Warning: Minor character death and violence. [ let me know if the upload messes up.]

Tony could hear his heart beating in time with the rush of the tide. He smiled and let his body drift with the waves, swaying back and forth in a way that reminded him of some of his oldest memories. His mother rocking him slowly in her arms as silent tears trailed down his face. Swimming in the ocean and letting himself drift further and further away from the shore, enjoying the illusion of freedom. His first hammock, bought with Pepper and set up on the deck of his Malibu house where he could lounge and look out at the view.

Tony's smile softened as he listened to the slowing beat of his heart. It was peaceful, it was perfect, it was—

"TONY!"

Oh, there's dad yelling at me to swim back.

"TONY, SPEAK TO ME!"

I can't dad, my mouth is full of water. I can't breathe, dad.
Dad,
I taste copper.

"Anthony... please."

Tony forced his eyes to open and gasped. His lungs made a wheezing, damp sound, and he couldn't get enough air. He was drowning, except, there was a ceiling above him and there was some sort of flashing lights coming from somewhere in front of him. Tony squinted through a haze of red, trying to blink the dust and blood from his eyes.

"D..dad?" He croaked. He tried to move his arm to reach out towards the two figures that seemed to be moving away from him. His arm didn't seem to be listening to him, which was rude. So, he tried to roll onto his stomach instead, hoping to crawl closer to his father. The rest of his body didn't seem to want to cooperate either. Now Tony was just pissed. His body had no right to be pulling this shit, not when he was drowning. Not when Howard was ordering him to do something.

"Dad?"

"Anthony? Tony, can you speak through the link?"

Link? What is that? Wait, who the fuck is talking in his head? That sure is hell isn't Howard.

Tony grunted, and narrowed his eyes at the figures. One seemed to be shooting green light out of his hands at the other. The thicker-looking one seemed to be doing weird stuff with this black ooze that Tony didn't like the look of.

Oh, that's right. I'm in the tower with a broken... everything and Loki's fighting that dickhead.

"Lokes, I think i'm back from my vacation," he thought to him, trying to pull himself together. There wasn't much left to pull together, since his body still wasn't responding to any of his commands.

"Hold on," came Loki's voice, desperate yet still commanding enough to make Tony want to comply completely.

That's my Lokes.

Tony grinned lazily and kept watching them from where he lay, sprawled on the floor with the side of his face pressed into chunks of glass and who-the-hell knows what else. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, It was the only place he could feel anything. It still fucking hurt.

A particularly large explosion rocked the room, and Loki was sent shooting backwards into a wall with a sickening crunch. Tony cried out, choked, and tried to get some air back in his lungs again. It was getting harder every time, and he had the feeling he wasn't going to last much longer.

"Loki...?"

"I am fine, Tony."

"Okay... I'll just..."

Loki stood, wobbling only a little, and wiped his bleeding lips on his sleeve. His hair was a mess, sticking up like a mad scientist from a bad horror movie. It would have been funny, if he didn't quite look so scary.

"I'll just..." Tony tried again, starting to have trouble finding words. "Juusttfa..."

Loki's eyes darted from the enemy to find Tony and even though they were questioning and full of worry, flames flickered to life between his fingers, ready for battle once again.

Tony tried to flash a reassuring smile at him, and found he was having troubling moving his face now. His heart beat was back in his ears again, and man did it sound slow. The world started to tilt, and he couldn't remember the last time he had actually breathed. Then there was that damn heart beat, or was is thunder? He tried to count between the rolls of thunder and the flashes of lightning.

One Mississippi.
Two Mississippi.
Three...

"EEEUUAAAGH!"

His eyes snapped open again as a flash of light hit him, sending his limp body sliding across the floor.

"What are you doing?!" Loki screamed, rushing towards him.

"Putting the pitiful thing out of its misery," Doom answered in the creature's voice, "No need to draw out his death."

Tony was choking again, but at least he was conscious and apparently getting some air. It seemed to be coming from a hole in his chest, but air was air. Who was he to complain?

