Prelude
War raged in every part of Middle Earth, from Isengard, to Rivendell, to the Shire. The common belief had been that when the Ring was destroyed in the fire of Mordor, the evil it courted would also be destroyed. Instead, the Dark Lord Sauron fed upon the power the Ring exuded as it melted, and it made him stronger than ever. The power that had once been contained in the Ring now thrived inside him. Every creature of Middle Earth now had the responsibility to join together and fight against the armies of Mordor, and against Sauron himself. Even so, they were hopelessly outmatched. If they were to win this war, they would need outside help.
The elves gathered in the woods and sent a song of desperation on the wind. Through the night they sang with voices sharp, clear, and anxious. The stood in a circle, bows prepared should there be any trouble. Wearily, and in many ways, uncertain, they sang:
Oh, Asgard, though a land long lost, we call upon Thee now.
Hear our cry. Fight by our side. Fulfill forgotten vows.
For when Thou were in distress, the elves came to Thy aid,
And in this, our dark hour, we require Thee do the same.
As the sun broke shimmering splinters of iridescent light over the treetops, the elves had received no response from their last hope in battle. Defeated and discouraged they looked to their leader, Elrond.
"If Asgardians will offer us not assistance, so be it. In a day to come, they will need our aid, and this debt will not be forgotten."
The words had no more than escaped his lips than dark, gray clouds assembled in the otherwise clear sky, and thunder rumbled. Many elves were frightened, and aimed there bows to the sky as if to ward off a potential threat. With a raise of his hand Elrond put them at ease. Moments later, a young, blond-haired man with piercing blue eyes landed in the midst of the elves holding a hammer. The frightened ones turned their bows toward him, but the young man stood up and addressed them.
"I am Thor, of Asgard. You have called for the assistance of my world, and I have answered. I am at your service."
"War is the fate that has befallen Middle Earth. We have lost many an elf, dwarf, and even hobbit to this battle. It is beyond us." Elrond replied.
"Who, pray tell, is it that oppresses you so fiercely that it would be cause for even the simple hobbits to take up arms?"
Elrond looked around solemnly at his men, wounded and worn out. He could scarce believe the toll the war had already taken on them. He looked Thor in the eyes, and from a distance heard the unmistakable shriek of an orc and he breathed, "Sauron."
"Impossible!" Thor cried, raising his hammer, "Sauron was destroyed with the Ring!"
"So we thought," Elrond replied calmly, "But the Ring released its energy and has made him stronger. As long as the soldiers of Middle Earth alone are the army fighting him, he is invincible. That is why we called upon you. Will Asgard send an army to help their allies?"
Thor lowered both the hammer and his gaze, "No," he admitted, "Only I will they send."
"You? If we are to win this war, we will need more than you!"
"I know!" Thor bellowed, "I realize I alone cannot save you!" he paused to allow himself to calm down. Elrond raised an eyebrow, enraged at the denial of assistance their allies had responded with. Thor continued, "But I know those who can."
Elrond's eyebrow lowered and his eyes pierced Thor's expectantly. Thor's smile held secrets that no one present could decipher. He began swinging his hammer around and around at his side, first slowly, and then gathering speed the more he swung it. Finally he pointed it to the sky and it carried him off as if by magnetic attraction, leaving the onlookers with only hope that he would come through.
Following Thor:
As he left the distressed elves to go to Earth, Thor hoped that his friends were up for battle. He landed hard on the roof S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. Within seconds there were agents everywhere with guns pointed directly at him. Nick Fury came out followed closely by Natasha Romanov.
"Stand down," Fury called, "He's a friend."
As fast as they had appeared, the armed agents left, and Thor jumped of the roof and landed next to Nick and Natasha.
"Last time you were here your brother went on a killing spree. The time before that your brother sent a monster that destroyed everything its path trying to kill you. Who's Loki after this time?" Natasha asked coolly with a hint of sarcasm.
Thor's hand holding his hammer twitched reflexively, "It is not this world, nor is it Loki that brings me here. Another world, an ally of Asgard, called on my people for war aid, and only I was sent. I come in hopes that Earth's Mightiest Heroes will be mighty for another Earth."
"Another Earth?" Nick questioned.
"Middle Earth."
"As in Lord of the Rings?" Natasha asked incredulously.
"Mock me if you will, but you'll remember that not long ago my people and I were believed to be legend. Those who inhabit Middle Earth have been passed through the generations as fiction. I assure you they are very real, and they need our help."
Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Clint Barton sat at a big table at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters with Thor, Nick, and Natasha.
"So we're supposed to run into the heat of battle for some other world?" Bruce asked.
"I did for you," Thor replied.
"But Middle Earth? That's what you read about in a fiction book. You watch movies about it."
"Not fiction, just as I am not legend."
