𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭 || 𝔅.𝔅𝔞𝔯𝔫𝔢𝔰 《𝔬𝔫𝔢》

Chapter 30: Begging

꧁꧂

Upstate New York, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑

༄

We pulled up to the rustic cabin that I recognise and opened the door, seeing the Iron man and his daughter standing on the porch. 

Once Tony saw us he looked between the four of us. I sent him a small smile and Nat sent a small nod in his direction. He nodded back and carried Morgan inside. The two ahead of me looked to each other and we made a b-line to the house.

I walked up the wooden steps and lent on the railing. Scott sat of the chair in front and Steve and Nat stood beside me. "This is crazy." Scot muttered, bouncing his leg. I placed my hand on his shoulder making him look up to me. I sent a warming smile to him in a way to say 'this is gonna work' even if I didn't quite believe it myself. 

Tony came out a minute later with five glasses and a jug of what I presume to be chocolate milk. He placed it on the table and Scott began to explain his theory to Stark. 

"No. We know what it sounds like." Scott stammered. "Tony, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?" Steve asked.

"Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck scale which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition. Can we agree on that?" Tony corrected and passed me a glass of the cold drink. I sent him a small 'thank you' back and Tony continued. "In laymen's terms, it means you're not coming home."

"I did." Scott piped up. "No. You accidentally survived. It's a billion-to-one cosmic fluke." Tony sighed. "And now you wanna pull a... What do you call it?"

"Time heist." I mumbled into my glass, holding in a laugh at the name Lang came up with in the car ride. Tony passed Scott a drink as I spoked. "Yeah, a time heist. Of course. Why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable. Because it's a pip dream."

"The stones are in the past." Steve spoke. "We could go back, we could get them."

"We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everybody back." Natasha added. "Or screw it up worse than he already had, right?" Tony commented. "I don't believe we would." Steve said.

"Gotta say it. I sometimes 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."

"And you. You just agree with this?" Tony asked me after sitting down. "I know you lost someone and gained someone too, Tony. but... I lost everything. Again. We could actually get them back if we do this properly. I can have my sister back. I can get Bucky... Sam, Peter. Don't let Vision's death be in vain."

After a silence Tony started to speak again. "I believe the most likely outcome will be our demise."

"Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. All right? It means no talking to our past selves... no betting on sporting events." Scott bargained.

I glanced behind me to Nat walking to Steve and whispering. "He's not gonna do this, Steve." The red head then walked to wooden fence.

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Scott. Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back to the Future?" I snorted at Tony's serious tone with a joke. "Is it?"

"No." Scott answered back hesitantly. "Good. You had me worried there. 'Cause that would be horseshit. That's not how quantum physics works." Tony carried on.

I looked behind to see Nat with her head down. I knew she needed this to work. So did I, but she has been running things for five years. She never gave up. She didn't start a new life like she has been since she was a kid. Natasha needs this to work. 

I grab her hand in comfort and looked back to the two men discussing the time heist. 

"Tony." Natasha got the strength to argue her case. She didn't want to feel what it was like to face the reality of her sister being gone forever. For Melina and Alexei too. "We have to take a stand."

"We did stand. And yet, here we are." Tony commented. I bit my lip to stop the tears I felt would spill. "I know you got a lot on the line. You got a wife, a daughter. But I lost someone very important to me. A lotta people did. And now, now we have a chance to bring her back... to bring everyone back, and you're telling me that you won't even..." Scott begged.

"That's right, Scott. I won't even." Tony cut in. I knew Scott had lost someone and time. I read his mind in the car and found out about how being stuck in the quantum realm made him lose five years of his daughters life after he was only gone for five hours. How he lost Hope Van Dyne.

"I can't." Tony said to Scott who looked flabbergasted. The door opening made my attention go to it. A little figure I recognise ran out. "Auntie An!" She smiled with joy and ran to me. I picked her up and smiled back to her. "Hey little Stark." She giggled and clung titter to me. 

"What are you doing out here?" I asked, pulling back slightly to see her face. "Mommy told me to came and save daddy." I chuckled and look to Tony. "Good job. He's saved." I kissed the side of her head and put her down so she could go to Stark.

"I wish you were here to ask me something else. Anything else. I'm honestly happy to see you guys, I just..."

"Wish it was under better circumstances. We know." I continued, smiling warmly to him as Tony began to walk off. "Oh, look, the table's set for seven."

"Tony. I get it." Rogers put an arm out to grab Tony's arm to stop him from walking away. "And I'm, happy for you. I really am. But this is a second chance."

"I got my second chance right here, Cap. Can't roll the dice on that."

"But some of us don't." Steve glanced to me and Tony followed his eye sight. I was looking down at my hands.

"If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch." Tony said before walking inside. Steve sighed but began to walk off. Nat and Scott followed. I took a deep breath and walked off to but not before Tony stepped back out with Morgan still in his arms.

"Anara, remember you're welcome anytime." Tony smiled back to me. I nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Tony." I waved to Morgan then walked down the steps and jogged up to the trio already making there way to the car.

"Well, he's scared." Natasha spoke. "He's not wrong." Steve said back. "Yeah, but, I mean, what are we gonna do?" Scott stuttered. "We need him. What are we gonna stop?"

"No, I wanna do it right." Steve stopped at the car door. "We're gonna need a really big brain."

"Bigger than his?" Lang pointed back to the cabin. I stifled a laugh at Scott's wording and walked passed him, patting his shoulder. "Come on, Scotty. You'll see."