Here we are, several weeks late...but here, nonetheless. Enjoy the last little snippet of this tale.
Epilogue: A Time to Be Born
Three Years Post-Return
Sharon Carter, on her own, was not a morning person. She could get up early if need be, but nothing was so good as having a morning lie-in.
Unfortunately, her husband was most definitely a morning person. Steve loved being up to watch the sunrise in a way that was endearing, yet annoying.
Annoying because it meant that if she wanted any time with him in the mornings, it meant getting out of bed early.
So she blearily padded out of her warm bed on a frosty December morning.
Christy was home from her second year of college (a sentence that was still terrifying to utter) and Jamie's Winter Break had begun as of yesterday, so both of them were present in the apartment. Christy, however, would likely not grace them with her presence until closer to eleven a.m., and Jamie always played in his room until it was time for breakfast.
She found Steve in the kitchen, frying eggs. The warm aroma of coffee drifted around the room like a blanket.
Sharon took an appreciative sniff. "Mm. That smells good."
Steve whirled around, grinning like the lovestruck boy he still was, even after five years together.
"Thanks. You want any?"
"Just coffee for now. I'm never hungry in the morning." Sharon fixed a mug of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table, taking a long sip.
"Fair. Could you hear if Jamie was up?"
"I don't think so. It is only 6:40." Sharon yawned. "Why you insist on waking up at these godforsaken hours is beyond me."
"It's quiet in the morning." Steve protested. "Everything is still an' a guy can actually think. You get your thoughts right before the day starts."
"Mm. And what thoughts were you getting right, today?"
Steve flipped an egg expertly in the pan, face screwing up the way it always did when he was thinking hard.
"...I was thinking how good it's been, since everything. Hard, but good. Thinking about how lucky I am, when everything could have gone differently. How grateful I am to have you."
Sharon ducked her head, ostensibly for modesty, but more to hide the tears in her eyes.
"It was hard." she whispered. "I think the hardest part was looking at Jamie, and thinking that he would never know you. And the times when Christy was...being a teenager, and only wanting you, and I wished, I wished that you were there, with all my heart."
Steve reached over and slipped his arm around her shoulders.
"You were so brave…" he said, lips pressed close to her ear. "So strong. Do you know, even when I was fading away, I wasn't scared. I was sad, but not scared. I knew you would be alright. And we were."
"In the end." Sharon grabbed his impossibly large hand in hers and squeezed it. "In the end, we were alright."
"And now it's Christmas, an' Wanda's due any day now." Steve grinned. "Bucky's taken to pacing. I wish...I bet I would have paced, too."
It still smarted, even after three years, that he hadn't been there to see his son born.
"You would have been a wreck." Sharon assured. "Bucky certainly was. And Sam. The only one who wasn't was Christy."
"Naturally." Steve gently let go of her long enough to place his eggs on a plate and sit opposite her, mug of coffee also in hand.
"She always knew the baby would be fine. And he was-is. A deep thinker, much like his father."
Steve had the good grace to duck his head. "I can't help it. I blame all that time I spent sick as a kid. Nothin' like impendin' mortality to make a guy question deep things."
Sharon sighed. "I second that. I think we've all been questioning deep things the last...almost decade."
They fell into a soft silence as they finished waking up to a new day. The only sound was Steve quietly chewing his eggs.
"You got Christmas shopping to finish today?" he asked finally.
Sharon nodded. "A few odds and ends. I'll see if Christy wants to go with me when she wakes up. You wanna keep Jamie with you?"
"Sounds fine. I'm finishing up the final sketches for this comic. He'll just be reading, anyway. We can watch White Christmas or something."
Sharon took the last swallow of coffee and was just about ready to make something more solid when Steve's phone buzzed.
"Who is it?" she asked, as Steve glanced at the message and instantly stood up.
"Bucky. Wanda's in labor."
Sharon froze. "Just started?"
"Yeah...yeah, they're going to the hospital now, but he said don't come. It'll be a while."
"That's right. You can be in labor for a while, especially with your first child. Don't worry, alright? Wanda's going to be fine. Let's finish eating, and we can do what we said we would. When the baby comes, it'll come."
