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Shola2001-Oh My Goodness! Thank you so much for the another review! I really appreciate it and love seeing the feedback! I was actually really worried the chat Penny had with Clint would take away from some of the light humor the chapter had to offer but I love that you liked it! I have more planned for that in future chapters ;). Again THANK YOU SO MUCH for taking time to leave a review it really makes me smile and I can't tell you how much it means to me. Thank you again for being so kind with your words!
Truth Hurts Finale
"This plan is terrible."
"So was yours at least give it time to work." I grumble reaching deep into my pocket to fish out the dollar I crumbled in there earlier this morning. I flatten it out and hand it over to the hotdog vender with a smile. After Dr. Strange announced he couldn't reverse the spell himself, Thor was excited that this meant they had to find Loki themselves and at 5PM out they went out. Half to the skies and half on the ground dressed as civilians, the funniest part was seeing Thor and the others dressed in jeans, hoodies and baseball caps. They left Dr. Banner in charge and Dr. Strange went back to the sanatorium. Without their being anything he could do their was no reason for him to stick around, his words.
Dr. Banner is actually a great "Babysitter" his word not mine. He ordered pizza and for the next two hours we watched Law and Order: SVU, it was at 7:30 when I changed into a lighter T-shirt the Dr. Banner had noticed the cuts and stitches on my right arm were still there. He came to his own conclusion, that I wasn't healing as quickly as I should be. As Dr. Banner had said before, magic wasn't his specialty but it didn't take a genius to figure out that what ever Loki had done to me wasn't just about spewing the truth it was also effecting me physically; although I did my best to reassure him I was fine, he still ending up calling Mr. Stark anyway and they all came back. At 7:45 PM all the Avengers showed up, no one could find Loki although how could they when he can shift himself to look like anyone he wants. Mr. Rogers could have walked right past him and be none the wiser. It was at 7:55 after everyone had a change to ogle the wounds on my body and argue about what to do next I made a suggestion. It was clear that if Loki was still alive he was in no rush for the Avengers or his brother to find him, but their was a chance he may be hoping to run into someone again...The person he put that stupid spell on in the first place, me. He only did this to me after I told him I was an Avenger, he also asked me to give his brother a message and placing this stupid whatever it is on me was the message, I'm still alive, come find me. If I could be left alone to walk the streets of New York, Loki could come back. The answer was a straight NO, not that I didn't expect it, but thanks to Mr. Rogers, Ms. Romanov and Dr. Banner that no was changed to
"Only bugged up and with Starsky and Hutch following right behind you!"
Arguments started up over who Starsky and Hutch were, turns out Mr. Stark was talking about Bucky and Mr. Wilson. Since Loki has never meet them, they were the best people to follow behind me and at 8PM out I went out and now at 8:12 I want a hot dog.
"Ketchup, Mustard?" The man asks,
"Everything." I watch him work magic with the relish and onions,
"When he doesn't show up-"
"Tony just give it a second okay, if it doesn't work THEN you can be upset," The man hands me the hot dog, I take it and smile. I don't care what anyone say's dollar dirty water hotdogs trump the dollar pizza.
"No one asked for your opinion Cap!" Mr. Stark argues back,
"When you guys fight it sounds like you're brothers. Can I have more mustard?"
"Don't you ever say that again!"
"We do not!" The hotdog gives me a weird look, but hands me the mustard anyway.
"I'm sorry, Iron Man and Captain America are fighting inside my head." Hotdog man grabs the mustard from my hand, picks up his whole cart up and starts moving right down Stone st.
"Nice going kid." Mr. Stark scoffs. I sighed and finished my hotdog, it still needs more mustard,
"Great now what are we goanna eat," Mr. Wilson complains. I roll my eyes and look around pulling ut my wallet. New York is the city that never sleeps, it's almost 9PM and the streets are still just as busy as they were at noon. Any of these people could be Loki, they could also just be regular people with no idea that a god might walk among them. I'm still hungry. I could follow hotdog man or maybe I could go get a pretzel of something. I open the billfold spotting a twenty dollar bill and a five dollar bill, score. I close it when something suddenly knocks me off my feet and on to the ground, I hit hard landing on my shoulder.
"Owww" I groan looking down at my now empty hands and then looking up to the dark figure quickly retreating away, "Hey!"
"Ohhh tough luck." A man dressed in jeans and a button up kneels down and extends a hand out.
