A/n: I only own Ellie, Grant, Beckie, Kasie, and Sarah; all other characters that you recognize are property of Marvel.
a/n2: So the last chapter had so many issues in posting of it, so if you missed the big birth chapter go back and check it out.
Thank you to the new followers: edwardlovinmom, and Matt9917!
I gaze out the window
This cold winter's night
At all of the twinkling lights
Alone in the darkness
Remembering when you were mine
Everybody's smiling
The whole world is rejoicing
And everyone's embracing
Except for you and I
Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) by Mariah Carey
*~*~* December 24, 2018 – Esopus, New York *~*~*
Ellie laid her head back against her pillow as she relaxed into the bed. She had nearly forgotten, most likely due to the lack of sleep, how hard the first few days with a newborn were. If she slept longer than two hours at a time in blocks during their twins' first night, she would be shocked. Glancing over at them sleeping in their isolettes, Becky with her tiny nose cannula to aide in her oxygen flow, wearing holiday onesies that Natasha had ran out to purchase the night before.
With a yawn, Ellie closed her eyes and ran her tongue over her lips to rid herself of some of the dry mouth that she was experiencing and was just about to drift back to sleep when she heard, "Merry Christmas Eve!"
Ellie groaned as she looked over at Pepper as she waltzed into Ellie's sub-level room around 9 am in the morning. Ellie mentally envied the woman for her picture-perfect appearance all the time, "Pepper way too early to be peppy, but Merry Christmas Eve to you too."
Pepper quietly walked over to the isolettes that held the girls and looked inside, "They are just too cute."
Ellie pushed herself up and groaned as pain flashed from in between her legs up through her stomach as it felt as if her insides were trying to escape her body, "Shit I forgot how painful it is afterward."
"Want something for the pain?" Pepper asked concerned as she reached behind Ellie to fluff her pillows.
Ellie sighed as she shook her head, "No, I can deal with it."
The bedsprings creaked as Pepper sat on the edge of the bed and smiled at her, "You did good Momma."
Ellie gave her a small smile, "I did my best," Ellie told her as she stared at her as she gave her an empathetic look then looked back at the girls, "Who told you?"
Pepper looked away from where she was watching the girls then at her, "Who told me what?" Pepper asked innocently.
Ellie shook her head as she bit her lip, "Was it, Steve? No… Nat. Natasha called you didn't she?"
Pepper sighed dropping her faked-pep, "Nat…." Pepper trailed off as she sighed, "Are you okay?"
Ellie chewed her lip and shrugged as she thought about the fact that not even 24 hours prior was the last time she had seen her husband, that he had fought against the laws of life of her to be with her and their children while she brought their twins into this world, "I… I felt him all this time but, God… I didn't think he was actually here," She swallowed hard, "To know that he was holding on just…. There goes the waterworks," Ellie said wiping her eyes as a new round of tears came, "He was holding on so he could be here for their birth."
Pepper bit her lip as she touched Ellie's hand, "Did he know? I mean before he… died. I mean, about the girls?"
Ellie shrugged as she had been thinking about it all night. Whether she had told him in the future when things were not looking so bright, "I don't know, I didn't take the time to ask, but… I think he did. Maybe I told him at the end, I don't know," Ellie trailed off as she stared at the girls then sighed, "I'm just glad he could see them… and hold them."
Pepper looked over at her sharply surprised, "He could hold them?" She asked in disbelief.
Ellie shook her head as she put her head in her hands trying not to cry a fresh wave of tears, "I… I don't know how I did it, but he was here, he could touch me… held the girls, held Grant…it was amazing. It…" She swallowed hard, "Helped with some closure… then he held me as he left," She told her as a tear slid down her cheek.
Pepper moved over and hugged her, "You might not be an Avenger, but you are my superhero."
Ellie chuckled a watery laugh into Pepper's shoulder, "I don't feel very super."
"Well you are," Pepper told her rubbing her back, "FRIDAY, what is the definition of a superhero?"
"Merriam-Webster states two definitions. First, a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers. Secondly, an exceptionally skillful or successful person," FRIDAY told her.
"Other than the fictional part, both definitions are you," Pepper told her as she pulled back.
"Thanks, Pep," Ellie said as she bit her lip.
"With that… I have a question for you," Pepper said as she turned towards her and patted her leg, "I need help."
Ellie frowned, "With wedding planning? I don't know if I'm the best one for that. Our wedding was at the justice of the peace."
"No, no… well yeah on that part a bit, but… I need help with Stark Industries," Pepper told her as she looked at her, "So we are dividing Stark Industries into various divisions, and since you hold the primary stock in Stark Tech, I want to offer this to you first. I want you to be the Chief Operations Officer for Stark Tech."
Ellie stared at her for a moment, "Pepper-" Ellie said surprised.
