DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.

The rating of this story has CHANGED from T to M now, due to sexual content. Please bare this warning in mind if you decide to continue reading.

~0~0~0~0~0~

One moment, and Natasha had been trying to keep a swaying Banner-Hulk upright, without gagging at the smell of his burnt arm.

The next moment, the whole facility exploded around her. Her eyes had instantly flown to Steve, seeing the panic on his face as her husband had lunged towards her, but then the walls and ceiling crashed down, and everything faded into blackness.

When consciousness found her, it took her a little while to notice how soaked she was. Around her, a burst pipe was flushing water down, the cold water striking against her body and drenching her suit. Her stomach twisted as she realised her foot was currently trapped beneath a slab of concrete. Shifting along the floor, she managed to find an angle where her foot could ease out, but the effort was enough to leave her panting.

Slowly, she raised herself up onto her elbows, her eyes adjusting to the darkness around her. Only a flickering red emergency lights stretching out behind her gave her any hope so seeing what lay around her; rubble, concrete, all collasped and shattered so she had no idea where she was. But, judging from pipe, she was underneath where the facility had stood.

And, she was alone.

"Steve?" Somehow, she managed to keep her voice steady, and she narrowed it down to years of intense training and experience in situations of danger and uncertainty. Still, her heart was pounding heavily in her chest, and it got worse when she didn't hear a response.

She had no idea where she was, where any of the others were, if they were even okay. But, she refused to let that dread and fear take form inside her. It would have been easy to let panic set in, but that was exactly what her years of experience had trained her against. Now, she relied on that training to harden herself, to block out the human instincts to flee or scream. She wouldn't let her worry control her like that. Find the others. She had to find the others.

Wires and roots criss-crossed in front of her, bits of dirt scuttling down the sides, but Natasha forced herself up onto her legs. Her body protested and she felt as if she'd been hit by a buss, but she fought against it, gritting her teeth as she rose. Soon enough, she was standing, and the shaking in her legs stopped.

Water continued to rush past her feet, and dust and tiny rocks fell from above her, cascading down the surrounding rubble. Ahead of her, though, she spotted the entrance of a dark tunnel.

Her suit still worked, and when she got out of this, she would be sure to call Tony Stark a genius for creating something that could withdraw an entire building landing on it. Until then, she had to figure a way out of here. Her Bite's lit up, the blue glow emitted from them lighting up around her as she headed for the tunnel.

"Steve?" She called down it, her voice echoing further and further until it faded completely. Her fingers felt practically numb as she reached up and pulled the chain around her throat so the dog-tags lifted into her palm. Though her hand shook, the cold metal against her skin brought her much needed courage as she continued further into the tunnel, further towards the fading light of the emergency signs.

What answered her this time, though, wasn't silence, but she wished it was. It wasn't her husband's voice, but rather a rumbling, growling sound that was fast approaching. She'd heard that sound before; on the battlefield in Wakanda.

Knowing full well what sort of creatures were aiming directly through the tunnel towards her, Natasha swore and bolted in the other direction, willing her strained legs to run faster than she'd ever ran in her life. Even though every step was a struggle, she pushed through, because there was no way her Bites would be able to defeat an entire pack of alien hell-hounds.

~0~0~0~0~0~

"Nat?" Steve shouted into the darkness, but once again, he got no answer. His head was hurting, curtesy of the broken building that had landed around him. Grit was in his mouth, and no matter how many times he spat onto the ground, the feeling of roughness never seemed to leave his throat. He'd managed to lift the slab of concrete that had covered his body, and his shield was nowhere in sight, but what worried him more was that he had no idea where anyone was, or what had happened.

Where the hell was Natasha?

He'd gone to grab her the second the building had gone up in pieces, ready to cover them both with his shield, but he hadn't been fast enough. Now, he refused to let panic sink in. If he let it, it would block out his senses. He had to find her, and the others, and then they could work out what had just happened.

Had something gone wrong with the stones? Had they triggered the building to explode like that, because their power had been too great for even Banner to endure?

