I rolled out of bed onto my feet. My legs shook beneath my weight but I managed to stumble to the door.
"Mya!" Wanda called out after me.
My bare feet came in contact with the cool ground in the living area. I could barely hear Wanda shuffling around behind me as I ran out the front door.
"Where are you going?" I didn't stop and turn towards Wanda's voice. Instead, I kept running and just allowed my legs to take me somewhere. My ears picked up the snapping of twigs from behind me and I knew Wanda was following me. "Mya!"
"What?" I screamed turning towards her. "What could you possibly want from me?"
"You didn't kill her," she said slowly walking towards me with her hands in front of her.
She's scared of you! I screamed at myself. She's terrified and she should be!
"I did!" I shouted. "I killed her! And that's not even the worse part! I lied to myself and tricked myself into believing that I didn't kill her! I told myself that it was a bad dream!"
"You didn't mean to," she moved closer to me. "I know you and I know you wouldn't do that."
"How can you even say that?" I scoffed. "I don't even know myself anymore!"
"Please, Mya just listen to me," Wanda pleaded.
"I can't," I whispered. "I can't stay here," I gestured to the small house behind her. "I will end up hurting you and I can't do that. Not again."
"Mya," she whispered, stepping even closer to me. "I love you and I want you for worse or for better. I would wait forever and ever for you. It's so excruciating to see you low and I just want to lift you up and not let you go. I'm here to tell you that this love is worth the fight."
"I need to go," I whispered. "Please don't follow me."
"Mya."
"Wanda, don't follow me," I warned.
"Where are you going to go?" she asked quickly. My hand reached towards the bracelet on my wrist and I slowly twisted it around. Then, I took it off of my wrist and bent down to put it on the ground.
Without saying a word I walked away from the girl. If she really loved me she knew that I just needed some time. I hated what I was doing and I knew it was going to hurt her, but I wouldn't leave if I said anything to her.
꧁✿?￢ﾕﾭ⊱ ⊱╮?￢ﾜ ꧂
"Thank you so much for letting me come and see you," I told Pepper.
"Of course, Mya," she responded without looking up from the dishes she was washing in the large sink. "But I do have to ask why you are here?"
"Oh," I whispered. "I just needed someone to talk to."
"You're not a very good liar," Pepper shouted as she walked away from me. I was quick to get to my feet and follow her.
"Well, I wasn't lying," I muttered looking down at my feet. Pepper reached for a basket full of laundry.
"When was the last time that you talked to your lovely wife?" from the corner of my eye I saw Pepper glance at me warily.
"That doesn't matter-"
"When was it, Mya?" she asked again not taking her eyes away from the laundry in front of her.
"Two weeks," I said with a slight cough.
"For two weeks you've been on the run from your wife and the media, so I'm guessing you haven't heard about the interview?"
"What interview?" I asked quickly.
"There is going to be this big interview for Wanda, I believe tonight, but it's supposedly a big deal," she told me.
"Oh," I whispered trying to figure out what Wanda would be getting interviewed for.
"So what was your fight about?" Pepper asked, glancing back at me.
"I'm sorry?"
"What were you and Wanda fighting about that made you leave her for the second time in the past six months?"
"There wasn't a fight," Pepper shot me a glance. "I just needed some time to myself after… everything."
"And that's why you're here now?" she asked quickly.
"No," I hung my head. "I'm here to… to see some of his old suits."
"Oh," she whispered. "They haven't been touched in months."
"That's what I figured," I admitted before I quickly realized what I had just said. "Not that I could blame you! I couldn't even imagine being in your shoes!"
"Yet you're still here," she noted.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively.
"They're in the garage whenever you're ready to go in there," Pepper told me pointing down the empty hallway. "I am expecting you to join Morgan and me for dinner. Then, we can watch the interview afterwards."
With a small nod, I made my way down the quiet, unknown hallway. There was a large door that stood in front of me and when I pushed it opened a low gasp slipped through my lips. The room was filled with the most high-tech machines.
"Welcome Mrs. Maximoff," FRIDAY said as I entered the room. My heart shattered but I pushed the comment to the side.
"Just Mya please," I told the AI.
"Would you like to see the message that Mr. Stark left for you?"
I stopped in the middle of the room and glanced around trying to make sure no one else was in the large room with me.
"When was this message from?" I asked.
"Almost seven months ago," FRIDAY told me.
"Where is Pepper located in the house right now?" my hands began to shake.
"She's currently in the kitchen."
"Show me," I whispered.
A hologram image of Tony popped up directly in front of me. I stumbled backwards and ran into a small table.
"Hey, Slinger," the hologram said.
"Damn you Stark," I muttered in complete shock.
"I suppose I've looked better," he held his arms out to the side and looked down at his light blue pixelated body. "But if you're seeing this I was able to complete the snap. FRIDAY snitched on you and told me about the glove that you were making for yourself. I have to say the design and engineering was genius!"
"I can't believe this," I walked towards him.
"I've made many many mistakes and I live to try and fix them," Tony told me. "I believe the best way to right my wrongs with you is to ask you to take my place."
"What the hell does that mean," I mumbled. Cases behind the projected video began to light up. Inside each of them stood a suit. All of them were designed differently.
"The world can live without Ironman," Stark began to walk around the room. "But we cannot live without a leader. Someone who is willing to make a sacrifice without hesitation. Mya Boyle-erh Maximoff whether you like it or not I believe you are that person."