"Nat, what do you think?" Clint questioned.
"Thor seems really sure that if we don't, a whole world will die off and become overrun by evil. I think we have to."
"How do we all get to Middle Earth?" Tony remarked, "Not all of us, Odinson, have a magic hammer."
"We all put a hand on the hammer and hold tight."
"What if I don't want to put a hand on your hammer?" Stark asked being difficult as usual.
"You would be wise not to touch my hammer, metal man," Thor grinned, "If you do not wish to go, the mission can, and will be completed without you."
"Oh, you mean like the last one was? Because as I recall, I'm the one who risked my life planting a nuke on the enemy's ship. Or have you forgotten?"
"We all risked our lives, Stark. You just happened to learn some compassion when you risked yours. At least, I thought you had."
"This is not about me! I'm just trying to be practical. Is it worth it?"
"IS IT WORTH IT? AN ENTIRE PEOPLE ARE AT STAKE AND YOU'RE NOT SURE IT'S WORTH IT?"
Suddenly everyone was talking on top of one another and arguing about whether or not they should go.
"That's enough!" Steve yelled. It was the first thing he had said. "Of course we're going," he continued casting a sideways glance at Tony, "People call us superheroes. Did you know that? What kind of superhero let's an entire race die off when they can do something about it. If we don't go, then I'm no longer a part of this team, because if we don't go, we're no better than the villains."
Everyone quietly considered this. Stark looked irritated, but he didn't say anymore. It was clear that Captain America was a vital part of the crew. He was the First Avenger. Without him, the Avengers Initiative wouldn't exist. If he said they were going, they had to.
"Just so you know," Stark said, not able to hold back, "I'll do this because you're the Captain of this team. What you say goes, and you know that. But you're walking a fine line, Rogers. You might want to learn the word 'please,' or maybe I'll be the one who quits the team."
"Where did all this talk of quitting come from?" Fury asked, "You cannot just quit being an Avenger, because, like it or not, this is who you are now. Stark, if you're that strongly opposed to the mission, we will do our best without you. Now are you in or not?"
Stark ran his fingers tensely through his hair and heaved a heavy sigh, "I'm in."
"Good. Everyone else?"
"I'm in." came the response one by one until everyone present had committed to save Middle Earth.
The Captain
Steve walked lugubriously to the compartment where his suit and shield were kept. More and more his anger was getting the better of him. He replayed the scene in his mind for the millionth time. He was on the airship speaking with Peggy over the radio. They were scheduling a date they both knew would never happen. He never got to dance with her. He had to put the ship in the water. He had to. If he didn't, a lot of people would die, and he couldn't be responsible for that. And here he was again, not able to let people he didn't know die. Call it chivalry, call it being gallant. He furiously ripped back the door to the room. He wished the plane crash had killed him.
Iron Man
Who did Rogers think he was? He couldn't just order everyone to their death, and he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't all die if they took this mission. Stark couldn't see letting the people of Middle Earth die either, and he knew when he started arguing that he was going to take the mission. He couldn't speak for the others, but he had more in common with Rogers than he'd like to admit. He couldn't just let people die, and he was fueled by anger. Steve was justified in making the team do this. But he had no right to! As he argued with himself, Tony pointed his remote to the safe where his suit was kept. He sighed.
"Rogers is right." He said decisively, and looked around to make sure no one heard him.
Stark knew the only real problem he had with Rogers was that he had basically been best friends with the father Stark hadn't even known loved him until recently. That wasn't actually Steve's fault. As he suited up he sighed again and considered apologizing to Steve, and then decided against it. They would work better if there was not sentimentality between them.
Banner
Bruce wondered aimlessly around the lab. They wanted the monster. He hated the other guy. How did he let himself get dragged into another battle? He tried so hard to keep the Hulk from flaring up. That's why he stayed angry all the time. That was the only way he could control it. It wasn't hard to stay angry. He was a beast. Still, he knew that if he became the Hulk on his own account that he could control who he hurt, and other than due to the precariousness of his size, no innocents would be harmed. He still remembered a year ago when he'd gone green on Natasha. He slammed his fist down on the lab table. 'Not this time,' he thought. He was different from a year ago; more in control of the beast which possessed him. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes. He was probably going to make new ones.
Thor
Thor sat alone in the room where his brother had dropped him through the sky a year ago. No matter how murderous, psychopathic, or bloodthirsty Loki became, Thor couldn't stop himself from wishing that the brother he knew in his youth would return to him. Loki had been in Asgardian prison since their return, and hard as he tried, Thor couldn't make Loki talk to him. It made a small tear in his heart that grew every time he thought of him. He knew well that Loki's heritage was an Ice Giant, but that meant nothing to Thor. They were brothers. Why couldn't Loki remember that? He hoped the rest of the team wasn't secretly as troubled as he was. He wouldn't wish this misery on anyone, let alone the people he was depending on to be benevolent.
