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He started to tell the little girl not to tell the man he was in there with her but two things stopped him. First was the look of terror that crossed the child's face, and second, was the appearance of the voice's owner at the door. He was a big, burly man with a shaved head, tattoos all over his face, and a looped belt grasped tightly in one of his meaty hands. He didn't see Bucky at first when he entered as he stalked straight towards Annie, raising the belt over his head.

"Girl, when I tell you to do something, you better do it!" he snarled, bringing the belt down towards Annie.

Annie threw up her hands to shield herself, shrieking and cowering away from him.

But the belt never lands its target, as Bucky stepped forward, and seized it with his metal hand. Tommy, he presumed, looked at him with a shocked look on his ugly face. When he opened his mouth to snarl at Bucky, it was then Bucky smelled reek of alcohol on the man's breath. 

The man's eyes blazed as he asked, "Who the h—"

Bucky cut him off by cold cocking him, and as Tommy fell unceremoniously to the floor, he turned to check on Annie. "Are you okay?" The little girl stared at him, stunned by what he'd done. He knelt in front of her, and tried to get her to hear him. "Annie, doll, are you okay?"

Annie blinked, and looked at her mother's boyfriend's crumpled form. "Did you kill him, mister?"

He shook his head, "No, I didn't kill him. He's just knocked out right now."

"I wish you would've killed him, mister."

What a horrible thing to hear such a sweet looking little girl say! "Why would you wish for something like that?"

"'Cause when Tommy wakes up, he'll be super mad, and he'll... he'll..."

Bucky didn't need for her to finish her sentence, and he shushed her. It' had been such a long time since he'd touched another person with such gentleness, but he was gentle as he could be when he pulled the child into what he hoped was a comforting embrace.

"He's not going to hurt you again. I promise you that he's not going to hurt you again. Now, do you have school today?"

Annie nodded. "Uh huh... and he'll be waiting for me when I get back home today too!"

Bucky guided her towards the barn's door. "Then you go on, go to school, and by the time you get back home, Tommy won't be taking any of this out on you."

"What are you gonna do, Mister?"

Truth was, he didn't know yet what he was going to do about Tommy, but he wouldn't fail the little girl either. "You don't worry about it. Just go to school." 

***

Bucky kept his word to Annie. 

When Tommy woke up, he wasn't happy to find himself all tied up by the Winter Soldier, but he was even less thrilled to be questioned by him. Still, Bucky got him to tell him the whole situation. As it turned out, Annie's mom Laurie was a nurse who worked sixteen hour shifts at a time, and wasn't home often while her daughter was still awake. Since they had no family close by, and Laurie had no friends she could depend on to watch out for Annie, she'd asked Tommy to move in with them. In return for taking care of Annie, Tommy had room and board as well as free access to Laurie's bank account.

Yep, the lowlife was even living off of the woman whose daughter he was supposed to be caring for, not abusing. When Bucky learned all of this, he grabbed the man's throat with his metal hand, and told him in no uncertain terms that he would be leaving that day with nothing but the clothes on his back.

"But what about my stuff?" Tommy asked in an outraged tone.

"Consider it repayment for all the free things you've wrongfully taken from Annie and her Mom. Now, hit the road, pal, and do not ever come back!"

Tommy started to protest but one hard, cool look from Bucky silenced him, and he started down the road leading from the farm house. Bucky watched him until he disappeared, and he made a note to make sure the guy had actually left before he left himself. Speaking of leaving, he knew he shouldn't leave until he had a chance to talk to Laurie.

She'll probably call the police on me, he thought, But that's a chance I'll have to take. He just needed to be sure that Annie was there when he did it, so she could back up all the claims of abuse against Tommy. He hoped that when she heard it all, she wouldn't be angry with Annie but with Tommy, and would then try to work something better out for her daughter.

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innitmarvelous_og

Sigyn woke up early one winter morning to find that the world outside her window was covered in a thick layer of snow. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched, feeling the cold air nip at her skin. She knew that her father Loki would already be up, likely causing mischief somewhere as was his wont. 

