I don't own anything except any original/own characters and any original plot.

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Chapter 32 - Legacy

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Every muscle, every tendon, every bone in my body was screaming in pain as I tried to move. But I had never been one to follow my bodies wishes, especially when it tried to limit me in times of crisis. I was alive, and as far as I could tell, the baby was okay. The giant gold glow of a shield around me, and the warmth of the Talisman against my finger, made me thank Atreya. I had never been more thankful for my magic relic.

"(Y/n)? Thank god you're okay. Is everyone okay in there?" Tony helped me to my feet, a hand on the small of my back.

"Yeah, we're all good. The Talisman helped me out. Where's Steve?" I answered my own questions when my eyes landed on his semi-conscious form. Rushing over, I knelt down next to him, "Hey, Steve honey, you gotta wake up."

Steve groaned and pushed himself up. Tony knelt between us, holding Steve's shield, "You lose this again, I'm keeping it."

"What happened?" Steve gladly took back his favorite weapon.

"We messed with time. It tends to mess back. You'll see," Tony motioned for us to follow him. After a quick check-in with each other's well beings, we followed.

Thanos, likely from around 2014, was alive and well, sitting on a rogue stone in the middle of the rubble filled field. Thor was observing him closely. We weren't trying to hide ourselves either, but no one was starting the fight.

"What's he been doing?" Tony asked Thor.

"Absolutely nothing."

"What happened to the gauntlet?" I asked nervously. We couldn't let him undo everything we worked so hard to do.

"Somewhere under all this. All I know is he doesn't have them."

"So we keep it that way."

"You know it's a trap, right?" Thor raised a brow.

"Yeah. And I don't much care."

"Good. Just as long we are all in agreement," Thor summoned both Stormbreaker and Mjolnir, "Let's kill him properly this time."

"You've said a lot of crap these past few days Thor, but for once I couldn't agree more," eagerly, I summoned my twin discs and jumped to the ground with the others.

Thanos waited patiently for us to approach, and when he deemed us close enough he spoke.

"You could not live with your own failure. And where did that bring you? Back to me. I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me that's impossible. And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist."

"Yep. We're all kinds of stubborn."

"I'm thankful. Because now, I know what I must do. I will shred this universe down to its last atom," Thanos slipped on his helmet, "And then, with the stones you've collected for me, create a new one. Teeming with life, but knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. A grateful universe."

"Born out of blood," Steve growled.

"They'll never know it. Because you won't be alive to tell them."

In unison, we charged. Each of us took a side; left and right, front and back. Holding the back, it was easy to make large cuts in his armor in hopes to reach his actual skin.

"Thor hit me!" Thor charged Tony's blasters and Tony let loose.

Thanos swung his double-edged sword as a shield, diverting the blast until Thanos was right in front of Tony, able to pick him up and use him as a shield against Thor. When Tony's use was served, Thanos threw him away at the ground. Steve attempted to charge and was hit to the ground as well. Thor slid under an attack. Meeting Thanos' double sword with Stormbreaker, both of them lost their weapons. Thanos threw Thor to the ground, punched him, and took his own weapon from the air.

"Hey!" I practically jumped onto his back, flipping in the air and landing on my feet when he threw my off.

Stretching my hands apart I created a whip. Swinging it to him, I wrapped it around his ankle and knocked him off his feet. When I attempted to throw him into the air, Thanos grabbed the whip and pulled me towards him. Acting purely on survival instinct, I created a shield just as he slammed Stormbreaker down on me. I spread the shield out to strengthen it, but I saw, and heard the cracks in the protection.

Thanos smirked, pushing even harder, "Once I finish this planet, I'll go for yours, and sit on the thro-"

Mjolnir slamming into his head cut Thanos off. But Thor wasn't wielding it. Steve was. Steve was!

"I'm proud of you!" I yelled despite the situation. He dropped his past hesitations and picked up the hammer, all to protect me. Romantic.

"I knew it!" Thor shouted yelled victoriously, getting kicked to the ground after.

