A/N: I'm so, so sorry for not updating this is soooo long. Life got away from me. But you'll be getting a bunch of stuff now so hopefully it'll have been worth the wait!

Chapter 14

It's been three days since Bucky saw Steve. He'd watched as the redhead and the chubby man loaded Steve into a town car then followed them to the airport. He knew Steve was in good hands, but worry nagged at him. Had Steve found the picture? Did he realize what the phone number meant?

He takes a sip of his coffee and grimaces. It's cold, the beans half-congealed. How long has he been sitting here, watching Stark's tower? A glance at the clock shows it's edging towards 5 PM. Bucky had ordered the coffee just after noon.

Surprised the waitress hasn't been harassing him, he throws a twenty on the table and leaves. Adjusting his gloves he heads for his hotel. His memory might be Swiss cheese, but he's still got enough of it to know where all the money his handlers put aside for him is. He wiped out the accounts the day after he nearly killed Steve. Captain America Steve that is. It might have been smarter to leave it, but Bucky's not worried. Anyone they send after him will be easy enough to get rid of. They didn't call him the Winter Soldier for nothing.

He'd just reached his hotel when the phone in his pocket buzzed. Without stopping, he pulls it from his pocket, ignoring the doorman as he heads for the elevators. "Hello?"

"Bucky?" the quiet voice halts Bucky in his tracks.

"Steve?" Quickly he starts walking again, punching the button for the elevator, eyes scanning the room. No one appears to be listening.

"Yeah. Are you okay?"

A wave of…something washes over Bucky. No one's asked him that in ages. "Fine," he says, voice clipped. "You?"

"Fine." Is that a hint of amusement Bucky hears? "Listen, I need a favor."

Bucky can feel his eyebrows rise. This is unexpected. "What do you need?"

Silence fills the line and Bucky can perfectly imagine Steve on the other end, lip caught between his teeth as he debates whether to ask his favor or not. "Come on, kid," he says as he exits the elevator and walks to his room. "Whatever you need. You know I'll do."

"I know," a sigh floats down the line. "That's why I'm not sure I should ask."

"Steve. Just say it." If Bucky ignores the TV sitting on the dresser, the mini-fridge, he can pretend its 1938 again and he's simply Bucky, and Steve is simply Steve calling to ask for his help.

"Okay," says Steve. "I need you to look for something. Something that SHIELD is supposed to have but doesn't."

Bucky's jaw clenches. SHIELD. He's read the reports. Knows that HYDRA invaded SHIELD. That HE was part of HYDRA. Had been HYDRA's dirty little secret for sixty years. "What. Do. You. Need?"

"Loki's scepter. They took it after we fought him. I need to get it back."

Bucky stares unseeing at the wall. "And you can't ask your little assassin friend to get it for you?"

"She doesn't know where it is. No one does. Or at least no one who'll tell us. But we need to get that thing away from whoever has it."

"You think it's in unfriendly hands?"

Steve sighs, sounding so much older than the six he currently is. "I'd bet good money on it. Please, Buck, I know this is a lot to ask—"

"It isn't," Bucky interrupts. "I'll find it for you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." A voice speaks somewhere behind Steve. "Coming!" Steve calls. "I gotta go. I won't be in town for a few days, but if you find something—"

"I'll call you. Go. Be safe." There's a lump in Bucky's throat when he hangs up, but relief fills his gut. He has a purpose now.

And goddamn anyone who gets in the way of him fulfilling it.

To say Tony isn't happy when Thor arrives, Jane and Darcy in tow, would be an understatement. Steve, the devil, had gone behind their backs and asked to go to Asgard. Asgard! That was no place for a six-year-old and Thor is not Tony's idea of a babysitter. Hell, the god is no ones idea of a babysitter. Of all the Avengers he's the most likely to get Steve killed by sheer accident.

For the love of god, he's been talking about giving the kid mead and allowing him to train with his warriors for the past thirty minutes. Steve, instead of being levelheaded, is bouncing (bouncing!) up and down, tiny suitcase already packed.

"It'll be amazing!" Steve says, tugging at Tony's coat. "You have to let me go!"

"I don't have to let you do anything," Tony stares down at the little boy. "You'll get killed out there, Rogers, and I don't want that on my fucking conscience."

Steve stops bouncing, eyes going dark. "I'm not helpless, Stark. Nothing there will harm me, but if I stay here I'm going to go out of my mind. There's nothing for me to do here, Tony, and we both know it. At least there I can learn something new and have some time to relax. You want me to relax, right? That's what you and Pepper and the others have been harping about for the last week isn't it?"

Is that guilt Tony feels? He attempts to squash it, but Steve's turned on the puppy-dog eyes and Tony knows he's lost. He looks at the expectant faces of Thor and Jane and gives in.

"Fine," he looks at Thor. "But you have to promise not to let him out of your sight. And at the first sign of trouble you come back here, got it?"

"I would not let anything happen to Young Steven." Thor sounds genuinely affronted. "He will be safe, Stark."

"He better be," Tony mutters. He crouches down so that he's eye level with Steve. "Maybe I should go with you."

"That's an excellent idea!" Thor booms just as Steve says, "No!"

Thor and Steve look at each other. "Why not, Young Steven?" Thor asks. "The Iron Man will be most impressed by Asgard's charms."

