Strange and Wong looked exhausted when they entered the Sanctus Santorum. Steve, however, was very relaxed. He and Wanda were sitting on the couch talking when the sorcerers arrived.
Strange had a frown on his face as he watched them. "Could have used your help out there, and I find you sitting here laughing. What kind of heroes are you?"
"You had our help," Steve said, nodding to Wong, "and we accomplished our mission."
Wong returned Steve's nod. "I am in your debt. How bad were her injuries?"
"They weren't good. The Ancient One will live, but this battle had consequences. She's got a long way to go."
Strange shook his head. "Are you saying you saved the Ancient One? I saw her fall."
"But, you didn't see her land," Wanda said, smirking slightly. "Wong, you're turn."
Wong coughed slightly. "May I see the Eye?"
Strange absentmindedly handed Wong the eye. Wong tossed it to Wanda, who disappeared into a portal, leaving Strange staring at Wong. "Why did you do that?"
Wong looked exhausted from the battle, so Steve decided he should help him out. "Let's just say we've been waiting a long time for tonight. The amulet held an infinity stone. You needed it to save the world, but we need it gone to save the universe."
"Gone?" Strange asked. "What if I need it again? You have no right to hide it from me. It chose me."
Wanda reentered the room, dusting her hands off. "It's finished."
"Good job, Wanda," Steve said, unable to hide the smile on his face. "Wong, you want to take it from here? Wanda and I should get back to the compound and fill the others in."
Wong nodded. Strange looked perplexed, but Steve wasn't worried. The sorcerer would understand soon enough. Today was a victory. Another stone was gone, the Ancient One was alive, and Kaecilius was dead. He just wanted to go and kiss his wife. They were almost free.
Steve and Natasha decided to take another vacation. They went back to Bermuda and spent a week enjoying each other on the beach before returning to Brooklyn and their new normal life. There was no reason to spend much time at the compound. Everything was ready. They just had to wait a few years for the Guardians to show up then this whole debacle would finally be over.
Steve loved being able to share something normal with Natasha. She thrived on the ordinary in ways he never would have expected. He thrived, too. Every day, he woke up next to her felt like the best day of his life. This was really living, and Steve was a little bit ashamed it had taken him a few lifetimes to figure out how to do it right.
By the time the Guardians arrived, with Nebula in tow, Steve didn't feel much like a super soldier. He was just Steve, a lucky guy from Brooklyn with a gorgeous wife who could kick anyone's butt. He almost hated taking a pause from his life to go back, but he needed to see this through. The soul stone was the last link to the old life-the last thing between him and happy ever after with Natasha. It was finally time to make it disappear.
When Steve and Natasha walked into the bunker at the compound, Fury and Peggy were already talking to Carol. She'd been back on Earth for nearly a year, at Steve's request. He wanted her comfortable with the team before the soul stone was destroyed. They all knew Thanos would find out about their actions soon enough. They might have been able to hide the destruction of the other stones in the mirror dimension, but even using Tony's force field, enforced by the sorcerers' spells, there was no way to hide what they were doing to the soul stone.
"Rogers, Romanoff, I hope you didn't let yourselves get rusty during your time off," Fury said, eyeing them disapprovingly.
Well, that answered one question on Steve's mind. Fury was still mad about their decision to carve out a life for themselves outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. Peggy had been much more supportive. She even encouraged the couple to spend more time away from the compound and enjoy their life. Steve wasn't surprised when she lept to their defense. "Steve and Natasha know their jobs, Fury. I think they've sacrificed more to end this threat than the rest of us combined. They won't let the universe down." Peggy hugged Natasha. "Real life agrees with you, my dear. You look content."
"I am," Natasha admitted, smiling at Steve as Peggy moved on to hug him. Steve smiled back. He knew it was true. Natasha thrived in Brooklyn. It wasn't just married life that agreed with her. She was genuinely happy with their somewhat dull existence. This was something she never had before, something she needed as much as Steve needed to see the soul stone ground to dust, and Steve couldn't wait to get this mission over with so he could get her home.
