Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

People say that you never are given situations in your life that you can’t deal with. No obstacle is too strong and that uplifting bullshit.

None of them had ever met Toni Stark.

When Rhodey had woken up in the hospital after taking the hit from the beam Vision had tried to use to bring down the Falcon (it is never going to be Sam or even Wilson to him now), with a somber looking Phil Coulson in the room he knew something had gone wrong, absolutely wrong. He had questioned him immediately, wondering where the hell Toni was, and knowing the brunette would never abandon him to the pain of waking up alone as she had in Afghanistan. The agent had tried to skirt around the issue, refute all of his efforts to know the location of his tiny genius companion, but Rhodey had persisted.

Now he wished he hadn’t.

He hadn’t believed the agent when he first told him the news, thinking that the man was playing some mean joke. He hadn’t believed Hill either when she came in and confirmed the story. He hadn’t believed anyone.

That is till he saw Pietro.

When he had first met the guy, during the Ultron mess, he hadn’t known what to think. Yes he was pissed at the male twin for his helping the enemy and trying to kill the one person Rhodey would die to protect, but he could somewhat see the reasoning. After hearing the story, he cursed Stane to the deepest parts of hell which was something he hadn’t done in a long time. So he had no problem with the guy, unlike his unstable sister who had tried to drive his genius mad.

Quicksilver had been sitting against the wall that was connected to the door to the morgue. His blonde hair was in tangles and dark circles framed his lifeless eyes. He wore simple sweats an old band t-shirt that he recognized. He had gotten it at a concert years ago and it had been stolen by Toni sometime during his stay in the mansion after his massive screw up that led to him becoming War Machine.

“I found her.” he whispered after Rhodey had dragged him to get some food at the SHIELD cafeteria.

The simple statement made the soldier’s blood run cold, realizing that Pietro was confirming the truth that everyone had been telling him.

The blonde let out a humorless laugh. “She told me a few months ago, when this thing was breaking out, that she had a feeling it was gonna come down to her or Steve. She couldn’t stop with Ross breathing down her neck. Rogers was too stubborn to stop and listen for once in his life. She knew with the way things were going it was gonna come down to the two of them.”

Running a hand through the mess of his hair, Pietro continued. “She told me that she was going to do her best to come back but she was not going to hurt Steve. If it came down to only one of them surviving, she stated that it wasn’t going to be her. Then she made me promise after her funeral to make sure the new Accords were instated and that Ross was behind bars with his life in shambles. She wanted him alive though, wanted him to live with the knowledge that she had taken everything. She wanted him to be an example to what happens to people who mess with her family. She didn’t need to make me swear it; especially after she riled him up into smacking her across the face so hard she hit the ground.”

He felt his eyes go wide. “He what?”

The Sokovian nodded. “After you went down she found out the truth about Barnes’ psychiatrist. She knew Ross knew more than he let on and she needed more information before she could interrogate Wilson and get Rogers’ location. Add that she was pissed about the RAFT and wanted to get physical assault on the other list of offences she had against him…”

The picture painted in Rhodey’s mind as he realized what she had done. “She riled him up to get him to act rashly.”

Pietro nodded. “I got the whole thing on video and had FRIDAY add it to the file she had on him. T’Challa and I were going to take him to court in a few weeks. I can’t make myself do it now, not with it being so soon since…”

He trailed off, his eyes glassing over in memories. “How?” Rhodey whispered, knowing he didn’t need to elaborate on what knowledge he needed.

The younger man nodded. “Ross knew Rogers and Barnes were headed to Siberia and was planning on sending some assassins after them. He let it slip out under his breath as Toni and I were leaving the room after he hit her. She went to Wilson and ended up finding out that HYDRA had more soldiers frozen in their old base, which is where Steve and Bucky were headed. She made repairs on the suit and made sure your leg braces,” he pointed to the black contraptions on attached to his pants, “were done before she left.”

Pietro was silent, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Right around the time she made it to the base, FRIDAY went ahead and told us to head out. She didn’t think it was gonna go well. To start off, she was wrong. Toni was able to get Rogers to listen for a minute and told him she was gonna help with the soldiers. They stood down, and they all went to find them.”

“Did they, find them that is?”

The blonde sighed. “Technically yes. Zemo had them killed so they found the bodies in their cryo chambers. They had a confrontation and then he pulled out his big weapon.”

Rhodey was apprehensive, knowing that this was the part where everything changed drastically. “What was it?”

With a swallow, the man continued. “A video with footage from a roadside security tape, dated December 17, 2004.”

It took a minute for the date to sink in but when it did sent him reeling. “Howard and Maria.” He breathed out their names, as his brain came to another shocking conclusion. His eyes snapped to meet the dull blue orbs of his companion. “Barnes?”

He was met with a nod. “He bashed Howard’s head in with his arm, fitting if you ask me. After that he strangled Maria. Toni saw the whole thing on the footage, but here’s the kicker.” He went silent for a minute before his eyes were consumed by absolute rage. “Rogers knew since the fall of SHIELD and never said a word.”

Anger and disbelief filled him, quickly followed by disgust. “He knew for almost three years and never said anything. And wasn’t he pissed about her keeping Ultron a secret? That bastard!”

Pietro nodded. “I know. Well as you can guess, Toni was pissed and when she found out the Rogers knew, well it sent her off the edge. She went to attack Barnes and Rogers sided with him, as expected. They fought; the super soldier team were giving it all they had while Toni was holding back. Eventually she went in for a blow and Rogers caught her with his shield. He flew off the handle.” He choked up, eyes filling with tears. “He started hitting the suit with the damn thing. From the security footage, we know he hit he a total of twenty seven times. I mean he wailed on her Rhodes, absolutely beat the shit out of her. Then he finished it off and left her there with the shield and Barnes’ arm that Toni had blown off with one of her repulsors. T’Challa was waiting for them, having gotten a call for before she left. He had Zemo and he left for Wakanda, taking the both of them. From what I understand, Barnes went back under while Rogers is staying there, besides that small visit to the States to break out everyone.” His voice turned bitter and Rhodey knew he was thinking of Wanda. If he himself ever saw her, he was going to have to have a lot better control of he might kill himself a witch.

Speedy was silent for a minute before he continued, pulling the soldier out of his murderous haze. “Toni had to pry herself out the suit. The arc reactor was damaged and all power was cut off from FRIDAY. She ended up cutting up her fingers real bad and broke her right arm when she tried to get the thing off with her already sprained wrist. She was covered in blood, more than a few bones were broken and that’s not talking about the other injuries. Her chest was a nightmare. The skin was burned from the reactor. Her face was messed up, covered in bruises. Her nose was broken and she had bitten through her tongue during the video. Her jaw was fractured from an accidental hit to her face. It was awful.”

He shook his head, trying unsuccessfully to get rid of the tears in his icy eyes. “I arrived on a jet with Coulson, Hill, and Bruce. Because I’m faster than the rest of them, Quicksilver remember, I went ahead.” He choked on a sob for a second before continuing. “The room was covered in blood. The shield was just lying there. Barnes’ arm was ripped apart. Toni was lying in the corner struggling to breathe. The doctors say her lung was punctured by one of her broken ribs and that if she hadn’t died of blood loss that would have killed her before we got her home.”

Rhodey flinched with hearing her name being used with the “d” word. It burned raw now and he knew that it always would.

Pietro let out a watery laugh. “She died in my arms. I held her, begging her to stay and for Bruce to hurry up. She asked if I remembered my promise to take down Ross and when I told her yes, she added to it. She wanted the rest of them brought home and all the charges dropped. I told her I would try and then she told me that she left letters and a few videos in her lab at the compound. She wanted me to make sure they got out to the people that had them. You have one, as do Pepper and Happy, Bruce, Vision, T’Challa, Thor, Hope, Hank, Phil, Hill, Fury, Peter, Laura, Everett, Natasha, Clint, Scott, Sam, Wanda, Barnes, Steve and a few others I’m gonna need help with.”

He nodded, already having a few names come to mind. Harley had to have one, as did the Fantastic Four and Charles Xavier. Elizabeth Hudson, a friend of Toni’s that lived in London probably had one as did her brother Charles who was the UN representative for Britain. There were others he could add to that list as well.

“Have you watched the videos?”                              

He nodded. “She left four discs. One was of her explaining everything, giving a full rundown of everything she went through. The second was a video that she wants played for the UN. The third was the full story of how she got the information on Ross. And the other is a video of her singing, dancing and playing.”

That made Rhodey freeze. After all this time…

Most people didn’t know that Tones was musically inclined. Maria wanted her to have a basis in music, one that she had herself growing up in a wealthy Italian family. By the time she was sixteen, Toni could sing as well as play the piano, guitar, and violin. She also knew ballroom dancing, ballet, tap, jazz, and even a little bit of acrobatics and gymnastics. Peggy also taught her to shoot and throw knives. It was a few hidden secrets that Toni hadn’t let through her mask in years. After Jarvis’ death right after their graduation from MIT, she had closed off and kept the artistic part of her locked up in a vault. It hurt too much. For her to record a video after all these years just showed just how far she had been pushed. She said once that the only reason she would ever sing again was if she was on her deathbed which proved Pietro right about having known that she knew this was coming.

