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!
!CONTENT WARNING!
This fiction will contain a character pregnancy, I know this turns off a lot of readers, but I do wish to say that it does not contain any of the three main characters (Steve/Odette/Bucky). It is a background plot point that will help show the passage of time.
JUNE
Tony was gone by the time they made it home.
Thor left almost immediately upon their return, stating that he had a duty to the Asgardians who had survived.
Bruce, tired of the Hulk not coming to his aid, left them the next day, stating that he had research to do involving his green companion, and he didn't want any of them to get hurt from what he had to do.
Cryptic.
Vague.
But none of them had any energy to keep them together.
Even Odette, who they all looked to to hold them together, could do nothing but wish her friends well as they walked out on those who remained.
The first time it hit her that they had truly lost everything—aside from when the guilt had hit her and had made an attempt on her own life—was when Thanos revealed to them that he had destroyed the stones. Those stones had been their one chance to get everyone back, and he had taken that from them.
Everyone was truly gone.
But instead of releasing those emotions, the ones that threatened to pull Odette apart at the seams, she was just numb.
Numb to the pain.
Numb to the emptiness.
Numb to the friends that walked out of her life, and the ones that stayed.
The only difference between the numbness she'd felt before, and the numbness she felt now, was that now she got up and went through her day as if the world hadn't completely fallen apart. She ate, she drank, she worked out, she went through the massive piles of fanmail, government paperwork, death threats, and gifts that had been routinely sent to the Avengers Facility since she'd left over two years ago.
Well, that, and Brooke was talking to her once more. When she wasn't getting sick or sleeping, Brooke caught Odette up on all the things she'd missed while in Wakanda.
Speaking of Brooke, the second time it hit Odette that they'd truly lost everything came a week later when Brooke's sickness came to a head. It had been one of those rough mornings. One where Brooke spent more time with her head in the toilet than she did upright.
She'd been locked up in the bathroom for three hours when Friday had sent for Odette's help. Natasha had been having lunch with Odette at the time ("are they really still keeping an eye on me?" Odette wondered if she'd ever regain their trust…)
"Kiddo, do you think you may be," Natasha grimaced and tried not to get sick herself as Brooke dove back into the bowl.
Odette waited patiently on the rim of the tub. Once Brooke had thoroughly emptied everything out of her system she nodded to Natasha. Natasha grabbed Brooke by her elbow and eased her back away from the bowl. Odette closed the lid and flushed the vile contents within down the drain.
"Don't say it." Brooke pleaded, her eyes shut. It was clear she was in a lot of pain.
"Pregnant." Natasha finished.
Odette's eyes widened in disbelief. Pregnant? "Oh no, no, no, this can't be happening." A chill ran down her spine. They did not need a pregnancy on the campus on top of everything else.
Brooke sniffed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand in a most childish manner, "No." She argued. "I'm not."
Natasha deadpanned. "You get sick all day, every day—,"
"I've had my period since the last time I had sex—," Steve happened to poke his head in at that exact moment. "ah la la la, I don't want to share my sex life with you!" Brooke covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. Natasha turned and shoved the door close, Steve's bewildered expression the last they saw of the outside world.
Sighing, she turned back to Brooke, "Okay, but was it an actual period?" she asked, sitting back to turn and rest against the door.
Brooke peeked one eye open, "What?"
"Was it an actual period, or was it just some cramping and some light spotting?" Natasha asked.
Brooke slowly lowered her hands to her lap, "Just...some spotting." She shook her head, "But sometimes that's all I get. Nothing unusual about that—ow!" Brooke scrambled away from Natasha when the spy reached forward to poke one of her breasts. Brooke quickly held her hands over her chest as though that might save her dignity.
"Tender breasts." Natasha looked past Brooke to Odette.
"Stop." Brooke protested. "I'm not pregnant."
"Sweetie," Odette reached down and laid a hand on her shoulder, "You've been tired every day, and getting sick—,"
"So what?!" Brooke asked defensively, backing away from Odette and Natasha until her back was pressed against the wall, "I can't be pregnant."
"Brooke, it's okay if you are." Natasha tried to remain calm.
Brooke shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut as energy rippled around her body, "No. No, I can't be pregnant!" She looked up at the two Avengers, tears streaming down her red face, "I can't be pregnant because Pietro isn't here!"
