After a quick shower and a change of clothes I sat in the kitchenette with Steve. Our mugs full, hearts heavy with sorrow and conversation non-existent. Between us there resided the steam which swirled out of our coffees, silence and, of course, defeat. There were no words, just loss... 

"You know, I'd offer to make you a midnight snack, but I'd hate to make this night any worse for you than it already is." My blonde friend commented, breaking the chain of quiet, always persistent on trying to remain a symbol of optimism and hope. 

The mask he wore of false upbeat pretenses perhaps working on others, but not me. I knew better, and after three weeks I knew that inside he forced down his torrent of emotions. The world had never lost as bad as it did on the day of the snap, and the Living Legend couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. He, like everyone else, was powerless. He, like everyone else, was just struggling to make it through each day that followed. 

To everyone left, it hurt to even breathe, and function. To live out each day with the weight of a mourner who had, quite literally, lost the world. Or, at least, half of it. 

"Well, my cooking won't lift our spirits either. Never really learned that skill in Home Economics." I replied, mustering up the smallest of smiles. A fake smile, but the effort to force it onto my face was there. 

In our collective silence I was the first to notice the ripples in my cream filled coffee as everything began to tremor. The kitchenette visibly shaking as if in response to the forming of an earthquake. 

Alcohol bottles on the glass topped bar cart started to rattle, the glass nearly shattering. The pots and pans which hung neatly on hooks clanged loudly, and a vase of fresh flowers on the counter shook, crashing to the tiled floor. The vibrant blossoms left dying in a puddle of broken pottery and spilled water. 

From the rows of windows I saw something enter the atmosphere, and a beam of light flashed across the star filled night sky like a comet. 

Immediately, we were up and out the door, ready to see what it was. Our guard up and always on edge, us thinking it was another visit from Thanos, or another threat. But, as we ran out onto the lawn the sight of an aglow celestial woman carrying a whole spacecraft on her shoulders flew down from the navy skies. 

Standing in a formation on the turf of grass Natasha, Rhodey, Bruce, Rocket the raccoon, Thor, Pepper, Steve and I waited in anticipation as she gently set the whole extraterrestrial ship down, the battered and broken down flying device without power, creaking as it was placed down onto it's corroded landing gear. 

With a hiss the pressurized gangway was lowered down and from within the spaceship a blue alien woman and a familiar friend came out. The sight of the Iron Man a welcoming blessing in our weary eyes. 

The Avenger not even strong enough to stand on his own. Severely dehydrated, starving and suffering from minor signs of hypothermia from being trapped within a hunk of metal in the depths of Space. He looked to be on his last legs. Underweight, pale, his hazel eyes sunken and bloodshot. 

The cerulean cyborg helped him to stand until Steve and I rushed over, and the Captain supported Tony's entire weight. And, while Steve held onto Tony, keeping him on his own two feet, I noticed that Rocket had went over to comfort his blue friend. 

"Couldn't stop him..." The Iron Man uttered out, looking right into the eyes of his former teammate, his fair-weathered friend. 

"Neither could we..." Steve said before Pepper came rushing over, engulfing her beloved into a tight hug as tears swelled in her eyes. 

"Pep..." Tony whispered out, mustering up all the strength he had left to reciprocate her hug, and wrap his thin, bony arms around her as he breathed her in. Up until now the mechanic not knowing that she had survived the snap. 

"Oh, my God." Pepper exclaimed, slowly reeling in the feeble state that the one she loved was in as she kissed Tony's cheek. 

"We need to get him inside. I have to start doing blood tests." I stated rather matter-of-factly, but time was of the essence. I was thinking like a Doctor now, and while I was happy to see an old friend his very life was on the line. 

Once safely escorted into the medical sector of the facility Tony was quick to succumb to sleep in a hospital bed, covered in warm blankets, and surrounded by his loved ones. Rhodey and Pepper not leaving his side. 

I was fast at work, taking blood samples in order to check kidney function, and levels of sodium, potassium and electrolytes in his body. Immediately hooking the severely ill Iron Man up to an IV. Deficient of many things he needed to start getting an intake of basic vitamins and nutrients. 

With the blood samples being sent for tests in the lab I ran my hands through my hair, the immediate danger fizzling out. There wasn't much now that needed to be done. Only time could help Tony now. 

But, instead of taking a much needed break I took to setting up a tray full of nutritious food and a canteen of water. Then I went over to where the alien raccoon was seated on the table in the board room alone, his blue friend no longer at his side like before. 

Walking over to the lone raccoon I watched as his furry ears perked up and I stood in front of him. The talking animal looked sad and in these past few weeks I had come to see that often his harsh words were used as a guise to cover up his hurt. Rocket had lost just as much as us, but at least he had his friend back. A shred of the family he once knew. 

"Listen, cyborgs aren't really my area of expertise. But, if she has some trace of a human vital system she needs food and fluids desperately." I spoke up, handing the tray of food and canteen over to him.

"I'll try. Thanks, Doc." Rocket said in his gruff voice, jumping off the table and heading down the winding corridors of the facility to the room that his friend had claimed, paws full with the things I had just given him.

Finally taking a minute I strolled over to the wall of windows and stared out at the large expanse of land, the mysterious spaceship's silhouette extending it's metal limbs out, it's orange and metallic plating faintly lit up beneath the moonlight. 

Pulling out Bucky's dog tags from under my blouse I kissed them, the tarnished silver cold to my lips. But, hearing footsteps emerging from behind me I was quick to slip the chain back beneath my layers of clothes as I fixed my lab coat. 

"Will he be alright?" I heard my blonde friend question as he took to standing beside me, his hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks. The acreage of the upstate Avengers establishment stretching out before us, though at the moment, cloaked in the opacity of nightfall. 

"Should be. Cardiac Arrhythmia doesn't seem to be a concern anymore now that he's getting some fluids back into his body. There are obvious signs of Catabolism, which is essentially the body breaking down it's own muscles and tissue to keep it's vital systems going," I began.  

"But, as long as he rests, eats only small, frequent portions and drinks plenty of water with glucose in it, he should be fine. We just don't want any Metabolic disturbances as we reinstitute nutrients into his body because that would lead to Refeeding Syndrome, which is deadly. But, he'll be alright." I explained, this eventful night seemingly endless. 

"Thank you, Becky. I don't know what would of happened if you weren't here." Steve complimented and once again I forced my lips to curve upward just the slightest. 

"I just want to do all that I can. It's not much." 

"No, Becky. It's amazing. And, thank you. Honestly." My ever reassuring blue eyed friend praised, resting a hand onto my shoulder as we gazed out at the dark landscape.