Chapter 7
“This is the Asgardian refugee vessel Statesman. We are under assault, I repeat, we are under assault - The engines are dead, life support failing. Requesting aid from any vessel within range. We are 22 jump points out of Asgard. [the voice becomes more desperate and pleading] Our crew is made up of Asgardian families, we have very few soldiers here. This is not a warcraft. I repeat, this is not a warcraft!”
---
“I assure you, brother... the sun will shine on us again.”
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“Thanos is coming. He’s coming!”
“Who?”
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“Slow down, slow down. I'm totally not kidding.” Toni had to jog slightly to keep up with Steve, who was laughing at her. “Honey, you're rambling.”
“No, I'm- slow down, I’m not!” Steve stopped, and turned to her. “Look,” She tried, “You know how you're having a dream, and in the dream you gotta pee?”
“Yeah.” Steve was very confused, but went along with her anyway.
“Okay, and then you're like, 'Oh my god, there's no bathroom, what am I gonna do?', 'Oh! Someone's watching,' ''m gonna go in my pants.'”
...Sure, Toni.
“Right. And then you wake up, and in real life you actually have to pee.”
“Yes.”
“Yeah. Everybody has that.”
“Right! That's the point I'm trying to make. Apropos of that, last night, I dreamt, we had a son. So real. We named him James.”
So that's what this was about. “Right.”
“He and Brooke were best friends. She was so happy, Steve.”
“So... you...” He didn't know how to phrase it, didn't want to get too excited over nothing.
“Brooke is two, Steve. Earth hasn’t needed us in almost as long. I'm just saying, maybe... maybe we’re ready for another one?”
“I mean,” Steve tried for a casual smirk. “Brooke’ll be at daycare for a few more hours-” Toni gave him a light shove, but then pulled him down to kiss him, smiling.
---
“Toni Stark, I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me. Oh, uh, congratulations on the baby, by the way. A bit late, but...”
Oh, come on.
“I'm sorry, you giving out tickets or something?” Steve was not so subtly trying to place himself in between the stranger and Toni, which she might’ve found patronizing five years ago, but now it just made her love him more.
“We need your help.” The wizard continued, “Look, it's not overselling to say that the fate of the universe is at stake.”
“And who's ‘we’?” Strange stepped aside, and Steve and Toni both gasped.
“Hey, Toni. Steve.”
“Bruce.” Bruce collapsed into Steve’s arms. “God, Bruce, you're shaking.” Toni gently pushed some of his hair out of his face. “Oh, honey, what have you been through?”
---
“From the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then, boom! The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals, hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence.”
“Space. Reality. Power. Soul. Mind. And Time.”
“Tell me his name again.”
“Thanos. He's a plague, Tones. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York. That's him.”
Toni tensed at the mention of New York. Thanos. The Chitauri. Six years of nightmares.
She wanted to just go home and hug her baby girl.
“Well, if Thanos needs all six, why don't we just destroy the time stone?” Steve asked, gesturing to Strange’s necklace.
“Absolutely not.” Strange wasn't even looking at him, he was looking at Toni.
Who was looking at Steve.
Take that, wizard.
“We swore an oath to protect the Time Stone. With our lives.” The other one- Wong, explained. Toni rolled her eyes.
“And I swore off dairy, but then, Ben & Jerry's named a flavor after me, so....”
“Stark Raving Hazelnuts.” Strange pulled a face.
“It's not bad.” Steve protested.
“A bit chalky.”
“A Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge is our favorite.” Wong piped up.
Bruce made a confused noise, “That's a thing?”
“Whatever.” Toni rolled her eyes, “Point is: things change.”
“Our oath to protect the Time Stone cannot change. This Stone may be the best chance we have against Thanos.”
“And still conversely, it may also be his best chance against us.”
Steve wanted to grab Toni and just go home. This guy was being rude to his wife-
“Steve,” Toni didn't even need to look at him to know what he was thinking, “Chill.”
“Well, if we don't do our jobs-”
“And what is your job exactly, besides making balloon animals?”
“Protecting your reality, bitch.”
“Watch it.” Steve snarled. “Down, boy.” Toni kept her eyes on the wizards, but behind her back motioned for him to come closer.
To watch her back.
As if he wouldn't.
---
“Toni, where’s Vision?”
“Vacation. With Wanda. Um, Scotland, I think? Nat and Sam have been tailing them, they should be back next-”
“Toni.” Bruce looked so broken. “Thor- Thor’s gone. We need everyone. This is bigger than anything we’ve ever seen before.”
Toni’s mind went blank. Thor was gone? Like, gone gone?
“Valkyrie took half, and the others- he killed them. Loki and Thor-”
Toni wasn't listening. She curled into Steve’s chest, wishing they could just go home.
“F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Steve squeezed her tighter, “Tell Happy to take Brooke to Pep’s until we give the all clear. Get Pietro on patrol at the compound, maybe Ant-Man if he’s around. ”
“Got it, Captain.”
“Thank you. Toni?” She wasn't looking at him. “Come back to me, love.”