As she dressed warmly and headed out into the snow, Sigyn spotted her father in the distance, sitting on a large rock by a frozen lake. She approached him with a little trepidation as she knew her father, was unpredictable even at the best of times.

"Happy morning to you, Father. What are you doing?" she asked.

"Happy morning to you as well. Why I'm enjoying the morning, my dear," Loki replied, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "It's a perfect day for a bit of fun, don't you think?"

Sigyn sighed, knowing that when her father talked about fun, it usually meant trouble. But she also felt excited at the prospect of spending time with him. He rose up, and started walking deeper into the forest. She followed him as he led her deeper into the snowy woods. Soon they arrived at a natural hot spring that was steaming in the frigid air. Sigyn gasped as she had had no idea that it was even there before now!

"Let's take a dip, my dear," Loki said, grinning wickedly as he removed his cloak and tunic so that he was left only in his pants.

"But it's cold out here, Father!" she exclaimed, at the idea.

"Come, my dear Sigyn. I promise it will warm you up in no time," her father said, his hand extended towards her.

Sigyn hesitated, but the allure of the hot water was too strong to resist. She took off her cloak, and laid it down beside his. She removed her dress, and left her shift on. Taking her father's hand, she slipped into the pool, feeling the warmth seep into her bones. For the next few moments, she closed her eyes, and relaxed, forgetting about the world outside of these woods simply enjoying the sensation of the hot water against her skin.

"Father," she began after they'd both soaked in the glorious warm for awhile.

"Hmm?" was his only response.

"Father...Father..."

Loki opened his eyes, and looked at his daughter. "Yes, my little snowflake? Do you want to ask me something?"

Sigyn nodded.

"What is it then? You know you may ask me anything."

She nodded again, and swallowed. "Father, did you ever... bring my Mother here to this place?" Immediately pain cast a shadow across her father's bright eyes, and he nodded. Bringing up her mother, Eva, was always a difficult subject for her father, for his beloved Eva had died while bringing her into the world.

"Yes, my dear, I did. Your Mother loved this place so much. It was one of her favorite places to come when winter came," said her father, looking lost in his memories.

Sigyn wished she could have known her mother for the countless time since she had become old enough to realize she was without her. Oh without any question, she loved her father, and both sets of her grandparents. But after watching other girls her age with their mothers, she knew she was missing out on having someone who could never be replaced.

"Well, the hour grows late, Come, my little snowflake, it is time for us to return home."

Although she knew they had not been in the hot springs as long as her father claimed, Sigyn did not argue. Instead, she allowed him to aid her out of the water, and back into her warm attire. He wrapped his own cloak around her, as well as his arm, and together they started back home.

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Eva has always been like her father in so many ways, and so like him, she has never been a morning person. But when she opened her eyes to see the snow falling outside her window, it was enough to make her get out of bed earlier than she originally felt like. After she wrapped herself in a thick robe, she then headed to the kitchen to make herself some nice, hot mocha coconut coffee. With her mug in hand, she stood at the kitchen window staring out the window at the winter wonderland outside lost in her thoughts until she heard a knock on her door.

"Who in the world?" she muttered, as she walked to the door.

Eva checked her door camera first, and she couldn't believe who it was she was seeing standing on the other side of her door. She felt her heart pounding as she reached out, and opened the door. "Loki! Oh my gosh!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

He was obviously stunned for a moment as he neither moved nor spoke, but then he lifted his arms to hug her back. He murmured in her ear, "Why I came to see you," he replied, "Of course."

The hug lasted for another few seconds then Eva pulled away, and gestured towards the interior of her home. "Please come inside!" He nodded, and stepped into her house, his eyes scanning the room.

As she followed him inside, and offered to take his long grey coat from him, Eva couldn't help but feel a little flustered. She and Loki had been friends for years, but lately in the last few years, there was always an underlying tension between them that she couldn't quite explain. "Do you want some coffee? It's mocha coconut!" she asked, motioning to the Keurig.