"We know our part, Fury. The question is, does everyone else?" Steve asked.
"We have a bit of a problem brewing," Carol said, her eyes shifting across the hangar to a large table. The table was covered in plans, and Rocket was sitting on top of it, pouring over the designs while Tony shook his head. "Those two are having a bit of trouble playing nice. Want to see if you can get them on the same page?"
Steve raises his eyebrows. From the looks of things, he's in for a rough conversation. He leaves Natasha with the others going over probable current locations of Thanos based on Nebula's report and walks over to where Tony is standing. "This raccoon is a nuisance. He's making a mess out of everything. It's going to take hours to get this straightened up."
"And, days to fix all your errors," Rocket chimes in. "This guy's calculations are completely off. We'll be lucky if the ship survives the blast, and don't even get me started on the sorcerers. We'll be wiping their guts off the windows. Those space suits are a joke."
Tony waggled his finger at Rocket. "There's nothing wrong with my calculations or the suits. I'll have you know I'm the genius who discovered time travel in the first place. I'm the best there is and my team of only slightly less brilliant scientists have spent years on the specifics. N.A.S.A engineers helped design the suits for our sorcerers using my suit as a template."
"I don't know who this Nasaw fellow is and you may be a genius on this planet, but you're really not that bright. If you were as smart as you think you are, the you who figured out time travel would have fixed this right the last time. We'd all be going about our business."
Tony reached for Rocket's neck, but Steve intercepted his hands before he could strangle the raccoon. The last thing they needed was a battle between the Avengers and the Guardians. "Easy, Tony. I know how smart you are but Rocket has spent time in space. Maybe we could hear him out before things are said that can't be taken back." Steve looked at Rocket. He was bearing his fangs. "Rocket, take a day or two. Go over the calculations. Cool off. You, Tony, and his team can discuss your concerns after you have workable solutions to offer."
"I can do that," Rocket said, still eyeing Tony, "but tell your Earth genius to stay out of my way while I fix his mess."
"Wait just one minute-" Tony began, but Steve shook his head. "48 hours, you have two days, raccoon, and you better have a very compelling argument if you're going to convince me there's a better way."
Rocket grunted and pulled out a pencil. Steve took the opportunity to pull Tony away from the table. "You guys fought like this before, too. He's smart. You're smart. You're the two most arrogant creatures in the universe, but you're also two of the smartest. It's going to work itself out."
"A little warning might have been nice," Tony said.
"I was hoping for the best."
When the team came together a few days later, even Tony could see Rocket's point. They needed to do some reinforcing and the sorcerers' space suits, including Steve's, were scrapped completely. It took another month of preparation, but the new space suits were definitely stronger-a bit bulkier, too. Finally, it was time to destroy the soul stone once and for all.
Natasha pulled Steve into their quarters just before it was time for them to leave. Steve was more than happy to follow her lead. As soon as the door was closed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It wasn't a particularly passionate kiss. It was almost chaste compared to most of their tender moments. Steve held her as she pulled her lips back from his and stared into his eyes. "What was that for?"
"For being stubborn," Natasha said, with just a hint of mischief in her eyes. "You rewrote history to get us here. Even though we could stop now knowing the other stones are gone, you won't."
"So, stubbornness gets me kisses from my wife? I am a lucky man."
Natasha laughed. "Not all stubbornness, just this one stubborn thing. I understand why we need to do this. I can't imagine a moment where any of us would feel desperate enough to pay the price for this stone, but that doesn't mean the circumstance won't ever come up. I love you for caring enough about our friends, our family, to take it out of play." She paused and kissed him again. The second kiss was more like the ones he was used to with his wife. "That kiss was for loving me enough to avenge me. I know you need this. I think I need it, too. The idea that I died without ever feeling as complete as I do right now is hard to fathom. Let's get this over with, so we can really move on."
Steve held her for another minute before agreeing it was time then they joined the others. Thor, Bruce, Tony, Vision, Pietro, and the Guardians were in the ship. Clint stood next to Fury, the Ancient One, and Peggy. The sorcerers, including Wanda, Strange, and Rahul were already suited up.
