So this is the final chapter for this fic. I told ya'll it was short, but the next one, if you guys are up for it, is SUPER long. Like, the longest fic I've written for Ellie. Ever. It's ridiculously long, but I'm pretty proud of it. I like how it turned out. And I like how this one turned out, too. It's short and sweet.
The Thor fics have been stories where Ellie can escape from her life for a little while. I mean, she can't really escape it, but it's not like she's focused on heavily. The main focus is on the other characters. In these fics, she didn't have to be the hero, and I liked that about writing these movies. But now, I'm pretty sure I won't ring her back for Ragnarok, and there probably won't be any more Iron Man films, so that phase of her life has come to a close. It's bittersweet for me, because I loved writing the relationships Ellie first built when she was thrust into this life of superheroes and secret agencies, but I'm glad it ended on this note. And I'm glad I can take her on an entirely different ride.
I hope you guys like this chapter, and liked the Thor and Iron Man fics I wrote. Because that's all that's going to happen with those franchises.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything Marvel. I am not Erik Kri-shit, wrong fandom. Again. Fuck me.
We had a plan figured out without a few hours. Jane gave us the rundown of the players, the game, etc. And then we went on to explain the plan.
"Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine worlds are connecting." She glanced at me, as I spoke.
"Amplifying the weapon's impact. For each additional world, the power will increase exponentially. The effect would be universal." I had to swallow back the lump forming in my throat, as I said that. This was all too familiar, and I didn't like it.
"The alignment is only temporary, he must be in exactly the right place at the right time." Thor said, but it didn't reassure me. As far as I could tell, no one was noticing, though. Good.
"But how do we know where that is?" Darcy asked, but Erik answered this question.
"We follow the directions." Erik got up, and grabbed a map, heading over to the table. "This has happened before, thousands of years ago. The Ancients were there to see it." He shoved everything off of the table, and everything broke. That was totally a move a crazy guy would make, and I had to force back a laugh. "All the great constructions: the Mayans, the Chinese, the Egyptians. They made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence, and they left us a map." While he had been talking, he laid the map out flat, looking it over. He grabbed a ruler, and a red Sharpie, going over the map. He pinpointed the sight to be Greenwich.
"The walls between worlds will be almost non-existent. Physics will go ballistic. Increases and decreases in gravity, spatial extrusions, the very fabric of reality is going to be torn apart." Jane's words were freaking me out even more. My hands were starting to shake, and I clenched my fists, but dug into my pocket to get my phone. I realized as I did, though, that my hands were burning. I bit my lip, as Thor held out a hand, and Mjolnir flew into it.
"I have to call someone in." I muttered, stepping away.
"I better get my pants."
I managed to get some agents here to help, finally. Apparently Fury had gotten my message, and he'd sent them over as soon as he had. They listened to my every order. I had two teams of agents: one was set to evacuate the area, keep it clear of civilians. The other was to set up the instruments that were going to stop Malekith.
I worked with Jane, and Erik, but I kept my walkie on me at all times. Jane set up the system, preparing to send the Elves back where they had come from, or away from the scene, so Thor could stop Malekith. Basically, Jane sent Darcy and the intern away instead, along with a couple of Elves, and they were chased by them. I handed Erik a gun, and tracked Darcy and the intern down a couple streets over, and shot the Elves, stopping them from attacking Darcy and the intern. Darcy grinned at me, and ran over, kissing me right on the lips.
Jane did something with the system, and transported us back there, just as Darcy decided to kiss me.
"Darcy?" Jane asked, confused.
"Ellie?" Erik asked, even more confused. Darcy pulled away immediately. I smirked, forcing back a laugh.
"Jane!" She paused. "This isn't what it looks like!"
"Darcy couldn't take it anymore, she wants me. Bad." Darcy shot me a glare. I grinned at her, and laughed. "Come on, let's go. We have some worlds to save, remember?"
With that, Jane, Erik and I took off back to the place where the Convergence was happening. I sent Darcy and the intern off with an agent, keeping them out of harm's way. I knew Jane and Erik were the only ones who could help, so I had to make sure Darcy and the intern stayed safe.
We were too late. The worlds were lining up, Thor wasn't anywhere to be seen, and Malekith was calling upon the power of the Aether. He was using that power against the worlds already, sending it through the portals. Jane took off, claiming we were out of time, and Erik tried to argue, but I ran after her. He followed.
We found Thor in the street, without Mjolnir, and we were yards away from the Convergence. The power of the Aether couldn't be penetrated by us, because it would kill us, so we couldn't get any closer. We'd collected the instruments, and watched as the Convergence reached its peak.
"Can those things stop him?" Thor asked. Erik nodded in response to his question, since he was the one holding them.
"Not from here, and we can't get close enough." This was one of those times that I wished I could go to Asgard, just so I could see how he did this shit, but Thor grabbed those instruments from Erik, and headed into the Convergence. We lost sight of him after that, and Jane lost the reading after as well.
