Kate pats his shoulder. "Are you signing up for a GED spot?" Scott asks.

"Yeah, I was a senior when the schools closed. My parents would have wanted to me to graduate instead but the school didn't allow the seniors the options of coming in and taking their finals before all the schools closed."

"I'm sure they hoped they'd be able to reopen before then and you'd be able to take your finals on time." Clint pats her shoulder.

"Yeah, the principal apologized to all the seniors after dumbass closed the schools for not letting us take our finals early." Kate sighs. "She felt it wasn't fair to the other students that we could cut our senior year short while they would have had to come back to school and go over to make up all the time we lost. Once dumbass yanked the rug out from under us, she realized she'd lost the chance to do anything for any of us."

"Do you see him reopening schools?" Natasha asks as she walks out of the Tower and over to where they are.

"Fuck no." Peter snorts. "He'll keep them closed forever because people want them open. I heard rumors that some people are trying to sue to get them reopened but you know how slow the court system is. The Supreme court would have the final say but it would be years before it got that far. . .if ever." Everybody nods. "Now. .. .if congress voted to reopen the schools it would be different, they'd probably have enough votes to pass it without allowing him to veto it."

"More likely they'd wait until he got voted out of office and start saying let's go back to normal."

Clint's ex-wife snorts behind Natasha. "That is, if he doesn't pass laws keeping him in office forever."

"Yes, I'm sure he'll try getting rid of elections because as disgusted as most of the population is everybody who is up for re-election will be voted out. Because they're not even trying to do anything to stop him."

"No, you can't fucking put every factory under government control citing national security." The Chief Justice tells the moron in chief in disgust.

"But they're not making their orders."

"That's because people are dying from your pet disease asswipe. They don't have enough employees to fulfill all their orders. People realize that."

"But if I take them over, I can fire everybody in charge. . .they're obviously too stupid to . . ." He's slapped upside the head by a furious chief justice.

"Leave factories the hell alone you stupid goddamn fool. If you'd never had your damn pet mad scientists play around with that damn disease factories would be able to keep up with demand."

"But there's empty spots on shelves." he whines as the chief justice and his chief of staff walk out of the oval office. "I can't buy everything I want."

May looks around the kitchen the night before Thanksgiving. Everything that can be made up ahead of time was and a ham is waiting in the refrigerator. This year has been. . .unusual she finally decides on. Others might have said a lot worse but she's got a job she loves working with children, neither her or Peter had gotten ill, she feels better than she has in years, and they're in no danger of losing their home thanks to the loss of their former landlord.

Peter is making better money working for Stark International than he had been selling photos to the Daily Bugle. And she still wishes he hadn't had to start working that early to provide for them after her beloved Ben had died.

And most importantly she's thankful that Peter doesn't have to go out every night as Spider-Man. She'd been stunned and more than a little hurt when he finally had to admit what he'd been doing but she reminds herself of how she'd talked about Spider-Man and realizes why he'd never said anything.

They're luckier than some people, Peter had told her that one of his . . .'associates' was a young woman who'd been a couple months from graduating high school when the president had shut down the schools, her mother had died years ago, and she'd lost her father recently. She'd chosen to stay in the family home since she was only a few months from turning eighteen and had taken in some friends who also had lost family.

Two weeks later Kate Bishop walks into the room where the GED tests were going to be held, nodding as she recognizes many of her old classmates. To add to old home week the proctor coming in with the tests is her old principal. The tests are handed out and everybody starts to work.

"Are seniors who would have graduated been given priority in the tests?" One of the proctors asks when they break for lunch.

"We've tried not to but they're the ones who were the most affected by the schools closing." Another teacher sighs. "Younger students need more work to get ready for the tests."

Tony looks out the window in the Tower, looking down at the streets that should be bustling with shoppers getting ready for Christmas. Stores were trying to get shoppers in but with people working two or even three jobs and more empty spots on store shelves the Christmas sales had nearly vanished. The president had howled when the Black Friday sales hadn't been what he'd been expecting, he'd figured on using that to prove things weren't as bad as people were complaining about. He'd demanded people start buying high-ticket items to bring the economy up and had been told to grow the hell up. . .again! 'But they have the money for them now' he'd bleated and had walked off pouting when everybody gave him disgusted looks. And worse of all, people were talking bad about him in the media. . .HIM! Why is everybody so upset. . .welllllllll yeeesssssss, over a billion people have died thanks to that little illness that he'd had his scientists unleash, but they'd told him that they could stop it at any time. Was it his fault they'd lied to him? He was the victim here. When he'd wrote that on social media, sites had crashed as people screamed at him that he was not the victim.

Pepper comes up behind him. "Kate called, she just got the news she passed her GED."

"Good, now we just need to get the others either their GEDs or in the case of the kids taking classes from Xavier's at home graduated." He still stands at the window and Pepper wraps her arms around him. "You're in a quiet mood."

