That night seemed to slip by faster than anyone in the Avengers compound wanted it to. Everyone was dragging out of their rooms in the morning and more than once Sam had to knock on both Bucky and Natasha's doors before the inhabitants were willing to show their faces. No one was doing any type of walk of shame, but rather everyone seemed to be reaching for one another the next morning to offer comfort and support. This trip to Wakanda was not one of merriment or hope but rather one that promised a fight. Everyone seemed to be carrying the same worries and concerns that this would be where the battle occurred and no one was in a big hurry to get to it.

T'Challa had been sending updates all morning filling in Steve, Bucky and Sam on the different tribes that were joining the forces of the royal guard and the Dora Milaje. All totaled, including the Avengers, Guardians, and Asgardians, it was a formidable force. But because no one knew what Thanos' forces looked like, it could be a drop in the bucket in comparison.

Everyone seemed to pick at their breakfasts as they sat around the kitchen. Pepper seemed to be the only one in a mood to get the group moving which was fair since she was rushing towards where Tony would be in a few hours. The rest were walking towards what could be a vicious and bloody battle.

It took another two hours before the quinjet was fully loaded with both weaponry and people before it rose into the sky, heading in the direction of hidden city of Wakanda. Strapped into her seat, Madison gazed what she was afraid would be one last time at the place she had called home for these past few months. Tears formed in her eyes as she watched it disappear from sight. Had it not been for Bucky reaching for her hand to give her some comfort she was sure she probably would have gone into a full-blown meltdown. The strength and warmth of her hand in his offered a great deal of comfort to Madison and as she settled in beside him, he offered up stories of all of the sites they needed to see when they got there. It would have been an ideal vacation setting if Bucky hadn't ended each sentence with, 'if there is time'.

It seemed like Madison had just dozed off when Bucky was gently shaking her awake to warn her that they were landing. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Madison looked out the windows at the gorgeous surroundings that is Wakanda. Bucky's descriptions barely did it justice. There were cascading waterfalls that cast rainbows as the spray showered the surrounding rocks. Children of every age seemed to be running along the ground chasing after goats and chickens, laughing as they played. The forests were the greenest Madison had ever laid eyes on and their thick foliage swayed in the breeze. The city was just as beautiful as the surrounding countryside with its buildings that rose high and gleamed against the sun.

As they settled down onto the landing pad Bucky took Madison's hand and began to step forward slowly to where the ramp would lower to allow the ships inhabitants off. "T'Challa and Shuri are royalty, do we bow or anything," Madison asked, real concern at getting protocol right in her voice.

"Naw, they are like family to us now. No need for those kind of formalities," Bucky said as he pulled Madison forward.

"So do we bow or anything, since they are royalty," Bruce nervously asked Bucky as he stepped closer.

"Of course," Bucky answered, "it would be rude to do otherwise." His serious face made Madison do a double-take as one-by-one everyone began to step from the ship.

T'Challa and Shuri were among the first of the group to step forward to greet their new guests and as Bucky said, Bruce began to bow to the royals. "What are you doing," Bucky asked quietly before snickering at Bruce.

T'Challa and Shuri both chuckled to themselves. "Still pulling that on the newbies, brother," Shuri said as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around Bucky in greeting.

"You know I can't pass up a laugh every now and then, sister," Bucky said as he pulled back before laying a big kiss on Shuri's cheek.

T'Challa reached for the White Wolf's hand in greeting before pulling him into a hug. "It is good to have you back, brother. But why is it you always seem to have trouble chasing you whenever you visit us?"

T'Challa and Bucky had a complicated past, one that T'Challa easily forgave and moved past once he understood the truth behind the circumstances. Now, James Barnes was a welcomed and beloved adopted member of his family. So any problem of his was a problem of Wakanda's as well.