Footsteps approached him, and Steve spun round to find Tony Stark making his way towards him. The shield glistened even in the low light, but the sight of it made his stomach twist. He'd much rather see the defiant emerald eyes of his wife as she made her way to him over all the mess, but he'd find her. Even if he had to claw through the rubble and the dirt, he'd find her.

"You lose this again, I'm keeping it." Tony remarked, but his voice understandably lacked it's usual humour.

Steve quickly assessed the man in front of him for any sign of injury, but apart from a few scratches on his forehead and dust-covered hair, Tony looked fine. Steve's own body didn't have a single scratch on it, curtesy of the super-serum, but his suit and skin was grey with dust and grim.

As he stepped forward and gently accepted the shield, Steve asked, "What happened?" He remembered those quiet moments before the explosion; how the whole room had gone still as Scott's phone continued to buzz. Then, no one could react fast enough before the entire ceiling fell down around them, the ground disappearing under their feet.

Tony glanced around, at the ruin and wreckage surrounding them. "You mess with time, it tends to mess back."

Somewhere behind them, dirt and rubble shifted, scuttling down to the ground near their feet. Steve tried to get through to someone - anyone - over the comms, but it seemed like the signal was down, at least for him and Tony. Exchanging a glance, they headed upwards, following the incline of the ground beneath their feet.

When they reached an opening in the destruction, neither of them were quite prepared for what awaited them. Steve tried to ignore his pounding heart as he took in the sight; where the facility had once stood, everything lay broken, as if the earth itself had been carved into. Parts of the building were scattered everywhere, wires and pillars tangled, clumps of concrete lay scattered with no suggestion of whether it had belonged to the walls or the ceilings.

Thor was stood with his back to them, surveying the wreckage.

Small fires dotted here and there caught Steve's attention, standing out brightly against the darkness that had fallen. Even the sky was blotted out with smoke. It had been sunny before everything had happened. Now, not even the sun could burn through the thick lay of grey that spread out above them. Through that lurking darkness though, Steve's stomach sank as he spotted the looming shape of a spaceship that made the Benetar look like a child's toy.

But, waiting for them amongst all that devastation and chaos, was an all too familiar figure. Sat casually enough to be an insult in itself, Thanos picked as his nails as he waited - waited for them. For any survivors to make it out of what he had caused. How he had gotten here, how he had struck at such perfect timing, was something they would assess later.

"What's he been doing?" Tony asked as they stepped to Thor's side, all eyes locked on Thanos. A wasteland lay between them and the brute.

"Absolutely nothing," Thor responded, in a voice that lacked any warmth, any emotion at all, as he looked towards the man who had ruined everything, had taken everything.

Steve swallowed, his dry throat protesting. "Where are the stones?"

"Somewhere under all this," Tony confirmed, and added, as if he could sense why Steve's hurt was being ripped to shreds in that moment, he added kindly, "She's a fighter, Cap."

He swallowed, his eyes closing momentarily as he picked her face, even little detail about it; her glimmering eyes, that mischievous smile, the way she'd raise an eyebrow teasingly at him, how irresistible he found her whenever she bit down on her lower lip. Then, he reminded himself exactly who his wife was, and that she was the strongest person he'd met in his entire life.

"All I know is he doesn't have them." Tony went on, stirring the conversation back to the big problem that was currently out there, waiting for them.

Under all this, where the rest of their team was. Where Steve's wife was. She wasn't dead, he would feel it, deep inside his gut, inside his heart. Until she found her way out of the mess, Steve knew they had to keep Thanos distracted - or, even better, take him down before he could destroy anything else. If the stones were underneath them, than Thanos couldn't reach them either. They had to keep him busy, and Steve knew it would take all three of them to do so, even if every part of his heart and soul screamed at him to turn and find Natasha.

She'd kill him herself if he did that, if he turned his back on Thanos and didn't end the bastard right there and then.

"So, we keep it that way." Steve decided, his words steel and ice.

"You know it's a trap, right?" Thor pointed out. There was no way that large, ugly ship was empty. Who knew what sort of horrors Thanos had to his disposal?

