Thank you so much for your patience, guys! Juggling having a family and trying to write has been a challenge, not to mention this chapter is the longest and final one of this story. There are many elements to this and when it comes to detail referencing from the movies, I apologize I may have forgotten a detail or two. This chapter will take a few extra moments more than the previous chapters, so have a seat and have a coffee/hot chocolate/favorite beverage. Hope you like it.

Please let me know what you think in your reviews if you'd like to see more of Alice in the future.

Sleep did not come easy. There were no dreams. She heard screams. Alice sat up, taking a minute to remember where she was. Carefully putting on her shoes, armor, and a few other gadgets, she peeked her head out her door. Even the maids were running. She caught one to try figuring out what was going on. She felt if everyone was running, she needed to figure out from what. It turned out Hela, evidently Odin's firstborn manifested herself into Asgard. Everyone was forced to rally by zombie soldiers to meet her. She had taken the bald tattooed gatekeeper and turned her into her personal Executioner. She had to lay low. Loki had taught her to never underestimate an enemy. Seeing how this woman was dropping guards like flies, she had to be careful. She was after the sword that belonged to the bifrost. Heimdall had taken it. She was on the move with him and a few thousand other Asgardians.

Thank god for caves.

They had been there for days it seemed… Until Hela found them. Alice fought off Hela's soldiers alongside with Heimdall until she had suddenly left. They took the opportunity and made their retreat to the bifrost. Heimdall had to get everyone to safety onto a different realm. It was the only way. But they were caught between a rock in a hard place on the bridge. First the giant wolf, then the soldiers… They fought. To their surprise, Banner had joined in. Thor had returned. She was nervous how Loki didn't seem to be with him. There was no time to worry. They were fighting for their lives. Alice had a trick up her sleeve, an iron-hand from home. She reinforced and extended it with Asgardian bracers. Combined with that and a sword, she battled the zombie soldiers, along with specialized rocket propelled boots. She felt like she was wearing one of Tony's suits, except only wearing the bare minimum. This was not a practice run. They were slowly winning. Another ship arrived.

"Your savior is here!" A man shouted.

Alice turned and smiled. Loki, showing his stuff and flaunting it.

He landed the ship and people began scrambling aboard. Alice moved her way though the crowd as he jumped onto the bridge. "Loki!" She called out. It took him a moment to find her and he ran for her. "What the hell happened to you guys?" She chuckled, giving him a quick hug. "Long story. Help me get people aboard." He said, giving her had a squeeze. She nodded in agreement. They turned back to back and began lunging at zombie soldiers. It was like their first battle, but far easier. She didn't lose a limb this time.

Thor lost an eye…

Loki had one more task. He revived Surter before running out of dodge, with the aid of his magic he just made it back onto the ship in time. They all watched Asgard be destroyed. The Asgardians no longer had a home, but they had a king. Thor was finally crowned as king of Asgard, his people, though few, were grateful. He sat and closed his eye, taking in a deep breath. He had the biggest headache, and there was no mistaking why.

"Miss Stark, come here." He beckoned just as she was about to slip out of view. With a sigh, she approached her friend. "You look tired." She commented. He made a small smile with a nod. "I wanted to thank you for your help today. You fought with the heart of a true warrior."

She shrugged, looking down. "Thanks. Nerves of steel I guess… It was terrifying. How do you do that over a course of a millennia?"

"You get used to it." He sat further straight. "I also wanted to express my thanks for what you've done for my brother. Despite all that he's done in the past, he deserves happiness." She nodded in thanks. "You are going to be a great King. He was, too, though I had to start picking up the slack." She admitted, hoping he wasn't in hearing range. "Would you be interested in holding a position as part of my council?"

She blinked with surprise. "Yes, I'd love that."

He grinned, holding out a hand. "Then later once we arrive home, we'll all celebrate with drinks."

"Sounds great." She took his hand and shook it. "No beer pong, though. Lack of depth perception you'll be wasted in minutes." They laughed.

He dismissed her and she left smiling. She had her friend back. Everything was going to be okay. Loki sat in a small bedroom. They were small dwellings much like any ship. It was economical. Alice managed to find him and knocked on his door before entering. He was only half dressed. Turning around, he smiled warmly at her before looking back in the mirror. He had a cut on his arm. Her eyes focused on it with concern.

