Ch 94 Break VII

Everyone sat silently in the dining room. The food was in front of them but none of them were really eating. All of them were too traumatized to eat. May still had Peter in her arms and was unwilling to let him go and Clint and Wanda were in the same situation.

They had seen themselves lose badly and most of them were dead in the recording. The ones who weren't dead felt guilty, thinking their mistakes had led to this catastrophe.

That was until Fury realized something. Looking at Benjamin, he asked, "They did manage to beat Thanos later, didn't they?"

Everyone looked at him and then at Benjamin, realizing he was still alive. And so was Scarlet Witch. And Sam too. Doctor Strange as well.

"So…." Tony asked, clearing his throat and wiping his eyes, struggling to control his emotions, "We did beat him later?"

"Yeah." Benjamin said with a sore throat, "And all of us were brought back."

"But at a high cost." Logan said as he shot Tony a look and glanced at Natasha for a second as well but she didn't notice as she was just holding Bucky's hand and looking at him while he was looking at her. Steve had his head in his hands.

He then looked up and said, "We lost because we weren't together."

"People died." Hill muttered, "The world was damaged. How did anyone even recover?"

"They didn't." Odinson said, "No one fully did."

"It's my fault!" Thor snapped angrily as everyone looked at him, "I should have gone for the head!"

"That's what I kept telling myself every day for years." Odinson said, "Doesn't make a difference."

"Yes, all of you made mistakes." Loki told them, "I did as well. I took the Teserract from Asgard. Tony took the Time Stone to Thanos. Vision and Wanda were away. You didn't go for the head. But blaming ourselves is not going to solve a damn thing! We need to think about how to beat this guy without making any mistakes!"

"How are we going to do that?" Tony asked.

"Together." Steve said and the two looked at each other with firm gazes before nodding.

"Who else died?" Bruce asked as all shot him looks, "We need to know."

Benjamin sighed, preparing himself. He knew he'd have to tell them sometime.

He looked at T'Challa remorsefully and said, "Shuri."

T'Challa felt the ground shift from his feet as he fell to the ground on his knees, tears coming to his eyes. Half of his people were dead. He was dead. And now Shuri too. Loki put a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort.

Logan then looked at Bruce and told him, "Betty."

"WHAT?!" Bruce snapped as his skin turned a shade of green for a second before he controlled himself, "He killed her too?"

"Yes." Logan sighed.

"Did Ross die too?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Nope." Logan said.

"Damn it!" Tony said, "This guy can't even kill the right Ross."

"Betty." Bruce whispered, trying to get a hold of himself.

Benjamin turned to Steve and said, "Sharon."

Steve felt a tear drop from his eye. He had failed Peggy as well by failing to protect her niece from Thanos' madness. He looked down, trying to process everything.

Odinson looked at his younger self and said, "Erik. Sif."

Thor roared angrily and hit the table hard, shattering it. Tony, Scott, Peter or Benjamin would have made a quip about him breaking tables but none of them had the heart to. Benjamin made a mental note of getting the table replaced by next day.

Loki put a hand on Thor's shoulder and helped him sit back down. This was getting worse for everyone involved.

Now it was time for the really hard revelations.

Benjamin looked at Scott and Hope and said, "You died too, Hope. And your parents as well."

Hope's jaw dropped in horror and shock as Scott looked horrified too, wrapping an arm around Hope to assure himself she was there. She had just gotten her mother back. And now she had lost her life along with her mother and her father? Why? This was just wrong! And unfair!

Hope felt tears drop from her eyes as Scott tried to comfort her. He still dreaded something. Looking up at Benjamin with pleading eyes, he asked, "Cassie?"

"She was fine." Benjamin assured and he was a little relieved, "Maggie, Jim, Luis, Kurt and Dave survived too."

He nodded. At least his daughter, ex-wife and friends had escaped that monster's madness. But Hope and her family hadn't, he mused sadly. He could only wrap his arm around Hope as she cried into his chest while tears dropped from his eyes too.