"No, I'm not," I told him. "No one can live up to what you did."
"Are you willing to put on the suit?"
I looked past the hologram into the case in the middle of the row. It was black with tints of red and gold tracing their way down to the bottom of the suit.
"I made it just for you," Tony said, almost like he was reading my mind. "Lightweight, full of nanotech, almost the same color combination as your suit, and made by yours truly."
"Why me?" I asked knowing he wouldn't respond. "Out of anyone why me?"
"I also need you to keep an eye on Peter," Tony said slowly. "I left him with something made a little more powerful than he can actually handle. He's a good kid though so I have faith in him, just like I do in you."
I walked forward to the case and placed my hand on the glass. It materialised beneath my touch allowing me to come face to face with the suit.
"It's beautiful," I said aloud. I touched the arc reactor and the suit lit up with life.
"Put on the suit!" Tony urged. "Be the hero this cruel world needs! Be the hero I know you are, Mya!"
He dissolved with those final words leaving me alone in the large space with a decision to make.
꧁✿?￢ﾕﾭ⊱ ⊱╮?￢ﾜ ꧂
"You missed dinner," Pepper scolded as I walked into the dining room.
"Yeah, I had a lot to think about," I admitted. Her eyes filled with sympathy.
"It's not your fault," I looked up at her. "You shouldn't blame yourself. He traded his life so you could live yours."
"Thank you," I said with a small nod. The noise from behind me caused me to turn my attention to the large TV.
"We're here with Wanda Maximoff," a tall interviewer with dark hair said looking directly into the camera.
"May I?" Pepper nodded and I took a seat on the couch directly in front of the screen.
"So Wanda the whole world is wondering, is there a special someone that you might have already met?" the man asked. "You do seem to be wearing a ring."
"I don't believe that's what I came on here to talk about," Wanda said with a small smile. She twisted her ring around her finger.
"Fair enough," the interviewer seemed to be disappointed by the answer. "Now let's go back to about two weeks ago when you were seen with Mya Boyle on Cornelia Street. Mya has been accused of the murder of Tyler Hayward director of SWORD. What do you have to say about this?"
"SWORD just like SHIELD has been infested with HYDRA spies," Wanda started to say. "Hayward was their "leader" Mya was just… completing a mission."
"What exactly was Hayward doing with HYDRA?" the man asked. "If you're allowed to release that information."
"I don't believe I am," she said with a nervous gulp. "But I can tell you it wasn't saving anyone."
"Well I'm sure the world is extremely grateful for not only Mya's but also your sacrifice," he laughed a little. "Speaking about Mya, you two have become extremely close and fans are starting to guess there might be a little more than friendship between the two of you."
"I'm sorry?" she seemed almost shocked by the question. "Mya and I are just great friends."
I knew it was just an act but those words hurt to hear.
"Yet, that doesn't explain why you were on Cornelia Street," the man seemed harsher with his comments. "You were seen heading towards a property that the Boyle's own. Yet, the name for the ownership of the house had been changed to Maximoff a few years ago. Do you know why?"
"Like I said Mya and I have been close," Wanda said defensively. "It has been that way for years."
"Close enough for them to give you a house?"
"I should be living the dream," Wanda shot back. "But I'm living with a security team, and that isn't going to change. I got a paranoia in me. And you wouldn't believe everything that I've seen. Coming apart at the seams and no one around me knows, who I am, who I've hurt, and where they're gone. I know that I've done some wrong but I'm trying to make it right." She looked directly into the camera. "To the one, I love, get me out, right now, and know that I love you!"
"Lovely speech," he clapped his hands and grinned happily. "And where is Mya right now?"
"I'm sorry I didn't know that I was going to be publicly shamed when I came in for this interview," Wanda said rising from her chair. "Just because we're famous and heroes doesn't mean that you can't treat us like humans. Thank you for opening my eyes!"
People called out to her asking her to stay but she left without even looking back. The screen flickered black.
"Well that was… interesting," Pepper said at a loss of words.
Before I could respond the screen flicked back to life. A bloodied and beaten man appeared holding a camera close to his face.
"I managed to send the Elemental back into the dimensional rift, but I don't think I'm gonna make it off this bridge alive," the man told the camera. "Spider-Man attacked me for some reason. He has an army of weaponized drones, Stark technology. He's saying he's the only one who's gonna be the new Iron Man, no one else."
The shot turned to Peter standing looking out over the city of London.
"Are you sure you want to commence the drone attack? There will be significant casualties," a robotic voice said.
"Do it! Execute them all!" Peter said quickly.
There were a few seconds of silence before we could hear gunshots and people screaming.
"Spider-Man's real... Spider-Man's real name is…" the man's breathing was quickened as he tried to speak. "Spider-Man's name is Peter Parker!"
A school picture of Peter filled the screen for a good minute before it turned black again.
"I need to go," I told Pepper, rising from the couch. She grabbed my hand, stopping me from moving.
"What are you going to do?" she asked quickly. "You saw what he did!"
"That wasn't Peter," I told her with a low gulp. "I couldn't have been! Mr. Stark didn't trust him with that technology for him to misuse it like that!"
"How do you know that?"
I looked down at the thin black bracelet on my wrist.
"Because I know Peter," I said slowly. "And I know Tony."