"You fought with grace today, Alice." He said. "I had a really good teacher." She winked, closing the door and going to him, lightly brushing her fingers against the parts of his arm that weren't injured. "It's just a flesh wound," He shrugged. "It'll heal quickly."

"I missed you…" She said, wrapping an arm around his waist and nuzzling her face in a cozy nook between his neck and chin. He found this was a favorite spot of hers. He sighed deeply, holding her close. "Thor and I landed on a planet when we tried coming home through the bifrost. Due to a warp in time and space, I was there for weeks when it was days for you. I didn't sleep well some days."

"Weeks?" She asked with disbelief.

"Yeah." He sighed with a grin, his hands moving down to her rear. "It's been far too long… Let me show you how much I missed you." He growled softly, nipping at her ear causing her entire body to tingle in goosebumps. She wrapped a leg around his waist, feeling a bulge through his pants. Without warning he flipped her onto the small twin sized bed, mounting over her in seconds. She fought with her pants to try taking them off. He helped, kissing her neckline in the process. His breath was hot and she moaned in anticipation as his hand reached her sex, his fingers exploring. He could feel her arousal, feeling it respond. "I may not be King of Asgard, but I still rule over you." He grinned with hazed over eyes as he kissed her hungrily, his hand moving down to his bottom clothing.

"I was meant to be ruled…" She teased as her bottom half was finally off. She ruled him in some regards as well. She was like an addictive drug he couldn't help but to indulge in. He let out a sigh of relief as his cock emerged out of tight pants. He aligned himself, the head teasing her entrance but for only a moment. Moving himself inward they let out a sigh in satisfaction, his hair tickling her face. She kissed him lightly at first before her tongue invaded his mouth. He let out a small moan, pulling back slightly and thrusting into her once more. She let out a moan of pleasure, nails lightly scraping his back as he rode her. It made him go harder as he bit his lip. She nipped at his neck when she could, moving her hips in contrast to his, helping his member move in deeper, stimulating the base. He moaned a little louder as both of their heads reeled in pleasure with short bursts. He was going in deep, and it drove her body mad.

Loki grunted in desperation as he could feel her climaxing. Her sex tightened around his, making it difficult to resist coming. Alice wrapped her legs around his hips. His pleasured grunts and moans accelerated her own. He paused a moment to shift his position where he sat on his knees, bucking his hips into her, smacking noises filling the room. She felt like she was on the verge of falling off the bed. As Alice reached her climax she grinded her hips against him and he panted, hands on her hips as he made a loud moan, reaching his own peak and his essence erupting within her. He held it in for only a moment before lightly thrusting further in to ride out his orgasm, dipping back down to kiss her. She felt the new sense of moisture that lubricated their parts.

Oh what a beautiful way to end a catastrophic day.

They layed there, in each other's arms with only a light stiff sheet covering them. Loki traced imaginary patterns on her arm as her eyes were closed, though not asleep. "Where would you like to live when we reach Earth?" He asked.

"I hadn't thought of that yet." She yawned.

"Perhaps somewhere in the mountains." He proposed thoughtfully. "Somewhere with plenty of woodland where people are scarce."

"So Greenland." She smiled.

He moved his face closer to hers with excitement in his eyes. "We could start that family we once agreed upon." He grinned deviantly. She finally opened her eyes to see him smiling. "So that's why you don't want people around." She teased. "You know me well, Miss Stark." He cooed. He didn't need spectators risking their lives. If he was going to start being a hero, it helped to not get in fights with those who think they're fighting a "villain" that once tried to rule them. Nobody ever tried getting the entire story anymore. They always jumped to their own conclusion. She sighed, "I don't want to be called Stark anymore."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Just Alice…" She took his hand and kissed his knuckles. "If I'm going to have your kids, it might also help I share their last name." She proposed with caution, aware of what she just suggested. Her heart felt like it did a backflip. Loki's grin grew wider and he squeezed her hand.

"So be it." He chuckled.

After about another hour they got around to getting dressed. Loki set out to visit his brother. She tried containing a growing excitement that were in the form of butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't remember the last time she was that happy.

…Then a giant ship, one nearly the size of a large asteroid… Shadowed theirs.

Thanos.

