Natasha hugged at her baby bump as she ate another cookie Pepper had brought her. She looked over at the other two women and stopped mid-bite as they looked at her.
"What?" She ask, confused. Jennifer smiled and Pepper laughed.
"Nothing, you're just cute with your little belly." Pepper explained. Natasha rolled her eyes and ate her cookie. "I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Second trimester often sees a drop in sickness for many women." Jennifer nodded. "I'm glad you're among them."
"Time with Laura and the kids is exactly what I needed. Thank you for forcing me to go." Natasha laughed. "Laura has tons of books, and insights. And its just nice to relax. But I also read that keeping up with workouts is important, so..." She turned to Jennifer, "Please. Can you design me a safe workout to keep me in mission shape while I carry these kids around?"
"Of course!" Jennifer agreed. "It won't be hard at all to design- maybe hard to get you to stick to, because I know how much you like to push yourself... and me... when training." Jennifer laughed.
"That could work!" Nat said excitedly. "I'll train you, you train me!"
"I may regret that... but deal." Jennifer accepted, shaking her head. "Pepper, you want to learn to fight?"
"No, I'm good." Pepper laughed, hands up in mock surrender. "Natasha, have you started thinking on names? I mean, you need to have at least like... four solid options."
Natasha's happy expression melted from her face, and Pepper winced at herself for causing the spy such emotional pain.
"I'm sorry, Nat. I just-"
"No, no its okay. I want to try to think of things that go with 'Banner', maybe some Russian inspired ones. Its hard, you know? I just wish Bruce was here to veto my crazy ideas- or to try and name our children after obscure scientists." She gave a sad little chuckle that mixed with a sniffle. "I'm really hoping I won't have to do any naming alone." She looked up at her friends, eyes filled with tears. "When you know, like... You and Tony. I bet, even though you aren't currently even trying... You two have been together a long time- surely you must have day dreamed of baby names together?"
"Well... yeah." Pepper confessed. "Some."
"Why would two people who were never supposed to even have that option talk about it?" Natasha sighed. "So I have no idea how Bruce would feel about anything. If he'd want to name a daughter after his mother, or if he'd find that too painful. If he would want a Catholic name, because he was raised catholic, but isn't ya know, practicing."
"Well, you have time." Jennifer tried to help by reminding her. "Besides, I am hoping that we may have some better leads on the Bruce hunt sooner rather than later."
"What do you mean?" Natasha ask, sitting forward in her chair.
"I-uh, I summoned Thor the other night. Ask him if he could you know... put some feelers out into the 'nine realms' and help us out. He said that as soon as he had some things taken care of on Asgard, he would try." Jennifer informed her friend. "He also sends his congratulations, and says he would've been willing to look sooner but he had assumed he'd just, you know, taken some time and would've been back by now."
"Didn't we all." Natasha sighed again.
"Listen- two more weeks and we might... MIGHT... be able to get a little peak at their genders. Twins is tricky on ultrasound anyway, but we can try looking at sixteen weeks- then again at twenty. That's exciting, right?" Jennifer offered. Natasha nodded eagerly.
"Yes very! I feel them pushing around in here and it would be so nice to at least be able to say 'don't hit your brother!' and fuss at them that way." She laughed. "But listen. Enough of my sad little life- I have been following the news and I want to know when Pepper plans to you and Steve in front of a camera. You two need a talk show interview!"
"YOU DO!" Pepper agreed, almost too excitedly, clapping her hands. "Oh my gosh how could I have not thought of that- amongst all the legal issues with the slander stuff, I totally didn't even think to let you two get out and talk!"
"I- I don't know..." the doctor stammered. "I just- Steve's temper, you know? Like, Tony has blocked most of his internet access to keep him from fighting people... or going to find them. I tried to tell him that racists are just, ya know, part of it. My dad is with him though- I mean, a white man from Eastern Tennessee with a black wife and kids, he definitely gets it. Says he'll help Steve fight them." She laughed.
"That is precious." Natasha gushed. "Pepper, please. Please put them on TV."
Both Natasha and Jennifer looked over to see Pepper already typing furiously away on her cellphone. "Already on it." Pepper said, holding her phone up and smiling.
Jennifer groaned and laid her head on her arms on the table. "Steve is going to be a nightmare."
"Why do you think I'm going to be a nightmare, doll?" Steve ask from his side of the bed, the hand of the arm Jennifer was laying on idly twisting away at her curls. Jennifer gave a large sigh, then a yawn.
