A/N: Spoiler alert for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man, and Spiderman: Homecoming.

As always, many thanks go out to CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur for the Beta and Winter-Soldier-88 for the brainstorming.

Year From Hell: Season 2, in progress. Please stand by…

Namaste,

Sunny

"I will come back to you, I swear I will;
And you will know me still.
I shall be only a little taller
Than when I went."

― Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems

Winter Soldier

And You Will Know Me Still

Chapter 59

The shock wore off as quickly as it appeared, turning to anger. Christine shot out of her chair to pace in front of the monitor. "How could someone do such a thing to a child? Not just my child, but any child?" She faced Kyle, arms crossed, taking refuge in the dynamics of the event. "Best guess. When and how was he infected?"

Kyle leaned against the counter with a sigh. "It would've been the end of August last year. Best I can do. As for how…" he raised his arms and let them fall.

"We were on vacation at Redwood Hot Springs the end of August. Only saw a few people, and only when we went into town for supplies. Unless the alleged perpetrator lives in a small town in the Rockies, I don't see how…" She swung around, holding down her anger, needing to be as objective as possible.

"What is it?"

Keeping her emotions under control, Christine took off the lab coat, hung it on the back of the chair, and returned to Kyle's office with him in tow. "End of August could mean the beginning of September, right?"

"Could go either way." He closed the door behind them as she picked up her purse and car keys. He grabbed her arm before she could escape. "You know who did it."

"I have a pretty good idea." At the door, Christine looked at him over her shoulder. "Don't say anything to Oliver or the kids about this. Let me handle it."

Kyle held up both hands. "Not a word."

Christine softly closed the door instead of slamming it like she wanted, and made her way to the first floor via the stairs. She wanted to hit and punch and kick, but she'd hold onto the rage, let it work for her instead of against.

Oncological Research Center

Pewaukee, Illinois

Secure Lab

Sub-level 7

After leaving Kyle's office, Christine drove home, spoke briefly to Oliver, saying only that there was a problem at work, kissed the boys good night, grabbed her work from the office, and drove like a maniac to the lab. She went straight down to the secure lab without stopping in her office. While the computer booted up, she went to start a pot of coffee. When the coffee was ready, she filled a carafe and carried it to the lab, poured herself a cup, and got to work.

Helen Cho's Lab

Seoul, South Korea

"Wife?" The word popped out of Helen's mouth before she could stop it, deepening her discomfort. "I didn't know you were married, Agent Barton."

"No one at SHIELD does, except the Avengers, and now you. Fury set it up so it doesn't appear in the records." Natasha brought him a chair. He scooted close to the regeneration cradle and sat down, keeping hold of Laura's hand.

Taking refuge in work to hide her embarrassment, Helen made adjustments to the cradle, and turned away to make notes on the computer. "Should I correct your name in our records, Ms. Hagen? I mean Barton."

"No. Hagen is my maiden name. It's also my pen name."

"You're an author?"

Clint glowed with pride. "She writes children's books under the name L.J. Hagen."

Clasping her hands in front of her, Helen breathed through her lingering chagrin. "Hagen? I've heard that name before."

"Duane Nelson is my half-brother. I'm one of his emergency contacts," Laura told her. "Nat told me you cured his leukemia."

"Dr. Banner and I did the work together. Unfortunately, it's only a cure for Mr. Nelsen. Not the rest of the world." She scrolled through the info on the monitor. "So far, everything is proceeding according to the models. I'm going to my office. The program will run another fifteen minutes, and automatically shut off. After that, you'll need to remain in the prone position for at least ten minutes before moving around. Paul will stay to monitor your progress. Let him know if you feel any discomfort."

Helen quickly made her escape. She sat down at her desk, covering her face with both hands, feeling like a fool for asking a married man out to dinner or coffee. In all this time, the talk among the staff was that he was sleeping with Natasha. Not once had there been rumors that he was married.

