≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

TWENTY NINE | A MOMENT
OF DÉJÀ VU

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

IF THERE WAS anything that Cassandra Mason needed at the moment, it was caffeine.

She had been sitting on her office chair for about three hours already, her back aching from all the sitting. Her sharp emerald eyes scanned each note and files littered across her sleek glass desk. Her body and mind were in need of a break, but she was fighting her way through it. She couldn't rest yet, not until she was able to finish all of them tonight.

Her fingers started to massage her temples, attempting to soothe the pain she was feeling.

Recently, Tony helped her with the expansion of her business building since she rose to prominence three years after she came back to society, now feeling recovered. A lot of people have realized that time is precious and there shouldn't be a minute to be wasted. Weddings, birthdays, baptismals, company events have occupied her whole schedule on her return. The woman scratched her eyebrow as reviewed the set of proposals and contracts she had in hand. She had a stack of paperwork to sign.

It had been four years now after the Snap. That was what the remaining population called the extinction event. The world was still mourning for the loss, but everyone was starting to adjust and live their life again. She could feel the peace in the air. They were beginning to accept their loss. Thankfully, therapy worked with Cassandra, it lightened up her burden, made her think that it wasn't all her fault, and learned to accept that what happened was beyond her control.

Her office door suddenly burst open and Cassandra sighed in relief as she saw Vesper, her friend, bringing her a cup of coffee.

"Oh, Ves, thank god," she gently laid her papers as she took the cup from her. "What would I do without you?" She brought the delicious coffee to her lips and sipped it slowly.

"Probably die from overwork."

Cassandra almost choked on her coffee as she laughed from her friend's comment. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Of course, I'm right." Vesper smiled smugly then proceeded to arrange the scattered papers on the desk. "You're working late again?"

"Yeah, you're staying here for a week?"

"Yep, Rocket and Nebula decided to visit the Compound, so we're here again." For the last four years, Nebula and Vesper, joined the Avengers under Natasha Romanoff's command, and accompanied Raccoon to maintain peace across the universe to help planets affected by the Snap. "How are you, by the way?"

"I'm doing well. Things are doing great. You?"

"Well, space's amazing, no doubt about that, but I was thinking of staying here for a year, you know."

The woman was about to reply to what she said when her friend reacted first. "Holy shit, Cass!" The blonde cursed as she took a step backward. "You look like a reject from Thriller!"

Cassandra frowned. "Ouch?" She uttered, pulling her drawer underneath and brought out her mirror to check her appearance and unfortunately, Vesper was correct. Her eyes looked dull and her raven hair was messy and matted. She looked like she came from hell. It was evident she was in need of sleep. "Oh, fuck. This is unacceptable. I look like shit!"

"You just noticed?"

The woman pinched her nose and let out a huff to release her stress. She snatched her cosmetics bag from her bottom drawer and re-applied her make-up. "Dear gods, I look terrible and I still have all this paperwork due tomorrow." She pointed towards the folders at her side that were waiting to be read and signed.

"Your health matters more, Cass." Vesper reprimanded. "Look at you! You've been exerting yourself too much! Let your assistant do some of this."

"I wish, but I feel like I have to do this myself?" The female CEO stood up and walked over to her water dispenser. "Gods, I wish I could drink my stress away but you and Tony threw away all my bottles."

"You're welcome."

Her smartphone buzzed atop her desk and Cassandra wasted no time in picking it up to see the Caller ID. It was Pepper. She blinked before slapping her forehead upon realizing it was supposed to be their scheduled night-out. Every month, she and Pepper would go out, enjoy themselves in some place they like, and talk about their lives. Ever since the sorceress started her therapy, the Starks kept an eye on her, treating her as if she was part of the family. Cassandra would even tease Tony that maybe the reason they named their daughter Morgan was because of his nickname to her which was Morgana. Whenever the sorceress had the time to visit, she would help Tony tinker with his equipment and the two of them would bicker like siblings because they were a bit similar and she could match his intelligence. Actually, Pepper told her that Tony felt responsible for her since she saved his life from Thanos in Titan and that was why he always made sure she was doing okay in life.