"Let it go, Steve." She protested, squeezing her eyes shut tighter and snuggling into the covers, trying to hint for him to go to sleep.
"I will not!" Steve protested. "I mean- We're going to have to do the interview now, Tony has already caught wind of the idea, so there is no getting out of it. I just want to know why you think I won't behave!"
"You raising your voice at me, Captain Rogers?" Jennifer ask, trying not to smile as she sat up. Steve blinked back at her and pushed himself up on his elbows. "FRIDAY, lights up."
"No. No I was not." Steve defended, looking a bit upset. Jennifer shook her head and laughed.
"You just... Have strong opinions, honey..." Jennifer tried to explain. Steve raised an eyebrow.
"I mean... yeah. I got famous for punching Hitler in the face- I'm known for my 'strong opinions'. But this..." He gestured at the space between them, "This isn't something we can just let people say whatever about. You're my girl, and I will be damned if anyone has anything to say about it- Especially if its just because we're not the same color. That shit was vile in the forties when I dealt with it the first time, and its damned inexcusable now. And that is exactly what I'm going to tell 'Good Morning, America' when they ask me how I feel about the public reaction."
"I just don't know if I am ready to do like... publicity stuff..." Jennifer groaned. "I've only done two press conferences, and one was the one I was announced as a team member. I've never really done my own like... interview before."
"You'll be great. You'll be just as beautiful and smart and eloquent as you always are and people will be eating out of your hand." Steve assured her, caressing her cheek with his hand. "Plus, I'll be there holding your hand. And Tony and Pepper will be backstage, so it will all be fine." Jennifer leaned into his hand and hummed contently.
"I'm just not as... publicly versed... as you all are." Jennifer reminded him.
"Yeah, well... I was like a trained monkey for the wartime propaganda machine- There is no one more 'publicly versed', and I promise you, you will be amazing." Steve gave a defeated huff and he felt back onto his pillow. Jennifer scooted herself close and laid her chin on his chest.
"Tell me about that." Jennifer said softly, drawing circles on Steve's chest with her fingertips.
"What?" He ask, still staring up at the ceiling.
"The USO tours." Jennifer said, still speaking softly. "You know, if ya want to. You don't have to- I just. I know you always talk about it like you hated it so much..."
"I did." Steve said with a bitter laugh. "I hated it a lot. The man who chose me, his name was Abraham Erskine. It was him who chose me." Steve blew a large breath out of his nose and sat up just a bit, enough to catch Jennifer's eyes and gesture for her to come lay beside him, and he rolled over to lay on his side as well.
"Chose you?" Jennifer ask, propping up on her elbow.
"For Project Rebirth." Steve explained. "Isn't all of this like... eighth grade history?" His tone was a bit sharp, and Jennifer sank back a little.
"Steve, I said if you want to... You don't have to, it's fine..." She said in a hurt, mousy whisper, but Steve reached out and caught her before she could turn away.
"I'm sorry. That was kind of an jerk move. I just-" He closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. "Other than Sam, you know, because he's a veteran's councilor, I haven't actually told anyone my story. You know- the real one... But I want to. I want to tell you about it."
"Are you sure?" Jennifer ask, her large brown eyes swam with visible anxiety.
"Yeah, yeah I'm sure." Steve patted her pillow, and she laid back down. "So Dr. Erskine, he was who picked me. He said because 'a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion'... Because I was so small and weak and sick before. I wasn't always like this. He told me as he died to make sure I stayed who I was, 'not a perfect soldier, but a good man', and that is all I wanted to do."
"But they didn't like that? The army?" Jennifer guessed.
"No." Steve gave another humorless chuckle. "No, I was much too expensive to waste by sending to war. I was the only successful application of Project Rebirth, and after HYDRA had Dr. Erskine murdered... My blood was their last hope to get that going- but even Howard couldn't reverse engineer it to perfection. I'm told it never was, but they kept trying. The secret died with Dr. Erskine. Maybe that's better..." Steve sighed. "I'm not saying that I am the only person worthy of having it, but honestly I am not sure it was ever safe in the army's hands."
"What did they plan to do before Dr. Erskine was killed? For Rebirth, I mean." Jennifer ask.
"Well, I guess that I was supposed to be the first of an entire division of 'better, faster, stronger, smarter' American soldiers. Better men, less man power. But when the explosion happened, then the doc's assassination... I wanted to fight more than ever... Of course, I was too expensive. Or valuable, depends on who you would've ask. Once news of me chasing Kruger, the assassin, down hit the papers- I was hot news. 'America's New Hope'- the golden goose. So when they ask me if I wanted to go onto the 'most important war front the Allies faced', of course I was on board. They called it a 'promotion', even."