"Tony, are you—" Loki's voice was cut off abruptly when the room lit up again with another flash.

Tony waited in silence, hoping to hear Loki again. He could no longer see the main part of the room, but was now forced to stare hopelessly out the windows. His eyes blinked furiously as they adjusted with the sudden darkness.

There was a crunch of glass as foot steps drew closer and Tony's eyes flickered up to see his guest.

"Hi, Batman."

"You persist in such amusements till the bitter end, Anthony," Doom muttered, looming over him with a strange, sad smile, "how is it you continue to impress me?"

"I don't really... care right now... kinda... dying." Tony paused and took in a breath, ignoring the whistling sound from the hole in his chest. "Where's Loki?"

Doom crouched down and studied him with the same little smile. "You must forget about him. Move on to your next life and be happy this time."

Tony might have gaped at him, if he had the energy. Was this asshole really wishing him a happy second life? Who the fuck does that after ruining your current life?

"Can I just... ask..." Tony wheezed and bit down on his tongue to force himself to stay conscious.

Doom narrowed his blackened eyes at him and muttered, "Stubborn."

"... who are you?"

The creature's mask fell away immediately, and something closer to Victor came through. He opened his mouth to speak,but a wet cough came out instead. Tony blinked in surprise when suddenly Doom hunched forward, there seemed to be something sticking out of the man's chest. The object pulled out suddenly, and stabbed back through his chest once again.

"Jesus," he hissed, wanting to get away from the blood spraying out over his body.

Doom growled as, what Tony now identified as some sort of dull blade, was stabbed through his chest one more time. This time, it stayed still, leaving Doom to teeter and fall forward next to Tony.

For a terrifying minute, Tony was sure something bigger and nastier had come along and taken out his competition. But then black hair and intense green entered his field of vision. He couldn't resist a cheer.

"Hooraaay..." He fell into a fit of coughing and decided not to try cheering again, not with a hole in his lungs.

"Tony, by the Norns..." Loki whispered, a blood stained hand tracing his cheek. Neither of them felt the need to comment on the blood smeared all over his body. Some was Doom's, but most was his at this point. Something was coming to an end and neither of them had the time or energy to care anymore. They needed to hurry, before it was too late.

"Is he dead?"

"You are more a fool than I ever expected, Loki," Doom growled, his voice growing louder and more manic "Did you really think such a pathetic wound to this body would kill me!?"

Loki looked away from Tony, but kept his hand lingering on his cheek while he spoke. "If it were just a wound, than yes, I would be a fool." Loki gave a nasty grin. "But that is no small scratch."

Doom hissed and started to crawl away, letting out little grunts of pain as he moved. Loki stood in one fluid movement and stalked him like a panther. "Can you feel it?"

"What have you done... what is in me?"

"Can you not feel it eating away at you?" Loki repeated, his voice growing lower. If Tony could feel his spine, he was sure it would be shivering. Nonetheless, something cold settled in his chest as he listened to his lover's voice grow deadly.

"You should," he continued, looming over Doom with a cruel grin, "It is your death."

Tony watched with little emotion as the creature jerked Doom's body over to lay on his back. He could finally see what it was that Loki had stabbed him with. It was a crystal, ten times as large as the ones he practiced with and defiantly more sharp. Under all the blood and grime, the stone seemed to be glowing with a faint sea-green light.

Ah, I know that magic.
That's Loki's and mine...
But when did he save it?

Tony decided to turn his focus back on breathing. He could worry about Loki's intentions later, when he wasn't dying so much.

"This is your death, monster," Loki growled, kicking Doom's body with a look of disappointment. The creature turned its head away with a hiss of anger, and met Tony's eyes.

A surge of pity went through him like a bolt of lighting. How could he have forgotten?! This wasn't just Batman in there, this was Doom. Victor Von Doom, the mad inventor who had apparently helped the Avengers get him back. The same guy who had been living with them and had somehow made friends with Bruce. The guy who Tony had just finally let into his work shop, even if only to show off. The man he once hated, but kind of had to put up with now since he sort of saved him.

