With everyone off taking a shower and getting the last couple of days off them, Willow was in the kitchen. It was the only thing she knew how to do in this situation. She hated the feeling of being useless, but that was just one of the many hazards of your best friends being superheroes. Granted, this particular feeling of inadequacy outdated Tony stepping into that suit. Being the astonishingly human twin sister of the fabulous and remarkable Captain Marvel brought out all kinds of feelings. It was horrible and she wasn't looking forward to that rearing its ugly head when Carol got there.

"Whatcha making?" Rhodey asked and she jumped. "Sorry, kid."

She giggled quietly. "It's okay. And I'm making your favorite."

She was still clutching her chest as he walked over and took the spoon out of the nearest pot. He groaned approvingly before pulling her in for another hug.

"You know," he said, "you don't look a day over 25. It's making me feel like a creepy old man for being this attracted to you."

She swatted his arm playfully. "I do not look 25, weirdo. But thank you for the strange compliment. I think."

"Yeah, ya do."

He leaned over the counter, picking at different things laid out buffet-style.

"You're gonna tell him about Pepper, right?"

"How do you know I didn't already?"

He got quiet and when she looked over at him he was giving her the usual 'who-you-lying-to' look. She hated how well he knew her. Sure, she'd known Tony the longest, but Rhodey knew her best. It'd been forever since their ill-fated relationship had crashed and burned in a glorious fashion, but it hadn't changed anything between them. He'd always be her first true love.

"I'll tell him," she finally said.

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and went back to grazing as she finished up the meal. She leaned into it, finding that she was craving his touch. She didn't really like that about herself. She didn't want to need him like this.

Everyone streamed in slowly from their separate rooms, Bruce being the last to join. They all sat down on the barstools opposite Willow and ate quietly. They were in mourning, just like she was, and she knew how hard it was to pretend you were actually tasting anything you were eating. She appreciated that they were trying, though.

"I'm sorry," Thor offered first. "We didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know," Willow answered. "But I have to know what did happen. I don't understand what went on. One second I'm bitching about Tony being gone with Pepper and then half the world disappeared."

"We lost," Natasha said.

"We were up against Thanos," Bruce spoke next. "He... he had all the Infinity Stones and..."

Willow leaned forward and steadied herself on the counter. She knew what this meant now. Tony and Willow had had lengthy discussions about this possibility over the last couple of years. They weren't coming back. Any of them. They were gone to a place no one could rescue them from.

"Has anyone been in contact with Hill? Or Fury?" Happy asked.

"We haven't talked to anyone but you guys," Bruce continued.

Thor clapped him on the back in an attempt to be reassuring, but it just shook his whole body. Willow smiled at the interaction, but it faded quickly. She could feel someone staring at her as she tried to calm down, but she didn't feel like trying to see who it was. It didn't really matter anyway.

Then the surface she was holding onto started to shake. She pulled her hands back but it didn't stop. Then she noticed everything was shaking. Everyone was looking around for the source just as Willow was bolting out the nearest door. Happy wasn't far behind and she knew it would probably be a while before he ever really was.

The large craft came into view as soon as it cleared the ominous clouds that had settled over headquarters. Happy gasped and Willow found she wasn't surprised at all. Leave it to Carol to come home in the most ridiculous spaceship she could find.

Always has to make an entrance, she thought bitterly.

She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for the engine, or whatever it was, to come to a stop. The minute Tony's face appeared though, all of her anger vanished. She ran forward and jumped into his arms. They were just a pile of laughter as they got to hold each other. Every single moment she'd spent worrying about him was forgotten. He pushed her hair back to look in her face.

"God, Will. Calm down. I told you... I'm always okay."

"I wasn't worried," she lied, laughing again.

He threw an arm around her shoulder finally and steered her back in the direction of everyone else who was waiting for them. He kept putting a kiss on her temple every couple of steps like he couldn't believe he was here either.

The minute he was inside, he was manually removing his suit. The whole thing looked strange in pieces. He had a huge smile on his face as he looked around though. He was clearly taking a different approach to this than they were. He was seeing who was left, where she saw who was missing. Leave it to him to put it all in perspective.

