A/N: Sorry for all the delays. Other responsibilities slowed me down. I hope you enjoy! I tried to put some subtle hints about what could be going on, but I'm trying to maintain as much mystery and suspense as possible. Buckle up and enjoy the ride, friends!

Trigger warning for violence towards minors and the elderly.

Complete Disaster

Tony is fine. He is completely fine. He has everything under control. He isn't freaking out at all.

That's a lie.

He is one-hundred percent, without a doubt, completely freaking out.

"Tones… you need to pull it together, man," Rhodes' voice said, barely audible over the pounding of Tony's heart. "Peter and Steve need you to stay calm. Focus!"

It was the commanding tone of his best friend's voice that snapped Tony back into the present.

"Focus, he says!" Tony threw his hands in the air in exasperation, pacing back and forth. "There is a god damn crazy woman demanding items that do not exist, Honey Bear! What the hell is there to focus on? This is complete and utter horse shit! It's a disaster! Nothing makes sense! It was just supposed to be an innocent field trip, and now my kid is being held hostage with his friends while nestled amidst Avengers memorabilia!" He pulled anxiously at his hair. "How did this become my life?!"

"Stark, You gotta settle yourself," Sam Wilson interjected. "Rhodes is right. Freaking out isn't going to help anything. We need to focus on a solution."

The Avengers, who had previously been with the council, were now in a smaller conference room. The woman, whose name was apparently Ms. Roman, insisted they take a moment while the council discussed the situation. Tony could only hope that they would come to their senses and let them do something about the shit show that was unfolding upstate.

Sam, Rhodes, and Banner were all strategically placed around Tony, practically acting as the cage to keep the tiger from busting out of his cage and mauling people to death.

It was Tony. Tony was the tiger in this analogy. He was fiercely protective of his kids, and they needed to make sure he didn't do something rash. (Mainly, they couldn't let him rip Ross to shreds. At least not in public. Far too many witnesses).

Scott, Wanda, and Bucky were standing closer to the door, keeping their eyes and ears open for anyone that might join them in the room. At this point, they were all standing since they were far too on edge to sit down.

Bucky was leaning against the wall and frowning, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I don't get it. Stark's right. This doesn't make sense."

All eyes suddenly turned to the former Winter Soldier, clearly stunned that he was agreeing with Tony Stark.

"Does that even matter right now?" Scott asked in confusion. "Does it need to make sense? Isn't the real problem that she has dozens of people held hostage… many of whom are children, by the way."

Tony growled in anxious frustration. "Thanks for the newsflash, pissant! We forgot about that part!"

"Tony!" Banner scolded, stopping the man from going into another fit. He looked at Scott. "Of course the problem is that she has so many hostages. But if we are going to find a solution, we need to understand her motive."

Rhodes frowned. "What the hell does Grace Valentine want with the Infinity Stones?"

"What Infinity Stones?!" Tony cut in, sounding nearly hysterical. "They don't exist anymore!"

His best friend raised a placating hand. "We all know that, Tony. And yet… that is what she is asking for. We need to understand why! What could she possibly want with them?"

"Power," Wanda suggested with a shrug. "Isn't that what she wanted with her technology? Fame and fortune?"

Banner shook his head. "It has to be more than that. She wouldn't go through all of this trouble in hopes of fame and fortune. Taking kids hostage doesn't exactly help with a person's popularity rating."

Sam nodded in agreement. "Bruce has a point. She must know this story will hit the news, and it won't exactly help her gain the approval of the public."

"Maybe that's why she thinks she needs the stones," Bucky suggested. "She needs the power to make the public fall in line."

"No!" Tony shouted. "No, no, no, no, NO! This isn't about power or fame, but it might be about control."

"Isn't that the same thing as power?" Scott asked in confusion.

"But maybe it's mind control!" Tony elaborated.

Bucky visibly paled. "Excuse me?"

Realization dawned on Bruce's green face. "Of course! Her technology was meant to erase memories!"

"Is that even possible?" Wanda asked.

"I read the reports. The science was there, and it was bad news, to say the least." Tony explained.

Rhodes nodded. "She was trying to market it as self-help technology. An app that people could download… a way for them to forget all the painful memories."

"To forget what they lost," Bruce added. "It's hard to mourn someone if you can't remember them. Hard to mourn a life before that first snap if you can't remember how much better things were."

Sam shook his head. "It got pretty bad when the rest of us were dusted, huh?"

