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Steve was enjoying a peaceful early morning breakfast with Bucky when it happened.
The sky was just showing hints of light at the table in the Compound’s kitchen, sharing a companionable silence with his best pal. Steve had no idea what Bucky was thinking about, but Steve himself was pondering over the last few months.
The media dubbed Civil War had finally blown over and Toni had finally seen some sense. Presidential pardons were issued to the team, and after a whole year in Wakanda they could return home. T’Challa’s generosity had been great, but it just wasn’t the Compound. The young king had held a meeting and mentioned something about the Accords, new members, and a probation time, but Steve hadn’t really been paying attention.
They were going home.
He was practically chomping at the bit to see Toni again and maybe they could finally make on that small cautious relationship that had blossomed between them official. Sure, he was angry the brunette had tried to kill Bucky, but Steve would forgive her with time. Toni would have to be benched until the entire team could trust her again, especially Wanda and Clint, but Steve would make sure the Iron Queen suit was passed on to someone worthy. He might even let Toni run coms.
Of course the woman had to be difficult about it.
The team arrived at the Compound on a Tuesday. The passengers of the quinjet had been surprised to see some unfamiliar faces waiting for them alongside the remaining Avengers.
“T’Challa did say Toni recruited some new members,” Sam had said.
”Probably already corrupted by her, then” Clint grumbled.
Steve couldn’t bring himself to chide the archer. He had received divorce papers from Laura a week before their scheduled departure. Poor Clint had been reasonably upset, vowing to get revenge on Toni and keep his wife safe from the playgirl’s ‘influences.’ Steve hoped that what he implied wasn’t the case, but Toni did have a reputation of taking women in a relationship to bed.
“I can help with that,” Wanda offered. Her hands sparked with scarlet flames, wisps curing outward.
Out of the corner of his eye, Steve noticed Bucky slink back away from her. He sighed inwardly. He had hoped Buck would be understanding towards the young girl, especially with their similar backgrounds of being under HYDRA’s rule. Unfortunately, his friend wanted nothing to do with her. Steve had left it for later, hoping some time would do the trick.
”I’m sure once you talk to Laura it will all be smoothed out,” Natasha soothed, putting her hand on Clint’s shoulder. “Laura would never cheat on you.”
”I don’t know, Hank always said not to trust a Stark,” Scott said.
Whatever Clint’s reply would have been, it was cut off by the quinjet touching down with a jolt. The ramp lowered slowly, sunlight streaming into the cabin. As leader, Steve was the first one off.
He quickly scanned the small assembly before him. There was a tall blond woman, military judging by her stance, on the very left. Her pressed business skirt and suit combo along with the stern set to her mouth had Steve straightening his back involuntarily. She began to remind him of Peggy, so he quickly moved on.
Next to her stood Rhodes. He looked great, and Steve was happy to note that he seemed as good as new with the braces Toni had undoubtedly built for him.
Vision was at the Colonel’s shoulder wearing a sweater vest and slacks. Wanda brightened at Steve’s side when she saw him.
“Viz,” she breathed with excited eyes.
”Miss Maximoff,” the android greeted. Wanda’s face fell at his cold apathy projected in the two simple words and his expression. Steve made note to talk to him about it.
On the very right was Spider-Man, visibly bouncing on his toes in excitement. He was in full uniform, much to Steve’s displeasure. How could the team trust someone in a mask? He added ‘get Toni to tell us Spider-Man’s identity’ to his to-do list.
The man next him placed a hand on the vigilante’s shoulder, seeming to calm his never ending energy. He was dressed in a blue tunic, a necklace with a ridiculously large amulet in the shape of an eye, and an ostentatious red cape. He had a carefully styled goatee and grey hair streaking his temples even though he didn’t seem that old. His face portrayed an emotion that obnoxiously screamed ‘bored’.