One important member of the team was missing, but it was by design. Carol was already waiting just far enough from Vormir to be out of the blast zone. If things went south, her special abilities might be needed. Whether she'd be nudging a piece of debris that escaped the force field before it hit another planet or coming to the aid of a worn out sorcerer unable to summon the energy to portal home or something else entirely was unknown, but Steve knew the other captain would rise to the occasion.
As Steve started putting on his own suit, Natasha hugged Clint. "We could make room for one more," she said.
Clint shook his head. "I don't want to see where you died. Not so sure I want you to see it either."
"Good luck talking her out of it," Steve said, as Wanda helped fasten his helmet.
"She will be fine," the Ancient One said, exuding confidence Steve could only assume came from one of her previous looks into the future.
Steve nodded towards the Ancient One. "I'd feel better if you were well enough to come with us."
"I'm as well as I will ever be, but the days where I could easily hold an astral shield are behind me. My injuries will never fully heal, but you are in good hands with Stephen. At least, I have the luxury of being alive to celebrate with you on your return."
"Something I never got the chance to properly thank you for," Strange said. "I thought you'd lost your mind when you destroyed the time stone, but now that I understand the logic, I'm happy to help put this one out of existence."
"Glad you're on board," Steve said, giving his fellow sorcerer a nod.
Fury cleared his throat. "If we're doing this today, you better get a move one."
Natasha gave Steve's gloved hand a squeeze and smiled. "I better get buckled in. See you in a minute."
Steve held her hand tighter, pulling her close. The shock on his face must have told her she'd said the wrong thing. She caressed his hand. "I wasn't thinking. You know this is going to be alright, Steve."
He still felt the tension coursing through his body. "Don't ever say that again. I can't hear those words coming from you. It hurts too much."
"I'm sorry. I should have phrased it better. I'll be fine, Steve." She kissed his helmet and joined the others.
Steve watched the Shield take off. With hyperspace, they'd reach Vormir in a matter of minutes. He looked at his team of sorcerers and started his speech. "What we're doing hasn't ever been done before. Teleporting to a location in space is risky. I want to thank you for your bravery. When we arrive, we'll be on our own. The distance between us is going to be further than we can see. Coms might not work after the blast. Honestly, they might not work real well before it. When you arrive, put up that astral shield and hold on to it. We need to support Tony's shield until the initial blast is over. Once things stop shaking, we'll let science take over and teleport home. You're going to get tired. You're going to want to quit, but you can't. We can't come home until the ship has went into hyperspace and the debris is stable. Letting go too soon could cost us our lives. It could endanger lives on countless planets where the debris could travel. Fight through the exhaustion. Chinese food is on me as soon as we get back."
Wong shrugged. "Can't we just order pizza. Your Chinese food is terrible."
Strange rolled his eyes. Wanda and Rahul laughed. Steve couldn't help but grin. "Pizza it is. On my mark."
As Steve exited the portal, the thrusters on the feet of his suit came on, holding him in his position so he didn't get caught in the planet's pull. He knew he wouldn't be able to see anyone else or the ship, but it didn't stop him from looking. There was nothing familiar in his line of vision except the planet itself, and he loathed this place more than any other. "Anybody hear me?" he said into the coms.
There was a garbled voice. He was pretty certain it was Tony's, but he couldn't make out the words. Not a big surprise, but Steve would have preferred to have communication up and running. With no way of knowing when the blast would hit, Steve formed his astral shield. He held it firmly and easily, but he knew the ease would soon give way to discomfort.
He watched as the blue lights of Tony's force field joined his own. It wouldn't be long now. He heard the jumbled voice again, definitely Tony's. It was almost time. While he couldn't hear his friend, he knew the sensors on his suit showed Tony exactly where he and the other sorcerers were and whether or not they were in position. If everything was as it needed to be, the blast would hit soon.
Steve kept his eyes on the planet. Even from space, it looked desolate to Steve. He thought of the old for who kept guard. Steve felt no guilt for destroying his enemy's home. He knew this was Schmidt's prison. Whether his old enemy survived or not, Steve figured he would be grateful not to have this burden any longer.
