Stella POV

Stella awoke the next morning, her body incredibly sore. Thankfully she had slept like a rock due to Bruce's painkillers. She sat up in bed, the towel she'd wrapped around herself last night slipping from her body. She'd be in too much pain last night to get dressed.

Her room had been empty when she finally left the bathroom last night, something she was grateful for. She needed some time to herself to think through the complex feelings she was having for the two super soldiers.

She'd listened to Steve and Bucky's conversation through the bathroom door and it had broken her heart. She cared for Bucky deeply…but she just wasn't over Steve yet. She still yearned for him, still thought about him all the time. But Bucky had been there for her when Steve hadn't, when the man had left her to hunt Hydra and Loki.

Could she really be angry at him for that though? Loki was after her, after all. And she had asked Steve for space…Though she hadn't meant for him to abandon her at the compound for months… Stella sighed. She was a mess.

It was clear Bucky cared for her, as evidenced by his conversation with Steve yesterday and the one they'd shared after their kiss. He had been her rock during these past few months, sweet and kind, even funny on occasion. They'd gotten so close…But he had hurt her yesterday, physically and emotionally. That wasn't something that was easy to forgive.

Still, she couldn't imagine what it must have felt like to have been brainwashed by Hydra, to feel the weight and influence of another person inside your head, whispering in your ear constantly.

The thought of the man following through with what he said, staying away from her, was too painful to even fathom. He'd become one of her closest friends in the months they'd been isolated at the compound. She couldn't lose him.

Stella knew one thing. She needed to talk to him. She rolled out of bed and found that her movement had increased somewhat, though she was still fairly sore. She donned a pair of underwear and shucked on a cotton dress. At least she was able to dress herself, though she still hadn't been able to put on a bra. She glanced in the mirror. It was definitely apparent she wasn't wearing one since she was so top heavy, but she didn't have much of a choice.

Stella tried looking for Bucky in the training facility, on the grounds, in the kitchen, his room, the rec room, but the man was nowhere to be found. She had almost given up when she decided to try the rooftop. She scanned the area, spotting a hunched over figure sitting at the opposite end.

"Bucky," She called as she approached. He glanced up at her, before turning back to stare out at the vast expanse of the compound's grounds.

"Are you okay?" He asked when she reached him, before she could speak.

"I'm okay."

"I'm…so sorry Stella. For everything…For what I said, for hurting you." He gave a short sharp laugh. "If you can believe it, I was trying to prevent myself from causing you pain in the long run by saying what I did." He paused. "I didn't mean it. I was trying to keep you away from me. You have to know that."

"I know, Bucky." She stepped closer. The assassin stood, backing away from her. "I know you lost control yesterday," Stella continued, trying not to panic that the man was trying to put distance between them.

"…You overheard Steve and I's conversation."

Stella nodded. "…Please don't pull away from me." She stepped closer, her eyes wide and clearly displaying the vulnerability she was feeling.

"Stella, I'm a danger to you. I hurt you. Again."

"It wasn't your fault. I heard what you said about the Winter Soldier taking over."

"I let him in, thought I could control him… Thought it would make it easier to say what I had to."

"I know it wasn't you."

"I still did it."

"Bucky, without you I wouldn't have been able to get through these past few months. My life was turned upside down and I felt like I was losing myself…You helped bring me back."

"Stella, that's nothing-"

"It's not nothing." She stepped closer. Bucky eyed her warily. "Please don't push me away," She whispered. She raised her hand to his cheek. He let her stroke it momentarily with her fingers, his expression pained. His hand caught hers when she moved to embrace him.

"Don't you understand the closer to me that you get, the more danger you're in?"

"It's worth the risk."

Bucky shook his head. "I can't. I can't hurt you again. I'm sorry, Stella."

XXX

Stella was in the kitchen the next morning when she ran into Steve. It was bad luck on his part. Her conversation with Bucky was still fresh in her mind and she hadn't yet come to terms with it.

"Hey," He greeted her softly. He approached, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," Stella shrunk away from his touch.

"How's your back?"

"It still hurts, but it's a little better."

He smiled. "Glad to hear it. Listen, I wanted to finish our conversation from the other day…"

"We do need to talk." Stella put some distance between her and Steve. She paused, a thousand questions running through her mind. "…Why are you so against Bucky training me?" She settled on eventually.

