One More Time

Once again the team was in the jet and it was set to stealth mode. Kate piloted with Natalya in the co-pilot seat this time. Tony and Isabella were next then Steve and Logan. Peter and Serena were behind them. Tony had given the setup already and now it was just a matter of getting there. Everyone had a headset on who didn’t have a suit or helmet.

“So Logan, Serena told me everything...should I assume you’ve spoken to Natalya about all of that too?” he asked with a grin though with his mask down Serena wouldn’t be able to see that.

Logan blinked and turned and faced Serena. “You told him? Everything?” He asked but he didn’t see Natalya lean out to the centre between the cockpit seats and look back toward them. Everyone else appeared to be interested into what this was all about as well, especially Steve. “Does this have to do with what happened a few days ago?” Steve said as he looked at Serena. “I never heard you freaking out like that before,” he said.

Tony turned back and faced them. “What? When did this happen?” he asked.

Serena looked sharply over at Peter and gave him a look that would tell him that she was not at all happy with what he had just said. There was suddenly quite a bit of confusion in the jet and everyone had turned to look at her. She scrambled to think of something to say to cover what Peter had just said.

"I was super sick the other day and Kate helped me. I had a horrific nightmare that was extremely realistic and I told Peter about it, which I now realize was a mistake," she said as she looked at him again.

Isabella looked worried when she heard that Serena had been sick. "Why didn't you tell us about this?"

"I didn't want to worry you and I'm alright now...I promise," she said in order to reassure her parents. She was glad that Kate didn't say anything to contradict what she had just said.

If she would have seen Peter’s face right then she probably would have hit him and he wouldn't have blamed her one bit. Steve gave Kate a look of disbelief but one touch of her hand on his arm and he just shrugged and dropped it.

“Yeah, that was convincing,” Tony said sarcastically but no one appeared to press her further. All the while Peter held his hand up to his face to stifle his chuckles. Once he saw Serena looking at him he cleared his throat and lowered his hand.

Kate landed the Jet and Tony, Isabella and Serena had door buster missiles the spray this expanding gel that will instantly harden like steel and make doors inpossible to enter or exit and they’ll have less than half of the giards to deal with. Once everyone was out Logan, Steve and Peter were going to draw the guards out. Once out the door busters would be fired and strand the guards outside.

“Good luck Steve,” Kate said as she kissed him. And Steve smiled and kissed her back. Logan and Natalya were obviously in some heated argument. And Peter stepped up to Serena. “Im in trouble, aren't I?” He asked.

Serena looked at Natalya and Logan and then looked at Peter. "Yes, you are. Logan is going to actually kill you I think." She sighed and had Peter step with her a little further away from the group. She looked at him and kept her voice low. "Listen to me Peter. What I told you is not something to joke around about. Natalya died a really horrific death in that other timeline and Logan never got over it. He now knows that that is a possibility and has been trying to protect her and keep that information from her. I really need you to stop mentioning what I told you. I really shouldn't have even told you, but no one else needs to know. Alright?"

“Why shouldn't she know? Why shouldn't we all know? Whatever the reason, your retention of this knowledge was not by accident. Did it ever occur to you that keeping it all a secret may not be the best way?” He asked her. “But if you do not see it that way I will do as you want,” he said.

Serena sighed and shook her head. "I don't think her knowing that information will really help. For right now I ask that you just keep this information to yourself please."

When he agreed she was about to step away, but she then paused and turned back to him. She pulled up his mask so his lips were exposed and she kissed him quite passionately.

Peter was very surprised that she kissed him. She didn't often like PDA but he enjoyed her kiss nonetheless. “Please be careless,” he joked, though he knew she’d be careful. Once they took off the others stormed the building. The guards alerted the others and before long the courtyard of the building was like a kicked anthill. Hydra agents and guards fired at them but Kate was using her telekinesis to destroy as many of their weapons as she could.

As the others began locking down the entrances and exits blips nevsm to appear all over Serena’s hud. “Shit, homing drones,” tony said. “Dont let them touch you!” He said. Serena just managed to get her shield up before three of them ran into her. Isabella got her shield up also but To y had no shield. Two struck him and exploded. “Tony!” Isabella screamed as he fell and crashed through the roof.

Natalya became the fighting machine she was trained to be. At one point she was fighting three guards at once and she never lost a beat. Then, she began to take on the Hydra agents. The agents were well aware of Natalya's skills, but they didn't stand a chance against her. She moved fast and hard.

Isabella and Serena were with Tony and suddenly blips began to appear on Serena's HUD. She quickly realized they were homing drones and she and Isabella both put their their shields, but to her horror Isabella saw two drones strike Tony and explode. She screamed as fell through the roof.

"Tony?! Tony?! Can you hear me?!"

“Tony fell inside!” Isabella said.”you two need to lock down those doors!” Steve said. “Pete, go get Tony!” He shouted as he bashed a guard with his shield. “On it Cap!” Peter said and he jumped into action and disengaged the agents.

Serena and Isabella had to time when they fired their door busters so that when they dropped their shields to fire those drones were not on top of them.

