Sorry for the delay in updating. I fell sick over holiday and couldn't really write. I'm still ill but recovering. I may not update this weekend but we'll see as I am trying to keep up with regular weekly Sunday postings. But I am behind as I only just finished this chapter today so update this Sunday may not be possible.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Next Steps

Friday 24th June 2016

"Natasha, did you and Tony die?"

Natasha hesitated. "It's complicated…" she answered. It was the best way to describe their situation.

"How is it complicated? It is a simple question," responded Pepper. "Did you die?"

Natasha's shoulders slumped. She couldn't avoid answering. Pepper had made an educated guess on the little information she had been given. The fact they could now hear a voice and did not really know what the voice was, was a big clue as to how Tony and Nat had truly returned to the past. "We did die."

"How?"

"We both sacrificed our lives," she admitted. It was the truth after all. Natasha had willingly jumped to her death giving Clint the opportunity to take the Soul Stone and see his family again and Tony… Tony had wielded the powers of the universe and saved them all, at the cost of his own life. "We had to. We had to make the difficult choice to do so. When I died I remember it going completely black. And then I woke up back here in 2014, just before Hydra was exposed. All I had was a voice in my head telling me what I had to do. I freaked out at first, tried to tell someone but I couldn't. I was physically stopped from doing so. All I knew was someone would be joining me but I had to wait for their arrival. I was here for two years before Tony arrived. And the only reason I guessed it was him was because he got himself involved in an event he'd not been around for previously. Everything else played out as it was supposed to. I couldn't change a thing… couldn't halt Ultron or stop Bruce from disappearing…"

"I'm sorry you've had to live through that again…" Pepper looked down at her hands. "How did Tony die?"

"I do not really know… Not for certain anyway. I had already died… I think you need to talk to Tony. Neither of us wanted to tell you that we'd died… We didn't want to worry you. Tony wanted to protect you from the full truth… Don't hate him for it… He doesn't want to lose you."

"But I lost him…" murmured Pepper quietly. "Where you are from, I lost him."

"We have a chance to stop it, Pepper," explained Natasha quietly. "What happened to take our lives can be stopped but we have to work as a team. Tony and I hope we've been sent back so after we've completed our tasks we can live our lives. The lives we should have kept in the first place. But there is always the possibility we are still meant to die."

Pepper fell silent, her eyes falling from Natasha's face. There was conflict in her features.

"Don't leave him, Pepper. He needs you," whispered Natasha, aware she shouldn't be interfering in their relationship. She knew how Tony would feel if Pepper left him.

"I need him too. Tony has been a part of my life for so long…" whispered Pepper, "but the thought of him having died… Was I even there? Was he comforted? I know from where he came from we were married because he knew about my past… Did we have children? Was I left to raise them alone?"

"Pepper…" Natasha reached out and gently took Pepper's hands in her own. She glanced at Tony in the bed, still out-cold. "Please talk to Tony. He needs you more than you know. I know it may be hard for you to want to stay knowing it was death which brought us back."

Pepper's lips twitched. "I don't think I could walk away from him forever. Going on a break was difficult enough…"

"You took the risk before…" added Natasha. If Pepper walked away from Tony she wasn't sure what she would do. Tony needed Pepper just as much as she needed him. Their lives were so intertwined that it seemed impossible they could be apart. But could Pepper take the risk knowing Tony had already died?

There was a moan from the bed and both women turned their heads to look at Tony who was gradually waking up again. He was having moments of consciousness before falling back asleep but each period was getting longer and longer.

"Hey, Pep…" His voice was soft as he sought out Pepper.

"Hey…" whispered Pepper, leaning forward and taking his hand. "I'm here. I'm not leaving you."

The words she chose were curious at best and Natasha wondered if that was a hint to her she had already made up her mind whether to stay with Tony or not.

"Thirsty…" Tony whispered.

Pepper reached out for a glass with a top on and a straw inserted into the top. "Be careful." She tipped the glass towards Tony's mouth and he took the straw and sucked, drinking in the cold, soothing water to hydrate his parched throat.

"Thanks…" Tony weakly smiled. It would take a few days for him to recover. He'd lost a lot of blood and his wounds were still healing. His eyes began to close again until he drifted off.

"I'm not going to abandon him…" Pepper continued quietly. "I love him. And I will do everything in my power to make sure he lives. Whatever happened in your future needs to be prevented. I will support him as best as I am able. And I will talk to him."

