Five Years Later:

The halls of the building were dank and cold. It was midday but all the windows were curtained and boarded up. It was an interesting setting Steve had chosen to relocate his group sessions too. She had thought therapy was best held in open bright rooms. Obviously, Steve thought otherwise.

Taking her time with unnecessarily slow steps, she didn't want to walk mid-way into an ongoing support session and have to awkwardly stand by the door whilst someone spewed out their life story. Brooke had other ideas, however, as she tugged on her mum's hand on a mission to find her Uncle Steve. She knew it was a bad idea bringing her here but she hardly had time to drop the girl of with Natasha like she'd planned. Not when she'd had to stay an extra hour after preschool to be given a lecture by her teacher on how to disciple her child.

"Hold up, Brookie," She struggled to keep at an average pace, "Uncle Steve's in the middle of something important, we can't just-"

"- Uncle Stevie a'ways says I'm more impor'ant dan anyfing'," Brooke raised her nose in the air proudly. God, my child is such a know it all.

"and he's very right, but doesn't mean we can just walk in when people are talking about their feelings. Let's just wait out here for five minutes."

With a little resistance, Brooke eventually agreed. Glad to have avoided a temper tantrum, as she was sure Steve would have heard Brooke slamming her foot down stubbornly from the other side of the door and would have come out to investigate. She and Brooke settled down in the seating area, waiting for all the members to leave.

The group sessions had come along way. No longer did he get any people turning up who just wanted to see Captain America, but real struggles and Steve had grown from them too. Not that she thought they worked very well, Steve still rarely smiled as much as he used too.

"Wot does Uncle Stevie do?"

"He helps people," Beatrice told her.

"Someone showed me a pictwore of Uncle Stevie in dis silly clothes."

"Was he dressed as Captain America?" She raised her eyebrow, amused. Brooke had been tossing the idea of Steve being a superhero for a while, but they'd never explained it fully to her and it wasn't as if Steve still went around donning the red, white and blue suit.

"dink so."

"That's his superhero costume."

"Superhero? Is dis his super stwength thingy?"

"That's right."

"It said it at dat museom. Smioniuam." When had Brooke learnt to read? She was growing up too fast for her liking.

"You're too clever for your own good."

The door opened and out came all of Steve's weekly support group. At the back came Steve who expected Bea, but didn't expect a small child to spring up and jump into his arms. It was only his super soldier reflexes that helped him catch her.

"Whoa, baby girl. What are you doing here?" He tapped her nose, "I thought you were with auntie Natasha."

"She's meant to be," Beatrice confirmed, standing up and meeting them halfway, "I was called into the office at preschool for an extra hour. Do you want to tell Uncle Steve what happened at school or should I?"

Brooke frowned, "Will Uncle Stevie be mad?"

"Oh dear. It's never good if you have to ask that question. What happened?"

"She got into a fight," said Beatrice. Steve looked at her with raised eyebrows. Brooke had never been a violent kid, always trying to make friends with literally everyone and everything. To Steve, Beatrice often admitted she was a bit dumb in the sense she couldn't read a room and know when she wasn't wanted. Not that she was ever not wanted, but when she would poke the arm of neighbouring passengers on a train trying to get them to talk, or crouching down to the eye level of an already growling dog, or even madly chat away to an insect crawling on the floor. Steve once told Bea a time when he'd taken Brooke out of the country on holiday, that Brooke had stayed half an hour at passport control mindlessly chatting to the security guard who just wanted to get onto the next passenger.

Brooke never got into fights with anyone, but Steve was reassured by the hint of humour hidden in the laughter lines curved onto Beatrice's face.

"Why don't you tell Uncle Steve why you got into a fight?"

Brooke hid her face into Steve's shirt and her voice flooded out in muffles, "wonklesteviebemad"

Steve lifted her face, "I didn't quite catch that."

"You'll be mad."

Steve's face softened as he brushed a strand of hair from her eye, "Hey, With a face like yours, I don't think I could ever be mad."

"Dats not true," Brooke's face scrunched up, "You get mad at me lot of times."

"That's cause you're a pain in the arse sometimes," Beatrice laughed when Brooke's face screwed up harder in anger at her mums' comment, "Now tell him what happened. He won't be mad, I promise."

