53 | always & tomorrow

Hope

Malibu, California | 2011

"Motherhood becomes you." said Phil.

I whipped around to see Phil coming through the front door of our house, clad in his formal agent suit as always. I smiled at him in greeting while I subtly bounced up and down on my feet with matching pats on Royal's back to keep him from doing the usual–which is lash out.

"I like to think it does. But seeing myself in the bathroom mirror with puke in my hair really says otherwise." I replied as I watched him approach me. Phil smiled at me and almost inaudibly laughed before shifting his gaze towards the little, chubby boy in my arms.

"He hasn't killed anyone, has he?" Phil joked, referencing all the times Royal had gone out of control with his newly found powers. When he turned one, he suddenly had magic that was too much for his innocent little mind to comprehend. So we gave him an inhibitor bracelet.

"No. But I'm willing to let him kill his dad." I joked, looking back at Royal when he looked at me with his oblivious but cute face. "Yes, your dad."

"Where is Mr. Stark anyway?" Phil asked.

"He's working on something important. And before you ask what it is, I have no idea. He has been working on the same thing for years. He said it's a surprise for me." I said.

Ever since we were reunited in 1995, he has been going down to his workshop to work on the same thing at least once a week or two. He wouldn't tell me what it is and begged me not to use my magic to get it out of him or to even try to look at what he's doing. Of course, being my natural curious help was dying to know what that was. But over the years that he's been doing that, I've lost interest and just let him do what he wants with whatever it is until he's finally ready to show it to me.

"Do you want coffee?" I asked Phil.

Phil smiled. "Coffee would be lovely. Here, I'll take Royal."

I gently transferred Royal to his godfather's arms and the little guy sucked on his own thumb with a giggle. Royal had always loved Phil. For some reason, he enjoys his company. Sometimes, even more so than mine or Tony's. It's like they immediately clicked the moment they met. Or maybe Royal is just a good judgment of character. I mea, who wouldn't love Phil?

As I was on my way to the kitchen to prepare Phil some coffee, I heard his voice hum a certain song as he held Royal in his arms. The tone caught my attention because, as much as I'm completely lost in what's new in music, this one song he was humming was one that I've already sang before, but definitely not in this timeline.

"Where'd you hear that?" I asked him, not suspiciously. But I was genuinely curious.

Phil turned around to meet my gaze with still the same soft smile tugging on his lips. "Where do you think?"

—

"...then tomorrow, I'll love you always." I sang in a whisper, it was barely inaudible even in my own ears as I did. But I still remember when Phil hummed 'Always and Tomorrow' to Royal. It was Landon who wrote it and he has yet to write it in like, 17 years. I wonder how he came to know that song.

"Baby." I heard Tony's voice behind me and my eyes fluttered open. Despite not being able to get any sleep, I still remained lying on the bed with my eyes closed, just revisiting some of the best memories that Phil and I had. I mean, he was the first friend I've made at work. Hell, I knew before I was even recruited.

I turned around to face Tony. He was hovering above me while stroking my hair a few times before speaking up again. "Come on. You gotta get ready."

I saw my own reflection in Tony's charming brown eyes. I witnessed the way my face contorted into a confused expression based on what he just said. "Get ready for what?"

"To avenge Phil." Tony casually answered, as if it was the most normal thing ever. I guess, it makes sense. The things that are kind of unusual to some people are completely normal to us. Like losing loved ones left and right. "I figured you'd want in." he added.

Of course I'm in.

—

It's been a while since I felt this motivated. 'Motivated' is a relative and much more toned down term. The perfect term would be 'vengeful'. I know that this timeline has basically given me everything that I had been dreaming for, everything I wanted out of my original timeline. But I guess I don't get to escape tragedy that easily.

I'm salty that it started with one of the kindest people I know.

Tony was already on his way to the Stark Tower while I was marching towards a quinjet with Steve, Nat, and Clint. Once we were inside one, an agent stood up and tried to stop us from going any further.

I was going to say something, I would happily shut him down, but Steve took it upon himself to do so.

"Hey, you guys aren't authorized to be in here." said the agent.

Steve, completely not in the mood to play around, spoke up immediately. "Son, just don't."

I couldn't hold back the smirk that formed on my lips. That was the most boomer thing I've ever heard from him. He's really embracing this, isn't he?

Without another word, the agent swallowed hard and spared us another fight by walking out of the quinjet voluntarily. Clint made his way toward the pilot's seat, Natasha sitting on the one beside him while Steve and I remained at the back of the jet, our feet planted firmly on the metal floor as the entire vehicle started to vibrate into life.

"Tony, where are you?" I said, my hand shooting up to my earpiece as I asked for an update from him. He's probably already at the tower.

