Hey all! Yeah, it's been a while, again... I'm bad at the whole updating frequently thing, aren't I? Anyways, this is a relatively short chapter, a couple thousand words, and I hope that you all like it!

I've had some people express confusion on how Strange was able to write a note or even touch things in the physical world, but if you remember in his solo movie, when Strange's astral form is fighting with one of Kaecilius' minions while Christine is trying to stitch Strange's actual body up (I've attached a clip above if you don't remember), they were able to knock medical supplies off the rolling cart while in their astral form. So if they can do that accidentally, I suspect that they can do it on purpose, and furthermore, Strange has the training required for that since he is Sorcerer Supreme. Hope that clears some things up :)

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To the Avengers...

Spider-Man explained the majority of the events that occurred; his story captures a large part of what occurred. However, none of you know what will happen in the future, and that's where I step in. Parker was right in that I cannot speak to any of you unless I rip your souls out of your bodies into the Astral Plane (which is not pleasant in any way if you are not used to the feeling), and he would have to call me back and be present for the conversation anyways because our astral forms are connected. It would take too much time and energy for a pointless endeavor, so you'll just have to trust that Parker can get my word across properly; in any case I can always leave a letter such as this one to clear up any confusion. The time stone deemed him the worthiest and he's the key in saving the universe so it'd be pointless to argue.

Many of you may be wondering why the time stone decided to place the weight of the universe on Parker's shoulders. In the 14,000,605 futures I saw, Thanos succeeded in every one of them. He snapped, but in a select few, we managed to regain the half that we lost. However, I decided to aim for the one with the most positive result, because while we may have gotten half the universe back, some people's lives were irreparably torn apart as a result. Take one future, where Thanos snapped, and Peter faded away. Tony Stark survived. He, along with the blue alien Nebula (whom you have not met yet, but must get in contact with for this plan to work. That's for later, though) travel through space, nearly dying from hunger and lack of oxygen before Captain Marvel (once a human by the name of Carol Danvers- I'd ask Nick Fury about her) rescued them and brought them back to earth. The remaining Avengers meet them, but tensions are high from the Civil War and events that ensued (which have luckily been prevented here). A couple of days later, they get a reading of a large energy pulse, which they determine to be Thanos. They track him down only to find out that he has used the stones to destroy the stones.

Tony looked up from his reading, staring at the rest of his teammates, all of whom were entranced, horror gleaming in their eyes as they heard of this future where they supposedly won yet lost something irreplaceable. Tony swallowed down his own unease and continued.

5 years pass. A sharp intake of breath from someone. The world moves on, people remarry, create new lives. Then, a stroke of luck. A small animal scurries over the controls of the machine that kept Scott Lang stuck in the Quantum Realm for those 5 years. He's freed, comes to the Compound. They realize they have a shot, using the Quantum Realm to time travel to collect the stones before Thanos can. Banner (merged with the Hulk) can't figure out how to make them go through time, only the other way around- time going through them. Great if you want to become a baby again, but not exactly what they were aiming to do. So they go to the one person who's left- Stark, who by now has married Potts and has a daughter named Morgan.

Tony's words faltered and he felt everyone's gaze fixed on him; a mix of shock from those who never thought he could be a father, and pride from those who knew he could. He felt his stomach warm with the possibility, but shook it away for now. They had bigger problems at hand.

Stark refuses to help- who could blame him? I know some aren't exactly fans, but consider this- the Avengers drive up to his house, he welcomes them in for lunch, then find out that they aren't here for a pleasant conversation. They aren't here to spend time with him. They're only here to find out what he can do for them. And why should he risk his life and family when he's got all he needs right here?

Everyone flinches at the harsh wording, recognizing the truth behind the words. Some started to try and refute the point, but they paused, wracking their minds for the last time they'd come to Tony for Tony.

Do you know what made him change his mind? Peter Parker.

Peter fell off his seat. The Avengers flicked their gazes between the shell-shocked teen and the billionaire reading the letter.