"But that wasn't..." Jennifer assumed.
"Nope." Steve laughed, genuinely this time. "It was an absolute joke- although at the time patriotism and propaganda were no laughing matter. So I became the face of the war effort. 'Buy war bonds!' 'Grow victory gardens!' And that was... fine... for a while I guess. I gave a little speech in every city about how everyday citizens could do their part, and you know..."
"Punched Hitler in the face?" Jennifer laughed, and Steve joined her.
"Yes. Probably two or three hundred times. I was you know, a distraction for folks at home. It was a feel good sort of thing- a ton of kids who's fathers and brothers were off fighting would come and they loved it. But then the overseas tour came- and I really knew what an idiot I'd let them make of me." Steve flopped back into his pillow. "My handlers- the tour coordinators, they really must not have remembered what active duty infantry men are like. My lord- they let me have it. Hated me. And you know what? I get it. Imagine the government has a guy with super powers and they're showing him off like a trick pony while you're sleeping in the dirt and fighting Nazis? That is some bull." Steve shook his head and looked back over at her.
"It wasn't your fault. You had your orders the same as them." Jennifer reminded him.
"Doesn't matter why." Steve protested. "I agree with all of them. I would have been just as pissed off. At me, at the generals who did that- all of it. They all knew I was just some... freakshow."
"Sweetheart..." Jennifer sighed.
"I was ninety pounds soaking wet before they gave me the serum. Barely qualified for the Scientific Reserve, barely a private. Pump all kinds of government funds into my veins- suddenly I'm promoted to Captain. It would piss anyone off, to see that happen when you're out working hard." Steve explained. "You're bias."
"So?" Jennifer shrugged with a grin.
"So you can't think like that, you have to think about what it was like in their boots. But you know, I had the 'Star Spangled Singers' with me, and the guys all really loved them, so at least there was that." Steve rolled back on his side and reached out to Jennifer. "Come here." He said softly. Jennifer slipped into his embrace and relaxed into Steve as he continued to tell the story. "So then, we got to Italy. I was booed off stage... And I was off sulking and talking to Peggy. That's when I found out about the prisoners in Austria. She told me Bucky was there, and I tried to get a mission organized to rescue them, but the commanding Colonel that was over my tour refused. So... So Peggy and I had Tony's father help us with his private plane, he flew me in. And when the German's opened fire, I jumped from the plane. Made it to the ground, managed to sneak onto a HYDRA truck, and made it into the facility."
"You say that so casually." Jennifer commented.
"It was just... What happened." Steve said. "No different than a thousand other stories any other soldier has."
"So you're in the HYDRA base." Jennifer says "What happens then?"
"Well, then it was time to punch real Nazis, and HYDRA goons, whoever came spilling out. I made it in, started freeing Americans. Sent them to fight more guards and free more men. Killed my first man, and my second..." Steve closed his eyes and stopped speaking for a moment.
"You okay?" Jennifer places a hand gently on Steve's cheek, and turns his face so that their eyes meet; his are barely holding back tears.
"I've never actually told anyone that before." Steve chokes out. "That I killed those guards... Those men."
"It was war, darlin'." Jennifer tried to reassure him. "It wasn't your first choice, heaven knows."
"I can hear it, sometimes." Steve rasps through thick, unreleased tears that choke his words, "The sound of that first guard's neck snapping when I hit him. I-" Steve stopped and closed his eyes tight, taking long slow breaths. His arms shook as he tried to regain composure.
"Hey-" Jennifer says, curling herself into an upright position, and she gently cradle's Steve's face in her hands. "Look at me. You did what you had to do, nothing more, nothing less. You saved a hundred and sixty three men from that one facility alone. Steve, baby. You're the hero everyone thinks you are, even if you don't agree." She tenderly touched her forehead to his, and they both closed their eyes, just breathing in the moment. Steve's arms wrapped slowly around her, holding her close as if she would fly away otherwise.
"I'm really lucky to have met you, Doc." Steve muttered softly. "Like- how the planets must have aligned to allow you into my life... Wow."
"You're not too bad yourself, Cap." Jennifer breathed, before placing a slow, sweet kiss on his lips. "Thank you for telling me about it."
"Thank you for wanting to know. For caring to know." Steve countered.
