Thanos stared in apparent shock as the tremors in the very air after the explosion settled, leaving nothing where Vision had been and a sobbing Wanda crumpled on the ground where she had been thrown back by the blast. She made no sound her grief was so gripping, and Thanos sighed as he approached the heartbroken woman.

"I understand, my child." He soothed reassuringly, making Wanda raise her head in confusion. "Better than anyone."

Wanda glared balefuly at the titan as he spoke. She had no energy left after expending everything she had to destroy the Mind Stone while keeping Thanos back long enough to kill the one love of her life, but she had enough to hiss out at him.

"You could never."

Thanos sighed before he leant down to pat Wanda's head as she lay shaking on the ground.

"Today, I lost more than you can know."

Wanda somehow doubted the titan's words but she was once again confused when he continued calmly, "But now is no time to mourn."

Wanda frowned and she barely managed to lift her head once more as Thanos walked passed her to where Vision had been before he was destroyed in the blast from the Mind Stone.

"Now is no time at all." Thanos mused as he came to a stop just before where Vision had disappeared.

He then lifted his gauntlet and the Time Stone glowed green as it was activated. Wanda turned to look in shock as Vision was brought back to life, piece by agonizing piece - including the Mind Stone that sustained him.

"NO!" Wanda screamed, her voice tearing apart with panic, fear and heartbreak as her lover was resurrected before her eyes.

She tried to get up, to stop the titan, but even she was even fully on her feet Thanos had hit the Sokovian away like a fly. Vision hadn't even opened his eyes before Thanos grasped him by the neck, choking him. The android's eyes shot open in shocked confusion and Vision regained consciousness just in time to see Thanos holding him up by his throat while his free hand reached out toward the android.

And then, just as quickly as he was resurrected, Vision was killed again as Thanos ripped the Mind Stone directly out of the android's metal skull. The colour drained from the android's body as his life was taken, but Thanos didn't even bother to pause to look as he tossed Vision aside like a limp doll. The titan's eyes were fixed solely on the yellow stone he held gleaming in his free hand and which he slowly inserted into the last remaining opening on his gauntlet.

Thanos released a shout of pain and victory as the power of the completed Infinity Gauntlet surged through his body, waiting to be released.

But his victory was abruptly cut short as a bolt of lightning suddenly hit him hard, sending him crashing back into the ground. Meanwhile, from above, Thor finally managed to join the battle after having destroyed the last of the Outriders out on the Wakandan plains. His eyes glowed with his powers of thunder and lightning as he flew down toward Thanos, anger coursing through his veins as he saw the titan that had killed his people and his younger brother.

Thanos struggled to his feet and he shot a beam of powerful energy from the Infinity Gauntlet toward his oncoming attacker. But Thor simply threw his Stormbreaker in retaliation and the powerful axe shone with its owner's powers of lightning as it cut right through Thanos's energy blast. Thanos's eyes widened as the axe approached but he had no time to respond before Stormbreaker had cut through the last of Thanos's attack and imbed itself right in the middle of the titan's chest.

Thanos gasped, dropping to his knee as he clutched at the axe that had pierced his very armour to cut into his chest, while Thor dropped down before the great titan. His mismatched eyes merciless and filled with grieving anger, Thor stepped forward before he grasped Thanos's giant head in his hand and forced the titan to meet his gaze.

"I told you…" Thor said in a low, deadly voice. "You'd die for that."

With that, Thor shoved Stormbreaker deeper into Thanos's chest. Thanos gasped and let out a loud groan of pain as the axe wedged itself deeper into his chest but Thor was relentless in his assault as he watched Thanos gasp and cry in pain without remorse. To the side, Steve finally stirred and he raised his head just as Thor shoved Stormbreaker into Thanos's chest to the hilt and Thanos let out a deep, laboured breath.

For a moment, the world stilled. Indeed, it felt like the universe was waiting on bated breath as Thor glared down at the Titan while Thanos breathed deeply as the axe remained imbedded in his chest. Steve's eyes were wide and he wondered briefly if they had actually done it. If they'd actually managed to stop the great titan.

But then, Thanos raised his head slightly to meet Thor's gaze once more.

"You should…" Thanos rasped out, his eyes blinking blearily as he seemed to die before them. "You should..."

