☆

THE PLANET TITAN LEFT Talia speechless. It was so different from their home planet; Titan was a ruin, crumbling apart with nothing but gold dust. Long ago, Talia suspected that the planet had been thriving with life, but now it had been abandoned.

But they had no time to ponder what caused the planet to fall like this.

"We have to win," Stephen said.

Turning her head, Talia looked at him. "There must be a universe that has won a fight against Thanos."

"Or perhaps a future," suggested Stephen.

Knowing where her husband's mind was, Talia's hands sparked purple. As her hands clapped together, Talia pulled the purple outwards, watching as multiple floating orbs danced within the sky, creating windows into other universes.

While Talia searched the Multiverse, Stephen started hovering in the air as if he was meditating. His eyes were closed, the green of the Time stone glowing as the magic wrapped around his wrists.

Talia used one hand to hold the Multiverse windows in the air while her free hand flicked as if she were a controller pointed to a TV, constantly changing the channel to find a universe that had defeated the issue they were facing. In many of them, there was no threat of Thanos; in the few that had Thanos, there was fighting and death, but never a win.

Many were facing the final showdown that they were trying to prepare themselves for. Even with Talia being the only one to have a power like herself, it wasn't enough to give them the insight they needed.

As husband and wife found themselves focused on the future and other worlds, the rest of their forced team was busy discussing what to do. Whatever plan they were forming, Talia hoped she could share a way to win — or that even Stephen saw a pathway for them to win.

"Excuse me," the alien — Mantis — had interrupted an argument that had been brewing before Tony Stark and Peter Quill. "But do your friends often do that?"

Pausing, Talia's head turned to face the group. "While you bicker about a plan, Stephen and I are finding us a way to win," Talia explained. "It's a little too complicated to explain."

"Woah," said Peter, stepping forward.

"Is that another universe?" Davina questioned.

Before the teenagers ended up seeing anything more of the Multiverse, Talia caused the power to collapse with the windows fading. Then, next to her, Stephen had gasped with Talia rushing to his side. He clutched onto her hand tightly, staying grounded.

"Hey, you're okay," said Talia. "You're back."

"Hey," Peter said. "What was that?"

"I went forward in time to view alternate futures," Stephen told them. "To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict."

"How many did you see?" Quill asked.

"14,000,605," Stephen stated.

Talia's heart sunk at the thought of the next question.

"How many did we win?" Tony questioned.

Stephen held Tony's stare. "One."

The number echoed, haunting them with the reality that they only had one chance to save the universe. If they failed... the very thought of it made Talia's stomach tighten.

"Maybe I should try searching," Talia suggested.

"Was that not what you were just doing?" Tony questioned her.

"No, Talia," Stephen protested, sounding stern. "It's dangerous."

"But it's quicker," Talia argued. "Well, supposedly. If I could glitch to other universes while being on Titan, then maybe I could find a universe that beats Thanos."

"You want to glitch into a fight," Stephen shook his head while standing, acting as if walking away from Talia would make his decision final. "It's not happening, Talia."

"I just want to travel to see," Talia told him.

"Not only is it reckless, but you can't possibly pinpoint what universe," Stephen met her stare, holding it, where they were both stubborn, never giving in to the other. "And by the time you do find a way for us to win, then it could be too late. If there's one chance at winning, then it has to be in this universe."

"Is this a domestic?" Tony's voice appeared, sounding disapproving. Talia, though, had forgotten about their audience. "We don't have time for a domestic. If there's a way for Talia to see how we win, then I'm all in."

"Talia," Stephen pleaded, still keeping his eyes firmly on his wife.

"The future has one chance," Talia reminded him. "That's not enough, Stephen. If I travel, I can open up new chances."

But, as Talia stared at Stephen, she saw those greenish-blue irises soften. "I promised you."

Talia held his stare, feeling the promise take root deep inside her heart as it blossomed to life like a reminder. While Stephen had vowed to protect Talia, there was also the promise they made to each other: whatever they would do, Sienna would be their priority.

If Stephen had seen the one choice of their future, then Talia knew it had been decided with Sienna in mind. But... Stephen had also made a vow to protect the universe, so whatever the future entailed, Talia trusted that it would end in the universe's best interest too.

So Talia sighed. "If we lose, I will kill you myself."

"I don't doubt that for a second," Stephen replied, forcing a smile.

"You won't be the only one," Tony decided. "Let's discuss the plan."

☆

Talia stood next to Stephen, who had taken a seat on a rock ledge.

