𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞

༻ ❁ ༺
  

          "HIS NAME WAS PHIL."

"Was?" Charlotte stepped back, but her face wrinkled up in confusion.

She watched as Loki raised his scepter with a grin, but her dad raised a hand, his palm whirring as he fired a repulsor blast and knocked the God backward. With a shout, Loki collapsed on his back, his sceptre clattering alongside him, but before Tony could move any further into across the floor, the spinning contraption on top of the tower accelerated in speed and blasted a blinding beam into the sky.

Charlotte didn't know what her dad was seeing, she made a move and ran to the balcony and gasped at the sight.

"D-Dad?" she meekly called out.

Tony looked at her, "Charlie, honey, I want you to go behind the bar and stay there. Don't come out until I say so," she looked at the groaning Loki, who was still recovering and not paying attention to them, Tony followed her eyes, "No, don't worry about him. Just go and hide quickly!"

She was panicking, her breathing was becoming erratic as she kept her eyes on her dad and then at the hole in the sky, "D-Dad! I'm sorry I ran!" the brunette blurted out as she started crying, "I just –"

"Charlie!" Tony cut her off quickly, "We don't have time for this, honey! Go!"

"DAD!" she yelled, but he was gone. Charlotte returned the injured Loki's stare and hurried behind the bar. However, when she scurried by one of her father's desks, she saw one of his earpieces and decided to take it, placing it on her ear. 

"JARVIS?" she called out as she got herself inside the space behind the bar, "Can you connect me with my dad? I wanna hear everything."

"Certainly Miss. Stark. Would you like me to also connect you to your mother?"

Charlotte's mouth gaped, she didn't even think about that and she instantly wanted to say yes, but then she halted her own voice and bit her lower lip. "No, don't say anything. Just connect me to my dad, please," she said.

"Very well."

The Chitauri army's troops flew down in squadrons to the surrounding areas as the Tesseract's beam raced brilliantly up to the portal high above the city. All traffic on the streets below came to a standstill; witnesses, including businessmen and women, students, and citizens, went out onto the streets or got out of their cars/cabs to look up in horror at the spectacle. The crowd began shouting and rushing for safety as the aliens descended quickly. The rays hurled automobiles into the streets, ripping through the asphalt roadways, and setting fires.

Sparks showered the spaces between buildings as flames erupted as a result of the Chitauri's attacks, New Yorkers and tourists chaotic in their attempts to flee the destruction.

Charlotte had heard Loki stand up from the floor and shout angrily that his plan to have Stark battle the Avengers had failed, and that the girl had escaped as well. He knew she was hiding in the tower, somewhere, but he did not have the time or patience to go after her.

So he went outdoors, basking in the sunlight as he strode along the length of Tony's disassembling catwalk, armour now built upon him, gleaming in the sunlight as the the azure jewel in his hand shone bright. His emerald cape fluttered in the slight breeze, and he lifted his palms in a display of his chaos-initiating prowess.

Charlotte had been watching him the entire time, undetected by him, and had crept out of her hiding place to peer at him as she kneeled. 

"He's so dramatic," she muttered to herself as she rolled her eyes and backed out of the room. Her attention was mostly on her earpiece until she heard a booming, familiar voice that made her eyes widen.

"Loki!" Thor called out in anger, and when Charlotte peeked again at the balcony, she saw him land on the balcony below with Mjolnir, his hammer, in hand. The God of Mischief turned to the other with a sneer as the blonde raised his hammer and demanded, "Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it!"

"You can't," Loki shouted, pointing his scepter down at him, "There is no stopping it – there is only The War."

"So be it."

When Loki jumped down with a shout and a stab with the sceptre, Charlotte's eyes widened. She watched as Thor dived to the side, swinging his hammer only for Loki to maneuver underneath his weapon, causing the hammer to strike the vertical length.

With a loud clang, Loki yanked the scepter's tip from the floor and cut it in an arc around him, causing Thor's quick ducking beneath the swing. The weapon slid up the back of Loki's shoulders, and he sent an azure beam from the tip to Mjolnir, blocking another concussive blast with his hammer's head.

The wreck of the 'R' and 'K' of the emblazoned 'STARK' on the tower shot through and its charred remains sent tumbling to the ground below.

Charlotte covered her mouth with shock, she only hoped no one got hurt down there.

