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CHAPTER FIVE
heads will roll
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"OKAY, WHO HERE hasn't been to space?" The raccoon's words made Diana nervous as she timidly raised her hand.

"Why?" Rhodey asked. He seemed to be more genuinely confused than nervous about Rocket's question.

"You better not throw up on my ship."

"Approaching jump in three... two... one!" Nebula pushed a button, pulled a lever and Diana's view of the universe was forever changed.

Diana held up her camera with one hand, doing her best to hold it steady and also trying not to puke like Rocket requested. She was enamored with the stars as they flew by, different hues of purple, green, and red, as if the galaxy was bruised in the most beautiful way. Diana felt someone grab her hand and she looked over.

Steve's gaze widened as the stars shined in his eyes, those very hues reflecting off of them, she wondered what his 1940's brain was thinking. Diana wondered what Sam or Bucky would think of this, or how Wanda and Vision would react to it. She hoped that when they brought everyone back, Rocket would let her borrow the ship and show her friends. Or maybe the video she took and the pictures she's continuing to take will give them an idea of the adventure she went on to get them back.

The light show soon stopped as they approached the planet that the giant purple Coward is hiding on. Carol, in her powerful, beautiful glow flew around the front of the ship and turned around, facing the passengers of what Rocket called the Benatar.

"I'll head down for recon." Carol informed them before she turned and flew down to the planet they were at.

Diana unbuckled herself, she hopped out of her seat and found herself at the front of the ship, her face nearly pressed to the glass. The planet, though holding a hideous creature, was beautiful. She looked around at the stars, the solar system was similar to theirs, only this planet had more moons. Diana assumed that due to how close the moons were to the planet, they were probably visible from the planet's surface.

"This is gonna work, Steve." Natasha's voice brought Diana's back to her body, she looked over her shoulder at her two friends.

Steve was staring off at the planet with a grim look on his face. He looked down at his compass, it was the same one that held Peggy's picture.

"I know it will," he replied, shutting the compass and looking at Nat, "Cause I don't know what I'm going to do if it doesn't."

Diana was going to make a comment on how she agreed with the statement but a familiar glow behind her made her turn around. Carol was back, and she looked... confused.

"No satellites, no ships, no armies, no ground defenses of any kind." Carol explained, "It's just him."

"And that's enough." Nebula said. Diana patted the blue woman's shoulder as she walked past her chair, getting back into her seat.

She needed to be ready. She was closer to the Mind Stone now, but the connection was still different than how it felt in the gauntlet, which worried her. Diana couldn't bring herself to say anything about it though, they came too far, literally. Everyone needed this win, she can't take it away from them.

Nebula and Rocket landed the ship, Bruce and Rhodey were the first to be out and getting into their suits.

The plan was simple, Carol and Bruce would destabilize him, Rhodey would keep him down at gunpoint. Diana, Steve, Nat, and Rocket would come in with Thor. They would get the stones, snap everyone back, kill Thanos, then go home. Simple. Easy, and Diana liked the part where everyone comes back.

So why was Diana's heart beating over her chest as they approached the hut where Carol held Thanos? She watched as Rocket went for the sliced off gauntlet, and kicked it over, as everyone realized that there were no stones in it.

Her heart stopped, her blood turned to ice. Bile was rising in her throat like the tears in her eyes. This couldn't be happening. She could still feel the Mind Stone. But that's when the realization hit her.

"Oh no." Rocket muttered to no one in particular.

"Where are they?" Steve immediately demanded, looking up at Thanos.

"Answer the question!" Carol insisted with a tightening of her arm around his neck.

"The universe required correction," Thanos seethed, "After that, the stones served no purpose, beyond temptation."

"You murdered trillions!" Bruce roared as he pushed Thanos, the armor he wore making him fall back.

"You should be grateful." Thanos sneered now, only to be punched by Bruce and the Veronica suit.

"Where are the Stones?" Natasha asked, she was shaking, much like Diana.

Her trembling hands were closed into fists, rings of yellow energy were surrounding her in a powerful energy that seemed to crackle in the air around her. Steve even had to take a step away from her to not sear his suit. It was like all her pain and anger began to boil within her, thrashing under skin like a parasite. There's no way the stones can be gone, there's no way.

"Gone," Thanos was smug, the satisfied grin he had made Diana want to rip his face off and shove it down his throat, "Reduced to atoms."

That explains it, the stones weren't in the form of a stone anymore. Diana only feels a connection to the dust and atoms of the Mind Stone.

"You used them two days ago!" Bruce yelled. His anger was radiating off him within the suit yet the green monster still hasn't shown itself. Diana wondered why the Hulk hasn't come out, why he wouldn't want to absolutely destroy Thanos right now.

"I used the stones to destroy the stones, it nearly killed me but the work is done, it always will be." Thanos sat up a little straighter. "I am... inevitable."

Diana rolled her eyes at his statement.

"Another homicidal dumbass with a god complex, Jesus Christ," Diana groaned, "you should've just gotten a therapist instead of murdering everyone!"

"We have to tear this place apart," Rhodey was frantic as he began to look around, "he-he-he has to be lying."

"My father is many things," Nebula was silent up until now, she took a careful step forward, her bionics may not allow her to show much expression on her face now, but Diana knows the body language of someone who had a childhood too sorrowful to put into words, "A liar is not one of them."

"Ah, thank you, daughter." Thanos regarded her, it only seemed to make Nebula uncomfortable as she looked down, "Perhaps I treated you too harshly."

