A/n: I only own Ellie, Grant, Beckie and Kasie, and Sarah; all other characters that you recognize are property of Marvel.
a/n2: We made it! Who saw Falcon and the Winter Soldier?! My poor Bucky I have some questions but hope next week answers them. Is it already Friday yet? Lol I almost have the next chapter finished. I hope to get it wrapped up in the next few days. We are getting close to something big. Thank you to the new follower: LastMidnightcat
Until you're back here, baby
Miss you, want you, need you so
Until you're back here, baby, yeah
There's a feeling inside
I want you to know
You are the one
And I can't let you go
~Back Here by BBMak
*~*~* August 15th, 2019- Irvington, New York *~*~*
Gasping for air, Ellie sat up in her bed as sweat ran down her temples. Placing her knees up and leaning on them, she rested her head on her arms. Wiping the sweat from her eyes, Ellie looked over at her alarm clock. Groaning when she saw it was 4:30 in the morning. She attempted to lie back down, close her eyes, and instead stared at the alarm clock for the next 30 minutes before getting up.
Walking into the girls' room, she checked on them as they slept in their cribs. With a sigh, she whispered out loud, "Buck, I don't know how I am doing this."
After checking on Grant to see he was still asleep, she placed their rooms under the baby monitor protocol and then went downstairs to the gym.
"Hey FRIDAY, play something relaxing," Ellie said as she started the treadmill.
"Miss Ellie, I advise you sleep some more," FRIDAY told her as Ellie started a warm-up.
"I won't get back to sleep FRIDAY. I never do," Ellie explained.
"Have you tried discussing this with your therapist?" FRIDAY inquired.
"She knows, but it is getting worse," Ellie admitted as she increased the speed to a good run.
She ran quietly for five minutes, barely increasing her breath when a crescendo started, and she attempted to increase the speed a little more and instead hit the memory button, causing it to increase the speed to Steve's run. She gritted her teeth as she pushed herself, trying to keep up with the pace before a sharp pain started in her side, after a brief moment of cringing at the pain. She lost her footing, sending her falling to the treadmill surface, and the belt sent her body across the floor. She groaned as her body hit the wall hard.
"Miss Ellie, are you alright?" FRIDAY asked.
Ellie groaned, "Nothing broke, but fuck… I think I got rug burn."
"You are bleeding."
Ellie put her hand to her nose and groaned as she collapsed back onto the wall, "Shit."
"Do you wish for me to alert Captain Rogers?" FRIDAY asked.
"No," Ellie said, wiping her face as she cleared her throat, "FRIDAY do you have access to Dr. Banner?"
"Dr. Banner is currently accessing the STARK servers, but he is not currently at a STARK property."
"Send him a message telling him to call me whenever he gets a chance. Not important, but I want to bend his ear," Ellie said as she used her shirt to mop up the small amount of blood still on her face.
"Message sent."
"Thank you," Ellie said as she laid her head back on the wall and closed her eyes.
"Miss Ellie…. Miss Ellie," FRIDAY said as Ellie's eyes snapped open.
"Yeah?" Ellie said.
"It's advisable that you do not sleep after hitting your head like you did, as well Dr. Banner is on the line for you," FRIDAY notified her.
Ellie sighed, "Put him through. Hi Banner."
"Hello Ellie, kids keeping you up?" Bruce asked as she heard him typing away in the background.
"No, actually, I need your help. I know it is not exactly your area of expertise, but I need a sleep study. My therapist recommended it, but I don't…" Ellie trailed off, resting her head on her knees.
"Feel comfortable enough in a public environment like that?" Bruce supplied.
"Yeah," Ellie nodded.
"How long has this been going on?" Bruce asked.
"I've struggled since Buck… has been gone, but I guess the last few months it has been getting harder for me to get good rest, and often I wake up gasping for breath drenched in sweat," Ellie told him, "I… it's starting to affect me mentally, Bruce. Steve may be able to go only 4-5 hours a night on sleep, but I'm more towards six, and I'm barely breaking 4 hours at this point."
"Shit Ellie, I will figure it out, okay? We will figure this out," Bruce told her.
Ellie sniffed, and more blood flowed, "Thanks, Bruce."
"I'll let you know when I get everything settled. Maybe I'll contact Hank and see if they have equipment that can help us," Bruce told her.
"Just let me know," Ellie said.
"Bye, Ellie."
"Bye Bruce, end call FRIDAY," Ellie said as she laid her head back on the wall.
"Shit Ellie, what happened?" Steve asked as he was suddenly in front of her.
Ellie opened her eyes and saw his concerned face, "Your face is going to freeze like that… I fell off the treadmill."
Steve took his shirt off and put it on her cheek, and she hissed, "You did a number on your cheek."
Ellie flinched, "Must be belt burn when my face hit the belt… or the carpet."
Steve pulled her to him, "Why are you up?"
"I… I can't sleep, Steve," Ellie admitted as a tear fell down her face, "If I get four hours, I'm lucky."
Ellie yawned as she relaxed into his warm embrace.