Fury
Nick could see the pain in each of their eyes. It had been there the last time he'd seen them. But Thor… His pain seemed intensified, and Nick hurt for him. He knew it had to be torture for Thor that Loki was a war criminal. If anyone exhibited sibling loyalty, it was Thor. He didn't know what Loki was like as a child, but he must have been fantastic if Thor still had faith that he could return to that innocence. Nick sincerely hoped he would, for Thor's sake. As for the rest of them, something had to be done. They could not carry their burdens forever. Eventually, anger would become indifference, and indifference would become hate. The danger of such extraordinary people harboring hatred was unthinkable.
Middle Earth:
The war continued and Thor had not returned. Elrond promised that Asgard would need help one day and the elves would disregard them. They sent volleys of arrows every day to no avail, making new ones of bark and stone when necessary. As they retreated in the woods to craft more arrows, they heard a whirring sound, and the faint shape of a box appeared. The louder the whirring grew, the clearer the small blue box became. It was about the size of a wardrobe. The elves readied their bows and a man's head popped out of the box. Elrond raised his hand and bows were lowered.
"Were you sent by Thor of Asgard?"
"Who? Thor? Nah, just popping in for a visit," The man said cheerfully with a British accent, "Although," he continued, "This doesn't look much like the planet Barcelona. Uh, where am I?"
"Middle Earth. Who are you?"
The man smiled widely, "I'm the Doctor!"
"Doctor who?"
"Just the Doctor, thanks." He pulled out a small metal rod-shaped object and started moving it around as if he were scanning something.
"What is that? What are you doing?"
"Sonic screwdriver. What is happening here that is so terrible that the readings on my screwdriver are off the charts?"
"We're at war with the Dark Lord Sauron, Doctor. Can you help? Because if not, it would be best for you to leave."
"A dark lord! I met one of those once. His name was Alfie. He was just a baby. Preferred to be called Stormageddon. I was mates with his dad actually—."
"Doctor!"
"Yes?"
"Can you help?"
"Yes, I think I can. Right! I'm going to need somewhere safe to work. First thing's first, though! Have you got any Jammy Dodgers?"
Fury called a meeting of all the Avengers that didn't already work for S.H.I.E.L.D. There was a lot of tension, not between them, but within them. That was a problem.
"You all have a kind of hurt. Am I wrong?"
"What?" Stark asked, "Did you call us in to play Dr. Phil?"
"I called you in because last time you all had a mission you nearly killed each other before you started working together. I want you to get all of you anger, and sadness out so you can move on. Any volunteers to go first?"
You could've heard a pin drop.
"Very well," Fury continued, "Thor, you start."
"Me?"
"Yes,"
"Well, the betrayal of my brother is obviously why I'm so troubled."
"Yes, but I want you to dig into that. Talk about memories of Loki before he became—the way he is, so we can understand better."
"This is ridiculous," Stark commented, "I'm leaving."
"You're not going anywhere, Stark." Fury said in an authoritative voice, "If you so much as get two feet away from this table there will be agents all over you, restraining you with rope if necessary. You're staying here. You're all staying."
Stark sat down, and Thor began to speak, "I never knew Loki was adopted until I was crowned king of Asgard. Even if I had, it wouldn't have mattered. We were best friends. Loki got me out of more situations than I care to tell. The day I was crowned king, I went to attack the Ice Giants, and Loki talked them out of killing me. But, my anger got the best of me, and his help was for naught. We had to fight our way out, and we all nearly died. When we returned is when Loki learned his birthright. It tore him apart. I was always a terrible brother, and Loki always put up with that until he knew he was not of Asgard. Loki has so much pain inside him, and he acts on that. I wish I could just take the pain away." A single tear slid down his cheek.
"Banner, your turn."
"Um… well basically I'm a monster because I messed around with gamma radiation. I thought I was smart enough to harness it, but I wasn't. And every day of my life I have to struggle with controlling the reaction. And that makes me mad all the time, and it's a good thing for everyone else that I am."
"Stark, you're up." Fury said.
Tony rolled his eyes, "Rogers was friends with my dad. I didn't know my dad loved me until a few years ago. So I'm mad at both of them. The end."
"That's why you hate me?" Steve asked. "Because I was friends with Howard?"
"Uh, let's see, yes."
"I didn't know that he would have a son, and never tell that son he loved him. Was I supposed to predict that and avoid him?"
"It wouldn't have hurt," Stark shrugged.
"You're unbelievable. I'm sorry I knew you're dad before you did. In fact, I'm sorry I'm still alive!"
"You're not the only one," Stark said snidely.