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit…

Loki's heart began to race. His brow sweaty, every breath he took he could hear into his ringing ears. Thor didn't recognize that behemoth of a space ship, but he did. He grabbed his brother's shoulder in desperation, speaking as calmly as he could. "Thor, listen carefully. We must get people onto escape pods and send a distress signal."

Thor's face quickly went grim. "Why, brother?"

"Thanos." Loki said, his knees trembling. They looked at each other for a moment, seeing each other's nervousness. Thor ran one direction, Loki another. Each step felt like he was running in quick sand, running into the small room. His heart sank. She was gone.

"Alice? Alice!" He cried.

He searched the area before colliding with Bruce Banner. "Loki, what's going on?" He asked, never before seeing fear on Loki's face. He looked at Bruce and stood up straight. "Thanos has found us. All those years ago, he tortured me and sent me to Earth for the tesseract, you remember." Bruce was still not sure what was going on, but he knew it was serious if it scared Loki. "Have you seen Alice?"

Bruce pointed to his left. "Yeah, she went down to the cafeteria. So we're not out of the woods?"

"Far from it." Loki sighed, patting the man's shoulder. "Banner, there's a high chance there will be bloodshed and soon. We will need your help, but on my word, will you help me?" Bruce nodded awkwardly. "Sure."

"For all is worth, you make a better ally than an enemy. Thank you." Loki said, running off to the food court. Alice was munching on an alien equivalent of a pretzel. It tasted like almonds. The green liquid she drank tasted like Dr. Pepper. A strange combination, but she took it. She watched as Loki quickly went up to her, grabbing her by the arm, and pulling her aside forcing her to leave her food. She has never seen him this panicked.

"Alice, Thanos found us, his ship is here. Many people are going to die, but some will live." He said just as the screaming began. Thanos had given their ship a moment or two to identify itself. His attack ships started their work quickly after. Alice's eyes widened big as silver dollars, gripping her hands over her arms.

"What are you going to do?" Her lip quivered.

He looked at her with a great sadness. "I will do what I must to ensure our survival. That also means you must play the part of his ally, as will I." He gritted his teeth. The thought made his stomach flip and churn. He cupped her face on both sides. He could see she was growing scared. "Whatever happens, I want you to know you have made me the happiest frost giant in the universe. I love you."

Alice started to sob. The ship began to shake as Thanos's ship began to take fire. People began running into and through the cafeteria in a panic. Asgardian soldiers hurried people into escape pods.

"You've made me the happiest woman in the universe… I love you too!" She chuckled lightly, caressing his face. They stood in place like a rock stuck at the end of a waterfall of people. They didn't exist. Loki removed a dagger from his side and gave it to her. "Survive." He said, gripping her hand with the dagger before kissing her. She responded, kissing him back as the ship rocked.

It was deep and desperate and… She hoped to god it wouldn't be their last.

Without his hammer, Thor struggled with his fight. Thanos had him on his knees, barely conscious. Bruce and Alice disappeared, and Heimdall was critically injured. Corvus Glaive stepped over slaughtered Asgardians, encouraging the brothers to rejoice. That was a joke.

Thanos had Thor dragged in front of his brother. He wanted the tesseract he was supposed to have been given over 6 years ago. With one infinity stone in his gauntlet, he held the thunder god in place. "The tesseract, or your brother's head." He said, placing the gauntlet over Thor's skull. "I assume you have a preference."

Alice hid in the shadows, trying to keep her breath steady. Her body was full of adrenaline, her iron hand charged and ready, trying her best to remember what Loki told her about playing the part.

Survive.

"Oh, I do." Loki glared. "Kill away."

Her heart sank and looked over at Thor. Loki what the fuck were you doing?! She bit her lip until it began to breathe. Don't scream. Don't make a sound…. Don't scream… Thanos activated the infinity stone and began to fry Thor's head. Loki's heart pounded out of his chest, watching his brother in agony seconds from death. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, stop!" Loki shouted.

Thanos moved the gauntlet away from Thor's head. He breathed in pain, seeing double. Loki sighed with shame, closing his eyes. He had come a long way from being a selfish prince all those years ago. All he needed was love. Now that he had love, it consumed him.

"We don't have the tesseract. It was destroyed on Asgard."

