Thank you to Aragorn II Elessar for his help with this chapter.
Guest: Glad to hear it.
Avengers Compound
Afternoon
In the kitchen, Angel sat staring at a picture of Cordelia when he heard someone approach. He pocketed the photo as Willow, Faith, Spike, Fred, Lorne, Connor and Dawn entered the room.
"Think you were a little on the nose back there Angelcakes," Lorne noted.
"They deserve to know what they're signing up for," Angel argued.
"And if they back out?" Fred voiced her doubt.
"They won't. They have too much riding on this," Angel said confidently.
"So if we're not doing this until later tonight…what do we do until then?" Dawn asked uneasily.
"Exactly what I said earlier: go out; live this day like it's your last. Because it probably is," Angel said grimly.
New York
Later that afternoon
In a club, Lorne was on stage, singing a song as he sat on a stool.
In a rather modest building, Sam walked into a room, passing a sign that said 'VA support group'. As he walked in, many of the people seated stopped to look at him, no doubt recognizing him. Sam ignored the stares, sitting down in one of the chairs as the meeting got started.
At a bar, Spike was tossing back drinks as a biker ran into him, bumping his shoulder. Spike glared at the biker as he walked off.
"Nice crowd," Spike noted to the bartender.
"It gets pretty ugly in here, gotta warn ya," he told Spike as he refilled his drink.
"It's what I'm after," Spike said, drowning the shot before putting it down. "Couple more shots of courage and I may make my presence felt."
"Your funeral," the bartender said as he refilled Spike's drink again.
"Well, I never had a proper one," Spike said with a grin before drowning the shot.
Queens
Same time
Peter walked down the street, deep in thought. As he passed an orphanage, he saw a blond woman ordering some men to bring in some furniture. As he passed, the woman spotted Peter.
"Peter," she said warmly.
"Hey Ms. Stacy," Peter said with an awkward wave. "How are you doing?"
"Well, all things considered. We got this furniture donated, so we have to get it inside," Ms. Stacy said as she gestured to the said furniture. "How about you? How's your aunt?"
"She's doing alright, as much as we can be. How are things here?" Peter inquired.
"It's New York. We have some trouble, but not as much as we used to. Still, we have a lot of orphans from the snap. We try as much as we can though," Ms. Stacy said and a strange look crossed Peter's face. "Peter? Everything alright?"
"What if I told you none of it matters?" Peter asked after a moment, taking her back. "What if I told you we all just…pieces in a game, played by forces more powerful that we could imagine? That they'll never let it get better? What would you do?"
"I'd get this truck unloaded before the next one gets here," Ms. Stacy said without hesitation. "Wanna give us a hand?"
"Sure," Peter said after a moment.
Peter then walked over to one of the couches, bending down as Ms. Stacy took the other side.
"It's gonna be heavy, so-" she was cut off as Peter easily lifted the other side.
"Not so much," Peter said with a grin.
Avengers Compound
Same time
"You guys should go," Hope was telling her parents as they stood outside the Compound.
"Hope, we're not leaving you," Hank said immediately.
"Dad, you've done all you can here. Dr. Banner and I can handle things from the tech side. Look, Dad, this is going to take everything, all my focus. And I'll be able to do it better if I know you two are safe," Hope reasoned.
"Henry," Janet said gently as Hank opened his mouth to argue. "She's right. We've done our part; we'd just be in the way now. This is Hope and Scott's mission now."
Hank looked mutinous but seemed to realize he was outnumbered. And, maybe a part of him knew that Hope was trying to get them out of here before the bloodbath. To save them.
With his heart jumping into his throat, Hank reached out, pulling Hope into a bear hug.
"I love you Hope," Hank said, his voice gruff with emotion.
"I love you to Dad," Hope said, closing her eyes against the tears as she hugged him tightly.
Hank then let go, feeling as if the movements were bringing him physical pain as Hope turned to Janet.
"Mom," Hope said sounding like she was on the verge of breaking down.
"Oh I know Jellybean, I know," Janet said gently, reaching over and taking her daughter in her arms. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I'm so proud of you. Always."
