Eva drove all the way up to the compound's central building, grabbing the tray of drinks from the box mounted on her bike and jogging inside as the security system scanned her retinas and let her in automatically. "Java for the Avengers," she yelled, headed for the rec room. She could hear the sound of arguing coming from it – lots of voices, all sounding tense and scared. She wondered if it had anything to do with what had happened in Brooklyn.

Rhodey held the door for her as she slipped inside. "Thanks, Kresk," he said. "We need it."

"Sam!" she exclaimed, setting the tray down on a table as soon as she saw her ex, who was fully suited up and looked a little the worse for wear. She ran over and hugged him, all the carbon fiber armor digging uncomfortably into her ribs. "I'm glad you're still okay."

"Me too," he said. "This isn't awkward, is it?"

"Only a little bit." She let go of him and saw Rogers and Natasha stood there, too. "You changed your looks," she said, taking in the beard and the blonde hair. "They don't suit you."

"Thanks," the spy said drily.

"I remember you," she heard a voice behind her say, and turned around. A man she just about recognized as Bruce Banner flashed her a small smile. "You're the coffee girl."

"Anything decaf," she nodded. "Thought you were MIA, doctor. Where'd you go? Everyone was dead worried."

"I, uh… space. I'm not sure if you want me to explain any more than that, but –"

"I don't," Eva said hastily. "What the hell's going on? Y'all were spread pretty far and wide, the last I checked."

"Nothing you need to worry about," said a weak, familiar voice from a shadowy corner her eyes had slid right over.

"Vision?" She darted over to her best friend, who was slumped against a wall with his arm pressed over his midriff and Wanda at his side, holding him up. "Oh, my God. What happened?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me." She pulled his arm away and saw some dark, sticky substance leaking out from him. "Shit, V. You're hurt."

"Tell her," Wanda said sharply. "And then you can tell her what you're planning on doing, too."

"What?" Eva asked, panic settling into her chest like hot ice. "What is it?"

"We had some visitors," Vision said, not quite looking at her. "Trying to retrieve the mind stone. If they get it, and its sisters, then their master has infinite power."

"But – but they didn't get it," Eva replied. "So it's fine, right? It's okay? You stopped 'em?"

"They'll come back," Rogers said. "We're headed to Wakanda now. We can't let them get to Vision while the mind stone is still in his head. There's someone there who can help us, hopefully, get it out of him and destroy it."

"If there's time," Vision said, so quietly Eva almost did not hear him. "If not –"

"Shut up," Wanda snapped. "We've talked about this. That's not even an option."

"It may become our only option," Vision said. "I just… I just want you to be prepared." His eyes shifted to Eva, at last. "All of you."

The panic behind her sternum turned to a dark, treacle-ish dread. "You're not dying," Eva said, clenching her fists. "You're not." She turned to the others, walked up to Rogers and glared at him. "You're in charge. Don't let him die," she said. "Keep him safe, you hear me?"

"We will," he assured her.

"Promise." She held out her hand, pinky finger extended.

Steve smiled. "I promise," he said, wrapping his own finger around hers.

"Good." She let go of him and stepped back. "Where's Stark?"

"No idea. We were hoping you might have heard from him actually."

"Why would he have talked to me?" Eva asked.

"Because you're his friend," Vision replied. "Even if you don't want to be. Could I have a moment alone with our former gardener, please?"

The others glanced at Cap, who nodded. "Sure," he said. "You got five minutes. We'll start loading up the quinjet." He picked up the coffee tray and escorted the others out of the rec room. Wanda went last, giving them one last lingering, worried look before the door closed behind her.

"Here," said Eva. "Lemme help you." She took his arm and helped him into his favorite chair, then sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "When you said you were gonna visit Wanda this week, I thought the most exciting thing you'd be doing was going to Edinburgh Castle."

Vision laughed. "I wish it had been. Eva?"

"V?"

"I'm… scared."

Eva felt a lump rise in her throat. "I know," she said.

"How?"

"Because you lied to me. You said there was nothing to worry about. When you're scared you lie to the people you love, so that they think that everything's gonna be alright."

"Sorry."

"It's alright," said Eva. "You're only human. Kinda. This is big, isn't it? Like, really big. So big y'all – you might not win. Tell me the truth."

Vision hesitated before speaking. "Maybe," he said. His voice was shaking. "I really do not know what is going to happen now."

"I do." She slid onto the floor so they were facing each other, and took her hand in his. "You're gonna win against impossible odds. At the eleventh hour. You're gonna beat the bad guy when it looks like there's no hope left, and survive by the skin of your teeth, and make it a happy ending like those all comic books. You're gonna save the day, Vision. You're a hero. That's what you do."

He smiled. "I thought you didn't like superheroes," he murmured.

"I don't. But you're my hero anyway." She leant up and hugged him, gently so she didn't make his injury any worse, and felt his arms wrap around her. She never felt safer than when she was being held by him like this. "If you saved my life, you can save the world. It's probably a lot easier."

He kissed her forehead. "I am so proud of you, Eva," he said. "So very, very proud."

She let go of him, sniffed, and wiped her eyes before he could see the tears. "Whatever," she mumbled. "Let's get you to the quinjet."

The others were waiting for them, hanging around drinking their coffee. "I'd forgotten how good you were at making this stuff," Banner said, raising his cup at her as Cap stepped over to help Vision up the ramp.

"Cheers, doc."

"Call me Bruce. It seems like you've got to know everyone else pretty well while I was gone."

"Unfortunately, yeah."

"Eva," said Vision, and Bruce stepped aside. "Just in case – in my room there is an envelope inside my copy of The Selfish Giant. Should something happen to me –"

"It won't," said Eva, vividly aware of Wanda listening to them. "It won't, alright? So don't worry about it." She stepped off the ramp. "Try not to do anything too stupid," she told all of them. "And good luck, too."

"Thanks," said Natasha. "We'll need it."

She waved them off as the quinjet's engines whirred into life, whipping the air up around her. The craft took off, disappearing up into the clouds, and Eva shivered in the sudden lonely cold that she had been left in.

It's going to be fine, she told herself. They'll save the day. It's what they do.

A/N ohhh I have missed writing Bruce Banner so much. I've always thought Mark Ruffalo was a scene-stealer since he took on the character; Ragnarok and Infinity War just proved it.