Collide (Steve Rogers)

Chapter 41

I stood on the outskirts of the chaos, my heart pounding in my chest, watching my brother charge at Thanos who was chasing after the gauntlet full of stones. "OLIVIA! The stones!" Tony yelled. I looked up only to see the gauntlet fly in the air and hit the ground. I looked over to see Thanos smirking as he ran towards it. But I was closer. I ran towards the gauntlet, as Tony tackled him to the ground. Thor, wielding an ax and his hammer, joined, attempting to pin Thanos' arm down with Steve and another woman who was glowing at his side.

"LIV! Get it to the van!!" Steve yelled. I looked for the van and ran towards it as fast as I could. But not fast enough. Thanos had managed to get out of their grasp and throw his sword straight for the center of the makeshift quantum tunnel.

He approached me slowly and I fell backwards onto the ground. "I believe you have something that belongs to me." He growled. I was no match for him...I tried to hold onto the gauntlet but he easily lifted me up by the arm, prying the gauntlet from my hands, and then sent me flying through the battlefield and chaos.

"OLIVIA!" I heard Steve yell. I landed on the hard ground with a thud. I groaned in pain and held my stomach. That couldn't have been good...

Steve was quickly by my side and held me close to him. For the first time since this whole fight started, I was in his arms. Tears fell down his cheeks as he cradled my face. "Liv..." "I'm okay." I whispered. Steve sat me up and held me against him as we watched Thanos slide the gauntlet onto his hand, the gamma radiation from the stones coursing through him just like it did before.

In one final, desperate attack, Tony lunged toward Thanos, gripping the Gauntlet with all his might. Their struggle raged on, a clash of wills and strength, as Tony sought to prevent Thanos from snapping his fingers.

But even as Tony fought, Thanos managed to land a brutal punch, sending my brother hurtling away. Steve pressed his forehead against mine as uncertainty hung in the air. "I love you, Liv." He whispered. "I love you too..."

"I am inevitable." Thanos said, his voice carrying across the entire battlefield. Steve squeezed me tight as a metal snap sounded. But nothing happened. Steve's head snapped up and looked at Thanos who turned his hand around to see the stones missing.

"And I...am...Iron Man." Tony snaps his fingers with a blinding flash of white. Thanos's army crumbles into ash around us. Steve looks around, exhaustion evident on his face, knowing that we won. Thanos, in horror, looks around and sees his entire army disintegrate. He looks at Steve, who just stares at him. Slowly he's erased from existence right in front of our eyes.

Steve helps me up and lets me lean against him as we walk towards Tony. "Tony??" My eyebrows furrowed together as I see him lying lifeless on the ground. His arc reactor flickering on and off. "No..." I whisper, letting go of Steve and running over to Tony. I fall down next to him and pull off his helmet. I feel Peter land next to me. "Mr. Stark? Hey, Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter." His voice breaks and he starts to cry as Tony remains unresponsive. I drop my head onto Tony's chest and sob quietly. I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder and look up to see Pepper. She crouches down next to me and I fall into her arms.

"He's gone, Pep...he's gone..."

"It'll be okay. It'll be okay." She whispers, the tone of her voice broken. "Friday?" She squeaks out. "Life functions are critical." The AI responds. I sob harder into Pepper's arms as she rubs my back. Pepper helps me stand up and passes me to Steve before kneeling back down next to Tony. She brushes some of his disheveled hair back. "We're gonna be okay, Tony." She whispers. "You can rest now..." A sob leaves her lips and she bends down to press a kiss to his lips and then his forehead. "You can rest now..."

With that the arc reactor flickers off and Pepper leans her forehead against his, sobbing quietly. The air is heavy and thick around us as we grieve the loss of Tony Stark. Slowly everyone kneels around us in honor of Tony.

-

I stand in silence next to Pepper and my niece, Morgan, with Steve's arm around me as we all gather for a little memorial for Tony and Nat. I was devastated when Steve told me about Nat. She was one of my best friends. It almost didn't feel real that she was really gone. He told me that she never gave up hope at getting everyone back. She never gave up trying. She died so that we could live.

Meanwhile in those five years, Tony had a daughter. I had found out Pepper was pregnant before everything happened...but I had a niece. Pepper introduced me to her when we got back and she was a spitting image of me and Tony as kids. I watched as Pepper crouched down in front of the lake and set a wreath containing Tony's very first arc reactor into the water. I turned and buried my head in Steve's chest. I could feel his heartbeat and it calmed me slightly. I could also feel his finger tracing the arc reactor tattoo on my shoulder.

He stayed quiet and strong for me through the whole thing.

"Please, come visit soon." Pepper said, pulling me into a hug. Steve and I were the last two there, along with Happy. "We will, Pep." I smiled at her and took Steve's hand as we walked to the car. We were going back to Steve's house in Brooklyn with Bucky. Sam would be going back to New Orleans to spend some much needed time with his family for a while.

Steve drove us quietly back to the Brooklyn home. It wasn't much different from the apartment but had more space. I walked around the living room silently, running my finger across the pictures of us scattered across the mantel. "Why'd you leave the apartment?" I asked softly. "In the beginning, I had hoped I could get you back. Then when I got you back, I figured, we would need more space..." He trailed off. "Space for what?" I asked. He walked towards me and pulled me into his warm embrace. "For our family. Maybe even a dog..." Steve's hand pressed against my stomach and I felt a few warm tears slide down my cheeks.

"Liv, why didn't you tell me?" He asked, cupping my cheek. "You wouldn't have let me fight before." "Damn right I wouldn't have." He leaned his forehead against mine and held onto me tight. "I want nothing more than to have a family with you Olivia Stark. In those five years I realized what an idiot I had been, not letting you come with me. Not spending every moment that I could with you. I don't plan on making that mistake again."

Steve pushed away from me and got down on one knee. "Olivia Stark...will you marry me?" More tears fell from my eyes as I looked down at him. "Yes!" I nodded and he took my hand, sliding the ring on my finger. A ring I recognized as my mothers ring. He stood up and pulled me into a passionate kiss. Our lips fit together like puzzle pieces as they moved in perfect harmony. I pulled away and glanced down at the ring. "How?" I looked up at him in shock. "Tony."

Flashback - Steve's POV

"Steve?" I looked over at Tony and he motioned for me to follow. I followed him out of the lab and into the living room. "What's up, Tony?" I ask him. "I want you to know that I'm sorry for what I said to you those years ago. After finding out about Liv."

"Tony you don't-" "No I do. I know we've moved past it and it's water under the bridge but...I need you to know that I wouldn't have picked a better man for Liv. She loved you so much Steve and I'm sorry that my stupidity kept you apart." He said.

"It didn't, Tony. I kept us apart. I shouldn't have told her to stay away." I replied. "You only did that because of me." I looked down at my feet and Tony reached out, placing his hand on my shoulder. "I want you to have this." He passed me a black velvet box. I looked up at him with wide eyes. "It was our mothers."

"Tony I can't-" "You can. I want you to promise me that if this works...if we get Liv back...that you won't wait. I got my shot at a family Steve...You deserve that chance too." He closes my hand around the box.

"I promise, Tony." He shakes my hand and nods his head. "Good. Now let's go get those stones."