The Darkest Hour (Steve Rogers) - 3

6

Steve hadn't really slept in the few weeks that passed. Twenty two days to be precise as he had began to count. Day, after day, after day. They'd ran a check on the number of people who had disappeared and it was as they thought. Half the population. Animals, humans, insects - anything living had been dusted at the snap of a finger.

Now it was just after 3am and he was simply stood on the balcony of the compound, staring out into the darkness. It was too silent, even if it was the very early hours.

He hadn't wanted to go home, not yet. There was still work to be done and they couldn't leave Nat and the others who were left to deal with it. Still they'd had no word from Tony or whether he was even still with them either, it all just seemed very bleak with the outlook right now.

"Darling..." Mo's voice sounded, but he didn't turn. He couldn't let her see that he was hurting. "Come back to bed".

He turned his head to acknowledge her as she came to stand beside him. "Can't sleep, you go back Lizzie, I'll be there soon..." his voice was distant and now she turned his head so she could look at him, seeing the hurt in his eyes.

"Steve..."

"I could've done something more... I should have, what use is being who I am if I can't stop someone like Thanos?"

"Because you were not created for that". Mo told him gently, "We were not meant to have been here in this time, we should've had a life and be long gone by now - but fate had other plans for us".

He swallowed, "Sometimes I wish they'd have just left me in the ice..."

"You don't mean that..." She was a little shocked, "you really don't mean that".

Steve nodded, "Right now I do". He hung his head, not wanting her to see that there were tears threatening to fall.

"Please...come back to bed". She wouldn't leave him be if he didn't and he returned to their room, getting into bed and staring at the ceiling, feeling numb. Mo rolled over to him and now popped herself up, looking over him. "You don't have to hide it Steve, I know you're fighting keeping your emotions from me. I saw you after we lost Bucky during the war, it doesn't make you any less of a person".

"I have to be strong, if not for me then for you".

Of course his eyes betrayed him and a single tear slid down his cheek. She wiped it away and kissed him. "It's ok...if you don't just let it all out then it's going to eat you up from the inside".

Her lips felt like home on his own, having craved her touch for the last couple of years. The overwhelming urge took over and he flipped her under him, needing to release his build up of emotions and frustrations on her. His hands slid underneath her nightwear and then he broke away from her, a little unsure.

"Go on..." Mo nodded. "I can take whatever you give me, you can be as rough as you need to be".

She knew he needed this and pulled off her nightwear, opening her legs for him to settle between once he was rid of his clothes. He slammed into her hard and began to over and over, seemingly fucking the pain away. It was the only thing that could take his mind from the devastation, for one damn night he just wanted to forget everything and make up for the time he and his wife had lost out on - and it was a lot.

Finally, he felt her release at the same time as his own and leant down and kissed her deeply once more. "Is that better?" She asked in between tender kisses.

Steve rolled off her and lay back down on his side of the bed. "Sorry..."

"Sorry for having sex with your wife or..."

"No for...never mind". He pulled his nightwear back on and got up, pacing the floor of their room. "I just, don't know what to do - we've exhausted all options we've come up with". He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

She sat up now and pulled the sheets around her. "We lost". She was blunt with him, "we may have abilities but even we have our weaknesses - don't think I'm not hurting because I am, but every battle we've fought? Even during the war, we lost people along the way. This? It's catastrophic, we don't even know where Thanos went".

"Which means we need to find that son of a bitch". Steve said a little angered. "He's still gotta have those stones we find him, we find those and he snaps everyone back".

Mo got up and re-dressed. "And what if he doesn't? Then what?" She asked.

He said nothing and she walked out, stating that she was going to get a drink - even she was becoming stressed with just how they were working tirelessly to not only locate Tony, but also Thanos - and they were simply coming up with nothing.

Sitting at the screens she began to run the list of people that they had lost, the faces that she'd known flashing up one by one.

Fifty percent of all living creatures. Just gone.

"Can't sleep?" Nat's voice now made her turn to the doorway that she lingered in.

Mo shook her head. "It's more Steve than me, thought I'd try and run another deep space scan, see if anything new has come to light". She swiped across the screen to start the scanner and sat back in her chair. "You know, we thought the war was catastrophic but this? It's the cherry on top of the cake..."

There were children orphaned, governments in turmoil. She couldn't see the world healing for a very long time, nor could she see any chance of finding Thanos presenting itself to them anytime soon.

Nat came and sank into the chair next to her. "Steve's angry..." she stated, knowing that behind her friend's calm demeanour that he was trying to keep, he was pained.

"The last time I saw him like this was when Bucky..." Mo trailed off. "I don't know what else I can do to help..."

The compound shook slightly, a low rumble coming from outside. Both Nat and Mo looked at one another before getting up and walking outside, Steve, Bruce, Thor, and Rhodey also following them.

Only then did they see the large ship being brought down to the ground by an unknown woman. Tony then stumbling weakly from it as Steve now ran to help keep him held up.

Mo watched as the pair spoke for the first time since their fall out, before helping Tony inside so as Helen and Bruce could treat him quickly.

**

Returning upstairs to their room it was about half an hour before Steve appeared again, closing the door and finding his wife in the bathroom. "How's Tony?" She asked quietly, looking at his reflection in the mirror.

"He's gonna be ok, but he needs a lot of fluids and rest".

She nodded and came out, getting into bed as Steve turned off the light. "I don't know what else to do". She said quietly, feeling his arms wrap around her and pull her close once he had got in beside her.

"All we can do is hope that we can pick Thanos up on the scan soon".

"And if we can't?"

Steve sighed. "Then we need to start learning to live in a very different world".