Hello, and welcome. This is the ChristyVerse.
What is the ChristyVerse? Full synopsis on my profile. Short version: Steve Rogers adopted a child and got together with Sharon Carter, Loki got a slap-on-the-head redemption arc and isn't a terrible person, Bucky got help sooner, Bruce and Natasha had actual romantic development and made a family with two Indian kids, everyone talked out their super-high emotions after Civil War like adults, Frigga is alive, Pietro Maximoff is alive, Bucky and Wanda are dating. I think that covers the basics!
This is my what-if for Infinity War and Endgame. I liked the movies. They ripped my heart out. But I didn't like everything. And they left me wondering what could have happened, if things went a little bit different.
Sincerest thanks to Order of Arcadia for her never-ending joy over this 'Verse and all her help with it.
Follow me, if you will, on a journey of heartbreak, tears, loss, hope, avenging, and family found. To Infinity...and Beyond.
PART ONE: HOLD ON TO THIS LULLABY
Chapter One: The Week the World Went Wrong
Doha International Airport, Qatar
It was a normal scene for an airport: a mother with two small children. Perhaps their most unique feature was how still and solemn the children were, without being absorbed in the ever-common babysitter of a technological device.
Natasha Romanoff-Banner tried to give her children a comforting smile. But all she could manage was a wobbly grimace.
"We're boarding in an hour. You can walk around a bit. I saw a candy store back by the bathrooms."
Anish, gripping Shanta's hand, shook his head. "No, thank you, Ma."
"You should get some exercise. It'll be thirteen hours on the plane until we get to New York."
Shanta grabbed Natasha's hand. "I don't want to walk, Ma. I hurt too much."
Natasha bit her lip and took a shaky breath.
"Okay. Then find a show to watch, okay?"
Mercifully, Anish found something bright and soothing for them to watch on his tablet. Natasha sat back to listen for the boarding call.
It had been a month since Bruce had disappeared.
That day, she hadn't been at Hope Center. She had picked up the kids from school. It was her night to make dinner. Bruce had been running late, but she hadn't worried too much. Sometimes that happened. The lack of texts didn't even strike her as odd. Bruce had a habit of getting caught up in his work and forgetting everything else existed.
At ten o'clock, though, she had been worried enough to call Chandra. The director informed her that Dr. Banner had left the Center at 6 p.m., like normal.
It was then that she had started to worry.
She still had some less than above board contacts who were good at hacking phone signals and tracing.
But twelve hours later, she was informed that there was nothing to trace. It was like Bruce's number had suddenly gone out of existence.
They kept trying. Natasha put in a police report, but even with a case as high-priority as an American scientist disappearing, they had no luck. None of her contacts had any luck, either.
They had support in India, but the kids had barely begun school. India was their place, hers and Bruce's. It didn't feel right to be there alone.
So Natasha did the only thing she felt she could: bought tickets for all three of them to JFK airport. Clint was slated to pick them up.
Natasha sighed, glancing down at the bright, blinding white of the floor tile.
Just thirteen hours to go...thirteen hours. The kids will sleep, or watch shows, and be too quiet, just like they've been since I told them their Baba disappeared. And I…
She bit her lip harder.
Oh, Bruce...where are you?
It was a quiet party that met them at the airport. Clint had come, as promised. But Bucky was also there, and Wanda as well.
Clint gave a half-hearted smile. "We figured it would be easier, with more of us."
Natasha nodded tightly, before Clint pulled her into a firm embrace. Only then did she dare to leak a few tears.
"Hey…" Clint whispered. "I know. We'll find him, Nat, I swear it."
"Don't promise what you can't keep."
"Then we'll try to find him, huh? And between the whole of the Avengers, there's not much we can't do if we try. Now c'mon. Laura's making Mexican for dinner and she got extra spicy salsa."
Natasha gave a sobbing laugh. "The kids will still say it's weak spice."
Clint smirked, looking at Wanda holding Shanta and Bucky putting Anish on his shoulders.
Good choice to bring those two. Never thought I'd say it, but they're both solid as the Rock of Gibraltar in a real crisis.
