A/N: It's been a while! I hope you all are staying safe during this crazy time.

Sorry, in advance, for any grammatical errors/inconsistencies. Feedback is always appreciated. FYI - I went back to the previous chapters and revised those as well.

"Semira!"

Her name. That was her name.

But who was calling for her?

What was going on?

Semira could feel her mind waking and tried to take a deep breath as she tried to recall the dream she just had, but she couldn't even remember what happened besides someone shouting her name.

Her muscles twitched as she tried to move her body. She needed to get up.

But all that she could see was darkness.

The lack of sight was making Semira panic, as she put two and two together. She was having another episode of sleep paralysis.

She needed to get up.

She needed to get up before –

CRACK.

The thunderous clap was near deafening, the sound nearly rupturing her eardrums and carrying through her body in a sensation that she dreadfully knew all to well.

But it was nothing compared to the piercing scream that followed.

That did the trick, Semira's brown eyes opening immediately and adjusting to the darkness around her. She wasn't in her bed like she hoped. Instead, she was standing upright in a void. The darkness seemed to stretch on forever in front of her and she made to move, but immediately turned her body in the direction of a muffled sound.

A large, crumpled heap of what she hoped was only a doll underneath the fabric lay just a few feet away from her. A doll that was shifting up and down in rhythmic motion oh so similar to how a living being would be inhaling and exhaling.

And was that small pool of dark thick liquid oozing from the lump?

With no sense of self-preservation, Semira made her way to the heap on the floor – would she call it a floor since she was in a void? – and had to come to terms that it was in fact a living and breathing being.

Her chest clenched at the pain whatever this person was going through and not another second passed as she hurriedly got on her knees, checking to see if they were okay.

Her eyes took in the ripped shirt and couldn't help the bile that rose up in her throat at the large open wound on said person's back. Pushing it back down, she steadied the trembling body with her hands in preparation to turn them over.

The ragged breathing staggered as soon as she gently turned them to face her only to reveal a woman. Semira made a move to push away the dark hair that covered the woman's face and immediately recoiled at the sight.

Staring back at her was herself.

Eyes widened in fright and blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, her replica uttered the words that have been haunting her for the better half of a year.

"He's coming."

Semira woke with a start, breathing heavy and sweat coating her neck and forehead. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she shivered slightly recalling the words from her dream.

He's coming...

It was like clockwork.

Fall asleep. Dream. Hardly remember the dream. Wake up from the dream only to find herself trapped in a nightmare.

It felt like psychological torture.

Ever since Semira woke up from her coma, her subconscious wreaked havoc with ominous messages and events when she slept. People she never met before littered her dreams as well as strange looking humanoids that she swore she's never seen before – she was scarred as a child when Tony decided it was a great idea to show her Aliens. The detail put into those people and aliens... It all felt too real to her.

Then there were her dreams revolving around this so called he. She would never actually see who 'he' is referring to. All that would occur is finding a replica of herself beaten within an inch of her life, followed by a warning of him.

But who was he? Who exactly was her dream self-referring to?

And why the hell did she have to find herself on the brink of death?

"It's currently 3:54 AM, Miss. With the sudden elevation of your heartrate since you have woken, I am assuming you had another nightmare. Would you like for me to put Mister Stark on the line?"

"No, Jarvis. Just - could you just please not tell Tony this time?"

"I'll try not to, Miss."

Semira rolled her eyes, knowing full well the AI unit was going to inform her brother about this the moment he woke up. Tony was practically glued to her side since she woke up from the coma. He had made it his mission to stay in New York for the past half year, and if he happened to be out of town on business Big Brother – Jarvis – was watching her. Which was just Tony in computer form.

She was half convinced that Tony persuaded Pepper to have Stark Tower constructed directly beside the building she was currently living in. The woman herself had taken it upon herself to visit her anytime she was in town, but Semira didn't mind. Pepper was like an older sister.

It wasn't that she minded their proximity. She was actually relieved that Tony was around. It calmed her in a way she didn't realize it would.

It was just that he noticed everything.

He noticed the nervous ticks and the anxiety that would slip through her easy-going façade.

