Thank you to everybody who read or reviewed the last chapter. You're so wonderful. I really appreciate all of you.

Writing note: We are beginning a fresh batch of chapters. These are the first chapters written post-She-Hulk. I really enjoyed the show. Also, the first episode cements my theory that Tony had a crush on Steve in canon. You don't go on a drunken rant about a guy in Mexico without there being something there. You know I am using that.

This is also the first chapter I am posting post-surgery for this story. Of course, it was written pre-surgery, meaning it was written pre-Wakanda Forever. I tried to bank enough chapters to get until I feel better again. I hope I made enough, and we won't have to take another break.

Anyway, my surgery went well, and I'm slowly working on proofreading chapters again. I hope to start writing new chapters soon. But I'm going to go slow because it was an extensive surgery.

Warning: Discussions of substance abuse problems. Also, discussions regarding character(s) death(s).

Conversation 62: OK is not in my vocabulary right now

Nomad: Are you OK?

Chief mechanic: That's a super loaded question, and I feel like I should be asking you that. I am not the one that had to spend the morning interrogating their variant.

Nomad: Well, I'm not the one who discovered that they died in another timeline. You had a nasty fight with the Princess because they kept Baby Bird's predictions about that from you. We decided one of us had to check on you, and I won the coin toss.

Chief mechanic: I'm sure you did. I will apologize later. It's just a lot to find out that we and the beta timeline exist because you decided to make a timeline where I am not a closet case and can deal with my emotions.

Chief mechanic: Because I have to tell you that version of me was definitely in love with you. Why else would I go to Mexico to get blackout drunk and complain about you? Especially to Bruce because he was like my therapist before I got a therapist and an AA sponsor. And he went and disappeared to another planet. Apparently, Brucie Bear telling Steve 1.0 about that conversation put this whole redo plan in his head. Friday made it worse by telling him about things done in his name after he went in the ice.

Chief mechanic: I am not mad at his choices. The closet case part worked out for the best in this new timeline. I'm out and proud, and not just because of the sex tape. However, I'm still a fucking mess. I found the bar in Z1. I'm getting the impression that me being an alcoholic disaster is a universal multi-verse constant. This is the worst time for my AA sponsor to be in another timeline.

Nomad: Have you drunk anything yet?

Chief mechanic: No, not yet. I'm just kind of staring at it at the moment. Usually, I would call Laura when I get to this point, but we still have a couple of hours before the window opens. I have more important things to talk about, like everything making me want to drink right now.

Nomad: Call Margarita. Or we can find you an AA meeting.

Avenger Ana: An AA meeting is happening in 22 minutes about 2.3 miles from here. I can arrange for transport.

Chief mechanic: Normally, I would say do it, but we're in apocalypse mode right now. Also, I can't tell strangers at a meeting what's happening. We're trying to keep it a secret that we are in the middle of an apocalypse.

Nomad: Which I think is making this worse on you.

Chief mechanic: Probably. I promise to call Margarita after our little text message meeting with the other timeline. We have a test to coordinate.

Nomad: That can wait. You're more important. You can't save the world if you don't save yourself first. Can Ana pull together a virtual AA meeting with other shield agents?

Chief mechanic: That probably is a good idea but after the meeting. I am aware of how much you care for me. You made an entirely new timeline for me.

Nomad: I always said I would do a lot for you. Apparently, that's my universal multi-verse constant.

Chief mechanic: Along with Howard's bad, bad parenting. The fact that I got the better version of Howard blows my mind. This version was an improvement, and he was still a dick. How much worse did my other timeline counterpart have it?

Nomad: I don't know. Maybe other things were different. Perhaps Anna wasn't murdered in that timeline.

Chief mechanic: When I sent you for a break, I asked. He doesn't know. He didn't even realize I named JARVIS after my good dad until his second life. So, they were obviously both gone before you were defrosted. Although Uncle Daniel was murdered in that timeline and never married Aunt Peggy. Because fucking Hydra. I really hate Hydra.

