I Thought You Were Different: Part 3

Eternity

With your eyes closed, and your head tipped back to allow the sunlight to gently warm your skin, you couldn't think of a better day. The sounds of the Mall in Central Park were always active and chaotic, but today, it was as if the world knew that you needed this moment of serenity and it readily provided; you never would have thought that a park bench in the middle of one of the busiest spots in New York would be where you would find the most peace.

The air was sweet with the scent of spring, and new flowers blooming nearby; new life growing to color the world with its hope and promise despite the dangers and pain that you knew lurked around every corner all too well. But today that wasn't a concern to you. Today was about sitting on this single bench, with Steve and your three children playing in the grass, their sounds of laughter and squeals of delight being the only music you wanted to hear.

You opened your eyes and raised your hand to allow them to adjust to the shift in brightness around you, for the first time noticing a brilliant white light illuminating the end of the path towards the city. It was so bright that you couldn't see the skyscrapers beyond it, and your curiosity to know its purpose became a question as intense to you as the light you were seeing. Turning to look at your family, you saw that they had moved to a small playground a short distance away but still within your sight. Tony had joined them now, pushing a swing that held a small girl that you couldn't immediately recognize; his smile was wide and full of life, a pure joy on his face that you had seen so rarely, and that you cherished so much.

But that light...it was almost blinding now, and urging you to go towards it.

~~~

The team sat in an observation suite above the operating room, where Vision was sitting eerily still next to you with Brooklyn at his side, allowing her to share the energy that he could provide. They had a hard time finding sterile gloves that would fit her tiny hands, but they managed to find some that would work so that she could hold her hand against your chest and over your heart, doing everything she could to not look at the terrifying and gaping hole that was made by your surgeon. Tony's part was already done and thought to be a success in clearing the shrapnel, leaving your life literally in your daughter's hands.

As Wanda looked on, she felt a shift around her that she couldn't identify; cocking her head to the side in curiosity, she closed her senses to the sounds around her and the voices that filled the small room. "Anthony," she whispered to the boy at her side, "I need to seek an answer to something, and I would appreciate it if you could please not allow anyone to try to speak to me so that I can concentrate."

"Sure, Aunt Wanda," he answered readily, straightening in his seat to attention, "you got it. Grant and I have you covered."

"Thank you," she smiled faintly, glancing up at Steve to see the immense worry on his face, mirrored by Tony only a few steps past him. If she was right in what she thought she was feeling, she had to hurry, and she had to be convincing. It was hard to argue with the bright lure of a peaceful eternity.

~~~

You pushed yourself up to stand, looking to your family to be sure that they were still happy and enjoying this time, even without you at their side. It was a relief to see that none of them had noticed you begin to walk away, allowing you to find the answer to why this light was so bright and why it was speaking to you without causing them any upset. It only took a few steps to get close enough to think you could touch it, reaching out only to stop yourself when you heard your friend calling out to you with a desperation in her voice; it was a painful and sharp contrast to the tranquil and joyous scene around you.

"(Y/N)!" Wanda called out, standing at the bench you had just vacated, though it seems so much farther away somehow. "(Y/N), please, come back! I need to speak with you!"