No it wasn't. Loki opened his hand and revealed the tesseract.

"You are the worst, brother." Thor shunned.

"I assure you, brother. The sun will shine on us again." Loki promised, looking down on him as he approached the titan.

"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian." Thanos commented.

"Well for one thing." Loki said, looking up at him. "I'm not Asgardian. And for another, we have a Hulk." As the green beast tackled the titan, Loki ran to Thor, moving him out of the way. It only took 30 seconds for Thanos to throw Hulk on his ass. Heimdall manifested the last he could with dark magic, summoning a portal and casting the Hulk back to earth. This consequently ended his own life, killed by one of the titan's allies.

Alice accidentally knocked over debris, bringing her attention to Corvis. He pierced her stomach with a metal pipe of which she pulled straight out and ran for her life. She was snatched once again, this time sheet metal wrapped around her chest. He manipulated the metal and holding her suspended in mid-air. "Look here, Thanos. A stow away" Corvis showed Alice to his master in excitement. The Titan looked over at Alice, seeing the embers in her eyes.

"The other Stark. Alice, the one who turned against her brother." Thanos stated out loud as if he knew her. Alice felt like a mouse, trapped in someone's hand and at their mercy. It didn't matter how much she wriggled, the hand could crush her at any moment's notice.

"Earth was a little boring for me." Alice grunted in discomfort.

"So instead you got comfortable living a lie as an Asgardian." He tilted his head as to shame her.

"Not as an Asgardian. I'm human. I saw an opportunity and took it." She pointed out, trying to keep herself distant. She could see the gears in his mind moving. He gestured his right hand man to set her down beside Thor, but not quite out of the restraints.

"You have no home."

"Not anymore." Her voice shook.

Was he buying this? She was doing everything Loki taught her to do. Acting didn't come naturally, but she had gotten a lot better over time. Her love for him had changed her into a different person. She even spoke a little different. In her peripheral vision, she could see Thor struggling. They even covered his mouth so he couldn't scream.

"But you found a home with him." Thanos stated, pointing out Loki who emerged back out of the shadows. Loki stared at her with a blank expression. To the untrained eye he was emotionless. To both of them, they saw longing, a longingness for them all to go home and be free once more, and the despair knowing that wasn't going to happen. If she was going to survive she had to do the same thing.

"We joined forces only because we both know what it's like being under someone's shadow, to be belittled and robbed of what should be ours." She blurted out like vomit. "He's nothing to me. I got in his head to learn his tricks."

The way Thanos looked at her, they could tell he wasn't buying it. "She's a Stark. As clever as deceptive, she betrayed me. She's merely here as a formality. I renounced my affiliation with her long ago." Loki testified. His acting was far better than hers. His words even stung her ears. The titan frowned, still highly skeptical. He turned away from her. "I can't have her interfering with my plans." Thanos sighed. "It'd be a conflict of interest." Alice glared at the titan with pure hatred. He's talking to her like he was a boss lecturing two employees caught dating. She cried in silence.

Loki offered his loyalty, again, to Thanos moments after visibly disowning her. The titan called him on his failure on Earth, feeling that failure was reason enough to leave him behind and turn down his offer. The god of mischief was on a losing streak as Thanos could see his every move. He was merely waiting for him to try something again.

"I, Loki, prince of Asgard…" Loki began to say, frowning and looking over at Thor and Alice. "Odinson." He stated, taking in a deep breath. "The rightful king of Jotunheim," He stepped closer to Thanos. "God of Mischief." He said with a bit of confidence, revealing a dagger behind his arm. "Do hereby pledge to you, my undying fidelity." He breathed, looking down and taking in a deep breath. He was mentally, physically, and psychologically preparing himself for doing something incredibly stupid.

His heart was pounding, counting the seconds. Alice saw what he was doing and bit her tongue. If she screamed, he was dead. Thor managed to move his foot over to hers. They looked at each other for a moment, his expression screaming at her to calm down. Loki's hidden dagger shot up and Thanos's gauntlet stopped it. Alice let out a small sob. She finally cracked, as Thanos expected.