A moment later, a reading came up on the monitor. Jane set off the system, and then another reading came up, as well as the third. When the third came up, the Aether cleared. We could see Thor again, and we saw him collapsed on the ground, as Malekith's ship was about to crush him. Jane ran to his side, and would have been crushed, too, but one of the portals was still open. The ship ended up crashing into the portal, and I felt the attack coming at me as it did.
Darcy and the intern showed back up. Jane held onto Thor. I stood there, shaking like a leaf, barely able to breath. I clenched my fists as tight as I could, taking in a deep breath. I felt a hand land on my shoulder, and I tensed. I was afraid that I was going to burn them, because I felt the heat coursing through me. My hands were already on the verge.
I hadn't thought anyone would see it, but Erik had noticed. I looked over my shoulder, and found him standing there, looking at me glumly.
"This isn't New York. And you're not just Ellie Stark anymore, agent." I nodded, but I couldn't stop. I started to hyperventilate, and I shook even harder, as the flashbacks hit.
I heard Dad telling me not to go. I heard Steve, sounding like he was fighting not to yell at me, or break. I heard the explosion, I felt the air leave my lungs, and then-
"Ellie." I gasped, and grabbed the other hand that grabbed my shoulder, ready to twist it. I was already burning it, and I thought I would get yelled at, but I didn't. I frowned, looked up, and met stormy eyes that were centuries old, thousands and thousands of years old, but they were concerned for someone as unimportant as me. I blinked, and Thor just looked at me. "You do not have to forget, but do not let that fear control you." I swallowed back the lump in my throat, and nodded. I took a deep breath, and drew the heat back. Thor didn't let go until I did. "Take care, Iron Maiden." I was confused, because no one called me that at S.H.I.E.L.D., not anymore. And I was confused, because for some reason, I knew I was going to see him soon. This wasn't a total goodbye. I don't know how, but I knew. I had a sense that Thor would be given some time to himself, some time to stop worrying about the entirety of the universe. And he'd choose to spend that time here. On Earth. So I hesitated, but smiled at him, and hugged him. He slapped my back using his full strength now, and it didn't hurt a bit.
"Til the next time, Goldilocks. Til the next time."
"What the hell was that?" I frowned, and turned to Darcy, as I was packing up my things. I had to get out of there and get back to D.C., since Fury was sending me on another mission. Darcy was standing with her arms crossed, looking at me with concern. I bit my lip, and turned back to my packing, picking up one of the files I'd brought along with me. "E, look at me." I sighed, and turned to her, standing up. I crossed my own arms, and shrugged. She raised an eyebrow, but I knew I couldn't get out of this one. I had no choice.
"At first, I saw my therapist twice a week. Now, it's only once a month, and everyday, I have to make sure I take my meds, because if I don't, the simplest thing could set me off." She frowned at me, but it wasn't scrutinizing, or pitying. She was trying to understand. "I almost sliced my dad with a letter opener because of an attack. This anxiety, it's taken over my life, and now I have to work around it. I thought Extremis would help, but it doesn't help the anxiety, it only helped the depression. I'm not trying to kill myself anymore, but I still…" I paused briefly. "My brain is still jumbled. The memories still hit me." Darcy nodded slowly, and stepped forward.
"Did joining S.H.I.E.L.D. help? Or did it make the attacks come more often?" I bit my lip, and ran a hand through my hair.
"I can't sleep. When I sleep, I have nightmares, and when I have nightmares, they involve dying." I took a deep breath, and blinked, letting the salt water fill my eyes. "It's been two years, and I still can barely function without some form of help. It's pretty sad."
"Not as sad as this." I turned to Erik, and I felt even more guilt at what I'd confessed. He smiled sadly. "We're all a little messed up after New York. But you can't let those fears control you, like Thor said. You have to take control of them." I clenched my fists. I felt the burning inching into my fists, I could feel it in my veins, but I tried to simmer down.
"I've tried. I'm still trying, I've tried since it happened, and I still can't get control of it." His eyes grew pitying. I turned back to my bag, and tossed the last thing in there, zipping it up. "I have to go. Bye, guys." Someone stopped me, when I got to the door. I turned back, and Erik had stepped forward, looking at me with hard eyes.
"Don't stop trying." I swallowed back the lump in my throat, and nodded curtly. I turned back to the door, and whipped it open, shutting it gently behind me. I got down to the street, and climbed into the car, tossing my bag into the passenger's seat. I stared at the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia, and felt the tears well up again, but I shook them away. I looked back down at my hands, and focused on my breathing, like Steve and Nat had taught me. I focused on calming down, and when I did, I grabbed the wheel, and I looked back at the insignia again.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was the only thing keeping me from falling apart. I hated it, but I had no choice. It was S.H.I.E.L.D. or self destruction, but...all I wanted was to be free again. I wasn't free, though, I'd never be free, because I made the decision to be stuck with these powers. I had to learn to control them, and live my life around them. I had to accept this responsibility.
But, hey. At least I didn't want to kill myself.