While she had given in to trusting Stephen with their one and only chance, she was not ready to part from her husband. So, stubbornly, Talia had made it known that she would face Thanos at Stephen's side.

"You're annoyed with me," Talia noticed while they waited for Thanos to appear.

"Not annoyed," Stephen reassured her. "Just scared."

"If I die, I'll come back," Talia reminded him.

But Talia was afraid for Stephen's life. Standing here with him, all she could think about were those long hours while Stephen was in surgery, leaving Talia clueless and petrified that he might not return.

"I don't want to lose you," Stephen told her.

Talia's head turned, smiling sadly at him. "Remember, if we lose each other, then we'll always find our way back to each other," she reminded him. "It's our thing."

Not being separated — not dying. Their thing was that no matter what they went through, in the end, they were always reunited again.

Stephen scoffed with a smile. "I miss the times when our thing was something normal."

"We can still do normal," Talia told him. "We just gotta save the universe first."

"No pressure then," Stephen said.

Talia's lips lifted upwards with a hint of a smile. Yet, between them, the conversation came to an end as a portal of smoke opened before them. Stepping through was a large alien-like man with purple skin; on his arm, Talia noticed a gauntlet with a flare of colours that belonged to the other stones.

Seeing him, Talia became tense as her folded arms fell to her sides, hands ready to spark the magic that would be needed. Stephen, though, managed to remain calm as if he was unbothered — which they both knew was an act.

"Oh, yeah," said Stephen. "You're much more of a Thanos."

Finally, Thanos' head turned to look at them. "I take it the Maw is dead."

Stephen's head nodded slightly in confirmation while Talia remained silent.

"This day extracts a heavy toll," Thanos said, walking towards them with his eyes lingering on Stephen — on the Time stone. "Still, he accomplished his mission."

"You may regret that," Stephen warned. "He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts."

"And you too, I suppose," Thanos' eyes fell on Talia. "Who are you?"

"Oh, you will see who I am," Talia promised. "You will know me as nothing more than the Glitch."

"Intruiging," Thanos murmured. "And where do you think he brought you both?"

"Let me guess," Stephen replied. "Your home."

"It was," Thanos confirmed, placing his foot on the broken concrete beneath him as his eyes scanned the horizons.

His fist tightened, the gauntlet coming to life with a red light shining brightly. Around them, the broken planet was stripped away to be replaced with a brighter, livelier version of the world. Not only had blues and greens appeared, but there was also life too.

"And it was beautiful," Thanos told them, though Talia could see for herself. "Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution."

"Genocide," Stephen guessed.

"But random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike," continued Thanos. "They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass."

With those words, the reality was shifted again, where the dream-like world of what had once been was placed with the cruel truth of the planet.

"Congratulations," Stephen said. "You're a prophet."

"I'm a survivor," Thanos corrected.

"Who wants to murder trillions," Stephen told him.

Hearing that, Talia's chest tightened, trying to keep calm. The whole face-off was becoming too heavy on the conversation, and they needed to be quick to put a stop to Thanos.

"With all six stones," said Thanos, holding up his hands for his fingers to mimic the following words that came. "I could simply snap my fingers. They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy."

Stephen stood, stepping closer to Thanos, but also standing close to his wife. "And then what?"

"I'd finally rest," Thanos answered. "And watch the sunrise of a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills."

"I think you'll find our will equal to yours."

The words came with Stephen's hands becoming a golden orange. Two shields of defence became bright, ready to face the upcoming battle. In response, Talia's hands glowed purple, ready to warp the magic into whatever she needed.

From above them, the floating remains of Titan were shooting down towards them with the plan officially starting. Iron Man pushed the broken pieces of the spaceships that down onto Thanos, potentially crushing him. From the collision, the dust hung heavy in the air.

"Piece of cake, Quill," Iron Man said.

"Yeah, if your goal was to piss him off," came Quill's reply.

The chaos had erupted in a flare of lilac purple — but it was not from Talia. Thanos used the Power stone to cause the debris to shatter, making it known he was alive as he yelled. As the purple changed to amber, the remains were thrown, turning them into bat-like creatures with Iron Man being caught in the hurricane.

A web caught Thanos in the face as Spider-Man swung by, followed by Mimic appearing, kicking Thanos in the chest as he stumbled backwards. Then, Drax was there, blades slicing Thanos's legs.

With Mimic close to Spider-Man, Talia glitched closer with a purple blade appearing, colliding with the gauntlet as Thanos stopped her. Stephen created a portal, stepping through as he formed his own amber sword, matching Talia's.

