A rat. A dammed rat. A damned fucking rat was what it took to get Scott Lang out of the Quantum Realm. The former thief was slightly disorientated to come back, only to see that his surroundings had completely changed. Instead of being in the middle of nowhere with the Van Dynes, he was in a crowded storage room filled with obscure bits and pieces.
"What happened here?" Scott asked himself, putting a hand against the van as he tried to figure out what had happened.
"Thanos happened," a feminine voice answered. A girl, dressed in a security uniform was leaning up against the door, looking rather disinterested by his predicament. Her brunette snaked down her back in a tight braid. "The Mad Titan. He wiped out half the universe's population with his Infinity Gauntlet. He destroyed the stones soon after. He's dead now, the Earth's mightiest heroes found him. But they were unable to reverse the snap." She told him, blowing a bubble with her chewing gum.
"Can you get me out of here?" Scott asked, realising he needed to get to the Avengers. Scratch that, he needed to find Cassie and the Van Dynes.
"You won't find them." The guard answered, blowing another bubble as she examined her fingernails. "The Van Dynes, your ex-wife, and her partner – they're all gone. Cassie lives with her grandmother now."
"How do you know all that?" Lang frowned, aware that something was off about the girl on the other side of the fence.
"Because I know everything," came her simple reply. "But as for you, know that your help is needed if the snap is to ever be undone." She pushed herself off the fence and walked off.
Scott banged on the fence. "Can you let me out please?" He pleaded, desperate to find Cassie. The girl waved dismissively as she turned the corner, unlocking the gate. "Wow," the Ant-Man allowed himself a moment to be impressed before racing out of the storage yard. After finding his Cassie, and seeing how much she'd grown while he was gone was heartbreaking. Knowing that she'd been alone with only her aging grandmother hurt. But he was back now, and he was going to make things right.
"I love you Cassie," he told her, giving her his biggest hug. "I love you more than you could ever know."
"I know daddy," his little girl replied as Scott left.
He went straight to the Avengers compound and was quickly greeted by a now beared Steve Rogers and a red and white-haired Natasha Romanoff.
"What happened to you?" The Black Widow asked, confused. Hadn't Scott Lang been killed in the snap?
"I was on an expedition in the Quantum Realm. It's like, another universe that's incredibly tiny." He shook his head. "But the people who were supposed to pull me out were killed in this Snap, Decimation thing everyone keeps talking about."
"What are you getting at Scott?" Steve interrupted, not in the mood for ramblings.
"It's been a year, right? Since the snap?" They nodded. "For me, it's only been half an hour."
The Regular-Sized Man's plan was ridiculous, so of course Tony Stark was going to say no to it. Quantum realm and jumping through time was a recipe for disaster. Besides, he was still angry with these people.
"Look, if you're not going to talk shop, you can stay for lunch," Tony rolled his eyes, watching little Morgan toddle back inside. The trio exchanged glances before politely turning down his offer.
Stark watched them leave and headed inside. But there was something nagging at him. Gnawing, more like. Like a mouse eating cheese. It was as if the cogs in his brain were still ticking, but one of the screws had come loose. Or tightened. By the time he walked out into the shed later that afternoon, his head was pounding with a migraine.
"Do remember to stay hydrated." A feminine voice stated suddenly, and Tony turned to see an unfamiliar brunette girl in a red and blue costume leaning up against the far workbench. "It's a known cause of headaches." She drawled, sounding amused.
"A skirt? Really?" He frowned, gesturing to her outfit. A short, red skirt hugged her waist with a long-sleeved, red top and a floor-length blue cape sitting on her shoulders. A torn blue star sat square in her chest. "Heroes these days." Stark groaned. She smiled fondly at him as if she was recognising someone, but he'd never met her before.
"I believe it matches its owner, better than I. She was very sunny. A beacon of hope in dark times."
"You stole it?" Tony went to summon his suit, but it didn't come.
