Sorry for the slight delay in posting, everyone, but I wanted to take my time and do this chapter justice. We are getting to the end of Endgame material within the next couple chapters and wrapping up this tale. Thank you so much for all the feedback and support, through ALL of the ChristyVerse. I would not be where I am as a writer without the response I've received on this site.
I was not about to try and reproduce the ENTIRE final battle sequence of Endgame, and really, nothing I write will come close to that first, glorious "Portals" scene and THE MUSIC OH MY GOSH...
Ahem. So, I cherry-picked the scenes that fit the best into the narrative.
That being said, let's get into it. Title is...rather self-explanatory, for once.
Chapter 9: By Dying, I Conquer Life
They all whooshed back, in a flash of light and wind. Materializing on the large metal circle, they all looked at each other in stunned relief.
Shuri, from the control station, looked enormously happy, as did Sharon, Christy, Anish, Shanta, and Nate.
"Ma!" Shanta screamed, pure joy lighting her face.
Natasha laughed weakly. "I'm okay, kiddo. Tony, Scott-you guys got it?"
Tony held up the briefcase clutched in his hands, in answer. Scott grinned.
"We found enough Pym particles to get back."
Sam looked around taking stock. "Okay, all present and…"
His eyes locked with Wanda's, and then roamed right to the empty space beside her.
"I have the Stone." Wanda said. Her voice was careful and flat.
Bucky instantly flew across the metal platform. "What? What happened?"
Clint looked as though someone had punched him in the stomach.
"Dad?" Nate asked uncertainly. "Where's Pietro?"
Soft gasps echoed across the room. Wanda sniffled lightly and buried her face in Bucky's chest.
"Alright, alright, clear the room, let's get somewhere else." Sam said, giving Bucky a significant look. "Let's assemble all the Stones...Shuri?"
Mercifully, Shuri could sense the hidden drive behind Sam's statement, and motioned for everyone to bring their Stones to her.
Clint carried two: the Soul Stone, and the Time Stone.
Bucky took Wanda outside.
For a long moment, she didn't say anything.
"...we made it to the planet." Wanda said, after what seemed an eternity of silence. "We had to climb a mountain. There was this...man, there. I think he was a man. His face was red and he had no nose. He looked like the evil man in Harry Potter."
Bucky felt his blood run very cold.
No...that's impossible. There's no damn way…
"Red face...was he German?" he asked.
Wanda looked momentarily confused. "German? He did have an accent. I suppose it could have been German. What does it matter?"
"Because that...that sounds like Red Skull-like Johann Schmidt. The guy that Steve and I...that we fought in the War. How the hell is he alive on an alien planet?"
"I...I don't know." Wanda hung her head. "But he said that the only way to get the Stone was to give something you love. Someone you love. 'A soul for a soul'. There were two of us. Pietro…" her voice cracked.
"He sacrificed himself." Bucky whispered.
Wanda let out a small sob. "H-he wouldn't let me die. It should have been me! Pietro has never hurt anyone so much, but me? I have killed people! It should have been me to die!"
Bucky grabbed her close.
"Wanda...doll, listen. Please listen. If I know anything, I know how much it sucks to lose a brother. But if I know Pietro...I know that if he wanted to do this, nothing could make him do it but himself."
Wanda was shaking now, with flashes of red pulsating between her fingers. "He laughed and jumped like...like he was taking revenge on everything. Like he was winning. I-I can't understand it. He died like he was winning."
Bucky closed his eyes and shook his head, recalling another story about a man who died like he was winning. But there would be time for that later. Right now, Wanda was grieving.
"Then remember that." he said firmly. "Remember that he died happy, an' wanting you to be happy, too."
Wanda peeked up at him, an almost shy look in her tear-filled eyes. "He said he was not worried to leave me, because of you."
Bucky sighed.
Oh, kid...damn, kid. Thank you. Thank you for trusting me so much.
"I'm honored, then." he said. "I'll try to live up to that."
Wanda looked back towards the window, where she could see everyone pretending to count the Stones for the eighth millionth time.
"We need to tell them. I-I...James, I don't think I can. It hurts…"
Bucky sobered. Wanda only ever called him James when she was mad at him, or deadly serious.
"I can tell them what happened...you really can't tell them?"
Wanda swallowed.
"...only if you hold me, still."