The first time she and Clint worked together had been on a project where he was assigned as her protection. She knew he found her attractive because of the way he'd checked her out when he thought she wasn't looking. Men looked at her like that all the time, many thinking she would be an easy mark because of outdated ideas they had regarding scientists and their lack of social skills. Hers were just fine, thank you very much. Just because most of her nights were spent working or eating alone didn't mean she lacked for offers. She just wasn't ready to be out there again. Not after losing Bruce so recently. She missed him, and not just because they'd been seeing each other. They had been friends for a long time before becoming more. Rumors abounded regarding his fate when the quinjet vanished over Sokovia. One such was that he'd somehow been transported off Earth, but to where, no one knew or they weren't saying. She, like many others, refused to entertain the idea that he was dead.

"Knock-knock." Clint stood in the doorway, a sheepish and apologetic expression on his features.

"Please come in, Agent Barton."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorjamb with a half-grin. "Only if you call me Clint from now on, Helen."

That was an easy request to grant. "Of course. What can I do for you, Clint?"

He took just enough steps to bring him to the desk, one hip resting on the corner. "Accept my apology."

Now Helen was confused. "For?"

"For not telling you about Laura and the kids earlier. Anyone working for SHIELD already has a target on their back. If our enemies found out about my family…"

"I'm the one who should be apologizing."

He cut her off by standing. "Let's just start over, okay?" Clint put out his hand. "Clint Barton. Code Name: Hawkeye."

After a short pause, Helen stood and took his hand. "Dr. Helen Cho, geneticist. I don't have a code name."

"Actually, you do, but it's confidential." Clint let the grin fade and resumed his seat on the corner of the desk. "I'm sorry about Banner. We've been looking for him since Sokovia. I'm sure he's alive. We just don't know where."

Helen did yet didn't want to talk about Bruce. "Every day, I check my messages and email for something, anything that will tell me he's okay. Even if he chooses not to come back, it would be easier just knowing that he was out there somewhere and not…" Her voice trailed off.

His smile of understanding said more than words could. At the door, he stopped with one hand on the jamb. "For what it's worth, Helen, if I wasn't married, I would've said yes to dinner, though not right away."

That puzzled her. "Why?"

"Playing hard to get." She blinked at him, not comprehending his meaning. He grinned in response. "Wouldn't want you to think I was easy."

The computer beeped, and Helen slipped her scientist cloak back on. "She's ready for a break. Keep her hydrated and take her for a short walk. Bring her back to the lab in an hour."

"Got it. Thanks again, doc."

With the use of his preferred nickname for her and Bruce, Helen and Clint went back to their former roles of doctor and spouse of patient.

~~O~~

After a good night's sleep, Laura was taken for testing that would've done NASA proud. By early evening, Helen had released her to go home with instructions to take it easy for the next two weeks. No heavy lifting, no excessive bending at the waist, and to abstain from caffeine, alcohol, smoking, and sex, until the follow-up. Walking, but no more than a mile a day, drink lots of water, and call if she experienced any of the symptoms on the list provided to Clint.

To Laura, her husband was the kindest, sweetest man she knew, having taken on the burden of caring for their children when she began experiencing problems with her cycle. Now, she wouldn't have a cycle anymore. As she'd been advised not to get pregnant again, it wasn't a problem. Too bad it happened after Clint had gotten a vasectomy instead of before. At least he wasn't complaining.

On the way home, they dropped Natasha at her apartment in D.C. while Laura relaxed in one of the jump seats, closed her eyes, and dozed off until the ship landed. The kids ran out to greet her and Clint as they walked from the landing site behind a grove of trees. Cooper carried Nathaniel, and Lila ran ahead, wrapping her arms around Laura's waist. "Mommy!"

She hugged the kids then looked around, not seeing their caretakers. "Where're Mr. Stark and Captain Rogers? They're supposed to be watching you."

"Inside. We played video games, and did science experiments with Mr. Stark. Those were cool."

Clint took Nathaniel from his older brother, turning in a circle to survey the property, immediately suspicious. "What kind of experiments?"

Lila held Laura's hand, and pulled her toward the house. "Come see. We're havin' a tea party, with cookies and real tea! Steve made all of it."

Glaring at Clint, Laura dreaded what she would see, but to her surprise, the house wasn't the disaster area she expected. The last time Tony had taken on babysitting duty, he'd made a crater a hundred yards from the house and barn, which they filled in. They followed the sound of voices through the kitchen, staring open-mouthed at the scene.

