Chapter 22 – The Aftermath
A/n: Haha, people still getting annoyed about the not-cliffie. At least with me they don't remain cliffies for long cause I update so fast.
paisley15: You know what happens so… I'm glad you're smiling. Smiling is good
Booklover2526: Yes well it was an edge of seats moment during the film anyway. Yes, the Iron Man movies are up next.
XxxBellaBellaxxX: I know I left you with such a terrible cliffie /lol/ And yes he will, I couldn't keep him away
ReadPaxJoy: I'm glad you are :)
LaNaturalBreezeOf-Books: The sacrifice play is kind of her signature move. Toni would never lie to you, unless she really doesn't want to talk about it ;)
ladynarutochan: Maybe it's because if I had written it not from the film it would be evil. Very!
Maeleana: Usually because it's past 3am here and there are natural breaks :D I'm glad my story is addictive
youwannabekate: Well not really because they both know she's still alive cause she's sitting right there. Bruce's jobs in fights seem to be smash things and save Toni :) I know it's such a relief to have Phil back here and I don't particularly like anyone in SHIELD other than the obvious so /shrugs/
NC: Don't worry more characters from Thor including Sif and Loki will come in for the sequel and there will probably by Sif/Loki dynamics because I ship it :) But I don't want to bring them in for this story. And I will probably throw in Toni/Natasha/Sif just because I can :D
"You were actually dead and you didn't even tell me," Bruce said appalled, "Toni you need to tell me these things. I understand you had your reasons for keeping it quiet but you have to tell me. Promise me."
"Fine," Toni said reluctantly, "I promise but you really don't want to know. I did try and warn you. JARVIS, if they ask you can tell them about past incidents but let's wait until the end of these films so they know what they need to ask about."
"Of course ma'am," JARVIS responded, "restarting footage."
Steve sat back away from Toni obviously having determined that she was no longer breathing and his face was a picture of guilt.
"I thought I would never get to apologise after you had just proved me wrong a million times over," Steve said nervously to Toni but Toni who had already guessed this was the case just smiled at him.
Suddenly the Hulk roared in anger and Toni's eyes flew open as she gasped loudly. Steve's attention was instantly drawn back to Toni as the Hulk continued to roar.
"So I saved your life," Bruce said disbelievingly, "twice!"
"That pretty much sums up your actions of this particular part of the movie perfectly Bruce," Clint joked, "just add the word smash and there you go. Perfect analysis of the events." This earned him a slap on the arm from Toni but he didn't really mind.
"What the hell?" Toni said breathily as she came back to a conscious state as Thor's expression changed to one of bewilderment.
"I didn't know how it was possible for the dead to return without Hel's assistance. And Loki would surely not have let you come back but you managed it somehow," Thor explained.
"The shock and the fact that I hadn't been dead for long was enough to restart my heart," Toni told him.
"What just happened?" Toni asked, "Please tell me nobody kissed me!"
"You would say something like that after just waking up," Natasha said with a smile.
"We won," Steve said after taking a moment to take everything in.
Toni sighed deeply in relief when she heard the news.
"I thought that maybe it hadn't worked from your expressions," Toni admitted, "Piper is really the only one that worried about me until then. It was a bit strange."
"All right, yay!" Toni said weakly, "Hurray. Good job, guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma?"
"I wondered why we went for that in particular after we contained Loki," Clint realised.
"Yes, well, when you die you get cravings okay," Toni laughed.
Steve laughed happily when he saw that Toni was straight back to her rambling ways. "There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here," Toni continued, "I don't know what it is, but I want to try it."
"We're not finished yet," Thor told her.
"I was wondering when you were going to get the others and deal with Loki," Phil admitted, "You were acting like you had forgotten about him."
"I don't think that would even have been possible," Toni replied, "especially since we didn't know what the Hulk had done to him until we met up with Natasha who spotted him lying there when she went down to retrieve the sceptre."
Steve looked up at him as he spoke and Toni sighed knowing that had been coming, "And then shawarma after," she sighed.