"The asshole in chief is trying to shut down hospitals. He's also wanting to shut down drug companies in the US and forbidding imports of medicine from other countries. He claims we don't need it, it's not curing anybody."

"Christ, the moron does realize that there's more diseases out there than his pet scientiests one. . .right? Cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure. . ."

"Yeah, he's pouting because even his most ardent supporters are about ready to kill him for his stupidity."

"Why hasn't they started impeachment proceedings yet?"

"Because being too fucking stupid to live isn't a crime. . .yet." Tony snorts. "He didn't create the damn disease, his pet mad scientists did and while we know they did it for him, he can't be charged with that."

"And there's still too many people in his party that even though they know he's a moron will still block any legal proceedings against him." Phil says from the elevator. "I heard Ms. Bishop got her GED?"

"Yes, her former principal was the proctor for her tests and apologized to her again for not letting her class take their finals before the schools were closed." Pepper says.

"Maybe when schools close she and the other seniors will be able to go back and finish their classes to graduate."

"The others?"

"Are attending classes here at the tower so they can get their own GEDs." Pepper says. "Clint's kids and Scott's daughter are doing schoolwork through Xavier's. What brings you out?"

"Bad news, we're getting more reports of water and sewage treatment plants failing as other cities lose key personnel. They don't have the cross-training plans we have."

Pepper sighs. "Two of the three big causes of more illness. Garbage strikes leaving it piling up everywhere would be the third."

"Yep. At least we don't have to drag wagons through the streets to pick up the dead like they had during the plague." Pepper shudders. "Are mass graves getting full?"

"Yes, and crematoriums are being used a lot." Phil sighs as he looks out the window. "The moron president is sticking his fingers in his ears saying la la la I can't hear you whenever he gets bad news but the world council is reporting the death toll is nearly two billion now. Of course we're not getting reports from countries under non-friendly control but every other country has reported death rates from thirty percent to nearly one hundred percent depending on medical resources and how many areas were specifically targeted."

"Christ, when you think of all the times super-heroes saved the world from villains. . ."

"And a damn fool who got his 'feewings' hurt because people won't bow, scrape, and kiss his ass destroys it." Tony leans against the window as Coulson's phone starts beeping like mad. He excuses himself and steps away to answer it. "Coulson. What?" Tony and Pepper turn to stare at him. He grabs the remote for the tv and turns it on. "AIM just shot the president."

"About time somebody did." Pepper mutters as she settles in her chair as the commercial turns back to live coverage. JARVIS makes the announcement buildingwide, everybody either turning on tvs or heading to Tony's office.

"How is this going to affect everything?" Natasha at the next commercial.

"The government's going to be up in arms for a long time. . .they knew he was a fucking moron but there are still factions in the government that will demand justice for the fucking fool."

"And what about the justice for everybody who died because of his stupidity?" Sam asks dryly.

"Ohhhh, he's the president. .. it might look bad in the short run but in the long run it will all come out in the wash." Clint snorts, waving a hand. "I'm sure his spin doctors are trying to make him a fucking hero who was standing up to AIM and was assassinated for that. . .not because he's a goddamn fool who killed over a billion people because he didn't wike people having a mind of their own."

"And beyond the idiots in Washington?"

"Wellll, schools should reopen next fall if Congress gets off their ass and overrides his decision to close them. It will give them several months to get everything ready." Clint says. The others nod. "But other than that? His death won't stop the epidemic. It won't bring back the dead or fill empty shelves in stores. Areas of the country. . .even worldwide are losing essential services because people aren't being trained to run them as people die."

Phil nods. "He won't be able to close hospitals now or shut down pharmacutical companies since. . ..'well, they're not curing it anyway'." Natasha curses in Russian while Ciint moans, obviously they hadn't heard that rumor. "Oh Clint, Kate passed her GED."

Clint grins and grab the phone, talking to his protege for a few minutes before ending the call.

"I can't believe some people are wailing over that fool's death." Pepper snorts. "Come on people, everybody knows what the fool did."

"H. . .he. . .he wasn't bad, he was just confused." Tony mock-blubbers.

"Yes, I'm sure some fool will start saying that." Coulson sighs. "AIM released a statement simply saying he deserved to die for what he did to the world."

"Can't argue with that. Is the government in turmoil with his death?" Pepper asks.

"No more than it was with him alive." Tony snorts.

"True, he tried running every bureau and was ignored for the most part."

In their home Peter shuts off the television with a sigh. May looks at her nephew. "While I don't condone his death, I can understand why somebody would want to kill him for what's going on."

"If one good thing came out of this whole mess. . .there's no drug problems anymore." Peter sighs. "Users had to go cold turkey while those who made them were arrested, charged, convicted, and are rotting in prison. Which he was able to crow about as something good he did while ignoring the other stuff."