"Don't give me an answer right now, just think about it and I'll give you the information like money-"
"Money isn't an issue," Ellie told her with a sigh as she shook her head.
"I know, but you are on the board of directors, you might not take an active role but you are there, so I can ask you if you want to take this position. Give it until the New Year, and then come up with a decision," Pepper told her.
Ellie chewed on her lip as she thought of some of the conversations with Bucky that they had had in the past. How he had Shuri teach her the ins and outs of technology, of programming and products. He knew and was helping her have a strong foundation before Pepper even thought of asking her, "How many areas are there of Stark Industries?"
"Stark Industries operates four divisions, Stark Technologies, Stark Health and Relief, Stark Robotics and Stark Unlimited… which is everything that does not fit into the other two," Pepper told her.
"Who is running them now?" Ellie asked her, as she played with her blanket feeling the softness of the sheet between her fingertips.
"Me," Pepper told her honestly, "And frankly, I am tired of being the lone woman on the totem pole. I am asking you first for Stark Technologies, but I have three other board members or people from other boards that I can try to steal possibly, to strengthen our company. I trust you, and honestly, your job would be primarily hearing from the people underneath you. From there deciding whether you felt it was beneficial to the whole company, then bringing it to me to make the ultimate decision. You would be my funnel."
"What would be my job responsibilities? I mean… I am going to be a single Mom now Pepper, of three," Ellie told her glancing over at the girls, who were still sound asleep, "I'm not going to have time to run a company."
"You report to me daily at the end of the day at 4 pm, it will be eight to five. Same as my new hours. You would oversee the worldwide operations of Stark Tech, customer service, and support which honestly you'd only have to deal with if there were major issues. Daily, you would have various areas report to you with their developments throughout the day. Right now the design team reports to me at 10, the customer service team reports to me at 11 am, and then I have lunch at 12. Software teams report at 1, hardware team reports at 2, then at 3 the hardware teams report," Pepper told her, "Problem is that they want to report to me daily but with all divisions, I can only hear from them once a week. When I get there at 8 am I just catch up on calls and my assistant, you will have one by the way. She or he schedules appearances or interviews. You won't have to do that yet. Not for a few months, and those are scripted for the most part. Honestly, you get paid to sit on your ass and hear from people. In between meetings, I'm usually walking around campus just so I can check on everyone, but it gives me movement. Oh and we started a daycare. Free daycare for employees actually, with only teachers who are highly trained at the daycare. Right now from 6 weeks until six years, but I figured kids would go off to school from there."
Ellie shook her head, "It's a little hard to say no to that," She let out a breath at the simmering anxiousness.
"Obviously, I'm not expecting you to start for a while. At least two months. Honestly, if you want to start with us, it wouldn't be until March 1st and then you'd be shadowing me for…two weeks? Or until you feel comfortable," Pepper told her.
Ellie sighed, "Just… give me the details and I'll talk with Steve and Nat. We are some weird packaged deal now," Ellie said with a chuckle as she thought back to one of their movie marathon days, "We saw that movie three men and a baby in Wakanda… but now its two woman and man and four babies," She groaned as she ran her hands over her face, "I love my children but God… I fucked my life up."
"Don't you dare say that," Pepper said pulling her hands away from her face, "Look at those angels, you brought two more pieces of goodness back to this world."
One of the twins started crying and Ellie slowly stood up doing her best to ignore the overwhelming soreness, "Kasie, sweetheart what is wrong?" She asked as she walked over and picked her up out of her isolette.
Pepper chuckled as little Kasie started grabbing for Ellie's shirt.
Ellie slowly sat down on the bed and laid back. Unbuttoning her blouse with one hand, she placed Kasie to her breast, "This is the one thing I didn't miss about early infancy… the feedings all the time. Grant ate so much I had to eat all the time to keep up. I wonder how these two will do."
Ellie closed her eyes as Kasie latched and then in her bed, Beckie started fussing.
"Here I got her," Pepper told her as she got off the bed.
"Just take the oxygen off her and leave the sock," Ellie told her as Pepper did just that then gently grabbed Rebecca and brought her over.
"Sorry Pepper," Ellie said as she adjusted Kasie so that she was tucked under one arm then did the same with Beckie on the other and flinched as Beckie took a harder hold, "I lead a glamorous life now."
"You are feeding your babies, you are fine," Pepper said as the door came open and both women looked over to see who was coming inside.
In walked Tony Stark, an AC/DC Christmas shirt under his traditional blazer, with a grin on his face as he proudly walked in, "How are things…. Whoa, sorry!" Tony said his face instantly going red as he turned around and walked into a wall groaning.
Pepper nearly fell off the bed laughing, "Thank you for that," She told Ellie smiling at her.
Ellie flipped through the channels on the TV that Tony had brought in for her, as Hank walked in the room after knocking, "Hi Hank," Ellie said quietly trying not to disturb the girls who were sleeping.
