Sitting back in my chair, my head lowered into one of my hands, I sigh. I'm trying desperately not to fall asleep. However, considering I haven't been sleeping well these past few days and am absolutely exhausted, it's becoming quite the challenge. Most of my nights are plagued by nightmares, causing my sleep to become restless, which in turn causes my tiredness. I'm not really sure what's continuously triggering the nightmares.

Shaking my head to try and stifle a growing yawn, I allow my eyes to shift back to my screen. Finding that my program is still scanning, I turn to one of the windows to my right. It's early afternoon now, as I arrived earlier this morning. I smile sadly to myself. I'm beginning to regret my hasty decision of agreeing to come here. I'm realizing more and more just how much I've grown accustomed to the twins' presence and now without the two of them here to get in trouble with, I feel almost lost.

My lips curl upwards as I come to an idea. Reaching for my phone, which is lying on the table to my left, I unlock it. I find Pietro's number and dial it before lifting it to my ear. I hum as it begins to ring, only for it to be answered after the second ring. "Hello?" A familiar, accented masculine voice answers. An immediate feeling of relief washes over me upon hearing his voice. It's like a metaphorical safety blanket.

"Hey." I quietly say, lifting one of my hands to my mouth as I smile.

"Iris? Are you in trouble?" Pietro questions frantically. I almost burst into laughter at his concern. It's heartwarming that he's so concerned about my wellbeing.

"No! No..." I hastily reply, chuckling. "I just...miss you." I state. There's a pause on the other end. For a moment I'm concerned he didn't hear or the connection dropped.

"I miss you too." He finally says, a hint of sadness evident in his voice.

"How long have I been gone?" I ask, smiling at nothing in particular.

"Six hours, twenty-three minutes, forty-eight seconds and counting." Pietro states right off the bat. We're both silent for a moment before I start laughing. I hear soft chuckles on the other end.

"Oh my word, Pietro. I don't think I should be this surprised by the fact you've actually been watching the clock." I quiet my laughter, conscious that there's two sleeping superheros in the two rooms adjacent to the kitchen.

"I'm almost concerned you're surprised." He responds with a bit more cheer in his voice.

"Yeah..." My voice trails off as I feel a tightening in my chest. "Is it bad I really want to see you right now?" I question hesitantly, hoping not to come off as clingy.

"No. I feel the same." Pietro concurs. The anxious tension that I had felt a second ago dissipates. At the same moment, a brilliant realization hits me. I may be in Vienna, and he in New York, but there is a way for us to see each other. It may not be ideal, or what I'm hoping for, but it's the best option I've got.

"Hey, Pietro? Are you in the living area right now?" I quickly question.

"I am, yes. Why?" The Sokovian asks, sounding a little hopeful. I grin.

"Go to one of the TV's and ask FRIDAY to Skype me. Don't worry about what Skype is right now, but just do it." I command, turning in my seat so I can face my computer instead of the window as I minimize my programs and bring up the Skype app on my laptop.

"Ok." He says, there's shuffling, and then I faintly hear Pietro asking FRIDAY 'to Skype Iris.' A moment later, a bubble pops up on my screen telling me there's a call coming from Headquarters. I accept it and a second later, a surprised looking Pietro appears on my screen clear as day.

"Hey..." I say, much like when he answered his phone. He looks shocked, just staring, as I slowly lower my phone from my ear, grinning. I still have to remind myself that he's not up to date on all of these different inventions, considering Strucker had him and his sister locked away in a basement for much of their time. "Look," I chuckle. "now I can see you. I mean, it's not the same, but..." I trail off and watch as he lowers his own phone before the two of us hang up our cells. Slowly, his lips twitch upwards into a broad, toothy smile.

"This is...nice." Pietro comments, his eyes shifting around the screen.

"Eh, not as nice as seeing you in person, but hey, beggars can't be choosers." I set my phone down on the table next to my laptop. Pietro laughs. It's nice. To hear him laugh, that is. It makes me relaxed.

"You're right. But this is alright too, I guess." One corner of my lips curl upwards in a smirk.

"Hey, is that Iris?" An equally familiar voice questions. A smile blooms on Pietro's lips as he motions said person over. Seconds later, Wanda appears on the screen. She looks surprised before a smile overtakes her facial features. "Iris!" She cries happily as her brother drapes an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him so they both fit in the frame.

