"Let them go, Amora. It's me you want, not them." Thor said evenly, setting Stormbreaker on the ground before raising his hands and approaching the Enchantress.

"No. No this is exactly how I imagined it. You. Me. And all of them. Your precious Avengers." Amora said through pouty lips before dropping everyone to the ground with the exception of Steve, Bruce, Tony, and Clint. She yanked the four toward her with one hand, using the other to wisp magic around them, "They're no Warriors Three. Clearly they need you." She chuckled quietly as she studied them, her eyes glowing green.

Kayla darted forward but Wanda caught her feet and held her in place. Kayla turned around angrily, but Wanda shook her head ever so slightly, reminding Kayla to hold her ground. Kay lowered her head submissively, knowing she couldn't save her husband even if she wanted to. The only thing that brought Kayla solace was that Amora seemed more interested in holding onto the Avengers then actually hurting them, but was only a matter of time before she used her magic for something worse than freezing them in place.

"These two are human. Average, boring old humans, they aren't too much fun." Amora snorted as she discarded Tony and Clint to either side. Clint landed on his chest near the rest of the group while Tony was flung into a stone wall near the edge of the buildings.

Iron Man fell to the ground with a clank and didn't move, finding the suit completely drained of power. "FRIDAY, I'm gonna need you to reboot, like, now!" Tony snarled as he tried to move about the suit, but he was trapped and couldn't see what was happening outside. No answer came from his AI, "FRIDAY? FRIDAY wake up! Damn it!"

Clint rolled over and groaned, realizing his ribs were broken. His younger protege appeared beside him to shield him from the threat, holding her bow in one hand and Clint's hand in the other. She looked down at him, smiling despite the grave situation they'd found themselves in. "It's been too long, teach."

"Yeah, yeah, I should have stayed home with the kids. Lila starts senior year this week and Laura will kill me if I die." Clint groaned, turning his face to see Banner and Steve still in the Enchantress's clutches. Barton nodded toward them and whispered, "You see the redhead getting too close, you shoot her in the legs, you understand me?"

"What?" Kate asked incredulously as she looked down at her mentor, "You mean, Miss Ellis?"

"No, I mean Mrs. Rogers. If she gets within ten yards of the fight, you shoot out her legs, take her down. She can yell at me later." Clint mumbled as he clenched his eyes closed and turned back to look at the sky. Kate Bishop stared at him for a moment, then turned her attention back to Amora and Thor, bow at the ready in case she had to follow Clint's instructions.

"Let them go, Amora. I won't ask again." Thor warned, taking a step closer, but Amora just studied Steve and Bruce intently, clenching her fists a little tighter to pull them closer. Banner looked at Thor, silently begging his friend to save them. Steve just glared at Amora with piercing blue eyes as she studied them, her own eyes glowing magical green before realization hit her.

"They have the same thing in them. It's so weird, so magical." Amora hummed as her green eyes settled on Bruce, letting Steve fall to the ground, "I wonder what would happen if I took it out?"

Kayla's eyes widened, knowing what would come next, and she darted before Wanda could stop her, but suddenly she was struck in the calf by an arrow and went down hard on her chest. She winced at the pain and cried out as she rolled over, holding onto her leg before ripping out the arrow. She looked up angrily at Hawkeye before laying her head back down on the ground. She looked up the sky as she shook, chastising herself for being glad she couldn't see what was happening around her. She squished her eyes closed at the sound of a massive thunk, undoubtedly the Hulk being dropped to the ground. Steve was next. Steve.

Steve.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over Kayla and she opened her eyes to see Amora standing over her with her hands on her hips and a bored expression written across her face, "Well, that was dramatic." Kayla's eyes darted around quickly, finding everyone frozen in place again, even Thor. There was nobody to save her.

Kayla swept her legs under the Enchantress and the sorceress fell to her back and Kayla scrambled over her, getting in one good punch before Amora reached out and grabbed Kayla's hand mid swing. Kayla pushed with all her might and Amora smiled, impressed by the mortal's determination. Kayla didn't feel the pain that radiated from her leg, all she felt was her burning core as she used all her super strength to dig the bitch into the Earth away from her family.

Suddenly, the Asgardian grew bored of Kayla's efforts and got the upper hand, rolling over and pinning Kayla to the ground. Kayla shoved the leg that hadn't been shot between herself and Amora and pushed with all her might, keeping the distance between them as Amora's eyes widened, "You have it too. Just like they said in the trial. You are a clever girl, aren't you? Escaping execution. But look at this, you still found your way back to me."

Amora lifted her hand as a knife appeared in it, preparing to slice Kayla's throat. She heard Thor yell out in confusion and looked up to see the Avengers unfrozen because of her distraction. Amora realized Stormbreaker had flown away from the God of Thunder, something that shouldn't have been possible. No one else should have been able to wield it. Amora followed its path into Steve's hand as he skid to a stop beside her. He swung the ax toward Amora, stopping inches from the Enchantress's face. "Get up, or we'll see if Asgardian magic is powerful enough to put your head back together with your body. No more games."

