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a deep breath and looked around, everyone sharing the same kind of exhaustion. Their suits dissolved and they were each back in their regular clothes, and excitement quickly ignited her.

"Did we get 'em all?" She asked.

"Are you telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey grinned.

A step was heard, and all eyes looked to Clint, whose face displayed a somber gaze. Alex quickly realized, and her head began to slowly shake.

"Clint, where's Nat?" Bruce asked cautiously.

Clint said nothing, he didn't need to. Everyone knew the answer to Bruce's question. His eyes beginning to well up, and Steve silently lowered his head. Bruce fell to his knees, punching the glass of the time travel device in despair.

A couple of them gathered down at the dock outside of HQ. Alex stayed behind, standing on the porch on the waterfront side of HQ. She stood with her arms crossed, watching Thor get animated about something to Clint and Tony.

"What are you thinking?" Steve came over beside her.

"I'm thinking I barely knew Nat." She admitted, her eyes fixed on the group.

"She admired you. A lot."

"Couldn't have any more than I admired her."

"She was strong. She was dealt a bad hand, and look how she turned out. A hero." Steve shook his head.

Alex turned her head toward him. "Did you love her?"

"In a way, yes."

Alex nodded. She didn't know too much about Steve's personal life, at least not as much as he knew about hers. He was private, and more willing to listen. She was glad she still had Steve through all this.

"They're coming back over. We should head inside." Alex spoke, earning a nod from him.

Tony, Bruce, Clint, and Thor walked over to HQ, joining the rest inside. There, in the lab, Tony began to construct all six retrieved stones into a crafted gauntlet. It was red and gold, and looked like a typical Stark design.

After it was finished, they placed it onto a stand, where the group stood around it.

"Alright, the glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their freakin' fingers?" Rocket spoke.

"I'll do it." Thor came over.

"Excuse me?"

He approached the glove fast, and moved to put his hand in it before Tony and Steve held him back.

"Stop, slow down."

"Thor, just wait." Steve said. "We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet."

"I'm sorry--what, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" Thor scoffed.

Alex rolled her eyes. "We should at least discuss it."

"No, no, sitting here staring at it is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty."

"I'm sorry, when did we decide that, exactly?" Alex looked around. "Did I miss the competition or--"

"It's not about that." Tony deadpanned, trying to push Thor away from the stand. "Alright, buddy--"

"Stop it! Just let me!" Thor started slapping him away, getting hysterical. "Just let me do it. Let me do something good. Something right."

Alex put a hand on his shoulder, pulling Thor towards her as she shushed him. "Shh, it's okay."

"Look, it's not just the fact that the glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you, you're in no condition."

"What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" Thor argued.

"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey piped up.

"Lightning." Thor sniffled.

"Would anyone like to ask what's coursing through my veins, or did we all forget?" Alex asked.

"It's not even up for discussion." Tony shut her down.

"Wha--"

"You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. Alex may be the only one who could survive this caliber of power." Bruce said.

"I can do it."

"Absolutely not. Not happening."

"Tony, what is your deal? This is not the time to hold me back. This is our last chance to bring everybody back."

"May I have a word with you?" Tony yanked her arm and pulled her to another room, leaving the group to argue.

She glared at him as he shut the door.

"What the hell are you thinking?" He scolded. "You could die."

"So could you, Tony. Or anyone else in there for that matter."

"You are the future of the Avengers. You need to be kept safe. I've done enough in my life--"

"Are you kidding me Tony? You have Pepper, you have Morgan for crying out loud. Don't you get it? I have no one left. Let me do it." She exclaimed.

"If you think you have no one, this initiative has failed you." Tony lowly said, his heart breaking at her words. "Go back in that room and tell me you have no one. Look at the missing logs and tell me you have no one. Look inside yourself, and tell me you have no one. If after all that, you can wholeheartedly say you have no one, then you can wear the fucking glove."

She remained silent.

"I get you want to be the hero. But you proved you can be one so long ago, Alex. Every time you went against me and joined the fight, you have proved yourself. In Wakanda, when you were sacrificing your life to save the stone, you proved yourself. Please, for once, listen to me. There are still gonna be aliens that attack Earth, there are still gonna be leftover HYDRA men to beat. What the hell are we gonna do if our best chance is the damn raccoon?"

