A/n: I only own Ellie, Grant, Beckie and Kasie, and Sarah; all other characters that you recognize are property of Marvel.
a/n2: So my master's classes started back up and I was able to squeak out this chapter right before they started this week. Classes end the first week of March so I'll be able to write more consistently then. Our director quit at our school so I am filling in as a temporary assistant director in the meantime. You know, because I have all the time in the world. Lol I need my head examined. So Spider-Man was amazing! I want to see it again, but I have already seen it twice. Just so good!
THank you to the new followers: Leona Nicole, and Musefan2307
And all along I believed, I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more
~ A Thousand Years by Christina Perri
*~*~* March 10, 2023- Brooklyn, New York *~*~*
Ellie pulled up to a gate and parked her car, avoiding the spirits around her. They were shadowy figures roaming along the grounds. The grounds were covered in a thick layer of snow, thanks to a recent snowstorm that had shut down the tri-state area. The car wheels struggled as she tried to go up the hill. If Steve knew how icy it was, he probably wouldn't have let her leave the house. After parking the car when it would go no farther, she stepped out of the vehicle, and the layer of ice under the snow crunched under her feet.
Keeping her head down to ignore the spirits looking her way, she trudged through the snow and nearly slipped a few times as she avoided draining souls. Finally, she made her way to the top of the hill, where the older tombstones were laid scattered amongst the grounds. Weaving her way through the headstones, she looked for the two tall trees standing strong. In between were three gravestones grouped. The center stone read.
ROGERS
Joseph Sarah
1896-1923 1897- 1940
Glancing at the stones on either side, they read:
ROGERs
Steven Grant
1918-1945
2012-
Proud brother, son, and soldier
Ellie dusted off the front of her parents' tombstone, "Hi Momma, Hi Dad. It's Ellie. Give Buck a big hug from me, as today is his birthday. The kids are getting so big. Grant's class is already preparing for their Pre-K graduation. My baby will be in Kindergarten next year. The girls are growing so fast I can't keep up."
Kneeling next to their grave, she looked over at her and Bucky's headstone, same as Steve's.
ROGERS-BARNES
Elizabeth James
1919- 1970 1917- 1945
2017- 2013-2018
"Something is coming. I can sense it. I don't know what, but it is something big. I don't think I can control it either. But if it brings him back to me, I'll do anything to help that," Ellie said as she tore her eyes away from the tombstone.
Standing up, she walked over to Bucky's tombstone and kissed it, feeling the cold stone beneath her lips, "I love you. Happy Birthday." Touching the ground where she had buried the small amount of his ashes that she had, then she drew a heart in the snow.
Wiping her tears, she walked back to the car, successfully ignoring the crying spirits, and climbed back inside. Starting the car, she turned on the radio to distract her, and 70s rock music that she had heard from Tony's office blared. Turning it down, she slowly backed down the hill and headed home. At the stop sign at the cemetery's exit, the radio randomly went through channels.
"You'll feel blue. You gonna be sad. You'll miss the dearest pal that you ever had. There'll come a time, don't you forget it. There'll come a time when you're gonna regret it, someday when you'll get lonely. Your heart will break like mine, and you'll want me only," Frank Sinatra's voice crooned from the radio.
Ellie bit her lip, "Buck?"
The radio turned back to the 70s station but much lower.
Ellie sobbed, "You've been quiet, Buck. I thought you moved on."
A cold sensation touched her forehead, "Happy Birthday, Buck. I wish I knew how to change things," Ellie told him.
The same cold sensation dusted over her lips, and then she warmed up. Finally, Ellie bit her lip, "You are gone, aren't you?"
No more cold sensations washed over her, so she knew she was alone once again.
*~*~* May 15, 2023- New York, New York *~*~*
"Aunt Ellie, whoo Aunt Ellie."
Ellie shook the cobwebs out of her head as she looked at Jamie, "Sorry, what was that, Jamie?"
Jamie reached over and touched her hand, "Are you okay?"
Ellie sighed, "Are we ever going to be okay, Jamie? Every day is just getting by until the next day starts all over again. I'm living in the moment until I can see your uncle again."
Jamie shook his head, "You are too young to talk like that. I'm closer to the other side than you. You have your whole life ahead of you, Aunt Ellie. Uncle Bucky wouldn't want you to live your life on pause."
Ellie looked out the window to the rest of Battery Park and the Hudson through the buildings, "It is so hard, and I don't know how you do it, Jamie. You had even longer with her than I did with Bucky."
"The grief group I went to said you never will stop grieving. We will never get over the loss. We just learn to live with it and eventually how to rebuild our worlds around it," Jamie told her.
"The weight of the grief never gets lighter," Ellie stated.
"It's the weight of our love for them," Jamie told her as he took her hand.
After exiting the subway at Grand Central station, Ellie walked through the crowds to go to her favorite little bakery for a pick me up.
Walking into the bakery, two teens were coming around the other corner, and their shirts made her stop in her tracks. Bucky and Steve's faces stared back at her. Then, finally, the two teens stopped, "Sorry ma'am, didn't see you," One of them said, nearly running into her.
The other stared at her, "Are you famous? You look familiar."
Ellie chuckled, "No, not famous. I like your shirts."