Tony scoffed. "That is the biggest understatement of the century." He swallowed past the lump that was forming in his throat and continued. "Hell, we were no better. We lost… and we didn't handle it well. We were so caught up in our own sorrows, that we didn't even realize what that woman was trying to do until it was nearly too late."

"If they hadn't come to my company for an endorsement, we may not have been able to stop it!" Tony said.

Bucky shook his head. "Erasing the memories doesn't make the pain go away. It's a whole new level of grief. You know something is missing because there is this huge hole left behind. It just leads to an even deeper level of grief!" He looked up at the others. "I'm glad we stopped it! That can't happen! Whatever her end goal is, we need to be damn sure that ain't it!"

The room went quiet for a moment, all of them quite aware that Bucky understood the pain of having memories erased better than anyone else. Of course, Hydra's methods weren't entirely successful… but having your brain tampered with is not in anyone's best interest.

Tony sighed. "But she insisted it's not about the tech," he said, trying to work out her motives.

"She wants the truth," Sam added.

"So, maybe it's a smear campaign?" Scott suggested. "Get the people to see the Avengers as a bunch of liars!"

"Well, we haven't been entirely honest," Wanda admitted. "Information like that could turn the people against us."

"So what?" Rhodes asked, trying to work it all out. "If she can't control what people are thinking with her tech, she pulls off this stunt in an attempt to make us look bad? She thinks she can get the stones and prove we lied?" He shook his head. "I don't know… I find it hard to believe that she wouldn't plan to try using them."

"Uh… maybe we just need to tell her that she would kill herself if she tried," Scott suggested. "Maybe then she'll be willing to negotiate for something else in exchange for the hostages?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "Tried what, Lang?! There are no stones to use or try!"

"Obviously," Scott said, defensively. "Which is why we try to distract her with something else!"

"Like what?!" Tony shouted. "Seriously, what the hell else do we have to offer this woman? She's convinced we're hiding the stones. We need to convince her that we don't have them!"

The room fell silent. They were back at square one. They had absolutely nothing.

Before another word could be spoken, Bucky cocked his head towards the door as if to listen. Without saying a word, he lifted his eyes to the others and gave them a look to clearly indicate that someone was coming.

Before long, the door opened and Ross stepped inside with Roman.

"Please tell me you have good news," Tony said, clearly hoping for permission to act.

Ross pursed his lips and glared, shooting a glance to Roman. The councilwoman sighed, raising a hand to the table in the room. "Why don't we all have a seat?" she suggested.

The Avengers looked at each other.

"I think we prefer to stand, mam," Rhodes told her.

She shrugged. "Suit yourselves." She moved to lean against the table, looking burdened and weary.

Ross stayed uncharacteristically quiet, keeping his eyes on Roman.

There was clearly an agreement that she would do the talking, and it looked like the man was anxious for her to begin.

"The Security Council understands why the Avengers have concerns in this situation." She took a moment to look at the heroes in the room. "However, we still see this as a matter for the police at this time."

Just when it looked like Tony wanted to protest, she lifted up a hand to silence him. "UNLESS… you can give us some reason to indicate that you would be the most qualified individuals to handle this."

"Who could be more qualified to kick criminals out of the Avengers museum than the Avengers themselves?" Tony asked, sounding more than a little annoyed.

"People who aren't lying, that's who!" Ross spoke up, clearly unable to remain quiet a moment longer.

Roman shot him a reproving look.

Tony had taken the call from Valentine in the main room. The entire Council knew Valentine wanted the Infinity Stones. If Ross' outburst was any indication, some members believed they might still have them.

"Hold on a minute," Sam said. "Don't tell me you believe that Valentine woman!"

Ross and Roman shared a look.

"It would be helpful to hear your side of things," Roman said. "Is there any reason why the Avengers would still have the Infinity Stones?"

"You're joking, right?" Tony demanded.

Ross lifted his eyes towards Bruce, giving the man a look of disgust. "It wouldn't be the first time that the Avengers chose to keep dangerous things around."

"Tell us again, Mr. Stark. What happened to the stones," Roman insisted, cutting in before Ross could say anything else that might start an unproductive argument.

Tony shook his head. "I don't believe this. We're wasting our time!"

Bruce took a step forward. "After acquiring the stones, Tony created a gauntlet so that we could control them ourselves." Bruce motioned towards his own damaged arm. "I used the gauntlet to bring back everyone to the present. I was fortunate that only my arm was damaged."

Ross made a sound under his breath, not bothering to hide that he wished more damage had been done.

"And then?" Roman prompted.

"And then… Thanos realized what was happening and returned for round two, intending to kick our asses and finish us all for good!" Scott answered, earning a warning look from Rhodes.