She screamed louder as Thanos lifted Loki by his throat, choking him in the process, jumping up only for Clavis to wrap more metal around her body causing her to fall on her side. His legs thrashed wildly. Alice's cries made her throat hoarse and she breathed fire, a burst of flame shot out of her throat, willing it to engulf the titan. It didn't even reach his feet. All they could do was watch him squeeze the life out of Loki until his neck snapped.

Thanos took Loki over to them. Lifeless, dropped him to the floor. Alice's cries engulfed the entire hollow area, Thor's muffled by his restraints.

"I thought as much." Thanos said, watching her try and inch her way to him.

He left them there, to let Thor and Alice die on that ship. Clavis finally let them free of their restraints once they returned to their own ship. Both crawled over to Loki, she sobbed the loudest. Alice felt a bulky arm covering over her back as they both clung to their fallen loved one. Alice held onto both Loki and Thor. She buried her face under his neck and chin like she always had, the place she felt the safest. It was cold and smelt of ash. Some of his blood smeared into her hair. How could he have been so stupid? She whispered something, a small line of an incomplete chant from one of his books. She tried using that to revive him. Nothing.

Then the ship was obliterated.

Thor managed to keep hold of Alice in the explosion. She had a small life-support system no larger than a dumbbell weight, a sophisticated form of alien tech everyone was issued. Concentrating her extremis ability, she maintained her body-heat in the vacuum of space. Combining that, life-support, and a touch of the healing spell, she clung to Thor's back as they floated in space among the rubble. She couldn't let go if she wanted to. Her fingers were frostbitten and stuck in place.

There was no telling how much time had passed. It could've been five minutes, an hour, days... Perhaps not days.

The air was getting more and more difficult to suck out of the stupid tube. All the 02 was getting used up quicker than she thought it would. The end was near, and she welcomed it. With Loki gone, there was nothing left to live for. She was getting cold. Space was starting to nip and bite at her skin. Each cell was screaming. The water on her body slowly churned and began to boil. This was it. She was going to die and return to her beloved. She saw the light. A light. What… the..?

They crashed into glass. More specifically as she later learned, they landed on Peter Quill's ship. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She was on her back laying in a field of soft green grass under a tree. She wasn't alone, and was laughing about something she couldn't remember. Alice looked up and saw him. Loki, grinning down at her peeling the skin off an apple, leaning his shoulder against the bark of the tree. He said nothing. "You have to eat, you look half starved." She heard herself say.

"You need to be careful to not blow the candles out," He chuckled, taking a bite of the juicy apple. "You're stronger than that. It must survive." Alice stood up carefully, looking at Loki. The bright blue sky quickly turned grey within the blink of an eye. His skin, pasty and pale. Eyes bloodshot.

"What did you just say?" She asked, her throat suddenly hurting. He quickly turned away, vanishing behind the tree. Alice ran to him. "Loki!" She cried, turning around to where he ran only to have Thanos emerge from the other side, an impossibility that shattered her concept of reality. Her eyes glowed ember red.

"Alice" He called her out.

"I'm gonna kill you!" She screamed, lunging at the titan.

Thor was knelt down over her, calling her name aboard the ship. He was the first to wake. Everyone was afraid she had died except for Mantis, who could still feel her intense emotions. Her eyes shot open and she grabbed Thor with molten hot hands, still thinking he was Thanos. Peter and Rocket had their guns pointed at her as she tackled the thunder god. Thor winced in pain from the heat, grabbing her wrists.

"Easy easy easy, it's just me!" Thor tried shushing Alice, looking over at everyone else.

"She's fine, just give us a moment." Alice slowly realized it was Thor and not Thanos.

The moment she did she sat in his lap, clung to him like a child. He sighed, eye rolling. He was starting to notice a pattern starting from when they first met. He was always her shoulder to cry on. It used to bother him, but not anymore. This time he welcomed the human's embrace. They both lost someone they loved. Mutual mourning.

"We will avenge him and I will kill him, Alice. For all of Asgard." He promised.

"If you don't I'll kill you myself." She joked.

He made a forced laugh, patting her back. This human woman was the last thing he had to remember Loki by. Spite not being around all those years he could tell she had gotten close to his brother's heart. He had to honor it. Avenge it. For Loki and her. After another moment or so, she composed herself and they were all introduced to the Guardians of the Galaxy. If Thor was going to have a chance of taking the mad titan down, he needed a new weapon. Confusing Rocket as the rabbit captain, he left with the raccoon and Groot, leaving Alice behind with them. They were going to search for Thanos right then while he did that. She still felt cold. She sat down at a round table. Mantis tried comforting her with a variety of small drinks. She only accepted because her body needed to heal. They were officially on their way to planet Titan.

