Chapter | Thirty

"She did what?" Chloe's voice screeched and echoed against the walls of the sanctum.

Nino looked her right in her blue eyes, "Marinette followed Stephen into outer space."

"Of course she did, cause why wouldn't she?" Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose muttering how Marinette was the sole cause of her rising blood pressure. Taking a deep breathe, Chloe looked over at Wong. "Why would she go and ask you to open a portal on a spaceship to get the Stephen?"

Wong knew that out of all the teenagers who now frequented the sanctum, Stephen and Marinette had a special bond. The day he pulled her aside to talk about her powers was the day everything changed between the two. Wong never thought he'd ever see Stephen care for someone like that, as if she were his own daughter. Yet like Master Fu, Stephen also put too much on her shoulders. Wong knew Stephen spoke to her about her destiny. Like how Stephen was the Sorcerer Supreme and protected the Time Stone, Marinette was the Enchantress, she protected the balance. What the balance was exactly was still a mystery to them.

It was still a pity to know what an ending a burden like that to bear would end like. Yet everyone had roles in this to play, and they were just doing their parts.

"What are we supposed to do while we wait around to see if she's okay?" Chloe asks no one in particular, she was spiraling in one of her worry rants that were always induced by Marinette.

Adrien sighed softly, wishing that Marinette would let them in more. She had gotten better, had tried to be better. Yet she wouldn't come around them too often or speak to the kwamis. Plagg admitted he saw much of Tikki in her, because where Tikki had been kind and outgoing- she was to herself and always tending to her responsibilities.

Nino had been close to Marinette because to training, but the day that Luka and Kagami left New York was the day any trace of Marinette from before New York was seen. Nino really believed that Luka took a part of her with him, because no matter what anyone would say, even Mari, there was a part of her that was in love with Luka. There had been a part of her that wasn't ready to let go yet, despite Peter. She never admitted those feelings to anyone.

"We protect the miraculous." Adrien says, leaning against the window.

"She's not going to be the same." Chloe reminds him, "She hasn't been the same for a while."

Adrien frowned and looked at her, "The issues is us thinking she would be the same, Chlo. She's been through more than we can ever imagine feeling. Yeah we've been through some shit too, but she's still trying and that expectation of her isn't fair."

"I know, I know." Chloe's shoulders slumped. "I worry about her, and her powers. I know it's wrong, but what if she did lose control or of it gets to be too much?"

"She's strong." Nino says, "And you have to give it to her. She's been better about including us in everyday life. It's this hero stuff that's more hard for her."

"You want her to include us, and she does when it involves the miraculous." Adrien says, realization slowly settling as he sits up. "But when it comes to world level threats, she excludes us. Is it because of her abilities or because she's the guardian trying to protect the kwami's?"

"Probably both." Nino pipes in, "She trains hard to control her power. Peter tries to include her in daily activities, and she does some of them to appease him. She wants to protect everyone she cares about, so most times she opts out of the invites to train."

"I just hope she's safe." Chloe mutters, feeling useless. "What are we supposed to do while she's out there? Do we expose ourselves even more tying to help?"

"No." Plagg popped out of his hiding spot where all his cheese was stored away. "No you don't help because if this is a threat against the Infinity Stones, then it is absolutely imperative that the kwamis and miraculous stay hidden and secret. Most people don't know or understand what we are, but if they found out we aided in the help of the infinity stone creation-"

"It would be dangerous." Chloe finished and sighed. "Everything is different, our team fell apart."

"Some times it's better that way." Nino says with honesty. "The Avengers split, right down the middle between Steve and Tony. Yet they still work together when they did too, they have their priorities straight. I am sure if it came down to it, Marinette would ask us to help."

"Yet we need to keep in mind she has a fear of losing us all." Adrien knew her, he knew her as much as she knew herself. "That fear can cause her to push us away from danger. She can't bare the idea of losing anyone else."

Wayzz popped out of Nino's pocket, "You can hardly blame her. The emotions she fights to keep in control. She has a fear of being feared by her team, her friends. She knows Wanda was almost locked away for her powers, and Marinette knew she had been close to the same fate."

"We would never allow that." Chloe argues, but Plagg scoffs.

"Like any of you would really have a say if it came down to it." Plagg muttered, and Adrien sighed at his kwami who was still unforgiving.