"Don't worry." he answered Natasha, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "We hid all the poblano and jalapeno peppers. Don't want an incident like last November."
Natasha gave a smile that was almost real. "I've never heard Cooper scream before."
"Neither had we, not since he was a baby." He squeezed her close and tugged her suitcase along. "Let's get home, huh, sis?"
Natasha's smile was fully real this time as they entered the crisp February air. "Yeah. Let's."
Sakaar
"Want Natasha! Want Shanta! Want Anish!"
Bruce sighed, stuck on a luxurious, caveman-style throne, in a room that reminded him of a candy cane.
"I know, buddy." he whispered. "I want them, too."
He still wasn't completely sure how long he'd been stuck on this godforsaken planet called Sakaar, or even really know how he'd come to be here.
His best guess was some sort of inter-dimensional wormhole. That would certainly explain why one minute, he'd been on his way home from work, and the next he'd awakened with a splitting headache, in Hulk's form.
In the many months of relative peace since Hulk's last official battle, he'd worked on developing a more symbiotic relationship with the Big Guy. Doing research on things like Dissociative Identity Disorder had taught him that, like it or not, Hulk was a fully developed 'person' with his own, wants, fear, and desires. The sooner he stopped treating him like an unwanted pest, the better it would be for both of them.
Due to this, he had developed the ability to slip between his own body and Hulk almost at will. All it took was a little honest communication.
Surely there were worse things in the world than sharing your body with the equivalent of a super-strong five year old.
He picked morosely at the fur of some poor space animal he didn't know the name of and sighed.
For the thousandth time that day, he wondered what Nat and the kids were doing.
The door creaked, and he could feel Hulk shifting out, before realizing that it was Valkyrie.
The swaggering scrapper lifted her hands up, palms out. "It's just me, Big Guy can stay in. Unless he wants to come out."
Hulk surged forward. "Angry Girl!" he cried happily.
Valkyrie smiled. "Hey, Big Guy! We can play in a minute, alright? Let me talk to Bruce?"
Hulk pouted, but faded back. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief.
"You're the only one he does that with, here. And only one of four people in the entire universe he does it with."
"I won him over with my sparkling personality." Valkyrie paced the antechamber of the room, the ever-present bottle of alcohol in her hands. "The Grandmaster has a new victim."
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"From Asgard." Valkyrie looked out the window. "It's Prince Thor."
Bruce sat up, eyes wide. "Thor? Here? How?"
"Friend of yours?"
"I told you, we fought together on Earth. Midgard. Whatever the hell you people call it." Bruce grinned, giddy with the possibility. "Oh, this is great news! I can get out of here!"
"Woah, woah, Smart Guy. He's a prisoner like you. This isn't a rescue party."
Bruce waved his hand impatiently. "Yeah, but now we have a chance. Loki's too interested in playing the long game. And he's been here longer. But I'm not sticking around here any more than I have to. I want out."
"They won't welcome me on Asgard. And, as I told you, I don't want to leave."
"Then help me leave, at least." Bruce leaned forward, eyes wide and pleading. "Brunhilde, I've got a family. You can drink yourself to death if that's what you really want. But I have to get home."
Valkyrie grumbled. "Why in the Nine Realms did I ever tell you my real name?"
"You were drunk, Angry Girl." Bruce replied, crossing his arms and smirking.
"Hmph. Fine. But you'll need to get His Royal Hotheadedness alone. And I already have a plan."
Bruce chuckled nervously at her fierce look. "And your plan would be?"
Valkyrie crossed her own arms. "The best way to get a meeting without arousing suspicion is to act like you don't want a meeting."
"Go on…"
"I happen to know that the Grandmaster wants his newest prize to fight his current champion this afternoon."
Bruce rolled his eyes. "Naturally. Get ready, Big Guy. Let's go a bit easy on him."
Valkyrie shook her head violently. "No. Don't go easy on him. Go as hard as you can. Subvert what he thinks will happen, if he fights his friend. Then, he'll come to you."
Bruce nodded slowly. "Confuse the hell out of him, and then he'll come running to me asking what the matter is."
"Exactly. Think you can do it?"
