Chapter 59

A/N

Play Killer + The Sound by Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Gunderson and Abby Gunderson

*Hugs*

~~@ @ @~~

Tony skidded down the foyer, shoes slapping against the floor at an ungodly pace as he ran back to his office and towards the familiar sound.

His heart was thudding in his chest and painful hope began to blossom within him.

It couldn't be... could it?

"BLUES?!"

"Tony!"

Panting and out of breath, he burst through his office and stopped dead in his tracks when no one greeted him.

Unable to give up, he lunged across the table and looked around, still not believing where it had come from.

However, he stops when he sees the shifting images on his table monitor, the voices coming from a footage he must've accidentally pressed.

Tony's figure slumped.

What was once hope, shattered and he could feel himself breaking apart once more.

He sits on his chair and watch quietly as the footage continued playing, to weak to move and to sad to close it.

Blues was chasing him around the couch and the camera was shaky as he grappled on it, running for his life.

He remembered how he put powder in her blow dryer and that eventually led to her running after him.

The bruise she'd given him was there for several weeks and Tony inwardly smile, trying in vain to stop himself from breaking in the seams.

"Damn it Tony, I'll rip that goatee of, of you!"

A manly screamed followed after and the camera dropped.

A few seconds later, someone picked it up, revealing Steve's laughing face before it shuts off.

The black screen reflected his reflection and he's never felt more alone.

For a moment, he just sits there.

Face pale and unmoving.

He can't think. He can't breath.

It was like being stuck in one of his nightmares again, accept this time it was real.

It can't get any realer then that.

He stands up to leave but the screen suddenly flickers back to life.

Jagged ends of a transmission, created a blurry image that made Tony frown.

RETRIEVE DATA/./?

The bright green neon words only peeked Tony's interest. He tapped the enter button and the screen began to glitch out of control.

....gO/.//bLue'/ EFFECTIVE;'/NOW.[];/....

"Is this thing working?"

For the second time that day, Tony nearly has a heart attack. The glitched out footage clears and his sister's face comes into view.

At the top left corner of the screen marked the date, time and event.

Tony could feel the air leave his lungs.

~

DATE: 17/07/2015

TIME: 1808

EVENT: #1

"This isn't going to plan," Blues smacks the camera several times before she finally gets it.

Tony can see the background and deduced she's in her room.

Lorelie breaths out a sigh before sitting and frowning at the camera.

"God, I hope I don't mess this up," The younger Stark shifts nervously before clearing her throat, willing herself to be strong.

"Hi Tony..."

It felt so real, like she was indeed, speaking to him right now.

Tony sunk in his seat and doesn't react.

"If you're watching this, then something bad must have happened."

Blues smiled sadly and brush her brown hair away from her eyes, brown orbs darkening.

Tony can see that she's pale, almost sick.

"This isn't a trick. Its not like one of those things you see in the movies where all this is fake, its real..."

Her posture was falling. Her bravery was cracking.

And Tony knows this but he is growing increasingly confused and fearful.

"FRIDAY, what is this?" He demands, angry and afraid.

"Transmission request in the event of Ms Stark's death."

He pinches the footage and hurls it in front of him, projecting the screen forward so he could track down where it came from.

"On whose order?"

Did someone hack him? Trying to play some stupid prank?

"Ms Lorelie Brook Stark."

His hand falters and turns into a fist.

No. He doesn't want to believe it. He doesn't want to see it.

This was taken almost a year ago why was it brought up now?

"I uh... I just want to make this quick, okay?"

Tony slowly brings his eyes back to his sister and he watches as she reluctantly raise the sleeves of her hands.

"Understand that, this wasn't my choice."

Blue, sick-like veins had crawled up her skin, sucking the life out of her tan hands and turning them pale.

Tony's mouth dropped open and he felt bile rise up from his throat at the truth, staring right at him.

The truth he refused to acknowledged that day when he saw it.

The truth that broke him down.

"Their taking everything away from me... and I don't know if I'm going to make it."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Steve and the rest of the team he saved had just gotten off the Raft when Natasha contacted him.

They flew to Mexico in the Quinjet and followed Natasha's coordinates, all of them agreeing that staying in the US was a big; NO, for the time being.

Not a lot of words were exchanged while they reached Natasha's safe house but it was clear that all of them were dead tired and in need of sleep.

Prison has not been kind to them.

While Natasha tended to both Clint and Wanda, Scott decided to stay in the US.

