Music is "Main Theme" by Howard Shore from the Lord of the Rings OSTs.

Picture is Jane Levy as Glory.

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

"Everyone loses someone they care about, Doctor Snow. The real test of character is what you do once they're gone."

- Dr. Harrison Wells aka Eobard Thawne, Reverse-Flash

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

The last hour spent on Earth-1 is a long but exciting one. After the teams head back to the Cortex to showcase our findings, all of us being successful, we share what each of our worlds was like. To escape the confusion between the Infinity Stones and their replacements, we started referring to the new set as Gems instead of Stones.

Barry, Cisco, and Elaine told of a world vastly different from ours, a world where technology hadn't moved past the Dark Ages. They discovered their Gems, the Deity Gem in place of the Power Stone and the Eternity Gem in place of the Time Stone, in a temple of a Roman goddess. They fell from the heavens thousands of years ago, and the natives had worshipped them ever since.

Jessie, Trillium, and Iris's adventures took them to a futuristic world on an alien planet. Humanity had found the Cosmic Gem, a replacement for the Space Stone, on Mars after they colonized it. It was buried, remaining there for who knows how long. It was kept in a laboratory where scientists studied it.

Wally, Caitlin, and Eddie found their version of the Soul Stone, the Spirit Gem, on a Earth where there was a so-called Justice League. The Spirit Stone was uncovered in Antarctica and was kept in a secret facility owned by Lex Luthor. With the help of Caitlin and Wally's powers, they were able to break in and steal it.

Those were fantastic stories; how we know the Gem's names and what they do is even more fascinating. Just as Elaine told me to do, I had connected with the Memory Gem on a conscious level. The Gems were living beings, conscious in a way not unlike our own. Once we returned, I discovered she had done the same thing with her two Gems, Deity and Eternity. She had conversed with them and told them our predicament, recruiting their help.

After Aspen, Pietro, and I returned to Earth-1, we did the same with the other Gems. Spirit, Cosmic, and Dimensions: we talked to them all. Each has their own personality and voice. Some were very willing to help, such as Spirit and Memory; they had a loving and gentle nature. Dimensions was not well put together, having a very confused voice, just as Memory foretold; eventually they helped as well.

Eternity is wise, speaking in parables and sayings; when we tell them of our problem, they just sigh and speak of how it is always the same problems. With some effort, Eternity eventually agrees to help us. Cosmic is angry at the state of the universe, but also agrees to assist us. Deity is by far the most arrogant and proud. I almost give up on them entirely, but Elaine wins them over. 

And now, almost ten hours into our journey on Earth-1, it's time to say goodbye. No one wants to leave so soon, least of all me, but I know that the longer we stay here, there is another moment that we leave our Earth unprotected.

We've gathered into the portal room to say our goodbyes, payload in separate containers and all the information we'd ever need to use them. Team Flash has been an indescribable help; I will carry the memory of them and what they did to save my world forever.

With teary eyes, I turn to my new friends. "I don't know how to thank you," I say.

Barry smiles proudly. "We're just glad to be able to help someone in need."

Pietro comes up between Wanda and I. "We owe you much." He nods towards Barry and the others. "As we say in Sokovia, Спасибо."

"Thank you," Wanda translates.

"When you get things fixed over on Earth-616, you should give us a ping," Cisco suggests nonchalantly. "You know...just tell us how saving the universe went. I, for one, would love to have a theoretical science debate with that one." He points to Elaine with a grin, and she smiles back. "Imagine the madness we could have together!" He then proceeds to laugh evilly.

Elaine walks over to him and wraps her arms around him in a tight embrace. "You're a good friend, Cisco. I'll visit when I can."

After all the other goodbyes are said, I spot Aspen lingering in the corner. She has her hand wrapped around Persephone's, looking heartbroken. I make my way over to them both, bending down to be eye to eye with the young girl. "Can I ask you a favor, Seph?"

She nods. "Sure, Miss Glory. What is it?"

I take her other hand between my own. "Take care of your mom for me, okay?" I give her a wink and a smile.

She nods, understanding in her eyes. "I will."

After giving the small girl a hug, I stand and speak directly to her mother. Words don't cross either of our mouths for a while. What can we say that hasn't already been said a million times? Finally, I break the silence. "I hope you know that I'll never forget this day--you--as long as I live."

A sad look covered her soft features, her brown eyes tearing up. "Neither will I. You've given me something I thought I already had."

"What's that?"

"Closure."

