Hey, guys! It's been some time since the last update, sorry for keeping you waiting, but I had a lot of stuff for school to do. Well anyway, if anyone thought this was over, then no, the fight just started. Yes, the last line indeed belonged to Emily. The note here below is important, please read to avoid confusion:
The last line in the previous chapter took two earth days later, but only about 12 asgardian hours later. My mind somehow came up with this relativistic theory about time going slower in Asgard than on earth, which makes Thor and Loki look young despite being hundreds of years old.
Chapter 38- Hold on, pain ends
Emily lifted her head from the ground, or the puddle of her own blood to be precise. Pushing herself upright she sat and inspected her surroundings. Thanos must have left her to rot as a welcome back present for Loki. The room was big with golden walls and filled all kinds of objects of various size and form. Some of them were weapons, war trophies, treasures. Taking some time to put two and two together, Em came to the conclusion she was inside Odin's vault. Now all that was left to do was find a way out.
Meanwhile back on Earth, the Avengers were trying to get Tony out of his workshop. They had yet to be successful. "Tony come on, you haven't left this place for two days. You have to eat something."
"I'm not hungry." Rhodey rolled his eyes, the same all over again.
"You haven't eaten anything since you got back. Tony, we all miss her, but this isn't going to bring her back."
"No, it isn't."
"Then why are you doing this to yourself?" Tony didn't answer. Deep inside he knew Rhodey was right and that if Emily saw him, she'd instantly kick his ass.
"Listen, she's gone and we can't change that, but there is one thing we can do. We can end what she started. Where did all these papers come from?"
"I had them sent from SI and GNC. I'm working on them, so that when she comes back, she won't have to…"
"Tony stop, ok. She isn't, you know she isn't. We have to change her status."
"I did that already, called the guys."
"Yes, you changed it to missed in action, but she's dead."
"No, she isn't until I've seen her body."
"Alright, I give up. You are a stubborn idiot. We'll be upstairs if his brilliance makes up his mind and decides to join us for dinner." Rhodey stormed up the stairs, leaving Tony to tinker with his car.
"He's not coming, is he?" asked Bruce setting plates on the table. Rhodey shook his head.
"Not a chance. He still insists she's alive."
"So he's still in denial."
"Yep, still as stubborn as… well there's no one more stubborn than him right now."
"You know what bothers me? What if he's right?"
"No, not you too. Vision, help me out here."
"Dr. Banner has a point. Given her genetics and abilities, she could have survived."
"But you saw what Loki brought back. If that was inside her body, it must have done some damage while getting out."
"Yes, that is true. Which is why the chance is very small and even Mr. Stark knows it. Maybe we should grant him the benefit of doubt. Let's leave it to him to call the wedding off. When he does, it means he accepted what happened and is ready to deal with it."
"How much time do you propose we give him?"
"Given there are only two weeks and two days left, till the end of next week should be enough."
"Alright, now how do we get him to eat?"
"He will come around." Bruce and Rhodey nodded and sat down. Tony was staring at the wall of his workshop. Using the exit leading to the garage he got out of the compound. Walking around in the cover of the night he stopped on the hill above the compound. The workers have almost finished turning the old warehouse into a modern mansion. The furniture was all that was missing. Tony entered the building. It could have been a home for all of them. The big living room connected with the kitchen and dining room could have been filled with laughter and chatting. Could have been… He saw them having lunch together, fighting over a movie to watch then heading upstairs for the night. For every one of them, including Tasha and Peter, their own room had been designed with a connected bathroom and a balcony. He and Emily were supposed to have the upper floor, which held a master bedroom, one bathroom, an office and two other rooms as well as a big terrace with grass covering the rest of the roof. It isn't like Tony didn't like the old facility; it just held too many memories of people whose actions he wanted to forget. From the terrace he could see them having dinner. Not sharply, they were too far for that, but he was able to make out those figures. Rhodey, Bruce, Vision and Natasha. They were all he had left now. Tony turned around and headed for his car. He had to get out of here.
The Avengers were not aware of being watched. For them this evening ritual turned into a way to deal with the loss of their friend and leader. Natasha, mostly unaware of the bonds that formed in the past months tried to lift the mood of her friends. She mostly succeeded with the boys, but Stark was too tough to even talk to. Well, they could talk to him as much as they'd like, but the normally hyper verbal billionaire resigned to answering questions as shortly as possible. Getting him to leave the workshop was equally impossible.