Hank quietly shut the door behind him and looked around, "By yourself for once?"
Ellie pulled back her blanket to show the girls lying on her chest, "Might be alone adults wise, but enjoying the time with my girls," She told them as she covered them back up.
Hank pulled over a chair and sat down, "So I've been going over the tests and the results from yesterday," He told her showing her a paper.
Ellie turned the volume down and set the remote to the side as she glanced at the paper with numbers and graphs, "What did you find? I know the lights flickered once," Ellie told him.
"Well throughout your labor, normal brain activity but there were a few areas that had abnormal… not abnormal activity but increased activity compared to the typical brain," Hank told her as he took a breath.
Ellie sighed at the look on his face, "What is it Hank?"
"Your temporal lobe and epithalamus were lit up the entire time but the epithalamus is where the pons is so there is no surprise there," Hank said pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose higher.
Ellie stared at him blinking as she did not understand most of what he was talking about, "English please."
Hank sighed, "The chip in your brain is in the pons at your spinal cord," Hank explained.
Ellie nodded slowly, "Okay I know what the spinal cord is," Ellie told him a picture of the brain from an old book flashing in her mind.
"When you started pushing, the whole bottom section of your brain… was essentially on fire as far as the scans show," Hank told her as he looked at her, "I hear that something happened during that time."
Ellie sighed, "Yes."
"Your brain from the preliminary scans has…created…its own network throughout the primarily bottom of your brain and the mid-brain," Hank told her with a smile, "I cannot explain what it looked like when he was here. It was… almost as if there was active fluid moving in your brain."
Ellie bit her lip and looked at him, "And what does that mean?"
"I don't know," Hank told her honestly, "It's something beyond myself and Bruce. Something we don't recognize, we can bring in-"
Fear suddenly seized her, "No," Ellie said adamantly.
"What?" Hank asked confused.
Ellie swallowed down nausea that suddenly overwhelmed her, "No one else will know about this," Ellie told him, "Keep it here in the compound, please. Even then… I don't want too many people knowing."
Hank leaned towards her, "Do you know what it is?"
Ellie swallowed hard as her thoughts raced, "No, but…" Ellie sighed, "I don't want others to have suspicions of shit. SHIELD and by default, Hydra pumped who knows what shit into me. I want answers but… some things don't need to be answered."
Hank sighed, "Alright, if you want to answers eventually… I'll be here. I would love to see how your brain does work when you time travel though."
Ellie let out a breath, "My body isn't ready for it right now. I need my strength when I do it. Give it a few days to a week, but I don't want to make you wait around for that," Ellie told him.
Hank placed his hand on hers and Ellie could not believe how much it dwarfed her own, "I have nowhere to go. If you want me out of your hair-"
"No, no… you can stay. Bruce enjoys having you here," Ellie told him with a smile, "What have you two been working on? I've heard you mumbling about radiation."
Hank raised an eyebrow, "You can hear all the way out there?" He asked surprised.
Ellie nodded, "It sucks, but it helps with Grant, I can literally hear every movement he makes."
"How do you filter out… all the nonsense?" Hank asked interested.
Ellie shrugged, "You just… get used to it after a while. My brain at least can process more information since the serum, so it's not overwhelming," Ellie told him, "But I'm glad what you found is consistent with what Shuri saw. My brain is wired differently."
Hank bit his lip, "I…I also discovered something in the blood test, it may be the true reason why you have powers and Steve doesn't."
Ellie frowned, "What did you discover Hank?" Her heart rate increased.
"Have you heard of the X Gene?" Hank asked slowly.
Ellie stared at him, "Do…Do I have it?" She asked as it felt like she had a bucket of cold water dumped over her head.
Hank nodded, "You have the mutant gene. That is more likely why you have your powers."
Ellie looked down at the girls, "Then why didn't I experience anything before the serum?"
Hank sat back, crossing his arms over his large chest, "The serum changed your DNA, and it only further mutated it. The mutant gene can lie dormant as well, so the serum may be what made it active. We will never know for sure," Hank told her, "We had been doing studies but the… mutant community isn't the most trusting so it is hard."
Ellie let out a shaky breath, "It's why Grant has powers isn't it?" She asked trying not to cry.
Hank nodded, "More than likely, everything we have found so far shows it is usually the mother that passes it. The serum in your and Bucky's blood may have manifested it earlier."
"Then how did I get it?" Ellie asked as she swallowed hard.
Hank sat back, "Mutants have been around for a long time. It may have run in your family and they just thought… they were weird or it was just dormant."
"Knock knock."
Ellie looked up and smiled, "Hi Rhodey," She said turning her best-acting face on.
"I hear they are here," Rhodey said as he came into the room and looked around.