Steve charged Thanos, wielding both his shield and Mjolnir. Pushing myself off the ground, I gladly joined in, working in tandem in Steve- striking when he recovered, recovering when he struck. Thanos swung his sword and knocked the shield out of Steve's hands.

Having been waiting years to do it, I picked up Steve's shield and chucked it at Thanos. It reached its mark and landed in Steve's hands again after. While we momentarily had the upper hand, it didn't last long. Thanos knocked Mjolnir out of Steve's hand, destroyed half of Steve's shield, and kicked him across the battlefield. Turning to me, he swung before I had the chance to throw up a shield. All I could do was throw my body backward. Because I was low, Thanos had an easier time kicking me, and again, I barely had time to turn so he'd kick my back instead of my stomach.

"In all my years of conquest, violence, slaughter... It was never personal. But I'll tell you now; what I'm about to do to your stubborn, annoying little planet... I'm gonna enjoy it. Very, very much."

Thanos' entire army was summoned to the ground. Including the long-dead Children of Thanos. Seeing them put a scowl on my face. Steve staggered over to me and helped me up. We leaned on each other for support. It was us against an army. With fierce determination, Steve tightened the strap on his shield.

"We're fighting for her," he mumbled, looking to me with the faintest of smiles, "If we could even give her a chance of living in a peaceful world-"

"She'd grow up knowing what her parents did," I finished, tears pooling in my eyes. Elora was so young, and she had an unborn sibling. But to take the chance of life away from her, when we had the opportunity to fight would be unforgivable, "I love you."

"I love you too."

In unison we turned to the army, ready to fight to the very end. But before either side could charge, a crackling came over the com.

"Cap, (Y/n), it's Sam. Can you hear me?" a yellow portal opened up behind us, "On your left."

Another portal opened up, revealing Okoye, Shuri, and T'Challa. Turning around fully, dozens of portals opened up. The Guardians of the Galaxy, Wakandans, sorcerers, fallen Avengers, Asgardians, Ravagers, Pepper, and was that—

"General Spol?" I yelled in disbelief. Said general gave me a small wave, before turning back to her troops, "Oh my god, my 'we don't believe in unnecessary violence' planet sent their army."

"What does that mean?" Steve questioned.

"One, this fight is big. Two, Thanos is screwed."

Scott emerged from the rubble of the facility with Bruce, Rhodey, and Rocket in his hands. Tony and Thor had previously recovered from their injuries and joined our ranks on the front lines.

"Avengers!" Steve summoned Mjolnir, sending me a confident smirk, and I understood.

Together, we finished, "Assemble."

Both sides let out roar-like battle cries, sprinting into the action. Sticking close to Steve for reasons that were more than obvious, each of us faced multiple Outriders at a time, protecting each other's backs while the other was distracted.

Striking an Outrider in its misplaced heart with a disc, I was thoroughly amused when Thor and Steve switched weapons on accident when he passed by.

"No, give me that," Thor took Stormbreaker back with a childish pout, "You have the little one."

"Cap, what do you want me to do with this damn thing?" Clint stepped up beside us, holding up the gauntlet.

"Get those stones as far away as possible!" Steve ordered distractedly.

"No!" Bruce yelled into the com, "We need to get them back where the came from."

Tony rebutted, "No way to get them back. Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel."

"Hold on! That wasn't our only time machine," a classic car horn went off. Belonging to Scott's  van. It was plausible, "Anyone see an ugly brown van up there?"

"Yes!" Valkyrie replied quickly, "But you're not gonna like where it's parked."

"Don't tell me," I groaned, faintly spotting the ugly car in the middle of a dense clump of Outriders, "This sucks."

"Scott, how long you need to get that thing working?"

"Maybe ten minutes."

I motioned for Clint to start running, "Work as fast as possible. The stones will be there when you're done."

When Clint was gone, we were thrown back into battle, left with nothing but hope that the new gauntlet would stay out of Thanos' hands, per risk of another snap. My attention was in every direction. Enemy here, enemy there. I saw Peter in the distance swinging with- he had the gauntlet?

