Memories

Fallen

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If you want to use Tora, or any of my other characters, PM me.

Emma was in the middle of talking to Tony Stark when Tora ran up.

"Mike's been eating glue again. I need you to explain why it's a bad idea."

"Again? Right, I've just sent the image of dying horribly slowly and painfully to his head. He should… Yes, he's stopped."

"Emma, you're a honey."

"How's Jamie?"

"At the moment he's trying to explain to Hank how Earth-87623 has anti-grav cars. Unfortunately his English doesn't stretch much further than 'floaty zoom-zoom cars' without using 'antimatter engines' as well and he doesn't understand them yet so can't explain them to Hank. Hello Tony. You were just leaving weren't you? Can I have a word?"

She saw a flicker of hope in Tony's eyes as they walked out a little way.

"Are you joining us Tora? We could really do with someone like you on our side."

"Tony, I believe Earth-5671 gives my answer to that."

"What?"

"I walked out. On you. Three months before we were due to be married. Anyway, my teenage son has just decided to run off and join Cap. Don't worry, he'll be grounded for a very long time when he comes home. And I've been ordered to remain neutral. So after this, I'm going off to find Steve and then I'm going to do exactly the same."

"What? Wait, Steve kept teasing me about that. You walked out on me?""

"Tony, you may be an arrogant twerp but most of the time you're basically OK. So I'm sorry about this."

"About what?"

He gasped as his head snapped back from the force of Tora's punch.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH FILING YOU HAVE GIVEN ME TO DO?"

Tony was clutching at his mouth, using his sleeve to staunch the blood.

"Don't worry Tony, Steve will get just the same treatment. But I am already behind on the filing by about three decades and I now have a planet-wide emergency to sort! I don't know whether to put Bill Foster's death slip into 'Criminals' Deaths', 'Heroes' Deaths' or 'Bloody Stupid Deaths'! The Divine Wrath folder just spat it right back out. Oh, watch out for the Thor clone, it'll always be rather temperamental."

"You have a folder marked Divine Wrath?"

"It's one of the thickest folders. Normally, dying when it is incredibly unlikely I try to put it in Accidental Death but most of the time it spits it out and the file ends up in Divine Wrath. It's the folder that takes all the other difficult to file deaths. Normally because most people upset at least one minor deity in their existence. Oh, I could tell you about the man who upset the Camatari god of hiccups. Thirty-eight years of constant hiccupping that eventually ruptured his diaphragm."

"There's a god of hiccups?"

"The Camatari have a surplus of gods. Now shoo. I've got to go and punch Steve."

"She did as well."

"Yes, but she had to wait for him to be resurrected."

"Well obviously."

Poison was looking at the man in red and black.

"Whoa… You're DEADPOOL!"

"Yeah. Gotta problem with that Symbi-Boy?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

There was a moment's silence. Then…

"I can autograph your handcuffs. I've got my orders, take in any anti-reg forces."

"What, you're doing what you're told? I thought you were cool!"

"You… think I'm cool?"

"Way cool!"

(Really, really cool.)

I like him.

Deadpool grinned under his mask.

"Okay, I'm letting you off with a warning. Here's my autograph. And a Deadpool Rocks t-shirt."

"YAY!"

"I have a fan! Wait a second… You're Wolvie's kid!"

"Yep!"

"My fan is WOLVIE'S kid! Oh boy!"

(You think we should get out before this building blows up?)

Good point.

"Er, I should mention, I set this building to blow up."

"You are one cool kid. Let's go!"

The two ran out, dodging falling masonry and leaping out of a window as the building exploded. They started tumbling down and Curt caught Deadpool's belt and swung away onto another building. The merc looked up and burst out laughing.

"You're okay Kid! Oh, boy, I am going to have so much fun with you!"

"Can I be your partner?"

"No. Sidekick first, then partner."

"Duuudddeee."

"Sidekick or nothing."

"Okay!"

"I did so love the look on his parents' faces when they saw him with Deadpool."

"Oh, please don't…"

She was standing staring at the TV in silence. Logan was shaking his head.

"It's a fake. Cap wouldn't die. He couldn't."

"I…I have to go and speak to Etana…"

The body bucked up at the restraints as Tony looked at Tora.

"Don't judge us on this. She wouldn't let us take him away. Just kept clinging to him like he'd come back if she held him tight enough."

