A/N: Just some quick interaction snippets to tie things off.
"You got a picture, right?"
"Yes, Tony I got a picture."
"Be sure to get my good side."
"Tony, please."
It was a credit to Virginia Pott's poise and grace under not just immense pressure but the absurdity of her life that she remained perfectly calm as she used her Stark-phone to snap another photo of Tony posing behind me on the T-rex's back as he swung his tail, and shuffled his feet in agitation.
"Easy Samson." I rubbed his scaled head, directing calm, serene thoughts and stories into his head. "That's it. No tail swatting- nnnope...!"
I gripped the reanimation spell again to prevent him from clotheslining a wall with enough force to body check Hulk. A deep, thudding bass sounded from an absurdly small speaker Tony had bright along, simulating the heartbeat needed to fuel this spell. Harry Dresden had done this for battle, but there was a small story that Morgana had selected where he had reanimated Sue the Dinosaur, who commonly was found in the Chicago Museum of Natural History, to allow his eight year old daughter to live out her dinosaur cowgirl dreams for her birthday.
That innocent little blurb was allowing the spell to function without touching on true necromancy, and it helped preserve the light hearted mood that kept Samson in check. But even with that in my favor, it was still a prehistoric predator who was surrounded by things it would consider tasty snacks. So bringing any semblance of life back into that was risking some teeth getting involved. But I had made a promise, and a little risk wasn't about to stop Tony Stark from collecting on it. Clint was going to meet me here later for his turn.
"-This is literal history." Tony was insisting, sitting nonchalantly on the T-rex's back, continuing a conversation. "How many times have people been able to say that they've ridden on a dinosaur?"
"You make two. The history making part already happened."
Pepper said tartly, clearly barely holding her ground. I considered her, leaning on Samson's head. Pepper Potts, the woman that made the womanizing Tony Stark go monogamous. Who made him a husband, because he had been a father before their future daughter was ever born. I had done this because Tony had said he wanted a ride. So the promise was now fulfilled...And we were in a museum some time after closing hours. She deserved a treat too, for putting up with Tony for one, and for being a good sport about something that very clearly unsettled her. So what would someone like her appreciate or enjoy...
I brightened as the idea struck me.
"Miss Potts, has there ever been a historical figure that you've ever wanted to meet?"
The tall, strawberry blond woman looked up at me. A teen child with green hair and glowing blue eyes perched just behind the head of a T-rex.
"Well, yes several." I turned, moving around tony with ease and slid down Samson's back, he helpfully lowered his tail to help me do so, crouching lower down with me. I gave the woman a smile.
"I recently came across a movie called Night at the Museum that sparked some ideas for me. And I think learning about Earth's history from some of it's notable historical figures would be a great way to spend the night. Would you care to choose who I interview first?"
And Pepper Potts' eyes gleamed with curiosity and a hint of excitement.
-vVv-
Steve had gotten himself into so many peculiar situations and scenarios. Prior to the serum, his social interactions had been limited to his small family circle, Bucky and their peers. But this asthma and small build coupled with his attitude had not won him many friends. It had led to some steep learning curves when that circle started to expand to include Peggy and Howard and the other Commandos.
But this one was a new one on him.
Fae had been spending at least 13 hours a day sleeping to regenerate her ethernano reserves after the battle. Not in long spurts though. She would be active for a handful of hours at a time, then sleep, up and down at odd hours day and night. She had come across him in the gym. The noise and chaos of fighting had brought back a number of memories from the war. His dreams seemed to waver between fighting Hydra, in their masks and uniforms, and the inhuman snarls of the Chitauri.
He noticed her entering the space, but she didn't say anything. Just settled down and observed him, hair woven in a loose braid for sleep, thrown over one shoulder. Stark had ordered a full array of clothes for her use, so she wore a pair of pajamas referencing some fantasy story that Tony claimed would suit her. Printed across the black t-shirt in white cursive letters was the phrase 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good'. He had been recommended to watch the series / read the books to catch up on current pop culture. He was starting to acquire quite the list of reading materials.
"Kinda late for you to still be up."
"I at least can say I slept somewhat tonight."
She retorted, rubbing the corner of her eye. He chuckled mirthlessly, stripping the worn tape off of his hands. He was held awake by the battle of two days prior, and his own time fighting in the war. Things no one should have to see.
I let a kid see that. Be part of that.
In the moment, he had recognized and felt a kinship with that stubborn gleam in her eye. She would not sit down and be quiet and safe even though everyone would have excused her if she had chosen to do so. She wouldn't have been able to live with herself if she stood by and did nothing.
And in hindsight he could see why.