"Thanks, we got it for the Captain America premiere tonight," The one kid bragged as he opened the door for her, "After you, ma'am."
"Have a good day," Ellie said as she went inside.
The owner looked up, "Ellie! How are you?"
"Doing great, Melissa, I'll just have my usual," Ellie said as she pulled out her Stark phone as the cashier rang up her croissant and tea.
"Are you excited about the premiere tonight?" Melissa asked as she pulled a fresh chocolate croissant out of the case, "Are you going?"
"They invited Steve and me. We are still debating on it," Ellie told her as she tapped her phone to pay.
Melissa bagged up her croissant and then added her tea bags to the cup of hot water, "Do you think it's going to be accurate?"
"Is Hollywood ever?" Ellie asked as she sighed, "It wasn't fun living it. They asked me some things based on other people's accounts and historical documents. So I filled in a few things in an attempt to make it true to Steve and Bucky's story."
Melissa handed her items to her, "But it's your story too."
Ellie scoffed, "I was there, but it was their story. I'm of no importance to the grand scheme of things. Anyways, thank you as always. I'll see you next time."
She turned around to be met with the wide eyes of the two boys from earlier.
"You're Ellie Rogers!" One exclaimed.
"Ellie Barnes, have a good day," Ellie told them as she walked out of the bakery.
"Ellie, you are going to short the whole place out," Steve told her as he walked over to her standing next to the bar.
Ellie opened her eyes and looked over at him, "Shut up, I'm nervous. There are a lot of people here."
Steve held out his arm, "Think of it this way. This party is because of us."
Ellie rolled her eyes, "You are so bad. The movie wasn't even accurate."
"I don't know. It wasn't too far off. The only part they got wrong was the fact you and Peggy had a larger role in the Howling Commandoes," Steve told her.
"I didn't have that big of a role. They were right, though, about me operating in the background. The scene where Bucky and I were making out, and you walked in, never happened," Ellie said.
"There was that one time I walked in on the two of you in the tent. I never told the two of you, though," Steve told her.
"Fuck," Ellie swore as another woman walked by, winking at Steve, "How was your date? I forgot to ask."
Steve shrugged, "It was a date, nothing to make a big deal about. I doubt we will ever go out again."
"Oh Stevie," Ellie said as she saw the man that she had been avoiding the whole night, "Shit."
Steve looked up to see Sebastian Stan walking towards them, "Hello."
"Hi, look, I don't want this to be awkward. I just wanted to see how you have been doing," Sebastian told her.
Ellie looked at him, "Hello Sebastian. I'm doing as well as I can. I hear that we knew each other before the accident."
"We were talking. I'm sorry I didn't check in again, but when I called, Steve told me about your memory, and I didn't want to confuse you or, you know, overwhelm you," Sebastian told her.
"I appreciate it. It was a hard time for me after the accident. So many things are still fuzzy as it is," Ellie explained.
"How did you guys like the movie? Did I do Bucky's part justice?" Sebastian asked.
"Yes, I appreciate all the work you put into it. It helped humanize him, so more people can see him for him and less for the Winter Soldier," Ellie told him, "I do truly appreciate it."
"Did you meet Blake yet?" Sebastian asked, looking around.
"No, but they did an excellent job at finding a likeness of me," Ellie told him as someone called for him, "We don't want to take up more of your time. Thank you again."
"See you guys later," Sebastian said as he walked off towards the person who had been calling for him.
Ellie leaned over towards Steve, "Whenever you are ready to leave, let me know."
"We can go whenever," Steve told her.
"Good, because I want to get out of this dress. I miss wearing heels," Ellie sighed as she picked her to dress up.
"Have you tried?" Steve asked.
Ellie shook her head, "I haven't wanted to stress out the new tendons and muscles they created. I have been taking it as easy as possible."
"How about we ask the driver to stop for ice cream before we head home?" Steve suggested.
"That sounds great to me. We need to talk more about Hawaii, too," Ellie told him.
Steve put his arm around her shoulders, "I cannot wait."
*~*~* May 25, 2023- Oahu, Hawaii*~*~*
Stepping off the stairs of their rental home in Oahu, Ellie kicked off her shoes on the last stair and sighed in pleasure as the sand went between her toes. Walking to the water's edge, Ellie sat down so that the warm water rolled over her feet. Pulling her legs to her chest, Ellie looked out at the ocean. Listening to the wave crashing, Ellie laid back on the sand, looking up at the beautiful blue sky.
"Oh Buck, happy anniversary," Ellie said as she closed her eyes and thought back to one of the last nights of their trip, somewhere she cannot even remember in Delaware.
When she opened her eyes again, she was no longer on the warm sand but in a warm bed instead. Grant was sleeping in his port-a-crib, she heard the shower running, and the television was on quietly. Ellie picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels as she listened to the water turning off.
Ellie stopped at a random movie that she recognized as she had seen it once before, but she must have fallen asleep during. Then, suddenly as she heard Bucky shuffling around in the bathroom, she felt overcome with emotions.
"Do not cry, do not cry, do not cry," She whispered to herself as Bucky walked out of the bathroom, wearing a pair of low riding sweatpants as he toweled his hair off, "Find something good?"
She looked at him as she swallowed hard, hoping that the apparent tears in her eyes were not obvious to him.
