When we pulled up to Tony's lake house, Tony was holding his daughter walking back up onto the porch. We all got out of the car and Tony stopped in his tracks. I nodded at him and he simply nodded back. He turned back towards the porch, bringing Morgan into the house. It was a beautiful house, not something I imagined Tony living in though. I definitely imagined Tony to live in a much more modern home, but the vibe that the lake house gave off was very welcoming. It was perfect to start a family in. We all headed up to Tony's porch to wait for him. When he returned, Scott began to explain everything to him. Tony didn't seem very impressed by the idea.
"Tony, we know what it sounds like," I state
"After everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?" Steve asks
"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that? In layman's terms, it means your not coming home," Tony replies
"I did," Scott muttered
"No. You accidentally survived. It's a billion-to-one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull a... What do you call it?" Tony snaps
"A time heist?" Scott replies
"Yeah. Of course. A time heist. Why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it laughable. It's a pipe dream," Tony snaps again
"Tony, the stones are in the past. We could go back, we could get them," I state
"We could snap our own fingers, we can bring everyone back," Nat adds
"Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?" Tony replies
"I don't believe we would," Steve states
"Gotta say it, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome will be our collective demise," Tony finishes, taking a seat in the chair behind him
"Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. All right? I mean no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events-" Scott is quickly cut off after he takes a seat beside Tony
"Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future?" Tony questions
"No," Scott replies
"Good, you had me worried there. Cause' that would be horseshit. That's not how quantum physics works," Tony sighs
"Tony, We have to take a stand," Nat states
"We did stand. And yet here we are," Tony replies, causing Nat to look at the ground in disappointment
"I know you have a lot on the line. You got a wife, a daughter. But we all lost so many important people Tony. And now, we have a chance to bring them back, you're telling me that you won't even..." I state
"That's right. I won't even. I can't," Tony cuts me off
Suddenly the glass door to the porch opens and a tiny little girl comes running out. She has long brown hair with fair skin. She resembled Tony a lot. She came out running to Tony and jumped into his lap as he welcomed her with open arms.
"Mommy told me to come and save you," Morgan giggles
"Good job. I'm saved," Tony chuckles as he holds her close to his chest.
He looks up at all of us in disappointment.
"I wish you were coming here to ask me something different. Anything else. I'm honestly happy to see you guys. I just... Oh look, tables set for seven-" Tony states but is soon cut off by Steve
"Tony, I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance," Steve states
"I've got my second chance right here, Cap. Not gonna roll the dice on it. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch" Tony states as he holds Morgan in his arms, she peacefully rests there.
Tony turns and heads inside, bringing Morgan in for lunch. As much as we all wanted to stay and catch up, we had to find someone to help us. Steve walks side by side with me and sighs.
"He's scared," I state
"He's not wrong," Steve replies
"Yeah, but I mean what are we gonna do? We need him. What're we gonna do? Stop?" Scott asks from behind us
"No, I wanna do it right," Steve states as he stands by the car
"We're gonna need a really big brain," Nat adds
"Bigger than his?" Scott asks as he opened the door to the back seat
"Do you even know where he is?" I ask Nat
"I have an idea," Nat replies
We all get in the car and Steve drives towards the destination typed into the GPS by Nat. Nat had texted Banner ahead of time to meet us at a nearby diner. He was hesitant but soon gave in and waited for us. As we parked, my eyes widened as I saw Banner through the window. He was Hulk, but also Banner. It was like a strange fusion between the two and I didn't know how to feel about it. He was eating on his own as we walked in, he greeted us with a huge smile and very tight hugs... Hulk strength type hugs. We all sat down and Scott explained everything to him. Steve, Nat and I just looked at Banner in such confusion as Scott talked. Banner soon went off-topic and began talking about how good the food was here.
"I'm so confused," Scott replies
"These are confusing times," Banner chuckles
"Right, no, no. That's not what I meant," Scott states
"Nah, I get it. I'm kidding!" Banner replies
"How'd you do it, Bruce?" I ask
"Five years ago we got our asses beat. Except it was worse for me cause' I lost twice. First Hulk lost then Banner lost and then, we all lost," Banner replies
"No one blamed you, Bruce," Nat states as she shoots him a sympathetic smile
"I did. For years i've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then, I started looking at him as the cure. Eighteen months in the gamma lab, I put the brains and the brawn together, and now look at me. Best of both worlds," Banner explains
"Bruce. About what we were saying," Steve states, bringing us back to the original topic
"Right. The whole time travel do-over? Eh, guys, it's outisde of my area of expertise," Banner states
"Well, you pulled this off. I remember a time when that seemed pretty impossible too," I remind him
Banner leans back in his chair and stares in silence. He looks each of us in the eyes before he lets out sigh.