Fae's contributions were nothing short of miraculous. Two days after the invasion had concluded, people were still tallying up all she had done to preserve lives during what the news was calling the Battle of New York.
Hundreds of people had been evacuated from the buildings they had fled into to her established safe zones in Bryant Park, the Public Library and a large convention. Magical barriers had limited the damage to buildings and property. Trees and statues were animated to defend the city. People were armed with unimaginable tools to protect the havens, plastic become metal, songs becoming the power source to turn stuffed animals into viable protectors. A Tyrannosaurus Rex had been seen snapping up alien invaders with Fae astride it, magic flying from her hands and a war cry on her lips. Another five people, copies of her, had spent the entire invasion combating Chitauri and evacuating civilians.
And she had taken control of both Loki's scepter and the Tesseract to bring Tony back to Earth alive.
More had been laid on a teenage girl's shoulders than should ever have been. The media had taken to calling her Fable, in absence of a declared alias. A miracle that had allowed the strength of Earth's dreams to withstand the hostile invasion. She yawned, lifting her tablet, the smooth surface showing her foreign writing as her stylus danced across it. She was never seen without that thing and usually a stack of books in hand.
"What are you working on now?"
She reminded him of Howard. And now Tony as well. Always seeking for something to do, build or improve. She looked up at him, pausing in her work
"I was downloading some more stories to use when I go home. I'm compiling some notes about them now."
The super soldier gave her a look, checking her over carefully. With what he now knew she could do with stories, it made sense for her to always be on the lookout for something new to add to her repertoire. But he was concerned still.
"Weren't you supposed to be sleeping?"
"I was reading via osmosis!"
"You can do that? So the times when you were sleeping on a book..."
"It was 100% on purpose."
He couldn't help but laugh at her utterly unrepentant grin. It was nice to see her wear a look of happiness even after everything.
"I knew a couple kids who would have loved to have that ability. Sleep on a book and then wake up knowing everything about it."
His old school mates were actually rather faded in his memory even with the serum sharpening his mind. They had all marched off to war as soon as they could and he had lost touch with them. Mark, who couldn't ever sit still, had often gotten his hands slapped by a ruler for failing to recite his homework. Gage, who had often chimed in with Bucky to get the bullies to lay off of him.
"It is a pretty great time-saver." She agreed, pausing in her writing. "Gives me pretty bizarre dreams, but at least the subject matter isn't all bad."
He stripped the last of the tape off his hands, flexing his fingers and settled beside her on the bench.
"Have you been having nightmares?"
Her perpetual good humor thinned somewhat, he could almost see her droop. Shoulders weighed down by an invisible burden.
"Sometimes."
She admitted, a softness in her tone that he could hear clearly. Grief. She was missing someone. Not so much a hole in her life, but something that completely changed her world. Knocked her off her feet and left her reeling, searching for something familiar.
"What's a good dream that you've had since you've been here?"
Her eyes, an uncanny blue that made the bluest sky seem dull in comparison, peered into his soul. The question that followed was blurted out. Unfiltered.
"I'll trade you? Story for story." She flushed faintly, eyes dropping in embarrassment. "You don't have to say yes. But...good things are harder to remember than bad. It takes work to keep them. And you've got to have something you would rather be thinking or talking about than what just happened."
Steve couldn't hold back a smile at the offer and the slight shy backpedal. It was sweet. A refreshingly sincere and heartfelt way for her to ask him to tell her a story. And it sounded like a pretty idea.
"Alright. You first, kiddo."
They migrated from the gym to a lounge area in a lower floor of a hotel Tony had bought for their use while his tower was evaluated for repairs. Trading stories all the while.
They started on dreams that they had had. Fae was an engaging storyteller, easily pulling him into the narrative of a minor curse that had sent her into a sleeping beauty type of dream. She had been 11. Fairly new to the scene of her chosen field. Then she digressed and he heard about her fostering with her guild, her family. And how her favorite thing with them had been to attend an amusement park and go to the beach with her brothers and sister.
She described them so clearly Steve swore he could see the images of Gray, Erza and Natsu with a younger, more innocent Fae. Children at play with nothing better to do than spend time with each other. He saw a sparkle of joy in her eyes as she recounted the small traditions that brought her comfort even now, an unfathomable distance from her home.
He told her about his mother. Growing up in Brooklyn. Playing with Bucky. The way the world was so different during the Great Depression compared to now. The scrapes he got into sometimes before he got his serum. How he met Ersken and received the serum and his mad jump into enemy territory that let him break out of just being a gag to sell war bonds. About the dumb pranks some of the Howling Commandos had played on each other during their off hours. As the sky lightened outside, Steve found she had nodded off on him as he concluded his latest story. Literally on him, using his shoulder as a pillow. He could feel himself relaxing, listening to her slow even breathing with the thoughts of happy times surrounding them.