There was still a man somewhere in there, and he was dying.

"Lo...ki!" He panted, trying to raise his voice. But his lungs and throat were having none of it. They were done with his shit, and were not longer cooperating.

"Loki, don't kill him," he tried thinking. But something was off about the mind link too, something that drove another lump of cold dread into his chest. It had meaning, the lack of their connection, he just knew it. Something really was ending.

"So I die..." Doom paused and let out a faint, disbelieving laugh. "You are much more clever than I gave recognition for, Loki, Son of Laufey."

Loki returned his laugh with a bitter edge. "I do not need your recognition not your praise. I do not wish for your suffering, or even revenge. I tire of you, " He said quietly, and with that he lifted one foot up and drove the crystal down, driving a pained shriek from the creature.

The stone cracked, and the energy released into the flesh around like like fire on oil. Tony closed his eyes against the screams that filled the air as the magic entered the body. He didn't know what it was doing, but he knew it hurt.

He only opened his eyes when the screams lessened into panting whimpers. The sight in front him was no better than before. All bloodied and battered, Doom lay staring up as black liquid began to bubble from his eyes and mouth. It could have been blood, if it wasn't wriggling as it slid to the floor and pooled.

"Monster, I ask one more thing of you before I rid the Nine Realms of your accursed existence."

"Ask what you will," Doom gargled in response, "I seem to have no say in it."

"Tell me thy name, so I know who it is who tormented myself and love. Tell me who it is I kill today."

"My name," the creature whispered, the last wisps of magic drifting off his body like rats leaving a sinking ship. He shuddered with silent laughter as a sad smile crossed his cracked lips. "I have long since forgotten it."

The last of the black liquid oozed from his eyes, leaving them clear and brown as they gazed up at Loki in surprise. Just as they widened in pain, something slipped away with a small sigh, leaving them empty and still.

The man's head fell to the side limply and the room grew silent. Neither Loki or him let out a sound of celebration. But as he stared at the corpse in front of him, Tony felt sadness for the loss of a lonely, ancient creature and for an almost friend.

He tried to find words to match the moment, but his vision was growing fuzzy and the dull thuds of his slowing heartbeat had started to fill his ears once again. Air was simply not an option anymore, it was all blood, and he was drowning in it.

So Tony closed his eyes and let go.

A seagull called out nearby, and Tony turned his head to see a wave towering over him, rushing across the sand like an old friend he hadn't seen in years. He flashed a grin, raised his arms to embrace it, and let the ocean wash him away.

Steve put on a final burst of speed, rounding the same corner with a little less care than the last sixty times he had passed it. This time, he was going to aim for the wall and break through. He sped up more for the final lap before there was a loud snapping sound and he ran right into something that wasn't a wall.

The something happened to be a person, who went flying and tumbling over with him as they collided. There were several startled shouts and a loud groan of pain as Steve tried to get his barring again.

"Rogers?"

"Oh god..."

"Steve broke Bruce."

"Oh god."

Steve sat up quickly and looked around in a panic, spotting the man he had run into. It was, indeed, Bruce, looking a little green and a lot bruised.

"Oh lord, I'm so sorry, Dr. Banner!" Steve cried out, crawling closer to hover over his friend. The man was wheezing, but managed to give him a shaky thumbs up before focusing on breathing again.

"Where have you been?" Came Natasha's voice from behind him. She sounded concerned, which was a bad sign.

Steve looked over his shoulder at the red head and was startled to see how out of sorts she and Clint seemed. Each had a thick layer of dust over them, as well as chunks of rubble in their hair. Other than that, they looked unharmed.

With a frown and a glance back at Bruce, he answered, "I was trapped in some sort of loop. I was running and running but I couldn't leave." He turned back to the assassins and asked, "what happened?"

