Standing outside of Wade's house, you felt like it had been another life since you had been in that very spot, and in all reality, it was. Thoughts like this were fleeting at times, but it was true; this was a new life that you had been given and you couldn't get yourself to come to that realization. On the other side of the old and weathered door would be the man who had given the life back to you, and according to Tony, it was best to not even bring it up. After Wade had fled the compound the night before, you began to wonder if he would even want to talk to you at all. Deciding that there was only one way to find out, you held your breath and knocked.

The stumbling footsteps didn't belong to him, as normally he didn't want anyone to know if he was there and would sneak up to the peephole to see if he wanted to answer the door or not. Al, on the other hand, didn't have a choice but to make herself known when Wade left his stuff just lying around everywhere for her to trip over.

"Aw, son of a bitch, what the...Wade! What the fuck did I just step in?" you heard her yell as she approached. You stifled a laugh when you thought of all of the possibilities, knowing that a he had likely left a few things in her path on purpose; their love-hate relationship was nothing if not entertaining. But then when the door finally opened, and Al came into view, you jumped forward in pure shock at what she was holding.

It was the Infinity Gauntlet, it's five remaining stones glowing to light the house around her.

"Al, I'll take that," you commanded, pulling it from her grip. "Wade really shouldn't leave stuff like that just anywhere."

"Oh, hey, (Y/N)," she smiled at the sound of your voice, "what brings you here, sweetie?"

"Actually, I just got what I needed. Wade was holding onto this for me, but turns out I needed it back."

"Hey, love, fine by me," she waved dismissively, "I've tripped over that goddamned thing at least twenty times already today. What the hell is it, anyway?"

"Um...it's uh...well..."

"It's not hers to take," Wade snapped, pushing the door fully open to stand next to Al, glaring at you as he finished his morning cereal. He was mad, but not mad enough to put his bowl down before unleashing the anger on you. "Give it to me, (Y/N)."

"Excuse me? Not mine to take? How about it's not yours to keep?"

"How do you figure?" he argued readily. "I was the one who used that gaudy monstrosity to save your ass and all of your Avenger buddies. I think I should get to have a little souvenir, don't you? Now give me it, or I'll take it from you, Rogers."

"R-Rogers?" you stumbled, taking a step back with a grip tightening over the Gauntlet. "Wade, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm just fucking amaaaazing! Never better!" He took a step forward to match yours taken back, tossing his half-eaten bowl of cereal out onto the front lawn, splattering its contents and breaking the bowl in half. "Fucking around with the laws of the universe has done wonders for my sleep! And do you know what's the best part of all, (Y/N)? Do ya?!" With every few words, he was taking another step closer, pushing you back and away.

"I don't want to fight you, Wade."

"The best part," he continued, as if you had said nothing, "is that I got to see your dead body, all twisted up and busted and bent like I didn't think you could do, even when you were younger and more flexible. You were wearing a really nice shade of blue around those perfect goddamn lips of yours. Seeing your old man lose his shit and begging for you to be alive really just makes for some vivid fucking nightmares, you know that? OH!" he clapped, his eyes now wider and a little bit crazy, "I forgot all about what a mind-fuck it was to see your two boys, who started calling me Uncle Wade just in time to die. Yeah, I tell ya, (Y/N), I'm sleeping like a drunk baby sucking off a tit full of Jack Daniels. Now, give me the damn thing."

"I'm sorry, Wade...I can't do that. We need the mind stone to bring Vision back. I'm not going to give this to you."

"Oh my God, you're going to use it?! What the fuck are you thinking? You have no idea what you're getting yourself into! I'm not gonna let you do this," he growled, lunging forward, but in your anticipation of his attack, you side-stepped and twisted away, leaving him to flail and falter forward, nearly falling on his face.

You wanted to make sure that he would stay down, and that he wouldn't try to follow you back home, but there was only one way. So long as he was awake and able, Wade would chase after you until he won; once he was set on a goal, it would be met, even if that goal was to take you down in the process. "Al, hold this," you ordered, sliding the Gauntlet into her hands before turning back to your new target with a steeled stance and ready to engage. "Wilson, I don't know what's gotten into you, but this stops now."

"Are you gonna fight me, (Y/N)?" he panted, standing to face you. "That's not gonna end the way you want it, and I don't see Captain Daddy anywhere to save you."