Amora's expression was a combination of startled and stunned, but most of all impressed. She followed his directions in a sort of daze, rising to her feet and taking a step away from Kayla toward Thor. Steve clenched the ax tightly as he held it inches from her face, and backed her into Thor's hands. Thor grasped her tightly, and Valkyrie moved in and put a metal clamp on her neck, stopping her from using her magic. Despite being powerless, Amora ogled Steve with wonder, "Wow, aren't you a special one. I'd love to get my hands on you." She leaned forward, but Steve just pressed Stormbreaker to her neck, drawling the slightest bit of blood before backing away.

Thor shoved her into Valkyrie's arms so he could face her, snarling so close she could feel his hot breath and smell the sweat that dripped from his face, "The only reason you aren't dead right now is because my people are somewhere out there. You'll wish you were dead by the time I'm done with you."

Amora's head lulled to the side dully to stare at her captor. After a moment though, she smirked, "Is that a threat or a promise?"

Thor lifted his hand and summoned Stormbreaker from Steve's hand, then threw his ax to the sky, summoning the Bifrost. "Take her to the farthest corner of the Nine Realms. I'll meet you there. We'll find them." Valkyrie nodded, looking around at the Avengers before shoving Amora into the portal and beaming her into the vast realms of space.

Kayla laid her head back against the ground as Steve sauntered over to her, panting heavily as he reached down and pulled her up. She leaned against him, holding all her weight on her good leg as she looked around, "Did we win somehow?"

"Yeah, I guess we did." Steve said as he looked around at his old teammates, "She's gone."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble she caused you. If I had realized sooner what was happening, I would have been here. You won't be bothered by the Enchantress again." Thor promised as he clamped his hand onto Bruce's bad arm, causing the massive man to wince.

Shuri approached slowly, rubbing her hands together painfully as she limped alongside Bucky, "You said the Asgardians were not destroyed? Does that mean Wakanda may have had the same fate?"

Thor nodded once, looking up at the sky as the sun began to emerge from the storm clouds over Norway, "There's a good chance Amora transported them to another realm. Finding them could be a challenge, but we're already searching for my people. I'll make sure we search for your people as well."

"You mean they could still be alive? All of them?" Kayla gasped and Thor just stared at the sky, squinting into the sun. He didn't want to make promises he couldn't keep.

"It's possible. As I said, I'll keep an eye out. I better get going though, the Guardians are expecting me back. We have a lot of searching to do." Thor raised his ax and summoned the Bifrost again, disappearing and leaving Earth to the rest of the Avengers.

Steve panted and dropped his head, clearing his throat before looking at his wife. "It's over."

Bucky smiled, pushing back his hair before patting Sam on the back a little too hard, "It sure is. And I'm officially retired."

"Hey, hey, we still have Hydra to mop up..." Sam started, but Bucky just threw his rifle on the ground and walked to stand next to Steve and Kayla. Sam sighed and nodded, "We can handle it. You all have done enough. Go home."

"About damn time." Bucky released his breath and looked to Steve thankfully, "I can't believe we made it out of this alive."

"So we're going to enjoy it. We've finished the mission." Steve looked to Kayla, "We've righted our wrongs."

Kayla lifted her shoulders a bit and grunted, but didn't say anything to counter or agree with Steve's claims. She looked around the deserted Asgard, then turned to Shuri and Wanda who approached. Wanda wrapped her arms around Kayla, and the taller woman fell into her, embracing her in a hug that was a little too tight. Wanda didn't complain though.

When Wanda pulled away, Shuri took her place in Kayla's arms and Kayla whispered in her friend's ear, "Find them. I can't... help you."

Shuri pulled away and smirked, gesturing toward the bit of blood on the ground from Kayla's leg, "I think you've done enough Kayla. Both bad and good. We'll take it from here."

"We won't stop until we find them." Wanda added, her eyes glowing red. "When Carol gets back we'll begin the search. Go home to your family. We won't need you again."

Kayla nodded understandingly, looking to find Steve helping Clint into the quinjet. A bit of static in Kayla's ear caused her to turn, trying to figure out who was trying to speak.

"Ummm, hello? Did we win? I didn't come all this way to get left by the side of the road. I came out of retirement for this."

Kayla hobbled her way over to the brick wall where the Iron Man suit sat dormant. She collapsed onto her ass and smacked the metal with her fist. "We won."

"Yeah, we always do. A little help?" Tony's voice echoed through the comm and Kayla leaned her head against the grey bricks, smiling to herself.

"Gimme a minute." She responded, watching Steve as he trotted out of the quinjet toward her with Bucky by his side. Kayla bopped her head a little, feeling dazed and overwhelmed, "We're going home."

"You know, I can help with those ribs of yours Barton. Come out to the lake for a few days, relax." Tony offered as Clint flew them home. The archer snorted and looked over his shoulder to meet Tony's eyes.

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'll just head home. Get back to the wife and kids." Clint looked ahead toward the passing clouds, but the smile never left his face, "I can't believe you've been alive all this time, you son of a bitch."