"Did you just get mugged?" Mr. Starks voice questions into my earpiece. I could scream, in fact I do. I scream as I jump to my feet ignoring the nice man in jeans trying to help me up, I scream as I start running down the street at full speed trying to catch the person who just stole my wallet, and I scream as Mr. Stark yells at me to stop screaming. I know it's just a wallet, but it's my wallet and it's special. Ned went to three different Ross stores to find the perfect wallet with both Luke Skywalker and Han Solo on the front. I have pictures of my parents and uncle Ben and aunt May, and not to mention 25 dollars, and I'm getting it back. I spot the black hoodie and speed up, normally I would run slower to blend in better but right now I don't care. The figure ahead turns to look towards me and I can see it's a man complete with 5 O'Clock shadow. When he spots me his eyes widen and he speeds up, but clearly he's getting tired. I on the other hand am crazy with rage and when he turns down an ally I turn with him and jump landing on his back and together with collide straight into the ground.
"Ahhh, what the?" I reach forward when the man grabs my arm and throws me off to the ground, were both on our feet at the same time only now he holds a knife in front of him,
"Is that pocket knife? I have one of those, it has my name on it." The man has a scuff on his chin and a trickle of blood on his nose, looks like he took that fall face first,
"Get on the ground and count to 100." I can't help it, I laugh.
"Or what?"
"Kid just get on the ground, I'll get you a new wallet." Mr. Stark sighs on my com, I roll my eyes,
"Just give me wallet and then I go one way and you go the other way." The man holds the knife out farther,
"Get on the ground!" I groan and look down to an oil stain on the concrete,
"I'm not going to get on the ground, you know why? Because it's dirty and that's gross." I get a better look at him, "You know what? You're dirty and gross, take the five dollars out of my wallet and go buy yourself some soap. You know what take that twenty and go buy some soap and then go to the goodwill and get yourself some clothes and get a job, then you wouldn't have to steal wallets because you'll have you're own twenty five dollars."
"This is your last warning kid, just get on the ground and count to 100."
"I get it, jobs suck."
"What job do you have kid?" Mr. Stark questions, his voice full of sarcasm,
"Coworkers suck, one's a complete sarcastic jerk who ignores you, one follows the rules to closely, like I get it you're the leader of the pack, shut up about it. One is emotionally unattached and needs a haircut, one scares the absolute crap out of you because she could easily kick your ass, one's whole personality is that he's married with kids. One's basically dead to you because he went and started working for another company. One's only shows up when asks, one is only loyal to the one who follows rules, one is green, and one can turn into the size of an ant...who's also kind of a fan boy." I take a deep breath, I don't think I breathed during that whole spiel.
"Sarcastic Jerk?"
"Did you just tell me to shut up?"
"Again with the hair cut?"
"Are we not going to mention the fact that the only way she could describe Bruce is by saying he's green."
"Am I the the Fanboy?'
"No that's AntMan, you're the one who's only loyal to Steve."
"You are Steve's fanboy though,"
"Sure, married with children!"
"Midgardian jobs sound terrible." Voices scream into my ear, all the while Mr. wallet thief tilts his head and scrunches his eyebrows,
"What the hell are you talking about?" I shrug and reach up to rub my shoulder,
"Coworkers...you know...maybe you don't know..."
"You're starting to freak me out." I take a big breath and release it slowly,
"Ya, I'm sorry for that and for this."
"For...what?" I reach forward grabbing his wrist and squeeze until he lets the knife go, then quickly I pull feeling his arm pop out of it's socket, he screams so I knock his feet out from under him and throw his head into the concert, just enough to knock him out for a while. Ms. Romanov taught me this, it took me weeks to pin her. I reach into the pocket of his hoodie and grab my wallet I reach inside and pull out my twenty dollar bill and stuff it back into his pocket,
"Soap fund," I shove my wallet down my shirt, "Also don't stay unconscious for long, it's super bad for you."
"Looks like I underestimated you young one." I turn on my heels coming face to face with the man who was trying to help me up before,
"I don't know you." He smiles and suddenly morphs into something else, someone else...
"Loki?"
"Loki's there?" Thor practically shouts,
"Who's got eyes on Penny?" Mr. Rogers almost shouts along with him.
"Kid where the hell are you?" Bucky's voice sounds like he's running, I think of telling him where I am, but even I really don't know. I was running so fast to get my wallet back that I wasn't even really paying attention myself.