"Yeah, I don't much care." Although Tony was the one to say it out loud, Steve certainly couldn't disagree. They had a shot here, to take him down. None of them were about to miss it.

Thor dipped his head, the smallest of movements. "Good, just as long as we're all in agreement." He mumbled, but as he spoke, storm clouds started to brew above them, rippling with power and rage. Lightning lit the sky, and struck Thor's body. A blink of an eye later, and the Asgardian had both his legendary hammers and was dressed in his own suit, ready for battle. "Let's kill him properly this time."

The three of them stepped down the mountain of broken rubble and wires as one, driven by their anger and strength. All three of them, in that moment, were deadly.

~0~0~0~0~0~

She had no idea where she was running to, but she knew that she had to keep running. Stopping was not an option.

The beastly hounds pursued her, the sound of their blood-thirsty howls and the scratching of their curled claws against the rough surface of concrete echoing down the tunnel.

As she didn't know where she was, and therefore had no idea which way could possibly lead to a dead-end, she left her choice of turning to chance. But, even with her fast pace, the hounds continued to chase her, gaining on her by the second.

Her lungs were begging for more oxygen, her leg that had been trapped made her wince every time it hit the floor, but she made herself keep running, because if she paused even for a second, it would be the biggest mistake of her life.

Every corner tried to slow her down, coming up too quickly that she had to dive around them and fight to maintain her balance. Behind her, she could hear the beasts hurtling themselves against the walls as they misjudged the required speed. At least, one advantage she had was the fact she had a brain.

Around her, more pipes started to burst, sending in jets of vapour and water. She ducked and dodged them as best she could, her legs faltering slightly, but she kept going. Her Bites would be able to take out a few beasts if they got too close, but there was no way they would be able to hold off the entire pack. So, her best option was to keep running, into she found a -

There. A metal ladder, where by some miracle, an entire wall lay intact. She had no other option but to pray that the ladder didn't lead to a dead-end.

She had no idea where it led to, but she didn't care. As long as it took her up a floor, it was a good start.

As she ran, wires sparked around her, close to her ears. An idea sprang to her, and she managed to free a small blade from around her waist as she ran. Without looking back, she slashed at the pipes as she ran past them, letting the water explode behind her.

Her hands crasped the cold metal, and her climb up it felt like the longest climb in her life. Barks and howls echoed to her, growing louder and more desperate. She grabbed the edges of the gaping hole above her and pushed herself up. A metal lid lay nearby, but when she grabbed it, she knew that some of the aliens had already made it to the bottom of the ladder. They couldn't work out how to climb it, but instead, they clambered against one another, clawing they way upwards.

As she shoved the lid across the dirty floor, one of the beasts approached. She struck it with her Bite, sending it crashing down into the others. Another appeared, it's claws slashing out. Something shape pierced her cheek, and she yelled, slamming the lid down and twisting it, locking it tight. The beasts yowled in outrage as they slammed themselves into it, but it wouldn't budge.

Not knowing how long it would hold for, Natasha knew she had limited time to get a head-start on them. As much as her body craved a moment of rest, as easy as it would have been to slum down on the floor, she didn't allow herself to give into that temptation.

Instead, her eyes caught sight of a gapping in the rubble above her. It was a small chance that it led anywhere promising, but it was better than nothing.

Ignoring how the dirt and concrete dug into her fingers, Natasha started to dig.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Thanos barely moved as the three of them approached. He inclined his head to them, as if he'd been waiting for them all this time. His ship continued to lurk in the dark sky above them, silent and unmoving, but no doubt carrying an army of horrors and evil, waiting to be released. And yet, Thanos gave no such order, as he regarded the three warriors approaching him.

Steve's hand tightened on his shield as Thanos's familiar, empty voice sounded, "You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me." Steve had watched with his own eyes how Thor had sliced the brute's head clean from his body, but this creature sat before them was not the same Thanos. "I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But, you've shown me that's impossible."

As Thor peeled off to the right, and Tony to the left, Steve did not take his eyes off Thanos for even a second. Keep him distracted, until the others came out. End him, once and for all. They couldn't get this wrong.

