Tony wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed since they had left Titan. The days had started to blur together as the weeks passed. It had been close to three weeks now, if he remembered right, and he knew things were starting to look grim for him, Nebula, and Spencer. The women knew it too, but their oxygen supply was running low, and without divine intervention, they would likely not make it back to Earth before they ran out. But Tony was doing his best to keep morale up, and keep their minds off of their inevitable demise.

He and Nebula sat across from each other at a small table, engrossed in a game of paper football. Tony had already played Spencer before this- and their game intrigued Nebula to the point Tony decided to teach her how to play it too once his game with Spencer concluded and the young woman had gone to bed. She held her hands in a goal formation like he taught her as Tony flicked the football towards her. It soared through the goal, immediately irritating Nebula.

"Wrra!" she yelled in frustration, standing up from her chair slightly, hands in a fighting stance as she looked at Tony.

"You don't need to do that," Tony replied calmly as he pointed at her. "Because uh... you're just holding the position." He placed his hands in the goal shape, waiting for her to sit back down. Once she did, Nebula flicked the paper football towards him, but it came up short. "Oh yeah, that was close." Nebula tried again, and this time it went between his fingers. "That's a goal. We're now one apiece."

"I would like to try again," Nebula replied, and flicked the football at him once more.

The two of them went back and forth for several minutes, both of them scoring more goals and missing several times as well. As much fun as he was having, Tony was getting tired though, and he had one last order of business to attend to before he drifted off to sleep tonight- likely for the last time- so he decided it was time to wrap this up.

"We're tied up," he announced. "Feel the tension? It's fun." Tony purposely poorly flicked the football towards Nebula, missing entirely. "That was terrible. Now you have a chance to win." Nebula didn't hesitate and flicked it back towards him, sending it flying between his finger goalposts. "And... you've won. Congratulations." He reached his hand out to shake her hand. "Fair game. Good sport."

Nebula hesitated for a moment, but eventually shook his hand. Tony wasn't sure if the woman had ever won anything before- especially from the little he knew of her history with Thanos and Gamora. It felt good to give her a small victory before they all met their end in a few hours.

"Have fun?" he asked.

"It was fun," Nebula responded quietly.

"There's something I need to tend to," he continued. "You keep Spencer company while I'm gone- even though she might be sleeping by now."

He didn't wait for Nebula to reply before he stood and left the table, heading towards a more private area of the ship. He walked into the room, the floor to ceiling window showing the vast emptiness of space surrounding them. Sitting on the floor beside the window was his busted helmet. Tony sat down across from it, reaching forward to turn it on with a sigh.

"This thing on?" he questioned no one in particular. The helmet whirred to life, only barely, and scanned him. Tony leaned against the wall behind him, taking deep breaths. It was getting harder to breath, harder to function. He had lost an immense amount of weight since leaving Earth, but at this point there was nothing more he could do about it. Once he knew the helmet was listening to him, he started to speak once more. He had one final message to record.

"Hey, Miss Potts... Pep. If you find this recording, don't post it on social media. It's going to be a real tear-jerker," he started. "I don't know if you're ever going to see these. I don't even know if you're still... Oh god, I hope so." He paused for a moment, glancing out the window. "Today is day 21, uh... 22. You know, if it wasn't for the existential terror of staring into the literal void of space, I'd say I'm feeling a little better today. The infection's run its course, thanks to the Blue Meanie back there. You'd love her. Very practical. Only a tiny bit sadistic. Spencer and I are in safe- yet terrifying- hands with her around."

Tony sighed, taking another brief pause as he thought over his words carefully.

"So the fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves about 48 hours of flight time. Uh... but it's now dead in the water. We're a thousand light years from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning, and that will be it. And Pep, I... I know I said no more surprises, but I gotta say I was really hoping to pull off one last one. But it looks like... well, you know what it looks like. Don't feel bad about this. I mean, actually if you grovel for a couple of weeks, and then move on with enormous guilt."

Tony rested his head in his hands, exhausted and admittedly depressed- even if he didn't want to admit it.

"I should probably lie down for a minute, rest my eyes. Please know... when I drift off, it'll be like every night lately. I'm fine, totally fine... I dream about you," he continued, his voice softer and weaker than before. "Because it's always you."

