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The unnamed Chapter

Tony was surrounded by nothing but white.

He was stood alone. He opened his eyes slowly; the brightness of the white that surrounded him didn't seem to be a bother. His eyes were blank, his lips parting as he felt at peace. It was quiet. Everything was just as it should be.

In place.

A ticking noise could suddenly be heard. It was quiet at first and growing louder. Tony, who had finally blinked himself conscious looked around, trying to locate the sound that disturbed his peace.

"Tony," he found himself saying. "Tony."

He was saying it himself. He felt his lips move that caused his fingertips to hover over to them as they moved and murmured his name. They brushed across hair, confusion twisting across his face.

"Yeah, Clint did a good job of that one, didn't he?" There was a moment where Tony realized that he wasn't actually speaking anymore. He lifted his head, noting a figure who stood in front of him. His mirror image. He wore a black suit, red shirt and black tie. He was neat, but looked very tired. "Do you know where you are?"

Tony lowered his head from his doppelganger. He was wearing black suit too – only his shirt was white. That was their only difference. He lifted his head, confusion still across his face.

"Well. We're in us," he said with a sense of expression, lifting his hands and shrugging. "This is what I did to save us from. Well. You."

Tony tilted his head, and really looked around. He knew he was Tony. He just didn't understand the ticking noise. He knew nothing but blank peace.

"You probably don't remember. But that's good. It means I did good." The other Tony explained. He walked, his heels clattering against the floor. Tony looked down at the others feet, wondering how it could make sound. Everything was white. There shouldn't be any sound, or anyone logical reasoning here.

Everything was just wrong.

"Look, I need you to accept me again." The other spoke quietly, he circled Tony, clasping his hands together and then smiling at him. it was warm, but he just looked ill and tired. "I'm sorry for what I did to you, but I need you to accept me back."

Tony stared at him, brows knitting together with a small sense of confusion and whitewash annoyance. He shouldn't feel anything. He should just be at peace, floating there in white. This sound, this person, this gravity with his feet on a floor and making a sound – the fact there was a floor in this white expanse was wrong.

"I am you." He moved forwards, grabbing Tony by his shoulders. He felt a sense of urgency, he wanted to fight back, but he didn't He just looked at the other blankly, quietly. "I am everything that makes us. You look after me. You're my vessel. You're my outside and I am your inside."

Tony didn't get it. It wasn't that he didn't believe in this other Tony. It was just wrong. A sense of duty told him to back away, fight until this other left. But he didn't, he was still, frozen – but not frightened. He wasn't so sure about what he was feeling right now.

"What I did was unforgivable. What I did to us." He explained, he looked sad. Tony wanted to hug him for some reason. Again, not sure why. "This is all my fault. I murdered us. I killed us." He smiled sadly, and Tony felt sad with him. It also made him smile. It was all very, very confusing. "I'll explain everything from the beginning, okay?" The other moved forwards, pressing his forehead against Tony's. "Close your eyes. I'll show you what I've done."

It was just like any op. Tony's thrusters on his boot sent the usual scan of the city to Fury. There was a brief sound from SHIELD of some criminals amassing a plan to overthrow SHIELD and then the Avengers – the usual. Tony knew it wouldn't happen, of course it wouldn't. These criminals could hardly stick to their own plans, let alone someone else's; whoever it was pulling the strings.

"Nah, nothing over here, Hill. My scans show nothing other than the masses going to work. Forwarding the images now." He gave a smile behind his mask. Maria Hill was a pain to work with and he knew it, but sometimes he had to resist the urge to think anything bad of her commanding tone.

He kind of liked that in a woman.

"Alright, Stark," her voice came and Tony's face lit up like it was Christmas. "Fly over to Long Island and scan there. We have agents doing a cover op on the ground. Secure Long Island and you can go home."

"Gotcha. You know," Tony began with a grin, altering his course. JARVIS was already on it. The waypoint on his dashboard located the co ordinates sent from Hill. "We should grab dinner sometime."

Tony opened his eyes. The other was still there, looking at him, his eyes wide and hands grasping his raven locks. "Do you remember?" He whispered to the other. He forced a smile, Tony found himself copying it.

"It was the usual call ins. But do you remember what happened when we got to Long Island?"

Tony remained blank, he tried to remember. He really did, but nothing came. It was a blank. He looked over at the other, who was still smiling, as if watching a child ride a bike for the first time and falling from it.

"It's okay." He whispered softly. "Close your eyes. I'll remind you."

There was a blip on the radar. Tony went down to investigate as a recon op for the SHIELD scouts to follow up on later. It was in your creepy, run of the mill empty building. Shame really, Tony never remembered this. He was born here after all.

He stepped in, crisp wooden strips breaking beneath his armored feet. It was probably burnt down some time ago. Cracks in the broken windows showed some fading light spill in.

"Stark? How's it looking?"

"Creepy," he responded with a perked brow. "Usual setting for a bad guy get-together." He stepped over. A crack, then a snap and he fell.

He didn't have a chance to consider thrusters. The floor gave away and he found himself very much dropping. But he fell for a while, not one floor, not two, but what into a 20ft drop.

After a wild flailing, he fell and he—

Tony opened his eyes, he noted the other looking angry, shaking his head. "No," he said quietly. "No, that's not what happened."

Tony stepped away, his heart was pounding as if he felt the fall himself. He looked at the other, completely unsure of what he meant. That's what the other was showing him, wasn't it?

"Can't you remember?" The other moved his hands through his own hair, brushing it almost annoyed. "I did this to us. We did enter a house at Long Island. But we didn't fall. How can you fall 20 feet?"

Tony remained still, trying to remember but he was just blank. The only memories that filled him was the ones of the other filling him. He felt annoyed when he did.

"Maybe showing you isn't enough…" He whispered. The other stepped back, he outstretched his arm to cover Tony's eyes. His usual whiteness was replaced with a heavy black.

It was brief. The other's hand moved.

What Tony saw then, made him open his mouth. He felt like screaming.

In fact, he did.

He back away, looking at the other who now adorned a pig mask, looking right at him. He didn't move, he didn't say anything, even as Tony felt his legs quicken in desperation.

He tried to look away, but some force was making him watch, making him look at the pig that stared back at him.

He kicked his legs to move, but he was secured.

"I did this. What you saw was me." He spoke in a muffled and horribly familiar tone. "We went to Long island and we were ambushed. But we took care of it." The pig stepped forwards, Tony tried to move but he couldn't. "We went off the radar. Do you remember why?"

Tony was screaming, but he could hear the words of the pig like they were being whispered into his ear.

"You wouldn't let me out. You bottled me up. Remember what happened to us. What I did to you."

The pig was close to his face now. Tony's eyes were wide with fear. He was sweating, his hair was damp and stuck to his face. He wanted to talk, but all he could do was scream, kick and fight against these hands holding him down.

"Remember. Remember because it's time to let go."