And didn’t that sting, that his best friend saw her own death coming.

Pietro laughed, seeing his face. “I know, I know, I was shocked as well. I’ve never heard her before but I knew she could sing, granted not as well as she could. Thanks for that.”

Despite himself, a smile came to his face. “I didn’t know how to describe it. You should be mad at Everett really. He knew her longer than I did.” Now that really stung didn’t it, referring to her in past tense like that.

Pietro nodded. “He’s too busy beating himself up. He thought they were gonna get a chance to reconnect after this was all done.”

Rhodey wished they had. He had always liked Ev, having known him almost as long as he had known Toni. His father had been assigned as Maria’s protector. His mother was Edwin’s sister. He had literally grown up with Toni, had actually been her childhood sweetheart. They had been so happy together, that is till Tiberius Stone and Howard Stark ruined it.

Everett had left her after a particularly nasty encounter with Howard. He believed it safer for her if he left. Toni had been devastated. Granted he had been right. Howard’s alcoholic rage was not nearly as bad as it was that spring break when he had found out about his daughter’s secret romance. Lucky for everyone, Barnes had gotten him that December. He might actually thank the man for that one.

Everett had been devoted to Toni, absolutely invested in her happiness in a way Rogers never had. The soldier had always been looking for his best friend, had actually missed her birthday all three times and had blown her off constantly. Rhodey had begged Toni to dump him but she had refused.

“I love him Rhodey. I know it doesn’t make sense and I know that I probably shouldn’t after all he has done but I do. If I break up with him, I might never recover from it.”

She had told him that around Christmas when Rogers had been late getting in and missed their date. He had pleaded, begged her to end it again but she had refused. This was just before Everett came back in the picture. If there had been more time, he guaranteed there would have been more problems with that. Ev and Toni had a connection that Rogers could never hope to understand.

They sat in silence, both knowing how the story ended. After Toni told him of the letters and with how much blood had been lost, he knew she would have died pretty quickly afterwards. Coulson had spoken of Bruce and Pietro bringing her home and confirming her death at 4:37 AM on May 22, 2016. Pepper had met them on the landing strip and had had a meltdown. Fury had locked himself in his office, trying to shut out the world as he processed the news of his goddaughter’s passing. No one was coping. The public was outraged, with Toni having been a favorite of the press and the government. The UN was planning murder as they spoke. It was a mess and Toni wasn’t here to clean anything up anymore.

Pietro sighed and moved to stand. “I’m gonna head back to the compound and try to sleep. I’m in desperate need of a shower as well.” He moved to leave, before stopping and reaching into the pocket of his sweatpants. “Speaking of letters, I’ve been carrying yours around, thinking I might run into you.” He passed him a cream envelope, with his name written on it in Toni’s perfect cursive. His thump moved to trace over the sharp black letters, written firmly on the front in what he recognized as one of Toni’s favorite pins.

He waited till he was back in his room to carefully open the letter, not wanting to destroy one of the last things she had left him. After several long moments he was staring at her writing, on a white piece of paper that meant more to him than his uniform.

Dear Rhodey,

I know what you must be thinking. Why? Why did I do this? Why did this happen? Why did you let this happen? And let me say that you didn’t let me. I honestly admit that you falling is one of the most painful memories I have because I thought I lost you which is something I haven’t felt since the issue with palladium poisoning.

I forgive you for that. I’ll admit I was hurt at the time. My best friend had chosen the military over me. I understand now but back then it almost killed me. On my 22^nd birthday, when we fought, I thought that was the last contact we were going to have. Uncle Nicky hadn’t shown up with all of Howard’s old shit and I had run out of combinations to try out as a successful replacement for the core of the reactor. I thought I was done for and it damned near killed me that the last thing we did was fight. I honestly have to thank Natasha for letting it slip. I didn’t know how to tell you and probably wouldn’t have if given the choice.

I want you to help Pietro bring Ross down. He can’t do it alone and while T’Challa and Bruce will help he’s gonna need your help. Take the bastard down. I already told him he was gonna regret messing with my family. I only wish that I could be there to see it happen. The same with the Accords for in the right hands they will be exactly what the world and the team needs. It will provide that little bit of security for the people and still let the team fight their battles. Hopefully it’ll help people and allow missions to run smoother. Also Pepper will be able to rest easy knowing that someone else is paying for all the damage done in fights.

Do me a favor and live. Find a nice girl that you think I would life because knowing how well you know me, you are probably gonna be right. Settle down, start a family and live for me.

Also try and forgive Steve and the others. I love him Rhodey and I know that I have said this before but I mean it. Granted, if I do live past Siberia we will never be able to make it work. Too much has happened and it is best for us to start over. If I live past this Everett and I might finally get our shot in a world where we don’t have to worry about my asshole of a sperm donor.

I love you platypus. I know I didn’t say it enough but I do. Make sure the team stays in line and actually thinks. I won’t be there to make them anymore which sucks but it’s the path we have to walk. Keep them safe for me. Thank you for sticking by me all these years. Who knew when I saved your ass from those racist bullies back on out first day at MIT that we would come this far.

Live for me and remember that life is short. Live for tomorrow, make peace with the past, and treasure the now.

I love you James Rupert Rhodes. You will always be my best friend and if we never meet again in whatever is waiting for us when we are done, know that I will always be with you.

With love,

Annie,

He broke down sobbing, feeling the overwhelming pain that had been threatening to consume him since seeing Pietro come at reading her past nickname, a name he hadn't heard since she was sixteen.

Oh god! Why? Why Toni? Why? Why? Why?

He shook with his sobs, facing the bleak future with uncertainty.

How was he supposed to live without her?

Chapter Text

The hospital staff had been wary to let him out so early after waking up but he was persistent. Eventually they had consented, letting him go with a wheelchair and the braces that Toni had made before she had left to go to Siberia and also a promise that he would come back if he had any pain and that he would go to physical therapy, which he complied with. He couldn’t stay in that dreary place and could understand now why Toni hated hospitals with every fiber of her being. They were too sterile, so much white and no hint of personality. He couldn’t stand to stay in a place like that. He didn’t want to live without his genius best friend, much less in a place she had hated.

Not that she didn’t have a right to hate hospitals, oh no, quite the opposite. Having grown up with a physically abusive alcoholic father like Howard, she had been in the hospital more times than any one cared to acknowledge. Not only that, she had been surgically worked on during captivity in Afghanistan and from then on, didn’t trust doctors, besides Bruce, within an inch of her life.

A life that had been ended by the man she loved.

He pushed that thought away. He couldn’t deal with that now, not when he needed to focus on getting Toni’s last wishes accomplished. The new Accords were to be presented at the next UN meeting, the same meeting where T’Challa and Pietro would present the evidence Toni had collected against Thaddeus Ross. The request for a pardon for the Team Cap would also be discussed for the first time. There was also discussions needed on what was happening with all of the organizations and companies Toni had.

This is why he was at the Avengers Compound in the first place.

He didn’t want to be here, not this soon when everything reminded him of her. In fact, if he had it his way, he never wanted to walk through the doors again. However, Toni’s stuff was still here and he needed to be there for the reading of her will. He needed to finish what she had started and make sure everything she asked for was done.

That didn’t explain why he was torturing himself by coming into her lab. He had wanted some peace before the meeting began and had wandered the halls, trying to not focus on the memories of the wild brunette that haunted the building and his every step as well. Of course he had walked to the one room that screamed her name.

Papers were piled up around her desk and pieces of machinery lay around on her work table, unmoving and unused. Legal documents that she had been using to rewrite the Accords lay on a small table that sat next to the glass screen that she had projected her work on. The entire room was situated with the controlled chaos that Toni’s very essence had been.

He walked to the small table and started quickly scanning through the different papers, mostly notes she had taken through meeting with some of her allies in the UN. Every document she could get her hands on she had sitting there.

When he reached to pull a packet of notes that he knew came from Charles Hudson, a long plastic object fell to the floor. In curiosity he reached down only to drop it once he turned it over in his hand.

A pregnancy test.

A positive pregnancy test.

He felt his eyes widen and he started to feel sick. Putting a hand to his mouth, he shot over to Toni’s desk where the trash can was and emptied the contents over his stomach as the news sunk in.

Toni had been pregnant. Toni had died, knowing she had been pregnant. Toni had gone to Siberia knowing she was pregnant.

He heard shuffling footsteps enter the room quietly. When they stopped he could almost feel the person’s gaze on him and the stick clenched tightly in his hand.

“She knew.” Bruce’s voice was soft as he moved to pick up the papers Rhodey’s hasty retreat had knocked off the table.

“No shit Sherlock. How did you know?” he said, with a little more bite than he probably should have had, considering Bruce was one of the only people he could be around right now without screaming.

The doctor gave him a look. “Toni had me do the ultrasound to confirm the test. She wanted to know for sure before she made her next move.” He was silent for a minute. “She was four months along. I found out about the gender right before Germany but she wanted to wait till after the mess was over.” His voice was thick as he shook his head, trying to clear the tears. “She was a girl. Toni was going to name her Mary Sarah after her two grandmothers.”