Steve crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter behind him. "I don't want to see you get hurt, like you did yesterday."

"Bucky trained me for months and never hurt me."

"I don't only mean Bucky, Stella. In a regular fight, your opponent isn't going to pull their punches."

"I know that, Steve," She said tersely. "The whole reason I asked Bucky to train me was so I could learn how to protect myself. So if something does happen, I'll be ready."

Steve sighed.

"Is this because I'm a woman? How is this any different than Wanda or Natasha training themselves?"

"It's not because you're a woman. Natasha was trained as a Widow since she was a child. And Wanda has powers. She needs training to control them."

"So why are you so opposed to me learning Steve?"

"I just…can't support it."

Stella shook her head.

"You're so damn old fashioned."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I'm going to get hurt Steve. You can't protect me from everything."

"I can try."

He didn't get it. He would never understand how important it was to her to be independent, to support herself, to not depend on others…

Just drop it. He's not going to tell you what you want to hear.

"What did Bucky mean when he said, 'you were the one who said to push her away'."

Steve's face fell.

"Tell me the truth please."

"Bucky told me things had changed between you two while we were gone…"

Stella nodded.

"And he asked me for advice."

"And you told him to stay away from me? Why?"

"Because of Tony. He didn't take things well when the mission didn't go as planned and Tony's not the biggest fan of Bucky."

"I know that," She snapped.

"And I thought Bucky dating you would only strain their relationship further."

"If Tony really cared, he would be here. He would tell me. He wouldn't just have a hissy fit because I was dating some guy he doesn't like."

"Stella…it's more complicated than that."

"Then tell me why Tony and Bucky don't get along, Steve. And tell me why Tony isn't here."

"Bucky should tell you. Or Tony. It's not my story to tell."

Stella rolled her eyes.

"…It's hard for Tony to express his emotions-"

"Don't make excuses for him."

"Fine."

Stella mulled over Steve's words. "…Is Tony the only reason you told Bucky to stay away?"

"Excuse me?"

"Am I supposed to believe you didn't have any ulterior motives?"

Steve hesitated. Stella shook her head in disbelief.

"I knew it."

"Stella, wait-"

"You really tried to get Bucky to push me away when he was the only one who was there for me these past few months? After you walked out on me? Why would you do that to me?" Steve didn't have a good response to this. Stella wasn't sure Steve knew how negatively his suggestion to Bucky would impact her, but she didn't care. It was unforgivable.

"Just stay away from me, Steve. Forever."

"You don't mean that."

"I do."

Steve POV

Steve was miserable. Stella hadn't spoken to him in weeks. Their last conversation was still fresh in his mind.

"Stay away from me, Steve. Forever."

He'd done it to himself; meddling in things he shouldn't have, running off to hunt Loki when he should've been there for her, lying to her from day one.

He couldn't blame her for never wanting to speak to him again.

"That's all for today, guys," He announced to the group. It was a smaller team at training today. Thor was off chasing another Loki lead, Stella was off somewhere in the compound (presumably hating him), and Bucky hadn't shown up to training since he'd hurt Stella.

Steve took a seat on a bench as the team filtered out of the training hall.

"Mind if I sit?"

He looked up to see Natasha staring down at him.

"Go for it."

"What's on your mind, Rogers?"

"Me? You're the one who came over here."

"Your head was somewhere else today and you've been weird since we came back from the mission. What's up?"

Steve fiddled with the cap to his water bottle.

"Nothing."

"You can't lie to me, Steve."

"…It's Stella."

"Why am I not surprised to hear this?" Natasha smirked.

"Forget it."

"I'm just teasing. Go on."

"She doesn't see the harm in training with Bucky. She asked why I was opposed to it the other day and now she's mad at me because of what I said." Among other things.

"Why are you opposed to it?" Natasha asked curiously.

"Because I'd never let anything happen to her."

"You can't protect her from everything, Steve. You're not always going to be there. And even if you were…Stella is an independent girl. She wants to learn how to protect herself. Don't you remember the days before the serum when you were too weak to defend yourself?"

"Of course I do."

"Well, she has the opportunity to learn how to defend herself. What's so wrong with that?"

Steve sighed.

"What's the real reason for your concern Steve?"

"I'm just worried she'll get over confident and find herself in a situation she can't handle."

"Did you tell her that?"