Steve stepped forward and offered the same greetings to T'Challa and Shuri as Bucky, thanking them for allowing them refuge as well as aid. As Steve and T'Challa turned to walk to the palace entrance, Shuri gave a squeal that surprised and stopped everyone in their tracks as she finally got a glimpse of Madison in person. "Oh my god brother, she is prettier in person." Shuri threw her arms around Madison, pulling her into a tight hug. This stunned Madison at first, but she quickly adapted and appreciated the warm welcome. Pulling back from the hug Shuri wrapped her arm around Madison's waist bumping Bucky to the side and began walking with her back to the palace. "So you must tell me everything. How did you two meet? Have you told each other you love one another yet? How much of his back story do you know? Has he made you his famous grilled cheese sandwiches yet? I taught him those you know." Shuri was spouting off questions and comments so fast Madison could barely get any word in response so she just laughed and listened. Bucky couldn't help the smile that covered his face as he followed closely behind the two women.

"Oh I've got to tell you about the time the children were caught putting Bucky's hair in pigtails one morning before he woke."

"Shuri," Bucky warned as he hurried to catch the two gossiping women.

"She is glad to have him back," T'Challa said as he smiled at Steve. "I have a feeling though our happy reunion will be short-lived however."

"That's what I'm afraid of as well," Steve agreed as he reached back to pull Natasha into the conversation. Walking and talking, the new arrivals were all ushered into the palace to be guided to their rooms for the next several days.

Shuri showed Bucky and Madison to their room on the fifth floor where the royal suits were before excusing herself saying she would be in her lab checking on Tony's progress. "Bucky knows how to find me if you'd like to join me once you are all settled in. I've got so many more stories to share with you when you're free." Having Shuri around was like having a little sister or a best girlfriend around. She was tons of fun and you just knew she had all the gossip.

Bucky sat on the edge of the bed patting the spot beside him as he waited for Madison to join him. He pulled her into his arms as she rested her head on his chest. "I'm scared Bucky," Madison admitted out loud.

"Me too," Bucky confessed, "but all we can do is our best and have faith in our abilities and our friends."

The day was dwindling away and everyone was on edge sitting in Shuri's lab as she continued feeding instructions to Tony, Strange and Peter as the ship began its entrance into Earth's atmosphere.

"Okay, Pete I need you to help me out here. Remember, this was made for one big guy, so we have to work together. Strange, if you've got any tricks in your bag, it would be greatly appreciated right about now."

Shuri's screen lit up with trajectory paths that seemed to be changing by the second as the ships orbit pitched and yawed with each slight adjustment the men on the ship made. "Oh my god, please let them be alright," Pepper begged as she rested her hands over her still flat stomach. Madison moved to her side as did Wanda, both ladies offering her support as she watched the footage of the ships rapid decent back to Earth.

"Alright, I want you to adjust your heading by twenty-five degrees north to try to offer up a softer landing." Shuri continued to change settings and give instructions.

"Aren't they still coming in too fast," Bruce said from his seat beside Shuri.

"Stark you are going to have to pull back on your controllers together. Think of it like pulling the reins of a horse to get it to stop." Shuri's commands were adamant but no amount of coaxing seemed to be slowing that ship down.

"They are going to make impact in moments and they are still too fast," Shuri confessed, not having anything else she could try. The controls of this ship were just too foreign for even her computers to resolve.

The feed from the ship continued to crackle and get worse as the heat from the atmosphere and the speed of their trajectory created friction. Soon the audio and video were out completely and the whole group stood in stunned silence sure that they had heard the last from the three men.

It seemed like time had passed swiftly when really only about five minutes had passed when a loud boom could be heard throughout the palace. The reverberation was so strong that even the security dome surrounding the city shook and shimmied.

Heads bowed as they all realized what the noise was. It was the ship crashing to Earth.

Tears filled the eyes of everyone as they began to think of what they had just lost. Peter was too young to be gone so soon. He had so much life ahead of him.

Dr. Strange, apparently he was not only a master of the mystical arts but he was also a fantastic healer that was able to do amazing things.

Then there was Tony. What could be said about the loss of Tony Stark? Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist didn't even scratch the surface of what he had become over the years since his self-declared definition. He was so much more than that now. He was selfless and honorable and a really good friend. He was also supposed to be a father, now that little boy or girl would grow up never knowing the amazing man that was their father.