Thor's expression and gaze was cold as he simply waited for the giant titan to die. But then Thanos breathed out his last words to them.

"You should have gone for the head."

Before Thor - or anyone for that matter - could react, the titan lifted his gloved hand. Thor's mismatched eyes widened and he began, "NO-!"

And Thanos snapped his gold fingers.

A sudden blast of light escaped from the Infinity Gauntlet, causing Steve to raise a hand to briefly cover his eyes before he was blinded. Then, as suddenly as the light appeared, it was gone.

Steve looked up to see Thor and Thanos both staring at the Infinity Gauntlet, which was now ruined and smoking as if it had been caught in an explosion. Thor's face was slackened with fear and anger, and he questioned fearfully, "What did you do?"

As Thanos didn't respond, Thor demanded more loudly but unable to mask his unease, "What did you do?!"

Thanos simply smiled before he staggered back and disappeared into a portal he opened with a simple gesture of his hand. And right before their eyes, the mad titan disappeared from sight and reach, leaving only Stormbreaker which fell with a clang to the ground.

Steve staggered to his feet, wide-eyed and inexplicably afraid. When Bruce had said Thanos would have the power to destroy worlds with a snap of ihs fingers if he succeeded in collecting all the Stones, had he been metaphorical? Or literal? Had Thanos succeeded? Or had he run away after the damage Thor had inflicted?

"Where'd he go?" Steve asked warily as he looked around before looking back at his friend where Thor was standing, breathing heavily with shocked eyes as he stared at the spot where Thanos had disappeared.

"Thor? Where'd he go?"

Steve's questions were answered when Bucky called uncertainly, "Steve?"

Steve looked over to see Bucky staring at his hands as his limbs seemed to start to disintegrate.

The former Winter Soldier looked up just before he buckled and collapsed; and Steve watched as his best friend turned into ash right before his eyes, Bucky's entire body dissolving before he even hit the ground. Only the man's gun remained as it clattered to the earth beside the pile of ash and Steve's heart constricted. Not again.

His heartbreak was followed quickly by fear and his heart quickened even as Steve's head whipped around.

"Ria!" Steve yelled, getting to his feet and tearing through the forest while desperation pumped his blood and thundered in his ears.

"ARIANNA!"

Not two miles away, deeper in the forest, Arianna staggered to her feet, exhausted and feeling extremely weak after the hit Thanos had landed on her.

T'Challa was not far away where he knelt beside his fallen general, Okoye as tired and winded as Arianna. The Wakandan king offered his hand to help Okoye up as he ordered tiredly but kindly, "Up, General. Up! This is no place to die."

The words were barely out of his mouth when T'Challa dissolved literally in front of their eyes. Arianna watched in horror while Okoye's eyes widened even as she fell back down when the hand her king offered to help her up disappeared with the rest of his body right before her. In the space of two heartbeats, the Black Panther was just a pile of ash on the ground and Arianna's breath caught in cold fear.

"My king." The general of the Dora Milaje whimpered in her native tongue.

She trembled as the realization sank in that she had watched the man who was her nation's leader, the man she had sworn to protect, the man who was her friend, disappear before her eyes.

"Oh, my God." Arianna whispered, while Okoye began to wail in grief.

Arianna's first instinct was to check her watch, her eyes seeking the monitor that told her her baby was fine. But even the small blinking pulse couldn't ease the dread and fear that squeezed her heart as thoughts whirled through her head at the same time her mind completely numbed.

The realization was sinking in: they had lost. And in what had to have been a literal snap of his fingers - how else could the sudden death of T'Challa be explained? - Thanos was killing them all. How many, who knew? An exact half of the population? Or had that been an exaggeration as the phrase "wipe us out with a snap of his fingers" clearly hadn't been?

A noise - like a small groan - from behind made Arianna whip around just in time to meet Sam's eyes as the Falcon raised his head one last time before he too disappeared into nothing.

No! Arianna thought, her hands lifting to cover her mouth.

Just a second later, Rhodey walked out of the trees a little way away from where Sam's existence had been wiped away, and the General called, "Sam! Sam? Ria, where's Sam?"

His voice shook just slightly as he spoke, as though reading the inevitable answer in her horrified expression - an expression that, as Rhodey bent his head in mourning, turned to terror.