Natasha allowed a small smile to cross her face. "Thank you, Pepper."

The doctors were quite surprised by how quickly Tony's injuries healed after surgery. He was ready to fly home a few days later though was under strict instructions to not do any heroics. Tony didn't mind. He was quite happy to spend a few days with Pepper. What he hadn't expected was Pepper's simple question when she laid a bowl of chicken soup in front of him and perched next to him on the sofa.

"You died, didn't you?"

Tony nearly dropped the spoon. "What? I'm not sure what you mean?"

Pepper dipped her head. "I think you know. I figured it out. You died and you woke up here, didn't you?"

Tony swallowed. "If I did, does it change things between us?" He watched her, his eyes focusing upon her beautiful face.

"No, Tony, it doesn't. Dying is a risk I have always taken with you… I know you have to be Iron Man. I'd rather you didn't but you were sent back for a reason. I hope it is so you can live after your work is done here…" She trailed off.

"But there is still a possibility death is still my fate," finished Tony. He knew that. "I didn't want to tell you because of scaring you away. I didn't want to lose you."

"You won't," said Pepper, leaning in and kissing him on the lips. "I said to you I would help you. I want to help you. I've like to have my own suit. I want to fight beside you." She hesitated then but after a moment she slowly began to talk again. "If you die in battle, I want to be there with you because I think you would want me to be the last thing you saw."

Tears gathered at the corner of Tony's eyes. "You were the last thing I saw." It was difficult to admit but Pepper being there, giving her permission that he could rest easily and not worry about those he loved, had helped in his final moments. He had drifted off thinking of her, seeing her face one last time… And then he'd woken up back in the past. "I don't want you to have to go through that again. See me die…"

"Tony… My greatest fear is losing you. But I know you wouldn't be able to rest if there were people out there you could help."

"Those were your last words to me…" he replied quietly, his eyes moving down to the bowl of chicken soup, which he had now lost the appetite for. "'You can rest now'. You gave me peace when I needed it." The tears trailed down his cheeks. "I left you… I left you to rais-" He stopped midsentence.

"Raise?" Pepper guessed. "We had a child?"

Tony minutely nodded not wanting to verbally confirm. He missed Morgan so much. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go again.

"You don't want to tell me," reasoned Pepper.

"I worry if I do… they will not ever exist and… god…" Tony trailed off. He didn't want to endanger Morgan's existence by telling Pepper about her. The pressure would be on her. He knew the date and time of conception and that was something Tony would never tell Pepper. If the Morgan he knew was to exist he had to keep that specific information away from her, at least until after Morgan was born. That's if he survived long enough for Morgan to be conceived.

"You'll see them again," promised Pepper. "I know you will."

Tony hoped he would. Slowly he picked up the spoon and dipped it into the soup. He attempted to change the subject. "So… a suit? I know the perfect design for you."

"Do you now?" she teased.

"Of course…" he grinned. "As soon as I'm better I shall get started."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Steve asked as he approached the room Bucky was being held in. They'd all flown back to the US on the same flight Tony and Pepper had been on. And Bucky had been transferred to a secure facility upstate.

Natasha glanced over her shoulder. "Steve, he'll be fine. They're not going to kill him. What he's done was carried out under duress. This has been proven. But… he does need treatment and a secure hospital away from the public would be the best option for him. At least until we can figure out a way to remove the trigger words from his head." She wasn't keen on the idea herself of Bucky being secreted away in a facility however it would be the safest place for him apart from Wakanda, but as of yet, Wakanda wasn't yet known to be technologically advanced. So they were not an option.

Thankfully Tony had already passed on respective notes and materials to the Accords committee regarding the Winter Soldier and how he had been a prisoner for seventy years, forced to carry out commands at a whim. They had sympathised with Bucky's plight and had vowed to help him, providing, of course, the Winter Soldier could be brought in safely.

"I worry they'll use Bucky…"

"The Red Book is safe," said Natasha.

"Someone still stole it," pointed out Steve.

"That was a mistake on our part…" admitted Natasha. "Avengers Facility was supposed to be safe."

"Where is it now?"

Natasha reached into her pocket and pulled out the Red Book. "I have it. On me at all times. I have a meeting with the Accords panel to determine what the best use of it would be."

"It should be destroyed," stated Steve. "Incinerated, that way no one else can ever use it against Bucky again."