With that, Tony reached forward, turning his helmet off. He rubbed his thumb over the left eye of the helmet, and then slowly laid down beside it for what would be his last sleep. He fell into a deep sleep quickly, so deep he wasn't even aware Nebula had come into the room and carried him to one of the chairs in the other room.

Tony had been so sure that he wasn't going to wake up from that sleep, and yet he found himself slowly awoken by a light growing ever brighter. Maybe it was the light at the end of the tunnel, he wondered. Finally it was bright enough he could no longer ignore it, and he opened his eyes to find the source of the incredibly blinding light. He was shocked to see it was coming from a blonde woman on the other side of the windshield. He had never seen her before, but for some reason, Tony felt hope that maybe- just maybe- they would be making it home afterall.

*****

Anja laid anxiously on one of the Soul Forges in the New Asgard infirmary. It had been a few weeks since the Snap now, and slowly things were returning to some semblance of a new normal. Or as normal as she thought they could be, given the huge losses everyone had endured. She had been doing her best to be a secondary leader of sorts, but she didn't think she was truly capable of filling the void Loki left. She didn't have his diplomacy, his battle skills, his general regalness... but she knew she couldn't let Thor do this alone. No matter how horribly she personally felt- both emotionally and physically. Despite feeling like utter garbage, she needed to be there for him.

That was one thing she was still dealing with. She thought that with time, the constant nausea would dissipate, and she would feel like herself once more at least on that front. Yet, as time went on, the feeling only grew worse, and Anja knew she could no longer just chalk it up to her nerves or grief, as much as she so desperately wanted to. Something was wrong with her, and she was going to get to the bottom of it- even if she truly wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

The nurse, Eira- the same one who placed the braid in her hair weeks prior- hovered over her, moving the glowing orange particles around as she tried to get a reading as to what could be ailing Anja. The woman hoped it was something minor, but Anja was having her doubts with how long she had felt off. If nothing else, Eira would be able to give her some sort of answer- no matter how small it was.

"This shouldn't take long, Your Majesty," Eira assured. "The Soul Forge is usually pretty efficient at finding out what is wrong and quickly."

"Eira, we've been over this," Anja said with a sigh. "You really don't need to use any formal titles with me."

"Nonsense," Eira brushed her off. "As far as any of us are concerned, you are Queen."

"I'm not, though," Anja insisted.

"You won't win this argument," Eira said, smiling as she continued to move the particles around. "It's your title now, and that's that."

Anja wanted to protest, but knew when she was beaten, so she remained silent for a few moments, watching everything move around above her. It wasn't the first time she had been on one of the Soul Forges, but she was still mesmerized by all of it. Human medicine was nothing like this, and she wasn't sure she was ever going to get used to it. At this point though, she was doubtful she'd ever want to go back to dealing with human doctors; the Asgardians were leagues ahead of any advancements humans had made- even though they were starting over from scratch now that they were residing on Earth. That, and the fact that normal doctors were never good at dealing with mutated humans in her experience anyway.

"Well, I think this explains your troubles," Eira announced proudly, moving her hands away from the Forge, but gesturing at a particular place as she smiled down at Anja.

Anja blinked a few times as she stared intently at the place Eira pointed out. She was so sure her eyes were deceiving her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but it wasn't enough to get her heart to slow down. She knew what she was looking at, but she wanted Eira to confirm it before she truly believed it.

"What exactly am I looking at?" Anja asked, unable to hide her shock.

If Eira smiled any wider, Anja was sure her face would rip in half. "I know it's hard to tell right now, but uh... that's a baby," Eira explained. "Judging by size and development, roughly... seven weeks or so. It would definitely explain your symptoms the last couple weeks."

Anja nodded slowly, taking another deep breath as she started putting two and two together. Everything made sense- and of course it had to be true since she was looking right at it- but she was still worried. Just a few weeks ago, she had been through quite the ordeal during the fight with Thanos. Who knows how many blows to the abdomen she had taken, or how the effect of the Infinity Stones blasting her a few times would play a role in their development? Let alone the overwhelming depression. There were a lot of "what ifs" in this equation, more than Anja was comfortable with admitting.

"Are they okay?" she asked hesitantly.

Eira fiddled with some of the particles for a moment, until a few of them started moving in a pulse-like pattern. "As far as I can tell, yes," she answered. "Their heart sounds good."

