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𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝙊𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝙈𝙊𝙑𝙄𝙀.

───○☆ ✸ ☆○───

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄: When Catastrophe Happens

𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ─ 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐑𝐊 𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘, 𝐍𝐘

𝟑𝟎 𝐌𝐀𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖

───○☆ ✸ ☆○───

☆

When catastrophe happened, the small things go unnoticed. New York City was a strong force, but broken once before by otherworldly beings. ALIENS! to be blunt. When the Battle of New York happened against the Chitauri in May 2012, no one was prepared for the devastation that followed. Six years later, businesses struggled to put back pieces literally blown up from their life's work. Six years later, aliens invaded again—but this time, first responders were quick to gather the injured and triage. Civilians picked up debris to make a path for cars to go through, and in a town infamous for its attitude, everyone understood they were fighting a battle much greater than the human race.

Well, almost everyone.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT DO WE DO?"

Of the three buses with Midtown juniors, they were the one left unchaperoned on the way back after someone got sick on Bus #2 and Mr. Harrington had to sit with them so they didn't pass out. S.H.I.E.L.D (i.e. HYDRA) didn't teach Lizzie Carter much about fighting a large, flying saucer in the sky. That felt like someone else's issue (and she tried to compartmentalize the little voice screaming "yeah, Peter's!"). S.H.I.EL.D. did teach her how to take charge in a chaotic situation.

She figured this qualified as a chaotic situation.

The emergency exit was opened at some point, a few teenagers previously seated in the last rows no longer in sight. Great. With Midtown students flooding the streets of New York, Lizzie realized there was no order left to the situation. Getting everyone to safety would come after she did a headcount—Arthur, wide eyes and clutching onto Ned's shoulders; Michelle, looking out the bus window with frantic words to someone on the other end of her cell; and Taylor could not be missed, having slotted herself in place next to Lizzie when Peter Parker disappeared.

"We're staying on the bus," Lizzie answered finally, much to the disbelief of a Flash Thompson who cowered behind the seats, likely debating if he should call his father or his father's lawyer first. A lawsuit from Eugene Thompson for emotion distress didn't seem like much of a threat to aliens, though.

Staying on the bus only set forth the next ripple of panic. "Oh, my FUCKING GOD!"

"I can't believe this is happening again," muttered Betty Brant, whimpering into Flash's side.

"—shut up, dude, I'm calling my Dad!"

"Well tell your dad I think I'm going to have a panic attack—!"

With a piercing whistle, Lizzie Carter drew attention to her and the sounds lulled in the midst of the devastation growing outside of the bus. Wide eyes full of fear and tears stared back at her, one after the other turning to face the seventeen-year-old, and she swallowed hard. Taking in the amount of classmates now waiting on her, the teenage girl faltered. How did Steve do this so effortlessly? A firm squeeze on her arm from Taylor guided her through the doubt, and Lizzie pushed herself up halfway on the seat to see over everyone.

"We're staying on the bus," she repeated. "It's our only form of transportation right now, and we can make room for anyone injured or needing a ride along the way. Worst case, three to a seat everyone. Can someone close all of the emergency exits to stop the lights—Stan! Are you good to keep going?" Lizzie looked back to the driver's seat to see the older man, another one of his odd job's, give her a thumb's up.

"I won a medal once in Demolition Derby in a bad boy not-too-different from this one! Hold on, kids, we're going home!"

Stan shifted gears and continued on like nothing was happening around them. A complaint in the sound of a scoff piqued Lizzie's attention, and she whipped her head around. A junior from Chemistry class pushed herself out of the row. Next to her was another girl, clinging to her side. Ella, the one who scoffed, started walking through the aisles to leave with her friend following quietly behind.

"I'm not getting killed," Ella spat as she tried to pass by. Lizzie stepped out to block the aisle, resulting in a sneer from the blonde when they met eye-to-eye. "Carter, if you don't move, I will push you out of my way. I know you think the world revolves around you, but you're not in charge—"

"—you get off the bus, and you're walking around in traffic with people who don't know how to drive on a good day, much less a crisis, Ella. Either sit down and let Stan drive us back to school or I will move you to a seat," Lizzie clipped back, returning the glare. "If you want to put yourself in charge, be my guest, but one of us here is trying to help the situation and one of us is preventing that from happening. I'm not letting you get yourself killed. Sit down."

