They entered the mausoleum and hovered around the large tomb. Only two torches lit through the darkness, but one did not need to worry about such obstacles. Matthew felt for the edges and looked towards the group.
"Help me move this..." Steve and Bucky pushed with Matthew and the lid to the tomb fell over.
"Not what I was expecting..." Anthony raised his eyebrows to the staircase descending down into pitch black.
They grabbed the torches and followed Matthew down underneath the city of Paris.
"You know how I said how I've never really been outside and wanted to see the world and stuff? This was not on the top of my list..." Anthony looked around warily as they all went single file through the tunnel.
"You should try seeing it from my point of view." Matthew said.
They all stifled a laugh.
"Anthony?" Carol squeezed right up next to him and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with the man. "Can I ask you something?"
He smiled. He really did not mind, being asked about his scars. He used to be so self conscious about it, but after everyone in the church treated him normally, and then these guys, he accepted this as a reminder that he was a survivor. "I don't really remember much from that day, to be honest..."
"I don't want to-"
"No, it's fine...curiosity is a good thing, and me telling my tragic backstory to outsiders might be good therapy for me, as all I've had to talk to are priests who just tell me "the Lord works in mysterious ways"...I'd like something a little more human for now..."
"You really don't have to right now if you're not comfortable with us..." Steve said. "After all, it's only been, what two days since we met?"
"Has it been that long? No wonder I'm so sleepy..." Bucky complained. "Listen, Anthony, we've all got our own fair share of tragic backstories, and when we get to where we're going, we can all sit around the campfire, hold hands, and pour out our feelings."
"Sounds romantic, but I'd rather get mine out of the way now, so I don't have to make eye contact with anyone. I'm used to confessions and prayers without having to see a face, so..." He took a deep breath. "Where do we begin? My parents and I were coming up to Paris for holiday, and the snow was coming down hard that night. I have no idea what happened, but my mom suddenly screamed my name and threw herself onto me, as if trying to hide me or protect me from something. There was crying and begging and...and..." Carol caught a glimpse of a tear trickling down his cheek. "And then my head hit something, and I must have passed out because when I woke up...I was on a bed in Notre Dame being nursed back to health by the Archdeacon himself. He told me Minister Thanos rescued me and together they took care of me...gave me a home...a sanctuary..." He felt a soft hand squeeze his shoulder and he smiled at Carol, who had tears in her eyes.
"I had no idea...I'm so sorry..." She said. "How can someone be so cruel and threatening to us, yet be a savior for you?"
"I don't know...I really don't...and that's what bothers me..." Anthony frowned, thinking hard. "Because I mean, he was no father of the year, but he was a lot better than my old man ever was. Always praised my efforts, but pushed me to reach my true potential. He was strict, but he's military, that's to be expected...but...why does he hate you so much?"
"Because this bitch decided to stand up to him." Bucky shoved Steve.
"Jerk..." He shoved back.
"Watch your step..." Matthew said.
"Very funny coming from you..." Anthony said. "Sorry...uh, I had to have my one blind joke..."
"Don't hurt yourself, I live with these assholes." Matthew smiled. "Some of them are actually kinda hilarious..."
"A blind ninja with a sense of humor...never thought I would see that on my grand tour of the world...underground."
"I can assure you, what you're about to find is not as shut off from the world as you would imagine." Steve helped Matthew unlock and open a huge door that opened up to a vast city that looked like an old abandoned marketplace.
"You're right...I feel better already...not as big as the cathedral, but so spacious!" Anthony looked around at all of the colorful tents and a stage at the back of the area with curtains and so much...stuff strung about.
"And this space was meant to be kept secret so certain persons could not come back and finish the job..." A man with an eyepatch came out from a tent, all dressed in black. He had a scar that covered one eye that was similar to Anthony's. "Mind telling me who this is, and why we shouldn't kill him right now?"
"Fury, this is Anthony. If it weren't for him, we'd be Christmas decorations strung up all over Paris." Steve said. "He's our friend..."
"He's a lot more than that..." Fury held out his hand. "Name's Fury, and I'd like to formally apologize for any trouble that these motherfuckers got themselves into...so thank you for bailing them out so I didn't have to..."
"Uh, the pleasure's all mine...Fury." Anthony smiled.
"Ya hungry? We just got the stew ready, unfortunately that's all we could scrounge up for today."
"Yes, thank-you..." Anthony sat down and had the most casual and fun dinner he had ever had in his life.
He met quite a few interesting characters, including a couple who had a history with the circus, Natasha and Clint. Then there was Peter, a young boy who barely looked fifteen, and who could not stop talking. He had some competition though, with Wade, who was the wildest of the bunch by far.
"A toast..." Clint stood up with his wine high in the sky. "To Anthony...thank-you for saving our family, and if you'd like, you can be a part of it..."
They all cheered, and Anthony drank to that.