Part of Bruce felt guilty at the idea of hurting his old teammate. But he would be lying to admit that a larger part of him was cackling in unholy glee at the idea of Hulk delivering a smackdown on the Asgardian prince.
Besides, Thor would be alright.
"Right." he said, getting up and stretching. "I need t' warm up. And I believe you promised the Big Guy you could play?"
In Space
"I know what it's like to lose...to feel so desperately that you're right. It's frightening."
Loki stood in the midst of what felt like his worst nightmare, facing a being that still haunted his nightmares.
Thanos. The one who, as a tiny Midgardian child had once put it, had once 'messed with his head'.
No one had believed it was truly him when his ship had come into view. And currently, they had only the barest shreds of a plan.
They had sent Valkyrie, Frigga, and as many as could fit ahead in various escape pods, with the hope that they could reach safety. But there had been enough left that the floor of their craft was littered with bodies.
He could feel the Tesseract pulse in his hands, hidden by magic. Before him was Thor, head currently being crushed in the grip of the wrinkled, purple maniac.
Heimdall lay on the floor of the ship, battered and bruised. But Loki was no fool; there was power yet in the Gatekeeper's hands.
There had to be, for their backup plan to work. If it needed to work at all.
He hoped that Thor could forgive him for one last betrayal. His brother held out hope that Hulk could stop Thanos. Loki had his doubts.
"It turns your legs to jelly…" Thanos continued, in his raspy, nightmare-inducing voice. "I am…"
Thor coughed wetly. "You talk too much."
Loki almost smiled.
Ah, brother, defiant to the end. This is why I am not afraid to leave you. You will survive.
Thanos smirked. "The Tesseract. Or, your brother's head. I assume you have a preference?"
"Oh, I do." Loki said, the lie smooth as poisoned honey. "Kill away."
The Mad Titan squeezed tighter. He pushed the purple Power Stone against Thor's forehead, causing Thor to cry out in agony.
A thousand memories played before Loki's eyes.
Loki! Look at my new sword! Shall we practice?
It's almost time for the feast, little brother!
Loki, come play with us!
You will always be my brother…
"Alright stop!"
The words were rehearsed, but the fear in his voice was real.
I will avenge this. I will avenge you, brother, if it is the last thing I do…
"We don' have the Tesseract." Thor gasped out. "It was destroyed on Asgard."
Loki checked Thanos' face out of the corner of his eye, to see if there waseven a tiny chance this lie had worked.
No such luck.
Now for Plan B.
He undid the cloaking spell, revealing the pulsing blue cube in his hands.
Thor, right on cue, mumbled, "You really are the worst, brother."
With far more confidence than he felt, Loki replied, "I assure you, brother, the sun will shine on us again."
Thanos smiled grimly. "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian."
"Well, for one thing...I'm not Asgardian. And for another...we have the Hulk."
Hulk roared in, green fists of fury fully engaged. Loki tackled Thor aside. Too late, he realized the Tesseract had fallen from his grip.
For a brief, shining moment, it seemed as though their plan would work.
And then, Thanos struck back.
Hulk tried to fight, but the raisin-chinned Titan was clearly stronger.
Heimdall caught Loki's eye, and nodded.
Loki concentrated hard, and duplicated himself, leaving a copy beside Thor and teleporting his true body beside Heimdall. Then, he cloaked himself and kept a close eye on the duplicate.
Thor tried to hit in with his own weapon. It went over as poorly as Hulk's attack.
Loki watched in sick dread as Thanos' lieutenant presented the Tesseract to his master. Thanos cracked the cube as though it were a walnut and brushed aside the shattered glass like dust. A sick blue light flashed through the ship.
Just like that, the Gauntlet had two Stones.
Now, it was his turn to play the distraction. Or, rather, his duplicate's turn.
"There are two more Stones on Earth. Find them, my children, while I dispose of this...creature." Thanos glanced distastefully at Hulk.
"We will not fail you, Father." the minions chorused.
"Ah...if I may? If you're going to Earth, you might need a guide. I do have a bit of, ah, experience in that arena."