Pepper's scream of horror as she realized she had just lost the one man who she had ever truly loved filled the room as Wanda and Madison supported her body as it crumpled to the ground. The devastated sobs wracked her body as she felt the pain of loss like needles to her soul.

No one knew what to say or do. Everyone was at a loss. That was until…

"Is this thing on," came a crackling faint voice over the speaker system.

"Hello? We have no idea where we are, but I'm pretty sure we are off course of wherever we were supposed to land."

"Mr. Stark," Shuri's shrill and surprised voice called out over the speaker.

"Yeah. Listen I think we've created the equivalent of the Grand Canyon out here with our landing…or should I say crash landing." Tony's voice filled the lab as one by one each Avenger's relief became evident.

"Is everyone alright?" T'Challa asked.

"Yeah. Strange saved our asses with some kinda force field as we landed. The ships in pieces but at least we all aren't. Can you arrange to come pick us up? I'm pretty sure I've reached my steps for the day on my pedometer."

Tony joking around was a welcomed sound as everyone, even Pepper started laughing to hear his voice and horrible jokes.

"Pepper," Tony called over the speaker. "Yes, I'm here. I'm here Tony can you hear me?" Pepper's voice held the desperation she felt at not being able to put her arms around Tony.

"I'm really gonna need that hot bath tonight. Do you think we could swing that?" Pepper's nervous and relieved laugh had her falling into a seat as she continued talking while Steve, Bucky and Sam all raced out of the lab towards the quinjet. Shuri forwarded them the signal from where the transmission was coming and they were quickly on their way for pick up.

It only took moments to reach the destination as they hadn't crash landed too far from the main city. Thankfully though they hadn't crashed into an inhabited area, so the damage really was all cosmetic. As the jet settled, you could see the three men walking out of the rubble. Peter seemed to be holding his arm and Strange had a nasty cut over his eyebrow, but aside from that they all seemed fairly well off.

"Cap," Tony said as he offered Steve his hand to shake. "Tony," Steve said in return as he pulled Tony in for a hug grateful to see his friend alive.

Bucky pulled Peter into a hug as well which shocked Peter. "Hi, Mr. Bucky, sir," he said as he awkwardly patted Bucky's back. "Kid, how many times do I gotta tell you, it's just Bucky?" Gently wrapping his arm around the young man's head, Bucky tugged Peter towards the jet to help him get settled. "Maddie was worried sick about you. She'll be thrilled you are alright."

Peter chuckled as he settled into one of the empty seats. His arm was the only thing that would need some tending too, but after that massive adventure it was nice to find some normalcy here on Earth.

After securing everyone in the jet, it rose into the air to travel back to the palace. Pepper was on the landing pad to meet the new arrivals, taking only seconds after the final landing to run into the arms of Tony. No one tried too hard to listen in as she peppered him with kiss after kiss and words of love and probably condemnation for being so reckless. Tony just smiled and kissed his love back, glad to be back in her arms.

With the day slowly dwindling into night and everyone exhausted from the excitement of the day, T'Challa said that they would also start bright and early tomorrow on discussing what to do about Vision's stone and how, if at all, they could remove it.

After a small meal that was still fit for a king, pun intended, the members made their way to their respective rooms.

Even with super soldier serum in their chemical makeup, both Maddie and Bucky were physically exhausted and ready for bed so after quick individual baths, they both climbed into the bed. Snuggling close together, for once it was Bucky that passed out like a light. But Madison just lay there in the dark of the room staring up at the night sky that shown through the skylight Bucky had un-tinted before going to bed. He had said he always loved sleeping under the stars and this was his old room when he lived here previously, so he knew all about the skylight.

It really was a beautiful sight to see as Madison watched a shooting star pass overhead. But as hard as she tried and as exhausted as her body physically was, her mind just wouldn't shut off and allow her to fall asleep.

