till the end of the line

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After a while, my eyes shot open at the sound of an ax falling onto wooden logs.

I sat up on the couch only to see that I was inside as I looked down seeing Steve's shield before I peered out the window to see Steve and Tony chopping wood outside the house.

I got up and yawned before I walked out to them, taking a seat on Steve's already chopped pile of wood. I watched as they each chopped wood, adding to their piles before Tony sighed.

"Thor didn't say where he was going for answers?"

"Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things. I was kind of hoping Thor would be the exception."

"Yeah, give him time. We don't know what the Maximoff kid showed him."

I lowered my eyes as I exhaled, "He saw Asgard and there was partying. Something about Heimdall, but I wouldn't know why he's so shaken by it."

"'Earth's Mightiest Heroes.' Pulled us apart like cotton candy."

Tony furrowed his brows before he looked up at Steve, "Seems like you walked away all right."

"Is that a problem?"

"I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old-fashioned."

"Well, let's just say you haven't seen it yet," he glanced my way as I met his eyes before Tony dropped the ax, shaking his head.

"You know Ultron is trying to tear us apart, right?"

"Well, I guess you'd know. Whether you tell us is a bit of a question."

Growing defensive, Tony stepped forward, "Banner and I were doing research."

"That would affect the team-"

"That would end the team. Isn't that the mission? Isn't that the 'why we fight,' so we can end the fight, so we get to go home?"

Steve then picked up another woodblock and ripped it apart with his hands before meeting Tony's eyes, "Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people, die. Every. Time."

Steve took another step closer before I quickly stood up and stepped between them, facing Steve, "Don't, please just..."

He looked over my shoulder at Tony only for Laura to walk up, "I'm sorry. Mr. Stark, uh, Clint said you wouldn't mind, but, our tractor, it doesn't seem to want to start at all. I thought maybe you might-"

"Yeah, I'll give her a kick," he turned to leave before glancing at us and pointing to his wood stash, "Don't take from my pile."

Once Tony had left, I looked up at Steve and sighed, "Look, there's tension. But you can't let him get to you. He's Tony, his ego means more to him than anything else, just leave him be. Look at me."

He lowered his gaze and met my eyes as I grabbed his hands, "I'm here. Till the end of the line, but Steve, you have to let me be there. I already lost Bucky, I- I just can't lose you too."

He let out a breath and then nodded before he went back to chopping wood as I helped, adding to Tony's pile.

"So, what happened? What was that event?"

I looked up and shrugged slightly before lowering my eyes, "I saw flashes and small parts of it, but I don't remember anything. He said the Allfather altered my memory. Thor's father made me this way and he must've used me for whatever- whatever that was. But I do know that somehow, Natasha saw Hamilton County as home."

Chopping another piece, he then looked at me, "Wait, the great fire in Hamilton County?"

"I guess..."