Steve and Tony were sitting in the middle of the living room floor, drinking from Lila's pink and purple plastic tea cups, and eating cookies, surrounded by stuffed animals and dolls. And that wasn't all. The men and Lila had ribbons, bows, and plastic barrettes in their hair. Laura had to admit that Tony somehow made the silliness look elegant.

Tony dunked a cookie and took a huge bite, just now noticing their charges' parents had come inside. He swallowed and waved with the hand holding the cookie while Steve greeted them. "Welcome back. How did it go?"

Clint put Nathaniel in the playpen, and Laura's bag on the sofa. "She was a model patient."

Laura smiled indulgently. "I have to take it easy for awhile. After that, we'll see." She sniffed the air. "What's cooking? Smells great."

Steve headed for the kitchen, and now they could see he was wearing a frilly apron she'd never seen before. "Dinner. Didn't think either of you would feel like cooking when you got home."

Lila tugged on Laura's shirt tail. "I helped."

"It's just potato soup with ham and carrots and a salad." Steve spoke over his shoulder as he ducked into the kitchen. They heard the clatter of the pot lid coming off.

"He's a great cook, Mom," Cooper let them know. "Not as good as you, though."

Tony grunted as he got to his feet. "While the kids lauded Cap's cooking at every opportunity, I found his skills barely adequate."

From the kitchen, Steve yelled out, "Then why did you eat three servings of chicken and dumplings last night, Stark?"

Unashamed, the billionaire shrugged one shoulder. "To provide encouragement for the mini-Bartons." He roamed over to look out the window. "No Romanoff?"

"Not this time," Clint said as he went to set the table. "She'll be here for the next family get-together, though."

Nathaniel began to fuss and Steve rushed to lift him out of the playpen, automatically checking his diaper, talking as he went into the combined craft and laundry room where Clint and Laura kept a crib and changing table. "When is it, by the way?"

"Next month. Just family and a few close friends," Laura told them as she settled on the sofa. "My step-brother's getting married."

Tony's phone rang, and he stepped out onto the porch to answer it. He was back in a couple of minutes. "I'd love to stay for dinner, but New York, and Pepper, beckon me home." He smiled at Laura. "Glad you're feeling better."

"Thank you." She gripped his hand for a moment. "And thanks for watching the kids."

He waved away her appreciation. "Call anytime the Barton family needs a babysitter."

Lila came to give him a hug, and, he and Cooper did a fist bump. "Can we do more experiments the next time you're here, Mr. Stark?"

"It'd be my pleasure, Coop." Tony's stern expression softened as he took Nathaniel from Steve. "You behave for the parental units, little man." The baby hugged him around the neck, and Clint was there to take possession again. Tony saluted, and was gone. Soon, they heard the distinctive sound of the Iron Man suit taking off.

Laura went to the kitchen to help serve dinner, but Clint intervened. "Why don't you get everyone washed up and to the table, honey? I got this."

By the time Laura reached the downstairs bathroom, Steve already had Cooper and Lila washing up. They dried and presented their hands for inspection. He smiled. "You're good."

Steve turned the water on again, tested the temperature then helped Nathaniel wash up too, all the time talking softly to the boy, not once acting as if he didn't understand. He turned around, a sheepish smile on his face. "Didn't mean to take over, Laura."

"It's fine, Steve. I appreciate everything you're doing to help out."

"Not a problem. You and Clint have great kids."

She tilted her head to the side, and grinned affectionately. "Yeah. We do."

The kitchen timer dinged and Steve passed the boy to his dad. "Dinner's ready. get the food on the table so we can eat."

~~O~~

Tony stepped out onto the porch to answer his phone, already knowing who it would be. "Pepper."

"You forgot again, didn't you?" No hello, no small talk to get the ball rolling. She dived right in.

"I didn't forget." The silence at the other end of the line said more than Pepper's words ever could. "What didn't I forget?"

His fiancée growled in the back of her throat. "The board meeting? You promised you'd be there this time as proof that you're not dead or in a mental hospital. It starts in sixty minutes. Be on time."

Pepper hung up before he could respond. The phone went into his back pocket as he headed inside to take his leave. Lila hugged him, and just for a moment, Tony pictured a little girl with Pepper's red hair and his brown eyes curled in his arms as he rocked her to sleep. He blinked, and the vision was gone.

