(A/N): I'm dying... grad school and work are draining the life out of me... two more weeks though. I just need to survive two more weeks and then it'll be summer break.

Thanks to blackbloddywolf, SoraGranger, jocillyria, Dark-Supernatural-Angel, Adonisx, dreaminggirllivi2, andrewpine, catzandbookz8, and Guest for reviewing!

IMPORTANT NOTE: So. Phase Four of Marvel has been, shall we say, not great. I won't say that I won't be using anything from it but, for the most part, please disregard everything from after Infinity War because it greatly upset me.

I know these notes are usually longer but I'm tired so I'll just leave it at that so I can get back to watching Supernatural. And to answer the question I know you'll be wonder- yes. That's probably going to turn into a thing.

This chapter is unbetaed so apologies for any mistakes!

Thanks for reading! Enjoy!


"Well, if it isn't Saint Potter," Blaise Zabini sneered when the house elf led Harry into the study. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

If he had been there in the capacity of an Auror, Harry would have had to worry about diplomacy and tactful questioning. But, since Kingsley had refused to allow him on the case, Harry was there in his capacity of the head of the Ancient and Noble House of Potter.

Glancing between Zabini and Theodore Nott, who was sitting in a chair across from his host, Harry bluntly stated, "I wanted to discuss your business dealings with Ron Weasley."

The expression on Nott's face didn't change, but Zabini's lips pulled upwards into a cruel little smirk. "Is that so, Lord Potter?" he placed a small emphasis on 'Lord', showing that he was aware of Harry's intentions when he announced himself to the elf. "I didn't think you were in the habit of being aware of the goings-on of your compatriots. It would require you to actually expend a modicum of effort."

"The Weasley family are close friends of mine," Harry reminded them. "And if there is something that's going to end up blowing up in their faces in the near future, then I'd like to get ahead of it."

Not for the first time, Harry mourned how deeply his head had been in the sand the last few years. How could he have missed Ron choosing to deal with the likes of Blaise Zabini? And what in Merlin's name could have made the redhead think that that would be a good idea?

Zabini rose from his chair, gesturing for Harry to take the seat next to his friend. "How very practical of you," he commented dryly, striding over to a shelf on the side of the room that held several crystal glasses and a dark bottle of what Harry thought was either whiskey or scotch. Pulling down two glasses, he poured a small amount of liquid into each and then brought them over, handing one to Harry and keeping the other for himself.

Harry took it out of politeness, wondering why Nott had been overlooked. "What was Ron working with you on?"

Easing back in his seat, Zabini said, "Is that what Ron told you was going on? Or is that what you were assuming based off of the records you managed to get your hands on? I'm assuming that it wasn't much considering Ron's poor record keeping and the fact that you can't do anything in your official capacity as an Auror."

His stomach dropped. Harry had really been hoping that Ron had been stupid enough to be working with Zabini on something when he'd found the receipts for several transactions between the two men. "You seem rather cavalier considering there's a link between you and Ron, who has gone missing," he commented, trying to buy time.

Zabini's laughter increased his feeling of uneasiness. "And here I was thinking that perhaps you'd finally managed to catch on to the truth of this situation." Sipping at his drink, he slowly shook his head at Harry. "Do you really think the Ministry is still unaware of what exactly Ron was up to before he disappeared? That they haven't connected the exact same dots as you?"

Harry stayed silent, carefully watching both Zabini and Nott.

"Let me ask you something," Zabini continued, seeming amused by his silence. "Does the name Amelia Bones ring any bells for you?"

Hesitantly nodding, Harry stated, "She was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement until Voldemort killed her in her home."

"Yeah?" The Slytherin leaned forward, eyes hard and amused. "Are you sure about that?" When Harry visibly stiffened, he snorted softly. "Potty, Potty, Potty," he chided mockingly. "Have you still not looked behind the curtain?"