Bucky assisted Steve so for the time being he was in his own room, thinking things over.

Steve sat by the porch outside, watching the setting sun and feeling the cold breeze of nature as the others all gathered in the house.

Outside was really the only place he could achieve some peace and think back about what he lost along the way.

One thing he agreed on was that the amount he lost was the more then what he gained.

Watching the sun now, Steve admitted the growing ache in his chest as his mind burned at a memory that happened not to long ago.

"You need to do it. Tony won't let me go. You're the only one that can."

Back at Barton's house, Lorelie had told Steve about her nightmares and that she didn't want to be like that ever again.

She had told him to 'pull' the trigger if it ever happened.

What was the point now?

She was dead.

Was it all worth it?

"Steve?" Sam poked his head through the door, watching the Super Soldier carefully.

"Yeah?"

He sits up when Sam leaned against the doorway, features unreadable.

He knows what he wanted to ask and doesn't know if he could answer it.

Not when even he can't explain what went wrong.

Everything did.

Steve remembered the look Natasha gave him when they first entered.

He remembered how Wanda asked and when Steve did not reply the Sokovian did nothing but stare off into space.

Clint, the usually talkative bowman was unusually quiet. He was dealing and although he smiles its clear that smile was pained.

Sam can't even look at his friend the same way anymore without imagining Lorelie next to him.

Steve knew this and even he couldn't help but agree.

Lorelie always stood by him and when she asked him to trust her, he didn't.

He ended up retreating back from Lorelie's open arms. Resorting to other methods as he fought off the anger that she couldn't choose.

It was unfair but at that moment, Steve didn't know what to think.

Lorelie had found Bucky first and didn't tell him.

Lorelie didn't choose him and it makes him enraged.

Why did he do it?

Was it anger? Or maybe an urge to hurt Lorelie for what she did?

Either way it was wrong.

He knows that now.

But how could it take it back?

That accusation of Lorelie's loyalty.

That anger he felt.

That kiss shared with Sharon.

It was all his fault.

And 5000 miles away, the last living Stark felt the same way.

Both Steve and Bucky had not made any move to have any real conversation during the days after Lorelie's passing.

They only did talk when discussing the plan about getting the others out.

The ex-HYDRA member had resorted to silence, unable to believe his Dark Witch was gone.

"Something you gotta see," Sam says after a long moment of silence.

Steve took a deep breath and followed Sam into the shabby house, taking notice of how Natasha was furiously slapping her monitor over the table.

"Nat?"

The Russian doesn't answer and continue to smack it.

"This-" Smack. "Damn thing, won't stop fizzling-"

Wanda peeks her head from the Kitchen in interest, eating a bowl of cereal.

Clint was staring at Natasha from where he sat on the couch, smiling lazily.

"Hey, they might track us down." Steve calls out worriedly.

Natasha grits her teeth. "What do you think I've been doing? I smashed it a bunch of times but then it got working again and now I can't shut it off."

Sam crossed his arms over his chest. "Didn't Tony's transmission come in before you couldn't shut it down?"

Steve's interest grew peeked. He had sent the letter to Tony a few days ago. "Tony sent you something?"

Natasha growled and smacked it once more, the glass practically breaking and yet the screen refuse to shut off, glowing in bright green letters;

TONY.

"I'm not trusting that ass hat." Natasha grumbled and Sam release a sigh. "Its probably why the thing refuses to cut off, Tony's forcing it."

Steve reach over to Natasha and made a move for the monitor but the Russian moves to quickly, making it bump against his hand and land on the ground with a thud.

The monitor fizzled before an image projected itself to the entire living room's wall.

There's silence.

All of them dropped what they were doing and couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Wanda ran in, stopping in her tracks as a loud gasp escape her.

Bucky had just come down the stairs when he noticed what the others were staring at.

Steve mouth moved. "L-Lorelie?"

She smiles sadly at the camera and shakes her head.

That wasn't what caught them off guard.

It was the blue veins she was revealing on her wrists to the camera.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you all. I'm sorry that you had to find out this way."

The date on the top left tells them that this was dated over a year ago and the unease grew in the room.

She lets the sleeve down and blinks back tears, brown orbs watering.

Natasha slump against the couch, Clint holding her hand.

Wanda sunk on the floor, her eyes already filling with tears and falling down her face.

Bucky steps faltered. He remained on the steps and his eyes could only see her, his Ved'ma.