"They are, Rhodey I'd like you to meet Dr. Hank McCoy, Hank this is Colonel James Rhodes," Ellie introduced as Hank stood up and dwarfed Rhodey in size.
"The famous War Machine, right?" Hank asked holding out his hand.
Rhodey chuckled, "I don't know about famous, nice to meet you, sir."
Rhodey turned towards her, "So how are you feeling Momma?"
"Well… I'm in pain but not bad considering I just had twins," Ellie told him with a smile, "You didn't have to come all the way here."
"I know, but I wanted to," Rhodey told her crossing his arms over his chest, "Thor is even upstairs."
"Wait, Thor is back?" Ellie asked surprised.
"Yeah he was going to come down here soon," Rhodey told her as Hank slipped out, "So harder or easier than you thought?"
Ellie chuckled making one of the girls make an adorable sound before they settled back onto her chest, "Grant spoiled me. My one hour of labor with him compared to nearly 24 hours with them… I'll take that hour back thank you."
Ellie heard the thumping of his footsteps before he came into the room.
"I hear great tidings are in order," Thor said as he walked in the room.
"Hi Thor," Ellie said as she smiled at him but then frowned at his appearance.
It was obvious that he hadn't been taking care of himself. His hair was growing long, reaching his ears. His beard was long and appeared unkempt, but his eyes. The sadness that was radiating off them was heartbreaking.
"So where are these two bundles of joy that the Captain said had arrived?" Thor asked.
Ellie pulled back the blanket so that Thor could see the girls tucked against her chest, "Thor meet Kasie and Beckie."
Rhodey smiled at her, "I'll be back. Do you want anything from upstairs?"
"No, thank you," Ellie told him as he left.
Thor sat in the chair next to her best, "Humans have labor correct? How did your labor go?"Thor asked.
Ellie looked at him, "Well nearly took a day… do Asgardians not have labor?" Ellie asked interested.
Thor shook his head, "We closely monitor the childbearing women and when the time comes we have a special ceremony where they are taken to the healers where the procedure is done," Thor told her as he stared at Kasie's face peeking out from the covers.
Ellie looked at him as she pondered her thoughts and chewed on her lip, "Thor, I have…" Ellie trailed off as she realized if someone else knew her racing thoughts, that they may become true, "Nevermind."
Thor laid his large hand on her arm, "No, Lady Ellie, please something is bothering you and it is of most importance," Thor told her.
Ellie looked at him, "Tell me about the reality stone," She said before she could stop herself.
Thor looked at her surprised, "What do you wish to know?" He asked sitting up.
"Just… what is it?" Ellie asked, "What does it do?"
Thor sighed as he sat back, "Well it… it is not a stone it is more fluid," Thor informed her.
"What can it do? To people I mean?" Ellie asked.
Thor gave her a sad smile, "Jane, my Jane, she could project when it was in her, but it was more… the aether trying to protect itself," Thor told her, "She did not have it for a long time to access any abilities."
Ellie let out a shaky breath as she thought for a moment, "What is the reality stone supposed to do?" Ellie asked.
Thor looked at her, "Thanos used it to manipulate reality to show what he wanted you to see. Legend says it can manipulate reality and physics."
Ellie laid her head back and looked at the ceiling, "So… it could change the appearance of a room."
"Yes," Thor said as he nodded.
Ellie cleared her throat, "Or… bring someone back from the dead?" She asked looking over at him.
Thor looked at her, "I do not think that would be possible even with it."
Ellie nodded, "I was just wondering."
"Why? The stones are destroyed," Thor told her interested.
Ellie looked up at him, "Could there be… other pieces of them?" She wondered.
Thor was quiet while he thought, "It is possible. When…we attempted to destroy the aether we broke it into a million small pieces, but it came back together when Maliketh summoned it. It is the only one to my knowledge that can be pieced."
Ellie nodded realizing that he was wrong; she held two pieces for sure on her person at the very moment. With that knowledge, anything was in fact possible.
"Why do you wonder?" Thor asked after a minute.
Ellie looked at him honestly, "I… I have been hearing Bucky but…" She sighed, "While I was in labor, somehow I… brought him here."
Thor stared at her then smiled, "His spirit was here? Of course, it was. He did not want to leave you," Thor told her, "In Asgard; it is not unusual for the soul to hang around their beloved until they are ready to move on to Valhalla."
Ellie stared at him, "It's more than that, Thor. He could hold the girls… hold Grant," Ellie told him shaking her head as she looked at him, "How did you know for sure that Jane had… it in her?"
Thor frowned as he placed his hand over Ellie's arm and red swirled faintly under his palm causing him to suck in air and stand, "How?"
Tears slid from her eyes, "Please, don't tell anyone," Ellie begged as she took in the red tint currently flowing through her arm under her skin.
"But how did you get it?" Thor asked her staring at it before removing his hand.
