A/N: Italicized text can represent several things (dialogue in another language, inner thoughts, flashbacks, etc.) please be aware of this and the context to better understand what is happening!


October

Odette hadn't celebrated her birthday in years. Not since she'd left Illinois back before joining Good Health. She hadn't celebrated it with the Howling Commandos, with the Avengers, with Steve, Bucky—she just...never got around to doing anything.

Ever since she joined the military, she'd been undercover. Her birthday was a part of her identity she'd left behind, something she couldn't have to connect her to her real self. Then with the Commandos, she simply focused more on their mission than she did on the yearly celebration of life. After thawing out, Odette was too busy settling into her new life with Steve and S.H.I.E.L.D. that it felt silly to request a single day to herself. When S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen, all of Odette's focus went into getting Brooke back home and tracking down the remains of HYDRA. And after finally reuniting with Bucky, Odette was more concerned with helping him than celebrating herself.

And she was content to carry on her self-imposed tradition. Half of the world was gone, she was monitoring a database of those lost, and she was coordinating with leaders across the country and the world at large to memorialize the Vanished. She didn't even notice her birthday had crept up on her until she opened her email.

From: Victor Stein

To: Odette Swann

Okay, miss girly, I see how it is. Become a big hot shot Avenger and just up and leave your good friends in D.C.

No, I get it really! Chasing a fine piece of ass like you did must have taken its toll on you, but that won't stop me from sending you a HAPPY FRICKIN BIRTHDAY!

Btw Alyssa and I are fine, thank you for asking. Thankfully, only a few staff members got gotten, but they were horrid anyways.

Anyways!

Hit a girl up if you ever decide to pop back to D.C.

We miss you!

HAPPY 101!

Love, Victor

P.S. And Alyssa too I guess lmao

Included with a picture of Victor and Alyssa taken in a park.

Odette felt a storm of emotions upon reading the email.

Shame. She had left her two friends behind after the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. without so much as a 'goodbye'.

Embarrassment. God, was she one hundred and one already? No wonder the grey hairs near her roots were becoming a little more pronounced.

Relief. Neither of her friends had been Vanished, and they seemed to be doing just fine.

But mainly—

Discomfort. She hated that Victor remembered her birthday, and that this horrid day had been pointed out to her.

"Stop," Odette told herself, "You're just on edge because of that memory."

The memory of the last happy birthday she had.

October 9th, 1939

Decatur, Illinois

Bus station

Odette could not think of a more perfect way to spend her birthday. It was an unseasonably warm Monday morning. The sun was shining, a morning fog had misted the fields and gave off a sense of peace in the otherwise urgent morning the Swann family was having.

"Oooh I am so proud of you." Antonina crushed Odette in a tight hug, she attempted to return the gesture, but had to quickly let go as her mother began to pull back. "Now, because of what's happening overseas, I don't want you falling in with those army boys." Her mother lectured her.

Odette grasped her suitcase in an iron grip and nodded, "Of course, mother. Besides, I will be too busy with my studies." Odette tried to reassure them.

"But don't completely put off dating." Her mother pointed out. "I still need grandchildren, and you need a husband." She pinched Odette's cheek and gave her head a shake. She clicked her tongue, "oh, may the road rise up to meet you." She said with a tinge of pity and concern.

Odette grimaced, "mother." She tried to sidle away as her cheeks burned.

"You're twenty-two years old, Odette." Her mother reminded her.

"Oh, for goodness sake, Nina," The man beside Antonina scoffed, "At this rate she might as well miss the dang bus and marry what's-his-name—Oul Renn's boy."

"Anything but that." Odette thought, going pale at the idea of marrying Joshua Renn. Besides, he'd dumped her two weeks ago for Jenny St. Claire.

Both Antonina and Clara rolled their eyes, Peter Swann was so out of the loop when it came to who his daughter's interacted with.