Loki nodded, and Eva made him a cup, savoring the warmth of the mug in her hands. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, watching the snow fall outside.

Finally, even he must not have been able to take the tension in the room as Loki broke the quiet to ask her. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Eva hesitated. It was freezing outside, but something in the way he asked made her say yes. They bundled up in their coats and hats and stepped outside into the snow.

As they walked, they talked about everything and nothing, the snow crunching under their feet. Eva felt her cheeks grow warm, and not just from the cold. She couldn't help but feel drawn to Loki, despite the fact that they had always just been friends.

Eventually, they found themselves at a park that was close to her house, and Loki led Eva to a secluded spot. "I have something for you," he said, pulling a small box out of his pocket.

Eva's heart began to race as she opened the box. Inside, she found a beautiful necklace, the pendant shaped like a heart. "Loki, it's gorgeous," she breathed, feeling her face grow hot.

Loki smiled, taking the necklace from her and fastening it around her neck. "It's not as beautiful as you," he said, his eyes locking deep into hers.

At that moment, Eva was finding it hard to breathe. She had never seen that look in his eyes before. She realized in that moment that what she had been feeling all these years was mutual. As she watched, Loki started to lean towards her, and before she knew it, his lips were pressing against hers. Eva immediately deepened the kiss, and cupped his face with her gloved hands. Suddenly, Eva found herself almost face down on the bench when Loki pulled away, and sprang up, walking away from her at a fast pace.

Eva was stunned for a second, and then sprang up to hurry after him, catching up to him quickly. "Loki, is something wrong?" 

He didn't slow his pace, and he nodded. "Yes, I've ruined 
everything!"

"Ruined everything how?" Eva asked in a breathless tone as his fast pace was starting to get to her, even as fit as she was. "Loki?"

Loki stopped suddenly, and without facing her answered her. "I-I shouldn't have kissed you!"

"Why shouldn't you have kissed me?"

He sighed, his head dropping. "Because you see me as only a friend, nothing more or less. For me to kiss you, that is a betrayal of our friendship, as I am trying to turn it into something it is not. I'm sorry, Eva. It will not happen again." With that said, he started walking again, this time at a much slower pace.

Eva shook her head, and went after him. She walked beside him in silence, trying to figure out how to word what she wanted to say to him.

"If you wish to return the necklace, I will understand, as it was a presumptuous gift on my part," he said, sounding utterly defeated.

"Oh for crying out loud, would you just stop being an idiot already?!" she exclaimed.

Loki stopped walking once more, and looked at her. "I beg your pardon. What did you say?"

"I said would you stop being an idiot already?!"

"I am not being an idiot!"

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are, or you wouldn't have ended one of the most epic kisses ever until we were both out of breath!"

Puzzlement crossed Loki's features. "'Most epic kisses ever'? Am I to understand that you are telling me that you were enjoying my kissing you?"

Eva took a step closer to him. "Yes, you big dolt! That is exactly what I am telling you! Believe me, if I hadn't been, mythical god of mischief and chaos or not, I would have knocked you out cold with the right cross my Dad and all of my Uncles helped me to develop, and left your butt there on that bench to wake up on your own!"

"You would have?" Loki said.

"Yes, I would! Loki, I... I love you!" she exclaimed.

His eyes widened, and then he closed the gap between them. "You what?"

"I said, I love you!" Eva muttered, dropping her head. "I have for a long time, I think." She bit her lip, hoping now she wasn't the one to destroy everything between them.

He placed a gentle hand underneath her chin, and lifted her face up. "Eva Stark Anthonysdottir, I love you too."

"You do?" she asked in a whisper.

Loki nodded. "Eva, there are so many things I love about you. I love the way you see the world. You have this unique perspective that I can't help but find so fascinating. Ever since we met, you have challenged me in ways that no one else ever has. You've made me see the universe in a new light. You make me want to be a better person."