He wouldn't be mad. She already knew.

Brooke began to nervously fiddle with Steve's top, "Dis boy was saying mean things about my fwend and den said he would break her favout toy. So I told him my Uncle Stevie would beat him up and he laughed. Den he broke her toy and I remembered wot you said about bullies. You told me dat if anyone twise to pick a fight I should punch back so… so I poured paint all over them." As if she couldn't resist, Brooke began to giggle at the memory. It's what had gotten her into more trouble in the office with her teacher when Brooke wasn't even a little bit sorry over what she had done.

"When… when I said that," Steve nervously fumbled, "I didn't mean to pour paint over them? Just don't let them beat you around."

"She's five," Beatrice looked glumly at Steve, "What fist fights do you expect her to get into?"

Steve tried to hide his smile. She knew what they were both thinking. Steve had met his best friend on the school yard when he had come to his aid to protect him from bullies. Neither of them had it in them to tell her off this time.

Brooke stopped laughing and looked between Steve and her mum, "Am I in twouble?"

"Not at all, kiddo," Steve kissed the top of her head, "Come on. Let's get out of here. Didn't you promise a visit to Auntie Natasha?"

"Yay!" Brooke cheered, somehow launching herself out of the super soldier's grip and landing perfectly on the floor. Even Steve was surprised as he blinked rapidly, for a moment trying to process where the girl had gone, but she came back a second later, grabbed Steve's hand and slid something blue onto it.

"What's this?"

"I forgot. I made it for you," She puffed her chest out proudly, "It's a friendship bracelet. I got one for Auntie Tasha too."

"Hey, where's my friendship bracelet?" Beatrice asked.

Brooke cackled a laugh, "You're not my friend. You're my mummy."

After a discussion followed with Beatrice arguing with her daughter that she was also her friend, and Brooke giggling whenever her mum pouted dramatically, they got into Beatrice's car. Once Steve had clipped Brooke into her car seat, he struggled to scoot into his passenger seat. His legs tightened up to his chest as he closed the door with a whirring creak, "I wish you'd let me get you a new car."

"What are you talking about?" She turned the key and the car struggled to start, "This get me from A to B. What more could I ask."

"It's not safe."

She rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't think a teddy bear was safe if it was Brooke picking it up. Stop worrying."

Considering he was from the 40s, she'd have thought he'd be used to cars that weren't up to modern standard. Perhaps getting a new model of Stark designed cars each year was beginning to get to his head, but this rickety old car was all her bank account could afford. She was a working single mum, with house bills to pay and whilst she loved her job at the orphanage, it didn't pay particularly well.

"Look!" Brooke pointed out of the window, "Whales!"

"Wha-" Trying not to distract herself whilst driving over a bridge where cars drove next to her tightly, but out of the corner of her eye indeed saw whales swimming in the river. Two of them side by side. Steve stared in awe but Beatrice continued looking straight.

It was those positives again. It was one of those things people said when they told you to 'look on the bright side of things'. The world Thanos had left behind had some 'good' come out of it. She would turn off the TV when news reports began spewing this positivity. Lower crime rates, they told her… less pollution, they said. None of it mattered.

Pressing the foot on the accelerator she drove in silence until the Avengers base came into sight. As always, Brooke's nose was pressed against the window when she saw the big 'A' appear over the horizon.

"I want to be a superhero when I'm older,"

"Oh yeah?" Beatrice looking in her rear mirror and found Brooke nodding definitely, "And what powers would you want?"

"Hmmm… I dunno. Uncle Stevie… I read at da' mooseum dat' you have super st'wength. Wot does dat' mean?"

"You can read now?" Steve frowned and she swore she saw him grow a few grow hairs in the second, both of them realising how old she was getting, "and I wouldn't call It super strength. More like enhanced human-"

"It means he can punch people really hard," Bea answered for him before Steve tried to bore his daughter from questioning him about his powers. He always was trying to keep her away from such topics involving the Avengers. Just this once, she didn't think it was necessary.

"Bea!"

"What?" Beatrice giggled.

She rolled down her windows, and scanned her finger to allow herself access to the Avengers base. As she drove in, Brook tapped her mum on the shoulder, leaning forward in her baby seat.

"What's your powers mumma?"