Steve didn't look any less worried, but he nodded obediently and took another sip of coffee.
As a kid, Bucky had despised doctors. Steve was always coming back from them looking sad and scared, and Mrs. Rogers had gotten sick because of her work at the hospital. Doctors meant everything was wrong, and possibly never going back to normal.
But now, he had seen two hospital births, and that was enough to soften him a little.
Soon, it would be three.
He and Wanda had opted not to know the gender of the baby before the birth. They had purchased several toys and bedding items that would work for a boy or a girl, and had picked out names for both.
They had liked the idea of a good surprise, considering how many bad surprises they had both suffered.
Currently, he was pacing by the window of Wanda's tiny room, trying to ignore her light grimaces.
"Stop moving, I'm going to get whiplash." Wanda called. "One would think you were having the baby."
"I wish I was…" Bucky said, cursing his suddenly-moist eyes.
"Ej...srce moje. My sun. Do not worry. I will be fi-ah!"
Her words of comfort were broken by a strangled gasp. Bucky flew to her side.
"You okay, doll? What happened? Do you need the nurse?"
Wanda panted and closed her eyes. "The contraction was so strong. I think they are getting closer together. But it is not time yet."
"You can squeeze my hand if you want."
"...which one?"
Bucky laughed quietly. "Good question. Maybe the vibranium one? It shouldn't hurt you."
Wanda nodded and grabbed the shining metal of Bucky's fake arm as another contraction gripped her.
Bucky pressed his lips tight to hold in the panic.
"Dad, where do babies come from?"
Steve arched an eyebrow at his son, trying to decide which angle to approach the question from.
"...has your mom not had this talk with you?" he asked.
Jamie shook his head, looking up from a battered copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that had once been Christy's. His reading level was scarily advanced, in a way that left Steve and Sharon wondering whose genes that had come from.
"No, she said that I would learn when I was older."
Steve sighed. "I guess seven is a little young."
"I know they come from inside a lady. But how do they get there?"
That was easy, at least. Sort of.
"They grow." Steve said. "Just like lots of living things, they grow inside their mom."
"But how do they get inside their mom?"
Steve sighed, louder, trying to remember when he had found out. Sarah Rogers had been rather blunt with her son, being both a nurse, and knowing that they lived in a poorer area with lots of shenanigans going on.
"...you need a guy and a lady to have a baby." he said finally. "Just like you need sugar and' flour t' make a cake. The guy gives part an' the lady gives part, an' the baby grows inside the mom."
"Why not inside the dad?"
Steve bit his lip, trying gamely not to laugh.
"Uh...not sure. Really not. Just the way people are designed, I guess."
Jamie nodded, blessedly satisfied with that answer. Steve breathed an inward sigh of relief.
"Why does it take so long to have a baby?"
"Well...the lady has to push it out of her body. That's hard. And it can hurt."
Jamie looked up, eyes full of panic. "Aunt Wanda is hurt?"
"Not...I mean, she'll get medicine at the hospital so it doesn't hurt as much. She'll be okay. And then you'll have a new cousin."
Jamie deflated a bit. "I have a lot of cousins."
Steve once more tried not to laugh. "I guess you do, bud."
"And none of them are really my cousins! Nobody gets it at school. But Morgan is still my best friend, even if she goes to another school. And Nate, too."
"I thought Christy was your best friend."
"She's my sister! She's better than a best friend!"
Steve chuckled. "I'm glad to hear it."
Once more, his phone buzzed like a swarm of bees. He picked it up in a hurry, hoping it was Bucky with more news.
It was Clint.
Hey, Steve. Wanda's contractions are closer. The doc says it'll still be a while. Want to come to my place for a wait-it-out party? Laura promises food.
Steve rolled his eyes and typed back a reply.
Sharon and Christy went out shopping. I'll ask her and let you know.
Roger that, Rogers.
After another eye roll at the joke that would never die, Steve carefully started to pack away his art supplies.
"That was Uncle Clint." he explained to Jamie. "He asked if we want to come to his house to wait for the baby to be born."
