Here we are, the final chapter. First, I'd just like to thank everyone who has stuck with me throughout this, it means a lot. It's been a wild ride and I thank you for going on it with me.

Darth Vader: Your overconfidence is your weakness, my lord.

Loki Doki: Redeem Scott for what, going with Steve because, for all he knew, a bunch of psycho Assassins were going to be released on the world? What exactly does Scott need to be redeemed for? I'm genuinely asking because I don't think Scott needs redemption because, aside from going to jail prior to Antman, I don't think Scott has ever done anything to warrant redemption. Scott's reaction is pretty much how most people would react upon meeting Steve; I would have been surprised if someone like Scott had reacted any other way to meeting Steve. Honestly, no. Aside from the fact that doing something with someone just because they're famous is a very dangerous precedent, Tony has a history of making some really stupid decisions that put those closest to him in danger. And this is coming from someone who considers Tony one of his favorite characters. I usually don't take prompts, no.

Iron Heart 3000: Yes, it's been on AO3 since the first chapter.

Jinero: Three weeks or so before Lagos and another month before The Accords.

Green Hal37: Thank you. No kidding, I rented it once for purely research purposes and it was physically painful watching that movie. Glad to hear it.

Guest 2.0: Both really. Aside from the fact that the logic of the Skrulls being good makes little sense, making the main villains of such a huge Arc in the comics good is stupid. It's like if halfway through the original Star Wars, it's revealed the rebels are holding imperials hostage and Luke then decides, because of this revelation, that the Empire is not so bad. Stupid, no?

Guest 2: the whole point of the Skrull/Kree war was that neither side was good. The war had been going on for thousands of years; no one's hands are clean after that. I doubt it, because the MCU writers do not seem to have an idea what to do now that they've lost Spider-Man and Carol wasn't very well received like they'd hoped.

Guest 3: The only people there I can recall who didn't know Tony were The Pym/Van Dynns. Everyone else had met Tony at least once and Hank, Hope and Janet were likely there for Scott.

As opposed to some of the previous meals shared between them, this one was quiet, filled with silence as the past Avengers attempted to process everything they had learned. It was quite a lot to process, after all. Barton waited until he was sure that they were all done eating before he spoke.

"I know you're still processing everything, but there are still a few things you need to know," Barton said as the past Avengers all looked over at him.

"Let me guess, more bad news?" Clint grumbled.

"That depends on how you look at it," Strange said, confusing them.

"What?" Sam asked confused.

"Fitz, you wanna take it from here?" Barton said and Fitz groaned as they all looked over at him.

"You are the absolute worst," Fitz grumbled and Barton shrugged.

"Stop whining and get to it Dexter," Tony said and Fitz sighed.

"Okay, but this isn't exactly going to be easy to hear," Fitz said as he tried to find he words. "I'm sure you know that SHIELD is still around."

Indeed they did. The news reports from Congress had roused their suspicions and Hill had confirmed to Tony that a group of agents had reformed the organization not long after the Hydra uprising under the leadership of a veteran agent. Although she claimed she didn't know who it was, Tony had his doubts about that, feeling like she was hiding something.

"Yeah, we know," Steve said.

"What about it?" Clint asked and Fitz sighed.

"Don't kill the messenger. The new director…its Coulson," Fitz said and waited to see their reactions.

He wasn't disappointed.

"What?!" Thor exclaimed shocked.

"That's not possible, he died six years ago," Steve said shocked.

"What is this, some kind of sick joke?" Clint asked in a low, deadly voice as Natasha glared at Fitz like she was finding it hard not to pull out her gun and shoot him.

"Easy, calm down and let him explain," Parker tried to calm everyone.

"Well he better talk fast," Tony said his voice almost a growl.

"Coulson did die, that's true," Fitz admitted. "But then Fury stepped in."

"Fury, of course h was involved," Tony said laughing bitterly. "Let me guess, Coulson's death was staged?"

"No, it was real, every second of it. Like I said, Coulson did die by Loki's hand," Fitz shook his head with a sigh. "Years earlier, Fury developed Project TAHITI, a serum which was designed to revive a fallen Avenger."