In her room, Wanda sat at her desk in front of her computer. She sat there for over ten minutes, trying to work up the courage. Then, she turned it on and activated the video call. Within a few moments, the person on the other end had picked up.
"Wanda, hi," Laura said as her face came up on the screen.
"Hey," Wanda said awkwardly.
"I was surprised to get your text that you wanted to talk. What's up?" Laura asked, seeing the look on Wanda's face. "How bad is it?"
"That depends on how you take this," Wanda said lowly, only confusing Laura more. "We – that is, Sam, Bucky, me and some others – are going to try…something. It may help us bring Clint back, bring everyone back."
"Are-are you serious?" Laura asked in shock and Wanda nodded. "But how-"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But, if things go right…he's coming home Laura. They all are," Wanda said gently and Laura put a hand to her mouth, trying to reign in her emotions.
"Thank you…thank you for telling me. And if it works…I'm sure Clint will want to have you over for dinner," Laura said and Wanda grimaced. "What? What is it?"
"That's the other reason I'm calling. If we pull this off, even if Clint comes back…chances are I won't survive," Wanda said and there was silence.
"You mean doing this…"
"Will likely get me killed, get us all killed," Wanda confirmed and Laura was stunned into silence. "So, I'd like to ask a favor."
"Of course," Laura said because, well, what else could you say when someone said they were going to die to bring your husband back?
"When you see Clint again, could you tell not to feel guilty? We both know he's got a martyr complex, so tell him don't feel guilty. I made my own choice, we all did. And tell him…tell him thank you, for everything," Wanda said, trying to keep her voice even.
"Yeah...yeah, of course I'll tell him," Laura said, swallowing the lump in her throat. "For what it's worth…I'm sorry I never got the chance to know you."
"Me to," Wanda said with a tight smile.
Willow was in the living room, reading some spells to prepare herself when a voice spoke up...
"You stayed," Willow looked up to see Nebula had entered the room.
"Nebula, right?" Willow asked and she nodded.
"I do not understand you," Nebula said as she entered the room. "The woman who killed my father talks to the woman who came after Thanos killed her husband. The woman, Winifred Burkle, talks to her parents. The Slayer trains with Barnes. Yet you stay here, reading. The one you call Angel told you to do whatever you want. So why do you stay, reading?"
"Angel told us to live this day like our last, to do whatever we want," Willow said after a moment of thought.
"So why do you sit here, reading, preparing for the mission? This…this cannot be what you want," Nebula said, clearly confused.
"What I want…is the one thing I can't have," Willow said gently as she thought of Tara. "There is nothing on earth that I want, nothing that will make this day worth living. My best friends and the woman I love are gone. My parents, if they're even alive, want nothing to do with me. There's nothing I want and if today is the day I die, I won't spend it lying to myself."
Wakanda
Same time
M'Baku and what remained of the Tribal Council stood staring at T'Challa as he appeared in hologram form before them.
"You are saying there is a way to reverse Thanos?" M'Baku said voicing what they were all having trouble believing.
"Possibly. I am undertaking it soon. But there is great risk involved," T'Challa acknowledged.
"Risk that you may not survive," the merchant tribe representative realized and T'Challa nodded.
"Wakanda needs its king," the river tribe representative argued.
"I do not intend to die today. But, should I fall, Wakanda shall still a king," T'Challa said, turning to the stunned M'Baku. "Lead them well."
"I shall do my best. Only if you are not here to bear the burden," M'Baku said humbly.
Avengers Compound
Not long after
In his Wakandian fighter, T'Challa ended the holographic conference with the council after a few more minutes of questions. He let a heavy sigh, knowing what he had to do now but not liking it.
"Are you certain M'Baku can be trusted?" Shuri asked skeptically from behind him.
"M'Baku has proven himself more than once," T'Challa said as he walked over to her.
"I suppose. I guess I always thought that our family would always rule Wakanda," Shuri mused.
"And so it shall," T'Challa said calmly.
Before Shuri could react, T'Challa suddenly had her in a chokehold. Shuri gasped, trying to free herself but it was useless as she fought against his grip.
"This will not be your battle Shuri," T'Challa said firmly. "M'Baku shall be regent until you are ready to ascend the throne. I am sorry, but I will not allow you to share my fate."
They sunk to the floor as Shuri succumbed to unconsciousness. T'Challa let her go, looking at her regretfully before picking her up bridal style. Walking over to the pilot's chair, he set her down before pressing a button. Two restraints came out of the armrests and pinned Shuri's arm to the chair. T'Challa then walked over to the controls, typing something in.
"Autopilot activated. Take off in sixty seconds," an automated voice spoke up.
T'Challa then looked back at Shuri. Before heading out, he placed a kiss on her forehead. He then walked towards the ramp, exiting the fighter. T'Challa then watched, waiting as the ramp folded up and the plane took off, not moving until his fighter had vanished from view.
Inside the Compound, Hope knocked on the door to Scott's room.
"Scott, you in there?" she called out.
"Yeah, just a minute," Scott's voice came from the other side of the door.
Hope heard him moving around a bit in his room before the door opened; revealing Scott in jeans and an undershirt, now clean shaven.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey. Weird time to shave," Hope noted.
"Well, might be my last chance to do it," Scott said as he stepprf aside, letting her in. "What's up? Shouldn't you be with your parents?"
"I told them to go back home," Hope said, taking Scott back as she sat down on his bed. "I told them it was because I needed to focus, but I think Dad knew I was just trying to get them both out of here."
"Probably. It's Hank after all, no one spews that much bullshit without seeing through it," Scott noted and she laughed.
"Probably. Did you um, talk to Maggie and Jim?" she inquired.
"Yeah, I told them we were working on a way to get Cassie back," Scott said.
"And you didn't tell them anything else?" Hope asked in surprise.
"And say what? That a bunch of demons might kill me? No, I didn't tell them that. I told Hank what to tell them and Cassie once this was all over. If my life is the price I have to pay to bring my daughter back, I'll pay it a thousand times over, without a second thought," Scott said and she looked at him with an odd look. "What?"
"Just…every time I think I have you figured out, you surprise me," Hope said.
"Well, I'm a man of mystery. Okay, that's crap, I'm an open book," Scott sand and she laughed.
"You know…we could all die today," Hope said after a moment, the reality of it really hitting her.
"We're most definitely going to die today," Scott pointed out as he sat down next to her. "So…what you wanna do?"
Hope looked at him for a moment before bringing a hand up to the side of his face and pulling him for a kiss. It started out sweet but quickly grew in heat. Scott was startled when Hope flipped onto his back, removing her shirt before climbing on top of him.
At the shooting range, Faith fired a pistol, hitting the target dead center.
"Nice," Bucky whistled impressed. "Don't think I've ever seen someone pick it up so fast."
"Well, it's not all that different from throwing a stake actually," Faith said as she looked down at the pistol.
"You don't have anywhere you wanna go today? No friends you wanna see or anything like that?" Bucky asked after a few moments.
"All my friends are either here or gone. My parents, well neither of them were worth a damn alive, much less dead," Faith shrugged.
"I'm sorry," Bucky said honestly.
"It's 'kay, I'm over it. What about you? Nowhere to go?" Faith asked as she glanced over at him.
"No. Everyone I know is gone to," Bucky said honestly.
"Aren't we two peas in a pod?" Faith asked with a grin and he laughed.
"Guess so. So, what do you wanna do?" Bucky asked her.
Not long after, the pair stumbled through the door of Faith's room, locked in a heated kiss. As Bucky closed the door behind him with his flesh arm, Faith used her hands to all but tear his shirt in half. Removing the remains of his shirt, Bucky then helped Faith remove her own before she pushed him down to the bed.
New York
Same time
Spike sat on stool on a stage in the bar, holding a microphone.
"My soul is wrapped in harsh repose.
Midnight descends in raven-colored clothes.
But soft. Behold.
A sunlight beam, cutting a swath of glimmering gleam.
My heart expands. 'Tis grown a bulge in it.
Inspired by your beauty, effulgent."
Spike finished and there was silence in the bar. Then, one of the biker got to his feet, applauding and was quickly followed by the others. Spike got to his feet as he accepted his standing ovation.
"Thank you. That was for Cecily. And this next one is called 'The Wanton Folly of me Mum'," Spike announced.
In a rather modest neighborhood, Bruce sat in his car, staring hesitantly at a house. He'd been sitting there for ten minutes, trying to work up the courage. Finally, after another minute, Bruce sighed, deciding to bite it and just do it. Getting out of his car, Bruce got to his feet and walked up to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited. After about thirty seconds, the door opened to reveal the stunned face of Betty Ross.
"Bruce," she breathed.
"Hi Betty," Bruce said awkwardly.
In Central Park, Dawn sat on a bench, just watching the kids playing. Seeing a girl push her younger sister on a swing, Dawn smiled slightly, remembering Buffy doing the same for her.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing here by yourself?"
Dawn looked up, seeing a handsome young man around her age standing a few feet from her. He had dark hair and green eyes. In another life, she'd probably have been too nervous to approach him Dawn noted.
"You know, just out for a walk, figured I'd stop by here on my way home," Dawn said, not exactly lying.
"That seat taken?" he asked, gesturing to the spot next to her.
"No, go on," Dawn said immediately and he sat down next to her.
"I'm Alex," he greeted her.
"Dawn," she introduced herself.
Avengers Compound
Not long after
Angel was readying the weapons when he heard someone approach. Recognizing the scent, Angel almost growled.
"Strange huh? You and I on the same team," Lindsey noted.
"We both know this is a temporary alliance. The moment it's over, we'll go right back to hating each other. So why don't you keep your distance until its time? It'd be a waste to go through all the effort of recruiting you just to kill you now," Angel said bluntly, tightening his hands into fists as he heard Lindsey chuckle.
"Relax Angel. We both know where we stand. And like I told Spike, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Lindsey said with a smirk.
But, taking Angel's advice, Lindsey turned and walked away, to Angel's relief.
"You two really hate each other," Connor noted as he walked out from around the corner.
"He and I have a complicated history," Angel said as he looked over at his son. "You call your parents?"
"Yeah. I think they knew something was up but they didn't push me. So this is it huh? The end of everything," Connor noted.
"It's not too late to back out," Angel said, hoping his son had changed his mind.
"No, I'm this is for the long haul. As far as last days go, it could be worse. I'm here with my Dad, about to go save the world. It's not so bad," Connor said and paused. "Can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, anything," Angel said immediately.
"Fred told me about this Shanshu thing, this prophecy about the vampire with a soul who becomes human. Is this it? You live through this and you become human?" Connor asked.
"Who are you kidding Connor? I'm not living through this," Angel said dismissively.
"But if you did?" Connor asked.
"Maybe. But it's a moot point. I'm not surviving this, none of us are," Angel said grimly.
In her room, Fred was on a laptop, video chatting with her parents.
"Is there are something wrong sweetheart? You seem distracted," Trish noted.
"I'm fine. I just…I really miss you guys," Fred said, smiling tightly at her.
"Well why don't you come see us in a few days? Heck, why don't we come see you?" Roger suggested happily.
"Maybe," Fred said, swallowing passed the lump in her throat as she realized that would never happen. "I have to go but…I want you to know I love you both. And thank you for being the best parents I could have ever asked for."
"Of course Fred. We love you to," Trish said.
"You take care now. And remember, we'll see you soon," Roger assured.
"Yeah. Yeah, real soon," Fred said lowly.
Fred then ended the video call. Closing the laptop, Fred put a hand to her face, her shoulders shaking with sobs as she cried.
In Faith's room, she and Bucky laid in her bed, dressed only in sheets.
"Well that was…" Bucky trailed off.
"Fantastic?" Faith said cheekily.
"I was gonna say intense but yeah," Bucky said with a luagh. "But I haven't had sex in over seventy years, so that might be normal."
"Trust me, it's not. Been with regular guys before, this was so much better," Faith said and Bucky chuckled.
"Thanks…I think," Bucky paused. "So, we live through this, you wanna go on an actual date?"
"Let's be real, we're not living through this," Faith said and Bucky nodded after a moment.
"Probably not. Shame. Really would like to see how it would go with a girl like you," Bucky said and Faith felt what could only be described as butterflies in her stomach.
"Me to," Faith said, surprised at how choked up she sounded.
New York
Not long after
Sam listened as everyone shared their own story of war and PTSD, reminded of his own experiences as a PTSD councilor.
"So, I'm sure we've all noticed we have a new member," the leader as they all turned to Sam. "We all know who you are Mr. Wilson. Or do you prefer Falcon? Or Captain America?"
"Just call me Sam," Sam insisted and the leader nodded.
"So what brings you here Sam?" he asked.
"It's just…it's been a day, you know? I've had a lot on my mind and I was looking for something familiar," Sam admitted.
"What was on your mind?" another member of the support group asked curiously and Sam was silent, trying to put it into words.
"Hypothetically…if there was a way you could fix your mistakes, would you do it? Even if it cost you everything? If it got you killed? Got your friends killed? Would you do it?" Sam asked and could tell they were all thrown by it. "You know what; I shouldn't be wasting your time with this. I'm sorry."
"Sam," the leader called out and Sam paused as he moved to stand. "We all come here for help. Some stuff we leave there, some stuff we take with us."
Sam chuckled, remembering saying something similar.
"Something funny?" another member asked.
"I just…I used to say almost the exact same thing when I ran my own support group," Sam said as he sat back down. "It's up to us to figure out how to carry it."
"Wise words Sam. We all help each other; we all have to fight for what we believe in. Whatever you're going through, we can only try and help you," the leader told him.
"You know what…I think you just did," Sam muttered to himself as he looked around.
This was why he had come here today, Sam realized. To remind himself what he was fighting for. It was these people. And those just like them, those who were hoping for something better.
"Wow. That's…wow," Betty said after Bruce finished telling her everything as they sat on her couch.
"Yeah," Bruce said honestly. "I don't mean to barge in like this, but if this it…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for not keeping in touch after I knew I was safe. But your father had used you to get to me before, I couldn't take that risk."
"I get it Bruce, I do. I'm just sorry that…" Betty trailed off, looking on the verge of tears.
"Me to," Bruce said, surprised by how much seeing her again had stirred up so many emotions.
Suddenly, Betty grabbed him and pulled him into a desperate kiss. Although shocked, Bruce returned it in equal measure.
"I love you. I've always loved you," Betty said softly as she pulled back slightly. "You should know that. Whatever happens."
Dawn laughed as she talked with Alex. She like him, she decided. In another life, he would've been the boy she stared after longingly from across the cafeteria.
"So, would it be too forward to ask if you'd like to go out with me?" Alex asked and saw Dawn grimace. "I'll take that as a no?"
"I'm sorry, I just…I'll only be in town for tonight. I have to go," Dawn said regretfully.
"Well maybe we can keep in touch, ya know?" Alex tried again.
"I'm sorry, no. I would love to but…I'm sorry, it's just too complicated," Dawn said regretfully.
She moved to get up, hesitated then, to Alex's surprise, grabbed him and pulled him in for a deep kiss. As soon as it happened, it was over. Dawn let him go, pulled back and got up, running away before Alex could even figure out what had happened.
Queens
Not long after
In her apartment, May Parker was doing some organizing when she heard the door open. She turned her head to see Peter walk in.
"Peter? I thought you were working with the Avengers?" May said confused.
"I am. I have to be back there in a few hours, we're trying it tonight. But first…there's something I have to talk to you about. Something I should have told you a long time ago. It's about Uncle Ben," Peter announced, to May's shock.
A few minutes later, May placed two cups of tea on the kitchen table, one in front of Peter and another in front of herself as she sat down.
"Peter…whatever it is, you can tell me," May said gently as she saw Peter struggling.
"Just…could you not interrupt? It's just, this is really hard," Peter said pleadingly.
"Of course," May said, making a zipping motion with hand and he sighed, gathering his courage before speaking.
"What happened to Uncle Ben…it was my fault," Peter said to her shock.
May opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about but stopped herself. Whatever this was, it was clearly difficult for Peter. And she'd promised him that she wouldn't interrupt. So, as difficult as it was, she kept silent.
"The night he died, I was out doing something stupid, trying to get money using my powers because…I don't know, because I was a stupid kid, because I wanted to impress the people at my school I guess. I won the money but…the guy wouldn't pay me. And as I was on my way out…he got robbed," Peter confessed, unable to look at May. "The thief, he ran right passed me. I could have stopped him but…I was angry, I wanted payback. So I let him go. He wanted a car. He tried to take Uncle Ben's. Uncle Ben…said no…and he shot him."
May's blood ran cold as tears ran down Peter's face as he confessed his greatest secret.
"Uncle Ben died…for being the only one who died the right thing," Peter said as he finally looked at May, his tear filled eyes meeting her stunned ones. "I wanted to tell you so many times. But I just…I was too afraid."
For a moment, the room was silent. Then, May got to her feet. Peter looked away, assuming she was going to storm out. But instead, she walked over and pulled him into a hug.
"We all make mistakes Peter. It's what we do in the face of those mistakes that determines who we are," May said emotionally. "If you need forgiveness, you're forgiven. And I know Ben would forgive you to. Because he loved you so much. And I love you to."
Emotionally spent, Peter clutched May tightly, closing his eyes as more tears fell from his eyes.
Avengers Compound
Night
Angel looked around the conference room, pleased to see everyone had come back. He'd expected as much, but it still warmed his heart.
"You guys sure about this? There's no room for second thoughts," Angel said warningly.
"We're sure," Bucky said with a nod.
"We all lost people. So did everyone else. The world needs hope again, people need to believe there's something worth fighting for again. We have to give them that. Whatever it takes," Sam said firmly.
"So, we all just gonna stand around here or we gonna get to work?" Lindsey asked.
"We're all ready," Sam said as he brought up holographic images of all six stones as everyone turned to watch them. "We got six stones. Six teams. One last shot at this."
About twenty minutes later, everyone entered the hanger. Everyone but Bruce, Fred and Lorne was wearing a Quantum Suit. Sam was wearing a bulkier one to accommodate his wings underneath and all the girls and Lindsey had their hair tied back. Sam had his shield in hand while every else had their own weapons in hand.
"Alright, so the watch on the wrist isn't just for decoration, it's a Gamma radiation detector. Given the dimensions you're heading to seem low tech, the stones shouldn't be that difficult to find," Bruce explained.
"Good to know," Faith said as she looked down at the device on her suit.
"But that doesn't mean any technology will give you an edge," Willow warned.
"We know. This isn't our first day," Bucky pointed out.
"Either way, it's going to be our last. So let's make it count," Angel said as everyone in a Quantum suit walked up the ramp and onto the Tunnel. "We all get the stones, get back here and bring everyone back before the Senior Partners rain all manner of Hell down on us."
"Gee, you make it sound so fun," Spike said sarcastically.
"I am Groot," Groot said.
"Yeah, it's not supposed to be fun," Wanda agreed.
"Talked back to by a tree. Now I've seen everything," Spike muttered and Dawn, the only one close enough to hear, tried not to laugh.
"This is it guys, this is the fight of our lives. We have to win, whatever it takes. Good luck," Sam told them all.
"Gee, you make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside," Lindsey joked and nearly everyone shot him a dark look.
"Dr. Banner, get started before one of us kills Lindsey," Angel told Bruce, who nodded.
"I'm on it, get ready," Bruce said as he walked over to the control panel.
Everyone looked towards the ceiling as the tunnel began whirling. One by one, their helmets came up to cover their faces. Bruce, Lorne and Fred all watched as the group vanished.
"It's up to them now," Bruce muttered.
"Let's just hope they can pull this off, or it was all for nothing," Lorne noted uneasily.
Hope how everyone spent their last day made sense.
Would've had the song lyrics for Lorne's song in the chapter, but has apparently decided song lyrics violate their policies.
For Bucky/Faith, considering how fast Faith moved with Wood, I think it makes sense here, plus it's more 'we're gonna die today' sex than anything. Not to mention that they can relate to their experiences, which is a rare thing.