"It won't come." She stated as he looked down to see the arc reactor was missing. "You don't need it."
"Umm, you broke into my house, stole some chic's super suit and you're telling I don't need to defend myself?"
"Anthony, son of Adam." Her voice was soft, like listening to a creek flow when he was stressed. "I am here not to fight you. I am here on a peace-keeping mission. I am here because the universe needs one last favour."
His frowned deepened, "Nope. I think the universe can do without."
Something flickered through her eyes as she sighed gently. "Then let me try again." While nothing physically changed about her, Tony could see her entire personality changing. She smiled shyly at him. "Hi. My name is Quinn, and I really need your help."
"Really?"
"Yup. Because in this case, time must be rewritten. Like." She brushed a loose lock of hair behind her head, bumbling over her words in an adorably annoying manner. "This timeline, universe, yeah. It really shouldn't exist."
Tony's frown deepened, the lines across his face sharper than what Quinn once knew. "So, you mean my daughter shouldn't exist? That my happiness is an anomaly?" He sounded angry, and they both knew it.
"No no no. Ugh, no umm." Her eyes raced around the room as she tried to better word herself. "Let me put it this way. No matter what happens, as long as you have Pepper, you will have Morgan. You will have Hayley and Edwin and little Thomas. Harley and Peter too. Jarvis and Friday and all your bots. Happiness comes in many forms, it's just that yours kinda takes a while to stick around. Or at least, for you to notice it in all its forms."
"All its forms?" Stark asked as the girl walked over to one of the benches, picking up a picture frame and giving it to him. Two photographs rested inside, the first a photo of all the Avengers, some he didn't even recognise, in red and white suits with their hands in a circle. Next to it was a photo of his first arc reactor with the words proof that Tony Stark has a heart inscribed around it. Beneath the photos lay the simple caption, proof that his friends keep it beating.
"Time can be rewritten." She pleaded gently, playing with her fingers. "Like, your son is gone Tony. He's dust, and you're not going to do anything about it?" Peter. But Peter wasn't his son. But she said that Peter was like his son. And maybe, just maybe… no, scratch that the kid was defiantly his son. More than a year of living without the overly enthusiastic teen had made him see otherwise.
"So, you'll do it?" The hope in the girl's voice reminded him of a time when people looked at him for guidance. For hope.
"Yeah, whatever. I'll sacrifice my happiness for the sake of the universe."
Her eyes flickered to the floor. "It's the little things Stark, that bring us happiness. Like waking up and watching the yellow sun rise, knowing you're alive to see another day."
Stark glared at her, staying quiet as he thought over a plan for this time-travel, fix-the-universe mission that the girl was trying to get him to go on. Maybe Lang's Quantum Realm theory would hold some validity, but they'd need to…
"Oh, and beeeee careful. Time is a lot more bendy than you think." She blurted out, the thought crossing her mind as she interrupted his. She picked up a thin metal rod from the workbench. "Like, take this rod right. You can bend it, make it do things. Time is kinda like that. You can bend it." Quinn played with the metal, bending it continuously in a number of places. "But be sure not to break it." The metal snapped under the tension, breaking clean in two.
"Respect the timeline, got it." Stark nodded, a little annoyed that she's broken the rod he needed to repair the washing machine.
She nodded, her brown eyes alight. "Yeah. Temporal Prime Directive and all that jazz. Except you have me to fix any errors you make." He looked at her, giving her his best annoyed face. "What. I thought you knew Star Trek?"
Tony shook his head, completely done with the girl. "Got any other words of brilliant sage advice before I set out to ruin my life?" He asked, cocking his eyebrow at her.
"Well, there is one thing." She shrugged. "I'm sorry but uh. No blood can be shed. Too much has already. But if you stop Thanos and erase what he has done without killing him, then I will take care of the rest."
Tony found himself at a loss for words, "we can't defend ourselves?"
