Everything's Going to Change

Back to Reality

Charlie's POV

"Charlie! Charlie we have to go!" I looked around in confusion as Shuri helped me up from my spot on the ground. I didn't understand. Steve and Bucky had been sitting beside me just moments ago and now... they were nowhere to be found. And where was Wanda?! But just like me, I saw Sam, T'challa, and half of the Wakandan army acting dazed while the other half was no where to be found. I wanted to stop to talk to Sam, but Shuri kept pulling me away.

"What's going on?" I asked anxiously as Shuri led me back to the lab. "Where are my dads? Why's half of your army missing?!"

"You remember Thanos snapping, right?" she asked impatiently. I frowned as I recalled this, and Shuri used my silence to continue. "Yeah, well when he snapped, we got dusted and disappeared. Right now it feels like we've been gone for seconds?" I nodded and frantically motioned for her to get to the point. She used her Kimoyo beads to show me the date and my face lost any color.

"Holy shit we've been gone for five years."

"Yeah, and we have another battle. So you're gonna need some weapons."

"Charlie?!" I looked up frantically at my name, hoping for my girlfriend, but only getting Sam. Nevertheless I ran and hugged him tightly even though it felt like I'd just talked to him.

"Have you seen Wanda?" I asked anxiously.

"Yeah, I think she was looking for you in the other ro-" I cut him off as I sprinted away, practically screaming out for Wanda. There were several people in the main laboratory, but they all cleared out when they saw how desperate I looked.

"Wanda?" I croaked out to the empty room. "Please, are you here?" I heard quickened footsteps and I whirled around to see her standing in shock as she looked at me. "You're here." I whimpered, moving closer to her with a watery smile. She choked out a laugh and held her arms out so I could run to her.

"You're ok, oh my god Charlie, I thought I lost you." she sobbed as she held me close. We stayed locked in each other's embrace, crying for time and possible futures lost. I wanted to stay held in her arms forever, but the sound of someone clearing their throat made us look up. Sam was standing in the doorway with a sheepish smile as he had new weapons on his back, looking like he was ready to go to war.

"Shuri needs Charlie before we can head out... if you still want to go fight." I steeled my gaze and nodded silently.

"I'm gonna kill the purple son of a bitch myself."

"Alright," Shuri explained as she handed me a dagger with blue trim on the inside. "Same principle as Okoye's spear, just in a small form because I don't need you tripping on the battlefield." I blushed at that, but didn't say anything, because she was right as per usual. "You can distribute electromagnetic waves and stab people, and what is the most important rule?" Shuri asked as she handed me my new weapons.

"If my dads ask, you did not give these to me, I stole them from the armory."

"Great, let's go kill some aliens." I laughed as we raced out of the lab, quickly being joined by Wanda who was in step with me the whole time. The three of us sprinted to the field with the Wakandan army, both newly reformed and un-dusted. Even T'challa's mom was there. The plan was that apparently some wizard was going to open a portal to all our allies and let us all out to the final battle. Strange... but not entirely unbelievable.

"You think my dads are ok?" I asked Wanda as I hopped on her back so she could rise into the air a few feet for a better vantage point.

"I think they'll be better once all this is behind them," she answered honestly "and if you really want to find out, Sam just flew through the portal." My breath stilled as I watched an orange circle of sparks get bigger and bigger before stopping, allowing me to just barely make out Steve and Bucky standing against Thanos.

"They're alive," I gasped.

"Yeah," Wanda said with a smile. T'challa marched forward with his army and that was Wanda's cue to fly down and drop to the ground, me gracefully landing on my feet, daggers drawn menacingly as we both glared at Thanos. Out of my peripheral, I could see more people joining us and I smiled, somehow knowing that we were going to win, no matter what. I saw that Steve and Bucky hadn't seen me yet, but I didn't call out, fearful that Thanos might remember my connection to them.

"Hey Wanda?" I said quietly "If we don't make it through this, I just wanted to say I love you."

"I love you too Charlie," she replied "and we're going to get through this. Whatever it takes."

"Whatever it takes." I held her hand briefly before fixating on Steve as he and Bucky stood defiantly.

"Avengers...." Steve called out to the hundreds of troops rallied behind him. "Assemble."

And with that, the battle began.

"Charlie duck!" I dropped to the ground and rolled before calling out a 'thank you' to Okoye as she fought an alien. There was a seemingly endless supply of these alien dog things and I hated every one of them. Seriously, I almost got killed like three times already! Looking around as I ran, I saw an alien trying to attack someone under them, but I couldn't see who it was. Without thinking, I threw one of my knives and ran over as it hit the alien and killed it.

"Are you ok?" I called to the person pinned by the creature as I helped them roll it off.

"Yeah, thanks," they groaned as they pushed it off of them and jumped to their feet. Once they did, my heart stopped and tears welled up in my eyes.

"Papa?