Forever and Always

Chapter 14

3 Weeks Later

Clara was lying in bed reading Lord of the Rings, which was the first book she saw on Steve's bookshelf, when she heard a faint rumbling. She put the book down on her chest and listened to the rumbling. As it got louder, objects in the room she was in started to vibrate and shake. First it was a few pens on the desk, then larger items like the paintings on the walls. She looked over to her cup of water, which now resembled a scene from Jurassic Park, and Clara finally realized what was happening. She kept her book open, but put it face down on her bed, then she jumped up and went to the bedroom door. She opened it and immediately saw Pepper running down the hall as well.

Three weeks ago, when Carol came and then left to go find Tony, Rhodey contacted Mrs. Potts, and she came to Avengers headquarters a few days later. When she came, Clara could tell that Pepper was having a hard time, which was understandable. Her fiancé or husband or, whatever their current relationship status, was up in space somewhere or a pile of dust like many, many others. But Pepper also seemed to have hope that he was still alive out there. If anything, she seemed certain that he was still out there. And after three weeks of waiting, she seemed proven right.

"Is that..." Clara called out to Pepper. She turned around to face Clara. Unlike Clara, Pepper still managed to dress all professional and not look like an emotional wreck no matter how hard it was, and Clara couldn't help but envy her the tiniest bit. But her eyes, her eyes are what gave her weakness away. They looked glassy and red, and around her eyes, it was all puffy, meaning she had been crying not too long ago. Clara didn't bother asking if she was okay because she knew the answer and she herself was in no place to ask if someone was "okay". Instead, she just stood in the doorway as she watched Pepper nod silently and continued down the hallway to the staircase.

The rumbling was super loud now, meaning the that Carol was close. She went back in the guest room and grabbed a jacket that hung on the bedpost. She put it on as she ran out of the room and went the same direction Pepper went. As she ran past the kitchen, she noticed Thor sitting at the table, with his axe, eating at least five or six Hawaiian Rolls.

"Are you coming?" Clara stopped real quick to ask him. She shook his head and reached forward to grab another roll.

"Nah," he said in his deep voice. "I'll stay here." She nodded and continued out the doors.

"Wait for me," Clara, halfway though the doorway, turned around and looked down. She saw Rocket waking forward. His ears were flat against his head and his tail dragged. Clara held the door open for him, and watched as he slowly walked through the doorway. When he made it through, she took her hand off the door, and walked out into the field. Even though it was dark, Clara could clearly tell that everyone else was already out on the field: Nat, Steve, Pepper, Rhodey, and Bruce. Rocket was making his way to the crowd, and Clara lagged behind. They were all staring at the same thing though. A giant spaceship being gently placed down on the field, and Carol, a literal ball of light, underneath it.

"She really did it," Clara murmured under her breath. She folded her arms across her chest to conserve her warmth, and she kept moving forward. She was amazed by how big the ship was, and how it was an actual spaceship. The hatch underneath lowered, and two figures walked out, or one walked out while supporting the other. Clara picked her pace up to a jog so she was closer, and so she could see the two beings more clearly. The one supporting the other was a female, but she was blue and parts of her body, like parts of her arm and her head, were replaced with machinery. Clara also noticed that her left hand was also a prosthetic. The other one, even on the verge of death, could be easily recognized as Tony Stark. He, however, didn't look like the same Tony Stark she met two years ago. This Tony Stark looked like he aged twenty years in three weeks. Clara picked up the smell of dried blood, meaning that somewhere he must've gotten wounded pretty badly. And the man could barely walk.