"Think smarter Tony, not harder." She winked knowingly. "And I never said you couldn't fight. Just to strike with the flat of your sword, not the blade. You'll be fiinne."
"So that's it? You want me to go back in time, mess with it, not kill anyone, and hope that it'll all work out?" Stark asked, wondering what he'd done in a previous life to deserve all the shit that'd happened to him in this one.
"Oh, there'll be no hoping. I am. I know it's going to work." She bit her lip nervously. "But one last thing. Umm…"
"Spit it out." Tony snapped. He wanted to escape from the shed and this chic in the stolen super-suit. "I've got work to do so I can go ruin my happy life."
Quinn rolled her eyes warningly. "Stark... Tell Cap that his misses needs him. He'll know what I mean. Hopefully. Or not. You know what, just tell him that since she saved his ass in Munich, he kinda owes Maddie a favour that she really, really needs his help with. She needs him." Something changed about her, the glow about her died like the fire flickering in her eyes. "I need him."
Tony nodded, the dots connecting. "Of course, Maddie. I'll pass on your message."
"Thank you, Tony." The brunette held out a hand, taking one of his in her own. "I know you will make it. You will succeed. And remember, true courage is not knowing when to take a life, but when to spare it." She let go, leaving something in his hand. Stark looked down to see a red and gold emblem, in the form of an S in his hand. On the back was a sticky note.
The symbol of hope. The note read, most likely a translation of the strange characters inscribed on the back. He examined it, and felt a familiar hum about it. It was an arc reactor too! Cautiously, he pressed it against his chest and felt it come alive against his skin. The gold began to glow and when he tapped the blue the Iron Man armour emerged as always. He recognised it as his Mark 52 version. His hidden favourite.
"I thought you said you were never going to wear that again?" Pepper's voice suddenly stated. Tony looked around to see Quinn was gone, with only the reactor and photographs to prove she had ever visited him.
He spun around to look at his wife. "Remember before Morgan was born, I told you I had dreamed about us having a kid and how real it felt. Turns out, as long as I have you, we'll have Morgan."
"How do you know that?" His wife shook her head, the worry and doubt clear in her eyes.
He retracted the armour back and handed her the emblem. "I don't know where it means that, but that has to mean something if Quinn gave it to me."
"Who is Quinn?" Pepper looked up from the reactor.
"She was either an angel, Mother Earth itself or an omnipotent being with a thing for kindness." Her eyes looked into his, a spark of hope lighting a fire in her heart. He pulled out the photographs of the Avengers and of his arc reactor, and the beautiful caption that lay under it.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Pepper asked, dragging him into the house and into his workshop. She kept him fed and hydrated as he poured over simulations and equations and all sorts of things she could never understand. Pepper knew deep down she missed this. His wild heart diving head first into a project with an unmatched passion. It was intoxicating to her sometimes. Other times it was annoying as hell. But now, with Morgan by her side, it was a burning desire to rewrite the wrongs of history. And like hell she wasn't going to try and stop him.
Clint Barton rose an eyebrow. "Just like that?" Tony had shown up at the compound a week after he'd told them no, with news that he'd had a revelation and wanted to screw up history.
"Just like that." Tony nodded, remembering Quinn's one condition. "But we can't kill anyone."
"I'm sorry what?" Rocket asked, taken back by the statement. He liked killing, it was his thing.
"There's been enough blood shed over the past five years." Tony sighed, looking them all in the eye. "That doesn't mean we need to kill more. True courage isn't in taking lives, but in sparing them." Steve's eyes widened at his words, and Stark wondered what the girl's words meant to him. He found out soon enough, as Cap pulled him outside onto the field during a food break.
"You know when we were on the run, we met a lot of interesting people." He began, staring out into the distance for he could not bring himself to look at his former best friend. "One of them was a hero. She wore a skirt and punched Nazis. But I killed one of them and she cried." He scoffed. "I was so confused, but she refused to take lives. Told me that true courage is not knowing when to take a life, but when to spare it. That while America's Captain was not above driving his sword through, its Miss would not. She was incredible."