The name clinched the whole who was the father question going through his head. Honestly knowing that Rogers was the father only made it worse. Part of him had been hoping that Toni had hooked up with Everett. Knowing that she had been pregnant, with the little girl he knew she desperately had wanted, and had lost not only her but her life as well, it damn near killed him.

“Why didn’t she say anything?” he asked, begging the stars to turn back the clock so he could stop this nightmare from coming true.

Bruce gave him a sad look. “She wanted Steve to be the first person she told. Hell, I think she was planning on doing it in Siberia. She wanted to give him a chance to learn the full story without her having to worry about Ross’ surveillance.”

Of course that was it. It was so Toni he wanted to hit something or curl in a ball and cry. “Do you have a picture?”

The other man hesitated before reaching into his pocket to pull out a black and white photo. Rhodey took it from him and studied the image of a tiny baby in Toni’s womb. God, he could see the figure so clearly and it made him want to hurl again.

“I’m not going to tell him.” the scientist said. “No matter how pissed I am, I can’t tell him that. Hopefully she did it in her letter. If not, it is possible we can keep this between us?”

He wanted to tell the doctor to screw it but he knew he couldn’t. Tones had asked him to try to not be angry at Steve and if he told the man this, then that was going against that and he was gonna do his damn best to try and fulfill her requests. So instead of letting out his inner wishes of wanting to call the super soldier that second, he nodded and allowed the other man to pull him to his feet and lead him out of the lab.

The conference room was filled more than it had ever been before to Rhodey’s knowledge. Besides Bruce and himself, the Avengers present were Pietro, Vision, Thor, T’Challa, Peter, and Hope. The last two had signed the Accords and joined shortly after Toni’s death. Thor had come back after hearing of the events from Heimdall, bringing with him Loki who had somehow survived his supposed death. With the two of them was Jane Foster, Darcy Lewis, and Erik Selvig. Hope had brought her father Hank, who had patched bridges up with Toni a few months earlier. They also had Peggy, Paxton, and Cassie, Scott’s daughter, ex-wife, and her fiancé. Peter had brought his Aunt Mae who had learned of his identity a few days after the fight in Germany. Harley, Toni’s friend from the Mandarin incident, was there with his mother and sister who was playing with Cassie and Clint’s two older kids in the other room while Nate was asleep in one of the guest bedrooms. Laura was here to represent the Archer and technically Natasha. Everett was of course here, as was Pepper and Happy. Charles Hudson, the United Kingdom’s UN representative and childhood friend of Toni’s, had flown in with his sister Liz for the meeting. Fury was here with Agent Hill and Coulson, all three looking worse for wear. Charles Xavier had joined them to represent the X-Men while Susan and Johnny Storm were here for the Fantastic Four. Deadpool was also here for the Secret Society of Supers that existed all over the world. All in all, it totaled to thirty one members, all brought together to get justice for the one person who combined them all.

He felt himself grow lighter at the fact that this many people cared enough about Toni to do this and he knew for a fact there were more.

After everyone was sitting down are leaning into a comfortable position against the wall, Liz, who was also Toni’s lawyer, began. “I don’t want to do this and I don’t think anyone does but I know for a fact that she would not want us to delay this.” She picked up a set of papers from the folder in front of her and put them on the table for the rest of the room’s occupants to see. “This is Annie’s will. She came to me right before she arrived at the German airport. It’s very thorough, just as I knew it would be.”

She cleared her throat to begin. “First things first is the letters. Almost every single person in this room has one and I believe Pietro gave them to you as you arrived?” she turned to the blonde man who gave her a nod. “Alright. Now don’t worry I’m not going to make you all read them out loud, I just wanted to know that you all got them.”

When everyone nodded she continued. “Alright, now for the sake of time and my own voice, I’m not going to read out the full will. I will gladly let anyone read it if you want, but I can’t bear to go through it without crying and I don’t want to ruin my makeup.” That made everyone let out a small laugh.

Liz turned to the brother and sister duo first. “I’m gonna go ahead and start with you two. Toni has left a compound for you and your teammates. I have the address here and have personally been to the building and can say it very much looks like the one we are in now. It is fully stocked with all the newest materials you need and I believe New SHIELD has a fund set up for you all to be able to pay for anything additional. She has also built several AI’s for certain people in this room, all under different nicknames that she went by. You guys have ANTONIA, which was her full first name if anyone is wondering. She is already fully set up in the compound.” Neither seemed to know what to say which, with Johnny in particular, surprised Rhodey immensely.

The pretty blonde lawyer turned to Charles Xavier next. “For your team she left new gear and equipment. Annie said that she knew you wouldn’t want an AI and that you didn’t want a new facility so that was all she could think of. For you personally, she left her private island in the Caribbean as a way to tell you to take a holiday. She also left the paper work and all of her research on Extremis for you to go over.” The telepath accepted a thick folder with shaking hands.

Hope and Hank seemed to be next. “After having only known you two a few months, she decided to just give you guys an AI. Her name is ELOISA since you said that you preferred that name over Antonia.” The older man smiled as he took a disk that Rhodey guessed contained the AI.

Peggy and Paxton were next, as well as Laura, Mae, and Mrs. Keener. “Toni owns a lot of different houses all over the world. She owns one in San Francisco that she left for you two,” she pointed to the couple, “a penthouse apartment in nice part of Brooklyn,” her warm brown eyes flashed to Mae, “another apartment in Nashville,” she said looked at Mrs. Keener, “and a townhouse along the coast of Maine. She said that you wanted to move there one day.” Laura nodded with tears in her eyes. The British woman smiled. “She left bank accounts filled with enough money for you all to be able to live comfortably for the rest of your lives. She also left college trust funds for your kids and any future kids.” That made their eyes widen.

Liz’s eyes gained a small spark of life as she inclined her head to Harley and Parker. “Granted that may not be necessary for these two. Annie decided they were smart enough that she made them the shared heads of the Stark Industries R&D department and, when they are older, will be given the company.”

Everyone in the room froze, staring at her in shock. It took a minute before Harley and Peter snapped out a daze. “She’s giving us the company?” Peter whispered.

She nodded. “You have to wait till you both are twenty one and then you both are going to be sharing the position and ownership unless one of you decided you don’t want it. Pepper is still going to be CEO but you two will be in charge of all the products. She also left you both the bots and FRIDAY, along with access to every lab she has all over the world with every rough draft project and plans she designed.”

Both boys turned to each other with wide eyes, speechless. Mrs. Keener and Mae Parker both had shocked looks as well.

With a smile, Elizabeth moved to Helen Cho. “Since the boys are getting Stark Industries, Annie decided to hand over Stark Solutions to you. She said there was no one else that she thought cut out for the position than you.” Her warm gaze turned to Jane, Darcy, and Erik. “She also left the three of you her research building in New York. It’s your to do with as you like. All the expenses are paid for and an account is set up for any future purchases.”

No one moved, still processing the information dump. My god, she had really thought of everything.

After everyone regained their composure, T’Challa appeared to be next on Liz’s list. “She left you an AI by the name of TONIA. It was the nickname she went by from the time her parents died to the time Edwin Jarvis died and she graduated from MIT. That was all she seemed to be able to think of.” At the king’s gracious look, she turned to Coulson and Hill. “Since you two are the heads of New SHIELD, I might as well give that info to you. You also got an AI by the name of NIA, her original nickname that she dropped when she was seven. I think she decided it as a joke considering her relationship with Fury and the fact I know I have heard him use it once or twice.”

The one eyed man gave the blonde a glare. “You still call her Annie which she hasn’t gone by since she was seventeen so don’t even talk Eliza.”

Her nose wrinkled at her own hated nickname. “Well since you have decided to insult me, you might as well be next. Congratulations, you are now the head of the Peggy Carter Foundation.”

His mouth dropped open, along with everyone else in the room. The Peggy Carter Foundation, or the PCF as it was better known as, was a charity Toni had started when she was nineteen. It helped with women stuck with abusive men or children that had been abused. Victims of alcoholic rage were also on the roster. She had named it after her godmother in a way to remember her as her memory started to fade. Of course, she would give it to her godfather.

The smirk on Liz’s face left as she moved to next group. “The Avengers are getting full ownership of the compound and the tower. They are also getting an AI by the name TONI. She thought it would be fitting since it stands for ‘Twas Obviously Not Interested’.”

That made Thor and Rhodey start laughing, while Bruce rolled his eyes. It was an inside joke from Christmas of 2014. Clint had gone on and on about how “The Night Before Christmas” was the best part of Christmas. Toni had zoned out and when Clint had caught her on a Stark Pad, she stated that she was “twas obviously not interested” to make fun of the first line. It had made the archer’s mouth hang open for at least five minutes while Sam laughed his ass off at the expression.

Rhodey was pulled out of the memory by Elizabeth speaking to Bruce. “She left you the Ho Yinsen Foundation. It’s named after her fellow prisoner from Afghanistan that died during her escape. He was a doctor so she started to foundation to help doctors and people with severe injuries and illnesses of all types. She thought you might want it.” The scientist was clearly touched at the idea that Toni was entrusting him with something that big.

Pietro was next. “She left you the Battle Relief Corporation.”

“The what?” Pepper questioned as Speedy’s eyes shot open.

