Slices of orange float in the punch bowl, someone's idea of fancy. I take the bottle from Logan. "It's spiked enough."

With a grunt he grabs it back and nods at Vince. "He's barely even tipsy."

"He's going on a plane in the morning you want him hung over?" I don't tell him Matt snuck in a bottle of schnapps.

Another grunt and Logan takes a drink himself. "Think he liked his gift?"

A bottle opener. "I'm sure he'll find a use for it."

The going-away party was open invite, so various residents mingle about the room. Vince giggles uncontrollably into a plastic cup of mostly rum as Matt describes an embarrassing recent date. Madge listens in curiously, a wildlife researcher observing the male species in their natural habitat.

I sit on the back of an armchair across from her. "How're you doing?"

She groans with feigned exhaustion and takes a sip of soda. "I never wanted break to end. What did you guys do for the holidays?"

"I never do anything for the holidays," I reply. "I ate my weight and went school shopping with Vince while he worried about everything."

She giggles and glances at him as he laughs harder. "I heard you got a Christmas card from a certain someone."

After not contacting me for several months, Stark-stupid had the nerve to send a classy greeting card in the mail.

"His suits are very...artistic," Madge comments. "I mean he makes them to look good, not just do their job, you know?"

"He's a very looks-oriented kinda guy." I nod at Matt. "Mattie, what'd you do to your hair, I like it."

Matt immediately touches it. "Thanks, I- Oh, shut up."

Vince snickers. "Is it 'coiffed'?"

Matt smacks him. "You're just jealous."

"There it is," says Madge, nodding. "I'm insanely jealous."

Matt points at her. "I'm keeping an eye on you."

Giggling, she looks away.

"So," Matt smiles rakishly, "when are we going to California?"

Vince crosses his arms. "I don't even live there yet, dork. Are you going catch a plane every time you want to bum in my dorm?"

"Of course not, I don't have that kind of money." Matt nudges me with his cup. "I figured I'd take the express."

"The express?" I restate. "I'll drop you in the Midwest, make you walk to Santa Barbara on your own."

"I feel like I just met you," Madge says to Vince. "And now you're leaving all that way."

"But, like, will I get airsick?" Matt asks. "I mean, how does that work?"

"Aw, well you're stuck with us now," says Vince. "Odds are we'll see each other again."

"The longer that 'express' comment hangs in the air, the bumpier the ride will be, jerk." I throw a chip in Matt's shirt collar.

"Well, I'll miss you," Madge puts her arms out.

"Okay, fine, you're first class," says Matt as he digs the chip out of his shirt. "Now can I please have some assurance my insides won't get jumbled during the trip? And can I bring my surfboard?"

Vince hugs Madge. "I'll miss you too."

"Heck no, I'm not carrying all your toys too like some kind of nanny." I throw another chip in Matt's collar just as he gets the crumbs of the last one out.

"Would you stop that?" Matt replies crankily, starting on his second chip extraction. "This is a good shirt."

"It's got a beer stain on it," I point out.

"Is it a lucky beer stain?" asks Vince, arm around Madge's shoulders.

"Do you see what your girlfriend did?" Matt brushes crumbs off.

"Matt, don't make me hurt you," I warn.

"Someone's got to clean that up, man." Vince points unhappily at the crumby carpet.

Matt straightens out his collar. "You're such a janitor."

"And you're a slob." Vince crouches down to sweep the crumbs into his palm. Madge goes and gets a wastebasket, and Matt starts eating chips out of the bowl.

"What are you even useful for?" I ask.

Matt just grins through a mouthful then drops the smile. "You're inviting me to any and all parties, Vino, capisce?"

"Right," Vince wipes his hands off into the wastebasket, "because I'll be invited to those kinds of things."

"You go to a lot of college parties, Matt?" Madge asks amiably. I can tell she's trying to keep the peace. After hanging out with us for a semester, she's unfortunately witnessed much of our bad behavior.

Matt shrugs nonchalantly. "A few."

Vince scoffs, but only in his head.

...

I lean between the front seats to change the station. "Logan, I don't even know what music you like."

"Do you…like music?" Vince asks with a wary smile.

