"Mr. Stark, I can't thank you enough for this. I promise I won't let you down, I'll come every day for training a-and every weekend- "

"That won't be necessary kid, but you are welcome here on the weekends. Or better yet, why don't we call you- "

"Oh, no, no! The weekends will be perfect. Thank you so much!"

The two were alarmed by the sudden roar in the sky and Tony smirked.

"Jarvis, inform the team Desi and Thor have returned, will you?"

Desi hoped the team could hear the roar of the sky, when she landed in the yard, she immediately falls off her horse, crying out as the pain came back in full force.

Tony's eyes widened in horror, "Desi's hurt, emergency protocol!" Tony yelled as he ran towards her, Peter following after him when he saw Desi's position.

Desi groaned, her eyes getting droopy when she saw her hands become bloody.

"B-Bucky…T-Tony… Jarvis? Help me..."

"Desi!"

She heard Tony's voice, but she felt familiar hands cradling her face and could barely make out Bucky's face.

"Doll, stay awake. Look at me, keep those eyes open, do you understand me?" Bucky demanded as he lifted Desi up in his arms.

"I'm…s-sorry." Desi whispered before she went limp in his arms.

"Take her to her med bay, just right here on the left." Tony told Buck as he went through the med bay.

"Oh, it's bad. She can't heal herself…" Peter's eyes watered with tears when he saw all her blood

"Jarvis, a little help here!" Steve yelled as he helped Bucky put her down, ignoring the kid's mumbling.

Tony took Desi hands and double-tapped her wrists together, showing her in her leggings and camisole top from yesterday, exposing her wound to them.

"I will need to put anesthesia and force her asleep so I may stitch her, and provide her some blood." Jarvis said as the machine injected a needle into her stomach and an IV into her arm.

"I will need to decontaminate the room and apply the dissolving stitches; I ask that everyone leaves the room." Jarvis spoke and the team reluctantly walked out.

Bucky was pacing, his anger nearly overcoming him when he saw Desi in such a state.

"Buck…" Steve said sternly, wishing he'd calm down.

Bucky growled before he screamed, punching with his metal arm through wall.

"Damn it! I should've gone!" Bucky yelled, hating the feel of helpless.

"We trained her for something like this, you know that," Steve told him, but he knew everyone in this room was worried.

"Is Mercy going to be, okay?" Peter asked.

"She's strong, kid. I know she'll make it through." Steve tried to assure him.

Tony felt the familiar feeling of worriedness from when Pepper was in the hospital, and he couldn't take it.

"Jarvis, pull up Desi's body camera footage in the conference room." Tony said, he needed answers.

Steve and Buck looked at each other briefly before they followed him with Peter following behind, the wide screen already down when they walked in.

"Play the clip for us, will you, Jarvis." Tony asked.

It started simple, she met Thor's mother and father and heard about a woman name Jane. The All-Father then asked her to remain in Asgard with Thor, making Bucky's jaw clench tightly. Most of the men were surprised to hear Loki and heard her decision to reject Thor's offer, but also rejected Loki's friendship.

"Did you know about this?" Tony asked, looking at the men.

Steve shook his head, but Buck gave a hard stare before he looked away.

"Son of a bitch, you knew." Tony said.

"Thor told me…it wasn't my secret to tell." Bucky said shortly.

They focused on the video again when they finally saw Jane, Thor's ex-girlfriend, leaning in to lock lips with Thor, hearing Desi fighting her sniffling but she refused to cry. Desi had said her goodbyes to Frigga before she left, and the men were upset for her.

Then as Desi was flying off with Astros, they watched as Heimdall destroyed an alien ship, and she was relieved but when the mother ship appeared in front of her, with smaller ships around it, they tensed. "Buck, I'm so sorry. I might be a little late." she said softly before she flew back to the castle.

They watched Desi fall to the ground with Astros, quick to treat him and those around her, giving her Mammen to the guard, lending her Pegasus so they can get to safety. Running through the chaos until Desi fell towards the water. Tony clenched his hands, watching as she fell until they saw her familiar golden light.

"Is she…flying?" Steve asked aloud, the vid answering his questions as Desi took off, spinning mid-air as she avoids the shots attempting to hit her.

Desi had landed in the castle and made her way to Frigga and Jane, seeing an alien being.

"Does your mother know you came into a woman's room? I'm afraid boys aren't allowed here." they heard Desi joke and Tony couldn't help but chuckle.

"Good to know I rubbed off on her." Tony said, smiling proudly.

They watched as she fought against him, and they were proud to see Desi take initiative, something she struggled with. Her form had improved within the past few weeks, proud to see that Desi had struck Malekith in the face.