"Hey, baby," Bucky said as he got in bed next to her.
Ellie curled into his side, listening to his heartbeat strong, "Hi," She breathed out.
"Are you okay?" Bucky asked as he rested his head on hers.
"As I can be," Ellie said sadly, trying to keep her voice from shaking, "We don't have long left, Buck."
Bucky sighed, "When are you coming from?"
"May 25th, 2023," Ellie told him sadly, "I'm in Hawaii. We were going to have our wedding here," Ellie swallowed hard, "I had to push it back, by the way. So you have another year to get ready. So you better make the wait worth it," She told him as she rested her hand on his bare chest.
"Well, another year and Grant will be old enough to be my best man. After that, I'll have to bump Steve down a notch," Bucky joked.
Ellie laughed then sighed as she thought about how he hugged her before Steve had taken all the kids to get ice cream and how he was up to her chest now, "He is five and a half Buck. He," She paused to gather her words, "He comes up to my chest. Where he is getting his height from is beyond me," Ellie told him, snuggling deeper into him, "I guess that is what happens when you eat well from the time you are an infant and don't have to scrimp and save to get by. At least, we," She said shakily, "We were able to provide better than our parents were."
Bucky kissed the top of her head, "Our parents did their best, and you are doing your best, which is all we could ask for."
Ellie looked up at him as a tear fell down her cheek, "I'm only where I am, because of you, Buck."
Bucky pulled her close again, "Everything will work out, Angel, believe me. Trust me. Don't lose faith. I'll be back with you soon."
Ellie buried her face in his chest, "It's hard not to lose faith," Ellie mumbled into his chest.
"I'll be back before our next anniversary, and we will have that grand Hawaiian wedding you were planning," Bucky told her, "That way, I can say I've been out west."
Ellie chuckled then shook her head as she kissed his chest, "You've been here with us, this entire time Buck. I don't do it in front of Steve, that is, but I swear that I feel you. I tend to talk to you, and I know that Grant does. He talks to your picture. It is like you are here. We can't see you," Ellie said as he went to say something, "No, before you say it, not a ghost. Not a haunting feeling. I don't know how to explain it." Ellie sat up straighter, finally glad to tell someone what she had been experiencing, "I've felt it stronger since the accident. It's almost like," She paused as she thought about it, "I was close to the other side, so I feel, well, the other side stronger, I guess."
Bucky bit his lip, "Do you think it's a new power?"
"No, yes," Ellie said quickly, "I don't know Buck, but I've tried to figure it out. I saw Peggy before she moved on. Hospitals are horrible because so many people have died. At home, though, all I feel is you," Ellie told him, "Maybe it's just me being mental, and I'm hoping I feel you and I don't actually."
"Well, if I were stuck on this world as a ghost or spirit or whatever it might be, there would be nowhere else I would rather be," Bucky said as he kissed her.
"But I don't want you to choose to be here, Buck. I am hoping it's just my mind playing tricks on me," Ellie told him, "I've never found evidence that it is you, and I hope I don't. I want you here with me physically, not spiritually."
"And I will be," Bucky told her, resting his chin on top of her head, "I will be."
"Oh, Bucky," Ellie said sadly as she closed her eyes, "I'm currently laying on the beach in Hawaii. My toes are in the ocean as I lay under the warm, cloudless sky. Lay with me."
Bucky laid back next to her and laced his fingers in hers.
"Do you smell the salty air?" Ellie asked as more tears rolled down her face.
"I do," Bucky said with a laugh, "I can imagine it. The sand is warm, and the water is too. There are people in the distance laughing. Four kids, playing in the water, splashing each other. Birds are flying overhead that are colorful. It's so beautiful, but nothing as beautiful as the girl next to me in the sunflower bathing suit. I can't wait to experience it in person."
Ellie smiled, "Me too, Buck. I love you."
Bucky leaned over and kissed her, then smiled against her lips, "Your lips are chapped and have sand on them even."
"You and your imagination," Ellie said against his lips.
"Happy Anniversary, Angel," Bucky told her, "I love you."
"I love you too, Buck. I'll see you soon," Ellie told him as she broke the connection and opened her eyes back on the beach.
Rubbing her lips together, she sat up, wiping the sand from her mouth as a mother ran past her trying to catch her kids.
"I'm sorry!" She yelled back to Ellie.
Ellie looked down and noticed her suit that she was wearing was covered in sunflowers, "Couldn't be," She thought out loud as a bird screeched overhead, "Oh my God, but how did he see?"
*~*~* May 28, 2023- Oahu, Hawaii*~*~*
Ellie sat in her bed in Hawaii, covering her skin in lotion as Steve sat on the other side, "You know what today is, right?"
Steve looked at his watch, "Shit, it's Mom's birthday."
"Yeah, and did you realize Dad's been gone for 100 years?" Ellie asked, setting her lotion to the side.
Steve laid back on the bottom of her bed, "I can't believe it's been that long, even thinking of the non-frozen years."
"I know," Ellie said sadly, "I wish sometimes I could remember him more, you know, I remember a little, but I was so young. Yes, he was troubled, but he was still Dad."