"I'm patching her location to you now" Mr. Stark says, I look down at my watch forgetting it's basically a Penny GPS.
"Have you been watching me this whole time?" He smiles,
"Guilty as charged."
"I hate you! I've been running around telling everyone the first thing that comes to my mind, and you've just been here this whole time watching me?" His smile disappears, "Shame on you, you know it's different when you mess with the others, their grown adults without secrete identities," This intrigues him,
"Secrete identity?" I nod and he steps closer, "Who are you child?" Shut Up,
"Penny Parker, I'm Spider-Man." Of course,
"Spider-Man." He sounds out slowly, I sigh,
"Would you have expected me to be Spider-Man." This time he purses his lips
"Smart."
"Now what ever you've done to me, reverse it. You got what you wanted Thor's here and-"
"Thor's here?" I scrunch my nose at him,
"Yes, and that was rude!" Suddenly, it clicks "You never questioned if I was an Avenger did you?" He doesn't say anything, but that's enough, "You did this so I would run back to whoever and they would tell Thor and he would come back, didn't you?" Thor laughs a deep and rowdy laugh inside my ear,
"That is Loki alright! As children he was always trying to gain my attention! One time he transformed into a snake-"
"Not the snake story again." Dr. Banner grumbles
"Wait, I would like to hear this snake story." Mr. Stark hums,
"Well he knew I loved snakes so when I went to pick it up and admire it he transformed back into himself and was like "Blaah it's me!" and he stabbed me. Then one time when we were ten he tricked me by transforming into a lovely run inside my room, well when I noticed a new rug in my room I thought mother had placed it there so I went to go stand on it and he turned back to himself and then it turned out he had dug a hole in my room and at the bottom of the hole was sharp spikes and then I fell and he left me down there for two days." Thor chuckles again, "Ahh he was always doing things like that." Theirs a pause and then Mr. Wilson speaks
"You have...the worst family." I take a breathe,
"Change me back!"
"It's not that simple." I can't help it this time, I look up and scream,
"PENNY!" Mr. Stark yells into the ear piece, I reach up and pull it from my ear and throw it as far as I can and then I turn and head out of the ally,
"Where are you going?" Loki calls,
"If you can't help me then what is the point of talking to you, I don't even like you!"
"Wait?" I stop and turn back arms open,
"What! Stop wasting my time!" Loki holds his hand out, I look down at it,
"You're a criminal, I'm not shaking the hand of a criminal, it's just not happening." He closes his eyes in a frustrated gesture,
"Just take my hand!" At this point what do I have to loose...I take his hand. The world around us changes and the air hums and for a second I feel weightless until suddenly everything's heavy again and I feel like I'm going to be sick. I drop down to my knees and vomit everything I have inside of my stomach, pizza and hotdog. To my surprise I haven't gotten sick on concert, but grass. It's everywhere,
"Humans are disgusting." Loki comments walking past me. I wipe my mouth and groan,
"You've never been sick before?" But he's already far ahead of me, I swallow and get to my feet. Everywhere around us is lush and green, A cliff side hits right in front of where Loki is heading too, overlooking is water and sky, both large and deep blue. Why did he bring me here,
"This is a very special place." I look around as Loki sits to rest on large rock. I take careful steps closer and stop next to him,
"Are we in Ireland?" Loki keeps his eyes cast ahead at where water and sky meet,
"Norway." I shrug,
"Fitting." Thor and Loki are norse gods, their stories originated here. "It's pretty here." I sit down,
"My father died right here." I jump to my feet,
"Like right here, where I was just sitting?" Loki nods,
"Yes, right there." I know theirs a horrified look on my face and carefully I move to the other side of the rock to sit and compose myself.
"I'm sorry" Loki nods, "I didn't know gods could die."
"I banished him to earth, drained him of his power. I caused it." I look out to the same spot Loki's eyes rest and for a second I let us sit in silence.
"My uncle died, he was looking for me. If I never had left the house that day in a huff he would still be alive so I get it." Loki looks over,
"This is my moment." I frown,
"Sorry." Again we fall into silence. Finally after a few minutes I turn back towards Loki and speak, "was I really just a pawn for you to get what you want?"