"If this Project Tahiti was meant to revive us, why is it none of have heard of it?" Thor demanded.

"Because there were…side effects," Fitz said with a shutter as he remembered Coulson during the after effects of the serum. "All the people who were tested suffered what appeared to be complete mental breakdowns, carving strange symbols into whatever surface they could get their hands on and insisting they 'needed to know'. Project TAHITI was shut down and the test subjects had their memories erased and were given new memories, new lives."

"And then Fury used the serum bring Coulson back," Natasha realized and Fitz nodded.

"It…wasn't pretty. By the time they were able to bring Coulson back, he'd lost the will to live. So Fury modified his memories, made him think he'd taken a vacation instead, but Coulson eventually remembered everything. After the fall of SHIELD, Fury made Coulson director because he was the only person he felt like he could trust with the job," Fitz said and it was silent for a few moments as the original Avengers processed this.

"Who else knew about Coulson being alive?" Natasha demanded as she looked at Fitz.

"Aside from the team Coulson had been assigned, consisting of me and four other agents, everyone who had at least level seven clearance…and Sif," Fitz said and Thor started.

"Sif?" Thor demanded shocked and Fitz nodded.

"Lorelai escaped and headed to earth. Sif pursued her and crossed our paths. Coulson made her promise not to tell you because he wanted to tell you himself," Fitz explained.

As Thor processed this, Steve, Tony, Natasha and Clint exchanged displeased looks. Once again, Fury had lied and manipulated them. And it hadn't just been him; Hill was in on it as well. How were they supposed to trust them when every time they tuned around, there another lie, another secret Fury kept from them?

"I'm not gonna defend them," Barton said, bring them back to the present. "God knows I didn't exactly take it well when I found out, I didn't speak to Fury or Hill for over a year. But there are more important things than petty grudges."

"The Accords, Zemo, Killmonger, Hela, Ava and Foster, Thanos, we have quite a list of problems to deal with," Tony noted as the past Avengers all exchanged grim looks.

"We have our work cut out for us," Steve noted as they all nodded.

"Well, we can help you out with that a little bit," Parker said as they looked at him confused.

"How?" Wanda asked curiously.

"Thor, Tony, go with Fitz, he has something he wants to show the two of you," Barton said.

Fitz stood up and, after a moment, Tony and Thor did as well, torn between skepticism and curiosity as they followed the engineer out of the room.

"Cap, I'd like a word in my office," Barton said as he stood up. "The rest of you can talk among yourselves for a bit."

Fitz led Thor and Tony into the lab before heading over to a table as he looked around for something.

"So, what exactly is it you want to show us?" Thor inquired.

"Just a minute…there," Fitz said as he picked up a remote and pressed a button.

Immediately, a hologram appeared on the holotable. It was of a vortex, red and brown colors swirled around it as Tony and Thor stared at it, wondering what exactly that was.

"Hey, Cisco, what is this?" Tony demanded.

"A portal, to the Negative Zone," Fitz explained. "It was discovered by SHIELD not long after the Skrull invasion. Basically, it's an anti-matter universe that exists parallel to ours with some key differences. It's basically an endless void of space charged with negative energy. SHIELD and the Avengers began to use it as a prison or sorts, we send the most dangerous threats we encounter there."

"This is all fascinating, but why show this to use?" Tony asked but Thor had caught on.

"You think the Negative Zone can hold Hela," Thor realized and Fitz nodded.

"When Barton first started this plan, I started coordinating with Hank and Janet and our Thor, we think the negative energy, as well as being away from Asgard, should be able to strip Hela of her powers," Fitz explained as he looked over at them. "It's only a theory, but it's the best solution we've been able to come up on how to stop Hela without destroying Asgard."

"Okay, but how do we access it?" Tony asked, his mind already working on how to get Hela there.

"Strange. He has access to the multiverse; he can help you find it," Fitz explained.

"Thank you Agent Fitz," Thor said gratefully.

"Thank me by making sure this future never happens," Fitz said grimly.

On the other side of the tower, Barton led Steve into his office, Steve looking around at all the changes to it since he had been here.