Steve felt the pressure of the planet's explosion against the shield the moment it happened. He had to close his eyes to maintain his concentration, even though his preference would have been to watch every second of it's destruction. He held firm. Wielding the astral shield took a lot out of him, more than it ever had, but he knew the importance. Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. He held strong until the resistance against the shield began to fade.
Tony and Rocket's calculations paid off. The mechanical shield was drawing power from the astral shields. Soon, they'd be able to let go. Another eight minutes passed before there was no resistance at all. It was time to go home. The planet was decimated. The soul stone was finally gone forever.
Steve was exhausted. He called out through the coms a final time. "Anybody hear me?"
Silence followed. If there was anyone still waiting around, the coms weren't picking up the voices. He took a final look at the destruction before opening the portal and heading towards home.
Steve crumbled to the ground from exhaustion as soon as he arrived in the hangar bay. He didn't bother standing up, doubted he had the strength, but he did manage to get into a sitting position. Immediately, he started counting sorcerers.
Wanda was sitting in a chair not far away with Clint looking her over. Wong and Rahul were already drinking a cup of tea with the Ancient One, while Strange sat on the ground not far from Steve. He looked as tired as Steve felt. The two of them must have held their positions the longest. It didn't surprise Steve that Strange had taken the task seriously. He knew the sorcerer was as dedicated to protecting the universe as he was, so he gave him a weak smile. Strange returned it with one of his own.
Fury was the first to come over to them. He was carrying a couple of bottles of Gatorade. "Down this then you can have something else. The others have been back long enough to give a report. You did it. Any reason why you stayed so long?"
Steve shrugged and took off his helmet. "Just needed to be sure. Didn't want to leave until I knew the planet fragments were contained. Hate to make too much work for Carol. I don't see the ship. They should be close by now. Are they in range? I'd like to talk to my wife."
Fury shook his head. "No word yet. Shouldn't be much longer." Fury sat on the ground beside him. "When I assigned Romanoff to keep an eye on you, I chose her for a few reasons. She was the best damn spy I had. I also figured if anyone wouldn't fall for your charms, it would be her. Didn't take me long to see I was wrong on that count, but you're a good man, Rogers. Can't imagine anyone could have pulled this off with the efficiency you have. You took the idea of an elite team and made it a reality. Cost me my best spy along the way, but I can overlook that seeing as how you've accomplished and made her happy. Rest, drink up, and we'll celebrate when Romanoff and the others return."
Deep Space
Natasha kept her eyes on Bruce. He was agitated, but at least he wasn't angry. That was something. Everyone else was either focused on the window, watching Vormir burn, or trying to get the Milano off of auxiliary power. Why the hell did they think it was a good idea to put the Hulk in a space ship?
It wouldn't have been a bad idea bringing Bruce along if he didn't share his body with monster. Bruce worked closely with Tony on perfecting the force field and deciding exactly how big of an explosion they'd need to decimate the planet, but right now, the worry wasn't over Bruce's expertise. The explosion had done exactly what it needed to do. It was the shop that wasn't cooperating.
The plan was to set the force field, wait for the sorcerers to reinforce, launch the explosives, and take off into hyperspace. The first part went according to plan, but the rest left a lot to be desired. They couldn't move. Hyperspace engines weren't working. Worse yet, all they had was life support and, thankfully, the sensors telling them what was happening with the shield.
Natasha watched each sorcerer's blip disappear, holding her breath that the force field held steady. Steve was the last to go. Steve was safe. Unfortunately, that also meant it wouldn't take him long to learn the rest of them weren't.
Bruce's breathing was getting irregular. He was wringing his hands. Beads of sweat were forming on his brow. Natasha reached over and touched his arm. "Deep breath in, let it out slowly. Stay with me, Bruce."
He did as she asked. "I'm trying. Not sure how much longer I can hold him off."