And now he faced the dilemma: He wasn't sure how to get up without waking her. He was thinking over how to gently move her, but she seemed to be plastered against his arm. Steve was recalculating a new approached when Clint entered the suite. The archer took in the sight with a fond smile that shifted into a smirk as he realized the situation. He padded up, quieter than most cats and bent slightly so he could talk to Steve without disturbing Fae.
"You know the rule, don't you?"
He pitched his voice so quietly Steve had a hard time hearing him.
"Rule?"
"Parenting 101: When the kid sleeps is when you sleep."
This situation did not feel even remotely like he was a parent. He felt like a pillow. And would only be decent to make sure she had somewhere comfortable to rest. Somewhere that wasn't him.
"I just want to put her in her bed. Could you give me a hand?"
"Nope." Clint said, pulling out his phone and stepping around the couch to snap a photo. "It's like when a cat falls asleep on you. You're stuck until they choose to move. Nat's gonna think this is adorable."
Steve didn't glare but he did give the archer a flat look as he exited the room and quietly closed the door after placing a Do Not Disturb sign on the handle. Fae hummed in her sleep, curling in closer as a small shiver rocked over her. The blanket she had grabbed to cover her legs had fallen off her shoulder. Steve gingerly reached down and pulled it up to tuck her in again, trying not to jostle her.
May as well try and catch some shut eye.
He thought, reclining his head on the sofa back and closing his eyes.
Steve woke up four hours later feeling remarkably refreshed and found that Clint had shared the picture with just about everyone he had come across in the hotel. Not just Natasha, but also Thor and Bruce. And naturally, Tony.
"If it bothers you I've got some ideas for payback." Fae offered with a sly smile. "We could even modernize that thing that Corporal Dugan did to Jaques."
Crossing the past and the present had only ever been bad. Since waking up from the ice it had been bad. But Steve thought that DumDum would probably find Clint's jump hilarious when he found his shoes filled with his Special Surprise.
-vVv-
I had been expecting, dreading, this conversation. But I had pulled one over on the Black Widow and she had a record to set straight. Not to report back on me, but for herself.
"You knew a lot more than you let on back on the carrier."
She wasn't overly asking what I knew or how much. Just stating a fact. And I gave her a bland smile.
"Yup."
"What gave me away?"
I chuckled in spite of myself.
"That's a rookie question. Not what you really want to know."
I told her, in short, vague terms, what I could do. What I could learn without even meaning to. It would clear up much more about why I had acted the way that I had than anything else. Especially to someone like Natasha.
"How many secrets did you accidentally stumble on while you were on the carrier?"
"A lot more than I wanted to."
Yes, I am a walking security breach.
We had ended up in the public library, my distinctive hair disguised as brown curls and her iconic catsuit little more than a memory with her jeans and hoodie. Talking quickly as I pursued shelves and put books away to get quick deep dives on them. Natasha slid one of her books into the shelf, her eyes on what she was doing but all of her focus was on me.
"How many of mine?"
The question made her vulnerable. And she knew it. She was tense, ready to spring into action, deflect, distract, do anything to draw my gaze away from the Red Room. So I offered a vulnerability as well. A common point that said I had just the smallest inkling of what she had been through and that I neither blamed or judged her for it or what she had done.
"Mine was called Project Garden." I offered, eyes on my work. "I'm the only one of my batch that survived." And my own vulnerabilities rose up in me to meet hers, and I couldn't help but look at her and saw she was looking right back at me. Kinship and understanding on a level few could ever hope to reach, filling the air between us.
"Just you?"
"I don't know if there were any others, but what I do know is my surviving was a fluke that can't really be accounted for. Even after making it through the training, I should have died when I ran away. Instead, I got found by someone who became my brother. And his family became mine."
The parallels were really quite profound the more I thought about it.
-vVv-
"You want me to try and use Charm Magic on you?"
"I'd rather know what I'm dealing with if it comes up again."
The young wizard smiled at Clint, eyes looking at him and through him. Too young and too knowing.
"In my home country, they have people monitoring coinage and finances to catch false currency. They do that by having them study, handle and get intimately familiar with actual, good money."
She tapped his nose, and Clint almost imagined her giggling and saying 'beep'. It was messing with his head to see the dichotomy of someone he knew was powerful beyond what he had ever imagined be so childlike at the same time. But there was never a hint of fear or doubt about Fae's benevolence in his mind. Just a healthy wariness for her displayed knack for mischief and a fondness for her compassion.
"That's also how you learn to get around Charm Magic. Because no matter how many ways people think up to get inside someone's head, there is only one reality. Anchor yourself to that truth, and not even the Mind Stone could make you bend."
