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to Bucky, who looked absolutely ashamed. Steve was breathing heavily, awaiting Tony's impending reaction.

Tony then jolted, starting for Bucky, but Steve pulled him back. Alex quickly stepped in between them.

"No, Tony,"

"Did you know?" Tony's voice was scarily calm to Steve.

"I didn't know it was him--"

"Don't bullshit me, Rogers. Did you know?"

"Yes."

Alex's heart dropped at Steve's reply.

"What about you, huh?" Tony turned to Alex. "Did you know too?"

"No, Tony, I swear."

"I don't fucking believe you,"

Tony stepped back, then suddenly threw Steve back with the force of his backhand. Bucky raised his gun, only to be blasted by Tony's suit. Alex ducked, barely missing the force.

Tony grabbed Bucky, and flew with him in his grasp. He slammed him down to the floor, and stepped on his arm. Steve threw his shield, throwing Tony off balance. Alex ran over, trying to intervene, but was knocked out of the way.

Tony and Steve had at it, charging at each other like angered bulls. Tony locked Steve's feet together, which gave Bucky an opportunity to deliver an uppercut to his jaw. Bucky's arm overpowered Tony's, to Tony's surprise. Tony attempted to fire a rocket at Steve, but it missed, hitting one of the chambers instead.

As Bucky and Tony fought high above Steve and Alex, the chambers slowly started to catch on fire. They came crashing down, and everyone lost each other for a moment.

"Buck, get out of here!" Steve yelled.

Bucky made a run for it, but Tony was right behind him shooting more rockets. He barely escaped, hitting the button to open up the ceiling to the surface. Sunlight came flooding in, and Alex made her way out of the rubble back to the men.

"It wasn't him, Tony. HYDRA had control of his mind!" Steve pled.

"Move," Tony spoke, trying to fly past Steve, who just caught his ankle.

Steve repeatedly hit Tony's boot, causing his flight systems to be compromised. Bucky was running up each floor of the cylindrical tunnel that led to the surface, and Tony flew right after him.

"Will y'all slow down," Alex began climbing the rings after them.

Tony fired a rocket at Bucky, which was blocked by Steve's shield. Alex held her hand out, freezing Tony. The stick didn't last, however, and he shot a rocket that closed the tunnel hatch.

Tony flew up to where Bucky was, but Bucky was ready with a broken pipe to swing. He had Bucky in a choke hold, however, and tried to slam him down. They began to fall down the tunnel, and Alex jumped on top of them followed by Steve. The four traveled down, down, until they reached the bottom level.

They landed near an exit, and snow seeped in through it. Alex picked herself up, and saw Tony stand up in front of Steve.

"This isn't going to change what happened." Steve spoke.

"I don't care. He killed my mom."

Alex watched in horror as Tony lunged onto Steve. Tony had Steve pinned, who was without his shield. He threw punches into the ground, cracking the cement, and Steve barely dodged them. Bucky grabbed Tony's shield, and flung himself onto Tony. Alex followed suit, sweeping Tony's legs out from under him.

It was three against one, but Tony was not relenting.

Bucky and Steve passed the shield back and forth, blocking Tony's blows. Tony wouldn't deliberately attack Alex, but tried to push her off of him. Unfortunately, she was trained by the best. So, one minute she was on his shoulders pulling his head back, the next she was twisting his arm behind his back.

Tony blasted Steve against the wall, who fell to the ground. He threw Alex off of him, but was then attacked by Bucky's punches. Bucky managed to get Tony against the wall, and tried to yank the circular machine that powered Tony's suit.

Bucky screamed as he tried to yank it off, and everything seemed to slow down. Tony somehow managed to send out a blast, that went straight through Bucky's metal arm. Bucky fell to the ground, his arm completely fried off to the shoulder. As he was down, Tony blasted him again, rendering him unconscious. Alex knelt down beside Bucky, checking for a pulse.

Steve stood up, however, and ran toward Tony. He held his shield up to Tony's blast, and the collision created an enormous spark that lit up the small room. Steve slammed his shield into Tony's suit, creating lines in the metal armor.