"Mine?" Bea raised her eyebrows surprised. She was pretty sure if she had any superpowers her daughter would know about them by now. She'd never stop using them, "I don't have any."

"Yes, you do," Brooke responded without a beat, "You're the best mummy in the world and du saved me from Alie."

The mention of Alex made Beatrice tighten her fingers around the steering wheel. Trying to forget the almost two-year friendship Bea had with the insane man, she reasoned it was harder for Brooke to forget. This man who she'd understood to be a father figure had suddenly tried to take her away and then disappeared off the face of the earth. Any fear Beatrice had of seeing Alex at work was quickly diminished after the first week she was back, as he never showed up for his shifts with no word. She'd strung up a bag of all of his old things he'd left at her house and thrown it outside. The next morning it was gone. Even Natasha was struggling to track him but every now and then she'd report to her that she caught him on CCTV the other side of New York. She was just relieved at the city distance between them.

There was still the guilt that she'd invited this man into her house and put her own daughter at risk.

"Course I did," Beatrice forced a smile, choosing to change the subject, "And best mummy in the world? Are you after something missy?"

Brooke grew bright red, "The last slice of choco cake in da fridge."

"Are you going to promise not to throw paint at that boy again?"

This time the girl planted a hand on her hip and pouted, with a definite scowl, "No, If he upsets my fwend I will throw paint over him."

That's my girl… She wanted to say but suddenly realised that was bad parenting and had to conceal her agreement with Brooke by biting her lip.

Steve had no such a moral issue with it, as he said, "damn right."

Oh, he was such a bad influence on Brooke.

They pulled up at the Avengers base and helped Brooke out of the car. However, she'd already untied her own seatbelt and was ready to rush out of the car with her friendship bracelet reserved for Auntie Natasha held out in front of her like she was clutching an award.

Beatrice struggled to chase after her. She was sure that the five-year-old, given the chance, would run loops around even Steve. At the front door, Brooke gave an adorable jump and slammed her hand against the finger print scanner to open the front door. To a bigger shock, the doors opened to the girl's hand.

"What… when did she get her finger print approved?"

"Goodness knows," Steve sighed, "Natasha probably did it."

"She's five and she's already an Avenger."

Locking the car up, Steve and Beatrice followed after her. For once, she wasn't worried about her being out of her sight. The safest place that she could be was at the Avenger base.

It was practically empty of all workers here now. Other than the occasional cleaner that came in once a week… the maintenance staff, air support and even people there to guide you where to go were completely gone. All that was left was Natasha and occasionally Steve when he wasn't staying in his apartment across the city. Even Fifteen hadn't been seen since the fire incident. The Government had wanted to question her about it and she'd fled the country.

It only felt like yesterday, Bea was awkwardly asking Friday for directions on where the breakfast room was.

What she didn't expect was to turn around a corner and find Natasha Romanoff crying whilst being comforted by Brooke. The little girl wrapped her small arms around her god mother's waist and rested her head on her shoulder but at the clap of Beatrice's heels hitting the floor as she reached the door, Natasha sat up straighter and dusted whatever tears were daring to fall.

"Tasha crying," Brooke pointed at her with a pout.

"Yep, I think they noticed Kid. You don't got to point it out."

"Are you alright?" Beatrice treaded carefully into the room until she was able to wrap an arm around Natasha herself. She wasn't sure if it was what she wanted or needed, but then again, Natasha crying was completely new territory for her.

"Just Clint," She tried to smile, "Rhodey thinks he's got a lead."

Shouldn't she be happy then? "Then go get him."

"I don't think he wants to be found," She shook her head. Her look of heart break swallowing her. Natasha blinked out the rest of her tears and bounced Brooke on her leg, "Anyway – why's my favourite girl so late for Auntie Natasha time?"

"I poured paint over someone!" Brooke yelled happily. Unlike the quietness she'd delivered it when she had had to explain what she'd done to Steve and Beatrice. She already knew Natasha would only encourage the behaviour.

"Well, I imagine they deserve it."

"Is the big green man here?"

"No, he's not. Just me."

"That's alright. I like just you."

Sensing the air being suffocated from the room, Beatrice tugged Brooke's hand and told her, "hey, if you're lucky you might find popcorn in the cupboard downstairs in the food room. You know how to get there?"