He decided to speak for the first time since this blasted thing started. “It’s a thing Tones started to help the people injured, the families of people who died, or the people who lost their houses in battles the Avengers or any other super fought. She started it after Ultron so it has been around for about a year now.”

“It started off as a way to help the people of Sokovia but she expanded it over the past couple of months.” Pietro whispered. “It also helps the agents and spies that were affected by the data drop in 2013.”

“Can we not bring that up?” Laura begged, obviously not wanting to think of the mess that was caused by the fall of SHIELD.

“Agreed. I begged Annie not to take on that one alone like she did.” Liz’s big brother got a look from Susan, Johnny, Wade, and Charles Xavier for that one. Rhodey himself wanted to give the man a glare for that one since he helped with that as well. “Well, not completely along.” He conceded, giving the group a wary glance.

“I’m with you brother.” Liz said, pulling focus back the issue at hand. Her chocolate eyes were fixed on Pepper. “There are only three more people left on the list.” She pulled out two of the last remaining files. “This is the information for the Maria Stark Foundation. Annie said that she was sure it was something you wanted. She also had the Malibu Mansion rebuilt. The deed to the place is in there.” The strawberry blonde took the two files carefully, staring at them softly.

That left Rhodey and Everett. Liz’s eyes held a mournful look as she looked at the two of them. “Do you care who goes first? It’s gonna suck either way.”

“I’ll go first.” Everett said with a blank look in his blue eyes. He looked ten times as old as the last time Rhodey had seen him. His hair was a mess and dark circles rested under his eyes. He was also very pale and was looking as if he lost a significant amount of weight. Rhodey was instantly reminded of the eighteen year old boy who had told him that he loved Toni to death right after New Year’s in 2004. The memories left a bitter taste in his mouth as he squeezed the pregnancy test in his pocket.

Liz gave the man a sympathetic look. “She left you the North Carolina Mountain Home and Stark Mansion, said they had some memories only the two of you had. She also left you the Theatre, Music, Dance, & Art Institute she started in Nashville. To top that all off, she created an AI that beats FRIDAY in functions named ANNIE.”

That information hit both Rhodey and Ev like a blow face. The North Carolina Mountain Home had been the place where Toni and he had spent the summer before she turned sixteen, the place where they fell in love. The Stark Mansion was the house they both had both had grown up in. Of course she would leave them to him. The Theatre, Music, Dance, & Art Institute had been something Maria started and left to Toni. It helped kids that were interested in acting, singing, playing instruments, dancing, sculpting, painting, or any other thing of the sort for a career. With Toni’s love for music, she had kept the place running in her mother’s name. And the AI… Toni had always been Annie for him. Even when she had been going by Nia, Ev still had called her Annie so of course she would name his AI that.

Finally, Liz turned to him. “You have a lot Rhodey. She left you the DC apartment for when you are there. She also left you the William Mason Foundation, and the War Machine Armor that has an installed AI by the name of TONES. She also asked for you to make sure that after Ross’ trial, possibly even after the pardons are granted, Project EG is activated.”

His eyes widened. He wasn’t surprised about the DC apartment and the War Machine Armor. The AI wasn’t shocking either, nor was the name. The other two parts were what shocked him.

The William Mason Foundation was something only the two of them knew about. Will had been a friend of his from boot camp that had been killed when his base in Iran was attacked by terrorists. He had left behind a wife and son that she had sent up in small town near Seattle. She had set the foundation up to help them along with others that lost soldiers to war.

Project EG was something else entirely. It was known as Toni’s final solution, the end of her work as the Iron Maiden. Of course she would leave it to him.

Pepper sent him a look, being the only other person in the world to know what that was. They shared a look, promising to sort out the details later.

With that being the final part of the will. Liz closed the last file. “Now that we have gotten that part out of the way. Let me ask?” She leaned forward, her eyes sparking with a crazy gleam in her eyes that spoke of a murderous intent. “What is the plan for Ross?”

~1 WEEK LATER~

“That bitch! You can’t do this to me! You will pay for this!” Rhodey watched with grim satisfaction as Ross was dragged out of the court room after having been stripped of all honors and sent to federal prison. He wasn’t gonna be executed, which was something the UN had pressed for. Toni had left a letter with how she wanted the punishment to go down. She wanted him to live a long life suffering for what he had dared to do and that was go after the people that the one and only Antonia Eloisa Stark loved.

Pietro, Vision, T’Challa and Bruce were as equally stoic as they watched the man that had literally made their lives a living hell be given justice. “It’s not enough.” Pietro said with a murderous look in his eyes that spoke of his desire to run over there and bash the bastard’s head in.

The king put a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Maybe not, but it was what Annie wanted. She wanted him to live his life rotting in a cell almost as gruesome as the RAFT in payment for what he has done. Death is a generous offer now and she far reached the point of compassion when he threatened the Captain with assassins and locked your sister and the others in that monstrous dungeon.”

At the mention of Wanda, the blonde rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Don’t mention her to me.” He hissed out.

“Annie would want you to forgive her. She wouldn’t want you to lose the only family you have left.”

Pietro turned to at Everett’s voice to see the man dressed in a solid black suit with a red rose pinned to the left side. The rose had a black and red ribbon around it, showing everyone just who it was for.

“I don’t think I can do that. Especially not when she helped take the girl I consider my sister in everything but blood from this world. Maybe someday but not now.” He turned to T’Challa. “Is there any way we could delay the pardon?”

He shook his head. “She would not want us to. She wants them home as quickly as possible. I kind of want them out of my country faster as well.”

Vision took that moment to speak for almost the first time since his creator’s death. “How are they reacting?”

The Wakadian was silent for a minute. “Mr. Lang is in shock, as is Ms. Romanoff. Ms. Maximoff thinks she had it coming. Mr. Barton is in denial, but you can feel the guilt coming off him at alarming levels. Mr. Wilson is radiating even more guilt, believing he was the one to send her to her death by telling her of Siberia. Sergeant Barnes went into his cryo chamber before the news broke so he does not know. Captain Rogers…”

Bruce sent him a look of alarm. “Is something wrong?”

The king gave a small laugh. “There are so many things wrong at this moment doctor. You are forgetting Annie was known as the ‘UN Sweetheart’ and the ‘Guardian Angel of the World’. Everything has fallen into disrepair. So yes, there is something wrong.” He was silent before he continued. “Captain Rogers is an exploding cauldron of emotions ranging from denial, anger, and misery. Part of him is refusing to believe it while the other parts are filled with rage, at him and Annie, and misery at the thought she is truly gone. You seem to be forgetting, that despite everything that happened, he is in love with her.”

Ev gave a slight huff at that. Rhodey honestly didn’t blame the man. After everything they had been through with Howard and Stone and being separated for over a decade, he honestly had wanted to two to be able to get their happy ending.

T’Challa threw him a look of sympathy. “Had she lived they would not have been able to repair this. Everyone but the Captain seems to be aware of that.”

Vision nodded. It was a fact they all knew quite well. They had seemed the stress and pain Toni had gone through, not just about the Accords but since Barnes was discovered to be the Winter Soldier and SHIELD fell in 2013. Steve had crossed too many lines that Toni had forgiven him for, but the war was a complete different level. It made her finally realize that she couldn’t wait around for him anymore. Rhodey had been thrilled, having been attempting to convince her to dump the soldier after the first time he missed her birthday looking for Barnes.

She hadn’t though. Tones had held out to the very end that he would come to his senses but in the end he hadn’t and she had paid for it with her life.

It just wasn’t fair!

As stared at the door that Ross had disappeared down, he could hear T’Challa say the other Avengers were due back in just three days which wasn’t enough time for him to be able to prepare. In all honesty, Rhodey didn’t think he would ever be prepared.

And that is what terrified him.

Part of him relished the thought of seeing the vigilantes and wallow in their misery. The other part knew that Toni wouldn’t want that and was trying to rationalize that he should deal with it calmly and with a level head. Both sides were warring against each other and it felt like he was getting torn apart. He didn’t know which would win. He didn’t care which would win. It wouldn’t change anything.

Nothing could change the inevitable fact that his best friend was gone forever.

Chapter Text

Team Cap arrived on a quiet Thursday afternoon. Rhodey meant quiet; it was as if the world was sitting in suspense for what would occur.

Rhodey had felt the need to escape the compound the second he heard that the plane from Wakanda was in route and had headed out to the cemetery to get some air. It was taking every ounce of self-control he had to not scream and break down crying like a baby. He already had to deal with that from his hysterical mother who had thought of Toni as her own kid. Mama Rhodes, as the genius had called her, was anything but calm, demanding to know why he hadn’t called about the fact that his sister, in everything but blood, was lying in a cold wooden casket six feet under.

The funeral had been a public event, with all the media and everybody Tones had ever met in attendance. Thanks to magic, courteous of Dr. Strange, all traces of the fight from Siberia had been removed from Toni’s body, as were all signs of exhaustion that had been added on her over the years. She had been dressed in simple black dress with white polka-dots that had a high enough neck line to cover the arc reactor, a simple black shawl, and black heals. Her hair was down over her shoulders while her eye makeup was simple. Her lips were painted the normal scarlet red that she was known for. She had on a pearl set of earrings that matched the small choker, the last gift she had gotten from her mother. All in all, she looked beautiful and vibrant, just as she did in life. Actually, she had looked like she was in a peaceful sleep.

