The door to the conference room opened urgently, and Steve rushed in, stopping in his tracks just inside the room when Brooklyn turned to look at him, but her eyes were darker and unaffected, as if she barely knew him. The girl who was looking back at him now wasn't his daughter, and Allie's words about Anthony rang in his mind again, louder than they first were. "What's happening?" he asked Vision, though his own gaze never left his daughter.

"You can't stop this," Brooklyn answered instead. "Destiny halts for no one. Not even you, Steven Rogers."

"Steve," you gasped from just behind him, grabbing his arm, "what do we do?"

Sam and Bucky took a stand at the door, blocking any attempt that the kids might make to leave, but Anthony's hand raised ever so slightly, a force emanating from it that pushed the duo to the ground. The young man didn't even look in their direction, or act as if it were a distraction in the least. Wanda tried next, her hands glowing despite her hesitance to hurt any of them, but Grant took the next action, a burst of flame blinding her and pushing her back against the wall.

"Anthony, stop," Steve commanded, but he quickly met the same fate as his friends, being pushed down to kneel in front of his son. You wanted to step forward and help, but you still had your freedom, and as fleeting as it might be now, you had to try to keep it.

"I thought that mangy mutt made it clear to you, Captain. This isn't Anthony."

"Dad," you whispered, "where's Stephen?"

Brooklyn stood slowly from her chair, with nothing from the commotion in the room stopping her from turning her focus back on Vision. She took careful steps around the table, away from you and Tony, the only two who were still free, until your stupid father took a leap of faith in his granddaughter and pushed himself between her and her mission.

"Baby, don't do this," he urged, trying desperately to connect with some part of her, if he could reach that far. "Whoever is doing this to you, push back."

"Oh, I'll push, Tony Stark," she sneered, raising a hand to throw him against the wall with a resounding hit that left him unconscious and sliding down into a still heap. Her hand turned and aimed to Vision next, and his body stiffened, his arms pinned to his sides. "This might hurt," she smiled coldly, "but I'll try to be expedient in your demise."

"(Y/N)! Please!" Wanda cried out, unable to stop the attack that Grant waged against her; each time she attempted to quell the flames that pushed her back, they only grew stronger and risked hurting more than just herself. "Please, make her stop!"

Brooklyn's hand raised towards Vision's head, and your adrenaline kicked in; there was no thought process, no decision making, only pure reflex as you grabbed her wrist and spun her, flipping your daughter over your head and onto the conference room table with enough force to crack the wood beneath her. Anthony and Grant startled at the sound, looking to their sister in horror. Anthony's hold on Sam, Bucky, and Steve released, and the flames that Grant was feeding died away. Vision shuddered as his body was his again, and the blackness that had washed over Brooklyn's eyes diminished until the color was her own.

"Mom?" she groaned, painfully. She tried to move and take a breath, but it was met only with a sharp wince of pain, your arm still pressing her firmly into the table. "What...what happened?"

~~~

It took a long time before you and Steve would join the team in the conference room again, with everyone gathered together to talk about what had just happened. Even with the two of you sitting in the room next door, with one wall separating you, they would wait as long as they needed to; during your absence, they talked about what this has to be doing to you both, with your children under attack and with no idea from who. Stephen had arrived just as the attack had stopped, and he promised the best explanation that he could find; even with a possible answer in the room only a few feet away, you couldn't get yourself to move towards it.

"I almost don't want to know," you said softly, holding back the crack in your voice. "I can't fight this urge to run."

"Yeah," Steve agreed with a heavy sigh, "I'm there too. But, sweetheart, if we run, who's to say that whoever this is won't just follow?"

"That's why I'm still sitting here."

The door opened slowly, taking your notice and making the two of you sit up at attention, though your hands stayed joined together as if you were holding each other up from crumbling to the floor. Tony peeked his head in, his hand holding a cold pack to it from where he hit the wall after Brooklyn's attack. "Hey guys," he began softly, "Bruce has the kids sedated. He said he'll stay with them for as long as it takes to figure this out. The guy sleeps about as much as I do."

"Thanks, Dad."

Steve looked up and gave Tony a little nod, both in acknowledgement and thanks, but his gaze just as quickly dropped back to the floor. He was trying to be strong and a pillar for you to hold on to, but he was faltering; he had to allow himself to feel this, he realized, and he had to allow himself to be their father and not their Captain. He had to disconnect himself from that persona so that he could do what had to be done for his kids and no one else. "I wish there was a better way."

"Knocking them out is the only way to keep them safe, Cap," Tony shrugged sadly, "until we know what we're dealing with. It's the best way to keep whoever this is from trying to get in their heads again." Reluctantly, he pushed his way into the room and stood at your side, waiting for the okay to sit until you patted the seat with permission. You pulled one of your hands from Steve's grip and offered it Tony, which he eagerly took and brought it to his lips for a small kiss. "Stephen is waiting for us, honey. We should go in there."

"I know," you smiled weakly. "We were just waiting for you."

"You were?"

Steve nodded immediately, standing up to lead the way, "of course we were, Tony. One of us needs to brave and you weren't here to cast your vote, so good luck with that."

