Lost and Found
My little girl is turning two years old! I planned a small but exciting birthday party for her-an animal themed party centered around toucans and polar bears. There were hats! Furry hats with ears and colorful hats with beaks! Everyone attending the party had to wear a hat, even the Tony Stark himself, was no exception to this rule. She had her own little cake just to herself, decorated with glittering sprinkles that looked like new fallen snow and green vines that seemed to crawl out from the mighty jungle itself. The night before her party, just as I was laying out her new party clothes, the alarm sounded. The situation was dire, and only two hours into combat, Evy and Pepper were evacuated from Stark Tower.

It has been two days of intense battles, and there is one thought nagging me. I look at this crazed machine, this MODOK, and I see more than just a calculating killer. I see something that is taking lives and turning them upside down. I'm having flashes of scenes that are all too-familiar to me. As I walk though the wreckage, I have to remind myself that we are no longer at war with Hitler and I am no longer on some foreign battlefield. No, this is my home-this is my daughter's home. That was our park. That was the shop where we get our groceries for the week and Evy would get a free cookie for being adorable. That was the path we would take on our afternoon strolls. I shook my head, trying to stop the flashes. And then I see it.
It was there- laying in the wreckage. I knelt and brushed the debris from its fur. I clutched the small teddy bear, wiping the dust off of the bright blue ribbon that served as its bow tie. My hand just grazed the air above the debris. I remember a time when I found a cat made of felt, with big brown buttons for eyes. I dug further into the wreckage, hoping to rescue it for its frightened owner.
"Captain, don't."
"There's something here."
"Leave it."
"No."
"Cap-" I dug deeper, but stopped when I felt my hand brush something cold. I stopped pulling at the felt kitten when I saw the small fingers clutching its frayed paw.
I let the bear fall back to the ground, praying that its owner was far away from here.
As a soldier I have seen many things in the debris- I'll never get used to it but now this bear, this memento of childhood got to me in a different way. It could easily have been hers. If Evy had not been my daughter, if she did not have immediate protection from Shield, or the love of nearly every superhero I knew, would she have escaped this? Would I be pulling her from this wreckage? I was on my knees before instantly. I wanted to retch and writhe at the very thought, the only comfort was that Evy was safe-that she was safely hidden away from the battle-this bear could never be hers-I would never pull... Feeling my eyes water from the sheer amount of disgust, I pulled myself up again, to stare at the bear. It looked completely alone. I picked it up again, and tucked it away. As I walked towards the quinjet, I couldn't stop wondering. Two years ago, my little girl came into this world, and what does it have to offer her? Broken little hands holding lost teddy bears?

On the helicarrier, I almost felt a moment's closure until an agent caught my attention.
"Captain, you must get to the bridge immediately. The director says it is critical that you are there now." I shook off my fatigue and resumed my objective mindset, wondering what could have happened now. I made it to the bridge at a jog, ready for the mental and physical endurance to continue fighting this battle. I entered the darkened bridge.
"Daddy!" I heard soft footsteps galloping towards me. Evy ran into my outstretched arms. I had no idea that she would be evacuated to the helicarrier. A wisp of smoke caught me unexpectedly, as a muffin with a candle was placed on the debriefing table, and then there was singing.
"Happy birthday..." began the chorus of agents who had assembled on the bridge. As I carried Evy to the table, I saw the other Avengers were there too. Tony, fully encased in his suit and bruises, was holding a glowing Pepper in one arm and a glass of some questionable drink in the other hand. Thor was singing the loudest and with the most vigor, although his lyrics were not distinguishable. Next to him was Hawkeye, bow slung over his bandaged shoulder, and singing with more energy than I had expected out of him, especially with the amount of fire he was under in the battle. Of course, standing by his shoulder was none other than Evy's Nattie, arms crossed, the slash from MODOK still visible on her face- although I doubt anything could stop her from having this moment. I saw Bruce, clothed in a Shield issued sweatpants and shirt, wearily singing along from the side, his eyes still glinting an unusually bright green. Even the director was watching with his good eye. Sitting Evy at the table, I soaked the scene in.
"Happy Birthday, dear Evy! Happy Birthday to...you!" The little girl clapped her hands, loving the attention. Once the singing stopped, she looked up at me.
"Blow out the candle and make a wish," I told her. She stopped for a moment and with a loud intake of breath, she blew out the candle. The moment didn't last long; within minutes, another alarm signaled the beginning of yet another attack. In the frenzy of activity, I found Phil Coulson's hand on my shoulder.
"We wanted to take a small detour before going to the safe house."
"Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you." The agent left to help Pepper, allowing me a moment alone with my little girl.
"I've got to go baby girl," I told her.
"Daddy," she whined. "I not baby. I two."
"Well can I get a hug from my big girl?" She jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly.
"Happy Birthday sweetheart."

I gave the bear to Fury who in turn put Lareby in charge of tracking down and returning the toy to its owner. My paperwork inconspicuously tripled for a week, but it was worth it. The bear needed to be found.