Thanos continued speaking, even though he was definitely aware that two of the Avengers had peeled off in separate directions and where now stalking around him, circling him. "And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."

"Yep, we'll all kinds of stubborn." Tony commented.

"I'm thankful," Thanos dipped his head, as if he truly was appreciative. Maybe, he just enjoyed a challenge. "Because now, I know what I must do." Slowly, with the calculated movements of a trained warrior himself, Thanos rose. Resting on the tip of a double-ended sword that was the same length as his entire body, was Thanos's helmet. He reached for it, taking his time, as if wanting to savour every moment of whatever this was. The helmet didn't glisten as he put it on, because the smoke and darkness had swallowed up all the light. "I will shred this universe down to it's last atom. And, then, using the stones you have collected for me, create a new one, teeming with life, that knows not what is has lost, but only want is has been given."

Steve continued to stalk forward, every step soundless. His breathing was controlled, his entire body focused, muscles on edge and ready for the fast approaching battle. Already, he'd worked out Thanos's tactics, remembering how they'd faced each other in Wakanda. Even with three against one, the Avengers would have to give their everything to overpower his strength, but his large frame and heavy weapon would make him slower.

"A grateful universe," Thanos explained, speaking like any true mad-man that genuinely believed their evil plan was for the greater good. It made Steve's stomach twist, but he ignored his disgust, ignored his rage. Such emotions would get in the way. He needed to calm himself, so he could focus completely.

"Born out of blood," He growled, as the brute turned and faced him. Standing before Steve, was the man who was responsible for all of this, all this suffering, all this misery. The man who had taken his friends, and was the reason Vision would never walk amongst them again. The man who had made his wife become a shell of herself after the Snap, and the man who was the reason why Clint Barton would never see his family again.

"They'll never know." Thanks declared, lifting the great sword from the ground, carrying it as if it truly weighed nothing. His thick armour covered most of his body, leaving minimal vulnerable places. Steve would have to get closer to be able to get a better idea of where to strike, so they didn't waste their energy.

Thanos' next words came out as a dark promise, ringing through the destroyed land around them, "Because you won't be alive to tell them."

The three of them attacked together; Thor's hammer summoning lightning, Tony surging into the air and landing with heavy punches, Steve flinging out the shield with all the strength he had.

Thanos blocked every attack, and Steve was knocked back into the hard rubble behind them. The wind was knocked out of him, and his back ached from the heavy impact, but he grabbed his shield and flung himself back. His wife was down there somewhere, and Steve sure as hell wasn't going to let Thanos anywhere near her.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Hands sore and nails blackened, Natasha pulled herself through the tiny gap she had managed to break away. When she rolled down a small slope, she tried not to yell in frustration that she hadn't made it to the surface yet, because she had no idea where those hell-hounds would go now that they'd lost her up the ladder. Also, that lid hadn't been the sturdiest thing she'd ever seen. She hoped that the combination of the pipes she'd burst and the cut wires would finish them quickly, if they'd remained by the ladder long enough for the water to meet them.

But, when she glanced to her side and spotted something golden lodged underneath a pillar, she didn't know how she didn't throw up. The stones.

Crawling over, she managed to wiggle the gauntlet out, scratching it slightly, but the stones were intact. The gauntlet was heavy as she lifted it, making standing up a harder task than it had to be, but Natasha didn't waste anytime before she was running down yet another tunnel, trying to ignore how the stones seemed to pulse, seemed to call to her, begging her to play.

Too much power. Too much responsibility. Too much destruction. It wasn't hard to see how the stones could corrupt an already blackened mind, how they could feed that evilness. It was as if they craved it themselves, that they wanted nothing more than fulfilling their deepest power.

When she picked up the sound of fast approaching feet, she stopped completely. Two feet, hitting the ground. Walking at a human pace, even though the figure that approached from round the corner in front of her was not from this planet.

"Nebula," Natasha greeted her, noticing how the air around her seemed to pause.

The blue-skinned woman's eyes were locked on the gauntlet. "I'll take those." It wasn't an offer.