Any other time, Talia would have called him out for copying her, but they needed every help they could get.

Between the three fighting Thanos, you would think they had the upper hand. However, Thanos struck Drax, knocking him to the ground. Then, Talia's blade had come down to hit Thanos, but he caught the crystalised blade, shattering it in the process — all while removing the cobwebs from his face.

His fist came down with Talia's hands rising to form a shield of purple. The blow caused the protection to crack, and Talia glitched away before she was left vulnerable.

But, as her eyes returned to the fighting again from a distance, her heart stilled at the sight of Stephen being kicked, causing him to skid before his cloak helped him levitate. The defence shields returned, but a blast had struck Thanos back, where Star-Lord had joined.

As Star-Lord hurried towards them, Stephen had created stepping stones for Quill to place an explosive device on Thanos's back. Jumping backwards through a portal, Quill had flashed his middle finger, followed by a boom and then he disappeared.

Talia glitched backwards again, giving space for the next phase of the plan that included Mimic.

The red cloak disappeared from Stephen's back as it flew towards Thanos, wrapping around his left arm to prevent him from using the stones. Stephen created a new portal, allowing Spider-Man and Mimic to jump through, where one kicked Thanos and the other had created a replica of Stephen's sword, continuously hitting Thanos.

"Magic."

"More magic."

"Magic with a kick."

"Bug-Boy, we get it!"

Talia almost let out a sigh at the two teenagers, but fear blocked her throat as Thanos' hand wrapped around Spider-Man's neck, smashing him into the ground that splintered from the impact.

"Insect," Thanos hissed.

Mimic was there, pulling at Thanos' hand. "Let go of him!"

"This is the best you have?" Thanos taunted.

Spider-Man was thrown as his body collided with Stephen's with the two tumbling to the ground. Stephen groaned, but Spider-Man seemed to be unconscious. As Thanos' attention turned to Mimic, Talia decided to glitch over to them. In a flash of purple, Talia was there with a violet bubble covering the two.

"I had it!" Mimic insisted.

"Not alone, you don't," Talia told her.

"Tony said to keep your shield up," Mimic said. "And that it better be strong enough."

Before Talia could question anything, Thanos had pulled the red cloak from his hand, turning to the two, ready to attack. Above them, rockets had struck with the fire bright and burning, but Talia gritted her teeth to keep her shield strong enough.

"Holy shit," whispered Mimic. "The one time I can't adapt myself to be fireproof."

"I'm gonna drop the shield," said Talia. "And then you run. Understand?"

"But—"

"Davina," Talia spoke her name as if it was Sienna.

"Fine," the teenage girl mumbled.

Thanos had used the stones to absorb the fire, giving Talia a needed moment. The shield dropped with Mimic running, but Talia remained, ready to face Thanos herself. From her hand, a whip had appeared.

The fire had been aimed at Iron Man, where it struck him with the iron hero leaving the fight again. Talia flicked her whip as it wrapped around the gauntlet, capturing Thanos' attention. Their villain simply smirked, grabbing hold of the whip as he pulled Talia towards him, fist connecting with her body.

Talia let out a small gasp of pain before her body flew backwards, skidding along the ground as she groaned. Rolling over, she was relieved to see that Thanos had been struck by something too, so he still lacked in advantage.

A portal appeared as Stephen rushed through. His eyes were large like an owl, full of adrenaline and fear, but he still paused within the fight to kneel next to her. A hand touched her ribs and Talia flinched.

"Darling..."

"I'm okay," Talia reassured him, catching her breath. "Stephen, I'm okay. Go, you gotta go."

Stephen nodded. "Stay here."

"Not a chance," Talia told him.

There was no time to argue about it, though. Between them, they shared one last look as Talia forced a smile, promising him that she wasn't too injured. Then, another portal was created, which Stephen stepped through, joining the fight again.

After all, it was Mimic that was needed, who could adapt herself to be strong enough to remove the gauntlet — including the stones — from Thanos's hand. So, clutching her side, Talia forced herself to stand as she limped closer to the fight, deciding to help from a distance.

Stephen had the gauntlet restrained with Thanos reaching to free himself. But, Drax had skidded into the scene, forcing Thanos to his knees, where Star-Lord then used another device to restrain Thanos' other hand. Nearby, another alien hero had joined them, where she stood close by, watching.

Spider-Man swung into action with his webs wrapping around Thanos. Concentrating, Talia raised her hand, where a violet hue broke free from the ground, rising upwards as it looped around Thanos' shoulders, keeping him trapped.