"Hey, Wanda." I chirp happily, sitting up straighter before leaning forward. "How're things there?" I question, knowing I'll get an honest answer from her. It's not that I have anything against asking Pietro, but honestly, he'd skirt around any issues that may be happening there so I don't worry about them.

"They have been better." The female Maximoff says with a huff. This causes my brows to pull together, allowing creases to form on my forehead.

"What do you mean...?" I ask hesitantly, now wishing I actually had asked Pietro so he could skirt around the issues. I had just been hoping Wanda would confirm my hopeful thinking that everything was okay over there. It's not like I'm having any shortage of issues on my end anyways. Wanda lifts a brow at her brother before he nods slowly.

"Vision is in charge." The brunette states carefully. I could almost laugh at the comically bemused expression on both the twins' faces, but I refrain for their sake. I'd rather not laugh at their pain. And besides, I'm more relieved that nobody died or nothing exploded since I've been gone, which happened to be a fear of mine.

"And...that's bad? I thought you liked Vision." I inquire, wiggling my brows at Wanda. Her face ducks slightly as a pale pink tint begins to spread across her cheeks. "Awwww." I gush, lifting both of my hands to my cheeks as I continue to watch Wanda's embarrassment through the screen. The telekinetic waves her hand at the screen dismissively.

"I do, really, but he is acting strangely." She comments. Slowly, I nod as the smile slips from my face.

"Wait, why is Vision in charge now? Where's Tony?" I quickly ask, realization and suspicion creeping up on me. I swear on the holy name of waffles, if Tony followed me and is watching Steve, Sam, and I, I'm gonna be hella pissed. I am perfectly capable of not screwing stuff up.

Sometimes...on occasion...

"You were correct." Pietro pipes up. "Tony went to Berlin." The pale haired speedster declares.

"Berlin?" I ask, giving a quiet sigh. I have so many questions and so many more suspicions.

"The United Nations called him in about an hour after you left. Everyone, except Vision, who signed the Accords were called." Wanda clears up, looking at me with concern. I let out an exasperated sigh and throw my hands into the air above my head as I look up at the ceiling.

"Great, yeah, no, this is swell. This is just what I needed." I grumble to myself angrily, now feeling like I'm holding the world on my shoulders. Really, I'm holding the fate of Steve's world on my shoulders. I know the United Nations called Tony, Natasha, and Rhodey in to help them try and track down Barnes with the help of the CIA. This just means I have even less time to locate Bucky. I mean, Natasha is literally the best spy in the world and could probably find Barnes in literally two minutes. Not to mention knowing Tony, and the fact he could pretty much get into any camera in the world, I'm in a race against time, Tony, Natasha, the United Nations, and the CIA. I'm literally facing all opposition at once and they're all on the same side working together. I'm just me, working by myself, alone, with nobody to back me up or to help me.

Against my will, a pressure begins to build behind my eyes as I feel the muscles in my chest begin to constrict. My lungs start to feel like they're going to explode, maybe even implode, as I feel my temperature spike. The crushing weight of stress and fear of failure is plaguing me and I feel ready to curl up and just die. A shuddering breath escapes me as I continue to stare up at the ceiling. "Iris?" I can hear the worried injury of the twins. 

Come on, Iris. Get a grip. You cannot crack under pressure. Avengers don't give up.

Smiling sadly, I blink my eyes to clear the unshed tears as I look back to my computer. I lower both of my hands. A ragged breath of air invades my lungs before I force myself to give an unsteady chuckle. I wave my hand dismissively before trying to calm my frantic heartbeat. "I'm fine. Just feeling incredibly homesick." I admit, finally meeting the worried gazes of the twins. "I really miss you two, and it's so weird since I've not even been gone a day yet." They both don't seem to believe me, but they nod nevertheless. "Um..." My attention is shifted as an alert appears on the screen of my phone. "Uh, hey, something just came up." I state, grabbing my phone. "How about I call you guys tonight?" I lift my gaze to my computer's screen again, giving a tense smile.

"Sure," Wanda says, jabbing her brother in the side with her elbow before he can ask a question. "Talk to you tonight, Iris." I smile, nod, and then give a curt little wave.

"Talk to you guys tonight. Don't get into too much trouble without me." I say lightheartedly.

And yet here I go, about to get into a whole lot of trouble without them...