"We should probably try to sleep." Jennifer suggested, pulling away just enough to lay down, still wrapped warmly in Steve's arms. "FRIDAY, lights out."
The room went dark and Jennifer remained snuggled in close, not daring let herself actually fall asleep, because she could feel how tense Steve still was from his memories. She began to softly hum, an old lullaby her grandmother would often sing to her and her sisters when she was young. A few seconds in, she slowly crept one hand up and stroked at Steve's hair. After humming through the entirety twice, Jennifer finally felt Steve's muscles start to relax, and she smiled to herself as she continued to hum.
"Hey doc?" Steve said softly, like he was afraid to disturb the song.
"Hmm?" She ask between hummed notes.
"I love you."
The second Thor's feet touched down in the dirt of this planet, he knew something was amiss. The very sky had large, angry portals and wormholes in nearly every direction you looked, each one occasionally spewing out wreckage and debris from various planetary systems. It was like an enormous, intergalactic junkyard. There were small skidder ships patrolling the low skies, and Thor kept a cautious eye upward, Mjölnir tight in hand.
The skyline also gave way to a huge, bustling city that shined in the light of twin suns.
"So this is Sakaar." Thor muttered. "Heimdall, please keep an ear out for me."
Thor was nervous to be on this planet. Heimdall said that he could not see too much of the planet, but that he had seen Banner's other side, the Hulk, on the planet.
Thor took a long, deep breath and began to swing his hammer quickly, lifting himself into the air and he flew off into the direction of the city. The ships that were patrolling the piles of trash seemed to pay him no mind as he sped by, into the thicker air traffic of the populous.
In the heart of the city stood a large, grand colosseum, closed completely but obviously built for sport. It was where Heimdall had told Thor he could possibly find Banner. Thor landed himself at what appeared to be the public entrance to one side. People were beginning to pour inside, a large crowd of people who in an almost herd like fashion as they entered.
Intrigued, Thor followed suit.
The colosseum was even more grand on the inside, and the roar of the crowd that had already been seated was near deafening levels. Thor's mouth nearly dropped as he looked around at the sheer numbers of those in the stadium seats, all chanting and screaming. There were many species of peoples from all of the realms of Asgard represented in this place, and others that Thor had never seen. Millions, all gathered for whatever was about to happen.
As he looked around, Thor spotted an open place along a balcony overlook, and he moved over and leaned against the railing, looking down at the dirt floor of the colosseum. There were doors on either side, both enormous and reinforced with metal. Thor stood himself up on the railing slightly to peek down further when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"First time?" a humored voice in his ear ask.
Thor turned to see a tall, thin man in a long, flowing golden robe standing very close to him. The man had jeweled adornments on his hands and ears, and the brightest metallic blue warpaint Thor had ever seen across his eyes and lower lip. Thor tried to inch away but the stranger kept the distance cleared, pressing closer to Thor.
"Uh, yeah." Thor admitted. "What is this place?"
"I thought you were new! I knew it!" The man cheered with a smile. "Welcome, friend! Welcome! This is my contest of champions!" The man replied proudly.
"Yours?" Thor questioned, an eyebrow raised in surprise.
"Ah, yes." The man nodded. "I am the Grand Master, and this is my planet." The Grand Master explained, extending a hand to Thor, which he reluctantly shook. "This here, the contest of champions, its a sport I made for my peoples millennia ago. It does worlds for public moral."
"Millennia ago?" Thor ask, even more confused. The Grand Master ignored Thor's question.
"Are you a fan of fights?" He ask, and Thor gave a small shrug.
"Watching them, or participating?" He ask with a smile. This seemed to humor the Grand Master, who grinned widely.
"Ah! My kind of... Man?" He said, and Thor nodded and laughed.
"I am Thor, Prince of Asgard." Thor introduced himself.
"What brings you to my humble little trash heap, your Grace?" the Grand Master asks, propping up on the railing beside Thor.
"I'm looking for a friend." Thor explains, then looks at the excited look on the man's face he decides to elaborate. "He has been missing for some time now, and another friend thought he may have accidentally found his way through one of the many wormholes here."
"Well, Sakaar isn't technically speaking a huge planet..." The Grand Master began, stroking his chin in thought. "But it is very populated, as you can see." He opened his arms and gestured to the ever-growing crowd.
"Yes, it would seem that way." Thor agreed. "I don't suppose you could possibly help?"
"Well, now, maybe..." The Grand Master replied with a nod, "But let's watch this fight first, shall we? It promises to be a good one."