"Yes." I can't help lean back,
"Oh wow, ummm thanks for your honesty I guess." Loki finally takes his eyes off the skyline,
"I have been trying to find a way to talk to my brother since I came here."
"He thought you were dead...we all did, how are you not dead?" Loki shrugs, "You don't know? You've cheated death like six times, you have to know."
"Thanos killed me, then I was here. I can't tell you why." I slum,
"Well that's convenient." I blow out a breath and look up, "It really is pretty here." Loki doesn't say anything, "So why why are we here?"
"You're not spouting off everything that comes across you're mind are you?" I look at him confused, am I?
"I...am I not?" He turns to me and nods, "Loki you are one of the best heroes I've ever known." His lips quirk up just a bit I laugh, and roll up my sleeve. The cuts are completely closed the stitches just brush right of my skin "I can lie again!" I throw my hands up and fall back, onto the grass,
"Yes, thank Odin." I sprawl out legs on the rock, back on the grass,
"How did you do that, I didn't even pass out or feel it."
"You thank Odin." I prop myself up my elbows,
"What?"
"My father died here, it's a very sacred place, my tricks are broken here."
"Huh? Thank you Odin." I throw my legs over my head and get to my feet coming to sit next to Loki again, "But what's the real reason you brought me here." Thunder crackles in the perfect blue skies, theirs not even a cloud. A crack of lighting breaks the sky, the electricity makes everything stand straight up, I watch as the bolt of lighting breaks the sky in half and then comes straight down to earth. I place my hands over my ears and drop to the grass, I feel the ground shake beneath me, when it stops I look up to Loki who hasn't moved,
"Because I knew this is where he would look first." I sit up peaking over the rock,
"Thor?" He's changed from his jeans and hoodie back into his regular Thor Odinson clothes minus red cape,
"Man of spiders!" He waves, I wave back,
"Did you know we're in Norway?" He nods,
"This is a very special place." He hollers, I nod,
"I know, your father died here!" I point to the spot on the rock, "Right there!" Thor frowns,
"Yaaa," Maybe I shouldn't have pointed, I turn to Loki who hasn't turned to face his brother, instead he's chosen to lower his head, a scared look on his face.
"Loki's here, he's treated me really well, the spell has broken!" Thor's eyes drift from mine to the back of his brother,
"Loki," His voice lowers, and his eyes water. He won't cry though, they'll just get glassy an then he'll hide it with a smile or an angry scowl. I look back over to Loki and ball my fist hitting him hard in the bicep.
"Hey!" He rubs his arm and frowns at me, "Your brother is here and he's happy to see you." Slowly Loki turns, his eyes drift from mine to Thor's who taking small tentative steps towards us,
"Hello Brother," I push him and slowly Loki gets to his feet and steps over the rock. Thor stops in front of him and for a second they just stand there staring at one another then quickly Thor grabs Loki and pulls in and I can't help but gasp and throw my hands over my mouth,
"Are you guys hugging?" Both brothers stop and look over at me, I hold my hands up, "Sorry, sorry," I bend down hiding behind the rock, "Forget I'm here."
"How did you survive, where have you been?" Thor's voice shakes a little, he clears his throat steading it,
"I don't know."
"We have a lot to talk about." I pop my head up,
"Oh hey, if you're going to stay here and talk do you think you could send me back, it's probably like like 10PM back in NewYork."
"I would like that." Loki responds,
"Hello?"
"Come brother lets sit." Thor motions to the rock. I stand,
"Okay, I'll just...I guess I'll go find something to do." I start walking away from the two, it's clear by the way Thor sits down and motions for Loki to do the same, that we might be here a while.
…
"MAN OF SPIDERS!" Thor's voice bellows, I don't think Thor has ever called me by my real name...or my real gender.
"Why do you call her man of spiders?" Loki's voice carry's to my spot in the grass,
"Spider-Man, come on Loki keep up, there you are...what are doing?" I turn and hold up my flower crown, although I think I've made it too large soooo now it's a flower necklace. It's been at least two hours since Loki and Thor sat down to talk. I've look down to my watch, it's still stuck on New York time, it's just hitting midnight back home. I wanted to give Thor and Loki time to talk so I wondered for a while until I came across some wild lily's. At that point I sat down and started picking and braiding them together, it's really helped to pass the time,
"What is that?" Loki looks disgusted, I frown,
"It's a flower crown...necklace." I hold up two more, "I made one for each of us."