Steve felt like a rug had been pulled from under him and Sam could see how the Super Soldier was trembling.

"But this was something that I wanted to stand by on my own..."

What could the Super Soldier do, but watch the woman he loved, tell them the truth right there and that.

That she was already dying.

That she had planned this for so long and wanted to tell them.

How could he'd been this blind?

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"This isn't your fault. You can't blame yourself when I..."

Tony shuts his eyes and let her words trail off, hand to his mouth as he stowed away the heavy scream that threatened to be released.

"Die..." Lorelie swallows hard and dash away the fallen tears, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"I'm not going to give up. I'm going to fight this and I'm going to find a way okay?"

Tony felt his eyes watering. He felt his soul tear off one by one like a broken wing.

Lorelie's broken eyes met the camera's. "I'm going to find a way."

The camera shuts itself and Tony squeezed his temple, mumbling incoherent words that were on the brink of near hysterical.

~

DATE: 20/08/2015

TIME: 1245

EVENT: #5

"So, I think I figured it out."

Blues spins around in her chair like a child and Tony released a sad laughter, his lips forming a bitter smile as his hand pressed onto the moving image of her face.

"I've put the changing molecules of the Scepter's energy and combined it with my own."

She was showing the camera several paperwork, eyes alight with victory and almost relief.

She lifted a test tube and showed it high.

"They're showing progress, I just need-"

In one swift move, the test tube she had been holding, exploded and sprayed everywhere.

Blues face was priceless, she looked dumbfounded.

"Ookay, maybe not a good idea to put in my body huh?"

Despite the smile she gives, its clear that she's worried she won't be able to fix it.

And Tony knows this because Blues was his sister. The sister he lost once and regained.

He can't think as he said the next few words.

Regret and anguish is all he felt.

Tony's lips trembled. "Why... why didn't you tell me blues?"

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

DATE: 31/09/2015

TIME: 0446

EVENT: #16

"So... molecules are out. I'm moving on to alloys now..."

Steve could see she was exhausted.

It looked like she haven't been sleeping in a while.

She was supporting her head with one hand, mindlessly shifting the papers in front of her around.

"What is this? Someone tell me what is this?!"

Wanda was close to screaming. She can't believe the one person she shared a connection with was gone.

Losing Pietro was unreal it was a burden that weighed heavily on her shoulders.

Losing Lorelie felt the same. Only this time it was worse because the Sokovian grew to love her.

"Don't lose hope. Don't lose hope... Its what I keep telling myself, you know?"

Lorelie scoffs and rose from her seat, stretching her skinny limbs.

"Did she... tell anyone?" Natasha voice is a dead whisper. Unbelievable and unrealistic.

She felt as though this was one big trick but it wasn't.

Lorelie was right there.

And she was telling them everything she never did.

"Nat... I don't think she ever did..." It was Clint that said this and that made the Russian burst into tears, her perfected facade, breaking in half.

Bucky placed his head in his palms, shaking it desperately as he thought of how Lorelie came to him before the fight started.

She had been dying then.

That's what she wanted to say but never could.

Failure.

They all felt it.

They failed her.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Send this to Steve, FRIDAY." Tony mumbles, surprised he could actually form correct words.

The AI is silent. Tony knows it will find a way.

It needs too.

They need to see this.

They need to know.

Because Tony can't be the only one that had to see it.

He just can't.

It burns his will away.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

DATE: 13/10/2015

TIME: 1357

EVENT: #22

"Alloys are out now, and I'm losing my damn mind."

"There's no way I can fix this, there's no way I'm going to be able to save myself."

He felt the tears fall before he could stop them and for the first time in 90 years, Steve Rogers, Captain America, allowed his heart to be broken.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

DATE: 18/11/2015

TIME: 2203

EVENT: #35

"It HURTS!"

"Their all over and I can't stop it!"

"I don't know how to fix it!"

Tony choked and clutched his chest, feeling his heart ache painfully between his lungs.

She was suffering.

By god, she was suffering.

"Blues... Blues... I-I..."

He can't say it. He doesn't know how.

Each clip that played, each time she spoke, she grew visibly weaker and visibly tired.

It was like watching someone fade away, right in front of you.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

DATE: 14/06/2016

TIME: 1256

EVENT: #46

"This is going to be my last entry. I... I don't know if I'll be able to come back again..."

She doesn't need to continue to know she's already captured the others hearts.

Steve made eye contact with Bucky and the two of them shared looks that portrayed their utter devastation.