Back in Stark Tower Loki was pulling himself up off the floor groaning in pain but as he was turning over he paused as standing right in front of him were all six of the Avengers with Clint raising an arrow and pointing it directly at Loki.
"If it's all the same to you," Loki said directing his comment to Toni, "I'll have that drink now."
"I'm getting the distinct impression that Toni was the only one who knew what was going on most of the time," Phil commented, "it seems that whenever the rest of you get confused by scenes of this Toni knows what's going on."
"It's probably because she's the least comfortable telling us what happens to her," Natasha pointed out, "and for good reason," she tacked on quickly as Toni began to look offended.
The scene changed to show a panoramic view of the city before moving on to show the news reports covering the Battle for Manhattan, "Despite the devastation of what has been confirmed as an extra-terrestrial attack, the extraordinary heroics of the group known as the Avengers."
"Didn't take very long for us to get into the news under that name did it?" Bruce said with a slight smile. It was the first time anyone had ever referred to him as hero and many of those news reports had.
"When I'm in charge of press nothing takes very long," Toni said with a shrug. Her first encounter with the paparazzi that had actually been focused on her had been when it had been leaked to the public by her old maid that she had built a circuit board in his lab out of scraps at four years old. He had been trying to keep it quiet because it wouldn't do for a girl to enter the family business and he still wanted a son but when the news got out he decided just to settle for just having Toni.
The news reporter continued, "has been to many a cause not only for comfort, but for celebration." Clip after clip was shown of people wearing t-shirts and other merchandise to support a specific Avenger. "It's just really great knowing they're out there," one civilian was shown saying, "that someone is watching over us."
"That's the most common opinion nowadays," Steve acknowledged, "it was more split back then because people only really knew Toni but we've managed to sway most of the doubters onto our side although there are always going to be those who still think we aren't working for their benefit." This last bit was accompanied by a scowl. The one time the team had ever seen the Captain get really angry was when someone at a convention accused him of working against his country. And they never wanted to see it again. It wasn't like he was the most frightening of the group whilst angry that 'honour,' definitely went to Toni, Bruce and Natasha but it was so rare that it just looked unnatural on Steve. The person who'd accused him clearly thought so since they'd sprinted from the convention after that.
"I don't know," another civilian said, "I don't exactly feel safer with those things out there."
"It just seems like there's a lot they're not telling us," the woman who was with him said worriedly.
"Well," Toni said, "I'm glad everyone else was beginning to figure out that the government is not infallible. It took them long enough."
"Superheroes in New York? Give me a break," another man scoffed.
Another screen showed a New York senator making a statement, "These so-called 'heroes,' have to be held responsible for the destruction done to this city. This was their fight. Where are they now?"
"And this is why I hate senators," Toni muttered, "and they hate me too. Trying to steal my suit."
On a bridge in New York Thor escorted Loki forward. Clint and Natasha walked forward together away from a SHIELD car. Steve and Bruce both came up with them as Toni entered from the other side of the bridge. The news report audio continued over the top of the scene, "Tough questions are being asked about the Avengers themselves. Their sudden appearance and equally sudden disappearance…"
"What, that this is somehow all their fault?" the waitress Steve had saved named Beth said incredulously, "Captain America saved my life. Wherever he is, and wherever any of them are, I would just… I would want to say thank you."
"Aww… someone has a crush on Steve," Toni teased.
Fury was listening to this report and presenting it to the World Security Council. "Where are the Avengers?" the head Councilman asked Fury.
"I'm not currently tracking their whereabouts," Fury informed the Council, "I'd say they've earned a leave of absence."
"I'm not even on your payroll," Toni scoffed, "plus I know how to make myself hard to track."
"And the Tesseract?" the Councilwoman asked as Selvig was shown taking the container for the Tesseract out of the back of his van as Bruce loaded the Tesseract into it as Steve gave it a dark look.
"The Tesseract is where it belongs," Fury admitted, "Out of our reach."
"Took him long enough to figure that out," Bruce said.
"That's not your call," the Councilman attempted to argue.
