Chasing the tesseract

Chapter 45

"Enjoying the party?"

My eyes look up from the glass that I cradle in my hands as I turn to see Tony stood in the doorway that leads to the balcony. Chatter and music still stretch through the air as the night grows darker, the only light on the balcony from the moonlight and now from the door Tony's holding open.

"Well, I'm outside, alone with a glass of wine to keep me company," I reply sarcastically as I lift my wine up to show him before taking a mouthful of it. Puckering slightly from the bitterness of the wine, I turn back to the carriages below the balcony, watching as Severus yells at two kids who were making out in one.

"I shouldn't have asked should I?" Tony laughs as he closes the door before making his way to my side, two drinks in his hand. As he reaches the edge of the balcony, he offers me a drink, taking a gulp of his own as I just stare blankly at it.

"Probably not." I agree as I take the drink from his hand, placing my own wine glass on a small table on the far side of the balcony. As I turn back to Tony, he holds his glass out as I clink mine against it before we both take a mouthful of our drinks. Scotch on the rocks, with a twist. My kind of drink.

"So why are you out here alone?" Tony asks gently as he raises his glass to his lips and takes a sip of the cool liquid in it.

"I was thinking," I mumble quietly as I watch the breeze flow through the trees in the courtyard down below, millions of leaves floating through the air until they land on the floor. "About going after Voldemort."

"Are you crazy?" Tony asks in an overly hysterical tone, his voice going two or three octaves higher as his eyes widen in shock. Smirking slightly, I raise my eyebrows at him and shake my head in disbelief. Is he seriously asking that question after everything I've done?
"Okay that was a stupid question but what your thinking of doing is equally as stupid."

"Killing him could lift the spell of Stephen." I justify, my grip on the glass in my hand tightening so much that the glass digs in my palm, small cracks forming. "It could give him his memories back."

"It could also get you killed." Tony points out as he raises his eyebrows and looks me in the eyes to see if I'm being serious.

"I have nothing to lose if I do," I mumble, my eyes clouded over as the numb sensation I felt earlier taking over my body as I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Sighing so loud that I swear the students in the courtyard below us can hear him, Tony places his glass down before taping me sympathetically on the shoulder as he smiles down at me weakly. "You have us."

"None of you really want me here though do you?" I blurt out without thinking, Tony withdrawing his hand quickly as I realize what I said. Opening my mouth, I go to say something only for Tony to turn his back on me as he begins walking away.

"I don't think that's true," he whispers as he comes to a stop at the door, his hand resting on its worn-out wood as he pauses and waits for me to say something, to apologize or stop him from leaving.

"You all only keep me around as a backup," I explain as I soften my voice in an attempt to calm him down. Of course, I don't. Who can calm Tony down when he's in a mood?

"No we don't Abi," he demands as his voice not only grows in volume but also in sternness. His head whips around as he locks his jaw and stares me in the eyes, his own burning bright with fury.

"I'm your Peter back up, I'm Loki's Thor backup, I'm Wanda's Vision backup, Pietro's Wanda backup and now," I pause as I smile weakly, a bitter sensation taking over my body as tears of anger fill my eyes, "I'm Stephen's Christine backup."

"No, you're not." Tony hisses forcefully as he steps closer to me and notices the tears that sting my eyes. Biting his tongue so he doesn't say anything else, he walks across to where I stand as he wraps his arms around my shoulders. At first, I freeze in place as all my instincts tell me to run but after a few moments, I give in to my emotions and wrap my arms around Tony's waist as I bury my head in his chest.

"Before Stephen lost his memories, it was different. I don't mean to sound selfish," I pause as I take a deep breath, my tears soaking Tony's shirt as he gently strokes my hair and shushes my sobs, "but he put me first. I felt like he genuinely wanted me around." I whisper between sobs as Tony pulls away and looks down at me through soft eyes as he sighs.

"Then why haven't you told him about your past? About his memories?" he asks me gently as I look up at him, my eyes looking directly into his for the first time tonight.

"What's the use?" I mumble as I push away from him and pick my glass up, taking a big gulp of the liquid, hoping that the alcohol will take away all my problems, even if it is temporary.

"You could work together to find a way to bring his memories back," Tony suggests as he turns his whole body to face me, his elbow resting on the barrier as he leans against it. "Maybe true loves kiss?" he jokes in a playful tone as a small smirk grows on his face, his mind full of hopes to lighten the mood.

"You may believe in that fairytale stuff but I do not." I hiss at him, my voice bitter and cold as I turn my back on him, my jaw locked and my hand in a fist by my side. "If I did then that would mean accepting that I'll never get a happy ending because I was a villain. In case you haven't noticed," I turn around to face him, holding my arms out and smiling weakly at him, "villains don't tend to get happy endings."

"Okay that was a joke but maybe there's some way that you just haven't found yet," Tony suggests, attempting to give me a glimmer of hope. Something that right now, I find hard to grab on to.

"You really believe that telling him is the best way forwards?" I ask as I drop my arms to my side and stare at him blankly. Wasn't he the one who told me not to tell Stephen? And not to get my hopes up? How ironic that the tables have turned.

"I've never believed in something more," Tony promises as his smile grows into a smirk and his eyes begin to light up. And there's that hope again.

"If this doesn't work then I blame you," I warn him as I point my index finger into his chest and narrow my eyes at him. Rolling his own, Tony takes the glass from my hand and places it down on the table with his own before marching me across to the door.

"Just go get him." he chuckles as I push the door open, chatter invading the night air as I step into the hall and set off to find Stephen.