Odette and Natasha both inhaled sharply, then shared a look with each other. Of course, that would be the case. Because why wouldn't it be? Why wouldn't they just have the worst luck in the world? Licking her lips nervously, Odette reached out once more and laid a hand on Brooke's knee, "I think you need to get a test done...just to be sure."
To make matters worse, when the world lost half its population, it also lost half of the bacteria in the world. People were getting sick. Getting sick, and staying sick. Bad. Hospitals were overrun, several places were closed to prevent prolonged exposure to anyone who might be sick, and it seemed as though life itself came to a standstill.
So, taking Brooke somewhere to get a professional or medical test done was a no-go, especially if she was pregnant because they didn't want to run the risk of her getting sick. Natasha, however, had the brilliant idea of simply ordering a pregnancy test online. The two day wait for the test were the longest two days of Brooke and Odette's lives. Brooke all but avoided Steve, and when he questioned Natasha and Odette, they stayed quiet.
However, Odette couldn't stand to let Brooke wallow alone in her misery any longer, choosing to stay by her niece's side when she needed her most. It wouldn't make up for the times she hadn't been there, but a silent pact had been forged through the action.
All was forgiven.
If Brooke was pregnant, she would need all the help and support she could get.
And so, the three women found themselves waiting in the bathroom two days later.
Brooke sat on the floor across from the toilet and kept her palms pressed to her eyes, breathing deeply through her slightly open mouth. She'd been a mess since the thought of being pregnant first came out.
Natasha sat on the counter, frantically scrolling through her phone. Looking at what, Odette didn't know.
And Odette sat on the edge of the tub once more, gripping the edge as her fingertips drummed on the cool porcelain. The minutes passed slowly, agonizingly so.
The alarm on Brooke's phone went off and she blindly pawed at the ground until she could swipe the sound away. Curiously she peeked up at Natasha. Odette turned to her friend.
"Well?" Odette asked.
Being the closest, Natasha put her phone aside and turned to the test on the counter. She looked back at Brooke, an immense sadness and weight settling on her shoulders.
Brooke was pregnant.
With Pietro's child.
Pietro who was a victim of Thanos.
Meaning Brooke was alone…
Her child would come into the world having no father, would grow up knowing their family had failed and lost their father to the single greatest tragedy across the universe.
Brooke locked herself in her room for days, sobbing inconsolably for hours. No one could get to her. She had lost the twins, her best friends, the family she'd created with the Avengers had fallen apart.
Odette didn't blame her for needing time to grieve.
At least she had an excuse to sit out of the tedious meeting they were currently holding. Odette sat hunched over in her seat, ignoring the pain in her chest as she rested her elbows on her knees and intertwined her fingers together. Those who had stayed behind had agreed to discuss what should happen next.
But no one could agree on their next move.
"How can we even think about our next moves right now?" Odette thought, reaching up with one hand to rub her brow. It did nothing to help with the tension. All she wanted to do was rest.
What do we do?
How can we move on?
Do we even try to continue working?
"How is that even a question?" Natasha asked, "Of course we keep working."
"Why bother?" Rocket asked, hands on his hips as he stood on the table.
"Why bother?" Steve repeated, "Because there are still people who need our help."
"Our help?" Rocket asked, "Our help? Oh yeah, because we helped out so much." He rolled his eyes.
"Just because we failed this time doesn't mean we can just give up on the people who are still here." Steve's voice was tense. Their words and arguments began to overlap.
Odette stood, unable to bear another second of their arguing. She absentmindedly grabbed Steve's arm. He paused his argument to turn to her, "I need air." She warned him, squinting in pain at the noise. Without waiting for permission she teleported to the roof. She sat against the wall protecting the edge of the roof and stared up at the night sky.
Unsurprisingly, Carol found her a few moments later. She came to a rest at the end of Odette's extended legs, the glow of her powers slowly dimming as her feet touched the roof. "You okay?"
"Most people leave social settings to be alone." Odette deadpanned up at the other woman.
"We're not most people." Carol pointed out. Odette wasn't sure if she meant 'we' as in the two of them, or 'we' as in the Avengers. She didn't ask for clarification. She didn't care. "You know," Carol squinted as she stared towards the horizon, "I could use some help out there," She nodded over her shoulder. "Someone I could trust."
"We hardly know each other." Odette shook her head.
Carol frowned, "Nick trusted you."
"And that's enough for you?" Odette asked incredulously. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Carol..." She sighed heavily.
"You are the missing piece I have felt since I gained my powers, I know it." Carol said, "With our powers combined, there's no saying what we could accomplish."