"And then…" Rhodes amended. "We fought Thanos upon his return. The new gauntlet got passed around as we kept it out of his hands. Danvers joined the fight. As the only one strong enough to wield the stones again, she used the gauntlet to finish off Thanos and his army for good."

"And the stones? What happened after she used them?" Ross insisted.

This is where they had to be careful. This was the lie.

"The stones are like needing a diamond to scratch another diamond. Only the stones were strong enough to destroy one another. The power of the stones was used to destroy them for good. They no longer exist," Banner explained. He just left out the part where 2018 Thanos was the one to actually destroy the stones in this manner.

"So Danvers destroyed them when she snapped?" Ross asked, eyeing them in suspicion.

Well shit. Here is where they really had to sell the lie.

Tony took a breath and stepped forward, looking Ross in the eyes. "Danvers snapped her fingers and then the stones were gone. That's it. The. Stones. Are. Gone."

Once again, they were keeping the lie as close to the truth as possible. The stones were gone after Carol snapped. They were just returned by Steve to the time and place from whence they came.

Ross frowned, looking doubtful.

"So, they're gone," Roman stated, as if confirming the inevitable truth. "Therefore, there is nothing for the Avengers to use in negotiations with this woman. We will leave this matter to the authorities." Roman pushed herself off the table and took a step towards the door, as if the matter was settled.

The Avengers looked at one another in surprise. Tony was clearly getting ready to lose his shit again.

Rhodes once again spoke before his friend made things worse. "Excuse me, but I think that is precisely why we are needed. There is nothing that the authorities can offer to Valentine. She wants to negotiate with us! We are the ones equipped to negotiate an impossible situation like this."

Ross scoffed. "Is that right?"

"Colonel Rhodes, I didn't say you would have zero involvement." She gave them a look. "You just won't take the lead in this situation, and you will not make any moves without express permission from the lead investigators. Since you have confirmed once more that the stones are gone, you will let the authorities take action. You can return to your Tower, where we will ask the police or the FBI to meet with you and guide you through any more phone calls with Grace Valentine."

"So, we aren't allowed to assist upstate at all?" Tony complained.

"Are you deaf, Stark?" Ross spat. "You can help, but only from a distance."

"You are obviously involved, Mr. Stark, so we can't ask the Avengers to completely stand back." Roman took a deep breath. "Think of yourselves as parents whose children have been kidnapped. The parents don't go storming into a location with guns blazing. They trust the authorities to work with them and bring the children home safely."

"But I am the only one I trust to bring my kid home safely! You aren't making any sense to me right now!" Tony argued.

Ross frowned. "All the more reason to keep your distance. You're too close to this." He eyed him carefully. "Just who is this kid to you, anyway?"

"None of your damn business!" Tony snapped.

"Enough!" Roman said. "You men are ridiculous! Let's focus on ending this situation and then you gentlemen can work out your issues another time!"

She turned to Tony, offering him a sympathetic look. Tony couldn't help but to once again feel like she reminded him of someone else. "I realize this is stressful for you, Mr. Stark. You aren't a prisoner here. Go home with your friends. Work with the proper authorities and only use your resources to assist with their permission. We can always reevaluate the need for the involvement of this team as things continue to unfold. For now, it's better not to let this escalate into a dangerous fight."

Tony wanted to argue, but he knew it wouldn't get them anywhere. From the Tower, he could discreetly use FRIDAY and perhaps his new EDITH tech to do something. Anything was better than staying here and arguing with the Security Council any further.

He sighed, "Fine. We'll agree to those terms. For now."

She nodded. "That's all we're asking."

"We'll be watching you all," Ross added. "Choose your actions wisely. It'd be a real shame to impact the official vote by doing something foolish."

With that, Ross and Roman left, presumably to rejoin their peers.

"What are we waiting for?" Bucky demanded. "Let's get out of this joint. We have friends that need saving, and we can't do it from here."

Steve attempted to stretch his weary muscles. Having his hands and feet secured while sitting on a hard surface was not at all easy on his older body, not even the remnants of the serum could spare him from the muscle aches and discomfort from the lack of circulation.

He sighed, glancing at the young man next to him. Fortunately, Peter had managed to settle. The kid was simply sitting quietly now, looking around the room and attempting to locate his friends and make sure they were alright.

Guilt pooled in Steve's gut. He felt like he somehow should've stopped this. He should've realized that there were people who didn't belong there. He was a trained soldier. He was supposed to have better observational skills.

