Summers' Purpose

Chapter 61

Y/n got worried the closer they got to their destination. She wondered if it was a mistake to come along with them, but Steve and Natasha assured her that it was fine. The rumbling of the car engine and the crunch of the tires on the dirt ground was all she could focus on, accompanying the drumming of her heartbeat in her ear. She looked out the window when she felt the car slowing down. At first, all she could see were the lush, tall trees framing the road. Her eyes followed along and soon she saw a beautiful cabin by the water at the end of a stone path.

The car rolled to a stop some distance away from the cabin. Steve, Natasha, and Scott got out of the car; eyes fixed on someone walking towards the entrance of the building. Y/n knew right away who it was but to her surprise, he was carrying someone. A child? She thought as she stepped out of the car and stood behind Steve, watching Tony turn around to look at them. She could see now that Tony was indeed carrying a little girl. She was a little taken aback and confused by this, wondering who that girl was. Tony turned and walked inside the cabin, returning alone a little while later to meet them on the porch.

Y/n stood by as the three went to greet him. She took the chance to take a good look at Tony in the meantime, noting how different he looked since the last time they met. They glanced back at Y/n, who was still quiet and looking pensively at Tony. She realized that she was probably staring at Tony this whole time when she sensed the awkwardness in the air.

"What, no 'Hi Tony, how've you been'? Are you staring at something on my face, or are you plotting to zap me again? Cause if that's the case, then we need to find a better way to—" Tony was interrupted by Y/n giving him a tight hug. He sighed in relief, hugging her back. Y/n could sense that he felt a little caught off guard by this interaction so she quickly moved away.

"Sorry, I got carried away. I'm just really happy to see you, Tony." Y/n felt bad about what she did but was surprised when Tony went in for another hug, which Y/n gladly reciprocated.

"Glad to see you, kid. It's been a while." He squeezed her shoulder gently as he let go, his actions saying more than his words would. Tony looked around at his surprise visitors before addressing them again. "I appreciate you dropping by but I know you guys didn't come here just to say hi. I know something's brewing by the looks on your faces," he glanced particularly at Steve, Natasha, and Scott. "But Pepper reminded me to play nice so I'll be a good host and humor you. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Tony asked, squinting his eyes suspiciously at them.

Y/n could hear Steve explaining the reason for their visit, but something else caught her attention. Something felt wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. She looked around, listening to the leaves rustling in the trees around them as the wind blew a gentle breeze. For some reason, she felt a migraine coming. She closed her eyes to try and shake it off, but she could tell that something was definitely wrong by the red mist she could see encroaching her peripherals. The pain grew as the mist slowly spread.

Natasha heard Y/n inhaling sharply, turning to see her massaging her temple. She frowned at the sight. "Are you okay? You don't look too well. What's wrong?"

Y/n sensed their concern and didn't want to worry them pointlessly so she quickly waved Natasha's question off. "I'm fine, I just need some air. You guys keep talking. I'll be back." She walked off the porch, feeling their eyes at the back of her head. She headed to the small clearing beside the cabin where she knew they could still see her in case they thought she'd take off. She gave them an awkward thumbs up as assurance before turning to look at the lake sprawled in front of her. She closed her eyes, focusing as much as possible to push the mist away.

.

"What's that about?" Tony questioned. "Is she okay? Is she showing any signs of regression?"

"Physically, Helen said she's doing good. Everything else... is a little bit of a gray area." Natasha pursed her lips in thought. "I've been monitoring her and she seems okay. Nothing out of the ordinary ever since she got her memory back, which is a good thing."