Odette continued to shake her head as she spoke, "No. Carol, I appreciate your offer, and God would I love to learn more about this," she held up her hands as fiery blue energy rose off her palms like smoke, "but I have a job, a family. I can't just leave." Especially now with Brooke's...condition.
Carol closed her mouth, clearly disappointed. Before Odette could lower her hands, Carol reached down and grabbed Odette's wrists. She pushed their palms together as she began to emit her own glowing energy. A strong, fiery feeling engulfed Odette's chest as Carol's energy mingled with hers. Odette looked up at Carol, somehow knowing...feeling...that Carol was feeling a soft, protective energy in her stomach.
For what felt like an eternity, but was likely only seconds, Odette felt like she was in three places at once.
She was Odette. She was herself.
But she was also Carol. She was feeling her own powers for the first time all over again.
And she was also an outsider. Watching as Odette's dark, wispy, controlled, blinding hot blue energy mixed with Carol's bright, fiery, chaotic, blinding golden energy. She watched as their energies swapped places, mingled back and forth, mixing like foam in a tide.
The energy burned from their skin, rising into the darkening sky like smoke.
And then, something...clicked...and Odette was back in her body.
Now you can call me, whenever you need me
Did you know this would happen?
No. But I figured I'd give it a shot. You could hear it too. The Stone.
It wasn't a question.
Are my thoughts still my own?
Yes.
Carol smirked at the shared thought.
"Then get out of my head." Odette thought. She blinked in shock, suddenly realizing the shift between their connected thoughts and her own individual thoughts. She narrowed her eyes up at Carol. To test her theory she admitted the one thing only she and Steve knew. When Carol didn't respond or react, she knew she could get a handle on their shared thoughts.
What else are you sharing?
I don't think it's sharing.
Odette looked up at Carol curiously.
It's unlocking?
"Shit...Tony was right." Odette would never admit that out loud. Nor would she allow Carol to hold that admission over her. Odette's throbbing energy slowly overtook Carol's calmer energy and suddenly thoughts and memories that were not her own flooded her mind.
A spunky, rebellious young woman. Fierce and competitive. Overcoming hardships and harassment, Odette saw a lot of her early years in the military reflected in Carol's own journey in the military. Only, where Odette took to being a wallflower, a silent spy, and doctor, Carol became a pilot, outspoken, ready for any fight. Odette saw through an outsider's lens as the Tesseract bonded with Carol, and gave her her powers. She saw the six years of indoctrination. She saw Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. The many decades of helping planets across the galaxy and beyond.
And then, she was back in her own body. "And if the look on her face is anything to go by," Odette's blood ran cold as she looked up at Carol's face, "she saw all of me, too."
"Doctor…" As Carol slowly slipped her hands out of Odette's, her fingers trailed up Odette's wrists and traced the lines on her palms. Their energy mingled and all of the tension in Odette's body seemed to melt away. Both watched as their energies tangled together, some of Odette's blue energy seeping into the golden energy field around Carol, and vice versa, some of Carol's gold energy snaking its way around Odette's arms, coiling into a warm pit in her stomach.
What did you just do?
I think we're evenly matched now.
"All the more reason that I shouldn't go with you." Odette said out loud as she grunted and pushed herself to her feet. "Now that you have some of my powers—," because what else was that display of magic they'd just seen—, "There's no need for me to join you."
Carol rolled her eyes, "I get it. Earth has sentimental value to you." She smirked when Odette gave her a playful glare. "It does to me too."
"Then, why don't you stay?" Odette put one hand on her hip and shifted to stand beside Carol and look over the campus grounds, "We could really use someone with your expertise."
Carol shook her head, "There are a lot of planets out there who have no idea what's happened." She said, "It's my duty to help them."
Odette nodded, keeping her eyes on the horizon.
Well, if you ever need me...
I'll know how to contact you.
Carol shot Odette a smile, and Odette returned it in kind. Then, Carol turned and held out her hand, "Sad you won't be coming, sis."
Odette glanced down at her hand before she turned and accepted the gesture with her own, "Ah, you wouldn't want this old fossil out there with you anyways."
Carol hummed, and cocked her head to the side, "Ehh, I've seen your dirtiest work. I think you'd fit right in."
Odette resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Go." She insisted, "Other planets need you. But I'm content here."
Carol nodded her goodbye and stepped away from Odette. Odette craned her neck back to watch her go.
JULY
"People are terribly predictable."