Finally, Steve let himself take in Toni’s appearance. Toni looked, well, Toni looked amazing. She wore a beautiful red blouse and skimpy gold skirt that made Steve want to wrap her up and say ‘mine’. Her makeup was done flawlessly, all sharp lines and angles, winged eyeliner making her eyes enchanting and a subtle highlight causing her cheekbones to look like you could cut your finger on them if you weren’t careful. Steve remembered days when she would get up after a wonderful night together and let him watch as she got ready for the day. Toni had her hair pulled up in a complicated bun, and her crimson lipstick painted her lips like blood. Her tall high heels added several inches to her height.
The only thing that ruined her look was the arc reactor, once again in her chest. C’mon Toni, you don’t need that anymore, Steve thought. Then he was distracted by a flash of light on her wrist. It was a simple black metal band, probably black plated gold, but Steve noticed that everyone else beside her had one too.
Realizing no one had spoken yet, Steve gave them a friendly smile. “It’s good to be back. It’s been too long.”
”Whose fault is that?” Rhodes asked coldly, body tensing. Toni waved a hand at him and he backed down, but not without a sneer.
”Stop, we don’t need to make a scene,” she murmured quietly, but Steve’s enhanced hearing picked it up. “You can kick their asses later during training.”
”Toni,” Steve admonished.
Toni ignored him. “There have been some changes around here since you left.”
”No shit, Sherlock,” Clint grouched, and for some reason Toni and Stephen shared a small smile. “What?”
”Nothing, just an extra dimensional inside joke,” Toni said, as if that explained everything.
”Care to introduce us?” Natasha asked, stepping forward and gesturing to the group around the billionaire.
The woman next to Rhodes cleared her throat. “I am Colonel Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel, current leader of the Avengers Initiative.”
There was an outcry from Steve and his team. Danvers held her hand up for silence. “Please wait until I am finished to comment.”
Steve was pretty sure he could see Rhodes and goatee man trading bets behind her back, but he didn’t know what they were for.
“This is Dr. Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme and retired neurosurgeon,” she continued and Strange nodded. “And Spider-Man, who I’m sure you’ve already met. There are others waiting inside, but you’ll be introduced later.” Spider-Man waggled his fingers in an imitation of a wave.
”Mr. Lang,” Toni piped up. “Ms. Van Dyne is waiting for you inside. I suggest you head there immediately. On the other side of that door is someone to lead you to her.” Scott gulped and nodded his head. They all watched as he took off towards the building.
Danvers looked at Steve. “Any questions so far?”
”Yeah,” Sam raised his hand. “What do you mean you’re leader of the Avengers? Steve’s our leader.”
Danvers furrowed her brow. “Did you not read the packet’s King T’Challa gave you?”
”Of course we didn’t.” Clint rolled his eyes. “We’ve been pardoned. What more is there to know?”
Strange smirked at Rhodes and beckoned his hand. Rhodes pouted and handed back whatever Strange had give him before.
”Mr. Rogers is no longer in charge of the Avengers Initiative nor those who fall under it. As is, none of you are currently active duty. Once the probation period has passed, and you finish all of your tests, you will either be place under my or Colonel Rhodes’ command.”
There was a moment of silence as the information sunk in, then Wanda screeched.
”It’s all your fault! You-you bitch!” She summoned her powers and before Steve could calm her down, she lashed out at Toni.
Several things happened at once.
Toni jerked violently, even as the red mist bounced of a golden shield around her that had most definitely not been there before.
Strange’s cape flew off his shoulder and wrapped itself around Wanda, successfully limiting her movement.
Strange himself flicked his hands at the young girl and golden whips shot out. They wrapped around her wrists and ate away at the magic pouring from them.
Toni was suddenly enveloped in the Iron Queen armour, which appeared out of nowhere. Repulsers flared to life and were aimed at Steve’s team.
”Your move, Witchey,” she said.
”Miss Maximoff,” Strange commanded sternly. “That is strike one. Two more and I will be forced to take action and bind your powers.”
The glowing ropes tightened in warning before disintegrating. Toni whistled, and Strange’s flying red blanket returned to its master’s side. It gave Spider-Man a high five.