Loki did not have to actually speak if his duplicate did, so it was rather like watching one's reflection perform things outside one's control. It would have been disquieting, if he had not done it a thousand times before.
"Do you consider failure experience?" Thanos asked, chuckling.
"I consider experience experience." the duplicate returned.
So, as the mortals say, 'suck it, raisin-chin'!
Now it was time for the final wind-up. With an over-the-top bow, the duplicate intoned:
"Almighty Thanos. I, Loki, Prince of Asgard...Odinson. The Rightful King of Jotunheim, God of Mischief, do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity."
He saw the flicker in Thor's eyes as the duplicate uttered the word 'Odinson'. And beside his true form, he felt Heimdall grab his hand.
"I shall need your magic, my prince…" the Gatekeeper murmured. "I am low on strength. But we shall go together. It grieves me to leave Prince Thor...but I feel he will yet live."
Loki nodded, just as Thanos drove his spear through the duplicate.
Thor screamed. But the figure disappeared beneath their eyes.
Thanos jolted in shock. Thor cast his eyes about wildly.
"Allfathers, give me strength…." Heimdall murmured. "Let the dark magic flow through me one more time."
A shimmering, rainbow path appeared. Loki umasked himself. And Hulk, Heimdall, and Loki slid into the Bifrost.
Loki caught Thor's eye as they departed.
"I promise you, brother! The sun will shine on us again. And you! Mad Titan! You will never be a god!"
Thanos lunged forward, but he was too late. The three figures vanished into the open Bifrost.
Thor let out a howl of grief and rage.
"Loki! Loki, no! Loki, don't leave me!"
Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, was currently having a day that aligned with his name.
The New York Sanctum was not like Kamar-Taj, in that it did not possess the space or resources for large numbers of people. It was meant to be the dwelling place for one, or perhaps two, sorcerers. But even sorcerers need to have meetings with others, which explained the large meeting room with a stunning teak table that could comfortably seat twenty.
This was his reasoning for calling a meeting of the Avengers here, and not travelling three hours Upstate.
Also, he felt a bit entitled to host a meeting when The Hulk, The God of Mischief, and the Gatekeeper of Asgard had crashed through his roof. Rebuilding would cost a fortune.
Bruce Banner was currently half-hidden under two children and lacing fingers so tight with Natasha Romanoff that Strange idly wondered if one of them would break a bone. Clint Barton stood behind them like a lurking hawk, echoing his codename. The Maximoff twins flanked either side of him, along with the Android, Vision.
Tony Stark was pacing back and forth, refusing to be calmed by his wife or his best friend. Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson all sat straight at attention like the soldiers they were. Rogers had two noticeable blonde shadows: his wife and daughter.
Strange had met the girl once, as well as the teenage boy that sat anxiously near them. After that first unexpected meeting, he had casually reached out to both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, if only to cover his ass when either of the teenagers inevitably let his existence slip. He had felt foolish doing it then, but now he was grateful. It meant slightly fewer awkward introductions.
"I wasn't aware this was a daycare facility." he murmured, glancing at the two children and two teenagers. "I asked for the Avengers."
Christy shot an irritated look his way. "Yeah, and you got them. Can we get down to business?"
Steve opened his mouth to reprimand his daughter (even as Bucky and Sharon beamed in not-quite-proper pride), but Loki spoke up first.
"I agree entirely. There is no time to waste on petty jokes. The fate of the world is at stake. Thanos is coming."
Rhodey raised a hand. "Uh, question. Who the hell is Thanos?"
"They call him 'The Mad Titan'." Bruce piped up. "He's crazy. Apparently he's been after these things called the Infinity Stones for ages. The person who has all six, and can handle the power, can do basically anything they want."
"And…we have the Stones? On Earth?" Steve questioned.
Loki nodded at Strange. "He has one around his neck. The Time Stone."
"I'm assuming that means it controls time?"
Strange nodded. "It stops, starts, goes backwards...anything with time, it can do."
Tony stopped pacing for half a second. "You said he has two already, Reindeer Games?"
It was a sign of his stress that Loki let the old nickname slide. "Yes. The Power Stone, and the Space Stone, what you knew as the Tesseract."