He noticed that she would mutter affirmations in a rush to calm herself.

He noticed that she would consistently space out.

He noticed the bags under her eyes and the nightmares that ensued.

"Hey, Jarvis. Going for a walk. Tell Tony and Pepper I won't make it for breakfast," she explained aloud to the AI, rolling out of the bed in the process. There was no point in going back to sleep now. Her jumbled mind was running a mile a minute and there was no way she wanted to close her eyes only for her mind to possibly draw up another nightmarish scene.

So a stroll around the park it was.

"Of course, Miss."

It didn't take long for Semira to run the full loop around Central Park, so she resorted to walking the loop to pass the time. The first time she ran the loop several months ago, her mind was in shock with how easy her body was handling the run. She had thought she was going to get exhausted when she hit the mile marker, but found herself nowhere near exerted. This wouldn't have been a shock prior to her missing and being in a coma, since she's always been athletic in some regard; constantly keeping her body in excellent shape throughout her teenage years into adulthood.

But she had woken up from a coma with a body that was severely damaged and was able to run a little over six miles without breaking much of a sweat.

And she didn't know what happened during the years she was missing, given her amnesia, but she must have been working out like a mad woman because the muscle definition she gained was ridiculous.

Taking up cardio and weight lifting since waking up was oddly like second nature to her. It was much easier than what she remembered, which on paper shouldn't even be possible, especially given the trauma her body endured the last year.

But here she was, body more than fully functional and making its way through the now crowded sidewalk in Manhattan to her most recently favored coffee shop.

Once she reached the brightly colored shop, Semira strolled towards the counter and smiled at the middle aged woman behind the counter, who beamed at her in return.

"Morning, Mira! You want the usual today?"

"Yeah and could you also add the egg white and avocado toast?"

"Sure thing!"

After a rather quick transaction via cash and leaving a tip, Semira turned around to survey the open room for available seats.

A small group of chatty teenagers were at the usual table she would claim and she sighed, realizing she'd have to find another spot.

Her eyes roved over to an empty space that she could potentially stand in but it would be a tight squeeze between the corner and a group of businessmen and women in what looked to be a heated discussion; not exactly what she wanted to hear this morning.

She continued scoping out a prospective area, eyes passing over several more various groups of people before she locked in on a somewhat prime spot. A small table seated by the window with four chairs and only one occupant.

Said occupant was definitely a man, her eyes not missing his broad shoulders and muscles underneath his jersey hoodie. His hat did a great job covering his face as he looked down at the newspaper positioned in front of him. Making the decision that it was better to take a seat than stand near the crowded counter, Semira made her way over.

"You mind if I sit here?" she asked. The man in question seemed to be in his own little world until she spoke, his head jerking abruptly to look at her. Her jaw dropped slightly as his eyes locked onto hers.

Wow.

She's met plenty of good-looking men given her family name and living in New York, but it's been quite some time since she's actually been in the same place as one. Holing herself in her penthouse and not attending any events for the past couple of years wasn't necessarily a great way to meet anyone. And to be honest, meeting men hasn't been a top priority of hers since after waking up from a coma.

"Semira?"

His voice broke her out of her thoughts, and she saw his blue eyes were wide. She would've immediately assumed he recognized her based on her celebrity, but she doubted that. She hasn't made a public appearance in years and her body has changed in so many ways. Also, considering no one batted an eye when she entered the coffee shop and lack of paparazzi, confirmed that for her.

Her mind went back to the way he said her name...the tone he took. It was if he knew her.

That was when she took another good look at him, eyes roaming him from head to chest and back to his face.

Familiarity shot through her as their eyes connected once again.

"Do I know you?" she asked, trying to recall why he would look so familiar. However, her concentration was broken momentarily from the vibration of her phone. Her eyes quickly fell to the device in her hand as it vibrated insistently.

Incoming...Tony Stark.

She stared at her brother's name flashing across the screen, before swiping the ignore and looking back at the man before her.

Maybe he was in some classes with her years ago at MIT?

No, she would have remembered if any of the guys looked like that.