The next few moments were too fast for Diana to process until a purple spatter decorated the front of her grey and yellow suit. Thanos' head rolled across the floor. Thor's ax-head dripped with purple blood. So much blood. Diana looked up to see Thor's enraged face and watched as Nebula touched the blood that splattered on her face.

"What..." Rocket was helpless, hopeless, "What did you do?"

Thor was silent for a moment as Nebula shut Thanos' eyes. Diana wondered how she would feel if Tom Renfrey was dead. For a long time she considered him dead, same as Celeste, but now she wondered if they even survived Thanos' snap. She hoped they didn't.

"I went for the head." Thor resigned himself and turned, walking out of the hut, the sunlight swallowing him as it shined brightly, like Thanos' death brought a new day even though the sun had been out the whole time.

Diana took a few staggering steps out of the hut and found herself on her knees on the path that led her to her doom just moments before.

They had lost. There was no getting them back. Her vision was getting blurry. Diana concluded that she was once again crying. Her sobs seemed to make her face pull at her stitches, her tears once again making the wound burn on her cheek. She lost, and all she had to show for it was a gash on her face and her family gone.

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AS IF THE day couldn't get any worse, Diana had to watch the way Charlie's face fell as he took one look at the team as they stepped off the ship. One look at Diana's tear stricken face and she had to watch as he broke into sobs. Diana ran for Charlie, a sob creeping its way up her throat as she held him close to her.

She watched as her teammates dispersed, small waves and nods sent each other's way, Thor stomped into the compound along with Rocket and Nebula. Steve had waved to Diana and Nat before walking away. Nat had stayed for a moment, a weak smile was forced on her friend's face before she left for the compound.

It was like the earth was opening up to swallow her whole, to bury her so deep, no one would hear her screams. The feeling was going to kill her, Diana knew it, but for as long as Charlie held her, she was still safe above ground, the earth would have to wait for its meal. There was no way she was going to leave her nephew to be lost in this new world, not if she had anything to say about it.

Charlie pulled away, giving Diana room to wipe at his tears.

"Is there nothing else?" Charlie asked. It was like her heart was being ripped out of her chest, much like that dream she had months before. Only this time Bucky wasn't there to wake her from the nightmare.

Because everything for the past month has felt like one long nightmare that she can't seem to wake up from.

"I'm sorry," Diana's voice cracked with the two words, her throat ached when she spoke.

Charlie didn't let her see him after that, resigning himself to pulling into a tighter hug.

"So where do we go from here?" He asked.

"How about we go home, I'll figure it out for us, okay?" Diana asked.

"Can we go to grandma's house instead?" Charlie asked, "I don't want to see Dad and Aunt Tonya's ashes."

"Of course Charlie," Diana spoke softly as she pulled away from the boy fully and wrapped an arm around his shoulder as the two headed for the compound to pack her things, "and I'll go to your dads on my own time to get your things, just make a list of the super important stuff so I can make it quick."

Charlie didn't say anything, he only nodded.

Diana couldn't bring her brother and sister back, but she can make damn sure that Charlie wasn't left to be alone. Hell would freeze over and pigs would fly on the day that Diana turns her back on the people who've accepted her for who she is.

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NEW YORK WAS quiet. Empty cars and dust littered the street. Garbage danced in the wind as the breeze blew it away. Diana wished she could bring herself to not care but that crushing guilt came back. She has to stomp it down, she had to, or else she would drown in a sea of her emotions.

She can't shut down when there's a 12 year old boy in her passenger seat who she's responsible for now. She chanted the words "Don't break down" to herself in her bed the whole drive, and she continued to chant it for as long as she needed to until they arrived at the home that was formerly owned by Judith Anderson, and then was formerly owned by Tonya Anderson.

And due to the living will and testament of Tonya, Diana now owned the home.

The silence was deafening, the radio was down and Diana didn't have the energy to listen to one of the thousand playlists she's made. Listening to music doesn't make her feel good anymore. Nothing does.

They got out of the car and started unloading their things. Charlie did end up going to his fathers house, but he practically crawled on the wall to avoid the floor of the living room where two piles of ash sat. Diana thankfully got the two piles of ashes into two different urns. It's what she put on the mantle of the fireplace in the house.

Turning around looking at the house, all she could see are the happy memories she's had in the place. All she could think is that even though happy memories are sure to come, they will never feel the same. Not with this gaping hole in her chest and the impending feeling of her grief swallowing her whole and leaving her to deal with who she becomes after.

She took careful steps towards Judith's chair, green felt, the back stretching up high, Judith loved the way it felt like it was trying to hug her. Diana grazed her hand over the top of the chair, leaning on it now.

"I miss you," she whispered, "help me please, I don't know what I'm doing." She fell to her knees, her arms propped over the armrest, she leaned her head against the chair in a careful position to avoid her stitches, they would be coming out soon, and Diana would have to look at the reminder for the rest of her life.

She couldn't focus on her scar anymore, but the quiet sobs that came from the guest bedroom pulled Diana's attention away from her thoughts. Charlie needs her, she can't shut down. Don't break down. Don't break down. Diana chants those words in her head as she goes to Charlie's new room.

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2.3k words

damn, you mean to tell me the plan doesn't work 15 minutes into the movie??? fawk man I hope this 2 hour movie fixes that or else we're gonna have some issues.

in all honesty, phase five is definitely the saddest, and we all know it doesn't really get better as it goes on. This is probably one of the saddest movies the MCU made. And I'm still kinda peeved that they had it change everything about the world.

I don't plan on dragging out this phase simply because I want Bucky and Sam back so don't worry, we'll get to the good stuff soon.

thanks for all the support!

-greta!