If only it was so.

She was buried in the same cemetery that her mother, Jarvis, Anna, Everett’s father, Peggy, Peggy’s husband and Toni’s Uncle Daniel, and Will were buried in. It was a simple, beautiful spot with a simple headstone that read…

Antonia Eloisa Stark

Iron Maiden

August 24, 1987-May 22, 2016

Iron is strong but in the end it rusts.

I am strong but I still break.

The quote had been from her memoir that he had found in her room. She had been writing it for months now. He had finished the last epilogue with details on her death before sending it to be published. People were already flocking around bookstores to be able to get their hands on it. All the money earned was going to the people injured in the Avenger’s Civil War, as per Toni’s instructions.

He traced the letters of her name with his index fingers, curling it at each interval, attempting to copy her handwriting. It made him think of a memory when he had tried to copy her signature on a project that he was supposed to have a peer read but he thought too embarrassing to give it to her. She eventually had stolen it and read it anyway.

He was pulled out of the memory by the sound of two sets of footsteps. He turned to see Pietro and, surprisingly, Clint.

The archer had a look of horror and utter grief that mirrored what Rhodey himself was feeling as he looked at the headstone. The soldier shared a look with Speedy to confirm what he already knew; Clint Barton had entered the fight with no clue on what the causes were. He had answered Rogers’ beck and call and now knew the painful truth that he had chosen the wrong side.

Rhodey felt sympathy and a little understanding for the man. Clint had always held a soft spot in Toni’s heart, as her prank buddy and movie friend. They both had a soft spot for anything with action and he had caught them on the couch in the commons watching the fast and furious movies more times that either cared to admit. Toni had known the truth of Clint’s involvement since the beginning and had never held it against the archer. Rhodey sided with her, being too pissed at Rogers, Romanoff, and Maximoff to really care about his side in the war.

“No, no no, no, no.” Hawkeye muttered as he read the gravestone, tears falling down his face. “God Toni, no.”

Pietro stared at the man and looked like he wanted to say something before getting cut off. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please, please, let this be a dream. I didn’t mean it, I didn’t want this.” The broken man let his hand slip out to touch the stone. “Please, please, please.”

Rhodey somehow found his voice. “It’s not your fault.” He whispered, actually meaning the words.

It didn’t sway the spy. “Yes it is. God, I was so horrible to her in the RAFT. I knew better. I was just angry and everyone else was pissed at her and I let it get to me. That was the last time I saw her and I basically told her I hated her. I knew she didn’t want us in there and I saw the mark on her cheek. I wanted to ask her how she got it, was scared that she had been hurt but thought better of it. Why didn’t I ask her?”

Pietro met his eyes with a silent question and he nodded the answer, letting the Sokovian speak. “Ross gave it to her. She had visited him to get information on Rogers and Barnes’ location. She riled him up and caused him to lose control and backhand her. I got a recording of it and had it played at the trial. The UN threw the bastard in prison because of it. She ended up finding out that he was sending a hit squad after the two of them and knew they were headed to Siberia. She wanted to get there first which is why she went to Wilson for the location.”

Clint stared at Speedy for a while, eyes wide and mouth aghast. “That bastard hit her?”

At the nod he received, a long string of curses left the archer’s mouth that shocked Rhodey into silence.

Eventually the profanity became silenced. The grieving men just stared at the final resting place for the greatest woman they had ever known for a long time, just accepting the crushing reality of the situation.

Toni Stark was dead and she wasn’t coming back.

Eventually Rhodey ended the silence. “Did your wife tell you anything?”

Clint sighed and nodded. “Yeah, she did. I had no idea about any of it. Granted, I know that she wanted it that way but I just wish I had known. Maybe if I had, we wouldn’t be here.” He read the final line for a minute again before asking, “Where did you get the quote from?”

Rhodey took a second to answer, reading the line again as well. “Toni was writing a memoir, just in case anything happened. I found it when I was going through her stuff. That was a quote in it.”

Bird Brain nodded. “I want to read it, to understand. I don’t think I really knew her and I would like to change that, even if it is too late.”

They stood quietly for a little more before Pietro started to move. “Let’s head back. We shouldn’t keep the entourage waiting for much longer. Plus, I’m sure Vision, Thor, Loki, Hope, and T’Challa are ready to have some help dealing with the others.”

Rhodey sighed, already wanting to disappear at the thought of facing the three people he really didn’t want to see right now. He turned to Clint, “What are the others thinking about this so I can prepare myself?”

He snorted. “Scott’s guilty. He’s like me, entered in this mess because the ‘great Captain America’ called. Now that he knows all the details, he’s beating himself up in guilt.” That was good to know. Rhodey himself wasn’t mad at Antman. Toni probably would be, but that had more to do with the fact that his arm hit Peter during the airport battle and sent the teen flying into some crates. That had seriously pissed her off.

“Wilson is in shock and is slightly guilty. I don’t think he’s grasped the reality of it all and is starting to blame himself. He thinks that if he hadn’t told her about the other soldiers, she’d still be here.”

‘Maybe, but there was no way to know if that was true’ Rhodey thought as he felt a small weight leave his shoulders that the thought that maybe Sam wasn’t as dumb as he had been led to believe.

“Nat is shocked but I don’t think she feels guilty. She could for all I know, but I doubt it.” Those words made Rhodey scoff. Of freaking course. He was honestly not surprised that Romanoff didn’t see how much wrong she had done. Toni had tried to trust the spy again but got stabbed in the back when she had switched sides and let Rogers and Barnes go. Rhodey blamed her for his fall and blamed her for Toni’s death. If the soldiers had been caught at the airport, Siberia wouldn’t have happened, they could have gotten proper help for Barnes and Tones would still be breathing. It made him growl in anger.

The archer looked at the Pietro. “Your sister thinks Toni is faking it and that if it did happen that she deserved it.”

That made Rhodey growl. “That bitch needs to get her head screwed on straight. Her parents weren’t killed by Toni. I’ll gladly take her to Stane’s grave and let her rip it up but she needs to understand that Toni had no clue about that damn bomb.”

The male Maixmoff twin nodded his head. “I told her, but she doesn’t seem to believe me. Maybe the memoir would help her. Does FRIDAY have any of the security footage that JARVIS had? She might be able to see the truth if she sees the video of him ripping the reactor out of his chest.”

Rhodey had no clue about that but it was worth asking. He turned to Barton. “I know that Barnes went under before the news broke so he doesn’t know. What about Rogers?”

That was the million dollar question and Clint honestly didn’t know the answer. “I don’t know. He hasn’t let anything show. He went to his room in Wakanda after the news broke and stayed there the whole night. Sam found him punching the shit out of some stuff in the training room T’Challa had the next morning but besides that I can’t find anything that would hint at any emotion.”

Shit! That meant Rogers was a wild card and Rhodey didn’t know how to handle that. Either he could snap like a twig and be pissed or he could break down crying. He understood the whole hiding away to grieve, which is what Toni had done after Jarvis’ death the summer before she turned eighteen and what Everett was doing now. He had fled to the North Carolina Mountain Mansion just days after the funeral, which no one could fault him for.

Rhodey sighed as he attempted to prepare himself for the inevitable confrontation as he hopped in the car with the other two. Happy had driven him here so he didn’t have a ride since the man had gone to pick up Pepper at Stark Industries. The company had gone haywire since its mastermind and owner was now dead. The strawberry blonde CEO was slowly losing her mind so her husband had decided to take her out to get lunch to see if he could calm her down for a little bit.

He let his eyes close as he felt Clint start the drive back to the compound, going slower than normal to prolong their arrival. He silently thanked the archer before drifting off in thought to prepare himself for the accusations and secrets that were soon to be out in the open. The biggest secret was the photo of Mary Sarah Rogers that was still in his pocket; the photo that only he, Bruce, Everett, Pietro, and Fury knew of, but that was about to change.

Chapter Text

Clint and Pietro took the long way back to the compound which was something Rhodey was thankful for. He didn’t want to do this, much less as soon as possible.

Bruce was waiting for them out front, dressed in a silk purple shirt with grey slacks and black dress shoes. He looked to have aged ten years since Siberia, granted they all did, but Bruce was already older than the rest of them.

The three men got out of the car to greet the scientist. “I didn’t want to be in there. The other guy might have made an appearance and I can’t kill them without getting in trouble, no matter how much I want to. She would never forgive me if I did.”

They nodded, all knowing the feeling. “How’s it going?” Pietro asked as they walked into the building and began heading to the main room.

Bruce shrugged. “Not as bad as you think. Hope pulled Scott aside and has been yelling at him. Steve is pissed that Loki is here, as is Natasha when she’s not giving me hurt looks. Thor keeps gripping his hammer in case someone attacks. Wanda keeps trying to talk to Vision who is avoiding her. Sam has kept to himself but he’s been staring at the door waiting for you all to come back. I think he’s looking for you to apologize.” He said pointing to Rhodey.

He nodded but didn’t say anything. He couldn’t care less about what Wilson wanted. He didn’t even care about his injury, knowing that with Toni’s devices it would be fixed in no time.

“Any hint on how Captain Dumbass is going to react?” he asked, attempting to prepare himself.