Without warning, missiles rained down on the battlefield. Most of the sorcerers raised their hands and created shields to protect their allies. Thanos must have been desperate to destroy his own troops, and Wanda freaking Maximoff was the source of that.

"Help! Somebody help!" Peter cried, overwhelmed with enemies, "Backup! Comrades!"

"Hey, Queens. Heads up." Steve chucked Mjolnir in his direction. Peter webbed it and flew through the air until Valkyrie caught him and carried him on.

"Princess (Y/n)!" General Spol ran to my side, taking down enemy after enemy on her way, "I was ordered to protect you throughout this battle. It is my duty to protect the royal family."

"Thanks Spol, do me a favor and point out where Spider-Man is? That kid with the eight metal legs?"

"Over there, Your Majesty, why-"

"Steve, I'm gonna go be backup!" I momentarily lowered my shield and began running, "Thanks General Spol! Don't worry, I can handle myself!"

Halfway to Peter, the missiles stopped firing on the ground and redirected to the sky. I paused and grinned. I knew exactly why they changed directions. Cause there was someone more dangerous than any of us up there. Carol Danvers.

A Chitauri soldier approached behind me. Distractedly, I created a disk and stabbed him without turning. They fell to the ground, and I continued on with my mission to get to Peter. If I was lucky, I'd meet Carol there, and we'd team up to protect and relocate the gauntlet.

Dropping to my knees next to Peter, I greeted him with an impromptu hug and ruffled his hair since his mask moved back from his face.

"I missed you ursbi," I whispered, flinching when a thud came from behind us, but I relaxed upon it was only Carol.

"Hi. I'm Peter Parker," Peter greeted meekly, clutching the gauntlet close to his chest.

"Hey, Peter Parker. Got something for me?"

Peter held out the gauntlet and Carol gladly took it. Exchanging nods, we turned to face the horde of soldiers in front of us.

"I don't know how you're gonna get through all that."

"Don't worry," Wanda landed behind us.

"She's got help," Okoye approached from the front, along with Pepper and Mantis.

Flanking Carol, the women of the Avengers made sure she was able to make it through. I held back the urge to greet Wanda with a hug. I had a moment of peace to do so with Peter, but I was literally fighting two Outriders when the thought popped into my mind.

I was so caught up in the fighting that I didn't realize Carol lost the gauntlet until Thanos said a statement that sent shivers up my spine, and made me think we lost all over again.

"I am... inevitable."

There was a telltale metal snap, but nothing happened. Deciding the risk was worth it, I turned to see what exactly was going on. Tony's suit created a gauntlet for the Infinity Stones. He must have stolen them from Thanos in the heat of the moment!

"And I... am... Iron Man."

Tony snapped.

All around us the enemy disappeared into dust. I derived a lot of pleasure while watching Thanos sit down in defeat and turn to dust, never to be seen again in our timeline, or the timeline he traveled from. But looking at Thanos made me think of how damaged he was after his snap, and how Tony-

"Mr. Stark? Hey... Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter. We won. We won, Mr. Stark. We won, and you did it, sir. You did it. I'm sorry Tony."

Rushing to Peter and Tony's sides, I led Peter away without hesitation when I saw Pepper's suit landing. Pepper, who dealt with Tony for over ten years, Pepper who loved Tony more than anything, Pepper who feared that what happened would because of Iron Man, Pepper who accepted him anyway. Pepper, the mother of their child.

"It's okay Peter. Shh, it'll be okay," I muttered soothingly, rocking back and forth on my heels to soothe the heartbroken teen. He just returned to his father figure, and Tony was ripped away from him. A dark similarity to how Peter died in the first snap.

"Tony," Steve whispered from behind me.

Tony's arc reactor flickered off, never to light up again. Using one arm to continue hugging Peter, I side-hugged Steve as well.

The price was paid.

~*~

The death of Tony Stark was the end of an era. The entire world knew and understood that. While Steve was technically the first Avenger chronologically, it was Tony, who said "I am Iron Man" start to finish, who truly paved the way for the greatest team of heroes the universe had ever known.