"Maybe. But it could have its uses. And what if there are other Winter Soldiers out there?" She knew there were but had no evidence to back it up. She hoped Bucky would be able to confirm it. "How can we assume Bucky is the only one? Would Hydra really limit their Winter Soldiers to just one person?"

Steve sighed. "You could be right. But that book already fell into the wrong hands once, it can't happen again."

Natasha could understand Steve's fears. "The only option at the moment is keeping this book with us. Avengers Facility has been compromised and Tony hasn't been in the best shape to investigate yet. Once the security breaches have been fixed, I will not have to carry this book around with me. Bucky will be transferred back to our care once he has made significant progress. He's going to a good place, Steve. I've seen it. You've seen it."

With the help of Pepper and the influence of Stark Industries, arrangements had been made to place Bucky at a secure facility where he would begin treatment for the mental and physical abuse he had suffered within the hands of Hydra. Their primary aim was ensuring he could be reintroduced to society. Once Bucky reached a certain point in his treatment, Tony had informed Natasha he hoped he could continue it at the Avengers Facility.

"Do you trust Tony, Steve?" asked Natasha. "He helped set this up long before Ross became a problem. He's been putting in place the pieces he needs to help Bucky. Everyone here has gone through a verified check, double and triple checked."

"I do trust him," admitted Steve.

Natasha laid a hand on Steve's shoulder. "Then let us go and see your friend."

Bucky's room was bigger than Steve had expected. It was comfy. He had a television. A double bed. An en-suite bathroom. It looked more like a small flat than a hospital. "You seem surprised…" said Bucky. His metal arm had been removed, something Bucky had consented to. Engineers had been called in to help design a new one, an arm that wouldn't be considered lethal or could be used against others.

"I thought you'd be in a prison…"

"Tony isn't like that, Steve," warned Natasha. "You told me you trusted him."

"I do."

"Then you shouldn't be surprised this isn't a prison, Steve," replied Bucky. "It's nice. People want to talk to me. See how I am, what do I need? They are taking good care of me. I'm quite happy to stay here. I will have meetings with government officials, to discuss with them the crimes I committed under Hydra but everything needs to be assessed and looked at. I can have visitors whenever. There are no set times for you to follow. I'm not being treated like a criminal."

"You shouldn't have to be questioned by the government. It isn't fair on you," said Steve quietly.

"How do you expect people to learn who were victims of Hydra if Bucky doesn't help them?" asked Natasha. "The people who lost loved ones to Hydra's scheming deserve to know the truth. The government will not be pressing charges. Others may but they are likely to be turned down from the court because Bucky had no choice in the missions he was given. He was trained to be a merciless killer with no emotion, no individual thought, just with the mind-set to carry out his tasks and to flee if required. Bucky cannot be convicted of any crime whilst in the state of the Winter Soldier. If he committed crimes as Bucky, he would be able to be held accountable. We all are." And that is what Steve didn't understand before. Bucky had still committed crimes as himself, ones he had to be held accountable for. If Steve had listened to others and considered other options, we wouldn't have had to become fugitives. I wouldn't have had to betray Tony. I knew Steve wouldn't stop. I had to help him.

She did regret helping Steve at the airport but it was the only way to avoid casualties as Steve was determined to do things his way and no one else's way. Someone could have died.

True Ross had had it out for Bucky but that was only because he had been deemed dangerous. Once it had become clear Steve was fighting to protect Bucky, it had been Tony's quick thinking and reasoning to convince Ross to bring in the Winter Soldier. If Steve had appealed himself, the chase through the tunnel, resulting in several casualties, could have been avoided entirely.

Steve needed to learn to communicate and trust others to make the right decision. She knew he was finding it hard to work under the Accords and he was trying. She had to give him credit for that.

And I know after trusting SHIELD only to learn they were infiltrated by Hydra that he cannot easily put his faith in governments. That's why he can only trust himself… Steve had been tarnishing everyone with the same brush even after all of the Hydra agents had been exposed. And she could understand it. But he was trying to adapt.

At least they had a chance now to face each problem as a team. They could all stand together and face Thanos as one unit without splitting apart. They already had an advantage they didn't have before.

"You're alright, Buck?" Steve asked. "They're not forc-"

"No, they're not." Bucky interrupted before Steve could finish his sentence. "If it means getting Hydra out of my head I'm happy to receive help."

"I'll come by every day," said Steve.

Bucky shook his head. "No, every other day."

