"I wish I had a science background," I told Bucky as I very carefully drew the second vial of blood. Jarvis said he needed six, I didn't bother to ask why, just asked Bucky if he was alright with it. He'd seemed startled that I'd asked, but I refused to start until he gave me permission.

Bucky was perched on a counter - I refused to put him on anything that could possibly remind him of that thrice damned chair - and I stood between his thighs. Focusing on the science was a task and a half, but I was good at compartmentalization. I could drool over the thighs of betrayal (TM) later.

"Tony does all this amazing stuff, he builds cars from the ground up, he can create genius inventions from nothing. And I'm... a four-time college dropout. I failed more classes than I passed."

I didn't care about this stuff. I'd long since come to terms with the fact that I was a useless person in the real world. But here, this was my chance to actually do something with my life. My chance to help, to succeed rather than give up and fail. I knew that with Pepper and Rhodey riding my ass, and Bucky and Tony by my side... I could fix a lot of damage. It would hurt, and it would suck, but eventually, I'd get to the point where it was second nature. I hoped.

"You know, there was one day, before I signed up for college, that I thought about running away? I was so scared, absolutely terrified to be alone in the real world, that I completely shut down. I had everything planned out. There was a studio apartment in Portland that was above a coffee shop. I was going to get the apartment and work at the shop, so I wouldn't need a car." I had to laugh about it now, I was such a dramatic ass. It's a wonder my mom didn't kill me a dozen times over. "I worked out the pricing of all the food and household stuff I'd need to buy, and how much I needed to make a month."

I was mostly talking to fill the silence, to make sure Bucky was comfortable. I guessed that Hydra likely kept things cold and clinical, and I didn't want him to feel like he was back there. So endless chattering it was. It was a good thing I was very good at prattling on for hours on end. But as much as I was talking, I wasn't actually expecting him to participate.

"What did you do?"

Bucky spoke in a whisper, but he was adding to the conversation. There was hope that with enough time, he'd fall out of the winter soldier's mindset of obey mindlessly and start becoming his own person. I hid my surprise that he was joining in the conversation. I didn't want him to think he wasn't allowed to speak.

"I spent three hours crying, hiding up a tree. Then I decided I was more afraid of being alone than I was of college. So, I went back to my room, and I sent off the application."

A soft blue light flashed behind me, catching my attention. I turned, and then Jarvis spoke. It was something I'd asked Jarvis to do so Bucky didn't get startled again. I didn't want him shooting the ceiling, or a person. Or me.

"I am analyzing the blood of Sergeant Barnes, and I am seeing evidence of the blood having been frozen. Is that a side effect of the super soldier serum that I was unaware of?"

I placed my hand on Bucky's, reminding him that he wasn't there. Reminding him that he was safe, warm, and would never hurt again if I had anything to say about it. Or was I reminding myself that he was there with me, safe and warm? I didn't know.

"No. The mother..." I paused, trying to find a word that wasn't a curse. There wasn't one, but the rage in my voice was clear. "Hydra kept him in cryo. And trust me, they will pay for that."

"Why?" Bucky's voice was small, compared to how it should be. He wasn't supposed to be small, or nervous. He was supposed to be good, big, larger than life. I turned back to him, immediately giving him a warm smile. I glared over my shoulder at the blood tests. Bucky mimicked me from earlier, twisting our fingers together so I was holding his hand. I smiled at him again, making sure he knew that he was allowed to do this.

"Sugar, keeping you in cryo was inhumane. Sticking you in that thrice damned chair was inhumane. Turning you into the fist of hydra was inhumane." I was shaking with rage at this point. I didn't care that they were a Nazi organization. I didn't care that they were the bad guys. Some things were too damn much. "And they will pay for every injury, every bad memory that you have, I will inflict on them."

"It was just me. I got used to it." That didn't just break my heart, it shattered it. How many times had I said that? How many times had I dismissed something traumatic because I was used to it? How many times did I say that it didn't matter because it was only me?

"I used to say that. I'm used to it. It's only me, I don't matter. I hid behind it like a shield, trying to protect myself from the pain of what was happening." I closed my eyes. I could still feel his hands. I could hear them laughing. "It took me too long to learn that I didn't deserve that. Even longer to believe it. Sometimes I still forget. I forget that I'm allowed to say no. I forget that I'm allowed to be upset."

