Gaia touched down on the edge of the building. She surveyed the city, her red-blue eyes shining seemingly brighter with her rage. It only calmed her slightly as she gazed upon the wreckage she had caused. The sky was lit to a dusky orange, blotting out the few stars normally visible from the city. She looked up at the sky, sadness filling her heart. 'Oh, Ouranos…I wish we were home and together again. None of this would have happened, and I wouldn't be in this disgusting form…' Her anger rose once again at the thought of her new body.

She stepped off the edge, her foot immediately making contact with a sturdy vine, then on to another one and another one, so and so forth as she moved smoothly down the street six floors above the ground. She sent fire and vines at various buildings, but nothing could soothe the rage burning inside her.

Midstride, she faltered. Something had happened in her mind, but only for a second. Like a passing thought, only less formed; something pushing at the edge of her subconscious. Her head was beginning to ache. She realized, finally, what it was. Much like she had pushed her thoughts to Ava's, Ava was pushing into Gaia's. 'Impossible!' She thought. 'If it is indeed, then that means…' She froze in terror, teetering precariously close to losing her balance.

'Ava…is alive.'

~~Downtown Brooklyn~~

Toy was rocketing through the sky, tracing the path of destruction Gaia had left in her wake. When he caught sight of her, he slowed and stopped.

"JARVIS, call Steve ad Bruce."

There were a few electronic clicks and the phones began ringing. Steve picked up first, about 30 seconds before Bruce.

"You found her?" He asked just as Bruce answered his phone.

"Where is she?" Bruce asked, his voice full of tension.

"I'll send you the location via text. Anyway, we need to plan how we approach. She's in the middle of an intersection, so blocking her exits seems to be fairly easy. Natasha and I can handle the air, I'm worried about you guys on the ground. You're much more vulnerable to her attacks, especially the vines she seems to be favoring."

"We'll just have to be careful. Thor and I will be fine, and Hawk's going to get a vantage point above her anyway." Steve answered quickly.

"Good point. Bruce, I know that you can handle it, but what about Loki and Hela?"

Bruce chuckled. "Loki is the god of deception and trickery and Hela can kill mortal things with her touch. I think we'll be fine."

"Good, good. Now, I think that Steve should approach her on the left with Thor. Steve, you need to talk to her to distract her while everyone moves into place. There's a fairly tall building there for Hawk, and Thor can use the cars for cover. Bruce, you'll come from right with Loki and Hela and spread out behind her, effectively boxing her in. Before we go, just remember: we're not trying to kill her." Tony's voice became serious. "There is a chance, though small, that Ava is still alive. We have to hope she is, otherwise what are we fighting for? Stay alert, and don't get sloppy. Watch out for each other."

There was silence on the line as the three men, each in love the girl in his own way, thought of the unthinkable: that she was not there; that she had, indeed, been lost to the horrid monster that now controlled her body.

Steve felt a rush of adrenaline. "We'll get her." Was all he said before hanging up the phone.

~~Gaia~~

As she reached a rather large intersection, Gaia decided to stop. She didn't know what compelled her to do so but she simply couldn't resist. Perhaps it was the humans running in fear, their screams echoing against the large, now empty, buildings.

'Pathetic,' she thought to herself, 'running when they should be standing and fighting! Cowards!'

She stifled her distaste for a moment, pausing to listen. She heard the faint sound of something mechanical in the distance. She smelled the air, detecting the burning jet fuel. She sneered.

"I know you're there!" She called out. "SHOW YOURSELVES!" She looked around, seeing and hearing no one. Her anger rose, as did he temperature. The flames were barely starting up when Steve stepped out from behind a car, in his full Captain America suit. She smirked, the flames disappearing.

"So, you're the only brave enough to face me, I see?" You could almost taste the condescension in her voice.

"No, that's not it at all." Steve said, his voice shaky. "I'm here to just…ask you to surrender.. We don't want to fight you, and we definitely don't want to hurt you. You may not be aware of this, but that body you're in, it used to belong to someone I care dearly for. And there's a…a possibility that she's still there, somewhere in your-uh, her-brain. And this woman, the woman whose body you've taken, she has a lot of friends. And, well, these friends are pretty powerful, and we want our friend back."

