Warning! This is being uploaded from my phone and so any problems with the layout of this chapter will be directly blamed on that. By me, at least. In other news, I was able to upload two chapters within the same month so... Yay me! Again, it's kinda short, but still, an improvement. This chapter is cute, imo, and shares some feels between Tony and Lexy, just because there hasn't been much romance between them lately.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Marvel characters, only my OCs.
Chapter 25 - Dreams, Flashbacks and Real Talk
"I don't understand something," Alexia decided that evening as the team (including Clint on Skype) huddled around the enclosed layout of comfy couches that filled up the centre of the Siren's apartment, "I got hit with an entire - like - building's worth of water and electricity. How come I only suffered minor burns?"
"It's true that you have a weakness for electricity, seeing as it and water don't mix very well," Steve answered, "But the water that you had created had already taken the full force of the energy. When it was flown back at you, you instinctively repelled the water and were only hit with the electric net that held the mass in place. The water only hit the wall and street behind you… Or, that's what Stark mentioned, anyway."
"Oh," Lexy smiled cheerily, "Cool!"
"Where is Tony?" Clint queried as he adjusted his side of the screen helplessly, searching the room for the genius.
"The Man of Iron is in the workshop, attempting to figure out what the Techno, which is coloured red, did to his armor and if he can prevent it from happening again," Thor responded this time.
"He really shouldn't be at the Tower alone," Lexy bit her lip.
"He'll be back soon."
"So," the archer continued, "You're up against a poisonous-plant-girl, crazy-music-genre-guy, the Brookes-Von-Psycho family - no offense, Lexy - and an entire Familia of trained agents and I'm missing out on all of it?!"
"Seems that way, doesn't it?" Natasha smirked.
"What's the plan for saving Paige and Bruce?" Lexy sat up.
"We know the neighborhood they're in, some agents are scouting it out, now," Steve informed, "I think we should wait until tomorrow to attack."
"Good idea," Clint nodded importantly, "We all need our rest."
"Clint, you are not coming!" Nat exclaimed.
"Can't hear you, we're losing connection, I'm going through a tunnel-"
"You're in the SHIELD medical bay!"
"Bye…!"
With that, the screen switched off. The team rolled their eyes knowingly. The floor was laden with sleeping bags, which many in the group had resented. Tony had teased the entire afternoon that they'd all be sleeping on the floor while he and Alexia rested on her bed. At one point, Lexy had considered telling him that he couldn't, but he seemed so happy about the idea that she didn't have the heart to tease him like that.
Tony returned just before the Avengers slid into their 'bedrolls' (as Thor referred to them), looking slightly downhearted. He greeted them with his usual sarcastic attitude, but clambered into the bed with a heavy sigh. Lexy frowned.
"Are you alright, Tony?" she questioned softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.
He glanced at her and forced a smile.
"Fine, just working out how one small and surprisingly skittish idiot could almost pull apart an Iron Man suit with his bare… Energy."
"Sleep on it," the brunette suggested, "I'm sure there's a way to stop him."
It started again, with an ugly, burning pain in his chest, his vision blurred with both tears and sand, voices shouting in a native language. He remembered everything from the moment he arrived, Yinsen being the only source of hope in a world of misery and even that faded. The psychologucal and physical torture of his first experience with waterboarding and the intense heat of the desert as he dragged his feet through the burning grains. He remembered recovering and then immediately being forced into action again with the Avengers, flying straight into a wormhole and witnessing something that no human had ever seen before. Then having it explode before his eyes, a sick sense of disappointment at losing such a sight as the force of heat and pain blasted him backwards.
Tony didn't remember the fall to the ground, but, when he woke up, he sure as hell felt the hit of the Hulk and the prolonged dread of brushing sides with death. That was as far as his dreams usually got before replaying themselves again and again until he woke up, but this time, something changed. He saw Alexia, staring worriedly at him as they approached his blood-tainted Tower receprion, swarming with police. He saw Clint, lying helplessly in a hospital, the hidden spark of rage and anxiety behind Natasha's emotionless expression. Tony imagined the torment and terrors that Paige and Bruce were being forced to live through, the despair of their situations. The weakened and depleted Avengers against the Familia, these mysterious new villains and Lexy's family.
He woke up with a heavy gasp, wide eyes and sweat falling from his brow. Alexia was rubbing soothing circles into his upper back, glassy fear in her wide eyes. It had happened again. He had showed his new girlfriend his true nature before they had even been on their second date and her panicked pupils said it all.
"Tony," she whispered, pity coating her soft tone.