"…Not exactly."

"What did you tell her?"

"That I was worried she was going to get hurt. That a real fight is different than training. That I'll protect her."

Natasha shook her head.

"Your old fashioned values are betraying you, Steve. Women don't always want to feel protected. They want to feel empowered. To know they can look after themselves. We don't like being damsels in distress."

"I know. I know…"

"Why didn't you tell her the real reason you're opposed to her training?"

"I don't know…Sometimes I find myself getting tongue tied around her. Like I can't find the right words. It drives me crazy."

"Captain America getting tongue tied around some girl he barely knows? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have feelings for her."

Silence settled between them.

"Steve…"

"I can't help it, Natasha."

"But how? You guys have barely spent any time together since she moved in…" Natasha trailed off. "Oh my God. New York…" Steve could practically see Natasha's brain working a thousand miles a minute. "Is that why she was half naked when you two showed up here? Does Tony know? Does she have feelings for you too?"

"One question at a time, Nat."

"Right, sorry…So you guys were involved in New York?"

"Yes."

"Did she know who you were?"

"At first no. It came out eventually, before we became romantically involved."

"Did she know why you were there?"

"…Not until Loki attacked."

"…Oh, Steve. I guess that explains why she was so hostile towards you when she moved in."

"Yep."

"So you two have…hooked up then?"

Steve shot Natasha a look.

"I'm just putting the pieces together. She was half naked and wearing your jacket when she arrived here."

"Yes, we've had sex."

"I'm guessing Tony doesn't know."

"No. He has no idea and I'd like to keep it that way."

"My lips are sealed." Silence fell between them. "Stella's not just mad at you because you don't approve of Bucky training her, is she?"

Steve sighed. "No. There's more."

"Do you want to talk about it? Maybe a female perspective will help."

"I'm not sure what good it will do me at this point but why not." Steve poured his heart out, starting from his early days in New York to the blissful two weeks he and Stella shared once she knew his true identity, to Stella's move into the compound and their most recent altercation. Natasha listened patiently, letting Steve get it out.

"You've made a couple of mistakes, but nothing you can't recover from. Stella clearly still cares about you."

"But now with Bucky in the mix and Stella telling me to stay away from her…I'm wondering if I should just bow out gracefully."

"That does complicate things a bit... Let me ask you this Steve. Do you really care about Stella?"

"Of course I do." His answer was automatic.

"Then don't give up without a fight. She's a girl worth fighting for."

Stella POV

The next few weeks passed slowly for Stella. She tried to track Bucky down a few times to convince him to change his mind, but couldn't manage to find the man when she was looking for him. It seemed he had even returned to skipping meals with the group.

Her depression returned in full force and there was little that comforted her. She missed home. She missed her apartment. She missed Russo's. She missed Jace. She missed the band. She missed Bucky. She didn't even have classes to occupy her time as the semester had ended.

Steve had been giving her space as well. Stella sensed he felt guilty for the fight they had and knew she was too angry to reason with.

The worst part was try as she might to hate the man…she just couldn't. She just wished he didn't consistently make decisions she didn't agree with. Decisions he thought benefitted her, but rather confused and frustrated her.

Wanda and Natasha seemed to notice Stella's growing depression and did their best to get her to attend training and other activities within the compound.

That very day Wanda had dragged Stella to the rec room to play a game of monopoly with her and Sam.

Sam was in the process of bankrupting Stella after she landed on another one of his hoteled properties when an alarm sounded above their heads.

"Intruder alert. Perimeter wall has been breached," Friday's voice intoned over the speaker system. Sam and Wanda were on their feet in seconds.

"What is it?" Stella asked as she stood as well.

"I don't know. Could be nothing. Could be-" Sam's words were cut off as the window behind him shattered. Stella and Wanda were blown back into a wall, while Sam was flattened to the ground by the force of the explosion. Gas canisters were thrown through the windows and clattered onto the floor releasing a thick smoke that began filling the room.

Stella tried to roused Wanda who was still dazed from the blow.

"Wanda. Wanda!" The smoke drifted closer to them. Stella pulled her shirt up to cover her mouth and did the same to Wanda. She scanned the room for Sam but couldn't see him through the smoke. "Wanda!"