Bucky smiled, sad and soft. "Done."
They took the news of Pietro's death soberly, as any good soldiers take the death of a fallen comrade.
Nathaniel refused to leave Clint's side, and had the look of a kicked puppy.
Christy, meanwhile, looked desperate.
"But...but why are we acting like he's going to stay dead? He won't! When we Snap, he'll come back! He has to!"
"The man said, 'a soul for a soul'." Wanda said quietly. "The Stone does not come without sacrifice."
"But it was Red Skull! He's a liar! He always is! Pietro can't…" Christy looked around the room helplessly. "He has to!"
Sharon took her hand. "Whether he does or not, he gave up his life so that we could get everyone back. Now is the time to make sure his sacrifice counts. We need to get those Stones in play."
Shuri glanced up from the control table, where Tony had just put the final gem into the Iron Man style replica of the Infinity Gauntlet. "Right. I agree. So, who is snapping this thing?"
Everyone looked around the room.
Natasha sighed. "Bruce isn't here. Thor isn't here. Steve isn't here. They would all be my choices. That thing is seriously powerful, the last thing we want is anyone getting hurt."
To their surprise, even Drax nodded in agreement. "It took all of us to manage one Infinity Stone. Only someone with great power could wield all six."
"Let. me." Wanda said, eyes blazing like fire.
Bucky, Clint, and Sam all opened their mouths to protest, and then shut them. They looked at Natasha in silent appeal.
"Wanda…" Natasha started.
"No." Wanda stood up. "You forget how powerful I am. I can shape reality and break it. I want to bring them back. I want to show that Pietro did not die in vain. Let me do this, Natalya."
There was dead silence for a long minute.
Finally, blessedly, Loki cleared his throat.
"Miss...Maximoff, is it? I certainly have no questions about your skill. But I have a bit more practice dealing with magic. And I might be better equipped to handle such power, given my...unique physiology."
"He's an alien. Let him handle the weird alien gems." Sam echoed bluntly. "Wanda, we all know you can kick ass. But we don't want you to get hurt."
Wanda finally gave Loki a short, sharp nod.
"Fine. But do it quickly." she shut her eyes. "I just want them all to come back."
"Believe me, I understand." Loki replied, with as much sincerity as he could muster.
Shuri helped him slip on the Gauntlet. It buzzed with power and radiation and magic that was old and deep. It was painful, but Loki was no stranger to pain.
"Remember, everyone who got Snapped away three years ago, we're bringing them back." Tony said. "Don't change a thing about the last three years."
Loki nodded. "Trust me, I know."
All around the room, everyone readied themselves into fighting stances, weapons at the ready. Even the kids.
"Jarvis, activate Barn Door Protocol, will ya?" Tony said.
"Certianly, sir."" Jarvis replied. In a moment, all the doors and windows were covered with thick metal paneling.
Loki glanced down at the Gauntlet.
"Bring them back." he whispered. "Bring back our dead." he glanced at Wanda. "All of them."
He gritted his teeth and with all of his strength, moved his thumb against his finger in a clumsy snap.
As soon as it was finished, he tumbled to the floor. His arm was burning and charred. He concentrated for a moment, letting his healing magic work through him.
For a moment, nothing seemed to have happened. Tony, Bucky, and Sam tugged the Gauntlet off his hand.
Jarvis raised the shields on the doors and windows.
"Did it work?" Loki whispered.
"Dunno…" Bucky said, looking around. "Nobody said how this was supposed to work."
And then, they heard the sound of birdsong, strong and defiant.
"It's...it's so loud." Christy whispered. "There's so many."
No one could move. Everyone was waiting quietly, wondering how they would know if something had worked.
Then, in the same split second, both Clint and Natasha's phones started to ring.
Clint lunged across the room with terrifying agility, and Natasha did the same. Both of their faces told the room exactly what they needed to know, as they hit the 'answer call' button.
"Laura? Are you there?"
"Bruce!"
Two quick, hushed phone conversations ensued, while everyone else started frantically babbling.
Everyone except two people.
Anish wanted to be a scientist when he was older. A famous, important scientist, like Baba. But he had learned that anyone could at least start being a scientist. And the most important step was learning the Scientific Method.
First step, question.
His question was simple: why was Nebula acting so strange?