He shared a fist bump with Cooper, and Nathaniel reached for him when it came his turn. Tony held him close, breathing in his powdery baby smell before handing him to his father.

Outside, the suit powered up as he approached. He backed up to it, and the metal alloy wrapped itself around him like a cocoon. "Friday, what is Pepper wearing to this boredom meeting?"

"Ms. Potts is wearing an elegant heather grey dress, belted at the waist, and accessorized with her engagement ring, diamond stud earrings, a matching pendant, and black heels, boss. I'll have the valet choose something appropriate and have it waiting."

"Please. Have it and the usual accessories placed in elevator three. I'll change on the way down."

The AI gave the impression she was amused by the thought. "Not a good idea, boss. Three is an express to the conference level."

"Friday, I will bet you a weekend in Vegas with unlimited gambling funds that I won't get caught with my pants down."

"But…"

Now it was Tony's turn to growl. "Just do it. I'm coming up on O'Hare. You have twelve minutes."

"Watch out for eastbound air traffic. It can be brutal this time of day."

~~O~~

Pepper looked up when the conference room door opened and Tony stepped out tugging his shirt cuffs into place. She clenched her jaw to keep her mouth from dropping open. Most of the board members didn't bother. As always, Tony's tailor-made suit perfectly fit his lean frame. His silk shirt was so white it practically glowed in the overhead lights. The tie and pocket square were an exact match to the color of her dress, and when he raised his left hand to check the time, the light glinted off his favorite Rolex.

However, in his haste, Tony had forgotten to tick one important item on his check-list: his hair.

"At ease, ladies, and gentlemen. Boss Man has arrived." He circled the table, shaking hands with various members, not noticing their wide-eyed stares. "Robert. How's the wife? Marissa, good to see you're still kicking ass and taking names. Darren, you've lost weight and your hair. Elliott, I thought you were dead. Janet, sorry to hear about the divorce." He bowed to the next member. "Xiao-Li, welcome to New York." And so it went until he reached Pepper's side, sliding easily into the empty seat to her left. "Pepper and I have dinner reservations, so let's get this show on the road."

The men and women sitting around the table dropped their eyes to their tablets, pretending great interest in the displays.

Out the side of her mouth, Pepper whispered, "Tony, what's going on?"

He leaned back, resting the right ankle on the left knee, totally relaxed. "What's going on is this meeting is cutting into our quality time and I'd like to get it over with ASAP. Assuming my presence dispels rumors as to my physical and mental status."

Pepper nudged him with her foot, touching her hair with her hand and lifting her chin. Patting his head, he pulled out a curly pink ribbon with silver sparkles attached to a plastic barrette. One by one, he pulled barrettes, ribbons, and bows from his hair, dropping them in a pile in front of him.

Without missing a beat, he raked his eyes over the assembled group, sighing dramatically. "This, ladies and gentlemen of the board, is what happens when you let a seven-year-old girl give you a make-over." The assembled men and women chuckled politely. It was almost more than Pepper could do to keep from laughing as Tony lifted one eyebrow, and tapped a fist on the table twice. "I now call this meeting to order. Pepper, you have the floor."

Oncological Research Center

Pewaukee, Illinois

Secure Lab

Sub-level 7

Late Night

Praising her foresight in keeping the wand in her office instead of the vault, Sonja was determined to put an end to Christine's charade. She talked a good game. Had completely fooled her into thinking that she served only HYDRA. But it was a lie. Because HYDRA didn't take prisoners, Christine would have to be eliminated. Too bad. They'd have made an outstanding team that would have eventually wrested control of von Strucker's research from that drudge List and taken it to unfathomable heights. List fancied himself a worthy successor to von Strucker's legacy, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Any accolades List had bestowed upon him in the past were due to his association with the world's foremost authority on genetic manipulation and enhancement, Dr. Wolfgang von Strucker.

Sonja put List from her mind as she opened the safe and removed the wand. No one knew what would happen if an individual was touched by the power of the tesseract a second time. Tonight, she would find out, and Christine would be the test subject. She might even get an article out of it. Too bad no one outside of HYDRA would see it.

Letting herself out of the stairwell, Sonja slowly approached the lab. A quick peek confirmed that Christine was engaged in an unsanctioned experiment with the subject. She'd taken him out of cryo and he was strapped into the chair, staring straight ahead.

