I Thought You Were Different: Part 5

Deja Vu

                   

A battle of wills was on, and Brooklyn couldn't believe what she was seeing, and that was really saying something for a kid who was standing at the center of hell with her family dead at her feet.  The two men, Wade and Tony, were actually getting along quite well for the first time in either of their lives, but true to form, they couldn't be too agreeable when anything having to do with you was at stake.  Each man was far too entrenched in his own convictions, and each wore their attitudes like a body of armor that made the Iron Man suit look like a Halloween costume.

"Okay," Tony paused, now standing toe-to-toe with his challenger, "we can at least agree that we have the same goal here, right?"

"Reanimate the corpses, yes."

Tony had at least removed the Gauntlet from his own hand by now and the power from it had waned, but he still held it just out of reach for Wade to get to.  "Can we agree that this thing is something that we don't understand, and we could inadvertently destroy the universe, just to get our own way?"

"Boom," Wade nodded in agreement, "it's a shit show anyway."

"And that when we're done, and we get everyone back, we let Thor take it back to Asgard for safe keeping?"

"He can't get that damn thing far enough away from me."

"Alright, good," Tony nodded, "then it's settled.  I'm the one with the suit equipped for space travel."  With that, he began to slip the Gauntlet on once again, but both Wade and Brooke jumped forward to stop him, with Wade surprising even himself by winning out and slamming his hand inside the glove to secure it.

"Hoooooly shiiiiit," he gasped, taking a few stumbling steps back, "this is...this...I can see everything.  I can see why you wanted it back on so bad.  Stark..."

Tony didn't respond, simply holding his ground to watch what was happening; he had just cleared his mind of what Wade was now seeing, a universe filled with so many wonders and terrors that his little human mind could barely comprehend it.  He could see the past, as far back as he wanted, wherever he wanted.  He could see realms that he had heard about from Thor, despite having no clue what they were called; some of those names were just too hard and he would never admit that aloud.  The future was more of a hazy uncertainty, however, but all of that became insignificant when he saw something that drove his need to do this to a panicked frenzy; maybe he was hallucinating, in his exhausted state of grief, but he wouldn't truly believe it.  It was too real.

"I don't..." Wade began again, in panting words, "I can't do this...did you see-"

"I did.  That's why we have to, Wilson.  This isn't right."

"But, Stark...what if they don't want us to?"

"Grandpa, what does he mean, if they don't want us to?" Brooklyn asked, her voice filled with concern.  She wanted everyone back just as much as they did, and the price she was willing to pay was high, but not at your expense if doing this would only make things worse; she wasn't sure how that would be possible, though, given the death surrounding her.

"They're in eternity, sweetheart.  Your mom and dad, Anthony, Grant-"

"And Maggie, kid," Wade snapped, interrupting harshly and yanking the glove off, "she's there too.  They look like maybe bringing them back to this fucked up hell on earth isn't such a groovy idea.  They look like maybe we should do them a favor and just let them be gone.  Why would we just bring them back to this flamed-out suffer party when they're finally okay?"

~~~

You had never felt such relaxation; the sun warm, the air smelling of a fresh spring, and a peaceful quiet around you in an empty Central Park.  It was a rarity to be off work, much less to find such a silence in this always crazy city.  Steve was sleeping, his head heavy in your lap, his feet hanging over the edge of the bench that held you both.  Anthony had his head buried deep in book on the bench across the park street from you, while Grant was pushing Maggie on the swings only a few feet away.  Her giggles and unbridled laughter filled the sweet air around you with each dig of her brother's fingers as he tickled her at every push.