"That sounds like a nice sentiment, but it also doesn't sound real."
Her brows rose skeptically.
"You saw me pop out of a portal, chuck a Mariokart Blue shell at a god's head and at this very moment are eating cookies that you saw be made with magic."
The bowls and utensils she had used were washing themselves in the sink even as they spoke.
"So nothing makes sense any more."
"Maybe not to you. Alien invasion is not actually a new thing for me. I wouldn't call it just any Tuesday, but nothing I haven't heard of before." She paused... Looking up at him suddenly very serious. "Does SHIELD have a branch in England?"
"Yes...?"
"Does the name Captain Jack Harkness mean anything to you?"
"No, should it?"
Fae's face went still for a moment...then she grinned, big, bright and delighted.
"Oh this is fantastic!"
Dear Doctor
You missed one! But you can't catch every alien invasion that comes Earth's way I suppose. We had it handled this time. Not perfectly, but we are new to this. Love and greetings from the Avengers and Faerun.
-vVv-
"-so essentially, Hulk is a child who was born with your IQ as his starting intellect but has the mental elasticity and learning capacity of an infant. So the thing to do isn't to isolate him from everything, but socialize him! Uh, the 3mm round tip engraver, please." Bruce handed over the specified tool with a smile as he listened to Fae ramble about Hulk. The typically angry green giant was actually content in her presence.
"I'm gonna have a hard time finding a playdate for him."
She switched out the tip she was using on the handheld, nearly silent rotary tool that Tony had supplied for her. Building something to contain the tesseract and allow it to carry those in contact with it through the dimensions fell to them. Bruce because he could understand and had studied it's energy. Fae, because she had handled the Tesseract and directed its immense power herself, and now knew exactly what sort of thing was needed to harness it safely.
"Difficult, but not impossible. Asgardian culture is very martially inclined and they're all about as durable as Thor. They'll love him! It's important to let him get some experience with life other than fighting. If that's all he's brought out for then he's never going to learn how to get along with others."
He knew she was going to be leaving almost as soon as this thing was complete. So Bruce would enjoy the chatter of someone he knew was not afraid of him. Someone who had demonstrated that Hulk was more than just a berserker. The alternate self wanted to emerge, but it was curiosity that was driving him, not anger or fear. He wanted to see more of the Child.
I think we'll both miss her.
-vVv-
"You have Vulcuns in your world! I had not seen them in nearly a thousand years. I could have sworn they were extinct!"
"Ok, that's another point of commonality. What about uh, nipa?"
"Ooh, yes they are quite unpleasant pests. Eir was especially aggravated at my brother for their creation."
"...I'll just jot them down as an invasive species. And start praying that Wendy never meets Loki because she will want to have words with him."
"Your friend?"
"My friend who is the adopted daughter of a dragon, temper included. And is a healer."
"A doctor?"
"No, a healer. I'm sure you understand the difference."
"...I would pay a great deal to witness such an encounter."
"...I suppose I could sell seats to it."
-vVv-
He was honestly somewhat chagrined at how this had all turned out.
He, the God of Mischief and Magic. Played like a marionette. He felt the tell tale signs of enthrallment now, the deep scars they had left on his mind. Conquest was not his domain, it was Tyr's. This would not have brought him limited satisfaction and necessitated a conflict with the god of victory to reap the full benefits of it.
Loki couldn't properly see what had been done to anchor him. Just that someone had been very thorough in their work.
The restraints on his hands meant that he would need to forgo his magic to mend the injuries he had received. And the gag on his mouth had a similar one that allowed him to breathe in exchange for not being able to speak. The enchantments on both were beautifully written and put together by the hands of a master. Not perfect, but art nonetheless.
So he had plenty of time to sit and stew over the last few days. And fume, or rather lament, the missed opportunities as his memories recovered from the enthrallment. Divine beings gained strength from acts done in their name that fell within their domains. The areas he prized most highly were cunning and magic.
Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, had fooled him. Played him the way he so often prided himself on toying with others. She had given away nothing she was not willing to lose and pried away the key bit of information that he had been holding onto, spoiling his plan. He analyzed and reanalyzed their exchange over and over again, and only now could he see the traps he had missed, his mind clouded over by the Mind Stone's heavy blanket. It was a miracle he had been able to use Silvertongue at all with how addled his brain was.
And Faerun, the mage child from another planet. She had bested him as well. Used both tried and true methods and new applications of magic entirely to befuddle him. He would never admit in a thousand millennia that she was right when she was telling him about his enthrallment. He felt like every kind of fool within and without the Nine Realms now that he could actually think clearly again.