"Stark!" Fury said.
Steve stood up and pushed back his chair. As soon as he began walking away, agents rushed towards him. He pushed them aside with a turn of his shoulder and left the room.
"Rogers is right, Stark," Fury said, "You are unbelievable."
Middle Earth:
"How often is this clearing crossed?" the Doctor asked Elrond.
"Often, but only by my men."
"Brilliant!" he scanned a perimeter with the sonic screwdriver.
"What are you doing, Doctor?"
"Perception filter. It's like a temporary chameleon circuit."
"A what?"
"Uh, the clearing is invisible. Well, almost invisible. If anyone comes along this path and expects the clearing to be here, they'll see it, but, if they don't know there's a clearing here, then they won't."
"What do you need to begin your work, Doctor?"
"Information. Tell me everything about Sauron, and about how the war got started, and about—Oh, just tell me everything."
"Well, I'm very old, Doctor. You might not believe me if I told you my age."
"Oh, I think I might. I'm over 900 years old."
"I'm over 6,000."
"So, a bit older than me… Continue."
"I was born in the First Age of Middle Earth. I was there when history was happening. And more importantly, Doctor, I remember."
Earth:
Steve sat in stony silence in the engine room. Stark wanted him dead, he wished he was dead, maybe he should kill himself. Angrily he rolled his eyes. He wasn't going to do that. People needed him. They would need him for who knows how long. Still, how was it his fault that he was older than Stark? Feeling eyes on the back of his neck, he turned around to face Fury.
"Stark's just angry. About a lot of things."
"So am I," Steve replied, "But I don't tell people that I wished they were dead. It was common courtesy in my day. Is that another thing that has changed about the world?"
Fury sat down, "For some people, yes."
"I hate this. I hate having to relearn everything in a new world. It's like I'm a child all over again. And I was barely an adult when I—." He stopped.
"When you what? Went down?"
"Does the name Peggy Carter mean anything to you?"
"She was an agent in your division, I think."
"Yeah." Steve stood up and walked away.
Middle Earth:
"Fascinating! He absorbed the ring's energy?" The Doctor asked awestruck.
"Yes. Doctor, how do you defeat something like that?" Elrond replied.
"Isn't it obvious?" It was clear by the look on the elves face that it wasn't. "You have to kill him from the core. But you'd need to get close enough to touch him, and for that you'd need a distraction, and it's very dangerous."
"When Thor left, he said he knew people who could help us. We know not where Thor went, or how reliable he is. Could you find him and bring his team back?"
The Doctor scanned the ground, then bent down and sniffed the dirt. "He went to Earth," he said decisively. Back in a flash."
Earth:
"Fury, there's an undocumented civilian on the main deck. Come quick."
When Fury arrived there were six agents with guns pointed at a young man standing in front of a blue box with his hands raised. "Does anyone want to explain to me how he got on board while we are in the air?"
"We're not sure, sir."
"Um, I might be able to explain, actually." The man said.
"Well, then do so, please." Fury said.
"Tell your men to stand down first."
"I don't take orders from you."
"And I don't take orders from humans. At least not you. Do you want to know how I got here or not?"
"What do you mean humans?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? Unfortunately, there are still guns pointed at my head, and one thing you will learn very quickly about me is that I DO NOT LIKE GUNS."
Everyone was taken aback by his authoritative tone.
"Stand down." Fury said. To the strange man he said, "Alright. The guns are gone. Talk."
"What a surprise. You bloody humans always have to pretend like you're in control. Ever hear of a word called 'please'?"
Fury cocked his head, "Please talk."
"I'm the Doctor."
"What?"
"The Doctor. That's me! You are?"
"Nick Fury."
"Well, Mr. Fury, this box behind me, is my ship. It's much larger than yours, believe it or not. And much more impressive, I must say. It's called a TARDIS, that's Time and Relative Dimension in Space. I travel through both time and space, and my TARDIS is how I landed on your ship. I'm from the planet Gallifrey. What else would you like to know?"
"I've never heard of the planet Gallifrey."
"And I bet you had never heard of Asgard either."
"What do you know of Thor?"
"Oh, not much. Just that he promised to help the people of Middle Earth and has not been seen for three days."
This got Fury's attention, "You were sent by Middle Earth?"
"Yes. I told them I would bring back the team Thor had promised."
"That's not your call."
"Too late, I already made it. So, who am I bringing back?"
"If you try to take them, I'll have my agents gun you down."
"Fury, I've faced monsters you can't even imagine. Your agents don't scare me, and neither do their guns."
"Then why wouldn't you talk until the guns were put away?"
"I told you. I don't like guns. Actually, I don't mind the guns, it's the violence that they help to cause that I don't like. But you should know that I've been called by many names including the Incoming Storm, and the Predator, and in more worlds than I care to count, the word Doctor has become a threat. That's not something I'm proud of, but I'm not afraid of it either. So, for your sake, I'll repeat myself. Where are they?"