Ellie sat back against the headboard and thought about her visit with Bucky, "Hey Steve, when I visited Bucky on our anniversary. I was lying on the beach, and we were in Delaware, nowhere near a beach," Ellie bit her lip, "But Buck described exactly where I was at the time, down to my lips being sandy."
Steve sat upon his side, "Do you think you projected your environment to him?"
Ellie shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't done that before, but I have no clue how I would even try it."
Steve sat up and crossed his legs, "I do, go visit Mom. She's never seen my body like this. If she knows, then you know it's true. Let's go to the beach. The kids are all asleep."
Getting up, they walked down the walkway to the beach right outside the back of their property. They sat down, and Ellie felt the warm sand against the back of her thighs, "I probably should have changed from my nightgown."
Ellie swallowed hard as she laid back and closed her eyes, thinking the last time she had seen her Momma, and she had been fully aware.
Opening her eyes, she found herself on the floor outside her Momma's hospital room. Standing up, she opened the door to her mother's room after putting her mask on.
Sarah moved her head and looked over at Ellie, "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?"
"Hi Momma," Ellie said as she shut the door behind her, "Stevie and I were sitting together in Hawaii, and it's your birthday, so we were thinking of you. So I came to visit."
Sarah coughed, "Hawaii? Why are you there?"
"It's a vacation spot now, but Bucky and I wanted to get remarried there. But, unfortunately, he is gone, so we can't, but Steve and I brought the kids out here, instead," Ellie told her as she brought her chair closer then sat down next to her.
"What is it like?" Sarah asked.
"The water is so blue, the sky is so clear," Ellie told her as she took her mother's hand, "Close your eyes and imagine it with me."
Sarah closed her eyes, and Ellie thought about where she was, "Right now, I'm lying on the beach, and it's at night time, so all you hear is the birds that are out and the sounds of the waves. It's kind of magical. Steve is next to me on the beach, breathing in that warm, salty ocean air."
"Oh, I can nearly imagine it. Oh, how healthy Steve must be. Does he have muscles?" Sarah asked, "I can almost feel the sand and see the stars."
Ellie smiled, "I'm not positive, Momma, but Steve and I were thinking one of my powers is to help people see what I see. I think you are seeing Steve. Is his hair a little darker than you remember?"
"And it's slicked back. He looks wonderful," Sarah told her with a smile, "How have you changed?"
"My hair is longer than I wear it here. I had surgery on my leg, but I haven't changed much other than that. I'm a little fuller in my hips, but I've had three kids. I wish you could see the kids," Ellie said with a smile.
Sarah smiled, "I see Steve with some small movie screen in his hand. He is looking at pictures of children. Oh, they are beautiful. Oh, Ellie, I am so glad everything worked out. This is truly a blessing."
Ellie opened her eyes and looked at her mother, "I have to be getting back, just in case the kids wake up."
"I love you. Tell Steve that as well," Sarah told her as she opened her own eyes.
"Get some sleep," Ellie told her as she blew a kiss then walked out of the room.
Sitting on the floor, Ellie laid her head back and closed her eyes. Then, opening them again, she was next to Steve.
"Did it work?" Steve asked.
"Again, I'm not sure how but Mom somehow saw you as you," Ellie told him, shaking her head, "Was my eyes open?"
"Yeah, but they were unfocused, and your eyes were glowing green tint," Steve told her as he got up and held his hand out of her.
Ellie let him pull her up, and she dusted herself off, "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."
Steve leaned over and kissed her cheek as they made it to the bedrooms, "Goodnight, El."
"Goodnight, Steve," Ellie said as she opened her door and walked inside, only to meet with Steve, "What the hell?"
"Shhh," Steve said as he listened at the door.
"What the hell?!" Ellie repeated, looking at him in disbelief.
"It's me, but not me that is down the hall. I'm me from the future," Steve told her.
"What the actual fuck?" Ellie said, confused.
"Here, sit down," Steve said as he helped her sit on the bed, "In the future, we figure out time travel."
"I know that," Ellie snapped, "But why are you here?"
Steve looked at her confused, "How do you know?"
"That doesn't matter how I know. It's why you are here?" Ellie asked.
"So I go back in time, and I decide to stay. I stay with Peggy," Steve told her with a smile, "But I can't get married without you and Buck."
Ellie threw her arms around him, "I won't tell you how, but I know everything. I am so excited! How are we going to do this? The kids could wake up at any time."
"Not with this technology," Steve told her as he held up his hand.
"A bracelet? What does a bracelet have anything to do with time?" Ellie asked as Steve touched it and a suit materialized around him, "Nanotechnology. Tony helped with this, didn't he?"
"Yes," Steve said as he handed her one, "I've already programmed it. We have a stop to make first before the wedding. I have to pick up my best man."
Ellie put it on her hand and tapped it as she saw Steve do, to have a suit surround her body, "Shit, I probably should have changed."
"Peggy already found you a dress, so no need to worry," Steve told her, "I can control both our devices, and you follow me. It's like a GPS, so you shouldn't get lost."
"Very comforting," Ellie said as the helmet came up over her head, and she felt her body lurch.
Suddenly colors were swirling all around her as if she were being sucked through a tube. Her feet hit the ground and her legs buckled under her causing her to trip.
