I could feel my eyes water as I stared at him.

It had been a few hours since we got back, and my chest hurt so much to see what they had done to my husband.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to you on time…" I whispered, brushing away all of his hair from his face.

"Not her…" he mumbled repeatedly, as sweat began to dew on his forehead.

I bit my lip hard to keep from crying as I tried to slowly ease him awake.

"James… James… wake up! Bucky! Wake up!" I called shaking his shoulders lightly, before tracing the newly scared skin by the metal arm.

It appeared to be made of titanium. Stronger than most metals but not as strong as vibranium.

He gasped, shooting out of the bed, and leaning heavily on the wall before turning towards me.

"Eto pravda? Ili mechta?" He asked me, fully alert. (Is this real? Or a dream?)

"It's real." I replied, as I slowly sat down on the chair next to the bed.

He groaned, grabbing at his head for a moment, as his eyes moved around the room confused. "Pochemu my zdes'?" He asked with a groan. (Why are we here?)

"Because you need to be checked to make sure you're alright." I said, gently looking over at him. "How did they do it?" I asked, softly.

He stared at me in awed disbelief. Keeping his place by the wall.

"I honestly don't know how long passed after the night in Iceland. When I woke up, I was back in that room. With chairs and the devices. When they realized the shock therapy wasn't working, I was tortured. They made.me watch videos of all the things I had done. Then told me they had found and killed you… a-and the baby…" he whispered.

I swallowed thickly, as I looked up, trying to keep my tears at bay.

"How did— how did you survive the attack?" He asked me.

I looked away from his gaze, finding interest in the rug before I sighed. "I escaped with the help of Tony." I whispered, trying to not think of what happened.

"The car exploded." He whispered back.

"It did. Tony had me out before it did. Then Steve and Nat drove me to a hospital in Maryland to check on me and—" I said before looking down.

The attempt had almost made me lose the babies at five months. I was placed on bedrest for the next two months, before the doctor cleared me.

After that I was forced to stay within the confines of the compound to make it seem like they had succeeded.

"How is the baby?" He asked slowly, moving towards the chair next to him.

"Fine." I whispered, not giving away too much information.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" He asked me, carefully.

I bit my lip, hesitantly wondering if I should tell him there's two bit thought otherwise. I didn't want to overwhelm him.

"Its a boy. Steven Anthony James Barnes. He was born March eleven at six o'clock pm." I whispered. "He looks exactly like you…" I added, biting my lip.

He could feel my hesitance as he stared at me.

"I'm sorry I missed his arrival…" He whispered, looking up at me through his hair.

"I'm not blaming you. I know who is at blame and trust me when I say they will pay for what they have done to my family.." I growled softly, before getting to my feet.

"Where are you going?" He asked me, grabbing onto my wrist with the titanium hand.

"To the kitchen to make something to eat…" I said, removing his hand from my wrist.

Once I was away from the room I pulled out the phone Nat gave me on her way out, and dialed the familiar number.

It rang four times before Tony picked up.

"Did Nat and Steve get there alright?" I asked.

"No. They were sent on a mission. Should be getting back soon though. Is everything alright? How is Barnes doing?" He asked.

"He just woke up. He seems like he never left but he is hesitant. I don't know how to feel yet." I whispered as I walked towards the kitchen.

"This will take time. What both of you went through is hard but he went through it a second time. Help him by being there for him. Letting him know you still love him and care for him." Tony said.

I bit my lip as I tried to hide the sob that arose. "H-how are they?" I asked him.

"Little man hasn't stopped asking about you, and Little Miss Becca is out for the count. They both miss you though." He replied.

"I miss them too. Hug them for me. This month is going to be so hard…" I whispered.

"It'll go by fast. I promise to send you pictures and videos of them, every day." He said, with a smile.

"That makes me feel better. Please don't teach my kids things they're not supposed to know. I mean it, Tony. If my kid learns any bad habits or words this month. I'll wring your neck." I warned him.

"Uh. Duly noted. No bad habits here. Now, go tend to the cyborg. Remind me to call T'Challa about the arm in the morning." He said.

"Will do. Thank you and Pep for doing this." I said, smiling.

"I'll send the thanks. Keep me posted, kid. See you tomorrow." He said before we both hung up.

As soon as I hung up I made my way towards the refrigerator and began pulling out ingredients to make a quick meal. Spaghetti and meatballs.

I had just finished setting up the sauce for spaghetti and meatballs when I felt a hand touch my hip, causing me to jump, splashing myself with hot spaghetti and meat sauce.

"I'm so sorry, Arie." He whispered, as I moved to wipe the sauce from my chest.

"It's fine…" I murmured, reaching for the dish rag to wipe it off.

"Here let me help you." He whispered, moving towards me with a wet rag.

The warmth of his hand made me gasp as my back hit the counter top.