Logan raises an eyebrow. "Don't play any of Matt's crap."

"That's just an invitation." I pause on a pop channel.

"Change it," Logan snaps.

Vince tries not to smile and turns to look out his window. What happens if he's exposed to too much Katy Perry?

A Candyland character dies.

Vince snorts.

"Alright knock it off." Logan swats my hand and turns off the radio. "It's annoying enough when Jean 'n Scott do it." He sighs through his nose. "Should've let you drive yourselves."

At the airport, before passing through security, Vince gives me a long hug. "Thanks for being so patient with me all month...year...years."

I smile. "And vice versa."

Then Vince turns to Logan. "Well."

Logan puts out his hand and winks. "Do good."

Vince takes his hand gladly. "I will."

Security was nerve-racking. Xavier and the rest had gone to extensive lengths to make sure he wasn't on any threat registry. Remarkably, there was no official record of Vincent Detmer ever having been part of a terrorist group known as the Brotherhood. Never having been on a plane, Vince's main reference point to air travel was one infamous September day in the fifth grade when he'd decided to play hooky and ended up watching in fascination as smoke billowed from the Manhattan skyline.

During stopover in Illinois, he was surrounded by thousands of strangers clouding the air with foreign tongues and harried thoughts. Though he had gained control over the ever present static in his psyche, this remained a staggering challenge. Yet, mixing with other travelers in an airport far from home gave him the anonymity he'd been hoping for. No one here knew who he was or cared where he had been.

When he at long last exits the terminal at LAX, Ace is standing there waiting. Vince rubs sleep out of his eyes. "It's like time travel."

She smirks. "Welcome to jet lag."

They cram his luggage into his new used car, pick up some household goods, and get lost a few times on their way to the campus. By the time he's talked to everyone he needs to talk to and everything is moved in, the sun has set.

Ace throws setup instructions on the desk, and collapses into bed. "You okay with that car?"

"I'm fine with the car," he answers, rearranging his dresser drawers for the third time. "It's the freeway that scares the crap out of me."

"You can handle it." She sits up to put her shoes back on. "You're going to want a vacuum cleaner for this place."

"I wish Matt were here," Vince says soberly. "He already knows all this stuff."

"I think you're better off experiencing college on your own. Matt's idea of college isn't exactly what you're aiming for."

"What am I aiming for?" Vince leans back on the dresser and crosses his arms.

"You're here because…well because you want to be, you have passion."

"Matt has passion."

"Matt's too influenced by alcohol and his dad to focus on passion." She shrugs on her coat and puts her hands in the pockets. "Oh yeah, here."

She pulls out a business card. "That's the guy who handles internships at Stark Industries. And I put my new number on the back. You have to call me everyday otherwise I'm going to storm over here and embarrass you."

Vince turns the card over. "You haven't talked to Tony in a while though, is this still good?"

"What like some kind of coupon? Of course it is." She rolls her shoulders. "Besides I called him with the new phone, so he might be in touch soon."

Vince walks to the window and looks out. "It must be late in New York. You should head back."

"It's only ten there, what will I do for the next two hours?"

"Sleep?" he gives her an amused look. "Why do you go to bed so late?"

"'Cause I keep hoping something interesting will happen. Why do you think I bug you so much?"

He leaves the window to sit beside her on the bed. "Didn't you used to do Danger Room stuff?"

"It was a means to an end." She yawns. "Should I come back tomorrow?"

Vince shakes his head. "You'll have to get into trouble on your own."

Ace scoffs and stands up. "Guess I'll just have to find another partner in crime."

"I see we finally got a new phone," Tony mocks.

I flick dishwater at the student volunteer, and readjust the phone on my shoulder. "Some jerk sent me a Christmas card after not talking to me for months. Can you believe that guy?"

"Well this jerk has some new suit designs," says Tony. "Interested? Or would you rather sulk?"

"Yeah, I'll come over." I set a clean dish on the rack. "Got nothing better to do."

"Don't forget to bring that charming personality with you."