Jamie looked very eager. "Can we go, dad? I wanna see the baby!"
"Let me just ask your mom and see when she'll be home. Can you go get a bag packed to sleep overnight? Clothes, toothbrush, blanket…"
Jamie nodded and instantly sprang toward his room.
One phone call later, Sharon said that she and Christy were on their way home with lunch, and that they could drive down after eating.
Steve went to go pack a duffel.
Natasha glanced at Clint, who was carving up a large ham. "Do we have enough room for everyone? The kids are getting too big to shove three to a bed, you know."
"I know that." Clint said, slicing a piece off the meat with deadly accuracy. "But they can sleep at the Mansion, too. Wanda won't actually be home tonight. They'll wanna keep her overnight for observation, at least. What a Christmas Eve tomorrow is gonna be, huh?"
Natasha snorted. "A baby born. Isn't that what it's about? Are they going to name him Steven if it's a boy?"
"I'm gonna give you five seconds to think that over and come to your own conclusion."
"So, yes." Laura replied, from where she was starting to mash potatoes at the kitchen table.
From outside, they could hear the joyous, slightly pained yells as Nate and Cooper practiced wrestling and Lila fired another arrow.
"You have some scary kids, Clint." Natasha deadpanned.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Anish was working on some coding project on his laptop, while Shanta was helping Bruce with something for his Gamma research.
"And you don't?" Clint returned.
"At least mine aren't plotting to stab something all the time. When is Pepper supposed to get in with Morgan and Peter?"
"Another hour. Peter was saying goodbye to May an' Happy at the airport. They're going on a Christmas cruise apparently. And Peter is bringing a guest."
Laura and Natasha shared a conspiratorial look. Everyone in the Avengers knew about Peter and MJ.
"Is Sam coming with Lily, then?" Laura asked.
"I think just him, and then he's joining their family on the 26th. They're still takin' it slow." Clint said.
"Is that everyone, then?" Natasha asked. "It's hard to keep track."
"Well, Pietro's still in the city finishing up some work at Fifth Chance, but he'll be back soon." Laura answered, grunting slightly as she mashed a particularly stubborn potato.
Natasha shook her head. "Fifth Chance Drop-In Center. I still can't believe you let him get away with naming it something so cheesy."
"It was his idea." Clint said. "And nothing we could say would shake him. He says everyone gives second chances, but some people blow their second chance. They need third, fourth, and fifth ones, too."
Laura smiled proudly. "He's already partnered with two of the local elementary schools, and is working on one of the middle schools as well. He wants to organize a kid's improv group for an extracurricular. And you know he's actually studying for a degree in performing arts now."
"Yeah...he's come far." Natasha sighed. "They both have."
"We all have." Laura replied. "And it's going to be a very merry Christmas. Now, help me get these potatoes in the pot. They need to cook with some milk and butter and garlic salt."
"So...let's see if I've got this. Your Superhero friend's wife, who is also a Superhero, is having a baby, so we are going to your other Superhero friend's house to chill until the new human enters Planet Earth?"
Peter sighed. "Sounds right."
"Your family is weird, Parker."
"You didn't have to come, MJ."
MJ crossed her arms and stuck out her chin from the claimed shotgun seat next to Pepper. "And miss the chance to see a Stark Christmas? Please."
"Yes, we will absolutely still be at the Lakehouse for Christmas." Pepper intoned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm not invading Clint and Laura's house for the twenty-eighth time this year. Even if they insist they don't care."
Morgan frowned. "But what about everyone else, Mommy?"
"People are coming for dinner, but we're having a nice Christmas morning by ourselves. A nice, quiet Christmas."
"Is this because last year Jamie an' Nate an' I got up too early and opened all our presents?"
Pepper sighed and reached backwards to touch her daughter's knee. "What do you think?"
Morgan pouted slightly. Peter took her hand.
"Don't worry Baby Stark, we'll get up early and open stockings. Maybe even try your first coffee. You gotta carry on the caffeine legacy!"
"You do that well enough, young man." Pepper said sternly. "What was that about three all-nighters?"
"No, no, you don't understand, that was a horrible class! That professor didn't give any good instructions on the final project!"
