I Dreamt We Had a Kid

Chapter 28

Note: I was wrong before, there is one more chapter after this before the epilogue. Oh well, more story for you.

The Avengers all stood in the quantum tunnel, suited up for battle and confidence plastered on their faces.

"Honey," Scott says once more, giving Cassie a hug, "I love you so much, I'll be back soon ok? I'll be back and your Mom will be back."

"Ok, Dad," She says, pulling away. Cassie is a smart girl though, and Tony can see on her face she knows her father cannot promise that.

Shuri remains in the lab with the gauntlet, ready to come in and give the glove to them to reverse the snap.

"Let's do it," Steve says, and Tony takes in the Wakandan lab that had been his home for 7 months and they are sucked into 2012.

They are all in front of the original Avengers tower, roughly two hours before the battle breaks out. Tony goes first, not even hesitating to get use his old password to get through the door.

They all ignore the confused desk worker and head to the elevator, traveling to the conference floor.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Tony says, dramatically opening the conference room door.

"What the hell," Younger Tony says, putting on his old armor.

"Calm down there buckaroo," Tony says, putting his hands up in peace.

"We are here to help," Steve steps forward.

"We're from the future," Nat says.

"The future?" Younger Bruce asks.

"Very bad dude came, killed a lot of people, and we need your help to stop him," Tony states in a serious tone.

"Suppose, you're telling the truth," Younger Steve says, "what can we do to help?"

"You fight the battle normally, and give us help when we need it."

"Well, future me," young Tony says, summing up his older counterpart, "You've gone grey."

"And you will when you see your so-," Tony almost says, son, but backtracks, "your friend die in your arms." He looks himself dead in the eye.

"Here is the battle plan," Steve interrupts, "you guys fight off the Chitauri while the rest of us fight Thanos and Thor and Loki try to convince your Loki to give over the scepter."

"Loki is a good guy now?" Young Clint asks, skeptically.

"I always knew you had it in you, brother," young Thor says, slapping Loki on the back.

They all board the jet, ready to fight. The flight to the portal site is short and silent.

When the plane lands, they slowly get off, the young Avengers standing in a circle as the portal opens above them. The older Avengers break apart to complete their tasks.

"Good luck, Thor," Steve says with a nod.

The Chitauri come through the portal in full force. Tony blasts them left and right, watching Steve's shield crash through them and Clint's arrows pierce their throats.

Tony is blasting a Chitauri when the all too familiar portal opens behind him.

"Stark," Thanos says, in full battle gear, "You don't know when to give up, do you?"

"Never planned on it, grape," Tony readies his laser guns.

It's Steve who charges first, his shield bounces harmlessly off of Thanos as he slams his head. All the Avengers are on him at once, not there to kill him yet, simply to delay him so Thor and Loki have time to retrieve the mind stone. Scott is small on Thanos' arm, trying to pull off the gauntlet. Vision is holding open his first so he can't close it.

Thanos breaks free from their grasps and uses the power stone to blast Vision across the street. Just then, younger Thor comes with Mjolnir. He wacks Thanos across the head and that disorients him. With a fit of rage, Thanos freezes Thor with the reality stone, letting the hammer clang to the road.

"Not this time," Tony watches in shock as Steve runs over to the hammer, grips his hand around the handle and bashes Thanos across the jaw with one swift swing.

Of course, Steve can wield Mjolnir. Tony doesn't even know why he thought otherwise.

They fight and fight, barely scratching Thanos, but managing to keep him distracted. Then out of the corner of his eye, Tony sees something tumbling to the planet.

"Steve, what the hell is that!" he shouts over the com.

"I don't know," he says with a grunt, punching a Chitauri.

Someone rises from the crash, a woman with blonde hair and a red and blue uniform.

"Who might you be?" Tony says, blasting a group of Chitauri.

"I'm Carol Danvers, and I am here from the distress call from Nick Fury. He said the earth was in danger."

"You could say that, especially since that was seven months ago," He bashes an alien with his nanobot shield.

"I was far away, the signal didn't come for a long time," She joins the fight against Thanos, summoning lightning and taking out a whole Chitauri ship.

"We could use your help, Carol," says Steve.

"Call me Captain Marvel," she says.

"Have it your way," Tony says with a huff.

That's when they hear Shuri behind them. "Stark!" Tony hears her voice from behind him and knows what it means. He breaks off the fight and flies toward Shuri, dressed in her own panther suit.

"Tony, it will kill you to use this, meer men are not meant to hold such power," her voice is pleading.

"I know," is all he says with a nervous swallow.

"It's been an honor, Tony," she says, her voice scratchy.

"Don't flatter me," he says in a mock sarcastic tone, giving her a look of reassurance before pulling it from her and flying over to Steve, who breaks from the fight so they can both stand behind a flipped car for a moment.

"Steve," his Ironman mask is off now and so is Steve's, "you were my father's greatest creation, he searched for you for years after you went in the ice. My room was plastered with your posters, and I was your biggest fan," Tony swallows. "It has been an honor to work with you and meet you, Steve, it truly has." He places a hand on Steve's shoulder.

"That's where you're wrong, Tony," he places his hand on Tony's other shoulder, "I'm not your father's greatest creation," he smiles a smile at Tony and pierces him with his blue eyes, "you are."

Tony just smiles at him. "Like I always said, Tony, we do this together." He squeezes Tony's shoulder.

Both of them press their hands in the gauntlet, Tony's left, and Steve's right. Their hands are on top of each other and Tony can immediately feel the surge of power.

"Holy shit," he says, gasping as the infinity stones power runs through him.

Steve gives him a giant smile and laughs, "language."

They walk out from behind the car and over to Thanos, hands in the gauntlet still.

"It's over Thanos," Steve says, "You've lost."

"I have a gauntlet too, and I am capable of wearing it," he says, raising his hand to snap his fingers, but before he can, Stormbreaker plows through his skull.

"I told you," present Thor says, screaming in Thanos' face, "You die for that!" He shoves the ax through Thanos's head with a crack.

"AUGHHHH," Thanos is able to say once more before toppling to the ground.

"Tony," Steve looks him dead in the eye, "It's time."

"Like the old man said," Tony musters up all the courage he can, "Together."

He feels their fingers move in unison, the metal brushes against each other and both of them are muttering the same words.

Bring them back.