"How old are you?" Loki spits, Thor laughs and grabs two of the necklaces,
"Wheres you're sense of fun Loki, here." He throws it over Loki's head and then lays his on his own neck, "How do I look?"
"Stupid"
"Enchanting" Loki and I say at the same time, I place mine on and get to my feet,
"These flowers did nothing to deserve what you've done to them." Loki observes, I stick my tongue out,
"Can we go home now?" I ask Thor, he nods "Wait if we go back, the spell isn't going to come back is it?"
"No, this place erased all traces of it when you landed," I smile,
"Good, but what are we going to do with him." I spit turning to Loki, Thor places his hand on his shoulder,
"He's going to come back with us and were going to start repairing relationships." I roll my eyes,
"That's going to go great" I lean forward, "Bruce and hulk are the same same exact person now." His eye widen and then I feel my own match his, "Oh my god, I'm in so much trouble, you!" I push Loki as hard as I can, I almost smile when he lands on his back,
"You!" I jump on top of him, "Do you know how much terrible stuff I said, all because of you!" I lean back ready to punch him when Thor pulls me off,
"Repairing relationships remember!" I struggle in his arms,
"I told Mr. Stark he's had to many one night stands and I called Mr. Barton Katniss Everdeen, I don't even like those books!" Thor sets me down on my feet but keeps one hand on my shoulder and uses the other to help Loki up,
"You can be a good influence on Loki, show him how it's done." Thor smiles in that clueless sort of way, I huff.
"I'm sixteen! He's like 1000 years old!"
"1070 actually." I point at him,
"See! Why do I have to be the good influence?" Thor smiles and squeezes my shoulder,
"Because you've always been a good person, Loki is still learning." I scowl and grunt,
"Fine, lets go."
"Marvelous." Loki rolls his eyes, voice full of sarcasm.
"Oh before we go, Thor I'm sorry I called you an adult baby." Loki cracks a smile again, and Thor laughs,
"That's alright, my feelings are hard to hurt." Loki raises his eyebrows,
"His skin is not."
…
I've decided I don't like beaming or what ever Thor and Loki calls it. Moving from one location to another, makes my stomach jump and all food immediately come back up, this time when we beam from Norway to New York, I don't have any food to throw up and so when my feet hit ground again, I fall to my knees and drive heave,
"Stand down friends, Loki means you no harm." I finish and look up. Sure enough were back at Avengers tower, with...all weapons on us. Mr. Stark has his blaster, Ms. Romanov has two glocks, Rockets has a...huge gun wow, Drax has two curved swords, Mr. Rogers has his shield, and then the others have...their fists I guess,
"Oh hey," I stand back up, "What's going on?" Mr. Stark is the first to put his weapon down,
"Norway? Why were you in Norway...what are you wearing?" I look down to my wtch
"It's a very sacred place." I inform him looking up,
"My father died there." Thor smiles, I point to his necklace,
"I made these, also I'm cured." Mr. Stark raises one eyebrow his face skeptic,
"What's your favorite Starbucks drink?"
"Whatever drink you get me."
"Favorite food is Pizza?" no
"Yes."
"It's not, but I know that now," Mr Stark almost smiles, "She's cured and you!" He points to Loki, Thor moves to stay in front of him, instead I beat him to it,
"Loki's actually a good person." Mr. Stark turns towards Mr. Rogers,
"Damn it she's not fixed," he turns back to Loki, IronMan glove raised, "Fix her!"
"I did." Loki grumbles,
"Mr. Stark, we weren't the only people that saved half the population remember?" He doesn't lower the blaster, "Dr. Banner you were there, so was Thor, Loki died so you both could get away." Ms. Romanov lowers her guns,
"She's right." Mr Stark keeps his arm raised and charges the weapon,
"Exactly kid, Loki died, that's not Loki." This time Thor step up,
"Tis my brother and you will put you're weapon down unless you want to work this out between the two of us." Thor brandishes Windbreaker Mr. rogers steps forward,
"Alright stop it both of you."
"All of you!" I shout, "He's wearing a flower crown, see he comes in peace!"
"A terrible flower crown" Loki rolls his eyes. Rocket drops his gun and nods,
"I agree it really isn't that good." I turn,
"Rocket." I hiss he shrugs and turns "This is a earth thing, come one Groot back to the ship with Quill,
"I am Groot."