At least, that's what Odette assumed Vision would have said if he could see the news today. Those who remained in the Avenger's Facility, Steve, Odette, Natasha, and Brooke, watched the news in silence.
"They were supposed to protect us," An irate newscaster complained, "And-and where were they?" He motioned helplessly to his co hosts.
"Well, reports have come from Wakanda that the Avengers did, indeed, try to stop the attack." The female co host tried to point out.
"So they just thought going up against a mad man alone would work? See," The host rested his elbow on the desk the hosts all shared, "Secretary Ross had put this in the Accords. The Sokovia Accords, do we all remember those?"
Steve bitterly changed the channel.
Natasha sighed, letting her chin drop to her chest.
"I mean," A young woman was being interviewed, "I just...how are we supposed to feel safe now? I mean," She took a shaky breath, "I grew up in New York, I was there when the city was attacked. I loved the Avengers." Odette looked down at her lap. Ashamed. "But now my parents are gone, and I'm just...supposed to give up my house? My stuff? I'm, like, three months away from turning eighteen, but now suddenly my younger sister has to be put into foster care and I have to prove that I can provide for us both before I can get her back? Are you kidding? Like we were supposed to expect this to happen?"
The interview cut to a scene of young kids at school, desperately looking around the drop-off/pick-up zone for their parents as their teachers and classmates disappeared. "Schools are now keeping children left parentless from the event last month, now being dubbed The Snap," the voiceover narrated, "while local authorities work with government officials to come up with a plan for them."
Odette looked away from the TV.
Brooke sniffled and hugged herself tightly. "It isn't fair." She whispered.
Steve changed the channel again.
"Are we going to sit here and let them just go about their lives?!" An angry man shouted through a megaphone. A crowd roared in response.
The four Avengers stared at the TV in shock.
"Are we going to demand they answer for their crimes?!" The man shouted. Odette gasped as the camera zoomed out to show the gate at the campus.
The angry man turned towards the gate, "You think you can hide behind your tech?! These walls won't keep you safe forever!"
"Is this live?" Brooke asked, her voice quiet with shock.
"Friday?" Steve called.
"Yes ma'am?" Friday answered.
"Bring up perimeter security." He ordered. The news was minimized into the corner as a live feed from the entry gate popped up on the screen.
A crowd of about a hundred and fifty people surrounded the gate. They were screaming—demanding that the Avengers come out and face the music.
"Oh my God," Brooke covered her mouth in shock.
"They're not getting in." Steve's voice was dangerously close to a growl. Whether that was a promise or a threat, Odette wasn't sure.
"Turn it off." Natasha ordered. Both the news, and the live feed from the gate turned off and the screen went dark.
"They can't do that...can they?" Odette asked.
"They have every right to be mad and protest." Steve's voice was tight, "But they're not getting in. Friday, are the security defenses still active?"
"They are." Friday answered.
"Let's keep it that way." Steve ordered.
"We need to make a statement." Brooke stood up, the call to action moving her across the room towards the offices. "We need a press conference, people need to see that we've exhausted every avenue possible to undo this," The older Avengers were quick to follow the young woman.
"Brooke," Steve was the first to catch her, "First off, you're not leaving this campus."
Brooke looked at Steve as if he'd grown a third head. "Excuse me?"
"Steve's right, kiddo." Natasha shook her head, "Those people want blood, and with your condition—,"
"I'm pregnant, not infectious." Brooke snapped back sharply.
Odette stood between her team and her niece, "What we're trying to say is," she kept her voice low and gentle, "Let us handle the crowd. Set it all up, sure, but let us take the blow."
Brooke's jaw was tight as she rolled over a few choice words in her head. Finally, however, she relented and nodded her head. "Fine." She agreed, "Give me a day to set things up."
"Is a day all you'll need?" Steve asked.
Brooke scoffed, "Please," she rolled her eyes, "Everyone already wants statements from you. They're at our gate demanding answers. I could do it in an hour. But," She paused, "I want the world to see us."
"Do what you need to." Natasha answered, "We'll handle it from there."
So, Brooke did what she'd been hired to do four years ago. She was going to use the Avengers on social media to turn the public's opinion. She spent the rest of the afternoon in each of their offices, cleaning things up, and setting up cameras and controls. Friday helped her speed the process along.
Odette was sure at one point she heard the young girl bat Steve out of his own office with the sleeves of her cardigan. When the super soldier rejoined the spies, they tried their best not to laugh at his stressed expression.