The scientist shook his head. “He hasn’t mentioned her at all, none of them have. I don’t know if they are that far into the denial or they just don’t care. Honestly it could go either way.”

That didn’t help. He was still walking into this blind and he was walking. Toni never had created faulty devices and after a few weeks of working on it, he had been able to start walking with the braces for his legs.

They stopped at the door, staring at the metal barrier for a long minute before opening the door and greeting the scene that was before them.

Hope and Scott were arguing in a corner, the man cowering as his girlfriend attacked him. Vision was in behind the counter, cooking what looked to be spaghetti. Wanda stood near him, trying to get him to answer her many questions while he looked highly uncomfortable. Steve and Natasha were on the couch glaring at Loki who was openly glaring back while standing in the kitchen with Thor who was indeed holding his hammer tightly, daring any of the other occupants to attack his brother or the young blonde standing with the trickster who Rhodey recognized to be Loki’s wife Freya Njordson.

Sam was indeed sitting right by the door, and was the first person to notice them walking in. He took one look at them and instantly knew that it was true and not some publicity stunt, not that he believed it to be one anyway.

He stood up and walked over to the three of them. “I’m so sorry, for everything. If I hadn’t ducked Vision’s beam it wouldn’t have hit you and if I hadn’t told Toni about Siberia she wouldn’t have gone.” He whispered solemnly.

Rhodey gave him a look. He seemed sorry but there was one thing that he needed to know before he accepted the apology. “Did you sign the New Accords?”

Wilson nodded. “Yeah, I did. She certainly fixed them for sure. I wanted to put my name down the second I got to the emergency section and the family protection part. Granted they are probably going to need to be adjusted but they are certainly better.

Rhodey almost breathed a sigh of relief at that and held his hand out. When Sam took it, he quietly said. “This is me forgiving you. It’s gonna take a while for me to trust your ass again.”

The other soldier gave him a look and nodded. “I get that.”

Rhodey took his hand back before turning to the others who had missed the interaction completely.

Loki caught his eye from across the room and moved over to the kitchen table where they had put the box with all of Toni’s letters. As much as Rhodey may have thought that Team Cap didn’t deserve any of Toni that was left, he wouldn’t deny her last wishes. His best friend had written all of them letters, none of which he had read.

Steve, whose eyes had been trained on Loki, glanced suspiciously at the trickster before his eyes moved around the room. When they caught Rhodey’s, they only lit up a slight bit and a small smile formed on the bastard’s face. The very sight of it made the colonel want to punch him.

The moron got up from his seat and strode over to where he stood, not even the least bit concerned. With every step, Rhodey had to remind himself of Toni’s request that he not kill the son of a bitch.

Everyone in the room stared at the two men as they stood at a standstill with only a few feet between them. “Rhodes.” The supersoldier said with no emotion.

“Rogers.” He spoke the last name through gritted teeth as his fists clenched at his sides.

The blue eyes stared at him with an unknown emotion, possibly confusion. “It’s good to see you back on your feet. We were all a little worried.”

‘No you weren’t you son of a bitch. All you cared about was protecting your best friend. I should know considering what I’ve done to protect mine though that doesn’t matter to you. Your own girlfriend, the woman you claimed to love, meant next to nothing compared to James Buchanan Barnes. You didn’t deserve a woman as amazing as Toni. There’s only one man that has ever come close to loving Toni like she deserved and it certainly wasn’t your moronic ass. No, you lied to her, belittled her, insulted her, and made her cry more times than I can count. That wasn’t enough for you though was it? You needed to hurt her even more so you did but you went too far and you killed her. Now she’s gone and I’m stuck dealing with your pathetic ass while she’s cold as the ice that you napped in for seventy fucking years.’ For what definitely wasn’t the first time since they met, Rhodey cursed SHIELD for finding Rogers and unthawing him.

The hypocritical asshole started talking again when he realized that Rhodes wasn’t going to respond to his bullshit. “I wanted to thank you for getting us home. But I do need to know something.”

'That wasn’t me. That was Toni. I was fulfilling her wishes. If it was up to me, you would be locked in facility so secure that even your slippery ass couldn’t get out of it. That way I would never have to look at your fugly face again and know that it was one of the last things my best friend saw before she died of injuries caused by you and your best friend. I got you here because she asked and because I’m not cruel enough to force T’Challa and Shuri to deal with you.’

Then the bastard made the ultimate mistake and asked the question that made him snap.

“Where’s my girlfriend?”

He couldn’t hold back anymore after that. He briefly sent an apology to wherever Toni’s spirit had ended up before he brought his fist up and punched the bastard as hard as he could.

The pain in his hand was worth it as the soldier stumbled back and his hands flew to his hopefully broken nose.

His voice was sharp as he hissed out. “Toni is not your fucking girlfriend. She’s not your anything. You lost whatever rights to her you had the second you decided to keep the truth about the death of Howard and Maria from her. They were her parents, Rogers! Her fucking parents! You had no right to ever hide that from her.”

His answer was muffled as he clutched at his face. “I didn’t want to bring up old wounds. She had already grieved for her parents.”

Rhodey let out a bitter laugh. “I know. I was there in the hospital after she found out. I held on to her as they were lowered in the ground. The events of December 16, 2004 destroyed her. Howard was an abusive asshole who ruined her life and he deserved a whole lot more than just getting his face bashed in.” He took a step closer. “Maria was a different story. If you knew anything about Toni, you know that her mother had always been one of the beloved people to ever be in her life. She was the woman who taught her piano, who sang to her old Italian lullabies and made sure she had as normal of a childhood as possible despite being a genius and a celebrity. Maria Lucille Carbonell-Stark was Toni’s world and she was killed by your best friend. I don’t give a flying fuck if he was brainwashed. Toni was mind raped when you first made a visit to that HYDRA base in Sokovia by our resident witch, which was the reason she revived the Ultron project, and none of you cared.”

The entire room was frozen as they turned to stare at Wanda Anastasia Maximoff in horror. Pietro just looked down in shame at his sister’s actions and the fact that he hadn’t stopped her.

But Rhodey didn’t care about the twisted bitch that hated Toni for something that she had no control over. He’ll deal with her and the rest of Captain Jackass’ tam in a minute. “I’ll get to that bitch later. As I said, I don’t give a shit that Barnes was mind controlled, it doesn’t matter. It was still him that bashed in Howard’s face and it was him that choked Maria before snapping her neck. It was you however that hid her parent’s deaths for almost three years which is pretty fucking awful since you and Tones dated for almost three and a half years. That means you had been lying to her from almost the very start. It was that reason that caused her to become so affected when Zemo showed the footage of the assassination at the shelter. How pathetic is it that the vengeful psycho mastermind who put the entire war together knew that you hadn’t told her?”

He didn’t give the man time to answer as he continued. “It was also you that engaged her in that fight. She was in an emotional rage with no control over her actions. You should have grabbed onto her and held her, not fight her. Instead you fought her.”

“She was going to kill Bucky!” Steve whined loudly.

“Are you talking about when he was ripping the arc reactor out of her chest? You do know why she had that thing in her chest, right? Back in 2008 she was kidnapped by terrorists. She was injured by her own bomb, a bomb that had been sold on the black market by her father’s business partner before she even took over Stark Industries. That bomb sent shrapnel in her body so close to her heart she should have died. She built that arc reactor out of a box of scraps so she could survive to escape that godforsaken cave. When Stane tried to kill her again, he made her immobile by a device that caused temporary paralysis and then ripped the arc reactor from her chest, leaving her to die in her own house. After that are you really surprised she would take precautions to make sure that she wouldn’t have to deal with that again? But it wasn’t Barnes that disabled the arc reactor and the suit. No, that was you. You beat the ever living shit out of her with your fucking Frisbee. Without the suit, she had no way to get help or get out of frozen wasteland. Not that she could have gotten out anyway. She was dying and you left her there alone! If Pietro hadn’t followed her as soon as he could, she would have not only died cold and in pain but also alone!”

He took a deep breath. “Antonia Eloisa Stark was not your girlfriend or your friend or your teammate. She is your victim and she is not here because you killed her. You slammed our shield in her chest and left her to die in Siberia and you succeeded. You killed Toni Stark.”

“And her daughter.”

Rhodey felt himself freeze as everyone turned to look at Loki who was leaning again the counter, exactly where Toni was when she told the team that they needed to be put in check. The letters were sitting next to him as he twirled one of the few existing copies of Toni’s sonogram photo. Everyone stared at the trickster in shock as he gave them a smirk though it lacked its usual bite for Rhodey though Steve would feel the full force of it.

“What?” he choked out, staring at the photo in dark haired man’s hands with wide eyes.

The god ignored him as he looked at Rhodey. “I know you and Banner wanted to keep it private but I don’t think she put it in the letter and it needs to be public.”

He agreed though he wished he wasn’t there. He wished this wasn’t happening, that Toni wasn’t dead and Mary Sarah, his would have been goddaughter, wasn’t gone before she ever took a breath.

Loki gave Rogers a look of pure loathing and continued. “Toni was pregnant with your child before she left for Siberia. She actually found out that day of the fight that she was going to be having a little girl who she was going to name Mary Sarah after your mother and hers. So when you killed Toni, you killed her as well.”