"Pep? Hey, I'm so, so sorry. I forgot to call you earlier and say to postpone our night-out. I just got a lot of things to do and..."

She heard a grunt on the other end of the call and the female CEO swore she almost imagined Pepper frowning. "You forced me to go to this club, Cassandra, last week and you're now bailing out?"

"I'm so - "

"I cleared out my schedule for this so no, I'm not going home. Tony is with Morgan and I would like for those two to have the night to themselves as well. You, woman, are working yourself to death. You better get yourself down here or I will get you out of that office myself, Cass."

Cassandra shut her eyes, sighing, "Okay, okay, fine. Gods, no wonder you are the CEO of Stark Industries." She tapped her finger against her desk, contemplating. Maybe she does need to unwind. Her work was taking over a lot of her schedule. She needed some time to herself as well. "I'll be bringing Vesper with me. Is that alright?"

"Sure! The more, the merrier!"

"What was that? I heard you're bringing me with you." The half-Celestial questioned, curious. "Where are you dragging me this time?"

As soon as the call ended, the brunette grabbed her coat and changed her sandals into heels. "To a club. Pepper and I made plans last week to go clubbing and we're taking you with us."

Vesper's eyes bulged out of their sockets and she ran to the mirror, brushing her hair. "Holy shit! Why didn't you tell me? I look like the girl from that Grudge movie, just blonde."

"You look great, Vesper. Let's go."

Soon, the two of them got inside Pepper's car and their driver brought them to the new club that was just down their street. The beat vibrated off the walls as soon as they entered the admission doors; the crowd was out in force and ready to party. Cassandra could see the drinks flowing across the tables just as fast as the bartenders could make them. The conversation was loud and patriots were struggling to hear over the thumping music and the dance floor was filled with sweaty bodies swaying to the beat.

"Wow, the place is - "

Vesper was about to talk when a commotion broke out, interrupting the party and a pair of strong arms wrapped around Cassandra's neck. She then felt a blade against her skin and alarmed, the woman stood still until she was dragged outside of the club. That was when several officers wearing black FBI vests aimed their guns at her captor. The former sorceress couldn't see exactly who took her hostage, but she could tell it was a man.

"Mr. Silva, let the woman go and let's talk about this!"

"Don't come any closer or I'll slit her throat."

Great, I'm now a hostage.

Cassandra swallowed, her senses aware and alert. Everything in her screamed to use her magic to defend herself, but she refused to utilize her abilities again after she went to therapy to avoid remembering the terrible memories that came with it. Her train of thoughts were halted when she heard Vesper vocalize, "Hey, bowling ball! Let go of my friend or I will hang you up in this sign and hit you like a fucking piñata!"

"Shut up!"

Cassandra heard Vesper nonchalantly exchanged words with an anxious Pepper who looked like she's about to strangle one of the FBI officers to help her. "Did he seriously just tell me to shut up?"

"Yeah, y-yeah, he-he did!"

"I'm chopping him up." The half-Celestial threw her hand forward and a blue beam of energy emitted from her arm. "All of you, step aside!"

This didn't seem to faze the captor however and only dug the knife a bit more deeper against the hollow of her throat. It was then that she felt that the blade was almost slicing her and her heels were stepped on, that she acted on pure instinct. "Oh, not my Louboutins, you idiot."

Elbowing his jaw, the woman broke her captor's balance by pulling him directly forward. With her right arm inserted under his arm, she spun around on her right foot then lowered her right shoulder and threw him over her shoulder in a circular motion.

"Oh, my god!"

The man crashed against the ground, shrieking in pain and just as he was about to stab her forearm, she casted a spell that conjured a demon's hand. It grabbed his wrist and snatched his knife, throwing it away before knocking the bald man out cold.

