CHAPTER 12

Anastasia's POV

We ran out of the collapsing palace, his arms around mine, the castle turning to ashes behind our backs just as we got out. We stood in front of the ruins of the once beautiful and glamorous palace, smiling at each other. Now that Thor's probably barely alive in midsgard, Loki, my father, was the righteous king of the country. And me, the only princess of Asgard again. Princess Anastasia, daughter of Loki, Goddess of revenge.

BACK ON EARTH AT THE HOSPITAL

Pepper Potts sat by Tony's bedside, holding his hand, their fingers interlocking.

"Hey, I know you probably can't hear me right now," She said to an unconscious Tony Stark. "But I feel like I you might be able to hear me." she sighed. All the events in the past week has made her really tired. She hasn't slept once since the incident. Things aren't going that well in the company either. Now that Tony's not there it felt like the weight of everything was on her. She was getting a pretty good idea of what it's like being iron man. All the stress and press was really making her anxious. "the police are pretty certain that Tyla did it." It pained her to say so, but the evidence was there, clear as the day. "but I don't believe it. It's not possible, she was such a good girl, she's the last person you'd expect to kill anyone. She was holding Loki's staff at the time, so I'm backing up the idea that the scepter made her do it. I just can't believe that she'd do anything like that, no ,no ...not her" she sighed again. She and Tony had treated Tyla like their daughter. "She's so simple and happy! She couldn't have done that!" she wiped her eyes that were beginning to feel with tears. God knows where she is now? She just vanished into thin air. Imagine if Loki got her, that would've been the last thing she'd wanted to happen to her. Panic was rising in her again. What would he do to her? Kill her? Torture her? She shuddered at the horrible thoughts of what that psychopath could do to their daughter. She looked at Tony again, who was still laying there, motionless as before. Her thoughts moved onto him. "Doctor says you might have paralysis for the rest of your life after this." she started tearing up again. What would his reactions to this be? He would never be able to fight with the avengers anymore. And that was probably going to kill him. Showing him all the possibilities and telling him he's not able to do it anymore. Without needing to think, he's going to be devastated.

AVENGER'S POV

They woke up in their own rooms, it felt just like another day that couldn't be normaler . They all got up separately and went into the kitchen for some breakfast. Pepper was already in the kitchen making some eggs and toast.

"Hey Tony," she said, still wearing the blue dressing gown, her hair falling down naturally.

"Hi," he said, locking his arms around her thin waist from behind and kissed her on the cheek.

"woah woah not here okay? It's a kitchen for god's sake!" Tyla walked into the room laughing followed by Thor. She sat down on a chair and took a piece of toast and a jar of marmalade, Thor grabbing himself some pancakes and bacon. "Really Thor? Pancake bacon sandwiches?"

"Yeah! It's quite nice actually. Care to try?" he replied, licking his fingers.

"Ehh no, it sounds hella disgusting already." She said biting into her toast with marmalade dripping off its sides.

"Says you," He said taking a bite of his pancake with bacon. "You eat marmalade. Now that's disgusting."

"Yeah it is quite disgusting actually." Commented Tony, finally separating himself from Pepper.

Tyla gave both of them a death stare and whispered "traitor" before taking another bite in her favourite sandwich. Natasha and Steve and Bruce soon came into the kitchen as well.

"So any plans for today?" Asked Natasha as she sat down on the table with all the others.

"Not really, no." Replied Tony who had finished his breakfast and was now reading the papers at the end of the table. He just always has to be the one sitting at the end of the table, doesn't he? He's probably OCD or something.

"Oh um Clint's visiting." said Steve.

"Why does nobody ever tells me these things? Nobody ever tells me anything." complained Tony who had finished flipping through today's papers and was tossing it at the sofa nearby.

"Anyways he says he hasn't got much to do so thought he might drop by"

"Yay! He can teach me archery again." Said Tyla cheerfully as she glanced at Thor who was on his 7th bacon pancake. "By the way, how did everyone sleep last night?"

"Alright. I had this very weird dream that you drugged me or something and somebody was taking my hammer away or something. I don't know, it was a bit of a blur. Think nothing happened after that tho."

"Really? Me? Drugging you?" laughed Tyla. The idea seemed ridiculous to everyone else too. She can't even kill an ant for god's sake! "Lol, you guys do have some weird dreams."

"I had a weird dream too, think I was fighting something,"

"Yeah me too."

"Same here."

"Are we having the same dream or are we just being panic-y"

"And there's me who didn't even have a dream." Sighed Bruce.

"So not all of us then." Said Natasha. "So basically all of us minus..."

"Me" said Tyla,

"And me." said bruce.

"and me too." said Pepper.

The rest of them carried on talking about their dream while the 3 of them sat and ate in silence. To their surprise, they all had the dream of the same events, just from different perspective.

"Am i overreacting or is this a bit worrying?" said Natasha after sometime.

"You are right, this is a bit worrying." replied Steve, looking around the room, looking for possibly a sign that this thing they were seeing wasn't real. Their eyes went across the room until they rested on the other 3, who were sitting there in the same posture looking at them in silence.

"Well done." Said 'Tyla', standing up and walking towards them. "Guess what, this isn't real." She leaned over the table and stared at them in the eyes. "But trust me I'm sure you'd have this than the reality" The room started turning into a blinding golden colour and then fading away "Especially you, Tony."

The room and people faded away and so did themselves.

BACK IN THE HOSPITAL. REALITY

In the five rooms the people gasped for air at the same time, struggling to sit up. A burning feeling that somebody was watching them haunted them. Turning around, they saw Tyla. But not really Tyla. More like Anastasia. She was wearing a glamorous blue dress in the style of a wedding dress, covered in beautiful jewelries. Her expression was cold and unsentimental. Unlike the Tyla Stark they knew.

"Hello," She said finally after being stared at for some time. She didn't say anything for a long time, and just looked at them. One part of her feels guilty for doing this, taking all these things away from them. Taking one of the things that mattered the most away from them. but the rest of her told her that this was the right thing to do. That that had to be done at some point. They all looked at each other in a very long awkward silence, trying to figure out something to say. In the end, they all realized that maybe the reason they couldn't find anything to say was because there was nothing left they wanted to say to her anymore. This person that she's become, they know they can't stop her, mostly because it would hurt them more than anything to hurt her. Words came out but were stopped before they got past the first word. She sighed. There really wasn't much point in coming here. All she wanted to do was to see them again. God knows when she's going to see them again. 1 year? 10 years? Or will she only see them again at their funerals? It felt wrong to leave without a proper goodbye. Afterall they were the first family that she felt happy in. Now she was hoping that they never adopted her. Maybe they would all be so much happier like that, without me. She had the power and magic to erase her out of their memories permanently, but she couldn't do it. A clap of her hand and it's all gone. But she just couldn't lift her hand up. This year she's spent with them, she'd hated to say so but it was the best year of her life. And she knew that it was the best years of theirs too. She just couldn't do it, taking someone's best memories out and away. She just stood there, looking at them. They looked so beautiful just standing there, so perfect without her.

"Goodbye."