Light & Shadow

Chapter 10

"Are you sure you about this?" Peter questions, and I can see the apprehension written across his face in a hundred different ways. "There has to be a way for you to come with us."

"It's too risky." I remind him. "The safest option is for you to meet up and go home with May, while I shadow step to your apartment. If it helps, I'll wait until you text Happy you got there so you can catch me when I pass out."

"Way to be comforting, Lia."

"I'm just being honest. Traveling a long distance in a split second by creating a bridge of dark energy is literally exhausting, but it's the only way that I can't be traced back to you." I take a step closer and cup his face in my hands. "I promise, it's perfectly safe."

"I know. I just don't want to leave you again—or, you know—"

I cut him off with a soft smile, "I'm not leaving again. Not without giving you a proper goodbye."

Peter let's out a sigh of relief. "It doesn't stop me from worrying." Happy calls that Aunt May is here, and a soft grin tugs at Peter's lips. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Without a doubt." I whisper and give him a quick kiss. "Now go say hi to May before she has a heart attack from worrying." I can see the hesitation on his face as he takes a step back and heads out.

I watch through the tinted window as Peter and May hug. It's nice to see both of them so happy, but it doesn't make me any less anxious about breaking the news to May. Luckily, Peter said he'd try to break it to her as easily as possible. I just still have my doubts about how easily she'll handle my spontaneous return.

Six months can feel like an eternity—which it has, but it makes the hour of waiting for them to battle the traffic back to their apartment feel like a little less than it is. Luckily, a lot of that time is taken up by Happy flying the jet back to the Stark hanger.

"You know, I'm proud of you, kiddo. It's taking a lot of guts to come back, and I know how much it scares you."

"It terrifies me." I whisper back. "They've been tracking me for longer than I initially realized, and after all the damage I've done to them, they want my head. I just keep thinking what will happen if they catch me."

Happy nods understandingly and nods towards the cockpit. "Trust me, we won't let anything happen to you. You've got a lot of people on your side who care about you. Whoever is behind this won't stand a chance."

"Not when I find them they won't." I reply and lean back into a seat. "So, I never got to ask. How are Mum and Morgan doing?"

"They both miss you a lot." He tells me and sits down next to me. "Morgan talks about you everyday and plays the videos you left her all the time. She even makes me take some of her to give to you since she doesn't quite understand it all."

He pulls his phone out of his pocket and hands it to me with a video of Morgan and Pepper pulled up. I can't stop the tears that stream down my face as I watch one after the other. "Morgan's getting tall." I whisper and try not to cry even more as I hand the phone back. "I still can't believe Dad's not here to see it all."

"None of us can." Happy replies and pulls me into his chest. "He knew what he was doing, and he knew you would be okay."

"I'm still waiting for things to hit 'okay.'"

"Give it time, kid. Even the bad stuff doesn't last forever." Happy reminds me, and I nod. It's hard to believe, but I hope with everything in me that it's true. There's no way I can keep this up forever, and I'm already running on fumes except for the small nap on the flight back from London. There's also the lingering worry that the longer I do this, the closer the Reaper gets to me any those I love.