”What the hell...?” Sam asked.
”Your rooms are exactly as you left them, east wing is off limits,” Toni said, the speakers making her voice sound emotionless. She spun on her heel and strode back to the Compound, the others flanking her. As soon as they disappeared inside, Clint spoke up.
”What the fuck? What the fuck just happened?”
Steve shook his head, keeping silent with his lack of an answer.
That had been two weeks ago.
Steve and the others hadn’t seen Scott since then, and the other residents of the Compoud hardly more than that. Needless to say, Steve was surprised when Toni entered the cafeteria at five in the morning, obviously dressed for a day of business. She had on a navy suit, sleeve reaching her wrists, makeup done flawlessly, and tinted sunglasses perched on the crown her hair was arranged into. Steve couldn’t help but focus his attention on the black gold band still around her wrist. She adjusted her bra and headed towards the coffee maker.
”Toni,” Steve said as the genius reached for the mugs.
”Rogers,” Toni parroted, filling her cup up to the brim.
”We’re still friends, Toni,” Steve beckoned with a smile. “No need for last names.”
She shrugged and took a sip of her coffee, moaning loudly at the taste. Steve couldn’t help the way his thoughts followed the sound and how he used to draw it from her.
”I have a question,” Toni said into the silence. “A riddle of morals, if you will.”
”Okay?” Steve asked, glancing at Bucky. Buck seemed just as clueless.
”I was wondering if you could help me out,” Toni implored.
”Of course,” Steve said kindly. “We’ve been needing to talk anyway. Go ahead.”
”This is a true story, by the way. Someone witnessed the actual thing, and now I know it.” She took another swig of coffee. “Alright. So there’s a young girl. She lives in the middle of a war torn village, and the battle always rage on around her. So far so good?”
”Mhm,” Stee agreed.
Tony propped a hip up on the counter. “Her father fears for the safety of their village, so he makes weapons for the villagers to use to stay safe. The little girl wants to work in the forge with her father, but he always tells her no. ‘The forge is meant for men,’ he always says. ‘The best you can do is look pretty, and maybe we can find you a rich husband.’ This is one of his good days. The father is cruel at best abusive at worst. The age of three is when he starts physically hurting her. ‘A stupid daughter,’ he would yell as he broke her fingers. ‘I needed a son! And all I got was a worthless girl!’ And the young child couldn’t fight back, because she was smaller, weaker, and deep down thought he was right.”
”I thought this was a happy story,” Steve interrupted. Toni shook her head.
”I said this is a true story. Never said it was happy.”
Steve frowned with displeasure, but gestured with his hand. “Continue.”
”The mother never did anything, flits in and out of the house like a ghostly butterfly, comforting other families who lost someone or got hurt in the war, but never her own child. The only one the girl has is the family’s butler, a kind man who helps clean her wounds and tells her stories to fall asleep. Stories of a soldier and his dragon, who fought bravely in the war, both giving their lives for a cause they believe in. The father starts telling her these stories too, although not as kindly. ‘You see these two?’ He would ask and point at a painting of a handsome young man with a dragon at his side. ‘They are true heroes. God, I should have gotten him as a son.’
Eventually, the girl meets a man who works with her father. He comes around often enough that she calls him Uncle. Uncle is nice, calms the father down some when he’s angry, but his hand on her shoulder is just a little too tight to be comfortable, his eyes just a hair too sharp to be caring. The butler doesn’t like him, but the young girl looks up to him. ‘You are amazing,’ the Uncle says to her. ‘Smarter than your father, prettier than your mother. You will go places.’ “ Toni gulped down some more coffee.