"Oh, daddy, don't get mad. You're the one who suggested she go." Clara pointed out as she stepped forward to hug her little sister goodbye. "Make us proud out there, 'dette. I just know you'll be pure dead brilliant." Clara whispered as she pulled Odette into her arms.

Odette hugged her back, trying to ignore how her rattling heart nearly shook her to her core. "I'll try." She whispered back.

"Last call! Non-Stop trip! New York City!" The bus man called.

Odette glanced over her shoulder at her family. Her mother and daddy, her sister… "if only Aurora were here…" She thought.

"Oh! Peter, darling! The gift! You were so busy running your gob, you nearly forgot!" Her mother quickly batted her husband.

"Forgot?! Bloody women, you wouldn't let me forget!" Peter suggested incredulously. Clara and Odette laughed at their parents as they bickered back and forth for a moment. Then, Peter righted himself on his feet, "Right, o'course." He nodded and reached into his overalls. Odette watched curiously as he pulled out a thin silver chain with a locket attached to it.

She gasped. "Daddy..?"

"It was your granny's." Peter said. For a moment, he looked as though he were going to put it on her himself, then he took a rugged breath, "Course...then it was 'rora's…" he looked like he was trying not to cry.

Clara frowned, but offered Peter a steadying hand. "It's okay, daddy."

"But, you need a bit of home to keep you company, I reckon." Peter said finally, fully extended his hand with the locket out to Odette.

Odette smiled. Her daddy had never been the best at showing affection, but he did know how to make his girl's feel loved. She reached out and took the necklace, letting a single tear fall from her eye.

"Aye, now," her father tried his best to hide his sniffles as Antonina took his hands, "Gonnae no' dae that." He said.

"We love you, darling." Antonina smiled proudly at her youngest daughter, "Now go."

"And happy birthday!" Clara shouted as Odette spun on her heel and ran to the bus as the driver began to climb inside with one final 'last call' shout.

"Thank you!" Odette shouted over her shoulder in a most unladylike manner. She jumped to a stop at the doors to the bus beside the driver.

The man kindly bowed his head and took Odette's suitcase from her. He stowed it away as Odette climbed into the bus.

Once in her seat, she turned to look out the window. Her mother, daddy, and sister were all waving at her, smiling and excited for the journey she would take.

As the bus pulled away, Odette waved excitedly to her family.

The three began to follow the bus, keeping Odette in their sights for as long as they possibly could.

Peter was the first to stop running, his legs weren't what they used to be, so he stretched up as tall as he could go and continued to wave.

Antonina was the next to stop, not wanting to be seen running after the bus by the rest of the town. Even as she grew more distant, Odette could see her wiping her tears away with a handkerchief.

Clara kept running. Cheering and waving as she ran after the bus.

Once the bus turned out of the lot, however, Clara had to stop. Odette craned her head around as far as she could, pressing her face to the shaking glass window as much as she could to keep Clara in her sights.

Once her sister was a distant smudge down the road, Odette sighed and turned back around in her seat.

She smiled.

"If I can just get through the rest of today with no one saying anything, that'll be just fine with me." Odette sighed to herself as she composed an email in return. She'd luckily gone through her morning workout without Steve or Natasha mentioning anything to her, which is why she'd nearly forgotten about today. It wasn't that Odette hated or resented her birthday. It just so happens that, after not celebrating it for many—many years, she simply did not care if it was celebrated. She had other things to do today, so she wanted her birthday to be the last thing on her mind.

Content with her response to Victor, Odette sent off her email.

She quickly returned to her Memorial work, responding to more emails from city planners, mayors, judges, artists, and other officials in order to finalize their plans. Pepper was also CC'd for all the emails.

Most of the Memorials across the country would follow the same model, however the names would obviously be different according to their locale. Which meant people had to argue over whether the person's home or location of their family should be where they're memorialized. Because of course people had to argue. They were always arguing over something.

And that left Odette to sort through the mess.

"Doctor Swann?" Friday's voice broke through her concentration several hours later.

Hesitantly, Odette answered, "Yes?"