The room was in complete silence, all staring at Steve, Loki, Bruce, and Rhodey who were looking anywhere but each other. The faces of the entire room showed horror, shock, disgust, pain, and sorrow, realizing the full weight of what happened because of stupidity and lack of loyalty.

Eventually Rhodey swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at the other members of Team Cap. “I have enough reasons to hate all of you and I want to, desperately. I’m not Toni. She never hated any of you despite the hell you put her through.”

He turned to Cap first. “You killed her when you claimed to love her Rogers. Were you using her to find Barnes? Is that why you didn’t tell her? Were you scared because you thought if she knew the truth she wouldn’t help you? That’s no excuse and trust me, I’ll kick your ass for it the second I can. You belittled her for being smarter than you. You never listened to her and never gave her an ounce of gratitude for all the times she saved your ass. Do you know what you and Romanoff did when you released all those SHIELD files? You put hundreds of people at risk! All of SHIELD wasn’t HYDRA! Dozens of agents were out on undercover operations when you put that shit on the net. You put them and their families at risk! Hell, Barton was on those files. People in the town near his family’s farmhouse recognized him from pictures and went after Laura and the kids. If it wasn’t for Toni, Bruce, and I they would have been killed or injured. And it wasn’t just SHIELD agents at risk! The agency was partnered with the FBI, the CIA, and many others. You put everyone at risk! Only fifty families, including Barton’s made it out without losing a member. Toni spent months paying off ransoms, going on rescue missions, paying medical bills, getting the agents that were able to work jobs, and dozens of other tasks to help those affected while you, Sam, and Natasha were out looking for Barnes! You left her to deal with all of it on her own! You barely even fucking called her the entire time any of that was going on!”

Barton was looking down at hearing again what Toni had done for his family and hating how he could never repay her. Steve, Natasha, and Sam were staring at Rhodey and Bruce in shock, hearing for the first time what their actions had caused. The others were just staring at everyone in alarm.

Rhodey gave Steve a glare before turning to Clint. “I already had my talk with you and I know for a fact Laura gave you a better tongue lashing than I ever could.” The archer nodded and the colonel let out a sigh. “Good, one less person to yell at.”

His eyes turned to Natasha. “‘I’m not the one that needs to watch my back.’ Did you seriously fucking say that to her? You have double crossed her and betrayed every moment you could. You infiltrated her company and spied on her for months. You knew she was dying of palladium poisoning and you did nothing. You didn’t tell me or Pepper or Happy. You let her go down a path of destruction and watched, biding your time. You then put down all that shit on her file so Fury wouldn’t put her down as a member for the team. ‘Iron Maiden yes, Toni Stark not recommended.’ That’s what you put on that fucking report. You can’t get one without the other you lying bitch. Toni was Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden was Antonia Eloisa Stark. Toni had enough brain power to run half of Manhattan single handedly. You honestly expect me to believe that you had a good reason for not putting her on the team? Fuck you.”

He narrowed his eyes on her and took a step forward. “You were there when Steve found out the truth about Howard and Maria. Why the fuck didn’t you tell her? You didn’t care for her. Why did you decide to not do it?”

The Black Widow swallowed. “I thought it best that Steve tell her.”

“Bullshit! You didn’t tell her because you didn’t trust that she wouldn’t blast you. You traitorous, lying whore. And what about with the Accords. You signed the document! You stood by her and then you let them fucking go at the airport. It’s your fault I was stuck in that fucking chair. And then when she lashes out you call her egotistical and selfish! Fuck you Romanova!”

The red head flinched at the use of her real last name but Rhodey didn’t care. If his mother hadn’t raised him like she did he would have been tempted to hit the bitch.

He turned his eyes to Scott who was looking at the floor in shame. “She’s paying for Cassie to go to college. She left a check for Maggie to use. She also gave the two of them and Paxton the place she has out there.”

“Why?” the man said, his voice choked. “Why would she do that? I didn’t even know her and I treated her horribly.”

The soldier shrugged. “How the hell would I know? She was my best friend and will always hold that title but even I didn’t know why she did half the shit she did. From what I heard, Hope already laid out the reasons I have against you.” He got a nod in return and a little bit of the tension left his shoulders. “Good.”

His eyes flashed to Wilson. “I don’t really have any more beef with you. I meant what I said earlier and I think you were a complete dumbass for following Captain Asshole blindly like that. But I already know that you regret that and the fact that you probably missed about every sign that told you she wasn’t okay leading up to the war. I’ll handle that information later in private and let you have it then.”

The other soldier gave him a grateful smile that he returned with an inclined head.

Then his eyes turned to the Wanda. “Bitch, I have so many issues with you I don’t know where to start.”

The witch shook slightly as she spoke. “I’m sorry.”

He scoffed. “I’m not the one that needed that apology. I wasn’t there when you fucked with her head. I wasn’t there when you shoved Vision down through the floors. I almost left the team when you talked Rogers into forcing her to take a break from the team. You have no idea how much I hate you.”

He let out a huff. “I’ll guess I’ll start with the truth you have refused to listen to or see. Toni was twenty one when she took over Stark Industries. She wasn’t in charge of anything to do with the company till that happened and only a few months later was when Afghanistan happened. The bomb that killed your family was sold to HYDRA by Obadiah Stane, Howard’s business partner that was responsible for Toni’s kidnapping. The bomb was one of the faulty ones that he made before getting Toni to agree to do backside work for SI before she actually took over the company. She was a fucking genius. Trust me, she never made a faulty weapon and if she did it never left her lab. Her foundations were actually the people that rescued you and your brother.”

Her wide eyes flashed to Pietro who nodded, having already heard about this. Rhodey waited a minute to regain her attention before continuing. “I’ll flash forward a bit to the next time you came into her story, the shelter where we first found out about you two. While Toni was focused on the scepter and Loki’s scepter, you came up behind her put her under your powers. She saw a vision of the end of the world, with the Chitari destroying everyone. Everyone on team was dead at her feet but Cap who blamed her for everything.” He took a breath. “Toni was the only one to see the inside of the portal that opened up in New York. She never told me what she saw but I knew it was enough to scare her into turning into even more of an insomniac than she already was. You showed her that and that if she didn’t do anything, whatever she saw would destroy the world and it would be her fault. That fear, yours and the scepter’s influence, and her paranoia caused her to restart the ULTRON program, a program she had scrapped over a year earlier.”

The whole room seemed to take a deep breath as the implication of that statement hit home. Rhodey still felt the need to state the obvious. “It was you who was behind ULTRON. You and that stupid notion of revenge that caused the almost end of the world and then you placed all the blame on her. You then got the nerve to tell Rogers that having her around made you uncomfortable. You had her pretty much kicked off the team just for a little revenge that she had no part in.” he took a step forward causing the woman to step back. “You took the team, the family she thought she had from her. For that alone, I want to kill you.”

The room waited in silent for a minute before he took a step back. “I won’t. You and Rogers and Romanoff deserve to suffer with the consequences of your actions. I won’t go against Toni’s wishes and get you imprisoned or kicked off the team, no matter how much I want to. But you can live with the guilt that the one woman that actually deserved the title of a global hero is cold in her grave and is not coming back because you killed her.”

Everyone was practically in tears as he finished and Rhodey didn’t care. He was exhausted but knew he still had a job to finish. “The Stark Mansion in Long Island is where the final memorial is going to take place. Tones asked me to activate her final request, Project EG at the mansion tonight at midnight. Come if you want. But I warn you, the people she considered family will be there.”

And with that, Colonel James Rupert Rhodes left the room.

~that night~

Rhodey shuffled along the edge of the dock connecting the Stark property to the waters of the Atlantic. It was relatively cool for a summer night in the end of June. Project END GAME or EG was already set up. It had taken less than a few hours to get everything set up and then people started arriving.

The entire team, excluding Rogers, Romanoff, and Wanda, had come out for the final memorial and they weren’t the only ones. Ev was here along with Pepper, Happy, Fury, Coulson, and Hill. Everyone connected to the team was here as well including Hank Pym, Scott’s family, the Barton’s, May Parker, the Keeners, and the Hudson siblings. The X Men and the Fantastic Four were also present for the event.

Everett was waiting for someone. Apparently someone had called him and asked if they could be present and he didn’t have the heart to tell them ‘no’. Not that he would, if he had guessed their identities correctly.

Sure enough he was right. A black van pulled into the driveway letting out some of Toni’s oldest friends that neither he nor the brunette genius had seen in years. Dick Grayson stepped out first followed by Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance. Alfred Pennyworth exited after followed by the most important person in that van.

Bruce Wayne had at one point been Toni’s brother in everything but blood. When they were younger people used to question whether or not they were siblings, some even guessing twins. They weren’t but back then the mistake was easy to make. The two were inseparable and Bruce had done everything in his power to protect her, even cut off all contact.

After the billionaire playboy took up the alias as Batman in Gotham City, he cut off all contact with Toni, terrified that he would drag her into the world that was filled with danger at every turn. The last time they saw each other in person that Rhodey knew of was New Year’s 2004, just months before Everett was forced to leave her and about a year before Howard and Maria’s death. The two hadn’t talked since then that he was aware of.