"Steve." Arianna whispered, before she screamed loudly, "Steve!"

Fear gripping her heart, Arianna tore through the forest, ignoring the pain as she searched for her husband while she begged silently to the heavens.

'Don't let him be gone. Please don't let him be gone.'

"-a! ARIANNA!"

Arianna's legs almost gave out beneath her in relief when she heard his voice ringing from somewhere amongst the trees.

As it was, she did stumble; but Steve - bursting out from around a bush - caught her quickly and crushed her in his arms.

"Thank God." He whispered. "If I'd lost you too..."

Arianna buried her face in his chest, feeling the same relief mixed with the heartbreak of losing so many of their friends - their family - in one tiny moment that Steve was feeling. She could also see Natasha now, coming through the trees behind Steve, and behind the bleached blonde spy was Thor and Bruce. She could also just see the pointy ears of the racoon-guy that had tried to steal Bucky's arm- Bucky.

Her heart lurched, tightening painfully, as her eyes scanned the area and she realized Steve was shaking, his head buried in her shoulder. No, not again… Not Sam and Bucky.

Arianna could also just see Vision's colourless in the distance, the android's still body lying almost carelessly on the ground near the underbrush. The fact that Wanda wasn't near the dead android in some form of mourning told Arianna everything she needed to know about the young woman's fate. She also didn't see Groot, the tree that had arrived with Thor, and Arianna knew the tree's fate from the drooping whiskers on the racoon.

'So many… so many in one single blow...'

Then there were the ones they didn't yet know about.

Had Tony survived? Clint? Oh, God almighty, she prayed that Thanos hadn't killed Laura or any of the kids. And if Pepper hadn't survived… What about Fury? Maria? Sharon? Scott Lang, or his daughter because Arianna knew how desperately the ex-convict loved his daughter. What about the kid Tony had brought along to Germany, Spiderman? If the kid had parents, friends, family...

The thoughts flew around in Arianna's head as she tried to come to terms with what Thanos's victory meant, the losses for the universe as a consequence of their failure, their first complete failure as Avengers.

But everything screeched to a halt when an urgent beeping sounded from her and Steve's wrists.

The couple stilled, and slowly they raised their eyes while the alarm on their watches beeped insistently. Both Steve and Arianna read the identical fear in the other's eyes as they prolonged the moment when they had to check the warning signal; as the dread of what they feared yet knew had to be true gripped their bodies and refused to let them go.

It was Steve who had the courage to look down first, to click the screen on his watch face. Arianna didn't have to look at her own; she saw the way Steve's face went white, how his lips parted and his eyes filled with an unspeakable anguish.

"Steve?"

It was Natasha who spoke tentatively, warily - her tone laced with apprehension. Steve couldn't reply, indeed it looked like he might have gone into shock.

"What's wrong with them?" The racoon next to question.

As Natasha hesitated, Thor said quietly, "Captain? Lady Ria?"

Arianna didn't reply; she couldn't. She was feeling extremely lightheaded and no matter how tightly her hands gripped Steve's arms for stability, it did little to help. And deep down, she knew nothing could or ever would help.

Before she knew it, Arianna's eyes rolled back - and for the first time in her life the Avenger lost herself to blackness from the sheer pain of the heart: a mother's broken heart.

Just before she fainted, Arianna distantly heard her name being called by familiar voices.

"RIA!"

And then, all she knew was darkness.

END ARc ...

*A/N *Author runs away as fast as she can and hides where no-one can find her*.

In all seriousness, this killed me to write. It might be surprising to some of you that this was the first thing I started writing for this book (some of you may have already picked up on my sadistic and slightly masochistic tendency). Coming out of the movie last year, I felt that the ending was so beautiful in its own terrible way (I promise I'm not morbid) that I had to take some inspiration from it and continue the theme and mood that the movie climaxes in.

I admit my first thought was to kill Arianna (temporarily! I think we all know at least some of the dead will be coming back somehow in the next 'Avengers' given that the MCU killed off basically everyone who will be having sequels in the next Phase). But then what I think is a better idea surfaced (really, I promise I'm not morbid).

I will be doing the next movie, so please stay on the lookout. Thank you to all of you who have stuck with this thus far, and hope to see you all again after Marvel's climatic piece!