"How long have they known each other?"
"Who? Em and Tony? 30 years give or take." Rhodey looked up at Tasha.
"Wow, now I get why it gets to him that much."
"Yes, one of the reasons."
"What are the others?"
"They were should have gotten married in two weeks."
"Oh, poor Tony. We have to do something or this won't end well."
"We know, but no matter what we do, we always fail."
Tony parked beneath the Stark Tower. He entered the living room, threw the car keys on the couch and turned on the music from Emily's MP3 player. The song that came up was speaking right from his heart. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and stepped out.
I was the one who had it all
I was the master of my fate
Just like Yinsen said. He had everything and nothing.
I never needed anybody in my life
I learned the truth too late
He never let anyone too close. Pepper, Rhodey, Bruce, Vision, the Avengers, none of them did he let to get entirely under his skin. He was afraid to be betrayed again, which eventually happened. Steve chose to defend Bucky, the guy who murdered his parents. Then he left him in Siberia with no power in a damaged suit and took his friend with him. Emily's team got him out of there. Since then Emily, Rhodey, Viz and Bruce had become his true family. They were the only people he knew he could trust. And then there was Natasha of whom he still wasn't sure.
I'll never shake away the pain
No, he'll never forget the people who hurt him. He'll never forget how it felt to lose his parents all over again. He'll never forget when he saw the bloody metal rock and Loki telling him he was sorry.
I close my eyes but she's still there
So is the last look they shared before Loki dragged him to the portal. She was watching them to make sure they'd be safe, telling him she loved him in that final look before the portal closed. She was his world, the only person he let to see him vulnerable. I let her steal into my melancholy heart
It's more than I can bear
He knew Rhodey was right, there would come a time he would have to accept, but right now he couldn't bear that. Leaning against the railing he watched the sun set above New York and for the first time since his return from Asgard he let his tears fall. Even when she was gone, her memory would remain with him till his end.
Now I know she'll never leave me
Even as she runs away
She will still torment me
Calm me, hurt me
Move me, come what may
Wasting in my lonely tower
Waiting by an open door
I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in
And be with me for evermore
He considered jumping, knowing this time there would be no one there to catch him. But what if she survived? His gut was telling him she did. He also knew she died, he felt it the moment it happened. It felt like his heart stopped. When Loki was calling Thor, it wasn't just fear that made him lean against that wall, he knew the moment it happened she was dead. It's not like anyone would believe if he told them.
I rage against the trials of love
I curse the fading of the light
Though she's already flown so far beyond my reach
She's never out of sight
The bottle of whiskey was half empty now. The sky was getting darker every second. "I'll do my best to finish what you started, Emily. Wherever you are, come back to me, I can't lose you for good." He knew no matter where he'd run; there would still be something to remind him of her, she would never be entirely gone.
Now I know she'll never leave me
Even as she fades from view
She will still inspire me
Be a part of everything I do
Wasting in my lonely tower
Waiting by an open door
I'll fool myself, she'll walk right in
And as the long, long nights begin
I'll think of all that might have been
Waiting here for evermore
"For evermore." Tony glanced back at the door, hoping she would just walk in and scold him for getting drunk again. Not this time. Another day without her was over.
Back to Odin's vault
Emily's POV
Finally I gathered enough energy to be able to stand up without falling on my butt again. My hair was down and since I didn't bother to cut it for about a decade, only used my powers to make it look shorter; it was now soaked in my own blood which made it really heavy and disgusting. The hair ended just below my knees. Catching my reflection on one of the objects I noticed how bad I really looked. My uniform was torn on too many places to be counted. There were cuts and bruised on my body I could tell weren't healing at the moment. My face was relatively untouched with the exception of a big cut over my eye. The other side of my face was decorated with my well known blue ornament. None of my powers were working at the moment, which left me with two things. Wonder what I'm left with and stare at the person in the mirror. This wasn't the same one I saw every other day, this one had dark red hair and freckles. The blue streak in the hair was like a contrast between ice and fire. I knew I had to get out here, but inspecting the room properly was cut short by footsteps making me return to the puddle and play dead. The door opened, but it wasn't one of Thanos guards.
Back to Earth
3rd person's POV
"I need you to escort Loki to Wakanda. It will only do you good to get out of the facility." Fury said as he approached the Avengers minus Tony.