"Where's Uncle Tony ejo?" Elora asked me quietly as Pepper stepped out of the Stark household and carried her wreath down to the lake. It held his first arc reactor, but it was more than that to her. 'Proof Tony Stark Has A Heart'. But it wasn't truly the arc reactor that represented his heart, it was everyone watching as it dipped into the lake.

"Gone. He saved us all," I explained simply, not wanting to put something on her shoulders she couldn't process, "Why don't you go give Morgan a giant hug? Can you do that for me?"

Elora nodded dutifully and walked off to greet her friend with a big hug, unsure of how important that hug would be to Morgan. They were each other's best friends, and they'd be each other's support systems.

"What do you think about naming this one after one of them?" Steve whispered, placing a hand on my stomach. I nodded, smiling at the thought of a permanent memorial to our fallen friends.

"Both of them would be ecstatic to hear it."

With Tony's ashes formerly spread, the memorial service was over. The large group was staying longer, though, to both mourn and celebrate Tony's life. Steve was pulled away by Thor, and I wandered along the edge of the lake. Clint and Wanda were having a Mourning Loved Ones moment, and I didn't want to interrupt that. So I settled in a secluded corner where Steve and Elora would be able to find me, but where I could have some peace.

"You've aged twenty years in ten, (Y/n). Perhaps it's time you think about retiring from the hero business. I've got plans to talk to my brother about New Asgard as well."

I should have been surprised when he popped up next to me, but I wasn't. For once his black suit fit in with the occasion. Deep down, I knew— I'd always be connected to my loved ones through my heart and magic. So much mourning went into everyone, that it all blended together. It took him literally standing in front of me to understand that I wasn't mourning his death, but his absence.

"And where the hell have you been all this time?"

"Travelling, 'soul-searching'. I became a man called Noobmaster69 for a while. But I just couldn't stay away. Making a new life for myself, not my style. I'd rather return to my old one and continue the chaos."

"It's about time... how'd you do it?"

"I'm a master of illusions. Do you really have to ask?" The playful grin fell from his face, "I was planning on stepping out and surprising Thanos when he thought I was dead, but the Bifrost sent me off. Heimdall created two, and no one noticed. I woke up far across the galaxy. The guilt never left, for not being there for everything. But something inside me held me back. I think it was Mother saying it wasn't my time."

"Yeah, well I was there and the guilt hasn't left so I can't hate you for that. Elora would love to meet you. You should stick around."

Loki smiled, and wrapped an arm around my shoulder to give me a side-hug, "For you (Y/n)? I'd do anything."

We stayed in that secluded corner of the lake for a while in silence. Thinking, sharing silent conversations through facial expressions and gestures. Calling Loki my best friend wouldn't do it justice. Calling him a brother wouldn't either. There was something much deeper within us connecting us together. The romance didn't work, but we did as a whole.

"I'm sorry about Stark. We had our... disagreements, but he was a good man."

"He was."

Tony and I disagreed, we fought, and at times we considered killing each other, but I was more than happy to call him family. The family I chose for myself after becoming who I was meant to be. One of the Original Six.

Because of how close all of us were, and how much trouble we all managed to attract even when we were actively avoiding it, I kept tabs on the Avengers during my freetime. While Tony was always considered the irresponsible one, he spoke at an expo and said words that had never rung truer with me.

As a hero, your goal is to leave the best world behind. The Avengers, they were always focusing on the problem at hand. The idea of protecting the world ten, twenty, thirty years after New York never entered their minds. But subconciously, all of us were doing what we could to change the future. And for what? Legacy.

"It's not about me. It's not about you, either. It's about legacy, the legacy left behind for future generations. It's not about us!"

"Ejo!" A body tackled my legs, nearly sending me to the ground, chuckling, I picked Elora up and balanced her on my hip. Her blue eyes widened at the sight of Loki, "Is that Uncle Loki from the pictures?"

"Son of a bitch," Steve whispered from behind me. There was no animosity in the words, no threat. We were beyond that. The end of an era meant fresh starts, that included giving Loki a chance, "Loki, not surprised."