Ella held off, maintaining eye contact to see if Lizzie would budge. Anyone who knew MJ would have laughed, but her friends watched with queasy stomachs instead at the challenge. Lizzie held her ground and Ella clenched her teeth, finally submitting to the other girl's authority. With her friend still behind her, Ella turned on her heel and moved to the furthest aisle back across from Flash and Betty. Lizzie's shoulders relaxed when everyone was seated; Stan was already yelling out the open window for people to "either get in or get out of the way!"

Lizzie returned to Taylor in their shared seat after they picked up speed, now curled against the window. Her heart sank at the sight of the tears brimming when they met eyes. "Lori...are you okay?"

"There's a fucking flying SAUCER in the city again, no. I'm not okay!" Taylor whimpered in disbelief, shooting up in alarm when Stan shouted again. The girl's hands went up to push the curls out of her eyes and she focused on Lizzie. "You know I can't handle shit like this, MJ. I'm not built for a crisis. I don't...last time, we were twelve, and I was with my Ma. What are we supposed to do? I need to...I need to call my Ma, and—"

Michelle was the first one to notice the unspoken detail among their friends. "Guys! Where's Peter?"

Lizzie faltered for the first time since it happened.

"I don't know," she answered quietly when Michelle and Taylor turned to her. Lizzie's wrist burned hot where the Stark Friendship Bracelet remained secured; it was the only relief she had right now thinking of her partner and his whereabouts. "He was just here. I think he left with a few of the others when it first happened, out the emergency exit...I don't—"

"May works in the area," Ned interrupted, covering for his best friend in place of his partner. Lizzie shot him an appreciative look. "She does non-profit work around the city...he's probably going to check on her. Oh, I need to call Lola, she's probably worried sick."

Art cleared his throat when Ned turned to his phone, uncharacteristically calm considering the circumstances. "I'd just like to say, I'm handling this situation well, and I think it is solely because MJ is here. Otherwise I think we'd all be dead."

"Thanks, Art," Michelle Jones piped up despite her shaking hands and pat him on the shoulder.

"I definitely meant you, Michelle."

"I know you did."

Lizzie felt her cellphone ringing in her back pocket. 'DAD' was read quickly and answered seconds after. Mike Carter being the parent to call her made sense. In her mind, she already traced the schedules of her parents: her father was on Sammy-shift today, per the conversation with her Ma last night. Ma was in the city at the law firm downtown, and her heart spiked briefly as she considered how close Sophia Carter was to Alien Ground Zero, too.

"Dad?" she said just as she heard commotion beginning to happen behind her. Standing up and putting her phone against her shoulder, Lizzie surveyed the problem in the back aisles. Ella was on the phone, complaining loudly, and sending pointed glares at the topic of conversation every-so-often.

"MJ? Baby, where are you? Are you okay?" her father's voice flooded the other line and she exhaled deeply at the sound.

Dad was okay. So, Sammy was okay.

Nodding without his ability to see it, Lizzie kept her eyes on Ella. "I'm okay. I'm with some of my classmates on one of the buses in the city, but we're moving. We were just leaving the museum when it happened. Where's Ma? Are you and Sammy at home?"

"Ma is fine. Sammy is fine. She was in the courthouse when it happened—that's why I'm calling. Happy said that everyone's gone out...I mean, everyone. He's staying back at the Facility with Rhodes. It's not good, MJ. I'm taking Sammy and Lady there now. I need you to tell me where you are so Ma can come get you."

Lizzie's sudden awareness of her surroundings flushed her face, and she spared a glance down. "I'm with Taylor... I'm not leaving her," and then she remembered the words of Art not long after. Quieter, she continued. "There's a whole bus of people terrified right now. I'm not leaving them either."

