Elsewhere…
No One's P.O.V
A razor dragged down on the skin of Bruce Wayne as he shaved off the beard he had grown. Alfred sat at one of the tables with papers and a tablet. Dick sat at the corner of the plane with his earbuds in and mindlessly going through his phone.
"Anything on that kid from the liquor store?" Bruce asked as he rinsed off the razor.
"Possibly." Bruce rolled his eyes at the answer.
"Possibly. If I had a dollar for every "possibly"." Bruce scoffed as he grabbed the nearby hand towel to wipe his face.
"You would be even more insufferable. I'm sure if madam were here, she would agree." A slight smile grew on Bruce's face. He knew the old man was right. Melody would wholeheartedly agree with him. He missed hearing those two words come from her.
"Facial scan might have got a hit on him, our disappearing man. One Mr. Barry Allen from Central City. Might be another false positive, you'll have to give me a little time to confirm." Alfred continued. He pulled up the security footage from the liquor store.
"We don't have any more time." Bruce argued. He crossed his arms as he watched the screens in front of him.
"Master Wayne, you've been working as if there's no tomorrow to build this team of people you can't seem to find." Alfred countered.
"I found one. I found two, including Diana. Three if you count Mel." Bruce countered back.
Alfred sighed, "Just because Lex Luthor says the planet's in danger of attack?"
"This has nothing to do with Lex Luthor. Fighting against Doomsday opened my eyes. That monster took all four of us to take down. At his funeral, I was thinking of the world where Mel came from. Her world has a team of people that can be called upon if something as bad as Doomsday comes along. Her world has the Avengers. Our world," Bruce shook his head, "has no one. I don't know if what Lex Luthor said is true or not, but if it is…our world needs its own version of the Avengers."
"Very well. Let me see what I can do." Alfred gave in and began to go to work.
Bruce gave a triumphant grin before walking to the back of the plane. He sat down at the opposite side of Dick. Dick looked up from his phone and took out one earbud seeing who it was.
"How's school been?" Bruce asked as he crossed his legs.
Dick shrugged, "Okay I guess. It's school. It's boring. I'd rather be training or at the gymnastics center." He answered honestly.
"School doesn't last forever, Dick. I wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to grow up." Bruce said with an amused smile on his face.
"Hey dad?" Bruce's eye brows raised in attention, "When can I finally join you for one night?" Bruce immediately frowned.
"We've been over this. You're too young. Dick, I don't want you to know what I face out there as Batman just yet. I know you want to help but I don't know what I would do if you got hurt. I hated it enough whenever I would see your mother get hurt while helping me. I don't want to imagine if it was you." Dick's eyes narrowed hearing that word again.
"I keep telling you she's not my mother. I don't see her here on this plane right now. I just don't get how you can believe she's actually coming back. She's gone, dad, and she's never coming back. Just like her." Dick said the last sentence softly and voice filled with hurt.
Bruce's gaze softened as he stared at his son. He knew he was referring to Mary Grayson. Mary had raised Dick as a single mother. John Grayson, Dick's biological father had died in a fatal car accident when the boy was just a toddler. Mary was all he had left and now she was taken away from Dick by the man that killed her.
Elsewhere…
Melody's P.O.V
I sat on the park bench as I kept a watchful eye on Morgan. It was finally the weekend and Pepper got called into work for an emergency board meeting.
The events of last night still replayed through my head. I was unbelievably angry at Wanda or Scarlet Witch. Whatever the hell she was calling herself now.
I was broken out of my thoughts hearing Morgan's crying. My eyes found Morgan sitting on the sand just above the monkey bars. I got up and hurried over to her.
"Hey, what happened?" I asked as I knelt down in the sand next to her.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes. Her right hand was gingerly holding left arm.
"I missed the bar and fell. I hurt my arm really badly." She said through rapid breaths.
"Let me see." She held out her left arm to me.
I gently wiped away the sand on her arm and gently pressed in different areas of the arm. I was looking where a possible break or fracture could have happened.
"Is it broken?" She whimpered.
"I don't think so. If it was broken, this would hurt." I moved her forearm and the six year old didn't even flinch. I reached my hand up and wiped away her tears with my fingers.
"You just had a bad fall, squirt. When we fall down, we just need to pick ourselves back up." I told her. I ran my fingers through her brown hair and tucked it behind her ear.
"Really?" I nodded my head.
"How many bad falls do you think I've had?" I questioned her.
"A lot."
"A lot and many of them were more than just a bad fall. A bad guy can knock down a hero as many times as they'd like but, at the end of the day. The hero always gets back up." I told her with a small smile.
