Unforgotten

Chapter 2

It seems so long ago, that day in New York, but those eyes remain burned into my memory.  So much has happened since then – so many people disappeared.  Thanos won, I lost my family, friends.  Then suddenly, it all seemed to change again, and we got another chance.  The world got another chance.  No one has questioned how it happened, we are just so thankful every day that it did.

Things returned to normal, it seems, after the Avengers returned.  Some went their separate ways, and some stayed.  My Uncle Tony opened the new Stark Tower/Avengers Compound to all, and Natasha, Steve, and Banner made their permanent homes there.

"Why not?" Uncle Tony had said at my high school graduation, which had been the event of the season with so many famous faces.  "There are so many rooms, we might as well share." 

I went away to California for six years to find myself, especially after recovering from the the events of the world, living in Uncle Tony's beach house. I even thought I found love – until he let me know he was only interested in the Iron Man suits.  I had neve before been used to get to my uncle, and the pain was nearly unbearable.  I had to get away, and Natasha convinced me that no man was worth crying over for that long.

"Come home," she had said.  "There's got to be something here that will make you happy again.  Guy or not."

My college degree was in photography, and I had just returned to New York this past year when I realized being near Aunt Pepper and my closest friends was what I needed.

"What are you going to do for work, though?" Natasha had asked me when she came to help me set up my new apartment.  I shrugged, holding up a photo of my Aunt Pepper, myself, Uncle Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Banner from my high school graduation.  I smiled.

"I'm not sure." I admitted, kissing my fingers and pressing them to the photo before setting it on the table next to my couch.  "Maybe open my own business?"

"You could do it, too."  Natasha said, admiring one of my photos of a lightning bolt touching a sandy beach.  "This is phenomenal."  I smiled, taking the print from her and hanging it on a nail behind my couch.

"We'll just have to see."  I said, looking around the room, happy to have my own place for the first time.  "Uncle Tony has something to talk to me about tonight at dinner, so I'm just wondering what scheme he has concocted this time."  I rolled my eyes at her, and Natasha laughed. 

"Speaking of which, we'd better get if we're going to make it on time." Natasha checked her watch, then grinned.  I locked the door behind us, and we jumped into my new opal-colored Rogue, a welcome-home gift to myself, to take the long way back to my Uncle and Aunt's home.

Within an hour we were at the elevator of Stark Tower, and stepping out I went straight to my Aunt Pepper. 

"Paige."  She hugged me close.  "I'm so happy to have you home again."

"Me too." I smiled at her.  "Do you need any help?"  I asked, looking at the food she had spread out on the counter.

"No, no.  Everyone's kind of eating at their own pace tonight." Pepper said, putting a hand on her forehead.  "Tony and Bruce are downstairs in the lab, Steve is out for the evening."  Natasha glanced at her, and Pepper mouthed the word 'Bucky.'  Natasha nodded.

"I'm going to go down and see them," I said, starting downstairs for the lab.  "I'll be back."  I started down the staircase, and could see through the glass Bruce and Tony arguing about something.  I entered my passcode, and opened the door.

"Good evening, Paige." Friday greeted me, and both men turned my way. 

"Hi guys," I said, giving Bruce a side hug, while Tony kissed my cheek.  "Whatcha working on?"

"Oh, more quantum physics," Bruce muttered, and Tony smiled.

"Just stuff." He said.  "But I wanted to talk to you."  He put an arm around my shoulders, and walked me over to the edge of the lab, pulling up a computer screen in front of us.  It showed a property, I guessed in New York – it looked as if it was downtown. 

"What is this?" I asked, cautiously.  Tony smiled.

"A little welcome home gift from your Aunt Pepper and I." He said.  "Welcome to your new studio."  With a wave of his hand, the screen moved to show the layout of the building, showing a darkroom, office, and several rooms that were just waiting to be set up.  My stomach jumped at the thought.

"Really?!  You didn't have to do this, I'm not even an established artist yet!" I exclaimed, hugging him.

"Not yet," Tony said, "But you'll eventually be on my payroll for documenting further advances with the Iron Man suits, and the Avengers suits, so . . ."  I shook my head. 

"You're something else, you know that?" I asked. 

"I know." Tony smiled.

I was seated at the front desk of my new studio two weeks later after my conversation with Tony – an amazing building, I had come to find.  It was antique, with tall ceilings covered with tin tiles.  The brick was beautiful, and the view of old downtown New York was unbeatable.  I had finished downloading some photos from a session with a couple earlier that day, and packed my camera in its bag then stepped outside to hail a cab.  The early summer weather was beautiful – I tilted my face up and let the sun shine on it.  Why not walk a ways? I thought to myself, and began walking in the direction of Central Park. 

I loved seeing people in the city in the summer.  The children playing, walking their dogs, throwing frisbees.  It made for lovely photographs.  I sat on a bench by myself, pulled my camera out, and started shooting around me. People, animals, flowers.  I eventually got up, threw my bag over my shoulder, and began to walk, continuing to shoot.  I knelt on the grass at one pond, trying to catch a child holding a butterfly.

"What are you trying to capture?"  I heard behind me, and I turned to see a man leaning against a tree, wearing sunglasses and smiling at me.  I turned back to see the child blowing the butterfly away.

"Well, nothing now." I said, a little irritated. 

"And why is that?" The man said, still leaning against the tree.  I rose off my knee, camera in hand, and studied the man before I answered.  He was handsome, I could see that.  Tall, long legs, broad chest and shoulders, chiseled face with a hint of stubble.  He had strong arms there were crossed, and dark auburn hair that appeared to be swept back as if there was wind in it.  His mouth was turned into what didn't appear to be a grin, but not a frown either, and I blushed at the fact that I wondered what it would be like to kiss.

"Well, the shot is gone, for one." I said. 

"No," he said, straightening, and walking toward me.  My stomach did a flip when he was next to me, and as he put an arm around my waist to ease me back down to my knee.  "There." He whispered, right against my ear.  I followed the direction of his hand, which was pointed at a beautiful flower next to the pond.  The butterfly, had previously been in the child's hand, was now carefully perched on one petal.  I breathed, and raised my camera to take the shot.

"Oh, wow." I said, and turned to thank him, but was shocked to find he was gone.  I jumped to my feet, now unsure if he had ever been there at all.

I curled my legs underneath me in my armchair later that evening, my hot tea warming my hands, and opened my laptop.  I stuck my memory stick into the side, and began downloading my photos from that afternoon, taking another sip from my mug.  The lights were off in my apartment, with only the computer screen glow around me.  There was a ding to alert me the download was finished, and I opened my editing screen.  I flipped through a few photos, when one made me sit up straight.  The light pink flower, with a delicate butterfly on it, surrounded by a sparkle of light. I stared at the photo for a moment, suddenly aware of the feeling of that man's breath on my ear, still unsure of what had happened this afternoon.  My fingertips went to my neck, and I saved the photo as is – no editing necessary.  I knew exactly what I was going to do with this one.