All Alex could do was watch the two men she respected the most absolutely annihilate each other.

"Please," She cried.

Steve's hits became faster and deadlier, as Tony began to lose steam. He was battered left and right, the wall the only thing holding him up.

Tony then knocked the shield out of Steve's hand, and the fight turned around. Tony punched Steve at every angle, and blood splattered out of his mouth.

"He is my friend," Steve breathed.

"So was I." Tony was merciless.

He threw Steve against the opening of the exit, and he crumpled to the ground.

"Final warning, stay down."

Steve slowly stood up, his fists back at his face. "I could do this all day."

Tony fired up his blaster, but Alex grabbed his ankle. This gave Steve a window to pin Tony down, with his shield back in his grasp. He slammed the shield against Tony's helmet, enough times til it broke. Tony's face was painted with fear as Steve raised the shield above his head.

"Steve, no--"

Steve hit his shield down on Tony's circular machine, and it began to glitch. The light went out and the shield remained wedged inside it. Steve stood up, yanking the shield out.

Alex stood up, watching Tony roll over in pain. Steve helped Bucky up, and nodded to Alex.

"That shield doesn't belong to you," Tony said from behind him.

Steve began to hobble with Bucky, not looking back.

"You don't deserve it. My father made that shield."

Steve stopped for a moment, with Bucky hanging off of his side. He then dropped the shield, and kept walking.

Alex knelt down beside Tony, and peeled off her eye mask. She helped him sit up, and placed her hand on his arm.

"Let's get back to the compound."

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

A week later, Alex was still at the compound.

She helped Tony with Rhodey's physical therapy, though it pained her that a member of their team was actually injured by this whole shitshow.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" She asked late that night when Rhodey went to bed.

"God, I hope so."

"Still sitting on that letter from Steve?"

"I'm not sure he wanted a response." Tony replied. "Either way, it was a nice gesture."

"What's next for the Avengers?"

"I don't know, Alex, but, something is definitely coming. I can't explain it, I just feel it. Something bigger than all of us."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. But your ass is down on Earth the minute it happens."

"Sometimes I think of all the things I'm missing," She spoke. "God, while I was away, you and Pepper split up? Bruce is no where to be found? I can't help but feel like I'm--"

"--Not where you belong?"

She hated how that sounded. She loved Loki, so what was the problem? What was this feeling of....discontent?

"Tony, I'm immortal."

"Come again?"

"I'm immortal. It's a long story, but I'm immortal. I have no idea what the hell that even means--I just know it's why my powers have been strengthened. I don't need your suit to keep me from getting tired anymore--"

"--I'm hurt."

"No, I mean, you know what I mean. But, I'm sitting here thinking, what does that even mean? If I'm going to live for a really long time...I don't want to waste a second with my family, with you."

"Alex, I have no doubt," He began. "That your instincts are as sharp as your attitude. That head of yours won't steer you wrong, as long as you listen to it."

"But what about listening to my heart?"

"They don't always tell you different things. But, you know what's best for you. I thought I did, through all this, but I was wrong. And, yes, if you tell anyone I said that, I will deny it. I am truly sorry for keeping you so sheltered. It's just, I see you as family. You know I haven't got much of that left, and, well, I'll be damned if anything was to happen to you,"

"Tony," She ignored the tears that welled in her eyes. She pulled him in for a tight hug, the familiar feeling instantly calming her down.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared, and a large, circular maze-like emblem was now painted onto the floor.

"God, these are new floors!" Tony complained to the culprit, who stood there in all his glory.

Alex was more than surprised to see the bearded, hammer-carrying god standing in front of them.

"I see I am interrupting what looks to be a precious moment, but, um, Clark, something has happened. Involving Loki. You must come to Asgard immediately."

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𝚘𝚘𝙾𝙾𝚘𝚘𝚘𝚘𝙾𝚘𝚘𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚡𝚝?

𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚢'𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚢'𝚊𝚕𝚕