She began laughing. "So foolish." She clenched her fingers into fists. The asphalt around Steve's feet began to crack. Wines shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around his feet. He struggled as they snaked up his body, binding him tighter and tighter. His face became red and his breathing shallow.

Just as suddenly as the vines appeared, they slithered back into the ground. Gaia was on her knees, clutching her head with both hands. There was a screaming in her head, drowning out her own thought, though the night around her was silent. She pushed against the temples, trying to silence it. There was a deep thumping, like someone banging at an old wooden door. It grew louder and louder until its volume matched that of the scream.

Then, silence.

A simple thought has broken through her subconscious mind. A single word. 'Stop'.

~~Loki and Hela~~

Down in the square, Loki and Hela hid uncomfortably, crouching behind one of the many abandoned cars on the street.

"This is ridiculous." Loki said, glaring back at Bruce. "Demeaning, humiliating! I've already served my punishment in Asgard, yet they see fit to force me to my knees!"

"In all fairness, father, you did escape your prison. You still many years before you're officially free." Hela said, stealing a look back at Bruce. She quickly turned forward when their eyes met. She looked over to Loki, who seemed horrified.

"Hela, he is human! How dare you make those…those love-eyes at him?!"

She looked down. "A human who can defeat the mighty Loki…" She muttered to herself.

But before the argument could advance any further, there came screaming from the center of the square. There were a few moments of paralyzed silence. Father and daughter looked at each other in confusion. The next second, they were blown back by an explosion.

As they staggered to their feet, they saw the destruction. Cars were on fire and chunks of asphalt were here and there across the roads and sidewalks. In the middle of the square stood Gaia, engulfed by flames, and Steve, crouched behind his shield. Loki and Hela stood in awe of the power.

Gaia turned towards them, her eyes burning red now. Hela turned to Loki, panicking.

"Father, do we stick to the plan? "

"Of course not! We never planned to from the beginning! We must destroy Gaia!" Loki hissed, his image flickering suddenly. He appeared behind Gaia, raising his scepter, preparing to strike her. Quick as a flash of lighting, it was ripped out of his hands and puller underground. He stood there in shock, his arms raised in the air. Before Gaia could give him the same treatment, Bruce rushed forward, his shape quickly morphing. He dove for her, but before could get there she shot into the air on a gust of wind.

Up on the roof, Clint readied his bow, taking aim. He had Gaia in his crosshairs. She was just setting down on the roof of a car after narrowly avoiding the Hulk. He let the arrow fly, praying that it would stay on course.

The arrow struck her in the shoulder. Gaia fell to her knees, a screech escaping her lips. She touched the shaft of the arrow with her right hand where it entered her body. Already there was blood streaking down her chest. She gripped the arrow, grimacing terribly. She tugged at it but instantly screamed again as pain shot through her whole body.

She glanced around, seeing Thor walk into view with Mjolnir in hand. Her thoughts raced as she calculated her options. She had only seconds before he would attack and there she stood, with a giant stick in her chest.

She brought her left hand up, taking a deep breath. She grasped the arrow with both hands, her left an inch up from her right. She snapped the arrow shaft off, leaving a two inch long segment protruding from the wound. She threw down the end of the arrow, turning to face Thor.

"Gaia, I will you ask you but once. You must surrender or we will defeat." Thor's voice was loud and authoritative.

Gaia sneered. "Funny, but I don't believe I heard a question." She flicked her wrist and a circle of fire burst to life around her. As it spread further outward, Thor was forced to back up. But before she could celebrate her genius, Gaia's attention was drawn upward.

Tony hovered above her. The laser blaster of his left palm was fired up and pointed right in her direction. "Gaia," He announced, "it'd be best if you gave up now. We can help you, you know. If you want a body, I can engineer you one. You don't need to do this."

"And why would I trust you human scum?" She spat back.

"Because we want our friend back, and the only way that will happen is to kick you out first."