"Yeah, but you didn't have to wait until the day before to look at the instructions." MJ said cooly.
Peter gave her a betrayed puppy look as they pulled up a familiar gravel lane.
"We're here!" Morgan squealed, already tearing off her seatbelt in a mad fury.
Peter watched in bemusement as Morgan found her favorite cousins, and the two of them tore off behind the Barton's house, lost in some game that only they knew.
"I see you survived your classes, Peter." Christy said, walking up to him and MJ.
Peter rolled his eyes. "No thanks to that awful project."
"I know, I know, you were whining about it to me on Messenger. Final grade?"
"Uh, A."
Christy scoffed and looked at MJ. "You're doing good to put up with him."
MJ merely grinned and tousled her boyfriend's hair. "He does have his merits. Like a pretty face. What are you studying again?"
"Psychology, specializing in trauma therapy. And a minor in criminal justice, because I hate myself."
"You tryin' to be a social worker or something?"
An odd look flitted across Christy's face.
"I...I'm not sure. There's lots of things I could do."
MJ shrugged. "Whatever. You'll be fine. Still tryin' to be a Kid Crusader?"
"Always. Training's been on a hiatus, but we're still going strong. You can ask our Captain."
Peter blushed, slightly. "There haven't been a lot of threats lately."
"Nah, but we'll be ready when there are. In the meantime, let's go inside and face the biggest challenge of the holidays-getting food before my Dad and Pietro eat it all."
It felt like it had been an eternity of staring at white, bare walls. Bucky had counted all the tiles in the hallway-three times, to make sure he hadn't missed any. He had paced the room so much, Wanda said he would wear a hole in the floor. At one point, he wondered if this was all a false alarm. Maybe the baby wasn't coming today.
And then, Wanda gave a sharp gasp.
The nurses flew into action, muttering words like "dilated cervix" and "ready to push".
"Alright, Wanda, it's time to push this little guy-or girl-out." one of the nurses said. "You ready?"
Wanda grimaced and pushed as hard as he could. Bucky held out his arm wordlessly for gripping-and not the Vibranium one. He wanted to feel everything.
It took a long time, almost two hours. By the end, Bucky was sure that even his worst nightmares were nothing compared to watching his wife in pain and being able to do nothing about it.
Wanda panted and glared over at him. "No more for a long time, soldier boy." she muttered in Sokovian.
Bucky nodded sheepishly. "Yes, ma'am. Whatever you say."
But eventually, a dark head appeared. A few steady pushes later, and a beautiful, squalling baby entered the world.
"Boy or girl?" Wanda asked, flopped back on the uncomfortable hospital pillows.
"Girl." Bucky said, eyes shining. "It's a girl."
Wanda smiled.
"Well, I guess we cannot call her Steven."
Bucky rolled his eyes. "We already agreed on this."
The nurses cleaned up the new baby and wrapped her tight, placing her in her mother's arms.
"Hello…" Wanda cooed, face bright and happy. "Hello, little one."
"Welcome to the world." Bucky said quietly. "Anastasia Joy."
The parade of well-wishers was kept at bay with a deluge of pictures snapped by the obliging new father. But Steve cajoled his way into the room, along with his family.
"She's so little!" Christy whispered. "Aww, she's asleep!"
"I am sure she will wake up soon." Wanda replied. "We aren't sure what color her eyes will be, yet."
"Probably brown." Sharon said. "Unless you have a recessive gene for blue, Wanda."
"I don't know. But I hope so." Wanda smiled down at her sleeping baby. "I hope she has eyes like her father."
"I'll teach her everything!" Jamie said. "I'll be the best cousin ever!"
Bucky laughed. "Sure ya will, kid."
Steve grinned and reached up to rub his friend's hair. "You feelin' better, jerk?"
"Don't I know it." Bucky sighed. "I still can't believe it, though. Me, a father?"
"As if you haven't been one already."
"Yeah, but...not for my own kid." Bucky's eyes trailed over to the tiny baby stirring gently in her sleep. "What if I end up screwing her over because of my own stuff? What if I hurt her?"
