WARNING: THE FOLLOWING CHAPTERS WILL HAVE DARKER THEMES.
TRIGGERS FOR THIS CHAPTER: VIOLENCE and NIGHTMARES
PLEASE USE DISCRETION!

Chapter Seven
In Which There is No Rest for the Weary

Sonya finds Bucky's gifts extremely helpful in the following weeks. Attacks have increased throughout the country, bringing with them concerned government officials, and worried superheroes. Antman is the first to show up, Scott Lang bringing a story of a man with the ability to manipulate gravity. Spiderman is close on his heels with a similar story of an ordinary person with extraordinary abilities. The Guardians of the Galaxy even make an appearance.

"We landed in Florida." Peter Quill tells Tony. "Some dude tried to BURN MY FACE OFF!"

The information only gets more worrying. Sonya's birthday brings a slight respite, giving everyone an excuse to relax and celebrate.

It doesn't last long, though. T'Challa shows up the next day, with worrying news from his country. Power like no one has seen before, wielded by young people, none of them over thirty.

Attacks on New York are becoming all too common. They aren't of massive size, but are enough to get every single Avenger out and fighting. It quickly becomes clear that Sonya is the reason for this, the enemy dead set on capturing her.

Tony sets her up with far too many tracking devices, and there's always someone right next her during a fight. She refuses to stay in the tower, refuses to hide when her family is out and fighting, refuses to let innocent bystanders be hurt, not if she can do anything about it.

But things are so hard now, and a strange voice haunts her dreams.

"They don't love you." It hisses, curling in her mind like a snake. "They're just using you." Sonya tries to block it out. "They'll think you're crazy." It croons. "Don't tell them anything." Time passes, and it gets harder to ignore, even slipping into her mind while she's awake.

She's healing a long gash on Peter Parker's chest, chatting with the younger boy, a surge of protectiveness flooding her at the determination in his wide brown eyes.

"You don't need to do that." The whisper curls inside her head. "Just stop. You have the power. You can let him die."

Sonya stumbles back, eyes wide, staring at nothing.

Peter shoots her a concerned look, reaching out and touching her knee. "Sonya? Are you okay?"

She shakes her head vigorously, shooting him a strained smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. You're done, now." He bites his lip, wavering. She certainly doesn't look okay. Sonya flaps her hand at him. "Shoo. Other people need help, too."

The voice comes back later that night, when she's standing in the shower, hot water cascading down her shoulders. "You don't have to be their slave."

"I'm not." She whispers.

"Really? Could've fooled me. You drop everything to help them, and they don't even say thank you."

"Things are stressful right now. Everyone's stretched too thin."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"Get the hell out of my head."

"Oh, Sofiya." The voice croons. "You can't get rid of me! I'm part of you!"

"No. No, you aren't."

"Oh, but I am! Don't worry, Sonechka. I'm here to protect you!"

Sonya stiffens. Sonechka. The nickname her mom called her, her grandfather's pet name for her, Natasha and Bucky's term of endearment for her. She clutches at the shower curtain. "Get out." She hisses. "GET OUT. GO AWAY. LEAVE. ME. ALONE!"

She's panting, shivering, shaking. She gets dressed as fast as she can, curling up under her covers, trying to relax.

Pietro's slumped in front of her, he's bleeding, his stomach stained crimson, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. "You didn't see that coming?" He smirks, collapsing, the life draining out of his blue eyes. Sonya gasps, trying to scream, trying to go to him, but he vanishes, and Wanda's in his place. Her eyes blank, face curled into a vicious scowl.

"You let him die." Her voice reverberates around Sonya. "My big brother, my only family, you could have saved him."

"I tried!" Sonya's screaming, sobbing, "I tried to save him!"

"You let HIM DIE!" Wanda's voice raises to a shriek. "YOUR BEST FRIEND! MY BIG BROTHER! YOU. LET. HIM. DIE!"

"No. No. Wanda, no!"

"I hate you." She thrusts her hand out, body glowing, magic the color of blood circling Sonya, squeezing, burning like fire. "I HATE YOU!"