"You think you can talk Tony into leaving his workshop. Good luck with that." said Rhodey with a hint of sarcasm.
"I am not going to. Making Stark face Rogers would do more harm than good. You will be going and I'll deal with Stark. That's an order, not a request. You'll leave in an hour."
"Just make sure he doesn't do something stupid again."
Rhodey and Bruce ran down to the workshop where Tony was working on yet another Iron Man suit. "Tony, we're leaving for Wakanda." said Bruce, trying to get his attention.
"I know. Have a good flight."
"Really? That's all you're going to say?" Rhodey was growing more and more worried about him as the days went by.
"Yeah."
"Fury is going to keep an eye on you while we're gone."
"I'm an adult, I can take care of myself."
"Then do it. You haven't eaten anything, you've started drinking again. Tony, this has to stop. We're going now and we better find you alive when we get back."
Tony nodded to his friends, but didn't lift his head from the armor. Some time after they left, a group of people came down. "Hey, Stark! Get of your ass and come with us." It was John from GNCs and IPAs flagship team, the Wolf pack 1.
"What do you want?"
"We just though a change of climate would be good for you."
"I do go out when I want to."
"No and the trip to the tower where you got totally wasted doesn't count."
"How do you…"
"Know about it? Stark, we're the best of the best. We know everything. Now come on, either you go on your own or we make you. In the end you'll go anyway."
"Alright, I'll finish this circuit up and we can go. I know you'd win anyway."
"Nice to see you're still right in your mind."
Fury was observing the scene from the stairs. At least he wouldn't have to deal with this one. Once Tony finished the group left the compound.
"Be honest with me, why did you really come?" This time Jack was the one to answer.
"We're fulfilling a promise we made a long time ago. And let's be honest, buddy, since you've got your Avengers, we never really see you around. I mean come on, we trained you and you don't even come around to hang out with us."
"Sorry about that, I've been busy. What promise?"
"One we gave to Em. In case anything happened to her, we would get you out at least once in a while to get you back on track. We miss her too, she wasn't just a leader, we were a family that is now missing a member. Now it's your turn to be honest. Do you think she's still alive?"
"Yes, I still hope. The guys are telling me to let it go, but I just can't. I know she died, I somehow felt it, but I don't think she stayed dead. You must think I'm crazy."
"We do, but not because of that. Sometimes it's good to hold on to something and we all know she's tough. We hope for her return as well, but we must prepare for the worst case scenario."
"So, where are we going?"
"Washington. Sightseeing."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah and afterwards we'll go for a flight. Just so, because we can."
After a few hours spent in D.C. the team of males and females decided on a lunch spot.
"So, T, decided on your order yet? They make really great pizza here."
"I'm not hungry."
"If you didn't look like a skeleton coated in skin we might believe you. Pick something."
"No, really. I don't want to." Jenny smirked at his answer.
"If you say so, but do you realize that once Em comes back and we all believe she will, and sees you like this, there won't be any happy long reunion but a looong talk about eating properly. Not to mention if we need to defend the Earth and you won't be strong enough and possibly faint during the mission. Do you know how much trouble and unnecessary papers that would cause?"
"No, I don't."
"See that statue. That many." Tony looked at the ten feet statue. The other arguments given were logical, there was no counterargument he could come up with. He decided to give in. The smell of pizza was also considered a strong and valid argument.
"Alright, I'll take this one."
"Good choice." The team grinned. WP1 scored again, no one could overcome their skills in manipulating people, not even the great Tony Stark. No wonder they were the lead. The car ride back was not as silent as the ride to DC. Tony still wasn't back to being the most talkative one but he wasn't as quiet as he was before.
"You know, you guys are exceptional at manipulating people."
"It was only for your own good."
"Thanks, I guess I needed someone to talk some sense into me. Rhodey tried, but you had better arguments."
"Well, we're the best."
"Wanna know the worst part of today's trip?"
"What is it you didn't like?"
"The date."
"Yeah, well she'd be happy you got out of that cave of yours."
The group boarded one of the jets and took off for a flight. Meanwhile the Avengers landed in Wakanda.
" Welcome to Wakanda."
"Thank you, your highness."
"I am really sorry for your loss. Emily was an outstanding person."
"She was. This is Bruce, you already met Vision and that one is Loki."
