Whatever It Takes [Wanda Maximoff AU]

23- New York

New York

A large wormhole was above the city that was caused by the tesseract... the space Stone. An army of Chitauri flooded the New York skyline that was led by Loki himself.

The Avengers all huddled together in a circle looking out at what was an alien invasion.

A team of misfits and super abled humans against an alien invasion it didn't get any weirder than that.

I guess eleven years ago it didn't get weirder than that.

Now the Avengers had grown larger than six people and they were Time Traveling to save the world from an already deceased opponent... Thanos.

The group of five grew to normal height in a trashed alley way.

Cap led the way as he did recon on the street in front of him to see where they had come out at.

He jumped right into action. "All right we all have our assignments, two stones uptown, one stone down."

Wanda and Bruce were going after the time stone while Lang, Cap, and Tony would retrieve the mind and the space stone.

"Stay low, keep an eye on the clock." He said turning back to us, he was dressed in his old suit that he had worn during this battle.

A loud roar startled the team who looked into the street as the Hulk brought down a car on top of a helpless Chitauri and continued to smash it over the top of him as another alien ran away in fear.

Steve looked at Banner, maybe smash a few things along the way.

"I think it's gratuitous but it's whatever." Banner said.

Wanda chuckled as Bruce took off his shirt and ripped the legs off his jeans and pretending to be the old Hulk as he effortless smashed a few things and fake roared.

"See you there." Wanda said as she shot red energy toward the ground levitating herself through the air.

They had almost arrived at the same time as Banner almost jumped through the door.

"I wouldn't go that way, we just got the floor waxed." A bald lady in yellow robes said with a necklace around her neck.

"We're looking for Doctor Strange." Wanda said to her.

The Ancient One cocked her head. "You're about five years too early. Stephen Strange is currently performing surgery about twenty blocks that way. What do you want from him?" She asked knowing exactly why we came.

"That actually." Banner said pointing at her necklace.

The lady looked down. "Ah! I'm afraid not."

"Sorry, but I wasn't asking." Banner said to her stepping forward.

"You don't want to do this." She warned.

"I wouldn't do that." Wanda said to him as he reached out for the necklace.

"Yeah, you're right I don't but I need that stone and I don't have time to debate it." He said as the Ancient sent a swift strike into his chest disconnecting his spiritual self from his physical self.

"Let's start over shall we?" She asked. "Thank you for being humble." She said to Wanda.

Wanda smirked at Banner. "Told you."

***
Morag

Natasha kicked a rodent and it screamed as Clint looked at her chuckling to himself. Natasha looked disgusted to be on anywhere but Earth.

"Hey, can we hurry it up." Clint asked.

"Guys, chop-chop we're on the clock." Natasha groaned.

"All that is really helpful." Rhodes said to her.

They gave each other a comforting hug.

"Take care, okay?" Natasha said to him.

"Yeah. Get that stone and come back. No messing around."

Natasha turned and boarded the ship.

"Hey." Clint said to Rhodes as they shook hands.

"We got this."

"I'll see you back." Clint said.

"You guys watch each other's six." Rhodey said his final farewell.

The ship launched into lightspeed as the two gripped their handles.

Clint looked over at her and laughed. "We're a long way from Budapest."

Natasha just laughed.

***
New York

"Please, Please." Bruce begged as they walked across the room as his physical body laid in the corner where as a joke Wanda put a hat over his face.

"I'm sorry, I can't help you Bruce. If I give up the Time Stone to protect your reality I'm dooming my own." She said to him.

"With all due respect, I'm not sure the science really supports that."

The Ancient took her finger and made a long orange line that Bruce nor Wanda could see the end of.

"The Infinity Stones create what you experience as the flow of time. Remove one of the stones and that flow splits. Now this may benefit your reality but my new one not so much. In this new branch reality without our chief weapon against the forces of darkness our world will be overrun. Millions will suffer. So tell me, Doctor, can your science prevent all that?" The Ancient One lectured.

"No, but we can erase it." Bruce said giving Wanda a glance saying to let him take the reigns. "Because once we're done with the stones we can return each one to its own timeline at the moment it was taken. So, chronologically." Bruce said taking the stone and replacing it with the others. "In that reality it never left."

"Yes but you're leaving out the most important part." The Ancient One said walking to the railing. "In order to return the stones you have to survive."

"We will. I will. I promise." Wanda said to her.

"I can't risk this reality on a promise." She told them. "It's the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme to protect the Time Stone."

"Then why the hell would Strange give it away?" Bruce asked frustrated.

The Ancient One was taken back. "What did you say?"

"Strange. He gave it away. He gave it to Thanos." Banner said defending his point.

"Willingly?"

"Yes."

"Why?" She asked still in shock.

"I have no idea. Maybe he made a mistake."

The Ancient One stood up and glanced hesitantly back and forth between Bruce and Wanda.

"Or I did." She said quietly.

She rose her hand and twisted it calling Hulk back to Bruce spirit and the two were reunited. She then opened her hands and open the Eye of Agamotto where the small green jewel laid. She took it out and placed it in Bruce's hand.

She was terrified.

"Strange was meant to be the best of us." She told Bruce.

"So, he must've done it for a reason." Wanda concluded.

"I fear you might be right."

"Thank you." Bruce said as he took it.

The Ancient One took his hands. "I'm counting on you, Bruce. We all are."