"I guess we'll be here until we're needed." Adrien says, head leaning back against the couch he sat on.


In the tower James Rhodes sat in one of the rooms on a call with Ross, who was as always being demanding and anything but understanding. Honestly Rhodey wanted to know how Ross got this stick so far up his ass that it wasn't uncomfortable when he rode his high horses.

"Still no word from Vision?" Ross asked.

"Satellites lost him somewhere over Edinburgh." Rhodey replies with a small shrug, not really having the exact answer to give. Even if he did, he wouldn't.

"On a stolen quinjet with four of the world's most wanted criminals?" Ross tone gave way that he didn't believe a word being said.

"You know they're only criminals because you've chosen to call them that, right, sir?" Rhodey took a breathe, because this argument would only cause a rise in his blood pressure.

"My God, Rhodes, your talent for horseshit rivals my own." Ross gruffly replies/

" If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here." Rhodey continues.

"I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel." Ross reminds, even getting up from his table to stand closer to Rhodey.

"That's right. And I'm pretty sure I've paid for that."

"You have second thoughts?" Ross questions, eyebrow raising.

"Not anymore." Rhodey stared him in the eyes with that reply with his arms crossed.

A small noise off to the left catches both of their attention, the noise that one of the doors have opened and someone was entering. Rhodey tried not to feel smug, or at least look the part when Steve and Natasha walked in with Wanda and Vision, and Sam helping Vision walk.

"Mr. Secretary." Steve greeted, staring Ross down the same way Rhodey had moments before.

Ross just looked at them, "You got some nerve. I'll give you that."

"You could use some of that right now." Natasha quipped back smoothly.

"The world's on fire. And you think, all is forgiven?" Ross shook his head in disbelief.

"I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way... We'll fight you, too." Steve was going to be used for the government, not even when he didn't agree with the accords to being with.

Ross simply looked at Rhodey, "Arrest them."

"All over it." Rhodey turned off the hologram and looked over at the five who just entered and shook Steve's hand. "That's a court-martial. It's great to see you, Cap."

" You too, Rhodey." Steve says back as Natasha hugs Rhodey.

"Well. You guys, really look like crap. Must've been a rough couple of years." Rhodey takes everyone in, since everything went to shit when the accords first happened and caused the split of the team. The one thing that was the same with everyone was how they seemed tired and aged. Not in a bad way, just that they've been through shit and it was noticeable.

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five star." Sam jokes back lightly, even if the situation at hand was heavy.

"Uh, I think you look great." Bruce had heard her before he'd seen her. Natasha was someone he had been nervous seeing again now that he was back on Earth, but it was inevitable that they saw each other. He could at least make the first move. "Yeah. I'm back."

Natasha turned to take him in, seeing in his eyes all she needed to see. He had been through things too, just like they all have. "Hi Bruce."

"Nat." Bruce offered, and a small smile was offered for a moment.

"This is awkward." Sam mutters after a moment a silence.

Steve was the one who took charge having Sam help Vision into another room where the others followed. In that moment they were just trying to figure out a game plan. Steve wished he understood why Tony went up into space, and not only that but took two teenagers with him. He understood Marinette, and if Stephen had gone up it made sense why she would too. Still they may have been better help here on solid ground.

"So we gotta assume they're coming back, right? And they can clearly find us. We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?" Bruce was the one who was ready to get to business. He saw Thanos first hand, saw what he did to Thor's people and that was the last thing he wanted to happen here at home.

" After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families." Natasha missed her best friend, but he deserved to be with his family stress free of something so trivial.

"Who's Scott?" Bruce asks, never heard the same before.

"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce shook his head, because that was the last thing that mattered right now. "Okay look, Thanos has the biggest army in the Universe. And he is not gonna stop until he... He gets...Vision's stone."

Bruce trailed off at the end, because there was no easy way to say it. There was never going to be an easy way to say it. It just needed to be said and openly acknowledge that this was a current problem.

"Well then, we have to protect it." Natasha says it like it was the most obvious solution.

Vision was silent though, because he knew deep down it was more than just protecting the stone. With an enemy like Thanos, who was trying to collect all the stones, there was no easy way to simply protect the stone he had.