Yes, apparently Parker is vital in all the futures where we win, if only for... motivation. Regardless, Stark starts working on the concept of time travel... and he figures it out. Realizes the risk he's taking by diving back into the world of the Avengers, and with the help of Pepper realizes that he can't put it away once he's started. So he helps. The Avengers gather, travel back in time to places where the six stones were- one of these is the Battle of New York, where three stones were present. However, the first major death comes when collecting the soul stone. A soul for a soul; Barton had to sacrifice Romanoff (not by his choice; neither wanted to let the other jump).

The room collectively turned to Natasha, who was leaning against a wall, head tilted as she absorbed the information. Anyone else would've been shocked to hear about their own death, but she looked unfazed, nodding slightly as if she always expected she'd die younger. Clint looked away.

They come back to their time, Thanos follows them. Banner/Hulk snaps to bring half the universe back, shortly before Thanos blows up the Compound. A battle takes place in the ruins. The stones are passed between Avengers until Thanos reclaims them. Stark is the only one close enough to do anything; he takes them and snaps, destroying Thanos' army and the Titan himself. Unfortunately, the power was too much for a human body to handle, and Tony dies there, in the ruins.

Tony's voice quieted as he finished reading one of the alternate scenarios; once again, he held the eyes of the room. He brought his own eyes up from the letter, locking them with Peter. The teen's eyes had a wet sheen to them, but he nodded briefly to the billionaire, knowing there was more written in the letter. The man cleared his throat and started reading again, ignoring the attention of everyone else in the room. There was a tension in the air, palpable, and it sent shocks down his spine. It was as if he was on a precipice, and there was no one to pull him back. Everything felt unreal, like an illusion, just waiting to be broken.

Of course, that was one of the futures where we won. But does it really sound like winning? Sure, to the majority of the population, they wouldn't be that affected by Tony Stark's or Natasha Romanoff's deaths. Except... it had been 5 years. People moved on. What place did the revived have in this new world? It was chaos.

That was one of the few futures where we 'won.' In one where I didn't sacrifice the time stone for Stark's life before sending Parker back, he was too shattered by losing yet another father figure that the plan didn't work as well, and they won, but Parker died. And there were many, many more where we lost. Ones where Thanos obliterated everything and remade a universe with mindless beings who were just his slaves.

I hope you're seeing the point here. Thanos is big, far bigger than any other threat you've ever faced. We need to put aside differences, reconcile, and use this time we've been given to make things right.

However, you all need to listen to Peter. If he tells you something, listen. Among all of you, he is the one who knows most about Thanos, met him face to face, knows what it feels like to die at the hands of a mad Titan.

I will make it my job to start collecting people. Start preparing. Time is of the essence.

Good luck.

Signed, 

Tony stopped reading and stared at the letter, mind spinning. He gently placed the paper back on the table and looked up again, finally looking everyone in the face and seeing the renewed horror in the eyes of the other people in the room. They'd known about Thanos, sure, they'd even watched the films from the Spider-Man suit, but this message drove it all home. Strange's words rang in Tony's head as his eyes locked on Peter:

 In one where I didn't sacrifice the time stone for Stark's life before sending Parker back, he was too shattered by losing yet another father figure that the plan didn't work as well, and they won, but Parker died.

And Tony's heart clenched at the thought of Peter dying, for real that time. 

And he swore right then that he'd make sure that didn't happen. Not here. Not this time. Peter was going to live, and he was going to make sure of it.

Then Peter looked up, and Tony could see the truth in his eyes, the same sentiment reflected back at him. They conveyed a message that made Tony sick to his stomach. They said: I'm not losing you. Whatever it takes. The billionaire opened his mouth to tell Peter not to throw his life away, but the teen turned on his heel and dashed out of the room, almost knocking over a chair in the process.

Tony, however, stayed rooted to the spot, the same chain of thinking holding him in place.

Don't do it, kid. Don't throw away your life. And in that, he heard the words of an old friend.

Don't waste it. Don't waste your life, Stark.

He wouldn't. And he'd make sure Peter didn't, either.

They were both getting out of this. 

Together.

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Well, well, well. What do we have here, another completed chapter? 5 more chapters to go, y'all. I hope you enjoyed this one, I know it was pretty short and not the best but I wanted to get something out. :)

1885 words.