He could only imagine what it felt like for Bruce when he found out about the Iron Maiden suit and Toni’s part in the Avengers. To know that he had hurt the both of them to protect her from the world she ended up in any way had to sting.

Rhodey watched as the man shook Fury’s hand before moving and pulling Everett into a hug. The two had known each other almost as long as Bruce had known Toni and they were both going through the same thing. Both had lost the love of their life do to the dangers of the superhero lifestyle. God only knows how much pain they were feeling, especially since Bruce had lost Clara just days before Toni died.

The colonel made his way towards the newly arrived group, pulling Dinah into a hug doing the same with Oliver and Dick and Alfred before moving towards Bruce.

The billionaire had a haunted look in his brown eyes that shook Rhodey to the core and he didn’t hesitate before yanking the man in a hug. It only took a few seconds before he felt a tight squeeze in return.

“I should have been here.” was the choked words that came from the older man’s mouth. “I should have called.”

“You were dealing with your own shit. You couldn’t have stopped her anyway. She was going to go to Siberia whether we wanted to or not and she would have hated herself if she made you leave Clara.”

A sob left the normally stoic billionaire. “I lost them both. How can I cope with that?”

He didn’t know. He couldn’t answer so he just continued to hug Bruce and forget why they were here.

Everett was the one that pulled them back to the present. “It’s time.” He said and they both froze before making their way to the edge of the beach.

Everyone was silent as Rhodey prepared himself before calling out. “FRIDAY, activate Project END GAME.”

The answer came through the speakers his phone that he had pulled out to talk to the AI. “Yes, Colonel Rhodes.”

One by one, they watched as the last Iron Maiden suits that Toni had ever created exited the manor’s basement and flew into the night sky. Each armor was lit up to the max and shot off flares and danced in the air as if dancing. Then they started copying the ending of Toni’s fight with the Mandarin and exploded, causing light to crackle across the black sky like fireworks.

It was Toni’s last request. Since the creation of the Mark I, everyone had been after the suit and her technology for various different reasons. He knew full well that one of his best friend’s biggest fears was that her creations would end up in the wrong hands and be used for destruction so she created Project EG. In the event of her death, all suits, not including his, would be destroyed so they would never be corrupted.

Rhodey watched all of them explode till it was down to one. It was the shiniest and one of the bulkier armors that flew around in swirls causing Rhodey to be reminded of all the times they spent chasing each other in the clouds on days when they had nothing better to do. The helmet of the gold and red suit turned in his direction and it almost seemed to smile at him before it exploded just as the clock on his phone reached midnight.

It was a new day and it was a new start to a life without Toni Stark, one he never thought he would have to face but one that he had to soldier through. He knew the world would never forget her, not if he had anything to do with for it was up to him to keep her memory and legacy alive.

And maybe, just maybe, he would eventually be okay.

Chapter Text

Life passed on as it normally does.

Steve stayed on the Avengers though he was forced to drop the title of Captain America and instead became Nomad. He eventually found solace in Sharon Carter, the bitch that had hated Toni with every part of her being because she was Peggy’s favorite. The two were married about three years after Toni’s death and had a quite unhappy marriage as they continued to cheat on one another for the rest of their lives.

Bucky eventually came out of his cryo chambers and used BARF to clear his mind with the help of T’Challa’s doctors. After learning of Toni’s death he cut off all contact with Steve and the others on Team Cap and spent the rest of his life in Wakanda.

Natasha worked with the Avengers and tried to repair her friendships for a few years but soon realized there was no hope for that idea. She rejoined SHIELD and was soon picked off by a terrorist that she had been sent to spy on.

Sam stayed on with the Avengers for another year before retiring and going back to work for the VA. He eventually married and settled down.

Clint went back into retirement after everything that happened. He trained a young woman named Kate Bishop who became the new Hawkeye. He and Laura resolved their issues and remained happily married. Cooper grew up to become a doctor, Lila became a lawyer, and Nathaniel became a Paleontologist.

Scott decided not to join the Avengers and returned to California. He was eventually able to reconcile with Cassie and married Hope. He still worked as Antman for Hank Pym. Cassie became a nurse and married Harley Keener who she met again at Peter’s wedding years later.

Wanda eventually lost control of her powers on the field and attacked a group of civilians. Vision and Charles Xavier were forced to take her abilities away and the spell caused her to lose her mind. She was sent to a psychiatric hospital in New Jersey and eventually committed suicide.

Vision stayed on the Avengers and since he couldn’t age, was there for as long as the team stood. He went to cooking school and ended up becoming a master chef in his free time.

Pietro married a SHIELD agent named Kimberly Nickels about two years after Toni’s death and had two children. They named their son Anthony in her honor and their daughter Evelyn for Everett.

Thor married Jane Foster a year after the Civil War. Using Asguardian methods, he made her immortal and the two became rulers of Asguard. Loki was his chief advisor and he and Freya remained happily married.

Erik Selvig consulted with SHIELD and the Avengers for a while before deciding to stay permanently in England. He taught seminars at Oxford and lived quite content.

Phil Coulson took over SHIELD with Maria Hill after Nick Fury stepped down. He married Darcy Lewis while Maria married a CIA agent. Fury retired and spent his years running the Peggy Carter Foundation.

Pepper and Happy kept Stark Industries running before retiring and moving to Malibu permanently. They had no children but loved life on the beach.

Harley and Peter took over Stark Industries when the younger turned twenty three. They stayed as business partners for a good ten years and drove the company to heights that most could only dream of. Peter eventually left started his own company. He reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Liz Allen and they married and had a son named Martin Antonio. Harley married Cassie and had a daughter named Sarah Eloise. His sister, Emmaline, married Cooper Barton.

Bruce Banner stayed on as a consultant for the Avengers and eventually reconnected with Betty Ross. They talked out their issues and reunited. They married in a quiet ceremony and moved to Johannesburg to help improve the city.

Bruce Wayne joined up with Diana Prince and a few others to form the Justice League. Due to alien biology, Clara Kent came back from the dead and the two were married but had no children. Oliver Queen married Dinah Lance and the two joined the League as Green Arrow and Black Canary. Dick Grayson married the commissioner of Gotham and had a few children who were spoiled by Bruce, Clara, Oliver, Dinah, and Alfred.

The X Men and the Fantastic Four prospered and joined forces with the Avengers on many apocalyptic events and saved the world more times than anyone cared to admit.

T’Challa remained King of Wakanda for several years before passing the throne to his sister Shuri. He stayed on as a diplomat and as the Black Panther and helped the Avengers when he could.

Thaddeus Ross died of what many believe to be a heart attack. At least, that’s what the public believes. Let’s just say that Deadpool was perfectly happy to rid the world of the man that led her to her death.

Charles and Elizabeth lived happily in London. Charles was able to get much work done as the representative at the UN while his sister became a very famous and popular lawyer. She almost never lost a case.

Everett died shortly after Toni, unable to live without her. He died of cancer not two years after Project End Game.

Rhodey married Carol Danvers and led the Avengers for another decade before passing the torch on to Peter. They had no children but were happily married till he passed away in his sleep at the age of seventy six.

~2061~

Rhodey opened his eyes, expecting to the ceiling of his bedroom in his house outside of New York City, only to see clear blue sky. Feeling around he realized that he was not in his bed; instead he was lying in a grassy field.

“What the hell?” he whispered looking around, seeing nothing but grass. He stood up, trying to find anything familiar. He then caught sight of his hands, freezing in place as he caught sight of his young skin that he hadn’t seen in years.

“Well, it’s about damn time.” The colonel froze before spinning around at the voice he never thought he would hear in person again. There, standing behind him was a stunning brunette woman with warm brown eyes and a teasing smirk. “You kept me waiting long enough Sour-patch.” He blinked over and over again.

This couldn’t be real, unless he was dead. “Toni?”

She nodded. “Hey Rhodey.”

It took those words to have him crossing the space between them and latching onto her smaller frame. His face fell in the curtain of her of her dark hair, shaking as the smell of her favorite shampoo wafted to his nose.

She hugged him back. “Missed you too, platypus.” She then stepped back and yanked on his hand. “Come on, everyone’s waiting.”

Still in a daze, he followed her till they came in sight of giant house where his mother, his father, her mother, Jarvis, Anna, William Ross, Everett, Peggy, Daniel Sousa, Ho Yinsen, Pepper, Happy, and everyone else he knew that had died were waiting.

From out behind Ev’s legs, small child with dark hair and blue eyes came running to Toni, screaming. “Mama!”

The genius caught the young girl, hoisting her up in the air, and he knew in an instant that this must be Mary Sarah. Holy shit, he was dead and she was here and they were all here and dear God, he didn’t care.

The child turned to him, a curious look in her cornflower eyes. “Uncle Rhodey?”

He smiled and nodded. “Hey Mary.”

Her answering beam was blinding as she launched herself from mother’s arms and into his and he clutched her like his life depended on it. From over her shoulder he saw Ev greet Toni with a kiss and he grinned wider, happier than he had been in a while.

He was dead and she was dead and he didn’t care. She was back with him and he didn’t care what happened next. He was happy and she was with him because in all honesty…

What sort of life could James Rhodes live without Antonia Stark?