Blue Phoenix - MCU Civil War Replacement

Chapter Thirty Seven

I'd excused myself after dinner leaving the boys talking with T'Challa and his family, needing some time to think. I'd never thought about starting a family of my own and now it was all I seemed to think about since Tony and I had talked. Then seeing T'Challa with his family hadn't helped.

Wakanda at night was breath taking. Unlike other cities where the night sky always seemed to have an orange tint to it, all the lights in Wakanda are a brilliant blue and they didn't seem to affect the beauty of the sky. I could see millions of stars from where I stand, the moon raising slowing in the distance.

"Are you alright?" T'Challa asks quietly.

I turn and smile at him. He continues walking toward me, hands behind his back and smiles in return. He leans on the rail beside me and I turn back around, clasping my hands in front of me over the rail.

"Yeah, just wanted some air."

"So what do you think of my home?"

"It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. I'm also surprised you've managed to stay hidden for so long."

"It has not been easy, especially in the last few years. The outside world is changing."

"It has a funny way of doing that." I laugh, "You know, sooner or later, someone is going to find their way past your border. You can't stay hidden forever. The world is getting smaller by the minute and as it turns out there's a big universe out there too."

"We've had a few people get through before, like Klaw, but the world as a whole thinks us a poor country, it is easy to assume the few are simply mistaken."

"True but as technology on the outside advances it will be easier for someone to get proof; harder to explain away video or photographs. And let's not get started on what other worldly bad guys might be able to do."

"True, but you might be surprised what we can do with the internet."

"After today, nothing would surprise me. Your technical advances are out of this world. You're able to see what's going on in someone's mind in real time. I could tick off names on my fingers of who could benefit from that alone and run out of fingers before I run out of names."

"What would you do if you were me?" T'Challa asks, turning to face me.

"I didn't mean it like that. I know being king puts you in a difficult position. You want to protect your people and no one can fault you for that."

"That may be so but you are not wrong, Wakanda could help a great many people outside our borders. Also, I am not the king just yet."

"You're not?"

"Not officially. There's to be a ceremony at the end of the week. I'd invite you to attend but the Elders would be very displeased." He chuckles.

"They don't know we're here? I don't want..."

"They are aware you are here. My father consulted them before..."

I reach over and rest my hand on his forearm, squeezing gently. He smiles sadly at me and covers my hand with his. I knew all too well what the loss of a parent felt like.

"I've been meaning to ask you something about that day. You do not have to answer, but I am curious."

"Just spit it out T'Challa." I laugh and he chuckles.

"Alright. After you...absorbed the flames, when you came to check on my father..." He trails off, looking down at my hand covering his.

"It looked like I had lava under my skin." I finish and he nodes meeting my gaze again.