After laying there for half an hour more she finally decided to get up and see if she could find the kitchen for perhaps a late night snack. Slipping out from under Bucky's grasp was more complicated than you would think. He was kind of like a child as he slipped two finger into the button holes of Madison night shirt thinking the tugging would wake him if she got up. With that resolved it was now a matter of how to get half of his body off of hers without waking him. In the end she resorted to a underhanded trick to get him to move willingly…she tickled him. Bucky Barnes was terribly ticklish and just the slightest scratching of his ribcage caused him to wiggle away from the intrusion enough that Madison could slip out of bed. Standing beside the bed Madison waited a moment to be sure Bucky didn't awaken before she tip-toed slowly out of the room.

Once in the hallway she was able to walk at a more normal pace. Not really knowing where she was going, she couldn't help the shriek she gave when Shuri came out of nowhere and surprised her. "You are as bad as my brother," she said as she crossed her arms shaking her head with a playful smile on her face. "Bucky used to sneak out of his room at night to get cookies from the kitchen when he couldn't sleep. Might I assume you are heading in the same direction?"

With a hand over her still rapidly beating heart, Madison stated that she was having trouble sleeping and thought she might find a snack to get her mind off of things.

"Right this way," Shuri said as she hooked her arm into Madison's and guided her down two flights of stairs towards the kitchen area. Madison grabbed a seat and watched as Shuri went straight for the proper cabinets to produce two glasses, a bag of cookies and a pitcher of milk.

"So, tell me what's causing your mind to fire on all cylinders when you should be sleeping," Shuri said as she opened a cookie in order to lick the creamy center.

It took Madison a moment of dunking her cookie in milk before she finally offered up what was bothering her to Shuri. "I'm afraid that Thanos is going to win once we do face off against him and if that happens then he could wipe out half of all living creatures."

Shuri stopped eating as she took in how truly worried Madison was. It wasn't that Shuri didn't take the Thanos threat seriously, it was just that she wouldn't allow herself to be pessimistic. In her mind they were doing everything right. They had a terrific chance of beating Thanos, she believed it so much that she wasn't making contingency plans for if they lost. But, as she sat there nibbling away on another cookie and really beginning to think about all that Madison had seen, she could understand why the negative was all Madison could focus on.

Madison came from a universe where Thanos had won and had come a second time to destroy the remaining life left behind. Including her own.

"What scares you most about the idea of Thanos winning? I mean what is it really that terrifies you, that is apparently even robbing you of your sleep?" Shuri's question rocked Madison as she hadn't allowed herself to really put that much direct thought into what scared her most. The idea of him winning period should have been enough, but Shuri was suggesting that there was more.

As Madison bowed her head, she felt her eyes fogging over with tears that stood on the brink of falling like rivers down her face as she made her confession. "If I die, what will happen to Bucky?" Shuri was not prepared for this coming from Madison. Ever since Shuri had first met Sargent James Buchanan Barnes the only thing she had ever thought about him, even in his lowest moments was how he was always so strong. The thought never occurred to Shuri until now that he might not deal well with the loss of Madison if that were to occur.

"What will I do if I lose him?" Madison wasn't just crying now, she was outright sobbing. "I came across time and universes to be with him. Somehow I found the love of my life and tomorrow or the next day I might very well lose him or him me." Madison's breathing was coming out in pants now as she tried to talk and sob at the same time. An outsider would say that Madison was having a panic attack, which she might very well be having, but Shuri had to find some way to help her calm down.

As Shuri wrapped her arms around Madison trying to comfort her she gave the only words of comfort she knew, "In my culture, death is only the beginning. It is a jumping off point to a land where there is no pain, only happiness and peace. If you were to go there, I believe Bucky will find a way to accept that you are in a better place. And if he were to go before you, I can only imagine that you will feel the same for him."

Madison's sobs were beginning to slow down and her breathing was coming back under control as she listened to Shuri's words. "When two people truly love one another, death cannot keep them apart. My people believe that the souls of true mates stay connected for an eternity. That even in our darkest hours we will feel comforted by their presence, we just have to be open to receive that gift."

The weight of the emotional baggage Madison had been feeling felt lighter after finally speaking aloud her fears. She still worried about it, but after listening to Shuri's words, Madison knew what she would do. After apologizing for having falling apart on her like that, Madison made her way back up to her room. Seeing Bucky still sound asleep, Madison grabbed her iPad and took it into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.