As she stared into his eyes, Eva felt her knees going weak. She knew without any doubt that Loki is the one she loves without every part of her heart. She knew with all that she is, he is her soulmate, and they will be together forever. With this knowledge and certainty, she is the one who initiated their second kiss.

For a long time, they stood there, kissing in the snow, with the hot intensity of their passion keeping them warm. As they finally parted, Eva couldn't help but feel grateful for the unexpected, snowy morning that had brought them together.

Current Music: 1259 words

innitmarvelous_og

Bucky Barnes, formerly the Winter Soldier (or at least he is trying to formerly become the Winter Soldier) woke up early on a cold winter morning, his senses on alert as he scanned his surroundings. He was in the barn of a remote cabin in the mountains, surrounded by snow and silence. The cabin was occupied with a small family, so he had spent the night in the barn, not wanting to alarm those inside of the house.

He had been on the run for months, trying to escape the memories of his past as a deadly assassin. But now, in this peaceful wilderness, he felt like he could finally breathe.

He got up and he was preparing to leave the barn behind, knowing he needed to get started as soon as possible of he were going to put miles between this place and his next destination before nightfall.

When he opened the barn door, and peeked outside, he found himself wishing for a hot cup of coffee. Huh, he mused, that was a strange reaction upon seeing his own breath rising up before him. He'd not had a thought like that in decades!

Seventy years to be exact, Barnes!

Bucky shook his head, and cleared his thoughts. He returned to the inside of the barn to retrieve his backpack carrying his meager possessions, and was stopped by a voice at the door.

"Hello," said the voice.

He immediately turned around, taking a defensive stance, and was surprised by who he saw standing there: a girl about eight years old is standing at the door. The way she's dressed is warm but not for someone who is going to be out in the cold for long, and there's a bucket hanging from one of her hands.

"I said, hello."

Bucky tried to make himself relax, although he couldn't do it fully. Not with everything HYDRA had done to his mind and body over the 70 plus years they used him as the Winter Soldier. Maybe he would never be able to relax fully, who knows.

"Can you talk, mister?" the girl asked, her face contorted with worry.

"Of course, I can," he replied, gruffly but not as gruffly as he could have. "Who are you?"

"My name is Annie, and I'm supposed to be milking our cow right now." As if on cue, the cow mooed, and turned her head to look at them both, munching on hay. Annie pointed to the bovine, and told him, "That's Penny."

Bucky nodded his head, "Hello."

"Mister, why are you in our barn?"

"I'm a friend of your Dad's."

"You mean Tommy? He's not my Dad. He's Mommy's boyfriend who stays with us."

"Oh."

"You don't know him do you?"

Bucky almost lied, and told Annie that of course he knows her mom's boyfriend, but there's something about the way she is looking at him that keep him from doing it He finally shook his head, and muttered, "No, no, I don't know him. Or your mom either."

"Then why are you in our barn?" Annie asked, innocently.

"Because I needed a place to—"

"Annie, what is taking you so long in getting that cow milked?" a hard, male voice asked from the outside.

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innitmarvelous_og

Never again did Katniss believe she would see Cinna, the man who had become a dear friend to her during her time in the Hunger Games. She had thought he was dead, a victim of the Capitol's brutal regime. But now, as she stands looking at him in her living room of her house in District 12, the realization he was that he was alive was sinking in.

"Cinna," she whispered, tears streaming down her face. "When I was about to go into the arena for the Quarter Quell, I saw them..." She stopped there to take a deep breath because she knew if she didn't, she would start sobbing from the memory of the Peacekeepers dragging him away as they beat him mercilessly. Once Katniss thought she could speak without breaking down, she continued on.

"They... Effie told me you were dead! How... how is this possible?" she asks at last.

innitmarvelous_og

Never again would Happy Hogan hear Tony Stark's voice, see his mischievous grin, hear his laughter, or get an out of nowhere bear hug. The pain of his loss still lingered fresh in his heart, even though it had been months since the Avengers had brought everyone back in the Blip.

