Chapter 14

"Lorelie?"

Someone was speaking--no, they were shaking me. Pretty hard too.

I blink, trying to clear my head from the colourful jewels I'd just seen.

What were they?

Why did they make themselves known?

As if I had not enough problems to deal with.

I want to ignore them but I know I can't. Whatever they are, they've been waiting at the back of my mind this whole time.

The issue was I had no idea what that particular ′something′ was or why they only chose to show up now.

"Hey, Lorelie!"

With a snap, I've regained back my vision.

What...?

I looked around in alarm.

The skies weren't black.

There were no stars.

It was morning.

I wasn't alone.

I could feel my team's familiar energy around me.

"Hey," Clint shook me again and I stare at him for a long moment before frowning.

"Clint...?"

"Yeah," He nods, gaze narrowed in concern.

I found I was standing out on the porch. Exactly in my vision. I was no longer in the other reality, the place where there was no one but myself.

"Where... am I?" My confusion is honest as Clint wraps a hand around my forearm.

He led me to an old porch swing, resting by the side of the door and sat me there. His suit had been changed out into more regular casual clothes.

"You're at my house, we arrived a couple of hours ago after what happened at the jet." His mouth was moving but all I hear is muffled tones.

I scratch the back of my ear, an action meant to distract. "What happened at the jet?"

"You don't remember?" Something like a frown cross his expression. "Your heart stopped, but we brought you back."

My, heart stopped?

"Next time maybe give us a bit of a warning when your healing decides to kick the bucket, I thought Tony was going to--"

"-What?" I am beyond confused. I can't understand what's happening around me.

Clint realizes I'm not catching whatever it is he was trying to tell me. He bents down on his knees and snaps his fingers in front of my face.

My reaction is slower, no--I don't show any reaction at all.

There's a charge in my veins, I can feel my body heating up with an unregular amount of energy. It makes all my senses slow down.

Clint doesn't like that, he immediately stood up and called out to the house.

"Banner? Hey, I might need your help!"

There is a sound of numerous thuds before Banner pokes his head out the door. His gaze drifted to me, immediately gaping.

"What are you doing? You shouldn't be up!" He crosses the space between us and grabbed my hands, eyes, searching mine.

I thought it was weird that he was holding me until I realize it was because I was practically sliding off the chair, expression gone.

Was it weird that the world was swaying, or was it just me that was swaying?

"She was standing out here, her eyes had turned into those freaky blues," Barton explained rather pointedly.

Banner rolled his eyes at Clint's lack of explanation and tugged at my arm.

"Hey? Are you fully awake in there?"

Yes.

No.

I wasn't sure. All I saw were the colourful rainbows that continued to surround me.

"It's so... colourful..."

They were spinning around me. Round and round. I can almost reach out to touch them.

Whatever these jewels were, they were calling me, telling me, saying something I couldn't hear, but feel.

My wrists were burning too, they were burning so sharply, yet the pain was lost in my own mind.

"Is she drunk?" Clint questions dumbly.

Banner huffed before standing up to his height. "Where's Stark? Call Steve too."

Clint disappeared in the house and Banner urged me to lean back, his hand placed at the back of my nape so I didn't flop backwards.

I obeyed.

Not like I had anything else to do.

"Scream and your entire staff dies."

That voice.

I blink, looking around for the source of the voice. It's Sir-tin-a-lot but he's not here.

Yet I can almost hear him as though he was right in front of me.

"This, is the next me."

My vision flashes. I see the sceptre. I see the blue glowing hue. But it's not the official gem. It contains the power within.

The yellow stone.

"Riley?" My favourite Avenger has arrived. He exits the house, and hops over the porch deck, quickly sitting by me.

Steve raises one of his hands and tilts my head to look into my eyes. He frowns. Through the reflection of his iris, I see my eyes continually reflecting a blue glow.

"I can't find Tony, where is he?" Clint looks around the area, frantic.

"He went to the barn," Steve gestures, eyes never leaving me.

Clint quickly leaves us, practically running the distance towards the barn to get my brother.