As sirens blared through the air, men and women screamed at the assault of Chitauri bullets fired from overhead, fleeing through the streets in hopes of safety. As Iron Man flew overhead with four pairs of Chitauri trailing after him, the white and blue NYPD cars came to a halt at the end of one of the main avenues the aliens were attacking, and an officer stepped out to gaze wide-eyed at the invasion.

"Sir, you're connected with your daughter," JARVIS suddenly warned Tony as he was chased. Tony exclaimed as he dodged a building.

"Dad! Can you hear me?" Charlotte's shaken voice sounded from the side of one of his screens. "Loki and Thor are fighting on the balcony right now, but they don't know I'm here!"

Tony quickly began to panic at the thought of his daughter being caught up in the midst of a scramble between two powerful gods. 

The Quinjet flew over the edge of the city towards where the bright azure of the Tesseract's power beamed upwards, "Stark, we're on your three, headed north-east," Natasha radioed him.

"What – did you stop for a drive-through?!" In the lower corner of his helmet, adjacent to Charlotte's voice, he murmured tensely at the video of her communication.

"Is that Ms. Romanoff?"

"Charlie! You're okay!" Natasha exclaimed, somewhat relieved and simultaneously concerned.

Tony then realized that JARVIS connected his daughter through the team's communication system, not only with him, this could be bad or good, "Enough chit-chat. Swing up Park, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you." he told Natasha.

Charlotte held her breath as she watched Thor and Loki to her side. She was feeling more motivated now that she heard Natasha's voice.

Tony darted through the clear sky followed closely by eight flying boards, circling his tower to Loki and Thor exchanging blows on the balcony just like Charlotte had told him, while he swerved to dodge the flurry of rays fired at him. As the Quinjet raced along a perpendicular street, Natasha unveiled a large mechanical gun from the hull, he turned swiftly to a couple of the aliens slamming into the side of a building.

"Sir, we have more incoming," JARVIS warned.

"Fine," Tony said briskly in recognition, "Let's keep them occupied," he replied with determination, making Charlotte smile proudly as she heard her dad's courageous tone.

Natasha fired down the Chitauri that flew to meet her as the Quinjet circled over Stark Tower. Thor grunted and bared his teeth as he swung Mjolnir above his head, while Loki arched backward to enable her to pass over his head. With a growl, the latter sprang forward, grabbing Thor by the nape of his neck and smashing his skull through the glass railings that rose waist-high.

Charlotte raised her eyes to the sound of glass shattering, and her eyes widened as she saw the Quinjet confronting the Gods below, Loki clenching his teeth. He flung Thor to the ground and lifted the long sceptre while balancing himself in the middle of Natasha's gunfire, before firing a blue beam towards the plane.

"Natasha!" Charlotte yelled in fear, dashed outside, and perched on the opposite balcony from Loki and Thor, watching the aircraft descend into a black cloud.

The Quinjet spun around a corner of the tower, grazing the tops of two buildings as it plummeted by, before crashing into the expanse of a paved plaza, the concrete of which had been shattered and pushed to separate as the jet went ahead. Charlotte could hear Thor and Loki fighting all the while, but all she could do was go to the brink of the tower and brace herself on the glassed waist-high railing, worriedly staring down.

"Is everyone all right?!" She asked through her earpiece.

"Who's that?" Clint asked.

"We're fine Charlie, please get inside to safety," Natasha replied, "That's Tony's kid," she replied to her partner.

"Tony has a kid?" Hawkeye squawked incredulously. "Since when?"

"Focus!" Steve suddenly snapped at them, before addressing the little girl, "Charlotte, I'm glad you're okay, but do you have eyes of Loki and Thor? What's happening?"

Before Charlotte could reply, Tony interjected, "Oh no you don't! Don't try to make her part of this mission, Rogers!"

Charlotte rolled her eyes and looked behind her, "They're still fighting, I don't know who's winning though!" she replied anyway.

As he marched out of the opening hatch, Steve affixed his shield to his left arm, Natasha and Clint trailed after. As they hopped past the abandoned vehicles in the centre of the road, they flashed looks up to the top of the distant tower.

"We gotta get back there," Steve stated. He also didn't like the idea that Charlotte was up there by herself, especially with Thor trying to control an enraged Loki.