"Alright, good," Anja breathed. "That's... good."

The smile on Eira's face faded slightly. "I know you've likely got a million thoughts coursing through your mind, and rightfully so," she said. "This is probably the last thing you wanted to happen on top of everything else, but... perhaps it is a silver lining."

Anja sat up slowly, causing the Soul Forge's particles to dissipate. "It certainly wasn't what I was expecting, but it is a welcome yet bittersweet surprise," she replied. "I was writing it off as literally anything else."

"Congratulations," Eira said. She paused for a moment before adding- a bit more solemnly, "I know Loki would be so proud."

Anja nodded slowly. "I know he would be too..."

"If you need anything, feel free to drop in- even if it's not for medical reasons," Eira continued. "Otherwise, stop in in a few weeks so we can check on this little one again."

Anja nodded again. "I'll be sure to do that," she said as she stood up. "Thanks for getting me some answers, Eira. I appreciate it. Can we keep this between us for now? At least until we know for sure they are fine. A few more weeks?"

"No need to thank me," Eira replied. "And of course it can stay between us. Your secret is safe with me." The nurse winked. "Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that."

Anja nodded and straightened out her dress a bit. "I'll see you soon." She didn't wait for Eira to reply before she turned on her feet and started to leave the infirmary, starting the long walk back to her room.

She couldn't believe it. Her hand absent-mindedly traveled to her stomach as she walked the empty halls. She didn't know whether she wanted to smile or bawl her eyes out. Perhaps both simultaneously. Anja hadn't even thought about the possibility of pregnancy- even though it was always a very real possibility, given how physical she and Loki had been basically right up until the end. She had been brushing it off for weeks now, assuming literally everything but that- stress, food poisoning, the flu... everything but a baby. Maybe she was just in denial.

The universe was cruel. Under different circumstances, she would've been beyond ecstatic, screaming from the rooftops. Instead, she mostly just wanted to sob. On one hand, she would forever have a part of Loki with her; he would live on. Yet on the other hand, she would have to go through pregnancy and motherhood alone. Their child would only ever know their father through stories told to them. It wasn't fair- to her or their child, really; they both needed Loki. But despite that, Anja knew without a doubt she'd be keeping the baby. A few weeks ago, she was more than sure she wouldn't get to have the future she envisioned with Loki- and sure, she still wouldn't get it perfectly- but now she had the chance to have at least some of it. A silver lining to the tragedy, indeed.

"Ah, there you are, Anja," Thor's voice shook her from her thoughts.

Anja looked up and saw him striding towards her. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before she addressed him. "Yes, Thor? Did you need something?"

"You should get ready to depart," he stated plainly. "You and I are going to head to the Avengers Compound, see the rest of the team."

Anja blinked a few times. "Is there a particular reason for this visit, or is it just to check in with them?"

"Just a check in," Thor answered. "It's been a few weeks. We should make sure they are doing well. Or as well as they can be."

Anja nodded. "Very well. I'll go fetch my armor- just in case- and I'll meet you at the Bifrost."

"Perfect," he retorted. "Everything okay? You seem... distracted."

"I'm fine," Anja assured, almost too quickly. She wanted to be able to tell Thor about the baby- but she knew better than to tell people too early. A few more weeks and she'd be able to tell him the good news too. "I was just getting a walk in, is all. I'll go get my stuff and we can get out of here."

He seemed to buy that. "Alright. I'll see you shortly then."

Anja didn't respond as she continued to make her way to her room. She wasn't sure she was ready to see the team again, but she knew at this point she didn't really have much choice. Even though she wanted to punch half of them, she knew they were ultimately all she really had left outside of Thor and Brunnhilde. Learning to be friends again, to forgive them, was hard, but she knew ultimately it was likely the only way she was going to remain even remotely sane given all the current circumstances. She didn't want to admit she needed the Avengers, but she did. It would not be easy to bury the hatchet, but Anja knew having some familiarity again could help her get through this.