He always had a sense of when his domains were invoked, even if they weren't dedicated to him. Part of what had helped him wash out the enthrallment was the lingering traces of Faerun's magical power. Even days later, it still blanketed the city he had failed to conquer. All flavored with the distinct identity of the girl he had spoken with twice and underestimated twice. But no more.
Both the woman and the girl would have more than earned his blessing for the contributions they made to his strength. Romanoff would have earned a Trickster Blessing for the remainder of her brief mortal life for the sheer audacity she had displayed. Faerun would have gotten his Mage's Blessing, which he had not seen fit to give to a mortal for over a thousand years.
Except the last few days had all but guaranteed he would never, ever earn more than wariness and disdain from them both. Between Faerun's actions in showing the world a glimpse of magic channeled through the fantasies that they were obsessed with, and Romanoff's skillful word crafting; he could have had a solid, active pool of worshippers again all concentrated in the same city in a matter of days. But those beautiful skills were never going to benefit him in the slightest because of their petty morals.
Loki had been projecting out of his body to find something to entertain himself and distract himself from his sulking. He would accept healing at a slower rate if it meant not being so bored all the time. But Faerun it seemed was guarding her location well in the higher planes of existence. The search itself was kept him occupied and he did eventually find her.
She was in the kitchen area of a domicile, frowning down at his brothers' hammer that was placed in front of a cabinet. When he tried to snatch her out of her body again for a friendly talk, she jabbed him in the center mass without seeming to look at him. The psychic blow couldn't send him back to his body, he was ready for it this time. But it was enough to make him give her some space. She was still young. He could still possibly win her over as a worshiper and thereby secure all the power she had amassed in her following.
"You've been learning from the sorcerers." He observed casually, looking at her shrewdly. "A crude strike but effective." She glared at him.
"Seriously, again with the condescension. Don't you have anything better to do? Monologues to compose? One liners to think up?"
"I've been confined for days, young wizardling. A man needs some entertainment."
"Go back to fuming. The mental smoke has been pouring out of your room for days, no reason for it to stop now."
He settled on the counter top, carefully out of her reach should she decide to get cheeky and try to banish him again.
"You are the single most impudent soul in this entire city. Unlike the rest of the Avengers, other than my brother, you actually know what you have defied. I would strike the talent for the art from your soul were it not a criminal waste to do so."
She laughed softly, a twinkle entering her eye that reminded him oddly enough of his mother.
"Keep dreaming. I would need to be one of your people for you to hold that kind of power over me."
Damn this meddling child and her knowledge of the Law! He didn't allow his irritation to show. Getting her oath and allegiance would be that much more difficult since she was apparently quite well informed. There was a gleam in her eyes that he would have normally been thrilled to hear. In one of his people directed at someone else. And the eerie feeling of being under Queen Frigga's eye increased as he got the impression that Faerun was seeing right through his facade with ease.
"And there are two very important words that prevent me from ever having the appropriate deific reverence for you that a true worshiper would need to receive any kind boon"
"And what pray tell, are those?"
Her smile pulled wide, and he felt a flood of deja vu. He had seen the same, bright mischievous expression on his own face when he was a child, waiting for Thor or one of his friends to step into his trap. She spoke slowly, and clearly.
"'Puny god.'"
He left abruptly. Or flicked into a plane where she could no longer see him. Of course the talented wizard with the gall to throw a child's stuffed toy at him with a potent enough spell to send him flying would know that had happened. How was the quesiton. Had the brute somehow told her himself? But Faerun was still tracking him, blue eyes easily peering through the planes of reality to try and spot him. He could feel her eyes barely catching on his illusion. She knew exactly where he was even if she couldn't take apart his spell very easily.
"I'll let the creeping thing slide during the day. But if you watch me a second longer than I wish, I'm telling your brother to nail your immortal soul to the ground with Mjolnir."
Speaking of Mjolnir, she looked back at the hammer. He was almost anticipating the show. Thor had made a game of it to see which of his comrades could make Mjolnir move. Thus far, no one had been able to save Thor himself and their parents. It would soothe some of his wounded pride to see her struggle against her curiosity and fail as so many others had.
"I promise I am not going to take any of Thor's poptarts. I just want some cereal. Could you please move?"
And the hammer actually quivered slightly, then slid to the side to allow her to open the cabinet.
Loki stared, knowing his mouth had fallen open in shock.
Fae got her snack, replaced the box in the cabinet without any further trouble. When she was done, the magical hammer that none could move save his brother or father, or so he had always believed, returned to its former position. Placed to prevent anyone else from accessing the Midgardian pastries Thor was so obsessed with. He returned to her view, seething with indignation, unable to help himself.