" No, we have to destroy it. I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head, about its nature. But also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something, very similar to its own signature, perhaps... Its molecular integrity could fail." Vision looked at Wanda as she neared him, her eyes speaking all the things she couldn't say in that moment.

"And you, with it. We're not having this conversation." Wanda says, shaking her head.

" Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Vision was trying to remain logical.

"That's too high a price." Wanda stared into his eyes as the others around them seem to fade away in their conversation.

"Only you, have the power to pay it. Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him." Vision says, cupping her cheeks.

Steve couldn't allow this talk, because they were a team. "But it should. We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people. Tell me, why is this any different?" Vision looked at him.

"Because we know things about the Infinity Stones no one else does." Steve says.

"If Marinette were here, she could help Wanda too." Natasha says in theory, "The kwami who merged with her was one of the creators of the stones. Maybe the other kwamis and their holders may be able to help take that stone out faster or help Wanda do so too."

"You have choices. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the Stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another." Bruce says this as well, knowing that Vision was always more than that stone.

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda almost breathes a sigh of relief. She knew about Marinette, the girl reminded her too much of herself. Yet her emotions were also unsteady, much like Wanda's were at first. Control isn't easy, but like she had Vision to held steady her, Marinette had Peter. She also had a sense of duty that came with her position in the world, and that was where Wanda's sympathy really played for the young girl.

This was something she didn't want to add to Marinette's every growing list to burden the responsibility of. Yet there was the hope that the small beings who made these stones can help undo what they created.

"I'm saying that... If we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts." Bruce looks at Natasha, "And even though I don't get what these kwamis are, if they can help it will only better the chances of this working."

"Can we do that though, remove the stone without destroying it?" Natasha asks

"Not me, not here." Bruce sighs softly.

"You better find someone, and somewhere fast. Ross isn't exactly just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back." Rhodey says, knowing that Ross was probably brining the damn army.

Steve paused in thought, then looked at Wanda. "I know somewhere. Text Adrien Agreste to tell him and the other two to be here in 15 minutes." The last bit was spoke towards Natasha, who gave him a look.

"I messaged him already. They'll be here soon."


Marinette knew that she had been through a lot of things that she would have never expected to go through when she was younger. She imagined that when she had gotten old enough she would be a fashion designer owning her own brand or at least making strides to get there. MDC was a short lived dream, and she accepted that the night she agreed to stay in New York indefinitely with Peter. Too much had changed for her to ever live a normal life, and she accepted that.

Yet standing on a spaceship with her boyfriend and a billionaire Avenger while listening to said boyfriend ramble on about pop culture was not one of the things she ever thought would happen in her life. Then again, that was exactly where she was as she and Tony tried their best to listen in on the conversation of Ebony Maw.

Below them Ebony Maw was holding Stephen in a seemingly magical hold with pointy spikes around him. Marinette was sure somehow gravity was at play here but she wasn't one of the science geniuses on this ship. Her attention was on the low groans of Stephen slowly waking back up, looking slowly around to take in his situation.

"In all the time I've served Thanos, I've never failed him. If I were to reach our rendezvous on Titan with the Time Stone still attached to your vaguely irritating person, there would be...judgement." He sounded almost like he was contemplating his options. "Give me the stone."

One of the spikes moved closer in on his cheek, and Marinette watched as Stephen bit the inside of his cheek to contain any of the pain he was feeling to give less satisfaction to Ebony Maw. Yet he still let out soft grunts as he focused on not giving in.

Tony was going to snap under his breath when he felt someone tap on his arm. Ready to tell Peter to focus, Tony's brown eyes blinked looking at Stephen's clock floating right there, but hidden along with them.

"Wow you're a seriously loyal piece of outerwear, aren't you?" Tony mutters, then glances at Marinette.

"Can you make me one of these? You're magic and all." Tony asks, and Marinette had to refrain from rolling her eyes at the sidetracked comment.

"I don't think I can bring clothing to life like this." Marinette muttered softly in response, not wanting to be the one loud enough to draw attention to them.

Tony could see the difference for the first time between Marinette's and Peter's hero personas. Peter was more laid back and ready to roll with what needed to be done in order to protect people, yet still learning to be responsible for his actions. Marinette was more careful with her approaches, watching the situation like she was now with a calculating look in her eyes that just spoke that she was planning. It was a skill that only came with years of experience, and it was something he wished he could change for her. She deserved the experience of a normal teen at least once, yet her whole situation was never in his hands and never would be.