Iron Man and Mimic appeared with the two grasping onto the gauntlet. Against them all, Thanos still fought, where Talia tightened her hold, and Spider-Man used metallic legs to keep him grounded. From a portal, Mantis had fallen from the sky as she landed on Thanos' shoulders, fingers pressing on the corner of his head to control his emotions.

They all grunted in their struggle before Thanos became still, lost in conscious sleep.

"Is he under?" Iron Man questioned. "Don't let up."

"Be quick," Mantis warned. "He is very strong."

"Right, Mimic," said Iron Man. "Now is your time to shine, kid. She can't hold him much longer. Let's go."

Talia's eyes were on Mimic, finding her facial expressions unreadable with the black, red and silver mask she wore. Leaning backwards, Mimic pulled tightly.

"I can do it," Mimic reassured them all. "It's not... Thanos's strength..."

Star-Lord had flown over, landing on the ground close to the group again as the dust rained back down around him. Removing his mask, Quill faced Thanos.

"I thought you'd be hard to catch," Quill told him, acting too smug. "For the record, this was my plan. You're not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?"

"My Gamora," Thanos groaned.

"No, bullshit," Quill snapped. "Where is she?"

"He is in anguish," Mantis told them.

"Good," Quill said.

"He...he mourns," Mantis cried out.

"What does this monster have to mourn?" Drax demanded.

"Orleana," said the newest addition. "And now Gamora."

Quill turned, distraught by the very suggestion. "What?"

"He took her to Vormir. He came back with the Soul stone. But she didn't."

"Okay, Quill," said Iron Man, removing his mask as he realised what was happening. "You gotta cool it right now. You understand?"

Talia's eyes lingered on Peter Quill, feeling sympathetic towards him, but they didn't need someone acting out of emotions right now. First, they had to stop Thanos; after that, Quill could have whatever revenge he desired.

"Don't, don't," Tony continued. "Don't engage. We almost got this off! Vina!"

"I know, I know," Mimic panicked. "It's...I'm not used to adapting a glove! Just... give me a minute. I don't want to accidentally mimic the stones."

That would be a disaster.

But, by the look on Quill's face, perhaps they were about to face another disaster.

"Tell me she's lying," Quill pleaded, though his voice was strained, full of anger. "Asshole, tell me you didn't do it!"

"I had to," Thanos confessed.

"No, you didn't," Quill told him. "No, you didn't."

Quill yelled before his blaster struck Thanos' face in his rage.

"Quill!"

But Quill couldn't stop — he wouldn't stop. Driven by grief and anger, Quill clearly wasn't thinking straight, which was heartbreaking and frustrating to witness.

Iron Man let go of the gauntlet, pulling Quill away from Thanos.

"It's coming!" Mimic cried out. "I got it, I got it!"

They were so close, but Thanos had broken free. Having control again, Thanos pulled the gauntlet back on with Mimic flinging towards him just to be sent flying. Talia glitched, letting go of Thanos as she hurried after the teenage girl.

"Davina," Talia panicked, crouching close to the girl. "Hey, you good?"

Mimic groaned, clutching her head. "I almost had it."

"It's not your fault," Talia reassured her.

"I wasn't quick enough," Mimic whispered. "I wasn't..."

Behind them, the fighting had spiralled out of control; the majority of them were injured or unconscious. It was now down to Iron Man and Thanos, where Talia felt thick with fear, unknowing of where Stephen was.

Using the stones, pieces of another planet crashed onto Titan like asteroids. To protect them both, Talia created another shield that she struggled to hold against the forced impact.

It was destruction around them with the planet crumbling — though, neither knew if this was a fake version of their reality carved by Thanos. As the attack became weaker, Talia's shield fell with the aftermath clear.

"Can you see Tony or Peter?" Mimic asked, sounding petrified.

Talia couldn't see Stephen.

A bright flare of orange appeared as the two looked over, seeing an attack of purple. Talia's eyes fell on her husband, finding her body loosen in a brief bliss of relief. The two fought with a series of warping realities.

Then, there were perhaps a hundred versions of Stephen, all using a whip in their attempt to restrain Thanos again. Panicking, Talia's head turned, trying to find somewhere for Mimic to be safe.

"Okay, look," said Talia, turning to face the teenager. "Stephen needs me, so I'm gonna glitch over to him, but you will stay here. Once I'm gone, you'll have your powers to keep you safe."

"But I can help," Mimic argued.