"Aunt Mel, do you think I could be a hero like you and daddy someday?" I gave a slight nod.
"There's many different types of heroes out there. More than just me and the other Avengers. Doctors, nurses, firefighters, policemen, and more. They're heroes in their own ways. You can grow up to be anyone you want to be, Morgan." I stood up and held out my hand.
"Come on, let's get you some lunch." Morgan pushed my hand away.
"I can do it, Aunt Mel." I gave a proud smile as Morgan stood up on her own.
"Proud of you, squirt. Now, what sounds good for lunch?" I asked her and held out my hand for her to take.
She let a missing tooth grin, "Cheeseburgers." I chuckled as she put her hand in mine.
"I like the way you think, Morgan Stark." Morgan giggled hearing my playful tone. She clung to my arm with her other hand as we walked.
"Morgan, you are making a mess on yourself." I said with a slight chuckle. I picked up a napkin and wiped away the ketchup on her face. The six year old found it funny and laughed with her mouth closed.
A knocking at the door could suddenly be heard from the kitchen of the cabin. I finished wiping Morgan's face and stood up.
"Try having some ketchup go in your mouth instead of on your face." I said with a teasing grin. I stood up from the dining table and walked over to the front door.
I opened the front door and froze seeing Stephen on the other side of the screen door.
"Well this is unexpected." I muttered.
"Can we talk?" Stephen asked. I looked over my shoulder to see Morgan eating her cheeseburger while watching a video on my phone.
"Yeah, outside though." Stephen nodded and backed up as I opened the screen door.
"Is America okay?" I asked first.
Stephen put his hands up, "She's fine. Wanda failed." My gaze hardened hearing her name.
"Good." I spoke bitterly. Stephen gave a look of remorse and gave a sigh.
"Mel, Wanda's gone." I immediately frowned.
"Gone as in…" I trailed off.
"Dead. She's dead, Mel." I was completely taken aback by this.
"What? How?" Stephen grimaced.
"Wanda got what she wanted. She was able to go to a different universe and tried to take away the other hers children. I think she had a rude awakening. The boys were terrified of her and even threw things at her. They defended the alternate version of Wanda. The Wanda we knew was able to come back from the Scarlet Witch's control. She destroyed anything having to relate to the Darkhold in every universe. So another version of her wouldn't be tempted to do the same as her. She didn't die as the Scarlet Witch. She died as Wanda Maximoff." I took a seat in the chair on the porch.
I leaned my elbow on the arm of the chair and covered my mouth with my hand in thought. Stephen took a seat in the other chair in front of me.
"She used a spell to visit me last night, you know?" I muttered against my hand.
I lifted my head up and stared at Stephen. He remained quiet, "She tried to manipulate me again. This time it almost worked. She found a universe with another me in it. I was with Bruce and we had a kid. She tried to tell me I could replace the other me. I couldn't do it. That alternate world version of me would be in the same predicament that I am in right now. I guess that just shows how blind Wanda really was. She never once thought about the other version of her." I said quietly.
"There's something else you should know, Mel." I let out a sigh.
"What? More bad news? I guessed with a monotone voice.
Stephen chuckled, "No. This is good news. America did it. She can open portals now at will." My brows slowly lifted up in shock.
"What?" I said just above a whisper.
Stephen grinned, "You can go back to him, Mel." I couldn't believe it. It was finally happening. I could see Bruce again.
A grin formed on my face as I leaned against the back of the chair. I shook my head in disbelief as a chuckle passed my lips.
"Okay, so…how does this work then?" I asked with uncertainty.
"America can start looking for it but she doesn't know what that universe looks like. She'll need your help to find it." I nodded.
"I can do that." My ears suddenly picked up the sound of Morgan giggling.
I froze slightly and looked in the direction of the door. My heart was torn right now. I wanted to be with Bruce but I was also going to miss Morgan.
"You can say goodbye before we start." Stephen said as he read the look on my face.
I swallowed hard and nodded, "Yeah. Pepper should be home in a few hours. I'll meet you and America back at Avengers HQ." I said as I stood up.
Stephen nodded and stood up, "You knew this wasn't going to be easy. Leaving here again that is." I nodded numbly.
"I know." I muttered.
"Okay…wow. It's actually happening then." Pepper said in slight shock.
I nodded with a tight lip frown, "America can willingly open portals now. She just needs my help finding that specific universe." I stated.
Pepper had gotten home from the meeting just under a half hour ago. We were sitting on the porch while Morgan played on the front lawn of the cabin. My gaze turned to Morgan and I could feel the guilt eat away at me.