Starlord had a reading on a live ship.

Time to kick the names, take the ass.

*[Back to full circle on Titan after Tony, Peter, and Strange meet the Guardians and Alice.]

The moment Thanos arrived to his home planet, Titan, he was greeted by Dr. Strange. He was bait as Tony crashed a building on him. Everyone attacked all at once when he emerged out from the rubble. Spiderman, Peter, Alice, Drax, Mantis, Tony, Strange. They gave their all. They managed, at one point, to be able to pin him down. Spiderman almost had the gauntlet off him with Mantis subduing him, but Peter Quill ruined it the second he found out Gamora was killed in place of the soul stone. The fight raged on.

Tony threw a piece of metal at Alice. "Can't spare much but have at it!"

Seconds later, Alice had a partial ironman suit made of nano-metal that crawled up from her hands up to her arms in the form of full sleeves, leaving the rest of her body exposed. It worked just fine. Loki's dagger in a metal hand, Alice went straight for Thanos when she had the opportunity. He grabbed her by the arm and chuckled.

"You're alive. I'm impressed." He said as he tossed her like a rag doll, kilometers away.

Tony struggled and was on the defense as Thanos destroyed more and more of his protective suit. His legs and arms became hammers, bashing him over and over. With a touch of momentum and luck, he managed to scratch his face.

"All that for a drop of blood." Thanos chuckled.

They were fist to fist, until Tony activated a long nano sword. Thanos saw it the moment it happened. He took the blade and ripped it out of Tony's hand, lunging it straight through his side. Sharp. Hot. Searing pain. He couldn't breathe. Thanos moved him back ward. His large hand petted the human's head. "You have my respect, Stark. When this is over, half of humanity will still be alive." The titan promised.

Alice came stumbling back with her propeller boots at half capacity. She saw him stab her brother. Tony, bleeding out. Her entire body was ember red.

"You took the man I love! You won't take my only family!" She screamed, holding a large metal pipe, flying at Thanos. She swung at his head and managed to knock him sideways. Alice tumbled to the ground with her legs and knees skidding to a hault. Her eyes red and glowing, her skin was transparent and molten. Every vein visible. Instead of exhaling water vapor, she exhaled smoke. Her hair had been scorched by her own flames. There was a feral streak in the way she looked at the mad titan.

Tony stared at her, seeing how his sister seemed to be nearly on fire. Both of them knew how she couldn't sustain that temperature for long before growing unstable. She could literally explode. Thanos sighed, looking at her. "You don't look so good."

"I feel just fine." She growled, quickly looking over at Tony. Strange had gone to work helping him remove the blade from his side. Her brother coughed up blood, which made hers boil over.

"It's a shame, you might've actually been an asset to me." Thanos cracked his knuckles, going for her.

"Fuck off scrotum face." Alice said, running then ducking down. Her strategy was unpredictability. The second she was under the titan, she cut his leg with Loki's dagger in attempt to sever tendons. All she did was cut fabric. Quick as lightning Thanos turned and punched at her, hitting the ground with dirt and rock flying through the air. She made an uppercut punch. He punched back, shattering every bone in her fist. She fell back. Thanos grabbed her entire torso with his entire hand and dragged her through the dirt. Smoke followed after her as the soil cooled her body temperature, snuffing out her flame much like a camper shovels mud over a campfire.

She kicked her propelled boots, slamming them into his forearm, forcing him to let go. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to escape. Thanos gripped her hair and threw her at Tony. She nearly landed on him, instead her face met rock, breaking her jaw.

She coughed up blood. With a pained grunt, Tony knelt down over her in a protective stance as Thanos followed. He pressed his foot lightly over her back. She cried in pain, gripping to her brother's ankles. He was too weak to help her. Thanos only set a fraction of his weight over the woman's back, of which was already broken. "Tony!" She cried as her brother made a defeated sigh, reaching out for him.