Nebula was aloof, quiet, and awkward. But lately, she had been less of those things. Ma said that Earth was working its magic on her. Anish didn't think he believed in magic, but there was no denying that more time on Earth was good for the robotic woman.
But something had happened while searching for the Stones. At least, that was Anish's hypothesis (step two). She wasn't talking to anyone, even Drax. She looked confused, and unfamiliar with her surroundings. She didn't say anything while they were fixing the new Gauntlet to Snap.
And then, she slipped away.
Now, it was time for step three: experiment and gather data. This meant following her.
He could hear his mother's training still in his mind.
Walk softly, but don't think too much about being quiet. Always keep your eyes on the target. Never lose sight of your mission. And stay alert.
He clenched his teeth to hold back his gasp as Nebula started to mess with the Time Machine, but then thought better of it.
"Nebula, what are you doing?"
Nebula whirled around, face full of anger, and started stalking towards him.
In that moment, Anish knew that something very, very wrong had happened.
All training flew out the window. He scrambled out of the room as fast as humanly possible.
"Ma! Ma! Something happened to Nebula!" he screamed in Bengali. "She's not the same! Something happened!"
Natasha, face still flush with excitement, turned to behold her son in the midst of crisis.
"What do you mean? What happened?" she asked.
"She's messing with the Time Machine! Something happened, she's still in there!" Anish screamed, pointing frantically into the air.
Everyone's eyes seemed to lock at once.
"Jarvis, open The Bunker please." Tony said, as he frantically pushed the button to enable his Iron Man suit.
Clint nodded quickly. "Nate, get down there. Sharon, is Jamie…?"
"With Pepper." Sharon replied. "Thank God."
"Ma, I'm staying." Anish said. "I have my knives."
Natasha sighed, but gave an acknowledging nod. Christy was already pressing the button on her necklace to enable her Lion suit.
Shuri beamed with pride.
Shanta hugged Natasha. "I will stay with Nate. Baba is coming for sure?"
"He promised. They're re-grouping in Wakanda, but it might take a minute."
"...tell me when he comes. On the comm."
"I promise."
Just as Nate and Shanta slipped into the five-times secured safe room, a spaceship came into view. From it, came a blast of fire that shattered through the Base like a bomb.
It was time for a reckoning.
Anish groaned, half wishing he had stayed in the bunker with his sister. At least he was wearing semi-protective 'fighting clothes'-Sharon had insisted that they be dressed to fight when everyone returned from the Time Heist.
Christy groaned next to him, rubbing at her head. "Uncle Clint? Where are we?"
Clint was looking around trying to get his bearings. "Not sure, kid. Looks like the sewers." he paused. "What the…?"
Their eyes all converged on the same object at the same moment.
"It's the Gauntlet!" Christy said-just as they heard the sound of growling.
Clint instantly grabbed for an arrow. "Which one of you two runs faster?"
"Anish." Christy said instantly. It was true, the younger boy could run like the wind.
"Anish. Get the Gauntlet. Christy, go with him. I'm gonna distract this damn thing. Get ready for the world's most high-stakes game of manhunt."
The cousins locked eyes and grinned.
They took off running down the narrow passage as three dinosaur-like creatures barreled after them. Clint fired a few stray arrows to throw them off their game, letting out a mad laugh as he did.
The chase was on.
A father and a 'daughter' met in the middle of the cracked and broken remains of the Base.
"Daughter." Thanos rumbled.
Nebula gave a thin smile. "Father. They suspected nothing."
She removed the orange-bronze plate from her forehead, which had allowed her to fool the Terrans and their allies.
Thanos planted his sword in the ground, and removed his helmet.
"The arrogant never do."
He sat down on a piece of debris.
"Go. Find the Stones. Bring them to me."
"And what will you do?"
"Wait."
From inside Serenity II, Nebula could only stare at the chaos being wrought by her 'father' and past self. It was horrifying.
But if anyone stood a chance, it was the Avengers and their friends.
She looked up, as Gamora came over to her. She tried to silence the ache in her heart, that all the progress she and Gamora had made was gone forever.
"Tell me something." Gamora asked. "In the future, what happens to you and me?"
Nebula gave a thin smile. "We try to kill each other. Several times."
Gamora rolled her eyes.
"But eventually...we become friends. We become sisters."
Gamora gave her a quick, appraising stare, before holding out her hand.
"Come on." she whispered urgently. "We can stop him."
Nebula reached up and took the hand, and used it to brace herself, as she had done many times before.
We are coming, Father. You cannot kill our bond. We will stop you together this time.
"Barnes. Bucky. Bucksteeeeeer. Wake up, buddy!"
Bucky could feel his ears ringing as he slowly blinked back to consciousness, looking into the anxious face of Tony.
"Good, you're alive." Tony held out his hand. Bucky took it gratefully and stumbled up onto his feet.
"Got somethin' for ya." he added, tipping The Shield into view.
Bucky's eyes widened. "Where the hell did you get that?"
"I got it out just before we did the Snap. Figured it should be handy, in case Cap popped back here. Looks like you'll get to take it for a test drive."
Bucky smirked, remembering a day long ago when he had caught the fabled shield in midair,
Loki stood alone, gazing across the now-barren remains of Base. His object of attention was obvious.
Thanos sat in the middle of the empty space, like a purple bump on a log.
"What happened?" Bucky asked, rubbing his temple.
"You mess with time, it tends to mess back." Tony replied.
"So what's he been doing?"
"Absolutely nothing." Loki said sourly. "He's just sitting there."
"Where are the Stones at?"
Tony shrugged. "Somewhere under all this. All I know is, he doesn't have them."
Bucky nodded grimly. "Then we keep it that way. Where's Sam?"
"I dunno." Tony said. "I think we all got blown apart. Knowing Wilson, he's probably okay."
"Alright. So we gotta stall Big Purple. Fun."
"You do know that this is likely a trap, right?" Loki questioned.
Tony rebooted his armor to full shield capacity. "Yeah...don't much care."
"Good. Just so we are all in agreement." Loki shifted, covering his head with a familiar horned helmet. "Let's kill him properly this time."
They strode across the muddy space, weapons at the ready. Thanos did not look surprised at their approach.
"You could not live with your own failure. And where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."
"Yep, we are all kinds of stubborn." Tony replied, practically spitting in the Titan's face.
"I'm thankful. Because now, I know what I must do." Thanos stood up, putting on his helmet. "I will shred this universe down to its last atom. And then–with the stones you've collected for me- create a new one. Teeming with life, knowing not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe."
Loki clenched his teeth as his magic teemed within him.
Not yet, not yet...let the old fool ramble more.
"Yeah...we ain't so good at bein' grateful t' conquerin' overlords, pal." Bucky said.
"Ah, but no one will know the difference. Because you won't be alive to tell them."
Loki and Bucky glanced at each other, wearing identical feral smiles.
"Now." Loki said mildly.
Tony hit the Titan in the chest with an Arc Reactor blast, and the fighting began.
Anish was running, faster than he had ever run before.
As a child, he had always been running: away from chores, away from loneliness, away from a father that was never there.
He had gotten good at running.
Now, his fight or flight instinct was dulled a little, after years of being safe, but it could still kick in at the best of times.
He tossed the Gauntlet to Christy, as Clint fired one of his arrows at the creatures chasing them.
Christy caught the Gauntlet, and then screamed as they turned a corner, coming face to face with Nebula.
Nebula with a gun pointed at them.
Clint grabbed them both back. "Uh, hey, Nebula, what the hell happened to you? Remember us? Your friends? Why would you betray us like that?"
"Give me the Stones." Nebula said firmly, taking a step closer.
Christy tucked the Gauntlet under her arm and slashed at Nebula with Vibranium claws. "Get back!"
"Yes, listen to her, Nebula." came a deadly quiet voice. "Let them go."
Four heads whipped to where a tall, stunningly green woman stood, also pointing a gun. Next to her was...Nebula.
"Time travel!" Anish blurted out. "She's the past Nebula."
Clint groaned, looking between the two versions of Nebula. "The hell kinda comic book world am I living in?"
Nebula pointed a gun at her past self.
"You don't have to do this."
"I am this."
"No, you're not!" Gamora insisted.
"You've seen what we become." Nebula said. "You don't have to stay with him. There are better things."
"Nebula, listen to her!"
"You can change!" Nebula cried.
"He won't let me."
Past Nebula turned her gun onto Gamora. Nebula let out a guttural cry and fired at her past self. Her past self crumpled to the ground.
Clint was still looking between the two of them. "So...you just killed your past self? Is that what I'm seeing?"
Nebula sighed. "Yes. Now come. We have to keep the Stones away from Thanos. Let's go."
As far as distraction fights went, this one was going about as well as the last time Thanos had come to Earth.
Like before, nothing they did seemed to stick. Thanos swatted off their best attacks as though they were mere child's play. Even Loki's magic only incapacitated him for brief periods.
Bucky gritted his teeth and flung the shield at Thanos yet again. The Titan grabbed it this time, and broke it in two, like wet paper.
Howling, Bucky surged forward, but the mad Titan grabbed him and flung him several feet.
"In all my years of conquest– violence– slaughter– It was never personal." Thanos proclaimed. "But I'll tell you now– what I'm about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet– I'm going to enjoy it. Very, very much."
Suddenly, the sky split open and Thanos' whole army descended to the ground. Children of Thanos, Chitauri, Sakaarans, Outriders and Chitauri Gorillas-all of them assembled to bring chaos upon the Earth.
Teeth clenched, Bucky staggered to his feet. Tony and Loki were doing the same nearby. He grabbed the broken shield and tightened it to his arm, before turning to face Thanos once more.
If this is the end, then I'm gonna go down fighting.
"Like a kid from Brooklyn once said: 'I can do this all day'!" he screamed.
And then, it happened.
"Bucky? Can you hear me? On your left, jerk."
Bucky almost felt his legs give out under him, so great was his shock. He turned left, as the voice had instructed him, just in time to see a yellow portal materialize in thin air.
All around him, portals were opening. He could see allies old and new appearing around them, faces full of determination.
There was T'Challa, fully restored and ready to fight, with Bruce Banner at his side, in Hulkbuster armor. Okoye stood with her spear, next to a twitchy Peter Parker. Next to them, Dr. Strange and Wong appeared, with an army of sorcerers. Valkyrie, on her winged horse, led the forces of Asgard. Pepper Potts touched down in her own custom suit, next to Hank, Hope, Janet, and the returned Guardians of the Galaxy. From above, Thor zoomed towards Loki with a joyful crack of thunder.
"Brother! I have returned!"
Loki would never in a thousand years admit it, but the smile that split his face that day was the brightest he had ever worn.
And then, then there was Steve.
He and Bucky shared a look. There would be time for crying and hugging later. But now, they had a job to do.
"Steve, you do the honors!" Bucky called.
Steve grinned, and with a loud voice shouted:
"Avengers! Assemble!"
Rationally, Tony had known that if their Time Heist succeeded, Peter would be back.
It had been his driving motivation behind agreeing to it, after all.
But nothing could have prepared him for the moment that a gangly, brown-haired teenager ran up to him in the middle of battle and started babbling like he had never left.
"Hey! Holy cow! You will not believe what's been going on. Do you remember when we were in space? And I got all dusty? I must've passed out, Because I woke up, and you were gone. But Doctor Strange was there, right? He was like, "It's been five years. Come on, they need us." And then he started doing the yellow sparkly thing that he does all the time–"
All Tony could do was nod, as his brain felt like it was running on pure delirium.
The kid was back. They had won.
"He did? Oh, god…" Tony muttered. Without stopping to think, he tugged Peter against his chest.
"W-what are you doing?" Peter stammered.
"I'm hugging you, obviously." Tony said. "Good to have you back, kid. We've missed you."
"O-oh. Oh, this is nice." Peter said, leaning into the embrace.
And for one brief, shining moment, Tony Stark knew what it was to be at peace.
Meanwhile, Clint, Christy, and Anish were still running around with the Gauntlet like participants in the world's largest game of hot potato.
(Christy had taken the liberty of yelling incoherently through the comms, the minute she heard Steve's voice.)
"Glad to have you back, Cap!" Clint said, panting. "Now what do you want us to do with this damn thing?"
"Get it as far away from Thanos as possible!" Steve replied, whacking a Chitauri warrior into the heavens.
"No!" Shuri cried. "We need to get them back to where they came from."
"But Thanos destroyed the Quantum Tunnel." Tony said. "How are we supposed to get them back?"
Across the war zone, Scott shrunk down from his Giant Man size and clicked the button on a remote. The loud, annoying strains of 'La Cucaracha' echoed over the sound of battle.
"That wasn't our only time machine!" he cried triumphantly.
"Anyone see an ugly brown van?" Bucky yelled.
From high above the field, Valkyrie called back, "Yes, but you're not going to like where it's parked!"
"Scott, how long you need to get that thing up and running?" Tony asked.
"About ten minutes!" Scott replied.
"We'll get the Stones to you." Steve promised. "Just get it ready to go."
"On it, Cap!" Hope called. She and Scott shared a small, determined smile before shrinking and flying towards the van.
Tony ran up to Dr. Strange, just as he was sending a group of Thanos' forces through a portal.
"You said one out of 14 million chances we win this, right? Is this the one?"
"If I told you, it wouldn't happen." Strange said, a mysterious look clouding his face.
Tony rolled his eyes.
Damn cryptic wizards.
"You'd better be right." he muttered.
Christy was starting to feel like her lungs would collapse when T'Challa caught up with them.
"Umzala, give it to me! I can run faster on fresh legs."
"T'Challa!" Christy yelled, flinging herself at the king. "It worked! It all worked!"
T'Challa was grinning. "Yes, it worked, now take a rest, all three of you. There is plenty of hunting to be done back there. We must get these to the van."
He ran, Gauntlet tucked under his arm, towards what was indeed the ugliest van in all creation. But his path was stopped by a double edged sword, thrown like a boomerang.
Thanos had caught up with him. But just as he clutched the Gauntlet and turned to fight, Wanda swooped down, standing between him and the Titan.
Her eyes blazed with righteous fury and loss-a dangerous combination.
"You took everything from me." she hissed.
Thanos blinked. "I don't even know who you are."
"You will."
She raised a piece of debris and swung it towards Thanos' head. It was smacked away by Ebony Maw, but she couldn't care less.
Pietro would be avenged, if it was the last thing she did.
Tony felt as though he were in a bad replay. This was exactly how it had gone last time, apparently, except instead of Rogers tearing the glove away from Thanos, it was Danvers.
It really seemed like she could beat him, too. And then, he knocked her away, Power Stone in hand.
He glanced over at Steven Strange. The Doctor held up a shaky pointer finger.
One. One future where we win.
It was suddenly so clear what he had to do.
Do I run? Do I let Danvers keep trying? No, there he goes, this is up to me…
Pepper, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but this time, it has to be me.
He charged Thanos, with only one goal in mind. The Titan knocked him away, but he got what he was aiming for.
"I am...inevitable." Thanos said, a smug smile lighting his face.
He snapped his fingers. The world held its breath.
Nothing happened.
It seemed as though time itself stopped, for one long moment. Tony could actually see his life flashing before his eyes as he held up his own Gauntlet, built into the suit. Just in case.
Six bright Stones glittered in all their glory.
"And I…" he gasped out. "Am Iron Man."
With his last bit of strength, he snapped his fingers, and crumpled to the ground.
All around them, the forces of Thanos began to disintegrate to dust. Even the Mad Titan finally faded away into a pile of ash, with one last, desperate moan.
Tony lay in a heap, right side heavily burned. Pepper rushed to his side as fast as she could, with Peter close behind her.
"Tony!" she cried, cupping his face. "Jarvis-run a diagnostic."
"...I am afraid Mr. Stark is in critical conditions." the AI said, his usual crisp tone almost a whisper.
"H-hey, Mr. Stark!" Peter cried. "Mr. Stark, we won! We won, it's alright!"
"...If I may." said a quiet voice. "I may be able to buy him some time."
Loki stood behind them, next to a somber Rhodey.
Pepper nodded tearfully, as others started to crowd around them. "Do what you can."
Loki leaned in and closed his eyes, placing a hand on Tony's forehead. "Live, Stark, damn you! Live!"
Tony took a deep, choking breath, and opened his eyes. But Loki knew it was only temporary.
"Pep...Pep, I'm so sorry." Tony whispered.
"It's okay, Tony." Pepper said, gently kissing his bleeding mouth and turning his face to see her smile. "It's okay. You can rest now. We'll be alright. We won."
"Steve...Bruce…"
"We're here, Tony." Steve said, leaning in to his first rival in this new century-and one of his dearest friends. "You did it."
Bruce touched his shoulder. "Don' worry about Morgan. We've got her. Pepper, too."