Sonya's body moves on its own, arm flinging out, her whip wrapping around Wanda's throat. Sonya's voice is speaking, but she isn't the one controlling it. "Feel free to join him, then!" Her thumb jams down the button on the handle, and a sparks race down the strap, and Wanda's screaming. But Sonya can't do anything, just laugh as her best friend writhes in pain.

Sonya jerks up with a wordless scream, hands clutching at her duvet. "No, nonono." She gasps, shaking. "It's not real. It's not real. Pietro and Wanda are okay. They're okay." She glances at the clock. 6 am. No use trying to fall back asleep.

The day is uneventful, no attacks happen, thankfully. Sonya plows through it, trying to banish the dream from her mind. It's gone by the time she goes to bed, thankfully.

Clint smiles at her, but it isn't the familiar, contagious grin she's so used to. It's hard, cold, a smirk that doesn't reach his eyes.

"You couldn't save them." He snarls, hand tightening around her throat. "You failed them, Sonya. You KILLED them!" He wrenches her around, and she sees Wanda and Pietro laying side-by-side, eyes blank, staring at nothing. "You're a MURDERER."

Sonya's leg moves of its own accord, slamming in to his stomach. They stumble apart, and there's a gun in her hand, and she's not in control of her own body anymore. She pulls the trigger, and Clint falls back as the bullet buries itself in her shoulder. He pulls himself up and charges her, a well-placed kick sending the gun flying. Sonya wouldn't normally be able to beat Clint, but he's hurt, exhausted, and she is stronger, faster, more powerful than she should be.

She beats him down easily, pressing a knife to his throat. "Say goodbye, Hawkeye. I hope you told your family you loved them."

"You're a monster."

"Why, thank you!" The blade slices across his throat, blood spilling over her hands.

Sonya's smirking down at Natasha, the redhead clutching at a gash in her side, blood pouring from innumerable wounds. The ex-assassin is glaring up her, but her eyes are haunted.

"You can't… You shouldn't be able to beat me. How…?"

"You underestimated me, Natalia." The thing wearing Sonya's body cackles. "Just like Wanda and Clint did."

"YOU… Clint..? You KILLED him?!"

"Easily. He was sobbing when it happened, begging me to spare you, begging me to spare his family. It was pathetic."

"YOU BITCH!" Natasha throws herself at the Sonya. The Thing controlling Sonya blocks the attack with ease. The Black Widow dies with her eyes full of betrayal.

Sonya screams. She can't do anything, she can't even control her own body. "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

The Voice cackles. "Oh, Sonya! You can't get rid of me! I'm PART of you!"

"NO. NO, YOU AREN'T!"

"Oh, but I am."

And Sonya can only watch as the Voice uses her body to destroy her friends.

Peter stares at the knife buried in his stomach with shock. His eyes plead with Sonya. He's so young, lost and confused, begging her to make it better, but she can only watch as the Voice pulls out the knife, and he falls. Sonya hurries to him, but she's not in her body, and he can't see her. She sobs as her hand goes right through him.

"No. No! Peter! Peter, please!"

He turns his head towards her, brown eyes widening. He can see her. He's looking at her. He's scared. He's so scared! He's just a kid! Only a kid! Sonya can only watch as the light fades from his eyes.

She tries to shake him, screaming his name, but she's incorporeal, she can't touch him, can't hug him, she doesn't even get to shut his eyes, before the Voice whisks her away.

She has to watch as it tears through Pepper and Rhodey. Sam's shocked indignation feels like a bullet to the chest. Bruce can't even transform.

Tony's standing there, in front of her, the visor in the suit torn away. His eyes are filled with tears. He's crying. Sonya screams when the Voice tears him out of the suit, sinking a knife in the arc reactor in his chest. Tony jerks, eyes wide and pain-filled. The Voice drops him like a sack of potatoes. He braces his hands against the ground, trying to pull himself up.

"You're not her." He grits out. The Voice pauses, turning.

"Oh?"

"You're not… Sonya…" He falls. "You look like her. You sound like her. But you aren't Sonya!"