"That is all it took. That! For eons Thor has used that piece of overwrought iron to be a thorn in my side and all it takes to make the lump move is asking!?"
She looked back at him, and he saw her pen spinning in her hand, spilling out runes.
"Asking nicely." He then realized he had been played again and she had deliberately done something to draw him back within reach as she banished him back to his body and his prison.
The Mad Titan will pay dearly for losing me a potential devotee such as her!
-vVv-
Not much more remains to be said about this time spent in the MCU. I spent the next few days recuperating from the battle, having brief snippets of interactions with various Avengers and other people. And building an apparatus to hold and harness the Tesseract so it could bring me home. It would be the device by which I would get close enough to the Crack that had first snatched me up to return home.
And I felt a little like a squirrel, burying nuggets of information in JARVIS's systems under various nerdy names and encoded protections. He was ultimately one of the best co-conspirators I had ever had. Tony had outdone himself on this creation. Looking at a comprehensive layout of all the coding, I could even see a faint relay of magic within it. If Tony had pulled a Dr Strange and sought out Kamar Taj, there would have been a very different sort of Sorcerer Supreme when the neurosurgeon found his way into the world of magic.
I slipped away for a little while to give my thanks to the Ancient One.
"I do not see you returning to this world." She observed as she accepted my return of the slingring.
"I just haven't written a way for it to be feasible yet." I rejoined.
"You are determined to see this through?"
I met her eyes and smiled.
"They'll need it."
"You do not know that."
A few days earlier.
New York, Stark Tower.
After the portal closed, but before shawarma.
I knew that if it was going to happen, it was going to happen now. I veiled myself in a minor illusion and made another duplicate. This was much more difficult to do now that I was so low on power, but if, on the slightest, infinitesimal chance that this was not enough...Then I wanted to be in two places at once.
I opted to place myself where I would encounter Steve. Hopefully only one of them. My duplicate would babysit Loki. The potential hiccup in the time stream would very likely prevent me from getting a Story Magic spoiler about it until I saw confirmation with my own eyes.
I was exiting the elevator after Tony had sent me to raid one of his fridges after setting eyes on me. Or his exact words were. 'Crackers and soda, 84th floor. I know you were sick.' Since I still felt a little queasy from handling the Mind Stone and the Tesseract, I had not argued with him. And it was also a scheme for Tony to send me up and away from the approaching politicians. Including but not limited to Senator Pierce. Morgana hadn't started up her Hydra scheme timer again, but oh was it humming with activity. All kinds of new plans were being made in regards to me, not that they had a first hand demonstration of what I was capable of.
I was exiting the elevator onto the 80th floor, intended on walking down some stairs to take my sweet time before I had to deal with any more two faced, deep cover Hydra agents.
But just looking at the man in his red, white and blue uniform, I knew this was not the same Steve Rogers I had seen only an hour earlier. This one's jawline was a bit sharper. His eyes were even older. The veneer of patience had worn off to leave a cynicism. A new layer of survivor's guilt. The burn of failure had scorched his character and left parts of it stronger and eliminated other parts entirely.
We stared at each other for a long heartbeat. I dimly thought that this must be a shock for him to see. After all, I didn't know what he had been through up until this point. How much my choices had impacted his life.
"Fae." His eyes flicked down to the soda and crackers I held. Luckily the buttery, good kind of crackers not something stringy, tough and unpleasant to chew when you were feeling sick. "Are you feeling alright?"
The question felt stilted and awkward. I was an encounter he was not expecting to have. I felt unsteady on my feet as a faint, but strong miasma of guilt and loss started to flow across the short distance between myself and the time traveler.
The Duplicate has spotted Future Tony. She is running interference to allow him and Scott Lang to secure the Tesseract and prevent Loki from picking it up. But Loki has slipped his restraints and is causing havoc.
There was a sinking feeling in my chest. My stomach. I couldn't hold it in, my eyes burned with frustrated tears looking up at him.
"I was hoping it would be enough. That you wouldn't have to do this. That-"
Natasha is going to die. He's never going to see her again.
Gamora's already dead.
Bucky, Rocket, Sam, Wanda, Peter, Strange, Quill, Drax, Vision, Clint's family-
I had had a long, exhausting day. And seeing the proof standing before me that everything I had been desperately trying to do for the last two days was ultimately for nothing was just...too much. Steve's eyes widened for a split second as he saw tears start to force their way out of my eyes. I took a small, shuddering gasp, trying to keep my sobs quiet and force them away until I could address them later.
"I'm so sorry, Steve. I tried. I've been trying-"
"No." His hands suddenly gripped my shoulders, and I sniffled, looking up at him to see answering sadness on his face. He struggled with his words for a few seconds before he drew up what he wanted to say. "No, it's not your fault. You did everything right, Fae. You did more than enough. We're the ones that screwed it up. Not you."