Once she made it back to her room, Anja quickly grabbed one of her bags from the closet and placed some changes of clothes and her armor, resting her horned tiara gently on the top of the bag. She took one more glance around the room before grabbing her phone off the nightstand, unplugging it from the wall and tossing the charger in her bag as well, careful to avoid hitting the horns. Anja looked at her phone's lock screen for a moment, a small smile crossing her lips despite her eyes swelling with tears. Not long after the coronation, Spencer had sent her all the pictures she had taken of the event. Anja had set her lock screen to one of the many pictures of her and Loki. With the fancy attire and pure joy on their faces, it seemed almost like a wedding photo. Anja had taken many photos of the two of them in the few months they had been together, but this one had quickly become one of her favorites. Although it also reminded her of the future that never would be- especially given the circumstances now. She smiled through watery eyes before tossing her phone into the bag as well.

She left her room, and made her way back down to the Bifrost where Thor and Brunnhilde had been waiting for her. Brunnhilde would be controlling the Bifrost for them; Heimdall had been another casualty during the Snap, and New Asgard was still learning to live without their loyal gatekeeper. Anja wasn't sure she was ready for whatever happened next, but as she and Thor traveled through the Bifrost to the Avengers Compound, she knew going to check on the rest of the team was the right thing to do. A welcome distraction.

*****

Everything was about as well as it could be at the Avengers Compound. Morale was generally low; Anja would've been surprised if it wasn't. What remained of their old team, their friends, had been there for a few days at least now, going over their losses as well as the rest of the world's. When Thor and Anja arrived, the only ones around were Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Rhodey, Pepper, and Rocket. It was strange, to say the least. They were all that was left of the Avengers. A far cry from the large group it used to be.

Sometime in the early evening, the relative quiet was interrupted when they heard what sounded like an airplane coming in for a landing. Given that all the Avengers were already present, the possibility of anyone landing there was both confusing and terrifying, especially since they were in no shape to have another showdown with anyone at the moment. They all rushed outside, staring up at the source of the noise. It wasn't a plane at all, but instead a spacecraft- being carried by some glowing, flying woman. The landing gears deployed just as the mystery woman sat the craft on the ground. They all watched hesitantly as the entry hatch opened; their anxiety dipped as they saw Tony, a blue woman, and Spencer start walking out. Tony was leaning heavily on the blue woman; admittedly he looked absolutely terrible.

But in terrible condition or not, Anja let out a sigh of relief. Her friends were alive.

She watched, frozen in place, as Steve ran up to Tony, helping him stand better. Tony gripped Steve's arm tightly as he looked up at him.

"Couldn't stop him," Tony muttered.

"Neither could I," Steve replied.

The solemn look on Tony's face only got worse. "I lost the kid."

It took Anja a minute to realize who Tony was talking about. She had forgotten that Peter Parker had been swept up in the mess in New York too. Another unfortunate loss during the snap. Thanos truly did not care who his actions hurt. Peter surely didn't deserve being turned to dust. He was just a kid. Anja frowned; another innocent victim in all of this. She was sure there were plenty of children who were lost due to Thanos' actions, and the thought of what hell their remaining family was going through made Anja sick to her stomach- or more than she already was, anyway.

"Tony, we lost," Steve continued.

Tony hesitated, seemingly afraid to say what he wanted to. "Is uh...?"

He didn't get to finish his question, as Pepper rushed up. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" she exclaimed as she pulled him into a tight embrace. Another pang of sadness rushed over Anja; what she would give to be able to hug Loki once more. She was happy Tony and Pepper had each other, but it hurt all the same.

"It's okay," Tony comforted, rubbing her back gently.

She looked away from Tony and Pepper in time to see Rocket and the blue woman sit down on the edge of the exit ramp, taking each other's hand in complete silence. Anja only assumed they must've known each other somehow, but that was something for her to figure out later. There was something else that needed to be done first.

Her eyes eventually met Spencer's, and moments later, Spencer was pulling her into one of the tightest hugs Anya had ever experienced from someone other than Thor. Anja embraced her friend, trying her best to keep it together for as long as possible. She knew it wasn't going to take long before the tears started flowing.

"I didn't think I was ever going to see you again," Spencer started, her voice shaky. "Thought for sure I was going to die in space."

"I thought you were gone," Anja admitted.

Spencer didn't reply for a moment, and Anja knew she was contemplating a question she likely already knew the answer to. She knew Spencer could read minds, could feel emotions, and even though Anja couldn't sense her invading her mind now she felt it was pretty obvious that everyone still here was just hanging by a thread.