I finish my chores fast and get dressed for California. First a T-shirt with grease stains to hide the grease stains it will receive after a brush with Tony's garage. Some worn out jeans, thick shoes, and an extra hair band to leave lying around for one of the bots to nab. They have a collection going.

This is how I appear when I teleport into the garage's kitchen and see a familiar tailored suit standing by observing a painting on the wall. I forgot to turn invisible when I landed, and have no time to correct that before Agent Coulson turns and sees me. Impulsively, I reach for the freezer, grab a bag of ice, and head for the stairs.

"Out of ice?" Coulson inquires amiably.

I stare at him, one hand on the glass door. "Not enough."

His brows rise and fall, but he otherwise doesn't reply. I'm shoving the bag of ice into the upstairs freezer when I hear Tony enter the room.

"When aren't you raiding my fridge?"

I nod at the stairs and lower my voice. "I thought today wasn't a consultation?"

Tony purses his lips. "Yeah, my authority was subverted. Well," he says loudly, "you find it?"

"Yep," I reply, heading for the front door. "I'll get out of your hair."

"Good, get out of here." Tony holds the door open then shuts it loudly. I shake my head and he shakes his back.

Throwing his weight around, Tony moves the meeting to the living room, where I take up residence by the fireplace. Pepper passes through putting on an earring as she heads for the door. I guess she lives here now. She and Coulson share friendly small talk while Tony waits impatiently for the attention to be back on him.

Sometimes you might see nature photos with the caption "Can you see it?" By the time you do see the jaguar staring you down from behind the tall grass your heart jumps into your throat, and you realize that if this were real life you would've been a carcass long ago. But I always see the jaguar. I saw the redheaded assistant and she saw me.

Coulson does not give me the same skin-prickling awareness she did, but his presence is enough to keep me on my toes.

"How's Agent Romanoff?" Tony asks glibly.

"She sends her regards," replies Coulson in a seemingly flat tone. I smother a smile as he recalls her exact words in his head, and Tony must be able to fill in the blank because he chuckles humorously.

"Tell her I said same to her," he replies, pouring himself a drink. "So, what's on today's itinerary?"

As usual, I block out the majority of their conversation, and indulge in studying Coulson's mind. I am not unaware that this intrusion is many shades of wrong, but organizations like his have treated me worse in past. Still, I steer clear of his deeper memories, sticking solely to those of his work life. Names, numbers, and select images are all I need for now, the rest I can figure out when I get to SHIELD headquarters. If I can't physically erase myself from this planet, then it's imperative I obliterate any trace of my distant history.

Coulson's schedule doesn't allow him to stay long, and once he's gone Tony heads to the kitchen. "You still about?"

I make sure the Acura is out of sight when I reappear. "Yep."

"Why haven't you crashed the place lately?" he asks, direct as ever. "You find someplace less cool to hang out?"

"No, I just…" My head's too preoccupied to be witty. "I've just been busy."

"You considered college any further?" He tries to entice me to a tin of cookies.

"I just dropped my friend off at college, does that count?" I'm anxious at the idea of my information floating around someplace waiting to be discovered.

"No kidding?" He pops a shortbread into his mouth. "Where are they going?"

I tell him, and hide a cookie in my pocket. Can't help it. "He's going to study engineering, I think. Speaking of which, a suit design was mentioned?"

He nods and gestures downstairs. "Bring those."

Gathering the tin, I follow. He catches me up on his work for a few minutes, describing the improvements and features he wants to put into this new suit.

"You know I'm just doing this Coulson thing for kicks, but are you getting anything out of these visits?" He shuts down one holo-screen and pops up another. "Because if you did know your real name and birth date, I could've helped you out ages ago. Certain records aren't hard to erase."

"No, I know." The Alkali files, however. "I still think you're going to get in trouble for letting me sit in like that."

He shrugs. "It's all insider stuff you wouldn't understand. They don't give me juicy info anyway, and I generally let Pepper in on whatever we discussed."

Which is why they don't give you juicy info. "As long as I'm not helping you do something illegal. Because we both know I'd never do that."

Tony chuckles mischievously, and brings up the specs for his next suit. "So, like I was saying…"

But as he speaks my thoughts immediately divert to SHIELD.

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