Before Harry could respond, Nott finally spoke. "So many deaths," he mused. "I'm sure your precious Order was quick to chalk it up to the Dark Lord being unstable and reckless. Every body that dropped during his return must have fallen because of him. Surely there was no other possible suspect, because deaths only occur on the orders of a Dark Wizard when one is gaining power."

Harry inhaled sharply.

"Do you finally get it, Potter?" Zabini prodded. "Is it all coming together?"

"As much as you might like to pretend that you're shaking off the shackles Dumbledore placed on you all those years ago, you're still that well-trained boy he made you into," Nott continued.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry demanded, voice tight.

Zabini threw back the rest of his drink and set the glass aside. "It means that it doesn't matter. Because maybe Weasley and I were working together on something that you most definitely wouldn't approve of and maybe there finally came a day when our partnership was no longer useful to me and maybe I chose the easy way out of that situation. Or maybe I'm just the red herring that Granger's using to throw the Ministry off her scent. Maybe she ran off with him out of revenge for some perceived slight against her. Maybe the war twisted her up so much that she can't see ally from enemy.

"Anyone with brains can read between the lines, Potter. The Dark Lord was a monster trying to take control of Wizarding Britain. He was also a convenient scapegoat for anyone who wanted to expend only a modicum amount of effort in order to get away with a crime. Weasley, Dumbledore, Skeeter- all people Granger didn't like. It's easy to decide that it must have been her who killed them. Soon it'll be people she vaguely knew. After that it'll be complete strangers because by then everyone will just be so comfortable blaming her that they won't be bothered to ask themselves 'why'."

"What he's saying, Potter," Nott cut in, "is that you should probably get some rest while you can. Because it's only a matter of time before the bodies start piling up, and you should prepare as best you can so that yours doesn't become one of them."


Mia had managed to force herself into a semblance of calm by the time she went to meet with Steve. She knew that if he noticed something was wrong, he would try and get her to talk to him and she would break down if he did. It was his birthday- he shouldn't have to deal with her mess of emotions. She also couldn't betray Frank's trust like that.

After hiding the box of Frank's thing inside her apartment, Mia headed down to Pepper's office. When she stepped off the elevator, she could see the back of Steve's head from where he sat in one of the chairs in front of Pepper's desk. Nodding at Pepper's assistant, Mia slipped through the glass door.

"Hello," she greeted, noting the shell-shocked look on Steve's face with some amusement. "Are you finished putting Steve through his paces, Pepper, or should I come back later?"

Pepper laughed, closing the lid on her tablet. "I think we're done for now. We can go over any last-minute things on the car ride over."

"Great," Steve said unenthusiastically.

"Maybe you should have him spend some time with Tony," Mia suggested, unable to hold back a giggle at Steve's tone. "Teach him how to pretend he doesn't hate having to exist in the moment."

"I taught Tony everything he knows about that," Pepper replied, waving them off. "Steve's in better hands with me."

"Won't argue with that," Steve stated, jumping up from his chair and joining Mia at the door.

"Don't forget that the stylists will be getting here at five," she reminded Mia. "They'll be setting up in the common area since I know you hate having strangers in your apartment."

"Bless you," Mia responded emphatically, and then glanced at Steve. "Are you and Tony going to get ready together?"

"I think I can get dressed by myself," he told her, rolling his eyes. "Besides, I don't think Tony and I are good for that much quality time."

Mia shook her head. "You two have spent a lot of time together before."

He pulled open the door, ushering through. "Yes, but that was a while ago and I'm rusty."

"Really?" she asked archly, leading the way to the elevator. "I was under the impression that that fancy serum you received gave you a perfect memory, meaning you surely must remember how to get along with my brother."

"I remember. Just not sure he does."

Once they were in the elevator, Hermione requested that JARVIS take them to Tony's garage.

"Are you driving us somewhere?" Steve asked, a hint of apprehension leaking into his tone.

She bit back a smile. "Would you have a problem if I was?"

It was honestly amusing watching Steve struggle to find a polite way to tell her that he didn't want to get in a vehicle with her behind the wheel. In the end, he just sighed and said, "Yes."

