It had been two months since the first terrorist hijacking of American televisions. In that time, we'd experienced two more broadcasts, each taking credit for explosions in various locations around the country. Luckily, New York had been left alone. Tony had told me that if we were needed, SHIELD would give us a call, and that I should focus on my health. And my schoolwork. I couldn't stop thinking about it though, it was strange. Visions of the Mandarin played on repeat in my head, and I had the feeling that it was going to get much worse before it got better. A bad feeling, that's what I had.

I ran gingerly gloved fingers over the fabric that hid the melted looking web of shiny pink scars on my arm. The shallow pits created by the ridges were a light red, giving my skin the appearance of a fleshy comet. I no longer needed bandages, but I wore long sleeved shirts and soft gloves to hide my skin. My nerves had luckily regrown, but not without consequence. Instead of not feeling anything, I felt too much. Nibbling on my lip, I took deep breaths in an attempt to calm my nerves.

"Jacqueline?" My math teacher called my name. I sat up straight, startled. Looking around, I realized she had called on me. Several times. Pendragon had his hand on my shoulder, trying to get my attention. Ugh, I thought to myself, I can't keep spacing out like this. "What is the answer?" My instructor asked again.

"I don't know," I said, only just loud enough to be heard. A few kids snickered to themselves, finding my plight funny. The teacher sighed and asked if anyone knew the answer, and called on one of the students who was paying attention. I looked down at the notebook that Pendragon was writing class notes in. It was neat, legible, and contained all the important information that the teacher gave. Even before my injury, my notes were never that good.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. Pen shoved the notebook and my pencil case into my backpack and hefted it over his shoulder. I stood up and followed him out of the classroom and to the lunchroom. We found a small table in the cafeteria and he pulled out our packed meals. I flexed my fingers and the tight scarred skin pulled painfully taut over my knuckles. I hid my wince and fumbled with the plastic bag that held my sandwich.

Pendragon reached across the table calmly and held out his hand. I scowled at him for a moment, but relented and handed the bag over, pouting all the while. He opened the "zip" seal and gave it back to me without a word. Pen was a nice guy to stick around and help me, even when I'm so stubborn and upset about needing his help in the first place. I don't know what I did to deserve him, but I was grateful for every second of his presence.

My hands and arms trembled as I lifted the sandwich to my mouth. I frowned at my shaky limbs and slowly took a bite. Since I'd stopped using my arms six months ago after my injury, the muscle had withered slightly. The doctor I'd been seeing regularly had diagnosed me with polyneuropathy, or in normal people words, damaged nerves in my arms. Loki's magic had eaten away at my motor and sensory nerves, making it difficult for me to use my hands and causing me all sorts of pain. They had healed in a damaged state, meaning they might never get back to normal. It wasn't fair, I helped save the world and this was my thanks.

"You okay?" Pen's voice snapped me out of the downward spiral I was pulling myself into. Thinking about what I've lost always made me more miserable that necessary. Pity parties were nice sometimes, but they'd just get too exhausting if I had them all the time. I nodded and chewed the bite of food that I'd forgotten was in my mouth. All this zoning out has been bothering me. I should probably bring it up with my psychiatrist.

I finished my sandwich and chugged my water bottle. Pendragon was quiet, so it was my turn to ask if he was okay. He nodded, but didn't say anything. I glanced around the cafeteria, and noticed a couple students walking up to me.

"Can I help you?" I asked them curiously. They glanced at each other and smiled nervously.

"So, this might sound weird, but you were hurt right? In the Invasion?" I stared, and nodded slowly, "Can we see it?"

"Excuse me?" I asked, surprised that it's taken this long for someone to work up the courage to try to see my arms.

"Well, it's been a while and it should have healed and left a cool scar. May we see?" I felt my face burning with embarrassment.

"No." I said sourly, "You may not. Don't ask me that again." My mood instantly went down the drain and I felt angry. I'm a person who is suffering, not a circus freak to be stared at. Others in the cafeteria were now staring in curiosity, their attention attracted by the two unwelcome guests. The students' faces fell, and they walked away disappointed.

I shoved the rest of my meal into the brown paper bag it came from and stood up so fast my knees ached. Pendragon followed my motions and grabbed the rest of his/my stuff and walked with me out of the cafeteria. I felt hundreds of eyes burn into my back as I stalked out of the room in agitation. Thankfully, Pen didn't say anything as we walked down the nearly empty hall to the office which was on the same floor.

The receptionist sitting at the front desk, tapping away at her computer. Looking up, she recognized me and her face fell slightly. "Jacqueline? Are you alright?" I said nothing, sitting on the couch across from the desk. I slid my feet out of my sneakers and brought my knees to my chest, hugging them close. This wasn't the first time I'd ended up hiding away in the office. I always came here when I felt too stressed and overwhelmed to stay in class, so I usually signed myself out and went back to the tower.

I flinched and hissed with pain when my feet slipped off the couch, knocking my shins against my arms. The sensitive skin burned at the hard pressure, making tears drip down my face. Pendragon was instantly in front of me, gingerly cooling my arms with his magic. The chill reduced a little bit of the pain, but the pressure and raw feeling remained. It felt like the burning touch of a ghost.

Once I reassured my boyfriend that I would be okay, he went to the desk to sign me out. Finished with the office, I led him to my locker. He spun the combination lock open, and dropped the bag to help me into my winter coat. He tugged his on after, and hefting the backpack onto his shoulders and went to close the locker door. We were shocked to see Pavatti standing there, looking cross.