In the meantime, the other two men were watching me, both sporting baffled expressions.

"Uhm..." Steve glances at Banner. The doctor shakes his head.

Was it because I was currently humming to myself? Or maybe it was because of the lights that are currently flowing out of me?

They were filling the air between us, the flow practically opaque. It's not hurting them, rather the opposite.

The two men are starting to feel more rejuvenated than ever.

"Riley, you should calm down," Banner says in a gentle manner. "It's not good to overuse your powers to this extent, you're still recovering."

I can't control it.

Whatever happened at the Quinjet was the spark of what's occurring now.

My depleted energy was returning back to me at rapid speed. It felt suffocating almost as the coils of energy enveloped my body whole.

Well, if this is how it feels when I sent a calming wave to someone, I won't mind doing it again.

How have I never tried this before?

I felt high.

Really high.

It was odd considering I've never felt anything like this before. I felt unstoppable almost. Powerful.

"Wow," Steve was huffing, his eyes flashing with discomfort. "Banner, what's happening?"

The super soldier is starting to feel distressed. He finds my powers unbearable to take.

My powers were tapping into a level I don't understand. Instead of spreading peace, they're spreading the opposite.

What's the opposite of peace?

Conflict.

Banner is monitoring my symptoms with a monitor. One hand grips my wrist, whilst the other scrolls through.

His hands are warm.

They were also trembling.

"Are you hurt, Doctor?" I ask him, reaching for his curled hair.

Banner effectively dodges my grip as Steve grabs a hold of me, his arms hoisting me up the porch swing again.

His eyes are saying; stay.

"Right--" Banner cleared his throat, staring at me with interest.

"Considering her heart stopped, it seems to me that her abilities are now rebounding back and creating some sort of chemical induce micro-reaction."

Steve looks at the doctor dumbly. Both men stay in silence before Banner cleared his throat, apparently realizing my boyfriend isn't going to understand.

"Her abilities are healing her much more rapidly," Bruce points at the bruises on my neck-how the hell did I not notice them-and Steve drags his fingers over them, his touch careful.

"I'm guessing the lack of response is a side effect of it," Bruce added, humming thoughtfully. "We should just let it run its course, it'll be over in no time--"

"Your eyes are so blue, has anyone ever told you that?" I asked Steve, leaning impossibly closer to him.

I am practically crawling on top of him, hands reaching out, grabbing and touching every piece of skin I can find.

"Wait a minute--" Steve is struggling to keep me still. "Hey, calm down, I'm not--don't touch there!"

His hands wrestle at my wrists, pinning them back and keeping me still. The tips of his ears have gone red.

There's a flush climbing up his cheeks as well.

"Riley, you shouldn't move too much," Steve coughs, trying to distract me from my current missions.

Which was swiping at the air around him.

The rainbow streaks have found their next target. It's Steve. I reach for them, wanting to catch the lights but they slip away every time.

Steve turns back to Banner, huffing. "Well?"

"Why'd you looking at me for?"

"You're the Doctor,"

"Well, the manual doesn't cover superhuman beings with the power of a Tesseract." Came Banner's sarcastic response.

Both men glowered at each other before they glanced back at me, having no idea how to react next.

"Banner?" Someone was calling out in the distance.

Two figures can be seen running towards us.

"I heard she's awake, how is--"

My brother runs up the porch, feet skidding to a pause when he takes me in. His brown orbs drop into obvious confusion. I don't think he expects me to be up and about.

"How--"

"Tony!"

"Riley no!" Steve tries to stop me.

It was probably a good idea too, considering how I'm currently free falling to my brother's waiting arms.

Tony holds me quickly, his arms encircling mine with quick reflexes. He gives me a dumb look when he sees my bright expression.

"When you said she was awake..." He trails off looking at Clint who was scratching his head behind us.

"Her abilities are healing her at a much faster pace." Banner concluded, gesturing to me, who is currently poking at my brother's stubble. "These are some of the side effects I guess."

"Right,"

Tony hoists me up in his arms and gently sets me down on the porch swing making Steve stand up to make more room.