"I'm already at the tower. I can't shut down the reactor. It's time for Plan B." Tony replied, his voice echoing in my ear as I remembered a few things about what happened in New York 2012. I know this fight is going to be one large mess.

"We're switching to Plan B." I told everyone before they all replied in agreement and the bird we're in finally took off.

The entire ride, I was focused on one thing, my racing heartbeat. My heart was pounding so much in anxiety not just for Tony but for Royal as well. It's not that I'm doubting my family in protecting him. But Loki is a literal alien god, and I, one of the most powerful creatures in the supernatural world, possibly the most powerful ever in the supernatural world, could not even stop him.

I just wish that this fight wouldn't end up reaching them.

The tower was only a tiny spec in our vision when we immediately noticed something unusual that broke the sky above Manhattan. I suddenly forgot my crazy heartbeat and Steve and I raced to the front of the jet to get a good look of what was happening.

"I'm not the only one seeing this, right?" I muttered, loud enough for them to hear.

"Unfortunately." Steve replied.

Once we were close enough, Natasha started talking through the comms.

"Stark, we're on your three, headed northeast." Nat told him.

"What, did you stop for drive-through?" Tony sarcastically remarked. "Swing up park. I'm going to lay them out for you."

We watched in front row seats as Tony led what, I'm unmistakably sure, was a flock of gross gray aliens riding Transformers scooters in the air, all lined up and chasing Tony. He successfully got them out of our way which made it easier for Nat and Clint to fly toward where Loki was, finding out that Thor had already gotten there before us, fighting the hell out of his brother.

"Nat?" Clint called for the redhead.

"I see him." Nat answered.

The quinjet turned and aimed its built-in artillery at the golden-horned god before they started shooting.

Quite frankly, it was no surprise to me when the guns didn't even bother Loki in the slightest. Though it did bother me when I witnessed Loki turn around to face us and aim his scepter at the quinjet.

It was too late for me to chant a spell to protect the jet.

The quinjet took one enormous hit to one of its thrusters. A grunt left my lips as the whole vehicle uncontrollably shook. I almost tripped and fell, which could've been really embarrassing given that it would have led to a series of tumbling towards the back of the jet, if it weren't for Steve immediately catching my arm and preventing me from falling down.

I could feel the heat of the explosion from the side of the quinjet, as if it was sizzling my skin even though it wasn't even touching it. As the jet was plummeting down, I felt like my soul was left up in the air, separated from my limp body, like everything inside me was thrusted out of my body. And it wasn't a very good feeling.

It took me a good few seconds to compose myself as I held on for dear life at the ceiling of the jet just as Steve was doing as well before I finally got the words out of my mouth.

"Alta volare avicula. Alta volare avicula." I was barely concentrating. The words were just flying right out of my mouth with the absence of my concentration and sincerity that it was failing to even work. I don't even need to make the jet completely fly again. I just need it to fly just enough to make a pretty safe landing because while I'm basically unkillable, the people I'm in this jet with are far from it.

"Alta volare avicula. Alta volare avicula." I chanted once again, and I felt the quinjet shift from its downward pattern, just a bit which lessened the impact when the jet finally hit the ground, crashing into one of the many already destroyed buildings in the city.

"Everyone all right?" I called out, making sure that the impact didn't hurt any of the mortal people in the jet.

"We're good." Clint replied as he and Natasha started immediately unbuckling their seatbelts. I turned toward Steve and he responded to me with a mere nod before we were up on our feet again and exited the jet.

Smoke. Fire. Debris. Those were the first things that I smelled the second I stepped out of the jet.

Guns. Screams. Crashes. The first things I heard.

Destruction. The first thing I laid my eyes upon.

"We got to get back up there." Steve commanded as we ran toward the tower. I was about to use my enhanced speed to get there faster and just wait for their assistance once they arrived there when we heard what sounded like a deep, echoed roar that reverberated through my entire body.

Our sprints decreased into nothing as we stopped in the middle of a wrecked road, our eyes glancing up to the sky where a wormhole-like portal glazed down directly onto the top of the tower where the reactor sat.

But that wasn't what made us stand there and look dumbfounded. No. It was the fact that an unknown, gigantic creature that looked like a spiky, zombie whale swimming through the air from the portal had entered Manhattan, its roar almost bursting our eardrums and vibrating through the streets of New York.

"What the fuck is that?" I uttered. I don't think they heard me. Hell, I didn't even hear myself say that from how loud that creature was.

The blood-curdling creature flew down right above us, its moves were slow and even similar to a siren, like a mermaid swimming through the depths of the ocean. Only this creature was in fucking mid-air.

