A/N: *waves* Hello, my lovely readers? How are we all? I hope the answer is good! Anyway, here is the next chapter, which is mainly a filler but I shamelessly love it for some reason. Onwards!

Big thanks to Le03725 for following :)

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angelAnabiel: Don't worry, there's still a bit to go. And yes, I am loving this far too much. Glad you liked it! :)

10 - Visiting Hours

I stared at the sight in front of me with a raised eyebrow. I had no idea how long I'd been out, but it was clearly long enough, because Barton and Banner were noticeably absent and Vera was in the Tower. What caught my attention was the fact that Pietro had Vera in his lap where he sat cross-legged on the floor, and Vera was babbling as Wanda let red streams of energy drift across the air in front of her. Bucky was relaxed on the sofa behind them, though he watched them closely.

He was, unsurprisingly, the first one to notice me. He rose to his feet without a word and walked towards me, and I met him in the centre of the room. His hands cradled my face and he smashed his lips to mine, which frankly caught me by surprise. I didn't hesitate before kissing him back, though.

Bucky pulled back and rested his forehead against mine, eyes scanning over my face. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, stroking his cheek with my thumb. "I'm fine." I pecked his lips again before walking towards the little group on the floor. Vera had taken her eyes off the red mist and was making cooing noises, her eyes locked on me.

I leaned over and took my baby from Pietro, holding her close. I hadn't realised quite how much I'd missed her until this moment. "Hi, Vera," I whispered as the curious baby started playing with the fabric of my shirt. "Did you miss us, sweetie?" I smiled when she giggled at me, reaching out to try and grab a swinging lock of hair as it slipped from behind my shoulder. I glanced up when Bucky put his hands around my torso from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. Vera stretched out an arm towards his face, and I shifted my arms so she could stroke his chin.

Bucky chuckled, catching her little wrist and playing with her fingers. "You've got an unhealthy attachment to my beard, Vera," he said with a smile.

I scoffed, rubbing his chin. "That's not a beard - that's just stubble."

Bucky planted a kiss on my cheek. "Don't complain - you love it even more than she does."

I grinned. "Yeah, that's true." I turned back to the twins, seeing them both on their feet and watching us with soft expressions on their faces. I grinned at them. "You guys okay?" I asked.

Pietro nodded, smiling in return. Wanda stepped forward slowly, and I frowned in confusion when she placed her hand on my arm. "We're okay," she murmured. "And thank you."

I beamed at her. "So you'll do it?"

Wanda nodded. "We will."

Bucky murmured into my ear. "Stark wants us to head over to the outskirts of the city, and then we can all go home."

I hesitated. "Actually, I need to make a trip somewhere first. Talk to... an old friend of mine."

Bucky sent me a confused look. "Where? What's so important?"

I shook my head. "It's nothing. Yet. But I just want to make sure we're more prepared for when it does become something."

"Where are you going?" Bucky asked.

"Asgard," I answered. "Thor's gonna go back there in a bit, and I'm gonna hitch a ride." I glanced up to see Bucky's frown had deepened. "I'll be back within a day, I promise," I assured him. "Really, it shouldn't take long." I smiled, glancing at the twins. "Then we can go back to the farm until the world flips upside down again. Which, if our luck holds, will be in about a year or two."

Pietro chuckled. "You don't have much faith, do you?"

"It's not so much a lack of faith," I said with a smirk, "more just anticipation based on past patterns. I mean, come on, in the last three years we've had Norse gods, alien insects, people who are internally on fire, the Convergence, Bucky and I, and now this. Next year will be a man that shrinks, for all we know."

Bucky gave me a knowing smile. "We've got two places to go first," he said firmly. "First, we're gonna go over to the new Avengers facility. Stark made us swear we'd visit."

I blinked. "I honestly didn't know a new facility was being built."

Bucky nodded. "Yeah, apparently he's been working on it for months. Finally got finished about a week ago. He's invited us over later to see it."

I rolled my eyes. "No doubt eager to show it off." I sighed, before looking back at the twins and smiling. "You guys ready to go?" They nodded, and, after saying a brief goodbye to Pepper when we saw her, the four of us headed out.

As expected, the new facility was bright, clean and ridiculously ostentatious. The training room alone was big enough to fit several commercial planes inside. Tony gave the whole group a tour, and we gradually dwindled in number until it was just me, Bucky, Steve, Tony and Thor. Wanda and Pietro had taken Vera so she wouldn't be alarmed by the Bifrost when Thor and I headed back to Asgard (or so they said), but no matter the reason, I had nothing against them taking care of her. She was fast asleep anyway.

"I'm going to miss these little talks of ours," Thor said fondly, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Well, not if you don't leave," Tony pointed out.

Thor shook his head. "I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fifth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. That's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us. But once all these pieces are in position..."