"She sounds like a good friend." Tony nodded, swallowing the strange lump in his throat.
Steve sighed. "Maddie is better than I'll ever be."
"What'd she say to that?" If the Maddie Steve knew was anything like the brunette he'd met in the shed, he was willing to bet that she'd have some clever response.
Steve shoved his hands into his pockets with a small laugh. "Told me she wasn't in the business of being better, only in the business of saving lives. I don't know why she does what she does, but whatever it is. I almost want to shake its hand."
Tony frowned, something hitting him harder than a train. "Do you think your friend could help us?"
Steve shook his head. "I haven't seen her since she saved our asses, took me out for coffee and then schooled me on how to take down Hydra." The Captain laughed again. "I don't even know if she survived the snap."
"Hey uh, guys?" Bruce called out. "We're ready for the first test."
"We'll be in in a minute!" Tony called out. He looked at Steve. "You know I still haven't forgiven you."
"I'm not asking for it. You have every right to be angry." Steve sighed, kicking at the ground with his shoe. "But let us make it up to you, when all this is over. Tony, I'm not sorry for choosing the side I took. But I should have told you about Bucky earlier. And we should never have fought." Cap eyed Stark cautiously, a flicker of fear passing through his blue eyes. "I am sorry Tony. I shouldn't have broken up this family."
Tony held out a hand. "You shouldn't have. We both shouldn't have. But why don't we rebuild?" It was as if a weight was lifted off of both men's shoulders as they shook hands. The mistakes of the past were not forgotten, but learned from. They were helping to rebuild the future.
"We better go in." Steve placed a hand on Tony's lower back, the men walking inside at peace with each other for the first time in nearly three years.
The test time trip was successful, Clint still reeling in shock from seeing his family again after so long. Once he was ready to go again, they broke off into teams for their "Time Heist", as Lang put it. Steve, Tony, and Scott went for the space stone in 2012; Bruce for the time stone in 2012. Rhodey and Nebula went for the power stone on 2014's Morag. Clint and Natasha went for the soul stone on 2014's Vormir, while Rocket and Thor went for the reality stone on 2013's Asgard.
Steve and Tony ran into problems when Loki escaped with the Tesseract, but they travelled to a S.H.I.E.l.D. base in 1970 where they knew they find not only the Tesseract, but more Pym Particles too. In an attempt to dodge security, Steve found himself in the reception area of Peggy Carter's office. Looking wistfully through the dividing window, he felt a pride surge through him as he watched her bark orders at her subordinates.
"You should go in." A feminine voice encouraged. Steve jumped back in shock, looking to see Madeline sitting at the reception desk. Her hair was brown, as were her once vivid hazel-green eyes. She wore a military uniform from that era too, looking slightly uncomfortable in the thick material. It didn't slip past him that her insignia showed that she was of a very high rank.
"Madeline?"
"Not quite." She smiled. "But go in, I'll make sure it doesn't affect the timeline."
"How?" he asked, knowing fully well the briefing they all received on not messing with the timeline.
She shrugged innocently as she replied. "If it doesn't happen, how can it affect the future." Maddie shook her head. "Just try not to think too much about it. I'm sure Director Carter would be overjoyed to see you." She slipped into the demeanour of a receptionist, chewing her pencil as she stood up to open the door.
"Ma'am," Maddie greeted Peggy, using a thick Texan drawl that she'd once used on Steve when she was annoying him. "There's someone here to see you. Code Spangles." She watched as Peggy quickly sent everyone out of the office via another door.
"Thank you, Quinn." She nodded at the girl, who retreated obediently to her desk. Steve took a deep breath and walked inside.
"Steve!" Peggy threw her arms around him, tears filling her eyes as she looked him up and down. "Oh my lord! Is it really you?"
"Yeah Peg," he nodded, feeling her warmth spread through him. Her scent was overwhelming, and he felt tears brimming in his eyes as he held her.