"Nightmares?" Steve asked as he rubbed her back.
"A little but…" Ellie bit her lip, "I wake up… almost every night… gasping for breath," She took in a shaky breath, "Gasping for breath and sweating. Usually, I can't go back to sleep, so I come down here, do laundry or take a bath."
Steve frowned as he pulled her closer, "Have you told-"
"My therapist? Yes, but she isn't fully aware of how bad it has been. She wants me to do that sleep study; Bucky suggested," Ellie wiped her face, "Which… after this," She said, pointing at her face, "I just called Bruce, and he is going to help me do it internally. I don't think I could sleep in a… sleep study place with people watching me."
Steve nodded, "How long has this been going on?"
"Honestly? Since Buck," Ellie bit her lip, "Left, but it wasn't this bad. When Grant and I were traveling, I slept less but not as horrible as I do now. It," Ellie swallowed hard as she thought about it, "Honestly, it got this bad when the girls started sleeping in their cribs," Ellie admitted.
Steve rubbed her arm, "Could it be you are worried about them in your sleep?"
"No, maybe? I have the monitor right next to my bed. It has a video monitor for all three of them. Hell, I wake up when I hear Grant talking in his sleep. I know they are fine and alive," Ellie sighed as she rubbed her eyes, "Fuck Steve, I'm a mess… I am at my wit's end, and it's not even been two years."
"We will figure this out even if it takes you taking something-"
"The girls are still breastfeeding. I can't take anything," Ellie told him, shaking her head.
Steve kissed the side of her head, "Sarah was formula fed and was completely fine. You can't do it all."
Ellie closed her eyes, "I can try."
"You can only try so much before you hit your limit… you still need to be Ellie. You can't be super, Mom," Steve told her.
Ellie rubbed her eyes, "FRIDAY, what time is it?"
"5:43, Miss Ellie, would you like me to order you breakfast?" FRIDAY asked.
"Can you call my assistant Amanda and tell her to call the heads of each department and see if they need to meet today? Then have her get back to me with the report?" Ellie asked.
"Yes, Miss. Ellie," FRIDAY replied.
Steve pulled her to her feet and rested his hands on her shoulders, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up, and hopefully, you don't have to go in today. We can go do something fun."
Ellie nodded as she twisted her hands together.
Steve laid his hands over hers, "It will be okay, El."
Ellie gave him a sad smile as she looked up at him, "You might have to believe that a little harder for both of us a while longer."
*~*~* August 24th, 2019- Irvington, New York *~*~*
Shutting the door quietly to the girls' room, Ellie leaned against the door frame listening.
"Beckie giving you trouble?"
Ellie opened her eyes, looking up at Steve, and nodded, "I read three stories and rocked her for a good twenty minutes. Thanks for getting Grant for me. Is he asleep?"
Steve shook his head, "Wanted to wait for you. I'll see you downstairs."
Ellie walked into Grant's room and smiled as she saw him talking away with his picture of Bucky telling him all about his day. After countless days of watching him speak to the picture frame, Ellie had spoken with the development department about creating a picture frame recording device so that Grant could record every day what he wanted Bucky to know. In hopes that one day, Ellie might be able to give it to Bucky.
Grant looked up at her, "Love you, Daddy, night."
"Hey, my little man, ready for bed?" Ellie asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.
Grant smiled as she tucked him in and kissed his forehead, "Love you, Mama."
"I love you too, to the moon and stars and galaxies beyond," Ellie said as she turned his lamp off, "Daddy is watching over you tonight."
Grant settled into his covers, closing his eyes. Ellie sat next to him until his breathing evened out, then quietly left the bedroom. Opting to take the stairs, she walked down to the main floor to see Bruce talking to Natasha and Steve.
Yawning, she walked over, "Hi Bruce."
Bruce looked over at her and smiled, "I was going to ask if it was better since last week when we talked, but that yawn tells me otherwise."
Ellie yawned again, "Damnit, sorry… no… nothing better."
"Well, what I will do, I will get you all set up with the machines and equipment. Steve said he set up the room upstairs for me. There is nothing really to do overnight, and when you wake up in the morning for good, tell FRIDAY to notify me, and I will help you get out of the equipment. I have a friend that will help me with the results, then we will let you know," Bruce told her.
"What happens when I wake up during the middle of the night as I have been?" Ellie asked as she yawned again, "I… I haven't been able to go back to sleep."
Bruce sighed, "I want you to try your best to go back to sleep. I know it is hard for you, but if we can see a pattern, maybe we can help better."
Ellie nodded.
"Go ahead and finish your day. Whenever you are ready for bed, we will get it set up," Bruce told her.
Ellie sighed, "I usually calm down with a movie on Friday night."
"And fall asleep," Steve said.
Ellie glared at him, making him laugh, "Fine, yes, I tend to fall asleep midmovie, but it's relaxing."
"What movie is it tonight?"Bruce asked.
"You see… we discovered his amazing thing called Netflix… you never know what you'll find," Ellie told him with a smile as she walked into the kitchen.