"Yep," Brooke nodded confidently. Her eyes growing wide at the prospect of food. If there was one thing she'd inherited from Bea, it was her love of food.

"Cool. Go have a look then. If you need us just shout for Friday and she'll tell us."

With a large nod, Brooke scuttled off, her knees knocking together as she ran. Her departure left a smaller supply of oxygen in the room. Was it just Bea feeling this way? She had no idea what to say to comfort her friend. She'd been waiting for years to hear about Clint, and now that she had was hesitating. She couldn't even imagine the emotional rollercoaster Natasha was experiencing right now. Five years on and what Thanos had done was still impacting them daily.

"Steve," Natasha greeted Steve with a smile who'd chosen to hang back by the doorway, "This is a surprise to see you here too. You here to do your laundry?"

"And to see a friend," Steve glared at her coy attempt at insulting him and approached. He collapsed down on the chair facing opposite her whilst Bea continued to rub Natasha's shoulder in support, "We saw whales on our way over here."

"In the Hudson?" she raised an eyebrow, "I imagine Brooke loved that."

"She did yell quite excitedly," Beatrice recalled, passing a look of understanding to her friend knowing that the idea of whales in the Hudson didn't excite them at all. They rather hated the reminder of what was.

"Fewer ships. Cleaner water."

"If you're about to tell me to look on the bright side… I'm about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich."

"Sorry, force of habit."

Pulling up a chair, Bea sat beside Natasha but faced her back away from them and stared at the window. Her heart feeling heavy. She didn't particularly plan that today she would have to spend time dwelling over everything they lost but even staring at the bleakness of the Avenger base and saw the vast empty space of overgrown grass was enough to remind her.

"We've really got to move on…" She muttered quietly, almost forgetting she wasn't alone but finding no embarrassment in the fact that it was only Steve and Natasha who heard her.

"It's what I keep telling people," Steve sighed.

"If I move on, who does this?"

What was this? Beatrice spun in her chair and saw a few files in front of her. Most were half opened with pages spilling out. In front of Natasha she could see the projectors set up for the holograms to appear. Assuming she'd been in a meeting before they showed up. Beatrice didn't even realise those meetings were still happening?

Her new 'state arrest' band that the government was making her wear, telling them exacly where she was at all times and alerting them if she left the state, always felt like it was tighter whenever she went to the base, like the government knew exactly where she was and where she wasn't supposed to be. Even though she knew technically there was no rules stating she couldn't visit the Avengers base as it was still in New York, it felt like she was breaking some sort of secret rule so usually steered clear. Now she had no idea what missions Natasha had planned, or what even the Avengers did these days. The last time one of the Avengers had gotten onto the news was a year ago when the Hulk was seen giving out free ice creams in central park.

"Maybe you should stop," Beatrice considered, noticing most of the files on her desk were about Clint than anything else, "get away from the Avengers for a bit. Go find Fifteen and work on missions outside of the Avengers. It might help."

The very idea seemed impossible for Natasha to fathom, "I couldn't… before… before this, I used to have nothing. Then I got this job. This family, and I was better because of it," She sucked in a breath, "and even though… they're gone. I'm still trying to be better."

Beatrice rubbed her shoulders, wondering if Natasha had ever tried going to one of Steve's group therapy sessions. The very idea seemed laughable that the greatest assassin that ever lived would need to go to group therapy to talk about her feelings, but even Bea could see she was struggling just as much as any normal person.

"I think we all need to get a life," Steve attempted at humour.

"We've got Brooke for that."

At that moment Brooke came running back in with three bags of popcorn stacked in her arms. She couldn't see where she was running and banged straight into Steve's chair.

"Careful," Steve jumped from the chair and helped her up.

Beatrice looked her daughter up and down to check for any bruises when she didn't appear to be crying from the fall, she did her best impression of Steve's lecturing face, "Are you being greedy again, madam?"

Brooke shrugged, "You never said how much popcorn."

"She's just as bad as you," Natasha smirked.

Just then a pop up hologram messaged glowed in front of Natasha. New to this kind of technology Brooke's eyes were glued to it, the blue shining deeply in her eyes as Natasha casually flicked the video message to play.