"How'd they find you without my knowing?" She asked curiously, still taking in the fact that Steve was standing in front of her, dressed in a current military uniform and looking rather haggard.
Cap shrugged. "You're not going to believe this Peg, but you didn't find me until 2011. I'm from the future, I'm currently on a mission to fix an event that happens."
"I… I don't understand," She blinked in confusion, placing a hand on his cheek. It was all too much for the woman.
"You don't need to. Just know that I'm safe, that Bucky is alive and safe too."
"Buck's alive?" Steve could hear her heart bursting with joy. He felt it in his own too.
"Yeah. But what about you?" He pressed. By the time he returned to the land of the living, Peggy was too far gone to tell him much.
"Well, I got married. About sixteen years ago now." She told him, showing her the photo.
"Private Timothy Carter," Steve recalled the young man as one of the six hundred POWs he'd liberated from a Nazi camp. "Of course, you married a man with the same name as you."
"Of course, you remembered him." Peggy teased back as she grabbed another photo. "These are our kids. Charlotte's the eldest, she's twelve. Junior is ten and James is nine next month." Steve took the photograph, admiring her children. They were healthy and happy. More than he could ever hope for her. "I love them so much," Peggy admitted wistfully. Director Carter wasn't usually a sentimental woman, but her kids were her whole world. More so than S.H.I.E.L.D.
"They're beautiful, Peg. I'm so happy for you." Cap beamed, genuinely happy that she had moved on. He noted the photos of the Howling Commandos, of Bucky and himself, also present on her desk.
"I never forgot you, you know," Peggy added sadly, before moving on to a different question. "But what about you? Meet any nice girls in the future?"
"I've been a bit too busy for that." Steve shook his head, his eyes wandering over to the window to the reception area where Maddie was going through reports. "But there was one girl. Ah Peg, she was extraordinary. And she could fly." He frowned at the last part, still not quite over it himself.
"She sounds lovely. Tell me you'll invite my old and feeble self to the wedding." Peggy beamed at him.
"You can walk me down the aisle." Steve teased in reply, flinching as she hit him with one of her reports. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she was no longer alive in his future.
"Ma'am," Quinn poked her head in. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but there's been a breach of Hank Pym's laboratory."
Peggy cursed violently, "I'm so sorry Steve but I have to run. Will you come for dinner tonight?"
"I have to get back to my own future Peggy." He told her, hating having to turn her down.
"Of course. I hope you have a good life Steve, one that you remember to live. Don't try to come back for me. I'm doing just fine, as will you." They hugged one final time, and Steve watched as she raced off. Tears filled his eyes as he realised that he would never see her again. His eyes were drawn back to the photographs, regret filling his tired soul.
"Oh, don't be like that." Maddie scolded mockingly as she entered the room and placed another frame on the desk. "Times a wasting. And you heard the woman, go live your life. The future is calling you Schtev, don't get caught up in the past."
He nodded, wiping away his tears as he smiled at Maddie's obscure nickname. He looked up and she was gone too. Rogers shook himself out of his trance, racing off himself to meet up with Stark and head back to their own time. But even as that time was erased, the intrusive photograph remained.
The Avengers, minus the Black Widow, all returned back as planned with all the stones. The mission was finished but at the cost of Natasha's soul. The Avengers mourned their friend, yet they knew that they would do more than avenger her. They were going to get Nat back, just like everyone else.
Then the compound blew up as the Thanos of 2014 arrived with the help of the Not Nebula. The Avengers fought hard to keep him off, to allow Clint to get the Iron Gauntlet into the hands of Bruce in the wreak of the compound. But things went south as Steve, Thor and Tony went to meet with Thanos, who was sitting down amongst the rubble of the facility as his followers did the dirty work.
"You go home, and no one has to die today. The universe isn't interested in your version of salvation." Tony informed the Mad Titan, glaring angrily at him as he approached.