"Captain Rogers has announced that lunch is ready for whoever wishes to eat." Friday informed her.

Odette rubbed her burning eyes. She'd been working for four straight hours already. She inhaled deeply through her nose and back out again. "Yeah, alright." She said to herself. "Besides, I need a break to call Sarah and Maggie." She thought, taking her phone with her.

As promised (to herself) Odette kept in contact with Sam's sister and Scott's remaining family. Sarah had not yet worked up the nerve to video chat, or have Odette visit, but she seemed grateful for the adult company. Maggie and Cassie (and even Maggie's husband, Jim, to an extent) appreciated her calls. Cassie quickly realized that Odette was The Black Swann, and told Odette all about how she used to read Captain America comic books in school and how much she loved Steve and Odette.

It was...awkward. But endearing.

"Afternoon." Brooke was already standing at the table, rifling through the food Steve had made as she circled around. Four months along, she was just starting to show. The well-toned physique she'd had as a working Avenger had slowly slipped away to protect her body during this time. And now, with her body finally showing signs of change, Brooke could not keep her hands off her stomach.

"How're you feeling today?" Odette asked.

"Excited for my appointment with Dr. Carter." Brooke answered absentmindedly, "she thinks we should be able to determine sex today. Any bets?" She asked the two super soldiers.

Steve glanced up from cleaning the counter when Odette didn't immediately answer, "well, what'd you want?" He asked, turning back to Brooke.

"I dunno." Brooke picked up a handful of celery from the veggie tray that Odette insisted be brought out every meal, "healthy would be nice." She tried to joke, but her laughter and lack of smile made it clear that she was tired. Odette sat down, pulling various foods Steve had prepared onto her plate.

"Well, I think it's a girl." Natasha said as she joined them. She grabbed an apple slice off Odette's plate as she walked by.

"Odette?" Brooke asked, "Thoughts?"

Odette made a face at Natasha that said, 'really?' Before she turned back to Brooke, "I think a boy would be nice."

"I'd actually like a girl." Steve finally answered, walking around the kitchen island to sit at the table.

"So that's two for boys, two for girls." Brooke said, munching on a few things before she inevitably sat them down on her plate unfinished. "I'm team boy."

"Lame." Natasha deadpanned. "What'll you do when it's a girl?"

"If." Brooke corrected.

"When." Natasha teased.

Brooke huffed, "I don't really care so long as it's healthy." She crossed her arms.

"Could you please sit down to eat?" Steve requested.

"Speaking of appointments, Doc," Natasha turned to Odette, "what're your plans for the day?"

Odette looked at her friend suspiciously, narrowing her eyes, "I have some phone calls to make, and I'll be assisting Dr. Carter for Brooke's monthly exam." Natasha nodded understandingly, "Why?" She asked.

"No reason." Natasha answered nonchalantly. She glanced at Steve as she popped a second apple slice into her mouth. She grinned at him.

Steve grinned back until Odette turned her scrutinizing gaze towards him. He quickly dropped the amused look on his face and looked down at his plate.

Awkward indeed.

"I don't like this." Odette thought. Still, the conversation flowed pretty quickly from the baby to Natasha's work. So far, they had a National service center in D.C. for orphans left behind from The Snap, and Natasha was currently going through possible caretakers and waystation houses with a fine toothed comb.

"So, the idea is the kids are processed through the D.C. center?" Brooke asked, "Why not just keep them close to home?"

Natasha shook her head, "The D.C. center is for those who can't find their families, or those who didn't have families to begin with."

"So the waystations?" Odette asked.

"If a kid needs to be transferred, the waystations are homes set up by caregivers to provide food and shelter." Natasha explained. "So, like, say you're an orphan in Tennessee, and your family is in California," she explained, "A caretaker will escort you to your family."

"But if they don't have a family, they'll be brought to D.C." Steve finished, following along.

"Exactly. The waystations are just so they have safe places to rest while they travel." Natasha explained.