"Hope you don't mind I made myself at home," Barton joked and Steve shrugged.

"Your house. So what did you want to talk to me about?" Steve inquired as Barton began looking around for something.

"Just a minute…here it is," Barton said as he pulled out a file.

"What's so special about this file?" Steve inquired as Barton walked over to him.

"This file is Shuri's. It documents every step of Bucky's rehabilitation," Barton said and Steve started. "Considering T'Chaka is still king, I doubt he'll let Shuri help him. But you have access to Helen Cho and a telepath, I think you can use this to help Bucky all on your own."

"Thank you Clint," Steve said, staring down at the file before looking back at Barton. "Bucky…is he…"

"He's happy," Barton assured him and a weight was lifted from Steve's shoulders. "He had some trouble finding his place for a bit, but he made a life for himself. He's got a wife and a kid now, he and Sam work together a lot."

"Good, that's good," Steve said, glad Bucky got a happy ending even without him.

"Barnes is okay, him and so is Wanda," Barton said and Steve sighed.

"You were right…I did abandon her," Steve muttered.

"Yeah, you did," Barton acknowledged. "But so did I. After Thanos, I went back to my family, not even thinking about her, what she'd lost…I abandoned her when she needed me. When she needed me most, I wasn't there."

"She seems to have forgiven you for that," Steve noted as Barton paused and the other man smiled tightly.

"Doesn't mean you forgive yourself," Barton said and Steve nodded. "She doesn't hate you you know."

"Could've fooled me. And I don't blame her," Steve said with a sigh.

"After you left, things got pretty dark there for her," Barton said, his eyes haunted as he remembered going into Wanda's room to find her staring ahead, completely unresponsive. "In the space of what felt like a day to her, she lost Vision and Nat. I went back to my family, you went back in time, and Sam was focused on living up to you. We all forgot about her…until we saw what it cost."

"What happened to her?" Steve said with a pit in his stomach as Barton shook his head.

"Doesn't matter, it's not your burden to bear," Barton said as he looked at Steve. "Afterwards, Fury was able to get a psychiatrist, one he trusted, to help her. She worked through a lot of her issues, with me, her parents, even Pietro. But whenever her shrink tried to broach the subject of you leaving, she would shut down, all the progress he'd made would've been lost. So eventually, we dropped the subject entirely. Her shrink told me she'd begun to associate you leaving with her darkest moment, she couldn't face it, couldn't face you. Now she has no choice but to face you and its bringing up all the feelings she's repressed for ten years to the surface."

"And she doesn't know how to deal with it," Steve realized and Barton nodded.

"You feel like you need to make up for what you did in the recordings? Talk to her," Barton told him as Steve got a thoughtful look on his face.

In the training room, Lila fired an arrow, hitting the target dead center.

"Nice shot," Natasha said as she observed from the doorway.

"Thanks," Lila said as she lowered her bow, a tense silence filling the room.

"I'm sorry," Natasha said and Lila looked at her confused.

"For what?"

"For not being there to watch you and your brothers grow up," Natasha said simply and Lila was silent for a few moments.

"We knew you'd have been there if you could," Lila said, looking like she was fighting back tears. "It didn't mean we didn't miss you. And dad, he was never the same after he lost you. It was like part of him died that day to."

If Lila was anything like her father, and Natasha was starting to think she was a lot like Clint, then she knew Lila wouldn't want to talk about it anymore. So Natasha walked over and pulled the younger woman into a hug. Wordlessly, Lila returned the embrace, burying her face in Natasha's shoulder, breathing her in as Natasha stroked Lila's hair, the same way she'd done when Lila was a little girl.

Steve walked back into the kitchen, the file in his hand, deep in thought. As he entered, he saw that Scott and Peter were talking to Parker, laughing at something Parker was saying. Sam was sitting by Rhodey, talking to him quietly, most likely trying to help Rhodey through what he'd just learned. Clint and T'Challa were talking as well, most likely about the Vibranium bow T'Challa had promised Clint. Vision was staring into space, as he did when he was considering a problem that had all of his focus. Wanda was sitting by Scarlet, who was talking to her gently, nodding at what Scarlet was saying. Scarlet suddenly stopped as Steve approached.