Everyone on the ground was being hard pressed. As a rather large agent knocked Natalya down he drew a long blade and jumped on her. He was extremely strong and very heavy and he was trying to drive her knife into Natalya’s chest. Her arms shook with the effort but inch by inch she was losing this contest.

Inside peter dodged drones and secured them with webs. There were guards also but Tony landed on a catwalk that was not easy to get to for them. They fired at him but the explosions had obviously damaged his armor. Peter landed next to him. “Tony, you still in there?” He asked. “Yeah but im having trouble breathing,” he said. “Well your armor’s taken alot of damage, you got a soare?” Peter asked. “Not on me,” tony said as Peter webbed another giRd and helped Tony up. “Is this a good time to ask for Serena’s hand in marriage?” Peter said as Tony got his feet under him. More guards were coming. “You need to get out of here kid,” he said. “Sure I will but we’re either both leaving or none of us are,” peter said. When he picked up Tony his suits legs came out and he began ascending the structure. “So is that a yes?” He said as bullets bounced off his suit.

Serena and Isabella were still dealing with the drones on the roof. They both had their shields up, but they knew that they would need to drop them in order to fire their door busters. This would need to be timed perfectly. Isabella waited for the opportune moment and Serena waited for her signal. "Now!" They both dropped their shields and fired their door busters at the exact same time.

Natalya had been kicking all of the Hydra agent's asses until she encountered this one large agent. He managed to knock her down and then drew out a long blade and jumped on her. As he tried to drive the knife into her chest she grabbed his arm to push it away, but she could feel herself losing this battle. She saw Logan out of the corner of her eye.

"Logan! Help!"

Logan was set upon by 3 agents. They were using some lind of constriction bands on him trying to keep him out of the fight. Logan saw Natalya and when he heard her ask for help his blood suddenly went from fire to white hot. “Grrrrrrrr!!!” He growled like some feral beast and he managed to damage one of the bands around him just enough that when he twisted his body it snapped. With his arms now free he sliced into the agents holding him then sliced off the bands around his legs.

The agent atop her knew he had her and though Natalya easily matched him in strength he had leverage on his side where she had none. Kate was dealing with the bulk of who was left and Steve had his hands full as well. Logan bounded forward and though agents shot him as he ran he managed to keep enough momentum going where he came at the large man from the side just as his knife began to draw blood. Logan put all he had into his lurch forward and as his claws sunk into the mans chest and back they fell off of her together in a heap.

Peter emerged from inside and his communicator was now working where before it wasnt when he was inside. “You got my vote kid,” Tony said. “Tony are you alright?” Isabella asked. “Never better,” Tony said with difficulty. “I think he’s hurt pretty bad Mrs. Stark. Ill watch over him,” Peter said.

Seren justanaged to get her shield up as she fired her last missile. The drones were getting smarter it seemed and that last one nearly got her. Several agents were firing at her though and her shield popped and sparked as it began to take heavy damage from below. “Serena ive been wanting to ask you something for a while now bit until kist now It didn't feel right to ask it,” he said. Peter webbed a couple more drones that tried to come down on him and Tony.

Natalya had felt her arms starting to give out. She felt the tip of the blade on her body and it pierced the material to draw blood. Just when Natalya began to think her time was up she heard Logan come bounding towards them. A few seconds later she heard the unmistakable sound of Logan’s claws going straight through the agent atop her. She was trembling a little from the adrenaline coursing through her body, but she managed to get to her feet. She looked at Logan.

“Thanks.”

Serena was doing her best to avoid being hit by the drones. She kept her shield up but it was draining the power from her suit. Now she also had agents firing at her. She was trying to just stay alive when she heard Peter start talking to her. As he spoke it slowly dawned on her what he was about to do. Really?! He was going to do this here and now?!

“...Ok...”

Ofcourse Peter’s words were over the comms and not just between the two of them. But Peter didn’t really care. As far as he was concerned, they were all family. To him anyway. He couldn’t understand why Serena and others kept things from one another like that but he knew not everyone thought as he did. And he wouldn’t judge anyone for that, not really. Especially Serena.

Peter continued to protect Tony as more drones came. Even one of them could do alot of damage and this mission already was going badly for them. They were supposed to get inside and cause as much damage to the base underground but even getting this far had proved to be to much. Tony was a mess and Peter dodged, webbed and avoided the drones.

Logan was down for the moment but He saw Natalya had gotten back up. Steve looked tired but he and Kate made an excellent team and seemed to be holding their own. At least 2 dozen guards and agents littered the ground. Some moved and some didn’t and likely never would again. Isabella and Serena drew most of the drones but apparently they wouldn't explode unless they made physical contact with their suits. Well that was a very good thing actually. A fatal flaw in their design.

