A/N so it's taken so long, life got in the way.
-/-/-/-
The next morning you went down for breakfast. As much as you wanted to, you were not going to hide away in your room anymore. You've grieved, time to carry on. You scoff to yourself. Easier said then done.
You woke at some ungodly hour and debated internally whether to go down before or after the main group. You couldn't quite stomach the feeling of them all watching you. Judging you. Looking at you like you had failed.
By the time you decided it was too late. The main group usually ate breakfast between 730 and 830 it was now 843. You shuffled into the kitchen thinking no one would be around.
Steve was standing before the open fridge deep in thought. His broad shoulders blocked the contents from your view, you gimps at his face and felt a deep pull of concern. The man before you looked troubled.
"Steve?" You had to stop yourself from calling him Stevie. You've barely talked to the man but the way Bucky talked about him, made it feel like this man was as good as your brother.
Steve turned his blonde head towards you with surprise. He hadn't heard you enter. He looked at you with wide blue eyes. The eyes of a little kid taking on the responsibility of the world. It's easy to forget just how young Steve and Bucky really are. Truthfully they're barley older then you are.
Your hair was in a messy bun, you were pale, with dark rings circle under your eyes. Over the last few weeks you had become like a ghost. He was sure only a few knew the true reason why. You looked up at him with concern and his heart squeezed. You had been through the worst, and you were crawling out the other side. Steve felt emotions swell up inside him. Both you and Bucky were putting up a strong front. Pretending you were both ok. He hugged you, wrapping his large frame around your smaller one.
You tensed at the sudden hug. Not expecting it, before relaxing into it. You felt your eyes start to fill and shut them tightly, wrapping your arms around the blonde. You feel a weight start to lift. Ridicules as it sounds, you needed this.
It struck you suddenly that no one had hugged you. Bucky was fighting his own emotions, sometimes it felt like he was too scared to touch you longer then a moment. Your friends were still back in England, they had no real idea about what had happened. The only other person who knew was Bruce, and he wasn't really a hugger.
You made sure to wipe your eyes, as Steve let you go. His eyes held a powerful gaze of love and understand, you almost start crying again.
"There's not much left, but I can just about whip up some pancakes, if you're interested?" He gives you a small smile that reminds you just how young he really is. You nod, grateful that it was him you met in the kitchen.
Thirty minutes later Bucky was leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen, watching his best guy and his best girl chat over pancake. He thought that this moment, right here, was one of the best moment of his life.
-/-/-/-/-
You could hear Tony arguing loudly before you entered the main room, behind Steve and Bucky, who had joined you for pancakes. The rest of the team were inside, along with a tall muscly blonde and a slim dark haired man. Clint had his bow with him beside Natasha. Bruce held a important looking box, and you were sure, he hadn't blinked once since you had entered. Instead he glared at the tall man with dark hair. In fact everyone seemed to be glaring at him.
You weren't sure who he is, but the blonde looked familiar.
On seeing Steve, Tony called him over.
"Rogers! Come back me up here." He called.
"What's the problem?" Steve cast a cautious glance towards the tall pair.
"Goldilocks and Maleficent here, want us to just hand this over. " he tapped the box in Bruce's hands. "Had to put it in the safest hands I could get. "
The dark haired man snorted, Bruce held the box a little tighter.
"Loki," The blonde warned.
"We don't even know what it does." Tony continued, pacing in front of the group.
"Thor, please, explain " Steve played peacemaker.
"It is a great weapon. It should not be left in mortal hands. -" Thor begain.
"Why don't I show you," Loki cut in, a frustrated sign dancing from his lips as he suddenly appearing at the other side of Bruce and pulled the box from him.
"Loki no!" Thor reached out to grab Loki but the dark haired God was gone.
"Great! Now what?!" Tony threw up his hands, pacing again. "What does that 'great weapon' do, Thor!? What has Loki go-"
"This." Loki appeared behind Tony with a septa and a green glowing Jewel. He stabbed Tony in the back.
"Uhck! Son of a- should have known you were a backstabbing bitch..." Tony trailed off, his eyes going distant as he looked around the room. There was no pain on his face and no blood. Instead Tony looked first concerned then scared.
"Time to face your nightmares." Loki hummed with a lingering laugh.
The room simmered, like a dark pond.
Bodies.
They was a pile on bodies in - what can only be described as - a disaster zone.
As the simmering started to settle the bodies became recognisable.
The blue and white of a familiar uniform of Captain America was closest, the green skin of the Hulk was next. An burnt arrow, a huge hammer, blood red hair, metal leg- armed similar to Iron Man's design but painted darker. An arm, an leg, blonde hair, smoke, blood, a shield, a metal arm. The smell of burnt flesh and blood hung in the air around Tony, making him gag.
Tony stumbled forward towards the body of Steve, falling to his knees once by his side. Tony reached out with shaking hands to check the captains pulse. Steve's skin was freezing cold and clammy. Tony started to pull back, when Steve suddenly jerked and grabbed Tony's wrist.
Tony's scream got caught in his throat.
"You could have saved us, Tony." Steve hissed before going limp. Tony swallowed hard. This was Wanda's mind tricks all over again, his nightmare never changed much.
Someone grabbed hold of his shoulder and suddenly, Tony was back in the tower again. Back in the light.
"What- what the hell was that?" Tony's voiced wobbled, as he sucked in air. He stood wide eyed and still.
Loki chuckled darkly, grinning as Steve's eyes lost focus and around them the air changed.
You stood quietly beside Bucky, wanting nothing more then to go to your godfather, but somehow you couldn't move. The image of the team all laid dead burned into your vision. It hadn't been a clear image, more like looking into a flowing river.
The air shimmered again and shadows started to grow and colour started to bleed into them.
Steve felt a spark from Tony's shoulder.
He let his figures slip from the other man as his focus was drawn away from them.
Familiar music fill his ears. It was the sound he grew up hearing. He could hear people chatting, laughing.
"I'm still waiting for my dance." A woman's voice curled around his ears. It almost brought tears to his eyes. He knew who it was but it couldn't be her.
Peggy wore a blood red dress with matching lipstick. She was as beautiful as ever. She smiled at him.
Steve saw Bucky, in a haze of dim lightning, dancing in the corner of his eye, but every other turn, the 1940s man would become paler, his hair longer and eyes colder, his handsome grin slipping from his mouth. The dame he was dancing with didn't seem to notice.
Steve flinched as a shot rang out.
Only it was a cork from a champagne bottle.
The music stared to sound whine, like an air raid siren.
His blood pumped harshly in his ears. His legs filled with tension, ready to jump into action.
For a brief moment Steve thought his asthma was coming back and he took deep breaths to fill his struggling lungs.
He shook his head.
This wasn't right.
Steve focused on Peggy. Strong, beautiful Peggy. She was still smiling at him.
He looked around, settling on Bucky. His best friend didn't look a day over 23 when he smiled. So free and full of life. A life before the war. Steve looked to Bucky's current partner. It took a moment for him to recognise you, you where dressed like a girl from the 1940s. Steve knew Bucky would have taken you dancing if you met then but, you weren't born for nearly another fifty years.
Steve frown and looked around. He saw Dum Dum Dugan, and Happy Sam Sawyer, and Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner all talking and drinking by the bar.
Steve shook his head again, then left someone grab his upper arm. A strong, cool, metal hand. Suddenly the dance hall vanished and the tower was back, a crystal clear image.