Trauma was a funny thing. Sometimes I could laugh and make jokes about it, and other times it hurt, like the wound was still raw. With everything that had been happening around me the past few weeks, I felt raw. I was overstimulated, exhausted, and shockingly homesick. I wanted to curl up under my blankets and stay there, and not all of that was my depression creeping back up.

I opened my eyes in surprise as I felt Bucky move. He was suddenly standing up behind me, hugging me, his chin resting on my head. His motions were slow, as if he wasn't sure he was allowed to do this, but I placed my free hand on his, keeping him in place. Our joined hands were held against my chest. He was warm and solid behind me. I wasn't afraid of him being out of my line of sight. I felt like I could relax. And I did, practically melting against him.

"If you protect me, I'll protect you. Ya ponyal tebya." (I've got your back.) I smiled, even feeling the tears on my cheeks wasn't enough to upset me. We could do this. I could do this. Right? With Bucky's support? I could probably manage to do anything.

Shifting Universes

I ducked blindly as Bucky threw his arm out at me. I swore and threw myself backwards, trying to not get smacked into a wall.

"Damnit Sugar, it's me!" I shouted, throwing myself against the wall. Bucky stopped. I didn't move.

"Grey?"

"Just me, Sugar. I didn't mean to startle you; I didn't even know you were in here."

"I don't... sleep," Bucky admitted. "It's just past three, what are you doing awake?"

"I usually wake up this early. My old job had me in at zero five, and it was an hour's drive." I slid away from the wall and placed my hand on Bucky's shoulder, waiting until he relaxed to move closer. I hopped up to sit on the table and faced him. He moved to stand between my thighs, and I was very grateful it was too dark for him to see my blush. "It's a habit I'd like to keep if I can."

"Steve used to hate mornings," Bucky remembered quietly. "He threw his shoe at me once. I had a black eye for a week."

I giggled. Bucky smiled. We were making progress. Although I was going to have to be careful to make more noise as I walked through the house. (Spoiler alert - I never did that.)

Shifting Universes

"Sugar, I don't speak whatever language that was," I said to Bucky as I placed a mug of half-caf coffee in front of him. I gently pressed a kiss to the top of his head, stretching up on my tiptoes to reach, even with him sitting at the table. "Most days I barely speak English."

"Grey, I've heard you speak Russian before," Rhodey put in, pouring himself another cup of coffee. I snorted and rolled my eyes, holding out my mug for a refill of the grogg in another pot. He gave me the side-eye, but dutifully filled my mug, elbowing my coffee creamer closer to me. I beamed. I poured the creamer before pulling a chopstick out of the sink to stir until it was all one color. Rhodey gave me a disapproving look at the amount of creamer I used.

"Rhodey, platypus, I'm a writer. One of my main characters for my Arrow fanfiction speaks Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Spanish, and I think there was another, but I can't remember it off the top of my head probably Latin or something else dumb like that. So, I know a few phrases here and there, just enough to scatter in the story, but not enough to actually know them. Though I did try to learn Bulgarian for a Harry Potter fanfiction. It didn't work."

Pepper laughed at me, likely clearly picturing what I was talking about.

"Ever since, my capital Ns are backwards, and all my Rs are capital. I still can't break the habits and it's been ten years." I laughed, remembering the fan fiction I'd written. Self-insert reader x Viktor Krum. I think she was even on the Quidditch team too.

"I swear you make up half the shit you say, Stark," Rhodey said. I shrugged. Sometimes even I thought I made up half of what I said. "What's the plan for today?"

"Weight training," I grumbled. "Barnes here doesn't believe me when I tell him my bench weight. I grew up on a damn farm."

"You don't even weigh 120, Stark," Bucky retorted, giving me a murder glare over the top of his coffee mug. His hair was slipping out of his bun, and a few tendrils were threatening to fall into his coffee. "There's no physical way you can lift twice your weight."

"You bench 240?" Rhodey echoed, locked and shocked as he stared at me.

"I mean, I usually stay around 160, but my max is two seventy. And even then, that was mostly to prove that I could." I shrugged. I didn't do strength training all that often - I rarely made it to the gym. "A three string bale weighs one forty and I can throw those. But that was back in high school, when I was actually in shape."

"A three what?" Pepper asked.

"Hay bale. There's mostly three types. Two or three string square bales. Anywhere from a hundred to one forty pounds. And then the round bales that farms that sell will use - those can range from five hundred to fifteen hundred."

