Project: A Stark Winter

Chapter Eight: Not in Kansas Anymore

A dull ache pushes on the back of your skull where it must've hit the floor when you toppled into this side of the portal. The pain reminds you that you're alive as it tries to pull you from the soft lull of peaceful sleep. Your eyes feel heavy as you struggle to pry them open against the blinding, white light of the room you're in as a chill runs over your body causing goosebumps to cover your skin. As you look around the sterile room, you realize you're in a lab of some sort, seeing an IV drip, monitors, and other medical equipment placed around the room. Normally panic would consume you in a moment such as this but instead, you feel drowsy and sluggish. I've been drugged? No. I did hit my head with the force of a torpedo. Calm down. Think. Moving your arms to prop yourself up to get a better look around, you're stopped short. You roll your head to the side in horror to see your wrists held to the rail of the bed by restraints. What the fuck, Strange! Where the hell am I? As deep panic sets in, the heart rate monitor begins to beep a bit more rapidly with the idea of being trapped in another universe weighing heavily on your mind. Okay, think. Remember your training. There had been plenty of days spent with Natasha practicing her technique of 'catch and release' if you ever needed to do a recon mission or, god forbid, got kidnapped. You could almost hear her voice walking you through the checklist. First, get your bearings and assess your restraints. Tugging lightly at your restraints to feel that they were unyielding, not a great start. Second, check all possible exits for if they remove restraints. You tilt your head and see only the one door. Doubly not great. You ran through the rest noting you weren't unclothed, no other hostages were with you, and you were completely alone at the moment. Not allowing yourself to fully relax, you did however notice that this didn't feel like an 'unsafe' space. More than likely they were being wary of you. Still, you knew enough to not drop your guard. You laid there for awhile letting your mind drift as you picked at the rough material of the hospital blankets. The sound of soft voices draws your attention in the direction of the door, making you freeze. Trying to pick out individual voices in their conversation you squint in concentration while listening closely. There were at least 4 different voices, one of them a woman who was annoyed by the tone of voice. Before you have time to process the rest of the inclining situation, the voices grow louder as they get closer to where you lay, helpless. Closing your eyes, you pretend to be asleep while trying to slow your breathing and heart rate. The footsteps come to a stop just to the right of your bed as more bodies shuffle into the room.
"We know you're awake, there's really not a point to pretending." An impatient voice scolds you, calling your bluff almost immediately. There's a timbre to his voice that feels almost familiar, but the hostility warps it a bit, making it feel strange to your ears. Too afraid to meet your captors you pinch your eyes shut even harder, willing them to get this over with quickly. This draws an exasperated sigh from the man who spoke that is quickly cut off by another voice.
"Maybe we should try and make sure she knows she's safe first, huh Tony?" At this, your eyes snap open. As they do your gaze lands on the deep, brown eyes of none other than Tony Stark; your father. Your throat releases a strangled, quiet gasp. Your mind not able to believe what your eyes are seeing. His eyes scan you for any sign of a threat, harsh but curious. What you don't see is any sign of recognition.
"Dad?" You question softly, bottom lip quivering.
"What the fuck?" He gasps as he physically takes a step back and crosses his arms, looking around the room uncomfortably. The recoil feeling like a slap to the face.
"Language." Chides a baritone voice to your side, as Steve Rogers steps into your line of sight.
"How the fuck?" You breath, confusion matching Tony's causing Steve to quirk an eyebrow at you with a playful grin.
"S-sorry." You mumble, mouth agape at the star-spangled man above you. He beams a knockout smile your way then turns to frown at Tony.
"Who knew Tony had a daddy kink?" Purred the sultry voice of Natasha Romanoff as she rounded the corner into the room, tossing Steve a file of some kind.
"Ew." You and Steve grumble simultaneously, drawing a full-belly laugh from Sam Wilson.
"Dude you cannot make this shit up. A girl falls from the sky onto the living room floor and calls you dad? I'm sorry man, but this is hilarious."
"Sam, please. Shut up." Tony pleads, running a hand through his hair nervously.
"No. Seriously. What are the odds?"
"For us? Pretty high. We are the Avengers. Strange otherworldly happenings are our thing." Natasha states matter-of-factly.
"Nat has a point." Steve relents, leading through the folder intently.
"I always do."
"Is this a game to you? A woman dropped out of the sky and we are all jokes?" Tony scoffs; rubbing his hands over his goatee in frustration. He looks at you causing you to look away quickly.
"Oh come on, man. You're just mad because someone is going to want twenty plus years of child support." Sam snark with a laugh earning a 'too far' glare from Steve. Tony opens and closes his mouth several times before leaving the room altogether. You watch him leave, heartbreaking as he walks through the double doors and away from you. Natasha walks over to Sam and gives him a firm smack to the back of the head and walks back to the walk opposite your bed.