Just then, Brooke's phone went off and she looked at it curiously. She picked it up and quickly scrolled through it.

"Is everything alright?" Odette asked when Brooke went pale.

"Yeah, just some stuff on social media." Brooke reassured them, putting her phone face down on the table.

"Anything we need to be aware of?" Steve asked.

Brooke thought for a moment, then flipped her phone back over, "it's probably nothing, but, like," she swiped at her screen and a projection of her phone appeared over the table, "I think that crazy guy is back."

That crazy guy being the man who organized the protests outside their gate on what seemed like a daily basis.

William Stryker, the Avenger Aggravator, Threatens to 'Kill All Superheroes'

Underneath the headline was a picture of an irate man screaming in front of a crowd. Brooke scrolled down.

Crazed Zealot Day 93: Avengers Indifferent

Included was a slideshow of their facility gate.

Brooke scrolled again.

Iron Man, Tony Stark, Weighs in on Stryker Situation. Says Former Teammates can 'Handle A Single Lunatic'

She pinched the screen, pulling the projection back onto her phone. "The more he sits out there, the more news coverage he gets." She sighed.

"And the more they give voice to him, the more emboldened he feels." Natasha realized.

Brooke nodded, then she shook her head and gave a half-hearted shrug, "Like I said, it's probably nothing. He's just some crazy guy."

"He better pray the gates hold." Odette thought to herself as she finished her lunch.

After the four split for lunch, Odette used her free time before Brooke's appointment to make her phone calls. She returned to her office, taking a glance at her emails before she picked up her notepad and moved to her room. She'd rather make phone calls from her favorite chair than in her office, especially since she had no idea how long she'd be on the phone. "Can't be for too long if Brooke will need help at her appointment today." She thought, sitting down in her swivel chair.

She called Maggie and Cassie first.

"Hello?" Maggie answered, sounding more cheerful than she had before.

"Hi, Maggie, it's me, Odette." Odette answered, looking out at the campus lawn from her window. From here, she couldn't see Stryker and his fanatic goons, and that was all the better for both parties.

"Hi, Odette." Maggie said, "Gosh, is it Tuesday already?" She chuckled, "Cassie is just about to finish up with school, then I'll let her on."

"That's fine," Odette pressed her phone between her ear and her shoulder and laid her notepad on her lap, "I can't chat for very long, my niece has a doctor's appointment today."

"Oh no, did she get that sickness going around?" Maggie asked out of politeness.

"No, no." Odette shook her head despite knowing it wouldn't be seen. Brooke hadn't wanted to announce to the world that Energy Current was pregnant, especially since Pietro was gone. And now, with Stryker practically camped outside their home twenty-four/seven, Odette wouldn't blame her if she never decided to go public with her pregnancy. "It's just something she needs a specialist for, something I cannot provide."

"Huh." Maggie hummed, seemingly distracted by something on her end, "Oh? It's just Odette...Jim says 'hi'."

"Tell Jim I said, 'hi', too." Odette answered automatically. "Before I forget," she took a breath, "Next month, the weekend after Thanksgiving, the team and I will be unveiling the first memorial."

"Oh." Was Maggie's reply, the constant happiness in her tone suddenly gone.

"This particular one," Odette was quick to continue, "is dedicated to all of the Avengers that were lost in The Snap...regardless of where they were when it occurred."

"...So...Scott…"

"Will be memorialized."

"Oh my," Maggie breathed. "That's...that's fantastic. That's wonderful news."

"A week following that we'll begin unveiling the more localized victims, but," Odette held her breath, "I was wondering if you and your family would like to come out for the ceremony?"

Maggie was silent for a moment. "The weekend after Thanksgiving?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." Odette nodded, biting her lip.

"We'll think about it." Jim's enthusiastic voice suddenly filled her ear. Odette briefly pulled the phone away from her ear in shock but pulled it back up as she heard Jim and Maggie arguing. "We'll think about it, thank you for the call, Doctor!" And then the line went dead.