"MJ."

"We aren't far from Midtown. At this rate, our bus driver will have us back in thirty minutes. That gives you time to go get Ma from the courthouse. The three of you go together, and I'll meet you there once I know everyone here is safe."

Mike Carter's distaste for the idea could practically be seen and she pictured his face now. "Lizzie. You need to give me something more than that."

"I'm sorry...it's all I've got right now. You make sure Sammy and Ma are safe."

"And what about you?"

"I'm your kid. I'll be fine. I love you. I'll text you as soon as I can, and if service goes out, I'll see you there, okay? Don't reroute for me. Just go and I'll catch up," and Lizzie could hear Stan becoming loud up front, a sudden obstacle in their path preventing them from going further. Her father was silent on the other end, delaying her goodbye. "...Dad. I'm okay. I promise. I love you. I'll see you soon."

"I love you, MJ. I better see you before sunset."

With that, Lizzie ended the call with her father and ignored the growing worry in her stomach for her family. Even if she knew where they were now, that settled nothing until she could see them in person. The alien invasion, as it turned out, was less of the problem and more of a cause that led to the effect in front of them. A car accident happened at an intersection, smoke billowing up into a sight of growing debris, and preventing any incoming traffic from going through. People were already out of their cars to check on those involved, and immediately Lizzie's promise to her father felt like a mistake. He said before sunset.

"What do ya want me to do from here?" Stan yelled back to them, but the question was obviously pointed in the direction of the brunette.

Lizzie looked back at the others on the bus to see most of them already standing, and then to Taylor. She also stood up from her seat when the bus came to halt and focused on the accident ahead. If Stan wanted to, he could get through by going on the sidewalk, but the accident had clearly just happened.

"People could be hurt," Lizzie muttered, searching in Taylor's eyes for approval before she asked anyone else in the group to do the same for strangers.

Taylor answered the question for her. "Let's go help them."

───○☆ ✸ ☆○───

𝐔𝐏𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐍𝐘 ─ 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐀𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

"Ma? Dad? Happy?"

The names rolled one after the other. Lizzie's hand clutched her keys to settle her nerves with the pain. They finally stopped shaking an hour into the drive, and by the next half-hour, she'd calmed herself enough to take in the situation: Earth was under attack. After coming to those terms, Lizzie had to accept the next fact: Peter was M.I.A., and Stark Friendship Bracelet decided to break at the worst possible time; UNKNOWN was now the most hated word in the dictionary. To keep her mind on the road, she chose to believe Peter smashed it into the ground or something more on-par than the worst scenario (her worst case scenario: Peter was in the fucking flying saucer, as Taylor called it, or...).

She was the pessimist of the pair. Peter was fine.

The Not-So-New Avengers Facility was a ghost town when she pulled up. The last time she saw the place so empty was after Berlin, and considering the state of the world right now, the events paled in comparison. Lizzie couldn't shake a feeling of loss; defeated in a battle not-yet-fought as she walked through the halls alone. Only when she heard an out-of-place giggle and a squeal did some semblance of calm appear.

"Sammy," she exhaled in relief and all-but-sprinted in the direction of her brother's laughter.

Sammy Carter was a beautiful sight when she got to the Training Facility. Happy and her dad held his hands, swinging him down the ramp originally installed for Carson but Rhodey as of late. Lady was off to the side, bathing in the sunlight from the open hangar door. Ma. Sophia wore her favorite, charcoal-grey suit for court days, but mascara smudged underneath swollen eyes. Like her daughter, she recently cried. Mike left the apartment in a frenzy with one focus on his mind, and it was not himself. Sammy's shoes were double-knotted but their fathers' T-shirt was inside out, pulled on without thought.

"Sissy!"

Lizzie bent down to catch Sammy as chunky limbs stomped to greet her, and his little legs dangled when she swooped him up. His shriek turned all heads in the room, and it was the attention that shrunk the mask of false confidence she wore earlier with her classmates. The cold rush and overwhelming thought hit her: she was only seventeen. All she wanted was her parents. With burning eyes, she adjusted Sammy's legs around her waist then braved the crowd.

