Hey all! I am SO glad to be writing again! Since getting married and becoming a Momma, I've been putting my passion on the back burner. But I can't do it anymore! I love writing and have realized its my outlet. Just a warning, the progression of this is going to be SLOOOWWW. I feel like chopping up the story that's been swirling around in my head just wouldn't do it justice. So bear with me, it'll be worth it. I hope to get a chapter out a week, maybe more depending on how fast I can write with a 10 month old demanding my attention. Either way, on with the story!


Chapter 1

"..and chicken fingers for the little man." Evie smiled brightly as she pushed a plate toward the young boy, his parents beaming when he remembered his manners and said yelled,"Thank You!"

"I'll leave you to it. If you all need anything else, just give a shout." She wandered toward the waitress' station at the front of the restaurant. It was her favorite place to be during her brief minutes of downtime. From there she could watch the city from the big picture windows. She loved New York. The constant movement of people and cars like ballet choreographed to a symphony of engines, horns and voices. To Evelyn, it was home. Another 20 minutes and she would be done with her shift. Then she could go enjoy the rest of the perfect day.

"Can we get a refill?" Asked the father at her table, shaking the ice in his empty glass.

"Sure thing!" Evie pushed off the counter, still daydreaming about what to do after her shift.

Everything started to move in slow motion then. A blast shattered the windows behind her, shooting Evie across the restaurant. She could see the fear in everyone's eyes as panic began to set in. 'Not again!' She thought. 9/11. She remembered watching that horrific day on TV as a little girl. People running, screaming...dying. This was just like it. Only this time, Evie was one of them. Mr. Chen, the owner, had been there back in 2001, and because of it, had an evacuation plan.

"Everyone to the back! Take the emergency exit and we'll make our way uptown. If you're not familiar with the area, stay with one of the staff and they'll help you. Do not look back, I repeat do NOT look back!" He was guiding people through to the kitchen, all courage and grace. Evie crawled to her feet and the world spun like a top around her. Sweat dripped down her face and she wiped it away with a shaky hand as she grabbed her backpack from under one of the counters. She looked down at her hand and saw red. Not sweat, blood.

"Evie! Girl, you're messed up!" It was Jack, one of the cooks. He was holding the door open as people flooded out. He grabbed her arm as she stumbled. "You got hit good. We gotta get you help!" He pulled a piece of glass from her hair.

"What we gotta do, is get the hell out of here." She quipped, leaning on him until the last person was evacuated. "I'm not big into blood." Something big shot overhead and disappeared behind a building. She could hear an explosion and people screaming a few blocks away.

"Make that blood, and life or death situations."

Jack smiled half-heartedly as they made their way to a main road. It was chaos. Giant creatures were flying ships, jumping off to attack the innocent below. Red and gold flew by and Evie realized it was Tony Stark in his Iron Man suit. There was an eerie screech from behind her just before she was shoved forward and onto her hands and knees. Evie spun on them, trying to avoid being trampled by the fleeing mob.

"Jack? JACK!" Evie was screaming for her coworker and friend, only to come face to face with him. He was trapped under one of the crazy looking ships, his mouth hung slack with far-looking eyes. She scrambled to him, half sobbing his name. They had become close in the time Evie had been in New York, and Jack had even asked her out the week before. She had waved a hand at him, thinking the good looking man was joking. She regretted every second of it now as she cradled his head and talked to him.

"C'mon sweetie, stay with me. You gotta get me help, remember? I owe you a date." Someone grabbed her arm then and she screamed hysterically, reaching for Jack. They continued to pull her uptown to safety, as her friend was overrun by the alien creatures.

"NO! NOOOOOO…."

Evie sat straight up in bed, heart pounding from the memory. It was barely light outside, and her bedside clock read 6:15. She heaved out of bed to pull on a pair of pj pants under her t-shirt and pad down to the kitchen. She took a mug down from a cabinet and popped a Keurig cup in without bothering to turn the light on.

"Morning." A voice came from the kitchen table, making her spin and clutch her chest.

"Daddy!" She breathed, leaning back against the counter. "What the hell are you doing sitting in the dark!?"

Her father smiled, taking a sip of his coffee before motioning with it to one of the windows. "Watching the sun come up. Same as you." He cocked an eyebrow. "Except I didn't wake up because of a nightmare."

Evie added some sugar to her coffee before sitting down across from him. "Creeps me out when you do that." She mumbled, half clinking mugs before taking her first sip.

"I'm your father, there isn't much you can hide from me. New York again?" He sighed when she mumbled in response. "Baby girl, it's been six months, you need to find closure."

Evie put down her mug carefully. "I've been thinking about that. I think it's time I go home. I know this is home!" She said quickly, seeing her father's look. "But New York is home, too. And I love it there. I got a call yesterday from my apartment manager. They're letting people back in the building finally. I need to see it." She pleaded with her eyes. Being 27, she didn't need his permission to do anything, but having her father's understanding was extremely important to Evie.

"Your mother's not going to like hearing this when she wakes up." He grumbled. "You're stubborn like her. Which means you've already made up your mind."

Evie giggled, "No, Daddy, I'm stubborn like you. Which means I'm leaving today."


