Chapter 103

"And then, get this," Quill was saying, "He was standing there, giving a real big speech about how he'd come to save all of us from whatever. To be honest, I wasn't really listening, you know? Speeches aren't really my whole thing. And I just started signing. Oooh Child. One of the greatest songs ever. I was like 'Listen to these words'. You should have seen his face he was so confused."

"No way," Peter breathed out, as she poured herself a cup of coffee, exhausted from all the rambling.

It was eight AM, and she knew they still had a long day of trying to finish getting the Mind Stone out of Vision's head. It was a work in progress, and given the four of them working on it, with the added support of FRIDAY and JARVIS running some of the synaptic recreations alongside them, she was confident they would get it done in time for Thanos' arrival tomorrow.

Steve handed her a plate of eggs, as she sat down next to her eating son and the half human Quill, who apparently happened to share the same first name as her own child.

The Guardians had been settling in well, and despite their last meeting having been a bit under duress, she still wasn't all that sold on the group. Gamora, Nebula, and Mantis seemed to have their shit together, but their group also consisted of a talking teenage tree, a Raccoon who swore way too much, Drax who seemed to believe that he was a great warrior. And Peter Quill.

The man with the same first name as her son didn't make much of a first impression on her. Or second either. It was clear that he'd left earth at a young age and hadn't had a proper chance for his mind to develop properly. She was sure if any psychologists got their hands on him, they'd be able to write many a paper on the Nature versus Nurture theory. And while psychology may still be a soft science in her eyes, she was sure they'd be right in whatever assessment they did.

"Then what happened?" Peter asked him, and Quill grinned at him like he was about to say the most badass thing in history.

"I was all like 'Dance off Bro', and just started dancing and singing along to the song," Quill told him, "I tried to get this lovely lady over here to join me, but she wasn't all that interested. No worries though, she gave me the time of day eventually. He wanted to know what in the heck I was doing, and I grinned brightly and was like 'I'm distracting you, you big turd blossom.'"

Gamora rolled her eyes at her apparent boyfriend's antics.

"What happened then?" Peter pressed on eagerly, as Steve pressed a kiss on her lips before sitting down with them. She smiled at her husband as he slipped an extra few pieces of bacon onto Peter's plate.

Bruce and Ava had already eaten and were down in the lab, while Shuri was going over some upgrades for T'Challa and Erik's suits with them. Captain Danvers and Rhodey were chatting away about their Military days, and Bucky and Sam were bantering about something or the other.

"Then I shot his weapon and destroyed it," Drax boomed proudly, and Thor clapped the man on the back while Loki rolled his eyes. It seemed that he was just as unimpressed by their space warrior tactics as she was. She didn't quite blame him for that. She was way more of a science nerd than a jock any day. And the Guardians were very clearly jock types.

"I jumped to grab the Power Stone," Quill told Peter seriously. "Had to get it before Ronan did. Didn't want that fuc…I mean sucker to get his hand on it first. Gamora here was seriously concerned and she screamed out for me."

She gave him a slight glare at the close language slip up. She didn't want that kind of language around her son, even if he was nearly an adult. And she was sure Steve would say something if he slipped up.

"Because you're a human, Dumbass," she told him, "No one can hold the Infinity Stones without some sort of casing. It's why even Thanos has made the glove. That much power, surging through you, it could destroy a person."

"Well I grabbed it anyways," Quill shrugged, "There was a huge cloud of purple around me, and well, I could feel myself being torn apart from the inside out."

"I told him to take my hand," Gamora said, taking over the story, "Knew that he couldn't channel that much energy alone without needing others to ground him. So we all did. One by one, we took his hand. And we shared the burden of the Stone."

"Ronan was so confused how we could hold it," Quill continued with a smirk, "And I was like 'You said it yourself, Bitch. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy'. It was honestly such a badass moment."

"Language," Steve chided him, and Quill looked at him sheepishly at the slip ups. She knew it was really only a matter of time. Peter, on the other hand, looked captivated still.

"No swearing around children is the Captain's golden rule." Natasha teased, as she stole a piece of bacon off Harry's plate. He rolled his eyes at his girlfriend and offered her a second piece, as he swiped one off Clint while he was up to get more coffee from the pot.

"I'm seventeen!" Peter protested vehemently, and she ruffled his hair. Maybe he was nearly an adult, but to her, he'd always be that kid she first met at the StarkExpo all those years ago.

"Still a child," she teased him, and he sighed exaggeratedly.

"Anyways," Quill said, still confused over the entire interaction. "We released the power of the Stone back at him, and it destroyed him. We saw him get torn apart by it."