"I didn't make it," Fury informed them, "I just didn't argue with the god that did."
"It would have been unwise to argue with me on this matter," Thor stated, "but Fury had at least enough common sense not to do so."
"He does have some which is more than most of the rest of the idiots that work for SHIELD," Toni acknowledged reluctantly.
"So you let him take it," the Councilman said as the screen showed Thor saying goodbye to Selvig, "and the war criminal, Loki, who should be answering for his crime."
"Oh I think he will be," Fury told them.
Thor held out the other side of the transport device built with the Tesseract and its container to Loki and he grudgingly grabbed a hold of it and Thor and Loki disappeared in the blue light of the Tesseract as the other Avengers stepped away.
"Thank you again Lady Toni for figuring out how to make the Tesseract transport us back to Asgard," Thor told her.
"Wait, you built that," Phil said, "I knew you were good at building things but something that complex based on alien technology is truly impressive."
"I don't think you understand what you've started," the Councilwoman stated as Steve and Toni shook hands, "letting the Avengers loose on this world," Natasha retrieved a bag from the SHIELD car and handed it over to Bruce as Clint climbed into the driver's seat, "they're dangerous," finally Toni and Bruce got into her sports car.
"Supposedly to go to the airport," Bruce said giving Toni a mock glare.
"The pretending to be cross at me for giving you endless access to R&D labs and a nice place to sleep is getting really old Bruce," Toni said rolling her eyes, "you love it here and you know it. It's not like I'm forcing you to stay."
"They surely are, and the whole world knows it," Fury pointed out as Toni and Bruce sped off, "every world knows it."
"Was that the point of all this?" the head Councilman asked, "A statement?"
Steve set off on his motorbike as Fury told the council, "A promise."
The screens showing the Council powered down and Fury left the room walking back towards the command centre. "Sir, how does it work now?" Hill asked, "They've gone their separate ways. Some, pretty extremely far."
"Pretty extremely," Clint laughed, "what kind of phrase is that?"
"A grammatically incorrect one," Toni scoffed.
"If we get into a situation like this again," Hill inquired, "what happens then?"
"They'll come back," Fury said confidently.
"Well he got that right," Steve admitted.
"Are you really sure about that?" Hill asked.
"I am," Fury confirmed.
"Why?" Hill said puzzled.
"Because we'll need them to," Fury concluded.
"Yes, well, they seem to need us a lot more than they ever predicted," Natasha said, "I barely get sent on SHIELD missions anymore."
"Which is why we should resign!" Clint replied, "but we'll talk about it after this one is over."
Suddenly the scene changed to show the place where Loki had been given his commands. "Humans," the Other growled, "They are not the cowering wretches we were promised. They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled." The figure on the throne pushed himself up and the Other quickly lowered his head continuing, "To challenge them is to court death."
"Well, at least that part of the plan worked out well but I have a really bad feeling about this," Bruce said.
The figure in the chair turned with its face twisted into a sinister smile.
"THANOS!" Thor shouted clearly shocked, "that's who Loki was taking orders from!"
"I'm not sure I want to know," Steve said worriedly, "but I have a feeling that in the end I'm going to have to."
"Let us hope we do not have to fight him," Thor said worriedly.
The movie had one last scene to show as all six Avengers were shown eating shawarma at a restaurant. Clint's foot was propped up on Natasha's seat as the rest sat around the table awkwardly occasionally taking a bite except for Thor who was gorging himself on his meal.
"Wait you actually went for shawarma," Phil said shocked and it was enough to break the tension in the room. Suddenly everyone couldn't help but laugh because they hadn't realised quite how awkward they had looked all sitting around in silence getting their strength back. They had struck up a conversation after those first few tense minutes mainly due to Rhodey showing up but that time before it had happened actually looked hilarious in hindsight.
A/n: It's the end of the Avengers movie so this chapter is short just to wrap it all up. Next chapter will be an interlude with no watching of any movies – prepare for a Bruce/Toni conversation about her actions – and then it's on to Iron Man :) Love y'all!