"Wha that-"

"Oh hi! HI! Is – is anyone home?" The sudden voice swam through the air. Turning in her chair, Beatrice saw a man waving at the camera from the front gate, an old van behind him, "This is uh Scott lang. We met a few years ago. In the airport. In Germany. I was – I was the guy who got really big. I had a mask on. You wouldn't recognise me."

Steve abandoned holding Brooke for a second and stood in a jerky motion, "Is this an old message?"

"Ant-man? Ant man, I know you know that!"

"It's the front gate."

"I need to talk to you guys."

Natasha slammed her hand down to buzz open the front gate.

"Sorry… what… who the hell is that guy?" She'd never seen him in her life. Germany? The Airport? Had that been during the Sokovia accords and Zemo? She hadn't been there at the fight but no one ever mentioned an Ant-man? Or maybe they had… why wasn't he there when Thanos attacked?

Both of them ignored her but stared at one another intensely.

For once, Bea felt just as clueless as Brooke, both of them gaping between them. Finally she clicked her fingers in Steve's face.

"Oi!" She demanded, "Let me in. Who is this guy?"

"He – he was on the list of missing," Natasha stuttered, "We thought he'd got snapped away."

"And?"

"Then how is he here now."

"Maybe he went undercover," She said trying to find reasons. She stared at the screen showing the front gate again as Scott climbed back into his van and began to drive through. What could this mean?"

"No," Natasha dismissed her theory, "he had a daughter. He wouldn't have hidden for this long. Nor did he have any reason too, his house arrest was over…." Whatever train of thought Natasha was leading, it went nowhere as Brooke loudly huffed.

"Mumma, what's happenin?" She pouted whilst stomping her foot.

"I can honestly say, I have no idea."

They waited with chasing thoughts. Steve and Natasha still eyeing each other from other ends of the room as they waited for this man to deliver whatever news they were expecting.

Suddenly, Steve leaned down to eye level with her, "Hey, why don't you go and see what more food you can find in the fridge. I give you permission to eat anything you like."

"Is dis you tryin to get me to leave?" The five-year-old saw through his plan and folded her arms, "I'm stayin with du."

There was no more time for her to argue as Scott barged through the doors, out of breath and looking like he was about ready to pass out. Beatrice couldn't help but think he didn't look like someone who was a superhero. As he paced around the room, flexing his fingers back and forth. He rather looked quite… average. She assumed that's probably what she looked like to everyone else.

"So… yeah…" He didn't even look like he was seeing the room but stuck in his own mind. Bea pulled Brooke back with her so she was in her arms. It was still a strange man and she had no idea of his intentions.

"Scott?" Steve frowned after a minute of silence. They'd been expecting an answer on how this supposed dead man was currently pacing back and forth, "Are you okay?"

"How are you here?"

"Have you guys ever studied quantum physics? – oh hi, you're new…. never met you before. I'm ant-man… Scott... man… Scott lang, who is Ant-man…." Scott fumbled holding his hand out. She turned her nose up at being called 'new'. She'd been here for nine years thank you very much, but took his hand out of politeness anyway, "oh…" he saw Brooke and crouched to her level and took a break from the nervous pacing, "Nice to meet you. Ant man…"

Brooke giggled and accepted his hand shake, "I'm Brooke… or Brookey Cookie my mumma calls me… Why ant-man?"

"I can shrink to the size of an ant. You'd love it. My daughter who is about your ag… wait… five years has passed… crap…" With that, Scott began pacing again.

"You were saying something about quantum physics?"

"Oh right. Yeah. Have any of you studied it?"

Natasha shrugged, "Only to make conversation."

"Alright. So... Five years ago, right before... Thanos. I was in a place called the quantum realm. It's like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my... She... she was my..."

"Girlfriend!" Brooke blurted out, not reading the sadness in the man's expression.

"Um… yeah… yeah… She… she was supposed to pull me out," Scott gulped, "And then Thanos happened, and - I got stuck in there."

"- Sorry. That must've been a long 5 years."

"Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't," said Scott, clapping his hands together, "For me it was five hours. See, the rules of the quantum realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable- Is that anybody's popcorn? I'm starving." Without asking, Scott raced forward and grabbed a bag of popcorn Brooke had dropped and stashed a load in his mouth. Tentatively, Brooke didn't say anything and unwrapped herself from her mother's arms and went to help the man clear out the popcorn.