"Very astute of you, Tony." It hisses. "But I AM Sonya. I'm part of her. A part of her she can't escape."

"No." He shakes his head. "No. She's NOTHING like you."

The Voice cackles. "Oh, I'm just dying to watch Sonya sob over you as you die! Pardon the pun!

And suddenly, Sonya's in charge of her body again. She stumbles, running to Tony.

"I knew it." He grunts when she turns him over on his back. He grins at her. "I KNEW it!"

Sonya can't answer, she's crying, face buried in his chest.

"Hey, it'll be fine." Tony says, putting an arm around her. "It's gonna be fine."

She shakes her head. "No! No! Don't leave me!"

"Hey, it's okay, Doc. I'll be okay."

"STOP LYING!" She screams. "STOP LYING, TONY!"

Tony fights his way into a sitting position, leaning heavily on the wall. "Okay. Okay. Sorry. Sorry."

Sonya clings to him, like a little girl clinging to her dad. "I love you." She sobs. "I love you. I know you didn't necessarily try, but thanks for being kind of like a dad. Or maybe a weird uncle."

Tony bites his lip, a lump in his throat. He didn't know Sonya felt that way about him. "I love you, too, kid." He chokes out, kissing her forehead. "Sonya."

She feels him die, and it feels like her heart is being torn out. The Voice is in charge of her body again.

"Pathetic."

"No." Sonya surprises herself.

"Excuse me?"

"Get out of my head."

"What?"

"I SAID, GET OUT!"

"You can't get rid of me, Sonya. I'm part of you."

"Bullshit. Tony was right. You are NOTHING like me!"

The surroundings fade away, and Sonya is glaring across a white room at a nearly perfect copy of herself. Other-Sonya laughs. "Are you trying to destroy me? Sonya, I am YOU!"

"No. YOU. AREN'T!"

"Sonechka…"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Other-Sonya's face twists in to a grimace. "Fool." Her body transforms, and Other-Sonya is replaced by a pale-skinned woman with dark eyes, and black hair.

"I knew it." Sonya whispers.

"You've made a grave mistake, Sonya King, making an enemy of Vox." Suddenly, a lance of pain stabs through Sonya's mind. "I'm taking you." Vox hisses.

"Wh-what?"

"I'm taking away Sonya King. Your memories, your personality, everything that makes you, YOU." A cold smile twists across her face. "And I'm going to DESTROY it."

Sonya can't form a thought, she can't fight, but somewhere, in the back of her mind, some part of her is screaming 'NO!'

"NO!"

"NO!" Sonya wakes up with the word on her lips. She gasps and stumbles out of bed, fleeing her room. She collides with Tony head-on. She stumbles back, staring up at him, before letting out a sob and flinging herself into his arms. He drops his coffee mug in shock as her arms close around his middle.

"Sonya?" He asks, worriedly, grabbing her shoulders.

"You're not dead." She mumbles into his chest.

"Uh… Obviously…"

She lets go of him and falls to the ground. "It's okay." She mumbles. "Everything's okay." But she's sobbing in to her hands. Tony kneels down next to her, quite at a lost.

"Sonya? What's wrong?"

She looks up him, tears staining her cheeks. "Nothing!" She lets out a weak laugh, hugging herself, hand to her head. "Nothing's wrong!" She flings herself at him again, shaking, trying to steady herself by grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. "Everything's okay! Everyone's fine!"

Tony does something completely out of character. He hugs her back. "Of course we are." He tells her. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Sonya chokes out the story of her dream between sobs. It's muddled and confused, but Tony seems to understand.

"I don't want to hurt you guys!" She blurts out.

"You won't." He assures her. "You won't. I promise. I promise." He hugs her tighter. "Everything's gonna be okay. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

Tony frowns. "Sonya." She glances up at him. "I know my track record with these kinds of things isn't great."

"It's quite deplorable."

"Trust me, I realize that. But this is a promise I fully intend to keep."

"Really?"

"Really."

A/N: Parental!Tony will be the death of me, you guys.