"The butler sneaks the young girl some tools early one morning and the child begins to build. She builds and builds and within months her tiny room is filled with trinkets. Then she decides to build something for her father. ‘Maybe he’ll finally be proud of me,’ she thinks. She was wrong. She built him a weapon, and he takes one look at it, and tears it apart. ‘Worthless,’ he says and she can smell the alcohol on his breath when he comes after her. And she takes it. Doesn’t cry, hasn’t for a long time now because her family is supposed to be made of iron. And she lets him finish, let’s him get out all of his anger, and picks herself up and leaves when he tells her to. She falls into the arms of the butler that is more of a father to her than her biological one is, and dies.”
”What?” Steve blurted. “She can’t die! Why kind of story is this?”
Toni held up her hand, perfectly painted nails crimson and gold in the pale sunlight. “Let me finish.”
Steve settled back into his chair with a grumbled “fine.” Bucky patted him on the shoulder comfortingly, before turning back to Toni, who takes this as her cue.
”The young girl wakes up in a strange place. It’s all dark rocks and dim lights. She sits up and looks around, immediately noticing a beautiful woman dressed in robes of shadows at her feet. ‘That’s not how you really look,’ the girl says. The woman chuckles at her and drops the disguise. Half of her is still a beautiful maiden, the other half, a skeleton.
‘Hello, young one,’ the lady says. ‘Do you know where you are?’
‘Yes,’ the girl replies. ‘I am dead. And you are Lady Death.’
’Very good,’ the lady compliments. ‘I am Hela, goddess of death. Also known as just Lady Death. And you are in my realm. Yet, you should not be here. It is not your time.’
’So what happens now?’ The young girl asks.
’I must return you to your own place amongst the living,’ Death says sadly.
‘Do I have to?’ The young girl pouts. Hela laughs, but not cruelly.
‘Yes, you must. But not yet. Come, let us walk.’ She holds out her skeleton hand and the young girl takes it without a moments hesitation. She’s seen and touched bones before, most of them her own, and they don’t frighten her. Lady Death leads her to a dark river and they stroll slowly along the banks. ‘What is the matter, darling?’ The older asks the younger.
‘I don’t want to return,’ the girl says. ‘Everything hurts up there.’
’I know, my dear. But you must. You will have an extremely hard life, but you will change the world. Your pain becomes their saving grace. It is a man’s world right now, and you, you, will change that. Do you know why?
Because you are my angel. And when it is finally your time, I will be waiting right here for you. So take comfort, sweetheart, for I will always be beside you, even when you can not see me. The shadows are my children, darkness my pets. And you, you are the Angel of Death.’
Of all of the names given to the young girl, this one just felt right. She’s so happy to be given a name, that she practically tackles Death in a hug. ‘Thank you.’
‘Never forget, Angel,’ Death whispers back as she kisses Angel on the forehead. ‘I love you darling. I will always be beside you.’ With that, Angel returns to the living.
She scares the butler, who is still cradling her body. He’s shocked, but she doesn’t tell him what happened, doesn’t reveal her real name.The butler doesn’t ask, is just happy to have Angel back.
Years pass, and Angel meets Death many more times. Their visits are short but every time, Death reassures Angel that they will see each other again. Finally, the father sends Angel away to a boarding school in another village, as she had already discovered everything there was to learn in her own. There she learns how to act like she’s fine when she not, like she’s drunk when she hasn’t had a sip of alcohol for years, like she’s a slut who will sleep with women, when all she’s doing is making sure they won’t fall into bed with the wrong man, and men. Sometimes she takes one of the more dangerous men home, but she makes sure he’s had enough to drink that he passes out on the way there. And after one particularly wild party, she meets her savior. She walks back to her home, uncaring that it’s night because it just means that she’s surrounded by Hela’s children and pets and they comfort her. Then, their soft tune changes into something more urgent, telling her that she’s got some older boys coming after her. She’s not worried though, because the butler taught her to defend herself, brought in one of the women who fought in the war and she showed Angel everything in exchange for the title of Aunt.
So as the boys get closer, unknowing of the dangers they’re bringing on to themselves trying to get to the Angel of Death, she’s already unsheathed several blades and hidden them up her sleeves, keeping her back to them. They are just about upon her when a figure launches out of the shadows, tackling the other three and knocking them out with ease.