Bruce laughed, "Tony didn't sleep for a week when he found it… of course, Tony doesn't sleep."
"He has issues too?" Ellie asked, opening the refrigerator.
Bruce nodded, "He has gone three days without sleep before during a project."
Ellie paused, looking up at him, "Three days?"
"And that's without super serum," Bruce said.
"I only went once that long, and I was having delusions, and Bucky had to force me to sleep on that mission," Steve told them.
Ellie sighed as she grabbed a bottle of water, "Does anyone want anything?"
"Ellie, you need to relax," Bruce told her with a smile.
Ellie took a drink then capped her bottle, "Bruce, you are one to talk. You know how easy that truly is."
"You don't have a big green monster simmering under the surface," Bruce told her.
"We each have our curse," Ellie said as she held up her hand, and it glowed.
Steve frowned as Natasha walked into the room wearing tiny shorts and a tank top with her hair piled on top of her head with a mask on her face.
"Hi Bruce," Natasha said as she got into the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, then walked over to Steve as Bruce stared at her, "When are you coming to bed?"
"After we get Ellie settled," Steve told her.
Natasha got onto her toes, and Steve leaned down and kissed her, then licked his lips, "Mango mask?"
"At least it doesn't smell bad," Natasha told him as she looked back at Ellie and Bruce, "Goodnight."
"Night," Ellie said as Natasha headed towards the stairs.
Bruce shook his head, "I've never seen that person before. That wasn't the Black Widow."
"No, that was Natasha Romanova, the real Natasha," Ellie told him with a sad smile, "We all have our demons, Bruce. We have also to have a place to relax from them as well."
Walking into the living room, she grabbed the remote to turn the television on, "Anything you want to watch, Stevie?"
Steve walked over and pointed to the chair, "Have a seat Bruce, nothing specifically… find whatever you want."
Ellie chose a movie called "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" and grabbed the throw off the back of the couch, setting into the film about a playboy photographer who ran into multiple ex-girlfriends at his little brother's wedding. A ghost started taking him through each of his past relationships.
"You know who he reminds me of," Ellie said sleepily as she settled more in-depth into the couch.
"Tony?" Bruce asked with a chuckle.
"Yep, the stories I've heard… and seen… he was a womanizer even when he was young," Ellie slurred.
"Sis, I think it is time for you to head to bed," Steve told her as he stood up and held his hands out for her.
Ellie let Steve pull her to her feet as he turned the television off. Together the three of them walked to the stairs. Once upstairs, Bruce looked at her, "Go ahead and get into bed."
Ellie pulled back the covers and climbed inside.
"This is a heart rate monitor," Bruce told her as he took out a band and helped her put it on her chest.
"Let me guess, monitors my heart rate?" Ellie asked.
"Yes," Bruce said with a smile as he took out the electrodes, "These are the wires to the different monitors. I'll put the electrodes on your body to monitor different areas, such as these that go on your head," He told her as he placed them on the top of her head in her hair.
"I'm not going to lose hair, am I?" Ellie asked.
"Nope, you won't lose any hair. The adhesive is fairly easy to remove," Bruce said as he placed more sensors on the sides of her forehead and her temples.
Ellie tried not shriveling her nose at the uncomfortableness already of the sensors, "This is oxygen electrodes that monitor your oxygen output," Bruce said as he put a wire over her nose and behind her ears, then tightened it against her chin.
Bruce held two more sensors up, " Now two on your chest monitoring your heart, and on your abdomen to monitor your movement," placing them on her chest and stomach.
"Now the easy ones," Bruce told her with a smile.
"Yea!" Ellie said sarcastically, "I'm so gonna sleep good tonight."
"Just one on your pointer finger, and then two on your legs," Bruce told her.
"That's all?" Ellie said as he attached the wires to her legs.
"That's it. I have some cameras on you and FRIDAY monitoring, but if you need me to help you get to the bathroom with all the wires. Just have FRIDAY get me," Bruce told her.
"Thanks, Bruce," Ellie said as she laid her head down.
"If a wire comes off, don't be surprised to wake up to find me in your face putting it back on. My colleague said it is normal," Bruce told her.
Steve looked at her, "You okay in there?"
"Probably should have used the bathroom first," Ellie told him with a grin.
"Shit, why didn't I think of that-"
"Bruce, it's a joke. That is what Steve told the Doc before he, well got big," Ellie told him as Bruce nodded, "Well, night boys," She told them as she yawned.
Steve led Bruce out, shutting the door behind them and down to the hallway, "What do you think the results will be?"
"Does she snore?" Bruce asked.
"Occasionally but not really, Buck was the snorer," Steve told him as Bruce motioned him back into her office where the monitors were showing the results.
"Everything is normal so far… look, respirations are going lower. Ellie is falling asleep," Bruce told him, "I'll monitor for a few more minutes, making sure everything is going well, then I'll head to bed."
"Alright, goodnight Bruce," Steve said.
"Goodnight, Steve," Bruce said, turning to the monitors.