"Lizzie," her Ma whispered, hands grabbed at her daughter until Sammy was smashed between the two. He had little complaint, even when Mike came to the growing-pile of Carters, and pulled his daughters' head into his chest. "MJ, let me see you...are you okay—"

"I'm okay, Ma," she promised, carefully pulling away from her father so that her mom could take hold of her face, turning it in every direction. For the first time in a while, Lizzie accepted the hovering. "I'm okay. I'm sorry I took longer than I thought. There was an accident, then I waited for Taylor's parents to get to Midtown—they're going out of state to her cousins' in Maryland—and then all the main roads were closed. My GPS kept glitching out from the service, and then eventually I just had to try and remember how to get here on my own which was terrifying..."

Lizzie trailed off when she met Happy's eyes over her mother's shoulder. Her hold on Sammy tightened. "Happy..." and then the tears returned without warning. Happy walked over hastily and went to give her a hug of his own, but she quickly interrupted. "He's gone. Peter's gone. I don't know where he is, and I don't know what I'm going to tell May, and the bracelet's not working. We were together on the bus, and then everything happened and he went to go help..."

In her dreams, her Ma and Dad were there to save the day during the Battle of the Triskelion. Mike burst through the door and stopped Rumlow before he killed those two S.H.I.E.LD. agents before any further events occurred. Sophia never let her get close to Ian Monroe, so the lies were never sewed. Lizzie woke up to the nightmare it would have been for her parents to get involved in D.C.. Now the world was on fire, and standing next to her, she had them. And selfishly, she wished she could lock them and Sammy in a room so nothing would ever harm them. There was one person who understood that feeling, and she wasn't here.

"Lizzie, give me..."

"Hey...bug, breathe..."

The weight of her brother against her chest was a security blanket, and with him now gone—Ma took him, he's safe—her knees buckled out from under her. "MJ?" in panic but she could only hear her heartbeat pounding louder than her parents' concern. She pushed away the hands trying to grab her, taking mindless steps back until she was pretty sure she was at the steps, and her heel hit the concrete to prove her point. Sitting down with closed eyes, Lizzie ignored the conversation around her. Her Ma to her Dad, "Don't. She knows we're here. Let her breathe," she made out, reminding Lizzie that she could breathe.

A rumbling bellowed in her chest, and one of Lizzie's hands clutched her shirt while the other moved with a tremble to her watch. 5:06 PM. Her eyes closed. One, two, three, and in a mantra, Lizzie counted to one hundred and tapped her chest with every number ahead. Sophia and Mike Carter never saw their daughter experience a panic attack. If anyone was an expert at hiding their weaknesses, it was their middle child; but where one had seen this happen with Sharon, the other was unprepared. Sophia smiled calmly at Sammy, handed him to Happy to go play with Lady, and then she moved to split her attention between Lizzie on the steps and her husband trying to get to her.

"Soph," Mike interjected, his eyes burning with frustration at the barrier and concern for his baby.

Sophia, whose eyes never left her daughter, held onto him. Lizzie's shoulders eventually settled, and she watched as the seventeen-year-old softly patted against her shirt, pausing, then repeating the pattern. The other hand gripped the railing just above her head. With another passing minute, Lizzie finally released her hold and looked up at her parents. Sophia let go of Mike, who sprung into action at the sight of Lizzie's tears and only took a few seconds to reach her side.

Lizzie's hand dropped from her chest to allow her father to kneel in front of her, his hands going on her shoulders, then to her face to wipe her tears. "Hey, Lizziebug, hey baby..." and Lizzie could only give her father a half-hearted, forced smile and nod to assure him she was okay. The pain beat against her lungs as a taunt against her, but there was no one greater at avoiding its insults like she was. She was okay. Shortly after the confirmation from her, Mike pulled Lizzie to him for a hug. This gave Lizzie the chance to see her Ma over his shoulder.

