Tili Tili Bom (An Avengers fanfic)

Chapter twenty-two

The room I wake up in is cold, and dark. I rip what seems to be a cheap, plastic tarp off of me before realizing it's a body bag. I drop it and look around, dancing over the freezing metal floor. I find myself in the basement of the tower, wings draping down heavily out of the back of my shirt. I wear a black shirt with black leggings- reaching into my hair, however, reveals several sprigs of lavender. I examine them for a moment before shifting my attention to my hands. The fingernails have shifted into thick, razor like claws. Running my tongue over my teeth, I find them sharper and pointier than they used to be. Where is everyone? No matter what I am, I need to make sure they're okay.

I shift my focus to upstairs. Six souls- six people. They should all be here. I get in the elevator, push the button for the living floor. No Jarvis. As I look around, my new eyes revealing every flaw and imperfection in the walls, it begins to occur to me that I haven't taken a breath since I woke up. It's not concerning-the realization settles into place in a slowly expanding list of things I know I'm used to. Another, more worrying thought occurs to me: they watched me die. How do I approach this? No time- the elevator is opening. No one. I can hear quiet, choked off noises. Something inside my chest twists. I pad quietly into the other room from the threshold of the living room.  "So what happens now?" I hear someone ask softly. I can see them- the thing in my chest shrieks in agony at the expressions on their faces.

I've done something wrong. The look on Bruce's face is one of exhaustion, and small patches of green gather and disperse at his hairline. Steve and Tony's backs are to me, and I'm almost relieved that I cannot see them. Natasha and Clint cling tightly to each other, and Thor just seems... lost. "We start planning for a funeral, I guess," Tony says bitterly. Steves shoulders shake for a moment. Thor casts his eyes around, looking for anything else but the pain on his friends face.

They land on me.

He's out of his seat in an instant, hammer in his hand, storming to me. I raise my hands as he points his hammer at me. "What have you done with the lady Charlotte?" Everyone turns to look at that. I can't decide what's worse: the betrayal on Steves face or the horror on Clints. "I can explain," I start. Steve gets out of his chair as Thors hand shakes. "Who are you?" Steve asks. His voice is far sharper than usual. I look at him for a moment. "It's me," I say. "It's Charlotte." Tony laughs. "Oh yeah, that's totally believable. Charlotte usually looks like something out of an H.P. Lovecraft novel." He looks furious. I stare at him pleadingly. "Please. It's me! It's me, I swear!" My wings flare reflexively- Natasha recoils slightly at the movement. "Prove it," Tony snarls.

I take a deep breath, more to give myself something familiar to cling to than to actually breathe. "I know you don't believe me, but I swear I'm Charlotte. I'm sorry- I'm sorry I scared you, I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry- I'm s-sorry I-" I start to break down. "It's me," I say again. My wings ruffle against each other as I try to keep speaking. "I k-killed the Queen, b-but sh-she was part of me, and I c-couldn't just get rid of h-her and I'm sorry because I just wanted t-to fix this and I r-remembered and I p-promise its-"

Someone puts a light, careful hand on my arm, and I break, letting blood-red tears roll down my face. "Charlotte?" someone asks. I gasp and lean towards them. "Yes." Someone else moves my hair away from my ear with a practiced sweep, and holds it there. "Look," I hear Clint. My ear still hurts, but I don't care, I just want my friends, my team, my family back. Someone throws their arms around me. Someone laughs. "Charlotte!" And suddenly everyone's here, everyone's here, and for the first time since I sent Malvina away, I feel happy, freely, truly happy. Tears still stream down my face- the questions will come, and I will have to tell them everything, but things will be alright.

I don't sleep in my room that night. I fall asleep downstairs, on the couch, in a tight knot with everyone who won't let go. Tony has said that he'll make some calls in the morning- Steve said he understands about my job, that he knows I can't be a full avenger, that he hopes I'll still live with them. (I can see the fear in his eyes when I tell him I can't control who I take.) Clint pulls me aside and says I'm not allowed to do stuff like this anymore, because I scared him. I apologize for dying. He tells me it's okay to get help. I apologize to Bruce as well, who still has tears in his eyes. Thor just looks at me, like he can't believe I'm here. Natasha tells me later that she'll kill me if I ever hurt her family again. As a semi-immortal, I believe her. She'll find a way. Jarvis breaks my heart when he comes back on and says simply, "I had hoped you would return." "For you? Of course," I respond.

I mean every word.