"Rogers. Elora, lovely to meet you."

"Is it true you turned into a snake and stabbed Uncle Thor?"

It's not about us. Tony was right.

Elora laughed with Loki, and Steve blinked back tears to join in on the conversation.

It was about those who would carry on our legacies.

~*~

"Remember, you have to return the stones at the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities."

My mind wandered to my conversation with Past Loki, and I couldn't help but smile. We were dealing with the possibility of alternate timelines in our reality, but no one seemed to grasp the concept of other realities already existing. I kept that knowledge to myself, not wanting to raise a panic at the idea of all of us being genderbent somewhere.

"Don't worry, Bruce. Clip all the branches."

"You know, I tried. When I had the gauntlet, the stones, I really tried to bring her back," Bruce sighed sadly, "I miss them, man."

"Me too."

"You know, if you want, I can come with you," Sam offered in a successful attempt to break the sad silence that followed.

"You're a good man, Sam. This one's on me, though."

Steve stepped over to Bucky, "Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back."

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

Stepping between them I wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders, "Can you two stop being in love for three seconds and realize Steve will only be gone for ten seconds at most?"

The pair chuckled, and we separated. Steve stepped onto the platform.

"How long is this gonna take?" Sam wondered, having missed our original time escapades.

"For him? As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds."

Steve picked up Mjolnir, and his slung his shield on his back, picking up the briefcase with the stones right after.

"Ready, Cap?  Alright. We'll meet you back here, okay?"

"You bet."

"Going quantum. Three, two, one..." Steve disappeared, "And returning in, five, four, three, two, one..."

Steve didn't reappear. My heart clenched painfully in momentary panic. We didn't discuss anything that would make him late. But with the ability to time travel he could go anywhere, to anyone... I shook my head to rid it of my thoughts. I trusted Steve. He wouldn't do that.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. He blew right by his time stamp. He should be here."

"Maybe you should look back at the pad." All of us jumped, but greeted Steve with relieved smiles as he stepped down, "Sorry about that. I owed someone a dance and lost track of time."

Steve kissed my temple and gently knocked his forehead against mine. Nodding, I understood. I technically gave him a dance with Peggy, but not only was it a giant bump in our relationship, it wasn't what he truly needed. But he went back, and he gave Peggy her dance so he could come back to me.

"Sam, I uh, I want you to have this." Steve took his shield from his back.

Sam laughed in disbelief, "Very funny Cap. Now come on, I'm sure your daughter's getting antsy inside the compound."

"He's serious Sam," I cut in, motioning for him to take the shield.

That was one thing we did talk about. Steve had been Captain America longer than any of us had been alive. It was time for him to hang up the mantle. And although it hurt both of us to come to terms with giving up such a big part of our lives- as there was no way Steve could retire without me hanging up the uniform as well- there was a strange sense of relief there.

Slowly, Sam took the shield from Steve's arms, and slid it onto his arm.

"Perfect fit. I knew it would be," Steve smiled, patting Sam twice on the shoulder, "Trust me, man, things couldn't go a better way. And Buck?"

Bucky pulled Steve into a tight hug before he could finish. Smiling, Steve hugged his best friend with the same amount of fervor.

"I figured since you always mocked me about the uniform you wouldn't want to wear it. But you aren't me. You're someone completely different from Captain America too, and I need you to embrace that... I'm gonna miss you."

"Me too."

"Why are you guys acting like you're moving to another planet?" Bruce asked, chuckling at his own joke. It wasn't until he caught onto our silence that he stopped, "Oh."

"Ejo, gysk!" Elora leaped into Steve's arms, having snuck out of the compound. Chuckling, Steve and I greeted her with smiles.

"It's what's best for her, and what's best for us," I explained shortly, ruffling Elora's hair causing her to giggle, "We're gonna miss Earth, but Orveon has chances we can't miss out on."

"So this is really goodbye then?"

"To us as heroes, maybe. But not Steve and (Y/n) Rogers," stuffing my hands into my jeans pockets I shrugged, "We deserve our happy ending, don't you think?"

No one could say no.