Mike Carter missed the way Sophia's fists clenched at her sides; the way tears formed and disappeared in the mother's eyes as she forced away her own pain; the way she shared a look with Lizzie, one of recognition that couldn't help but feel too much like a stare Sharon Carter should be on the receiving end of instead of her middle child. It was then, in that shared exchange between herself and her mother, that Lizzie realized her Ma must have witnessed a panic attack of her child before and reacted in the only way she knew how.

But Lizzie was not Sharon.

Sophia ignored the painful memory in favor of joining her husband by her daughter's side. The memory of Sharon's refusal, Sharon wanting nothing more than to be away from her, were not what her middle child showed. Lizzie's brown eyes watched her mother until she finally sat down next to her, and the moment she was close, the seventeen-year-old searched for her hand. Mike sat up, releasing her, and taking a seat on the ground facing his family. Lizzie let out a deep sigh, expelling the air held in while her brain convinced her she was dying, and caught sight of her brother across the room.

"Thank you for not letting Sammy see that," she croaked, wincing and clearing her throat at how terrible she sounded. Lizzie shifted closer to her mother and picked with her free hand at Lady's fur on her pants. As she did so, the time on her watch glared back at her. 5:15 PM. A hum came out in acknowledgement. "That's my best time yet."

Mike's eyes darted to Sophia again, then to Lizzie. "Do we want to know what your worst is?"

"Probably not."

"Do you need some water?" Sophia asked quietly, pressing a kiss to her temple as she glanced around for her water bottle. Nowhere to be found, unfortunately, and her mother was already halfway up before Lizzie could even decide. "I'll go find some."

"Ma, I'm..." but when Lizzie noticed the tears in her mother's eyes as she turned around, her hand only squeezed once before dropping it. A lump formed in her throat. "Thank you."

Sophia nodded and left to find water. The Carter woman only got past the door with a quick look to Sammy and Happy before there was no restraint left in her bones holding back the sobs.

───○☆ ✸ ☆○───

The stages of grief were very real, but realistically, there was no order to grief. Acceptance might come first, then refusal, and Lizzie over the years grew better at hurtling over the anger phase, but got stuck the dark side of depression. If there was one person to interrupt her linear healing, specific to what occurred during the Sokovia Accords, it was General — apologies, Secretary — Ross. Lizzie's legs shook the items on the conference table in a beating rhythm, and she'd been unaware of their disturbance until Bruce Banner put a hand out to her arm. Her head shot up and she immediately frowned when she saw the sympathy in his eyes. Both of them were trying their best not to interrupt the conversation happening around the corner, but Bruce wasn't there to witness firsthand what happened with the Sokovia Accords.

"Rhodes has got this..." Bruce said encouragingly.

Lizzie's frown only fell further. "It's not Rhodey I'm worried about. Ross is a piece of shit."

On queue, the conversation between the two men continued in the room next to them. Ross' voice was nothing short of nails scratching on chalkboard. "My God, Rhodes, your talent for horseshit rivals my own."

"If it weren't for those Accords, Vision would've been right here," and Lizzie shoulders tensed when she heard Rhodey's reply. More than just Vision. She ignored Bruce's eyes in favor of glaring at the wall in front of her. Personally, they could have chosen a better color.

"I remember your signature on those papers, Colonel."

"That's right," Rhodey answered. "And I'm pretty sure I've paid for that."

"You have second thoughts?"

"Not anymore."

Bruce and Lizzie only caught on that more people entered the room when another voice broke the chilly conversation happening. "Mister Secretary."

After that, Bruce decided he was given an impossible task by Rhodey when Lizzie abruptly launched up from her chair. A screech echoed through the Facility when the feet caught against the floor, but she remained undeterred in her reaction. The sound caught the attention of Colonel Rhodes, and his eyes darted to the room where a hotheaded teenager was being confined to silence. Bruce, apparently, didn't do his job.

"You've got some nerve. I'll give you that..." Ross only got out his greeting, but was cut off when the attention directed itself opposite to where he faced. Turning around, the secretary's eyes narrowed. "Speaking of nerve. Miss Carter. How shocked should I be to see you in the middle of this? I guess I'm ruining your little reunion here, aren't I?"