Several clicks and flashes of cameras were the next thing she heard and saw, making her flinch. Vesper and Pepper immediately covered her from the surrounding cameras and led her back inside where they rested as the club was emptied. Cassandra stared at her hands for a moment after downing her second glass of water. It had been quite a while since she casted spells and it felt good. She thought she would feel bad or at least, remember the burden it brought, but she felt nothing. It was only light as if she had just been patiently waiting for her to be ready again to be utilized.

"Miss?" She heard someone speak behind her, making her turn around in surprise.

"Oh, hi..."

She wasn't going to lie. She was taken aback by the man in front of her. His sharp, brown eyes had a certain depth and darkness in them that she couldn't decipher. It felt as if he was trying to look through her so that he could burrow into the very depths of her soul. His dark eyebrows even added to the mysteriousness of his gaze. She couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was, but there was something about his penetrating stare that made her take a step back. He was so well-dressed that she wondered if he ever took it off.

He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges and the corners of his lips turning upwards. "What you did back there, that was amazing."

Cassandra lightly shook her head, dragging herself back to reality. "Well, he was ruining my heels that were worth three thousand dollars so you know... a girl gotta defend her designer shoes."

He grinned. "I'm Arthur Kingsley. You are?"

"Cassandra Mason." Her eyes darted down to his vest. "You work in the FBI?"

"Yeah, I am - "

A tall and slightly muscled man with a rich black skin and shaven head moved to his side. "Sir, it's time to go."

Arthur Kingsley nodded, his lips pursing tight. "I'd love to stay and talk with you more, Miss Mason, but duty calls."

"Oh, of course, of course. It's okay."

"However, I was wondering if, uh, you're available tomorrow? We could go grab some coffee in Queens?"

Cassandra blinked twice before smirking and crossing her arms in amusement. His confidence reminded him of Stephen. She shook her head lightly, alarmed why she recalled him to this man in front of her. "Wow, you surely don't waste your time, do you?"

He laughed, and it was a cool autumn breeze; an invigorating breath of life. She felt revived. "Well, Miss Cassandra Mason, if there's anything that this last couple of years have taught me, it is that time shouldn't be wasted and with a very beautiful woman like you, well, I sure will regret it if I don't try my luck tonight."

The sorceress hollered, something she had not done as well for a while. "Alright, Agent Kingsley, you got my attention. Pick me up at five hundred Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan." She proceeded to walk away, her heels clicking and clacking against the smooth dance floor. "And don't be late. I don't like latecomers."

"You're not suspicious if I'm some criminal, Miss Mason?" He asked, calling her attention.

She spun around her heel and smirked, feeling quite more assertive. "Well, Agent Kingsley, if you are, consider my little demonstration earlier as your warning." She winked.

Sauntering away, she was halted by Pepper and Vesper near the corridor, wide-eyed and mouths agape, their faces frozen in shock. Even Cassandra was left flabbergasted with what she did. So many questions flashed across her mind at once, too many for her to even know what they were. She didn't know how she felt. She didn't know how she should feel. Sad? Happy? "Did you just get yourself a date back there?" gasped Pepper, excited.

The woman pursed her lips slowly coming to her senses. "I-I think? Yeah?"

"Damn, woman. I will have to take some notes from you 'cause you are a fucking boss in flirting."

"Oh, my goodness, this is so amazing! I'm so happy for you, Cass. God, you deserve to be happy. Come on, let's all have dinner in my house and talk more about this! I'm so excited!"

Actually, Cassandra was still left a tad bit confused that when Vesper and Pepper walked away, still chattering about the event earlier, she clutched Stephen's ring that was still hanging on her neck. She never expected she would show interest in someone. The former Guardian asked herself where the warmth is, the future I should move into, and she felt its hands upon my shoulders, warm and soft. Her past was separate now, external to the pain and harm, existing in a good space she needed to turn into. She was moving on.