As he stood by Tony's grave, Happy couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt. He had promised to keep an eye on Morgan and make sure she was okay, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had failed her father. Tony had always been so much more than a boss to Happy; he was his friend, his confidant, and his inspiration.

But now he was gone, and all Happy could do was honor his memory by keeping the Stark legacy alive. He would protect Morgan with everything he had, just like he had promised Tony he would. And maybe, just maybe, he could find a way to move on from his grief and live his life in a way that would make Tony proud.

"Well so long... Tony," Happy mutters as he starts to turn away. He walks a few steps, stops, and looks back. "I think you already know I am going to do everything possible to look after them all, but I still want to say it, which is... silly I know because I don't even know if you're still somewhere to hear me. But just in case you can somehow hear me. I... I just want you to know that I will look after them. And when I say them, I'm including the ki— Parker, um Peter too. I'll keep a weather eye out, I promise."

innitmarvelous_og

Never again did Susan Ivanova want to see either the colors of green or purple, and if she did, it would be far too soon. Never again did she want to be in the same room with a bunch of the Drazi again either! Never did she ever want to hear the words of diplomacy and you when it applied to her in the same sentence again — or someone was going to be a world of pain, and it wasn't going to be her!

Oh, the captain had said he was sorry she had come out of the whole incident with the Drazi having to wear a cast, but she's pretty sure she saw an amused glint in his eye too when he said it.

innitmarvelous_og

"No! Honey, no! No! Don't do it! Don't do it!"

At hearing the plea, Rhodey throws back the blanket and rushes down the hallway, hoping that this time he would prevent—

He bites back the curse when he sees the little form huddled by the shut door, clutching her favorite stuffed dog in her arms. Her eyes are gleaming with tears in her eyes when her little head turns up in his direction, and her bottom lip is trembling.

"Uncle Rhodey, I...I..." The little girl breaks down, unable to get out any other words.

Rhodey kneels beside Morgan, and wraps his arms around her. "Shh, sweetheart, I'm going to help. I know you want to help too, but I've got it." He picks her up, and points her towards her bedroom. "You go back to bed. I'll take care of this." He watches as Morgan goes back to her room, and the little girl shuts the door behind her.

Once she's safely back in her room, Rhodey goes back to the bedroom door, and not hesitating he turns the doorknob. He doesn't  announce himself in any way, neither does he seek permission to enter, he just enters the room.

Tony is still asleep, and therefore still in the clutches of his nightmare. He is jerking, flopping, and moving all over the bed he once shared with the woman whose death he can't escape even in his dreams.

Rhodey approaches the bed, does what he knows is the best way to awaken Tony when he's caught in a nightmare. He touches Tony's shoulder, and keeps his distance as much as possible since on the first night he had to do this, Tony socked had him in his sleep. He wasn't hurt too bad in that instance, but Rhodey honestly preferred to avoid sporting another shiner for a couple of weeks!

"Tony! Tony! Wake up! Come on, man, wake up!" he says, shaking the other man's shoulder.

Eventually Tony's eyes opened, he looks at Rhodey, and he states more than he asks. "I did it again."

Rhodey nods as there's no denying it.

"Sorry," Tony mumbles, sitting up. "I can't stop dreaming about her or when she..."

"I know, Tones," he says, laying a hand on Tony's shoulder. "It's only been a month. You've got to give yourself time to—"

"Get over it?! Is that what you were going to say? Hmm? Because if that's what you were about to say to me, then I'd really like for you to explain to me how I'm supposed to do that when my life is gone and she's not ever coming back!"

Rhodey didn't miss the fact he said life and not wife, and it'd been the truth since that day.

One month ago, to the very day this morning, they had all been on the destroyed grounds of the Avengers compound fighting Thanos once more. A Thanos who, as it turned out, to be from 2014. But that fact had not made him any less dangerous or less determined to remake the universe in his own image. They had all been struggling to keep the Infinity Stones out of his hands when Pepper had been the final one holding the gauntlet when the mad Titan believed he had won.