"She's fine, Rogers." Natasha was sitting at the kitchen island, resting her elbows on the counter while Odette prepped their supper. "She'll ask for help if she needs it."
"No, she won't." Steve scoffed incredulously.
"Brooke's good at what she does." Odette said, "We just have to trust that it'll be enough." She wrapped her arms protectively around herself, worried.
Not for Brooke, although she was worried about how her pregnancy would play out now that Pietro was gone, no...Brooke was fine. She was doing what she was good at. Odette was more worried about how they would get back on the public's good side. Brooke was good at her job, but was she good enough to convince the public that they had done their best?
Half of the universe was gone thanks to them.
Those that survived were suffering.
It was madness.
Chaos.
With her help, Odette was sure they could do it. Yes, if anyone could help pick up the pieces, it was Brooke. It was still a daunting task, one that repeatedly scratched at her brain and kept her up most of the night.
It was well past midnight when a gentle double tap came from her door. Odette stopped rubbing Bucky's dog tags to curiously peek at her door. She didn't need to wonder who was at her door, but she was curious as to why he was still up.
Standing, Odette softly made her way over to the door. Steve was outside, his eyebrows tight with tension.
"Steve?" For a moment, he just stared at her. Odette gripped her door tightly, "Is everything alright?" She asked, heart hammering in her chest. He'd been acting…odd since her attempt, but this was strange, even for him. Nothing good ever came from a late night meeting.
For a brief moment, Steve looked as though he regretted coming to her door. "I just wanted to check in with you."
"Well, I'm fine." Odette gripped her door a little tighter. "Did Friday call for you?" She asked, "I swear, I wasn't doing anything." She added quickly. "The fact that it's come to this...defending my alone time…" Part of her knew that surviving her attempt would have this fallout. She had betrayed the trust of her team, shattered the relationships they'd had, it wouldn't be something easily regained.
"That's not it." Steve was quick to reassure her. "Although," He did a quick visual check of her appearance, "Thank you for telling me that."
Odette grimaced. She hated that they had come to this. "Steve couldn't trust me before…but that was because of my insubordination. But this kind of distrust," it left her feeling sick. "Then," she swallowed, her mouth dry, "What can I do for you?"
"Can I come in?" Steve blurted out.
Odette blinked at him curiously, "Do you think now is a good time?" she wanted to ask. Instead, like a coward, she stood aside and held her door open for him, "Uh, sure, yeah, come in."
Odette walked over to her bed and sat down. To her surprise, Steve sat beside her. Odette tried not to let him notice how she stiffened at his closeness—, "For God's sake, this shouldn't be happening." She'd done good at pushing aside any feelings she may have once had for Steve, but now, with it being just the two of them again, she couldn't stop herself from being hyper aware of their closeness.
"Do you remember," Steve began after a long bout of silence, "When we fought Ultron in South Africa?"
What an oddly specific battle to bring up. "Yes." Odette answered plainly.
"And after, I told you about my vision?" Steve rested his elbows on his knees and turned to look at her.
Odette nodded. Back then, she had always felt as though he'd been keeping the true nature of his vision a secret. "Please, don't say what I think you're going to say." She wanted to plead with him. Not when Bucky had only been gone for just over a month. "Yes. I remember." Odette sighed and looked out the window, "You were dancing with Peggy. And then you and I were in the mountains."
"That's not actually what happened." Steve admitted. Odette's tongue felt like lead in her mouth, she could feel Steve's eyes boring into the side of her skull, but she refused to look at him. Steve sighed, realizing that she wasn't going to look at him, and he turned back, letting his head hang. "You blamed me for…everything." Odette looked down at her lap, a painful lump growing in her throat, making it harder to breathe. "You tried to kill me."
That got her to look at him, "Steve…"
Steve shook his head as he sat back upright, now he was the one who refused to look. He kept his eyes trained on the ceiling. "And then when you," He grimaced, "When I found you on the clinic floor…It was like being thrown back into that vision."
For a while, Odette was silent. She looked over Steve's profile, but he still refused to look at her, "I don't understand." She finally breathed out.
"Don't you?" Steve turned to her, his blue eyes shining as he held back tears, "Everything that's happened to you since I got you out of Austria has been my fault." Odette said nothing. "Losing Bucky."
"That wasn't your fault." Odette wanted to protest.
"Putting us in the future."
"That was my fault."
"Making you an Avenger."
"I chose to be an Avenger."
"Brooke getting kidnapped right under our noses."