"Egypt in one of the pyramids," Ellie admitted as she sighed, "I passed out when it happened, but in that time, I lived a whole different life with Bucky and it was wonderful. I woke up still in the pyramid after I died in that… different reality."
Thor stood up as he started to pace, "You are able to hold a piece of the Infinity Stones as a human… Jane struggled with it," Thor told her in disbelief as he sat back down.
Ellie shifted as one of the girls made a noise then settled back against her chest.
She bit her lip, 'Reality, Time, Mind, possibly space fragments and Vibranium laced with power stone. Yet I struggled giving birth to twins. There is no way the Tesseract and the Vibranium laced with power stone are with my theories.'
"I don't know Thor, maybe because it is just a fragment," Ellie told him as Kasie woke up and started fussing.
Thor slapped his legs and stood up, "I'll let you give her sustenance. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Thor, and please… keep this between us," Ellie begged.
"Of course," Thor said as he left.
*~*~* December 24, 2018- 7 pm – Esopus, New York *~*~*
Lying in bed on Christmas Eve evening, Ellie sighed as she pushed a messy curl out of her face and groaned when she could feel how gross it felt as the grease slicked her fingers.
She looked over at the girls in their isolettes and laid her head back.
"Knock, Knock."
Ellie looked over to see Steve in the doorway, "Hey, where have you been?"
Steve walked in and kissed her forehead then looked at the girls, "The President called me and I had to deal with some stuff."
"Still bugging you?" Ellie asked trying to push herself up higher.
Steve sighed as he sat in the chair next to her, "Yeah," Steve said as he ran his hands over his face, "I didn't deal much with the last President… shit what was his name?"
Ellie shrugged, "You think I know?" Ellie asked with a chuckle as she took in his tired face.
Steve laughed, "Nope. Anyways, I brought you something," Steve said as he handed her a small duffle bag.
Ellie unzipped it and looked at him with a smile, "I love you, Steve," She said looking inside to see another outfit and her shampoo with her body wash, "There is no shower down here though."
"There is, it's a contaminant shower but it's a shower. It's in the lab. Hey FRIDAY," Steve said into his phone.
"Yes, Captain Rogers?"
"Is there anyone in the lab right now?" Steve asked.
"No sir, Dr. Banner, and Dr. McCoy went to dinner and have yet to return," FRIDAY told him.
"When Ellie gets to the lab, lock it down until she finishes with her shower," Steve told her.
"Yes sir," FRIDAY said.
"Now, go and take as long as you want. I'll stay here in case they wake up," Steve told her.
Ellie sighed in relief, "Are you sure?"
Steve rolled his eyes and tilted his head as he looked at her, "El, I have a daughter now. I know how to handle babies."
Ellie nodded, "Thank you," Ellie said as she slowly pushed herself up, "Fuck, I didn't think I could be as sore as I was when I had Grant but… I am."
"Just take it easy, want me to call Natasha down here to help you?" Steve asked as he held onto her arm.
"No, I'll just take it slow," Ellie said as she grabbed the bag and slowly walked out of the room.
After a 30 minute shower, where her legs felt as if they were going to give out if she stood any longer, Ellie walked back to the room and nearly started crying again for the hundredth time of the day. Lying on her bed, that had fresh sheets again, was Steve and on his chest were both of her girls.
Steve opened his eyes and looked over at her, "They started fussing so I put them on my chest like I saw you do. They went back to sleep."
Ellie cleared the lump from her throat, "They must have gotten cold. They like hearing a heartbeat too," Ellie told him as she sat her bag down on the table.
"Feel better?" Steve asked as he placed his hand on Kasie's back as she fussed slightly.
"Yes, thank you," Ellie said as she looked down at the girls, "Buck made me a recording of his heartbeat. I think I am going to have Nat make some copies so that FRIDAY can play it while they sleep. Hell while I sleep too."
Steve smiled at her, "He'd love that."
Ellie sighed as she sat down in the chair next to her bed, "What time is it?"
"Well it's… just after 8," Steve told her as he looked at his watch.
Ellie sighed as she yawned, "It was wishful thinking but I was hoping that we could be upstairs for Christmas."
"Ellie, Dr. Golden is on her way for a checkup for the girls," FRIDAY informed her as if replying to her statement.
"Ask and you shall receive I guess," Ellie told him with a smirk as Steve laughed.
Nurse Julie walked in the room, a few minutes later with two car seats in her hands, "Alright, I went and talked to Grandma, and she said that these were their car seats. While they won't be riding in the car just yet, we do a car seat check to make sure they can handle the car seat."
Ellie looked into the seats and smiled as she slowly bent down ignoring her screaming muscles and picked up two dresses.
Steve chuckled, "They are Wakandan."
Ellie nodded as she ran her hand over the fabric of her second home.
Julie looked at Steve, "Now that is just too adorable. You are a good Uncle."