Benjamin looked at Aunt May and his younger self, who were still holding each other. Struggling to maintain a calm voice, he said, "You died, Aunt May."

She actually didn't react at all, simply hugged Peter tighter as the boy seemed to cry. She just kissed his forehead. He needed her more than she needed herself.

"Ned, Michelle, Flash, Betty and Jason were killed too." Benjamin told her and Peter's cries of sadness increased as May hugged him, crying herself.

Logan now turned to Clint. This was going to be the worst part. He took deep breaths himself. He had brutally killed and maimed his enemies, who were the worst of the worst. But telling a family man about the potential death of his family seemed much worse than all of it.

"Clint." He said and the master archer looked at him, dread in his eyes, "Your family. They-they-they….They didn't make it."

Clint immediately got off his chair and walked out while his chair fell off. He went out into the hallway and stood there, trying to process what he had just heard. Logan closed his eyes and sighed sadly. He knew this wasn't gonna be easy.

Natasha had recovered herself a bit now and looked to Bucky who nodded. She got up and Wanda got up as well. Both walked out to where Clint was. He seemed numb. He couldn't move or feel a thing.

"Clint." Natasha called out but he didn't respond. She put her arms around him, trying to offer comfort as Wanda put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey!" She said to him, "We will change this."

"How?" He snapped and the two backed off a little. They knew he could get angry. But they had never seen him like this before. The only thing keeping him from snapping totally was that his family hadn't died yet. It seemed if they died, he would go over the edge.

"Because you're not alone."

The three turned to see Lila standing there, tears in her eyes. Clint couldn't control himself now. With tears in his eyes, he walked up to her and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go, "Oh! My baby girl!"

"Daddy." She cried too while Natasha and Wanda simply watched.

Back inside Hope, Peter, May and T'Challa had calmed a little and were just sitting silently, staring into space. Bucky, Sam and Rhodes were rather quiet too from normal.

"What happened to you guys?" Fury asked Logan and he knew he was referring to the X-Men.

"Jean and Scott died." Logan said in a pained voice and all felt their sympathy for him, "Many other kids died too. The Professor was gone as well. Magneto also died. Which is why when he came back, he returned to his old habits of mutant supremacy."

Everyone nodded, just absorbing what they had seen and heard.

"Would you like to rest?" Benjamin asked, knowing they would need it. Steve nodded gratefully at him as they all started getting up one by one.

Tony hugged Peter, "Please, do not put yourself in danger like that, kid. I can't let anything happen to you."

Peter simply nodded and started walking away with May as Benjamin walked with them.

Tony and Pepper walked out too.

"Mom. Dad."

The two turned as Morgan walked to them and hugged them both, trying to offer comfort. They hugged her back, none of them saying a word, just grateful to their daughter for her support.

"Take care of yourself." Benjamin told Peter and May both, "If you need anything, I'll come."

They just simply nodded as May kissed his cheek and he kissed hers too before the three parted ways, their hearts heavy.

Scott and Hope walked to their room to see Cassie standing near the door, waiting for them.

"Peanut." Scott said, but his voice didn't sound as happy as it normally would.

"Dad." She said before turning to Hope, who was eventually going to become her step-mother, "I'm here for you. Both of you."

They nodded at her as she held both of their hands, trying to offer them comfort.

Benjamin was walking to his room as Scarlet Witch arrived, "I came as soon as I heard."

"Thank you." He said in a sore voice as she held his hand and both of them walked towards their room, gazing into each other's eyes, trying to be there for each other.

Steve saw Bucky and Natasha going to their room and Sam to his.

"Buck?" He called out, "Sam?"

The two turned to him and he hugged them both one by one, "You're both important to me."

They nodded at him with smiles as he walked off and Sam went to his room as well.

Bucky and Natasha walked to their room as Natasha asked, "Would you hold my hand as I go to sleep?"

"I will." Bucky said with a comforting smile, though he needed some for himself as well due to his on-screen death. The two held hands and lay on the bed.

Only four recordings were left now. Next day was going to be something.