Sitwell and Rumlow are approaching.
I hurriedly wiped my eyes. I could surmise that things were going almost exactly in my Worst Case scenario.
"Which one are you here for? The scepter?"
"Yeah."
I met his gaze for a second, then appealed to Morgana for confirmation.
Gana?
As it mirrors the Primary Timeline, the elevator parallel from Winter Solider is still the best approach.
"Go with your gut. I'll run interference for you."
Steve would get in on this floor and exit only a few stories down, leaving the others in the elevator. I was tempted to just cut the lines in the elevator and let the whole kit and caboodle fall to their deaths as soon as Steve was out. But that was murder, and randomly slashing at the timeline had a tendency to make certain critical things unravel later down the line. No, I had to be precise. Careful with how I moved forward.
I vaulted down to the story where Morgana and I calculated that 2012 Steve would encounter his future self. Loki had been prevented from escaping with the Tesseract, so he would be providing ample distractions down below.
I quickly made some illusions of other people milling about the elevator. Anything to throw 2012's senses into question when he saw his uniform on someone else. I beckoned them aside to give me a wide berth. Steve started a little bit when he walked up, his prize in hand. I motioned him to stand beside me.
"Just keep looking straight forward."
I murmured, tracking 2012 Steve's approach. 2023 Steve did as I asked. The echo of there being two versions of the same person was dissonate in my ears, but I focused through it.
Showtime.
"Fae!" The voice voice was sharp with worry and I saw 2023 Steve's hand tighten on the handle of the case. Morgana managed to pick up the matching pattern of thought between the two men over the echo of having two of them being in such close proximity.
2023 understands 2012's concern. He thinks you are standing next to Loki and he knows what extremes you went to the last time you were this close to him.
I looked back at 2012 Steve and hurriedly waved a hand making a shushing gesture. He hesitated for a split second, his hand lifting up to his comm to report he had sighted Loki. The door opened and I mentally directed the false people inside.
"It's ok, Captain." I said in an undertone, waving a hand and making 2023 Steve's form shimmer and glitch slightly. "I hope you don't mind that I'm borrowing your face. But people don't try to ask me weird things if they think I'm with you."
The super soldier was almost instantly assured, shoulders relaxing as his hand lowered.
"Weird things?"
Time to sell the story some more. Lighten the mood a bit and make him not think about doppelgangers or duplicates. I hated using 2012 Steve's trust in me against him, but this really was the best option I had. I was committed to interferring.
"The one I've heard most often so far was whether Thor is my dad. The funniest and weirdest was when a mythology buff asked if Loki was my mom. And there were some...others that I will not not speak into existence."
I could tell it was taking 2023 Steve's every ounce of self control to not chuckle. I knew that this would likely have made most of the team crack a smile at the very least. Thor would probably have found it hilarious.
"That is understandable." 2012 Steve admitted with a grimace. "Keep 'me' with you as long as you need. And let one of us know if people get too pushy."
"I'll just jump and fly down a few floors if they try to corner me."
Both Steve's brows twitched. In perfect unison. But 2012 Steve was focused on me, and 2023 Steve was facing away and deliberately restraining himself. The younger version of Captain America spoke with deep, but very obviously finite patience.
"We would all prefer it if you didn't."
"I can fly. It does no harm and it gets my point across"
"Fae."
The Disappointed Dad tone was being brought out. I sighed, shoulders slumping.
"Ok, ok. Last resort, extreme-measures-only kind of thing. Got it."
"Good. Tony send you to get those?" He nodded at the crackers and soda I was still holding.
"Yeah, I was sick not too long ago. But if he's planning to eat shawarma in front of me while I've just got these, he's got another think coming. I'm debating turning him into a frog if he says I don't get any."
That made 2012 Steve crack a smile.
"I'll see you down there."
I sent him off with a wave as he entered the elevator and disappeared. Morgana told me that 2023 Tony and Scott Lang were in position to leave having secured their prize. 2023 Steve looked down at me, with a conflicted expression.
"I am upset, impressed and grateful that you just managed to lie to my face."
I shrugged, shoulders slumping as I dismissed the minor illusions that were hiding my reddened eyes and making 2023 Steve seem like he wasn't there.
"Sorry for depriving you of the chance to kick your own ass. Depending on how much you've managed to figure out about me, I know which feeling is dominant."
"I don't know much, kiddo. Nat said you were onto more than you let us know, but that's it. This week's all the time we had with you. Thor took you home and I never saw you again."
And beneath the hardened exterior was a bit of regret as the world weary Captain America looked down at me. I put down my snacks and stepped up a little closer to him.