"That doesn't bother me at all," He mutters to himself as he squats in front of me, fingers snapping. "Blues, listen up, are you sober?"

I stare at his fingers in confusion, unsure how to make of this.

Tony pauses and gives the people around us a look. "Her heart stopped, she shouldn't be walking. How did she come out?"

"Oh, I saw her walk down the stairs," Clint shrugged like it's no big deal.

All men turn towards him, sporting expressions of utter disbelief. It's Tony who asked.

"And...?"

"And what?"

My brother looked like he wanted to smack some sense into Clint. "You didn't stop her?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know-- maybe because she was dead for a solid ten seconds before Romanoff went to town with her electric wristbands?"

Is that why my chest hurt so much?

"Look, she was just standing there, mumbling something about rainbows," Barton had both hands scrunching up in front of him in defence.

"Rainbows?" Tony was scoffing now, sounding exasperated.

"Okay, I see where I went wrong here," Clint takes a deep breath and presses his palms together. "In my defence..."

Everyone eyes him impatiently, waiting for him to explain himself.

"I have nothing to defend myself with--damn-"

"The most we can do is wait." Banner optioned out, making most of the people around us sigh in relief. "I'm sure she'll return to normal Lorelie soon enough,"

Tony narrowed his features, brows furrowed in thought.

He was thinking.

And I knew the exact moment those brown eyes of his, abruptly lit up in delight, mouth grinning--that he's thought of something. Something rather stupid.

That's a bad look.

That's a look that got Clint thrown off the Tower in the first place because they all thought it was a great idea for him to catch Thor's hammer mid-air.

Who do you think gave him the idea?

"Oh, I am so taking advantage of this."

My brother rubbed his palms together gleefully and glance at the others who merely looked at him in confusion.

"Oh come on!" Tony announced. "Don't tell me you never wanted to know what a drunk Lorelie would do with her powers!"

Steve scowled. "Tony, no."

"She's my sister," Tony grumbled back like a little kid.

"She's my girlfriend," Steve retorted back.

"You know, Riley's always been tight-lipped about getting drunk..." Clint trailed off, sounding sheepish.

He was vouching for Tony's idea.

Steve gives him a glare making him raise his hands in surrender.

"She's not drunk, but this is as close as we can get!" Clint defended.

Banner shakes his head at our interaction and although he does not approve, I catch the way the corner of his mouth lifts up into a smile.

I wonder what they're talking about.

My confusion is obvious, even more so when they started to bicker back and forth, however, my attention is immediately captured by a figure who is approaching the porch.

"One-eyed wonder!" I shout, jumping to my feet a little too joyously.

All males scramble to grab a hold of me but they don't make it as I launch myself at Fury and practically bear hugged him.

Fury stumbled down the last few flights of stairs, confused and annoyed at my action.

"Brook?" He raised an eyebrow with that one eye of his.

"Hi," I gestured shyly at him, blinking innocently.

Fury looks at my friends in question.

"She uh," Clint had no idea how to explain it.

"She's a little out of it," Tony grimaced, pinching his fingers together.

"A little...?" Fury scoffed, pulling me away from him.

He hadn't released my shoulder, maybe just in case I'd fall, but I didn't care.

At this moment, all I cant think is what would happen if I made him float.

"I don't--"

There was a startled yelp.

I realized Fury was now encased in a giant energy ball, like a hamster.

I didn't even mean for it to happen. I just thought of it and it just did.

The ball floated higher of the ground as Fury yelled at me to put him down, his curses floating in the air between us.

I frowned, clearly confused.

From behind I hear Tony chuckle. "Yeah, a little."

~~@ @ @~~

Its going to be much darker as the book continues and as the saga comes to a close. I figured I should throw in a little light in there cause I don't want to break ya'll's hearts.

I've already broken mine. XD

I know you're all pissed at Steve for going all; reluctant and shitty during the last few chapters and is sick of Tony's protectiveness but understand that this runs deeper then that.

I have a plan.

Vote and Comment.

Love you all.