"Yes, as long as he took care of drugs and gangs attacking other countries and killing your own citizens should be overlooked. It's not fair people keep complaining about that." May snorts as she looks at the clock. "Don't stay up too late."

"I won't Aunt May." He looks out the window at the snow. "It doesn't seem like Christmas next week."

"It's been a long year, what with all the deaths and the schools closing. People aren't celebrating the way they do now. . .they're celebrating like back when I was a child. Presents weren't the big ticket items, you'd get one or two smaller presents. It was a day for celebrating family, you'd probably go to church. . ."

"I'm sure the old fool would have shut down churches and other houses of worship as being seditionists." Peter snorts. "Tony said there was rumors he wanted to shut down hospitals and drug companies since they weren't curing anything anyway." he says snidely. May sighs. "I shouldn't be saying this of the man so many people elected to run our country but he was a fool."

"Amen."

Over the next few days the government tries to spin the president's death as a national tragedy, brutally murdered for daring to speak out against groups that would like to destroy the American way of life but there's enough uproar that those announcements rapidly vanish. it doesn't help the government's position that various groups come out with proof of the moron's actions.

"Did they really think everybody would forget all the deaths, the empty spots on store shelves, people working two or three jobs to keep essential services going, and him continually trying to take over stuff or shut down stuff to make himself look good?"

"They had to try." Tony shrugs. "Just like they had to apologize and try to smooth things over after he kept shooting off his big mouth and making things worse for the administration."

"Do you see the new president doing anything about all the problems?"

"If he has any damn sense. . .otherwise he'll find himself with a visitor from AIM or HYDRA most likely." Pepper sighs but nods. "If AIM got rid of half of the US government the country wouldn't be affected."

Phil sighs as he walks out of the elevator. "Try most of the government. Do we . . ." Tony and Phil disappear and reappear a few seconds later. "That was. . .unsettling." Pepper just looks at Tony as boxes, bags, and other stuff start appearing around the room. "Do I dare ask what happened?"

"We got nabbed by another dimension who saw what problems we're having and gave us information on what we'll need if we have to move to another dimension or establish a colony on another planet." Tony sighs. "I'd rather not have to go that route but we've got the information, we've got supplies, and we've got the technology." Pepper looks at the boxes. "This is just a portion of it."

"Can we trust it?"

"It's from another me."

"That's why I asked if we could trust it." Pepper snorts. Phil chuckles despite himself. "Special meeting Phil?" She asks, looking at him."

"Wondering what your plans were for after Christmas?"

"I'd planned on going to Vegas after the first of the year to inspect the hydroponics building there, then heading to Malibu for a couple weeks. Reed said he'd be busy with research for a couple weeks."

"Except for the assassination villains have been quiet."

Pepper nods. "Like the rest of us they're waiting for the rest of the shit to hit the fan. No use trying to take over the world now. . .it would be too much work remaking it in their image."

"Or they've got what they wanted. Or they got sick and died."

Phil nods. "SHIELD has a list of villain deaths, mostly small-time crooks. We can't tell for sure about AIM or HYDRA, neither are going to come out with lists of their dead."

"No, and they've got bases all over the world. We'll only know their deaths when we find bodies."

"And bases."

"How is DC?"

"Bad, the former first lady is wailing because nobody's listening to her sobbing broken-heartedly requests that he be given a grand funeral procession as a national hero."

Christmas comes, families getting together. . .many looking at empty chairs where a family member should have been sitting. Churches are full to overflowing for their services, many people had found comfort in them after the troubles of the year.

Clint smiles at his family as they sit down to Christmas dinner.

"Your teammates?"

"Sam and Steve are volunteering at a soup kitchen. There's not a need to feed the homeless, but with people working long hours it gives them a meal they don't have to cook."

His wife chuckles across the table, nodding. "Sam's also been counseling, a lot of people lost family this year and holidays are always hard."

"That's why you hear about so many suicides during the holidays."

"And other special times, like a birthday. Peter is at home with his aunt, it's only been the two of them since Peter's uncle died a few years ago. This Christmas is a little better than most, Peter's making more money at Stark's than he was selling photos to the Daily Bugle and his aunt's health is a little better. She's working at day-care centers that have popped up to take care of kids while their families work with the schools shut down."

"Did many children become orphans?"

"Yes, and it's going to be a bad Christmas for them. Orphanages and foster homes are full and there's no money for gifts. Some kids. . .if they're old enough and couldn't find a good family to take them in have decided to become adults. Kate did that after she lost her father, she was only a few months from turning eighteen anyway."

"And the others?"

"Don't really celebrate the holidays. Barnes is still trying to reconcile his memories of before the war to the present day. Natasha grew up in the Soviet Union, training to be a weapon. Bruce. . .well, he never really celebrated the holiday even before the accident. Tony. . .well, his parents left him home alone a lot. That's probably one of the reasons he became a. . .annoying person." His wife snickers across the table, knowing what he would usually be calling Stark.