"Give me the time stone, or I'll let her kill all of you." Thanos threatened. If he pressed all his weight down, her Extremis would overwhelm her body, causing an explosion the equivalent of a large bomb only he would be able to survive.

"Do it!" Alice hissed through her teeth.

She had nothing to lose… They weren't going to live through it anyway. If the hulk couldn't even do it, or Thor… Or any of them… They were all dead. Tony held her hands, laying there with her. "You did your best, kid. Proud of you. True Avenger spirit." He grunted with a sad laugh.

"Wait." Strange stepped up, offering the stone to the titan.

"Don't." Tony looked at him with confusion.

He did anyway. Alice gasped for air as Thanos stepped away from her, taking the time stone. Within moments, the titan was gone, all of them broken, defeated, half dead. All she could do was lay there while her body healed itself. Tony sealed his injury more carefully. Why did Strange do that? Why? It completely contradicted to what he said on Earth. If Strange had to choose between his life and the time stone, he would save the stone. Tony suspected he knew something they didn't.

Alice layed on her back, staring up at a mud red sky. She pretended for a moment she was on Mars. The soil and sky were similar enough. She lifted a hand up to the sky. "…We were going to start a family. When Asgard was destroyed. We were going to make you Unkle Tony." She chuckled with a sniffle.

Tony swallowed the bit of bile that rose from his stomach. He loved his sister, but he still had an issue accepting Loki. He tolerated him for her sake. It would've been nice to have their family grow, though. He knew he wanted kids, too. It wasn't likely going to happen. Alice slowly got to her feet. Her eyes, blank with a thousand yard stare.

"He's probably on Earth, now." Alice said to everyone in a monotone voice.

"Yeah.." Tony sighed. He never felt so helpless in his life. There was no telling who was still alive. He had no idea if Pepper was okay. There he was, off planet. He was such an idiot to think any of this would work. "Don't give up hope. We've fought bigger demons. We'll get him." He said with false optimism.

Alice smiled, but without warmth. "Demons are all that's left in this world." She said looking down at him with bitterness. She didn't mean to be so cold and depressing. She had just experienced some of the worst pain she had ever endured, and not the physical kind.

There was a dull roar beneath their feet.

"Something is happening." Mantis said. Everyone turned to her the moment her body turned to ash. Everyone stopped breathing in shock. Tony stood up with alertness beside his sister. She made an exasperated chuckle, extending her hand out to his shoulder.

Starlord was panicked and looked to Tony.

"Steady, Quill?"

"Oh, man.." Peter Quill breathed moments after turning to dust, disappearing before everyone's eyes. He did it. Thanos did it. That's the only way this was happening. Dr. Strange sat there quietly. No final words. Just the look of defeat as he drifted away and turned to dust.

"Mr. Stark, I don't feel so good." Peter Parker started.

He ran into Tony's arms begging for his life. They fell on the ground. He was soon gone. Tony felt Alice kneel over to them. She hugged her brother from behind smiling, gritting her teeth. Parker turned to dust and Tony fell forward in his ashes. They were gone. Drax turned to ash moments later as well.

"Survive, Tony." She said quietly, seeing her hand begin to disintegrate.

He turned his head and stared at her.

"No.." He groaned, feeling numb. It was all he could do to not totally crack. Alice couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. She was going to see him again. Her beloved god of mischief. At the same time it would've been somewhat nice to have been able to stay. Her days were numbered long before Thanos reared her ugly head. She was just grateful she was able to spend what little time she had left to have met him. It was finally time to return to him.

"It's okay." She sighed.

"No, it's not." His voice cracked.

Tony reached out for her, grabbed her, and soon after lost it as Alice Stark, his one and only baby sister, the last living relative, quickly turned to ash and disappeared with a smile on her face. She was gone. Everyone was gone. He was the only one left…

The flame was stuffed out. Gone.

The silence was unbearable.

A death is not the extinguishing of a light,
but the putting out of the lamp
because the dawn has come.

Life is given to us,
we earn it by giving it.

Let the dead have the immortality of fame,
but the living the immortality of love.

Life's errors cry for the merciful beauty
that can modulate their isolation into a
harmony with the whole.

Life, like a child, laughs,
shaking its rattle of death as it runs.

Tigore

Thank you all. It was fun and therapeutic writing this. Have a good one.