'Just something...'

Tony typed on the screen that was on the table and Sue turned her head to see, but all that was left was FRIDAY's screensaver. The dimensions and house plans Sue originally saw were gone. She was curious and went to ask him more about it, but decided against it. Whatever it was, the smile it left on Tony's face was something Sue found marvellous. It wasn't smug or lop-sided, like his usual expressions. It was content and it remained when he looked down at her, the love visible within his dark eyes. Sue swore that she could see a galaxy in the pools of dark brown, the twinkle she had been seeing in them recently acting as stars and far away planets.

'Everyone's left, by the way,' Tony cleared his throat. He would let Sue stare at him day if she wanted, but there were other tasks at hand.

'I passed them all in the hallway,' Sue nodded. 'What's the plan?'

'Can't do much while the tinman's in space. Thor's gonna listen out on Asgard and FRIDAY's monitoring around the clock. For now-' Tony plopped down on the stool with a sigh. '-we wait.'

A beep finished the Stark's statement and the two turned their heads to a screen on the other side of the lab. Sue was the first to walk over, seeing FRIDAY's update on the anomalies. A string of data typed across the screen and Sue realised they were a jumble of coordinates. As she read, she felt the presence of Tony behind her as he read over her shoulder. His hand slipped around her stomach and rested it's palm where it would begin to grow in the next few months. Her skin tingled underneath her shirt and Tony's head appeared over her shoulder to read the lines of data.

'Huh,' he let out, eyes moving back and forth. 'Looks like he was surfing the Thames.'

'That's in London?' Sue pointed to the coordinates.

'Director Fury has been informed, boss,' FRIDAY's voice sounded. 'Sources are telling me that the entity's next location will be at the exact opposite of the coordinates it was recently spotted at.'

'So, on the opposite side of the world?'

'Yes, boss.'

'Looks like I'm heading to Germany.'

'We are heading to Germany, you mean?'

Sue turned in Tony's hold and gave her fiancé a daring look. Her eyes burned into his as she knew what his next words were going to be. Tony was reluctant to challenge the woman, especially after the day they'd had, but he couldn't let this one slide.

'Honey, I understand that you can take care of yourself. Everyone could see that at the wedding,' he started slowly. 'But for the sake of Junior, I think that you should, and don't interrupt me.'

Sue closed her mouth in annoyance.

'That you stay here.'

'No.'

'Come on, Susie,' he groaned.

'Yes, I may have broken the doctor's rules in not using my powers. But if things get out of hand, what's a little more going to do?'

'A lot. It could do a lot, actually.'

Sue was aware that there was a risk of hurting the baby when using her abilities. If she strained herself too much or tried to hold off more than she could handle, the physical stress could lead to deformities and weaken their baby's progression. The thought of being responsible for any harm that came to their child in her belly, made her world turn dark and fill with unimaginable pain. Its health was the most important thing to her, and she knew Tony felt the same.

But as selfish as it sounded, Sue wanted to think of the team, as well. With Thor returning to Asgard, Steve absent and Bruce in hiding, the Avengers were using what they had left to continue their duties. The Earth was still far from safe, and whatever the silver surfer purpose truly was, it threatened the planet's people. She knew that everyone was capable of the Earth's protection, Vision and Wanda being the most recent additions to the list, but she wanted to have some responsibility. She didn't mind being side-lined if it meant she was at least on the field.

'I know when things are getting too much,' Sue enhanced her fingers with Tony's, who tried to pull away and to cup her face. But she held them tightly, insistent on him listening to her.

'I just want to be there. I'll wear the suit so that you can see when I'm not okay,' her pleads were hopeful and her voice was higher than usual. 'Please, Tony? I want to be there.'

She watched as his face churned and twisted in reluctance. The idea of Sue in the line of battle while pregnant was a newfound fear of Tony's. He never liked her being in danger in the first place, even less so now. But with his plans for their new life slowly coming together, maybe it was time for Sue to have one last fight.

'If I have to call on VERONICA to box you in, I will.'

---

The Avengers was sparse compared to their previous missions. Tony, Sue and Johnny were a given, and Wanda had offered her services at the news of Sue's involvement. Vision was willing to come if it meant Wanda was under his surveillance, but the Sokovian was confident she would be fine. They didn't need to expose Vision anymore that he already had been. Like Fury said, the world's governments were still concerned with the power that the Avengers held. They didn't want to push their luck by showing the man-made entity that held an Infinity stone in his forehead.

Natasha said that she didn't think her handguns would be much help against an alien that warped reality at will. Clint made it clear that his retirement was final, and he didn't want to be involved, but he wished them luck. Thor was worlds away, and Rhodey was progressing with his recovery in partial paralysis. Peter was out of the question, as he had already taken off more school time than any other high school student in New York. He had an identity to keep and his Aunt May would begin to question his unexplained absences. The two Storms, the Stark and the Maximoff were all that were left of the Avengers.

'Are you sure this will be safe?' Wanda asked Sue, her accent becoming fainter by the day. They were sat in the hanger of a quinjet, Tony at the wheel and Johnny flying beside it. They were headed for the Black Forest in south-west Germany. No one was sure why the coordinates were pinpointed to the specific location, but they prepared for the unexpected none the less.

'I'm never sure of anything anymore,' Sue joked. 'But I've negotiated with Tony. I'm confident that his plan will work.'