"I know," Talia said. "But... if my Sienna was here, I wouldn't want her risking her life. Plus, if you adapt those stones..."

"And lose control, then it's a problem," Mimic finished. "I know."

"You're smart, Davina," Talia told her.

Then, letting Mimic go, Talia vanished. Like a bolt of lightning, she appeared on the floating rock that Thanos and Stephen had been fighting on. Thanos' hands were wrapped tightly around Stephen's neck, causing Talia to conjure two blades.

Thanos had torn the Eye of Agamotto from Stephen's neck. "Yet you never once used your greatest weapon." Though as he smashed it, Talia knew it would not be there. "A fake."

Out of anger, Thanos threw Stephen as his head hit the stone, knocking her husband out. Seeing her, Thanos laughed.

"And what are you going to do?" Thanos questioned.

"Hopefully kill you," Talia replied.

Creating stepping stones for herself, Talia started to run, jumping upwards as she found herself above Thanos. Diving down, Talia saw Thanos's gauntlet rise, ready to strike her. However, Talia had glitched, appearing back on the ground and behind Thanos as her blades come down on his back.

The blades were small against him, becoming nothing but scratches.

As Thanos turned again, Talia glitched but appeared to find Thanos's hand tight around her neck with the Reality stone glowing on his gauntlet.

"You break the rules of reality," said Thanos. "But forget that I can now make my own rules."

Talia's hands glowed purpled, scraping at the matching skin of Thanos.

"Such a waste," Thanos taunted. "Whatever you are, your existence has been pointless."

"So, do it," Talia gasped, struggling to breathe. "Kill me."

Thanos laughed. "Just for you to come back? What would be the point?"

Then, with that, Talia had been thrown as she glitched within the air. As Talia appeared again, she tumbled along the rock, landing close to the edge. Talia groaned, peering over to see the endless doom of descent beneath her.

Quickly, Talia scurried back from the edge, hand coming to her head as she found a bloody cut. Her ribs ached, where it hurt to breathe, but Talia was still alive — for now, at least.

"Stephen," Talia whispered his name like a prayer.

But there was no time to find her husband, not when Thanos was still close to getting what he wanted. Wiping the blood from her cut, Talia forced herself to stand.

On another floating rock, Thanos was beating Iron Man with Talia's heart tightening. His suit was falling apart, unable to fix itself back together again before Thanos had struck him again. Seeing a sharp blade grow from Iron Man's suit, Talia made the conscious decision to glitch.

However, as she appeared, she hadn't been the only one to emerge from thin air. As Talia's eyes fell on Thanos, her irises flickered to see that Mimic was caught in the crossfire.

Mimic's mask started to trickle away from her face, folding back into her costume again. Looking at her, Talia saw her eyes were wide from shock, lips parted from pain. A hand touched her stomach, where Davina's eyes drifted downwards, spotting the broken blade that Iron Man had used as a weapon.

The blade was buried deep inside Davina's lower body.

"Vina..." Tony whispered her name.

Letting go of the blade, Davina stumbled back from Thanos, where she fell with Tony Stark catching her. The two collapsed to the floor with Tony holding onto her, face pale with fright and shock.

"You have my respect, Stark," said Thanos. "I know what it is like to lose daughters. When I'm done, half of humanity will still be alive. I hope they remember you."

Thanos' hand rose with the final blow, but Talia had teleported. Blocking the blast, Talia had created a shield around them, which she didn't know if it would hold or not. Behind her, Davina was crying, unable to heal with Talia still there.

"Stop!" Stephen cried out.

As he panted, Stephen met Talia's gaze — seeing the numerous emotions that lingered within her irises. They were about to lose, so the grief was raw.

"Spare their lives," said Stephen. "And I will give you the stone."

Talia's mouth parted in shock.

"No tricks," Thanos told him.

Stephen shook his head in response.

"Stephen, no!" Talia protested. "You can't."

Thanos's hand moved with the aim now lingering on Stephen with Talia debating the urge to teleport again, ready to sacrifice herself if needed.

"Don't," Tony added.

But Stephen's hand rose as the Time stone appeared. As he held the stone out for Thanos, Stephen found the nerve to let it go, promising their loss. The tiny stone floated into Thanos' hands as he was quick to place it on his gauntlet.

With the stone in place, the power rippled through him.

"One to go," Thanos told them.

Star-Lord appeared in the air again with his blasts hitting Thanos's chest. Taking that as her opportunity, Talia broke the shield, adding fuel to their swan song as she fired a purple blast of magic.

But the two were met with nothing but air as Thanos portaled away from the planet they were on.