"It's alright. Let— Let me go change my shirt. Watch the food please." I whispered, before making my way out towards my old room, and pulling off my shirt.

I quickly grabbed a black tank top and pulled it on before heading back towards the kitchen.

When I walked in the stove was off and Bucky was sitting down near the counter with his head in his hands.

"Does it hurt?" I asked him.

"A bit. Though it's not as bad as the first time though... I need to get this thing off of me, it's how they're tracking me with it…" he muttered, holding up his left wrist to reveal a thick black band on it.

I nodded, slowly walking towards him, and checking the device before ripping it away from his hand.

"You've gotten stronger…." He commented after I snapped the device in half and crushed it with the heel of my boot.

"It's been almost two years, I hope you didn't think I would sit around and get fat…" I whispered, as I kneeled down and looked at the broken pieces.

Three types of tracking chips, and a locating device… Something else that seemed off but I would need Tony to check the devices. I crushed them again and broke the leftover pieces before picking them up and setting up the counter in front of us.

He smirked, before shaking his head at me, before looking down somberly. "Are you still mad at me?" He whispered.

"I was only annoyed by what you were doing. In the end, after it was all said and done, I regret my last words being 'I hate you'…" I whispered back, as my voice broke at the word 'I'.

"Oh, doll, I know you could never hate me." He whispered, slowly standing, hesitantly walking over to where I stood.

"I spent a long time regretting what happened. I missed you terribly. Then when th—he arrived… I just found myself falling in love with him. He's too much like you." I whispered, looking away.

"Do you have pictures..?" He asked hopefully.

I nodded, moving away from him to drain the noodles before setting down two plates and adding the sauce, topping it with cheese.

"Here. Eat. Then take this…." I said, placing the plate down in front of him, then sliding the small white tablet on the napkin next to it.

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked me, eyeing me with concern.

I bit my lip, before nodding and pointing towards the plate by the stove.

My head began to spin as the day's events finally weighed down on me.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked me.

I nodded weakly, as I sat down with my plate, gripping the counter tightly as I sat down.

"Arie…" He called me, as I dropped my head heavily into my hands.

I gasped, realizing what was about to happen. I had to get to my room. Immediately.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

I shook my head and slowly got up before rushing towards my room.

I could hear his footsteps as he followed me.

"Arie? What's wrong?!" He called me as I rushed to the room.

I slammed the door, pressing the safety lock module before collapsing near the door.

My hands had begun to shake and my body ached as I felt the heat rushing out of my nose, letting out a pained cry.

My brain was beginning to get hazy as the heat began to spread through my body.

Blue flashing energy shooting out of my fingers as I lost all the control I had been working on for the last year.

"Ahh! Ahh! Aaaahhhh!"

"Arie?! What's going on?" I heard.

"Bucky! Don't co-me in here…!" I screamed, before letting out a blood curdling scream.

"I'm going in!" He argued, as I felt more pain radiate through my body.

"No! Do not come in here! Call Wanda! Call Tony! But don't come in here! You could get hurt!" I screamed.

It felt like an eternity when I heard multiple footsteps rushing in my direction before hearing the familiar beep of the door.

"How long has she been like this, Barnes?" I heard Tony ask.

"Thirty minutes…. What's wrong with her?" I heard Bucky ask.

"I'll explain everything later. For now, help me get her on the bed." Tony instructed, before I felt airborne.

"Wanda?" Tony called.

"Her powers. She can't stop them. She tried to suppress them for too long and now they've gone haywire…" Wanda said as I felt something tap my head.

"What do you mean her powers have gone haywire? Stark, what is wrong with my wife?" Bucky asked.

Before I could hear anything else I felt the haze become stronger and I felt my strength subside before darkness pulled me under.


Tony's POV:


"Is he asleep yet?" I asked Pepper as she rocked mini Bucky to sleep.

"Almost… Be quiet, you'll wake him up." She reprimanded.

"Alright. Call if you need me…" I muttered heading back towards the living room of the safe house.

I thought back to three years ago, when Barnes and Arie showed up looking for Barton.

How she spoke to him and then proceeded to speak to me about what had happened.

She revealed what they discovered about my parents' murders.

It was all due to Hydra wanting to get more super soldier serum. Sending a brainwashed Barnes to do the job by any means.

It took me a long time to understand this. I could have forgiven him for getting my dad but my mother was an innocent bystander.

Now, almost five years later because of me caring for Arie and her two little munchkins, I had to stomach being around Barnes. Her, as it turns out, husband.

I knew I didn't hate him, any longer. Because as Arie had said he had no control over his actions. But my stomach still clenched at having to be anywhere near him.

The shrill sound of my phone going off interrupted my thoughts as I pulled it out of my pocket.

"Arie?" I whispered as I looked at the screen.

"What's wrong, kid? Miss me already?" I answered, teasingly.

