Billy was roused by a metallic voice.

"Come on son, wake up."

He cracked his eyes open, much to their protest as the dust and sweat seemed to have formed a coagulant and glued them shut.

"Urghhhhh," he groaned. "Do I have to?"

The metallic voice seemed to chuckle.

Billy pulled himself unwillingly into a sitting position feeling oddly fuzzy, unable to remember something he was sure was important – yet unable to care. That feeling didn't last long.

The full weight of the past few days hit him like a ton of bricks making him scream out, and like a physical force, slam him back into the dirt.

Iron Lad... Kang... Cap, Jess, Iron Man – dead... Teddy.

Oh God Teddy!

Huge, wracking sobs and cries shook Bill's lean frame and he shook violently.

I've lost him.

Oh God, please, please I'll do anything just bring him back to me.

I need him.

Oh God, how am I supposed to live without him?

Please God...

Please.

I need him.

I love him.

I don't think I can live without him.

"...Teddy!" Billy screamed, flailing about, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes and his stomach clenching itself manically in grief.

"Shh, Billy, calm down," soothed the metallic voice of Iron Man as best it could.

"Oh shit," said another voice – Billy was blind to all faces through his devastation – that had been thickened and made huskier by the rubble dust. "Billy, honey, it's okay sweetheart, I'm here, shh."

Huge, strong arms wrapped themselves around Billy and squeezed, turning him around so that his face was pressed into the crook of the neck of possessor of the strong arms.

It took Billy a while, but after burying his head into the hard shoulder and then moving to the thick hair to inhale deeply, he calmed down and stopped shaking. Silent tears still ran down his face, creating a little damp spot on Teddy's shoulder; Billy shifted himself and felt that he had a matching one on his shoulder as well.

He sat back, his breathing having returned to an almost normal pace and cupped Teddy's face in his hands; Teddy fastened his arms tighter around Billy's waist.

I nearly lost you.

Silent tears still streamed down both of their faces and the rest of the people around them, Iron Man, Jess and Cap had tactfully moved away to give them space.

Billy opened his mouth to say something but only managed to choke on his tears. Teddy pulled them back together; for the moment, all they needed was physical contact, to know and reassure each other that they were there, and no one was dead.

They stayed entwined in each others arms for what seemed like an age, until the tears had stopped flowing and both were clam.

"Billy -"

"Teddy -"

"You first," Teddy said with a chuckle.

"Losing you is like losing... a part of myself. Teddy it hurt so bad, please – oh God I couldn't survive that again," Billy looked down at his hands twisting themselves together in his lap.

Teddy used one big, calloused green hand to tilt Billy's head up so that they could meet eye to eye, he sighed.

"Billy, seeing you fading away... well, it nearly killed me. And I nearly killed Nathaniel. With you gone, I died Billy. I died."

"Teddy," Billy whispered softly, and wrapped his arms around his boyfriends big body, getting an immediate response. "We should probably help the other, eh?"

"Probably," Teddy replied, getting up and helping the spell-caster to his feet.

It was a big clean-up job to say the least; Billy was assigned to sorting out the statuary and Teddy to clearing away as much rubble as possible. The mansion was a mess.

"Billy..." Patriots voice came drifting into the mansion.

"Eli, is Iron Lad...?" Teddy asked.

"He went back. And now it seems like everything that happened after Kang showed up... never happened."

"So how come we remember it?"

"Se, this is why I hate time-travel," Jess grumbled, pregnant belly and all.

"C'mon," Cap said. "Lets get you kids home."

Uh uh, wrong thing to say. Especially after that 'training exercise'.

"And then what?" Eli demanded. "You still want to 'train' us? Or were you just saying that so we wouldn't use out powers to stop you from calling out parents? Because we could you know.2

Billy let some blue coloured lightning dance over his hands threateningly.

The Avengers eventually acquiesced to talking the issue over in the meeting room of the mansion.

"In my opinion," Cap said. "You kids have more that proven yourselves heroes tonight."

"But..." Eli prompted.

"But... if you ever put those uniforms on again, Iron Man and I will do everything in out power to shut you down for good."

"But we could help you," Cassie protested. "You could train us."

"We cant," Iron Man cut in. "Not without your parents' consent... but if you want to ask your parents..."

Yeah, that'd go down well... not.

"Um... that's okay," Cassie mumbled. "I should probably get home."

"Me too," Billy agreed.

"Mind flying me?" Teddy asked.

"Anybody else need a lift?"

But before any of the team could leave the mansion's grounds, Captain America interjected,

"Before you go, I need you to leave your gear with us. The bow, the shield, the throwing stars -"

"But those are mine," Eli protested.

"Not any more," Cap replied smoothly, taking the stars from Eli's gloved hand.

"C'mon guys," Billy muttered. "Let's get out of here."

The three Avengers moved back into the mansion, deep in conversation and sneaking glances at the Young Avengers.

"Well... it was fun while it lasted," Teddy mumbled.

"It's not over yet," Kate said defiantly.

"But Cap said -"

"Cap said he wouldn't train us."

"No, Cap said he'd shut us down. And I, for one, don't want to make an enemy of Captain America. That's not why I got into this."

"Then why did you?"

"Because. I don't know. I wanted to help."

"We all did," Billy soothed.

But Kate hadn't finished,

"And do you have any idea how many people out there could use our help? We can't just stop because Captain America thinks we're too young."

"What about our parents?" Cassie asked.

"My mom would kill me," Teddy monotoned.

"My mom would institutionalise me," Billy pushed his hair back off his face. "My dad would kill me. Sorry Kate."

And with that, Billy spread out his hands and created another of his glowing blue platforms.

"C'mon, Cass, let's get you home," Billy said, positioning him as close as possible to Teddy on the platform. "Kate? Need a ride?"

"You don't mind?"

"Not at all. Eli? You coming?"

"No, thanks. I'm gonna walk."

"To the Bronx?"

"To the subway."

"Okay, see ya dude."

Before taking off, Billy saw Kate and Eli exchange a few words that he could not hear, and before he left saw her give Eli one of his throwing stars.

He must have dropped one back at the Cathedral.

Billy dropped them all off at their respective houses; Kate at her mansion and Cassie at the semi until only Teddy remained on the platform. He lowered it until they were level with Teddy's bedroom window, and Teddy clambered through. Billy sat on the window-sill.

"Billy, I need to see you tomorrow."

"Ditto."

"My mom's on a business trip for three days, she's leaving early tomorrow morning -"

"I'll be there," he pressed a quick, soft kiss onto Teddy's lips and stood up, ready to take off and watching Teddy shift back down into human form. "Teddy," he said before he could stop himself.

"Yeah?"

"You don't think we're going to fast do you?"

Teddy's brow furrowed.

Duh Kaplan, he probably thinks you're talking about the physical stuff.

"Like the way we feel..."

Teddy's expression softened into comprehension,

"Billy, I think that when something this good comes around you don't question it. So much shit happens, to have something this incredible in your life... it is what it is, and I thank God everyday that we have it."