"That was my fault."
"Keeping you from Buck."
"I chose to stay."
"The Accords."
"I chose to stand by you."
"So, when I saw you on the clinic floor." Steve sighed, "It felt like I had failed you again. I have always tried to do what's best and protect you," He turned away, "but all I've gone is cause you nothing but stress and pain." His voice nearly cracked as he said, "So, I would understand why you blame me—,"
"Steve." Odette finally found her voice. He looked at her and she had to force herself to breathe, "None of the things you listed were your fault." She looked down at the small space between them, "I…I have always been a coward." She looked back up at him, allowing her tears to fall freely. He did not reach for her, and for that she was thankful. She didn't think she could handle physical touch on top of all of this. "Do you know the real reason I always took my free time to New York…to be with Bruce?" She asked.
Steve's eyebrows narrowed, not understanding her train of thought. He shook his head.
"Back when we were preparing to fight Loki, Bruce made a comment about putting a bullet in his mouth," Steve still looked confused, so Odette continued, "When we were in the lodge, just after waking up in twenty-twelve, there were nights—nearly every night—where I considered…killing myself," Saying those words out loud to Steve simultaneously lifted a weight off her chest, and crushed her, "I understood the pain and the darkness Bruce carried, and for us, talking about it with someone who knew…helped…at least a little. It made the thoughts and feelings ebb away."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Steve asked, shocked and hurt.
Odette shook her head and shrugged helplessly, tears still streaming freely down her face, "Because I didn't want this to happen," she motioned to all of him sitting next to her, "I didn't want you carrying the weight of my life, my feelings, my actions on your shoulders."
"I'm your partner." Steve said quickly, "That's my job."
"No, Steve," Odette continued to shake her head, "This weight isn't yours to bear."
"Well, it shouldn't be yours alone." Steve tried to argue. "We're a team."
"You already carry the weight of the world." Odette pointed out, "You didn't need me and my emotions distracting you from our work."
"You are my world!" Steve's argument overlapped her small plea for understanding. Odette looked at him, shocked. Steve sighed, once more letting his chin drop to his chest, He rubbed the back of his neck for a moment, as if the words he said hit him the same way they'd hit Odette. "Don't you see? Ever since we woke up," He looked back at her, "You are the one thing that has kept me going, the reason I still do all this," He motioned to her room and the campus. "You are all I have left."
"This is so not how I wanted this conversation to go." Odette thought, thankful that there seemed to be a delay between her brain and her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was get hung up on the attempts on her life when Steve was the one who needed help. Still, the tension in his shoulders told her that he wasn't going to drop these sudden revelations anytime soon.
"You were the one thing that kept me going." She said so quietly she was afraid he hadn't heard her. Steve looked at her. He had. "The only reason I never went through with it before was because of you." Odette admitted quietly. "And now we're here." She added quickly. "My actions are my own, and you are not to blame in any way, shape, or form."
"But," Steve opened his mouth to protest.
"Steven Grant Rogers." With every name, Steve seemingly shrunk, "You don't have to be responsible for the whole world." Odette searched his eyes for any level of acceptance of her words, "I do not blame you for anything that has happened." He was quiet. "And if I wanted to kill you, I would have already." She tried to joke about his vision, the first time in weeks that she'd teased him.
Steve looked at her with wide eyed shock. Odette slowly broke out in a smile. Steve realized she was joking and smiled. "Okay." He agreed. "Just," He sighed and leaned back on his hands, "Next time, warn me when you're going to do something like that."
"Only if you promise to let go of all this guilt." Odette proposed.
Steve took a breath, "We'll both give it an honest try." He nodded to himself. His eye caught the clock on her wall and he paled, "We should probably get some sleep before the conference." He said suddenly, standing up.
Odette's bed felt much colder with him gone. She pushed away those thoughts. "Yeah." She walked him to her door, stopping him from leaving by reaching out to touch his arm.
Steve looked back at her curiously, "Odette?"
"I'm sorry." She'd been apologizing a lot since her attempt. And she meant every single one of them.
Steve smiled sadly at her. He reached up and tucked one of her dark curls behind her ear, "I'm sorry." He said in return. "Good night, Odette."
"Good night, Steve."
They wished each other good night. Odette shuffled back over to her bed, laying down in the space that was too big for just her.
"Why did it have to be you?" Odette thought, lifting the dog tags to her lips as silent tears suddenly fell from her eyes and onto her pillow.