Hermione's head fell back as she laughed loudly. "Don't worry, Steve- I have no intentions of driving. The garage is just where your gift is being stored."

"Oh god, that's worse," he blurted out and then turned red. "I mean…"

She was still shaking with laughter when the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. "Alright, Steve, do you want to go see what horror awaits you, or would you prefer to cower in the elevator and force me to try and bring it to you?"

He glared playfully at her, lips twitching. "Let's get this over with."

"Oh honestly, it's a birthday gift not a firing squad. Do you really think I'm going to get you something terrible?" she asked as they walked past several of Tony's fancier cars.

"Terrible? No. Expensive? Yes." Steve shook his head in mock sadness. "Living with Tony has made you forget the value of money."

"Ouch." Hermione clutched her chest. "It hurts because it's not entirely wrong."

Coming to a stop outside the door leading to Tony's garage-workshop, Hermione waited impatiently for JARVIS to open the door. Once he had, she skipped inside and towards the back, where a large object was covered in a sheet.

"Is that a motorcycle?" Steve asked, instantly recognizing the shape.

"Yes, but not any motorcycle." Hermione tugged off the sheet, tossing it aside as she said, "Ta da!"

Steve's jaw dropped. "Is that…" he whispered.

Hermione beamed at his reaction. "It is. Not the exact one that you had, of course, because that was the property of the U.S. Army, but it's the same model."

It was a 1942 Harley-Davidson WLA "Liberator" motorcycle- the exact same model that Steve had ridden back with his Howling Commando's.

Slowly walking forward, Steve trailed his fingers over a handlebar. "This is too much," he finally said, turning to look at her. "This must have cost you a fortune."

"It was a little expensive," she admitted. "But not as much as you're thinking because it wasn't in the best condition when I found it. Tony helped me restore it to working condition- which means that you should probably keep an eye out for any unexpected bonus' he might have added in when I wasn't looking."

When Steve just turned back to look at the bike in silence, Hermione began to babble. "As I said, it's obviously not the exact same as the one you had since Tony and I did restore it and we used some newer parts. Which I hope is alright because I know some people like to stay true to the original but the updates we made should make the bike safer and, according to Tony, faster. Which I'm not sure how big a priority that is for you, but I'm also now realizing that you might not actually be planning on riding this all that much since you already have several newer motorcycles. Some people won't drive older cars or motorcycles that they've restored because-"

Steve grabbed her arm and crushed her against his chest in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

Once she'd unfrozen, Hermione wrapped her arms around Steve's waist. "You're welcome," she told him simply, swallowing back her other words.

They stayed like that for a long moment until Steve finally stepped away, swiping roughly at his eyes.

"This is perfect," he admitted, looking at the motorcycle. "The perfect gift."

"I'm glad to hear you say that, but there is one more gift," Hermione told him, giving him a guilty grin when he looked at her with wide eyes.

"What else could you have possibly gotten me?" he demanded, bewildered.

Stepping over to one of Tony's tool benches, Hermione picked up a tablet and turned it on. Seeing that JARVIS had already pulled up the pictures she needed, she flipped the tablet around and handed it to Steve. "Since I knew this would be a bit too big for you to transport back to D.C. on your own, I had it brought to the house Tony has there. The deed is waiting for you in your apartment though."

His sharp inhale seemed to echo through the space.

Hermione honestly didn't know how Steve would respond to his second gift. He'd told her before that it was something he and Bucky had always dreamed of having when they were younger, so she hoped he would find it more wonderful than hurtful, but grief was a funny thing.

"I thought they stopped making Coventry-Eagle bikes," Steve finally murmured, not looking away from the motorcycle on the screen.

"They did. But you mentioned that the 1937 N35 Flying 350- which is far too many numbers, by the way- was the one Bucky thought was the best looking, so I found one." Hermione stepped up beside him and flicked her finger across the screen, moving to the next picture. "This one is pretty banged up, but I thought you'd enjoy restoring it yourself. Tony said that all the tools you'd need are in the garage at the D.C. house and you're free to keep it there while you work on it."

