Edit: No changes to the final chapter of "To Infinity". I just took that little plot bunny and posted it in the next chapter instead of at the end.
Now that she was awake, Renny slowly began to see the aftereffects of her efforts.
She would never know, as her foreknowledge only went as far as the Infinity War trailers, but the biggest thing she had prevented was The Snap.
Yes, uncountable lives had been saved, but there was loss as well.
Wakanda had suffered the most. Much of their fighting force had been lost to the Outrider army. The outskirts of the nation were ravaged. Even with their advanced technology, it would take a few years to completely recover.
Since Wakanda was now open to the world, Tony could be liberal with the assistance from Stark Industries. Not that Wakanda needed help technologically. It was more of a manpower issue. Tons of volunteers also offered their help. The screening process was very extensive though. The nation was wary of those who might be taking advantage of their current vulnerability.
The genius billionaire also pushed for the pardon of the so-called "rogue" Avengers. The paperwork was almost done. It would take a bit longer to go through the entire process and become fully official, but Steve, Natasha, and Sam could go back to the States without the fear of being arrested. Clint and Scott actually finished with their house arrest deals, but with the pardon, their slates for the incident in Berlin were wiped clean.
As for Wanda...
Though her name was one of those in the pardon, she couldn't go back just yet. Using the mind stone had done damage. Even if she had technically gained her powers from said stone, it had been too a little too much when she used the actual gem.
Simply said, Strange had to take her after the battle to see what could be done to patch the cracks in her mind.
When it came to Bucky...
The pardon actually included the former Winter Soldier. Steve wanted nothing more than for his best friend to come home.
"I can't, Stevie." Bucky looked down at his metal arm. It was no longer the bright silver of HYDRA's weapon but now the sleek black of vibranium. Still, it was cold enough to remind him of what he'd been. What he'd done.
He still couldn't face Tony.
Howard's son.
"I'm needed here. Gonna help rebuild. It's the least I could do." The least he could do to repay them for rebuilding his psyche.
And for taking care of his girl too.
"After then, Buck. You know Stark wouldn't have pushed to include you in the pardon if he was still holding a grudge. He-"
The dark-haired man shook his head, "It was what Stark was expected to do. He probably didn't want to piss you off again." Bucky sighed, "He can still be bitter about it and I wouldn't blame him. It was his mom and dad, Steve."
The blond frowned and responded firmly, "It wasn't you, Buck."
Bucky knew that, but he was still coming to terms with it himself, "Maybe not. But it'll be a while 'til Stark really sees that." He sighed, a beat passing before he let himself smile, "It's not like I'm disappearing this time, punk. You'll see me again. I'll be here. And after..."
Steve followed his friend's soft gaze to a figure holding a basket of bread.
"Maybe we'll go somewhere. Near the ocean, maybe." Bucky said, his tone contemplative.
Steve smiled, "Yeah, she deserves one hell of a vacation. Retirement, actually..." He put an arm on his friend's shoulder, "You do too, Buck." You've both gone through so much."
"Look who's talking." Bucky punched his friend's shoulder. They were both a hundred years old.
For a few moments, the two watched the woman make her rounds among the people who were taking a break from rebuilding houses.
The blond punched his friend's arm in return, "Take care of her, jerk."
"That was always the plan, punk."
They shared a tight hug, Steve saying, "The compound's always open. If Stark has a problem, he can deal with it. I'm done asking permission."
Bucky chuffed. Oh, what the world had done to the Golden boy of America and to him too-
"Teddy bear!" Instead of the small figure dashing over, Renny ambled over. "You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?" She said after a few breaths, putting her hands on her hips.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Steve wrapped his arms around her next as she did the same.
When they both pulled back, she placed an object in his hand.
"It's not a flip phone, but..."
A Kimoyo bracelet.
"They have an unlimited range now. Shuri's very proud." She smiled.
The only difference from the ones he had seen was that this one only had four beads. The rest was thick, braided cord.
She put up her wrist. Bucky did the same.
"Whenever you need us." She secured the bracelet on Steve's wrist before giving it a pat.
"We'll be there." Bucky finished.
Renny gave the blond another half-hug, "Or you know, if you just miss us. I'm sure you can sneak the quinjet and we can meet somewhere like Indonesia or wherever for coffee."
"Okay, deep breath. Today's the day!" May tried to contain her excitement but couldn't help the excited bounce of her heels.
Peter smiled at his aunt and put a hand on top of hers, "Calm down, May. Can we just-" He chuckled. "We're going to be late."
"Knock knock." Peter looked up from the tie May was fumbling with to see Nadia in his bedroom doorway, fingers working on an earring.
She looked pretty in her powder blue blouse, dark jeans, and heels. The glint of the dog tag necklace he had given her years ago glinted in the light from his window.
"Okay, May. Here." Nadia chuckled too, moving to take the ends of Peter's tie from the woman's overly shaky hands. She stood in front of the teen, muttering steps to herself as she knotted it neatly. Stepping back when she was done, she checked her work before patting the Peter's shoulder in satisfaction.
Click!
"May!" Peter flushed, but Nadia just smiled.
"We can take pictures after the ceremony." Nadia laughed this time.
Click!