*~*~* April 27, 2018 – Wakanda – 2 PM*~*~*
"Shit, I'm sorry, Ellie, I should have caught you," Steve said, helping her up.
Ellie looked around her and breathed out, "Wakanda."
"Before the battle," Steve said sadly.
Ellie's eyes narrowed on a familiar figure with another person, "Bucky," She whispered.
"Let's go get him," Steve told her as they started walking towards him as he let someone out of a hug.
As they got closer, Bucky looked away from the young girl, "What are you doing here?" He asked Ellie.
Ellie smiled, "I'm not from now, Hun," Ellie said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard.
Bucky smiled against her lips, "Hi beautiful, long time no see."
"You guys make me sick, but I am glad to see it again after five years," Steve said with a smile.
Ellie looked over at the young girl standing next to Bucky, then frowned as she saw the familiarity in her face, "Wait… Kasie?"
"Aww shit," Kasie said as she groaned, "How the hell, Hi Mom," Kasie said sheepishly.
Ellie took in her daughter all grown up, "How? What the hell?" Ellie asked, shocked.
Bucky snorted, causing Steve to give him a look.
"So time traveling is genetic, I guess," Kasie said as she itched the back of her head, "We still can't figure out how I do it. Only I can do it, though," Kasie told her with a shrug, "I've been visiting Dad for a few months."
Ellie looked at Bucky in disbelief, "You knew the whole time that the twins were coming?" She questioned.
Bucky nodded, "But I didn't want to possibly not conceive them, so I didn't say anything."
Ellie groaned, "Shit," Ellie said, rubbing her hand over her face, "We don't have the time," Ellie said as she sighed, "Look, we know how to travel between periods now."
"With the Pym particle," Kasie said, bouncing on her toes.
Ellie looked over at her with narrowed eyes, "God, you are too much like I am, aren't you?"
"Dad is proud of it," Kasie told her with a grin.
Ellie looked at Bucky with a smile as he laughed, "Of course, he would. Anyways, we can travel, and Steve is here to take us somewhere."
Bucky frowned, "But the whole battle is coming."
Ellie smiled at him sadly, "We have to bring you back before it."
"I wish I didn't, but I have to. We will be back like you never left. Are you ready to go?" Steve asked them.
"Where are we going?" Bucky asked them.
"To the past," Steve told him as he handed him a bracelet, "Put it on your hand. Coordinates are already in it. You just hit the button, and the particles will spread over your body, and then hit the button. I'll control all three of them from mine."
Bucky looked at Ellie hesitantly.
"Trust me, it will work," Ellie told him with a smile, "I wouldn't be here, would I if it didn't? Gotta have faith, remember."
"You two and your damn faith," Kasie mumbled as her parents both gave her a look, "Shit, I'm not even born, and I am still getting the damn look."
Bucky put the bracelet on his hand and hit the button as Ellie hit hers. He looked at her to see the white suit from the time she had visited in their kitchen here in Wakanda, "So this is a time travel suit?" He asked, looking at his own.
"It is," Ellie said as she hit the button on the side and the helmet came up.
Bucky followed suit and suddenly looked at a small monitor with numbers attached, then looked over at Kasie, "Go home. Love you."
Ellie looked at her, "Listen to your father."
Kasie rolled her eyes, "Fine, Mom," She said as she disappeared.
Ellie took Bucky's hand, "Ready?"
"As I will ever be," Bucky told her.
Ellie looked at Steve, "Let's go. Stay close to us."
Ellie felt like she had been sucked through a tube again as the colors flashed all around her. When her feet hit the ground again, her leg gave out on her, and Bucky had to catch her.
*~*~* April 28, 1951 *~*~*
"Thanks," Ellie said as she looked up at him then pulled him down for a kiss.
Pulling her closer to him, she smiled against his lips, "God, I missed you."
"Okay, you two, enough of that."
Ellie straightened up and looked over as the air left her lungs, "Peggy."
"Hi Ellie," Peggy said with a smile as she walked over and hugged her.
Ellie held onto her as she swallowed the lump in her throat, "No wonder you knew so much about the future."
Peggy laughed, "I don't doubt that I didn't tell you much."
Ellie shook her head, "No, which was ironic since I am the one that can jump times."
Peggy stepped back, "Alright, you guys can't wear those clothes for the wedding. Steve, honey, do you want to take Bucky to get him dressed. I will handle Ellie's attire," Peggy told him.
"Wait, it's bad luck to see each other before the wedding," Ellie gasped.
"Darling, we already have had our share of bad luck," Peggy told her as Bucky snuck a kiss as he and Bucky left the room.
Ellie continued looking at the door after they left.
"You will see him again," Peggy told her.
Ellie swallowed then took a shaky breath, "Thank God, I'm going to cherish today for as long as I can."
Peggy nodded, "Let me get you some undergarments. I have a feeling under that nightgown you aren't appropriately dressed."
Ellie chuckled, "Yeah, Steve didn't give me the chance to change," Ellie said as Peggy handed her undergarments.
"I hope they aren't too big. Just to be safe, I increased the size from what you were before," Peggy told her, handing her the bra
"Shit, I forgot how much these bras sucked," Ellie said as she took her nightgown off and started putting the bra on.
Peggy looked at her sadly, "Time has not been kind to you, has it?"
