A/N: Hello faithful readers! I couldn't wait until tonight :P In this next chapter we get to hear from Tony's POV and Sera at the end. But next week we get the ending that has been written for a few months. It's so bittersweet for me, because I've wanted to move on, but I felt like I had to pour myself into these last chapters and finish strong. But we're almost there, and I think you'll love it as much as I do.
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Disney, FOX, ABC, or the Avengers.
Tony's POV
The first few days we all anxiously waited for Sera to wake up. Me more than most. There was only so much silence I could allow in the lab, and I wanted her to walk in, ask what I was doing and if I had a fire extinguisher nearby. But she didn't. She didn't move an inch when we spoke to her, didn't respond by twitching her fingers or eyelids at all. Pepper tried in vain to get me to eat more than a few sandwiches and coffee. How could I eat when my daughter, my only child, was in a coma after saving us all? I kept thinking back to the day we met, the first one.
"Mr. Stark, your coffee," She said, putting it down on my desk with a saucer, "And I have the information you requested for the Stark Expo next month."
"Who are you? Newbie?" I had snarked. She looked too much like Anna in my mind, that I didn't flirt, which I was extremely happy about a month later when Fury told me she was my daughter.
"Samantha. Samantha Avery, sir."
"Huh. How long have you been here?"
"First day. Ms. Potts hired me to assist you. I-" She stopped, looking at me carefully.
"What?" I said, "Something on my face?"
"No, you just remind me of someone," She said, pursing her lips and then shrugging.
"Same here," I said, studying here, "Like a blast from the past a bit."
"But, I wouldn't assume you don't have something on you. The palladium in your arc reactor, it's poisoning you, isn't it?" She said surprising me, as she spotted the discoloration of my neck I hid under my shirt collars.
"I went to MIT, I know the ins and outs of the larger one, that overloaded a few months ago," She explained at my blank expression.
"And you are working as a fetcher and carrier, not down in our labs? Didn't do so well?"
"I actually did very well. Summa Cum Laude in Mechanical Engineering."
"When did you graduate?"
"Don't bother looking me up. I'm not in official records under this name. Witness protection. Ms. Potts is already aware, as well as HR, so do not ask why I am in witness protection." She sassed, raising an eyebrow at me. Already knew my nosy habits two minutes in.
"If Ms. Potts deems you trustworthy," I said, still suspicious. Fury had me pegged, I was paranoid after what happened with the Ten Rings and Obie.
"But, it's poisoning you, your reactor?" She asked, concerned.
"No comment," I said. On my desk later that day, there was a list of foods that would hopefully calm the effects. After that, I began to trust her a little bit more. And when Fury gave me the test, at first I was so angry that she never said anything and made me feel like an idiot.
"She only realized herself yesterday. We collected DNA samples and ran them through our own labs, with samples for you to have tested yourself."
"She lied to me," I said, realizing Anna probably saved that poor girl from years of my deplorable behavior.
It was later I learned why she hid Sera from me, to protect her from Hydra, and my Dad's enemies. From her own heritage.
But those first few moments showed me a side of her that I wouldn't see again until New York. She cared about me enough to help ease my suffering, yet all the horrible things that had been said about me over the years didn't deter her from showing me kindness. And she kept my secret. At least from the world, she obviously told Fury.
But a week went by, and then another. She still hadn't woken up.
Helen and Jemma were monitoring her brain scans, and they showed very little activity for the first two weeks, and then the third week they showed signs of life.
But she still didn't wake up.
Sera POV:
I didn't think dying felt like this. It felt like I was wading through wet cement, slow going until I eventually got to higher ground. Or maybe this was purgatory, because before the cement there was an insane amount of fire. Not like the bomb I became, but dull, achy. Once I came out of the cement, there was a moment of relief, before I opened my eyes. It was definitely not what I was expecting. But I hoped that Elijah had told everyone this is where I wanted to be. I was blinded by sunlight, causing me to bring my hand to my face, squinting.
"Sera."
"Mom?" I asked, looking for the sound of the voice.
"Sweetheart, you can't be here," She said, as I spotted her. I didn't care about her words, running to her, and hugging her close, sobbing hysterically.
"You're here?" I smiled.
"Sera, listen to me. You can't be here," She said, holding my face.
"But I died," I said, remembering the last thing I thought.
"Sweetheart, this isn't death," She said, her blonde hair blowing in the soft wind. I looked up in her eyes and said, "Then where am I?"
"You are healing. Right now, however? You are in your hippocampus," She said, matter-of-factly.