She shivered. They'd never felt the full power of any of the Stones when Thanos had wielded it against them. Even in all their fights, he'd been holding back. He'd been toying with them, she knew. If he wanted to, he could have struck any of them down with a single snap. And instead, he'd done the bare minimum to acquire the Stones. Even in their fights, the only one who'd died was Vision and that was in an attempt to get the Stone from him.

It wasn't until he'd snapped his fingers that they'd felt the power.

She wondered what kind of damage it would have done in the hands of another who's intentions were to use the Stones in other ways. While cruel, Thanos had meant to be kind in choosing whom to get rid of, in a way meant to cause as little pain as possible. What kind of pain could a person who meant to cause pain inflict?

"Then I safely put it in its carrier so we wouldn't be harmed," Gamora said, ever the wise one of the group.

"Idiots," Nebula said with a shake of her head, clearly not remotely impressed by their actions, "The group of you."

"Your idiots," Quill retorted, teasingly, and she knew from her talks with Nebula on the ship that she'd been a new addition to their group.

"Never," Nebula refused, despite a hint of a blush appearing under her blue skin. She hoped that the woman would have more time to explore her relationship with them all if they survived this fight.

"As entertaining as all of this was, I should get back to the lab," she said, standing as she pressed a kiss to Peter's and to Steve's heads. "We're close to getting the Stone out of Vision, and the sooner we do, the better."

And of course, nothing would ever be that simple. Because the alarms blared red at that precise moment. She looked up in a panic, as she knew what that sound meant. She knew why those alarms would sound, but she prayed that they were wrong.

"JARVIS?" she asked him with a silent plea, as the others quickly stood as well.

"I have detected several objects nearing the earth's atmosphere," JARVIS told her, and the others immediately stood.

"He's early," she said, in shock, as she looked at the others.

"We were supposed to have more time," Steve whispered.

Thanos had arrived a day earlier than they'd planned, and honestly, she wasn't all that sure what to do now that he was here. Because if he was here, it meant the final battle was upon them. It meant that this was their final stand against the Titan who had and would once again take everything from them if they gave him that chance once more.

"Well team," Steve said, as the others looked at him. "We all know the stakes here today. I don't think I need to remind any of you of what horrors await us if we lose this fight. The countless lives that would be lost. But I don't remind of you of that to dissuade you of this fight. I remind you so we can remember who we are. Avengers, Guardians, Asgardians, Wakandians, and even those who fight alone. Today we are one team, with one common goal. And if we stand together against the Mad Titan, then we stand a chance. Because we're far stronger together than we were apart."

"Suit up," she said as Ava and Bruce came into the room.

"I'll keep working on Vision," Ava told her, "Between Shuri and I, we can get it working. We're so close to being done anyways."

"I'll stay with them," Bruce told her, "Hulk still doesn't want to make an appearance anyways so at if I can't help with manpower on the field, I can at least use my mind to make a difference in this fight."

Ava nodded at him, "Well then, let's get this show on the road."

"You all have your stones to protect," Steve told the group, "Do not let Thanos get his hands on them. Hide them. Destroy them. Do anything you need to keep them safe. And call out for assistance if you need it."

The decision to keep the Stones in one location had been made after lots of back and forth. They'd lost all the stones while separating them last time because each group hadn't been strong enough to fight against Thanos as he gained more and more of the Stones. But perhaps, if they all stood together, they'd stand a fighting chance.

"Time to suit up," she told the group, as they made their way to the weapons room in the Compound. She saw the others grab their weapons of choice, be it Thor's axe that he'd brought back with him, Steve's shield, Clint's bow, Natasha's knives and so on.

She stepped back, as she activated the arc reactor and the nanobots of her suit assembled. She'd kept several back up reactors full of nanobots ready to go in the Compound in case hers were too badly damaged, so she'd have back-ups.

Peter moved to pull on his suit, and she stopped him.

"I have a different one in mind for you," she told him, and his eyes widened, "JARVIS?"

The wall separated as the suit 17A appeared in all its glory. The Iron Spider.

"Oh my god," Peter exhaled, as the suit moved to assemble around him. "Mom, this is so cool!"

"Gotta make sure you have everything you need for this fight," she told him seriously. "I will not have you facing Thanos in anything less."

The group of them walked out to face Thanos, side by side, as they stood, ready to take on the Mad Titan who would take everything from them once more if he were only given the chance.

They had warned the militaries of the world that Thanos was coming. And given the Governments notice. Because an alien attack was not something that would go unnoticed. They needed to be ready. They needed to be prepared. Because if the Avengers failed, then they would need to move quickly to recover from it.