Odette paused for a moment, then wrote on her notepad next to the list of invites, "Maggie/Cassie Possibly?"

Shaking off the strangeness of that conversation, Odette scrolled until she got to Sarah's contact information and pressed 'call'.

The call nearly went to voicemail, but Sarah picked up on the last ring. "Sarah Wilson," she panted.

"Sarah, hi, it's Odette. Is this a bad time?" She raised an eyebrow.

"What? Oh, no. I was just uh...hauling some stuff in from the docks. What do you need?" Sarah asked.

Odette frowned. "How are the boys?" She asked, ignoring Sarah's question.

"They're fine." Sarah answered, "My oldest, Cass, was supposed to start pre-k this year." she sighed. There was noise in the background as Sarah seemed to find a comfortable spot to sit down, "That got canned."

"The pandemic?" Odette asked. Because, really that's what this sickness was...a pandemic. Half of all the bacteria was suddenly gone. Pack immunity was hard to achieve when half the pack vanished in mere seconds.

"Yeah." Sarah nodded. "It's crazy."

"Well, I know it may seem like too much, but," Odette was ready for Sarah to say 'no', "We are unveiling the Avengers Memorial next month, and I would like to invite you and your boys up to New York for the ceremony."

"We were just talking about The Snap Plague—,"

"I know," Odette nodded, "And we will be taking every precaution at the event. It is invite only." When Sarah didn't immediately answer, she went on, "As Sam's sister, I wanted you to know that he will not be forgotten, and I wished you could be here to celebrate him."

"I...I don't know." Sarah sounded like she'd already made up her mind.

"Well," Odette sighed, "If you do decide, it will be the weekend after Thanksgiving. You and your sons are welcome to stay at the Compound for the duration of your visit." She'd already gotten the 'okay' from Dr. Carter and Steve. The facility was big enough, if Brooke felt any kind of reluctance or fear at strangers staying with them and possibly bringing their sickness she could easily avoid them.

"Alright...I'll...I'll let you know before then." Sarah said.

"Thank you." Odette replied, "Take care."

"You too." Sarah sounded lost in thought, but Odette didn't linger on it for too long as she hung up.

Beside Sarah's name on her list of invites she wrote, "not likely, but optimistic".

Checking her clock, Odette realized she'd have to start making her way to the clinic for Brooke's appointment. She laid her notepad on her bedside table and made the trek across campus.

Her mind was swirling with a thousand thoughts and a thousand people, but all of that vanished when she made it to the clinic and looked inside.

To her immense surprise, Tony was there. And Pepper was, too. Their backs were to the wall of windows looking out into the hall. The three of them were looking at the monitor where Dr. Carter sat talking.

The appointment had already started?

Odette checked the clock on her phone, "That can't be...the appointment isn't until three?"

Yet, here they were, at two-thirty.

Odette cautiously stepped inside. Both Pepper and Tony turned, curious, but relieved—at least, on Tony's part—to see that it was just Odette. Brooke looked tense and nervous, but said nothing. "Tony...Pepper." Odette greeted them with a smile.

"Hi, Odette." Pepper shot her a warm smile.

"Doc." Tony waved two fingers from where they stuck out of his pockets.

"Oh, hey, did you get my email?" Pepper asked.

Odette nodded, "I did. I sent a reply this morning."

"Email?" Tony asked, "reply?" He looked between his wife and his former teammate.

"Business stuff, Tony." Pepper waved off his look of betrayal. The next words out of Pepper's mouth left Odette frozen to the core. "Oh, and Happy Birthday."

"Oh." Odette couldn't help but blurt out, "thank you."

"It's your birthday?" Tony asked incredulously, "six years working together and you never told me—," then he did a double take at his wife, "and you—YOU knew? Emails?"

Pepper looked shocked that Tony didn't, she scoffed, thinking it funny, "Y-Yes I knew! You didn't?"

"It's fine!" Odette shouted a bit louder and bit sharper than she'd intended, "it's fine." She took a calming breath and turned to Brooke, opening her mouth to ask if she was ready when Brooke cut her off.