Their hearts quickly dropped when they saw Desi lifted by an unknown person, facing Malekith; she was being choked when they heard the familiar sound of gasping for air.

"You are powerless here, mortal." he told her.

"And you…you're…weak alone." she said as her body glowed.

It felt like everything went into slow motion.

They saw Thor and Loki enter the room and threw their weapons at Desi's assailants, noticing as she staggered before she was quickly spun back. They heard Desi scream of pain, and it was Bucky's undoing. He punched another wall, grunting as he couldn't relieve himself of the anger. Steve looked away as Tony closed his eyes, swallowing harshly as he felt powerless once more. Peter looked in disbelief, his heart breaking for her as he felt emotional again.

But worse than that, they saw her stabbed.

"Why did you do that, you stupid woman?" Loki asked her.

Desi smiled, a weak laugh escaping her, "Because she's your mother." she answered.

"Selfless until the very end." Steve whispered.

"She's never fought alone! Where the hell was Thor that entire time?!" Bucky yelled.

Tony's jaw clenched; what was going through Desi's mind through when she was alone up there?

Were her thoughts like his? When he was in the wormhole?

When Astros came into view, Bucky's jaw clenched once more as he assumed was her coming home.

"I'm going to kill him." Bucky said under his breath.

"I'll join you on that." Tony said, enraged that Thor could behave in such a way.

"Guys, we need to work together as a team…" Steve said, and three men looked at him like a madman.

"What did you say?" Bucky questioned, ready to fight his best friend.

"You should call Clint and the others; they might want to join in." Steve said with a smirk.

"I didn't know you had it in you, Capsicle." Tony joked.

"Wait, does that mean we should be expecting Loki?" Peter asked, but Bucky sighed, walking out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked him.

"I'm going to clean Astros; I don't think she'd be okay to see her blood on his body." Bucky said.

"Oh, I'll help!" Peter offered, following Bucky.

"Kid, go home!" Tony yelled.

"No way, not until she wakes up, Mr. Stark, sorry." Peter apologized as he disappeared.

"I'll call Pepper." Tony spoke as he left.

"I'll wait here, in case anything happens." Steve offered and received a nod from Tony as they left the room.

Desi groaned, attempting to sit up when she felt a hand over hers.

"Hey, you're awake." she opened her eyes and smiled when she saw Steve sitting beside her.

"Hey, you." she said, feeling groggy.

Steve smiled at Desi, feeling her squeeze his hand.

"I love that smile of yours, that smolder must be a lady killer for you." Desi joked, making him chuckle.

"Glad to see you're okay. I'm assuming the drugs are making you a little loopy." Steve said.

"Or maybe I'm just being too honest." Desi told him.

Steve flashed her a small smile, but his gaze went back to her stab, and his heart ached at the sight of it.

"You did good up there, but you gave us quite a scare." Steve told Desi.

Desi frowned, "Is everyone okay?" she asked, feeling guilty for making them worry.

"Buck is, well, he's out for blood. Tony…he's not showing it, but he's been in the workshop for a while now; he's distracting himself. And…that kid Peter Parker has been coming to visit you." Steve answered.

"Oh wow, Peter's here already? Wow." She questioned. "And what about you?"

"You tell me." Steve told her, teasing her with a smile.

"Steve Rogers, I think you're beginning to enjoy this." she teased, her hand glowing as she healed over him.

Steve was worried about her, and she made quick work to remove that.

"Never said I didn't." Steve said with another smirk when he felt a sense of relief once more wash over him.

"Thanks."

"Anytime, Steve." Desi said as she felt drowsy once more.

"Let me go get Buck, okay?" Steve said before he quickly left.

Desi watched as Steve left in a hurry and closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath. She was getting drowsy again when she heard heavy steps, and slowly opened her eyes to see Buck walking in.

Bucky leaned over Desi with a heated gaze on her, and she felt trapped by his blue eyes.

"You're not going anywhere without me again, you understand me?" Bucky told her.

"I'm okay with that." Desi spoke, agreeing with him.

Bucky curled back a loose strand of hair behind Desi's ear, tracing a finger down to her cheek, cupping her right cheek. She shivered, taking a curl of his hair, twirling with his, mimicking him as she carefully placed her left hand on his. Bucky took a shaky breath, but his eyes never left hers.

"Are you okay?" Desi asked, worried about him.

"There's a couple of large holes in the meeting room. Tony let it slide, but…" Bucky rested his forehead against hers, taking in her presence.

"I was worried about you." Bucky said softly.

"I was worried about you too."

