Frostbite

Sixteen

My breathing was ragged as I stared at my dead brother. This wasn't how this was supposed to end. Everyone should be here. Natasha was gone- and now Tony. It was like a red-hot claw dug its talons into my chest and I couldn't breathe or think.

I screamed, unable to contain it any longer. Rhodey ushered Peter away as the air around us turned frigid. It echoed across the silent field, and I let another loose. My eyes glanced around wildly, itching to hurt something- someone. I didn't care.

Stephen had opened several portals, most of the people who had fought on our side already leaving. They needed to tend to their wounded, and it was easier to do it in their own homes. Our eyes met and the conversation from earlier popped into my head. He was staring at me funnily.

"Did you know?" I screeched, taking several steps in his direction. His lips thinned out, giving me the answer with that action alone. "How could you? You just let it happen, Stephen!"

Steve pulled me back, worried that I'd actually attack him. Wanda hovered nearby, gazing at me sadly. She knew this pain too well. She had lost her brother years ago. How had she done it? I surely wanted to die, take his place. I shoved Steve angrily; all I could see was red. The grief was too much.

"Don't. You promised," I sobbed, turning on him, "I told you I didn't wanna involve Tony in the first place! You promised that you'd make sure nothing went wrong. Tony is dead, Steve!"

I hit his chest half-heartedly when he tried to reach for me. His face was already so heartbroken, my words only making it worse. This was my fault. I let us push him. We should have never had done this. Not if this was the outcome. The field was nearly empty, only a handful of us left.

"Melanie, I'm so sorry baby," Steve choked, trying to calm me. I stepped back, ice shooting out from under me. I was losing control.

My eyes locked onto Pepper and something inside me snapped. Morgan. Morgan with no father. Just like Tony and I. It wasn't a life I wanted for her. Pepper deserved better too.

My gaze drifted back over to Tony and settled on the stones still in his suit. I sucked in a breath as an idea formed in my head. Everyone would kill me, but I didn't care. I looked back over at Stephen, and he had that same look on his face. The one that he had when teaching me when he was trying to make me see without actually saying anything. When I was supposed to trust myself. That's when I decided. When I knew I had to do it. It explained the look on his face before as he had stared at us.

My hands twitched as I prepared to take out anyone who stood in my way. I didn't give a damn what I had to do. Wanda met my eyes; she had been watching me and realized what I was going to do. She'd help me. I flashed a dark smile at her, blue wisps swirling around my hands.

"Mel-"

I dashed toward Tony, taking everyone by surprise. Thor stepped into my path in confusion, but I hit him with a beam, knocking my poor friend out of the way. There was shouting and a lot of movement, but my eyes were trained on the gauntlet.

A hand grasped my arm, but I whirled around punching without hesitation. Steve blocked it, but I knocked him back with a blast of energy, feeling slightly guilty. Pepper didn't attempt to stop me as I reached down and pulled the time stone out of the glove. I could hear several feet approaching and I quickly portaled behind them.

Wanda landed next to me, knowing what was coming next. I had never used the time stone before, but I had seen Stephen use it and read about it. I held it between my fingers and made a circle motion in front of me, focusing on what I was trying to do.

Everyone stopped moving, freezing as I manipulated time. I waved a hand at Wanda, pulling her out of it as everyone went back in time. Tony's death reversed and he moved past us to where he had snapped, but I kept going.