He believed he had the Stones in his possession, and had even snapped his fingers. But they were actually with Pepper as she was the closest to him, and Tony had programmed the nanites in the gauntlet to respond to her as though her suit were Tony's own.

"I am inevitable!" Thanos had gloated before he had snapped.

When nothing happened as he'd expected, he had looked over where Pepper was, holding up the Stones for him to see. She had said nothing in reply to him, just gave him a look that alone should have killed him, and she snapped her fingers.

It's symbolic that when he lands, Tony is momentarily brought to one knee — for Tony will be brought to his knees for the rest of his life by what's about to happen. He quickly is on his feet, and he rushes over to where Pepper is half sitting, half laying up again some rubble. As he approaches her, he wants to yell from the agony that engulfs him when he sees half of her beautiful face is burned beyond recognition.

No, please no!

He kneels down beside her, and places a hand on her chest. "FRIDAY, vitals!"

Pepper stirs, and looks at him, smiling as much as possible as the AI responds, "Life signs are critical."

Tony starts to speak to her when he realizes some of the others are not behind them. He looks around, not really seeing that Thor or Cap are there, keeping their distance. He doesn't even see Rhodey has arrived or even Peter because there's only one person he's looking for.

"Strange!" Tony calls out when he sees the sorcerer. "Thank God! She's dying! You've gotta help her!"

Strange gives a head shake, and tells Tony quietly, "I'm sorry, Tony, but there's nothing that I can do for her now."

"But you've got to! She's not supposed to die! I'm the one who's supposed to die! Please! Please, Strange, you've GOT to HELP her!"

Rhodey doesn't know WHO the oddly dressed man is or what he can do to help Pepper, and he does not care. All he cares about is what he can do to help Tony get through the next few minutes without adding more regrets than the ones he is already going to have.

He puts his hand on his friend's shoulder, and says in a firm voice, "He can't help her, Tony."

Tony's head turns towards him, "Yes, he can! You weren't there on Titan! You didn't see what he could do with all his hocus pocus! He can save her! I know he can!" he looks over at Strange. "Show him, Strange! Show him what I'm talking about!"

Strange didn't say anything or move.

"Show him!" Tony insisted, taking a step towards the sorcerer. 

Rhodey grabs his arm, and stops him.

Tony tries to jerk his arm away from him. "Let me go!"

"Tony! He can't help her, and you are wasting the precious little time Pepper has left trying to make him! Time need to be spending with her!"

It's like a light goes off in Tony's head, and he realizes that Rhodey is right. He immediately tugs on his arm again, and since this time it's clear that he wants to go to Pepper, Rhodey releases his hold.

"T-Tony..." Pepper whispers as he kneels by her.

Tony takes her hand into his own, cursing the metal encasing it. "I'm here, Pep. I'm right here."

It's obvious Pepper's having a hard time focusing her eyes, or perhaps his gone blind as she does not look at him. But she smiles for him, as much as she can. "Glad."

"Oh Honey, why did you do it?"

"L-L-Love y-y-y-you."

"You did it because you love me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh Pep..." Tony says, and stops there.

It's obvious Tony is trying not to break down sobbing as his breath hitches several times.

"Ro...ro... dee?"

Rhodey hears his name, and in an instant he's on her other side of her. "I'm here, Pepper."

"T-take c-care o... ny and M-M-Mo?"

It is Rhodey's turn to fight back tears, and he nods. "I will. I promise you, Pepper. I'll take care of them both."

She smiles again. "Goo... hey... be... kay."

"Yeah, they'll be okay. I'll make sure."

Her head turns in Tony's direction again. "T-Toe... l-l-l-love you... m-much."

Tears are running down his face as Tony replies, "I love you too, Pepper. More than you'll ever know. Please stay with me. Please don't go."

"C-can't. Tired. Ssss... tired."

Tony looks at Rhodey, then back to her, "Then go to sleep. I'll be... I'll be right here, Pep."

