Steve had wisely included Xander in the communications as the Quinjet headed to Sokovia. That or he knew Xander would have shown up with Willow in tow if he didn't. Tony had convinced Pepper to stay behind just in case Ultron showed up at the tower. She'd agreed, but Pepper still stood in the penthouse, suit on, as they listened to Steve talk. Jolie had threatened to tear down doors if they prevented her, so there was a group of five listening to everything.

Tony had taken an alternate system called Friday and uploaded it. It was like trying to drive a Geo Storm when you'd been driving a Formula 1 race car. But it was better than nothing and she managed to get the information to them.

"We need to evacuate as many people as we can. Keep the fight between us. Thor and Bruce are headed into the castle, while Pietro, Hawkeye, Vision, and myself will evacuate the city. We have to move fast and keep the battle away from the civilians."

The constant low-level chatter kept Xander somewhat focused. Darcy sat with Jolie next to her.

"Found them," Bruce said quietly. Everyone watching sucked in a breath, waiting for the next statement. "They are okay. Trying to get them out now."

Xander chuckled. "They won't leave. What is Bruce thinking?"

"He has a device. It will spread him across the world." Friday's voice came in. "He has deployed more machines."

"Going after them," Tony snapped. "Tell me how to stop Ultron."

"You can't," Vision said. "I can. I will."

"Vision?" Jolie whispered the name more than said it and Xander glanced at her, then Darcy.

Darcy nodded at him. Recognizing as he had the signs of a first crush.

"Sokovia is going for a ride," Friday said softly.

The little watch party jerked up straight. "Video. Friday, can you get us video?"

It took a long moment, during which Xander wasn't sure his heard was beating, then it appeared. "Drones deployed. Two miles out. Is this acceptable, Xander?"

"Yes, Friday. Thank you." He didn't take his eyes off the screen.

"He is strong." There was a note of pain in Vision's voice, and Xander watched the screen.

"Vision?" He said so softly that if they wanted to ignore his voice on the comms he could.

"Yes, Xander?" There was a hesitation, something underlying the name.

"Remember, you are of the sky and the earth, don't limit yourself just to what Ultron had created. You are more. You can be anything."

The coms fell silent. Then Steve. "Xander?"

"Not yet. Get them to Safira. Let her decide." He could almost hear the questions in the silence, but he didn't say anything, not even when Darcy and Jolie gave him questioning looks. He just shook his head.

The visual of the city rising up out of the air would have been an awesome effect on a movie. Knowing it was reality just made his gut twist wondering how many didn't make it.

"Ultron is broadcasting. Would you like to hear it?" The soft voice of Friday filled the room.

"Yes," Pepper snapped, her hair generating tiny sparks as she watched.

"You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword and the earth will crack with the weight of your failure."

"Good grief, was he studying melodramatic lines?" Xander snorted. "I got better bullshit from Angelus. Kick his ass."

The comment rippled through comms, and he heard a few snickers, the mood lightening.

"Where is Hulk?" Jolie asked. "They need him."

The sweet sound of Safira's voice came through. "Bruce and Nat had a difference of opinion. Mr. Green and the two of us are on our way up to the fight now."

Xander collapsed into a chair, trying not to cry as the stress snapped.

"WHEEEE!" Burst through the silence and a green figured was bounding up the side of Sokovia, with two limpets attached to him, one with red hair the other with black.

"Oh, that looks like fun. I want to do that. Why does she get to do all the fun stuff," Jolie muttered, sitting up straight and staring at the screen.

About as the words left her mouth, the camera caught someone tumbling off to the side to their guaranteed death and Jolie paled. "Never mind. I think I'm good staying here."

Darcy reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "Me too."

They watched as Nat and Safira dove into the fight. What little Xander could see of Safira, she was fighting smart, with lightning strikes to disable the robots, not doing toe to toe like Steve and Hulk were doing.

"I have to face him, I am the only one with the possibility of defeating him," Vision said through the coms and a drone pivoted to catch him diving toward the remains of a church.

By this point, Darcy was on one side of Xander and Jolie had curled up on the other. All of them needing the touch. Pepper stalked back and forth.

"You wouldn't get there in time anyhow. You know he could send a minion here. He won't suspect you. I don't think," Xander said.

"It doesn't make watching it any easier,' Pepper snapped, then looked at him, blushing. "Sorry."

Xander snorted a laugh. "No, it doesn't. But it's what you do when you love a superhero."

Pepper sighed and continued pacing. Friday stayed silent, and they just watched what the drones showed. Flashed of Pietro running through the streets, Ironman beating on robots, Safira and Nat like avenging goddesses, and Cap and Hulk chewing through them like they were only toys.

"Where's Clint?" Xander asked Friday.

"He was last seen getting people out of buildings, though there is no longer anyplace for them to flee to." Friday had no emotion to her voice and Xander wanted to rage about the loss of Jarvis, even if Vision might be a portion of him.