Ellie looked at her with a grin, "One thing Steve has going for him is he is a personal heater. His body temperature runs way hotter than it should."
Steve glared at her, "So does yours."
"Not as hot," Ellie defended.
Steve grinned, "So you are saying that I am hotter than you?"
"You asshole," Ellie said as she rolled her eyes, "If you didn't have my daughters I'd hit you," She told him as she took Beckie off his chest and she whimpered, "I know my sweet girl, you want to stay warm."
Ellie put her in the car seat as Steve stood up and put Kasie in the other. Ellie stood back and looked at the girls, who both looked at her confused, "I know my darlings, and we won't be in them long hopefully."
Julie adjusted their monitors on their feet, "Alright, we will monitor them for the next 30-45 minutes and see how they do."
Ellie sat on the bed as she looked down at them, "Well girls, if you do well we can be back to our room for Christmas."
Steve looked at her, "So, when do you plan on moving into the house?"
Ellie bit her lip, "Well… I hope within the next few weeks. You don't have to move in if you-"
Steve sat next to her and took her hand, "There is nowhere else I'd rather be."
Ellie yawned as she laid her head on his shoulder, "Thank you, Steve."
Steve put his arm around her waist and kissed the side of her head, "I am just doing what I can. I'm not trying to replace Bucky but I hope I am the most suitable replacement."
Ellie looked up at him, "Don't call yourself a replacement. You are their Uncle Steve."
Steve chuckled as he shook his head, "That is still so weird to hear."
Ellie nodded as she bit her lip, "I never thought we'd be here. God Steve… we have four kids between the two of us."
"I wonder what Mom would think," Steve wondered.
"She knows… knew about Grant and Sarah," Ellie admitted, "I may go visit her to tell her about the girls," She sighed, "Maybe before Hank goes back and he can monitor my brain activity to get an idea how this whole thing works."
Steve swallowed hard, "Do you really want to know?"
Ellie shrugged, "It would be nice to understand… somewhat of what is going on with my body."
When Dr. Golden arrived about twenty minutes later, both girls were asleep in their car seats as Ellie and Steve sat on the bed talking.
"Well hello, how are we feeling today?" Dr. Golden asked as she went to the sink to wash her hands.
"Not as bad as I could feel I would think. Thank you for coming today," Ellie told her.
"While you aren't in a hospital, I don't want you to be stuck here until I can be back on the 26th," Dr. Golden told her as she put her gloves on then looked at the monitors, "Beckie's oxygen levels are a little low for the last ten minutes. How long ago did she fall asleep?"
"About ten minutes ago," Ellie said as she looked down at her daughter.
"I'm going to give her a steroid shot to help develop her lungs a bit, but until next week I want to have her sleep in the isolette here so we can pump extra oxygen to her while she sleeps," Dr. Golden told her.
Ellie nodded.
Dr. Golden unbuckled Kasie and pulled her out. Placing her in one hand cradling her neck and chest, Kasie held her arms and legs out as she attempted to look at her with a tiny glare causing Dr. Golden to laugh, "I know, I am sorry I woke you up. I'll put you back. She is strong and doing well," Dr. Golden said as she put her back into the car seat.
"I hope this continues… the whole enjoying sleep thing," Ellie told her as she got Rebecca out and she fussed.
"I know sweetheart, oh honey," Dr. Golden cooed as Beckie tried to grab onto her hand as if she was trying to cuddle into it, "Well she has a strong grip, just keep her in the isolette for rest times, and the owlet system on her foot to monitor her. We will evaluate her in a week and see how her lungs are," Dr. Golden said as she put Beckie back into the carrier, "With that, I release you guys… upstairs. I will see you next week at my office."
"Thank you for all you did Dr. Golden, especially coming here," Ellie told her.
Dr. Golden smiled at her, "I'm glad to help, I am glad that they are healthy. Now have a wonderful Christmas."
"I'll walk you out Dr. Golden," Steve told her as he looked at Ellie, "I will be back, don't try to take them upstairs on your own."
Ellie snorted, "I have to change two infants, and it will take me a while."
By the time Steve had returned Ellie had changed Kasie's diaper and put her into the going home outfit Ramonda had got her. She was currently putting a struggling Beckie in her going home outfit.
"Come on baby girl, work with Momma," Ellie told her as she tried to put her arm in the sleeve and finally got her arm into it when Steve walked back in with Ramonda following.
"Hi, Momma!" Grant yelled when he saw her.
"Hi, Little Man, ready to bring home your sisters?" Ellie asked as Ramonda let go of his hand and he ran over to Kasie in her carrier, "Careful Grant."
Steve walked over as Grant sat in front of the carrier looking at Kasie.
"Hi baby," Grant said as Ellie put Beckie in her carrier.
"Alright, I think we are ready to go. At least it's not far… we are just going upstairs," Ellie said with a sigh, already exhausted.
