A/N: I was gonna be evil and end the story there. HAHA. No, I already had quite a few more chapters written. We are getting close to the Civil War timeline here. It's not going to be at all like the movie, just a heads up. Like only 12% of the chapters content will revolve around Civil War's storyline. Anyways, love you all!
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Disney, ABC or the Avengers. Just Sera and the chaos I create ;)
Daisy POV
"NO!" Jemma shouted as she found me kneeling next to Sera's statue, prompting everyone to come running into the room. I was scared to touch the now still statue, of the woman I thought of as a sister. I couldn't stop crying, and Tripp tried to pull me away from her.
"No!" I said, thrashing from his grip. He let me sit next to her, giving me space as the rest of the teams came into the room.
"Who is that?" Coulson asked, pain in his eyes as I continued to cry.
"It's… Sera," I sobbed, as Steve and Bucky walked to the front of the crowd.
"No," Steve whispered brokenly, and Bucky screamed the word like he was being tortured, as he fell to his knees.
"What happened?" Fury said, sorrow showing. We all knew he saw Sera as a daughter, but the worst was the look of devastation on Tony and Pepper's faces.
I had killed their daughter.
"I came to bring her down for her party. She wasn't responding to me calling her name, so I went up behind her to scare her," I paused, wiping my eyes.
"She was startled, and whatever was in her hands was thrown up. She dove to catch it, and I used my powers to levitate it. It worked until I noticed what it was. Terrigen crystal. And then it exploded." I said, sobbing again.
"This is all my fault," I said, shaking my head. The whole room went quiet, except for a few quiet sobs I heard from around the room. The moments passed by slowly as it sunk in, and Pepper's agonizing wails just cut through my heart. A sound broke the silence, and I looked down to find a piece of stone had fallen from her. Steve and Bucky were on the floor in front of her, and I heard them breath in suddenly.
"Wait," Lincoln said, looking at her stone covered form, except for the part of her arm that was showing her tanned skin.
"She should be completely stone. Unless… she's InHuman."
"That isn't possible." Coulson said, as Jemma looked to be thinking.
"No sir, it is!" She exclaimed, wiping her own eyes, opening her SHIELD tablet and searching through files.
"I knew something looked off about her blood work on the Bus. She has the same genetic markers as Daisy, Lincoln and our other InHuman agents. I didn't over analyze it because there was no reason to suspect anything at the time. We didn't learn about the Kree or their use of humans as Weapons until months after SHIELD fell."
We all watched as more stone fell from her body, and I sighed in relief. Her eyes opened for a second, and I saw a raging red overtaking her irises. Jumping back in shock, everyone watched in earnest as more stone fell away. As it all fell off, she fell unconscious into Steve and Bucky's arms, who held her crying softly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know what her mother had given her. If I had, I would have warned her." Dr. Pym said as he grabbed the box the crystal had been in. Tony nodded, taking the letters that had been tossed aside on the couch, and reading them through.
"What do we do now?" Fitz asked.
"Take her to the cube on Zephyr One. Until she wakes up, we need to assume her powers are dangerous to herself and others."
"The cube? That's your great plan? Let her know she's possibly a danger to the world by locking her in a box where she can't control her powers? Coulson, you were all afraid of me when I got my powers, but Sera made you stop and think how you would feel, being alienated. She is no longer under Avenger or SHIELD jurisdiction. You put me in charge of the InHumans, agent or not. She is my responsibility. I owe her one." I said, getting in Coulson's face.
He took a long hard look at Sera and said, "I just want her to feel safe."
"She will be. Let me help her."
"We need to get her outside," Steve said.
"She needs to feel safe. She feels more at peace in the field outside." Bucky said, kissing her temple.
"Okay, hop to it then." I said, wiping my eyes and watching as Steve carefully picked up her unconscious form.
"What the hell just happened?" I heard our Chris Pratt look alike ask.
"Someone fill him in," Tony said, following Steve and Bucky out the door. I walked out behind him, feeling everyone's eyes on me.
"Don't worry sis, I'm going to get you through this." I said, feeling guiltier than hell for letting this happen. She should have had a choice.
Sera's POV
I felt feeling in my toes first. The awful feeling of pins and needles did not compare to the feeling I felt. I had 1000 bees inside of me, and the buzzing and stinging didn't want to stop. I moaned softly, feeling my fingers flexing as if for the first time in years. My head felt different, and I felt like I was running a slight fever. Like, enough to flush someone, but not enough to make them sick.
"Sera, breathe." I heard Daisy say and I focused on the calm sound of her voice.
"What happened?" I asked, my voice sounding hoarse, after a rough night of partying. Was that what I did? Did I go and drink like I was 19 again?
"Open your eyes and you'll find out." She said and I squinted them open, adjusting to the harsh sunlight filtered through the clouds.
"Again, I ask, "What happened?" And why am I outside?"
"Sera, what do you remember last?"