I take her thin hands in mine, looking her in the eye. "You've given me closure, too. And speaking of closure, I was wondering if you could do something for me, or rather for someone we both care about."

"Sure, what is it and for whom?"

"Vlad. I was wondering if you could record a video on my cell for him to watch to give him some closure as well." I chuckle. "And partly because he's going to kill me when he finds out you were alive here and he didn't come."

Aspen smiles and takes the cell phone I offer her. "Of course. Can you record me?"

After recording a few minutes of Aspen for Vlad, I thank her for doing it. "He's going to love this," I sigh, a smile breaking across my face.

"I miss him so much," she breathes, looking through the pictures on my phone. "He's grown up a lot, not the teenager I used to know."

"He'd be proud of you."

Without another word, we embrace tightly, arms wrapping around each other like we'll never see each other again. Chances are that this is the truth; it's a big multiverse out there. "I miss you already."

I hear her sniffle in her reply, "I agree." She holds me tighter. "Take care of those little girls and that little boy, all right? Tell them I love them dearly."

"And you spoil your little one rotten."

When we pull back, tears are overflowing. I reach over to wipe Aspen's away with gentle fingers. She smiles as I do. "Be safe." She lifts a hand to my cheek. "I love you."

I cover her hand with mine. "I love you more."

She smiles at the all too familiar goodbye. "I love you--"

"--Most."

Aspen leans forward to peck my cheek chastely, putting her hand back down. I hear my name called, and turning, I see Pietro, Wanda, Elaine, and Killbane waiting for us by the portal. They're ready, but I'm not sure I'll ever be. 

"It's all right," Aspen says bravely. "You have to go save the world."

I wrap my hand tightly around hers as I walk the green mile over towards my family. "Are you all ready?" I ask, knowing the answer anyways.

Pietro nods, his blue eyes showing his worry for me. "Da, we are." He looks at both Aspen and I. "Are you?"

I look to her as well, and we both nod. "We are."

I say brief yet heartfelt final goodbyes to everyone. Pietro takes the Gems through first, then returns moments later for Killbane and Wanda. Then it comes time to take Elaine and I. I give one final look to Team Flash, particularly to Aspen. She smiles. "Hey, Glory? Do me a favor."

"What's that?"

"Go back to red hair. It suits you."

With a chuckle and a nod, everyone waves goodbye with smiles on their faces. Pietro takes hold of us and we make it back through the portal, back to Earth-616, in a flash.

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

ASPEN PENROSE AND TEAM FLASH WILL RETURN
IN THE BOOK "IN TIME"
STARTING JULY 22ND, 2017

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

My reflection stares back at me in the Stark Penthouse bathroom. My peridot green irises contrast vividly against the redness of my eyes. Circles have formed underneath them, and they have a weariness that haunts me. They're my father's eyes; I've known this ever since I was young. I always envied Bex's bright, icy blue eyes, she got them from Mom, but I seemed to be cursed with the eyes of a man who cared about little but himself.

My hands brace the porcelain counter tops  The large mirror in front of me shows a woman of over thirty in a white bathrobe. Her hair is wrapped in a hair cap, the chemicals doing their job of stripping the dark color from my locks. Aspen was right; my natural red hair suits me better. Now that I'm back in the real world, why hide my most defining physical feature anymore?

Tony was kind enough to share his and Pepper's bathroom with me so I could freshen up while he, Vision, Pietro, and Stephen work on prepping the Gems for the Gauntlet which Loki and Thor are supposed to return with any hour. Elaine and Wanda are taking the time to bond over a tour of Stark Tower. We're all kind of waiting for our next move.

When my phone stopwatch goes off, telling me my hair is done, I carefully unwrap it and allow the discolored strands to fall damp on my shoulders. They curl slightly to match my natural hair texture. I rise my head in the shower, careful to avoid the robe, and the stripping product washes down the drain. I'm left with burnt copper curls that barely brush my collarbone.

"Too long," I mutter to myself, and I find a pair of sheers from one of the drawers. Using careful snips, I watch inches of my hair fall into the sink. At the end of my snipping lies a sink full of copper locks. In the mirror is a woman with hair that stops half way between her shoulders and her chin. I smile at my reflection, glad to see a familiar feature restored.

There's a frantic knock on the bathroom door. While using my fingers to brush my curls loose and into a shape they can dry properly in, I open the door to see Tony on the other side. "What is it?"

"We have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" I ask, looking for my grey T-shirt that says "Stark Industries" in gold letters and my old jeans.

