Chapter Thirty-three: Short Cuts
Emma sat by her grandfather's hospital bed with a book and a fresh new haircut. Her hair used to fall in ringlets down her back but now it fell just below her ears. It was refreshing, a new start. Sam sat on the other side of the bed, playing the music of Marvin Gaye. They didn't even notice when Steve woke up.
"On your left," they heard Steve say and they both looked up.
"On your left," Emma said with cheek and he looked at her.
"Hey, you cut your hair," Steve said.
"Well, I got bored waiting for you to wake up," she replied and Sam laughed.
"It's cute, looks good on you," he said.
"I'm glad you're okay," Emma said and kissed his cheek.
"Thanks for helping, Sam," Steve said, gratefully.
"Like I said before, Captain America needed my help. How could I say no?" Sam asked and Natasha returned at that moment. "I'll leave you to have time with your family. Excuse me."
He left with a smirk and Natasha took his place after giving Steve a very gentle kiss on Steve's lips. The absence of SHIELD left a hole in everyone's lives but at least Emma still had her family. She wasn't sure what was going to happen next but whatever happened she had Natasha and Steve. The couple were staring at each other like Emma wasn't in the room. She took that as her queue to leave.
"I'm going to leave you two to talk," Emma said and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "Love you guys."
Emma decided to head back to her apartment to get some rest after making sure she knew Steve was going to be alright. It had been a long few days and none of it seemed to be real. The agency her grandmother had created to protect people had also been the one to harm them thanks to Hydra. She wasn't sure how to explain that one to Peggy. Emma sighed as she took off her shoes, sweater, and bra as soon as she entered her apartment.
As usual she made sure no one was in her apartment and that there were no bugs either. She was already being watched due to her involvement with SHIELD and she knew they would want to ask her questions but so far Natasha had managed to put that off. Emma had pulled on a tank top and a comfortable pair of shorts. As she was about to slip into her bed a portal opened into her bed room. Emma screamed.
It was perfectly circular and orange, almost like a ring of fire. A woman stepped through the portal. She was bald and wore robes of yellow. Emma jumped out of bed and grabbed her gun, pointing her weapon at the woman. The woman smiled and held up her hands.
"I mean you no harm, Emma Carter," the woman said.
"Who are you and how do you know who I am?" Emma asked.
"I know of you, Emma, because you came to me in the near future to help you now," the woman replied. "You will give me instructions to send you back in time to save your life."
"What? Why would I do that?" she asked. "And how do I know that you're telling the truth? You still haven't told me who you are."
"You may call me the Ancient One, I am the sorcerer Supreme of the mystic arts," the woman said gently. "The word you sent back with me was: Krolik. Called to you by Natasha Romanoff, a woman you think of like a mother. You once felt guilty of thinking such a thing but it was your grandmother who taught you differently."
"How do you know that?" Emma asked.
"Because you told me," the ancient one said. "Also, you are about to receive a call from Steve Rogers, calling to make sure you got home safely."
The phone rang a moment later and looked to see that it was her grandfather. Emma picked it up, looking at the woman wearily.
"Hey, Pops," Emma greeted.
"Hey, I was just calling to see if you made it home safely," Steve said and Emma's blue eyes widened.
"There's a strange woman in my bedroom, telling me that she has to send me back in time," Emma said.
"It's happening," Steve said softly.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't prepare you but I was told not to tell you. This was how it had to happen," Steve said.
"Told by who?" Emma asked.
"Told by you, instructions from you," Steve said.
Emma stared at the woman and put down the gun.