Strange's Heartache

Chapter 14

"We have to do something!" Everyone whispered over and over again as Shuri, Bruce, and Dr. Cho all hurried to come up with a suppressant that would work quickly and efficiently without having any long lasting detrimental side effects.

"Well first we need to find Stephen!" Bucky growls from beside the door. You were one of his best friends and right now the only thing he wants to do is beat Strange within an inch of his cowardly life right now. "Buck, calm down. Violence won't solve anything." Steve says as he walks over and hugs his oldest friend. "I know. Doesn't mean it won't be fun though," He mumbles before wrapping his arms around the aggravating blond.

"DAMMIT ALL!" Shuri yells in frustration as the test sample that she placed in the simulator explodes violently sending shards of glass in all directions. Bruce walks over and puts an arm on her shoulder as she looks up with tears in her eyes and whispers, "I've tried everything. I can't help her. We must find Dr. Strange!"

T'Challa walks over and pulls his distraught sister into a tight hug and lets her cry on his shoulder as Bruce turns to the rest of the Avengers and says, "Shuri is right. We need to find Stephen. I've looked over the data that Shuri's tests gave us and it's not good." Some Avengers have tears silently streaming down their faces, others look madder than Bucky, but they all look concerned for you. Bruce wishes he could show you just how much everyone cares in this moment.

"What do you mean?" Bucky growls as he looks up. Bruce takes a deep breath and straightens his glasses then says, "Her body is shutting down as if she's been rejected by her Alpha. Right now it's just her reproductive organs that's failing which isn't bad but it damn sure isn't good. She's dying slowly and the more time passes the worse she's going to get. Eventually her internal organs will begin to fail starting with the ones she can live the longest without. Then one by one her major organs will go. Eventually she will slip into a coma then..." He trailed off but no one needed him to elaborate any further. Once you slipped into a coma, there would be no getting you back.

Bucky's eyes flash with rage as he turns and storms out of the room followed by Steve. "Buck, what are you doing?! JAMES BUCHANAN BARNES! AY YO THIGHS OF BETRAYAL?!" Steve yells and Bucky turns on his heel and growls, "I'm gonna go find that coward. And when I find him I'm gonna beat him within and inch of his life then I'm going to drag him back here and show him what he did to my best friend! I don't care if this Tina person gets in my way. I'll tear her apart too for causing all of this!"

Those that heard him couldn't help but smile at his words. He'd become protective of you the day you two had met and had watched over you like an older brother. You'd been shy when you first been recruited and he was the only one that you had felt safe enough to actually open up to. Soon enough he had you participating in Friday Night Game Night and nothing had ever been the same since. Not to mention how you'd helped him when the nightmares had begun. You'd sit up with him night after night even if you had exams the next day and make sure the former Russian assassin was going to be alright. More times than not many of the Avengers would find the two of you sound asleep either in one of your rooms or in the living area.

"FRIDAY, I need you to give me the last known whereabouts of Dr. Strange, please." Bucky growls as he looks up at the ceiling. "Sure thing, Sergeant." The AI responds before going quiet as she searches for him. "He is currently in Tony's liquor room in the penthouse. Should I let him know that you wish to see him?" She asks. But before anyone could ask a very pissed off Stark made it very apparent that he too wanted Strange's head on a pike.

"No." Tony growls as he limps into the room. "Holy shit! What happened to you?" Steve asks. "I tried to reason with him and he opened a portal beneath me and sent me dropping onto my desk thirty feet below me. Before I could step out of the wreckage that was once my desk, he shut the portal and blew the circuits to the fingerprint and retina scanner outside the door so now only he can get in or out." Tony explains as his eyes burn with rage.

"You all just might be forgetting someone." A silky voice says from the back of the crowd and everyone turns and looks at Loki. "And what, pray tell, can you do to help us?" Bucky asks angrily. "Well, nothing if you talk to me in that tone. But I am very well known for my magic and you do look as though you need leadership...and help." He comments lazily unable to keep the snide comments at bay which causes Bucky to growl loudly and start towards him only to be stopped by Steve who says, "Thank you, Loki, for helping us."

Loki smiles and says, "No problem at all, my dear thick Captain. Now shall I go and fetch the doctor?" Before anyone can say another word, Loki disappears in a bright green cloud leaving them all speechless except for Steve who looks around and asks in a soft innocent voice that caused many Avengers to either pat him on the back or hug him tightly, "What did he mean by thick?"