Thor, having no better leads and no real idea on how to start his search, agrees with the Grand Master, and allows the man to escort him up into an observatory box with a great view of the arena floor. The lights grow dark and someone of the Grand Master's servants brings him a microphone and he begins to address the crowd.
"GOOD EVENING SAKAAR!" He bellows, and the crowd roars in reply. He allows the cheering to go for a few moments, before continuing. "Welcome to another fantastic survivor match for the Contest of Champions!" Again, the crowd screams and cheers.
"Survivors?" Thor mumbles to himself, a bit concerned about the wording, but continuing to listen.
"Tonight- we have a new contender- from parts unknown- Please help me welcome... Chronos!" The Grand Master screams, and the crowd goes into a frenzy as the gate opens on one side and a large, four armed blue skinned alien being, dressed in armor and holding swords in two arms enters the arena. Thor listens carefully and he can suddenly tell the crowd is not cheering for this being- they are booing him. Thor sits up on the edge of their seat as the lights lower again and spotlights move to be on the Grand Master and the other gate.
The crowd begins to chant something. A name. Thor struggles to make out what they are saying.
"And Now- join me welcoming the reigning favorite, my champion and yours..."
'Hulk! Hulk! Hulk!' the crowd chants. Thor is suddenly on his feet, Mjölnir at the ready.
"...The... Incredible Hulk!" The Grand Master bellows,and the crowd seems to go totally insane, green banners and flags waving. The gate opens and out runs the other contender, who Thor recognizes immediately.
The Hulk runs out, also dressed in armor, a huge iron hammer in hand. He screams at the challenger, who immediately charges and the two begin to fight. It is mere seconds before Hulk has taken one of the swords from the challenger, Chronos, and had the arm it had been in very obviously broken. Thor watched on in horror as his friend fought with the other creature until he had him down, and the crowd began to count, the Grand Master joining in. It was less than seven minutes and the match was won, Hulk the victor.
The Grand Master addressed the crowd and thanked them all for coming, and announced that there would be another fight after the crew had the previous cleaned up. He then turned to Thor.
"What do you think?" He ask, gesturing to the battlefield below.
"I think you have my friend." Thor confessed.
"Oh. Which one?" The Grand Master ask, looking down. "Winner or loser?"
"Winner. Hulk." Thor replied. "How do you make him fight?"
"What like it's usually hard? Is he a passive guy?" The Grand Master laughed. "I can't imagine that. He hasn't been shy about liking to fight here."
"I need to see him. I need to take him home." Thor pleaded. He felt the nerves in his stomach start to twist.
"Woah woah woah." The Grand Master chuckled, holding up a hand. "Super sorry, your majesty, really, I am. But I can't just let you take off with my champion. My people love him- I love him. And he seems damned happy to fight for me."
"You don't understand." Thor tried to explain. "Please, he has children on the way and I need to bring him home."
"Well, that isn't quite how we do things here on Sakaar." The Grand Master smirked. "You have to give me something for him."
"Name your price, then." Thor said, standing tall, flexing the grip on Mjölnir.
"How about a wager?" The Grand Master suggests. "I don't know if you can tell by looking around my little planet, but we do enjoy a bit of gambling now and then here."
"Wager?" Thor repeats.
"Yes. I know you said my Hulk is your friend... I'd like to bet on that friendship. Defeat your friend in combat- and I'll let you both go." The Grand Master offered. Thor tilted his head.
"And if I were, hypothetically of course, to lose to Hulk?" Thor ask.
"You both stay and fight for me." Grand Master said casually, stirring the drink a servant had just placed in his hand. "What do you say?"
Thor stopped for a moment and thought. He knew that realistically, he could probably knock Hulk out, but he could also possibly talk him down. He knew Hulk would recognize him, and though it wasn't like talking to Bruce, they knew each other and had helped each other many times in the past. Thor thought again of the rest of the team and Natasha, who needed him back, and their children, who needed their father. Thor nodded.
"Alright. I'll take the bet." Thor agreed, holding his hand out. Grand Master clapped excitedly and shook Thor's hand.
"Wonderful! It's a bet!" The Grand Master grinned, "Come, let me get you a place to stay for the night and you can prepare!" He said, leading Thor off into the heart of the colosseum.
Whew! Long chapter!
I hope you enjoyed my changes to the MCU events- sorry for the cliff hangers- let me know what you thought of all the new developments!
Thank you all so much for reading!