After watching the monitors for an hour, there was nothing abnormal from what he could see, so he went upstairs to bed.
Around 5 AM, he was sound asleep when FRIDAY alerted him, "Dr. Banner, you need to get to Ellie."
"Does she need to pee?" Bruce asked, rubbing his eyes.
"No, her heart rate is accelerated. It is different than sir has with his panic attacks. It is a pattern similar to defib," FRIDAY told him,
Bruce sat up, throwing the covers off her body, "How long has it been happening?"
"For nearly a min," FRIDAY paused, "Her heart just stopped."
Bruce ran out of the room to the stairs and down them faster than he had taken stairs before. Steve was coming out of his room after FRIDAY must have alerted him as well and raced past Bruce to her room. As Bruce ran into the room behind him, Ellie sat up in bed gasping for breath as sweat poured down her face.
"Damnit," Ellie groaned as she saw them staring at her, "What? Was I screaming?"
"FRIDAY… what is the heart rate monitor saying now?" Bruce asked, walking over to Ellie.
"Her heart… it restarted itself," FRIDAY told them.
"What?" Ellie asked, confused.
"Your heart, it stopped," Steve told her as he sat on her bed as Banner double-checked the monitors, "FRIDAY, how long was it stopped?"
"48.3 seconds," FRIDAY told him.
Ellie looked at him concerned, "How… why… my heart can't just be stopping then restarting itself… can it?"
Bruce looked over the machines, "Our hearts can stop for a brief amount of time, but I'm concerned why it was for that long as restarted without any external forces."
Ellie looked at Steve, "Do you think my heart restarted because of the serum?" Ellie asked as Bruce took her wrist in his and looked at his watch.
"It may have a reason behind it restarting, but if this is why you have been waking up every night… we need to do more tests. I need to call Tony because we cannot ignore this Ellie," Bruce told her, "He had heart specialists because of his past. We cannot have you dying in your sleep."
Ellie swallowed hard as she looked at Steve, "It's been going on for a while, Steve. I don't understand why."
Steve took her hand and kissed the top of her head, "We will figure it out."
Natasha came to the door, "Everything okay?"
Ellie shook her head, "No…" She said as she started crying.
Natasha walked over and sat next to her, "We will figure whatever it is out."
Ellie nodded as she wiped her tears.
*~*~* August 28th, 2019- Salem Center, New York *~*~*
Ellie stared out the window as Steve drove down the road towards the Xavier School for the Gifted. She was staring at the passing businesses and houses, trees that still held leaves—wondering if she would ever see them again in full color. Would she be leaving her children behind if she died in her sleep because of an unseen force? Was it the infinity stones that she held secretly in her possession, or was it her genetics catching up to her after all these years?
With a sigh, she looked over at Steve, and he reached for her hand, "It's gonna be okay, El."
"Promise me something, Steve," Ellie said, breaking the silence after five minutes.
"Anything," Steve told her.
"If… if they can't figure this out and," Ellie swallowed back the fresh round of tears, "If this thing kills me-"
"Don't talk like that," Steve told her.
"I have to, though Steve," Ellie told him, shaking her head, "I'm all my kids have left, and… whatever this is… could kill me. I die almost every night," She said, wiping her tears away, "It's not sleep apnea… my heart just stops."
"That is why we are going to Xavier. Hank thinks that he can help," Steve told her.
"What if he can't?" Ellie asked as they pulled up to the gate.
"Then we will see more of those specialists until we figure it out," Steve told her as the gate opened and he drove them up to the mansion.
Ellie looked up at the former house that now housed the school and home of many mutants, "Would… if Mom knew what I was, would she have sent me here if it was a place back then?"
Steve frowned as he put his arm around her shoulders, "No, trust me, no… Mom would have tried to help you, not by sending you away unless you wanted this."
Ellie nodded sadly with a sigh as Steve put her overnight bag higher onto his shoulder, "Let's go see if Charles can help me."
*~*~* August 29th, 2019- Salem Center, New York *~*~*
Ellie stared at the fire as it crackled in front of her early in the morning. She felt a new presence as a young girl with dark hair and nearly white highlights sat down next to her.
"It's hard, isn't it?"
Ellie looked over at the young girl, "What is?"
"This life. Being pulled by the feeling of duty to help others and the self-preservation to say screw you people, most days I wake up feeling more of the latter but unfortunately my conscious kicks in," The young girl told her as she turned towards her with a smile, "I'm Marie."
"I'm Ellie," Ellie took in the girl's gloves and started holding out her hand.
Marie shook her head and showed her gloves, "Sorry, honey, my power is touch activated."
"Sorry," Ellie said as she folded her hands back in her lap.
"Charles… saved me. It might not be overnight, but he will help you too," Marie told her.
"Rogue, what shit are you filling her head with?"
Ellie's head jerked up as she heard heavy footsteps echo into the hallway.
Standing up quickly, she looked at the man standing at the doorway, and he frowned as he looked at her, "I… do I know you?"