Was it time to let them go? Was it time to say goodbye to the hope that they might come back?

Stephen, am I doing the right thing?

"AND THEN I said no."

The strawberry blonde haired woman blinked. "So, you said no when he asked you to move in with him in Quantico?"

"That I did, madam president."

Tony strolled inside the kitchen, popping a cherry into his mouth before setting his empty glass bowl at the table. "Good. A very wise decision. I don't like him." He shrugged.

Cassandra rolled her eyes. She and Arthur have been dating for months now and it was going well. She felt good, amazing, but lately, she was feeling that something was not right.

Arthur Kingsley, she realized, shared a lot of qualities with her Stephen and it was like she was only patching up the void inside of her with someone like him. Actually, when he and Tony first met, the latter expressed that he didn't like Arthur, but he supported Cassandra's decision. Date who you wanna date. As long as he treats you well, go. He said after they completed his anniversary gift to his wife.

The strawberry blonde put her hand on her hip. "I really don't understand why you don't like Arthur, Tony. He's good, he's decent..."

"If he's good and decent, why didn't she move in with him then?" retorted the billionaire, picking up the metal bowl that had the salad.

Cassandra opened her mouth to reply, but found no words to fire back. No words formed in her brain and she blinked. Why did she say no to Arthur last night when he asked her? She swallowed and then shrugged. "I don't know. I just said no."

"See? She doesn't even have an answer to the question... "

"Don't mind him, Cass. He's just being a jerk -"

"... And for the record, I just don't like him. These aren't gojis, honey?"

"They're not."

"What's wrong with ours?"

Pepper threw a glare at her husband. "Your alpaca ate them all. All of them."

Tony hollered. "What a glowing endorsement. First of all, Gerald is our alpaca."

"He's not my alpaca." emphasized the wife, stirring the dressing. "He's eating my gojis."

"Okay, they're gonna be nice in a salad."

"No, no, don't. Can you put it down? Get out of my kitchen."

Cassandra giggled, shaking her head as she whisked the wet ingredients in her bowl. She decided to eat lunch with the Starks today, knowing that she will be very busy the next few days and also because her goddaughter requested her to be around. "Yeah, just stay out of our kitchen, Tony."

The brilliant engineer then tripped and slammed his head against the door, making them chuckle. Tony brushed it off, pretending that nothing happened to keep his pride intact. "Ow! We're good here, right?"

"Yeah, we're great." remarked Pepper, smiling fondly. "Tell madam secretary, lunch is in five."

The devoted husband nodded. "I will collect our alpha female posthaste."

That's when her phone rang, interfering with her focus on her cooking. She craned her neck to see who it was. A smile blossomed from her blood red lips when she read that it was her boyfriend. The woman exchanged a mischievous glance to her friend. "And he's calling..."

"Go ahead, I'll take over until you get back."

Leaving the kitchen in a hurry, she tapped the little green button and pressed the smartphone to her ear, her eyes crinkling with mirth when he heard the melodious voice of her boyfriend of one year now. "Hi, my love."

"Hey," she greeted back, leaking against the wall. "How's work? How's Quantico?"

"Hectic, but finally done." The woman heard her beau sigh. She knew his work was difficult as he was the unit chief of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, an elite group of profilers who analyze the nation's most dangerous serial killers and individual heinous crimes. "God, I can't wait to see you tonight after all this. How are you doing with the Starks, by the way?"

Arthur Kingsley was, well, different from all others or so she thinks. He was handsome, not perhaps in the conventional sense, but he had that appearance which could make him stand out in the crowd. He was handsome from the depth of his eyes to the gentle expressions of his voice. He had eyes that were so deep and expressive, you could get lost if you stare long enough. His smile, which reached up to his eyes and wrinkled them, flaunted his modesty and humility. His frown or serious expression, including the authoritative tone of voice he uses whenever he was on the job, was also Cassandra's favorite thing about him. She loved the way his voice quickened when he sparkled with a new idea, or was so enjoying one of hers that he lost himself for a moment.