Natasha nodded. She gently rubbed as arm as if she were soothing Cooper or Lila after a bad dream. She had enough practice with calming them through the years. This wasn't really that different. The stakes were just higher. "You're doing just fine. Tony and Rocket are working on the engine."
"Not exactly reassuring," Bruce said, and Natasha agreed. She could hear them arguing back and forth.
"No, don't touch that! What are you? A toddler? I told you, just hand me the tools. This is my ship. I know it better than anyone," Rocket said, swiping Tony's hand away from a gray panel.
"My ship!" Peter shouted from the cockpit.
"Like you know how to fix anything on this ship? We're lucky when you remember to flush the toilet!" Rocket replied.
"If you aren't going to let me look, how can I figure out how to fix this mess?" Tony asked, ignoring the secondary argument between Rocket and Peter.
Rocket opened the gray panel he'd just pushed Tony away from and crawled inside. "You don't. I do. Hand me my ratchet."
Natasha continued rubbing Bruce's arm. "Don't focus on their voices. Focus on me. Tell me something I don't know about you. What do you like to do when we aren't saving the world?"
She felt his body tense slightly, but he answered "Run and hide. Does that count as a hobby? I haven't exactly been welcome many places since the other guy showed up."
"The other guy has his place, Bruce, but we need you to stay with us right now. Look out the window. You helped do that. The soul stone is gone, but the field you helped create is holding. No damage to other planets, no lives lost. If we didn't have you on the team, do you honestly think anyone else would have insisted on putting this kind of protection in place?" Bruce looked out the window. His breathing started to regulate. "You're a brilliant scientist and a good man. We'll get home. All this is just temporary. Don't give in to the anger. We've done good."
Bruce looked at Natasha. "Thank you. You're a real friend, Natasha. It's like you knew I was losing it before I did. What Steve said about the lullaby in the other time line, well, I think I understand why it worked."
"Anytime," Natasha said, removing her hand from his arm. She continued to watch him closely, but the real danger seemed to be over. As long as the Hulk stayed at bay, they would be fine. Now, they just had to wait.
Hours passed. Tony and Rocket didn't seem any closer to a solution, but their bickering had given way to discussing. Vision probably had a lot to do with their new found peace. He stayed beside them, constantly urging them to work together instead of against each other.
Natasha listened to their spit balling. Occasionally, Peter or Nebula would throw in an idea, but their ideas were quickly dismissed by the two geniuses. Bruce and Nebula's ideas must have been better, because they discussed those before dismissing them completely. Pietro mainly fidgeted. Natasha knew it had to be hard for the speedster to just sit still and do nothing.
Thor was like Natasha. He didn't know enough about the Milano to give an opinion, so he didn't. Instead, he tried to keep the others entertained with stories of his previous battles. Listening to him tell the story of Steve saving Thor's mother made Natasha ache a bit.
Her thoughts ran to Steve. By now, he and Clint had to be worried sick. She was beginning to worry a bit herself. One thing was for sure, she had no intention of dying here-not this time.
She must have nodded off listening to the rambling voices. She was awoken by a nudge from Bruce. "Here comes the cavalry."
Carol's glowing figure smiled and saluted before disappearing from view then they felt themselves moving.
Avengers Compound
Three weeks with no word from the Milano. Steve was going crazy. As soon as he recovered enough strength to teleport again, he'd traveled back to where the Milano had been. Vormir still burned inside it's containment, but the ship was no where to be seen.
There was so much distance between Vormir and Earth. They could be anywhere. Steve's only hope was Carol. They hadn't heard from her either. He was almost afraid to hope for a second miraculous rescue of that ship by the other captain, but it was all he really had at this point. With each passing day, it seemed less and less likely.
Clint stayed at the compound with Steve and Wanda. Bucky came to stay with them. He left the position Peggy made for him as head of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strike team to offer support, but Steve wasn't in any position to accept his friend's help.
Everyone else returned to their lives, checking in often for any news. The trio didn't talk much. In some ways, the compound felt like it did in the months after the Snap. They were helpless. Depression was their constant companion.
