THE FIRST eyes that Evelyn locked onto were that of Natasha Romanoff's. She had a small smile on her face, hand intertwined with Clint's next to her. Evelyn mentally decided to count the heads in the room, seeing all those who left return just the same. It was perfect. Their plan actually worked.
"Did we get them all?" Bruce asked the burning question.
"You telling me this'll actually work?" Rhodey exclaimed, full of happiness to see Tony and Evelyn all right. He was worried for Tony, but he's always been worried for his best friend.
Even though they seemed happy, Evelyn could tell something was irking Clint and Natasha. The pair did not stray far from one another.
As Tony called out he was getting champagne before they worked on the gauntlet, Evelyn approached the two former assassins with a small smile. "You both okay?" Natasha had her head rested on Clint's shoulder.
Clint clenched his jaw. "The red floating guy wanted a sacrifice... like Gamora was for Thanos." No one noticed Nebula freeze at the words, nor did they notice the awkwardness the woman had compared to the last time they saw her. "We both wanted to be it so the other could come home."
"How'd you do it?" Evelyn whispered, realizing the pair did not want anyone else to know by the way they were fidgeting.
Natasha snorted a bit, moving her head from Clint's shoulder to lean closer. "Tetrodotoxin B."
"Banner," Evelyn realized in shock. "I-It worked?"
"Fooled him enough to give us the stone," Clint said with a gulp as he added, "she fell down the mountain after taking it. She made sure to catch herself, of course. Still... seeing her unmoving..."
"It was heartbreaking," Evelyn finished for him. "I get it."
"Just need a moment to remember this is real," Natasha murmured, going back to Clint's side. She never showed emotion like this, so Evelyn knew the experience was traumatic.
Tony came back, giving drinks all around. Natasha drank more than the others, which did not go unnoticed by Steve as he gave her a comforting look. It was almost as if he knew, but then, Evelyn truly saw his expression. As Tony, Bruce, and Rocket began to work on the Nano-Gauntlet, Evelyn made her way to Steve.
"I'm so glad we managed to get home, Stevie," Evelyn mumbled into his shoulder, watching him take another swig of his drink. "You saw her, didn't you?"
Steve then forced himself to drink the rest quickly.
"You can't get drunk, Captain. You know better," she said, taking it away. "How did she look?"
"How did Howard look?" he snapped back.
She sighed sadly. "Like I never left, just a few more greys. He was still witty, smart... irritating. Beautiful. Like a ghost."
"Exactly," Steve said. "If you had the chance, would you go back?"
Evelyn froze before nodding her head. "I would. I would just settle everything here first. I can't live two separate lives, Steve."
"But would you?"
"Of course, Steve."
"Then, I don't feel so bad for thinking the same."
"BOOM!" Rocket yelled causing everyone to jump in annoyance.
Evelyn stood to go offer her assistance since she was supposed to be all brains sometimes, with being a Stark and all. The stones were all attached, and the glove looked beautiful despite what it stood for. She smiled, squeezing Tony's hand when she realized that they were getting her beau back along with all of their friends. Tony squeezed back just as excited as the gauntlet was brought out for all to see.
"All right. The glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their freaking fingers?" Rocket exclaimed as they looked at the stones in apprehension. Evelyn furrowed her brows at how unavailable Nebula seemed to be. It was like she was hiding in the shadows.
"I'll do it," Thor suddenly exclaimed
"Excuse me?" Scott voiced everyone's thoughts at the compound.
"It's okay," Thor said as he walked toward it. Everyone began to try and hold the God back as they pushed him away yelling No's and Stop's to which he tried to ignore.
Steve finally pushed him back enough with his strength. "Wait, wait, Thor, just wait. We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet."
"I'm sorry. What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?"
Natasha shook her head as she finally detached herself from Clint. Her voice was firm as she stated, "We should at least discuss it. It cannot be done just on a whim."
Thor grew angry at her thoughts. "No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty." Evelyn knew he just wanted to do right by the Avengers since he had let himself go so much. She knew his heart was in the right place.
"It's not about that--" Tony started as Thor tried to push forward again.
"It's not that--" he finally pushed off Tony and everyone else as he stood there vulnerable in front of the Avengers left. "Stop it! Just let me! Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right."
"Look," Evelyn started softly, knowing he had a soft spot for her. "It's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you, you're in no condition, Thor."
"What do you," he began with a laugh. "What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?"
"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey added his two cents in a snarky comment.
"Lightning."
"Yeah," Tony said with a chuckle.
"Lightning won't help you, pal," Bruce said, breaking the silence he had since they returned. "It's gotta be me. You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive."
"How do we know you will?" Steve said the question everyone was thinking.
Bruce only shrugged his large shoulders as he stared at the Gauntlet with a frown on his lips but pride shining in his eyes. He, too, thought he would never prove his worth to the Avengers. "We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was made for this."
As Bruce began preparing himself, the Avengers circled up with their uniforms on. Evelyn now wore her Vibrainum suit in case things went south. She stood behind Steve's shield while everyone else took cover. Tony, who was shielding himself, Natasha, and Clint, called out to Bruce, "Good to go, yeah?"
"Let's do it."
Tony grew a bit apprehensive, worry for his family growing. "You remember... everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago and just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years."
"Got it."
"FRIDAY, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol. Will you?"
"Yes, boss."
Everything around them locked down as the compound became almost untouchable. Evelyn took a deep breath as she peered over the shield to see Bruce getting ready to put on the Gauntlet. She could only wish this worked the way it was supposed to.
"Everybody comes home."
As the Nano-Gauntlet grew to fit his large, Hulk hand, Bruce began screaming in pain from the surge of energy the stones emitted. Thor was yelling for Bruce to take it off while Steve made sure Bruce was okay enough to continue. This had to work. It had to.
"Talk to me, Banner!" Tony yelled.
"I'm okay. I'm okay," Bruce said as he fought through the pain of the stones. No one saw Nebula that was not their Nebula at all open the Quantum Tunnel. No one saw Thanos's ship enter their world. Bruce finally managed to get his fingers together to form a snap. He fainted as the power went through him. The Nano-Gauntlet fell near Clint, but Natasha kicked it away as everything became silent.
"Bruce!" Evelyn broke the silence as she ran over. Tony grabbed her arm.
"Don't move him," he said quickly, not wanting the scientists to be in any more pain if they grabbed him the wrong way.
"Did it work?" Bruce murmured out softly.
A phone ringing had Evelyn's head shoot over to see Clint walking slowly to his phone. Scott began walking to the windows that were now open to see butterflies, bugs, and birds flying everywhere as if they multiplied.
"Honey. Honey!" Clint called to his phone, and Evelyn felt her heart soar with happiness.
Scott turned with a grin. "Guys... I think it worked!"
Right as hope seemed to be at its highest, a single missile came flying toward the compound. Evelyn screamed, grabbing onto the nearest person which happened to be Bruce. He held her as the base exploded into the ground. Evelyn could feel hope draining as she continued to fall deeper and deeper.