Wanda's eyes shot open. Her hands began to glow and she started siphoning the smoke back out the windows. As the smoke cleared Stella could more clearly see that masked men clad in all black were climbing through the windows. Sam emerged from the fog and immediately engaged two of them.

The remaining men split into two groups, one heading toward the hall that led to the rest of the compound, the other towards Wanda and Stella.

Wanda began hurtling various objects at the men using her abilities. Stella dodged a man who swung at her, dropping to the ground and sweeping her leg under him to knock him off his feet.

She rolled back up, in combat mode. Bucky had trained her well, but she had never used her training against an actual opponent. She didn't have time to think much on the matter as another masked man ran towards her. She grabbed a nearby vase and cracked it over the man's skull. He crumbled to the ground, but another quickly took his place.

He was a better fighter than the other two, easily blocking the hook and cross Stella sent his way. He aimed a kick at her which she parried, also slipping a blow aimed at her cheek. A disturbance at the entry to the room made the man look away. Stella used the opportunity to aim a spin kick at his chest which sent him flying into a nearby bookcase. The man collapsed, unmoving.

Stella whipped her head towards the disturbance at the doorway which had been Natasha and Clint joining the fray. Clint was a blur, slinging arrows and releasing them into the hoard of men while Natasha easily incapacitated anyone who got close with her combat abilities or weapons

"They're here for the tesseract!" Natasha called to them as she faced off against two men at once. "We can't let them get it!" She knocked out one of her opponents while Sam tackled the other one. Clint slung a few more arrows, effectively clearing the room. The ground was littered with unconscious bodies, but Stella knew some men had escaped deeper into the compound and more had probably broken in at another location.

"Where is the tesseract being held?" Sam demanded.

"In the basement. Tony created a vault for it. Steve and Thor headed there now." The group dashed from the room.

"Stella, you're a civilian. Go to your room and lock the door."

"If you think I'm going to hide in my room while a bunch of soldiers fight my friends you have another thing coming."

"Stella-"

"She held her own back there. Besides, we could use the extra hands." Sam defended.

"Fine," Natasha replied, still running with the rest of them. "But stay close to me."

The foyer was chaos. Vision was engaged with a few soldiers on the second level and Bucky was busy grappling with another on the floor level beside Steve who was currently fighting two men at once.

"Thor went onto the basement to head them off," Steve called to them as he kicked one of his opponents into the wall.

More masked men filled the room, pouring in from nearby doorways. The team quickly dispersed, Sam and Wanda going left, Stella and Natasha going right and Clint remaining in the doorway to stop the men from spreading further.

A combatant barreled towards Stella, two large batons clutched in his fists. Disregarding the advice of Natasha, Stella ran at him. She slid underneath one of the outstretched batons before jumping to her feet and knocking the man unconscious with a kick to the back of the head.

She picked up the discarded batons and went to work on the next man. The man was a decent fighter and had a blade which he sliced through the air at air. Stella dodged before kicking the blade out of the man's hand. As she spun the man grabbed her shoulder and pulled her against him, putting her in a headlock.

"You're a pretty one, aren't you?" He breathed in her ear. Stella stomped on the man's instep before twisting under one of his arms and pitching him forward but not releasing him.

There was a whooshing sound from above as the elevator hissed open. Loki strolled through the doors, a glowing blue orb clasped in his fingers. He was grinning and drenched in blood. Vision flew at him but a blast from the cube sent the android reeling.

Stella knocked out the man who she still held by the arm. Natasha sprinted up the stairs, Stella on her heels. They tag teamed the god, switching off on attacking him. Stella would go in with a kick, Nat would follow up with a punch combination, Stella would follow with a knee. They moved in tandem, backing the man into the railing. Loki blocked one of Natasha's blows, kicking her back. The woman's head slammed against the wall and she crumbled.

Loki's eyes locked on Stella.

"Little Stark. My, how you've grown. Tell me, was Captain America the one to teach you how to fight?"

Stella didn't hesitate. She ran at him and dropped her elbow in a move that Bucky had taught her that was intended to shatter a man's collarbone. Unfortunately, Loki was too quick and blocked the attack, swiping her to the side. Stella slammed against the rail, the wind knocked from her. Loki grabbed her braid and pulled her head back. He had her pressed against the rail and completely at his mercy. Stella watched the fight below go on.

"Seems he still has a few things to teach you," The man murmured before pushing her over the edge.