"Please. You'll force me out of this body and put me back in the earth! Besides, there is no point to your begging. Your friend is gone; only I remain!" She cackled, looking around her. Everyone had gathered, preparing to fight.

"I don't believe you." Steve said, his free right arm wrapped around his aching abdomen. "She has to be in there! She wouldn't just give up and let you win like that!" His left hand tightened on his shield, but his face portrayed none of his anger.

"Oh, of course you would think that." Gaia sneered, the rage building inside her. "I have her memories, you know. Your first kiss, holding hands, your private evening together in the woods…Oh yes, I've seen it all. Oh, she loved you…" She laughed as Steve fought back the angry tears pooling in his eyes. "But that's all in the past. She's dead now, so why not just kill me like I know you're all aching to do?" She looked around, her smile widening. "Oh yes, that's right, you have to 'save' her. Perhaps Dr. Banner can help. Dr. Banner," she turned to the Hulk now, "I don't know if you can hear me through all that rage, but I have plenty of memories about you as well. Actually, more about you than anyone else! She really cared for you. You were always so kind to her in such an unkind place. And perhaps she loved you as more than a father figure?" The Hulk roared and Gaia grinned wider than ever with satisfaction. "I think perhaps you love her a little too much!"

The Hulk howled as he leaped toward her, his huge arms outstretched. He was thrown back, though, by a column of water. When he landed, the ground beneath him shook and sent Thor stumbling backwards.

"Natasha, now!" Tony yelled, spinning out of the way as a jet flew in.

Natasha was in the cockpit, headset on. She had heard everything Gaia had said and was as riled up as the rest of the team. The targeting system was locked on Gaia, who was rising on a cushion of air. Natasha held her thumb over the red button, which would fire a lead net at Gaia. Just as she was about to press it, the alarm system blared. She looked at the navigation screen, which now was displaying a large red warning label reading 'Plane Unstable: Evacuate'. Natasha gasped and reached down and pulled the eject lever, clearing the top of the plane just as it spiraled out of control in a miniature tornado and crashed into a building.

As she was floating down via the parachute, Clint was taking aim again as Steve tried to get close to Gaia. He expertly used his shield to block the fire balls she sent at him, effectively distracting her from Clint. This time, the arrow was equipped with tranquilizer strong enough to knock out a horse. Just as he let it go, Gaia dived to the side. The arrow flew past where she was and struck Loki in the leg as he was attempting to use some magic.

Loki yelped, falling to one knee. Hela was at his side instantly, assessing the wound.

"Father, you'll be fine; only a stray arrow. Just-" She was cut off by Loki completely collapsing in her arms. She became frantic, looking around at everyone who all were looking at Gaia. She pulled her father into her arms, cradling him. She dragged him behind a car, shielding them from the fighting, as she tried to wake him up.

Thor, who was waiting for his hammer to return after throwing it at Gaia and missing, became livid. He held up Mjolnir, drawing dark clouds above him. Just as the lightning struck it, Gaia doused him with water, electrocuting him. He was hit by the full force of the supercharged bolt and crumpled to the ground, his hammer landing next to him.

The Hulk charged Gaia, howling with rage. With every step he took, vines shot up and wrapped around his ankles. He tried to pull his legs free, but only succeeded in pulling the vines tighter. Before he could reach her, his feet were hopelessly entangled. He fell to the ground, struggling as more vines quickly wrapped around his body, making him completely immobile.

Tony was in the sky, watching everything go down. 'At least I don't have a weakness,' he thought, descending.

"Gaia, give up. You'll never beat me! I can and will always win against you. Technology is better than nature." He called out, carefully watching her movements.

She turned to face him, her expression full of rage. "That is why I have done this! Because you humans do not care about nature! You have destroyed for your…your technology! You wish to wipe out all the beauty in this wretched place for your own gain!"

"Gaia, you have to be kidding me." Tony responded. "Yeah, we've messed up in the past, but now we're trying to fix it! My company uses only clean energy now!" Tony was inching closer and closer to Gaia as he talked.

"FOOL!" She screamed, fire surging up around her. She threw her arm out, sending a wave of fire toward Tony. He quickly dodged it, sending back a blast from his laser.