Ellie finished fastening her bra then looked up at her, "Well, I am a mother of three, survived being frozen twice, then being thrown off the side of a hill in a car and being pinned. I nearly lost my leg. I'm just glad to have it still. It fits well, even with my breasts being bigger."
"What are the kids like?" Peggy asked as she handed Ellie a slip to put under her dress.
"Grant is Bucky all over again, but athletic. It's probably the little bits of serum in him. He plays soccer and hockey, loves running," Ellie said with a smile, "So, smart and has a heart of gold. He loves his sisters and would do anything for them." Ellie stepped into the slip, "Kasie, my little independent firecracker, she rules the roost at the house. She is way beyond her years. My dear Beckie, she is so quiet. Beckie always has her nose in a book or is drawing. She is my creative one. She can block people from her in nearly a little protective bubble around her. She has a temper but can be sweet while angry. I call her my angel girl."
Peggy smiled, "I wish I could meet them. They sound wonderful," Peggy said as she handed Ellie her dress.
Ellie took the dress and slid it on with Peggy's help, "This is one part of this period that I do not miss. All the lace, so itchy."
Peggy helped her fasten into the dress, "Now you can help me."
Steve looked over at Bucky as he dried his hair, "I know this all has to be a little surreal."
Bucky threw the towel onto the chair and buttoned up his shirt, "Just a bit," Bucky told him as he rolled up his sleeve, "Steve, can you be honest with me?"
Steve sighed, "When we take you back, you only have hours until half the people and animals on not only our world but universe-wide, just disappear. The only thing left for five long years is ashes. You disappear in front of my eyes, which I hated so much, but I could bring back some of your ashes to Ellie. God, Buck. She was so strong for the last five years. Stronger than I ever could have been," Steve shook his head, "She went, well you know obviously, but she went through the pregnancy with the girls on her own. She took off and collapsed out west, when Nat," Steve sighed, "Had to rescue her, suddenly she was back and was huge. The girls were born, and Ellie started working for Tony and Pepper, then the modeling gig. She was a force to be reckoned with. She was so happy, Buck, so happy."
Bucky put his suit jacket on, "Then the accident happened?"
Steve nodded sadly, "Yeah, she never recovered completely. But, you have to know that Buck, she isn't the same person anymore. She is starting to find her purpose again with the foundation."
"Foundation?" Bucky interrupted as he helped Steve into his jacket.
Steve smiled, "She started a foundation for those less fortunate, which cannot afford the best prosthetics. After her accident, she saw people with prosthetics that hurt them and were not properly made. Ellie told me it made her think of your first arm. So she pulled together some money, got some backing from Tony and Pepper; together, they started the JB Barnes Family Foundation. Together Ellie's team from when she was with Stark Tech and Wakanda are working to make affordable, better fitting, and technological prosthetics that will help a wide range of people."
Bucky smiled as he put his gloves on, "That's my girl. So how are you going to explain mine and Ellie's appearance when I'm supposed to be dead, and Ellie is frozen?"
"Well, you are your cousin, Matthew," Steve told him, "Everyone out there thinks that I am Grant Rogers, my cousin that Ellie set Peggy up with. No one knows but Howard and his people that Ellie was frozen, so in their eyes, she is just back from her travels. We had to give Howard some vague details, but don't be surprised if he tries to get details out of you and Ellie. He knows he won't get anywhere with me. Peg would hurt him if he tried," Steve said as he dusted off Bucky's tux.
Bucky looked in the mirror, "Should I clean up my beard a little? What do you think?"
"Here," Steve said as he grabbed the towel Bucky had used prior and put it over Bucky's shirt, "Let's trim it down a little."
Ellie pinned another one of Peggy's curls, "Two more, and then you will be done. Is it looking good to you? It's been a long while since I've done hair like this."
"It looks marvelous," Peggy said as Ellie finished another curl, "How are you doing your hair?"
"Well, I think I am going to brush it back and pin it," Ellie told her as she finished the last curl, "My hair is too long to do any curls."
"I love how it looks long like it is," Peggy said as she stood up.
Ellie looked in the mirror; "I kind of wanted to see how long I could grow it honestly," Ellie admitted as she grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair.
"Is that the fashionable thing in the 21st century? Longer hair? Bucky has it too," Peggy stated.
"For women and men, yes. Bucky cut his hair short, and it just grew ridiculously fast. Grant's hair is the same," Ellie told her as she pinned her hair back, "I have to get his hair cut at least every two to three months."
Standing up, she smoothed down her dress and let out a breath as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"I'm so sorry, Ellie," Peggy said as she set her hand on Ellie's shoulder.
Ellie looked at her, "What for?"
"You've been so cheated in life," Peggy said sadly as she looked at her dress, "Here, Steve and I are going to get this, while not a large wedding, it is in a church with all those who love us. Steve said you and Bucky had to get married at the courthouse."
Ellie shrugged, "When he comes back, we are going to be married in Hawaii. He will return to me. I know it for a fact. It will just happen a little later than I planned," Ellie cleared her throat, "Enough of this, let's get you in your dress."
Bucky straightened Steve's tie, "You never could do this right."
"Why learn? I always had you to back me up, and then Natasha and Ellie," Steve told him as he looked out the door, "Perfect, they are here."