"Carol Danvers just called and said that Alpha Flight--you know, her little space station in geosynchronous orbit above the New York City Triskellion  is Earth's first line of defense--a ship on long-range sensors that isn't any we know of. She's reading one life sign on board. All she can tell is that it's human."

I motion for Tony to turn around. He does and walks to the other side of the adjacent room out of respect as I change quickly. "What do we do?"

"Can you get us aboard the Alpha Flight Station?"

After finishing changing, I quickly hurry over to him, tapping his shoulder. "I wish I could but I can only transport places I've been or a large, general area like outer space."

Tony rubs his face with his hands. Then, all of a sudden, he drops them. His face looks like that of a man with a brilliant idea. "I have a crazy idea, but it might just work." He starts to run for the elevator. "You coming?"

When we get to the elevator, it begins its decent. "FRIDAY," Tony asks, tapping the little pad on his wristwatch, "pull up a visual of the Alpha Flight Station."

"Aye, Sir." 

Tony motions to the picture on the small screen. "Can you transport there?"

I bite my lip. "I don't know, Tony..."

"I can give you coordinates of the station."

I nod. "I can't promise anything, but we sure as Helheim can try."

Tony grins. "I'll call back Wanda and Elaine." Before he turns away, he smirks. "Your hair looks nice."

· ~ · ~ · ~ · ~ ·

It doesn't take long for Wanda and Elaine to rejoin the boys and I in the Stark workshop. I was lucky enough to be able to open a portal directly to the Alpha Flight Station. With the image in my head of the main corridor and the exact location of the Station, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be to get the five of us there. Vision and Stephen elected to remain behind to watch over the tower and keep a close eye on Killbane, who remains silent as ever in his containment cell.

Once on the other side of my portal of golden energy, we see a large hallway similar to that of a sci-fi spaceship. "Did you help build this thing?" Elaine asks, running a hand along the wall. "It looks similar to the Stark Arks."

Tony nods, and the mask of his suit closes over his face. "I did," his voice speaks through the mask. "This way. Carol said she'd meet us in the command center. She's going to put a tractor beam on the ship as it comes closer."

"Tractor beam?" Pietro asks, raising his eyebrows. "This sounds like some kind of Star Trek episode."

We hurry behind Tony to a room at the end of the corridor. It's a large space with tons of tech that I can't even begin to understand how they work. Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel as she's commonly known, stands hunched over a screen in her red, blue, and yellow spacesuit. Her face is worried, yet focused on her target.

"Nice timing," she says, greeting us in her own way. "I just started the tractor beam. The ships slowing down. I'm pulling her into our cargo bay. She'll be ours in a minute or two." She stands up straight and walks over towards the entrance where we stand. "Follow me."

"Need backup, Danvers?" Pietro teases with a grin.

She rolls her eyes, smirking. "You wish, Maximoff. Follow me anyways. Maybe you'll get a kick out of Alpha Flight."

I place a hand on my husband's shoulder, then jerk it away quickly, making a hissing sound. "Ouch, you've just been burned. Need some ice?"

"Shut up."

We follow Carol to the cargo bay. She seals the doors behind the ship that's pulled in and transfers the oxygen back into the room. She turns to us before opening the sealed door. "Be on alert. We know the single passenger is human, but that's it. He or she may be armed and dangerous. I don't wanna see anyone getting hurt."

We all nod in reply. She opens the door and we enter, single file. Carol's fists are clenched, a slight glow surrounding them as she powers up. Wanda has her hands slightly raised, Elaine has a hand on her sword, Pietro is tense beside me, Tony has his Iron-Man suit prepared for action, and I keep my eyes on the eighteen-wheeler-sized ship in front of us.

"Do you recognize the ship?" Wanda asks Carol, her eyes flickering over the strange markings along the hull.

Carol shakes her head. "Never, and I've seen a lot of ships."

Suddenly, the door on the side of the ship clicks. Everyone jumps slightly and readies themselves for a possible fight. The door opens slowly, a hand pushing it forcefully. A familiar figure comes into view: dark greying curly hair, brown eyes, a tired expression. Surprisingly, this is someone I've never met but have seen many times before.

Tony's facemask rolls back into his suit, his teary eyes wide with disbelief. "Bruce...is that...?"

Bruce Banner gives a breathy laugh, walking down from the ship to the cargo bay floor. All of us drop our weapons, whether that be ourselves or technology. "Where the hell have you been?" Wanda asks.

Bruce laughs, shaking his head. "That...is a very long story."

END CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.