The Divide {Part 4}

1. In Through The Out Door

All was well. The years up till this point were fair. Everyone had their own thing going on and pulled apart from each other. Some still lived in the tower, but others moved out, seeking needed privacy.

After the Civil War fight, Tony and Steve worked it out. Tony was stubborn and never forgave Bucky for what he had done for the longest time. But he realized that there was nothing that he had control of during those early years. And in return of Tony's apology, he defected Bucky's arm and gave him the same one back but without the red star.

Bucky and Meredith still live in their house in Shelbyville. They are trying to get a new house built out on the shores of Maine. The two were very busy before the battle of good vs. good and had two kids of their own. The children have been a stress relief for Bucky and they have been able to help him cope with his nightmares.

Steve had moved out after the Civil War. Thor has been in Asgard since Sakovia and has never been heard from. After graduating high school, Peter had no other choice than to stay in the tower. Wanda moved across country back to Russia and Bruce came back once in a while to help Stark if he needed him. Nat has been M.I.A but no one bothers looking for her knowing her motives.

Remember the time? Remember the time that Thor made his first appearance on Earth? Do you remember the time Steve came out of ice? Remember when Natasha was nobody until she met Stark? Remember when Wanda was locked up for imprisonment due to her lack of ability to control her powers? Remember when Banner got into the laboratory incident?

Remember when Bucky was a man who was shut out in a dark room in his mind? A man that was for himself and only himself? Remember when Peter was bit by that damn spider in the lab? Remember when Tony made his own artificial heart? Do we really take time to remember these things? All we do is fail at this concept.

But do we ever ask ourselves, what if? What if Thor was never the chosen one. What if Steve had never taken his chance with the serum? What if Natasha never grew up with a horrible childhood? What if Wanda was never let out of jail? What if Bruce's veins were never filled with radio active vitals? What if Bucky never fell off that train? What if Peter was never bit by that spider? What if Tony was left to bleed out?

There would never be a true son of Odin. There would have never been a Captain America. There would never have been the becoming of the greatest marks women. There would never be a use for magic against villains. There would have never been a greater reason to get mad.

There never would have been a more terrible way to live with the fact that you are known as Marvel's most feared assassin. There would be no teenager looking out for people on the busy city streets of New York. And there would have never been the Avengers.

Everything happens for a reason. Some of the reasons may not make sense at first, but it all comes in play at a point. The future is inevitable. It's important and continues to surprise us each day we are here on Earth. When things fall apart there is always a way to find a solution to pull it back together. But hey, I'm not here to show you how this is true.

I'm here to tell you a story about why this is true.

~ 2031 ~

It was a another calming September day. The tower was an awful kind of quiet. Even when the city slept at night, it was peaceful.

Steve and Wanda came to visit the tower today. All of this bitter-sweet down time was driving Tony crazy. He had nothing to fiddle with, everything was touched up and completed. The urge to do the simplest hero duty was all he could think about.