Her mother didn't like hearing that Evie was going back to New York, and told her so the whole way to the train station. "You could stay with us a few more weeks," she tried. "Just until you're 100 percent better."

"Mooooom!" Evie groaned, pulling her duffle bag from the back of her father's truck once they found a parking space. "I AM 100 percent. If I don't go today, then I never will."

"Marilyn," Evie's father cooed, wrapping an arm around her mother. "She's a grown woman. And I'm proud of her for doing this."

"I love you both so much." Evie gave them both a hug before swinging the bag over her shoulder. "But I have to go. I can't miss this train."

"Be safe, baby girl." Her father gave her another hug and grabbed her hand, pressing a $100 into it. "Just in case." He said, cutting her off when she tried to protest. "Call us when you get there."

Evie jogged across the street to the station, waving behind her. She spent the next two hours on her phone, reading through her emails for jobs. Being a waitress at Mr. Chen's helped pay the bills, but her passion (and the reason she had moved to New York) was photography. She sold prints to local galleries and did private shoots to get her name out in the area. Up until the attack she had been doing well, and had sent her portfolio out to some big name magazines. But there had been no response.

She just finished talking to a bride on the phone about possibly doing her wedding when they pulled into Grand Central. As she walked off the train, Evie couldn't help but notice the large white sheets covering different areas of the station, obviously where repairs were still being made. She pushed on, ignoring the memories threatening to overtake her, and made her way outside. From there it was only a few blocks to her building.

"Apartment" was really code for one room with a bathroom and no kitchen. Instead, Evie had a toaster oven on top of a mini fridge and a futon that pulled out to her bed. It wasn't much, but to her, it was perfect. Located right in the center of Manhattan, it put her in the middle of all the action. Looking up at her building, Evie grimaced. Some of the windows were boarded up. The main door was bent like something had rammed it and locked with a padlock and chain. Caution tape was flapping in the breeze around the lower windows.

"Evie! Good to see you!" Phil, the apartment manager, was waiting for her outside. He pulled out a big keyring and started to open the doors. "There should be a few more people coming. And I've got a new set of doors being installed today. So technically if you want to stay, you can." He put his shoulder into the doors until they were just open enough to get inside.

"Thanks Phil, I'll probably be in and out if that's okay?" Evie shoved her bag through first before sliding between the doors. Phil waved her down, signaling it was fine before making his way to his office on the first floor with his assistant, ticking off what else needed to be fixed.

She grabbed her bag and started to climb the three flights of stairs to her floor. Anxiety began to set in with every step. What if her apartment was one of the ones with no windows? What if it had been ransacked? Everything she needed for her photography was in there! Her camera with all its lenses, extra batteries, SD cards, tripods. Years of hard work and thousands of dollars were tied up in equipment.

"Okay," Evie said to herself, digging for her keys. "What will be, will be." She turned the handle and took a breath, pushing the door open with her eyes closed. She stumbled inside and shut the door, pushing her back against it. Slowly, she cracked her eyes open, expecting the worst.

"Holy shit," she whispered. It was as if the last 6 months never happened. Her futon was still pulled out, her pajamas strewn across the unmade bed. Her blow dryer was still plugged into the outlet in the bathroom and the towel she had used to shower with that morning was on the floor. Canvas prints were still stacked neatly against one wall in preparation for an event that never came to be. All of her camera equipment and laptop was on the little side table she used for a desk.

Evie sat heavily on her futon/bed and put her head in her hands. Now began the rebuilding. Everything was here, but she barely had any money. Mr. Chen had decided to sell after the attack stating "living through two of them was more than enough." Which left Evie without a stable income. She reached into her pocket to grab her phone to let her parents know that she had made it into her apartment okay. Out with her phone came the $100 that her father had handed her. Looks like she would be using it sooner than she thought. She shot a quick text to her mom: "In the apartment. Everything's still here. Taking inventory. Call when I can. Love you."

Evie tossed the phone behind her and laid back to stare at the ceiling. No sooner had she done that, her phone began to ring. "I said I'd call when I can." She mumbled before answering. "Yeah, hello?"

"Evelyn Tanner?" It was a deep baritone voice, making her shoot up. Definitely not Mom.

"This is she." Evie said tentatively.

"This is Carl Jones with Time magazine. I handle the hiring of all photographers for our segments. We've reviewed your portfolio and are impressed with your particular style."

Evie was struck dumb. Time Magazine! "Thanks." She said dumbly, at a loss.

Carl hummed out a laugh. "We'd like to hire you on a new piece we're doing in New York. That is where you're located, correct?"

"Just got back into the city, actually. I was with my folks in Massachusetts up until recently because I was here for the attack and got hurt but then I got stitches and so I went home to be with them because my mom was totally freaked, as if I'm not old enough to take care of myself… I should just stop talking. Yeah." Evie took a breath and tried to sound more dignified. "Yes. I am located in New York. What would the piece be on?"

Carl chuckled again. "Not so much what, but WHO, Ms. Tanner. We'd like you to shoot for an interview with the Avengers."


Whelp, there it is! The first chapter, setting the scene! I'm so excited to keep writing, so reviews would be incredibly appreciated!

Xoxo all!