"Stark, you seeing this?" Steve said, his eyes not ripping away from the number of aliens that sprung out from the sides of the huge creature.

"Seeing. Still working on believing." I heard Tony reply through our comms. "Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?"

I turned to Steve and saw his face contort into a confused expression before he replied to Tony. "Banner?"

"Just keep me posted." Tony simply responded before he went back to work.

The four of us started running toward danger itself to officially join the fight. My head whipped to the side when I heard an explosion down on the road below the bridge we're on, seeing countless vehicles sent flying in the air, engulfed in smoke and flames as Loki rode one of those flying scooters dangerously close to the ground and wreaking havoc upon the streets personally.

"We've got civilians still trapped up here." Clint noted.

Our eyes landed on the number of people scared and running for their lives. "Loki." I heard Steve mutter under his breath when his gaze caught a glimpse of him. "They're a fish in a barrel down there."

An alien took a shot at us and we ducked down when it hit the side of the cab instead of us. I guess they have a terrible aim. Natasha stood up and directed her two guns at the small group of aliens charging toward us. 'Small' doesn't seem to be the right term.

"Clint and I got this. It's good. You guys go." Natasha told me and Steve.

My slightly heavy breathing caused my chest to rise and fall at a rather steady pace as I nodded toward Nat.

"Do you think you can hold them off?" Steve asked Clint.

"Captain," Clint started, clicking onto his high-tech bow and arrow. "It would be my genuine pleasure."

A cocky smirk tugged on the archer's lips before he stood up, emerging from his hiding spot from the aliens and started shooting his arrows at them, not missing one target.

"Show off." I whispered under my breath as a smirk of my own formed on my lips.

Steve and I took it upon ourselves to just jump off the bridge and right into the endangered civilians on the road below, avoiding the beams that were shooting out of the aliens' weapons as we made a run for it.

"You go talk to them." Steve told me, pointing at the group of cops situated on one of the streets. "I'll deal with them." He nodded toward another group.

"Will do." I answered with no questions.

I used my vampire speed to shove past the destruction and the people to get to the front of the group of cops just in time.

"Agent Mikaelson." Said one of the cops, who I assume is leading them.

"Inferna is shorter." I replied. "We need as many men as we can scramble in these buildings to get the civilians out safely. Take them to subways or basements, just anywhere but the streets to keep them out of harm's way. We've got Captain Rogers ordering the same thing on the other side. Let's move, people!"

The cop I was talking to nodded in response before I spun around when I felt a presence quickly approaching me and saw not one, not two, but three aliens charging at me with their alien-powered tech weapons pointed at me.

I didn't bother to channel my magic against them. I'm pretty sure I'm perfectly capable in just using another side of me.

My vision got dark with a slight hue of yellow as my eyes turned from blue into a bright shade of gold, summoning my ever-so aggressive werewolf side before I lunged forward. The beams coming out of their weapons were easy for me to dodge as I sprinted toward them. Once they were within my reach, the first things I grabbed were their weapons. I yanked them off of their grasps before bringing out my claws to scratch them as much as I could.

I almost reverted back to my normal self in disgust when I saw the color of their blood stuck under my sharp claws. Two of the aliens that confronted me had already stopped to the ground while the other one was still standing. I jabbed all five of my claws from one hand into what I believe is its torso before lifting him up from the ground and throwing him away from here as far as I can.

I let out a large huff before returning to my normal state.

"I'll be demanding a spa day after this." I said to myself before I started to march down the path where more aliens were, ready to take them on with everything that I've got. Unluckily for them, they won't know what everything I've got is until it hits them in the face.

It's been a couple of minutes since I dove right into the group of aliens. I could barely see the color of my skin on my arms because of how much it was covered with what I like to call alien residue instead.

"Mikaelson, we need you back up here." I heard Steve call out for me through the comms.

"Copy that." I only replied before using my enhanced speed to get there faster.

The scene at the bridge was just as chaotic as it was down there. I showed up just in time to help Steve, Clint, and Natasha wipe this particular road off of gray-skinned immigrants.

Once we were done, we had enough time to catch our breaths as we nodded toward each other, taking it as signs that we were all right before Thor came falling down like a comet from space.

"What's the story upstairs?" Steve asked the god of thunder as we joined them.

"The power surrounding the Cube is impenetrable." Answered Thor.

Our eyes shot up when we heard air whooshing above us as well as Tony's voice through our earpieces.

"Thor's right. We got to deal with these guys." Tony added.

The five of us on the ground looked around, trying to come up with a plan on how to deal with everything that's happening in an effective way.

"How do we do this?" Asked Natasha.

"As a team." Steve said, not wasting a second to answer.

"I have unfinished business with Loki."

"Yeah? Well, get in line."