Ramonda grabbed Kasie and Ellie put Beckie's carrier on her arm as Steve picked Grant up.
"Ready?" Steve asked.
Ellie nodded, "Let's go home."
*~*~* December 25, 2018- Midnight – Esopus, New York *~*~*
Steve walked into the common room at the Compound and saw Ellie staring at the lit Christmas tree as she held a cup in her hand, "Tea at this time of night?"
Ellie looked over at him, "It is Sleepy Time. Caffeine doesn't affect me, but I am afraid it will go to my milk so caffeine-free is the way to be."
Steve walked over and sat next to her, "You okay?"
Ellie ran her tongue over her lips then bit her bottom one, "I miss him. So much Steve that sometimes it's hard for me to breathe. I…I know he needed to move on. I didn't want him hanging in limbo like he was but… I wanted him with us at the same time."
Steve took her hand, "You know he is still watching over you. He is here, but not physically here."
"I know," Ellie sniffed as she rested her head on his shoulder, "Thank you for being here for me, Steve."
"What are big brothers for?" Steve told her as he kissed the top of her head, "I love you, Ellie."
"I love you too Steve, and Merry Christmas," Ellie mumbled, "Now, not that they know what Christmas really is, we have two young kids that get to open presents early this morning. We better get to bed."
Steve hugged her when they reached their rooms, "Goodnight."
Ellie walked into her bedroom at the compound and took in the room. An isolette, a bassinet, and a Porta-crib took up most of the one side of the room now. She climbed into bed and looked over at the picture of Bucky. Just as she was about to drift off she heard, "Hi Grant, Daddy loves you so much" come from his Porta-crib.
Glancing over, she saw that he had rolled onto his pillow and she smiled. "Buck, Merry Christmas… we will be home for New Years. I am ready to put 2018 in the rearview mirror."
*~*~* December 26, 2018 – Esopus, New York *~*~*
Ellie looked up from the toaster as she heard large footsteps approaching, "Good morning Hank."
"Good morning, Ellie," Hank said with a smile, "How are you feeling today?"
"Honestly, really good," She told him as she cleared her throat, "There is something I want to do actually."
Hank walked closer to her, "Do you want to travel?" He asked interested.
Ellie nodded, "I just… I want answers."
Hank agreed, "I can see that."
Ellie bit her lip as she looked back towards the apartments, "I'll talk to Steve. It will just be a quick visit to my Mom but I want to tell her about the girls. She knew the last time I visited her."
Hank smiled at her, "I don't have a rush to go back to Xavier Academy," Hank told her honestly, "So if you don't feel ready, don't push yourself."
Ellie looked at him sadly, "No Christmas? Even a late one?"
Hank shook his head, "Don't worry about me. There are people there that had worse situations than I did."
*~*~* December 26, 2018- Esopus, New York *~*~*
After getting the girls settled into the bassinets with Steve, Ellie left him in charge as she quietly shut the door behind her. Walking through the building to the lab, she took the elevator down to the sub-level where Hank was already waiting with to her surprise, Natasha.
"Hey Nat," Ellie said surprised to see her.
"I am the head of the Avengers now," Natasha told her with a sigh, "Steve…" She said shaking her head, "I just want to see what Hank says."
Ellie chuckled, "I just look like I am asleep. Nothing interesting."
Hank stood back so that she could get onto the bed. Ellie settled onto the new sheets, making herself comfortable.
"When I visit, the length of time is the same here as it is when I visit. I don't plan to be there very long," Ellie explained to the two of them.
Hank gently placed the cap on her head and hooked the monitors back in, and then started the machines. Looking at Ellie he said, "When you are ready, we are ready."
Ellie took some calming breaths and laid back against the pillows. She focused on her brain, activating the heat and focusing it on the area where the chip was.
Opening her eyes, she winked at Hank, then when she blinked; her body was back in the waiting room at the hospital. Steve and Bucky were nowhere to be seen, just as she had planned.
She sat up stretching her arms out, frowning at the old, unforgiving fabric that restricted her movements. Grabbing the mask in her purse, she put it onto her face and walked into her mother's room.
Sarah Rogers looked up as she entered the room "Have a good nap?"
Ellie walked closer to her, "Mom."
Sarah smiled as she came closer, "Hello my Darling. Everything alright?"
Ellie sat on the edge of her bed, "Have I told you about my girls?"
Sarah smiled larger, "Your girls? Am I a grandmother again?"
Ellie nodded, "I just had twin girls. Kasie spelled K-a-s-i-e Faith Winifred Barnes and Rebecca Shuri Wanda Barnes," Ellie told her proud as she bit her lip, "They both have our eyes already. They look almost identical but Beckie, they were almost a month early. She has a little difficulty with her lungs. Nothing like Steve though. The doctor was surprised at how close to a normal body weight that they were for being twins and born early," Ellie told her.