Pepper doesn't respond to him. Instead, as they watch, her body relaxes, and her blind blank eyes become empty. Tony stares at her, as though he can't believe or accept what he's just seen. But then reality sinks in, and he screams.

It's the most primal sound of agony Rhodey has ever heard, and he's heard more than his fair share on countless battlefields.

"I told Pepper one time that she was the one thing I couldn't live without, Rhodey, and I still can't! I want to die! I want to blow my brains out so I won't have to go another day without her!"

The second he finished speaking, Rhodey's hand found its way across his cheek. In response, Tony gives him a shocked look as his own hand goes up to his cheek.

"What the actual—"

"Don't you ever say something like again, Tony Stark! Pepper died, she died so you can live, and be here for the daughter who thinks the sun raises and sets on you! I know you miss her more than I know or can imagine. But that is no excuses for what you just said and I don't want to ever hear you say those words again!"

Tony looks like he is going to fight back for a second, and then he nods. "Okay."

Rhodey nods too. "Okay."

"Okay."

"Good."

Tony starts to lay down again, then stops. "I woke Morgan up again."

He wishes he could deny it, but Rhodey sighs. "Yeah, you did."

Muttering a curse, Tony places his feet on the floor, and stands up.

"I'm not going to get any more sleep tonight so I am going to go see about Morgan. If she's still away, I'll get back to sleep. If she's sleeping, I am going to sit by her, and remember why I can't lose myself in the pain."

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innitmarvelous_og

Fantasia.

It is more than just being "The stuff dreams are made of.", far more.

Or this is what Bastian Balthazar Bux decides as he sits beside his mother, his mother, gazing down at the Valley of the Dragonspines. She's been in his dreams for so long, and Bastian had longed to be with his mother again for what felt like an eternity, that for the longest time after he'd makes his wish, he could not bring himself to look at her.

*Her* hands reaches out, and clasps his. She feels so real, so warm that Bastian finds himself fighting back tears.

"Bastian—" her much missed, and melodious voice begins, "My sweet boy, what is it? What's wrong?"

Bastian feels her free hand carding through his hair, and he closes his eyes.

Gosh, how he's missed this so much!

For all his efforts at trying to understand, his Dad had never ever understood Bastian the way his mother had. No, Amaris Amelia Alexander Bux had done everything she could to encourage, as well as, nurture her son's love of the fantastical. When she died, Bastian's world shattered and his loss was immeasurable because no one, no one would or could understand Bastian like his mother.

*No one*.

Bastian looks at his mother, "Nothing's wrong, Mom. I'm just so happy to see you that's all and... and..."

"And what, sweetheart?"

"I don't want this to ever. I want to stay here forever. I want to stay in Fantasia forever."

"Then you can, Bastian. You don't ever have to leave," she said, wrapping an arm around him.

Bastian let her pull him close, and turns to watch the sunset.

innitmarvelous_og

When Strange raises a finger, signaling to Tony what's about to happen is the only way to stop Thanos, Tony accepts his fate. He's the one who will have to wield the Infinity Stones to end Thanos and die in the process.

If this is how it must be, then so be it.

The kid comes out of nowhere, and grabs the gauntlet before Thanos can get his hands completely on it. The Titan gives a yell of outrage yell, and lunges at Peter but thankfully the kid's way faster. He shoots out a web, and swings out of reach.

"Hey, kid!" Tony yells.

But it seems even with Peter's good hearing the battle is too much for him to hear Tony, and he continues to head away from them.

Good, he thinks, Maybe the kid will take the cursed thing far away from here! If the Stones are safely taken out of the picture, all we need to is to concentrate on killing Thanos and—

The sudden second brightest flash of light Tony's ever seen stops all of his thoughts in their tracks. His heart won't allow him to process what he's just seen, although his mind knows exactly what the light was.

No, no, no, it can't be! The kid... Peter couldn't have used the—

His thoughts stop in their tracks again as Thanos's forces all begin to disintegrate — turn to ash right before his very eyes before they are blown away to nothing by the breeze.