"This team could use your kind of fire. Right this way, Doctor."
The team assembled in the main control room with Stark and Rogers as far away from each other as they could get. When Fury walked in with the Doctor, they sat up a little straighter.
"Who is that?" Banner asked.
"This is the Doctor," Fury replied.
"Hello!" The Doctor waved cheerfully.
"How did he get on board?"
"I'll let him explain that."
When everyone was brought up to speed, the Doctor was introduced to everyone.
"I thought Gallifrey was destroyed in the Time War." Thor said.
"Yes, it was. I escaped, and now there's nothing left of my home. So I travel to other planets. I like Earth. Earth is my favorite.
The Doctor's face lit up when he was introduced to Steve.
"Captain America! Wow! Big fan of your work." He shook his hand vigorously, and Steve gave a small half-smile as his cheeks reddened slightly.
Stark stepped up, "Tony Stark," he said smugly, "You may know me as Iron Man."
The Doctor furrowed his brow, "Iron Man? You don't look like an iron man, and trust me; I know what those look like." He scanned Stark with his screwdriver, and tapped the arc reactor over his heart, "But, at any rate, you are clever."
Stark seemed a little taken aback, but mollified by the Doctor's appreciation of the contraption that kept the shrapnel out of his heart. "Thank you, Doctor. And, I have a suit. It's actually a metal alloy, but Iron Man has kind of a ring to it."
"Well, the iron men I know of are called Cybermen. I certainly hope you're not like them. They're terrible creatures, and not even by their own will. They used to be human, but all emotion is wiped out of them, and they're turned into machines."
"You'll find no shortage of emotion in this bunch, Doctor." Fury spoke up. "They all have a lot of anger, and it sometimes gets the best of them."
The Doctor's gaze intensified, "Yes, I—I suppose I know what that's like. I need humans to keep me—well, to keep me good. I don't know what it is, but you darn humans always believe in compassion, even if most of you don't exactly follow a moral code."
"I tried to get them to talk about their problems so they can let them go."
"Why? It's their anger, let them do what they want with it."
"Doctor, you've obviously held on to your anger, and you need someone to keep you from becoming malicious. The only people they've got are each other."
"Um, I've got a girlfriend, actually. Pepper Potts. Remember her? She keeps me good." Stark said.
"She's doing a fantastic job with that, too." The Captain said sarcastically.
"Oh, not this again. Are you still mad because you're alive?"
"Really, Stark? You're gonna bring that up now?"
"Yeah, I really am. Are you gonna go cry to your girlfriend? Oh wait, I forgot, your girlfriend is-."
In half a second Steve had his hands around Stark's throat, "Say another word, and you're dead."
"Girlfriend?" Fury said. "What girlfriend?"
Steve gazed intensely at Stark for a few more seconds before flinging him backwards, "It doesn't matter," he said flatly.
"Obviously it does. When did you get a—oh. Peggy?"
Steve turned to leave.
"Wait just a minute!" the Doctor called, "Were you and Peggy an item?"
Steve turned around, "She was an agent in my division when I was in the army."
"And you love her! You still love her! Brilliant!"
Steve stepped to the Doctor until they were nose to nose, "How is it brilliant? I'm miserable!"
"Yes, and that fuels you to do the right thing. Your misery helps other people, people who are being oppressed, and I think we both know that you don't like bullies. You were a ninety pound asthmatic before the serum was injected into you. I heard your screams of agony, but you went through with it. Why? Because you are a good man."
"You were there?"
"It was one of my earlier regenerations. You left early and missed something fantastic. Steve, I—Well, I'm Dr. Erskine."
"What?" Steve pushed him backwards and grabbed his shirt in his fists, "I don't believe you. Prove it."
"You falsified several enlistment forms. Every single one of them was rejected. I gave you a chance, you took it. Do you remember the night before the procedure? We were going to share a bottle of Schnapps, but you couldn't have it because you were getting the injections the next day?"
Steve loosened his grip, and began tearing up, "I thought you were dead. You should be dead, at least from old age."
"So should you. I regenerated." The Doctor said simply.
Steve turned to face everyone else, "I trust this man with my life. He made me who I am."
"Isn't that sweet," Stark said.
"Tony Stark." The Doctor said, "Was your father by any chance—."
"Howard? Yes." Stark answered.
"Such a brilliant man! When we worked together he always talked about wanting a son that would grow up to be someone great. He would be proud of you." The Doctor said matter-of-factly.
Stark swallowed hard. "I'd like to hear that from him."
"Would you? Because you can, if you like."
"What?"