Nomad: So do I.

Chief mechanic: This is the timeline where things were mitigated. Tahiti was your variant's idea.

Nomad: To bring back a fallen Avenger.

Chief mechanic: I guess he assumed it would be me, not Coulson.

Chief mechanic: Or that the program would be under several tons of rubble by the time we dealt with Thanos.

Nomad: It kept the program out of Hydra's hands, so it was for the best.

Chief mechanic: Unless history repeats itself.

Xxxxx

"It won't. I won't let it. I'm not losing you, and I'm not losing Natasha." Steve said as he wrapped his arms around Tony. Thankfully all the alcohol was still capped, and glasses were unused. Steve was very grateful for that at the moment.

"Considering that Natasha was sent to a totally different planet, I don't think we have to worry about her copying her counterpart. At least she'll be OK." Tony commented as he moved the two of them to the room where the bunks were. Steve went with this because it got them further from the alcohol.

"No, and I'm sure the other team isn't there yet. So, we can come up with something else." At least, he hopes so because Melinda and Leo would do the same thing Natasha did in the other timeline. Especially Melinda. "There has to be another way to get it without sacrificing someone. We don't trade lives." Steve remarked as he sat down on Tony's bunk.

"Sometimes we do. If you didn't break your hand, I would be worried about you trying to jump off the cliff." A mix of guilt and shame filled Steve's mind. His fiancée knew him too well.

"Well, I'm not going to be the one jumping off the cliff, and you're not going to be snapping your fingers. I'm not losing you." Steve pressed a kiss to Tony's neck.

"I have no desire to leave you and the kids." Tony placed a gentle kiss on his mouth. "But the other me had the right idea. We can use the stones to bring the other people back and take the purple one out with minimal casualties." Steve really shouldn't be surprised that Tony came up with that idea.

"But it shouldn't be you. Bruce survived the snap in the other timeline."

"Unfortunately, he is still very far away," his fiancée remarked.

"He'll be here by the time we make that call. If things are similar." Steve argued

"But they might not be. They are still dealing with Hela right now, as far as we are aware. Also, didn't it mess up Bruce's arm?"

"Yes, but he survived." Steve pointed out again.

"And I didn't."

"You didn't," Steve said gravely.

"Apparently, our teenage daughter knew about that possibility for more than a year and kept it from us. With her cousin as her co-conspirator."

"You would've been figuring out how to design a Gauntlet in your suit," Steve remarked.

"The suit already has gauntlets. I just have to make it infinity stones compatible."

"You know what I mean." Steve sighed in frustration.

"I know. Again, my other self had the right idea."

"It killed him." Don't do this, Tony.

"It saved everybody else. Mr. I am going to land this plane in the Arctic should understand that play."

"I know. But you already did it once when you flew a nuke into a wormhole, and you barely survived that. We already know you won't survive this."

"I'm not arguing your point. Other Tony was right, but he was also wrong simultaneously."

"In what way?" Steve asked.

"Well, first of all, he doesn't have access to Wakanda Tech like I do, or at least the Princess does. We can design something better. Less likely to fry whoever is handling it."

"I will add it to your list of projects," Ana commented. Of course, the AI was listening.

"Good girl. Also, using Grant Roth's data, we can put together a list of who can snap their fingers and not go into cardiac arrest. Because, unlike my other self, I learned the importance of teamwork." Tony explained.

"Which I'm very grateful for."

"I will begin calculating. The Princess and your daughter have already collected data regarding this. They are also working on an updated gauntlet that will shield the user from radiation." Ana explained.

"Do you really expect anything less from your child?" Steve asked.

"Not at all. I have a feeling the mysterious Carol Danvers is on the list. Since she was the big gun in two other timelines."

"That seems likely. Danvers did save you in two different timelines." Steve commented.

"Ana, can you check with Sam to see how that mission is coming along?"

"I will message him," Ana responded.

