Forever

84

The time to celebrate in now, when it's only been two days since the attempted kidnapping and Bree hasn't been able to get the faces of those men out of her head, it's time for a birthday party for a newly seven-year-old.

Bree had been watching from the cameras as they interrogated the men and everything they said chilled her to the core. She couldn't help wondering what it would've been like if Pietro wasn't there when she needed him. He risked his life to save hers and he swears that he would do again, everyday he would do it. He would do anything to keep her safe, even from a few rich psychos.

-

Bree takes her time getting ready for Morgan's little pink party. She takes it slow, so she doesn't panic or get too overwhelmed with the crowd she knows will be there soon. The exact same crowd that was present for New Years will show up and she is not ready for it. But this is about Morgan and that's all Bree is going to care about today.

So she pushes the scary thoughts aside as best she can, though they replay constantly in her head. She'll find a distraction and hope that will be enough, but no matter what, she knows she can't get rid of all of it. Either way, she'll pretend. Like always, she'll pretend to be okay and smile for her baby sister, praying that the day will end quickly and she can go back to bed.

-

Downstairs in the common room, Peter carries around Morgan on his back with little to no choice in the matter while MJ and Ned poke fun and joke around with the pair. Bree watches with a small smile from her stance beside Pietro, who sits on a stool with a drink in his hand and talks to Wanda and Bucky.

Bree looks off to the side, where she finds her parents chatting with Rhodey and a new guest, Fury. She hasn't seen Fury since she was eighteen and was packing to leave for LA.

Remembering that gets her thinking. What if she had stayed in LA and never came home? Would she still be alive, if it weren't for what she found here? Would she have survived herself, just to be taken instead? Pietro would be safe, she wouldn't have hurt him.

They'd be living the same boring lives apart if she hadn't come home. She would've lost herself further and never experienced what a love like this feels like. Of course, she's loved people before, but Pietro is different. The way he holds her and cares for her, the way he forgives and loves, she's never felt that. It's new and it's exciting and she couldn't have asked for anything else in life.

But what if she didn't get it? If she hadn't come home, she wouldn't be alive today and she knows it. She would've been dead, whether it be by her hand or not, she's sure she wouldn't have made it to twenty-one, like she did. Having him by her side has saved her life in so many ways and she doesn't even want to imagine a life without him.

But her thoughts have a mind of their own, she had no control, and now she's forced to sit through flashes off her in pain, her scars, or body, all of it growing so much worse. Her health declining to where she can barely spend a day without falling over. It's scary to think about, but she can't help it.

So she'll use it, instead. Creating new things is what she does and it's what she's good at, even if it's not on purpose. But this will be and she's already started.

She heads back upstairs and makes her way to her studio. She closes the door behind her and picks up her headphones as she sits with a heavy heart and mind, ready to just keep pouring it all out.

-

As soon as Pietro realizes his loving shadow is gone, he looks around for wherever it could be before he races directly to their floor. He notices the door to the studio is closed and hesitantly and slowly opens it. He finds Bree as sets her equipment down with a deep breath and turns off her computers.

"Hey." He leans against the doorframe as she turns around. "Something wrong?"

"No, I'm okay." She shrugs it off while nodding. "Just had some ideas I needed to get down, that's all."

"Alright." He nods gently with furrowed brows. "Are you coming back down?"

"Yeah, I was just about to." She walks past him while he worriedly watches. "Wanted to get that over with before I forget."

He nods and looks back in the room for a curious moment before he closes the door and follows her into the elevator. He lays his arm over her shoulders and pulls her close to his side before they make it back to the common room.

Morgan takes off directly to her to hide from Peter as he runs after her. Bree picks her up onto her hip as he stops with an out-of-breath sigh and smile.

"You're gonna overwork yourself, Hun." She chuckles softly.

"I'll be fine." He waves it off with a grin. "I'm SpiderMan." He jokes and she chuckles. "But, Man, she doesn't lose her energy." He pants with furrowed brows.

"She'll crash soon, she's the same as me." She turns to her, just before Tony takes her away with a pat to Bree's shoulders and she folds her hands in front of her with a small grin and furrowed brows.

"Hey, you alright?" Peter asks gently while tilting his head down a bit as Pietro watches from beside Wanda. "You look upset."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She shrugs convincingly. "Just letting my mind wander."

"Yeah, don't do that too much, you'll hurt yourself." He teases with a smirk while nudging her arm.

"Get..." She wacks his shoulder with a smile. "Outta here."

He walks away with a laugh and Bree shakes her head before she plops down on the couch and Pietro takes a deep breath.

"She's probably just freaked out still." Wanda states after watching him for a minute and he turns to her. "That's pretty traumatizing to find out you're being stalked."

"I know, but I'm just worried." He crosses his arms. "She's trying to hide it from me and I don't need her doing that again."

"I get that." She nods softly. "But you don't have to worry, this is different. She's a strong girl, it'll pass." She hopes and he sighs before nodding in agreement with a fake grin.

"Right."