Peter grunted as he webbed a drone that came for Tony then swung it into three others. They all exploded together and sent bits and pieces of themselves all over the roof. “Well we’ve been dating since high school and I don’t see a life or any future where we aren’t together,” he said as he dodged another drone then electrocuted it with a tazing web. “We’re out here risking our lives and I guess I just want more. I want us to ‘be’ more,’ he said as he leaped over one that came down at him. It crashed onto the roof and he narrowly avoided the resulting explosion. “If you won’t follow my lead as your boyfriend, will you follow it if I were your husband? Because I want to marry you Serena, what do ya say?” he asked as he webbed another drone spun it around and sent it flying off of the roof. It crashed on the ground not far from the courtyard.

Kate couldn’t help but grin at what she was hearing. Steve either though his chest was a blast furnace. Logan was almost healed thought he managed to get back up onto his feet. “Not the venue I would have picked for this,” he said chuckling.

Serena had been waiting to hear Peter say those words for so long now that when he did say it she almost couldn't believe it was happening...but it was. They had been through so much together and had broken up for a time before getting back together. They had missed going to their prom together because of that, but Peter had created a prom just for them back in their old high school. It had been that moment and that night that Serena had known she and Peter were destined to be together. She still carried with her the memories of being with Gambit and marrying him, but that had been that life and this was this life. She would always love Gambit, but she and Peter were supposed to be together...she knew that now.

Tears of happiness came to her eyes as she and her mother continued to fight the drones and though this was a very tense situation they were in she couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I wouldn't count on me following your lead...but you can count on me marrying you Peter Parker. Yes, I will."

After the last drone was destroyed and the last Hyrda agents threw down their weapons the fighting was done. However they were in such bad shape they had no choice but to retreat. There would be no incursion today, Tony needed medical attention and who knew what other surprises Hydra had underground and it was likely heavily fortified. Serena’s misstep had cost them alot today but no one said anything to her about that. Everyone made mistakes and blaming this on her just wasn’t their way.

In the jet Peter held Serena’s gauntleted hand and Kate and Steve piloted the plane. Natalya’s wound was deep enough where she’d need stitches and she held a bandage against her left breast where the cut pierced into her. Logan hadn’t spoken since they boarded and his angry discontent was obvious on his face though it was clear what he was so upset about. Natalya was almost killed and that ate at him like acid. Isabella had injected Tony with several drugs. He would need surgery to remove several pieces of shrapnel. She managed to remove one of the three but the other two were too deep and the biobed on the jet was equipped for that like the bed back at the tower. Tony had lost alot of blood but was conscious.

“What? You act like you’ve never patched a wound before,” he said to Isabella. “You should be happy. Your daughter is finally going to be someone else’s problem,” he said with a smile and ignored her worried scowl. Her scans saw that one of the pieces of shrapnel had severed an artery in his leg and he was losing blood fast.

Natalya could sense how tense and upset Logan was. She could feel it coming off of him in waves. She reached over and gently touched his hand to try and relax him. She looked over and into his eyes. “I’m fine Logan. Everything’s alright.”

Isabella was deeply worried about Tony. She had done what she could on the jet but he needed more attention than the jet was equipped with. Every second they were in the air caused her stress levels to go up. She ignored what Tony said and turned towards Kate and Steve.

“We need to go faster!”

Kate glanced at Steve but sped up the jet even more. Finally, they made it back to the Tower.

Peter carried Tony effortlessly out of the plane. He immediately went to the medical bay and His suit retractors were destroyed so they had to use the manual retractors to get his suit off. The biobed realized the problem almost immediately and Jarvis asked if any of them could donate blood for Tony. Serena was the only viable donor and even as the biobed began the surgery isabella had to unfold the portable bed so she could connect Serena to the biobed’s transfusion system. For a time it was only herself and her father there as Isabella had stepped away to talk to Nick Fury about what happened.

Tony was awake though just barely as the biobed’s surgical arms performed the extraction. He looked at her sleepily. “I gave him my blessing you know...before he asked you. I worry about him Serena. He has a kind heart and he often sees the world with rose-colored glasses. I don’t know what is going on with you but I’m not oblivious to it. This life we lead will try to change him and part of me would hate to see that,” he said. He winced as the surgical arm removed a small piece of bent metal and dropped it into a small plastic bin. Tony only just looked at her. “I think maybe that part of him is what draws you to him so strongly,” he said as his eyes fluttered closed than he opened them again.

Serena was worried about her father. She could still remember both he and her mother dying in her other life. Her father had been killed first and then less than a year later her mother had died. This all had happened after Gambit had died in her arms. Her heart had been shattered by losing everyone she loved and she refused to let that happen again.

She laid there as some of her blood was transferred to her father. She was glad to know he was going to be alright. She wanted him to be able to walk her down the aisle. She wanted Peter to have him as a father-in-law. She heard what her father said and she looked over at him. She smiled at what he said about Peter asking him for his blessing before he asked her to marry him. That sounded like Peter. She listened to what else her father had to say and she sighed a little. She loved Peter’s positive personality and she hoped that what they were all going to go through wouldn’t affect him too much, but she knew they weren’t going to come out of it the same people they had been going in.

“Get some rest Dad. I’m going to need you strong and well so you can walk me down the aisle.”