"Who?" Bucky asked as there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!" Steve said.
"Daddy!" Sarah yelled as she ran into the room.
Steve picked her up, "Hi, sweetheart," Steve said as he picked her up, "Were you too fast for Aunt Ellie?"
Sarah giggled, "Daddy, she can fly. I can't be too fast. Hi Uncle Bucky!"
Bucky looked at her in shock, "Sarah?"
"I brought her."
Bucky turned to see Ellie in a sweater and nice slacks, "El?"
"Not the Ellie down the hall," Ellie told him with a smile, "I can't stay long. I don't want to confuse myself when I see myself down the hall." Ellie walked over to Bucky and kissed him, "I'll see you soon."
"Bye, Aunt Ellie!" Sarah yelled.
Ellie tapped the top of her hand, winked at Bucky then disappeared.
Bucky looked at Steve, "Why not have her stay instead of getting the other Ellie down the hall?"
Steve sighed, "Because Buck, the Ellie down the hall was in a dark place. It is just past the fifth anniversary of everyone disappearing. Ellie is depressed. She misses you and needed a pick me up to get her through the summer. This will help."
"So we return after the summer?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah," Steve said as he set Sarah down, "Do you want to go to Peggy and Aunt Ellie or stay here?"
Sarah held onto his leg, "You."
Bucky looked at Steve, "She hasn't met Peg, has she?"
Steve sighed, "No, I wanted to wait until Peg, and I got settled. We had not only to get records for me made but Sarah too."
Bucky looked out the door, "People are starting to arrive. I swear Ellie said that Peggy was with a man named Sousa."
"Peggy just let her think that there was a Daniel Sousa, but he was killed. I brought one of SHIELD's photostatic veils, and we pretended I was him until everything was settled. My hair is darker than before I went down, and I look a little older. If I wear a slight amount of facial hair, I look different enough," Steve explained, "This one here is still my daughter. After the wedding, Peggy is going to adopt her."
"What happened to," Bucky trailed off, looking at Sarah.
Steve bit his lip and swallowed hard, "Saved the world with her sacrifice. She knew because of Ellie what happened, gave her blessing. You are neighbors with this one all grown up."
Bucky closed his eyes as he laughed, "Rose?"
Sarah giggled, "Is Miss Rose here?"
"No honey, just you and me, Uncle Bucky and Aunt Ellie, plus all Daddy and Peggy's friends," Steve told her as he watched her swing around in her dress in the mirror.
There was another knock on the door, and Steve walked over to it, "Sir," Steve said when he saw the pastor.
"Mr. Rogers, Ms. Carter said that she would be ready in a sufficient time. So, therefore, we will start in ten minutes," The Pastor told him.
"Thank you, sir," Steve said as he shut the door.
"Where are we? England?" Bucky asked, noticing the pastor's accent.
"Actually, yes," Steve told him, "I've been here for eight months now. Before that, we stayed in California for two months, before Peg transferred over here to get this office up and running."
"Shit Steve, are you going to be a Brit?" Bucky asked.
"Uncle Bucky, you need to put a dollar in the swear jar when you get home," Sarah notified him.
"Sorry, Sarah, but are you?" Bucky asked.
"No, we are moving back to New York by next year," Steve told him as he looked at himself in the mirror one last time, "I can't believe this is happening."
Bucky chuckled, "Yeah, who knew the skinny kid that we all thought would never get to 30, ends up marryin' a gorgeous dame from across the ocean. So you got the lucky man."
"That I did, come on, Sarah. Let's go get ready," Steve said, taking her hand.
After the ceremony, Ellie sat watching Peggy and Steve dance around the floor.
"Drink?"
Ellie looked up, "Thank you, sir," She said as she took the drink from Bucky.
"Why aren't we out there?" Bucky asked as he sat down next to her.
Ellie sighed, "I'm not sure if I can dance anymore."
"And why not?" Bucky asked as he put his arm around the back of her chair.
Ellie put her leg up on his lap, then took his free hand and put it on her leg, "That is why."
"The repaired leg? It's repaired, right?" Bucky asked, running his hand up to it and feeling the slight dips and scars, "It holds your weight, right?"
"Of course," Ellie told him.
"Then dancing shouldn't be a problem, Angel," Bucky said as he took her drink, "Come on."
"No, Buck, I don't think we should," Ellie said as he pulled her up.
Bucky led her to the dance floor, "They are playing our song, doll."
Ellie let him pull her into his arms as they swayed to a song she had heard only a few times before. As that song ended, familiar chords came from the band. Ellie looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, "You remember?"
"Of course," Bucky said as he kissed her then rested his face against the top of her head, "I cry my heart out, and it's bound to break. Since nothing matters, let it break. I ask the sun and the moon, the stars that shine. What's to become of it, this love of mine."
Ellie smiled as they danced to the refrain, "I hate having to take you back. Can't we just stay?"
"No, Angel. We can't leave the kids," Bucky told her, "Steve assures me that we won't be parted for much longer."
Ellie buried her face in his chest, "God, I hope so. I just wish you could be there to see the kids grow up."
"I will be," Bucky said as he kissed her neck.
Ellie smiled as she felt her heart race, "I'm counting on it."