"Mr. Stark," JARVIS spoke up. "Battery power is low."

"Oh, shut up." Tony muttered, dodging another fire blast from Gaia.

"Sir, it's dangerously low. Your suit will be powering down soon." JARVIS said.

"You may be a computer, but I don't like your attitude."

"I cannot have an attitude, sir."

Before Tony could respond, he got hit in the chest by Gaia. He felt the heat spread across the metal, searing his skin. The suit's cooling mechanism instantly activated, giving him only small relief. It lasted only seconds as the suit's power flickered and powered down and Tony fell to the ground.

Gaia smirked, looking around. "Was that it?" She yelled. "Was that all your pathetic species has to offer?!" She laughed as the Hulk struggled against the vines holding him down. As she surveyed the area, movement caught her eye.

Steve, suit ripped and stained with soot, was walking towards Gaia. He had been fighting off vines, unaware of what happened to everyone.

"So," she hissed, "you're the only one left. Oh, could it ever be anyone else?" A cruel smile crept across her face.

Steve's face portrayed nothing of the turmoil he felt inside. "I will destroy you." His voice was strong. "Not just you. Your body. Then there will be nowhere else to go, no one else for you to hurt." As he spoke, his eyes burned with anger. "I thought that maybe Ava was in there somewhere. But the way you've hurt everyone she loves, everyone she cares about, I know she's gone."

Gaia stood taller and smirked. "I tried to tell you. She's gone, Steve. Never coming back." As she said this, there was a pounding in her head, as if someone was trying to kick down a door.

Steve continued approaching her, limping slightly. "I'm going to rip you apart for what you did to her."

Gaia stood resolute, mentally fighting everything her body was screaming at her. She willed for vines to rise up. As they did, she felt a searing pain in her chest. Instead of stopping, she just became angry.

Steve struggled against the vines, but never took his eyes off her. "Are you going to kill me, Gaia?!" He yelled, his anger rising. The air was charged between them and no one could do anything but watch. "Are you going to crush me?!" He screamed, his voice breaking. Tear streamed down his face as he glared at her. "That's what's different between us! I don't care if I die. I'm not afraid! I've lost my family, my friends, the woman I loved. Then, when I finally found a new girl, one I really care about, you take her away from me. If you're going to kill me, just do it already!"

With these words, Gaia felt satisfaction. This human wanted death; needed it. She would be glad to end his life. The only problem was, she couldn't do it. She wanted to, but the human, who was miraculously still in existence, wouldn't let her.

"JUST DO IT!" Steve screamed, more tears falling.

Gaia turned away from him, beginning to feel emotions that weren't hers. There was fear and sadness; loss, abandonment. But, above all else, there was love. The love that the human felt was a mystery to Gaia. She felt her eyes begin to sting as a single tear rolled down her cheek. She reached up to touch it, unbelieving. Then she looked at Steve, who was hanging his head, obviously waiting for a death that wouldn't come.

Instead of finishing him, she ordered the vines to recede. Steve stood in shock, staring at Gaia.

"What, going to kill me another way?" He asked, his voice soft.

"No…" She said, her voice even softer. "I can't…I can't kill you."

Steve stared at her, speechless. After a few moments, he gathered his wits. "What…what do you mean?"

"What I mean is that I feel what Ava has felt. I know how she thought…all her emotions…" As she spoke, guilt burned in Gaia's heart.

Steve approached her hesitantly. He put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be all okay, if you just give her back…"

Gaia shook her head, more tears falling. "I can't! I…I don't know how."

Steve had to hold back expressing the pain those four words brought him. "You have to know…"

Gaia shook her head. "But I don't want to go!"

The fear in her voice startled Steve. She was like a frightened child. And to Hela, who was still with Loki, it reminded her of Ava. More specifically, the words that Ava wouldn't let herself say at the end.

Hela stood up and rushed toward Gaia and Steve. "Wait, wait!" She yelled.

Steve looked to her. She seemed desperate. "What is it?" He asked, his voice a touch hopeless.