They dashed across rubble and flipped automobiles, their engines still burning, before coming to a halt in front of Grand Central, accompanied by a loud mechanical snarl from above. Clint sank into a defensive stance as the fingers of his right hand tightened their hold on his bow, while the three craned their heads to gape at the doorway.

Charlotte, too, looked up and saw how the faint clouds' white contrasted with the deep, black emptiness seen through the portal.

As it approached, dark ridged with layers of thick shell and as the fins at its sides drove it through the sky, a shadow crept towards the aperture, a round head with brilliant blue eyes opening its jaws to allow another resounding roar through the sunned air. Tall spines raced up its length as it crashed down directly in front of her, in the Stark Tower, before arching up and swerving into the street, decimating the statue above the terminal where the three Avengers stood.

Charlotte was speechless, horrifyingly speechless.

She'd just seen a monstrosity that could only exist in her nightmares. She couldn't take it anymore; her legs began to shake as their strength failed her, causing her to fall to the floor as her breathing became ragged.

"Charlie, you alright?" her dad said in her ear, and for a moment Charlotte had forgotten that she had the earpiece on. "I need you to calm down, honey.Just focus on my voice, can you do that?" His gentle cooing made it look like he was right next to her.

"Dad, p-please," she whined weakly, "I'm scared..."

As it flew overhead and proceeded on legions of Chitauri rappelling from where they had been hanging from its side into the buildings it was weaving through, Steve, Natasha, and Clint all turned to monitor its movement. They all heard Charlotte and Tony's discussion but chose not to say anything.

Clint was enraged; as the secret father of two children, he immediately felt his fatherly instincts kick in, and all he wanted to do was protect the little girl whose trembling voice belonged to. Natasha was well aware of this, but all she could do was console him in a way that only the two of them knew.

The Chitauri emitted sparks as they slid down, one jumping through a window to land on all fours while the people within panicked and raced from their workstations as it pulled the gun from its back and rose to fire at them.

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked apprehensively through his earpiece.

"Seeing – still working on believing," Charlotte heard her dad admit in awe, "Where's Banner – has he shown up yet?" he questioned.

"Banner?" Steve repeated.

"Just keep me posted," Tony insisted, "JARVIS, find me a soft spot and show me Charlie's vitals," he bade in eagerness as he soared parallel to the creature slashing through high-rises with its fins.

Charlotte was attempting to get up using the railing; her knees were still shaky, but she was able to stand. Her eyes widened when she met Thor's – who had already been looking over her – as she returned her focus to the two brothers.

"Look at this!" Thor yelled while Mjolnir caught between the Gods' bodies as the blond held the other close, shaking him fiercely, "Look around you!" Loki's eyes were wide as he panted, noting the invading Chitauri and burning buildings spread out below, "You think this madness will end with your rule?" he snarled at his brother.

Loki stared at him with fearful gravity, "I-It's too late," he said, breathing hard as he looked towards the violence surrounding, "It's too late to stop it."

"No, it's not!" Charlotte suddenly exclaimed as she approached them.

Thor and Loki looked at her. The latter seemed irritated by her unwanted input, whereas Thor appeared apprehensive. His grip instinctively tightened around the hammer's handle, and he angled his body towards the girl; he stood ready to shield her if the moment arose.

"You can help us, Loki! I know you don't wanna do this, your eyes are like Mr. Selvig's! You're being controlled as well, aren't you?" she cried out, looking at him sadly.

At that statement, Thor looked into his brother's eyes and gaped with shock as he noticed the glassy blue mixed with his natural green orbs, "She is right brother, we can stop this – together," he asserted softly.

Loki's mouth curled upward at the corners in response before he inserted a small knife between the fingers of his right hand and stabbed Thor between the ribs.

Thor gasped and reflexively leaned forward, dropping his hammer as Loki grabbed the sceptre he'd wedged between their bodies; Charlotte could only watch on in horror.

As Loki loomed above him, Thor staggered back and went to one knee, supporting himself on the floor with his right hand. "Sentiment," he chastised, a tear forming in the corner of his eye and rolling down his cheek as he grinned widely.

Charlotte noticed the tear. She knew that he was in there, somewhere, "Wake up, Mr. Loki!" she shouted at him, tears beginning to fill her own eyes. Loki snarled at her, enraged by her sad and terrified face.