She burst into laughter, pulling Tony in for a hug. "Tony, you're the reason I am what I am today."

"And you're the reason I believe in the Avengers."

She smiled, tears beginning to well. "Let's go bring our family back."

They exited the room, going back into the lab where everyone awaited.

"Bruce is going to put it on." Steve spoke.

"Let's do it." He bravely said.

"Okay remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years." Tony ordered.

"Got it."

Everyone was suited up, and ready for Bruce to snap. Alex could feel the anxiety building, wondering if he would snap and nothing would happen. She wondered if all of this was for nothing. She wondered where Loki would be if they did return, and Thanos was here to fight again.

"FRIDAY, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol, will you?"

The HQ facility went on lockdown automatically.

Bruce looked down at the glove, taking a deep breath. "Everybody comes home."

He placed the glove on his hand, which expanded to fit him. Power immediately surges through his entire body, taking over him. He fell to the floor, groaning in pain.

"Take it off!" Alex exclaimed.

"No, wait, Bruce are you okay?" Steve yelled.

"Talk to me, Banner." Tony spoke.

"I'm okay," He muttered.

Energy continued to surge through him, but he fought through it and raised his hand. He managed to get his fingers together, and snapped.'

He fell to the floor, his arm wrecked. They gathered around him, as he groaned.

"Did it work?" He mumbled.

"We're not sure yet," Alex spoke. She looked up and noticed Scott walking toward the windows. She looked past him and heard birds chirping loudly.

She stood up slowly as she saw a shadow over Bruce. Her head looked up, and her eyes widened as she saw a ship.

Suddenly, explosions were heard as missiles dropped onto HQ. The building was leveled, and the group fell apart. Rhodey, Bruce, and Rocket fell to the subdivision, where water began to flood. Tony, Steve, and Thor were on the outside of the rubble.

Alex, however, landed unconscious on top of the rubble.

She finally came to, groaning and picking herself up from the rocks. Her skin was cut up and dusted, and she felt blood running down her face. She quickly wiped it off, and looked over the edge of the debris. She only saw Steve brutally fighting with Thanos, and quickly spotted Tony and Thor lying in separate areas.

Alex jumped down, running stealthily behind damaged and enflamed parts to get near Thanos. He continued to brawl with Steve until he knocked him a hundred yards away with his double edged sword. She glanced over, where Steve was not getting up.

"In all my years of conquest, violence, slaughter--"

"God," Alex spoke up, Thanos' head snapping to where she was. "I am so tired of hearing you talk."

Her veins and eyes glowed as she conjured up energy from inside her. She blasted it at Thanos, who flew back about twenty feet. He stood up almost instantly, clutching his sword tighter.

"How nice of you to join us, I was beginning to wonder where you were." He spoke as she moved closer to him.

"I like to call it being fashionably late."

She yelled as she shot another ball of energy at him, with him struggling to dodge it.

"Someone else is a little late to this party," Thanos smirked as a blue, Bifrost looking portal shined behind him.

Alex quickly made out the figure that was standing lone after it faded. Her eyes widened as he slowly stepped forward, his features now completely evident.

"Loki,"

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𝙷𝙸𝚘𝚑𝚖𝚢𝚐𝚘𝚍𝚒 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚊𝚣𝚢 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝚄 𝙶𝚄𝚈𝚂 𝙸𝚃𝚂 𝙱𝙴𝙴𝙽 𝙰 𝚈𝙴𝙰𝚁 𝙾𝙵 𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙶𝙴 𝚆𝙾𝚆 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚞 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚞𝚛 𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚒 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚞

𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚒 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚞 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚢 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚔 𝚞 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚟𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍

𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚒 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚖𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚡'𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚟 𝚜𝚘 𝚜𝚑𝚎'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙱𝚄𝚃 𝚒 𝚑𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚕𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚒𝚏 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚊𝚙 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚓𝚘𝚕𝚗𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚌 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚌 𝚘𝚔 𝚋𝚢𝚎𝙰𝙻𝚂𝙾𝙰𝙻𝚂𝙾𝚠𝚑𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚋𝚌 𝚒 𝚊𝚖 𝚘𝚋𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