‘You were about to be jumped,’ he tells Angel seriously. And the shadows laugh.
‘We like him,’ they titter to her. And Angel smiles.
The young man tells her his name, and sticks out his hand. Angel clasps her palm to his and answers with her fake name, the one her father gave to her. And the man smiles back.”
Toni paused and headed to the coffee pot to refill her mug. “You got all that so far?”
”I think so?” Steve answered truthfully. “I don’t see how this is a true story, but I understand most of it.”
”Mmm,” is all Toni said, and she began to sip her coffee again.
“Continue,” Steve said when it didn’t seem like Toni was going to.
“Right. A few months later the man moves in with her. She begins calling him ridiculous nicknames and he becomes like a brother to her. Then she has to go back to her father’s village and she meets Death again.
’My brother,’ Angel says after a time during their habitual walk. ‘Can you bless him as well?’
’No,’ Hela answers her. ‘But you can. You, my Angel, can bless whoever you feel worthy enough to receive that blessing.’
When Angel returns, she tells her brother everything. And he becomes the Master of Shadows. Years go by, and a messenger appears at Angels door.
‘Your parents,’ he says. ‘They were killed in a forge fire along with your butler.’
Angel is saddened that her butler passed away so gruesomely, but she’ll see him again in Death’s realm. Her parents she does not care about, but for some reason her father left her everything, including the family business. So she finishes school and moves back home. Her brother comes with her, but begins fighting in the war. She wants to protect him, so she takes over the business and starts making weapons in her father’s place. Her Uncle handles the business side of things, and she builds and builds and builds. She makes things better than her fathers, and makes things other than weapons, hoping that once the war has ended she can quit with the offensive and build stuff that interests her.
The Uncle convinces her that they need her to show off her newest creation of destruction, so she heads out. She’s supposed to be safe, and feels so confident she chooses a different wagon than her brother to ride in. Mistake. She is attacked by her own weapons and taken prisoner. Except there’s poison in her heart now. So she goes through open heart surgery without anesthesia so that they can slow the poison down. She eventually passes out just before they are finished.”
Steve looked over at Bucky, recognizing the parallel to his friend’s history. But instead of remembrance in his eyes, his face was pale and he was staring in horror at Toni. Steve figured it was because of the story.
Toni cleared her throat. “Angel wakes up and the doctor who worked on her tells her she has a week to live. Those who captured her come in to demand that she make a weapon for them. She refuses. They torture her and torture her, and she meets Lady Death a few more times, but she doesn’t give in. They finally realize that pain is just an old friend, and Death like a mother and drag her outside of their little cave. Somehow they have hundreds of her weapons. One of the men speaks to her in a foreign language that she can understand, but none of them know that nor should they, so the doctor translates.
’Build our weapon, and we will let you go.’
Angel looks at them for a moment, and then shakes the foreign man’s hand.
‘No they won’t,’ she says.
’No they won’t,’ the doctor agrees softly.
So she builds something to keep the poison out of her heart for as long as she could live, builds a weapon only she can use, and escapes. She tries to save the doctor, but ultimately, he wants to die. So she sends a message through the shadows to Hela to reunite him with his family and begins walking. The shadows keep realying messages to her from her brother, telling her he will be there soon, and finally the good guys find her. She goes home, and meets with her other two friends, both also with her blessing. They tease each other but the underlying message is clear.
’We missed you,’ whispers the Flame of Life, and the Calm of Darkness.
Angel stops making weapons, and finds out the enemy got the supplies from her Uncle. He tries to kill her, but she succeeds in taking him out. And the shadows tell her he got a special place in Hel, right next to her father. The war calms down just a little bit more.
A few years and Angel finds out that the thing that is keeping the poison from killing her, is also poisoning and killing her. She tries everything, there’s no cure. Someone tries to kill her, she kills him instead, but not before he places her family’s life in danger. Angel saves them, luckily.