"I'm sorry," he replied thickly, "I didn't mean to wake you."
"No, Tony, it's fine," the brunette assured, edging closer, "What happened?"
"It… It happens sometimes," he allowed, "It's not a big deal."
Alexia's frown deepened. There was silence for a moment, only broken by Tony's unsteady panting.
"When I was 12," she began quietly, tracing an intricate pattern on his shoulder, her eyes gazing into the mattress, "Right when we had escaped, Karen and Joe moved us into a little house in the suburbs. They never told us where we had escaped from, or how they knew about it. They just expected us to get on with life. We both had nightmares at the beginning."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Tony mumbled.
"I want to help you, Tony," she smiled slightly, "Dylan didn't like to talk about it, Karen and Joe wouldn't talk about it and I was forbidden from mentioning it to my new friends. I had no one. I don't want you to be alone in this."
Tony didn't know what to say. Pepper had tried to help with his panic attacks, but she often just ended up annoyed. It wasn't her fault, she had never experienced something that traumatizing and so couldn't help him. Lexy knew, and she wasn't going to force him to do anything, like talk or go to therapy. She was just there, always.
"I know," he started, his throat tight, "I know I've been… Not great. I keep making the wrong decisions and saying the wrong things and I know that, but… I'm sorry. There's a lot of pressure - on all of us - and I make rash decisions when I'm under pressure. I don't want you to leave."
Alexia leaned in and wrapped both arms around his muscular torso.
"I'm not planning on it."
They stayed in that position for a while, each lost in worries of what the other had gone through before turning to their own problems. Alexia remembered vividly - for the first time in years - the process of her escape. Waking up in a room with no paint or wallpaper, finding the door open and her only friend standing on the threshold, others hovering anxiously behind him.
"Lexy," Dylan whispered quietly, "We're leaving. For good."
The giddy anticipation in his voice mixed with the slight panic caused the small girl's brow to furrow in confusion.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"They've come to help us escape," he could barely contain his excitement as he stepped aside for an older couple.
They had soft, knowing smiles plastered to their faces. On reflection, their grins were not the kind that one would expect from a hero intent on saving others. They hid knowledge and a sick sense of relief. However, young Alexia began to beam, grabbing Dylan's open hand as they continued their journey. Most of the kids were already in the group, following the two benevolent leaders.
However, there were a few missing. Alexia was quick to remember one significant that hadn't yet been picked up.
"Dylan," she muttered, tugging his sleeve gently, "We need to go back for Lacey."
The boy hesitated before nodded.
"Ma'am," he spoke up, racing ahead slightly, "There's someone else we need to save."
"Who? What powers?" Karen asked quickly.
Dylan explained as Lexy fell back, watching worriedly as the alarms along the corridor blared.
"We're picking her up on the way out," Dylan panted as he returned, "Come on, Lexy, we have to move faster."
The patrols were far behind them, but shouts, barks and orders could still be heard. They quickened their pace and finally arrived at a locked door. The sign engraved above it read 'Lassandra' and Alexia thought back to the previous year when her and the younger redhead had become friends. Lacey had denounced the name, explaining how her parents called her 'Lacey' anyway, so the elongation of it was redundant. Well, maybe not in those words…
They unlocked the door to see the pale-skinned girl sitting upright on the bed. Her eyes widened at the two adults.
"What's going on?" she murmured.
"Lacey, we're getting out!" Alexia squealed, "These people are going to help us, but we need to go now."
Lacey stared at her friend for a moment, a range of emotions flashing in her eyes. Eventually, the 10 year old nodded and followed the group into the corridor. The guards had almost caught up with them and most of the kids had already charged off. Dylan glanced at Lexy to ensure that she was keeping up. The two girls were holding onto each other, almost at the back of the small crowd. The teenage boy beside them was the first to be shot down, and caused Lacey to shriek as tears glistened on her friend's cheeks. Two others fell before a stray shot lodged itself into the younger girl's leg. Immediately, she tripped, crashing onto the ground with a sickening thud. Alexia was almost pulled down with her, but Dylan had fallen back and yanked his almost-sister out of harm's way, forcing her forward.
A boy stared down at Lacey from his position in his cell. Lexy called out for her, but instinctively knew that she had to keep moving.
Alexia gasped with a start, clutching Tony's arm a little tighter. He turned to her swiftly.
"I know who Anthuria and Red Techno are," she decided steadily, "They work for the Familia."
Dun dun DUUUH. Well, we already knew so... Not so much. Still, now they know! Anyway, hope you enjoyed, review if you did! Or didn't. Please, just review. :)