~~~

"They're a conduit," Stephen explained, sitting in Steve's spot at the head of the conference table. "From what I've been able to deduce from the information you provided me when this began, and from what you've described about what occurred here tonight, it aligns with concerns that have been whispered amongst the mystical realms. Tony was quite astute in realizing that something of a much greater threat is coming."

"It's coming, or it's here?" Bucky asked hesitantly. He didn't want the answer any more than you did, and it was apparent when his gaze met yours.

Stephen took a clear notice of the mood of the room, and the hesitance that every single team member had in the information that they were about to hear from him. He had told you before that he cared greatly about your kids, and he meant that. If his intuitions and findings were actually correct, then he would stand at your side and fight just as fiercely as you would to keep the three of them safe, just as he would for anyone else that he loved. The universe around them might be at risk, but that paled in comparison to his need to protect them.

He stood slowly, moving towards the large screen at the front of the room, asking for the lights to be dimmed as the display came to life with two faces illuminating it. "This is Supergiant, a powerful telepath known as a 'mental parasite' amongst others of the skill. She can possess nearly any living creature until she owns their mind." His hand twitched slightly, more so than his usual tremor, and it didn't pass your attention. He saw where your eyes were drawn and he quickly folded his hands behind his back. "This is Ebony Maw," he continued, "who I believe to be the one speaking through your daughter. He has unmatched ability in persuasion and turning his victim's thoughts against even themselves. I've encountered him before, and he is most formidable."

"Okay, so how do our kids have anything to do with this?" Steve pressed. "What do they want?"

"Your three provide them with a very unique advantage," Stephen answered. "They have close proximity to two of the six Infinity Stones. If they can be controlled, and with the powers that each of them possess, they would be a strong ally for anyone who might be trying to obtain them. They are instrumental in completion of the Infinity Gauntlet."

"Which is?"

Thor shifted uncomfortably in his chair, a small groan escaping his throat as he began to answer. "The six Infinity Stones will be joined together, giving the bearer of the Gauntlet omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. They will be all-powerful." He looked to Vision, who had become almost statuesque in his seat, looking as if he had been frozen in fear, if it were possible. "Excuse me, I must go," he stood, only to be joined by Tony, now blocking his path.

"Thor, talk to me."

"Each stone that we have become of aware of in the past several years has been kept in various locations across the universe to keep them from being joined together for this very reason. I must ensure that they have not been found. I'll return as soon as I know where we stand."

Tony nodded and gave him a firm pat on the arm as he turned away, "be careful."

"Always."

Tony returned to his seat, his frame looking so much smaller and defeated in his worry for not only his grandchildren, but for you, his team, and the world around him. This was what he was worried about, and even though it hadn't been given a definition when he began to feel it, he would never once have imagined this kind of scope. "So, who are these two sons of bitches working for? There's always a ringleader."

Stephen turned back to the screen and the image shifted to one face, ominous and really rather ugly if you had been asked to describe him. His armor covered his massive frame, but you could imagine that what was beneath it was a force in itself. "His followers are called the Black Order," he continued on, "and there are more than just the two that I've spoken of. His name is-"

"Whoa," Wade interrupted, making his way into the room to join the group, despite having not been invited, as usual, "who's the big purple wrinkled testicle face? Bro might want to see a doctor about that."