"Am I interrupting?" Steve asked politely.

"No, we were just finishing up," Scarlet said neutrally before turning to Wanda. "Just…remember what I told you, okay?"

Wanda nodded, looking like she was processing whatever Scarlet had told her as Scarlet looked at Steve.

"Can I help you?" Scarlet inquired as politely as she could.

"Can we talk…privately?" Steve asked and, after a moment, Scarlet nodded.

Scarlet stood up and walked out, leading Steve down the hall. Wanda watched them go, her mind on Scarlet's words as Clint sat down next to her.

"You okay kid?" Clint asked and she nodded.

"Yeah. She just...gave me some advice," Wanda said as she frowned, deep in thought.

Scarlet led Steve into the living room before turning around to face him.

"Well?" she asked as she crossed her arms. "You have something you want to say to me, so say it."

"I'm sorry," Steve said, taking her back. "I'm sorry that I abandoned you in a time when you needed me. I know you still have a lot of anger at me for what I did…and I understand. I hope one day, you can forgive me. I know 'I'm sorry' will never make up for it, but I still have to say it. The way he abandoned you…I won't abandon my Wanda. I hope that makes up for it."

For a long moment, Scarlet was silent, staring at him emotionlessly. When she spoke, the reserved, slightly angry undertone of her voice that she had addressed him with was gone. In its place was a calm, almost wistful voice.

"Ever since I met you, you were the one person who I could always count on to be there for me," Scarlet said as she finally looked Steve in the eyes. "I know five years passed for you, but for me, Vision and Natasha's deaths happened within hours of each other. Then you left and you didn't seem to think enough of me to even say goodbye. It was easier for me to hate you than to deal with that."

"I'm sorry," Steve repeated but Scarlet shook her head.

"Don't apologize. I realize it's not fair of me to blame you for what he did," Scarlet said with a sigh. "I'm sorry that I have been."

"All the same, I'm sorry that he abandoned you," Steve said and she nodded.

"Thank you Steve," Scarlet said gratefully, confusing him.

"For what?" he asked and she smiled.

"For giving me closure, for helping me move on," Scarlet said simply.

Scarlet and Steve returned to the room as Fitz returned with Thor and Tony, who were deep in conversation. None of them were sure what it was about, but they caught the words 'Negative Zone' and 'Strange' a few times. Natasha and Lila entered from another hallway, eying Tony and Thor with the same odd expression the rest of the pas Avengers were giving them.

"So, who's ready to go home?" Barton asked as he walked into the room.

"How does this work exactly? Strange just drop us back where we came from?" Sam asked but Strange shook his head.

"Even I don't have that power. Using the Quantum Tunnel, I can grab objects from the past and bring them to the future, but unfortunately, I can't send things back," Strange said.

"So how do we get back then?" Rhodey asked confused.

"The old fashion way," Fitz said as he pulled out a vial of Pym Particles. "Through the Tunnel."

A little later, everyone entered the lab, the past Avengers each fitted with a Quantum Suit and Thor and Natasha's hair tied back. Fitz led them over to a Quantum Tunnel; nearly identical to the one Thanos had destroyed when he arrived in 2023.

"So we just push a button and we all end up back where we were a moment after we left?" Clint asked and Fitz nodded.

"You should end up at your home; Tony should end up at the Tower, Peter in Queens, Scott in San Francisco, and T'Challa in the Wakandian Palace. I hope you don't mind Thor, but I took the liberty of setting the coordinates so you'd end up on Asgard," Fitz said and Thor nodded.

"Thank you Agent Fitz. I need to have a talk with my brother…and Lady Sif," Thor said with a look in his eyes that made everyone glad they were not Loki or Sif.

"The rest of you should end up back at the Compound," Fitz said and they nodded.

"Thank you, all of you," Steve said as he looked at the future Avengers gratefully. "You've given us a chance to make a different future. We won't waste it."

"We'll hold you to that Cap," Lila said with a slight smile.