Steve nodded, pressing his lips tightly together. "I… I can't…"

Leaning her head against his arm, Hermione whispered, "Happy Birthday, Steve."


Sometimes, Mia resented how long it took for her to get ready to Pepper's standards whenever they had a big event to attend. Especially since it always took more time than she thought it should to have her makeup done and her hair pulled up. But right then, she was grateful that Pepper had taken her under her wing and set things up so that Mia didn't have to stress about anything. Pepper had even found a dress for her based on a comment Mia had made about a gown a few months before.

Standing in front of the mirror, Mia let her hands skim over the folds of the dress. She looked like a butterfly- the gown's skirt was made of fabric that looked like dozens of butterfly wings laid on top of one another so only a hint of the tulle below it showed at the very bottom. The bodice of the dress was made of similar fabric and she had two asymmetrical sleeves; both were the same kind of butterfly wings as the skirt, but one covered her right shoulder and the top part of arm while the other was situated higher up, covering the top of her shoulder and her collarbone. Since it was Steve's birthday and the fourth of the July, everyone was expected to wear red, white, and blue colors. Mia had expected Pepper to bring her a gown in red, but this dress was a blue so deep it was almost purple, along with the black and white accenting the wings.

"You look beautiful," Pepper told her, coming up behind her and smiling as she took in Mia's appearance.

"I do," Mia agreed. "You really outdid yourself with this dress."

"I know normally I would say something about you making the dress look good, not the other way around but damn, that dress is gorgeous."

Mia laughed, turning around to face the redhead. "You aren't exactly wearing garbage bags yourself," she pointed out, admiring the slinky, navy blue dress Pepper was wearing. The front of it was cut so low it almost showed her belly button. "You might even manage to shock Tony speechless when he sees you."

Pepper smiled, pushing a strand of hair back. "That's the goal." Linking arms with Mia, she led her into the elevator. "You know, I was actually wearing something similar the first time Tony and I almost kissed. I bought it using his money as his birthday present to me."

"And I'm sure he thought it was money well-spent."

"That, and that he has great taste."

"Well, he did pick both of us," Mia pointed out, leaning her head on Pepper's shoulder for a moment as the elevator brought them down to her floor where Tony and Steve were waiting for them before straightening. "And I like to think we're pretty great, so his taste can't be horrendous."

She hummed in agreement before changing the subject. "Your hair's getting a lot lighter- it's almost totally blond now."

"I know," Mia sighed. "This happened to Mum. She was a brunette before she got her powers but afterwards, she found that the more she used them, the lighter her hair became. I'm sure Tony or Bruce could give us the technical reason for why that is."

"I'm sure they could," Pepper agreed dryly. "We might want to try dying it in the future. Or telling people it's dyed now. You could get away before with just saying you were spending a lot of time in the sun, but that's not going to work now."

Mia rolled her eyes. "I think people should stop caring about my hair."

The elevator doors opened to show the two men waiting for them in the entryway. When Steve spotted Mia, his eyes went wide with surprise.

"Wow," he blurted out before quickly adding, "You look stunning. That's what I meant to say."

"And yet the first was the reaction I was hoping to achieve in this get-up," Mia teased.

When Tony didn't say anything, his eyes flickering between Pepper and Mia's dresses, Pepper prodded, "You okay there, Tony?"

"What?" he started, meeting her gaze. "Yes, I'm fine. And so are you! You look fine, I mean. That is what I was thinking."

Having recognized the look in his eyes from past experiences, Mia sighed. "No, you weren't. You were trying to think of something to say about my dress because you don't like it."

Steve frowned at him. "You don't think she looks good?"

"Oh no," Mia corrected. "It's the opposite. He doesn't like how men are going to look at me in this dress, but he can't outright say that because it covers more than Pepper's dress and that would be hypocritical."

Tony glowered at her before muttering, "You could have gotten a fuller skirt."