Ellie stared at the man in disbelief, "But… did Hydra get you too?"
The man relaxed, "You are Agent Ellie… Agent Carter's friend. How the hell are you still alive?"
"Same could be said to you," Ellie told him, "Hydra and Shield… Shydra, whatever you want to call them, gave me a serum and froze me when I went unstable."
"So you got the same treatment as your brother?" Logan asked.
Ellie nodded, "And my husband, Bucky Barnes."
Logan growled, "The Winter Soldier is your husband?"
Ellie swallowed hard, "Was… I lost him."
"Oh honey," Rogue said sadly, "You have children too, don't you? I heard that you have a son at home."
"Son and twin daughters," Ellie told her as she looked back at Marie, "So Rogue… is that your superhero name?"
"I guess… what is yours?" Rogue asked.
Ellie shrugged, "I… I've only gone by what they called me when they… created me. Project Phoenix."
Logan grinned, "Well, that won't work. We got one of those."
Ellie looked at him and frowned, "There already is a Phoenix?"
"Yes, Dr. Jean Gray, she is the Phoenix," Rogue told her, "I'll take you down to meet her later."
Ellie bit her lip, "I…I never used my name… I never realized that someone else had it. I'm not really a hero, so I never actually have to use it."
"That's where you are wrong, honey, and you are a hero. We will find you a new one that fits you better," Rogue told her.
"Just what are your superpowers?" Logan asked.
"Same as Steve's, but I can manipulate electricity and do some kinesis. Control some aspects if I try," Ellie told them.
Ellie looked up as Steve walked in.
Logan looked at him with a grin, "Captain."
Steve looked at him surprised, "Logan, sir, a pleasure to see you," Steve went over and shook the man's hand.
"A bit different than the first time we met," Logan said as he put a cigar in his mouth.
"Logan…"
Logan looked at Rogue and huffed, "Fine," Removing the cigar from his mouth.
Steve looked at Ellie, "I'm going to head home… are you sure you want to stay one more day?"
Ellie nodded, "I want to see if tonight… something happens. Although, I'll admit last night was the most restful night of sleep that I've had in ages. It was nice."
Steve leaned down and kissed her head, "Call me if you need me."
"I will, thank you, Steve," Ellie said, smiling at him.
"I want answers the same as you," Steve told her as he looked at Logan, "Pleasure seeing you again Logan, it was nice to meet you, Rogue."
"You too, sugar, don't be a stranger," Rogue told him with a smile.
"Give them a big hug and kiss for me," Ellie told him as he turned to leave.
"I will," Steve said as Logan followed through the doorway.
Ellie let out a sigh as she rested her head back against the couch.
"Come on, let's go get us a nice breakfast, and then I'll take you to meet Jean and maybe Kitty," Rogue told her as she helped Ellie off the couch.
Ellie resisted the urge to itch at the sensor placed on her head.
"It's itching her."
Ellie looked at Charles as he wheeled himself into the room, "It's just the glue."
"What test are we putting her through now?" Charles asked.
"We just want to see the full capabilities of her powers," Jean told him.
"Who am I going against?" Ellie asked.
"How about you show us your abilities first, then we will see about if you will go against someone," Charles suggested as he placed his hand and opened up the training room.
Ellie stepped inside the room and looked around.
"Alright, Ellie, go ahead and start your powers," Charles suggested from outside the room.
"What part?" Ellie asked, confused.
"Whatever you want to show us," Jean said, typing away at her tablet.
Ellie closed her eyes and focused on the tablet. Without actually touching it, sensing the device was harder to achieve, but she accessed it without using the electrodes' connection on her head after a minute.
Jean nearly dropped the tablet, "How?"
Ellie opened her eyes, "I can communicate with technology."
Charles rolled over to Jean and saw a message on the tablet, 'Boo' before another note came across, 'Hello Charles.', "Magnificent… have you always had this ability?"
"I destroyed a lot of technology when I first got my powers. I overloaded their circuits, and my powers were electric-based, well are electronically based," Ellie told them as she walked over to an outlet and focused.
All around them, the lights pulsed as they blinked rapidly. Some even sparking as Ellie drew energy from the electrical circuits around her. Smiling, she rose from the ground holding her arms out.
"Amazing," Charles said, staring up at her, "Is this the full strength of your power?"
"No… not by far. I've never really used the full extent of my powers," Ellie told him as she noticed her hair had come loose from the bun and was flying around her head.
Jean handed her tablet to Charles and rose in front of her eye to eye, "You are glowing… you haven't been to space, have you?"
"No, but I'm powered by the space stone," Ellie said as Jean got too close, and Ellie reached out with her powers to push her away.
Jean grinned, "Use your full power on me."
"No, you need to move back," Ellie told her.
Jean reached her hand out and pulled Ellie closer to her. Ellie reached within herself and enhanced her powers. Feeling the static of the electricity all around her sizzle over her skin, she screamed at Jean, "MOVE!"
Jean looked at her, dazed before heading to the ground and Ellie looked down at the ground to see everyone shielding their eyes.