When he returned to his friends in 2023, he thought he could help them in new ways. Especially Tony… he wanted to be a better friend to the man. He wanted to be sure that they had fully made amends. Looking out for Peter was the least that Steve could do, and he felt like he was completely failing that task.

The uniform and shield that were encased behind his back just added insult to injury. It was a horrible reminder that he left that part of himself behind when he chose to stay in the branch reality and make a life with Peggy. It wasn't that he regretted that choice. He just regretted the part where it left him feeling like a useless old man… especially in situations like this. He was supposed to stand up for people in danger, not watch them get hurt and traumatized.

"Hey, Steve," Peter whispered quietly, breaking the older man from his thoughts. "How much time is left?"

"Not sure," he confessed. Without a watch or a clock visible, he couldn't be sure how much time was left of the hour Grace Valentine gave to Tony. "I don't think it's been as long as you think."

"This is killing me. I just… I hate that I can't do anything," Peter told him.

"I get it, son. I really do, but we have to trust the team."

Peter nodded, but said nothing else. Steve studied him for a moment. "Your head," Steve whispered.

The teenager frowned. "What about it?"

"It's healing," Steve said, feeling nervous. It's not that he wanted Peter to be hurt, but the wound was clearly looking much better than it should. The skin was knitting itself back together and the bruising was already showing some green, a color that typically appears days into the healing process.

"Shit," Peter cursed, sending the older man an apologetic look. Steve wasn't sure if it was for the use of the language or if Peter felt guilty about his healing factor potentially giving them away.

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment. The young man then set his jaw and took a deep breath, lifting his bound hands up to his head. Steve winced in sympathy as Peter used his fingers to pull at the head wound, allowing fresh blood to flow. Once finished, Peter released a shuddering breath and lowered his hands to wipe the blood onto his jeans.

"You good, Queens?" Steve asked gently, knowing that couldn't have been an easy thing for the kid to do. It looked pretty painful.

Peter just took some breaths and gave another slight nod. "It's a much better option than letting them know that I'm enhanced," he said quietly.

This time Steve nodded. While it had to hurt, it was a smart move. Peter had also managed to smear the fresh blood over the healing bruise. He doubted they would notice the color, at least for now.

Steve looked ahead, noticing that Peter's best friend was sending a worried look over in their direction. The teacher and bully were distracted, clearly trying to look around at some of the other students, but the girl was looking in their direction as well. The way she looked at Peter made Steve wonder if she knew more about the kid than she let on.

Steve thought about starting up a conversation with Peter about that as a way to pass some more time, but he didn't get the chance. He saw that Grace Valentine and her cronies were making their way back over to them. Had it already been an hour?

"Hello, boys. How are we doing over here?" Grace asked, feigning politeness.

Steve decided to answer before the kid's mouth had a chance to get the better of him. "We're just waiting for whatever comes next, mam."

The woman pushed her dark hair out of her face and rolled her eyes. "Ugh… mam… please, spare me the false pleasantries."

"Why? Because you're doing such a good job of avoiding false pleasantries?" Peter scoffed.

Steve shot Peter a look, instantly wishing the kid had kept his mouth shut. Valentine didn't seem to have any patience for a smart-mouthed teenager. To Peter's credit, he also looked instantly regretful, as if he hadn't actually meant to say it out loud.

Grace was giving the kid a reproachful look. "Um… my bad. It's a teenager thing. My filter is unreliable. Sarcasm is my default setting. Uh… I'm sorry."

She seemed to study the boy for a moment and then smiled. "An apology. Good. I'd hate for you to break your promise to be good so soon, Peter."

Steve watched as the boy swallowed nervously, sending a subtle glance over to his friends before returning his eyes to the woman. "I'll be good. Sorry."

She shrugged. "You're forgiven… this time." She smiled. "Besides, I'm feeling generous at the moment." She turned her attention to Steve. "Stark and his friends have kept their distance. The police are staying back and don't seem to have any plans to approach the building at the moment. It gives me some hope that Iron Man can follow orders. He has 20 more minutes, so let's hope he's getting me my stones."

She turned her attention to a wall across the room. There was a display of sorts on that wall, showing the six infinity stones. Grace Valentine read the names aloud longingly, "Space, Reality, Power, Mind, Soul, and Time. Things that powerful shouldn't be hidden away by the Avengers, and soon… they'll be mine."

Steve shook his head without really thinking about the action. Grace noticed.

"You disagree, old timer?" She asked, expecting an answer.

