Ira's eyes widened as she stared at the rubble that used to be the compound. Pietro had been right; half of the compound was destroyed. But the over half, including the training room, and the bedrooms was still standing, albeit cracked and crumbling slightly.

Ira stood with Wanda, Pietro, Natasha, and Vision, all staring at the compound as Tony and Steve directed the Damage Control crew digging through the rubble. A large crew was spread out along the base, hauling large chunks of cement into a truck. A few were gathered in a small group near her, huddled over a blueprint.

Snatches of their conversations floated towards her. "It's supposed to be over there," A man argued, pointing over at the wreckage.

"-My crew will take care of the ship," this coming from a middle-aged man with graying hair and piercing eyes.

"Can we go in?" Wanda asked, and Natasha shrugged.

"Is it safe to go into the stable portion?" She asked a man near them.

"Sure," He said. "The structure's still standing. Just make sure to stay in that area." Natasha thanked him, and turned to the others.

"Shall we?"

They walked through the blocks of concrete, carefully picking their way through the rubble. Pietro picked Ira up and sped her over a particularly rough patch, and then they were in.

Ira stood in the middle of the living room and kitchen, split almost completely in half. One side remained partially intact, while the other was destroyed and open to the air. She stepped over debris and around the shattered glass, and made her way to the hallway.

She stepped over the wood flowers, covered with a thick layer of dust. Her feet left footprints etched in the particles as she looked over the walls and ceiling. As she continued on, she came to the training room, and peered inside, resting against the door frame.

They equipment they had used was knocked onto the floor, and a large chunk of the wall had been knocked loose and now lay on the floor. The walls had cracks running through them, and looked as if they were about to collapse any minute. Ira was beginning to doubt that the building was actually safe.

She left the training room, walking softly to the bedrooms. She skipped past all the others, and headed straight for hers. She stepped inside, and looked around. It was just like she had last seen it before the battle; the door to the bathroom and the entrance lay in splinters on the floor, and the closet door was fractured down the middle. Her dresser had tipped over in the middle of the room, clothes spilling out onto the floor. Her bed was in good condition, albeit messy and covered in dust. Sunlight shone in through a shattered window, and glass was spread along the floor. She peeked into the bathroom, and noticed that it had remained the same.

As she stood in the entryway, she heard a creak behind her, then Pietro was pulling her into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her, and she said nothing, simply placing her hands on his. He pressed a kiss to her temples and turned to her to face him.

Ira stared into his bright blue eyes. Her eyes looked over his face, memorizing every detail of him. She placed a hand on his cheek, and reached up and fingered a strand of his blonde hair, noticing how the roots were darkened at the top. They both said nothing still, just looking at each other.

Finally, the stillness was broken as Wanda stepped out of her room, and noticed them in the hall. Ira pulled her hands away, and sent a small smile towards her friend, who returned it. "How is it?" Ira asked, pulling away from Pietro.

Wanda grimaced. "It's not great." But then she smiled. "But it could be worse."
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"Well, I think that's it," Tony told them, putting his cellphone back in his pocket. "The reconstruction of the compound begins next week."

They were all seated around a table at a small restaurant Tony had found, and — true to Tony fashion— rented out for the night.

"When will it be finished?" Rhodey asked from beside Tony, who shrugged.

"I'd imagine it'll be done by next month," he told them. "Until then, I have a few condos we could use."

"Well," Steve said, from where he was sitting between Tony and Natasha. "At least we're all alright. And that's what matters. Even if the compound is destroyed, even if we don't have a permanent home yet, we're all okay, and we're all together."

"Ugh, Rogers, always so cheesy," Sam mocked. "I mean honestly, I think I'm gonna cry," he teased, and wiped away a fake tear.

This statement sent laughter through the group, and as they all sat there, talking, and laughing together, Ira looked around at all of their faces. They all meant so much to her, and she was so glad that they were all okay. So as they joked and chatted, Ira sat back, simply thankful to be with them.
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A/N:

Again, sorry for the bad chapter, I feel like they're just going down in quality. But anyways, I want to thank you guys again for sticking with me through all of this. I love you all.

Also, did anyone catch a little reference I dropped to a certain future villain? Tell me if you did!

Feel free to message me or comment at anytime; I love to hear what you guys think.

I love you three thousand,

E l i z a b e t h