"Tony's 'Batman' took Doom's body. Last time I knew, Loki was fighting him upstairs."

"That's where we were headed before you came shooting out of nowhere," Clint added with a weak smile.

"My apologies, I really—"

"I'm sorry, Rogers, but we really don't have time. Tony was up there first, and I haven't heard from either of them. Also..." Natasha glanced back down the darkened hallway with a strange look. "All the lights are out."

"I noticed that in my hallway. Is it the entire building?"

Natasha turned her blank gaze back to him. "It's the entire city."

Thor felt as though his journey back was a thousand miles long. But he did it, he crawled up from the darkness into a world of pain and screams. His eyes opened to a city filled with small dancing lights and the panicked cries of citizens trying to move about in the darkness. His first thought was that he had fallen into Hel, and those around him were the souls of the dead. The second wash of pain throughout his body quickly proved otherwise, and he decided that this was indeed, New York.

He sat up from the hole in the pavement, crafted by his own body falling from a great hight. Everything ached, but there was nothing too disabling to keep him from joining the battle once more. His hand found Mjölnir easily, and he cast one more worried glance around at the frightened people. The world had fallen into chaos while he was gone, and he meant to remedy that as soon as possible.

His hammer took him to the balcony, where he saw the rooms were dark and most of the windows were smashed apart. He spared a moment to send a bitter glare at the window he had been throw through not that long ago. At least, he hoped it had not been that long ago.

"Friends?" He called out, feeling, for the first time, a little scared. No one returned his call, so he looked through the room carefully and scanned for any signs of movement. In the dull moon light, he could just make out the glass and bits of table that littered the floor. He swallowed back a swell of sadness at the sight of the banner someone had made for their celebration, ripped and ground into the floor like garbage.

"Thor?"

He turned, hammer ready to strike and lightning at his call. His hammer fell, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Lady Potts?! It is dangerous here, since when have you come?" Thor asked quickly, approaching the startled woman. She was holding up her phone device, using it to light her way.

"I was called to... to join a party?" She mumbled, her voice raising in question as she looked around. "Dear god, please tell me this is just the aftermath of a very rowdy party."

"I am afraid things have gone array, my friend," Thor replied solemnly, "we were attacked and Tony was in danger last I knew."

Pepper's mouth fell open in horror, and she looked around more feverishly. "Where is he?! What happened to the city? Oh god, did it take him again? Please... I can't..." She choked back a sob and covered her mouth with a shaking hand.

"Lady Potts, if I might, I suggest you return down to the lower floors. I must find everyone and I cannot leave you alone to be in danger."

"I..." She met his eyes and seemed to calm herself under his orders, "yes, I will do that. Please report to me as soon as possible, though."

Thor nodded and walked her to the staircase door, peering down the long gap in center to check for any danger. There was no sound, or movement, but that did not mean no danger. He frowned deeply and wished he had two more of himself to manage the situation.

"I'll be fine," Pepper said, as if reading his thoughts, "it seems like most of the fight is up here. I suppose I should try to figure out how the arc reactor is offline..."

Thor smiled weakly, not quite understanding what she meant and far too pressed for time to ask. With a nod, he set off up the stairs while she headed down, muttering about impossible situations and gods.

The landing of the floor above creaked dangerously as he placed his weight upon it. Deciding to risk the danger, he quickly opened the door to pass through. Here, he could see more destruction. Entire walls were missing or heavily damaged, the floor was littered with rubble and broken furniture. Thor froze when he saw a dark stain half way down the hall that lead to another set of rooms. His grip tightened on his hammer, as he started to follow the trail of blood.

"What was that?" Bruce asked in an urgent whisper.

Everyone in the group froze, ears straining for a sound they weren't even sure they had heard the first time. But after several beats, they did hear it again.

Someone, or something, was creeping down the hall towards them. Well, it was actually stomping down the hall towards them at a quick pace.

Steve turned, firsts raised and ready to take out anyone who walked around that corner. Bruce stumbled back, already painfully aware of his current useless state.