Come morning, Brooke was buzzing between their offices, making sure everything was set up perfectly for their afternoon livestream. She went through their rough plan over breakfast. Odette and Steve had made a silent agreement to handle...whatever it was that compelled him to her door last night...later, when the world wasn't actively going for their necks.
The live stream was going to run from just before lunch to—well—whenever they finished addressing everything. The stream was already open, and Brooke was monitoring the chat room as they all got ready. She was also keeping an eye out on social media, having Friday send out schedules and updates across social media sites and news outlets. Most of the major news stations in America would be tuning in, but there were also major news stations from around the world that would be participating in the actual event.
Brooke was handling everything from the lighting, to the live chat room, and even their outfits!
Steve was wearing a blue button up shirt, with the sleeves turned up halfway to his elbow, khakis, and his brown leather dress shoes— "Not that anyone should see anything from the waist down, but just in case, we need to look professional from head to toe." Brooke had said at breakfast.
Odette was wearing a plain blue blouse, the sleeves were loose and reminded her of the shadows she often called on for privacy. She wore black slacks and her most professional pair of black heels.
Natasha was in a black blouse and her black leather jacket. No matter how much Brooke pleaded with her to use a blazer instead, Natasha refused to budge on the matter. She also had on a pair of black slacks and wore her heeled boots.
"So," Brooke stood before them in the hallway, "I will be monitoring the stream from Tony's office." She pointed across the hall to Tony's empty office, "I'll be allowing news reporters in the livestream first—,"
"No talking with them." Steve reminded her.
Brooke ignored him, "Then, once everyone is settled in, I'll start the countdown and you three will be live." Odette nervously fiddled with the dog tags around her neck. Brooke looked over the three of them and nodded, "We've got this." She said, though it was unclear if she was saying so more to herself than to them.
One last look over, and Brooke sent them to their offices. Each of them were closed in their respective offices. Odette frowned upon seeing how tidy her shelves were. But quickly shook it off as she took her seat and straightened herself one last time in the camera that was already up on the monitor. On her second screen, Odette could see the livestream. The chat was zipping by, she could barely catch names, much less what they were saying, and not everything was in English. Already, over a dozen news reporters were in the live stream, coming to the stream live from their respective headquarters.
Just then, Brooke's voice came over the monitor, "How're we looking, Friday?" She asked.
"The Avengers Livestream has reached number one across all streaming media services. Over five-hundred-thousand on our main service, with millions more across Facebook, Youtube, and the major news networks." Friday answered, sending a chill down Odette's spine.
"Perfect." Brooke answered, "Let's give them a show, huh?" Then, the screen on the monitor changed. Odette's image shrank. Steve and Natasha popped up on either side of her small image.
"We're ready." Natasha answered.
"Going live in ten, nine, eight, seven," Brooke added their cameras to the live stream, but they were blacked out. All of the news reporters seemed to react to this, and they quieted down, "six, five," And then she stopped counting.
Odette counted in her head. Right on time the three Avengers appeared in the live stream window. For a moment, no one said anything. Odette looked to her two companions for a lead…
Now what?
She'd been expecting pandemonium. Chaos.
Brooke, thankfully, came to save the day. Her voice came over the livestream, though her image didn't appear, "The Avengers will now be taking questions in an orderly fashion."
That is when the live stream exploded.
"What happened?"
"How could you let this happen?"
"What did you do to prevent this?"
"Why wasn't this prevented?"
"Why didn't you call upon the armies of the world to help you?"
"Why did your pride kill half of the world?"
"Hey!" Natasha's sharp voice cut off the stream of questions that bombarded them. "Orderly fashion." She warned them.
Brooke's voice came over the live stream once more, "Orderly, or you will be kicked from the server."
Now no one wanted to speak up for fear of missing out on the scoop of a lifetime.
So, Odette took a breath, "The Avengers were only made aware of the threat, known as Thanos, a mere twenty four hours before the Snap occurred." All eyes were on her. She could feel them, and yet, for once, she felt nothing. "Trying to mobilize the world's armies for a threat we did not know the full scale of would have been an impossible task, and so, we amassed what forces we could under such a short notice."
"People reported seeing a spaceship take off from the Avengers facility a week ago," a young woman asked, "What happened?"
"After Thanos killed half of the universe," Natasha took over, "He escaped to a planet, zero-two-five-nine-S." As she spoke, a projection of the Garden planet took up most of the live stream feed, shrinking all of their images to the side. "With the help of a few friends, we were able to ambush Thanos." Natasha trailed off.