Letting out a breath, she reigned in her powers and floated to the floor. Swallowing hard, she bit her lip, looking at Jean, Rogue, and Charles, "You are afraid of me now, aren't you?"
Charles looked at her, "That was truly amazing. Your power is much more significant than even you know."
Ellie let out a slow breath as her phoenix outfit went back into her necklace, "I just wish I understood them."
*~*~* September 3rd, 2019- Irvington, New York *~*~*
Washing the dishes, while Ellie's Frank Sinatra record played in the background, Steve jumped as arms wound themselves around his waist. He grinned as small hands slid up his chest, "You are the only person that could sneak up on me."
Natasha kissed Steve's strong neck, "Is it naptime?"
Steve turned the water off and dried his hands on the towel next to him before turning in her arms, looking down at her, "Yes ma'am, it is… why? Do you have any particular ideas on how to fill this time?"
Natasha took his hand and pulled him over to the couch. Pushing him, Steve tripped and landed hard enough on the sofa that the couch nearly flipped onto the back.
Steve laughed as Natasha straddled his waist, "You are in a good mood."
Natasha nipped at his ear then soothed it running her tongue over it, "I miss you."
Grinning, Steve ran his hands up under her shirt, pulling it over her head, and threw it to the side, almost taking down a picture frame of Sarah in the process.
Natasha giggled as she reached behind her and unfastened her bra, "Trying to take our daughter out?"
"Nah, just didn't think she should see this," Steve told her as he grabbed the back of her thighs and flipped her onto her back.
Natasha reached down and was unfastening his belt when she paused, "Did you hear that?"
Steve listened then shook his head, "I don't hear a thing."
"Good," Natasha said as she pulled him down for a kiss as she finished unfastening his belt and was working on his fly when someone gasped behind them.
Steve sat up, pulling the blanket on the back of the couch over Natasha, "Annabelle! What are you doing here?"
"You asked if I could swing by to do laundry," Annabelle said, facing the kitchen, "I just came in to get the blankets as you asked."
Natasha glanced over to make sure that she wasn't looking, then got up to grab her shirt. Sliding it back on, she smoothed it down, "I'm good now, sorry, Annabelle. Everyone was asleep."
Annabelle turned around, biting her lip, her face covered in a red blush as she took the blanket from Steve, "I'll just be upstairs."
Natasha groaned as Annabelle hurried away, "We just traumatized the kid."
Steve looked up at her, "Want to go upstairs?"
Natasha picked up a pillow and hit him with it, "Seriously, Steve?"
"Come here," Steve said, holding his arms out.
Natasha curled up on the couch onto his side, and Steve kissed the top of her head as they watched the television in front of them. She sighed, content as she settled deeper into his chest. Steve smiled as he kissed her forehead, "This is good too."
*~*~* September 3rd, 2019- New York, New York *~*~*
Ellie looked up as she heard the shuffling of feet in her office, "Pepper!" Ellie jumped up as Pepper shuffled into the room, "What the hell are you doing here? Sit."
Pepper sighed as Ellie helped her sit down, "I just wanted to get the most work that I could do before she comes."
"We have it, Pepper, you need to rest," Ellie told her as she sat in the other chair next to her and saw Pepper flinch, "Are you alright?"
"Just back spasms," Pepper told her as she rubbed her belly.
Ellie slowly grinned as she glanced at the clock, "Back spasms? Are these happening in any certain pattern?"
Pepper frowned then shook her head, "I'm not in labor. It's not painful."
Ellie laughed, "Neither was my labor with Grant. That is why Sam ended up having to deliver him. I didn't realize it until it was too late."
"No, these are just those Braxton Hicks contractions," Pepper assured her as she shifted, trying to get comfortable.
Ellie nodded as she grabbed her phone off her desk and sent a quick message to Steve, 'I'm going to be late. I'm almost sure Pepper is in labor.'
Pepper sucked in another breath, "These spasms are so damn annoying."
Ellie grinned, "Pepper, that was seven minutes apart. Hey Amanda!"
Amanda rolled her chair back and nearly fell out of her chair, catching herself in the doorway, "Sorry, what is it?"
"Call Happy and Mr. Stark. Pepper is in labor, keep it quiet, though," Ellie said as she got up, "Actually, I'll call Tony. You get Happy."
"I'm not in labor," Pepper shook her head, "I'm not due for two more weeks."
Ellie laughed as she put her phone to her ear, "Babies don't stick to our schedules."
"Hey, Agent Gorgeous, what do I owe this phone call?" Tony answered.
Ellie smiled at Pepper, "Ready to be a Daddy?"
Tony was silent on the other side of the phone, then swore, "Is she in labor?"
"We have Happy on the way, but you might want to meet them at the hospital," Ellie told him.
"Fuck, should I fly to the roof?" Tony asked quickly as he swore again as a crash sounded through the phone.
"Tony, stop and take a breath. Her contractions aren't even five minutes apart. You don't have a super-soldier baby that gets impatient. You have time. We have time. We will meet you there," Ellie told him calmly as she helped Pepper to her feet.
