This Is Stella's Reality

September 28, 2015 PT 2

New York was colder than I remembered, and the chaotic scene we arrived in sent my mind into a frenzy. There was a massive crowd of onlookers, fire trucks, police, ambulances, people in hazmat suits, and at the center of it all was Tony in his Iron Man suit.

We pushed past barricades and security to get to him. Under his helmet, his face was unreadable. Cold and unemotional. His thoughts were a completely different story. They were marred with grief and anxiety.

The kid, I heard him think.

"Tony," Steve called as we bounded up the steps of Stark Tower, "what the hell happened? Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

His mechanical voice sounded truly robotic. It was empty and faraway. Completely void of anything.

"Tony," I said gently, "what happened?"

The bright white of his eyes turned to me, and I felt myself shrink. Only a few days ago we wished to kill each other. Now, he was just a scared man with too much on his plate.

He cleared his throat and nodded to the side of the building, prompting us to follow him. It was quiet there and hidden from the prying eyes of that watchful crowd. They'd have gone insane if Tony took his helmet off on the top of the building's stairs. The cameras would have blinded us all.

"This is a fucking disaster," he muttered as he ripped the helmet from his head. "The kid overloaded something, system failure, the whole nine yards for fucks sake."

The break in his voice made my heart stop. "What kid?" I probed.

"Parker."

"Queens?"

"Yeah."

"Is he," Bucky's voice trailed off.

"Fine," Tony said quickly. "He's fine. I'm fine. Pep's fine. Everyone is fine."

Nat and I exchanged glances. She shook her head and sighed. "Are you fine?" She asked. "Nobody expects you to be fine after your fucking building blew up."

Tony laughed, pained and choked as if he were holding back sobs. He turned away from us and ran his hand through his hair.

Boss, FRIDAY said from his suit, your heart rate is concerning. I would advise you to take a seat and do the deep breathing exercises your doctor recommended.

"FRIDAY," Tony shouted, "not now!"

"Hey," Sam said gently, running his hand across Tony's shoulders, "Stel, is there any way we can get out of here?"

I sighed and looked at the walls. There were plenty of shadows there. My spine shivered at the thought of bringing them through the shadow realm. No mortal had ever ventured through its depths. There were monsters there. Demons and horrors greater than imagination.

"Not any way that would be safe for you," I said.

Tony turned back to the group, trembling and pale. "I have to stay. Until everyone is out at least." He looked sick.

Bucky sighed and wrapped his arm around my waist. He looked down at me with a tight smile. "We'll be here," he said softly. "You don't have to be alone."

It was a long day before we collapsed back into our Parisian flat. Sirens still echoed in my ears. Pushy reporters, panicked loved ones, placid statements from PR representatives. They all clouded my mind.

I let my weight fall to the couch in the sitting room. My head was pounding. I covered my eyes with my hands and groaned when I felt Bucky lay over me.