Stages of anger put the nail right on the head. Lizzie boldly turned to the man. "Secretary Ross. I'd ask how you're doing, but looks like the world's gone to shit so..."

"Rhodes. You better get this smart-a—"

Rhodey was ahead of the order and steered Lizzie away by the shoulder, guiding her behind him and out of Secretary Ross' eyesight. The teenager's face lit up to see the reaction she caused, and the smugness was not missed by their new arrivals. It was Steve Rogers who stepped forward, and as a result, directed attention back onto himself. It was difficult to tell who the formal General was more displeased to be having a conversation with again. That only fueled the Carter girl more.

"As the kid stated, 'the world's gone to shit,'" Ross began, this time directing his words to Steve Rogers; he made sure to look over his shoulder at the other Avengers currently wanted by the United States government as well. "...and you think all is forgiven?"

"I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight...and if you want to stand in our way, we'll fight you, too."

Ross turned on his heel to Rhodes. "Arrest them."

"All over it," was Rhodey's reply, still blocking Lizzie from view. Before Ross could say anything further, the call disconnected. With his swift exit from the conversation, those in the room could finally acknowledge one another. "That's a court-martial...it's great to see you, Cap."

"You, too, Rh—"

Steve's words were thrown back into his chest when a familiar weight crashed into him. He caught Lizzie as she jumped the remaining distance to hug him, arms wrapping themselves around his neck with little warning. After four years, the warnings weren't necessary he supposed. In securing his arms around her, he left her feet dangling more like a child and less like a seventeen-year-old, reflecting how Sammy must've felt earlier. Breathing felt easier after that. Not much was sure about the state of the world, and New York City was only one of many places under attack, but his kid was safe in his arms. If not all wars could be won today, at least he had that.

"Well. You guys really look like shit." Rhodey said bluntly, observing the unruly condition of them. It came just as Lizzie separated from Steve and her eyes landed on someone over his shoulder. "Must've been a rough couple of years."

Wanda.

"Wanda," Lizzie muttered in disbelief, repeating the name aloud as she squeezed Steve's shoulder once to move around him. The girl she remembered was now a woman, clinging to Vision at her side, with waterworks spilling as she heard her name from the teenager's mouth again. No longer a child.

Wanda was home. Wanda was here.

"Yeah, well, the hotels weren't exactly five-star," Sam threw back to Rhodey, his eyes traveling over to Lizzie as she latched herself to Wanda. It would be a while before either let go. While it had not been as long as the others, Sam was eager to be back with his found-family again. Even if the world had to end for it to happen. Even if he was still searching for the half that made him whole. 

"I, uh....I think you look great."

Lizzie didn't pull away from Wanda at the entrance of Bruce behind her, and Wanda's fingers bruised into her shoulders in fear she would disappear. After sitting in the conference room with him for an hour going through every range of emotion, her and Bruce Banner would be friends for life. His reappearance was not as underwhelming for the likes of Natasha Romanoff. The hand running down Lizzie's back to greet her next froze in place when she heard the familiar voice.

Bruce swallowed his fears when she slowly turned to face him. "Yeah...I'm back."

"Hi, Bruce," and in that small greeting spoke a thousand words for no one else to know.

"Nat."

Sam ruined it. "This is awkward."

"Shut up, you doof!" and with it, Lizzie let go of Wanda with one arm to land a punch on Sam's shoulder. "This is why you have a list!"

"Hey! I'm injured! And who told you about the list?"

───○☆ ✸ ☆○───

Lizzie was tired of sitting today. On the bus, in the car here, while Ross complained...yeah, she was over it. After they settled in, Steve tried to guide her into one of the chairs previous occupied while Bruce babysat. That ended with an eye-roll and a firm, militaristic stance on the right side of him. Natasha's smirk was not missed across the room. Steve only ducked his head in defeat before raising it again to focus on the others.