"I knew it was going to be hard to leave here again but, this is gut wrenching. I want to see Bruce again and I want to be with him again more than anything. I just feel guilty that I'll suddenly just be out of Morgan's life." Pepper gave a comforting smile. She reached over and put a hand on my shoulder.
"She'll be fine, Mel. Besides, it's not like you can never come back. I'm sure America would be able to help you visit on special days. Maybe we can set something up like every year on her birthday you come over here for a day? Or an occasional Christmas." I let out a small smile.
"Mel, you have a right to be happy. Every time you have told me anything relating to Bruce, you're almost glowing. I know Morgan makes you happy too but he's different. He's the love of your life and he's waiting for you to make good on your promise. There is one thing that I know for certain about you, Mel. You've never broken a promise. Don't start now." I let out a ragged sigh and nodded.
"Now, go say goodbye to your goddaughter. Don't worry about explaining anything to her. I'll handle that after you leave. It'll be easier on you both." I looked over at Morgan.
I took a deep breath before standing up. I walked off the porch and down to the grass.
"Hey squirt. Come here real quick. I have to get going." I said as I kneeled down.
"Okay!" She set down her toys and ran over to me. I opened my arms as she ran into them.
I clung to her tightly. I placed a hand behind her head and kissed the side of her head.
"I love you, squirt." I said quietly as I rubbed her back.
"I love you 3000." I couldn't help but grin hearing her catchphrase. She coined the term anyway.
I pulled back from the hug and my hand framed her face as I tucked a hair behind her ear.
"Be good for your mom while I'm gone, okay?" Morgan gave me a missing tooth grin and nodded.
"I will, Aunt Mel." I gave her one last kiss on the forehead before standing back up. I waved to Pepper and she returned it. She had a sad smile on her face. I walked over to my car and opened the driver side door.
I gave one last look to Morgan. She saw me and waved her hand at me. I chuckled and waved back at her. This little girl has no idea just how much she means to me.
"So you're just going to punch a bunch of portals in until I see the one we're looking for?" I clarified.
Myself, Stephen, America, and Wong stood on the grass lawn of Avengers HQ. I had a bag over my shoulder with little things that I wanted to take with me. Mainly photos and other little memorabilia. I had already told Sam, Bucky, and Banner that I was leaving. They were sad to see me go but they all understood.
I had told America, Pepper's idea to come back to visit so often a year. I told her she didn't have to but America insisted that it was okay.
"Yup, that's pretty much it. Ready?" I nodded. America took a deep breath and put right fist into her left hand.
She reeled back her fist and punched forward. A star shaped portal opened up. I raised an eyebrow as I stared at it. Nothing seemed familiar. I shook my head.
"Nope." America nodded and closed the portal.
"Okay, let's try another one." She punched her fist forward again.
"Uh…why does that universe have paint everywhere?" I asked with a tilt of my head.
"Oops. Wrong one. Hang on." She closed the portal and opened a new one.
I scrunched up my face as I looked at the city buildings. I wasn't seeing anything that stood out to me. My eyes searched for anything in the city. My eyes then landed on a tall building that I had gone to for years. Wayne Enterprises.
"That's it." I whispered in almost disbelief.
America grinned, "Hey, not bad. Third time's the charm. I'm getting better at this." She said proudly.
"Don't get too cocky, kid." Stephen warned. He walked up to me. Magic circles formed in his hand as he conjured something from it. He held out the little black device to me.
"What's this?" I asked.
"It's something that can communicate with America. This is powered by magic so it should be able to work even across the multiverse. All you have to do is press this and it will alert the one America has. She'll know that you need a portal back." Stephen explained.
I smiled and tucked the device into my pocket, "Thank you. Both of you." America grinned.
"Hey, you saved my life the other day. In my book that means we're friends. This is the least I can do." She stated.
"Good luck with your training at the Kamar-Taj. I think you'll make a great sorcerer someday."
"We'll see." Stephen said with a teasing smirk. America rolled her eyes at him.
I adjusted the strap of my bag on my shoulder. I took a deep breath as I stared at the portal.
"Here goes." I muttered and took a step through the portal. I walked through into an alleyway of Gotham. I stopped, turned around and gave a wave to them. They waved back before America closed the portal. I looked back at Gotham's city line. The sun was still high in the sky with several clouds surrounding it.
"I'm back, Gotham." I muttered and walked out of the alleyway.
She's back! This is a pretty short chapter so I may release the next one later today.