Suddenly, Thor sprang to his feet and grabbed Loki by the shoulder with a furious yell, twisting and kicking him down to smash through the small glass barrier, releasing his grip on the sceptre. Then he bent to take him by the neck and waist and lifted him over his head, Charlotte's mouth slack, before slamming him to the ground, making the ten-year-old grimace as Loki groaned at the impact.

Charlotte believed Thor had won when he remained still for a second, but Loki slid away from his brother and fell off the edge of the balcony, causing Charlotte to let out a small gasp.

Thor and the girl both took a step forward to witness Loki catch one of the Chitauri flying by, gripping the flying vehicle's metal casting. Five alien couples swerved to keep up with him as he flew through the structures. Charlotte turned to a hard-breathing Thor, taking out the bloodied throwing knife and threw it to the floor as they swung out of sight.

They looked at each other for a moment, one angry and the other possibly traumatized.

"I'm so glad that I'm an only child," Charlotte quipped weakly.

Thor lost his angry expression and gave her a soft smile, "Lady Stark, are you hurt?" he cooed, accepting the meek head shake, before he stooped onto one knee to pull her into a comforting hug. "You're braver than you know, little one."

Charlotte let out a quiet sob-chuckle as Thor pulled them apart, "But now you must stay here until the battle is over. Your father, we, will fight until our very last breaths–" when he saw her eyes widen with panic, he quickly changed his speech, "–but of course, we shall all survive! And then we will celebrate and I will tell you the tales of wars that my friends and I won!" ruffling her hair, he was pleased to see her smile, "Now, you must remain here and try to stay hidden. Your father is concerned."

Charlotte nodded, "Good luck, Thor. Please be careful..." she told him sweetly before she watched him take off from the balcony, flying with his hammer, towards the battle. She had an awed look on her expression, "So cool..." she sighed dreamily, wishing to fly as well.

༻ ❁ ༺

During the Chitauri onslaught, flaming chunks of rubble dropped from the roofs of the tall buildings bordering the streets, spraying dust and fire onto the crowded surface below.

As a young boy held his seat belt firmly over his chest, his aunt moved back from the passenger seat in front of him to urge him to curl across the seat, his form hidden by her arms and torso as he listened to the screaming outside the car.

"Ben!" the woman screamed out as the boy sobbed into his aunt's chest.

He swerved around the rubble and feeling citizens, hood demolished and engine topped with brilliant fire, as he pushed the car into gear and urged it forward, tires screeching as he swerved around the debris and fleeing residents. He managed to bank into a wide alleyway while up above, overlooking them falling from the edge of a high-rise's roof, a Chitauri aimed its staff at the vehicle.

Captain America tackled the alien as it fired the beam, the shot arching wide as the two fell down to land on the pavement below. 

As the car approached, Steve desperately pushed himself onto his feet and into the air, extending his limbs wide and tumbling clean over the roof as it raced past the grey-skinned monster. The Chitauri had hooked onto the back bumper and managed to keep its grasp as he landed hard on his side while the car drove on.

The young boy and his aunt's head twisted around to peer, gaping, out of the rear windshield for a moment before the alien growled and smashed an arm through the pane. Ben yelled in fury as his wife screamed, reaching back to push her nephew down onto the seat and cover him from the grasping grey claws.

When Steve saw the creature, he sprang to his feet and grabbed his shield from where it fell, whipping it into the alien's nape as the car slammed into a dumpster at the end of the alley. 

The Captain dashed to the rear of the vehicle to hurl the body to the ground, breathing heavily he turned to face the child, who sheepishly returned his shield to him.

As the adults hurried out of their front seats, he accepted it with a grateful nod and slid it onto his forearm before instructing them "Go underground."

"Yes, sir," Ben responded as he reached into the back seat and hoisted his nephew into his arms.

"Thank you, Captain America," the woman sobbed as both adults hugged the young boy between them. "Thank you so much." Steve nodded at her before retreating into battle, knowing that they'd be fine.

"Let's go May, we have to go," Ben said as he started leading his wife and nephew towards the nearest subway entrance, "Are you okay Peter?"

Peter Parker, aged ten, continued to gape at Captain America as the battered and bruised soldier disappeared.

༻ ❁ ༺

author's note

this was a deleted scene and i always liked to think that this was another cameo by our beloved Parker family.

the final chapters of this section may seem a little choppy, but i obviously didn't want to write the whole final battle scene. it would have been an extra five chapters!