"I'm coming for him first." I added, remembering how he messed with my mind and made me remember all the horrible things that I had done when my humanity was off. That wasn't something I took lightly. Not to mention how he took Phil away from his godson.

"Save it." The captain said, ending that part of the conversation. "Loki's going to keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him, these things could run wild. We got Stark up top. He's going to need us to..."

While Steve was spelling out the plan as we gathered in front of him, the sound of a motorcycle revving behind him cut him off. Our gazes all landed on the same person that was on the bike.

"So, this all seems horrible." said Dr. Banner as we approached him, the man meeting us halfway.

"I've seen worse." Natasha countered.

The scientist averted his attention toward the redhead assassin, not hiding the apologetic look on his face as he voiced out the same. "Sorry."

"No, we could...use a little worse." Natasha cleared up.

"Tony, we got him." I said through the comms.

"Banner?" Tony made sure.

"Just like you said." The captain answered.

"Then tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you." My husband stated and for a moment there, we were all a bit confused.

Until Tony arrived and showed up in our line of sight with the 'party' dangerously tailing behind him.

I breath hitched in my throat as my hands clenched into hard fists. How the hell are we supposed to take down something that big?

"I-I don't see how that's a party." Nat muttered.

"I do." I replied, not really knowing why I even felt the need to say that. I think I was too entranced by the damn thing.

Tony flew close to the ground, causing the giant, fish-looking creature to do the same, destroying every car and pole that stood in its way as it made its way towards them.

"Dr. Banner." Steve took a few steps toward the scientist who was already marching toward the creature. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry."

My heart was pounding as I watched Bruce not stopping from his tracks and instead looked behind him to face us. "That's my secret, Captain."

He took a few more steps forward, stopping just several feet away from the creature before he looked behind him again and spoke.

"I'm always angry."

And with that, what was once his light, medium golden skin color, turned into a bright hue of green along with his muscles enlarging, his clothes ripping to shreds before he grew into a whole different person.

And to me, that was incredibly satisfying.

Bruce—The Hulk's big green fist punched down on the creatures face, sending it panted on the ground as it slid forward, causing the scientist's alter-ego to move backwards with his feet leaving rough, vertical tracks on the cemented road.

I was in complete awe as I watched the creature's rear bend forward, revealing bare sports from its armor shell dismantling, giving Tony a solid target.

"Hold on!" Tony commanded as he aimed one of his weapons at the creature.

I just knew that it was going to blow up. I quickly snapped out of the daze I was in to mutter an incantation under my breath.

"Expello." I cast a barrier spell around us to protect us from the explosion that happened just a mere millisecond before it reached us. If I had been a second late, some of us would have been toast.

Once it was clear enough, I took down the spell and the first thing that we were greeted with was the sound of spine-chilling screeches erupting from the hoarse throats of the angry aliens that filled the streets of the city. We all took our positions, lined in a circle to make sure that no one's back is left unguarded. To make sure that we have each other's backs whatever it takes.

Not even a minute later, our eyes glanced back up at the sky and a few more gigantic fish beasts emerged from the portal. Seems like this fight is far from over.

"Guys." Natasha said, her voice hinting concern.

"Call it, Captain." Tony said.

The man in the red, white, and blue suit took a step forward as he rearranged the plan.

"All right, listen up. Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment." Steve stated before she started distributing tasks. "Barton, I want you on that roof. Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got up top. I need you to keep the sky as clear as possible."

"Can you give me a lift?" Clint asked Tony.

"Right." Tony said, coming over to Clint and grabbing him by the back. "Better clench up, Legolas."

The two of them flew up and went to their designated stations before the Captain continued to speak.

"Thor, you got to try and bottleneck that portal. Slow them down. You got the lightning. Light the bastards up." He told Thor before he spun his hammer in his hand and threw it upwards which got him off the ground right towards the building nearest to the entrance of the portal.

Steve then turned to me. "Hope, you got the perimeter. Use your magic to make sure that you isolate the aliens in this city from everywhere else. Not a single one of them should get past the barrier. If they try, deal with them."

I nodded once with a smirk on my lips as I started to walk away to find the dead center of the city.

"You and me, we stay here on the ground. We keep the fighting here. And Hulk—" I looked back to the three of them as Steve gave out his last order. He merely raised a finger with a smile on his lips. "Smash."

That put a satisfied grin on the green creatures' face before he began smashing.

We've all got our jobs. We've all got our reasons to keep fighting.

We've all got to make sure that at the end of this fight, tomorrow on Earth still exists.

—

I am going to make sure that I see this entire trilogy through! I have so much planned for this and I want everyone to witness it. <3 sorry for taking suuuuper long to update.