Thanos scoffed at the three heroes and went to grab his blade, but before he could reply a large, vivid rainbow appeared above them and the sky cleared to a bright crystal-like blue. The rainbow began far in the east, and reached far in the west, and shined brighter than any rainbow that'd been seen in recorded history. Underneath its shining apex, stood a brunette girl with big brown eyes in a red and blue costume. She glided slowly towards them; one leg lifted slightly as everyone stopped to watch her. Her cape billowed in the soft breeze, flirting playfully with the tall grass. Quinn gently stepped down onto the earth, walking up to the Mad Titan. Tony quickly glanced at Steve, seeing the recognition in his eyes. Drama Queen, they both thought in unison.
"Thanos of Titan, Son of Dhar." She addressed him, her voice as calm as the skies above, but her heart was as judgemental as all the other hearts on the battlefield. "You stand here today to wipe out half of all life in an attempt to balance out the natural resources of the universe. The universe thanks you for your offer, but politely declines."
Fear had filled Thanos since the moment he saw her; but as he towered above her, he felt some of his earlier confidence returning.
"You have lost o Son of Titan. The battle is over, the white flag has flown and your men all retreat." She told him. Thanos looked around to see his army still around.
"The battle is far from over Quinn."
"Look up Thanos," Quinn urged gently, her voice filled with hope. "Look at the skies, the stars above shine not for you. Nor does the rainbow. This rainbow shines as a reminder of a promise that no one is to die. Never again will all life be destroyed, by water or by mortals. Death is not the answer my friend." She paused for a moment, studying the face of the Son of Dhar. "Oh Thanos. I know what it is like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail, nonetheless. I ask you to what end? Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives all the same. And now it is here. Or should I say, dear Thanos… I am." Thor's eyes widened as Quinn threw the words that he once uttered to his brother Loki back into Thanos's face with an elegant grace. Her mile-wide smile burned deep into the Mad Titan, as he felt the dread of his impending doom.
"The universe is not grateful for your gift. Those standing here now are not the only ones with a lust for blood." She nodded, as people began appearing out of nowhere, many warriors ready to fight, but some were civilians. One came swooping over the battlefield on large mechanic wings, a young spider swinging along beneath him.
Tony shuddered at the sight of Peter Parker flying overhead. "Hey Mr. Stark!" The kid greeted his mentor as he landed. "Oh man, it was weird, what happened. I was getting all dusty, and it really really hurt and I must have passed out or something because I woke up and you were gone and Doctor Strange was like, get up kid..." His ramblings were cut off as Tony hugged the kid, grateful to have him back. All over the battle field and across the universe, reunions were happening between those who lost their lives in the Decimation and those who were left alive.
Thor's heart leapt with joy as he saw Brunhild and Lady Sif leading the Asgardians not too far away. "Lady Sif! Valkyrie" He cried as he recognised the beautiful warriors standing next to his three best Asguardian friends. He moved over to them, gratefully shaking their hands.
Rocket raced to where the Guardians had appeared, elated to see his family return. Especially his pain in the ass twig son. Nebula followed shortly with Gamora, the two women joining the rag-tag family.
Wanda looked around for Natasha but was instead embraced by a tearful Clint. She eagerly hugged him back.
Steve went to shake the hand of King T'Challa who was leading the Wakandians, moving past him to embrace Bucky and Sam. Gods how he'd missed his two best friends.
"Yibambe!" T'Challa yelled, his voice carrying clearly over the battlefield. More than a million voices answered him. The war cry continued as Quinn turned her gaze back to Thanos.
"Thanos, son of Dhar." Quinn's voice was commanding, filled with unmatched authority. "You have sought the stones of infinity for genocide in the name of mercy. You willingly slaughtered more than half the universe. I'm not even going to let you try to defend yourself." The brunette shook her head, completely disgusted with the purple grape in front of her. She spared a glance over her shoulder, as if making sure that everyone was still there. "The jury has reached a unanimous verdict. You are guilty on all accounts of genocide, murder, attempt to murder, violation of the right to life and treason against the universe." And as such, Thanos the Mad Titan had lost. The battle was over, the race had finished and the white flag was flying high in the sky above the bright rainbow.