"You're funny," She laughed delightfully as the two of them munched away at the bag

"Scott." Steve said, "What are you talking about?"

Giving the bag fully to Brooke, he paced, "So... What I'm saying is...Time works differently in the quantum realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it… what if there was a way that we can enter the quantum realm at a certain point in time but then exit the quantum realm at another point in time? Like... Like before Thanos."

Beatrice's eyes narrowed. She'd heard enough of his ramblings to know it would go nowhere and could feel the heavy pressure on her chest getting tighter.

"Wait, are you talking about a time machine?

"No. No, of course not," Scott stuttered, "No, No, not a time machine. It's more like a... Yeah, a time machine. I know it's crazy. It's crazy."

It really was. A time machine? That stuff only existed in movies. Beatrice looked at Brooke who was now completely oblivious to the conversation as she tipped out the remaining corn from the bottom of the bag straight into her mouth. She dropped the bag messily onto the floor. Another thing for Beatrice to clean up later.

The older she grew the more she looked like her father. People often commented on the resemblance between her and Brooke, but she didn't see it. All she saw was Bucky.

"There's gotta be... Some wa... It's crazy."

"I get e-mails from a raccoon. So, nothing sounds crazy anymore."

"So, who do we talk to about this?"

"Really?" Beatrice was brought back to the conversation as soon as Steve and Natasha seemed up for investigating this further with no more questions, "Look – I'm sorry, but a fucking time machine? That's your solution?"

Scott turned to Brooke when she swore and looked torn halfway between covering her ears and apologising.

"Well… I mean… I told you, it's completely crazy but it's a start, right?"

Her chest heaved heavily. How… how dare he come in here and start sprouting ideas like this after five fucking years of nothing. Turning to Steve or Natasha for support they looked just as shocked at her outburst as Scott did.

"You can't actually be serious?" She fumed, "A time machine? This isn't a movie." She spoke directly to Scott, "I don't know what fairyland you're from but you don't just get time machines dropping from the sky."

"Bea, it's worth a shot," said Steve.

"No… no, it really isn't. You can't just…" her words felt tight around her throat, "… after five years and say… you can't just- just say that." Pull yourself together, she mentally thought, it's been five years. Get over it. "You say you've been gone for five hours. It's been five years for the rest of us. Some of us are trying to move on and you coming in here and saying stuff like that isn't fair."

"I didn't mean to upset you," Scott pressed on, "I just think if it's a chance, we should take it."

"Even if the chance is slim," Natasha nodded in agreement, "No matter what it takes. We have to try."

"Time travel?" She wanted to laugh. What was happening? Was the Avengers that hopeless that resorting to wild fantasies of time travel was their only options.

"Would I get a dadda?" Brooke's small voice called from behind Scott. Beatrice wanted to scream. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid.

"No, no, baby. Please don't get hopeful," She wrapped her daughter up and cuddled her closely, "They don't know what they're talking about." With her back turned she walked out of the room, muttering under her breath, "they're just trying to find hope when there is none."

She realised quite quickly that when she left the room, she couldn't actually leave the base. She was Steve's only lift home. A part of her wanted to leave him and make him stay the night, or make Natasha take him home. Maybe he should get a cab. But, she continued walking past the car and to the only green spot that hadn't overgrown. Brooke prodded her questions the whole way.

"Mumma. Wot were 'day talkin bout?"

"I have no idea."

"Some'fing bout time travel?"

"They were just coming up with a magical story like the ones mummy tells you before bedtime. Don't worry about it, Brooke," She tried to explain to the five-year-old, not wanting to give her any possible hope that she might get a dad at the end of this. Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "Did you like that new man?"

"He was funny," She giggled, "can he really w'ink down to the size of a ant?"

Bea shrugged, "I have no idea. Maybe next time you see him. You should ask."

That opened her whole new whirlwind of thoughts from the five-year-old. She spoke out loud all the questions she was going to ask Ant-man when she next saw them, most of them came in mumbles as she started to play 'Ants' in the long grass… whatever that meant… but she kept crouching down really low so she disappeared in the grass, and coming up with her knees all muddy and hair in tangles.

She found herself keep looking at the base, wondering what was happening inside. With a heavy heart, she dared to consider the possibility that what Scott said might be true. That they might be able to morph through time and might be able to pull this off.