"And?" An older gentleman asked in a heavy accent.
"Thanos used the Infinity Stones to destroy them." Steve answered plainly.
"Infinity Stones?" Another man asked.
"The Infinity Stones gave Thanos the unlimited powers of the universe." Odette explained quickly, "One snap was all it took to wipe out half of all life across the known universe and beyond."
"Who were the others that went with you?" Another woman asked.
"Colonel James Rhodey. The alien, Nebula. The genetically enhanced Rocket," Odette paused, she wasn't sure she wanted to tell them that a raccoon had helped them, so she moved on, "Prince Thor Odinson, of Asgard. Doctor Bruce Banner. And Captain Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel."
Another man asked something that had to be translated by Brooke, "And where are they today?"
"Colonel James Rhodey is currently deployed with the Stark Relief Foundation in D.C., providing emergency aid to the federal government." Natasha explained, "Nebula, Rocket, and Captain Danvers returned to space, where they are keeping contact with us and helping restore peace to parts of the universe where we cannot go. Thor is with his people, helping them recover from the loss of their home. And Bruce," She paused, "Doctor Banner has left to conduct personal research."
Another question had to be translated, "Where is Tony Stark?"
Steve answered this one, "Tony Stark has retired from heroics."
"Is this like his last retirement? Should we expect another evil robot to try and lift New York into space?" One reporter asked.
Clenching his jaw, Steve bit back the sharp remark he wanted to make. "No. Tony Stark will no longer be participating in active Avengers work."
"Are you guys doing anything to undo this?" A young reporter asked.
The three were quiet for a while. "We already tried." Odette's voice was dry, and she took a quick breath before she said, "Thanos made it so that nobody could undo what he's done." She stared at her image on the live stream, she couldn't see the dog tags that sat just below the ruffled v-neck of her blouse. "The only thing we can do now is move forward."
"Move forward?"
"We're just supposed to accept this?"
"This is an outrage!"
With a few silent moves behind the scenes, the reporters that caused an uproar in the live stream were muted and their screens blackened.
"I think," another reporter was cautious when they spoke up, "What the people of the world really want to know is; how are you going to help with the aftermath? Sure the Stark relief program is aiding the U.S. Government, but what about the rest of the world? What about children left orphaned and homeless due to the Snap?"
"I personally," Natasha spoke up, surprising her teammates, "will be starting up an organization aimed to aid children affected by the Snap. The goal will be to keep children in their homes, provide health care, and set up a system of caretakers that will keep tabs on them."
Shocked, it took a second for Odette to respond, "I," she said slowly, "Would like to offer the Avengers database to the UN, so that a comprehensive list of those who were Vanished may be established and shared."
Another question needed to be translated. "How come Mr. Stark and Hawkeye were not spotted in Wakanda?"
"Tony was in space, attempting to keep Thanos away." Natasha answered, "And Clint is under house arrest for aiding Captain Rogers and Doctor Swann in the defection of Sergeant James Barnes back in twenty-sixteen."
"So, could this have been avoided if you had signed the Accords?" A reporter asked.
Steve answered for them both, "No. Thanos would have continued to go after the stones, and we still would have lost. Next question." He wasn't going to let them linger on the Accords, or Bucky.
"This is going...surprisingly well." Odette thought, her mouth dry as the three silenced reporters were brought back in. She wiped her sweaty palms off on her lap.
A translated question came in next, "Are we safe from any further attacks from aliens?"
"Yes." Odette answered, "And if any of them dare to try; We, the Avengers, will stop them."
"How can we trust you to do that, though?" A reporter asked.
"The trust has been broken between the Avengers and the public for a long time," Odette was quick to answer, "But despite that, we have continued to work our lives away, risk our lives, lose the ones we love and care about," Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried her best to remain even-toned and professional, "to protect the Earth and her people."
Thank you to everyone who has already favorited/followed/reviewed!
Do you guys like the inclusion of the months? It helps me when writing, but if you guys don't like it I'll take it out. Also, Odette's gotten some new powers from her sister from another mister, so that'll be fun to explore ;)
BTW if anyone wants to know the reasoning behind Brooke and Pietro's lil bean it's because when I was doing research on Pietro I saw that he had a kid and was like "OH I COULD ABSOLUTELY TRAUMATIZE PEOPLE WHEN WE GET TO WANDAVISION", so...yeah.
See you Thursday!