"Let Angel heal before you kiss her, okay?" Desi hid her face in Bucky's chest when he looked over to see Tony walking in with Steve and Peter, looking slightly relieved to see her.

"Peter! I'm so happy to see you! I wish it was in better circumstances." Desi spoke.

"Are you feeling better, Destiny? Do you need anything?" Peter asked, edging closer to her.

Desi looked down when she placed her hand on her injury, seeing a stitch on her stomach.

"Oh, I forgot I was impaled," she said with a chuckle before wincing, "But no, I'm fine. Thanks, Peter."

"I'm glad you find this funny; do you know how scared we were to see you bleeding out on the floor, clinging to life?" Tony spoke, clearly agitated.

"I'm sorry, you're right. I was really…really scared that I wasn't going to make it back in time." Desi admitted, feeling remorseful.

"Jarvis said you should be able to heal yourself, but I want you resting for the next three days, alright?" Tony told her.

She sighed and nodded, "Okay, that's fair. Can someone help me remove the stitch?" Desi asked.

"It's dissolvent." Steve told her.

"Oh, good. Thanks." Desi said, looking down at her injury.

"Back away Casanova, she needs to focus for a moment." Tony said.

Desi nodded, worried for a moment when Buck straightened up, but only took a step back.

"Have you and Loki been in contact since New York?" Tony asked directly.

"Yeah, but to be fair, it was only when I was on Asgard, never here..." she answered.

"You do know that man caused deaths and chaos for us, right? Why would you think this is, okay?" Tony asked her.

"It wasn't easy on me in the beginning but…he came to see me every day. Eventually, I caved and saw a friend in him. He helped me sleep every night when my nightmares started." she explained.

Tony took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair as he tried to think of the best to reach Desi.

Steve uncrossed his arms and sat beside her on the bed.

"Heal yourself for us will you, please." Steve told her, placing her hand over her injury. Healing herself slowly, Steve took a chance to reach her.

"I'm glad you had someone; I really do. I know it couldn't have been easy for you, you haven't been exposed to this type of chaos. Just remember how and why we met him, and what it was like defending New York against him. But remember his words before you saw Thor and Jane together in Asgard. Was he really trying to be a friend?" he asked her.

Desi looked up at him when she saw her injury gone and nodded, Steve's words hitting a few nerves.

"I guess you watched the body cam…I know, you're right. I'm just lucky my lesson on trust came with only a stab, and nothing more serious. I just…I need to reconsider my situation." Desi said, taking a deep breath.

"Good, now that you're all better Angel, why don't I order us some burgers?" Tony asked.

"Oooh! With only bacon and lettuce!" Desi exclaimed.

"With a chocolate shake, got it kiddo." Tony said with a wink.

"I need to go check on my poor Astros." Desi said sliding off the bed.

"Can I join you?" Peter asked and Desi nodded, "Of course."

"I'll watch her." Bucky said softly as he lifted her bridal-style.

"I can walk just fine!" Desi whined, but Buck smirked at her attempt to wiggle out.

"I'm not risking it." Bucky said, hearing Peter chuckle softly at their banter.

"Pepper will be bringing the food, don't get gone too long!" Tony said as he messed with the console some more.

"What are you doing?" Steve questioned once Bucky and Desi were out of earshot.

Tony looked at him and smirked.

"Sending the vid to the rest of the team, of course."

Desi kissed Astro's head as he nuzzled his head against hers, Bucky stand beside her as Peter patted the Pegasus.

"Are you alright?" Desi asked, feeling him nuzzle into her once more.

"I'm glad you're all right too. I didn't mean to frighten you. Tell you what:" she said as she brushed his white hair, "No more being apart from now on in battle, huh? Ride together, die together."

He huffed at her but nodded his head, making Desi smile.

"Miss Destiny, can I take Astros for a ride?" Peter asked, curious to see what it was like.

"Sure, but not too high, okay? Both of you?" Desi pointed out.

Astros huffed as Peter jumped on the Pegasus, and without warning, took off into the air.

Buck grinned, lifting her up before he sat down on the ground, placing her between his legs with her back against his chest.

Desi smiled, watching Peter and Astros while Buck wrapped his arms around her waist, resting her hands over his. Desi thought of the times she hunted with her father and began to whistle. Buck listened carefully, recognizing she was doing three continuous bird whistles and mimicked her whistle.

She looked back at Buck with an amused look, repeating her whistle.

"What does that whistle mean to you?" Bucky asked.

"My father and I used to whistle whenever there was prey in the area mostly, but if we got separated, that was my call. It was let him know where I was…I've been missing him lately." Desi answered, explaining the situation.

"Did you have any family? Anyone, you miss?" Desi asked suddenly.

He took a deep breath before he answered.

"I had a sister named Becca. Our mother died when we were still young, so we made by with scavenging. She would always get lost when we were kids, but we would always find each with a whistle too. It was her way of letting me know she was safe or even lost; like you and your father. I'd whistle right back, and she'd know. Just a whistle and I'd come running like hell to her." he explained.

"I'm sorry, it must be hard for you sometimes." Desi spoke.

"Sometimes but I have you," Bucky whispered in her ear, making her shiver, "why don't we use that whistle too?"

"Are you sure you want to?" Desi asked.

"Only with you. In any battle, in any situation, even it's when you're sleeping. Just whistle and I'll come to you." Bucky told her.

"Only with you." She agreed.

"Pepper is on her way with the food, you should wash up, Angel. You still have blood on you." Tony warned her from the window.

"Okay!" she yelled, as Bucky stood up and lifted her once more, "Peter! Time to get down!"

Desi went straight to her room and quickly took a shower in her room before dressing up. She wore black joggers with a sports bra and a blue v neck shirt with white ankle socks to cover her cold feet. She walked out and sighed in relief when she smelled the food, sliding into the kitchen as she saw Pepper chuckling at her playfulness.

"I see you look good for someone who was stabbed a few days ago." Pepper told her.

"Oh, nothing heals me quicker than a burger." Desi said, giggling when Pepper handed her a fast-food bag and drink.

"Chocolate shake, of course." Pepper said.

"Awe thanks! You're my favorite non-Avenger ever!" Desi said, hugging her.

Pepper hugged her back and smiled, glad to have her back.

"Wait, who's your favorite Avenger then?" Tony asked, almost offended.

Desi took a sip of her chocolate shake, shrugging, making Pepper laugh at Tony's fake hurt look.

Desi leaned over and whispered, "You are, of course. You and Pepper are the Aunt and Uncle I wish I had, kind and supportive; not afraid to give that tough love." Desi told him before sitting on the bar stool.

Pepper and Tony looked at each other and smiled; they liked the thought she had on them.

"But a young Uncle and Aunt, of course." Desi added, taking out her food, flashing them a quick smile.

"That's my favorite Avenger, right there. Excellent job, kiddo." Tony said, making Desi giggle again as she dipped some fries in her ketchup.

"Someone was famished." Desi ignored Steve as she quickly woofed down her fries.

"Take it easy." Bucky warned Desi, sitting beside her as he took a bite of his.

"Nonsense, fries must be eaten while fresh or they will be sad potatoes." Desi explained

"She's not wrong." Steve said, sitting beside her as he stole a fry from her.

Desi gasped, "I can't believe you!" She exclaimed, swatting Steve's arm playfully, making Steve smirk.

"They taste better when they're not mine."

She rolled her eyes playfully, taking bite of her burger.

"I'll be leaving in a few hours." Steve told her suddenly, catching her off guard.

"Mission from Fury?" she asked, in which he nodded.

"I have a couple, I'm unsure when I'll return but hopefully, I'll be back in a couple days. I'm a call away if you need me." Steve told her.

"I know, thank you Steve. Same to you, I'm also a call away; just stay safe for me." She spoke.

"Understood, ma'am." He said softly before he stood up.

"I'm going to get some shut-eye; I'll be in contact with you all soon." Steve said in his uniform voice, leaving with his burger in hand.

"So serious all of the time…" Tony said under his breath.

"We're still adjusting to this world; lost in time. Rogers has always been the type to put the mission before personal." Bucky spoke, understanding how Steve felt.

"Grab your burger and walk with me, metal man. You too kid." Tony said, gazing over at Pepper.

Buck noticed this and saw Pepper nod to him as Peter scrambled after Tony.

"Sure." Buck said, kissing the top of Desi's head before he followed Tony out of the room.

Pepper smiled, carefully sitting next to Desi as she finished her burger.

"Tony told me what happened with Thor, are you okay?" Pepper asked. Tony sent her the video, and although she understood the gist of her relationships, she knew Desi needed a girl to talk to.

"I guess my brain hasn't tried to understand it just yet." She answered.

"Do you want to talk about it? I have experience with men." Pepper told her, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't know, it's complicated." Desi said plainly, giving Pepper a chance to let it go.

"I'm with Tony, I love complicated." Pepper said, making Desi laugh.

"Let's start at the beginning. Who are you dating?" Pepper asked. Desi sighed.

"I'm dating Buck and Thor, as you know. Loki gave me a court ring the day I came back injured; the guy who attacked New York,." Desi told her.

"How does that make you feel? That's a lot of options for you." Pepper spoke.

"…I've never had a boyfriend before, let alone a crush. When I first met Bucky, don't get me wrong, I was attracted to him. He cared and watched over me during that time, but I didn't want to confuse his niceness for likeness," Desi explained.

"When we all went our separate ways, I suppose my feelings for Bucky were starting to form. He was still a silent and angsty-looking guy, but he still cared for me every day…he makes me feel precious, protected; safe. I like him." She continued.

"And Thor?" Pepper asked. " It was the same thing with Thor, but it was more than that. He's not of this world, and he's to be King of Asgard. He's full of expression, and he's like a big, sweet bear. He cares but he has honor. He reminds me a bit of Steve, always putting others before himself. He adores everyone, but despite past few days, he's been busy with Asgard; it's been hard getting to know him but it's for a good reason. I'd never let him pick between us and his duties." Desi told her.

"Tony told me about what happened with him and that woman…are you okay?" Pepper asked her.

"Thor said he ended things with her after he met, but I guess that wasn't true. I'm so naïve; I shouldn't have jumped so quickly into the relationship." She said, playing with the rings in her hand.

Pepper noticed this and took Desi's left hand into hers.

"Is this what they gave you? As your courting gift?" Pepper asked, and Desi smiled sadly.

"Yeah, this one is Buck's…the top one is Loki's." she said hesitantly.

"Wait, you accepted Loki's offer?" Pepper asked.

"He put it on me while I was bleeding out on the floor, and I wasn't exactly in the position to talk about it." Desi defended, but she saw the disapproving look on Pepper's face.

"You said you accepted them, so where're Thors?" Pepper asked, taking Desi's right hand.

Desi frowned, "I took it off, left it there for him. I may be new to the dating world, but you're not going to take advantage of my trust like that. I thought…he made me feel like no one could stand between us. Maybe I should hold off on dating? Focus on me more, and my abilities. It hurt knowing everyone saw me like that today." Desi explained.

Pepper sighed, nodding.

"Tony began to tinker, working on your suit…he gets like that when he's worried and restless. Steve couldn't even look at you without being upset; Peter would come every day after school and stay until midnight," Pepper told her, "Barnes took it the hardest though. You have all of us, Desi." Pepper spoke before she pulled her into a hug.

Desi hugged her back and cried silently as her emotions finally got to her. The betrayal she felt was new to her, and she hated it. She didn't know what to believe anymore with Thor and Loki; were they just playing with her knowing that she was mortal?

"But don't give up on Buck, okay? I've never seen a man so protective, more ready to follow you into anything. Don't let one man change how you see all men; you'll never be happy like that." Pepper told her as she pulled away.

"I will, thank you." Desi said with a sigh before taking a sip of her shake.

"I heard of people in multiple partner relationships, are you okay with that?" Pepper asked.

"I'm still new to it all, so I think I'm okay with it. But I've hardly had any time to try to make it work with all the assignments I've been giving this past month." Desi admitted.

"As long as you're happy, but if you don't mind me saying," Pepper said, leaning close to her, "you should really be on the lookout for Steve."

"What? Why?" Desi asked.

"You should see the way he looks at you sometimes. Just a suggestion." Pepper said. Desi blinked, her mind attempting to play through their interaction, but her mind was still chaotic from what she just endured.

"Thanks, Pepper. I'll keep an open mind." Desi spoke, smiling.

"Anytime, sweetie." Pepper said before standing, and walking over to Tony.

"I'm heading everyone, I'll see you this weekend!" Peter exclaimed.

"Goodbye, Peter!" Desi shouted as he left.

Bucky pulled Desi onto her feet and lifted her bridal style, making her squeal.

"I can walk, you know." Desi exclaimed.

"It's getting late, you need your rest." Bucky told her.

"Wait, wait, wait! My shake!" Desi squealed but Buck ignored her, leading her to her bedroom.

"I'll get you another one tomorrow." Bucky told her, ignoring her childish behavior.

Desi pouted, "Promise?" she asked.

He looked down and couldn't help making a small smirk, "Just you and me." He swore.

"It's a date, don't back out on me. One, two, three; no backsies." Desi declared as Buck opened her door. He laid her down in the bed, helping her get under the bedsheets as she snuggled into the bed, sighing in relief when she felt the cold sheets against her skin.

"Goodnight, Buck." Desi whispered, closing her eyes.

"Night, Desi." Bucky said before he left the room.

He looked back at her one last time before he closed the door, allowing Desi to fall asleep instantly.