Sarah took her hand, "I am so happy for you. How are you dealing with everything without Bucky?"
Ellie bit her lip, "The best I can. It has only been a couple of days."
"You may have a mask on but I know you are biting that lip. Stop my darling. Only a man should bit that lip," Sarah told her.
Ellie took a deep breath, "Mom, I don't remember if you have done it yet, but you are going to give Bucky your ring to give to me in the future. I wore it from the time he gave it to me, until last year," Ellie told her as she grinned, "But I know that Steve is going to propose soon-"
Sarah's eyes lit up, "He is? Tell me about her."
Ellie smiled, "Her name is Natasha. She was born in Russia… the Soviet Union, but she ended up in an evil organization. Bucky trained her while she was there, while he was a prisoner of war," Ellie told her Mom, "She was saved and the organization that Steve works for brought her in and that is how they met. They work together saving the world. Sarah was a surprise. Nat thought that she could not have children and with everything that Steve went through… before and to get healthier, he thought he wouldn't be able to either. So Sarah was a happy surprise. She has blue-green eyes because Nat has green eyes. Sarah's hair is also turning strawberry blonde."
"Is Nat a redhead?" Sarah asked with a smile.
Ellie nodded, "And has that fire to go with it."
Sarah smiled, "Good Steve needs that. You have my blessing to give it back to him."
Ellie rubbed her finger, where her own ring should be, "That ring has gone from you to me. It has been frozen for almost 70 years and worn for another year before… now it will go to Natasha," Ellie said shaking her head as she saw Sarah yawn, "I should let you get some sleep. I just wanted to tell you the news."
Sarah took her hand, "I love you so much my darling. Never forget that."
"I love you too Momma. So much… time will never change that," Ellie told her as she squeezed Sarah's hand then left the room.
Going into the bathroom, she washed her hands and threw her mask into the basket to wash her face, before going back out to the waiting room.
On the couch, that she had previously vacated, was Bucky, who opened his eyes as she came closer.
"How is she today?" Buck asked.
Ellie gazed at him for a moment before shaking her head as she cleared a lump from her throat, "Clear… coherent."
"Is that why there are tears in those pretty eyes?" Bucky asked as she yawned and he frowned, "When was the last time you slept?"
Ellie sighed, "It feels like it has been forever," Ellie admitted.
Bucky held out his arms, "Come here."
Ellie walked over and sat next to him, and he pulled her to his side.
"Close your eyes, Angel. You need rest," Bucky told her as she settled against him.
Ellie couldn't hold back the tears as they fell.
"Shhh," He assured her, "I'm here and you are okay. She is still here, she is fighting. You have to have faith."
"I'm so tired of fighting Buck, I just want to give in," Ellie told him.
"Give in, give in to rest, and Steve and I are here for you," Bucky told her.
Ellie wanted to kiss him so badly, but instead, she closed her eyes and relaxed to send herself back.
When she opened her eyes back at the compound, Hank was staring at a machine as Natasha picked at her nails, while Bruce talked to her.
Hank looked over at her, "Welcome back."
Ellie stretched, "What are your preliminary findings?"
"Well without a CT scan… literally every part of your brain was working in some way and by working, I mean…overworking," Hank told her shaking his head, "There is nothing I have ever seen like it before. It did start in the area of the chip."
Ellie nodded, "So the chip does cause it."
"More than likely," Hank told her.
Natasha walked over to her, "So you ran into Bucky?" Natasha asked.
Ellie's face dropped, "How did you know that?" She asked wondering if the machines somehow showed what she experienced.
Natasha smirked, "Hank said that the quote 'pleasure center' of your brain lit up at the end. I just had my theory."
Ellie scoffed, "It's not like we were doing it in the waiting room of my Mom's hospital," Ellie told her as she swallowed hard, "It was just… good to see him."
Natasha patted her back, "Come on, let's go see your babies."
a/n3: Well WandaVision has been announced for January, hopefully, FatWS will be coming out soon after. Some merchandise is starting to leak out so hopefully, that is a good sign!
Now to the reviews!
Haze46: Thank you for the review!
tuckerjnp1: Sorry for the tears, but I was totally the same while writing them! Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Guest: Yes there is only 5% of Nat and Steve time but the central part of the story is Ellie, by product Steve is secondary. Natasha will still be part of the rest of the story.
Preview of Chapter 99- Everything I Wanted
Ellie elbowed Steve as he walked by, "I didn't think you'd be able to do it. Way to go."
"I have learned a thing or two about women since the 40s," Steve told her.
Ellie snorted, "You couldn't form a sentence in front of Peggy, glad that changed. H…hey… Na… na… Nat, W…will you parry knife me?"
Steve glared at her, "I hate you."
Ellie just giggled.