It does not take long for Thanos's army to reduce to ash, so within a minute, or so, Thanos himself is also gone. The Titan just sits down and looks across at Tony, meets his eyes until at last he too is turned into wind-blown ashes.

Tony is just starting to realize what's really happened when he hears a voice... Pepper's voice calling for him.

"Tony! Tony! Come quick!" She says in a voice that scares him.

He doesn't get to ask what's wrong.

"It's Peter! Hurry!"

innitmarvelous_og

"I wish to go to Outback." were the first words out of Nebula's mouth the moment she steps out of the Benatar and sees him.

"Oookay then. We'll go to Outback." Rhodey replies.

"Good."

The rest of the motley crew of the Benatar disembarks, and walks by him without a word, save Rocket.

"He's here." Rhodey told him, meaning Thor of course.

"Okay let's head to Outback."

They usually did something different every year when Nebula came to town for the anniversary, but Rhodey never imagines that he and she would be sitting in Outback Steakhouse being one of them. But here they were, menus in hand, and the eyes of everyone else dining there surreptitiously casting glances their way.

Rhodey knows Nebula is a little familiar with Earth cuisine, so he doesn't ask if she needs him to tell her about the menu. Instead he gives her a few moments to look it over then he asks, "So what looks good to you?"

Nebula looks at him, her usual scowl on his face as she answers, "Walkabout."

He looks at the menu to find what she's named. "The walkabout soup? Okay, you can do that. Do you want something else to go with it like a steak or a bur—" He stops talking when he realizes the look she's giving him.

The same kind of scathing look she's given Quill!

"You're not talking about the soup are you?"

"No, I am not."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"Walkabout." She says again, as though that is going to tell him what she means.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes, "I don't know what you mean."

Nebula hesitates a moment then says, "The walkabout Stark spoke of after our escape from Titan."

"The walkabout Tony talked a— wait! Are you talking about having a walkabout in the Australian* Outback?"

The cybernetic lifeform before him seems to consider his question, then she nods. "Yes, I believe I am speaking of this. Is this the place we make experience this walkabout?"

"Oh, no! the last time I check all they had here were steaks!"

innitmarvelous_og

"Mmm," Pepper murmurs as Tony's arms encircles her from behind.

Tony kisses her neck a few times before he says, "Why don't we just forget about going back to the States... stay in Australia forever?"

"Tony—"

"Now, just hear me out, okay?"

"Okay," she agrees.

He looks surprised, as though he didn't expect her to agree to hear him out. But it's momentary, and then he starts spilling with rapidity.

"Okay, point one: The kids love Australia right? I mean they love all of the neat animals, especially when we went to the Irwins' zoo and they got to—"

"The kids loved the zoo. Got it."

Taking the hint Tony moves on. "Point two: We, as you and I love Australia... or we love Sydney at least. I mean it's got great people, great sights, great things to do. Right?"

Pepper considers and moment then nods. "Right it does."

"So why don't we just stay here forever?"

"Tony, we've only been here a month!"

"So we've only been here a month!"

"And we've been working almost that entire time!"

It was true. They'd come to Australia to set up a Down Under branch of Stark Resilent in Sydney. To say they'd been busy was an understatement!

"Now I know we've not seen much outside of the office, but what we've seen has been amazing!"

I have to agree with that, Pepper thinks. Besides the zoo, they'd visited some of Australia's other famous landmarks. The experiences are ones she'll always remember. But am I ready to uproot everything and move to the other side of the world? Is Tony? Is he really?

"Yes, I think I am. It'll be nice to have a ch—"

"Are you ready to leave Jim and Monica behind? Because I don't think they'd move here with us."

She sees the excitement leave his eyes, and he sighs.

"No, they won't. They wouldn't want to leave the U.S."

"And you wouldn't want to leave them behind."

"No, no I wouldn't. Well, was just an idea."

"Yeah, it was. But you know we can still always visit Australia."

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