"Ow! Jesus, Nat. It was just a joke."
"Try telling that to him. I'd rather not deal with Tony when he gets like this so cool it." Natasha watches you closely; feeling her eyes dissecting you from her spot on the far wall. Setting the file down, Steve moves around your hospital bed and starts unclasping your restraints. He helps raise your bed into a sitting position and get you more comfortable. There was nothing in his body language that indicated he was on edge or guard around you. He felt at ease which made your heart hurt all the more. This Steve felt so similar to yours that you found your body wanting to respond in the way it always had. You pulled your hands back to your sides to stop then from reaching out for him as Steve clears his throat, pretending not to notice.
"We didn't want to restrain you like this, but in our work, you can never be too careful. So, tell me, how did you get here?" He smiles at you as he takes a seat on the foot of your bed, holding his hands in his lap awaiting your answer.
"Um, well. God, I guess that's a super load question. Where even is 'here'? But, I guess to put it simply, a wizard opened a portal and I jumped through?" You stammered, not even knowing where to begin. These people, who you considered family, had no idea who you were. Steve nodded half-heartedly not exactly following your answer.
"Honey, you ain't in Kansas no more." Jokes Sam from the other side of the room, causing Steve to shoot him a dirty look. His laughter dies abruptly as a serious face replaces his smirk. Turning back to face you, patiently, Steve takes a deep breath and continues his questioning.
"Alright, let's try another one, why did you call Tony your dad?" He asks, his voice patient and kind. He reaches out a hand and places it on yours, providing comfort as he awaits your response. Your lungs take in a sharp breath as your eyes lock in where your hands make contact. He's not the same man. This attempt at remind yourself falls on deaf ears as you move your pinky finger to hook onto his. Steve raises his eyebrows, but doesn't pull away as you do so. He gives you a curious smile as he intertwines his fingers with yours. You stare him dead in the face, searching his blue eyes for any semblance of recognition but come up empty.
"You really don't remember me. None of you do." You mutter softly, tears spilling over at the realization of remembering what Strange had said. Steve's smile falls as he looks over at Natasha and Sam; who look equal parts confused and concerned at your sudden tears. "Hey, it's okay." Steve tried to comfort you with soothing circles in your knuckles while still holding your hand when Natasha speaks up.
"No, y/n. We have never met you. I'm sorry." Her voice is soft, but it is firm as she holds your gaze. Strange's portal had put you into an alternate version of your universe, one where you didn't exist at all. Groaning, you lay back down and flip an arm over your eyes. Just then, quick footsteps sound in the room as the double doors are pushed open. You peer from under your arm to see Tony striding back into the room with Bruce, Wanda, and Vision close on his heels. He makes quick work of opening various vials and syringes and lays them out on a metallic cart. Steve stands then and backs away from the bed to allow Tony to work, but stays close by. He gives a sympathetic look as Tony grabs a few needles and lays them out next to you. Grabbing one of the needles, Tony grabs your arm hesitantly as he looks into your eyes.
"I have to run a few tests, so I need some vials of blood, okay?" He reassured you, sensing the nervousness you felt. You couldn't bring yourself to answer, so you numbly nodded your consent. While Tony draws your blood, Bruce begins looking over the file Natasha had given Steve. Whatever he reads there shocks him, as his eyebrows shoot up higher than you thought possible. Looking between you and the file, Bruce begins jotting down notes about god knows what. Blood drawn, Tony puts the vials into a high-tech centrifuge to run the tests. Pulling up the A.I. holographic models, you see it read 2% COMPLETE in the air above you. Rolling out the doctor's stool, Tony takes a seat; leaning his forearms on the edge of your bed.
"Here's the deal, kid." He begins calmly, taking a deep breath before pushing on.
"I'm testing your blood for a D.N.A match with my own. Wanda here can peer into minds and we will get the truth about wherever it is you came from. My job is to protect this world from threats, and right now, I see a threat. Prove me wrong, and we can all just move on, got it?" Tony exclaims matter-of-factly, clapping his hands in the air as he does so. He pulls the hologram into his view as it reads 89% COMPLETE. Wanda takes a step forward and gives a gentle wave. You smile back at her, warm memories of girly movie nights and rewatching old sitcoms flash in your mind.
"I'm just going to have a look around for things, memories and thoughts, that will help us know why you're here. I promise I won't invade anything private." Wanda insisted, placing a hand gently on your temple. She peered into your eyes, awaiting confirmation that this was okay before beginning.