Director Fury was in contact with the Stark tower as soon as he was informed of the surfer's next coordinates. The man had asked what Tony had in mind in terms of a plan, and Tony was able to gather some old projects from Stark Industries. When it was still a weapons manufacturer, there was the presumption that missiles and guns would eventually become old-school. The company needed to stay one step ahead of the forces they were fighting against and created a tachyon pulse.

Tachyon particles sent signals faster than light and were able to create a field that would be able to attack the surfer. Although the entity was capable of warping matter and things beyond human understanding, it was impossible for it to be able to withstand an attack from tachyon particles. If Tony's calculations were correct, and they almost always were, this would immobilise the surfer to some degree. It would at least allow them to confront the surfer and find out what its purpose was on Earth.

'If you are feeling weak, please do not hesitate to ask for my help,' Wanda's Sokovian accent slipped through on the word 'please'. 'Your child is more important. She will be strong. Like you.'

Sue had grown close to Wanda. She had watched the Maximoff grow from a young woman full of hatred and bitterness from her past, to a powerful witch who wanted to do good. They had their little hiccup when the Sokovian Accords threatened the Avengers future, but the women had made up since then. With Pepper busy with Stark Industries and Richards Incorporated, Wanda was the female care that Sue needed. She learnt how damaged the Maximoff was and how much Pietro, her twin, was her lifeline. Sue wanted to be there for Wanda through her healing and adaption to society outside of HYDRA, and Wanda wanted to return the favour.

Tony landed the quinjet in a clearing that was overrun with SHIELD agents. The skies were clear, but the shade from the tall trees filled the forest with a hair-raising chill. Leaves that littered the floor were scuffed and rustled as agents walked back and forth to set up their base. Stark Industries equipment was being prepared and put together for the operation, and Tony had a strange sensation of déjà vu.

'So, exactly how does this thing work?' Nick questioned the man, who was busy with his handheld device.

'When we activate the field, it'll separate him from his board,' Tony replied in a tone that screamed that the situation was mundane and boring. His eyes were covered with sunglasses, despite the lack of sunlight, and he wore a blazer, button-up and dress pants. His suit was on call if he needed it and FRIDAY flowed the data from the tachyon trap to his handheld device.

'Like a fish in a net,' he finished, looking up to see his logo plastered across all the equipment. 'I haven't received your funds yet. Is there a problem with your bank?'

'Once he's in our airspace, I trust you to be able to jam the signal. We won't get a shot at him, otherwise,' Nick ignored Tony's attempts at a joke and glanced over his shoulder at Maria Hill, who said she needed his help with something.

Johnny crossed his arms and looked around the forest. Clad in his blue suit, he was jittery from the anticipation. He wanted to come face to face with the surfer again and this time, he would be ready. From what the entity had said to him that still shook him to the core, if the world really was threatened with its end, Johnny wanted to be the hero and stop it.

Sue stood with Wanda, her red suit feeling uncomfortable for the first time ever. Its fitted material was suffocating, and the gloves were rough against her swollen hands. The effects of early pregnancy were taking effect already, and her body was beginning to change. The suit would soon be the last thing she would want to wear, and her slight weight gain would make it impossible to squeeze into to. But for Tony's peace of mind at monitoring her vitals, she would wear it this time and deal with the discomfort.

'Anyone else feel watched right now?' Johnny said aloud, looking up at the treetops.

'By the ghosts of the past, yeah,' Tony eyed the missiles with his name plastered across the shafts.

'Is the field set up?' Sue questioned.

'Nearly,' he looked down at his device that showed the progress was at eighty-five percent. 'We're live in three minutes. I've got eyes on the perimetre. FRIDAY will send out the-'

'Sir! We've got word from the south!'

The agent's announcement halted all operations, leaving the silence to be filled with a loud boom. The noise sounded through the air and the sky was sliced through by the familiar silver ball. It flew over the forest, its board guiding it around the perimetre and circling to observe the humans below. Director Fury watched with his one eye and looked to the team that stood with their noses in the air.

'Stark! Are we jamming the signal?!' the man said through the flurry of agents. Men and women in suits began powering up missiles, aiming them up to the surfer. Johnny's shoulders smoked as he prepared to jump onto its tail, but used the teeny, tiny logical side of him to wait for the order. Wanda's hands swirled with the scarlett mist, her eyes glowing as she watched the entity surf the clouds.

'Not ready yet!' Tony's thumbs jabbed at his device, the progress bar moving inch by inch. Even with the most advanced technology, he was at the mercy of the old-fashioned loading bar that moved at a snail's pace.

'I can go after him!' Johnny jumped from foot to foot in eagerness.

'Don't!' Sue held out a hand. 'We don't know what its capable of!'

'Stark!' Nick yelled in frustration.

'I'm at ninety-six percent!'

Nick shook his head at the lack of action and turned to his agents stood by a missile. He gave them a nod and the one agent holding a remote fired. The missile's end ruptured with smoke and shot through the treeline, it's target locked. The surfer halted its circulation and turned its board around, facing the weapon that barrelled towards it.

'What are you doing?! You could get us all killed!' Tony glared at the Director, his device at ninety-eight percent.

'This operation is under my authority! We don't have the time to wait!' Nick glared back at the man and the team prepared for the worst.