"Thanos got a lot of us, didn't he?" Spencer eventually asked quietly.

"Yeah," was all Anja could muster as she felt the tears swelling in her eyes once more.

Spencer pulled away from her a little, nodding solemnly as she looked at the rest of the team standing around them. There were definitely some key people missing, and it wasn't going to take long for Spencer to piece it all together. "Layla... Bucky... Loki," she barely whispered.

Anja couldn't speak, so she just nodded as tears started to fall. Spencer hugged her tightly again, allowing herself to finally cry too. It had been hell the last three weeks not knowing if the other had made it through the snap. They had lost so many people close to them, but at least now they knew they still had each other, one last lifeline. One small victory to cling to while everything around them was still falling apart at the seams.

*****

Sometime later, the group sat around a conference table inside the Avengers Compound. Tony sat at the end of the table, hooked up to various IVs as he was given blood and fluids to help his healing as he watched a holographic casualty report hovered in front of him, listing the names and faces of those lost during Thanos' decimation. He had been expecting a lot of losses, but he certainly didn't imagine he'd be seeing the names and faces of so many people close to their group flash across the hologram screen, some of them more upsetting than others.

"It's been twenty-three days since Thanos came to Earth," Rhodes started.

"World governments are in pieces. The parts that are still working are trying to take a census," Natasha continued. "And it looks like he did... he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out fifty percent... of all living creatures."

Tony looked up at her. "Where is he now? Where?"

"We don't know," Steve admitted. "He just opened a portal and walked through."

Tony looked around the room some more, and spotted a very quiet and sullen-looking Thor sitting on a bench, seemingly in deep thought. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh, he's pissed. He thinks he failed," Rocket chimed in. "Which of course, he did, but you know there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?"

"Honestly, until this exact second, I literally thought you were a Build-A-Bear," Tony admitted.

"Maybe I am," Rocket said with a shrug.

"You've literally met him before," Spencer reminded, exasperated.

Tony went to say something, but Steve cut him off. "We've been hunting Thanos for three weeks now. Deep space scans, and satellites, and we got nothing," he continued before pausing briefly. "Tony, you fought him."

"Who told you that?" Tony asked, sounding surprised. "I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while the Bleecker Street Magician gave away the store." He paused for a moment. "That's what happened. There was no fight."

"Okay," Steve sighed.

"He's unbeatable," Tony went on.

"Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?" Steve asked.

"Pffffft!" Tony exclaimed. When no one said anything else, he continued, "I saw this coming a few years back. I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming."

Steve sighed. "Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus."

"And I needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need," Tony replied, seething. "It's too late buddy. Sorry." He paused again. "You know what I need?" He started to stand up, pushing things off the table with a clatter, causing most of the group to wince at the noise before ripping out his IV. "I need to shave. And I believe I remember telling all youse-"

Tony turned to face Steve directly, and Rhodes quickly came between them, doing his best to stop him. "Tony, Tony, Tony!" he interjected.

"-alive and otherwise, what we needed was a suit of armor around the world! Remember that?" Tony kept going. "Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not- that's what we needed!"

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Steve asked, deadpan.

"I said, 'we'd lose.' You said, 'we'll do that together too.' And guess what, Cap? We lost," Tony ranted. "And you weren't there. But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers, we're the Avengers. Not the Prevengers. Right?"

"You made your point," Rhodes insisted. "Just sit down."

"Okay," Tony said, and when Rhodes echoed it back, he just kept on going. "Nah, nah. Here's my point. You know what?"

"Tony, you're sick," Rhodes sighed.

Tony pointed to the blonde woman who had saved their ship, Carol Danvers, while Rhodes continued to tell him to sit and directed him to a chair. "She's great, by the way. We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mules!" He broke free from Rhodes' grasp and made his way to Steve, stopping just a few inches from his face. When he spoke next, his voice was hushed down to a venomous whisper. "I got nothing for you, Cap! I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust. Liar."

Steve looked to have been truly affected by what Tony said to him. The old friends turned enemies just gazed at each other for a few moments before Tony ripped his Arc Reactor from his chest and shoved it into Steve's hand.

"Here, take this," Tony continued. "You find him, and you put that on. You hide."

Before Steve could reply, Tony collapsed to the ground. Steve was immediately down by his side as everyone else started to gather around them. "Tony!"