"Tony, that's your best friend's widow lying there! Why?"

"She's managed to incapacitate eight of the best SHIELD agents trying to get to him."

"She's mourning Tony. And that's the way she does it."

"What, ripping at her own arms to draw blood?"

"She thought she lost him in the War Tony! Of course she's going to take his actual death badly!"

"We can't talk to her. It's like she's forgotten English."

"Let me talk to her."

Tony nodded and the door slid open. Tora walked in and easily slipped into Hebrew.

"Etana?"

"-my love, why? Adonai, please… Steve… Steve…"

"Etana."

She rested her hand on Etana's arm and silver eyes suddenly met hers.

"He's gone."

"I'm sorry."

"He's left me again."

The words were flat, emotionless.

"I only just learnt what love was and he has to go and leave me."

"I…Etana, I'm really, really sorry."

"He left me all over again. He just stared at me when he died."

"I know."

"I've been having dreams about him dying but I just thought it was a subconscious fear."

"I'm here."

"I know."

It was like the old Etana was back. The Etana who never allowed the tiniest flicker of emotion to cross her face, the Etana who would and could kill a roomful of people for the lives of a thousand without batting an eyelid. Not the woman who teased and joked and talked of starting a family. The woman who had learned what love truly was.

"He left me. And I HATE HIM!"

She bucked up at the restraints again, wings unfurling and snapping the bands. She pulled herself up and tugged at the inhibitor around her neck, pulling it loose and snarling.

"I HATE HIM!"

And then she broke down into angry, wild sobs and her nails began to tear at her face, leaving red tracks to be washed away by the tears.

"I HATE HIM!"

Tora withdrew and saw from the look on Logan's face that she had subconsciously been relaying the conversation to the others.

"I'm sorry."

And she ran out, knowing that someone else needed her more than they did.

"I never thought the screaming would be so bad."

"That wasn't the worst of it Jean. Oh no."

"What?"

"Didn't I tell you why she went missing?"

"No."

"I'll tell you later."

She was sitting in the room, watching everything. Logan was outside, a drink in hand, pouring it out onto the ground. He wasn't allowed near Cap's grave, so he did it on Etana's instead as they were 'friends'. And that was the reason Tora was sitting on the window seat, gazing into another world.

Etana was wandering vaguely along a corridor, eyes dull, hair lank. Her History classes were cancelled, the only place she seemed comfortable was a new room in the sub-levels, refusing point-blank to enter her attic room, the room that she had rarely stayed in but still used. Everyone had realised why when the bathroom had thrown up a bag of men's toiletries. Too many memories, not enough physical proof.

"Etana!"

She turned, her eyes barely changing, the silver now tarnished and bleary.

"What is it?"

"We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk about him."

"It's not about him. It's…Tana…oh sorry!"

For at the abbreviated version of her name, Etana had flinched as if struck.

"I'm so, so sorry. Etana, we need to talk about you. And something… Look, just come in."

The Black Angel shook her head and Tora sighed, grabbed her arm and tugged her into the empty classroom.

"I was going to be nice and break it to you gently, but you've annoyed me with your wandering around aimlessly and acting all hopeless. You're Justice's Shadow and you should have. More. Backbone."

For the last three words, she slapped Etana's face.

"You didn't see Steve for three months, right?"

Etana nodded.

"But Tony will have arranged something. A marital visit? Don't lie."

Etana nodded.

"The…the night…before…the trial."

In other words, the night before he died.

"Go on."

"Tony placed the cameras on loop. Made sure Dugan was on duty so we could be alone."

"And?"

"I don't… Tora…"

"Etana, I can smell it."

"Smell what?"

And a hand reached out and touched the stomach.

"Life."

There was a moment's shocked silence then Etana burst into tears. For herself. And a child who would never know its father.

"Is that why she apparently disappeared for eight months, turned up once to say that she was fine then disappeared for another three?"

"How did you find out about that?"

"I can't remember. It was millennia ago!"

"Good point."

"Do you remember everything?"

The face twitched and the ice mask swirled up.

"Of course."

A.N. Well, Krekka has just posted the first part of his Curt piece, 'The Madmen's Holiday'. I am not responsible for what he writes. No, seriously. Well, here's the link. http:/ www. fanfiction. net/s/7829922/1/The_Madmens_Holiday (Minus the spaces)