Stella plummeted to the next level. She closed her eyes and braced for impact, but strong arms caught her. She opened her eyes.

"You okay doll?"

"Yeah."

Bucky put her on her feet. Stella prepared to run at another attacker but Bucky grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her towards him.

"What're you doing?" She demanded.

"Getting you out of here."

"I'm fine Bucky-"

"You didn't look fine just now."

"He caught me off guard. It won't happen again."

"Stella-"

"Bucky, now isn't the time." She pleaded. "This is what you trained me for." The assassin searched her eyes for a moment before nodding. He tossed her a dagger.

"Fine but stay by me."

Stella turned her back to Bucky and engaged with another soldier who ran at her. She had dispatched a few different henchmen when commotion from the second level alerted her.

Steve and Loki were engaged in combat. Loki aimed a few blasts at the super soldier, which Steve dodged. Stella finally recognized the item Loki held onto so tightly.

The tesseract.

Steve aimed a kick at the god's hand and the tesseract toppled from it, over the railing and towards the ground.

Natasha's speech about the infinity stones played through Stella's head. Highly volatile. Dangerous.

Almost everyone she loved was in this room. Without thinking, she dove for the cube.

"Stella, NO-" Someone yelled, but it was too late. The cube fell neatly into her hand. The room fell silent as everyone stopped to stare at her in shock, even Loki's men. The tesseract thrummed beneath her fingers, almost like it was alive; like a beating heart.

Pain like Stella had never experienced exploded in her abdomen. The pain was consuming, indescribable. She looked down to see a large silver knife protruding from her stomach, the blade coated in her blood. She was vaguely aware of people screaming around her. The knife was ripped out the way it entered, through her back. She crashed to her knees. She would have collapsed entirely but someone caught her.

"Bucky," She gasped. The pain in her chest was unimaginable.

"Stella," He whispered. He stared down at her face then her chest, his expression distraught. The man raised his hand but it hovered in the air helplessly. Finally he dropped it, pressing it against her wound. She gasped. The tangy taste of blood filled her mouth.

"B-Bucky."

"I know it hurts. doll. I need to put pressure on the wound."

"Bucky."

"I'm here."

"I-I can't-" She didn't finish her sentence. Instead, she coughed. Blood fanned from her mouth. "I can't breathe," She gasped.

"Stella." Tears were in his eyes as he cradled her. "I don't know what to do."

"I-" It was so hard to speak. "Am I going to die?" She whispered. The tears broke free from Bucky's eyes and spilled over, dropping onto her face. She to speak again, but the words wouldn't come. Then, the world went dark, the tesseract still grasped in her fingers.

Bucky POV

Bucky was vaguely aware of people moving around him as he cradled Stella in his arms. Her eyes were shut, her lips still stained with blood.

"Is she…?"

A man knelt beside him and reached out to touch her neck. Bucky almost broke the man's arm, but stopped when he realized it was Bruce.

"No. She has a pulse. Hurry, we need to get her to my lab." Bucky didn't hesitate. He rushed after Bruce, Stella's limp body in his arms. The fight raged on around them, but Bucky ignored it. Stella was his focus. "The cradle, put her inside." Bruce urged when they reached the laboratory.

Bucky rushed to the large machine, gently placing Stella inside. Bruce was typing quickly on his computer. The machine hissed and Bucky had to pull his arms back as the machine closed around her. Another hiss as the machine pressurized. Bucky stood stock still for a few moments as Bruce worked, too terrified to move. The silence was eventually broken when the team burst through the doors.

"Stella! Oh god, is she okay?"

"There was so much blood."

"What're you doing to her Bruce?"

"I'm putting her in stasis until we get an idea of what the damage is," Bruce replied, still typing rapidly.

"Will she live?" Bucky bit out. Bruce looked up at him.

"I don't know." It seemed the fight was over. Most of the team had made their way to the lab.

"Loki?"

"Steve managed to capture him. He and Thor are escorting him to one of the cells right now."

"What about the rest of the men who were with Loki?"

"Most of them evacuated when Loki was captured."

"And the tesseract?"

"It's here," Vision responded, holding the cube. "It fell from Stella's fingers." The door to the lab burst open and Steve stepped inside. He strode over to the cradle and peered in. He was ashen.

"Is she…?" He didn't seem able to finish.

"She's okay, for now. She's in stasis."