"Steve Rogers, I know Ava is in there! When I was with her, at the end, I knew that she was scared. But she never once said so! What Gaia just said…that's how Ava felt. She's lying to us, Ava is pushing her way back into her mind!"

Steve turned to Gaia. "Gaia, please." He said, his voice a forced calm. "You stole her from us…just please, please give her back."

Gaia wouldn't look at Steve. "I'm sorry. I'm so terribly sorry…" She whispered. The pounding in her head began growing louder and more forceful, crescendoing until she couldn't stand it anymore.

Gaia collapsed and Steve rushed forward, holding her tightly and cradling her head. "Please, Ava…" He whispered. "Please be in there…" He brushed her hair back, gently touching her cheek. "Please…" A tear rolled down his nose, landing on her eyebrow. The muscles around her eye twitched, the she slowly blinked awake.

Her lips moved, attempting to form a single word. "S…St…Steve …" She whispered, her voice so soft he had to lean in close.

"I'm here." He said, his voice thick as he held her tighter.

"I'm so sorry…" She said, looking into his eyes. He saw that they were no longer purple but their origin blue again. "I'm sorry I chose to die…I thought I could save you and everyone else. I swear, that the only reason why."

He smiled, shaking his head. "I don't care." He said, his voice still thick. :It doesn't matter now. You're back with me again, with all of us." His eyes overflowed with tears as he held her fragile form tightly against himself.

Ava felt the wetness of his cheeks as he buried his face against her neck. She could barely feel the tears forming in her eyes as she desperately clung to him.

"I was so scared…" She said, her voice uneven. "I knew what she was doing, and I couldn't stop it. She was so angry, she wanted to just…destroy everyone. I watched her do all those horrible things to all those good people, but when she got to you, and all that anger and hate came out, I couldn't help but interfere."

Steve sobbed against her shoulder, holding her like he wouldn't ever let go. She wrapped her arms around him and held him just as tightly.

"Steve Rogers, do not hold her so tightly. She won't willingly leave you again." Hela said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Steve loosened his grip slightly, giving Ava space to breathe. Hela looked from Ava to Steve, smiling sadly. "I wish I could have helped more, I do. You have shown me so much. I know how people die, why they die. But I never understood the sadness. You two have shown me why people live."

Ava had to bite back a sob at this. "You helped us enough. You helped me come back. That's more than anyone can ask for."

Hela looked down, her eyes shiny with tears she would not let fall. Alas, when she looked up, there was a trail of a tear on her cheek. She touched it, staring in awe at her fingers. She looked from Steve to Ava, suddenly beaming. "Thank you again. You have helped me feel emotions I thought I could never feel again.

Ava pushed away from Steve and stood up, limping over to Hela. She threw her arms around Hela's neck, hugging her tightly. Hela wrapped her arms around Ava's waist, squeezing gently. Ava pulled away, smiling brightly. "Be safe. Don't forget what you learned here, from us."

Hela smiled. "Not for a million years." She kissed Ava's forehead. "The heaves shall weep when your name is shown in the Book of the Dead."

Ava smiled sadly. "Then I suppose it'll be a rainy day."

Hela nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. She and turned and walked to Loki, who was kneeling by Thor's side.

Thor looked to Ava, beaming. "I knew you would come back, Ava Blanchette. There will be many stories told in Asgard of your bravery and strength"

Ava smiled back. "You weren't too bad yourself."

Hela waved to her. She then put a hand on Thor's shoulder and took Loki's arm. There was a bright light and they disappeared.

Ava turned to Steve. "I think it's time for use to get to the hospital."

He chuckled, holding out his hand. Ava took it and intertwined their fingers, a slight smile playing at her lips. She looked to Bruce, who had changed back from the Hulk and was putting his clothes on. Tony was struggling to stand up in his heavy suit. Natasha was just arriving from where the parachute had landed her. Clint was walking out of the building he had been perched on. They all smiled at Ava, even though Ava couldn't see Tony's smile. She felt warmed by everyone else's happiness at her return.

"So," She said, smiling. "who wants pizza?"