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[20] Home Inspection

Bruce followed me as I walked down the street, remembering where the house was. It was only five blocks away, and it was in a cute little neighborhood. I had only one friend in this neighborhood, but I have no idea where she is now. We lost touch when we turned ten, because that's when I started acting strange. I remember house number 247, and that's the house Bruce and I now stood in front of.

"We're here?" He asked, and I nodded. The door was most likely locked, but my dad was dumb enough to hide a key somewhere. Trust me, he was a smart man, but he supported the dumbest idea in the book. Our mailbox was attached to the wall, and that's where my father hid the key. I walked up to the house, and reached into the mailbox, and I pulled out the key. I inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and the door opened.

"Hey, Missy! What do you think you're doing?!" An old lady yelled from next door. I turned to look at her, and her eyes widened.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but this is my house. I'm Cynthia, Cynthia Coulson. I just got back from a major trip, and I'm returning home with my partner." I said politely. Bruce came up the walk and stood next to me, and he set his arm around my waist.

"Little Cynthia Coulson! My, how big you've gotten. I remember meeting you when you were five years old! You probably don't remember me. I'm Mrs. Vilangra. And I also remember your father, where is he now?" Mrs. Vilangra gushed. A lump jumped up into my throat, and I swallowed it with great difficulty.

"Mrs. Vilangra, he won't be returning for a long time. I was allowed to leave due to..." I blanked, but Bruce was quick with a response.

"Due to our child." He finished my sentence. I smiled up at Bruce, and he placed his hand on my stomach.

"Funny, you don't look like you're having a child." Mrs. Vilangra said, adjusting her glasses. I blushed a bright shade of red and cleared my throat.

"We adopted, Mrs. Vilangra. we figured it was easier for us, as starters." Bruce said, getting annoyed.

"Oh, well then, I'll letyou two get back to what you were doing. Have a nice night." With that, the old bat went back inside her house. I lead Bruce into the house, and I was surprised to see everything still standing. It was how I left it when I was thirteen, when Fury came to take me away. I walked away from Bruce, several memories resurfacing. I looked out to the backyard, where I swear I saw my father pushing a younger version of me on the swingset. I looked at our TV room, where I saw my first swig of soda, and I saw my father chasing me, laughing as he did so. I felt tears fill my eyes, and I started walking to the stairs. Bruce was looking around the kitchen, and I went up to the second floor. The first room I entered was my father's room. The bed had a layer of dust on it, the nightstand and dresser remained unused. It broke my heart, and tears fell onto the carpet as I spotted a photo. It was dad, mom, and I at the hospital. My eyes were opened, and both of them had huge smiles on their faces. I picked up the picture and held it close to my chest.

"I'm taking this." I mumbled. I looked around the room again, and my sight blurred from all of the tears. I wiped my eyes, and I left the room quickly. I then ventured into my old bedroom, and I was disgusted by the major amounts of the color pink. Why did I fancy this color? Well, if Marie wants to live here, and she probably will, she'll most likely want a new color over these walls. I walked around the room, smiling at the stuffed animals. Unlike my father's bed, there was no layer of dust upon my sheets. I sat down on the bed, and looked around the room again. Photos of my father and I covered the walls, all of which held precious memories that flooded back. We smiled in every picture, but there was something in his eyes. He looked like he was in emotional pain in the pictures where I was four and five. I didn't hear Bruce come up the stairs, but when he entered the room, I jumped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said softly. I just nodded and tried to study the photos from afar. Bruce sat next to me, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. He looked around my bedroom, and he chuckled.

"I guess you liked the color pink, huh?"

"I suppose so. But, it's utterly disgusting now, I'm sorry to say.

He smiled, and we both stood. Bruce turned to face me, and he placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Do you think you'd want to move here? It's alright if you don't, but I've seen the way you look at the rooms. It hurts to be back here after what feels like forever, I know. But, it's all up to you." He whispered before pulling me into a safe hug.

"I think it'd be best for Tony and Pepper if we lived here. And I think Marie would want this as well. It's time for me to deal with the feelings I may get in this house, but I can make more memories here." I mumbled. Bruce looked down at me, kissed my forehead, and stepped back a little.

"Alright, but we may have to deal with that nosey old woman." He chuckled.

"Oh yeah. Thanks for the save back there. I was honestly so taken aback, I couldn't think of Marie." I laughed. Together, we left my bedroom, went downstairs, and took a final look at the inside of the house, and we left. I locked the door behind me, and Bruce and I walked back to Stark Tower.

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We walked back into the top floor of the tower, and Tony stood eating something I did not recognize.

"Well?" Natasha asked.

"It's stable. Nothing was destroyed, and it's fit to be lived in." I smiled.

"So, will you be living there soon?" Steve asked. Bruce nodded, and I heard Marie's tiny voice cheer.

"It isn't that far from here, either." Bruce added, to which I nodded. We smiled at each other, and Marie stepped forward. She then ran at us and hugged out legs. Bruce and I laughed, and we crouched down to hug her back. She was giggling, and it made me so happy. One thing was still bouncing around in my mind, though. Why did my father's eyes seem so upset in the photos in my room? I think it's time I asked and demanded answers from Fury himself.