"I don't need Steve to fight my battles, Wade. But when this is done, and I've won, I'm taking you with me to find out what happened to my friend." With that, you didn't want to wait any longer; if you had to fight, then you just wanted it to be over. Determined to win, you pulled your one, never-failed move, drawing him in and getting him to turn just right so that you could swing yourself onto his back, pinning his arms and squeezing the air from his throat until he finally relented, crumbling into an unconscious heap at your feet.

~~~

Getting Wade back to the compound was tricky, making sure that he stayed knocked out long enough to make it, all while keeping the Gauntlet secure and away from him if he should happen to wake up sooner. All you could think of was that there was something residual happening to him from using it, but so far, Tony hadn't been showing any of those same behaviors, and he had used it too. As you drove into the driveway and towards the building, you started to wonder if maybe it really was what Wade had seen that was driving him a little mad, and that he just wasn't handling it well. You began to think that maybe it could be that your friend who brushed off traumas like a mere inconvenience was truly affected by the ordeal, and that he needed help to pull through it.

"I've got Stephen on the way," Bruce smiled sorrowfully as he pulled the final restraint that held Wade to the examination table. "I'm sure he'll have the answers for us, (Y/N). If this is something that the Gauntlet did to him, he'll know and will be the best one to find a way to reverse it. Don't worry, okay?"

"It's hard not to, Bruce. He risked everything for us."

"I know. We'll figure this out. I don't think you'll find anyone here who's willing to give up on this."

"Thanks," you finally allowed yourself to smile back, "I appreciate what you're doing." Bruce moved past you with a graze of his hand over your arm, reaching out to take one of his tablets from his desk. He stared at the screen for a few minutes, but when you looked at him, the screen didn't reflect at all in his eyes; the screen was black. "So, how about you? Are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm good," he answered. "It's just a little harder to get my mind to focus, but it's getting better each day. I feel like I've had a reboot and it slowed down my processors."

"Wow, Banner, you sound like Dad."

"That's not all bad, you know?"

"Never said it was," you deflected quickly. "Will you call me when he wakes up?"

"Of course," he nodded, finally turning the tablet on to light his face by the reflection. It might have been how the light danced across his features, or the data that was showing when he looked down, but for just a quick second, you saw a hazy green trace of the Hulk just before you turned away.

~~~

Your next stop was the most important, and it was almost a perfectly timed distraction for Stephen to be needed at Wade's side. If he knew what you were about to do, he would definitely want to intervene or even stop you, knowing that the power you were about to tap into could trap someone again after he had risked himself to bring you out. With quiet steps, you hurried to Wanda's room where you would be met by not only her, but Tony, Steve, and your trio. When you reached her door and let yourself in, they were all standing still and silent, surrounding the android body that had held the essence of Vision for so long; the eyes were closed and its stillness was disturbing to see, made obvious by Wanda's refusal to look.

"I have it," you announced, opening your hand to reveal the mind stone, "are we ready? Stephen will be here any minute, but I think Bruce will be keeping him busy long enough for us to get this done."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Tony answered, "but we don't have any other way, do we?"

"No, Tony, we don't," Steve agreed, his eyes following you as you moved to stand near Vision's head. His heart was racing with anxiety that wasn't even his to endure; your three were about to be pulled into the stone, with Wanda acting as the power needed to join with it. Her abilities came from the mind stone, but her strength alone wasn't guaranteed to be enough to give it life and bring Vision out. She needed more, and the kids were more than willing to help bring their uncle back. "Guys, are you sure you want to do this??

As usual, Anthony was the first to step forward, acting without a second of hesitation, "ready as ever, Dad. You know that we'd never say no to this."

"Okay," Steve nodded, "FRIDAY? You're on watch."

"Yes, Captain. I'll alert you if anyone is approaching."

With Steve's look at you, and the urgency in his eyes to get this going, you gently settled the mind stone into the hole left behind after Brooklyn had removed it while under Thanos' control. Breaths were held all around the room as everyone watched to see if luck would be on their side, and if it would come to life on its own so that Vision would find his way back to his body. After a few painstaking minutes, it was clear that the plan had to continue, and that he would need help to get home. Anthony pressed a hand to Vision's forehead, his open hand taking Brooklyn's. She took Grant's hand, who took Wanda's, pausing before she pressed her other hand atop Anthony's to complete the circle of their strength as it blended together. She would lead the way and guide them all, as her powers came of this stone in the first place; they would provide her with the extra strength to pull Vision out with her, much as Stephen had helped Vision to bring you back.

It would be nearly two hours before any of them would move from that first moment, though to them, time was racing by like a flash of light rather than seconds ticking by through minute after minute. To the three of you left standing to watch, you worried that the fear had been realized, that they were trapped within the stone as you had been. Words needed no sound to be communicated between you, but despite your building fears, you waited. You waited until that moment when you could breathe again, and the light began to grow from deep within the yellow stone.

"It's working," Tony dared to whisper, taking your hand. "Viz?"

But Vision wouldn't answer yet, so long as the four were connected to him. Grant was released first, his body shuddering and dropping into Steve's arms as he caught his son. Tony stepped up behind Anthony as he shifted, with you taking your place behind Brooklyn as she began to waver. Setting Grant down carefully, Steve then hurried to support Wanda, the last to break the connection, though it was to no one's surprise that she would be.

"Vision?" Tony asked again, standing up to look at his friend. "Viz, come on, pal, can you hear me?"

"Y-yes, Mr...Stark, I can. I can hear you."