Steve second guessed every decision. If he had only left well enough alone and kept them away from that god-forsaken planet, he and Natasha could be sitting on their couch in Brooklyn watching a movie. He'd be pretending he hadn't seen it with her in some dingy hotel room a lifetime ago while she grilled him for spoilers.
Now, the majority of the team was missing. It was his fault. Clint and Wanda never actually said they blamed him, but he knew the thought had to be in their minds. Wanda was in the worst shape. Her brother and her lover were missing. Everything Steve had done to protect her from this fate was lost in one mission.
Steve was in his room trying and failing to take a nap when he heard the rumbling. He recognized the sound immediately and jumped to his feet. He almost bumped into Bucky in the hallway. As the two men ran together, they were joined by Clint and Wanda. "Do you think it's them?" Bucky asked.
"I know it is," Steve said, feeling the confidence and hope ripple through him.
They rushed outside on time to watch Carol set the Milano down in almost exactly the same location she'd placed it when Tony and Nebula were the only passengers. Steve nodded her direction as he ran to the door. It opened and he immediately grabbed Natasha as she fell into his arms.
"Food ran out a few days ago. We still had water," Carol said. "I can't fly as fast as hyperspace, but we're all okay, mostly."
Steve held Natasha close. "Thank God. I thought I lost you again."
"I wasn't going to die there," she said, "not this time."
Rocket interrupted the couple's tender moment. "Look, can you save the lovey dovey crap for after we get some food? I'm starving here."
Within no time, the crew, along with the sorcerers, were sitting at the table eating the pizzas Steve promised Wong weeks earlier. Rocket was eating, but he really didn't seem impressed. Steve pulled a container from the counter and put it in front of his friend. "What's this?" the raccoon asked.
"Crab Ragoon," Steve said with a smile. "I ordered it at the same time as the pizzas. You never cared much for pizza, but you loved this stuff."
Rocket sniffed it. His ears perked up. He took a bite. "Not bad," he said. "This is actually really good." He took another bite. "This delicacy is better than Aakon jelly rinds."
Carol laughed. "I've been to Aakon. He's right." She tried to get one of the Crab Ragoons. Rocket sneered at her.
Everyone laughed. "Guess I better order some more," Steve said. "Thanks for the assist, Captain."
Carol smiled. "Anytime, Captain. Once we've recovered a bit, Thor and I will go in search of Thanos on planets I have visited. The Guardians will take their own list of planets. We'll find Thanos, and we'll go after him together.
"And, I will defeat him with my bare hands," Drax added.
"You'll have to wait in line," said Nebula. "He will perish. That much is true."
Everyone raised their glasses and toasted before the conversation turned to planning Thanos's defeat. Steve held Natasha's hand as they talked. She was listening intently, but she constantly gave his hand reassuring squeezes. She was trying to reassure him she was okay, and Steve was more than grateful.
Brooklyn
November 2019
Natasha accepted the coffee from Steve and took a drink as he scooted in beside her on the couch. Just the right amount of ice cream to make the perfect cup. She closed her eyes as the heat and cold mixed in her mouth. "Perfect," she said. "Just the way I like it."
Steve laughed. "Anything for you."
She pressed play on the movie. "So, this one really never came out in the old timeline?"
"Yep, the director and the lead were lost in the Snap. Nobody bothered finishing post-production. Everyone had bigger worries. I'm seeing it for the first time, just like you."
Steve put his arm around the back of her shoulders. She leaned back into his arm and sighed as she took another drink of coffee. "Finally. It's not easy for a spy to be married to a time traveler. Glad we're finally on the same page. I can just enjoy the movie for a change instead of wondering what you know that I don't."
"Yep, from now on, it's all unchartered territory."
As the first act of the movie gave way to the second, there was a knock on the door. Steve got up to answer while Natasha watched. A breathless Carol stood waiting. "He knows and he's coming for us."
Sorry for the delay. As we get closer to the end, this gets trickier and trickier to pull off. Add in cold and flu season and two busy writers living on separate sides of the world, and, well, it took some time. Thanks to all who are still sticking around.
