Lady Dahlia | Loki Odinson

Chapter 50 - Endgame

"Did we get 'em all?" Bruce asks once they've returned to the platform.

"Are you telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey asks.

"Where's my sister?" Aleks demands, stepping forward. Clint drops to his knees, not responding. "Where is she? Where's Nat?" She screams and launches herself at him. Steve catches her before she can attack, pinning her to his chest as she tries to free herself. "You son of a bitch! You killed her! I hate you! I should've killed you when I had the chance!" She sobs. Steve carries her out of the room as she continues screaming and sobbing. 

Dahlia clutches onto Thor as she begins to cry, knowing that Nat of all people deserved to be here to bring everyone back.

***

"All right, the glove's ready." Rocket says as he gives it one final look. "Question is, who's gonna snap their freakin' fingers?"

"I'll do it." Thor offers.

"Excuse me?" Tony scoffs as Dahlia gasps.

"It's okay." He says, approaching the glove. The others quickly move in his way, stopping him.

"Thor. Just wait." Steve tells him. "We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet."

"Oh, I'm sorry. What, we're all just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" He replies.

"We should at least discuss it." Scott says.

"Look, sitting here staring at the thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So, this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty." Thor argues.

"Normally, you're right. It's not about that. It's not about that." Tony replies as he continues protesting.

"Just let me do it." He whispers. "Just let me do something good. Something right." 

"Look, 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." He explains.

"What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" Thor asks. "Lightning."

"Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me." Bruce announces. Thor shakes his head and Tony nudges him towards Dahlia. She wraps her arms around him, rubbing his back.

"Thor, you have done good. You've always tried to do the right thing. I know you're struggling, but you need to understand that. You are good." She whispers.

 "You saw what those stones did to Thanos. They almost killed him. None of you could survive." He explains, approaching the glove.

"How do we know you will?" Steve asks.

"We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was made for this." He says. He grabs the glove and Dahlia pulls away from Thor to place her hand on his arm.

"I've been working on something to protect Freddie. It might not do anything to help, but if you want to, I can try to give you extra protection." She tells him.

"Thanks, Dahlia." Bruce replies. She smiles and steps closer. She raises her hands and rests them on his arms. The others watch as magic flows from her hands and spreads to cover his body like a second skin. It shimmers for a moment before it fades, only just visible.

"Good to go?" Tony asks.

"Let's do it." He agrees.

"Okay, remember, everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago, you're just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years." He reminds him.

"Got it." He replies.

The others prepare. Seraphina raises her wing to shield herself and Rocket, who had climbed onto her back. Thor pulls Dahlia behind him, putting himself between Bruce and her. Tony activates his suit and creates a shield for himself and Clint.

"Friday, do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol, will ya?" Tony asks. Metal shutters drop down to cover all the windows and doors.

"Everybody comes home." Bruce says before he puts the glove on. He groans and drops to one knee as the power courses up his arm.

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor tells him as Dahlia clings to him anxiously.

"No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?" Steve asks.

"Talk to me, Banner." Tony says.

"I'm okay." He manages, the worst of it over. "I'm okay." 

Dahlia sighs in relief, loosening her tight grip on Thor's shirt. Bruce yells as he raises his arm and snaps. The glove falls off his hand as he falls to the floor, unconscious. Clint kicks the glove away as the others rush towards him.

"Don't move him." Steve orders. Tony quickly sprays his wounded arm as he begins to wake, groaning and clutching onto Steve's arm.

"I'm sorry, Bruce." Dahlia apologizes, using her magic to soothe him.

"No, it helped the pain." He says. "Did it work?" He asks as the shutters begin to open.

Seraphina gasps, falling to her knees. She shudders and they watch as the feathers in one of her wings fall out. They're quickly replaced with white feathers and her skin begins regaining color. Her hair returns to white as her skin finishes turning back to gold. She shudders again, falling forward onto the floor.

"Phi?" Rocket asks, gently touching her shoulder.

"Peter!" She pants, drained of energy. "He's alive. They're all alive."

Before anyone gets the chance to celebrate, the compound is filled with explosions and the ground falls out from beneath them.

***

Dahlia groans as she tries to shift the rubble pinning her to the ground but finds it's too heavy for her to move. She hears Rocket as he struggles to breathe.

"Rhodey, Rocket, Dahlia, get out of here." Bruce tells them as he holds the debris up.

"Let me up! Let me up!" Rocket panics. 

Dahlia uses her magic to sense her surroundings and finds Seraphina laying on the other side of the debris pinning her down. She focuses, being careful as she teleports next to her. She shakes her, trying to wake her as water continues to fill the area.

"Wake up!" She shouts, using her magic to shock her.

"What the hell?!" Seraphina cries as she wakes. She spots their surroundings and curses. "Get behind me." She orders. Dahlia does as told and Seraphina grabs her new sword. She cuts through the rocks in front of them and they join the others.

"Phi!" Rocket calls as he spots her, still trapped under the rubble as Rhodey tries to free him.

"Move." She tells the man. She tosses the rubble off Rocket and frees him in time for a wave of water to crash into them. It begins to flood faster and Seraphina flies into the air. She begins shifting the rubble around to block the water, slowing the flooding so they have more time. 

"Scott's on his way." Dahlia announces, sensing his approach. Seraphina nods and takes off, leaving to go after Thanos.

"She couldn't have taken us with her?" Rhodey scoffs.

"Bruce are you all right?" Dahlia asks as she approaches him.

"I'm fine." He replies, making her roll her eyes. She holds her hand over his injured arm, using her magic to lessen the pain.

"I'm sorry I can't do more." She says.

"You've already done so much for me." Bruce argues, patting her shoulder. "Thank you." She nods and they wait for Scott to reach them. She sighs, wishing she could teleport them out, but knowing the area has changed too much for her to do it safely.