I Can't Help It - Steve Rogers

Chapter 42

Ultron appears in front of the church with a few bots behind him. "Is that the best you can do?" Thor challenges cockily. Ultron raises his hand and a huge swarm of bots start making their way towards the church. "You had to ask" Steve states as he looks annoyed at Thor. "This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Ultron asks, confident that we're outmatched. "Well, like the old man said" Tony says and Steve looks over at him. "Together" Tony answers and Hulk roars. The bots come towards the church from every direction and everyone does everything they can to stop them from reaching the drill.

Ultron becomes frustrated with their success to stop his bots and joins in, attacking Vision. Thor, Tony and Vision blast Ultron continuously while everyone else finishes with the bots. "We gotta move. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I'll sweep for stragglers. Be right behind you" Steve orders. "What about the core?" Clint asks. "I'll protect it" Wanda answers determined. "It's my job" she says to Clint and he nods at her. Nat and Cling head for the boats but before Rachel leaves she looks at Steve apprehensively. "I'll be okay, I'll see you soon. Don't worry" he assures her, knowing her fears are getting the better of her. "I can't help it" she replies with a smile. He smiles back at her and pulls her into a kiss, she kisses him back instantly. "Go" he tells her when they pull apart.

Rachel finds a lifeboat and waits for any stragglers that Steve finds. Before anyone can react, Ultron flies towards them with the jet and fires the guns at them. Thor, Steve and Rachel take cover and Pietro runs towards Clint and a young boy to protect them. As a result, he takes all the hits and falls to the ground. Thor, Steve and Rachel rush over to see and Rachel covers her mouth in shock. Steve carries Pietro onto the lifeboat and Clint carries the young boy to his mother while Rachel gets onto a lifeboat and Thor meets Tony in the church.

Suddenly, a bot reaches the core and turns the drill, the city collapses back towards the Earth and Thor and Tony are working on a countdown. Rachel watches from the lifeboat, hoping that Steve is on a lifeboat and not on the city. Tony and Thor destroy the city and do their best to avoid dying in the process. The lifeboats reach the carrier and Rachel starts helping the Sokovians off the boats while frantically looking through the crowds, searching for even just a glimpse of Steve. The crowd becomes smaller as more civilians enter the carrier and out of the lifeboat hangar. She begins to panic more and more as the crowd shrinks and she still can't see any sign of Steve.

Finally, she spots Steve across the hangar helping injured civilians to a gurney. She lets out a breath she didn't realise she was holding and feels herself physically relax. Steve turns away from the civilians when they're being taken care of and locks eyes with Rachel across the room. He smiles at her and she returns the smile before making her way towards him. They walk to each other and their pace quickens with each step. They reach each other and wrap each other in a tight hug, Steve standing up straight with his arms around her waist, lifting her feet off the floor. "I'm so glad you're okay" she mutters into his shoulder as she keeps her arms tightly wrapped around his neck. "I'm glad you're okay too" he whispers back as he lowers her back to the floor.

They pull apart to see each other but keep their hands wrapped around the other. "How are you feeling?" Steve asks as he wipes some of the blood from under her nose. "Tired" she sighs as he holds her face in his hand. "We'll go home and you can sleep for as long as you need" he assures her. "As long as you stay with me" she replies and moves her hands from around his neck, down to his biceps. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere" he states and they share a loving kiss before helping any Sokovians and meeting the rest of the team.

---

A few days later, Tony, Thor, Steve and Rachel all make their way through the hallways of the new Avengers Compound. Rachel having slept for a few days with Steve by her side for the entirety of it. "The rules have changed" Steve states. "We're dealing with something new" Tony adds. "Well, the Vision is artificial intelligence" Steve explains. "A machine" Tony states obviously. "So, it doesn't count?" Steve assumes. "No, it's not like a person lifting the hammer" Tony elaborates. "Right, different rules for us" Steve explains, gesturing to the group of humans. "Nice guy. Artificial" Tony summarises, receiving a 'thank you' from Steve. "He can wield the hammer, he can keep the mind stone. It's safe with the Vision, and these days 'safe' is in short supply" Thor states in seriousness. "But if you put the hammer in an elevator" Steve states, ignoring Thor's statement. "It would still go up" Tony answers quickly. "Elevator's not worthy" Steve mutters in response and Rachel laughs at them as she wraps an arm around Steve's waist.

"I'm gonna miss these little talks of ours" Thor says, glancing between his three friends. "Not if you don't leave" Rachel suggests with a smile. "I have no choice. The mind stone is the fourth of the infinity stones to show up in the last few years. That's not a coincidence" Thor answers as they all make their way outside. "Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. Once all these pieces are in position..." Thor explains. "Triple Yhatzee?" Tony jokes. "You think you can find out what's coming?" Steve asks Thor, his tone changing to one of seriousness. "I do. Besides this one, there's nothing that can't be explained" Thor answers, giving Tony a pat before nodding at the trio and summoning the Bifrost.

An Asgardian pattern is singed into the grass once Thor has disappeared. "That man has no regard for lawn maintenance" Tony retorts and Rachel chuckles at him. "I'm gonna miss him though. And you're gonna miss me, there's gonna be a lot of manful tears" Tony adds, boosting his ego, naturally. "I will miss you Tony" Steve states sincerely. "Yeah? Well, it's time for me to tap out. Maybe I should take a page out of Barton's book and build Pepper a farm. Hope nobody blows it up" Tony wonders. "The simple life" Steve states with a smile. "You two will get that one day" Tony assures the couple. "I don't know. Family, stability... the man who wanted all that went into the ice 75 years ago. I think someone else came out... But I think I'm on my way there" Steve replies, giving Rachel an assuring smile. "You alright?" Tony asks before getting into his car. "I'm home" Steve answers as he looks out to the agents being trained and then back at Rachel.

"You wanna keep staring at the wall or do you wanna go to work? I mean it's a pretty interesting wall" Steve asks Nat as they enter the empty room. "I thought you and Tony were still gazing into each other's eyes" Nat replies as she makes her way towards them. "I know, I felt like a third wheel" Rachel adds and Nat laughs at her. "How do we look?" Nat asks as she takes the tablet from Steve. "Well, we're not the '27 Yankees" Steve states. "We got some hitters" Nat comments as she studies the list of recruits. "They're good, they're not a team" Steve adds. "Let's beat them into shape" Rachel states with determination.

"Have you seen Nathaniel?" Rachel asks Nat with a smile as they make their way to the training room. "Yeah, Laura sent me a video" Nat answers, returning a smile. "Isn't he adorable?" she asks and Nat chuckles slightly with a nod. "Yeah, he is" she says and they both smile at each other, happy that Clint is happy and his family is safe.

They enter the training room to see Rhodey, Sam, Vision and Wanda waiting for them. They all watch the Avengers in anticipation and Steve glances at Rachel and she gives him an eager nod before he finally addresses the recruits. "Avengers...".