"Time machine," The Doctor pointed to the TARDIS.
Within moments, Tony was in his suit and ready to go. He stepped inside the TARDIS.
"Holy cow! It's…"
"Yes, I know. It's bigger on the inside."
The Doctor pulled some levers and pushed some buttons and they were off. When they landed, the Doctor peeked around the door slowly as he opened it. Howard stood there with eyes wide.
"Doctor?" he asked as though anyone else owned a TARDIS.
"Howard!"
"It's been a year since we saw each other last."
"I've got someone I want you to meet." The Doctor stepped out, followed by Tony with his mask down.
"Who is that?" Howard asked startled.
Tony lifted the mask, "Hi, Dad."
"This is my son?" Howard asked the Doctor.
"Your son the genius, billionaire, superhero."
"This is my son?" He repeated.
He stepped forward and stared silently at Tony for a second before wrapping him in a tearful embrace. Tony hesitated for a second before returning the hug.
"You," Howard said releasing him, but keeping a grip on his arm, "are someone to be proud of. Can I ask what I named you?"
"Anthony. Tony for short."
"I'll remember that. I wouldn't want to give you the wrong name." Howard laughed. "A superhero, did you say?"
"I'm called Iron Man. I have a super suit and everything. My team is getting ready to go into battle now, actually. I can't give too many details."
"Of course not," Howard smiled, "My son the superhero. You'd better get going then."
Tony nodded, and turned around.
"Tony, wait."
"Yeah, dad?"
"I love you."
"I—I love you too."
The Doctor and Tony returned to the TARDIS and within moments were back in the room on the ship.
"How long were we gone?" the Doctor asked upon exiting the TARDIS.
"About five seconds," said Fury amazed, "Where's Stark?"
Right on cue, Tony stepped out of the TARDIS, still wiping moist eyes. He walked straight up to Steve, who looked uncertain of what to expect. Tony stuck has hand out.
"I'm sorry." He said.
Steve shook his hand, and looked curiously at the Doctor and raised an eyebrow.
"Love. Love is the principle thing. Everyone needs it, and everyone is rubbish without it. Stark just felt the best love there is. The love of a parent."
Everyone agreed that the TARDIS would be a more efficient means of travel, and though Thor appeared slightly offended, he didn't object. They were all suited up and ready to go, but there was a bit of awkward tension between the Captain and Stark. Stark wasn't the kind to just apologize, so Howard had to have said something profound. Steve decided to lighten up the pressure.
"Hey, Stark," he smiled.
"Yeah?"
"Did your dad ever tell you about the fondue misunderstanding we had when I was in the army?"
"I think he mentioned it a few times when I was little, but he never finished the story without laughing so hard I couldn't understand him." Stark was smiling now.
"I didn't know what fondue was," Steve began, "And he asked Peggy if she wanted to stop for a late night fondue, and I had no clue what he was talking about. I got a little jealous," he laughed and then he stopped. He looked away so no one would see the tear dimming his eye.
"I really am sorry about the comment I made earlier," Stark said.
"I know," Steve responded, "it's fine. I just—I did what I had to do. I guess I'm done feeling bad about that."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. The pity party is officially over." He laughed.
Fury smiled, "Two down. Two to go."
"Um, actually, Fury," Bruce said, "It might be better if you let me hold on to my anger. Less people get hurt that way. And I mean, I'm used to it now. Being angry feels natural to me."
"That's true," Fury admitted, "One to go."
"Good luck." Thor said indifferently.
The TARDIS landed. The elves stood outside with wide eyes.
"How long have I been gone?" The Doctor asked.
"About five seconds," Elrond said walking around the box.
"Two in a row! My timing is getting better!" the Doctor said victoriously.
The team stepped out, and looked around. Clint seemed especially appreciative of the elves bows.
"I'm an archer of sorts," He said to an elf named Legolas, "My arrows do different things though. Like explode, or create a grappling hook."
Legolas smiled, "I should like to have a bow like that."
Hawkeye defensively moved his hand to his own bow.
"I did not mean to take yours, friend," Legolas laughed, "I just meant to express my gratitude to have such a bow fighting alongside me."
Hawkeye seemed pacified. Everyone else was deep in conversation with Elrond becoming updated on the situation.
"Clint," Natasha said impatiently, "If you don't mind, you might want to listen in."
Reluctantly he walked over to the group, not wanting to leave his new friend.
"Sauron is still alive." Natasha said when he approached.
"What? How?"
"The ring gave off energy, and he absorbed it. We've got to get close enough to him to get him at the core."
"Or do we?" Clint raised an eyebrow.
"If arrows worked, do you think the elves would need us? Arrows bounce right off of him."
"Oh."
"We have resorted to making bows of bark and stone, but to no avail." Elrond said looking defeated.