"I'm fine. I..." Tony's voice trailed off, just before he fell unconscious.

*****

Anja shook her head as she looked into the room they placed Tony. He was laying on a bed, Pepper quietly at his side. He was much calmer now, hooked back up to continue healing without any more drama to deal with. Rhodes stepped out of the room, preparing to report on Tony's status.

"Bruce gave him a sedative," he explained to the rest of the group. "He's gonna probably be out for the rest of the day."

The blonde woman who had carried the ship, who Anja had since learned was named Carol Danvers, spoke up, "You guys take care of him. And I'll bring him a Xorrian Elixir when I come back." She turned and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Steve questioned.

"To kill Thanos," Carol replied simply. That comment alone made Anja want to go with her. She too wanted to kill Thanos.

Steve and Natasha shared a glance before walking after her, Anja and Rhodes following close behind even though they didn't even leave the conference room.

"Hey, you know, we usually work as a team here," Natasha started, "and between you and I, morale's a little fragile."

It was a little bit of a white lie, Anja thought; they hadn't done much as a team in years. The last two years the team had been broken basically down the middle, but Carol didn't need to know that. Although she probably had an idea that something happened after Tony snapped on Steve earlier.

"We realize up there is more your territory, but this is our fight too," Steve continued.

"You even know where he is?" Rhodes asked.

Carol shrugged lightly. "I know people who might."

The blue woman, Nebula, finally spoke up from her spot leaning against the wall behind Carol. "Don't bother. I can tell you where Thanos is," she countered. After a brief pause, she went on. "Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. And when he worked, he talked about his great plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him. I'd ask where would we go once his plan was complete? His answer was always the same: 'To the Garden.'"

Rhodes rolled his eyes. "That's cute; Thanos has a retirement plan."

"So where is he?" Steve inquired.

Rocket took over the explanation, standing and making his way over to the hologram. "When Thanos snapped his fingers, Earth became ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions. No one's ever seen anything like it," he explained. "Until two days ago." With his words, a hologram of a planet popped up, a shockwave visibly traversing the surface. "On this planet."

"Thanos is there," Nebula concluded.

"He used the stones again," Natasha added.

"Hey, hey, hey," Bruce finally chimed in after joining the rest of the group after tending to Tony. "We'd be going in short-handed, you know."

Rhodes knew exactly what Bruce was saying. "Look, he's still got the stones, so..."

"So let's get him," Carol interrupted. "Use them to bring everyone back."

Anja's heart skipped a beat. Bring everyone back? Was that even possible? Even if it was, it was going to be damn near impossible to get the stones away from Thanos.

"Just like that?" Bruce asked.

Steve nodded, sharing a knowing look with Carol. "Yeah, just like that."

"Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this," Natasha continued, her voice hopeful. "I mean we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try."

"If we do this, how do we know it's gonna end any differently than it did before?" Bruce questioned. It was a valid question, Anja thought. What would make this time any different?

"Because before, you didn't have me," Carol retorted.

"Hey, new girl, everyone here is about that superhero life," Rhodes countered, not liking her cocky attitude. "And if you don't mind my asking, where the hell have you been all this time?"

"There are a lot of other planets in the universe," Carol replied. "And unfortunately, they didn't have you guys."

There was a loud silence as everyone exchanged glances. Thor, who had been silently eating a snack at the table all this time, finally stood up and walked over to Carol. She turned slowly to face him as he held his right hand up. After a few seconds, Stormbreaker flew into his hand, missing Carol by inches. The woman didn't even flinch, and instead smiled at the God of Thunder.

Thor took a deep breath, resting his hands on top of Stormbreaker as he nodded. "I like this one," he announced.

The room fell silent once more, the weight of what needed to be done resting heavily on their minds. It wasn't going to be easy, but they had to try. But ultimately, it was Steve who said what they were all thinking.

"Let's go get this son of a bitch."

*****

Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay. The last 8 months have been pure chaos, so I haven't been able to write as much as I'd like. I literally had this chapter about halfway done before I went into labor back in August, and I'm just getting around to finishing it finally. For those who didn't see my big message on my profile- the baby is fine! Things have just been wild adjusting to being a mother of two now.

Thanks for your patience! I hope the next chapter doesn't take me another 8 months to write.

~arty_writes