Carol gave a well-placed cough to get Willow's attention and the good atmosphere was zapped out of the room. Willow rounded on her, eyes blazing.

"You wanna do this right now? In front of everyone, Captain Marvel?" she hissed with disdain. "'Cause I'm pretty sure you don't want to be embarrassed like that."

Rhodey tried to move her back a couple of inches but she shrugged him off.

"What..."

"No," Willow interrupted, "you don't get to say shit to me. The time for saying anything is over. You had 10 years and now you get to be quiet."

Carol snapped her mouth closed and waited for Willow. "You left me. You left me. With Dad. You finally turned into something he could be proud of and then you leave me with him. He was unbearable. And then he died and you missed that too."

"You literally just gave all the reasons I wouldn't be," Carol mumbled.

"I have been calling you," Willow continued, ignoring her completely. "Why did you chose now to answer?"

"Oh, I don't know," Carol replied sarcastically. "Half the damn universe disappeared. I thought it might be important."

"And it wasn't when my husband died?"

"Thomas..."

"Yes, Carol. He died and you weren't here."

"You had—had Tony and Rhodes," she said, trying to defend herself.

"I wanted my sister, Carol. I wanted you."

"Well, your sister was off saving the world, remember?"

"You did a piss poor job of it because everyone is gone," she screamed. "You were gone for nothing. You missed everything for nothing."

Carol and Willow were nose to nose just and just as Carol opened her mouth to reply, they could hear Tony walking through the rooms calling for Pepper. Both women deflated instantly and Rhodey put an arm around Willow's middle to steady her. Between the grief and exhaustion, it was a wonder she was standing at all. Having to tell Tony was going to be the worst of it.

"I'm here now," Carol whispered, obviously realizing what Tony wasn't ready to.

Willow grabbed her hand and squeezed lightly. She needed her, whether she was ready to admit that or not. She would need all her strength to crush her best friend, the man who had seen her through her worst.

"Tony," Willow called. "Can you come in here?"

"Be right there, Will."

She looked around the room and motioned for everyone to leave. Most did, but Rhodey stayed put beside her on the couch and Happy remained in the doorway. Carol even stayed, hovering just out of her line of sight. Willow knew how much guilt Happy was harboring with this and he felt like he should have to witness it too. He'd earned it, but she didn't agree.

"I can handle this, Happy."

"I'm not leaving."

She huffed quietly at his stubbornness as Tony made his way back to them.

"I know you said she wasn't answering, but I thought maybe she was here by now."

"Tony, I need to tell you something."

"Okay..."

"Pepper was with me," she blurted out.

"When?"

"When everyone disappeared," she answered quietly.

Tony looked around at their faces, waiting for someone to laugh at the joke. No one did though.

"You lied," he accused.

"Yes."

"Because you knew I wouldn't come home."

"Yes," she repeated.

"Did you really not see how useless I'd be without her? Why bring me back at all?"

"She would have killed me if I left you there," she said. "She'd kill both of us."

"She's not here now. Why care what she thinks?"

Willow bowed her head, not knowing what else to do for him. There really wasn't anything. She knew he'd be mad, definitely heartbroken, but this disappointment in his voice was worse somehow. It was just hurt.

"We'll figure this out," Bruce spoke up out of the wings.

Willow hadn't even noticed everyone had walked back in. The small living room, one of the many in this place, was bursting with too many people now. It was making her feel closed in, like she couldn't breathe again. She hated this and wanted it to just go away.

"Go check on Clint and Scott," Steve whispered somewhere behind her. "Tony let's go for a walk."

"I'm not going anywhere with you, asshole."

"I can handle myself," Willow said, turning to face him.

"He already hates me," Steve's only response.

Willow didn't watch as he filed out of the room. Steve went out behind him while everyone stood there with stunned looks on their faces. Willow wasn't the only one who didn't know what to do next and it wasn't comforting in the slightest.

^ chapter title from happylilprompts (via tumblr)