Steve frowned. "Buck, you've been takin' care of people your whole life. This isn't gonna be much different. You love her already, yeah? Then just...show up. Be there. Talk to her. She's gonna adore you."
"I guess…"
"I know." Steve grinned. "Punk."
A different, darker head poked its way in the room.
"Alright, where's my goddaughter?" Sam asked.
"Sam, you made it!" Christy cheered, before being shushed by a look from Wanda.
"Traffic was murder." Sam explained, embracing her and Sharon, and shooting a salute Bucky's way. "So this is little Stasi, huh?"
"Ana." Bucky corrected. "Ana Barnes. With any luck, she'll be as sweet an' terrifying as her mother."
"And as loyal as her father." Wanda added firmly.
Bucky blushed.
"Bucky, do you want to hold her? You haven't taken her yet."
Bucky ducked his head down and scuffed his boots. "W-what if I drop her?"
Sam facepalmed and Steve's eyes rolled so hard, they almost came out of their sockets.
Sharon took the baby out of Wanda's arms and held her gently.
"Go sit in the chair over there, Barnes. You held Jamie just fine after he was born."
"But, but…!"
"No buts. Sit."
Bucky growled lightly. "Yes, Carter."
"Darn straight I am."
Steve had his trademark trickster grin as Bucky sat down and took his daughter with shaking arms.
He breathed out a long sigh as he watched her tiny chest rise and fall.
See this, Pierce? See this, Zola? I've got a daughter. And she will grow up to take down people like you. You lost.
Liberation filled him like the buzz of coffee. He was free, finally.
"Hey, Ana." he whispered. "I don't think the world's ready for you. But that's okay. It'll learn."
He locked eyes with Steve, and Steve nodded. It was a nod that encompassed all the years and all the blood that had led to this moment, where they both stood at peace.
"I'm gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
I'm gonna study, study, war no more…"
Cold nights were the best times to think.
That was Christy's opinion, anyway, as she sat by Stark Lake and gazed out across the rippling water.
It was almost too cold to bear, but she wanted to be alone.
"Wanda had her baby, Uncle Tony. It was a girl. Anastasia Joy Barnes. They named her Anastasia because it means resurrection. I think it fits."
She sighed, and watched her breath curl in the frosty air.
"Morgan got a crap ton of presents, as usual. You'd be proud. Peter didn't fail his class, so that's good. I'm probably gonna go to India again this summer. Anish is starting at MIT in the Fall. Early, of course."
She curled up her legs against her chest and blew on her hands.
"Anyway, just thought I'd let you know, we're doing okay. Still. We miss you and Vizh. I don't know if Androids go to heaven, but I really hope so. Vizh deserved it. But...we're okay. I hope you are, too."
For a long time, she sat and watched her breath make little puffs of air in front of her.
She was twenty years old. It had been thirteen years since she had stared wide-eyed at Captain America and ridden around on his shield.
Thirteen years and a million miles away from anything she had expected. She had gone from having nothing and no one to having the biggest family she knew of.
And somehow, no matter what came, she knew it would be alright.
"But then again that's the hero gig." she quoted, from the hologram that Morgan had watched-and made everyone else watch-hundreds of times. "Part of the journey is the end. What am I tripping for? Everything is going to work out exactly the way it's supposed to."
She smiled, eyes fixed on the spot where an arc reactor had floated away on a summer afternoon.
"I love you 3000."
And so, we come to the end of our tale. And, to the end of an era.
It's been 5 years and a bit more since I started this series. At the beginning, I was a wide-eyed college freshman with no idea where I was going with any of this, desperate to prove that I could finish something. Now, I'm teaching in Asia and am so grateful for all that I have learned through this experience. Thank you, to all those who have followed these stories, left feedback, and enjoyed them. I am glad my 'Verse has brought such joy to many.
After this, I have two more one-shots that I plan to post, before I take a hiatus to work on original writing. However, I don't think I'll be done with the ChristyVerse for good, at least as long as there are movies to draw inspiration from.
Again, thank you all. Read, review, favorite, follow-and most of all, enjoy.
Reviews are Bucky rocking his baby girl to sleep.