"We can do this," Steve told her, and she smiled weakly at him as the skies began to rumble. She saw Thanos' ships appear before them.

He was coming.

Steve squeezed her hand, as the Avengers stood there, in a solid line, with Peter on the other side of her as Rhodey stood beside him.

The Avengers were a family. For better or for worse. They'd been her family for the last six years, and she'd be damned if she let anything happen to them. They would stand against Thanos.

And they would win.

She watched with bated breath as the first ship landed, and Thanos stepped out of it, followed by his hench aliens that she recognized all too well from the fight against him. There were four all in all, two that she, Strange, and Peter had faced, and the two the others had faced in Europe. They stood there behind Thanos, while the Avengers faced him back.

"Imagine my surprise," Thanos' voice boomed out, "One second, I was headed towards a vessel where I had tracked the Space Stone, while my people were meant to retrieve the Time and Mind Stones and bring them to me. Then, the next thing I know the stones were all here. Including the Reality stone, which I believed to be on Knowhere. How is it, that four of the stones that I was seeking made their way onto this primitive planet? All the while two of my daughters stand against me here. Almost as if you knew I was coming."

He had a smirking look to them, as if he knew something that they didn't. And perhaps gathering all the stones in one place was a bad decision. One that she wasn't all that sure about still. However they'd weighed the pros and the cons, and this was what they'd decided on.

"You will not win, Father," Nebula spat out, filled with the same anger and hatred she'd had for the man after the death of her sister.

"Oh, but I will," he told her with a mocking smile. "I am a Titan, and it is my destiny to bring balance to the universe. I will be their salvation."

"You will destroy everything," she shot back at him, "When you thought of half of all life, did you consider that you would also be destroying the food sources? All the plants and livestock that many planets depend on? They'd all be wiped out too. Not to mention the damage you would be causing to many planets when that much dust enters the air. Your plan was naïve and foolish if you actually thought it would work, even with the obvious horrors of removing that many lives."

"So you know what happens," he said with a broad smile, not looking at that surprised. "I was right. I sensed a large energy reading from this planet a few days ago and had my suspicions. I see that I was correct. You came back in time. I can only assume to alter the events that are to come?"

"You will not win this fight," Steve told him firmly.

"Oh but I did once," he smiled manically. "That's why you came back, didn't you? What's to stop me from wining once more?"

"Because we're here together this time," Clint said for the first time. He looked at the man with so much anger and hatred, and how could she blame him when she'd felt his pane. "This time you will not win."

"We'll see about that," Thanos nodded, as he ushered to his generals. "Retrieve the stones from these humans. I grow tired of their defiance."

"Not all of us are humans, Dickhead," Rocket glowered.

"Yeah! Some of us are only fifty percent human!" Quill shot back, and Thanos did not look amused.

"Avengers Assemble!" Steve yelled out for them all to hear. Battle cries filled the field, and she braced herself.

She held her ground, as he beckoned for the generals to attack, knowing she had to give it her all.


Thor watched as the Chitauri soldiers ran their way, following closely behind the tall Rock minion creature whom called himself a Child of Thanos.

Why anyone would happily associate themselves with that man, he did not know. He would rather die a thousand deaths in battle than be associate with a Titan who wanted to bring harm to others.

His eyes lit up as electricity filled his body, running from his axe all the way down to the ground where his feet stood firmly.

"Ready, Brother?" He asked Loki, as his brother stood in a pose he knew all too well: one where he was ready to cause mischief to anyone who came too near. They'd had the Tesseract on them, guarding it with their lives in an attempt to stop Thanos from getting his hands on it this time around.

"Always, Brother," Loki's eyes twinkled, as the Chitauri approached them.

He swung his hammer down hard, taking out a group of soldiers who had come their way, and clearing a few yard radius, while Loki spelled away those further away from getting any closer.

He wasn't sure, but it certainly felt like there were far more soldiers than the last time around.

The ships from above were raining down beams of blue lights, as they struck down anyone around them without distinguishing.

They had to bring down the ships, or without that, they would not stand a chance.

He flew up into the air, using his axe to charge straight through one of the alien ships and tearing it apart with lightning as he did.

Hoards of soldiers ran at them, and he knew they were going to be overrun soon enough.

"Give me the Space Stone," Thanos said, as he approached them, "Loki, you failed me once. I sent you on a mission to bring the Stone back to me, but you betrayed me."