"I," Brooke's voice trailed off as she looked between the three adults, "I asked them to come."

Odette opened and closed her mouth for a moment. Here the rest of them were, taking every precaution they could to keep The Snap Plague out of the facility, and Brooke was sneaking Tony and Pepper in. "Well, at least it's only Tony and Pepper." She could trust them. But she couldn't imagine how Steve might've reacted to their presence. Pepper was no problem. But Tony? Steve and Tony hadn't exactly parted on good terms. "We didn't exactly part on good terms." Odette thought, looking Tony up and down as he stiffly shifted from foot to foot. "At least he looks a hell of a lot better." He did. In the nearly four months he'd been back from space, Tony had regained the weight he had lost, and rebuilt some of his muscles that had atrophied. He didn't look so sunken in and hollow. Odette doubted she looked any better.

Finally, Odette just smiled, "That's fine." She turned to the Starks, "It's good to see you. Both of you."

"Are we ready to begin?" Dr. Carter asked, "Not wanting to interrupt this...little reunion, but I doubt Brooke enjoys laying there with the jelly on her stomach."

"I don't enjoy it!" Brooke cheered with false enthusiasm and a wide smile as she laid back down, "I would love to get this over with."

"Oh, please," Pepper said, "I can't wait until I find out what we're having."

It took Odette a second to realize what Pepper had said, "Wait," she stopped as she joined them at Brooke's bedside, "Pepper, are you..?" She looked between Tony and Pepper.

Pepper was practically glowing as she smiled sheepishly. And Tony almost looked embarrassed as he looked down at his shoes.

Odette let go of the breath she always seemed to be holding and smiled once more, "Well, congratulations to you two. Tony," she nudged her former teammate, "after all we've done for you." She mocked him, using the same words he'd used on her a lifetime ago. Pepper and Dr. Carter both laughed. Brooke and Tony both turned red.

"Well, if we're ready." Dr. Carter said.


After Brooke's appointment, and after the Starks had left, with Tony threatening to overrun the facility with baby supplies (damn him for being unable to keep himself from spoiling the kids under his care), Odette realized she only had eight more hours to get through this particular day.

She had another hour or so before anyone would begin supper, but she decided to go ahead and start doing some meal prep work. This left her alone with her thoughts, so to keep herself from spiraling, she spoke up, "Friday? What is everyone doing right now?"

"Miss Field is resting in Mister Maximoff's quarters. Agent Romanoff is in her office. And Captain Rogers is in the gym. Would you like me to call one of them?" She asked.

"No." Odette answered quickly, moving through the motions of making supper.

The days were getting colder in upstate New York. The leaves were turning their various shades of yellows, oranges, and reds. Halloween was around the corner.

And Odette was making soup.

Something hardy, something that could be easily saved and reheated for Brooke later whenever hunger decided to strike her.

It wasn't particularly chilly outside, but it was something quick and easy to make, something she knew how to make—not from a recipe—but from memory. She didn't need to measure things out because she simply added things in until it felt right. And she was glad she was cooking alone, because cooking without a recipe drove most of the other Avengers insane, Brooke and Steve in particular, who were greatly distressed at how flippant Odette was in the kitchen. She had made so many of their meals so many times that there was no need for her to constantly be staring at a recipe. It slowed her down.

"Friday?" Odette called out, "Could you let the others know I've made soup if they want any?"

"Of course, Ma'am." Friday replied.

"Please and thank you." Odette added as she stirred the boiling pot of soup on the stove.

Steve was the first to arrive. He always was, and he thanked Odette for making supper while he filled a bowl with steamy, hot, soup.

Natasha was second, and she too thanked Odette as she grabbed a bowl to fill. However, she also grabbed a pair of ice cubes out of the freezer and plopped those down into her bowl before she even attempted to garnish her soup.

And Brooke was last, reading something on her phone as she distractedly grabbed a bowl of soup for herself.