"I remember fire. My bones, everything in my body, feeling like I was burning alive," I said softly.
"Before the burning?" Daisy asked.
"I was reading a letter and something flew out of my hands. It was a crystal. You stopped it, but the vibrations you were using also made it explode."
"Daisy," I asked, looking at her and sitting up.
"Daisy, what am I now?" I asked, remaining calm, despite what I knew to be the answer.
"InHuman," She breathed. My mind stopped for a few moments as I processed this all.
"Did I show signs of my potential powers? Has my physical appearance changed? Do I have scales now? Do I get that awful acupuncture you told me about? Was there any more explanation given in my mother's letter?" I asked, looking at what I could see of my physical body.
"Sera, we don't know what powers you have. They could take a few days to manifest in your system. Please take it easy," she said, guiding me up. I looked around and noticed Steve and Bucky over across the field, holding Joey back by his leash.
"They're afraid of me."
"No, they are cautious. We thought you died Sera. If I had known what you were holding, I would have never scared you like that."
"I know, I don't blame you at all," I said moving to hug her.
"I'm not going anywhere little sister," I teased, as she gave a halfhearted chuckle. As I let her go, I tested out my joints, seeing what felt normal, and what was feeling stiff.
"Yikes, is it hot out here, or is that just me?" I asked, taking off my jacket and feeling the heat travel down my spine and throughout my body. As I threw the jacket to the side, I felt a terrible ripping sensation at the skin on my back. Yelling in pain, I felt a sudden weight bring me to my knees.
"God, what was that?" I panted to myself as I looked up to find my face full of feathers. Soft white feathers that rippled with heat waves.
"Wow," Daisy said, backing up slightly as I spread them subconsciously. Looking at them, I frowned.
"God, I do not need anymore jokes," I said, thinking about the teasing I would get from the team.
I now had actual wings.
I sighed, before I felt the need to try something. Grabbing a blade of grass, I concentrated on the heat, pushing it towards my hands. Within seconds, the blade burnt to ash.
"Oh boy," I breathed. This could be dangerous. Throwing my arms out to either side of my hip, my hands exploded into a ball of flame.
"Damn, that's only gonna be handy for making campfires," I sighed.
"How did I know you would joke about this?" Daisy said, exasperated.
"I kind of like it." I laughed, "My name does mean fiery winged."
"Not funny," Daisy said as the guys approached. I felt the wings disappear into my back with a slightly painful shiver and the heat stopped.
"We thought we lost you," Steve said as Daisy backed away.
"Nope. You're both stuck with me," I joked with a half smirk, and threw my arms around their necks.
"Okay, no more close calls." I teased.
"Can't promise that Angel," Steve said, before looking to be putting his foot in his mouth.
"Hey, it was your pet name for me before this. It's not going to set me off." I smiled.
"We love you," Bucky said as I was sandwiched between them.
"I love you guys too," I sighed, as I felt their love.
"Hey," I said, pulling away from them.
"Does this mean I can fly?" I asked, concentrating on the wings.
"Let's test it out later," Steve said, as I noticed their tired faces.
"It's probably good that my surprise party got cancelled. I don't want to drink and figure out I have to build up my tolerance again." I sighed.
"We just moved it to tomorrow night. It's been a long day." Bucky said, giving me a stern look.
"Ugh, I thought feeding a super soldier's metabolism sucked at first. I know we just ate, but I am famished. Do we have any leftovers from supper? Or could I fly to New York for pizza? I'm thinking Italy for Spaghetti."
"Food, and then rest. Lincoln has the acupuncture set up. You need to be isolated for it. It reacts with everyone differently."
Wait.
"I hear something." I said, turning to listen to the forest.
"What is it?" Daisy asked, drawing her ICER.
"The sound of me finally beating my husbands in a race," I said, smirking, before extending my wings with a painful tear, sprinting away from them and shooting up into the sky.
"SERA!" Steve yelled as I shot up and flew to where my heart called me. It was a rocky start, being my first flight, but I managed to find a rhythm that worked. Keeping myself low, and avoiding major cities, I soared for awhile, enjoying the late sun on my back, feeling the warmth rush through my body as at the same time, the cold autumn air nipped at my skin.
I smiled as the Ranch came into view. It looked like Janice wasn't home, because as I landed, no one came out with a shotgun. Using the hidden key on the top of the doorframe, I quickly stepped inside my childhood home. I didn't linger, noticing that she hadn't touched anything since I left 10 years ago. My mother's favorite rug was still in the front hallway, and I smiled at the stupid ceramic cat statue. She claimed it kept her from going crazy while I was away at school.
Walking upstairs, I noticed that Janice had taken the guest bedroom instead of my mother's old bedroom, and I thanked her for it. Nothing had been touched, and I didn't want to look around quite yet. Ripping up the loose floorboard, I found journals, a safe and small, framed photo of my father.