"That was not what I recall happened," Loki said lightly, "You see, what I recall was that I was falling into the Abyss when you found me. And you pointed your Mind Stone powered staff at me and commanded me to do your will. All the while no one was the wiser to your plan. If it weren't for a certain Lady Antonia, I may have succeeded, and the guilt for the invasion would have been placed on my shoulders."

"Why would you fight on their side after everything they've done to you?" Thanos asked, as the battle raged on around them. "They lied to you. They hurt you. They betrayed you. Wouldn't you rather fight on a side that is destined to win?"

"I'd rather fight on a side that I believe in," Loki said, and Thor gave him a soft smile between taking out a group of soldiers around them. He landed down beside Loki, ready to stand against the Mad Titan this time around.

"Even if they'll lose?" Thanos said as if he were speaking to a child.

"I wouldn't count them out quite yet," Loki shrugged. "The Avengers have a really wholesome way of always coming out on top. It's a bit nauseating, but what can you do? This is where I decided my loyalties must lie. With family."

"You're adopted," Thanos deadpanned, and Thor wondered if he could see the irony in that all his children considered themselves to be his as well.

"Family is more than just blood," Loki shot back.

"I grow tired of your banter," Thanos said, as he pointed the gauntlet at them. "Give me the stone."

"No," Thor said firmly. "We would sooner die than give you the stone."

"I can arrange that," Thanos smiled wickedly. Thor felt himself grow enraged, and he held his axe firmly in the air as he jumped towards Thanos. He wouldn't miss this time. He'd go straight for the head.

Thanos pointed the Power stone at them, as he gathered up all the energy surrounding him. He drew energy from the life around them, stripping his soldiers of their life force as they fell to the ground, as he channeled it straight into the Stone.

Thor charged up his axe, and as Thanos aimed the Power stone's energy at him, he shot his own bolt of electricity back at it, as the blast levelled out the field around them.

He glanced over at Loki, who'd cast a protective barrier around himself just in time.

"Impressive," Thanos said, "But that is just a small show of the power this stone contains. It has all the Power that has or ever will exist, and you think some lightning can stop that?"

"Oh, but I am the God of Thunder," Thor shot back, as he brought the axe down on Thanos. The Titan dodged away as he struck Thor off to the side.

"Perhaps," Thanos said, "But I am a Titan. I was there before the New Gods of mythology. I was the God of Death."

"We already fought one Goddess of Death," Loki said, as he tried to use his magic to circle around Thanos' body. "We'll defeat you too."

"Oh but your sister had a weakness," Thanos smirked, "I on the other hand, do not."

"We'll see about that," Thor said, as he lunged at Thanos once more, and Thanos grabbed him by the neck.

"You are but a fragile creature," Thanos said, as he looked over at Loki. "Is this how you want your brother to die? Snapped in half?"

"I will not give you the Stone," Loki said firmly, as Thanos brought a blade to his neck.

"Not even for your family?" Thanos laughed.

He could see the hesitation in his brother's eyes.

"No Loki!" Thor screamed out, as he struggled to break away, "Do not give in! I would gladly forfeit my life if it meant keeping everyone else safe."

"A noble gesture," Thanos belittled, "But there will be no keeping anyone safe, is there? Not when I will personally wipe out every single one of you before the battle is over."

He shot the Power Stone at Loki then, and he watched his brother struggle to use his own magic against the Titan. Loki would be obliterated.

And Thor couldn't lose his brother again.

"Stop!" Thor pleaded, as he struggled to breathe. "We'll give you the stone!"

"No!" Loki screamed out, as Thor reached into the space where Loki had hidden it and handed it to Thanos.

"A smart decision on your part," Thanos smirked, "Maybe I'll spare one of you after all. But by the looks of it, your brother will not survive regardless."

Thanos stalked away, and Thor scrambled to go to his brother. He was lying on the ground, badly burnt from the Power Stone being used against him.

"Loki, please!" Thor begged his brother, "Use your magic to heal yourself! Please! I can't lose you again. Not after everything. I can't do this without you. You're the only family I have left. I love you."

"I love you too, Brother," Loki winced out, as he struggled to sit up. He tried to heal himself, but his brother was weak still and Thor knew it was hard for him to do so.

"You can do this, Brother," Thor encouraged, as Loki's body glowed brightly for a few seconds. When the light vanished, Loki's body was free of all burn marks. But he was unconscious from the power exertion.

"I'll get you to safety," Thor promised his brother, as he flew him into the compound. He knew that if they lost the battle, nowhere would be safe. So as he lay his brother on the bed, he promised he'd do whatever necessary to bring down Thanos once and for all.