Clint rolled his eyes. "Ah, damn, here we go again with that thing. Got a Staff to go with it?"
"No, because Stark put it in someone's head." Loki shot back.
All eyes turned on Vision, who shifted uncomfortably.
Steve and Tony caught each other's eyes. They were the two team leaders, still. Two of three, since Dr. Strange did not seem ready to play under anyone's authority but his own.
"Okay, okay, okay." Tony said, jabbing at the air. "We got two Stones here. Thanos has two. Where's the others?"
Loki looked at Heimdall. Heimdall was still a moment, and then nodded slowly.
"They are far from us. And not on Midgard."
Tony nodded decisively. "Right. So, here's the plan. We have two stones in one place, currently. That is, um, a horrible idea. I vote we take Vizh and collectively skedaddle to the one place that even I couldn't find Captain America."
Steve nodded briskly. "I'll call T'Challa and let him know to expect us."
"Great. Thanks, Steve." Tony looked at Strange, sizing up the other man. "And you're keeping the Wibbly-Wobbly-Timey-Wimey Stone, I expect?"
Strange huffed. "I was entrusted with its care, so yes."
Tony looked ready to toss back a smart remark, but both Pepper and Rhodey grabbed his arms, so he held his peace.
"Loki. And, uh, Loki's Friend. How likely is it that Thanos will get here quickly?"
Loki sighed. "Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't arrived already."
"Thought so. Which means we have two very likely fights on our hands. If he takes the Stones, he needs to get the one out of Vision's head."
"I don't like the sound of that." Wanda drawled, a fierce look on her face. "Very messy."
"Yeah, I'm not wild about it either. So we need to get it out first. Manchurian Candidate, didn't you say Wakandan tech is completely insane?"
Bucky scowled, but nodded. "Best I've ever seen. And I've seen yours."
"Mm, clearly I need to improve. Anyway, if anyone can help Vizh, and hide a Stone, they can. But Thanos will come here, too. I vote for some of us to stay."
Pepper gasped. "Tony…"
Tony glanced at her with pleading eyes. "Pep...I'm sorry. But I'm not letting some space psycho land on Earth without a fight. Can you deign to accept my help, Doctor?"
Strange sputtered for a moment, but a pointed look from Wong made him nod. "I can."
"I'll stay as well, if I may." Loki muttered bitterly. "I have a score to settle."
"No news?" Steve asked gently.
Loki gave a thin smile. "He is alive. Beyond that, I know naught else."
"Then he'll come back. Thor's one of the most determined people I know."
"I'll help, too, Mr. Stark."
Tony's eyes grew wide and he started to protest, but Peter cut him off.
"This is my home, too! I want to help. It's been two years since that stuff with Vulture. I've been training. Please, Mr. Stark, don't make me stay behind like some kid."
Tony's mouth slowly creaked shut. He gave a single, curt nod, and spoke with a voice like ice.
"Fine. But if I tell you to scram, you scram, kid. Understand?"
"Y-yes, sir." Peter stuttered.
Tony looked at Steve once more. "Cap? I miss anything?"
Steve shook his head. "Nope. So you, Loki, and Parker are running interference here with the Doctor. The rest of us, Wakanda. We taking a Quinjet?"
"I might be able to assist with that." Strange spoke up. "I can make a portal to-Wakanda, is it?"
Steve nodded. "Wakanda."
He looked around the room. Fear, worry, anger, and shock was written plainly on everyone's faces.
"Fifteen minutes." he intoned solemnly. "Everyone do what you need to do. Doctor, will you be ready then?"
"Certainly." Strange replied.
"Then we'll meet back here."
"Tasha...are you sure you don't want me to take the kids?"
Natasha paced worriedly, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Bruce sitting with Shanta and Anish. Bruce was hugging them both like he never wanted to let go.
"Of course I want to." she said. "Every sane instinct of me wants you to. But Clint...we just got him back. If we have to face the end of the world, we should at least do it together."
Clint blew out a breath. "And if I go home?"
"You've earned that right." Natasha whispered. "It's not like we're dragging Lang into this, too."