Firstly, what did time travel even mean?

Secondly… what the hell?

She pulled out a cigarrete and breathed in some long drawn out breathes. It warmed her from the inside as if for a cold stale moment, the problems just faded away.

She made sure to puff the smoke away from Brooke.

Could she get him back?

At that moment Brooke raised her hands above her head, pretending they were antenna's. She couldn't lose Brooke, no matter what. Did time travel mean changing the past? Because she wasn't sure she wanted to go back to a time before Brooke, but she desperately wanted Bucky back. Completely distracted by her own torn thoughts, she didn't notice Steve join her.

"At least I now know where Brooke gets her temper tantrums from," Steve knocked shoulders with her when he sat down. He pulled the cigarrete from her mouth and threw it a distance. By now she was used to him doing that so said nothing, "What's going on?"

"I don't know. I'm just not okay with this," She answered honestly, "how the hell are you okay?"

"You know I'm not okay. I'm the furthest thing from okay," he said, "that's why I've got to consider this as an option. If this is the way we get them back then I need to at least try."

"And what if you try and then it goes nowhere and fails?"

"At least I know I tried everything I could."

She shook her head. It seemed like yesterday she lost him, whilst at the same time he felt like a distant memory. Like a ghost story constantly haunting her and she prayed it never went away, "If I get hopeful and it doesn't work, I don't think I'll be able to cope again."

"You will. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

"A time machine…" She wanted to laugh, but there was no humour to it, "Do you know what time travel means? I mean, I understand the concept of it in movies and stuff but in real life… does that mean… I don't know, I could accidently delete Brooke being born-"

"If that's what you're worried about then that's not going to happen," Steve assured her, "I won't let it happen."

A snort escaped her, "Well it's a good thing I've got good old Captain America on my side to tell literal time to piss off."

"What can I say," Steve smirked, "time's never been the kindest to me."

They allowed themselves a moment to laugh. The two good things that had come out of Thanos's snap was sitting right by her in a meadow of overgrown grass. Brooke and her friendship with Steve. They were friends before, but never this close. Resting her head on his shoulders she relieved a breath she'd been holding in. A sense of peace that no cigarrete could offer her was found as she simply rested her head on a friend's shoulders. The one person she trusted in the world was Steve. If he believed it was worth giving it a shot, then maybe she could get her head around it.

"Who do you even go too about time travel?"

"Natasha suggested Tony."

She snorted again, "How longs it been since you saw him?"

"Must have been his wedding day," Steve stretched to think back that far ago.

"He's got a kid now, right?"

"Morgan," said Steve, "I'm sure her and Brooke would get on wonderfully."

"Maybe just as well as their fathers did?" She joked but neither of them laughed, "When are you going?"

"When are we going… I'm not going to do anything until you agree because I don't know how this will impact Brooke. Natasha won't either."

She rolled her eyes, "You're really going to leave the fate of the world in my decision?"

"Afraid so," he said, "I know you're scared but just think… what if this all works and we go back and change things. We could get him back and everyone else who we lost. Brooke could actually get to meet Bucky. Just imagine it."

She could imagine it. That's what frightened her. Countless nights had been spent dreaming about the day she would finally wake up and see Bucky lying across from her. She dreamt of breaking the news of him being a father to him, the lines curving into the side of his eyes as he smiled widely. He might have been gone for five years but she still remembered every detail of his face as perfectly as before.

"What are we going to have to lose to do it, though?"

"We won't know unless we talk to Tony. How about we see what he says and then we'll make our decision?"

She nodded. That was fair enough. There was no harm in getting more information, "One more problem-" she held up her leg and showed her state arrest strap tied around it, "if I remember correctly, Tony lives outside of New York and since I can't leave…"

"Natasha's managed to hack it before," Steve shrugged, remembering their time when they went to the Smithsonian, "I'm sure it won't be a problem again."

A/N FINALLY! five years later. I'm getting there people. Tho i'm slowly catching up too where I've written, as I'm halfway through the actual time heist so updates might be a bit slower in a few weeks time.

I hope you all had an awesome Christmas!

Glad you all enjoyed the last chapter. Unfortunately, won't be the last time we see dear old Alex.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter.