A/N: Italicized text can represent several things (dialogue in another language, inner thoughts, flashbacks, etc.) please be aware of this and the context to better understand what is happening!

This chapter is a long one, I tried to separate it into two parts, but it just didn't flow as well that way. Plus the second half ended up only being like five pages, and I usually try to shoot for twelve, so I just decided to keep it as one chapter.


Odette was numb.

Yes.

Numb.

That was the word.

Three weeks ago, Thanos snapped away half of all the life across the universe and beyond. Since then, most of Odette's wounds had healed. Still, she wasn't allowed to be alone for more than a few hours at a time due to the attempt she'd made on her own life. Not that it was particularly hard to find her, she hardly left her room these days.

Natasha was usually content to lay in bed with Odette and watch cheesy old movies. She talked about her favorite movies and defended some of the bad ones. Odette liked when Natasha laid with her. Natasha didn't push Odette to resume her life, she allowed her to pause and wallow in her own grief.

Bruce usually sat in silence, reading a book or going over data from The Snap—that's what they'd taken to calling the event that wiped out everyone. People were starting to get sick, really sick. The World Health Organization theorized it was because half of life's bacteria was Vanished alongside the people who were gone. He didn't force Odette to stay awake, he didn't really force her to do anything. He allowed her to sleep, he allowed her to sit in silence, but occasionally he would talk.

"I think I know why you did it, Odette." He said, looking over his glasses at her. She rolled her head to the side to look at him. "And I'm sorry none of us noticed sooner." She said nothing. "But, Doc…" Bruce looked at her with sad eyes, "Why didn't you tell me?"

That stung.

"You used to tell me these things."

She did. Back when she worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. —God, a lifetime ago it felt like—she would use her free days to visit Tony and Bruce in New York. She and Bruce would talk about their shared experience with wanting to die. Naïvely, they had promised each other that they would trust each other to not put the other one or the rest of their team through the grief that would come should one of them actually follow through with their plans to off themselves. They trusted the other to not even attempt it, trusted that if it ever came to that they would seek the other out for the comfort only someone who had been in that darkness before could offer.

But she hadn't.

Odette turned her head back to face the ceiling, unable to look Bruce in the eye any longer.

Bruce sighed.

Thor didn't see the need to keep an eye on her, but if he ever happened to pass her room and she was alone, he would join her.

The first time, Odette had been confused by his presence. Then, he dragged her swivel chair over to her bed and sat down on it. He looked at her with his mix-matched eyes, his brows tight as he stared deeply into her eyes. For a long time, he said nothing.

With tears shining in his good eye, Thor reached out a hand. "I understand." Was all he said, his voice deep with grief.

Odette reached out and took his hand. He gave her a comforting squeeze.

Rhodey rarely watched her, but when he did, he lectured her on how traumatized she'd left them after her attempt.

As if Odette didn't already feel bad.

When Steve watched her, he forced her to get up and pace her room. He wanted her to regain her former strength, he wanted her in top condition should they find where Thanos went and were able to confront him.

Odette understood his reasoning. She still resented him.

He made her eat. She didn't want to eat.

He made her shower. She didn't want to be clean.

He made her hydrate. She didn't want to drink.

He made her lay with that ice pack on her chest. She hated laying on her back.

She hated how much he cared.

He made her live. She didn't want to.

Admittedly, she was probably being far too stubborn. But she went along with what he wanted her to do because if she didn't, she knew it would only upset him further.

She'd lived this long because of Steve, what was another day?

Brooke hadn't yet forgiven her for that, so Odette very rarely saw her.

Not that she could have even if she wanted to. Brooke spent most of her time crying in Pietro's old room, crying and clinging to one of his pillows while using one of Wanda's jackets as a blanket. And when she wasn't there, she was in the bathroom, getting sick. According to Natasha, Brooke could barely stomach more than a few plain crackers and some water before something triggered her grief and she found herself flying to the bathroom to deposit whatever she had consumed.

And, of course, "Seeing you on the clinic floor unresponsive probably didn't help."

"Thanks, Nat." As if Odette needed another reason to feel bad for her attempt.

Days and nights blurred together.

How could the rest of the team focus on finding Thanos? They'd lost everyone they had cared about, and they had no way of getting them back.

And then, the air shifted.

Again.

Odette felt it hours before anyone else did. The sun was setting in the sky. She was alone…but not really…

Moving automatically, she stood on shaky legs. She showered for the first time in two days (Steve had fought her on this, but when Odette threatened him with an arm engulfed in smoking energy, he agreed that he would ease up on her. She was an adult after all). She scrubbed her scalp raw, detangling the curls that threatened to mat together. However, she was gentle in washing her healed wounds. Healed or not, the skin was still tender and bruised.

Once she was thoroughly cleaned of the sweat and grime that had built up on her body, Odette stood under the stream of scalding hot water. She closed her eyes, allowing the water to blast directly onto her face, as if hoping to burn off the tear streaks that had stained her skin.

Stepping out into the steamy bathroom, Odette dried off slowly. Her body was stiff, and ached with days of disuse, but she managed.

When she stepped back into her room, the sun was completely gone. She dressed in a pair of comfortable lounge pants and a tank top—her preferred outfit these days. Panting heavily from exhaustion, Odette pushed past the pain in her shoulders and her chest to wander through the facility.

"Doctor Swann—,"

"Carol." Was Odette's answer to Friday, who had been reporting her unplanned movements to Steve and Bruce.

She stepped out of the facility and onto the lawn. The grass was cool and soft under her bare feet.

For about half an hour, Odette stood completely still. Her eyes were trained on the sky, her fists clenched at her sides as she put all her energy into grounding herself in her body.

"Doctor Swann?" A gentle voice came from behind her, "Odette?" Pepper stepped up beside her. She looked at Odette, and then at the sky, "What is it?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, Pepper." Odette seemed to snap back into her body. Pepper moved into the facility, knowing that if—when—Tony was going to come home, he'd be brought to the facility.

"Is it—?" Pepper asked.

Odette felt a change in the atmosphere, "Yes." She answered, her voice dry and barely above a whisper.

The air vibrated around them. Pepper gripped Odette's arm tightly, needing her for support as her eyes desperately scanned the sky. As if knowing where to look, Odette craned her neck over her shoulder. Just then, everyone else was stepping out of the facility. But Odette wasn't looking at them, she was looking at the alien ship that came around from the backside of the building.

She watched as a brilliant light gently guided the ship to the lawn. Odette gently pried her arm out of Pepper's tight grip. She followed the ship as it slowly descended onto the lawn.

Fiery energy burned off Carol as the ship's legs let out a hiss and a clunk before she let it go. The energy died off her as she turned and made eye contact with Odette.

She knew it, too.

That feeling.

For the first time in nearly a month, Odette took off in a run. She was unstable, and staggered. She nearly fell once, but she caught herself before her knees could hit the ground and pushed herself further. Her heart pounded so furiously in her chest she thought it might burst from her chest. A set of stairs led up into the ship, and a young, blue, alien woman was descending the steps with Tony leaning on her shoulder.

"Tony." Odette reached out to him.

Tony reached out to her, "Doc." He breathed out. He looked as exhausted and as dead as she felt. The wild look in his eyes told her that he'd been running low on oxygen, and his face was sunken in from malnourishment. He seemed to be in a daze as he took his first shaky steps back onto Earth. "I couldn't stop him." His fingers dug into her arms, but she hardly noticed.

"Neither could we." Odette admitted. Steve ran up and took Tony off of Odette, allowing the other man to lean against him as he was a bit studier on his feet than she was.

"Hold on." Tony panted. Both Steve and Odette paused to look at him, concerned with what he could possibly need to say at this very second. "I lost the kid." His eyes shone with tears.

"Spider-man?" Odette faintly recalled the young man that had come to Tony's aid in Germany…so he had been lost too… "Tony…" He looked at her, licking his chapped lips nervously, "We lost everyone." Her voice broke. She hadn't spoken this much since Thanos had disappeared.

Tony's eyes widened just a little, "Is…" Just then, Pepper and Brooke ran up to them. "Oh, good." He sighed with relief.

"Oh, my God!" Pepper wept, gently pulling Tony into her arms after she took in his frail appearance.

"Tony." Brooke cried as Pepper pulled the young girl into their embrace. Tony held onto both of them as though his life depended on it. Steve laid a hand on Odette' shoulder, steadying her as they stepped back and gave the three their space.

"It's okay." Tony's words sounded empty as he kissed Pepper's temple and rested his cheek on Brooke's head. "I'm okay." His voice was dry, void of emotion.

"Come on, let's get you inside." Steve broke them all out of their trances. As they walked back into the facility, Rocket walked by them, joining the blue alien on the steps of the ship.

The first order of business once they were inside was to get Tony stabilized. Yes, he was alive, but only just. He needed an IV drip to rehydrate and re-nourish his space ravaged body.

Bruce took over Odette's duties, which earned her a curious, suspicious look from Tony. Even though laying in bed and waiting for life to return to him didn't sit well with Tony, Bruce forced him to go to sleep. He'd be no good to any of them in his malnourished, miserable, exhausted state. Once partially sedated, they all dispersed back to their respective rooms.

Still, Odette's mind was abuzz. It felt like an itch, the need to get out of bed and go see Tony. It nagged at her for hours, not letting her relax or sleep.

So, she scratched it.

"Doctor Swann." Friday immediately caught her leaving her room.

"I need to see Tony." Odette answered sharply. "For Christ's sake." She wanted to complain, even though she brought this on herself.

"Right now?" Friday asked as Odette turned towards the clinic.

"Right now." Odette answered simply.

She walked across the campus, thankful that everyone else was able to get some sleep. To her surprise, but not really, Tony was awake and fussing with the IV they'd put in him. Odette let the hiss of the clinic doors announce her arrival and stuck her hands in her pockets.

Tony's head whipped around to her, eyes wide. He relaxed when he realized it was just her.

"Come to check up on the patient?" He quipped.

"Something like that." Odette took that as an invitation to step in. "God...when was the last time we had spoken…" She didn't have to wonder...she knew.

"Did you know? … Doc?"

"Yes…"

Odette stood beside Tony's bed, briefly looking over the data Bruce had chicken scratched onto the clipboard at the foot of the bed. Malnourished. Dehydrated. Poorly healed bruises. Slight infection in the lacerations on his head and arms.

She looked at Tony. He was taking ragged, gasping breaths, as if he was afraid every breath would be the last he could take.

"So, who was the alien?" She asked.

"No clue, but she's good." Tony answered.

"You spent nearly a month alone on an alien ship with her and you don't know her name?" Odette asked.

"Oh." Tony realized, "You meant Nebula." He motioned to his head as if to say, 'duh', and he grimaced, "She's one of Thanos' 'children'. Which, she is by far, the prettiest one of his kids."

"I'm aware." Odette deadpanned, all too aware that the top of her wound was exposed from under her tank top. "And I agree."

"Oh, you've met?" Tony tried to joke, but the lack of smile on his face told Odette just how exhausted and drained he was.

"Maybe I should have left him to rest…" She thought, but then she remembered why she'd come in the first place. "I'm sorry about Peter." Odette's voice broke as she spoke in a whisper.

Tony scoffed, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Then, Tony side-eyed her, "Yeah?" He asked.

"Yeah." Odette nodded. She looked down at the bed, pinching and rubbing a section of the starchy blanket in her hand, "I know you and Steve both like to carry the weight of our failures on your shoulders—don't give me that look, you're both more alike than you'd like to admit." She knowingly added when Tony looked aghast at being lumped in the same sentence as Steve.

"Just," Odette took a shaky breath, "Just don't let it consume you."

Tony was quiet for a while. "What about you?" He asked. Odette raised her eyebrows curiously. "I mean," He took a breath, "Who all did we…" He didn't have to finish his sentence for her to know what he meant.

"The twins." Odette started off.

Tony's chin dropped to his chest. "Poor Brooke." He mumbled under his breath.

"Sam." Tony slowly nodded as she spoke, "T'Challa. Nick Fury. Maria Hill." Odette sighed, "All of Clint's family."

"Shit." Tony rubbed his jaw.

"Bucky." Odette added quietly.

"Eh, you win some, you lose some." Tony blurted out, though Odette could tell by how he stiffened up that he hadn't meant to say so out loud. He glanced at Odette before looking back down at the floor, "I'm sorry."

Odette didn't have the energy to shrug or argue. "Seems like there's a lot of that going around these days." When Tony responded by tilting his head, she clarified what she meant by saying, "Apologizing."

"We should have been better." Tony scoffed.

"We should have." She agreed.

Before either of them could continue, the clinic doors hissed open once more. Odette turned to look over her shoulder. Steve looked to be in a panic, but settled into curious confusion once he saw Odette speaking with Tony.

"Oh great," Tony griped under his breath.

Steve looked between the two, "Sorry," He said stiffly, "Friday alerted me to you leaving your room." He raised his chin to Odette.

"It's fine." Odette answered coldly. "I was just...checking on Tony." She turned on her heel, "We don't need a repeat of two weeks ago."

"No." Steve answered sharply. "We don't."

"Two weeks? I'm sorry, what happened two weeks ago?" Tony's question fell on deaf ears.

"You should get some sleep, Tony. Rhodey and Nat will want to give you a rundown of what's happened since The Snap." Odette said over her shoulder as she walked towards the door.

She expected Steve to follow her, but when he didn't, she carried on back towards her room. As she walked, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

She couldn't stop the tears from leaving a trail as she walked across the empty campus.


The next day, the Avengers and their superpowered and alien guests all gathered in the lounge. Tony had to be wheeled in in a wheelchair, Rhodey sat down a plate of food and a glass of water in front of him. It sat untouched.

"Do you really think you should be here?" Steve whispered to Odette as she took shaky steps into the room.

"You wanted me back in the game." Odette tiredly whispered back. Her voice still wasn't strong, speaking anything above a gentle whisper strained her vocal chords, but she could at least talk without gasping for air. It seemed that Tony's return had knocked her out of her silent stupor.

"It's been twenty-three days since Thanos came to Earth." Rhodey informed Carol. Images of those they had lost flashed up on screen. Odette inhaled sharply as Bucky's image popped up. Her heart seized in her chest, but she did her best to remain as impassive as possible.

"World governments are in pieces," Natasha added, "The parts that are still working are trying to take a census and it looks like he did…" She trailed off.

"He did exactly what he said he was going to." Odette crossed her arms over her chest. It hurt. She put her hands down on her hips.

"Thanos wiped out," Natasha sighed heavily, "fifty percent of all living creatures."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Where is he now?" Tony asked, "Where?"

"We don't know." Steve answered honestly, "He just," he shook his head, looking down at his shoes, "opened a portal and walked through it."

Tony sighed as he wheeled around the table. He paused and pointed to Thor, who was sitting out in the small courtyard in silence, "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, he's pissed." Rocket spoke up, "He thinks he failed. Which, of course, he did, but there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?"

"Honestly," Tony pointed at the raccoon, "Until this exact second, I thought you were a Build-A-Bear."

The little critter took a deep breath, "Maybe I am." He clearly had no idea what that actually meant.

"We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now." Steve said, drawing the attention back to the matter at hand.

"Deep space scans and satellites," Brooke spoke up from her spot by the doorway, "Nothing."

Steve leaned back against the arm of the sofa, "Tony, you fought him—,"

"Who told you that?" Tony peered at Steve through his glasses. They looked at him curiously, "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet. While the Bleeker Street Magician gave away the stone. That's what happened. There was no fight, cause he's not beatable."

Steve, regretting this line of conversation already, nodded in agreement, "Okay. Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" He asked.

"Uhhh," Tony made a fart noise with his mouth and gave a mock salute. He shook his head. "I saw this coming a few years back." He turned his sharp gaze to Odette, "I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it," he shifted so that he was slouched in his wheelchair, "thought I was dreaming."

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus." Steve stood back up.

"And I needed you." Tony had to restrain himself from yelling. "As in, past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry." He shook his head. "You know what I need?" He swiped out at the plate of food Rhodey had sat down in front of him. The plate and glass went across the table, cracking and shattering from the rough display. He began to stand up, despite Odette and Rhodey's protests.

"Tony—,"

"Tony…"

Tony flailed his arms to get Rhodey's hands off him, "I need a shave." He informed them casually. He stood up, staggering away from his wheelchair, "And I believe I remember telling all youse," He began to dig at the IV in his arm.

"Tony—Tony!" Odette protested.

"Alive and otherwise!" He ripped the needle out, then tore off the medical tape that stuck to his skin. He quickly covered the bleeding wound in his arm, "that what we needed," he raised his voice, "was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that?" He addressed the Avengers in the room. "Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That's what we needed."

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve was trying to remain calm, but the tension in his brow revealed the stress and weight he was carrying.

"I said we'd lose." Tony pointed out, "You said," He quickly turned his accusatory finger to Odette.

"Tony!" Steve shouted.

Tony ignored him, "'We'll do that together, too'." Odette bit her tongue and took a deep breath. Her face remained even. "And guess what, Doc?"

"Tony, that's enough." Steve protested.

"We lost." Tony answered when Odette did not. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "And you weren't there." His hands and voice shook. "But that's what we do, right?" He turned back to the others, "Our best work after the fact? We're the 'Avengers'," Rhodey stepped between Tony and Odette, making the weakened man back up, "We're the 'Avengers'," he repeated, getting huffy now that Rhodey was blocking him from getting in Steve's face. "Not the 'pre-vengers'."

"Okay," Rhodey nodded in agreement, his voice gentle as he tried to calm Tony down.

"Right?" Tony asked, still hyped up.

"You made your point," Rhodey said, "Just sit down, okay?"

"Okay. No, no, here's my point," Tony squirmed and flailed in Rhodey's arms, "You know what. She's great by the way." He pointed to Carol.

"Tony, you're sick. Sit down." Rhodey was no longer being gentle with him.

"We need you. You're new blood." Tony finally flailed free from Rhodey's grasp, "Bunch of tired old mules. I got nothing for you, Cap." He staggered over to Steve, finger in his face, "I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada." As he spoke his voice grew weaker and weaker until he was wheezing out his words between clenched teeth. "No trust." He shook his head, then he glared down at Odette, "Liar." Her blood ran cold.

With a shuddery breath, he reached up and yanked off the arc reactor that was stuck to his chest. He then took Steve's hand and slammed the core into his palm, "Here, take this." He said mockingly, "You find him, you put that on, you hide."

Then Tony collapsed.

"Tony!" Steve was quick to catch him, but he still slipped from his grasp.

Odette was beside him in an instant, her heart leaping to her throat.

"I'm fine!" Tony protested at the sudden realization that everyone was reaching for him, concerned for him. "Let me," Tony panted heavily.

And then he passed out.

Steve picked Tony up as if he weighed nothing and ran by the women towards the med bay.

"Is…Is he going to be okay?" Brooke whispered to Rhodey.

"He'll be fine, kid." Rhodey reassured her.

Nearly all of them followed Steve and Tony. Odette, Brooke, Rhodey, Carol, and Natasha.

Once in a bed, Pepper was called from Tony's room and Bruce was summoned from his lab in order to soothe the savage beast. They stood outside with baited breath, giving the Starks, Rhodey, and Bruce some privacy. Odette looked at Carol curiously, that record scratching feeling returning once more. As if sensing Odette's thoughts, Carol curiously cocked up an eyebrow at her.

Odette made sure Natasha had Brooke in case the young girl got sick again, and stepped over to Carol. Carol eyed Odette curiously, but said nothing.

"You remind me a lot of an old friend."

Fury's words echoed in her head as she held her hand out, palm up. A ball of hot blue and white energy solidified in her hand.

Carol held her hand out, palm up, and a beam of hot blue and gold energy shot from her hand in a controlled burst.

"You're the defense." Carol said with a hint of curiosity.

"You're the offense." Odette breathed out in shock.

Carol put her hand down. Odette mirrored her. "How were you exposed to the Tesseract?" Her head tilted and her eyes narrowed curiously.

"Raw energy injections." Odette answered stiffly, "You?"

"Raw energy explosion." Carol answered in turn.

Odette opened her mouth to ask more about her history with Fury when Rhodey stepped out of the room.

"Bruce gave him a sedative." He told the rest of them, "He's gonna probably be out the rest of the day." Odette sighed with relief.

"You guys take care of him." Carol's whole attitude changed, "and I'll bring him a Xorrian elixir when I come back."

"Where are you going?" Steve asked as Carol marched back in the direction they'd just come from.

"To kill Thanos." She answered plainly.

Odette was the first to follow her, "Carol," The other woman paused, looking back at Odette with mild interest, "You know, we usually work as a team here…" She said so tentatively because obviously Tony's outburst kind of proved the opposite of that.

Natasha was on her heels, "Between the three of us, morale is a little fragile right now."

"We realize up there is more your territory," Steve was behind her, "but this is our fight, too."

"I'll take her." Carol answered plainly, nodding to Odette. "She's the other half."

"Other half?" Brooke asked quietly to no one in particular.

"You even know where he is?" Rhodey asked.

"I know people who might." Carol answered, pointedly ignoring Brooke's question.

"Don't bother." The blue skinned woman—Nebula, if Odette remembered Tony's babblings from last night—said. They all turned and looked at her, "I can tell you where Thanos is."

Following Nebula back to the lounge, they waited for her to speak, "Thanos spent a lot of time trying to perfect me. And when he worked, he talked about his Great Plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. I'd ask; where would we go once his plan was complete? And his answer was always the same. 'To the garden'."

"That's cute." Rhodey crossed his arms, "Thanos has a retirement plan."

"So, where is he?" Steve asked.

Rocket tapped his foot to the projector on the table, an image of the world showed up, "When Thanos snapped his fingers Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions. No one's ever seen anything like it. Until two days ago." Rocket tapped his foot against the projector again and the image zoomed across the galaxy, "On this planet." The image stopped on a seemingly innocuous planet. A similar surge of energy, akin to what Earth experienced three weeks ago, crawled across the planet.

"Thanos is there." Nebula confirmed.

"He used the stones again." Natasha realized.

"Hey, hey, hey," Bruce chuckled nervously, "We'd be going in shorthanded, you know?"

"Look, he's still got the stones." Rhodey sighed.

"So, let's get 'em." Carol said as though that was the obvious answer. "Use them to bring everyone back." She turned to Odette.

"Just like that?" Odette asked. No plan aside from, 'get the stones and bring everyone back'. What a nightmare.

"Yeah." Steve nodded, "Just like that."

"Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this," Natasha spoke up, grabbing Odette's attention, "I mean, we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try." Bucky. Sam. The twins. T'Challa. Fury. Maria. The Barton's. Scott. Everyone who was gone.

"If we do this," Bruce cut in, "how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?"

"Because before you didn't have me." Carol said, putting her hands firmly on her hips.

"Hey, new girl." Rhodey crossed his arms, "Everybody in this room is about that superhero life. And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?"

"There are a lot of other planets in the universe. And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys." Carol responded coolly. Then she nodded to Odette, "This chick and I got our powers from the same source. I'm the offense. She's the defense."

"Chick?" Rhodey repeated. Odette's eyebrows shot up.

"The only reason Thanos won was because she didn't have me." Carol stated as though it were fact, "But now she does."

Everyone looked to Odette for any kind of confirmation. She took a deep breath, "Fury knew this." She said, "He tried to tell me back before New York, I just," She shrugged helplessly, "Didn't know it at the time."

Behind them, Thor stood up. Slowly, Carol and Odette turned to face him. She stepped away as Thor stopped within arms reach of Carol. They all watched with bated breath as Thor raised his arm and held his open palm out to the room. A rumbling came from a distant part of the facility, and seconds later Thor's axe came expertly whipping into the room.

Carol didn't even flinch as the axe cut through the air inches from her shoulder. Thor caught the axe with ease and rested his arms on top of it. He nodded, swallowing the last of the food he was eating, "I like this one." He addressed them.

Carol smiled smugly.

Odette turned to Steve, "Steve…"

He glanced at her for a second before turning back to the planet displayed on the projection. "Let's go get this son of a bitch."

Rocket allowed them to use his ship, as it was the only one big enough to hold the ten of them and the only one still fit for space travel.

Odette, Steve, and Natasha tried to keep Brooke home, saying she was too sick to travel across space. But one fiery look from the young woman, already suited up, as they boarded the ship told them that no matter what they said, she was coming with them.

"I lost the people I loved, too." She hissed as she pushed by them to sit between Rhodey and Thor.

Natasha sighed and looked at the two super soldiers as if to say, 'she's all yours'.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Steve asked as they turned towards the ship.

"No." Odette answered honestly, "But when has that ever stopped me from following you into battle?" She tried to smile up at him, but it didn't last.

"We'll bring him back, Odette." Steve reached out and squeezed one of her hands, "I promise." Odette could only nod as they stepped into the ship.

As The Benatar flew out of Earth's atmosphere, Rocket turned to look over his shoulder at the Avengers, "Okay. Who here hasn't been to space?" He asked.

Steve, Natasha, Odette, Rhodey, and Brooke all raised their hands. "Why?" Brooke asked as they all lowered their hands. Carol let out a little giggle.

"You better not throw up on my ship." Rocket gave Brooke a pointed look. The youngest Avenger grumbled as she hunkered further down in her seat.

Nebula pushed forward on a control lever, "Approaching the jump in three," Odette gripped the arm rests of her seat. "Two." She rested her head back against the headrest and stared out the front window. All she saw were stars. "One."

The ship gave a shudder and then they were blasting past the stars. Odette felt a rumble in her chest, but wasn't sure if the pain was from the bruising she still had, or because she was traveling through space at near light speed.

Then, as though a matrix were opening up, the ship passed through a jump and reappeared before Thanos's garden planet. The sudden stop was not nearly as jarring as Odette thought it might be, and her first instinct was to check in with the team. Aside from being shocked at the fact that they had just traversed space, and Brooke looking a little sweaty, they were all fine.

"Doctor Luce never prepared me for this kind of thing." Odette thought of her old mentor, realizing just how out of control her life had become. A world war two doctor-spy, frozen for nearly seventy years, became an Avenger, fought an alien prince, reunited with a former fling who she assumed was dead, saved the planet from an evil robot, suffered through a major rift in her team, undid the brainwashing HYDRA had done to her man, fought a death-crazed alien titan, and now this? Space travel?! Oh, if only Clara could see her now.

Carol was the first out of her seat, "You coming?" She stopped at Odette's seat as she walked towards the back of the ship.

"Hmm?" Odette looked from Steve and Brooke to the other woman, "Oh. No. I'm staying with the team."

Carol pursed her lips quickly, "Suit yourself."

Despite being two halves of a whole, Odette wasn't yet warmed up to the idea of fighting alongside a proverbial stranger. Rocket hovered the ship just out of the atmosphere of the Garden planet.

Carol made her way outside the ship where she flew in front of the window "I'll head down for recon." She informed them, and then she dove backwards towards the planet.

The Avengers finished gearing up, making sure all parts of their suits, weapons, and gear were situated, aligned, and working properly. Odette stood towards the back of the cockpit with Rhodey, Thor, and Brooke.

"Just breathe," Rhodey was telling Brooke.

"I told you, you should have stayed home." Odette said, sharper than she had intended, as she patted down the pouches on Brooke's belt, making sure her emergency beacon and emergency first-aid supplies were in place.

"I'm fine." Brooke wheezed out, holding her stomach, "Just, wasn't expecting such a jump."

Odette took a shaky breath, "It's weird...isn't it?" She looked between Rhodey and Brooke, "Space?"

"Just a normal Saturday." Rhodey shrugged one shoulder with a joking smirk pulling at his lips.

That got Brooke to smile, the first smile she'd had since Thanos had snapped away half the universe. And that was enough for Odette.

Carol's voice came back on over the radio, making everyone turn to look out the front window as she approached, "No satellites. No ships. No armies. No ground defenses of any kind." She sounded confused, but then she gave them the answer they were really looking for, "It's just him."

"And that's enough." Nebula nodded.

"So," Rocket looked at the team assembled behind him, "What's the plan?"

"Danvers," Steve ordered, immediately taking charge, "You, Odette, Bruce, and Rhodey will keep Thanos pinned. Thor, Rocket, get the gauntlet." Steve instructed, "Nebula, Brooke, you two are with me and Nat."

"What do we do once we have the gauntlet?" Odette asked. She had been up close and personal when Thanos had used it. "It holds a tremendous amount of power, Thanos could only just contain all of it." She explained.

"Then we'll force him to use it again." Steve answered.

"Maybe it'll kill him this time." Brooke muttered under her breath.

No one argued with that.

Rocket guided the ship down a safe distance away from where Carol told them Thanos was camping out. Once they disembarked, Carol took lead of their group.

"You," She pointed to Bruce, suiting up in his Hulkbuster armor, "Can you get under the shack?" Bruce nodded, the helmet coming down to cover his face. "You," She pointed to Rhodey, "Go around the side and come in on my signal." Rhodey nodded, taking off to get into position. "Doc," Odette looked up from the dog tags around her neck, "You're with me."

Before Odette could ask what she meant, Carol took off into the air and fired energy shot after energy shot into the shack in the distance. "Shit." Odette took off in a run after Carol as she dived down into the roof of the shack. Odette teleported inside, appearing as Carol jumped onto Thanos's chest and put the Mad Titan in a choke hold. With one foot, she pushed against the gauntlet, trying to kick it off Thanos's foot.

Odette squeezed her hands in front of her chest, a force field appearing around Thanos's knees and knocking him to the ground. He grunted and groaned, trying desperately to get a breath in while Carol choked him. The Hulkbuster tore up the floor of the shack, grabbing Thanos's gauntlet hand and extended it out fully. It still did not budge. Thanos reeled his free fist back, about to attack any one of his assailants when Rhodey destroyed the wall beside them and took hold of that arm and pinned him back.

Thor dove in, creating a second hole in the ceiling beside the hole Carol had made, and he immediately swung out his axe. Thanos let out an inhuman scream as the gauntlet, with his hand still inside, dropped to the floor.

The rest of the team filed into the shack. Odette's chest felt tight as she kept her energy pressed on Thanos. Half of his body was charred and destroyed, damaged beyond repair. If he used the stones to bring everyone back, he would surely die.

"Good." Odette thought, narrowing her eyes at him.

Thanos panted heavily, still unable to breathe as Carol refused to ease up on her choke hold.

There would be no surprises in this battle.

"Where are they?" Steve demanded, his voice surprisingly calm.

Odette dared a glance down at the gauntlet. "The stones." Her heart came to a stop in her chest. The stones were missing from the gauntlet!

When Thanos didn't immediately answer, Carol tightened her grip on his neck. Odette pressed down further, Thanos let out a scream as the earth opened up beneath him and swallowed him up to his waist. The sudden compacting of heavy earth on his lower body likely paralyzed him from the waist down, but Odette didn't care. He only needed one hand to snap.

"Answer the question."

"Answer him!"

Carol and Odette seethed in sync.

"The universe required correction." Thanos choked out, "After that, the stones served no purpose beyond temptation." He hissed at them, glaring at Odette out of the corner of his eye.

"You murdered trillions!" Bruce roared and Carol jumped back in time to avoid the Hulkbuster's fist as it slammed into Thanos's face. He groaned as his neck snapped back, but he was rooted in place from the coffin of dirt Odette had locked his body in.

Limply swinging his neck back forward, Thanos hissed through his teeth, spit and blood flying from his lips, "You should be grateful!"

"Where are the stones?" Natasha asked, her voice tight despite the shine in her eyes.

"Gone." Thanos panted heavily, finally able to breathe, but now having to do so through a broken nose.

"Gone?" Odette repeated sharply.

"Reduced to atoms." Thanos answered.

"You used them two days ago!" Bruce argued.

"I used the stones to destroy the stones." Thanos explained, squirming against the hold he was in. "It nearly killed me." He was doing his best to appear as meek and as weak as possible.

Odette stepped up to Thanos, she pressed the palm of her hand to his forehead and forced him to look up at her, "Do you expect pity?" She spread her fingers apart, knowing that inside his brain, a slow hole in space was growing.

Thanos groaned, his eyes nearly rolling back in his skull. A strangled cry escaped his dry throat, "The work is done." He gasped, "It always will be."

Odette pulled her hand back, the hole closing back up as tears burned the corner of her eyes. "No...It can't be true." Because, if it was true, that would mean Bucky was never coming back. Sam was never coming back. T'Challa, Shuri, the Barton's—none of them were coming back. Ever.

"I am." Thanos gasped as Odette released her hold on his brain, "Inevitable."

"We have to tear this place apart. He has to be lying!" Rhodey protested.

"My father is many things." Nebula's voice was gentle as she spoke, "A liar is not one of them." She cautiously stepped up to stand beside Odette, but she took a step back to allow her closer to Thanos.

"Ah," Thanos lolled his head to the side to look at her, "Thank you, daughter." He wheezed out, his eyes unfocused. "Perhaps I treated you too harshly."

Then, with no warning, Thor raised his axe and beheaded Thanos. His upper body went limp as his head tumbled to the floor.

"What?" Bruce gasped out, shocked by the actions of their friend.

"What did you do?" Rocket asked in disbelief.

"I went for the head." Thor answered, seemingly in shock of his own actions.


Thank you to everyone who has already favorited/followed/reviewed!

We have FINALLY reached the end of the 'prologue' to Avengers: Endgame. I honestly expected this to happen like three chapters ago but I just kept writing. I haven't gotten very far into what happens during the Five Years, so I don't have a rough outline of what chapter will be the return to canon, but just like I did with The Black Swann, I will come back to update this chapter (just incase people want to skip what happens).

See you Tuesday!