Grunting, Quill had fallen to the floor, where his blaster scanned the air, searching for Thanos. "Where is he? Did we just lose?"

"Why would you do that?" Tony demanded, furious with Stephen.

And so was Talia. 

"We're in the endgame now," Stephen told them both.

Right now, though, their biggest problem was Davina. If they had the Time stone, then they could have reversed this from happening. Quickly, Talia had teleported away from them, so that she could give the space Davina needed to adapt herself to heal.

"Vina, come on," Tony encouraged. "Heal now. Please."

Stephen was there as he inspected the wound, where Talia's eyes were glued to him. By the way he pressed his lips together, and forced himself to remain calm, Talia knew that Davina was in trouble.

"You're a doctor," Tony remembered. "Do something."

"With what?" Stephen snapped. "Davina's best chance is adapting herself."

"I can't," Davina panicked. "I can't."

"Talia, move back!" Tony shouted at her.

Not needing to be told twice, Talia glitched further away from them, knowing it was more than enough for Talia to stop hindering Davina's power.

"Davina?" Peter's voice appeared.

Spider-Man had swung onto the floating rock they had all started to gather on. Mantis and Drax had been with him, where the other new alien still lingered with them. Losing his mask, Peter's eyes fell on his girlfriend, who was in Tony's arms.

"Oh my God, Davina," Peter's voice crumbled, where he collapsed to his knees, eyes falling to the blade that was still sticking out of her stomach. "Mr Stark, do something!"

"I'm trying!" Tony snapped, but his eyes remained on Davina, where his voice softened and Talia could hear his tears. "Come on, kid. Heal."

Davina's fingers twitched, entwining her fingers with Peter Parker, who was crying.

"I don't want to die," Davina sobbed.

"Then don't," Stephen told her. "You can heal."

"But I can't feel my power."

"Mr Stark—"

"Strange, you gotta do something," Tony pleaded. "Nothing I have will work for Vina."

"Talia," Stephen called out. "If Davina has no power, then I need your help. We gotta staunch the bleeding as much as we can."

"If I touch Davina's skin—"

"I just want you to hold something there."

Talia had glitched to join them as she kneeled opposite Stephen, who had removed the belt of his robes. Tearing at his robes, Stephen stared at the blade, entering his doctor mode. Not saying anything, he removed the blade as Davina cried out with Tony and Peter trying to soothe her.

"Quick, Talia," Stephen ordered.

The torn robes were placed onto the wound to staunch the bleeding with Talia holding it in place, watching as Stephen tied her hands down to Davina, who cried out from the pressure and pain.

"Now what?" Talia pressed.

"Davina, you gotta hold on," Stephen ordered her.

"Davina," cried Peter. "Please heal now. You're scaring me."

"I'm scared too," Davina's voice was barely audible. "Peter, I love you."

"I love you too," Peter told her, bringing her hand up to his face as he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. "I love you so much."

Talia knew she was crying, but she felt too numb. As she stared down, all she could see was the red blood. Looking at Davina's pale face, all Talia could see was that the life was draining from her — Davina was still bleeding out.

Not only had they lost, but they had no way to save Davina.

"Tony..."

"Please don't, kid."

Davina smiled, the red trickling from her mouth. "You know I love you."

Then, Davina's body became ash, where Talia's hands fell to the ground. Watching with wide eyes, the ashes of Davina ended up caught in the wind, disappearing from them.

"Davina!" Peter cried out. "Davina! Where did Davina go?"

Tony was in shock, simply staring at his empty arms.

"Something's happening," said Mantis.

Then she, too, was gone just like Davina. One second the alien was there and the next she was ash, merging with the dust of the ruins.

As Talia panted from the fear, her eyes fell on Drax, who was next to vanish. Following Drax, Peter Quill was the next victim.

Talia turned to her husband with wide eyes. "Stephen."

"It was the only way," Stephen repeated. "Please believe me."

Their hands were bloody, unable to touch each other. All Talia could do was hold his stare, seeing the anguish in her husband's gaze. All Talia could hear was Tony's grief-struck silence of surrender and Peter's distraught sobs.

"Darling, I love you," Stephen told her.

"Sienna..." Talia whispered, frightful.

But, before Stephen could answer, Talia found herself drifting away.

The last she saw was her husband's sorrow.

☆

Been waiting a long time for this chapter! It was originally going to be splint into 2, but it works better together! I'm so emotional over Davina, Peter and Tony😭 the next chapter will be a emotional one so be warned!