"Well, now you've got a super-team!" the Doctor said enthusiastically, "Elrond, may I introduce to you Captain America. A super-soldier, old for a human, but still looks and acts like a twenty-one year old! His shield can withstand anything and he is a grade-A fighter! Iron Man- a genius, this man is! He built this suit he's wearing, and it can do a number of remarkable things. The Hulk—or rather, Mr. Bruce Banner at the moment—due to an overexposure of gamma radiation he can turn into a magnificent green hero that you are very lucky to have. You already know about Thor. Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton: S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Miss Romanov is a gifted interrogator, and fierce in battle. Mr. Barton is an exceptional archer. And me. The man feared by whole civilizations. How do you feel now?"
"Reassured." Elrond smiled.
"Then onward to the frontlines."
Elrond led them through the trees and stopped just behind the forefront of battle.
"Sauron has no shortage of orcs in his army. You'll need to fight them while a group approaches Sauron."
It was decided that Clint and Natasha would fight the orcs with the elves, Captain America and Thor would go after Sauron, and Iron Man and the Hulk would fight where they were needed.
"Banner," the Captain said, "Suit up."
Bruce smiled and expanded his form into the Hulk. The elves eyes' widened. Elrond smiled. And with that, they ran into battle.
Iron Man flew above the battle and launched missiles at the enemy army while the Hulk threw orcs at other orcs, and created a simulated earthquake by slamming his fists on the ground. The elves and Clint shot arrows with such precision that within minutes a decent amount of orcs lay bleeding and incapacitated. Natasha made a weapon out of an orc's head that had been cut off in battle by stuffing it with bullets from her gun and leaves. Using her lighter to set fire to the leaves, she threw the head into the center of Sauron's army.
While all this was happening, Thor and the Captain were making their way to Sauron. A few orcs seen them and ran over to fight them off, but were no match for their strength. Just before they reached Sauron, a man materialized in front of them. He had black hair and wore a green cape. Loki.
"Brother! How did you get here?"
Loki laughed, "You underestimate my ability to be in two places at once, brother. As soon as the elves sent their distress cry, I left prison to fight against you once again."
"Twice you have fought me, and twice you have lost. What makes this time different?"
"Well, third time's the charm, right? Do you not understand? I will never stop. Not until you are destroyed."
"The grudge you hold is against me. Why do you needlessly involve others?"
"I like a good show."
"This is a show? Innocent lives laid down so you can take revenge on me?"
"Uh, yes."
"Loki. I used to know you."
"And now?" Loki challenged.
As Thor opened his mouth to respond, an orc tackled Loki to the ground and held a sword to him.
"Are you fraternizing with the enemy?" the creature accused.
Loki's eyes were wide and he breathed anxiously. Rage burned in Thor's face, and he glanced at the Captain who gave a slight nod. Thor raised his hammer and brought it down against the orc, flinging him aside. The Captain ran to where the orc landed, leaving Thor with Loki. As the Captain began delivering blows, Thor turned toward Loki and offered his hand to him. He hesitated before accepting Thor's help. He stood up.
"You would save the life of one you claim not to know?"
"That's why I'm here."
"But you used to know me. That's what you said. You would save me after I have been unspeakably horrid to you."
"You are my brother."
Loki appeared taken aback, "When I call you brother, I say it with resentment. You still mean it."
"I always will."
Tears formed in Loki's eyes, "A-and, I will begin to again. Forgive me."
"I have," Thor said taking Loki in his arms, "But this is no time for sentiment, brother. Will you fight with us or against us?"
"I will fight with you."
The two walked over to the Captain.
"Is he—." Steve asked.
"My brother will fight with us."
Steve smiled, "Glad to hear it."
And they continued their march to Sauron. When they were close, they edged of to the side so they could sneak up behind him.
"Loki," Thor began, "Is there any way you could distract him? Maybe give him updates on the battle while the Captain and I attack?"
"I will do that which is required of me," Loki responded as he dematerialized and reappeared in front of Sauron.
"Sir," Loki bowed, "The army of Middle Earth have allies from my world, and from two others."
As he told Sauron about the Avengers and the Doctor, the Captain and Thor snuck up behind him.
"How are we going to do this?" Thor asked.
"Jump off my shield and hit Sauron with your hammer. When I throw you, it should give you enough momentum to at least knock him down. And he'll be a lot easier to fight if he's on the ground."
Thor nodded, and backed up a few paces. The Captain crouched and lifted his shield over his head. Thor ran and jumped onto the shield, and the Captain flung him into the air. As the Captain stumbled backwards from the force of the throw, Thor raised his hammer and brought it down against Sauron's back. He stumbled forward a few steps before falling. Thor continued to slam his hammer against Sauron, and the Captain approached and began ripping him apart, limb by limb.
