WARNING

This story includes major character deaths

Alternate ending to The Avengers (2012)

Eventual Steve Rogers/OFC

I just want to warn you all that you are most likely in for an emotional roller-coaster of a ride, so for those who are easily affected by the feels, BE WARNED. THIS STORY CONTAINS MAJOR CHARACTER DEATHS, LOTS OF ACTION, QUESTIONS MORAL JUDGEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO GOOD AND EVIL, AND WILL ALSO HAVE SOME LEMON (eventually).

Thanks to the lovely npeg for acting as my beta!

I do not own any characters etc (apart from OCs).

Juncture

"GET DOWN!" Steve shouted through the stern-faced mask of the Patriot armour.

Loki wasted no time and moved out of the line of fire to see a small flock of explosives fly past and blow the approaching group of Chitauri guards back through the door they came through. The room shuddered, and the beetle-like black metal walls of the ship creaked in protest to the confrontation taking place there. When the smoke cleared a little, and the faint ringing in his ears subsided, the trickster could sense that that would not be the last of their troubles.
Loki struggled to regain his footing and slammed his hand into the door control panel by the wall, causing it to malfunction. The two of them were sealed inside the room with more guards outside, hammering frantically at the thick metal barrier. It would only buy them so much time, and they were running desperately low.

Steve stood sluggishly and noticed an array of flashing messages on his HUD before JARVIS' voice confirmed what he sensed was wrong.

"Captain, I'm afraid the suit has been compromised. It appears to be leaking oxygen and it is no longer space-worthy."

Steve's heart faltered. He could feel the beginnings of a dull pain creeping up his side, and he moved to assess the damage. There was a small crack in the suit's metal plating where he had been hit by a stray blast. He traced the tarnished metal with his fingers.

"How…how much oxygen do I have left, JARVIS?" asked Steve, head still titled as he continued to trace the crack in his armour.

There was a short pause before the AI responded in a quiet and considerate tone.

"Less than five minutes, approximately, and rapidly depleting."

He turned to observe the distant expanding hole of light through the observatory glass.

"It's… growing." Steve muttered.

"The portal has become unstable," said Loki. "If it is not closed… there may be no Earth left to return to."

"You can't shut it down, can you?"

"It is self-sustained now. The Tesseract is not just an energy source, it is… aware. It is not something that can easily be controlled."

"Well, we came here on a mission. I intend to see it through." Steve said as he steadied himself, raising a hand to the broken machine that held the glowing cube in its core, his repulsor humming, ready to fire. Loki practically lunged forward and grabbed Steve's arm, stepping in front of the machine as if he were a mother protecting her young.

"DON'T!" Loki shouted desperately. "It has a protective field of pure energy that cannot be breached by any mere weapon. If you try to destroy it this entire room will be blown into space, and the Tesseract will not be stopped!"

"Then what do you suggest we do if it can't be turned off or destroyed?!" Steve bit back.

Loki could hear the soldier's voice gradually diminish beneath the thundering of his own heartbeat as he stared into some distant place. The walls of the room seemed as though they were closing in on him, confining him to a tomb of his own making as the emptiness of space moulded an endless prison of eternal darkness.
He would not admit it, but Loki was scared. There is reason to fear the dark; it is where we hide our demons. Not red-eyed beasts with dagger-smiles, but a part of ourselves. They are the memories, the regrets, and the secrets; the things too terrible and frightening to face. But no matter how deep we burry them, or for how long, pretty soon they become that darkness, and the things we cherish most drown in it.
Loki knew that darkness all too well. He'd welcomed it. Gradually, it had made its home deep within his heart, extending its reach until every fibre of his being played host to it. And over time, all that had once separated him from the shadows, the things that truly mattered, faded away, their glorious beacons smothered until only frail flames remained in the gloom. The mightiest of trees can stand tall beneath a black veil, but without the light of the sun its leaves wither and die. There is no power to be found there, for the darkness takes. It never gives.
This is what Loki had come to understand, but only after much time and thought. Fate is a mistress shrouded in mystery, creating infinite winding routes and possibilities as she tells us to walk. Still, in spite of all her power, Fate does not choose the path for us. At that crucial junction we have the freedom to choose our own destiny, and that choice will define us.

As the darkness began to subside Loki caught the barest fragment of the answer to Steve's question within the burning glow of the Tesseract. He had once again reached a fork in the road and, much like one that now seemed so far behind him, it was a choice that would come with a price.

Abandon the world, or fight for it?

. . .

1 year earlier…