"Tony won't be joining us today, then."
"No, I'll go check in with Fury to see if they are both still alive."
"Do that, Colonel. The others can follow me inside."
Rhodey picked up the phone and Fury answered immediately.
"Hey, we just landed. How are things?"
"Good, haven't seen Stark since the morning. He's been kidnapped by one of IPA's teams, WP1."
"So he's not at the compound? Where is he then?"
"No idea. If it makes you worry less, they managed to stuff him with pizza.
Leave this to me and enjoy the time off. You need a change of climate. Fury out."
Rhodey walked into the room where the guys were. Bruce and Viz immediately turned their attention towards him. "So?"
"Fury said he was kidnapped by WP1 and he hasn't seen him since the morning. Good news is that he ate. Those guys are really good."
"Well, that is good to hear."
After saying their hello's and Loki and Thor leaving for a chat, Falcon popped a question of his interest. "So, is this IPA's dress code or why are you all in black?"
"No dress code, our leader just died few days ago."
"Oh, sorry about that. Was he at least a good one?"
"She was more of a friend than a boss, but man could she kick ass. Unfortunately she came across an enemy she couldn't defeat. Thor and Loki could tell you more."
Realization dawned on Clint. "Wait a minute. Emily is dead?"
"Yes, we think so. We don't have her body, but we don't think she survived. Well, Tony does and he won't let her go. I know there is a chance she is still alive, even if, she's stuck in Asgard. She was my friend for a long time and…" Rhodey's voice broke, as did Bruce's and Vision's heart. Natasha took the word.
"They were close, it hit Stark the hardest, he won't come out of his workshop or eat, he just gets drunk. She died saving him and Loki. What surprises me is that Stark doesn't blame Loki at all."
"Blaming people requires talking, Nat, and he barely did that in the last few days."
"True, Rhodes. What changed here while I was gone?"
"Not much, we are still searching without any progress." said Cap leaning back against the wall. This peaked Bruce's interest. "What are you searching for?"
"Infinity stones. 4 of them in a diadem."
"Need help?"
"If you're interested."
"Sure, it will be distracting. Just what we need right now. Show us what you got."
Steve began talking about everything they found in the past months. The whole team listened carefully, memorizing every detail they could and putting together some links.
"So to sum it up: we're looking for an asgardian crown with 4 stones we don't know a thing about not even how they look like. They were given to a royal family on the old continent, which we conclude is Europe. They were originally guarded by the princess herself, but given it was over 100 years ago, it's almost impossible to find it. And you already ruled out England, Spain, Monaco, Denmark and Sweden."
"Yes, that's it. Thor is more interested in the girl, though."
"Alright, we could try something. Tony could know, he was always interested in weird stuff and if we give it to the IPA, those guys can find anything and anyone." Steve didn't like the thought of having the IPA involved at all. "We should handle it on our own for now. No other parties involved." The boys nodded. It was of no use to argue with cap.
Somewhere over the ocean the WP1 along with Tony were making crazy stunts with the jet when they got a call from the tower.
"Shadow 1, here's the NY Tower speaking. You are to return to the base immediately. Over."
"Tower, Shadow 1 here. Is there an emergency? Over."
"Shadow 1, Tower here. Negative, please return to base asap. Over."
"Tower, Shadow 1 here. We will be there in 5. Over."
The group looked at each other as Jack proceeded to turn the jet around on a course for the base. "You think we're in trouble for just taking a jet and flying around?" asked Jenny.
"Would be a first time. We do it all the time." answered John who had also been caught off guard by the order. "Perhaps the other teams just need to use more jets." The others nodded, it would be possible.
Once they landed, they parked the jet and one by one proceeded to the exit. Until John stopped blocking the stairs. "Guys, I am either hallucinating or we really need to put the flags back in place."
"No you aren't I see it too."
"What do you see?" The guys proceeded down and made a corridor for Tony. It was then he saw what they meant. A beautiful redhead surrounded by people whom she meant a lot to.
"Emily?"
That's it for today. The song used above is called Evermore from Beauty and the Beast, which I saw in the cinema a few weeks back. I imagined Josh Groban's version but that's up to you. Again I own nothing.
As for future chapters: the next one will tie in where this one ended, then we'll have the bachelor party and hen night, the wedding and the UN trial. Thank you everyone who's still reading this!