Tony chuckled and leaned against the wall of the quinjet. His dark eyes scanned the horizon knowingly, "I'm glad I stayed in the shadows. We're getting too old for this."

"One last ride for old times sake. Just like you said." Clint responded, his voice cracking a little. "It's what Nat would have wanted."

"I'd say we avenged her today. With Schmidt imprisoned by the Avengers and the Enchantress worlds away, Hydra will fall to pieces. This was the last piece of the puzzle," Tony swallowed, realizing this was probably goodbye, "Which means we all fall back into the shadows." He turned and looked to Steve and Kayla, finding the woman fast asleep against her husband's shoulder as he played with the seams of his gloves thoughtlessly. He looked up and nodded a little, careful not to shift his wife too much.

"I think we've traumatized our kids enough for a lifetime." Steve said just above a whisper, causing Clint and Tony to laugh loudly. Bucky shushed them from his seat across the quinjet, shooting Tony a glare before looking back down to his phone. Tony just sighed and sauntered away from Clint to address Steve.

"Someday you're gonna have to tell them the truth. Clint's kids know. Morgan knows. I know they are young now, but you can't hide who you are forever. Then all the scary things they've seen will make sense." Tony's eyes roamed to Kayla's leg, "How are you gonna explain that?"

"We won't bring it up." Steve responded easily. He heard Clint grumble something to himself from the pilot's seat, but didn't ask him to reiterate.

Steve looked up at Tony Stark, but he just shrugged. "Someday you'll regret not telling them. It's hard watching your kids think you're something less than what you really are. Especially for you."

"My ego isn't that big." Steve growled back, and the vibrating stirred Kayla from her sleep, causing her to open her eyes lazily. She smiled thoughtlessly at Steve, then turned her head to face Tony, not quite registering his "I told you so" expression. After a few moments, Kayla closed her eyes again and dug her head into Steve's neck to get comfortable before falling into a fast sleep.

Tony took a seat on the other side of Steve and stared ahead, meeting Bucky's gaze, "All I'm saying is- after everything you've done, don't you want your kids to know? Wasn't it all for them?"

Steve chewed over Tony's words but didn't respond. The rest of the flight back to New York was silent, but the men were comfortable with the lack of conversation. Clint landed in a clearing half a mile from Tony's cabin, and Kayla finally awoke at the sound of the engine turning off. She looked around, then out the cockpit to see they were back to the real world. Clint rose from his seat and embraced Tony in a hug, "You take care, okay?"

"Same to you Barton. Same to you." Tony replied, patting the archer gently on the back. "You ever need anything, reach out okay?"

"I'd say to do the same, but no more Avengers business, understand?" Clint chuckled and pulled away, nodding toward the opening back of the jet. Tony saw Pepper drive up in her car and roll down the window to offer the team a short wave. Tony took that as his sign to leave and bid the Rogers and Bucky goodbye before joining his wife. Before they drove away, Morgan's head appeared in the backseat window, waving feverishly to the Avengers until she was out of sight.

"Alright, ready to go?" Clint called from the pilot's seat as the hatch closed again. Steve stared blankly out the front of the jet and Kayla stared at him. Bucky looked at both of them, then turned to Clint and asked Hawkeye to please take them home.

"Mom? Mom!" James hollered as the red door to the Carter house creaked open. He darted from the kitchen and practically tackled his mother into the door. Kayla wrapped her arms around her son and he held her tightly, not letting go even when his father tried to gently pry him away.

"Mom!" Sarah yelped as she followed her brother to the foyer, wrapping her arms around Kayla's free side before turning her attention to Steve, "Dad!"

"Hey Munchkin!" Steve called as he scooped her up and held her against his chest easily, even at nine years old. "Sorry we had to take off in a hurry. Last minute business meeting."

"What are you two doing up? It's late?" Kayla asked as she looked up to Tessa, who just put her palms up defensively. "It's almost eleven, it's a school night!"

"They wanted to wait for you. We weren't sure where your meeting was at... or when you'd be home." Tessa explained quietly, looking Kayla and Steve up and down. Although their clothes were clean, they were clearly worn and beaten. There was someone very important missing from their arrival though. Tessa took a step back and her lip quivered. Kayla smiled at her weakly, but it wasn't a sad smile, just a tired one. Tessa grabbed her purse from the counter and moved toward the door, "I should be going home."

"Thank you Tess. I really appreciate you getting the kids on such short notice. We won't need to travel for quite some time now." Kayla offered and Tessa looked at her hopefully, earning a firm nod from Steve. Kayla released James just enough to pull Tessa into a one armed hug and allow the woman to sneak past her out the door. Then she turned to her son and gave him a strong squeeze, "Now, to bed. School starts early in the morning. Let's go!"

"Yes ma'am." James answered and released her as Steve put down Sarah, and they both stormed up the stairs, followed by a limping Kayla as Steve stayed behind. He looked out the window, seeing the sun set on a Hydra-run world. When dawn broke, his work would officially be done.