She meets someone who she recognizes just by looking at them that they are a spy. After all, experience knows experience, and like calls to like. A week later she sees her god father. He too is undercover. Angel hears the spy come up behind her and allows her to inject something into her veins. The spy grins smugly, and the darkness giggles at her obliviousness and promises to haunt her. The god father sends away the spy and explains to Angel what they gave her and he apologizes for everything. Not stopping her abuse, keeping her in the dark about her father’s spy network, and sending in the spy.
Angel forgives him because she understands what happens when hands are tied, when messages are dyed black, and the darkness one being can possess spills over.
The Angel of Death cures herself once more and begins to live a happier life with the four children she made herself and blessed, giving them each a title. One Innocence, one Forgiveness, one Vengeance, and one Love.
Then another one of her god father’s spies comes in, but this time he’s a friend. She gifted him a long while back the title of Understanding. He tells her a new enemy had arisen. And Angel just sighs.
She finds out the soldier with the dragon is still alive, sans dragon. She meets him and together they take down Death’s father. She meets a man who she secretly had blessed with Peace years before and the spy and her friend. They all meet Death’s Uncle and lock up Death’s father. Angel finally gets to talk to the soldier, but he reminds her of her father and she remembers the stories that her father, her butler and her Aunt told her. The soldier was always brave, always a good man, never wrong. The soldier doesn’t like her, and even though Angel knows she’s not worthy of his praise, she can’t help but feel the weight of her father’s words come crashing down on her. So she does what she does best. She aggravates him, gives him a reason to hate her. The soldier was not good enough to see beyond her masks. No one ever was.
Death’s father escapes. Understanding dies, for good, a dark magic preventing Death from letting him back into Angel’s life. The team fights the father and his army and they win. But Angel’s god father calls her and tells her that her allies a going to attack her. So she takes them out to protect her new team and dies. Death meets her, they chat, Death shows her a vision, Angel returns. And life goes on.
Angel discovers a terrorist organization and goes after them. They end up taking her Flame of Life and changing the Flame into something more. Flame dies but Death brings her back all the same, just like she has done for Angel throughout the years. Together they take down the terrorists. No one from her team checks up on her, but she figures they were busy, even if they were becoming a family. They too busy, or at least that’s what Angel tells herself.
Now, the soldier finds out his dragon is alive.” Toni cut herself off. “Wait, you kinda need to know about dragons before I continue. In short, a dragon bonds with the first person it sees after birth. Nothing can break that bond. Capiche?”
”Got it,” Steve answered, anxious to get on with the story.
”The soldier goes after his dragon only to find out its being controlled. He helps the dragon escape its captors, but the dragon doesn’t quite remember him. It takes off into hiding.
Fast forward a couple years and Angel is worried about the vision she saw. She starts trying to build a new child with Love and Peace. They are just about finished when the soldier comes in and tells them they found an enemy base. They go and destroy the base, but not before Angel is thrown back into the vision Death showed her. She knows it’s not Death causing her to see it, but she finds someone else’s blessing. She’s never seen such a blessing before so she takes it home. She studies it a little bit, but ultimately decides to get back to it when she has more time. She goes to hang out with her family. Unfortunately, even though nothing is active around the blessing, it stirs. Love notices and tries to help it, but it kills him. And Death can’t bring Love back because of what the blessing was. Destruction. Destruction killed Angel’s child and began to attack her family. They defeat it for the time, but Death’s Uncle attacks Angel. He snaps her neck. Death doesn’t waste any time sending Angel back. The exchange was so quick, that no one noticed Death’s Uncle killed her. Not even Death’s Uncle.
Angel realizes that no one protested when the Uncle went after her, and it all comes crashing down on her that her family doesn’t love her like she loves them. Regardless, she fights with them against Destruction. Then she meets a young man who was blessed by Destruction with Hate. He claims that the weapons Angel’s Uncle stole from her killed his parents and brother and he wants revenge on her. Let me ask you this Captain. When someone you love is shot by a gun, should you go after the man who shot it, or the man who made it?”
