Venus | James B. Barnes✔️

lxviii. 𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚢'𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎

CAROL DANVERS explained who she was before anything. Then, Steve took the lead in explaining what the hell had happened on their planet... in their world. Carol's eyes only grew angrier and angrier as Steve spoke. She was ready to kill Thanos right away.

Evelyn had gone to Steve's room during Steve's explanation because she had to find her Stark helmet. After the woman mentioned she could go to space, she knew they had a chance at finding Tony. The problem was knowing whether or not Tony was alive.

When she found the helmet stuffed into her bag, her shaky hands placed it on her head.

"Friday?"

"I'm here, Mrs. Barnes."

"Anything?" she asked quietly.

"There is one message from Tony's helmet transmitted to you. Shall I play it?" Evelyn breathed out a sigh of relief at that, muttering in agreement for the AI to play it.

Suddenly, a hologram appeared on front of her of Tony. She cried out, throwing a hand to her mouth as he looked as if he was dying. He grunted in pain before waving at the camera.

"Hey, Auntie," Tony began softly. "I'm sending you this in hopes you're alive. If not you, then, maybe your husband or Steve or someone will find this. T-The Guardians just disappeared. The... the kid disappeared. It's just me and the blue meanie... you'd love her. Very practical.

"I'm alive, but I don't know how long we'll make it up here. Two weeks? Maybe. I can't do anything, so I hate to say it, but I'm leaving my life in your hands. May you treat it well..." he trailed off with a laugh before clutching his side.

"Find Pepper, please. Make sure she's alive. Rhodey. Happy. J-Just keep Pepper safe for me. I really hope you're okay, too. If not, and I make it home, I don't know what I'm going to do without you." He paused as he glanced around somewhere. "I'm so tired, Evelyn. I know you are, too. B-But, we lost. What can we do now?" He sighed. "I love you."

The hologram disappeared as Evelyn played it back for the others. Rhodey wiped his eyes, trying to be strong but breaking down at the sight of his best friend in so much pain. Steve noticed even Natasha get misty-eyed at the video. Evelyn was quiet as she glanced at Carol who watched the video with keen interest.

She stood, suddenly.

The others did as well.

"I'll go find him," she said. "You all keep searching for Thanos until I return."

No one questioned her. Evelyn reached her hand out, grabbing Carol's. The woman stared at her in shock as she whispered out, "Please, bring him home."

Carol nodded once before leaving.

Evelyn sighed, her gaze falling just as Thor and Rocket walked inside. Bruce told them what just happened before they all fell silent.

"I don't like just sitting around," Thor said. "I can go back to space, try and find clues."

"We need to stay together until we get Stark," Natasha said to him. "That's the best we can do while we do those scans. If you manage to find him, you'll fight him alone. You'll lose without us."

Thor was not happy about that answer. Rocket, who was very talkative during the battle, stood quietly. Evelyn knew he lost his best friend. She walked over to him, crouching to his height. "Come on, I'll bring you to a room."

Rocket nodded thankfully at her.

"Eve?" Steve called before they could go. He handed her the helmet, smiling tightly at her. She thanked him quietly, clutching the helmet in her hands as she led Rocket to a room.

"So," Rocket began quietly. "Dude with the metal arm, boyfriend?"

"Husband," she whispered.

He nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry for your friends," she told him back as if that was their new normal. What if she never saw Bucky again? What if they lost... and it was for good? Evelyn did not know what to do.

When they made it to the room, she walked away after he walked inside. Going back to Steve's room, she searched her messy bag for her phone. Taking it out, she dialed Pepper Potts—praying she answered the phone.

What would Tony do if Pepper was not alive?

"Evelyn!?" Pepper called with obvious worry. "Evelyn, please tell me that's you. Please tell me you have Tony with you."

"It's me, Pep," she answered brokenly. "Tony's alive... I know it. He's just not here. Where are you?"

Pepper gasped quietly. "Where is he?"

"Still in space," Evelyn replied. "We have someone searching for him now. Pepper, where are you?"

"Standing outside the tower, trying to figure out why everyone disappeared around me!" Pepper snapped back without meaning to. "I'm sorry," she apologized quickly.

"Get to the Compound," was all Evelyn said before ending the call after a confirmation on Pepper's end. When she called Happy, it went straight to voicemail as if the number did not exist. She assumed he had been snapped away. Her heart clenched. "Who else was taken from us?" she whispered to herself, leaning her phone on her chin as she simply stared at the wall ahead of her. What else was there left for her to do? It was the awful waiting game that no one liked to play.

She glanced on Steve's dresser to see an old picture of the trio from the museum. Bucky was holding Evelyn close as they spoke to Steve. She smiled a watery smile, wanting nothing more than to go back to that morning... just so she could hug James a little bit tighter.

"I'm so sorry, Buck," she whispered. "I'm so, so fucking sorry."

She let the tears fall now that she was alone.

"I'm so fucking sorry," she said again and again to herself as if it would change the past. As if it would rid Thanos. As if it would bring her Bucky back. "Please, come home, honey. Please," she pleaded with the universe as if it would listen. She had learned something a long time ago, however.

The universe was not kind to Starks, and she had been on the receiving end of that stick since the '40s.

"Howard, what do we do?" she asked thin air like he would respond. "I need you. I need James. I need Tony. Fuck!" she screamed finally, throwing the nearest object, which was her phone at the wall.

It did not shatter to her surprise, but it made a dent in the wall. She simply rolled her eyes before falling backward on the bed, bringing her hand to cover her face to wipe the tears that had accumulated.

"Fuck," she murmured once more.