Clint looked hard at her. "I can't leave them, Tasha. Not this time. I've left them for everything else, but this, this is…"
"Monsters, and magic, and nothing we were ever trained for." Natasha quoted sadly.
"Exactly. I don't see what I'll add to this fight that others can't. I don't have powers. I don't have a suit. I'm just a guy with a bow."
Natasha frowned. "You're more than that!"
"You know what I mean! Tasha, I've missed so much...I always miss so much. Is it selfish to want to protect my family, first? Just once?"
Clint's eyes were desperate, full of fear and guilt. Natasha gripped his shoulder.
"It's not. Go home, Clint. Go home and save your family. You've saved the world enough times."
Clint smiled hollowly. "I'll tell the kids that Shanta and Anish say goodbye."
"Just be sure to tell them that you're home because you love them, more than all the world."
A crowd stood before Dr. Strange, neat and terrified. They all clutched various duffle bags, and in some cases pillows. All were quiet.
"Is this everyone?" Strange asked, looking at Steve for confirmation.
Steve nodded. "All here. Good luck, Doctor. I hope to meet you again soon."
Strange nodded back respectfully; a rare gesture from him. "You as well, Captain. They are prepared for your arrival?"
"Yes, I warned our contact. He was confused but accepting."
From somewhere in the group, Bucky snorted lightly.
"Very well."
Strange started to spin his hands, his sling ring opening up a portal right into the Palace Gardens of Wakanda.
"Tony…" Steve called earnestly.
Tony nodded. "I'll call ya, Rogers. Keep you posted."
"Thanks."
A golden, sparking circle appeared, with a brightly-lit space in the center that solidified to reveal shrubs and trees and stones. The group stepped through.
Only a small few remained. The Sanctum was eerily silent.
"...Pepper, you wanna come with me back to the house? Or stay with Tony?" Clint asked finally.
Pepper and Tony looked at each other hard. Pepper grabbed the front of Tony's shirt.
"Anthony Edward Stark. Promise me you will come back alive."
"I can't…"
"Promise me!"
Tony's eyes darted, panicked and trapped, until something suddenly cleared in them. They hardened in resolve, the same resolve that had let him survive terrorists in the desert.
"I'll come back." he whispered. "I promise you, I will come back."
Pepper nodded. "Then I'll tell Morgan that Daddy's saving the world and can't read her a bedtime story."
"Which is why I have fifty recordings in back up for times like these!"
"Right, sorry to break up the party, but we should be going." Clint urged.
Pepper pressed one last kiss to Tony's lips, and followed Clint out the door.
Now, there were six.
Tony blew out a breath and surveyed their tiny-in more ways than one-forces. "...should I have asked Bruce or Cap to stay?"
"No." Loki said bluntly. "Thanos cannot be overwhelmed by strength. Any victory will come by subverting his expectations. He is clever and rightly trusts his own intelligence. But he is also cocky."
Strange spread his hands and conjured two sticklike beams of light. "Let him do his worst. No one takes the Sanctum without getting through me."
Peter swallowed hard and tried not to look horribly out of his depth. When Mr. Stark had picked him up from school, saying there was a problem, he hadn't expected anything involving aliens, magic stones, or apparently-real Norse deities.
He accidently caught Heimdall's eye across the table, and tried to quickly look away. But not before the golden-eyed man winked at him.
"All will be well, at the end of things. Do not give into despair, yet."
Peter tried to nod back. "Y-yessir…"
"Stephen." Wong called from the window. "You had better see this."
All five remaining men turned to the windows just in time to see an ominous, donut-shaped spacecraft descending from the sky.
"W-what do we do, Mr. Stark?" Peter asked, trying not to sound horrified.
Tony stood up quietly, a grim smile on his face.
"What we do best: protect. And if we can't do that, avenge. Suit up!"
Next time: We meet some Space Dorks, Wakanda stands strong, and our heroes battle it out for the fate of the universe. Reviews are punches to Thanos' face.
Also, rest in peace, Chadwick Boseman. Your performance brought so much heart and grace to the MCU. You will not be soon forgotten.