⏳ --

We trudged through the barren landscape in an uncomfortable silence that had spanned the last hour and a half.

My insides were still on fire after the verbal war with Primavera. I was bitter. I was angry. How could she betray me like that? I'd trusted her. I pledged my allegiance – my life – to her, only for her to betray me in the end in a way that hurt me more than physical pain ever could. And now she wanted me to wield the Time Stone, a powerful Infinity Stone, a weapon so deadly and dangerous it could destroy any who held it. It was a mistake choosing me. I was dangerous as it is in a Time Trance. I couldn't even begin to imagine how dangerous I would be with the Stone in hand. I didn't want to, in fact.

Steve's footsteps began to die away as I walked towards the edge of the rise. I turned my head slightly to glance back at him. His arms were folded over his chest, a blank look on his face, blue eyes glaring at me, feet firmly planted in place. "Aren't we gonna talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about," I growled back. "I just want to get this over with."

I went to climb the rise when I felt Steve's hand latch onto my arm, firm with determination. He stood so close to me that I felt his breath on my neck as he loomed over me. I forced myself not to shiver at his touch, at the tingling feeling of his warm breath on my skin.

"I'm sorry," he said. "There are things I should not have said, things I regret saying." He sighed, one that I felt resonating through my body. "I...I overreacted. I overreacted about Eilian. About everything. It wasn't something I should've let myself get wrapped up about. It was never my business to begin with." He let me go. "I'm...not used to this. I've lost so much in my life – my parents, my home, Peggy...Bucky. The last thing I ever wanted to lose was you. And by thinking that, by saying what I had, I lost you anyway."

I didn't turn to look at him. I couldn't look at him in fear that I'd crumble like a broken, aged tower on the verge of collapsing. Everything I'd experienced in the last few days had made me so incredibly fragile, a term I'd never thought I could relate to as heavily as I did now. I'd learned so much in such a short amount of time about myself than I had in centuries of being a Walker. I felt like I didn't know myself anymore. I could look in the mirror and not recognise the girl with blazing hair and startling green eyes – a girl who looked so much like me – staring back at me.

I felt like everyone knew more about me than I knew myself, like a sculptor carefully creating a masterpiece over time – Eon, Eilian, the Lord, the Lady; they'd all been sculpting me in their own sick ways, adding what they wanted for their own selfish gain, to create something each of them wanted individually. What was left was a trail of chaos, agony, and death – all carried out by me, all hanging over my head like a dark cloud, all done by their greedy and blood-thirsty hands. I'd begun to realise that I wasn't in control of my life anymore, that I'd never truly been in control to begin with when I agreed to become a Walker – to become a monster.

"I can't begin to understand what you're going through, what you've already been through," he continued, "I've already tried to and I still can't fathom any of it." I eased my glance to the side to look at him through the corner of my eye. He was staring at the ground. His body language was rigid. Guilty. "I took things too far, and I regret that more than I show. I've realised too late what damage it has done."

My mind ordered me not to, by my body had already made the decision; I turned around to face him. Those pools of blue looked up to stare into mine; they were conflicted, agonised, and confused, aspects I'd never thought I'd see those weary eyes wear in unison.

"I don't want to live if we're on opposite sides, Andi," he uttered. "I...I can't stop thinking about us, about you. I don't wanna do anything if you're not here with me."

I felt the same way. I was struggling to stay sane without him with me. I felt lonelier by the day without having him to confide in. My problems became harder to deal with without him there to help me. My...feelings became twisted and venomous without him there to hold me through it. I...didn't want to be away from him. My world had turned so cold without him in it. And I was bitter about it. I was bitter because Eilian was still ruining my life. He'd been ruining my life from the beginning, and now he was tearing down everything I spent so hard to build from the grave.

But it was time to put him to rest. He'd been tearing my life apart for too long. It was time to bury him, and for good this time.

I closed my eyes, taking a shaky breath. "I'm sorry. My life has always been a mess. I've always struggled to let people close to me. Those who I do allow near me always end up burned in the end. Or dead. Eilian was never there for me. Not really. He was a selfish person. A user. A manipulator. My feelings for him were a curse which killed him in the end. Astra's never really been there for me either. I've...never allowed her to. The only friend I've always had beside me is loneliness. Loneliness and darkness, my only allies in a world so cruel. The longer I was left at their mercy, the more I began to think that it was the reality I was going to live with for the rest of my life."

I looked up at him. "Until I met you. Because of you, I've persevered. Because of you, I've begun to really live my life, not sit on the side lines waiting for time to eventually come for me. Because of you, I've learnt that there's more to my time here on this earth than running from period to period trying to escape myself." I took his hands in mine. "Because of you, I've learnt to love again. I've learnt to put my trust in someone who cares about me more than the world itself, and I the same."

I released his hands, taking a few steps away, hugging my frame uncomfortably. Talking about myself, about how I felt, was always hard for me. As a Time Walker, these kind of feelings were frowned upon. And even if I did have such feelings, to have them for a mortal? It was practically unheard of, not to mention wildly inappropriate. And it was cruel. Time was cruel. It allowed me to live forever. It was kind enough to give Steve more time, but it would rip him away from me eventually. And squabbling over expired feelings of a cold man long dead was not worth fighting over. It was not worth losing each other over.

"I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with," I continued. "I know I have demons that I need to control–"

"Andi, stop." I turned to look at him. He watched me with sympathetic eyes. I could tell he was trying to understand, trying to put himself in my shoes. I could tell he was struggling. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. I know this whole thing is difficult for you. I can tell it's taking its toll. I can't begin to understand what you're going through, and I don't intend to claim that I do." I felt my heartbeat quicken and my pulse throb in my ears as he approached me, towering over me. "I just want you to be safe. I just want you to be happy. You deserve that much."

I did the only thing that I felt was right – I hugged him. I pulled him as close to me as I could, wrapping my arms around his massive frame. It had been too long since I'd last felt his heartbeat against my ear, thumping calmly and patiently. An arm hugged me close and a hand rested against my head.

"I love you, Andi," he whispered. "Don't ever forget that. No matter what happens, no matter what we go through and what we face, I will always love you."

I clenched my jaw in an attempt to stop the tears choking me. But I couldn't. I felt a single tear trace down my cheek, which smeared against his chest.

Steve pulled away to look at me, cupping my face and wiping away the tear with a thumb. He smiled, small but kind. "Let's go save your people."

He planted a light kiss on my lips before holding my hand as we climbed the rise.

And there it was, rippling ominously with purples, blues, and blacks. The Spacial Rift; the only entrance to Temporal Tower. Portaling there ourselves was...dangerous, and wildly unpermitted. I'd heard stories of Walkers trying to do it. One guy had gotten caught in between, got completely decapitated. And then there was the rumour of that lady who got stuck in limbo trying to get to the Tower. The Spacial Rift was the safest and only portal to take us there.

I looked up at Steve. "You ready?"

He glanced back, eyes determined. "As I'll ever be."

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever horrors awaited us in the Tower. And the Time Stone.

❈Author's Note: Hey, there! So Standi is back on! YAAAAAY!! As if I'd sink the ship; pssssh! XD 

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