Tony was flying perimeters so quickly he almost felt dizzy. Show your ugly faces, alien scum, he thought viciously. He watched Steve climb into a broken news helicopter and rolled his eyes. That's Steve alright. Protect and serve till the end.

"Barton, what else can you give me?"

"Nothing," the frustrated agent said, "Abso-friggin-lutely nothing. They're still hiding."

"Dammit," Tony cussed under his breath.

He landed on top of a flat building, scanning the horizon still.

"Any word on Lady Tina?" Thor's bass tones echoed into the comm. link.

"Not yet," Natasha said tersely.

She sounded almost…upset? Wow, Tony thought, if I were one of these Skrulls, I'd get my alien ass OFF this planet, pronto. They just screwed with someone Black Widow cares about. That's really friggin dangerous. Last guy that did that got smashed into my floor…

"DAMMIT!" he heard Natasha scream suddenly.

The sound of grinding rotors was heard as the helicopter accelerated violently.

"Whatwhatwhat?" Tony yelled.

"Situation report asap, Widow," Bruce instructed.

"Jesus! Steve just got chucked out the door…he, no it's okay. He grabbed the ladder. He's climbing…he's back inside. Christ, what the hell was that?!"

For once, the calm façade of the Black Widow was shattered as she saw her captain's life in danger.

"He did not fall," Hawkeye stated, maneuvering the helicopter closer, "Someone pushed him. Threw him, looks like."

"Who would…oh yeah," Bruce thought out loud, "More aliens. Great."

"I'm gonna blow the whole thing," Clint said, aiming a small missile at the news heli.

"No! The real Steve is in there too," Thor cautioned him.

"I'll go in for backup," Tony said, flying towards the helicopter.

But then he was stopped. He was momentarily blinded by a flash of red cape, and an enormous bolt of lightning.

"It's fun to be a god," the figure said, "I could get used to this."

"Hey Thor," Tony said casually into the comm. link, "Wanna meet your evil twin?"

There was no response, only another crack of lightning as Thor began to fight his doppelganger. Tony joined the fray, trying desperately to keep the warring pair away from civilians, unsure of which Thunder God to help.

"Thanks for the help, buddy," Clint muttered caustically as he watched the trio of heroes begin fighting.

Natasha strode forward from the back of the aircraft. She turned the pilot's chair and sat on Clint's lap.

"Oh Clint, I'm scared," she simpered.

Clint didn't hesitate for a second. He leaned forward as if to kiss her, but pulled his gun out and shot her in the head point-blank. The copy of Natasha fell back and began changing into a huge, green, lizard-like creature.

"NAT!"

"What, Barton?" Natasha said angrily from the artillery closet, "I said I was going to go in for backup, someone needs to help Steve, I-oh, God what is that?!"

Hawkeye nudged it with a toe, pushing it a little further away.

"This, dear, is a Skrull. It looked like you until about thirty seconds ago."

Natasha studied the thing for a moment before gathering her composure again.

"Ew. Well, good shot. We need to help Steve. If he's fighting himself, there's no telling who could win."

Hawkeye nodded, resuming his seat in the pilot's chair as Black Widow strapped the last weapon onto herself.

"Get closer," she instructed.

Clint pushed the aircraft closer, studying the small news heli below. A small figure appeared in the precarious open door way.

"Is that…?" Hawkeye breathed.

Suddenly, the person was thrown through the door, much like the pseudo-Captain before her. Sadly, she didn't have the good fortune to grab the ladder.

"NO!" Black Widow shouted.

Hawkeye was already on the line with SHIELD.

"Medical team on the ready, there's a girl, she's gonna be beat up and near drowning. Come now. No, NOW!"

Natasha watched in frozen horror as Steve dove out the door after Tina. Clint dropped the helicopter quickly, trying to get low, close to the river. The horrible noise of grating metal greeted them instead.

"What the-" Clint jerked the aircraft to the side.

They had been blocked from below by another helicopter. It rose to their level. Inside was a grinning Hawkeye with a smiling Black Widow behind his shoulder. The real Black Widow smiled back as she fired the missile at them.

…

The water rushed up to hit Steve like a brick wall. He took in a deep breath and dove, searching under the murky water. Please, please, please, please, he silently prayed. Steve came up for air briefly, sucking the oxygen into his starving lungs. Diving under the water, he could hear his heartbeat, loud as a parade's drumline. He strained his eyes against the polluted waters. Left, right, left, right, up, down, left. Please, please, please. Suddenly, he caught a glint of something shiny. A golden curl. He kicked his legs and seized Tina, pushing them both up to the surface. He gasped for air again, but was sure to hold her head above water.

She didn't move. Didn't take a breath.

Silence.

Steve refused to believe that. He started swimming for shore, holding Tina lifeguard-style above the waves, desperation fueling his hurt and weary limbs.

Even Dr. Erskine would have been amazed at the infinitesimal amount of time it took him to reach the bank.

"Tina! Tina! Wake up!" he shouted in panic.

Staring at her pale skin and hair plastered to her still face, it took a moment for his training to kick in. He put a hand by her mouth. No breathing. His palm pressed on her chest.

No heartbeat.

Steve immediately began performing CPR, tears flowing freely from his eyes. Please breathe. Please, Tina. I need you. You promised you'd stay with me. Don't break your promise even though I broke mine. We both always knew you were the better one. Please, please, Tina. Please.

"Steve," Iron Man said, landing next to him, "Let me, or rather JARVIS. It'll function like an AED. Safer, much more reliable. Better chance of reviving her."

Steve completed another cycle before very reluctantly relinquishing Tina to Tony. JARVIS started delivered an electric shock to her heart. Silence. It began running a heart monitor while it delivered oxygen to her body.

"Tina," Steve begged, cradling her lifeless form, "Please Tina. Please come back."

He tried to speak between sobs.

"I'm so sorry, Tina. I should've-I-I…I'm sorry. I wanted this story to end differently. Happily ever after, like in the fairy tales you love. You would be the princess. I'd try to be the most charming prince there is. Stark Tower isn't a castle, but we could pretend. I'd even get you a tiara, if you wanted one."

Steve's voice cracked at the end, but he kept speaking, rocking her gently.

"Hell, I'd go get you the stars if you wanted them. I'd pin them in your hair and everyone else would see how lovely you really are. I know though, I-I've always thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world. So please, please come back, Tina. Come back to me."

The heart monitor JARVIS was running continued to emit a long, monotone beep.

No heartbeat.

Tony hesitated, unsure of whether or not to turn off the AED. It clearly wasn't doing anything. A tear dripped off his nose, both at losing the tiny girl who unknowingly wormed her way into the hearts of Earth's mightiest heroes, and at the immense pain of his best friend.

"Please Tina," Steve begged, salty tears still streaming down his cheeks, "I love you."

Softly, so softly, he touched his lips to hers.

BEEP.

BEEP. BEEP.

"Heartbeat detected, sir."

Phew! Sorry to leave you ladies and gentlemen on a cliffie so many times in a row!

How did you like it? Any feels? I gotta know these things :)

I know this is a fairly short chapter, but I figured this was a good spot to cut it off. I thought maybe you'd like to see two littler chapters faster than one huge one.

Review everyone!