"As long as it isn't a vampire sort of version of Jarvis," he muttered. All three women looked at him, but only Jolie leaned in. She understood. It was Jarvis, but it wasn't and that hurt more than either of them could voice.

Xander's phone rang, a jaunty tune from a sitcom, he answered it on speaker without looking. "Yes, Maria?"

"You know what's going on?"

"Yep, watching it all right now," he said, not taking his eyes off the battle going on.

"Good. We're headed in," her voice was tight as she spoke, and softer than he would have expected.

"Cavalry or clean up or execution?" Xander kept his voice idle even as he tried not to wince from Jolie's tightening gripe.

"Depends on the status when we get there. Let them know." She hung up without another word.

"I'm going to be pissed if another friend gets killed," he said with a sigh.

"Look, they are attacking!" Jolie yelled.

Xander jerked his attention to the screens as Pepper pivoted and froze. Tony, Thor, and Hulk had the body of Ultron surrounded and they hammered and pivoted until Hulk crushed him with a mighty blow. The various copies, or maybe they were clones, pivoted and ran. But SHEILD was there, which meant War Machine. Together the fliers hunted down every creature running away.

"Does that mean we won?" Jolie asked quietly.

"Not yet. He's electronic." The drones Friday had deployed split into two screens, one the helicarrier showing up and residents running to get on it, the other Safira standing over the generator that kept the city up. They caught glimpses of people running around, but most of them seemed to be gone.

"Where is Hulk?" Jolie asked. Another screen split and they saw everything go wrong. Bullets from a jet almost took out Pietro as he protected Clint and a child, but his speed saved all of them. Hulk went after Ultron as the rest of them carried survivors to the helicarrier. And the fallen.

Xander couldn't breathe, it was so much easier being there, being in the fight, not having time to think. This watching from a distance was killing him.

Vison flashed onto the screen, his cape rippling behind him as he landed next to Ultron. He leaned over, and said something to Ultron, but the drones didn't catch words, just images. Vision reached in and yanked something out and Ultron and everything he'd controlled just crumbled like the puppets they had been.

Safira was fighting the machines that still attacked, and then they went limp and the floating city exploded.

"SAFIRA!" The words burst out of Xander's throat as he saw Steve jump to his feet on the deck, but the feed on Safira was only a wall of static. "Friday, where is she?" he growled, the sound deep, rumbling and primal.

All of them hung there, the spacious office feeling claustrophobic as he waited to breathe, waited to live, waited to grieve. Then Thor came flying out of the smoke, Safira on his back, Vision came out carrying Hulk with Natasha in his arms, and Tony zoomed out, one arm around Cap.

Xander choked and felt his heart stutter as he saw her whooping in excitement. Before he could do more than catch his breath, debris was raining down on the heroes flying away and the helicarrier.

"Are they okay? Can they make it back?" Jolie's voice was barely a whisper as her fingers left bruises on his leg.

"I think so," Xander said, eyes flicking back and forth between the screens.

"Hulk? Hulk can you hear me? Jarvis is dead. I can't lose you too. I have a new story for you. One I wrote. Hulk?" The pleas in her words brought tears to Xander's eye, but he just watched.

"Jolie, one second." Natasha's voice came through. "Hulk, here. I'm putting this in your ear. It's Jolie."

A moment later, the gruff voice boomed through the room. "Jolie?"

A smile lit up her tear stained faced. "Yes Hulk. Jolie. I have a new story for you. And I could use some Hulk hugs. Jarvis is gone and I can't even say goodbye." Tears streaked down her face again. Xander wrapped his arm around her, hugging her as tight as he could.

"Yes. Jolie hugs. Hulk need." Hulk's voice was soft.

"Thank you, Jolie," Natasha said in a soft voice.

Pepper sank back down into her chair, face in her hands. "That man is going to be the death of me someday," she whispered. She jolted as her cellphone rang, the tone unmistakable as Tony's as it was "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. She took a deep breath, then answered on speaker. "I'm glad you decided to let know you were still alive," she said crisply.

"Of course. We're on our way home. I think we need a party. Not shawarma, though. That wasn't as good as I thought it should be. And probably need to invite what's his name and Maria." Tony's voice was flippant. "Definitely go-go dancers, and maybe pull in Clint's sister-in-law. She looked like she needs a party."

Pepper tilted her head, hearing something under the tone. "I'll be waiting for you. Come home."

The words rang in the office and Tony's voice came through clearly. "We are. We all are." He hung up.

Darcy lay her head on Xander's shoulder as Jolie fought back her tears. Pepper caught his eye and forced a smile. "Everything changing again, isn't it?"

"Nothing ever stays the same. All we can do is roll with the punches." Xander trailed off, looking up at the ceiling. "I do have one question."

"Oh?"

"Where in the world are you going to get go-go dancers?"

He ducked as a mouse pad came sailing through the air, laughing in relief. His girl was safe. She was coming home. He could deal everything else with. Safira was coming home.


And done. I hope you enjoyed the ride. /p