"Sounds big," Clint commented, drawing his bow string back, one eye closed and the other peering through the darkness for the first hints of an enemy.

"It's not walking like..." Natasha paused and held up a hand as the foot steps stopped outside of the door. There was a shuffling sound and a large hand appeared around the corner, groping blindly. A second later, Thor's blond head popped around the door frame and squinted at them.

"Thor?!"

"Jesus Christ," Clint exclaimed, letting out a sharp breath of air. He let his bow fall, but kept an arrow notched and ready.

"My friends!" Thor called out, rushing into the room, arms already spread to hug them.

But Natasha shushed him quickly and glanced around with a sharp glare. Nothing seemed to be disturbed by Thor's outburst, which wasn't necessarily a good sign.

"Thor, have you seen Loki or Tony?" She asked, facing the blond at last.

Thor shook his head and let his arms drop, his cheerfulness deflating immediately. He was still pleased to see that all of them, well, most of them seemed to be alright. Bruce was looking pale and seemed to need assistance in standing, curtesy of Rogers.

"What has happened in my absence? I found no one on my way, but blood and signs of fighting."

Bruce wobbled, growing more distressed. "Where are they?" He choked out, pulling away from Rogers and stumbling towards the next room. He ignored the warning hiss from Natasha and limped onward. The lengthy pause after his disappearance was filled with weighted glances at one another, asking without words, 'Now what do we do?'.

A startled gasp took the decision from their hands, and each rushed forward to follow Banner into the room. As they crowded through the door, they could just make out Bruce by the moon light that was pouring in through a massive hole in the outside wall. Natasha muttered something in Russian and procured a flashlight, shining it on the doctor. His back was to them, hunched over something on the floor. Something, surrounded by what looked like blood.

"Oh god... who... Who is it?" Clint stammered, unwilling to move closer to find out for himself.

Bruce's voice came out, small and cracked, "Victor... It's Victor."

"Is he...?"

Bruce's shoulders hunched more, and that was all the answer they needed.

Thor peered around the room by the weak light Natasha was providing and found an even larger pool of blood. With a frown, he left his friends to inspect the space more thoroughly. Clearly, there had been quite a battle, one that drew blood from either side. But there, there it looked as though someone had landed and not gotten up.

"My friends... I fear the worst," he mumbled, unable to keep his voice steady. Clint came closer and Natasha joined him by Thor's shoulder, giving a closer inspection to the stain.

"Looks congealed already... oh..." She paused, directing her light along a short trail of blood that lead to another pool. "That is a lot more fresh, but it's..."

"It's too much," Clint whispered, "there's too much blood here for one person. No one can bleed this much and survive." The last word came out strangled, and he turned away to find Bruce again. He jumped when he found the man to be right beside him, looking grim but much more lucid than before.

"There's two separate points of origin there. Two bodies created that blood," he spoke in a monotone, "from what I can tell, Victor's wounds are far too extensive to have caused so little bleeding were he's laying now. I would say at least half of this is his." He gestured to the sprayed drops and let his hand fall limply by his side. "Still, Clint is right, this is too much."

The silence after he spoke was heavy, as none of them wanted to voice what they were all thinking. After a while, Bruce turned back to the body behind them and stood over it alone. When he spoke again, the words sounded hollow, "if he is here, then where are the other two? Why would they just... leave him like this?"

"Maybe they needed to..." Clint trailed off, his mouth opening and closing as he looked for words, "no, you know what, I have no idea why they would be gone."

Thor let out a grunt of surprise and stiffened, causing everyone to turn to look at him with varying looks of alarm. His grip on the hammer tightened, and looked up at them with dark eyes. "They have gone to Asgard."

"What? Why?" Steve asked, "more importantly, how? I thought you were the only one who could use the Bifrost."

"Loki would have begged our father to take them..."

"Loki, begging? I don't think so," Clint commented dryly.

Thor met his eye and smiled sadly. "He would beg to save Anthony's life."