"And what happens to me now? I am punished for my actions, put to death for them?" Thanos asked her, preparing for her worst. "And what of my children? Would you kill them too?"
"No," The girl stated softly. "The universe has decided the price of your actions, and it demands your life. Not in death, but in life. Damned to a life of walking the sands of the universe alone with the knowledge of what you have done, and the knowledge that you will never succeed."
She brought her hand up, snapping her fingers poetically. Thanos disappeared in a blinding light, and the last son of Titan found himself alone on the red sands of his home planet.
The gaze of the battlefield shifted to the opposing army and the Children of Thanos. Quinn walked up to the Ebony Maw, delivering the verdict. "As for the rest of you, sons and daughters of Thanos; you will return to your home planets to be tried and prosecuted for your actions. May the universe have mercy on your souls." She nodded to them, and they too disappeared.
Biting her lip, she turned back to the warriors, allowing them to return home.
The Avengers moved over to the woman, "what happens next?" Doctor Strange asked, irritated by the being before him.
"Life moves on." She paused as if to think. "Or perhaps it goes backwards? Like replacing a faulty stretch of cable or removing part of a tape." She explained to everyone's confusion.
Quinn shook her head dismissively, holding out her hands as the six stones of infinity appeared in front of her. "What trouble you have caused the universe," she tutted as if scolding a young child or puppy. She selected the power stone first, crushing it effortlessly in her small palm. The others looked in in shock as the stone of infinity had no effect on her.
"How are they not killing you?" Quill asked, amazed by how the brunette easily held the stone in her hand.
"They cannot harm what they have no power over." Came Quinn's answered. Taking the space stone, she passed it to Thor. "For Loki. As mischievous as he is, he is wiser than us all. Perhaps he knows of where the Asgardians are." Thor stared at the girl, stunned to hear of a way to get his brother and his people back. Suddenly he gasped as a knife was dropped into his foot.
"You never were ready for me, brother," Loki noted with a cunning smile. He was exactly the same as he had been before he was killed. Thor pulled him into a hug, crying openly but showing that the stone was gone. "Why are you crying? Unhand me this instant, you big oaf." The God of Mischief wiggled around in his brother's strong grasp.
"I do not know why, but it is good to see you brother," Thor replied, feeling emotional as his gaze returned to his people.
Quinn watched them with a fond smile as the reality stone appearing in her outstretched palm. "For those who wish to forget. You shall. For those who do not, so shall you. But I leave the good memories." She winked at Captain America. "For the memory of America's ass." She giggled childishly as the stone turned to a fine powder. "This reality is marred by death and suffering. May the universe have mercy on it as it is destroyed." She turned to Nebula, holding out a hand as she cautiously ran it over the woman's head. The bionic parts came out, with thick blue-black hair growing out. Her burnt arm re-grew with flesh and bone as she was returned to a fully humanoid state. Not a trace of cybernetics could be found in her Luphomoid body.
She took the soul stone and placed it into Clint and Bucky's hands. Natasha smiled back at them, suddenly appearing in their arms. Clint was the first to hug her, still traumatised by her death. His hug was tight and clingy but ultimately short. Bucky's was longer and softer, his right hand never leaving her left as they parted.
Quinn nodded towards them as she turned to Gamora. "You are free, to live as you choose. But if you wish, I can grant you the memories of your future self." Gamora faltered for a moment. But curiosity overcame her and she agreed. The effect was instantaneous. It was as if she'd always had them. Her posture slipped into one of comfortable ease, simply grateful to be with her sister and their chosen family.
