Is Love Forever? [1]

Perhaps The Longest Chapter Ever

Scott told Tony about how Michael had attacked them, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about what happened after. When he was taken away from her, and he couldn't protect her anymore. 

"August 18th, 2018, Harlem Hospital Center, Room 107," Scott said bitterly. "I know you have the tech, look into it." 

Tony could see that this was a sensitive topic for him and didn't ask any more questions. He simply put the information into the computer and he got the video. He scrubbed through about three hours of footage before he found something. 

He saw the vent cover fall off, and two people jumped down. Scott had stepped in front of Hope's hospital bed protectively and asked who they were. The smaller figure said something that Tony couldn't quite hear, and then put a bag over Scott's head. 

Hope said something that caused the intruders to take off their masks. Tony was shocked by what he saw. It was Natasha and Steve. 

"What were they doing there?" Tony asked himself. 

"We need him to help us," Nat said. "Thank you for understanding," Steve said. Scott watched as he was dragged into the vents, and he heard Hope calling after him. After a few seconds, she stopped trying to call after them, knowing it was no use. 

Then she closed her eyes and cried. Scott had to turn away as he saw her fall back onto the pillow, motionless. But when he turned, his eyes rested on her, now in the same position, just under different circumstances. 

He couldn't imagine how she must've felt when he was taken. And now, because he had tried to save her, she was in an even worse situation. Tony stopped the video and faced Scott. 

"This happened right before Germany, didn't it?" Tony asked. Scott nodded. "I never wanted to be a part of that fight, but I figured that if I helped, I could get back to Hope faster. I came back four days later to find that she was in a coma. Her dad told me that the doctors found poison in her system, and they couldn't identify it. We figured that if we could get some quantum-healing particles, we could wake her up. We spent the next two months building a quantum tunnel. Hank sent me down there to get the particles, but he was dusted before he could bring me back." He explained. 

Tony started to see the pieces of the puzzle coming together. Remember, he watched the footage of the test run. 

"As luck would have it, that was the moment that Hope came out of her coma. The people in her room were dusted, and she left the hospital without anyone noticing her. No one knew she was alive." Scott said. 

"So you two were separated all that time?" Tony asked. He nodded. "Then how did you get out of the quantum realm? Didn't she pull you out?" 

"No, she thought I was dead. According to some security tapes, it was actually a rat that got me out." Scott said. He knew that Hope didn't want Tony to know about the attacks, but this time, her life depended on him knowing. He started to explain Hope's attacks and the situation they were currently in, but he left out what happened on Vormir. When he was done, Tony looked shocked. 

"You're telling me that she's been like this, this whole time, including the test run, and you've said nothing," Tony said in disbelief. Scott nodded and said, "You have to understand, she didn't want anyone else knowing. And seeing as she's been living with it the past two years, I thought it was best to respect her wishes." 

"Do you realize how dangerous that was? She could've been killed." Tony said. He had a hard time believing that Scott would ever put Hope in that kind of danger. "I know Tony, believe me, I know....." Scott said, his head down. Tony sighed. He knew how he felt. The feeling of not being able to protect Pepper still haunted him, even after they were married.