She nodded, smirking at him. "I could have, but instead I went with one just loose enough that I'm comfortable and just tight enough that you're not."

"Let's just go," her brother grumbled, ushering Steve into the elevator.

"You're ridiculous," Steve told him, shaking his head.

"You say that now, but just wait until we get there. You'll see what my issue is for yourself."

"Tony," Pepper warned. "We're not having this conversation again."

"You know, Pepper gets approached far more than I do, and you never say anything about that," Mia pointed out with a scowl.

"Yes, he does," the redhead told her, at the same time that Tony said, "That's because the people who hit on Pepper at least have the decency to try and be subtle about it. I'm pretty sure subtlety is not in the vocabulary of the guys who come talk to you."

"True," Mia agreed. "Once you push past the awkwardness of it all though, it's a little funny to watch."

"Really?" Tony drawled, as they exited out into the garage where their driver was waiting for them. "Then how come Jessica punched that guy during that one gala?"

"Because she's my hero!" she exclaimed, climbing into the car after Pepper. "And I can't believe you wouldn't let her come with us to this."

"First of all, Jessica didn't even want to attend this and we both know it. Second of all, she punched somebody."

"She was just having a good time!"

As the two began to squabble, Steve leaned in towards Pepper. "It's moments like these where it's easy to forget that they aren't related."

Pepper snorted. "I think they've forgotten that they're not technically related. It's nice when they act like siblings that get along, but I'm honestly terrified of the first time they get into an actual fight because it is not going to be pretty."


Steve was at a loss for words when they finally made it through the photographers and into the actual event. "This is…"

Mia silently laughed beside him. "I owe Frank $20," she said, staring in delight at the room around them. "This is just as terrible as he said it would be. I'm ashamed that I ever doubted him."

Tony didn't even bother hiding his horror. "Your face is everywhere," he whispered.

Large banners with Steve's face- both with and without the cowl- and his shield hung on the sides of the room in colors that complimented the centerpieces and cloths covering the tables that were scattered about.

Even Pepper struggled to find something polite to say. "At least you have a nice face?" she finally offered.

"It's like they think they have to constantly remind you that you're Captain America because otherwise you're going to forget," Tony stated.

Staring at the waitstaff in their 1940s military outfits, Mia wondered, "What exactly is the theme of this party?"

Her brother shrugged. "The good old days? But without anything good?"

"Alright, we cannot just keep standing here," Pepper finally announced, pulling her gaze away from the décor. "We need to mingle and pretend that we're happy to be here."

"But we're not happy to be here," Tony reminded her.

"Plus, Steve's really bad at lying," Mia added. "And to be honest, none of the training I received from my parents went over how to lie about things that don't matter."

Pepper sighed and Mia knew that if they weren't in public, she would be giving them her death-glare. "You don't want everyone to think you hate the event, do you?"

Tony and Mia shared a look. "Actually, we do. We really, really do. Because then maybe they'll do better next time."

"Do not make me separate you two," she warned.

Mia gave a huff, giving a more thorough scan of the occupants of the room. "Is this all military officials and political figures, or have fun S.H.I.E.L.D. people also been invited?"

"I think the STRIKE team is here," Steve told her, confused when her eyes lit up.

"I'll just find them then," she said, hurrying away.

"No drinking games!" Pepper called after her in exasperation. At Steve's concerned look, she rolled her eyes. "Rumlow and Rollins are bad influences."

Steve frowned. "She left us to go hang out with them?"

"No," Tony groaned, spotting something over Steve's shoulder. "She was smart enough to spot the danger before we did."

"Captain Rogers!"

Shifting the grimace that had appeared on his face to a more genial smile, Steve turned to greet Matthew Ellis. "President Ellis."

Ellis reached out to shake Steve's hand with what Hermione called his 'politician's grin'. "Glad to see you were able to make it."

Nodding, Steve said, "And I'm surprised to see that you were able to. I would have thought the events happening in D.C. would have kept you in the city."