Steve cleared his throat, feeling nervous. "I agree that they are powerful. I just don't believe they're hidden. I have no reason to believe that they still exist. I'm afraid you will be disappointed."

Grace frowned. "Well… you should definitely be afraid if I am disappointed. You all should be."

She turned to study the room for a moment. She looked at the stocky man who took Steve's phone. "Who should it be, Erik? Who dies first?" Grace asked him.

Steve heard Peter's sharp intake of breath in response to her question. The stocky man, Erik, smiled cruelly. "Oh, I think you should definitely take out one of the kids first. That should send a pretty strong message."

Grace laughed as if the man had just told a hilarious joke instead of suggesting something horrifying. "Oh… I do love the way you think." Her eyes landed on Peter once again. Steve hated the way she looked at the kid. It was so predatory. Dangerous. Like she wanted to devour the kid.

Steve fought to keep his composure as the evil woman knelt down in front of Peter. She lifted her hand to push Peter's hair out of his face. Steve felt his blood pressure go up. Whatever was about to happen, it was definitely not going to be something Peter would like.

"Petey, you've been trying to be such a good boy." She was stroking Peter's hair now, as if she was stroking a pet. She gave him a sick smile. "As a reward, I think I should let you choose. Which of your friends should die first?"

Steve felt his heart skip multiple beats. Not good. Not good at all. That can't happen. She can't make Peter pick. If something happens to one of his friends, Peter would never forgive himself… especially if he was forced to choose.

He saw the tears threatening to fall from the kid's eyes as soon as Grace asked the question, but Peter fought to keep his composure. "I… uh… I… please, I c-can't choose."

Grace stopped stroking Peter's hair, and she instead grabbed a handful in her fist and pulled so that Peter was looking into her face. Her eyes were cold. Serious and deadly. "You promised to be good, Petey. I told you to choose. I won't tell you again. If you don't choose one, then I will kill two. Understand?"

Peter was shaking now, sending a sideways glance over to Steve.

He was Captain America. He needed to do something. Peter was literally looking to him for some kind of help. He took a breath, wanting to stop this before it went any further. "He picks me," Steve told her.

Peter's eyes went impossibly wide and his mouth dropped open in shock as he was clearly getting ready to protest.

Grace just burst out laughing. It was a manic sound, something similar to a witch cackling in a Halloween movie. "You?!" She laughed again. "You already have one foot in the grave? What fun is it to kill you?!" She and her gang all started laughing again.

Erik chuckled cruelly. "Sorry, Katniss," he taunted Steve. "You don't get to volunteer as tribute in this game."

Grace laughed some more, wiping tears from her eyes due to laughing so hard. She really was nuts!

"I mean it!" Steve tried again. "I'm Tony's friend. It will send the message you want… loud and clear." "It will piss them off enough to get their asses here to kill you faster," he thought to himself. He wasn't afraid to die. He lived more years than any man had a right to live. He wanted nothing more than to spare Peter and his friends the pain. He could at least protect them by taking this bullet.

"NO!" Peter protested. "Please… Mr. Stark will get you what you want!" This time Peter couldn't keep the tears at bay. They slid down his cheeks freely. "No one has to die today! Please!"

"Aw!" Grace was putting her fingers through Peter's hair again. "You are so adorable when you beg, Peter."

Steve's blood boiled. Peter didn't deserve to be taunted like this. He was a good kid. A strong kid. Strong enough to hide his real strength in an attempt to keep secrets. He was willing to sacrifice so much for the people he cared about.

In an instant, Steve's boiling blood turned to ice. Willing to sacrifice. Being forced to choose. "Oh, please no," Steve thought.

"You want me to choose?" Peter asked her.

Grace lifted an eyebrow at him in curiosity. "You know I do," she confirmed.

"Peter…" Steve warned, desperately trying to stop what he knew was coming.

Peter swallowed his tears, and Steve saw the precise moment when the kid switched into hero mode. "Then I'll choose… I choose me. If you want me to choose so badly, then you'll need to kill me first."

"Shit!" Steve cursed internally. If Grace Valentine didn't kill Steve, then Tony Stark surely would.

Because Steve Rogers had just allowed Peter Parker to offer up himself as the sacrificial lamb.

Damn it!

Somehow things just always seemed to go from bad to complete disaster.

A/N: I really like writing cliffhangers. Sorry!

I'll do my best to get the next chapter out soon.

Do you think she will hurt Peter or Steve?

Will the Avengers arrive in time? Or will someone else be put at risk?

What does Valentine really want with the Infinity Stones?

Stay tuned if you want to find out :)