Natasha took a step back. Decades of being a spy had taught her to listen to her instincts, especially when they were screaming at her that something wasn't right. "Where have you been?" She demanded, careful to keep her voice low, to not attract any attention from whatever else could be lurking nearby. "When Banner snapped his fingers, you were nowhere to be seen. We're supposed to be a team." In her grief for Clint and her worry for Banner, Natasha hadn't commented on Nebula being missing, but now it felt like a kick in the stomach. Something had gone wrong, had triggered Thanos into coming, into attacking.

Not something, someone.

"I'll take the stones." Nebula said again, not even blinking as she approached, lifting a gun from her belt and clicking the safety off.

"Like Hell you will." Natasha spat, shoving the gauntlet behind her as she faced someone who she had considered a team-mate. Years of council meetings, of planning and hoping, surely couldn't have all been for nothing? Nebula had often spoken to Natasha about her sister, about the grief and heart-break that wrecked her because of her own father. Had it all been a careful lie to win their trust?

"Stop." A third figure entered the already cramped tunnel, a gun raised. Natasha recognised the woman's green skin and red-tinged dark hair, and knew instantly who this was. Gamora.

But, Nebula's sister did not have her gun aimed at Natasha. "This ends now." Gamora growled.

"You're betraying us?" Nebula spat, moving her gun away from the spy so it locked onto her sister.

Natasha's breathing slowed as she took in the scene in front of her, processing Nebula's words. So, if Nebula was working alongside Thanos - and had potentially been doing it this entire time - did this mean that Gamora was taking a stand against them? Natasha knew she couldn't afford to trust someone that easily, not when the stones were in the balance, but something about the way Gamora was looking at Nebula, as if she saw her sister for exactly what she was, had Natasha pausing. Really, she should have tackled Nebula, taken the gun, and ran with the stones, but something kept her back. Kept her waiting.

From Gamora's side, another person stepped into the room, and Natasha was convinced she'd hit her head a lot harder earlier, after the building had collapsed. Stood both to her right and facing her were two Nebula's. The second one stepped beside Gamora, hands raised in the air, not a single weapon in sight. But, Natasha's instincts had her gun still locked on the first one.

"You don't have to do this." The newcomer said calmly.

The first Nebula, the threatening one, snarled, "I am this."

"No, you're not." Gamora told her, and Natasha couldn't help but feel she was currently an ignored presence in this tunnel. Whatever was going on right now, was between the three of them. She and the stones were in the background.

"You've seen what we've become." The second Nebula said, tapping her head where that framework was. The bits of metal that Thanos had fixed to her body, had swapped for her own flesh and body-parts whenever she had disappointed him - she had told Natasha that years ago, and Natasha still felt sick at the thought of a father being so cruel. But, Thanos' children were nothing but created warriors, broken and shaped exactly how he wanted them.

There was a pause, a heavy silence, before Gamora begged, "Nebula, listen to her."

Creatures like Promixa Midnight were different from these siblings, from Gamora and Nebula. The other children of Thanos thrived of hatred, wanting nothing more than to serve their father and destroy world after world in his name. Natasha realised, with her heart beating heavily, that Gamora was willing to stand against her father, to fight against him no matter the cost, and that the second Nebula in this tunnel was the ally that Natasha had gained over the last five years.

"You can change," The second-Nebula explained.

"He won't let me."

These alien beings stood in the tunnel with her were no different from how Natasha had been, all those years ago. Lost souls, trained and taken apart, wielded into darkness and rage, into living, breathing weapons. Her heart tugged in sympathy for the old Nebula, the one who was torn between taking the stones by force and listening - tears were welling up in those wide, dark eyes. Natasha remembered being that lost once, feeling like there was no other option but continue along that dark path, never tasting the light. Change was possible, for all of them. They could work together -

But, then the first-Nebula had her gun raised directly at Gamora, and before Natasha could chuck her dagger, the real Nebula shot with a gun she'd concealed this whole time.

No one said a word as the blue-skinned body hit the floor, lifeless.

"It is done." Nebula declared, as Gamora turned, eyes darting straight to Natasha, assessing the stranger in the tunnel.

The gauntlet felt heavy in her hand as Natasha extended it to them. "Take this."