In the background, Wanda cries helplessly and Natasha's silent tears are what makes all of this worse.

The once united team.

Nothing more but human beings.

They didn't lose the fight.

They lost themselves.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"I thought I should say; 'Goodbye,' you know? Something, to leave behind..."

"And I don't want to make this sad, so I'm going to try my best to make this brief."

"My time is almost up. I'm heading out to Leipzig airport to stop you guys."

"You can't. You can't..." Tony wished he was speaking to the real her. Not the past her that already knew she wasn't long for this world.

He didn't have enough time.

4 years weren't enough.

He lost her for 21, he needed more.

He needed more time.

"Blues, please!"

His entire world was crumbling. His entire foundation was cracking.

She wasn't dead, she couldn't be.

He refused to believe it.

He refuse to believe that she had been dying for a long time.

"Don't leave me..."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Steve,"

"Hey Ice Pick, I know things aren't good between us right now, but I hope you know that there was only ever you."

"I only loved one man and that man was you."

"It doesn't matter if you don't feel the same any longer because I still do."

"I always will."

"I don't want to leave you Steve. I don't want you to suffer because I love you. I love you will all my heart."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Bucky,"

"You are my Protector. You will always be my Protector and I will always love you till the day I die."

"Don't be sad when I'm gone Soldat."

"I don't want you to blame yourself for things you can't control. I'm always there. Whether as you're Ved'ma, or you're Lorelie."

"Because the truth is, there is no Dark Witch without her Winter Soldier."

"There is no me, without you."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Natasha,"

"I don't remember much of my Mom... but... I think that, if I did, were to have a Mom..."

"It'd be you."

"Because Natasha, you were my only friend. You were my rock when I was nothing but a soulless Assassin under SHIELD."

"And that's something I'll always be grateful for."

"Don't close yourself up once I die. Its never too late, to fix your mistakes."

"Thank you for being the Mother I never had."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Clint,"

"You were this funny guy, that inspired me to take control of my own life,"

"You have your own family to live for and yet you'd always come back to check up on me."

"Now I'm asking you to go back to your family, and not have to look over your shoulder."

"Because you don't need to watch over me anymore."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Banner,"

"Come back will you? Tony misses you even though he doesn't say it."

"I wish I could see you one last time before I'm gone."

"But... just in case I don't, just know that everybody has nightmares. Everybody has this dangerous switch in their head that tells them to lose control."

"Thank you for making me smile when I felt down. Thank you for cheering me up when I cried. Thank you for being there for Tony. Thank you for choosing to live."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Thor,"

"The first time I met you, you nearly trampled me with your hammer. I, however, beat you."

"I know that I shouldn't have these powers Thor. I know you're worried about my mortal body."

"If not, you wouldn't have left Earth to search for answers."

"When you come back I'm afraid it'll be too late. But I'm just happy you tried anyway, you blond geek."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Wanda,"

"I never could understand the bond the two of us shared. The only thing I remembered was waking up and feeling the two of you there."

"You and you're brother."

"We may had been on opposites sides but I knew deep inside me that the two of you were under my care. I lost Pietro and I'm sorry."

"You're going to lose me too and no words can help me describe to you about how awful I feel about that."

"Never be anxious about your powers Wanda because they don't control you. You control them. You have Steve, You have Clint, you have the rest of the team, you don't need me."

"You never did."

"Don't miss me Scarlet, because I'm gone. Miss me because I lived."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Sam,"

"I remembered you standing on the podium, talking to the other Veterans about moving on."

"You barely knew me and yet you still offered to help."

"Good people are hard to come by, trust me I know, because I was always the foul victim of one."

"Take care of Steve. He's going to lose two of his girls and I don't want him to suffer."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Rhodey,"

"You suffered. You took the brunt of the heat."

"Maybe if I was never born you wouldn't have to go through any of this."

"Take care of Tony, will you?"

"That man has a lot to learn and I hope you will remain patient with him."

"He only has you and Pepper now."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Vision,"

"Odd ball, take care of Wanda."

"I see how you look at her. I see how you notice her."

"Don't let go of that because I didn't."

"And despite the pain that came after, I'll never regret it."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

The screen goes black.

The monitor finally dying.

And then it was just gut wrenching silence.

It was the silence of mourning.

Steve worked to find his voice. "T-Tell Tony we got it."

His Captain voice was slipping and he left the room, unable to look at his heartbroken teammates.