"Oh, I'm only able to make a brief appearance here before heading back to the White House." Ellis then turned to greet Tony and Pepper, voice a little cooler. "Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts. Good to see you."

Tony wrinkled his nose. "Okay."

It was such a Hermione thing to do- such a Carol thing to do- that Steve couldn't help relaxing, his smile turning a little more natural.

"President Ellis," Pepper greeted, tone neutral.

It was no secret that Tony and Pepper didn't approve of Ellis. They had thrown their support behind former-President Barack Obama, as had Hermione. Unfortunately, the Battle of New York had made constituents across the country think that a Republican President would be a better choice for leading the country through such unprecedented times.

Ellis had been willing to bury the hatchet with the Stark family upon winning but Tony's response had been less than gracious.

"Is Rodriguez skulking around here too?" Tony asked, glancing around.

"Vice-President Rodriguez is here, yes," Ellis answered, twitching slightly as he seemed to fight to keep his friendly expression in place. "I believe he was speaking with Colonel Rhodes."

Steve glanced over at Tony and Pepper again and could tell that, though their expressions hadn't changed, they were both thinking the same thing he was:

That isn't going to end well.


Mia managed to make it to the bar unmolested, which may have been a first for her. Picking up one of the drink menus laid neatly down on the wooden counter, she was surprised to see that there were quite a few she didn't recognize.

Catching the eye of one the bartenders, she commented, "Some of these drinks are new to me. Is there some kind of theme that I'm just not seeing?"

The blond-haired man sighed dramatically, an almost contagious look of amusement in his brown eyes. "Those are some original 1940s cocktails. The organizers of this lovely shindig thought the guests would enjoy sampling some 'throwback' beverages to go with tonight's theme."

"Which is…" Mia led, pressing her lips tightly together in an effort to hold back her laughter.

Glancing over at the other bartender, he leaned in and whispered, "Based on what I've seen so far, I'm thinking it's 'Things that'll make the Cap wish he was back in the ice'."

She couldn't hold back her delighted laughter and more than a few people- including the other bartender- glanced over at her in surprise.

"Well, they are certainly nailing that theme," she giggled, leaning against the bar for support.

"Aren't they just?" he responded, straightening up as his partner came and joined them. Adopting a more professional mien, he hastily said, "As for a drink recommendation, I would personally suggest an Alexander the Great since you said you preferred a richer cocktail."

Glancing down quickly at the menu still in her hands to see what was in the Alexander, Mia replied, "Sounds lovely. Thank you for suggestion," she glanced quickly down at his nametag, "Ben."

"Of course. After all, it's what I'm here for."

Quickly fixing her drink under the watchful eye of the other bartender, Ben set it in front of her with a flourish. "Here you are, madam- one Alexander the Great."

Mia took a sip, relishing the slight burn of the alcohol with the smoothness of the coffee and chocolate liquor. "This is amazing," she declared. "And such a nice change from the usual cocktails; if I have to try and swallow down one more very-dry martini I am going to lose my mind."

Ben nodded his head in sympathy. "And if I have to hear one more person order a martini using a god-awful James Bond impression, I'm going to lose mine." It looked like his partner wanted to scold him for being so informal, but her attention was pulled away by another guest. As soon as she was distracted, he leaned in again and said, "There's someone coming up behind you and between you and me, he does not look friendly."

She nodded her head, continuing to look in Ben's direction even as her gaze strayed to the mirror behind him. It was only a quick glance, but it was enough for her to recognize who was about to accost her.

"Oh no," Mia sighed, taking another sip of her drink. It couldn't hurt to have some liquid courage, even though she couldn't actually get drunk. Hopefully the placebo effect would be enough.

"That bad?" Ben murmured, pretending to be busy straightening the glasses in front of him.

"Yes. I'm going to move this somewhere more private, but I promise I'll be back."

"Alright, just give me a signal if you need a save."