Steve pursed his lips. "Fine."

Bucky turned his attention to Natasha. "How's your friend? Stark?"

"Recovering. He doesn't blame you."

"I know… He should do." Bucky winced. "I was in Romania, just in my apartment, when someone knocked on the door. I'd got to know my neighbours quite well despite my best efforts to keep a low profile… I answered… That man was there. Ross? Is that his name?"

"It is," stated Steve angrily. "He used you."

"He had the Red Book and used it on me. I tried to fight it. I tried to stop him. Tried to attack him… But he had soldiers there who stopped me. They came through the door…" he shivered.

"It wasn't your fault," said Natasha. "Ross wanted to hurt Tony anyway. If it wasn't you, it would have been someone else."

"I just stood there, in that room, whilst your friend was shot repeatedly… I had orders to watch and wait until Stark was dead, and then shoot Ross in the head. Make it look like it was me who did it… Tell me he is going to prison for what he did?" Bucky asked, leaning forward.

"Oh, he is, for good. There is no way he can walk out of this one. He was already facing the courts for treason. He's just made it a lot worse for himself." Natasha couldn't help but smile vindictively. "Ross has lost for good. And you, Bucky, have a chance to live a normal life."

A slight smile tugged at Bucky's lips. "I do not deserve it."

"You do. Everyone deserves a second chance. I was given one and look his I turned my life around." Natasha pointed out. Her own past was a good place to start. "I was an assassin, got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way… Instead of killing me, they gave me a chance. I turned over a new leaf. You can too. This is your chance."

"I'm grateful."

Natasha stepped away. "Steve, you alright if I leave? See you back at the compound later?"

"You're taking the car?" Steve asked.

Natasha shook her head. "No. I have my own suit. I'll fly back. You can take the car." She tossed him the keys which he caught.

"I really want to know when you started using your own suit…" said Steve.

Laughing over her shoulder, Natasha waved a hand. "Maybe I'll tell you later!"

Monday 4th July 2016

FORMER SECRETARY ROSS CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING AND ATTEMPTED MURDER

The former Secretary-General, Thaddeus Ross, was today charged with multiple offences, including the kidnap and attempted murder of billionaire entrepreneur and superhero, Tony Stark. A trial date has yet to be set. Ross has been remanded in custody and will have no chance of bail. A spokesperson for Mr. Stark said: "We are pleased to confirm Mr. Stark has made a full recovery and will follow the trial closely in addition to his duties as a member of the Avengers and of the Accords Committee.".

The Winter Soldier, known as Bucky Barnes, was under the control of the former Secretary-General. His orders were to acquire Tony Stark and bring him to a safe location where Ross was waiting. Ross intended to kill Stark and in turn be murdered by the Winter Soldier, framing both their deaths on the Winter Soldier.

Stark suffered multiple wounds prior to his rescue and extraction by Natasha Romanoff and Colonel James Rhodes. Ross and the Winter Soldier were apprehended at the scene. The Winter Soldier is currently held in a secure environment where he will begin treatment for his seventy years' worth of brainwashing at the hands of HYDRA in an effort to restore him to full health and reintroduce him into society. In return, it is expected Barnes will co-operate with authorities to determine who he was forced to kill for HYDRA. An inside source has confirmed HYDRA was responsible for the deaths of many high-profile talents.

More on page 2.

Tuesday 5th July 2016

Tony tapped his fingers on the table. "So… next steps? The Accords are sorted. Ross is out of the way. The Avengers are still together. Barnes is receiving treatment. Peter has me as a Mentor. I have Pepper back… What's next?"

Natasha folded her arms across her chest. "We need to prepare for Thanos. But before we move onto the subject, I wanted to ask why you haven't spoken to me about how I managed to find you when Ross had you? We have a link, Tony…"

"Because it is weird. You saw through my eyes. I knew you were there…"

"But why do we have this link?" pressed Natasha. "Surely this is something worth talking about?"

"I think the reason is obvious," stated Tony. "I've been trying to track you, to connect with you. I can't. But you can with me. What did it feel like when you reached out to me?"

"Oh…" Natasha breathed. "It felt like I was tracking your soul… Oh!" Realisation struck her. "The Soul Stone. I died because of the Soul Stone. I sacrificed my life for it…"

Tony nodded slowly. "What if you have been imbued with its powers? The ability to reach into other people's souls and see through their eyes and have the unique ability to track them too?"