"Where will you be going?" Nebula asked, concern evident in her tone. "We should think this through." You're still only a human, the silent words hung between them, not out of arrogance of spite, but simply a reminder that Natasha was willing to face whatever threat waited for them without knowing what she would be throwing herself into.

Fear did not grip at her though. It did not eat away at her, or make her breathing falter, or ruin her sense of balance. Instead, she was fuelled by her unwavering determination to get to the man who held her heart, to fight alongside him. Baby blue eyes flashed through her mind, like a song to her soul.

I love you, Steve, she thought, and had no doubt that he knew that, that he believed in her to get out of this mess and find him on that battlefield. So they could finish this, once and for all.

Together.

"My husband's up there." Natasha said through gritted teeth. They had the stones. Every minute now spent down here was a minute wasted. She had no doubt that if Thanos was waiting for them, Steve had already found him. She just prayed he wasn't facing him alone, and that she'd get to them in time. "Try and stop me."

Neither of them dared.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Steve groaned as once again, he was battered by a mound of metal and hard rock. He'd underestimated Thanos' reaction time, only slightly, but enough that whenever he thought he was getting an edge, the brute would send him flying in a completely different direction.

Every part of his body was sore from countless impacts and heavy punches, yet he willed himself to stand up and attack all over again. He was powered on by the thought of what was at stake, of what hung in the balance if they didn't succeed, if Thanos won. He'd destroy everything. Everything. It was an outcome that they could not risk, no matter how battered and bruised they became.

Across the field, he surveyed his two fellow Avengers. Thor's ragged hair was even more wild, the braids fraying, as he channeled another bolt of lightning through him. The lightning aimed directly to Thanos, but the alien giant managed to twist and deflect it using that long sword of his.

In the brief moments that Tony would briefly remove his Iron Man mask, Steve could see that his face was bruised and scratched, yet his eyes burned with anger whenever one of his attacks was dodged - or, in some cases, sent right back to him.

They were being hammered. Three against one had seemed like a good chance, but it was clear that Thanos was no ordinary oponent.

"Okay, Thor, hit me." Tony ordered, and the next summoned bolt of lightning was aimed directly to the back of his suit, to Tony's newest development. He'd kept so quiet about it that Steve allowed himself to wonder why the genius hadn't been showing it off from the roof top of the facility when he'd first agreed to work alongside them once again. But, this was certainly not the time for those kinds of thoughts, and no doubt Tony would never let them all forget about his brilliant ideas, when this was all over with.

Because it would be all over with. Steve wouldn't allow himself to consider any other option that did not end with Thanos dead and his horrid ship smashed to pieces on the ground, brought down by Thor's lightning.

Powered by the lightning, Tony sent out several blasts at the same time, which Thanos seemed to struggle to hold back, sword outstretched in front of him. A moment of weakness was provided.

Using his newest weapon, Stormbreaker, as a bat, Thor sent Mjolnir flying. Despite it's small size, Mjolnir was still deadly, and it called the lightning to its blade as it sped through the air.

But, Thanos had managed to somehow grab Tony, having blocked the rays long enough to get close, and now held Stark up in the air. There was nothing that could prevent the hammer hitting the new target and sending Tony crashing into the background of destruction and small fires.

Steve struck, whilst Thanos was smugly watching Tony roll and roll over the ground. He kicked, punched, spun, rotated in the air, faster than his large frame should have allowed him to. Thanos blocked every hit, but Steve struck harder on each attempt. He ducked just in time to avoid that large blade slicing his head off, and the weapon skimmed over his chest as his back arched at an uncomfortable angle. Thanos' next blow came before Steve could righten himself, and he was once again sent hurtling into a lump of hard rock that shattered around him.

He could barely turn his head to be able to see Thor strike again, but the Asgardian was pinned down and hit hard enough in the face to draw blood, potentially breaking his nose. Thor glared up at their enemy, rage and hatred pure on his face.

Thanos had Stormbreaker now pressing down against Thor's chest, and Steve could hear his chuckle of amusement from where he lay. He was going to kill Thor.