"It's alright, Wanda. I trust you." You whisper softly, catching her by surprise. However, she collects herself quickly, and nods; red magic flowing from her fingertips into your mind. With a second click of her fingers, she casts a mirror image in the air, of what she sees in your mind, as she searches for the truth. There's an almost warm sensation in your mind, as Wanda enters your memories. A cozy, red fog sweeps around peeking into moments from your life. She takes great care with each one, treating them as fragile snowflakes as her magic caresses them. She sees your dad taking you to the beach in your old home in Malibu, the sun shining as he kisses your chubby, round baby cheeks under a sun hat. You can almost taste the salty ocean air and hear the seagulls calling as she reignites that memory. Placing the memory back, Wanda moves on to the next. Her red magic encases a loving scene of your dad reading you the Hobbit as you get ready for bed; nightlight glowing soft pink hearts across your bedroom walls. The musical sound of your giggles, caused by your dad's dwarf voice, echoing in your mind brings a smile to your lips. She moves on through more childhood memories of riding bikes, scraped knees, breakfasts before school. The countless 'I love you's' spoken and hugs given all laid out for her to see. She moves on to the darker section of memories, those of the last few years. She watches as you battle Thanos on Titan, seeing you cry for Peter and Strange. The red magic swirls around nervously as it watches you try and build a new life during the five years following the Snap.
"Wanda..." you whisper as you gets closer to a few memories of you and Steve. This was about you and your father; you and Tony. Wanda sensed this as she understood the relationship you had with each of the people in this room now; including herself. Steve didn't need to see that part. If he love you then, he would love you again. Wanda instead steers it towards a day at Coney Island with Steve; a sweet memory on a day where you chose to just try and be happy again. The memories quickly turned darker once again as they faded into shades of grey and black. She witnesses your father's last moments with you as he sacrifices himself for the world to bring everyone back that had been lost. Pushing about further, Wanda can see how it is you got here. The result of an experiment gone wrong with you being sent into an alternate universe as the only way of saving the world you left behind; the faces of Steve and Bucky heart broken staring on as you leap through the portal. The red mists dissipate from your mind as you're pulled back to reality. You reach up and feel that your cheeks are wet from fresh tears, having relieved so many memories of your life. Looking up to meet Wanda's gaze, you see hers are wet as well, crying for you and all you have been through and now knowing who you are and why this hurts you so deeply.
"I am so sorry, y/n." She whispers, caressing your cheek tenderly as she lets her hand fall from your head. You look around the room and see much of the same saddened expression mirrored on the faces of those around you; all of them seeing the reality of who you are laid bare. As if to punctuate the truth of it all, Friday calls out,
"D.N.A match confirmed." An image of you and Tony appears on the holographic image connected by a thin, blue line reading out that you were a father/daughter match. Tony stares at you, dumbfounded trying to find the words to say. The silence hangs in the air for a few moments until Bruce clears his throat, drawing attention to him.
"All that really happened?" He asked incredulously, voice quiet as it sank in. You simply nod, not trusting your own voice at the moment. Standing slowly, Tony offers you a hand.
"Well, I guess your references check out." He quips with a wink and a shrug. You take his hand as he helps you out of the bed and to your feet.
"When you plopped down here into our lil old universe you hit your head pretty hard but it could've been worse. You have a minor concussion so I'd take it easy for a bit." He gently tucks a strand of hair behind your ear as he assesses the bandage on the base of your skull. Tony tenderly fussed overly you for a moment as he slowly brought his eyes to meet your own. You could see sadness, but a small flint of hope there too.
"Hardheads must run in the family." Natasha snarks as she pushes off the wall and saunters out of the room and down the hallway.
"Ignoring that!" Tony shouts after her, eyes rolling as he does so. He turns his gaze back to you and smiles warmly.
"I have a room set up for you, here in the tower. Steve can show you where it is and help you get settled in. Try and get some rest and I'll check on you tomorrow to talk more. If you need anything I-" he stops himself and laughs, a light blush dusting his cheeks.
"I guess you already know your way around since you already lived here."
"Thank you." You say, softly and giving his hand a final squeeze you follow Steve out the door toward your room. On your way out of the room, you catch Tony talking to Sam,
"I should definitely throw a party for my new daughter. Friday, call Pepper, I have news. Oh and schedule a caterer. What? Sam, don't look at me like that. This is a special occasion!"
"Tony, you'll look for any reason to throw a party."
For the first time in a long time, you felt an ember of hope glowing in your chest. It felt warm as it blossomed and grew, igniting a sense of purpose you had long since buried in favor of grief. This time would be different, you told yourself. You'd not allow the bitterness of loss to change you again. This second chance would not be one you'd take lightly.