Unforeseen¹

Chapter 27- False realities

17th February 2015

It wasn't until midday that Jayden woke. She would later find out that JARVIS had informed the Avengers of her restless night, so they allowed her to sleep. Doctor Cho had given her the all-clear to move back up to the penthouse under close supervision for any further unlikely complications.

Once she forced her lunch down, Pepper and Tony gave her clothes to change into. While comfortable, they felt foreign. Their soft material and bright colours rubbed her the wrong way. Similar to the looks of concern many would pass to her, they sat uncomfortably as though they no longer belonged on her ruined frame.

Stepping into the elevator, both adults finally asked what had been on their minds since she awoke: where was Theo? She didn't answer, and their worried gazes burned into the top of her head for the whole elevator ride.

She wasn't sure what to do when they arrived at the penthouse; everything was identical to when she was last there, from the extravagant skyline of New York to the small but notable deep scratch on the living room table where Theo had once landed too harshly.

Her room felt as welcoming as it did alien. The half-built Lego Millennium Falcon was still sitting on her desk, but perhaps with a little more dust, the sun shone in the same way through her windows and setting everything ablaze, Mini Thor still dutifully stood guard on her bedside table to fend against any unruly dreams.

She had forgotten how little time had passed. Three weeks that crawled like an eternity.

Her eyes landed on a stuffed elephant hugging a black bear. Her body went taut before she marched over, ripping them off the bed and throwing them into the closet, shutting the door with more force than necessary. Sliding to the floor, she clutched her knees and bit hard into her lip to quell the bubble building in her throat.

"It doesn't matter," she hissed to herself. "The dream is dead."

Curls and J. Curly and JJ. They were supposed to be mirrors of each other. They were supposed to have a joyous reunion, one filled with a warm embrace. Jayden was supposed to give the elephant as a welcoming present, a token of celebration. Instead, her friend would rip the toy rather than cherish it. She wouldn't look at them; she couldn't.

Tony was by the doorway for a mysterious amount of time, and she flatly regarded him before returning her glare to her knees. He wouldn't have it; his shadow blocked out the ray of light and gently but firmly guided her onto her feet and back to the living room. The silence was melancholic, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

Stiffly sitting in her usual spot on the couch, she reminisced about the last time she was there. She remembered rushing around the apartment, searching for her missing English homework. Pepper was in the kitchen, admonishing her for leaving it so late. Eventually, she had to accept the loss, leave it behind, and prepare herself for her teacher's reprimand. Miss Mandler ended up forgetting about it, more concerned with Elizabeth's soaked, shaking frame from a lack of a raincoat.

In almost every aspect, she was happy. Life was good. In her few months away from Hydra, she had become lax, forgetting life's intolerable cruelty. It was kind of Terries and whoever this Superior was to remind her of it.

"You hanging in there?" Tony gently questioned, his eyes running over her pinched expression. "It must be strange being back."

She tried to ease her brows from their crumpled display. "It's okay."

"Wanna do anything? Talk about anything?" he pushed, and despite her efforts, his worry seemed to have doubled. "If not, I know your bow is eagerly awaiting your return for some arrow shooting."