Body shrieking in protest, Steve rose to his feet and picked up his shield, running directly for them and swinging the shield just in time, even three seconds later would have been too late to save his friend. The shield collided into Thano's head, denting the helmet, with enough force to send the brute staggering backwards. As soon as Steve caught his shield again, he sent it back instantly, knocking Thanos off balance. Clearly, Thanos had thought he'd gotten rid of two of them, and was about to finish off the third.

Steve skidded across the floor, knocking Thanos' legs from underneath him. He struck upwards, fist colliding with that massive chin, and he hoped it hurt Thanos has much as it made his fingers groan at the impact. He rolled out the way to avoid the punch that was aimed at him, but just as he got to his feet, Thanos managed to grab that long, double-ended sword and strike.

Falling backwards, the rock that he collided with this time didn't break away around him. Instead, it met his back like a wall of solid ice, and Thanos loomed over him, a twisted smile on his face.

"A good attempt, Captain." Thanos' voice was deadly steady, like a hunter who knew their prey couldn't get away in time. That sword of his was at Steve's throat, brittle against his skin. Steve refused to even blink as he glared. "Unfortunately, unlike your godly friend, you're a lot easier to kill."

"You won't get away with this." Steve coughed out, even though every word, every bop of his throat, made that blade kiss it more. Stalling. He had no idea what he was stalling for, but he couldn't just let this happen. "We won't let you. The Avengers won't. Let. You."

Thanos snorted, but seemed to lift the pressure of the blade ever so slightly, probably because he wanted to draw this out for as long as possible, enjoy it as much as he could. A swift death would be a mercy. "And where are your Avengers now, Captain? I have just taken out the three strongest. For you to acquire the six stones, I imagine one of you had to make a very painful sacrifice."

Despite his exhausted body, rage surged through him at the thought of what Clint had had to do, because this man that towered over him had created this mess in the first place, had given them something that needed fixing. "Take me out, and they'll still come after you."

The others had to be okay. Banner, Rhodey, Rocket, Scott, they were all underneath the mess of the facility. Something must be wrong, for them not to have appeared already. He tried not to panic as he realised that not even his wife had managed to make it out yet. He should have gone after her. He should have gone and found her, and then they could have faced this tyrant together.

"That pretty woman of yours?" Thanos snorted, and Steve's face must have betrayed him, because the brute said, "Oh, don't think I haven't done my research."

Natasha. Even now, her name tightened his heart but eased his pain. He had to get out of this, had to get to her. But, Thanos had his arm pinned, and a sword at his throat.

"I'm sure she'd underneath all this rubble." Thanos went on, enjoying seeing the grief that consumed Steve's face at the mere suggestion. "If not, I'll be sure to end her myself. She can be the first, after you. After I tell her that I killed you."

Steve snarled at him, his rage red-hot, burning through him despite the weapon against his skin, despite how easily it would be for Thanos to end him there and then. "You don't touch her!"

The sword got heavier again, tipping downwards, touching his skin. "You humans are so weak. You let your hearts get in the way. The universe will be a stronger place because of me, without the likes of you tarnishing things with emotions and sentiment. This pathetic little planet will be no more than specks of ash and dust, floating in an atmosphere, forever forgotten. Starting with you first, Captain."

But, something collided into Thanos' side, striking between the plates of his armour, sending him crashing into a wall of concrete, that long sword spiralling off in a different direction. It happened so fast that Steve's eyes couldn't follow the movement, all he knew was that there was no weight against his throat, nothing pinning him down. He tilted his head, enough to see the hulking shape of Thanos amongst rocks and concrete and dirt, spitting with rage.

Thor's hammer rang through the air as it sailed back to it's handler, but when Steve followed it's movement, all the newly found breath was knocked out of him.

It hadn't been the Asgardian who had thrown Mjolnir, who now stood across the battlefield, wielding the legendary weapon.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Plot twist! Hope everyone is enjoying this story, if you could please leave a review to let me know your thoughts, or send me a message over private messaging, that would be really appreciated! I'd love to know how everyone is finding it, and if there's any points that could be worked on and developed further.

Sending love,

- E x