After The Avengers had lunch at a Shawarma restaurant the group had re located to Central Park that afternoon.
At Bethesda Fountain, SHIELD agents had the fountain blocked off from the public.
Laura had washed the dirt and grime off her before she changed into one of her favorite black pant suit.
Her hair back into its bun.
Looking professional.
Covering her skin from the multiple bruises and cuts her banged up body had suffered from just a few hours ago.
Her knuckles were bruised from punching Loki and her throat was bruised and sore from when one of the Chitauri choked her.
The Avengers and an apprehended Loki who was handcuffed and muzzled.
Dr. Selvig opened up the metal briefcase where The Tesseract was being kept.
Bruce picked it up while Selvig held an Asgardian glass tube.
Tony and Laura observing him placing it inside carefully next to them.
Once it was safely secured inside Thor patted him on the back.
Nat pulled Laura's shoulder back to her and Clint and began to whisper something in their ear.
"Pretend to smile to what I'm saying to piss Loki off." she whispered.
"Oh yeah. He'd hate that!" Laura said and she and Clint smirked back behind their sunglasses.
Loki just stared at them but Thor held the glass tube with the cube towards Loki along with Mjolnir.
He reluctantly looked down at it but grabbed on, not having a choice.
Thor gave the team a nod and twisted the handle.
Everyone took a step back from the energy beam that transported them back to Asgard.
Everyone began to depart but Laura gave Tony a deep hug who gave one back just as tightly.
She hugged Nat and Clint. Shook the hands of Bruce, Selvig and Steve.
The two giving each other a nod of respect. Everyone departed and Clint and Nat left in a marked SHIELD car.
Bruce hopped in Tony's R8 and sped off.
Steve rode off on his motorcycle and she walked over to her car.
Hoping in it, she sped off, burning rubber towards 5th.
She sped onto the empty avenue and sighed.
Speeding past the tall, damaged buildings.
New Yorkers slowly emerging from them, looking shell shocked.
Ambulances and fire trucks lining the streets.
The island was blocked off from all the tunnels and bridges as all federal agencies descended upon it.
Also to help assist with recovery efforts.
The island taking the brunt of the invasion.
Whole buildings and the infrastructure in general were leveled.
It seemed that not one hadn't escaped at least some damage.
Minor or otherwise.
But she was able to convince officials to make one exception.
After all he was technically a diplomat even though the country was reclusive.
Enjoying the once in a lifetime traffic free drive down 5th.
She put the pedal to the floor and the next thing she knew she was driving up to the United Nations.
She pulled up to the curb and saw T'Challa and a taller woman who she noticed was wearing a wig standing next to him.
The two wearing casual clothing and blending in.
She shut off her car, grabbed her bag from the passenger seat and walked over to them.
"Prince T'Challa." she greeted formally.
"Ms. Watson." he nodded down at the much shorter woman.
"Laura seemed fine over the texts." she joked.
"I was…" he began but coughed awkwardly which she raised an eyebrow.
"Being polite… to one of our saviors." he complimented with a smile.
"Uh… thanks…" she said with a slight blush to her cheeks.
"But Laura is fine." she replied.
"I should ask... are you okay?" he asked with worry.
"Yeah, all good. Trust me I look worse than I am." she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
She watched T'Challa open his mouth again but closed it.
Trying to come up with words and shifted awkwardly.
Was he nervous around her?
Was she really that intimidating around strangers still?
She heard the woman next to her cough behind her teeth, snapping him out of this.
"Ah, yes Laura this is Okoye, head of the Dora Milaje." he introduced her.
"It's nice to meet you." she greeted with a nod.
"Ms. Watson." she nodded back professionally.
"So uh I was surprised when you said you still wanted to meet even though the city is kinda closed at the moment." Laura told T'Challa.
"Yes well with everything that just happened my baba, King T'Chaka, has personally invited you to Wakanda as an honored guest." he offered.
"Really?" she asked surprised. "Yes. As you said you re Wakandan but don't know much We were going to offer before what had just happened but I thought you would like to leave New York for some privacy." he explained.
She arched her head up to him to think about the offer.
To go to the country where her parents were born?
The one of her heritage? She only had one answer.
"Yes. Yes I would love to go to Wakanda. T'Challa." she said while smiling widely.
"I'm glad. I promise it will be worth the trip." he smiled back.
"So uh are leaving today?" she asked.
"Tomorrow. If that works with you?" he asked back.
"Yeah it works. Uh, I'll send you the address to my mom's house. It's not far. Over in Brooklyn. I'm staying over there since the tower is kinda a wreck." she said while pulling out her phone from her bag.
She sent him the text which he got and checked his phone.
"It won't be a problem." he reassured her.
"So I guess I'll see you tomorrow." she smiled.
"I look forward to it." he smiled back.
Laura headed back to her car and began the drive over to Brooklyn.
Enjoying the traffic free avenues of Manhattan and the surprise offer from T'Challa.
Failing to stop herself from smiling the next thing she knew she was making her way onto the Brooklyn Bridge.
Approaching an NYPD police barricade she simply lowered her window and showed her face.
The cops, instantly recognizing her let her through.
Driving down the middle lane she glanced out over the East River and out at the cloudless blue sky over the city.
Enjoying the once in a lifetime chance of driving across a traffic free Brooklyn Bridge.
She made her way down Flatbush, seeing people emerge out of buildings and their apartments.
Grateful to see that the invasion didn't make its way to her home.
Brooklyn looking unscathed.
She turned onto a side street, lined with brownstones.
She pulled up to the curb of one right in the middle of the block.
Smiling faintly before getting out she made her way up the stoop and walked inside into her childhood home.
"Hey Mom." she greeted while closing the door behind her.
She heard the TV on in the living room above the fire place and followed her eyes to the news report.
"And with the remarkable heroics from the group known as The Avengers…" she saw her mom watching it but she turned around.
"Laura…" she rushed up to hug her tightly.
"I'm ok mom. A bit banged up but I'm fine." she reassured her while hugging her back.
"God I just can't believe it! Aliens…" her mom rambled hysterically.
"Yeah, neither can I still." she shivered.
"I'm just glad you're ok." her mom said, eventually stopping hugging her daughter.
The two sat on the couch and Laura quickly changed the channel, not wanting to hear about the invasion.
"So uh I do have something else to tell you…" she began.
"Laura…" her mom sighed.
"No, no it's not anything bad it's good news actually." she began with a smile.
"Yeah…" her mom said, noticing her facial expression.
"Well for the past year I've kinda been in touch with the Prince of Wakanda. Prince T'Challa." she revealed.
"The Prince of… Wakanda?" her mom said surprised.
"Yeah we actually scheduled to meet up today conventionally and he offered to take me back… to Wakanda." she finished.
"I see…" her mom said, unsure what else to say.
"And I said yes. I'll be going tomorrow. Considering everything that just happened I could use the escape and get out of the city." she added.
"Laura are you sure that is a good idea? I just don't want you to get your expectations too high. After all there probably is a reason on why your birth parents left…" her mom began but she interrupted her.
"I know I know. Wakanda is one of the poorest countries in Africa if not the world but T'Challa already came all this way and I wanna go. To the country my birth parents came from." she finished.
Her mom paused to think about it.
"You're too old to make me stop you but I would like to meet this Prince T'Challa first." she asked.
"Perfect. I already told him to pick me up here tomorrow."
"Humans. They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled. To challenge them is to court...Death." The Other warned Thanos who smiled evilly.
