"Jarvis is under repairs, so call me if you need anything while we're gone!" Pepper called as her and the Avengers went to the store. We went through so much food, so grocery shopping was always a group affair. I had to stay behind and watch the house since Jarvis got an AI's version of the flu. Poor thing.
An hour or so had passed since they left. I was done with my homework, so I thought I'd do Tony and Bruce a favor by cleaning the lab. It's a miracle they got any work done; the floor was always covered in random bits and pieces and you couldn't see the tables because there were piles of stuff on them all the time. I figured a little sweeping couldn't hurt. I grabbed a broom and dustpan out of the hall closet and got to work. Ten minutes later I heard the thud of footsteps in the hallway. I thought it was my friends, but then I heard unfamiliar voices.
"Where do you think he keeps his designs?" a male voice asked. It sounded gruff and mean.
"I dunno. Maybe his lab is down here." a younger version of the first voice said.
Fear shot through my body. Who were these people? I scrambled, trying to find a place to hide. I flung the storage room door open and jumped inside. Right when I got in, I could hear the voices; but closer this time. Dear God, I thought. They're gonna find me. I flinched and my eyes grew wide when I heard the crash of tables being thrown outside the door. Glass broke and they kept on laughing horrible, chilling laughs while I silently cried, wondering if I was going to die. After what seemed like hours, they gave up and it sounded like they left. I was still too afraid to leave my hiding spot, so I stayed put, praying that my friends would come home soon.
*
"Beth? BETH? Where are-What the heck happened?" Bruce yelled. Thank God.
"I'm in here..." I croaked, hardly able to speak.
"The storage closet!" Steve exclaimed, and the door opened. Warm, safe light poured over me. Steve lifted me out, and I held onto him and cried. Everybody surrounded me in a group hug. I was so happy to see familiar faces. After a couple of minutes, my sobs subsided, and I stood on my own.
"What happened in here?" Tony asked, looking around the room. The lab was in shambles.
"Some men broke in. I jumped in the closet to hide. They were looking for your designs, I think." I say, struggling to keep my voice steady.
"You didn't try to stop them?" he asked, his tone and eyes suddenly dark and angry.
"Tony! She was trapped!" Bruce yelled at him in my defense. Everyone else looked at them wide-eyed, both appalled at what Tony said and hoping Bruce wouldn't transform.
I suddenly became furious. "I'm sorry Tony. I didn't know what they were gonna do. It wasn't like Jarvis could have done anything." I start half-screaming/half-crying. "I was so afraid. I was in that closet for what seemed like forever. I had never been so scared in my entire life!" At this point I ran up in front of him, getting in his face and poking him in the chest, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I didn't know if they had a gun or a knife or anything. I just had to hide in that closet and hope they didn't find me! I'm sorry I'm not a super hero. I'm not a god, or genetically modified, or a master assassin. I'm just a stupid teenage girl. And I am definitely not an egotistical maniac who thinks that just because he can build a robot suit it means he's king of the world!"
I stand there silently, looking Tony in the eye with everyone staring at me. He has a look of complete bewilderment on his face. I simply run away and cry, up to my room and hope that nobody follows me.
*
I ran up to my room and flung myself on my bed, crying for what seemed like hours. Eventually, I cried myself out, so I just lied there; replaying the scene in the lab over and over in my head. I couldn't believe what Tony had said. Then, I heard a soft knock on the door.
"If you are Tony, leave and die in a hole; anybody else can come in I suppose." I wearily reply.
The person entered. "Hey, Beth. It's Bruce." he said, and sat down on my bed.
I sat up and rubbed my face. "Hi Bruce." I sadly say, pulling my knees up to my chest.
"You are as much a part of this team as anybody else. I am sorry Tony made you feel like you weren't. "
"It's not just Tony who thinks that. To tell you the truth, ever since I got here I have felt that way. While you guys are out saving the world, I'm stuck here doing homework or making a TV. dinner. I can't do anything special. I'm a normal human being. I can't fly, or shoot arrows, or smash through walls. I'm not a hero. I'm nothing, living in house with a bunch of something's." I sigh, and look at my feet, afraid to make eye contact with Bruce.
"Beth. I honestly can't believe you feel that way. You have contributed so much. Without you, we wouldn't have the strength to make it back home. You give us a reason to fight. Heck, you remind us why we are fighting in the first place. You have brought so much happiness and light into the tower. We know that we can come home to a person who will fix us up, no matter how messed up we are. And, as a bonus, you make amazing bacon. "he says with a smile.
"I do make good bacon..." I joke, comforted by Bruce's kind words. I wrap him in a hug, at first he resists, but then he hugs me back.
"You are the first person to truly hug me since my accident." he solemnly says as we release.
"Well then I am glad I did. Superheroes definitely deserve hugs every now and then." I say with a smile.
"Now that I think about it, I don't think anybody here has been hugged in the past ten years, besides Tony I guess." he reflects.
"Well then I am going to be the one to change that." I pledge. "Want to go make some bacon?"
Bruce laughs as we head downstairs.
*
I was carrying a steaming plate of bacon down to the lab. I wanted to talk to Tony, and I figured bacon could help the conversation. As I got closer, I could hear Tony yelling a variety of curse words as he was trying to clean up the lab.
"Want some breakfast meat?" I ask as I hold the plate out.
Tony whips around. After seeing it was me, he sheepishly rubs the back of his neck and shifts his weight from foot to foot. "Oh, Beth. About before; I am so, so sorry. What I said was completely uncalled for and irrational. You did what any smart, mature, and helpful teenage girl would do. I am truly sorry." Tony apologized.
"I accept your apology. And I'm sorry for calling you an egotistical maniac. That wasn't true. Entirely." I joke. "Somehow I think that trying to clean up the lab by yourself and cussing like a sailor won't get the job done. How about a bacon break and then we call everyone else down?"