Natasha looked down at her hands. "I think it is only you, I can see into. I've tried with others… I get vague feelings from them but not deep ones like I received with you. Not enough information."

"But you still have a connection. Those powers are handy if I ever get in trouble."

"Which is all the time," she interjected.

Tony mock glared at her. "Point taken."

"But if I have these powers… powers I never had before… Shouldn't you have something too? We both died by way of the Infinity Stones."

Tony tilted his head. "You never used them. You gave your life so Clint could acquire the Soul Stone. I used all six. It burned me through completely. I was barely alive after using them. I doubt I've been imbued with powers of the stones. If I have they haven't shown themselves to me and the best time would have been when Ross was shooting me."

"Maybe it wasn't the right time yet," she suggested. "And you have healed rather quickly, something the doctors pointed out to you. You were shot multiple times and your recovery was quicker than anticipated."

Tony frowned. She did have a point. "At this juncture, I'm going to say no. I think if I had powers they would have manifested themselves in some way. I wouldn't have needed you to come and rescue me."

Natasha eyed him carefully. "If that is what you feel…"

"Believe me, Nat, if I had powers we'd have known about it by now." He glanced down at his datapad. "So, next steps. If everything runs to course, we have just less than two years before Thanos arrives here. We can plan a lot in that time. I'm going to focus on Wakanda and Spider-Man. I've got a meeting with Wakanda in a few weeks, an invitation from the King. I alluded to him I knew how technologically advanced they were. We've got to bring them in, start designing something which protects the whole world which isn't on the scare of Ultron. There are some things I will not interfere with though. Adrian Toomes, the guy who Peter faced… that needs to happen. It was his learning curve but I'll keep an eye on the situation. Those are my plans for the future. You?"

Natasha sighed. "We need to bring in Carol Danvers. I'm going to get Fury to get us to call her in."

"He'll be hard to convince."

"I know but I've got to try. Once Carol is here, we've got to start thinking about retrieving the Stones before Thanos can get a hold of them. The key to winning this is stopping him from assembling them in the first place."

"And then Thanos will come here for them all. We need to scatter them, Nat, so he never gets his hands on any of them."

"Or destroy them."

"Might be difficult."

"Wanda can do it," said Nat confidently. "She destroyed Vision."

"And then Thanos used the time stone to turn back time…" noted Tony. He hadn't been there for that event but had heard about it. "Which wouldn't have happened if Strange hadn't traded it for my life… though now I know why… I had to live."

"That was unfortunate but we can save Vision. Shuri, T'Challa's sister, was working on removing the Stone safely from Vision's head before the army attacked. If we can bring them on-board we could safely remove the Mind Stone without harming Vision. And then Wanda could destroy the stones. If we could get the stones before Thanos we can eliminate their threat entirely. He won't ever be able to collect them," continued Natasha. "It's the only way to win this. Eliminate the stones before they become a problem. And for that we need Danvers, we need the Guardians… We need to start making connections. But, Tony, we have to do these ourselves. We have to be involved at every stage. We were sent back for a reason and I think this is it."

Tony nodded. "I feel you're right. How about we set ourselves a timetable? Wakanda needs sorting first. Let's get Vision's stone out before we move elsewhere. His life is too important to leave until last."

"And the Time Stone? Any ideas for it?"

Tony frowned. "Not right now. That'll come in part two when we're thinking of the other stones."

"At least it's a start," noted Nat. She rose from her seat. "Ok, you and Wakanda, Danvers and I are the next steps for now."

To be continued...

Please let me know what you think!

The power Natasha has potentially does come from the Soul Stone so a few of you were right about that. But Tony hasn't shown any sign of powers himself yet unless you count quicker healing. Will he?

Yes, Pepper is going to be Rescue. She'll be working directly alongside Tony and Natasha.

Bucky is receiving proper treatment for his years as a prisoner for Hydra. And he will be getting a normal prosthetic arm at his request as a Winter Soldier arm would remind him too much of his tortured history,

This chapter marks the end of the Civil War storyline. The Accords are sorted, Bucky is getting good treatment, Ross is in prison and the Avengers are still together. Up next will be Wakanda, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel and the Guardians of the Galaxy before the Infinity Stone hunt gets underway.

I hope you all stick with me as we move into the next exciting storyline of 'Old Souls'!

Until next time (which may be this Sunday or the one after),

the-writer1988