"I'll be back, my love," Steve said as he kissed Peggy.
Peggy looked at Ellie, "So we are officially sisters now."
Ellie hugged her, "I miss you already, Peg."
Peggy looked at Bucky, "Keep an eye on her."
"Always," Bucky said as he kissed Peggy's cheek.
"Ready?" Steve asked as he tapped on their devices and handed them back to Ellie and Bucky.
After placing them on their hands, Ellie activated hers then took Bucky's hand, "Bye Peg."
The last thing Ellie saw before the blur of colors was Peggy waving with Sarah at her side.
*~*~* May 28, 2023- Oahu, Hawaii*~*~*
When her feet touched the ground again, she wasn't in Wakanda like she had thought. Ellie looked over at Steve, "Me first?"
"I thought Buck would like to see the kids, even if they are asleep. But you must hurry. We can't risk being seen," Steve told her.
Ellie threw her arms around Steve, "Thank you."
Ellie took Bucky's hand, "Come."
Bucky followed her out of her bedroom and down the hall. Ellie slowly opened the door, and inside were two beds containing their daughters.
"Oh my God," Bucky whispered as he knelt next to their beds, then looked up at Ellie, "Kasie looks so much like you."
"And Beckie, like Becca when she was young," Ellie whispered with a smile.
"Oh Ellie, they are beautiful," Bucky said as Beckie stirred and he froze.
Beckie blinked and smiled, "Hi Dadda, goodnight."
"Goodnight, my doll," Bucky said as he kissed her forehead, and she settled back to sleep.
Bucky wiped his eyes as he stood up and pulled her into his arms, then kissed her, "God, I love you."
Ellie touched his face, "Let's go see Grant real quick."
Bucky followed her to Grant's room, and Bucky slowly sat on the side of his bed just gazing at his son, "He has grown up so much just since Christmas."
"It won't be long now, and you will be able to see them as much as you want," Ellie told him with a tearful smile.
Bucky stood up and pulled her into his arms, "I'm coming back, and we will do so many wonderful things."
Ellie held him close, "I know, I have faith. I may have lost it a little along the way, but I still have faith in you."
Steve poked his head in the room, "We have to be going. We can't risk being seen."
Ellie led Bucky back to her room, and Bucky pulled the sheets down for her, "Get in bed, Angel. I'll stay until you fall asleep," Bucky said as he looked at Steve, who nodded.
She swallowed hard and climbed into bed, allowing him to climb in next to her in his dirty farm clothes that he had put back on. Ellie ran her hand on his cheek, "I love you."
"I love you too, my Angel. Rest," Bucky told her as he kissed her forehead.
Ellie closed her eyes, and Bucky felt her relax after a few minutes. Then, slowly he stood up and looked at Steve, who had sat down in the chair in her room, "Let's go before I can't."
"I'm sorry, Buck," Steve said as he activated their suits and they landed in Wakanda.
*~*~* April 27, 2018 – Wakanda – 2 PM*~*~*
Bucky handed him the bracelet, "I know."
"And Buck, I'm going back to the past and I,"
"No," Bucky interrupted, "Don't change a thing."
Steve frowned, "If we just find you earlier."
"No, did you see my kids?" Bucky asked with a smile, "I can't lose them. Everything must happen exactly as it has. Go live your life in happiness."
Steve nodded, "I don't know how long I will have, but I'm putting it in my will that my shield, Howard made me a new one, it's to go to Sam."
"I agree," Bucky told him, "It's the right choice."
"Buck, you deserve it too, though," Steve told him.
"No, I don't. I will help Sam train with it if he wants. When you started using it, I was there, but it will be Sam's. He deserves it more than I. I have not redeemed my past," Bucky told him as he held up a hand and Steve went to say something, "It's not an argument. It is just something I pledge to work on at a later date. Now, I will see you later. Be with your wife. I'll be seeing you soon, in one way or another."
Steve pulled him into a hug, "I am proud of you, Bucky, never forget that."
Bucky held onto him, "You didn't do so badly for yourself either. Now go, live your life. Just name your first son after me."
Steve laughed, "Of course, bye Buck."
"Bye Steve," Bucky said as he disappeared.
*~*~* May 29, 2023- Oahu, Hawaii*~*~*
Steve watched Ellie building a sandcastle with the kids, "You are in a good mood," Steve said as he sat next to her and wet some sand for the kids to put in their castle.
Ellie looked over at him and smiled, "You know, for the first time in a while. I feel in a great mood. Things are looking up."
a/n3: Chapter 117 will start getting into Endgame. I have never officially seen any timeline of how Endgame went down, we know it didn't all happen in a week so I am taking some liberties with the timeline. Hope to see you guys in about a month with chapter 118! Thank you everyone again for reading and reviewing!
Preview of Chapter 118-
Suddenly her body was in front of her as she felt herself float away from the rest of her body. She had only felt this sensation once before when Dr. Strange had shown her the astral plane. Looking over her body, she suddenly heard, "El?"
Ellie looked over and saw Bucky, "Buck?"
Bucky moved over to her, "Hey Angel, fancy seeing you here after your little fit?"
Ellie reached up and touched him, surprised that she felt something, "I don't understand. How are you here?"