"Alright, thank you, Ellie," Tony told her as he hung up.
Ellie grabbed her purse and put her arm around Pepper, "Let's go have you a baby."
*~*~* September 4th, 2019- Irvington, New York *~*~*
Ellie yawned as she climbed out of Happy's car at four in the morning, "Thank you for the ride home, Happy."
"Thank you for being there with them," Happy told her.
"There is nowhere else I thought of being tonight. Try to get some sleep," Ellie told him as she shut the car door and walked to the front door that opened before she had walked up the steps.
The front light turned on, and Steve stepped into the doorway in sweats. He waved at Happy as he drove away, then stepped out of the way so that Ellie could walk inside, "How'd everything go?"
"6 pounds, 7 ounces, and 18 inches long. Morgan Howard Stark, all ten fingers, all ten toes," Ellie yawned, "Already has the lungs of her father."
"Howard? They named her after Howard?" Steve said in disbelief shutting the lights off and locking the house up.
Ellie nodded, "Pepper, it was her choice. Howard, the female version of the name, means Brave Heart. She said as the daughter of Iron Man, she would have to have one, so it was only right. How were the kids?"
"Fine. I need to take Grant out for new shoes. He said his toes were hurting him, and I can't believe it, but his shoes are too small," Steve told her as he watched her yawn, "Go upstairs. You aren't going in tomorrow, are you?"
"I canceled everything before noon. Everything else I am doing it from here in the office," Ellie told him as she yawned again, "Damnit, I'm done. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Steve said as she jumped over the gate and walked up the stairs.
Stopping in Grant's room first, she looked in on him to see him sound asleep, snoring away as he held onto his Daddy pillow. Leaning on the door frame, she sighed, "Buck… he is getting too big. Why can't time just slow down?" Quietly she walked over to his bed and laid a kiss on his forehead, "Momma loves you, little man."
Walking out of his room, she peeked in on the girls. She was smiling at Beckie as she slept with her bottom up in the air and Kasie as she sucked her thumb. Teasing her lip with her teeth, she sighed, "I hope you can see them, Buck. Wherever you are."
Shutting the door softly behind her, she walked to her room, immediately stripping down. Throwing on the sweatshirt that she wore to bed the night before, she walked into the bathroom and quickly brushed her teeth before crashing only a few minutes later as she went to sleep.
"Lullaby, my pretty baby, close thy eyes so bright. While the moon pours o'er your cradle all her silvery light. I will tell thee tales of fairies, lull thee with a song. While the moon, heaven's lonely wand'rer, creeps the sky along."
Ellie rolled her head to the side and blinked open her eyes to see Bucky lying next to her.
"I'm sorry that I woke you, Angel. You need your sleep. I was trying to calm your body faster," Bucky told her.
Ellie swallowed hard then licked her lips, "I missed your voice. I heard it and hoped to see you."
Bucky ran his hand down her face, and she sighed as she felt the feather-light whisper of a touch, "I'm always here for you, Angel. I saw how strong you were for Pepper. I'd love to talk to you all night, but you need rest. I'll stay with you until you wake. Rest, you need it."
Ellie swallowed the limp in her throat, "Hold me."
Bucky did his best to gather her in his arms, and Ellie smiled as she nearly felt his arms around her.
Ellie opened her eyes and rolled over to see Bucky's side of the bed was empty. Sighing, she rolled back onto her back and laid her arm over her eyes. Swallowing hard, Ellie sat up and grabbed her phone. It was at 8% as she had forgotten to plug it in, but what surprised her the most was that it was 10:26 in the morning.
"Holy shit," Ellie said as she looked at it again.
She realized that her bladder had woke her up. She wasn't used to sleeping more than 5 hours at a time and was screaming at her. Jumping out of bed, with more energy than she had in a while, she went into her bathroom. After she relieved herself and washed her hands, she grabbed her phone. Holding it in her hand, focusing energy on it, she left the second floor and went downstairs to hear Steve talking to Grant and Sarah.
Steve looked at her from his spot at the table. When she saw them, she froze, "What the hell is all over my table?"
Steve slowly stood up as Kasie squealed, kicking her legs against her high chair where the white substance that was all over the table was also in front of both twins, "Ellie, how'd you sleep?"
"I feel," Ellie paused then smiled, "I feel amazing."
"Good, so yeah, you caught us. We are working on letters and shapes. Well, the girls are just playing," Steve told her, taking in the white substance in Beckie's hair, "It's just whipped cream."
"Oh," Ellie said with a laugh as she walked over and blew a raspberry on Beckie's cheek, where a big handprint of whipped cream was on her cheek, "Yummy."
Ellie smiled as Beckie giggled.
Steve smiled as she sat back in his chair, "Did you sleep through the night?"
"I don't remember waking up once. All I remember is this amazing dream about Bucky, and then I woke up," Ellie told him as she went into the kitchen, "I'm starving."
Setting her phone on the counter, she saw her battery was already up to 57%.