Mia smirked, turning around with her glass in hand. "Believe me, the only one who's going to need saving is him," she responded softly, finishing just as James Rhodes stopped in front of her.

"Rhodey," she greeted with a sugar sweet smile, aware of the eyes on them. "How lovely to see you again."

"Mia," he returned, also doing his best to appear friendly. "It's been a while. How have you been?"

Taking his offered arm, she said, "Well enough. Stark Industries has been keeping me busy, as does Tony, of course. I believe Pepper is trying to find a way to ground us from the lab. Tony's mutiny if she ever does manage it should be amusing to see."

"I'll bet. I must admit, I didn't expect to see you here- I didn't think this kind of thing would interest you."

Laughing lightly, she explained, "Steve invited us to come with him. He wanted to celebrate his birthday with his closest friends."

Rhodey nodded, still looking happy and relaxed. "Looks to me like you've abandoned him in his time of need," he teased, nodding down at her drink.

"Oh no," she reassured him. "I'm not the type of person who would let down a friend when they needed me the most. If I did, I couldn't truthfully call myself their friend, could I?"

His arm tensed under her hand. "Couldn't agree more. It's great that you were able to meet and befriend Captain Rogers- after spending so long in the ice, it must be good for him to have someone so trustworthy to show him the ropes."

"Well, after seeing how much you've done for Tony, I wanted to see if I could be even half as good a friend as you. Your dedication to supporting Tony through thick and thin is such an inspiration."

And that was the straw that apparently broke the camel's back- which was a little disappointing for Mia. She hadn't even begun digging into how firmly the Colonel's military career rested on the back of his friendship with her brother. That was a rich vein of conversation that had been left completely untapped for far too long.

"You know, I get how Tony and Steve may have been fooled by your act," he hissed, smiling politely and nodding at a passing military official. "But I'm honestly surprised that Pepper hasn't wised up to the fact that you're nothing more than a leech doing her best to drain Tony dry."

"I'm not the one constantly benefiting from my relationship with Tony without giving anything in return," she retorted softly. "I've actually made a tangible difference in the lives of the people in this city and in Tony's life while you've been running around showing off what a good, obedient little thief you are on the arm of Ellis and his spineless allies."

"And if it wasn't for a fact that you're pretending to be a Stark, no one would know who you are. At least I'm not pretending to be someone I'm not and at least I'm not the one who's going to be hurting Tony by the time this is all over."

Barely remembering to keep her expression even and her voice low, Mia leaned towards Rhodes. "How dare you try and pretend like you actually have Tony's best interests at heart. You may have other people fooled, Colonel Rhodes, but you can't fool me. You are not his friend. You betrayed him. You went behind his back and stole one of his suits and handed it over to the military, the one thing Tony never wanted to happen. And the only reason my brother hasn't thrown you out like the trash you are is because that is what he thinks a friend is: someone who will steal from you and stab you in the back and then claim that they did it for your own good. You don't give a damn about Tony. All you care about is impressing whichever military leader you're currently bending over for."

Withdrawing her arm for Rhodes, she told him, "Tony may not have done anything about your betrayal but if you ever even think about pulling another stunt that will hurt my brother, I promise that there won't be enough left of you to identify by the time I'm through with you. Because, unlike you, I actually understand what it means when I call Tony my brother."

"Mia!"

An arm was thrown around her shoulders and Mia looked up to see Brock Rumlow standing beside her, Jack Rollins hanging back on his other side.

"We've been looking for you everywhere," Brock continued, smiling down at her before turning to Rhodes. "You don't mind if we steal Mia away, do you?"

"Of course not," Rhodes gritted out, stepping back. "It was lovely talking with you, Mia."

"It always is," she said sardonically before being led away.

"Sorry about that," Brock whispered, dropping his arm once they were far enough away. "But you looked like you were two words away from gutting him."

Mia rolled her eyes. "Give me a little more credit than that, Brock. I was about ten words."

Jack snorted with laughter. "Yeah, well, Director Fury asked us to keep an eye on you tonight. Apparently, he thinks you're the Stark least likely to behave."