"Yup, Drax and Mantis too." Drax lowers his swords, and turns to Dr. Banner,
"You will call me if a fight breaks out." Dr. Banner nods and claps him on his shoulder,
"Will do buddy." Mr. Stark finally lowers his weapons and points to me and snaps his fingers
"You, here." He whistles and I look to Thor, he nods.
"I've got this." I cross the threshold between where Loki and Thor stand over to where the rest of the Avengers are, when I'm in front of Mr. Stark he takes the glove and looks me over,
"Wait for me in my lab."
"but-"
"Now." I look the others over before turning back to Mr. Stark,
"Adult are talking?" I sigh, and Mr. Stark nods,
"They are."
…
I take the flower necklace off and drape it over Dum-E, the mechanical robot turns and admits a low humming. I smile,
"Beautiful." When Mr. Stark first sold Avengers tower he moved Dum-E to the compound, however after Thanos and a newly repurchased and remolded tower, he had Dum-E moved back. I don't care what Mr. Stark says, he would never sell Dum-E to a community college,
"What are you doing, take that off." Mr. Stark points to the both of us from the top of the stairs,
"No, he likes it don't you?" He hums again, "Case closed." Mr. Stark descends the stairs shaking his head the whole way down,
"Alright fine, move." He waves Dum-E away coming to stand in front of me. He crosses his arm and leans on his desk. "Aunt May working?" I nod,
"Double shift" He nods,
"Good, good," he takes a deep breath "Look kid-"
"Can we just forget everything that happened today, and I mean like totally forget." Mr. Stark quirks his head,
"I'm sorry I can't." I groan and walk over to the spare couch he keeps down here when he's pulled two all nighters in a row and needs a quote on quote "Power nap." I collapse on to it,
"I would never say those things if I didn't have too." Mr Stark uncrosses his arms and with thick chunky movements makes a show of pulling a chair over and dropping into it,
"but you should, you know that right?" I lean back and lay my arm over my eyes,
"Which part?"
"The one where you told Clint you think about jumping off a building 40% of the time, or the part where you let me think your favorite color was red this whole time, now turning this around and making it all about me you made me look really bad." I try to hide the smile but can't.
"I'm sorry." I look back up,
"Sorry doesn't even begin to cover it, you said it in front of my "coworker."" He adds quotation marks with his fingers, "Also sarcastic jerk?"
"I said I was sorry...wait how did you...did Mr. Barton tell you about our conversation?!" Mr Stark waves me away,
"Are you kidding? Mr. married with kids would never, I just looked up the security footage and you promised me if you ever had had those feelings you would come too me." I sit up straighter,
"I've kept that promise, because I haven't had those feelings, I was just making a statement!" Mr. Stark points at me,
"Indoor voice cranky child." I slump back into the couch, "Listen, I never say sorry, because I'm never wrong, but these last three weeks I wasn't keeping up with you as much as I normally do, so that is on me," I look up, "Forgive me?"
"But, you didn't say sorry...you said I never say sorry, how can I forgive you when you wont say it?" He shrugs,
"because I'm never wrong,"
"But you're wrong in this situation."
"No I'm not,"
"Yes you are."
"Say you forgive me or-"
"Or what? You'll spoil more future Star Wars projects?" Mr. Stark crossed his arms, leans back and nods,
"Yes, yes I will." I throw my arms out,
"You can't keep threatening me with Star Wars spoilers, it's getting old."
"Wanna bet?" He holds up his phone, I squint my eyes reading the screen,
calling George Lucas
"What?" I feel my eyes widen "He doesn't even own Star Wars anymore!"
"and I don't own Stark Industries but I still know everything thats happening with my company." I hold my arms out,
"BECAUSE YOU MARRIED THE CEO!" he quirks an eyebrow,"Okay stop, I forgive you!" He hangs up the phone,
"Good and I forgive you."
"I didn't say sorry." He pushes the phone back into his pocket,
"You didn't have too," he holds his hand out. "Now we can forget everything that happened today." I reach forward and shake his hand, he smiles, "Too bad nobody else will, come on." He get to his feet pulling me with him, "Up the stairs." I pull him back,
"Wait no...I..I can't!"
"You can." He gets behind me and nudges me towards the stairs,
"No I can't please," I turn to face him, surprised at his smile,
"Yes you can," he places a hand on my shoulder, the gesture comforting, "I'll be right there."