Steve stood up and followed her, "Why don't you just go back to bed?"
Ellie ran her tongue over her lips and grinned, "For once, I feel amazing and wide awake. Not a bit tired. I'm not going to go back to bed. I told the teams that I'd be available at noon, so until then, why don't we take the kids outside. Enjoy the warm day before it starts to get cold."
"How about a picnic in the backyard?" Steve asked.
"Sounds amazing," Ellie said as she felt as if something touched her forehead and wiped away the stray hair.
*~*~* October 31st, 2019- Irvington, New York *~*~*
Ellie smiled as she took a sleeping Beckie out of her, ironically enough, Sleeping Beauty dress. Leaving her in only her onesie as she laid her inside of her crib. Turning around, Ellie saw Kasie had pulled herself up on her crib and was bopping her little bottom as she hung onto the slats, "Come here, Cinderella," Ellie picked her up, "You lost your shoes a long time ago, and the clock is striking 8 PM."
Kasie giggled as she sat on the changing table and let Ellie take the dress off her, then tried to flip onto her belly as Ellie went to change her diaper.
"Why can't you be calm like your sister?" Ellie wondered as she flipped her back over and quickly changed her diaper. Kissing her chubby cheek, she laid her down in her crib, "I love you, my darlings."
Closing the door behind her, she went in to check on her Prince Charming, only to find him sideways in his bed fully clothed, "Grant, honey, wake up."
Grant groaned, "Momma, sleep."
"I know, honey, you are so tired from your exciting night of Trick or Treating, but we need to get you into your jammies and brush your teeth. I know Uncle Steve snuck you some M&Ms," Ellie said as she pulled him to sit up and took his Prince Charming top off, then his pants. After fighting with his PJ shirt as she tried to get it over his head as he started nodding off.
Ellie sighed as she got his limp arms into his shirt then laid him down, "Just for one night, you don't have to brush your teeth."
Her only response was a snore.
Ellie smiled as she tucked him in, "Just like your Daddy… I wish it were that easy for Mommy to get sleep."
Kissing his forehead, she laid his Daddy pillow next to him then left Grant's room. Knowing that sometime during the night, Grant was going to make his way into her bedroom, she didn't close the door all the way. Yawning, she changed into her pajamas then saw the video camera sitting on top of the dresser collecting dust.
She bit her lip and turned it on to see the screen while recording, then moved into the shot as she hit record.
"Hi Buck," She sighed as she took a deep breath, "I'm… I'm sorry that it has been two months since I have recorded anything, but," Ellie gazed past the camera to his clothing, "Life just had to go on. It sucks, but I just realized that I was putting my life on hold, and I can't do that anymore. Tony and Pepper have a daughter now. Morgan Howard Stark. Adorable, more Pepper's genes than Tony's. Hopefully, it stays that way," Ellie said as she picked at the lint on her leggings as she drew her knees up to her chest, "With Pepper out, I've taken over more responsibilities," Ellie ran her hand over her face, "It sucks. It's only been, hell hasn't been a whole year yet, and I know I need this job. Not for the money but for something to do and for the emergency money to have in case."
Ellie looked away from the camera and scratched her nose with her thumb, "I'm not," Ellie paused, "I want to be doing something that helps people. The superhero business is closing shop. One good thing about the snap is that it seems like either a large number of the bad guys were taken out or have just gone so far underground that we can't find them. Steve is officially retired. He put in the paperwork last month after Tony pushed it through for him. As of January 1st, he will be a civilian again. As for myself, work, home, repeat. I'm finally sleeping through the night. I don't know what stopped the bit where I'd stop breathing at night, but it stopped. Hank and Xavier don't understand why it stopped, but my energy levels and body are no longer just giving out at night. Grant is having nightmares now, so he tends to wander into our room and crawls into bed with me. We just got back from trick or treating. Grant was Prince Charming. I dressed the girls in Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Sarah was Ariel," Ellie sighed as she rubbed her eyes.
Ellie looked directly at the camera, "I miss you still, Buck, so much that it hurts. I don't think it will ever get better, but," She swallowed hard, "I'm learning to adapt. I just wish I could find my purpose. Anyways I'm going to hop into the tub, more than likely fall asleep in it. I love you, Buck. So much." She blew a kiss at the camera, then reached over and hit the little red button. Closing the screen, she ran her tongue over her lips then tucked the camera away in her top desk drawer.
Grabbing her robe, she headed into the bathroom for a long warm soak in her tub that Bucky had designed just for her.
a/n3: So what would be Ellie's real superhero name? Suggest something in the review.
Now to the review:
PrettyRecklessLaura- Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
Preview of Chapter 108- Lonely
"Disculpe senoras."
Ellie groaned as she opened her eyes and saw the sun rising in the distance, "Shit, Nat… Nat, wake up."
Natasha opened her eyes and moaned as she sat up, "What time is it?"
"Senoras, it is 6 de la manana," The man told them.
"Thank you," Ellie said, wiping her eyes, "Shit, now I have sand in my eyes."