"Before we forget, we have a gift," Parker said as pulled something out of his pocket. "Compliments of Pepper and my wife."

He put whatever it was on the floor before pulling out what looked like car keys. He pressed a button and the item enlarged to reveal a briefcase. Parker knelt down and turned it around before opening it, revealing what was inside. What appeared to be twelve silver cell phones with a small Avengers symbol on the screen stared up at them.

"You got us cell phones?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Not exactly," Parker said.

"They're called Avenger phones," Scarlet said with a grin. "Stark Industries created them not long after the Skrull Invasion. It's basically a cell phone that only works for you."

"It's keyed into your Biometrics, it can't be fooled by a shapeshifter like a Skrull and it also can't be hacked. Pepper made absolute sure of that," Parker said as he handed one out to each of them. "Just place your thumb on the A and it'll do a scan of your DNA."

"This is so awesome," Peter said in awe, placing his thumb on the symbol and there was a light as he was scanned.

"Super awesome," Scott said excitedly.

"Before you go, one more thing. Could you all step back a little?" Strange requested.

The past Avengers exchanged bewildered glances but did as requested, walking back a few inches. Strange then made a movement with his hands and an orange circle opened up in the ceiling. Something fell out and it landed with a loud bang on the floor where they had been standing a few moments earlier.

"I thought it best to return it before you return," Strange said as Thor laughed.

"Thank you Wizard," Thor said before holding out his hand and Mjolnir flew into his hand.

"I think that's everything," Parker said and it was silent for a few moments.

"I suppose this is where we part then," T'Challa noted.

"Yeah, guess it is," Barton said, suddenly fighting himself not to break down.

"Bye Auntie Nat," Lila said, in a similar state to her father.

"Hey, don't be sad, either of you," Natasha said as she walked over, grabbing Lila's hand and looking over at Barton. "You gave us a gift. You are both heroes and I'm proud of both of you. Feel good about that. Don't dwell on what you can't change."

"I love you," Lila said tearfully as she grabbed Natasha hug.

"I love you to," Natasha said as she hugged Lila back, suddenly fighting her own tears.

Everyone else looked away awkwardly, feeling like they were intruding on a private moment. After a few moments, Natasha led Lila go and turned towards Barton.

"Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault. I would've jumped whether it was you or anyone else up on that ledge with me. It wasn't your fault," Natasha said gently.

Barton looked away, trying not to break down. Even so, a weight was lifted from his shoulders as relief filled him in a way that was impossible to explain to someone who hadn't lived it. Unable to speak, he just nodded.

"Everyone ready?" Fitz asked after a few moments had passed.

"Yeah," Natasha nodded.

Everyone was silent as the past Avengers all walked onto the Tunnel. Barton felt a sense of Déjà vu come over him as everyone's helmets emerged, covering their heads. Everyone looked back at the future Avengers, who only watched silently as Fitz got the Quantum Tunnel ready.

"You're good to go," Fitz said.

"We'll make sure this never happens, whatever it takes," Steve promised.

"I'll hold you to that Cap," Barton said with a weak smile and Steve nodded.

And then, as one, the twelve of them pressed the button and there was a flash of light. The past Avengers vanished, returning to their own time, leaving the future Avengers staring at the spot where they had left, hoping it hadn't all been for nothing.

Well, there you have it. I will do a sequel, just not sure when yet.

What Scarlet told Wanda will be revealed in the sequel.

Some of you have complained about Scarlet's attitude towards Steve and that attitude was intentional. Wanda is, to be blunt, someone who perfectly embodies unhealthy coping methods. All you have to is look at how she dealt with her parents and Pietro's deaths and how she basically dismisses Vision's borderline abusive actions in Civil War to see she doesn't deal with trauma well. In the wake of Steve's departure, I can picture Wanda either pushing down her feelings on the matter, avoiding her emotions or actually demonizing Steve in her head in order to cope. In any case, when she then sees Steve in the story, she just doesn't know how to deal with it because she never properly dealt with the loss of Steve when it happened.

Not sure how well I did on the Steve/Scarlet scene, so hope I did okay there.