Cassandra put a finger to her lips, its pad rubbing against the vermillion of her lips. "Well, they're great as always. You know - "

"Love, love, listen, uh, I'm so sorry, something came up. I have to take this." vocalized the unit chief, his voice greatly apologetic. Cassandra pouted at the interruption, but nodded even when he couldn't see her personally. She understood how demanding his job was and he explained thoroughly how he wanted them to work the relationship out despite this. "Don't worry, I'll be with you this evening, I promise. I'm taking that vacation leave and we will have dinner tonight in Le Bernardin."

"Le Bernardin? That French seafood restaurant in Manhattan?"

"Yeah, the food's really great there so..."

The event planner paused, getting a moment of déjà vu. Her thoughts zoned out and she was brought into an evocation of her memories with Stephen. She swallowed, trembling a little, but she shook her head and stayed in touch with the present. No, she ardently believed that Stephen and Arthur were two different people. She wasn't dating him because she saw her deceased ex boyfriend in him. "Love, are you there?" he questioned. "You're quiet."

She hummed. "Yeah, yeah. Le Bernardin sounds lovely. Well, anywhere is lovely as long as you're with me."

"So, it's a date?"

Cassandra grinned. "It's a date."

"I love you, Cassie."

There it was again.

"I love you too. I'll see you here later."

Their call soon ended and she took a moment to herself, sitting down on the couch. She cannot let her past relationship ruin her present. She and Arthur were doing well and if it continued to do so, it may lead to them taking the next step which was settling down together. The woman sighed, brushing her hair aside. Five years ago, she never would've agreed with this. Loving someone else. She was in love with Stephen Strange and even now still, but she had to accept that he along with the twins and her mother are never going to come back. This was her life now. She had to move on. Digging her nails into her palm, she told Pepper she was going to go to get Tony and Morgan for lunch.

"Really? Were you looking for it?"

"No." She heard the gentle voice of her goddaughter. "I found it, though."

"You like going to the garage, huh? So does daddy." Tony beamed, ruffling his daughter's hair. He took her hand and brought her to the house, jokingly lamenting, "It's fine, actually. Your mom never wears anything I buy her."

"Auntie Morgana!"

She chuckled, welcoming the sprinting kid into her arms. "Morgan!" Catching her, she carried her and spun her around.

"I missed you!"

"Well, guess what? I missed you too, you little genius!"

"Auntie Morgana, look what I found at daddy's garage!" The little child cocked her head to the side to look at the helmet Cassandra knew Tony built to be used by then his fiancée.

The brunette pouted, playfully. "Morgan, I already told you so many times. My name is Cassandra, not Morgana."

"Daddy said to call you Morgana. He said that was your name and Cassandra was your fake name." reasoned Morgan, still safely tucked in the event planner's arms as they ventured back to the cottage.

Cassandra glared at the father of the child. "I swear, Tony, I am this close to..." She threw a punch, aiming at his shoulder but he moved aside, avoiding her attack, only making Morgan giggle. "Admit it, you really named your daughter after your nickname for me."

"Auntie, will you be staying here for dinner?"

"No, I have other plans tonight. Remember Arthur? We are having dinner later because he's here in the city again."

"I don't like Arthur."

The woman squinted her eyes at Tony and he retracted back, raising his arms in the air in surrender. "I didn't tell her anything. I swear!"

She sighed. "Why don't you like Arthur, little miss?"

"He didn't give me juice pops or cheeseburger when he came here."

If Cassandra could faint because of Morgan's cuteness, she already did. The little Stark was very adorable and honest. If only the gods would be kind enough to give her a child of her own as well. She planted a small kiss on Morgan's temple. "I'll tell him to bring you one when we visit here again."

"Okay!"