"Nat?"
"Right here." Natasha said simply. "We're all here."
Tony felt as though his brain was in syrup-thick and swimming. It fired disjointed thoughts as he struggled to keep consciousness.
Have to stay alive...have to stay for Peter, for Morgan. My legacy...I didn't finish! So much I didn't finish!
I scribbled a few notes, but someone else will have to finish this project-no! I need more time!
Time…
I never had enough time.
Legacy, what is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see, but I want to see it! I want to see…
14 million futures and only one win. Sacrifice. That's how to win.
Can I really rest?
He caught Pepper's eye, and he could tell she was barely holding back tears. But she nodded reassuringly.
"Take your time." he whispered, clutching her hands. "I-I'll wait for you, on the other side."
Pepper nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks in earnest now.
"Peter…"
"I-I'm here, Mr. Stark!"
"Kid...I'm proud of you. You did good. Don't forget it-an' don' stop bein' you." his eyes swiveled around, taking in all of the next generation of Avengers. Christy was openly sobbing, and Anish was clearly trying (and failing) to stay stoic.
"You kids be good. Your Christmas funds are set for the next decade. I'm proud of you both, too." he tried to smile, aware that it was more of a grimace.
"Rhodey? Rhodey...thanks."
Rhodey squeezed his shoulder. "Go to sleep, Tony. It's okay. You've earned it."
Tony's eyes slipped shut, and his breathing grew shallow, until finally, the billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist at last found his rest.
Later that night, still in shock, Steve retired to a quiet corner of the Base with his family.
Including one member more than he had left behind.
Sharon had waited until it was only them, Christy, Bucky, and Sam, before clearing her throat and saying quietly, "Steve...when you Snapped away, I was one month pregnant."
Steve's head jerked up, and Sharon could practically hear him making calculations in his head.
"T-three years, you said?" he stuttered out.
"Three years." Christy echoed. "I'm proof."
Steve smiled sadly. "I missed so much."
Sharon took his hand and squeezed it.
"But you don't have to miss any more. So, come meet your son. He's asleep right now."
She led him to where Bucky and Sam sat on the couch. A small, blond boy was dead to the world on Bucky's lap.
Steve let out a gasp of wonder.
"Dad, meet James Samuel Carter Rogers." Christy said, her face split with a wide smile. "We call him Jamie."
Hand trembling, Steve reached down to gently stroke away a strand of corn-silk hair. "Jamie…" he whispered. "Jamie, huh? Hi, Jamie. Hi, bud…"
He broke, slipping to his knees, body shaking with suppressed sobs. Sharon knelt on one side, Sam on the other.
"You're back, Steve." Bucky whispered. "You're back an' you've got his whole life to be his dad. I took care of him for ya, just like I promised."
In all the fuss, Jamie started to stir awake. "Mommy?"
"Jamie...wake up, bud." Sharon said, trying not to sound off.
But Jamie was as quick on the uptake as his namesake, and he sat up in an instant.
"Who's that?" he asked, pointing at Steve.
Steve made a noise between a choke and a laugh.
"That's your Daddy, bud." Sharon said.
Jamie blinked.
"Daddy's back?"
"Yeah, just like we always said he would be." Christy said, lifting him off Bucky's lap. "You wanna give him a hug?"
"Christy, I'm sure he won't…" Steve started to protest.
And then a pair of chubby arms snaked around him.
"Hi, Daddy. I wait for you."
It was only as he took his son in his arms and surrendered to another round of tears that Steve knew he was well and truly alive again.
They had won.
Annnnnnd, cue tears.
Tony and Vision will be my casualties of this 'Verse, I am sad to say.
I wanted to let Tony stay alive. I truly did. I had plans and explanations and ideas...but they all faded away in the face of one quote that I couldn't get out of my head:
"But would you be able to rest?"
Tony's 'death' was sad, but it wasn't unearned. It wasn't 'before his time'. It FELT like a fitting end, where the man who could never rest would finally get to. Yes, narratively, that sucks for the people he leaves behind, but it's a good finale to his character arc. The Playboy Genius grows up and gives his life for the world-there's something beautiful in that.
Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Tune in next time for: A Flerken finding a new home, The Return of the Stones, Steve keeping a date, and a passing of the torch.
Reviews are Tony finally at rest.