"I doubt that," Tony says under his breath.

Steve shoots him a glare and then looks back up at Thor. "Tony has lots of work to do here. And I think he'd be lost without his Stark phone and all his gadgets."

"Hey," says Tony. "Did you just insult me?" He pokes Steve in the belly, tickling him. A shriek of laughter bubbles out of Steve before he can stop it and Tony takes this as an invitation. He tickles Steve in earnest, the little boy twisting and turning in a not very serious attempt to get away, face going red as he laughs and laughs. Steve's shrieks attract Pepper's attention and she appears in the doorway a fond, but exasperated expression on her face.

"Tony, I'm on the phone with Roxxon Mobile. Can you please keep it down?"

"Sure, Pep," Tony swings Steve up in the air and onto his shoulder. "The runt and I were just leaving anyway."

"Runt?" Steve yelps.

"Leaving?" asks Pepper.

"Yep," Tony ignores Steve's wriggling and smiles at Pepper. "I'm going with Steve-o to Asgard."

"Asgard." Voice suddenly flat, Pepper turns at looks at Thor. "You're taking Tony—and Steve—to Asgard?"

"Why of course," Thor smiles, completely ignoring Pepper's less than happy tone. "Young Steven was quite insistent upon it."

"Oh was he?"

Steve stops moving. Pepper sounds pissed. Flopping his head back, he looks at her upside down from his perch on Tony's shoulder. "I want to see the Bifrost Bridge." He voice comes out much softer and unsure than he means it to.

He sounds more pathetic than he comfortable with, but it softens Pepper's face. She sighs and looks between Thor and Tony. "Alright," she says. "As long as you keep him safe." She gently strokes Steve's head. "Can you keep them out of trouble for me, Steve?"

Relief, hot and wonderful, soars through Steve. He nods as Tony protests, "I can keep myself out of trouble, Pep. Come on."

Steve and Pepper roll their eyes at this. Keeping Tony out of trouble is a full time job. One Steve's not sure he can handle. But Thor will be there. And from the look Jane and Darcy are exchanging Steve has allies in those two as well.

Tony tosses Steve to Thor in a movement that pulls a shriek of surprise from the little boy. Tony will never admit it, but he loves hearing Steve laugh. Loves the pure, bell-like quality of it. He smiles as Thor ruffles Steve's head and asks if he'd like a Pop Tart.

"No Pop Tarts!" Tony hears all three girls yell as he jogs down the stairs to his room. The argument that breaks out has Tony wondering how he'll stand being around Thor and Jane for a week. Then Steve laughs again, the arguing dissolves into pleasant murmurs and Tony smirks.

Trust Steve to figure out the off-switch.

Packing takes no time and Tony's back upstairs, Iron Man suitcase next to his regular suitcase within fifteen minutes. Steve is instructing Thor on the basics of Wii Sports ("It's a sword, see!"), which leaves the god with a bemused expression and a cracked remote.

The baleful look Steve gives Thor as he stares down at the sparking insides of the remote stifles any anger Tony feels. He scoops up the little boy and raises an eyebrow at Thor as he adjusts his sunglasses. "We ready to get this circus on the road?"

"Yes!" yells Steve. He wriggles free and runs to get his suitcase. The suitcase has the dragon Maleficent from 'Sleeping Beauty' on it and is dark purple and black. Natasha had tried to talk Steve into getting a red and blue 'Cars' ones, but Steve had been in love with that stupid dragon since the first time Clint popped in 'Sleeping Beauty'. It was all he talked about for three hours.

The fact that he'd been running a fever of 103 the entire time might have had something to do with that, but Steve looks quite pleased with his choice standing next to Thor, so Tony doesn't comment.

Swinging the hammer overhead, Thor calls out, "Heimdall! Open the way, brother!" The words bounce of the walls, rattling the glass. Nothing happens. Thor sighs, swings the hammer harder. "Heimdall! Oh wisest and most noble of guardians, please, allow your PRINCE a path home."

And like dust particles congregating light appears along the edges of the hammer, quickly deepening, gaining color, then shooting upward in a giant, rainbow arch that slides past the hammer to settle at the ground at Steve's feet.

Wide-eyed, Steve stares at the giant rainbow, tiny mouth open in a perfect 'o' of astonishment. "It's beautiful," he whispers. He reaches out to touch it. Thor catches his hand.

"Not yet, Young Steven. We must grab on together." He motions Tony, Darcy, and Jane close, picks up Steve's bag along with his own, making sure Steve's hand stays securely within his own much larger grip. "Ready, my love?" he asks Jane.

Jane looks a bit green, but nods her head and loops her arm through Thor's as Darcy grabs the back of Jane's coat, knuckles white around the handle of her own suitcase. Steve holds out a hand to Tony, blond hair falling into his eyes as he gives Tony an expectant look.

"Are you coming?" Steve asks Tony.

Tony doesn't know why he hesitates. What alarm is going off in his gut that's suddenly screaming that this isn't going to end well. But he firmly hits the off switch and swallows Steve's hand with his own. "Couldn't keep me away, Short Stuff," he says with all the bravado he can summon.

Steve frowns and opens his mouth, but before he can question Tony Thor takes a step forward and drags them all into the rainbow.