"Triple Yahtzee?" Tony asked with a grin, and I hit him for making a joke out of such a serious topic.

"You think you can find out what's happening?" Steve inquired with genuine curiosity in his voice.

Thor let out a long breath as we came to a stop on a grassy area just outside the facility. "I do," he said. "Besides this one," here, he slapped Tony on the chest a few times, "there's nothing that cannot be explained." He turned to me. "Are you ready?"

I nodded, giving Bucky's hand a brief squeeze before stepping away from him and standing beside Thor. "I'll be back soon," I promised with a smile, and Bucky nodded, looking like he wanted nothing more than to come after me. But this wasn't something he could help me with. His presence alone would only make it harder. Without having to say anything to him, I think he understood that.

"Stay safe," he said.

I smiled. "Same to you. Take care of our family while I'm gone."

That familiar smirk came to his lips almost instantly. "Yes, ma'am."

I turned to Thor and nodded, receiving a nod in return. Thor looked up. "Heimdall, when you're ready."

A second later we were swept up by the multicoloured Bifrost, and, just like always, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the passing stars.

My eyes took a second to adjust when we landed in Asgard, and I smiled up at Heimdall when I saw him standing before us. "Welcome back, my friends," Heimdall greeted.

I grinned at him. "Despite everything, I've missed it here," I admitted. "It's good to see you, Heimdall."

"And you, Lady Daphne," he said with a hint of a smile. "Frostmore is waiting to carry you to the palace." He turned to Thor. "King Odin has asked that you report to him whenever you come back. I have already sent word of your arrival. He will be waiting for you in the throne room."

"Ask him to wait for me in there, will you?" I asked sweetly, receiving a grin and a nod in response.

I walked up to the chestnut horse I'd taken under my wing five years ago, rubbing her face in greeting, then swinging onto the saddle. I turned her around and clicked my tongue, urging her into a gallop. The horses of Asgard were very fast and strong, with incredible stamina that securely put Earth horses to shame. I reached the city in under ten minutes, spent a further five meandering through the streets towards the palace, and then another six or seven walking from the stables to the throne room.

I didn't knock. I didn't ask to be let in. I just opened the doors without a word and marched towards the throne. Odin's intimidating form sat atop the throne, his staff in his hand.

"You are brave to come here uninvited," he said.

"I would not have come at all if I had any other option," I told him. "Might I ask that we be left alone?" He stared at me for a long time, before dismissing the guards with a flick of his empty hand. I waited for them to close the door behind them before grinning at him. He seemed caught off guard by the sudden change. "You know you can never trick me with your illusions," I said with a smirk.

His face hardened for a moment, before the illusion wore off and Loki took the place of Odin. "You knew all along," he said accusingly.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I did."

Loki pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath, before leaning back in the throne. "And what is so important that you felt the need to come all this way?"

I sighed. "As I'm sure you know, Thor's come back here to try to find information on the Infinity Stones and who might be trying to find them. But you and I already know, don't we?"

Loki visibly stiffened. "Do you have proof that he is making such a move?"

I shook my head. "No, but I don't need proof. Don't forget this has already come and gone for me."

"Not entirely," Loki pointed out. "You know only a few details."

"Perhaps," I allowed, "but at this point, the bare minimum is all we need."

"So what have you come here to ask of me?"

"By my estimation, we have between two and four years before Thanos makes his move to take control of everything. That gives us the same amount of time to prepare any soldiers we can. Thanos isn't going to come into a fight with the Chitauri by his side. They've already proven too weak. He's going to come with everything he's got, and unless we have a fighting force great enough to push him back, he's going to crush us all in mere days. You're the Allfather now. I beg that you go to the other realms and tell them to prepare for war. That way, when the time comes, we can have thousands of the universe's best warriors ready to fight for its survival, wherever the battleground may be."

"Trusting the other realms to make greater armies and not turn against us is not as easy as asking nicely, Daphne," Loki said, sounding simultaneously bored and exasperated.

"It's a risk you'll have to take," I snapped. "Under that mask you constantly feel the need to have in place I know you are a better man than you think you are. You don't want this universe to come to an end any more than I do. And if you do this right, then you will have created strong allegiances with your neighbouring realms that will prevent future wars under your reign. But we need the extra men, otherwise we will lose."

Loki narrowed his eyes at me. "And if I refuse?"

"Then you have condemned us all to death," I said calmly. "I know that my friends and I will fight no matter what. But we cannot win on our own. So we will die. And with every victory, Thanos will gain strength. If we cannot beat him immediately, our chances of beating him at all will drop through the floor with every following loss." I gave a bow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my lord, I have a family to return to." I turned and started to walk out.

"Daphne." I paused, but didn't turn out. "Congratulations. On your marriage, and on the birth of your daughter. It is no less than you deserve."

