only polite.'" said the guy as she and Rey picked her things. "Maybe use a grocery bag next time." he chuckled as he and Rey got up holding all the packets. The guy held out the packets to Rey as he looked up at her and froze.
"Thank you." Rey smiled as she took all the packets from his hands. When she looked up at him she saw the guy staring at her, it was then she realised that she had forgotten to wear her mask to hide her face. Rey noticed the guy had brown hair and eyes. Jay smiled at the guy's reaction, it reminded him of his own. When he first saw Rey, it was the same reaction as he had had.
"Rey, you know I'm not paying for that." Jay said snapping the guy out of his trace.
"Oh, sure you're not." Rey said sarcastically rolling her eyes before walking next to Jay and dumping all the candy and Cheetos packets on the cashier's counter.
"How do you even know these will taste." Jay asked as the owner started billing everything.
"They were there in my time." she whispered. The guy she had bumped into walked over to the counter and dropped a few candy packets on the counter looking at Rey as he stroked a cat's fur that sat in a counter.
"Hey, Mr. Praker." greeted the owner "Number five?" he asked.
"Yeah. With way too many pickles." said the guy as he continued to stare at Rey who noticed but decided to ignore.
"Anything else you want, kid?" the owner asked Jay.
"No." Jay said shaking his head before turning to Rey "Rey, you want anything?" he asked
"I dunno." Rey shrugged her shoulders "Whatever has a lot of cheese."
"There are a lot that have a lot of cheese." said the guy next to Rey. She turned to the brunette with a small glare.
Rey turned back to the owner with a fake smile "I'll have a sandwich with whole wheat bread, jalapenos, bell peppers, corn and cheddar." Rey said "Loaded with cheddar." she added before turning the brunette next to her with a smirk as the other worker started making Rey's sandwich.
"That'll be twenty dollars and fifty cents." the owner told Jay.
"Damn, Rey. I'm going to be living on the streets soon thanks to you."Jay teased as pulled out his wallet and handed the money.
"You don't even have a have a house." Rey said as she dumped all the candy and Cheetos she bought in a polythene bag.
"Just 'cause I don't live in one doesn't mean I don't have one." Jay said taking his and Rey's packed sandwiches in a polythene bag.
"Uh-huh." Rey agreed sarcasticly though not really meaning it.
"That's another story that it got burnt." Jay said as they left the store.
"Yeah, that means you don't have a house." Rey deadpaned giving Jay the polythene bag in her hand and taking the one his. She pulled out her sandwich and took the first bite.
"Mmm..." she moaned in delight "'ou 'eren't kiddin' 'bout this place havin' thee best sandwich." Rey said with her mouth stuffed.
"You should come with more often." Jay said as took out his sandwich. Rey's smile disappeared and she continued to eat quietly as the two of them walked to Mount Olivet Cemetery.
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They reached the graveyard and found a lot of flower shops around. Rey walked over to one with a little girl with her mother and Jay followed. She asked for a bouquet of her grandmother's favourite flower white roses and her grandfather's favourite orange tulips. Jay took out his wallet to pay for the bouquet Rey pushed his hand away and took out money from her coat pocket. "I wanna buy it for them." Jay nodded and put his wallet back in his pocket. "Oh, and two yellow roses, please. Thank you." the lady made a beautiful bouquet and the little girl gave it to Rey with a big smile along with the two yellow roses. "Thank you." Rey smiled at the girl.
Rey paid the mother for the bouquet and roses before placing the bouquet on the stall table and kneeling at the little girl's level. Rey plucked the rose off the long stem and placed it behind the little girl's ear. "Thank you." the girl giggled. The mother gave Rey a warm smile at her kind gesture Rey returned the smile with a nod.
Rey and Jay walked to the graveyard "Here." Rey said holding out the other yellow rose to Jay. He looked at it confused before taking it with a smile. This was going to be the start of a great friendship. He promised himself that he'd be there for Rey no matter what.
Rey was not good at emotions and feelings as she had grown up in an environment where there was never any attachment or affection for anyone. Before the only people she felt that way for were her mother and grandparents but they were all gone now. Jay was the closest thing she had to a family or a friend.
They stopped at the grave that said: 'Howard & Maria Stark'. Rey stood at the resting place her her grandparents as tears welled up in her eyes. Bearing a heavy weight in her heart all of a sudden she felt weak; her shoulders drooped, her hold on the bouquet loosened and her knees grew weak. Just as Rey fell to the ground Jay gently took the bouquet from her hands. Gazing at their names Rey recalled the memories that they once shared.
Every Christmas night they would visit the cottage with a pile of gifts for Rey. She remembered the times she would stay with Howard in his office reading quietly while he would watch her amusingly and fondly. The times her mother would be at work and Maria would come over to the cottage to take care of her. She and Maria would make cookies and cakes and by the end, they would both be covered in frosting and flour.
She only got to spend five years of her life with them but she lived those moments to the fullest. She knew she would never be able to move on she does and will continue to miss her grandparents and her mother every day for the rest of her life. But from now she will reflect on only the great memories she made with them and her mother.
Rey choked on her tears as she broke into soft sobs and her hands graced the marble coffin. Jay rested his hand on her shoulder giving it a comforting squeeze. The two of them remained in the same position for a while everything around them was quiet nothing but the leaves blowing in the breeze and Rey's sobs.
Rey's sobs turned silent as Jay gently patted her shoulder giving her the bouquet. Rey slowly took it from him and laid it on the marble coffin, as she did so she felt as if someone was watching the two of them. Rey knew Jay was exactly behind her practically hiding her from view so she turned around and saw a figure in black at the end of the graveyard looking at her and Jay.
Rey slowly stood up still looking at the figure. Jay looked at her confused before following her gaze. "Stay here." she instructed him as she took off her trench coat and handed it to him. She slowly walked away from Jay going behind a tree before camouflaging. She slowly started walking towards the figure holding the handgun on the back of her belt holster in case. As she got closer to the figure she realized that she had seen them somewhere. It was a woman with red hair curled up to her neck she wore black shades, a trench coat over a black catsuit similar to Rey's.