Then they heard the ship.
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“F.R.I.D.A.Y., evac anyone south of 43rd Street, notify first responders.”
“Will do.”
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“Hear me, and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful, that your meaningless lives are now contributing to-”
“I'm sorry, Earth is closed today.”
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“Toni, the Hulk won't-”
“Hey, it’s okay. Steve?”
“I got him. Banner, let’s go.”
She grabbed Steve’s arm before he left.
“Stay safe. That's an order.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
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“Kid, where'd you come from?”
“Field trip to MoMA.”
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“Kid, the wizard!”
“On it!”
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“Uhhh, Mrs. Rogers? I'm being beamed up!”
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“Boss, incoming call from Captain Rogers.”
“Toni? Oh, my God. Are you alright? What's going on?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. I just think we might have to push our 8:30 res.”
“Why?”
“Just 'cause I'll... probably not make it back for a while.”
“Tell me you're not on that ship.”
“Yeah.”
“God, no. Please tell me you're not on that ship.”
“Honey, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I don't know what to say.”
“Come back here, Toni. I swear to God…”
“Stevie….”
“Come back here right now! Come back!”
“Boss, we're losing him. I'm going, too…”
And then she was alone.”
---
Steve showed Bruce to his room in the Upstate Mansion, one that Toni had designed for when he came home.
“Bruce, I need you to stay here, get cleaned up, maybe rest a bit, if you can. I have to go get Vision.”
“Where is everyone else?”
Steve sighed. “It really has been a while, hasn’t it?”
---
When Steve stepped out of the shadows, the two aliens were all but down. Natasha, Sam, and Bucky seemed to have everything under control. Wanda was hugging Vision close, her magic surrounding them in a force field. They didn't even notice him until the aliens were gone.
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“Where to, Cap?”
“Home.”
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“Rogers. Your wife may have cleared your name in the eyes of the people, but that doesn't mean all is forgiven.”
“Listen, Mr. Secretary, I know we’ve fought in the past. But I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way, we’ll fight you too.”
---
Bruce found Natasha in his room, showered and swimming in a purple hoodie.
“Where is he?” Bruce sat by her, close enough that she could choose to lean into him or not. She looked out the window, picking at a thread. “After the whole Accords situation, he took a deal. It was too tough on Laura and the kids, he’s on house arrest.
“And what does that mean for you?”
Steve called for them before she could answer.
---
“Thanos has the biggest army in the universe. And he is not gonna stop until he... he gets... Vision's Stone.”
“Well then, we have to protect it.”
“No, we have to destroy it.”
---
“I know somewhere.”
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“Wow you're a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?”
“Yeah, uh, speaking of loyalty....”
This could not be happening. She had tried so hard to protect the kid, who had become like a son to her in the past 2 years, and now he was in space. In danger.
“Alright. Fine. Come on. We got a situation. See him down there? He's in trouble. What's your plan? Go.”
---
“Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine.”
“Yeah, but the kid's seen more movies.”
---
“Alright, Mrs. Rogers. We go to him. But you have to understand... if it comes to saving you or the kid or the Time Stone... I will not hesitate to let either of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it.”
“Nice. Good. Moral compass. We're straight. Alright, kid. You're an Avenger, what’s the plan?”
---
“Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something, and I eat one of you, I'm sorry.”
“I don't wanna hear another single pop culture out of you for the rest of the trip. You understand?”
“I'm trying to say that... something is coming.”
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“You're from Earth?”
“I'm not from Earth. I'm from Missouri.”
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“Are you yawning? In the middle of this, while I'm breaking it down? Huh? Did you hear what I said?”
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“Excuse me, but... does your friend often do that?”
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Shuri came running to greet them, but frowned at the group as they entered her lab.
“Where is Toni?” She demanded.
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“Can you do it?”
“Yes, but there are more than two trillion neurons here. One misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures. It will take time, brother.”
“How long?”
“As long as you can give me.”
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“You should've killed me.”
“It would've been a waste of parts!”
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Lightning blinded them, as Thor screamed.
“Bring me Thanos!”
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“Why was she up there all this time?”
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A knife embedded itself in the thing’s head. Thor spun around, his ax raised when he saw-
“You didn't really think I was dead, did you?”
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“Steve?”
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“Up, General. Up! This is no place to die.”
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“I am Groot...”
“No... no. No. No. No! Groot, no...”
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“Sam? Sam!? Where you at?!”
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“Something... is... happening.”
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“Quill?”
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“Aw, man.”
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“Thor-”
“No, no no no, please, not again-”
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“Toni, there was no other way.”
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“Toni? I don't feel so good...”
No.
“You're all right.”
“I don't know what's -- I don't know what's happening. I don't- I don't wanna go, I don't wanna go, Toni, please. Please, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna go...”
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“I'm sorry.”
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She wanted to go home.
The kid was gone. The blue girl, Nebula, was somewhere behind her, but her kid-
Steve. Brooklyn.
She had to get home.
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“Oh, God.”