“The man who shot it,” Steve replied without hesitation. He didn’t understand why Bucky’s head snapped to look at him incredulously.
”Hmmm,” Toni hummed, finishing off her mug. She grabbed a banana from the bowl next to the coffee maker. “So Angel’s family apparently doesn’t notice the hostility between the young man and Angel, or don’t care. They push her out, and accept Hate into the group, not that they know who either of them are because Angel never told them about herself. They never asked either. Peace leaves Angel alone with them because he can’t handle Hate. Death’s Uncle leaves as well, not that Angel really cared about him anymore now that he sent her to his niece. The only good thing that came out of the battle was that Angel got another son, more like a grandson, from Love. His gift was Kindness.
Angel is an outsider in her own home, the soldier gone most of the time to search for his dragon, the spy never liked her, Hate hates her, and the spy’s friend gone back to his real family. And when the soldier comes back with a new man in tow, this one with similar capabilities as Angel, she doesn’t fight it. She still loves the soldier, always has since her childhood, but she finally accepted he wouldn’t love her back. Until he did. He would go out looking for his dragon for weeks on end, but he would come back and spend time with Angel. And she loved him for it, he gave her the attention she so desperately needed to survive. Sure, she had Flame, Calm, and her brother, but her brother was still fighting in the war and couldn’t always take be home, and Flame and Calm had just gotten married and she wanted to give them some time together. So she suffered in silence, always cherishing the short breaks she got with the soldier. Of course, it didn’t last.
Famine strikes. Angel tries to get her family to move out of the hunger torn area. She got an offer from a village a little way away. They had plenty of food to spare. She begins convincing her dysfunctional family to go. Make sense?”
”Well, yeah,” Steve said, thinking back on his time during the Depression.
”Here’s the catch,” Toni offered, taking a bite of the banana. “The soldier didn’t want to move.”
”What, why?” Steve cried.
”He claimed it was because he didn’t want to live under the rule of a king or tyrant, even when Angel assured him that wouldn’t be the case. She had double checked and triple checked and was making contingencies so it would never happen. But unknown to her, the real reason was that the soldier had been stealing from Angel to find the dragon, and he didn’t want her to find out, nor leave the place the dragon knew where to find him at.
Angel knew he was using some of her stuff, she told him he was allowed to, but not once did the soldier thank her, not once did he let her help him.”
”That’s awful,” Steve exclaimed.
”That’s life,” Toni snapped, then seemed to regain control over herself. “The soldier convinced the rest of the not-quite-a-family-anymore not to move, claiming they would be enslaved. The only ones who agreed with Angel were her brother, Master of Shadows, and her grandson, Kindness. Innocence, Vengence, Frogiveness, Flame, and Calm all don’t know about what’s going on in her house, as she moved them to the new village almost immediately. So Angel recruites some new people to help her convince the others to move, there ends up being a fight. Angel’s brother dies, Death brings him back, but he’s severely injured. Those who opposed Angel actually get captured by the king of another village and are imprisoned and sentenced to a life under the kings rule. Sound fair?”
”Absolutely,” Steve agreed.
”The soldier and his dragon end up being missed by the kings army, and find out that the enemies from the war they’ve been battling in the entire time and the ones who controlled the dragon, they have more dragons. These ones had been hatched in the enemie’s company, so they are completely loyal to the other side. The soldier and his dragon take off to go slay the bad reptiles. Angel leaves her brother in the hospital to go help her boyfriend and his companion.”
For some reason, Bucky flinches. Toni doesn’t seem to notice, her voice getting more intense.
”She arrives and proves to her soldier she’s not a threat to them. They go in together, and find out the dragons had been a false lead. Then Angel discovers a file on her soldier’s giant lizard. She flips through it and discovers the dragon right in front of her was the one to start a fire in the forge that dreadful night so long back. She feels a slight anger at the murder of her butler, but keeps her cool. She turns to the soldier to suggest they leave, when the soldier gives her a guilty look. Suddenly things make sense. The soldier knew it was the dragon who killed her butler, yet had never told her.”