"And what do you boys think?" she asked.

Brock grinned. "I think Tony's least likely to behave, but you're most likely to give us the most trouble."

"Challenge accepted," Mia told them, downing the rest of her drink and placing it on the empty tray offered to her by a passing waiter, before linking arms with both agents. "Let's see what we can do about livening this party up."


"You're sure this is the place?" Carol asked, frowning up at the black stone of the mountain. At first, she'd thought it just looked dark because of the lack of sunlight but closer inspection proved her wrong.

"I'm sure," Gamora told her softly, also looking up. "The map for the Soul Stone showed it was hidden on Vormir."

Carol sighed. "Guess we better start climbing then."

The two women made the trek up in silence, lost in their respective thoughts.

While Carol wasn't surprised to find out the Soul Stone was hidden in somewhere as desolate as Vormir, she couldn't help feeling uneasy. She wasn't as sensitive to magic as Loki and Mia were, but she'd been around them long enough for her to gain a vague sort of awareness to sorcery and she knew the low thrumming energy she was sensing could only be magic. Carol was starting to regret not letting Loki come here with Gamora instead of her, but she hadn't trusted him with the other woman. He was just so suspicious.

Up near the peak, they found a path through the center of the mountain. They'd only taken a few steps forward before Carol threw her arm out, stopping Gamora.

Allowing her powers to flow into her hands, Carol commanded, "Show yourself!"

A dark figure drifted out of the shadows, tatty black cloak billowing around him. For a moment, Carol thought it was a dementor. "Welcome Carol, daughter of Joseph. Gamora, daughter of Thanos," he rasped.

"You know us?" Gamora asked.

"It is my curse to know all who have journeyed here," he told her.

Carol didn't like this. "Is that so? Why?" She could feel Gamora's eyes on her, but she didn't acknowledge her.

"A punishment for my arrogance." He drifted to the ground and stepped out into the faint light filtering through the clouds above them. "A lifetime ago I too sought the stones. I even held one in my hand. But it cast me out, banished me here. Guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess."

She stared at him with widened eyes. Of all the people- of all the faces- Carol could have expected to see on this wasteland of a planet, Red Skull wasn't one of them. Every kid who learned about Captain America were also taught about his nemesis, the fearsome Red Skull. "Defeated my ass," she muttered, beyond pissed. Then, slightly louder, Carol stated, "So, the Tesseract brought you here to the Soul Stone? Gotta admit, the irony is kind of fun."

"You know this man?" Gamora whispered.

"I know of him. He's a well-known, power hungry psychopath back on Earth. Guess it shouldn't come as such a surprise to hear that he also wanted the stones."

If Red Skull was bothered by her words, he didn't show it. "You have come for the Soul Stone."

"Well, we sure didn't come for the view," Carol sneered.

"You should know," he continued, "it extracts a terrible price."

"Obviously. If it didn't, you'd probably have taken it already."

Gamora stepped forward. "We are prepared."

"We all think that at first," Red Skull told her solemnly. "We are all wrong."

He turned, heading back through the tunnel to the other side of the mountain. Carol and Gamora shared a look before following after him.

Red Skull led them out of the mountain and down a stone path lined with crumbling pillars. The end of the path was marked by two large columns that towered high above the others. Past them was the edge of the mountain. When Carol looked down, she realized that lines had been deliberately carved into the edge of platform, forming multiple half circles, and in the very center of the platform the rock had been carved away so that the drop there was also a half circle. Cautiously leaning forward, Carol could see that the other half of the circle was on the ground far below.

"What you seek lies in front of you," he stated, hovering by one of the other pillars. "As does what you fear."

"What's this?" Gamora asked, also peering over the edge.

"The price. The Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain wisdom."

"And what wisdom is that?" Carol prodded, stepping back.

"To ensure that whoever possesses it understands it's power, the stone demands a sacrifice. In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul for a soul."

Carol grimaced. It never could be simple, could it?


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