"Do you trust me?"

"Do you trust me?"

The memory burned in his mind and he clutched his head, bowing low to his knees outside at the porch.

"Yes."

Steve faces the skies, his gut tearing itself in two.

"Yes, I trust you..."

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

"Dear Tony,"

He prepares himself. He tries but he fails.

"You're my brother. You're probably going to feel more pain then me. You're probably going to feel more pain then the others."

"I want you to know that this isn't your fault. You're my brother and I will always love you, no matter what happens."

"I don't want you to blame yourself, I want you to get up and fight. I want you to get up and move on."

"I can't! You can't make me do this alone!" Tony slams his fist against the table multiple times, heart wrenching sobs escaping him.

Lorelie has tears running down her face and the sight leaves Tony speechless.

"Don't do anything stupid. I won't be there to save you this time, so try not to blow anything up okay? You're not alone Tony."

"You'll never be alone."

"I'm alone now..." He mumbles helplessly, feeling the tears cascade down his face.

He didn't care about being the Iron Man.

He didn't care about being Tony Stark.

He wanted his sister.

He wanted Lorelie Brook Stark back.

"I love you Tony. Don't ever forget me. Because I won't forget you, Iron Man."

"I don't care about that, I just want you back! Blues, I'm begging you!"

Each word was filled with agony.

Each sentence was thrown with pain.

"I wish I had more time Tony... I wish I had more time with you..."

Lorelie waits for a moment before she burst open. The sobs finally escaping her.

"I'm scared Tony! I'm scared of dying! I don't want to die! I don't want to leave you behind!"

Tony trembled as he placed his shaky hand on the monitor, feeling as though he could feel her through it.

"I'm here Lorelie... I'm here..."

The two Starks lapse in silence and Tony could only feel the bitter tears as they slid down his cheeks.

Tony could only feel the fire that burned him inside out.

"Don't leave me. Don't leave me."

It was a mantra. One he repeated, over and over again.

"Goodbye Tony."

The camera shuts off and he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

But the next clip never played. The next footage never played.

Because she didn't survive. She didn't return to film it.

She was dead.

"Blues-" He stands and tries to click on the monitor, fingers shaky, desperate to see the next one.

The next nonexistent clip.

"Blues, come on!"

The monitor does not turn on and he grew enraged.

Pure anger and sadness has taken a hold of him and he can't let it go.

He can't let it go.

"Please! I need you! I need you do you hear me?!" He hits the monitor with brutal power, not caring if he was cracking it.

Not caring if his knuckles were bleeding out.

"Come back! Come back!"

His loud shouts echo the empty Facility and from the door, Rhodey comes bounding in, still tripping in the machine Tony gave him.

"Tony?"

He was in his own world, smashing everything and anything he could find.

"Come back! Its my fault! Its my fault, Blues do you hear me? I'll listen to you! I won't disagree with anything you ever say, just come back..."

The monitor is beyond destroyed at this point and Tony looked like a madman.

Searching for something that will never return.

Searching for someone he wished survived.

Rhodey quickly cross the room and wrap his arms around Tony's shoulders, struggling to keep him from doing anything else that may hurt him.

"Tony, snap out of it!"

"Blues! I need you Blues! You can't leave like our parents. You can't leave me!"

Tony continues struggling, screaming and shouting.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY, BLUES, I'M SORRY!"

Eventually, Rhodey's heavy weight makes him falter.

He falls to the ground by the table, hands on his head as he sobbed like a child.

"Oh god, please..."

He can scarcely breath, he can hardly see as his vision blurs violently.

He was a fixer.

He could fix things. He could fix her, he swore. He swore to fix her.

But now here he stands and she's not here.

Not anymore.

Rhodey crouches next to Tony, already knowing the loss his best friend must be going through.

Tony's brown orbs glance blankly in front of him, the last of the Stark's lineage.

The last of his family.

The last of himself.

"You'll always be my sister Blues. You'll always come first."

He shuts his eyes and face the darkness he wished so hard to come and take him away.

"I miss you Lys. Please come back."

Come back and fix me.

~~@ @ @~~

END OF PART 2: BOOK 2

Captain America: Civil War

L̶o̶r̶e̶l̶i̶e̶ ̶B̶r̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶S̶t̶a̶r̶k̶ ̶w̶i̶l̶l̶ ̶r̶e̶t̶u̶r̶n̶ 

~~@ @ @~~