It was already way past nine when Cassandra and Arthur walked past the rooms, staying on the moonlit path as it led towards the suites. The two of them ventured off the path and up a flight of stairs to the door of the event planner's condo. Pulling her key from her pocket, she unlocked the door, and spun around her heel to face her boyfriend. He leant his forehead against hers and both of them giggled as they led each other into the dimly lit condo.

Time stood still for them. It was as if there was soft music playing in their background just for them. They lightly swayed and he held her hands. The two of them for the whole duration of their relationship have never kissed as she wasn't ready and he understood that, patiently waiting for her. This time, they felt as if they had an eternity to enjoy each other's company. He was watching her carefully, drinking her in completely. Anyone who could see them right now surely could feel the energy between them. Something surreal was happening. To them, it was completely natural, existing at that moment in their own universe.

She puts her arms around his neck as he pulls her close, his scent heavily intoxicating her. Slowly, very slowly their faces drew closer and his breath tickled her lips. For a moment, she paused, contemplating her decision and then suddenly inched her head just the slightest bit nearer. She finally noticed how close he truly was when his lips enclosed hers.

Finally, she kissed him.

And unfortunately, she felt nothing.

Nothing.

There was nothing.

Why? Didn't she love him? Why was she feeling this? Why couldn't she just love him just the way he loves her? They pulled away and breath held, she waited for some reaction from him. Did he notice it as well? But then, he smiled and gave her another peck on her lips, breathing. He furrowed his eyebrows as if he noticed her dazed expression.

"You okay, my love?"

"Yeah, yeah. I just - " She started to say. "I'm - I suddenly thought about work. So weird."

He grinned. "You want to talk about it over a glass of wine?"

"Yes, please."

Arthur, removing his tie and opening the first buttons of his long sleeve white polo, raised his hand for a quick fist bump. It was what they did to show their affection prior to this night. Instead of kissing since she wasn't ready yet, they would do fist bumps and it just worked between them. "I feel like I will have to make you your favorite dessert. Chocolate Lava Cake and wine, is it?"

She eagerly nodded.

He strolled towards her kitchen to grab her bottle of wine, leaving Cassandra with her own raging thoughts. She berated herself for being so stuck in the past. Gripping her necklace, she took it off and opened her drawer before staring at the beautiful engagement ring. Tears almost spilled from her eyes. She was being unfair to Arthur who loved her completely.

At that moment, her phone buzzed loudly from her purse and she fished it out to answer the call. Heavy breathing was the first thing she heard on the other end of the line and she glanced at her phone's screen to see who it was. Tony's name was written all over and she arched her eyebrow, baffled why he would call at this hour.

"Tony? Are you there? What happened?"

"There's a way."

"What?"

"There's a way to navigate through that dimension Scott talked about."

Cassandra moved to her living room window, her ring still in hand. "What dimension are you babbling about Tony? Who's Scott?"

"We can bring everyone back, planner. There's a way for us to bring everyone back."

Her world stopped moving.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

Not missing a beat, she dug into her purse, searching for the golden relic she brought with her when she left Kamar-Taj, her Sling Ring. Even when Arthur called out her name, she pushed through with what she was doing, she opened a portal to the bottom stairs inside Stark's cottage. Tony's back was in front of her and he must've sensed her presence since he whipped around and jumped.

"What did you just say?"

"Jesus, what are you doing here?"

"Shit!"

The two inclined their heads to see Morgan in her pajamas sitting comfortably at the bottom step of the stairs. She was just there, her hands locked on her lap, beaming innocently. The two exchanged a glance and Tony began to speak, "Do you even - "

"Tony," Cassandra reprimanded, the pitch of her voice higher now. "What did you just say?"

A moment of silence.

"There's a way for us to bring everyone back and this time, it's really going to work, Morgana."

alexa, siri, kindly play deja vu by olivia rodrigo. ah dont worry, this wont be the last time we'll see arthur. Also finally, we're starting endgame!! yessss!!

here's a meme for y'all-