"Great. Okay. What's the plan here? We have to assume they're coming back, right?" Bruce asked, and they watched his worries spiral the longer he was left in silence. Everyone knew that answer. "And they can clearly find us. We need all hands on deck. Where's Clint?"

Lizzie and Natasha met eyes across the room, but the redhead was the one to speak for his absence. "After the whole Accords situation, Lizzie's mom worked out a deal for him and Scott. It was too tough on their families."

"Who's Scott?"

Steve answered by her side. "Ant-Man."

"There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?"

Lizzie shifted uncomfortably at the mention of her partner and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, but one of them is stretching the definition of a man. Depends on the day if you ask me which one."

"That's...okay. Look," Bruce decided it was best to ask no more questions after that, and no one could blame him. The years he spent...away (because Lizzie still didn't quite grasp that he was on another planet with Thor and his brother of all people) came when everything changed. "Thanos has the biggest army in the universe, and he is not going to stop until he gets Vision's stone."

"Then we have to protect it," Natasha said.

"Him," was corrected by Lizzie immediately after. Her attention fell to the man standing near the window, silent in the midst of their discussion. Lizzie would not lose another person; stones, jewels, rocks be damned. "We have to protect him."

"No. We have to destroy it."

Lizzie's face twisted in horror at Vision's words. "What?"

"I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head...about its nature...but also, its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source, something very similar to its own signature, perhaps... its molecular integrity could fail."

Its. It. The words beat in Lizzie's brain every time he said it and resulted in a grimace only Steve caught by her side; his hand fell on her shoulder and squeezed once. Wanda could only curl her lip in disgust at the mere suggestion Vision was inviting to the group. "And you with it. We're not having this conversation."

"Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it."

"That's too high a price."

Vision ducked his head lower to meet Wanda's unwilling stare. "Only you have the power to pay it. Thanos threatens half the Universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him."

"But it should," Steve said and his hand dropped back to his side. Lizzie shifted next to him with a rising discomfort. Once again, the group was having the conversation that separated them in the first place. "We don't trade lives, Vision."

"Captain..." Vision walked over to them. "Seventy years ago, you laid down your life to save how many millions of people? Tell me, why is this any different?"

Bruce stepped forward to diffuse the tension, fumbling with his hands as he started speaking aloud. "Because you might have a choice. Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays... Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together. All of them learning from one another..."

"You're saying Vision isn't just the stone?" Wanda asked. Hope burned in her eyes.

"I'm saying that... if we take out the stone, there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts..."

Natasha was not as optimistic. "Can we do that?"

"Not me. Not here."

"You better find someone, and somewhere fast. Ross isn't exactly just gonna let you guys have your old rooms back," Rhodey said, reminding them that most were still wanted by the government. Then his eyes set on the only teenager in the room. "And you have finals coming up."

"Rhodey..." she said with a blank stare. "The world is ending. I might not have a school to take finals in or classmates to take finals with."

"I know somewhere we can go," Steve said suddenly.

Lizzie didn't have to think hard about where he meant. Tilting her chin up, she met Steve's eyes. "I guess that means I know someone. She'll be happy to see my shoulder."

"Who?" Rhodey asked in confusion, crossing his arms over his chest. "Because it's not like we can as Ross for back-up."

"Yeah..." Steve cleared his throat. "They've got that covered, too."

"I better go tell Ma I'm leaving the country. Sam—"

Sam, who had been uncharacteristically silent throughout their conversation, gave her a wide-eyed stare. "—wh—you can't use me to save you from Sophia!"

"She named her child after you. Come on."

Finding levity in that day was similar to rain in the desert, but they had safety in each other. For the time being, they could only focus on that to get them through the next hour; and Lizzie Carter could only focus on the next minute in hopes it got her closer to reuniting with her partner.

Where were you, Peter?

If only Lizzie knew her partner was in space currently wishing he had stayed on the bus, thinking something along the lines of: Lizzie's going to be so pissed when she finds out.

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Author's Note:

I hope this made everyone's week a little better. All my love.