Dinner was...strangely quiet. "Though, perhaps Brooke doesn't wish to risk mentioning Tony to Steve." Odette thought as she glanced at her niece. Even still, Steve and Natasha were usually talking, if not to each other or her, then at least to themselves.

No.

Everyone was simply...quiet.

Eating.

If they had been anyone else, the scene would have appeared quite normal.

"But we're not anyone else. We're Avengers. And we're...eating in silence?" Odette tried not to make it obvious as she finished scooping soup out of her bowl. A part of her ached as she remembered the meals they used to have...back when Sam and Rhodey, Vision, and the Twins lived in the facility. She remembered warm smiles, comfort food, and a hint of found-family in the evenings.

Dinners in the facility, more often than not, were a smorgasbord of food and elbowing one another in order to pass through the kitchen and dining area. There were so many of them, always coming and going in the facility, that they often piled up whatever food they wanted to indulge in on their plates before making their way to the lounge in order to unwind for the evening with a movie.

They couldn't be stuck in their offices or in the gym all day, they were human after all.

Odette swallowed the painful lump that had grown in her throat as she looked around the now empty facility. "What a horrible sight this place has become." She thought as she stood up from the table. Steve was the only one to watch her leave. She rinsed out her bowl, poured what remained into a sealable glass bowl, and cleaned up her mess in the kitchen.

She moved on autopilot, trying her best to keep her mind from spiraling.

Nothing worked.

She finished cleaning and walked away from the others without so much as a 'good night'.

The halls, which were once teeming with life, were now empty. Void of the sounds that once indicated that anyone else was nearby.

Pietro's room was closed off.

Sam's room was dark.

Rhodey's room was locked, awaiting him whenever he decided to come back.

Wanda's room was silent.

Vision's room was empty.

Only Brooke's room remained somewhat normal, even if it was lacking the other two occupants who usually were inside, and Brooke hardly even used her room these days, opting to use Pietro's instead.

Upstairs, it was mostly the same…

Bruce's room was dark. He'd left without taking anything… "I hope he is doing alright." Odette frowned as she walked by.

Thor's room was a mess. He had been just as numb as she had been after Thanos' attack. The care he once had in maintaining his space was gone, leaving behind clothes, empty bottles, and half-eaten food that Steve, Odette, and Natasha eventually had to wade through in order to clean their level in the facility. "I should really check on him…" Odette thought.

Tony's room was locked. Friday reassured them that nothing inside posed a hazard risk to them, and she refused to open the door. So, they let it sit in its secrets. "Tony deserves privacy, after all." Odette mumbled to herself.

Clint's room was open, but dark. After finding out he'd cut off his house arrest bracelet, Natasha and Odette had cleaned and prepped his room for his return to the facility. Unfortunately, it was still sitting empty. "Please, don't be doing anything stupid…" Rhodey was keeping an eye and an ear out for anything that might be related to Clint, Odette just hoped he wasn't doing anything to get himself killed.

"Like you have any right to worry about that." Odette cursed herself.

Worry and guilt consumed her as she entered her room. Shaking it off, she spoke to the A.I. "Friday, how is my inbox looking?" She asked.

"You have emails from the deputy mayor of New York City, Mrs. Stark, the director of the National Park Services, and the director-general of UNESCO." Friday answered.

Odette sighed. She knew these emails were time sensitive, but her brain was thoroughly fried after the events of the day. "Lordy, it's still this cursed day." She sighed, sitting down on the edge of her bed. Her body and heart felt heavy. "Why today of all days?" She wondered, resting her elbows on her knees and bending over in order to rub the back of her neck. Normally she could get through this day without realizing what day it was, and it would take her at least a week before she realized that she'd aged another year. But, for some reason, this year the day seemed to drag. It felt like weeks had passed within a single day, and she was exhausted.

It was barely past six and Odette was ready to go to bed.

Sighing heavily, Odette stood back up and crossed the room to her bathroom. She kept the lights off as she turned the shower on. She hadn't looked at herself in months and she certainly wasn't going to look today.