"Stasis?"

"She's asleep. The gas in the machine is preventing her wounds from getting any worse."

"…Someone needs to call Tony."

"He must be on his way. He would've gotten the alert the compound was under attack."

"Will she…" Steve trailed off. He seemed to be struggling with his words. "Will she be okay?"

"I don't know," Bruce answered honestly. "I'm going to evaluate her wound now that she's under and can't worsen. But what Rumlow did to her…I've never seen someone recover from a wound like this. You need to prepare yourselves for the reality of the situation."

"Which is what?"

"Stella may die."

Steve suddenly rounded on his heel and stormed from the room.

"Steve!" Nat called after him, but he was already gone.

Steve POV

Steve continued down the hall, though he heard voices calling after him.

Stella was dying. And it was his fault. He'd promised to look after her. To keep her safe from harm. To get her to back to her normal life.

And now this? He couldn't bear to think about what Bruce had said. He couldn't imagine a world without Stella. He didn't want to. There had to be a way to save her. He would do anything.

Even make a deal with the devil.

"Captain…to what do I owe the pleasure?" Loki seemed to have made himself at home in his cell. The god was already lying on the lone cot, his arms stretched leisurely behind his head.

"You know why I'm here." Steve's voice was cold and filled with thinly veiled rage. Loki grinned at him.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean…" He sat up, still grinning and leaned forward on his elbows. "Oh, you're not worried about your girlfriend, are you? Tell me, how did she take the news that she's Stark's daughter?" Steve didn't answer, his arms crossed against his chest. "She seems to be thriving here…" Loki smiled cruelly. "At least she was."

Steve was doing his best to control himself. All he wanted to do was take down the force field containing Loki and beat him to within an inch of his life.

But Steve needed him. Stella's life depended on it. He knew he was grasping at straws at this point, but he didn't have many options.

"If she dies, you die." Steve bit out. "I'll kill you myself."

"Such rage, Captain. This isn't like you at all."

"Enough games." Steve snapped.

"…There is a way to save her of course," Loki said, now strolling around his cage with a shit eating grin on his face.

"I'm listening."

"The power of the infinity stones is almost limitless…"

"…The tesseract?" Steve questioned.

"Should be more than enough to heal her."

Steve debated this. What did they have to lose? Bruce had said himself, Stella was struggling within an inch of her life. The cradle had stopped any advancement of her wounds for now but they couldn't keep her in there forever.

"…What do you get out of this?"

Loki smirked. "What makes you think I get anything out of this Captain?"

"You wouldn't tell me this if there wasn't anything in it for you. And no, I'm not setting you free."

"Tik tok, Captain. Time's running out for dear Ms. Stark. Are you going to waste her last moments here with me? Or are you going to save her?" Loki had him and he knew it. By the time Steve got back up to the lab, Tony had arrived. He was dressed in a tux and must have been at some benefit in the city because even the jet wouldn't have been able to get him to the compound from Malibu in less than an hour.

He had been briefed by Natasha via phone on the jet and was staring inside the cradle at Stella's motionless body. When Steve walked inside the lab the man looked up, his expression furious.

"Where the hell were you?"

"With Loki. Asking him if there's a way to heal Stella."

"Heal her? He's the one who did this to her!"

"Actually, that was Rumlow," Clint pointed out.

"What did he say Steve?" Natasha questioned.

"He said…the tesseract would have the power to heal her."

"The tesseract? The space stone doesn't have any healing properties," Thor replied.

"No…but it is an energy source…" Bruce started.

"The cradle has the ability to print live tissue…" Tony continued, catching on to Bruce's line of thought. "If we could harness the power of the stone…it might be enough to save her."

"No human has ever come in contact with an infinity stone and lived to tell the tale," Thor cautioned.

"That's not true." Wanda spoke for the first time. The team turned to look at her. "My brother and I got our abilities from touching an infinity stone."

"Impossible. It would have killed you," Thor replied.

"Pietro and I were the only survivors. Before us countless men and women were killed after contact."

"So the stone could kill her."

"Yes."

"But it's the only way to save her," Bruce said, now staring at his computer. He looked up at Tony. "She's suffered severe damage to several internal organs, including her lungs. She's past the power of Western medicine. The stone is our only shot."

A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys! If you enjoyed the chapter, please review! Thanks for reading!