The time stone came next, glowing in her hand like a piece of hard candy. Quinn's eyes met with Doctor Strange's as it turned to dust. "You do not need it, for its power lies within in you. Share this knowledge only with those willing to respect it." Strange nodded as his once sky-blue eyes turning the same emerald green as the stone as he felt its powers flow through him. "Tempus fugit, Doctor." She reminded him with a small smile.
Finally, she took the mind stone. "Vis?" She asked, looking around. Tony felt his heart break for Wanda, only to rejoice with her as he saw Vision standing beside her with the stone in his forehead. No time had passed for the android.
"The universe smiles upon you." She nodded to him, moving forward to gently touch the stone in its final resting place. "Let it not pass into the hands of another, for it is yours alone until you complete your count of days. Please destroy it after that."
The Vision nodded, promising that the stone would not leave its place in his head.
Satisfied, Quinn turned to the leaders of the Avengers, speaking as if narrating her thoughts. But her words were more than mere thinking, as Tony realised. "Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time…" She trailed off, a small smile growing on her round face. Her eyes shone as bright as the glistening rainbow overhead. "Maybe this time it's different. Maybe this time, this time everyone lives." Her big brown eyes shone into the eyes of all the Avengers. "Life is a magic thing, is it not?"
Before anyone could react to her, Quinn clicked her fingers and disappeared in a flash of light. The rainbow remained bright in the crystal blue sky as the yellow sun shone overhead. Everyone remained quiet as a gentle breeze floated through, carrying a joyous song on its waves.
With the battle over, the remaining warriors departed: The Masters of the Mystic Arts returned to their sanctum, while the Wakandans and Asgardians returned to their respective homes. Carol was speaking to Thor and Loki about a planet a few systems over that could work as New Asgard. The brothers were eager to check it out. It was unlikely that they could house all the survivors on Earth.
The Guardians were also quick to grab their gear and some other supplies from the compound before returning to their lives in space. Adventure called to the rag-tag group of misfits, and they were answering it.
"Don't be strangers!" Tony yelled out as Quill walked up the ramp of the Milano.
"How can we? I'm coming back for new music at least once a year." He stated excitedly as Gamora placed a hand on his upper arm.
"If you need us, we will be there." She promised for all the guardians.
"The same for you too." Steve nodded, waving goodbye as the Milano took to the skies.
"Friday? What day is it?" Tony asked the A.I. quietly, his curiosity overcoming him as he wondered what Quinn's words meant.
"It's nineteenth of April boss." She replied easily.
"What year?" He pressed, eager to know.
"Two thousand and eighteen."
Steve placed a hand on his shoulder, looking worried. "Are you okay Tony?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Then why did you ask what year it was?" Sam questioned curiously, eyebrow raised in a mixture of concern and mild amusement. "Losing already Tin Man?"
"Can't remember." The Man of Iron replied with a frown after a thoughtful pause. "But I got a message the other day for you, Steve. Someone named Madeline Joyce needs your help."
It was Steve's turn to frown, recalling the girl he'd met six months prior. "Maddie?"
"If she needs help, we're here for her," Natasha confirmed, ready to help the girl who'd helped them.
"No, I think this needs to be just me." Steve nodded, smiling fondly in a way none of them had seen before. "Miss. America needs her Captain."
AN: Here's my deus ex machina fix-it for Endgame. I'm firmly in the camp of not liking the movie, so the rest of my stories will probably be set in the alternate reality set up in this story. I was thinking of calling it Earth Peanut Butter or Vegemite's Earth 54.28. Speaking of stories… I've been sketching out an idea for a Miss. America/Madeline Joyce story, and my girlfriends love it and want more so. Expect that from me in the future. Also, the song referenced and mentioned at the end is Life is a Magic Thing from Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest. I mean, it was either that or the Theme from Picnic at Hanging Rock.
And as always, I'm on Tumblr under the same name if you ever want to rant about peanut butter or just say hi to that expired jar of vegemite that's been sitting in the back of the pantry for who knows how long.