"Stark, now is not the time for jokes. Something is wrong with Arie! She needs your help! Call Wanda, but get here as fast as you can! I don't know what's wrong! She's locked herself in one of the rooms!" Barnes urged.

Fuck!

God damn it, Arie!

I warned her not to do this.

Damn it!

"I'm on my way! Maximoff is at the compound, she'll be down soon." I said hanging up, and pressing the intercom.

Happy appeared suddenly as if I called him.

"You rang?" He asked, raising a brow at me.

"A situation. At the compound. I'll be back as soon as I can. Watch over Pep, and the chaos twins." I said as I made my way out the door.

Twenty minutes is too long…

As soon as I arrived, I rushed towards the elevator, and pushed the button to the bottom floor, inputting the security code as it went down.

"Welcome Back, Mr.Stark." the voice said.

Not the time.

I looked down at my watch as the elevator quickly went down.

As I reached the floor, Barnes was still outside the door of Arie's room.

"How long has she been like this, Barnes?" I asked Barnes, pushing him out of the way to get into the room.

As I input the code, the door rang and glowed red, meaning the lock mechanism from the inside had been placed.

Damn it, Arie!

Growling under my breath as I clicked on the keys and I put the override to open the door.

"Thirty minutes…. What's wrong with her?" Barnes asked me, anxiously.

I stared at him for a moment before debating whether to tell him or not.

"I'll explain everything later. For now, help me get her on the bed." I said, as the door slid open, and I looked around.

As we walked in, I found her in a heap on the floor, twitching as her hands clenched into fist, glowing slightly in and off as her eyes turned a brilliant blue.

Bucky quickly lifted her off the ground with ease as if she weighed five pounds rather than one twenty six, and carefully placed her on the bed.

"Wanda?" I called, as I checked her pulse.

She was beginning to sweat. We had to calm her down immediately before she hurt herself or us in the process.

Wanda rushed in, eyes widening as she saw Arie's twitching form.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked, looking at her.

Wanda walked over, placing her fingers onto Arie's temple for a second before looking up at me, concerned.

"It's her powers. She can't stop them. She tried to suppress them for too long and now they've gone haywire…" Wanda said, as she placed her fingers in her again.

"What do you mean her powers have gone haywire? Stark, what is wrong with my wife?" Bucky asked is moving toward her.

"Don't." I said, placing my hand on his chest.

"Then tell me what is wrong with her." He demanded.

I exchanged a look with Wanda, before sighing and turning to look him in the eye.

"When she got back here after the situation in Iceland, people were sent to get to her. Once we found out… it was like cold water dropping on all of us. She had sixteen attempts made on her, before she started to show. Once the people realized she was pregnant. It was bad. She lost control of her powers and killed a group that was attacking us on the way home one day. The power that flew out of her, almost killed her. She hasn't used them like that since." I explained.

"Who was sent to hurt her?" Barnes asked, sitting down on the chair next to her, and taking her hand, despite the warning we gave him, and looked up at me expectantly.

A small surge of glowing light moved from her to him, through their connected hands, causing Wanda and I to stiffen.

"Hydra." I whispered, as Wanda kept her hands on Arie, trying to help her stabilize, as Arie continued to grown.

"Fucking hell…" he muttered rubbing his face with his other hand.

"Yeah. You think they took you for shits and giggles? No. They took you to get to her. We all had to take turns watching her for the first two months after she got back. She was hell bent on looking for you. Things haven't been easy for her. We all thought that once the kids arrived she would snap out of it but it only served to depress her more. She is only just recovering." I explained.

His head snapped up at me, in disbelief. "Wait. Did you say kids? As in more than one?" He asked, confused.

I frowned at him. "Yes. I did. Arie had a boy and a girl. Steven Anthony James and Rebecca Jacqueline Samarie… She didn't tell you?" I asked, confused.

"She only told me about James." He whispered.

"She must have a reason." I replied, looking at Wanda, who smirked at me.

Shit. Not good.

"I'm sure she'll explain when she wakes up." Wanda said, as she finally stopped touching Arie's temple.

"What will happen to them if we're down here?" He asked, concerned.

"They are currently with my wife, in a safe location. She's called only a half dozen times to check on them. Her fear isn't for her or you to be taken… it's for them to be hurt or taken." I finally said.

"Have they tried to take them?" He asked

"No. She faked their deaths shortly after birth, so they're safe, for now. But we have to make sure you are fully recovered before you meet them. Until then enjoy the pictures and videos. I have to go get something from upstairs. I'll be back later." I said as I scurried off with Wanda on my tail.

"She's going to kill you when she finds out." She said, cheerfully.

"Why?" I asked as we waited for the elevator.

"Because she didn't tell him about her, because she wanted to ease him in. Now, that you've blown that out of the water…" she said, watching as I twitched uncomfortably.

"Oh, Perfect…" I groaned as we walked into the elevator and headed up to the office.