We're sitting by the windows in the lab, watching Mom, Dad, Uncle Tony, and Uncle Bruce run about frantically. They're hardly speaking, only reacting when needed, and searching for an answer. We haven't heard from the Guardians, and all of our X-Men friends are gone. Even Pepper and Sharon, both of them now working for the US government, one of which is a member of the US Cabinet, are gone. We can't find Uncle Scott either.
"Dad?" I ask.
She nods.
"He didn't sleep last night," I tell her. "Then again, I don't think anyone really did given the circumstances. Uncle Clint left in the middle of the night, didn't say goodbye or anything. Uncle Rhodey was pacing the floors. I could hear his brace when he walked. Mom and Uncle Tony were in the lounge with me. We talked things over a pot of tea and a dozen cookies. But, as far as Dad is concerned, he's not doing well. I don't even think he knows what he's doing, honestly. The last time he and Pops were truly separated was the last time Pops was in cryo, and that was for five years. Before that, it was on and off, because of Pops going into hiding after the fall of SHIELD and Ultron."
"I remember that," Carol says softly. "I had time in between saving a couple different planets, so I came home every few years. I was in New York when SHIELD fell, and I had just left Earth when Ultron happened. I can't think of worse timing, honestly."
"I'm sure Dad thinks the same," I tell her. "We were happy, granted, we were preparing for Thanos' return in 2039, but Dad and Pops had a family they could call their own. It's a bit disfunctional, but it's theirs. I don't even think Dad was taking his medication up until a few weeks ago. He said something didn't feel right, that he wanted to be better prepared if something happened to any of us. I don't think he expected to lose Pops and the triplets though."
"How are you so calm about all of this?" She asks after a moment.
I shrug, "When your fathers are supersoldiers, one mother is basically a witch, and the other mother is one of the world's most feared assassins, you get used to shit hitting the fan. I've been waiting for something like this to happen for over a year though. Thanos brought us a care package, told us to be prepared for the endgame. He wants my head, and he wants to wipe the Avengers from existence."
"Does he have all of the infinity stones?" She asks.
I shake my head, "He did, but we were able to recover the time stone in our last fight against him, when Dad was almost killed in Wakanda. Thanos punched him right into the sky, and he fell. The ground shook when he hit, and a moment after that, as Pops pulled him into his arms and he gave his final breath, my powers awakened, and he suddenly healed. I have a feeling that his abilities and Pops' abilities were triggered then, and that they only surfaced once we learned that they had them in the first place."
She nods, and we turn our attention to the sudden chaos in the lab.
"Steve, please, listen to me," Mom says, "You can't just bring Thanos here. He'll set the damn planet on fire."
"What do we do then?" He asks. "Wait for that sick son of a bitch to show his face? I'm not waiting until 2039 for our final battle against that monster. I want my husband and my children home."
"We don't even know where they are, Steve!" She fires back, slamming her fists against the table as she moves to her feet.
"Look harder!" He snaps.
"Steve, take a walk," Uncle Bruce says gently.
"Bruce, I swear on my husband," Dad warns.
"Take a walk. Now," Uncle Bruce says, more firm than he was a second ago.
Dad swallows hard, tears in his eyes as he turns and leaves the lab, storming out through the doors to the patio just outside. He walks over to the oak tree, squares up, and then he punches it, the massive tree splintering into thousands of pieces as it falls away from him.
I take a breath in, and I let it out.
"I should go talk to him," I say softly to Carol as I stand up and walk across the lab toward the doors.
"Sei stark, Ana," she says softly.
I nod to her as I step out of the lab and out into the fresh air. Then, I look at Dad, who is standing at the edge of the patio, hands in his pockets, back to the compound, looking out at the ocean.
As I get closer, I notice that he has a blank look on his face, but his eyes are incredibly emotive - anger, grief, heartbreak, loss, uncertainty bright and in full color.
It hurts my heart, and I know I can't quite empathize completely, but I can empathize with what I have experienced. I've lost my Papa Bear, my Dot, my three siblings, my best friends, and a vast majority of my family.
"Got a minute to talk, Daddy?" I ask softly.
He turns to me as I walk up to him, saying, "I always have time for you, baby girl."
He tucks me under his arm and squeezes my shoulders, leaning his head against mine.
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We watch the gentle roll of the waves crashing against the shore, neither of us speaking for a while.
Then, he says, "I need you to promise me something, Ana."
Shit.
"What?" I ask.
"When the time comes, and it's my life or yours, choose yours," he tells me. "I've outlived my lifetime, been blessed by a beautiful family, and you deserve so much more than what your father and I have endured. We want the best for you, even if we can't be there to see it."
"You already know what my answer is," I say softly.