"It's worth a try then," he mutters
I smile at him and stand up from my seat in the booth and wrap my arms around him as best I can. He chuckles and hugs me back. I sit back down and we all smile at eachother.
"Are we really doing this?" Steve smiles
"Yes, we are," Nat replies
Banner planned to meet us back at the Facility tomorrow around 12pm. Scott, Nat, Steve and I all drove back in silence and made it back by around 6pm. We all headed inside, each of us tired and ready for bed.
"You boys plan on staying here tonight?" I ask
"If that's all-right with you two," Steve replies
"There's always a place for you here Steve, you too Scott," I smile
They both smile back, Nat shows Scott to the guest room where he was welcome to stay as long as he liked. I walked with Steve to his old room, making sure he had everything he needed. He broke the silence by clearing his throat and looking over at me.
"Do you think this is going to work?" he mutters
"I don't know what I'll do if it doesn't," I reply, smiling at him lightly
He stops and places a hand on my shoulder. I look back and him in confusion.
"I know that since Vision, that things have been hard and because of that I feel like you need to hear this. You are handling it so well," Steve states
Chills run down my spine as a mix of Steve and Vision's voice echos in my head. The last time I heard that was from Vision, wether it was really him or not... It was still his voice.
"I have seen you support everyone around you, rarely ever taking time for youself. You are the most selfless person I know. I hope you know, that if this doesn't work, that I am here for you. I'll still be here, I'll be here to make sure you're okay. It'll all be okay," he continues
My face grows pink and warm and I feel my eyes become watery. A single tear falls down my cheek and Steve smiles at me in sympathy.
"Don't cry, It'll be okay," Steve smiles
I smile back as him and wipe my tear away. We resume our walk to his old bedroom and I open the door. The room was very dark and cold. I walk in and turn on the lamp that stood on the floor in the corner of the room. The room was just how he left it, the bed was neatly made and everything was neat and tidy. Except for the dust that rested on some of the surfaces. He walked in and smiled at me.
"Home sweet home," he chuckles, I let out a slight chuckle with him
"Have everyhting you need?" I ask
"Yeah, I should be set. If not, I know where to find you," he replies
I smile and walk towards the doorway, I turn around and my eyes meet with his once again.
"Goodnight, sweet dreams, Steve" I smile
He immediately smiles back and his face tuns a slight pink.
"Goodnight, Doll," he replies
I smile at him one last time before I leave the room, closing the door behind me. I head to my room in a hurry, I was more than ready to get to bed. I rush into the bedroom, quickly closing the door behind me and stripping myself of my day clothes. I bent down and opened my bottom dresser drawer. I pulled out a large white t-shirt with a smile. I unfold it and slip it on. Vision always slept in the same large white t-shirt. He had almost 10 shirts, all the same. I loved how the shirt would fit him. It was a little snug on his chest and shoulders but was much more loose around his waist. He wore it so well. It wasn't the same on me as it was on him but I still found so much comfort in wearing it at night. I decided to skip wearing pants for tonight because my room was overly hot and I didn't wanna overheat. I slipped under the covers and lightly placed my head on the soft, cold pillow. I felt my eyes getting heavier and heavier until I heard a gentle knock on my door. I quickly stood up, pressing my cold feet on the floor sending a jolt through my body. I opened the door and saw Nat standing there, she looked rough. He hair was messy and he eyes were filled with fear. I opened the door to let her in.
"Nat? Is everything okay?" I ask as she sits on the end of my bed
"I had... I had a dream... A really bad one," she stutters
I sit beside her and wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as she leaned her hea don my chest.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" I ask
"No," she whipsers
"Do you wanna stay in here tonight? Sometimes, when I get nightmares, it feels better to have someone there with you. Someone to comfort you," I propose
"Please," she states
"Of course Nat, don't even worry about it," I smile
She lifts her head and smiles back at me
"Thank you. Thank you for always being here for me," she smiles
"You don't have to thank me Nat. There's nothing I want more than for the people I love to be happy and to feel safe," I reply
She smiles slightly and moves up the bed, laying down on the side of the bed that was always left unoccupied. She pushes herslef under the blankets and sighs as she rests her head on the pillow. I lay beside her and do the same.
"Goodnight," she states
"Sleep well," I reply