"May I?"
He inclined his head slightly. And I reached up and held his face. Gently. Carefully. Morgana wasn't telling me everything that had happened to him. But I could read the conflict in his eyes. Regrets of past mistakes. Good memory's that time had turned bittersweet. Blue human eyes met blue glowing eyes. I gently touched the faintest beginnings of laugh and worry lines in his face. The 11 years of extra time he had had aged him in major ways.
Can we give him a little peace? Just for a moment?
Morgana complied, shuffling his experiences to bring only the good times forward. The moments of mirth and happiness. Of family. Steve closed his eyes and let the contact go on, breathing in a moment of peace before he went back to the war. The war that would never end. Never stop demanding things from him. When he stepped into his own past he realized that there would always be another bully to stand up to. But friends could and would be lost.
I would be the first to say that Steve had more than earned his retirement. His choice in the Primary Timeline to stay with Peggy and take time the long way around. Collectively he would have served from age 25 to age 38. 13 years of effective time that would have put him at 105 chronologically. But what I was doing right here and now would be taking that chance and choice away from him. 2023 Tony and Scott had the Tesseract. There would be no need to go back and borrow it from SHIELD's precursor organization after it was fished from the sea.
Whether it is by returning you to the past, or helping you build a life in the present; you will get to retire in peace, soldier. I swear you will.
His eyes opened again. The moment moved on and the world was in motion again. And I had some information to confirm.
"2018, right? That's when the angry grape arrives."
And the resigned look in his eyes gave way to a hint of panic and fear as he caught that I was referring, very irreverently, to Thanos.
"Fae, no. He's too much. Too far out of your league."
He doesn't want to imagine you fighting him. He feels bad enough about the Invasion and that was by far the simplest conflict they were involved in as a team.
I made a face at 2023 Steve.
"Well of course he is! I'm only 14. But that also means I've got 6 years to plan, prepare and otherwise interfere."
"This isn't your fight." I gave him a flat look.
"You can't stop me." I reminded him. "You're coming back to this era and are running on very limited time. Whereas I've got all the time between where you stand and where I am now to figure things out. Plus whatever else I can squeeze out of the Ancient One's good will while she's still around."
I was recovering somewhat from my shock, being able to make light of a serious situation did tend to help me perk up a little bit.
"It was egotistical of me to think that a week of work in the shadows was enough to head off the worst things I could read were coming. But now I know better!"
Steve seemed to be thinking extremely hard about something, I could dimly hear Tony signaling him to get out of the tower as their window of opportunity to return to the future was closing. In fact, Steve hadn't even reported that he had been successful in his endeavor to secure the scepter and it was causing 2023 Ironman no small amount of stress.
"Here. My duplicate on the main floor is covering for me. You've got a schedule to keep."
I flashed a portal open with a twist of the hand. It led to an abandoned alleyway just outside of where their prearranged rendezvous point was according to Morgana. But Steve was still trying to make me not dedicate more of myself to solving what he viewed to be their problems and theirs alone.
He doesn't want you to feel like he does now.
"Fae, we never see you again. We try to find you, but your world is beyond what we can reach. You being here was a fluke. A lifesaving one, but still."
I looked up at him with a smile.
"10 bucks says you're wrong."
That got a more positive response out of him. A smile. Half there, broken and a little tired...but real. Painfully sincere. He reached out one arm in suggestion, the other still holding the case with the scepter and Mind Stone, and I quickly hugged him, trying to pour as much hope and determination into him as I could. It said a lot that even with everything he had gone through, Steve still could portray the feeling of safety with nothing more than a hug. He barely whispered the next part.
"Prove me wrong then."
But when he left, it was with a faint like of hope to his aura that had not been there before.
Back with the Ancient One, offering her the slingring, I gave her a determined smile. I had my proof right here and now that something had changed already.
"Look again."
The Eye of Agamotto, the Time Stone, activated, the protective lens that concealed it opening with a hum and a click as the Ancient One peered into the future. very firmly settled around her neck and not in Professor Hulk's hand, or being returned by another 2023 Avenger. She looked through course after course, dozens of possible futures, all in the blink of an eye. Then she returned to the present looking thoughtful.
"The single successful outcome that Stephen Strange foresaw has divided. Time shifts too rapidly to be certain if these new courses will bring a better result than what has now passed us by."
"That's good enough for me. For now." I stepped back from the woman and bowed respectfully. "I'll see you again, Ancient One."
She gave a deep nod to me in answer, hands linked behind her back,.
"Rather sooner than I think. Safe travels, young Fable. Earth will not soon forget your deeds."
A/N
Nothing written or concretely planned, but to be continued.