"You've been avoiding me." He said flatly. I felt my eyes sting with anxiety, and said nothing. True, I hadn't wanted to hang out with him lately. He was always so upbeat, and sickeningly optimistic. Whenever I was visibly down, he would just talk and talk and never stopped to ask what I was doing. He never wanted to listen to me when it came to stuff that bothered me, but he loved to go on about his own problems. Frustrated, I bit my lip.

"Sorry," I muttered, almost too quiet to hear.

"What the hell is going on? Ever since you got back from your vacation you've been weird. Your arms are better now, so what's wrong with you?" It felt like a slap in the face to hear someone I once considered a friend be so oblivious. Pen squeezed my shoulder, and tried to pull me away.

"There's a lot wrong with me!" I shouted, surprising Pavatti and Pendragon, "I'm broken! My arms aren't healed, in fact, they'll never heal! Ever! You think you're the only one with problems? I have PTSD and depression and anxiety and I can't always be as happy as you want me to be all the time and frankly, it's exhausting trying to be around you! You don't even care that I'm in constant agony! It's all about you!" Pavatti took a step back in alarm.

"I-" He started to object but I cut him off.

"I don't want to talk to you right now. I'm going home." I turned around and stormed away in anger. Pendragon followed close behind me, having to jog to beat me to the door. I ignored Pavatti's shouts behind me and stepped out of the building.

Standing in the icy air, the tears that I had been fighting broke loose. I started to sob loudly, hugging Pen as tightly as I could without hurting myself. He petted my head, and held me close while I cried. When the tears subsided and I was reduced to sad shivers, he put his hand on my upper back and guided me down the sidewalk.

It was a quiet walk to the car, but his arm around my shoulders felt warm and comforting against the freezing cold. Together, we admired the bright lights that lined our walk. It was just after Christmas break, and the nearby shops were covered with festive decorations. The color was vibrant against the grey and white backdrop of the city.

When we arrived at the tower, we hung up our coats and left our snow covered boots in the main foyer, and stopped by our favorite lounge to drop off my bag. Then I turned to Pen and told him that I was going to try to swim in the pool again. In the past few months, I'd been only having mermaid time in the bathtub. To be honest, I was scared of putting my arms in water again. Cleaning my scars with a soft damp cloth was painful, and usually left me in tears. I hadn't been fully submerged since before the Invasion.

Being the ever-loving boyfriend that he is, Pendragon followed me to the pool. The one with the heated water and speakers in it. I asked Jarvis to play some upbeat pop music when we got there. Pen rolled his eyes at my choice, but he didn't object. He sat on the edge of the pool and let his legs dangle in the water. Ten seconds later, he was legless and shirtless. I smiled, admiring the view for a moment before joining him on the edge.

Now sufficiently fishy, all that was left to be done was dive in. If I could will myself to do so. My heart pounded in my ears, and knocked against my ribs. My body trembled in fear at the pain that I could be in if I did this. I'm not ready! My anxiety screamed inside my head and the next thing I knew, I was weeping again. Like the amazing boyfriend he is, Pen hugged me again, assuring me that I would be okay. I sniffled and nodded, trying to stop the flow of tears.

"Let's start slow, is one finger okay?" I bit my lip and agreed, holding my shaking arm up while Pendragon magicked a small bubble of water into the air. As it approached my hand I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut in panic. But the burning agony I feared never came. My little finger was enveloped in a warm, relaxing sensation.

Opening my eyes, I stared at my water covered pinky. The disgusting scar underneath was brightened by the water and light, but it felt nice. Calming down, I submerged my hand into the pool, feeling the ripples lap gently at my skin. It tingled, another side effect of the neuropathy, but it didn't make my pain any worse. My courage renewed and fears relieved, I slowly lowered both arms into the water up to my elbows.

"How does it feel?" Pen asked.

"It tingles," I said, my voice trembling from residual anxiety, "But it feels nice." He slid into the pool completely, and I followed close behind. Fully submerged for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I was overcome with emotion. The water wrapped around me like a hug, and it felt warm like a blanket. It made me feel happy and positive, it comforted me.

I swam a few laps around the pool, then settled down on the bottom to relax. Pendragon lay down next to me, and I cuddled up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, and I closed my eyes as I eased into his calming embrace. This is where I belong, this is how I'm supposed to be.

My lungs started to ache as I slowly awoke from my spontaneous underwater nap. Pen shifted under me, and I knew he felt the need to surface for air too. He unwrapped himself from around me and we both lazily floated to the top. Pendragon pulled himself over the edge of the pool and onto the cold tiled floor, then used his magic to lift me out on a bed of water. We dried ourselves off and took the elevator back to my claimed lounge.

I settled into the couch and carefully pressed the button to turn on the TV. Pendragon opened the large tub of healing cream we kept on the coffee table and gently started to dab it on my hands. The physical therapist had encouraged the use of gentle massage to help desensitize my damaged nerves. The cream also softened my scars, making it easier for the skin to stretch. I winced as Pen started to rub it into my skin, pain stabbing into me like needles. I fought the urge to yank my hands away and turned my attention to the television instead.

"Mr. Marbend, Miss Thompson, I'm afraid something has happened," Jarvis spoke up, interrupting the TV. "Mr. Stark's former bodyguard and Ms. Potts' new head of security, Happy, has been injured in a Mandarin attack." My jaw dropped in shock. The channel on the TV changed to a news station's recording of Tony announcing the address of his California home. He was challenging the Mandarin to face him.

"What is he doing?" I asked, not caring to wait for an answer, "Jarvis! Call him for me!"

"Jack, maybe we should discuss this first…" Pen cautioned, but I didn't want to wait. Even if we could come up with some kind of solution, Tony was putting himself directly in harm's way and I needed to do something about it.