She went over the plan in her head, slid the wand into the back of her pants, put on a neutral smile, and let herself into the lab. "You're working late tonight."

"And you're back early from your meetings."

Sonja ignored the veiled curiosity, which would not be satisfied tonight, or ever. At least not in the way social convention dictated. "Yes, I am. Won't your family be upset that you're spending so much time at the lab?"

Christine didn't even look up. Most would appear nervous at being caught, but not her. "Undoubtedly, but it's of no consequence."

Her voice sounded nonchalant, even a bit heartless. Everything that was expected of an agent of HYDRA. So much so, Sonja almost believed her. Almost. "What are you working on? I'm happy to assist."

"Just the idea we spoke about the day you left." She sighed and picked up the coffee cup for a sip, making a face at the taste. "Unfortunately, it's not working the way I'd hoped." A few taps on the keyboard and the wall monitor lit up as Christine slid out of the chair. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her lower back. "Been sitting too long."

The majority of the monitor was taken up with a spinning three dimensional representation of DNA. Sonja recognized this particular strand as belonging to the subject. Minute fragments flashed in what seemed to be random places.

Christine was still talking. "I've discovered that certain elements of the serum adhere to specific chromosomes, where they are absorbed and begin sending out new signals to the body, thereby making the changes. But these changes may or may not be what we intended." The screen blurred and changed. "That's when I got another epiphany, albeit a small one. According to the computer models, if we were to inject the serum directly into the brain where the subject's strength of will originates, it would render those cells dormant. He would then comply with each and every order without hesitating."

Against her better judgment, Sonja was intrigued by Christine's narrative. "Yes. Yes, I see it. This is amazing. All the data is here. Why did no one see this before?"

"Fresh eyes. You've been immersed in it for years, whereas I've only become acquainted with it recently and had no preconceived ideas." Christine handed her the controls, and together they watched while the modeling ran through a cycle that ended with the same conclusion she'd already drawn.

"I found something else worthy of note."

Christine's shoes made no noise on the tile floor as she moved around. For a brief moment, the thought disturbed Sonja, but the new puzzle was just too compelling to lose her train of thought for long.

"Don't you want to know what it is?"

"Hmm?" Sonja answered absently. "Oh, of course. Proceed."

Hands in her pockets, Christine circled the chair where the subject sat, barely giving him a glance. "The retrovirus. The one you used to infect my son with the cancer that is slowly killing him."

Shocked at the revelation, Sonja's hand twitched toward the wand and stopped. Instead of rage and fury, Christine's expression looked calm, almost serene. "Such a sweet boy. Too bad he's going to die." A long sigh filled the air, and for a moment, she appeared sad. Then, her smile was back. "The treatments he's getting from Dr. Moss aren't working because of the inhibitor that prevents the chemotherapy from being fully effective. It works just well enough to give me and my family hope for a cure." She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side thoughtfully, without animosity.

Sonja realized at that moment that she'd been incredibly wrong about Christine. She hadn't broken free of the wand's effects. Otherwise, how could she speak so indifferently about her son's certain death? "All other attempts to recruit your expertise for the cause were ineffectual. It was a last resort. I'd created the retrovirus with my mentor and colleague, Dr. Wolfgang von Strucker for quite a different purpose. However, the end result was one that could be easily modified to a specific need."

Christine shook her head at the revelation. "You truly are a genius, Sonja."

"I know, but it's kind of you to say so."

A moment later, Sonja fell forward, tripped, and knocked over several tables of lab equipment before landing face first on the floor. She tried to stand, but the toe of a shoe hit her in the ribs, followed by a foot coming down on her fingers, breaking three of them. Pain shot up her arm, but before she could do more than cry out, a fist hit her on the nose, forcing a gasp from her throat.

Lying on her side, she gathered her strength and rolled onto her back, cradling the injured hand against her stomach and ignoring the blood from her broken nose.

Christine's angry features loomed over her like an angel of death. However, that wasn't what filled Sonja with fear like she'd never known. It was the object in her right hand. Christine had gotten ahold of the wand. She activated it and the end glowed blue as Christine slowly came toward her.

TBC