"C-Come on, May!" Peter stuttered.
Click!
"But you look so adorable awkward." The older woman reasoned.
"Hey, hey! Come on aunt of the graduate," Nadia pulled away from Peter to take May's phone. "Let's get one of the both of you, then we go."
May shuffled forward and put an arm around her nephew and smiled. Peter's smile was a little exasperated, but still genuinely happy.
Click!
"Alright, this is nice," Nadia looked at the phone before passing it back to May, "Now you are going to be late." She went to May and nudged her toward the door. Peter grabbed his toga and cap before following them to the living room.
His phone buzzed. "Aw, man! Ned's already at school." Brown eyes widened as he finished the text from his friend, "They'll be gathering the in the class in fifteen minutes!"
Nadia stopped in the living room, humming. "Okay. You can still get there." She turned back to Peter, "Can you ask Ned to go to the boy's restroom near the cafeteria and make sure it's empty?"
Peter did as he was told and called the other teen, putting him on speaker, and relaying the instructions.
::I need to get away from my mom first, but- Oh! Are you portalling here? :: Ned's voice sounded excited.
"Make sure it's empty, Ned." Nadia slipped on her sling ring, "I can take the car to Midtown, May."
"Oh! But sweetie! You'll miss most of the ceremony." The woman looked distressed.
"It's okay. I'll make it before they call Peter to the stage." Nadia winked, holding out her hand for May's keys.
"Oh, if you're sure-"
::It's all clear. I repeat- the rendezvous point is green.:: Ned reported. ::That's how they say it, right?::
"Copy that." Peter grinned, "And yes. Well... Most of the time." He responded before ending the call.
May gave the young woman her keys and smiled, "We'll see you there then."
Nadia stretched both arms in front of her before gesturing in a circle with one hand. Sparks formed a ring to reveal the restroom and Ned's wide-eyed expression. "Still so cool. Hey, why haven't I gotten to go through one of those yet?"
May walked through first, Peter pausing to nudge Nadia with his shoulder. "I'll make sure May saves you a seat."
"Wouldn't doubt it, Spider boy."
Peter made sure he was safely on the other side before he joked, "Don't scratch the car, Dia!"
The young woman stuck her tongue out in response before snapping the portal shut roughly enough that a gust of air ruffled his slicked-back hair into a mess.
Peter and Ned laughed. May huffed, rifling through her purse for a comb.
Through the glass, he watched as they moved debris around.
Now that there was no looming threat hanging over them, they had been able to organize this mission.
Of course, Thor wanted to give those who had perished during Thanos' attack proper burial rituals. Most of them were his people after all.
As much as the trickster should have probably felt some form of regret for the lives lost, he had been their king for three years after all, he had seen them as more of his subordinates. He didn't care too much for them. Not right now when-
There.
He didn't hesitate.
He slapped on the device that would keep him safe in the vacuum of space, not that he really needed it. Using the proper door to exit the ship they had used would take too long, so he simply teleported himself out.
Pale blue.
Frost twinkled like crystals in her hair, glinting from the lights from the ship.
Frozen like some kind of statue.
Her eyes were slightly open, making her look like she was half way to falling asleep. Or waking from a dream and taking a peek at what might have woken her.
Hauntingly beautiful. Perfect even in death if it weren't for the ugly bruising around the column of her neck. The necklace he had given her glinted on her clavicle. The small round pendant looked unassuming but had the runes to store spells. Likely what she had used to hold her transformation spell even when she-
A firm hand clapped on his shoulder and he turned to see his brother.
The Guardians, along with the team of Asgardians who had accompanied them, had already recovered what bodies they could find and had returned to the ship. Only he and Thor were left outside.
How long had Loki spent simply gazing at her with his hand on her cold cheek? Almost desperately hoping that those beautiful blue eyes would truly open and she would simply wake and smile at him.
Loki.
Thor hesitated for a moment longer, hating that he had to state the obvious, "It's time to go, brother."
It took a moment before he responded, "Of course."
With a gentleness Thor only saw a few times when they were children, Loki brushed his hands over her lids and kissed her hair. "Rest now, darling." The god cradled Anya's body in his arms and he kissed the top of her head, "Time to go home."
A/N: Fin!~
Alright this is the official end of "To Infinity". It's amazed me that I managed to write three different interconnecting stories in a short amount of time (for me anyway). What a ride! I'm so grateful for everyone who's stuck with this story and dropped their reviews too. Thank you so much to all those who added this story to their alerts and favorites too. I guess I'll see you guys when I post another story which may or may not be connected to the Capellis. Please tell me what you think of this ending or the story as a whole. If you have any requests related to this story, I might post one-shots later on. Thanks again everybody!
PS:
Now, I wanted to wait a little longer before I posted this chapter, but life is getting pretty hectic again too, and I didn't want to make you guys wait extra long. The reason I wanted to wait was to get some of your opinions regarding the question I asked last chapter. I have a little plot bunny hopping around again. This one will bring the focus back to Peter and Nadia again. Should I post it here?
VERY IMPORTANT! I'm not sure if I will have time to follow through with this plot bunny.
So, for those curious, I've posted it in the next chapter. If you'd rather not add an open ending, skip the last chapter.