Ava knew that Peter would protect the world until his last breath.

That was the vow he made when he became Agent S, he had to put people first, and himself last, no matter how much it hurt.

Tony explained to her about Doctor Strange, and the time stone, because they were the important thing here.

Peter was intuitive and incredibly intelligent, and one day, he would give Tony a run for his money.

But, even the brightest minds, can't function when they are deprived of oxygen. Peter wouldn't be thinking logically, he wouldn't have the willpower to web himself up to the side of the ship.

Tony didn't have long, and he was still on the ground in hand-to-hand combat with a member of Thanos' army. Tony's mind was clouded by thoughts of Peter. He didn't have time to retaliate, when the creature's weapon locked around the Iron Man armour, imprisoning him and Ava as they landed on their back, unable to escape the restraints.

The creature's armour, suddenly, produced a sword. This couldn't happen, she couldn't lose like this, especially not when Peter's life was in the balance. She tried to pull against the restraints, but nothing worked.

The beast lunged for them, it threw its arm back, ready to deliver the killing blow. Tony attempted to roll over, but he was locked in place.

Her heart leapt up into his throat when a portal opened in front of him and swallowed the creature. She still had time, he could save Peter. She pushed herself back onto her feet and tried to escape from the restraints.

Wong, Strange's partner in wizardry apparently, had been the one to open the portal and stop the creature.

The mystic closed the portal, and for good measure, he chopped the beast's arm off.

Bruce recoiled in disgust, "Whoa." He kicked the disregarded arm away, in Tony's direction. If Tony wasn't distracted by his debilitating concern for Peter, he would have probably made a sly comment at Bruce's actions.

Instead, Tony escaped the restraints, he settled for the only comment that came to mind. "Wong, you're invited to my wedding." Tony sped up, making a beeline for the ship, his mind fixated on helping Peter.

"Wait!" Ava tries calling, wanting to help Peter but can't break free as Stark is out of hearing range.

Peter's on his own.

-

"Give me a little juice, Friday." Tiny says and his suit's thrusts morphed into a single jet and blasted him up towards the ship.

Even with the extra help, he still wasn't close enough and it wouldn't be long until the spaceship broke the atmosphere.

Panic crept up Tony's spine, "Unlock 17-A. Pete, you gotta let go. I'm gonna catch you." Tony said.

Peter was latched onto the outside of the ship, hanging on with the little strength he had left.

"But you said save the wizard!" Peter shouted back, his voice strained by the lack of oxygen making it into his lungs.

Tony watched, utterly helpless, as Peter pulled off his mask, and desperately gasped for air.

"I can't breathe!" Peter yelped, now only hanging onto the ship with one hand as his other flopped back, dropping his mask.

"You're too high up. You're running out of air." Tony informs him.

"Yeah," Peter hiccuped into the thinning air as his thoughts became more distant, "That makes sense." The 17-A shot past Tony, heading for Peter.

Tony watched as Peter let out one last strained gasp, and fell. Tony fought against the bile rising in his throat at the sight of the kid, free-falling.

Tony wasn't an idiot, he knew that Peter wasn't a stranger to suffering, he had faced his own battles and had his own demons over the years from within S.H.I.E.L.D., but this was different.

This was the agony that had been silently tearing Tony apart, from the inside out, for six years. He couldn't let someone like Peter or Ava get tangled up in this more than they already were.

Tony watched on, as the Iron Spider suit hit Peter's back, and began to form around his old suit, shielding him in a metallic-shell. It was built like the Iron Man suit, but with upgrades to match Peter's chosen persona.

Peter twisted in the sky, as oxygen was reintroduced to his lungs. The suit quickly connected to the side of the ship. Peter absentmindedly stood in his Spider-Man stance.

"Yikes, it smells like a new car in here!" Peter shouted, the usual exuberance in his tone returned.

Tony flew up until he level with his son. He had to do something, something he should have done as soon as Peter arrived to help.

"Happy trails, kid!" Tony exclaimed, a quiver in his voice, "Friday, send him home." He tells his AI.

"Yep." Friday hummed.

A parachute shot out of the back of the Iron Spider, and pulled the unexpected Peter back before he had chance to protest, he was pulled toward the ground, "Oh, come on!"

Knowing Peter was safe, Tony carried on with the mission at hand. He attached himself to the side of the ship and used his laser to cut through the metallic structure, it flew back into the atmosphere, and he clambered inside.

His heart broke, when Pepper's panicked voice cracked through the communication link, "Tony? Oh my God! Are you all right? What's going on?"

Tony scanned the interior of the ship.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He lied as he thought of the best way to tell her that he was not coming back, "I just think, uh, we might have to push our eight-thirty dinner res."

"Why?" Pepper asked, but she knew.

"Just 'cause I'll probably not make it back for a while." Tony drew back his mask, after Friday informed him that the oxygen levels on the spaceship were stable.

"Tell me you're not on that ship." Pepper pleaded, desperation seeping through in her urgent tone.

"Yeah." He choked, hating that by leaving, he was hurting her, and Peter.

"God, no, please tell me you're not on that ship." She begged, her throat cracking.

"Honey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say-" He didn't have time to explain why he had to stay on the ship. In the long run, it was for Peter and Pepper.

This universe was hanging in the balance, and from where he was standing, he had the power to stop Thanos, before he had a chance to win.

"Come back here, Tony." She ordered, "I swear to God. Come back here right now."

"Pep-"

"Come back." The audio link cracked, as the ship flew further from earth.

"Boss, we're losing her," Friday informed him. "I'm going too..."

Outside the ship, Peter was able to grab on and started climbing inside, not understanding what Stark was thinking, but he knows this has something to do with someone wanting to harm Earth, on way or another.

And it's his duty as an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. to protect the earth.

"I should've stayed on the bus." Peter admits to himself knowing that if he survives this, Ava or Coulson will kill him.

-

Back on Earth, it took some doing, but Bruce was able to help Ava break free from the device that creature placed her in and found Stark's phone. While Bruce was explaining what's going on to her.

Apparently, Bruce was on a planet named Sacarr where he fought Thor and they escaped to Asgard which was now destroyed. Then they met up with a monstrous man named Thanos who plans on collecting all six of the infinity stones and uses them to kill half of all life.

And he even fought beat the Hulk, Loki, and Thor at once with just one of the stones.

From what Bruce can tell, Thor is dead.

"So, you're an ex-Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Bruce asks Ava.

"Ex, retired, taking a break. Call me what you will. People call me White Tiger or Ava. You already met my teacher, Agent S." Ava tells him.

"S? That kid from S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Bruce asks, having a vague memory of a child that was on the Helicarrier when the Avengers were first formed. "Okay, if you're as good as him, you can help. We need to find Vision and get the Avengers back together." He states, getting back on track.

"I might have a few friends that can come in handy." Ava states thinking of the Next Avengers and wonders how they'll feel with helping the Avengers.