"Stark, come in." He said into his radio.
"Yeah?"
"I got some garbage for you to take care of."
Within moments Stark was hovering above Sauron's now dead body. Steve handed up an arm.
"Throw that in the fire of Mordor, would ya? There's more when you're done."
As Tony went to fly off, Steve stopped him, "Hey wait! What has the Doctor been doing all this time?"
"He's been putting up perception filters to keep the orcs farther back off of us until we're close enough to attack. Also, you know that screwdriver of his? If he concentrates it on an orc long enough, it explodes. Now, imagine orcs exploding through a perception filter. It looks like spontaneous combustion, and all the orcs around go crazy, and pretty much kill themselves. That man is a genius!"
"I know," Steve smiled.
After a few trips, Sauron's form had successfully been melted. An angry army of orcs turned on the group standing where there leader once had. All of them were going after the Captain, Thor, and Iron Man.
"What do we do?" Stark asked.
"Fly up and shoot at them," the Captain said, "Thor, do you remember the first time we met and you hit my shield with your hammer?"
Thor smiled, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," the Captain said as he raised his shield.
Thor ran at him and brought his hammer down hard against the shield. The collision resounded throughout the battle lines, and everyone but the Captain, and Iron Man, who was in the air, was blasted backwards. The army of Middle Earth, and their allies regained control of themselves quicker than the orcs who were still trying to figure out why they were on the ground. Arrows rained down, punches were thrown, the Hulk threw some orcs, and jumped on others. Loki had a small dagger which proved invaluable paired with his skill. They fought relentlessly until all but one orc in Sauron's army lay dead. That one orc looked at his peers laying around him, soaked in red, and ran off. A cry of victory resounded through Middle Earth's army.
"Where's the Doctor?" Steve asked.
"Here I am." came a voice from seemingly nowhere.
Steve looked around confused. The Doctor dropped the perception filter concealing him, and laughed. Steve laughed too, and grabbed him in an embrace.
"I've missed you more than I'd known."
"And I've missed you, Steve. But you have to understand that it is time for me to go."
Steve nodded, "I realized that you couldn't stay when I found out who you are. What you do. But I've loved having you back, even if it was just for a little while. Even if it was just for this." He gestured to the battlefield.
"And I've loved being back. And if the others don't mind, I'd like to drop them off and take you on one final journey."
Everyone agreed, as they made their way back to the TARDIS. The elves followed them, and Elrond spoke the farewell.
"Middle Earth thanks you. If ever you need an ally, we will be there."
"We might just have to take you up on that," Fury commented.
"Fury, where have you even been?" Natasha asked accusingly.
"In the TARDIS, watching the battle in case you needed me."
"But not fighting with us?"
"And risk losing my other eye?"
Natasha laughed, and they all waved as they got into the TARDIS. Clint and Legolas exchanged a smile, and they were off. When they landed in the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Fury was the first to step out. Agent Maria Hill was waiting.
"Hill, how much time has passed since our departure?"
"About five seconds, sir."
Fury looked at the Doctor and raised an eyebrow. The Doctor smiled widely and clapped.
"Five seconds again! Amazing!"
After everyone but Steve had gotten off the TARDIS, the Doctor shut the doors.
"So, where are you taking me?"
"You'll see. Somewhere that you need to go. There's something you need to do, and you'll know what. Alright. We've landed."
Steve raised an eyebrow.
"Well, aren't you going to see where we are?"
He opened the door, and standing in front of him with eyes wide was Peggy Carter. When she seen who was stepping out of the box, her eyes grew even wider.
"Steve?"
"Peggy!" he laughed.
He ran in to hug her. She wept into his shoulder.
"I thought you were dead." She sobbed.
"My body was preserved in ice," he explained, "I'm about ninety years old now."
"No you're not," she replied tearfully, "Look at you. Still the same Steve I remember. Still—still my Captain."
Suddenly Steve knew why the Doctor had brought him here, "And I'll always be that. For as long as you need me to. But, the opposite can't be true. You see, in the—well in the future, people need me, more than you ever could. I wish that weren't true. I wish I could justify staying here with you, Peggy, but I can't. So, I'm letting you go, and I'm asking you to always remember me as your Captain."
She nodded while crying harder, "You're a good man, Steve," she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "Go get 'em, Captain."
Steve held her in his arms for a few seconds longer before turning around and getting back in the TARDIS without looking back. Peggy had been a part of his old life, but things had changed. He knew he would always love her, but he had peace about it now. Not anger. As he stepped out of the TARDIS, he stood face to face with Fury.
"Doctor," Fury said angrily, "It's been five months. We've got another mission, and we've been waiting on Steve. A dark power has taken control of another planet."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Steve asked picking up his shield, "Let's go avenge it."