Grabbing it all, I put the board back and closed the door to my mother's room, grabbing an old backpack from my old room. Leaving the house, locking it and hiding the key once more, I clutched the backpack to my chest as I took to the sky once more. But instead of returning to the base, I stopped in the East Meadow, mere feet in front of the weeping willow. Sighing, I approached the marker, and sat down next to it.
"What's next? I have a twin brother? You're ali-" I said, feeling the emotion catch in my throat.
"When do the secrets and lies stop Mom? You wanted to give me the choice, but I didn't get it. The same way my friend didn't either."
"I wanted to be free. I wanted… I wanted to fight my last battle and retire. But you keep bringing me straight back into it."
"I need some reassurance you aren't going to drop another bombshell on me." I said, opening the journals and noticing the extensive record she kept of Hydra. It dated back years, decades before Steve fought Schmidt. I poured over everything, every ounce of information, the lineage that traced back centuries of my InHuman ancestors.
"Gods, monsters and men. Nothing says rubber truck more than a bunch of weirdoes sacrificing someone every some odd years to keep this supposed God alive."
"I have to go home, don't I?" I sighed, noticing the time. Bucky and Steve, and quite a few other members of my team had been trying to call me, track my phone, but the encryption on it was too strong.
"Momma, I wish you could be here to explain things yourself. I'm feeling lost more than I usually am."
"If there is anyone that can help me right now, they aren't alive. And I need answers. I have so many questions that Daisy and Lincoln can't answer. Questions about you, and my grandfather, and a million other things." I said, listening to the wind blow through the trees once more.
"I was finally feeling like myself again, and then this happened, and now I'm a basket case."
"Sera," I heard my Dad's voice say, as he landed in his suit.
"Dad, I didn't… I have someone I want you to talk to," I said, as he stepped out of his suit, and towards me with caution.
"Sera, what is this place?" He asked, looking around.
"Dad, say hi to Mom," I said, looking down on the grave marker. He chocked a bit and then cleared his throat.
"So this is her… resting place." He said finally, after staring at the granite marker for a few minutes.
"She loved it out here. She found her favorite flowers grew here in the spring, and we would always spend summer days under this tree, reading and running around."
"Ana," He said, sniffing sharply.
"Dad, its just me here. You can talk to her," I said softly, "I won't tell."
"Fine. Give your old man some space then," He said, trying to sound slightly more macho than he was at that moment. I smiled, and backed up a few steps, listening intently to his words.
"My sweet summer rose," He said, clearing his throat, "I'm not mad at you. Not for the words you said the last time I saw you, or that you walked away. I'm not mad that you tried to protect our daughter from my horrible personality and problems. I am however, mad that you didn't try to contact me, so that I could come say goodbye to you. A proper goodbye, not the angry parting we had."
"You meant everything to me. Even when Obie tried to sway me sideways, I knew I would only leave you for show. I would never have walked away if I had known. Screw the press it would have gotten, but I loved you."
"Our girl is amazing. She's constantly showing me how much smarter than me she is, and being an amazing leader. She's like the glue to our little family. And by little, I mean, it grew a size overnight."
"I wish you could be here to see how she's doing, and spoil these grandkids with me." He said, wiping his eyes.
"Don't tell anyone I cried," He said, turning to me and holding an arm out. I ducked underneath his arm and hugged his torso tightly.
"Not a soul. But you do know she saw that?" I teased.
"I know. She's probably laughing at me."
"Why don't you just fly home? And take this backpack? I'll be right behind you. Very far behind you." I said, handing him the backpack of information and journals my mother kept on Hydra.
"How does it feel?" He asked, smirking at me.
"I feel… free."
"Maybe we should rename you?" He teased.
"Nah. It kind of still works," I laughed, moving to let my Dad step back into his suit.
"I may come here from time to time. Would you be okay with that?"
"As long as I'm still okay to visit Grandpa and Grandma," I said softly. He nodded, a small smile coming to his face.
"Yikes, my Dad would have killed me if he had known about you."
"He would have been proud of you." I said seriously.
"Thanks kiddo. See you at home," He said, before sliding the faceplate over his face and taking off. I spread my wings and shot up to the sky. Getting back into a rhythm was easy, but I noticed the colder air was still affecting me. After I nearly nose-dived into the field next to the base, I quickly checked in the window for the twins. They were fast asleep, probably had been for hours. I snuck in, past the guards and grabbed a couple apples from the dry storage off of the kitchen, and walked back out to the stable. Feeding Sunchaser and Sweet Feet, I decided the guys were probably too angry with me to talk rationally tonight. Climbing the stairs to the apartment in the barn, I stretched my body and cuddled up on the couch, a small lamp on beside my head.
If they wanted to know where I was, all they had to do was look out at the stable to know.
It was a few hours later that I felt my body being lifted from the couch, and I groaned.
"Five more minutes mom," I mumbled. No words were spoken after that, and I blissfully fell back asleep.
A/N: And that concludes this weeks chapter. Hope it wasn't too cheesy.