I couldn't help but smile to myself, before I turned back to my friend and nodded. "Thank you, Loki. And, just between us, I always knew you'd be a great leader." I flashed him a wink before striding out of the throne room.

I met Thor just inside the palace, in sight of the main courtyard. "I trust your talk with my father was successful," he said, smiling at me.

I shrugged. "He neither agreed to nor refused my request. I can only wait and hope he will do as I have asked of him. I know that my words are all I have to sway him, and I was never very good with diplomacy."

Thor laughed. "Nor I, my friend," he said, clapping his hand on my shoulder. "You and I take the path of the honest and brutal truth."

Grinning at him, I glanced around us. "Are you busy?"

Thor shook his head. "Not right now - I was just heading to the training area to find our friends. You are welcome to join me."

I hesitated, then smiled. "Sounds like a good idea. It's been too long since I last saw them."

"They have missed you in the last months," Thor told me as we began to walk towards the sparring grounds, where Lady Sif and the Warriors Three would no doubt be holed up. "Sif more than most. I believe she enjoys having another woman to talk to."

"It's a mutual feeling, believe me," I replied with a laugh. "You men are an entirely different species, I swear."

"And yet somehow we can live alongside one another in harmony," Thor shot back with a smug smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "It is a struggle at times."

Thor became serious, pausing in his steps. His eyes crinkled with concern. "Are you having concerns with your marriage?"

My eyes widened. "No! Oh, God, no, not at all! I love Bucky with all my heart and we're still going strong, I promise."

Thor smiled with relief. "I am glad. I thought so too, but when you spoke about men in such a way I couldn't help but wonder."

I shook my head. "Bucky and I are absolutely perfect right now, though I appreciate the concern."

Thor nodded again, that satisfied smile on his face. It was so easy to be dragged towards Thor when he showed how much he truly cared about his friends. I'd known him for over sixty years, and he'd never given me reason to doubt the strength of our friendship.

"Daphne!"

My face lit up as I was engulfed by an over-eager Sif, whose armour made it feel like I'd just been run into by a wall. I didn't dwell on it though, hugging her back and beaming. "It's so good to see you," I told her, pushing away slightly. "It's been far too long."

"You should have visited," Sid countered, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "It is not as if you do not have freedom to move between the realms."

"It's the same for you," I pointed out. "You could just as easily have visited me down on Earth."

Sif grinned. "Well played, my friend. Now come - the boys will want to see you."

And they did. Fandral greeted me in the same flamboyant way as usual - with a flick of his cape and a kiss to my knuckles. Volstagg swallowed me in a tight bear hug and didn't let go for a full minute. Hogun offered me a smile and slight bow of his head, but I wasn't expecting more from the quiet man.

"So," Fandral said at length, "what's new in the world of Lady Daphne Sparrow?"

I smirked at him. "Well, for one thing, it's not Daphne Sparrow anymore."

Fandral blinked. "Why not?"

I chuckled. "I got married," I explained. "In my world, it is tradition that the bride take on the groom's surname. I am now Daphne Barnes."

"Ah, so you married your beloved James Buchanan Barnes after all," Fandral said dramatically, grinning. "Well, congratulations!"

"Truly," Sif said with a smile, squeezing my hand. "We're happy you found your love again."

I smiled, before admitting, "We have a family."

The reaction was instantaneous. Shocked gasps and wide eyes were directed my way. With the long lives of the Asgardians, it would usually take at least a decade before a married couple had their first child. To hear that I already had a family would indeed be quite surprising.

"A family?" Volstagg repeated. "Already? Why?"

I chuckled. "Because we wanted one," I said simply. "We'd already waited a long time, so we figured we'd wait no longer."

"A child?" Sif asked, eyes gleaming. "A boy or a girl?"

"A baby girl," I answered with a smile. "Vera. She's just a few days old."

"I had no idea you wanted a family so soon," Sif murmured from beside me as Volstagg and Fandral were distracted by a palace servant bringing out two large platters of food.

I shrugged. "I didn't, really. But once I found out I was pregnant, I think my inner mother came out. And... I think there might be others as well. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. As soon as I saw those two... I knew I wanted to give them family they'd been deprived of for so long. They were forced to grow up too fast, Sif. I want to try to give them the family Bucky and I never had with Hydra. We're starting slow - they're coming to live with us. But maybe one day..."

Sif smiled. "Will I ever get to meet them?"

"If you come down to Earth, then yes," I replied immediately. "We both know I won't be able to bring my whole family into Asgard. But you and the others are welcome whenever you want to pay us a visit."

Sif smiled. "Thank you. I shall keep that in mind." She then stood up, offering me her hand. "So how about a spar? For old times' sake." I grinned and accepted her hand, letting her pull me to my feet.