"Robin's drawings don't always come true. Things could already be very different. Maybe we won't have to make a last stand." Steve said, trying to be pragmatic. Or he was lying to himself so he could avoid the worst case scenario.

"They do, but not necessarily in our timeline." Steve raised an eyebrow at his fiancé.

"We were wrong before thinking that Robin saw time nonlinear and that we can actually change things. I think she sees things from every timeline, not just ours. Her warnings make it possible for us to avoid following in the footsteps of our variants. Time will tell us if we change things enough."

"You might be right about that," Steve said as he wrapped an arm around Tony and pulled him closer.

"Mr. Wilson is in Louisiana and has contacted Monica Rambeau, Maria Rambo's daughter. Director Rambo is unavailable due to her treatment schedule." Ana answered.

"Because cancer sucks." He was sure Tony was thinking about Jarvis at that moment.

"They are going to try together to convince her to contact Capt. Danvers. Agent Rambo apparently wanted to contact her, but the Director has overruled her."

"If you're sick, you would like your friends with you. Aunt Peggy drove Jarvis to chemo despite his objections."

"That's definitely Peggy." Steve smiled at the antidote. It no longer hurt him to hear about how his friends moved forward without him. The fact that another version of him living in this timeline that just decided to make his own life influenced that a little. At some point, he will have to ask why his other self ended up with Artie instead of Peggy, but he feels he already knows the answer.

"OK, one more thing before I see if my new and improved bed will fit me and honey pie for a nap. Did Hunter make contact with Z3?" Tony asked Ana.

"Yes. Agent Hunter received a response from Dr. Leopold 14.5 minutes ago." The AI responded.

"Good. Can you pass those messages on to me?"

"I'm sorry, those messages are encrypted for Agent Hunter only," Ana replied.

"Of course they are. I hope they just didn't have really long-distance text message sex. I hate for that to be in the archives." Tony sighed.

"Says the guy who always tries to initiate it."

"Because it's fun making you squirm. Besides, I know you won't let things go too far."

"Because I don't want it archived either." He also doesn't want to be responsible for the Tony Stark gay sex tape sequel. Even if it would be good for Tony to have a happy sex tape out there.

"I do not believe it is that type of message. Agent Hunter is currently crying on Agent Morris."

"Oh shit," Tony exclaimed, concerned. "They shouldn't be there by now because we planned a lot of extra jumps. They should've got the warning in time."

"My calculations were off due to the Princess's most recent upgrades. Even with the necessary jumps to confuse coordinates to the unlisted location, it took 22.1% Less time than originally scheduled. Therefore, they arrived 5.8 hours ago."

"Fuck. He absolutely would have." Tony placed his head in his hands.

"I know. Dr. Leopold is a lot like you." Steve side.

"Too much like me for his own good. Same martyrdom complex. Of course, it would end here." Steve could fill Tony start to shake under his touch. His boyfriend was obviously upset.

"Ana, should we go over to him?" Tony asked.

"He's coming to you," Ana responded.

"Should I be ready for a fight?" Steve asked

"Honey, if he wants to punch me right now, he gets to punch me. Just let him do it. It's going to be like me in Siberia. Nothing's going to get through during the grief. Nothing." Tony warned.

"You might be right," Steve said just as Hunter and Bobby entered the bunk area. It was obvious that both were crying.

"I'm sorry that…" Steve started to say, but he was cut off by Bobbi.

"It wasn't Leo. It was May."

"What?" Steve asked, not entirely understanding what she just said.

"She sacrificed herself to get the stone," Bobbi explained. "Actually, she iced Leo and Deke so they wouldn't do the same thing," Hunter added, "Because my husband is a fucking idiot."

"She knew about the clause before they arrived, so she was prepared." Bobbi finished.

"She's gone?" Steve asked, his voice broken.

"Yes." At Bobbi's confirmation, Steve fell into Tony's arms and started to cry.

To be continued.

We will be dealing with a lot of crying for the next few chapters. Sorry. But I did give you Tony and Steve quality time together.