Her shower was scalding hot, leaving her skin tingly and pink. Her movements were slow, as though her age had finally settled on her bones, but Odette pushed through the stiffness. She paused as she ran her soapy arm under the stream of water.

A thousand thoughts from a thousand memories suddenly bombarded her. All the times she'd been alone, the aching loneliness she felt every year suddenly hit her. Odette forced her head under the water, as if she hoped the water would burn her tears away. Instead, she found her knees giving out from under her.

Odette hadn't cried on her birthday since her oldest sister had died back in nineteen-thirty-six. She curled up in the corner of the shower, the scalding stream blasting the tips of her toes as she did her best to stifle her cries.

She'd lost everyone and everything she'd ever loved or cared about.

Well…

Almost everyone…

"I can't be doing this anymore." Odette told herself, uncurling and resting her head back against the tile wall. "I can't be crying over missed time and fading memories. I have people who depend on me...I can't be so selfish." She gritted her teeth and pushed herself to stand back up.

Finishing her shower, Odette stepped back out into the bathroom and dried off.

She avoided the mirror, knowing that looking at herself would cause her to crumble. She got dressed and stepped back into her cool room.

Not even half an hour had passed, but Odette was too exhausted to care about the time.

She laid down and allowed herself to fall into an exhausted slumber.

Odette would consider it a blessing if the double knock on her door was just Steve checking on her in the morning.

Unfortunately, upon opening her eyes, Odette realized that it was only nine in the afternoon. She sighed as she pushed herself out of bed and dragged herself over to the door. Giving herself a quick brushing to smooth out her appearance she opened the door.

"You know, we do live together, you don't have to come to my room late at night to speak with me." Odette said as she leaned on her door frame. It was becoming quite the habit, Steve coming to her door late at night as if what he had to say was not meant for the waking world.

Steve said nothing as he produced a small plate out from behind his back and held it between them.

Odette stared at the plate, a mixture of horror, fear, and despair clawed at her heart.

On the plate was a singular cupcake.

Frosted.

With a candle.

Odette tried to ignore the cold sweat on her back. She swallowed and wordlessly looked up at Steve for something...anything...any kind of explanation that might give reason to what he was doing.

Steve frowned, "We've never celebrated your birthday...in the almost ten years we've worked together." His voice was soft and low.

"I don't—," Odette began to say before Steve cut her off.

"I know you don't celebrate your birthday. But I think it should at least be acknowledged." He reasoned.

Odette frowned and slowly raised her arms to hug herself tightly. "I don't...want to be selfish."

Either Steve was becoming a master at masking his emotions, or her admission did not shock him in the slightest. He exhaled, "You are the furthest thing from selfish."

Odette swallowed the hard lump in her throat. She was one-hundred-and-one years old today. It was her birthday…

Steve gently raised the cupcake between them. The little candle's wax was dripping onto the homemade frosting.

Odette looked up at Steve through her eyelashes. He looked back at her. Taking a breath, Odette gently blew out the candle and plunged them both into darkness.

"Happy birthday, Odette." Steve whispered.

In the dark, holding back tears, Odette whispered back, "Thank you."

Odette hadn't celebrated her birthday in years, but she could not think of a more perfect way to spend her birthday.


Thank you to everyone who has already favorited/followed/reviewed!

Oooooooh! We met Odette and Clara's parents! Antonina Swann and Peter Swann! It only took four installations and over 60 chapters, but we've now met almost all of Odette's family (sorry, I don't think we'll be meeting Aurora. She dead lol).

Just a precaution: I might not be able to upload on Thursday. Since I was gone for a week, I wasn't able to get any writing done, so this was the last chapter I had written out. However, in my free time today and tomorrow I plan on writing a ton, so hopefully I can have something out on Thursday. Pieces are falling into place that I'm excited to write about! If you don't hear from me, don't worry I will be back on Tuesday.

See you Thursday! (Hopefully)...