"Why? No, I died. I died to-"
"Yes. You did save everyone. But you didn't die. Like I said, you are healing. Your body has, now it's just your brain that needs you."
"So, you aren't really here?" I said, tearing up, "You are just a figment of my memory."
"Someone you would welcome, rather than dismiss," She said gently after a beat of silence.
"Jean," I said tensely, and as I did, the image of my mother changed to the redheaded telepath.
"Why trick me?" I shouted at her, before turning away.
"Because you are fighting us. You've been healed, but you haven't woken up. We need to figure out why."
"No, no, I was suppose to be with her," I said, wiping my eyes.
"Sera, I know how much you miss your Mom. I can feel that. You are alive, you have a family that is waiting to read you the riot act you out for doing what you did. Trust me, I would like to now. But I also want to say thank you."
"So, just to clarify, I'm not dead?" I asked, "Then why am I here? She's buried under that tree. Why would you bring me here? This is cruel!"
"Sera, repeat the words I just spoke to you," Jean said, taking me by the shoulders.
"Alive, family, read me the riot act," I repeated, calming down, "Oh god, my kids. My husbands! Fuck!"
"Why fuck?" She asked, a slight hint of amusement to her tone.
"They aren't gonna let me out of their sights now! That's three times I made them think I was dead. Well, not on purpose the first two."
"What times were those?"
"Hydra's capture where I nearly died from blood loss and then accidentally going through Terrigenesis," I said, like it was obvious.
"Okay, let's start with the most obvious thing first. What is holding you back?"
"I'm not sure. I feel fine. Not that I can move anything right now, but I do feel fine. Compared to the memory of searing flesh."
"Yes, Wade has some choice things he wants to say to you about that. Be prepared."
"Wonderful," I deadpanned.
"Why on earth would you do it?" She asked exasperated, as she balled her fists at my neck, but restraining from actually strangling me. This was my head, so she couldn't kill me, right?
"What happened to thank you? I clearly heard that a minute ago," I wondered, making her give me a look.
"Because once Oliver was born I realized I was absorbing energy," I said, sitting down in the long grass.
"We heard Elijah explain it. Professor Xavier and Erik also verified that. Why didn't you say anything?"
"It was a contingency plan. A 'shit just went south' kind of last-ditch effort. I was counting on it. You have to know that. Just because I want to see my mom again doesn't mean I was being suicidal. I was betting on Black Bolt, but he got taken out early, and then Lord Thanos died trying to help us. It was a nuclear decision," I said, making Jean roll her eyes.
"Too soon?" I asked, smirking.
"Obviously."
"I'm not sorry I did it. I would again, regardless of if I lived or not."
"Okay, what about now?" She asked, and I focused on the thought of waking up. Is that how being in a coma works?
"Nope, nothing. How is this supposed to work again?"
"You are still resisting," She sighed.
"Definitely not resisting. I would like to see my family, the whole dysfunctional lot," I teased.
Jean looked right at me, looking to be concentrating, before relaxing.
"Stubborn woman," She teased.
"Don't tell me I'm stuck in here," I said, grimacing.
"Not exactly. But mine or Professor Xavier's powers won't wake you up. They asked Mantis but she was having trouble as well. This may take some time," She said, looking at me sympathetically.
"Great. Visit me in purgatory," I joked.
"It couldn't be purgatory. Elysian Fields maybe," She joked.
"To the Elysian plain…where life is easiest for men. No snow is there, nor heavy storm, nor ever rain, but ever does Ocean send up blasts of the shrill-blowing West Wind that they may give cooling to men," I quoted by heart.
"Who said that?"
"Homer," I said, a pang shooting through my heart. It was one of my Mom's favorites, only because Dad's Nanny read him every Homer work Grandpa had in his library, while Dad was growing up. It was something they enjoyed together.
"Any requests for first meal?" She asked.
"Mmm, pizza with everything. Burritos with hot sauce, ice cream sundaes and marshmallows. Waffles, Chinese food, bacon-"
"Were you watching Gilmore Girls again?" She laughed.
"Last week," I said.
"Sera, it's been three weeks you've been in this coma," Jean said softly.
"Well, just great! No wait, four," I said, shaking my head.
"Four what?"
"It's four times they thought I've 'died'. There was the inter-dimensional travel thing, but they thought Callie and I disintegrated into nothing."
"Okay. I need to go now. Be strong," She said, squeezing my hand.
"I'll try. I'll just be bored," I sighed, before she chuckled and disappeared.