"It's me. Steve," he said, taking off his hat in the process and revealing dirty blond hair. His blue eyes were almost desperate and filled with hope; almost as if she would somehow recognize him, but it was quickly replaced with a look of defeat at the lost look on her face. "...sorry, I just...you look...well, you looked like a friend of mine."

"Small world then. My name's Semira, too," she replied. The man looked at her quizzically and she could swear she saw the gears churning in his head. "You don't mind if I take that seat do you?"

The man continued to stare up at her with his mouth slightly open and Semira had half a mind to lean over and close it by lifting his chin. Instead, she decided to take the more appropriate route, "Earth to Steve..."

"No - not at all. I - uh...I'm sorry if I'm staring, ma'am," he replied, his cheeks turning slightly pink and he chuckled. "It's just you really look like her...and your names are the same."

Semira decided to take that as her cue to sit down, curiosity taking over. The man called her ma'am after all.

"So...where's your friend? I'd love to meet my doppelganger," she joked to him, a slight smile on her face. However, the smile dissipated once she saw his face fall into one of sadness.

"She's dead."

Now it was awkward.

A silence passed over them as Semira witnessed a hint of anger behind the sadness in the man's eyes as he looked in her direction.

"I - I'm sorry, that was really insensitive of me," she said, quick to avoid his eyes and making a move to leave. However, she was stopped by a hand on top of hers.

"No, no, you didn't know," he said, a sense of urgency in his voice; and when Semira met his eyes, she didn't have the heart in her to pull away as she initially intended to do.

This man, Steve, was obviously still mourning the death of his friend. A friend that she bore some resemblance to in both name and physical appearance.

As odd as it sounded, she felt obligated in some way to stay out of sympathy for him.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was she like?"

Okay, maybe it was mainly out of curiosity, but the small smile that made its way on the man's face as he looked out the window, pulled at Semira's heart. Even though he mentioned the woman as a friend, Steve clearly loved the woman he was going to talk about, given the wistful look in his eyes. She'd never admit it aloud, but she was a sucker for romance stories whether via book or film. And she never failed to cry much to her dismay.

God, she hoped it was unrequited. Otherwise, she'll be bawling like a baby.

"She was one of the smartest people I've ever met, always quick to respond and pretty much knew everything. She was headstrong and difficult in some ways, challenging me on everything but always believing in me. She'd do anything for the people she loved."

"If you say she had a sense of humor, she'd be my dream girl," Semira said, winking at the man. "Could you imagine? It would've been like dating myself."

The look Steve sent her was one of disbelief and she was about to apologize until she saw a smile on his face.

"Actually, that's something she would say," he said.

"Hey, Mira. Order's ready!"

Semira looked back at the counter to see her drink and food set aside on the open space of the counter, before turning back to him. Before another word could pass between the two, her phone buzzed incessantly. Her eyes glanced down at her phone to see Tony's name flashing and she groaned. Semira learned her lesson the last time she ignored Tony's calls twice in a row.

She didn't have time for her brother to go off and lecture her about going out alone in the wee hours of the morning. Much less have him wandering down to this coffee shop unexpectedly like he did the old one she used to frequent.

Jarvis was such a snitch.

"I've got to go, but if you give me your number, we can continue our chat?" she asked Steve, only to be met with a puzzled look.

"Number?"

Semira tilted her head as she assessed the man before her. If she didn't know any better, she would say he had no idea what she was talking about. "You know. The string of digits that act as an address for your phone?"

She flashed the backside of her own phone in her hand in front of his face as it lit up in recognition.

"Sorry, it's just a bit new to me...," he trailed off lamely, before pulling an iPhone out from his pocket. Semira quirked an eyebrow at that, a small smirk making its way on her face as she saw him fumbling with his phone.

Who was this guy? Calling her ma'am and acting like a geezer who didn't even know how to operate a smart phone?

She leaned over and snatched the phone when she realized it probably would take him another three minutes just to find out how to turn it on. Twenty seconds later, she slipped the phone back his way and flashed him a smile.

"If you're not busy tomorrow night, let's grab dinner," she told him. "See you then, Steve."

And with that, she grabbed her order and headed out the door that led out onto the busy streets.

There was no way Tony was going to ruin this spot for her.