At this point, Steve began to feel a pit of dread pool in his stomach.
”She punches him. Angel punches the soldier. And turns to slap the dragon, so they may both feel her pain of being lied to for even the smallest second. The dragon knows this, can tell by the look in her eyes, and both she and the dragon are expecting to just get it over and done with. The soldier, though, the soldier loses it. He attacks her. The dragon, confused by what happened, also joins the fight, and together the two leave Angel to bleed out.
‘You deserve this,’ the soldier seems to say to her. And he goes back to his team and claims that she tried to kill them, when she only wanted to cause them a little pain. Had she wanted them dead, they would be dead with slit throats because even after all those years her Aunt’s lessons of always being armed stuck with her, and her knives were still hidden in her sleeves.”
”That’s not right!” Steve bursted. “She just found out the dragon killed her father figure, she wasn’t even that mad or anything she just wanted them to feel her pain! That was a normal human reaction! Better than a normal human reaction even, because she was able to keep her cool since she knew death wasn’t the end!”
Toni raised a perfectly formed eyebrow. “Thank you.”
Steve sputtered. “What?”
”That’s it,” Toni said. “That’s the story. Thank you for your contribution.”
”That can’t be the end!” Steve protested. “What happened to her?”
”She dies,”Toni shrugged.
“But she comes back,” Steve enunciated cautiously.
”In a way. Kindness found her dead body, but it was so mutilated that Death couldn’t send her back. Kindness alters her the same way the Flame of Life had been altered and it fixes her. She is forced to continue on living and act like nothing happened. Unfortunately she had been pregnant at the time when the soldier and dragon attacked her, and she lost the child.” Toni shrugged, and Bucky abruptly stood up.
“I need some time alone,” he whispered quietly, and left.
They both watched as the door slammed shut behind him.
”What next?” Steve asked
“She makes a new family, this one ten times better. Unofficially adopts two more children, these ones not made but born, and gifts them with Soul and Wit. She starts dating a wizard, completes his blessing of Time. They all live happily ever after, blah, blah, the end.”
Toni threw her banana peel in the trash and Steve snorts. That was such a Toni ending. He’s about to ask who the person in the story was, when a shower of golden sparks drew his attention. The sparks formed into a ring, and Strange stepped through dressed in a sharp business suit, color matching Toni’s. The flying cape floated in after him, and the portal closed.
The man barely spared a glance at Steve before he focused his attention fully on Toni.
”Ready?”
Toni didn’t even flinch. “Hey Glinda. I can’t find my hair clippy thingy Spider-tot gave to me.”
”The web shaped one?” Strange asked.
”Yeah.”
The wizard raised his eyebrows and produced something in his hand. When he shook it, the material caught the light.
”This one?”
”Yes!” Toni clapped her hands. “Accio clippy thingy! Avada Kedavra!”
”That’s the killing curse,” Strange said rolling his eyes. “You just killed your hair clip.” Regardless, he placed it on the counter and slid it forward. Toni shot him a grateful look and picked up the spider web shaped golden hair clip. She reached up and put it in her hair.
“Shall we?” She asked.
”I suppose so,” Strange sighed. He opened another portal, this time showing an empty boardroom on the other side. Toni strutted over to him and they exchanged a brief kiss.
Steve’s heart stopped. How could Toni do this to him?
“Wait!” Steve called, then scrambled for an excuse when they actually listened. “What was the point of the riddle?”
”Just wanted to figure something out about myself,” Toni said.
”Did you?” Steve inquired, desperate for some reason to keep the conversation alive.
”Yes,” Toni replied.
”What was it?”
”Mon Capitan, please remember what I said before we began,” Toni coaxed as she and Strange stepped through the portal. She flicked her wrist, and a wicked blade seemingly made of shadows slipped into her hand. She raised it up to show it off. “That story, was completely true.”