Tony nudged Peter, "Come on. We got a situation. See him down there? He's in trouble. What's your plan? Go."

Peter looked between Tony and Marinette, who were both looking at him to see what he would come up with. He felt on the spot suddenly, because no matter what they all knew Marinette could hatch a plan fast, and so could Tony. This was his one chance to prove himself.

"Um. Okay. Okay...uh...did you ever see that really old movie, Aliens?" Peter asks, and he just sees the shift in their eyes. Yeah, he blew their faith in his plan making but he still told him his idea.

Marinette's attention was redirected when she heard Stephen scream, her heart twisted at the sound of her mentor in pain. Yet she would never admit it out loud for the sake of her relationship with Stephen, but the man had become important to her. Not a father figure necessarily, but someone she knew she could rely on. In turn, it also pissed her off that this alien guy was hurting him.

"Painful, aren't they?" Ebony almost sounds pleased, "They were originally designed for microsurgery. And any one of them.."

The thud that echoed from Tony's Iron Man suit from landing caused Ebony Maw to cut himself off and slowly look over at whoever dared to interrupt and break. Tony was already holding his hands up, ready to fire his blasters at Ebony.

"...could end your friend's life in an instant."

"I gotta tell you, he's not really my friend. Saving his life is more a professional courtesy." Tony replies, watching as Ebony uses his power to pull out a piece of shrap metal from the. ship, no doubtingly getting ready to hurtle it Tony's way.

"You've saved nothing. Your powers are inconsequential compared to mine." Ebony retorts, and right when he says that Marinette uses her powers from the area she was perched away from Peter to hurtle it away. Ebony;'s head whips up, eyes narrowing at her.

"Yeah well your powers may be inconsequential compared to mine." Marinette lifted her hand slightly, a light slowly pulsating in warning as her head tilted ever so slightly.

"Plus the kid's seen more movies than us." Tony wasted no time to fire a rocket from his shoulder area of his suit. The weapon itself pierced the side of the ship open, pulling whatever was closet out and into the vast outside of outer space.

Marinette almost leapt from where she was when Stephen yelled, his body being pulled towards the hole. His cape zipped through the air to wrap around his arms in attempt to anchor him down. Physics had another thing in mind as it continued to pull Stephen towards the gapping hole, bug Peter shot web strands at Stephen. One wrapped around the wizard's hand and the other was holding onto a piece of the ship yet it breaks.

Marinette felt her hand twitch when the web snapped for both Stephen and Peter, and for a moment she was worried that if she truly attempted to use her powers in such a confined space she may just kill them all. Yet she didn't have much of a choice seeing Peter hold onto Stephen by the metal arms of the Iron Spider suit bracing the both of them from hurtling into space. Her right hand shot out, without a second thought she yanked back towards her and sent both Stephen and Peter hurtling back in.

Tony wastes no time to spray his nanites onto the hole to cover it up from anymore unwanted dangers. Marinette releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding, her eyes flickering up to catch a glimpse of the very dead Ebony Maw floating in space. To think that dying in space was an actual option now, she shook her head not even wanting to think about that.

Stephen stood up, his face grim with a seriousness that Marinette hadn't seen in a while. The only time she really has ever seen that expression was when they first met, and seeing it now brought no comfort to her. "We've got to turn this ship around."

"Yeah, now he wants to run. Great plan." The stark in Tony's voice wasn't hidden at all as he took a place to look out the giant window that was the front of the ship.

Peter stood next to Marinette, already knowing what was about to happen. Tony and Stephen were about to get into a fight, and Marinette would ultimately step in because that was what she did. She was a peacemaker and wanted to do things the most calm way as possible.

"No, I want to protect the stone."

"And I want you to thank me. Go ahead. I'm listening."

Stephen made a face, " For what? Nearly blasting me into space?"

Who just saved your magical ass? Me."

"Us, actually but go on." Marinette corrected, but was actively ignored. Rude.

"I seriously don't know how you fit your head into that helmet." Stephen fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Admit it. You should have ducked out when I told you to. I tried to bench you. You refused."

"Unlike everyone else in your life, I don't work for you." Stephen wasn't trying to go for a low blow, but even with Marinette in his life the stone will always come first. His responsibility will always come first. That was the one thing she could understand better than anyone else ever would.

Tony was doing his best to not lose his absolute shit in this moment, "And due to that fact, we're now in a flying doughnut billions of miles away from Earth with no backup." He tried to not think of Pepper, of how much he wanted one kid with her in the very least way. He had been ready to give this up, almost ready at least and then Bruce appeared.

"Hey, we're backup." Peter pipped in, motioning between himself and Marinette,

"No you're a stowaway and a witch. The adults are talking." Tony refocused on Stephen,

Marinette's mouth opened, her eyebrow twitching. "I know you didn't just call me a witch, Stark."

"This ship is self-correcting its course. Thing's on autopilot." Tony continued on, deciding not to stir away from this topic. Teenagers feelings were at the bottom of the importance list at the moment.

"Can we control it? Fly us home?" Marinette watches how Stephen is, how his body language is the most on edge she's ever seen it. Stephen can see the hesitance in Tony's eyes, and for once the infamous billionaire seems unconfident. "Stark?"

"Yeah." He looks right at Stephen.

"Can you get us home?" Stephen repeats, and Tony does that self defensive stance he does when anyone questions him.

"Yeah I heard you. I'm thinking...I'm not so sure we should." Tony already knows this was going to be an argument, already knew the man across from him would object the idea.

Stephen takes a close step forward, almost circling and closing in on him, "Under no circumstance can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos. I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here."

"No. It's you who doesn't understand. Thanos has been inside my head for six years." Tony snapped, and Marinette saw his eyes. She saw the haunted look in those dark eyes Tony Stark stared at Stephen with. The eyes that had seen some shit that could never be unseen. "Since he sent an army to New York and now he's back! And I don't know what to do. So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his but you saw what they did, what he can do. At least on his turf he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him, Doctor. Do you concur?"

Peter's eyes flickered to Marinette's, and it was settling in that this was something they could possibly not come back from. This was a fight that was much more serious than what he was used too, but in her eyes he saw she was ready. That look scared him a little but. Yet the guarded look he was still trying to understand was up, but when her eyes meet his they softened. They brought him a sense of reassurance that they were going to be okay. He glanced down when her hand brushed against his, and he felt her it's going to be okay.

Stephen couldn't help but glance at Marinette and Peter, and took in that moment. The girl had grown, and he had watched her heal and fall apart and heal all over. He had accepted he'd never have kids, and was alright with that. Yet Marinette..she was different. She was the one person who somehow broke his walls, made his heart softer. She, by every means, was his weakness. A young woman who lost her way, just like he lost his. The paternal feeling he felt, it was foreign and new but he already knew one thing- he wanted to protect the world not only for the stone, but for her.

"Alright , Stark. We go to him. But you have to understand if it comes to saving you or the kids or the Time Stone. I will not hesitate to let any of you die. I can't, because the fate of the universe depends on it." Stephen tore his eyes away from the teens when he said it, not wanting to see the hurt flash in Marinette's eyes, or the doubt that everything in their bond was a means to an end.

Yet Peter saw it. He saw the pain flash in her eyes as the words dug deep. He watched as she took a deep breath to recompose herself, as a wall came up all over. He wouldn't understand the sense of duty Stephen was about, yet he didn't need too. Marinette did though, she understood why he was saying what he was. If and when it came down to it, the stone was the main objective. The stone was Stephen's main objective.

Tony was surprised too, " Good. Nice moral compass. We're straight." He turns towards Peter and Marinette, putting his hands on their shoulders. "Alright, kiddos. You're Avengers now."

Peter looks at Tony is disbelief, but smiles and nods. Marinette knows its a title, but realistically it's a team. Yet she still offers a small smile, having a better understand that this was more so for Peter- who had been eager to be an official Avenger for a while now.

She could just hope this didn't backfire.


I am so sorry for the long wait for an update. I've been so busy with work and my class that it's been hard to find time to sit and type. Yet here it is finally and I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you to everyone who has read and supported this story continuously. I appreciate it and everyone so much.

I think I have finally decided what to change with the original MCU plot, because I am super hyped to do the multiverse in the story. We will do this arc first, and it won't be rushed. I am super excited. (All I got to say is I love Wanda's character after the Infinity Saga but it won't be Wanda).

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for the support again! ❤️❤️❤️