"You scare me," Pepper decided, snapping the lid on her coffee thermos. "I've gotta get to SI, there's a board of director's meeting and I'm acting CEO pro tem. I'll be home for dinner."

"Yeah, I'm just behind ya," Rhodey said, reaching over to grab his cover from the counter. "I'm heading back to the Middle East; we're doing another fly-through."

"Stay safe Rhodey, Tony'd kill me if I got you hurt." Rhodey mussed my hair as he headed out. I laughed and started trying to straighten it. Bucky reached over tentatively and helped. I beamed at him, knowing that while he'd joke with us, he was still mostly too scared to touch us for fear he'd hurt us. Every day he was making more and more progress. One day he'd be just fine. We all would.

Shifting Universes

"Miss Stark, as requested, I'm alerting you to Sergeant Barnes' distress," Jarvis said, startling me awake. He flicked the lights on as I reached blindly for a shirt before sprinting out of my room and across the hall to Bucky's. He was still asleep but tossing and turning. He was caught in a nightmare. I moved to the side of the bed as Jarvis turned on the lights, wondering how to do this.

"Alright Buck, I'm going to sit next to you, alright?" I knelt down next to him on the floor. I hated that he was on the floor. Absolutely hated it. I caught his hand as it flailed out, holding it in two of mine so he'd stop scratching at the anchor for his left arm. I had to duck immediately because he lashed out with the adamantium arm - and I really didn't want that to hit me. "Hey, watch it! I'm on your side, sugar."

I could see him reaching over for the knife he had half-hidden under the bed, so I did the only thing that made sense at the time. I straddled Bucky's hips, putting all my weight into keeping him down (which, admittedly, isn't a whole lot, I'm fuckin' tiny.) And I leaned forward and kissed him. I directed his right hand to my hip and held it there with my right hand, before reaching over to grab at his left.

Finally, slowly, his struggling stopped. I could tell he came back into himself when his right hand flexed against my hip, pulling me slightly forward to grind against him. He still wasn't fully conscious, but it was better than the nightmare. I pulled back slightly, studying his face as he relaxed.

"Krasivaya," (beautiful) I whispered, tracing the pad of my thumb over his cheek bone. I ignored how warm I felt from him moving against me. This wasn't about me; it was about him. And besides, this definitely wasn't the time or the place. I was also willing to bet my theoretical half of the Stark Fortune he didn't think of me in any way like I wanted. But that was fine with me. His eyes fluttered open, and I smiled at him. "There's those winter blues I love so much."

"Wha' 'appened?"

"Had a nightmare. That's all it was."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Bucky asked, sitting up. I shifted so my weight was on my knees, not his lap, while leaning back enough to give him some space. He didn't need me in his face while he was trying to shake off a nightmare.

"No. You reached for the knife, but I managed to distract you enough before I got stabbed." I laughed slightly, more amused than I should've been. "No one got hurt. Promise."

"You didn't have to wake me up, I'd'a been fine," Bucky mumbled, his Brooklyn accent slipping through. I shook my head at him, exasperated. I put my arms around his neck, holding him for a moment until he relaxed against me.

"I told ya sugar, I've got you. Now come on. You're spending the rest of the night with me. I'll keep away the nightmares," I promised, sliding to my feet. He hesitantly stood, taking my outstretched hand as I led him back to my room, just across the hall. "Jay, keep the room at nightlight, and change my alarm from audible to lights."

"Of course, Miss Stark."

I lightly pushed Bucky onto the bed, before curling up next to him. He tensed up like a rock before slowly relaxing. I pressed a kiss to his shoulder, right on the scars where metal met flesh. He pulled me against him, keeping one arm over my waist as I settled back down, already half asleep. I just barely felt him kiss the top of my head.

"Thank you, Grey."

Shifting Universes

"They found him!" I didn't even have time to open my eyes before Bucky was wrapped around me, a gun aimed at my door.

"It's okay sugar, it's Pepper. They found Tony. She's just excited, and probably didn't think that you were in here. It's okay." I managed to put my hand on his back, rubbing up and down, hoping to get him to relax. I could tell it was working as he settled more on me, not holding himself up to move if he needed to. "Pep?"

"I'm okay. Sorry, Bucky." I giggled slightly when Bucky didn't respond beyond laying down completely on top of me. Dumb boy. But I was glad he'd started relaxing in the two months we'd had him with us.

"Do you want me to come to the airstrip, or wait until after the press conference?"

"He's having a press conference?"

"Unfortunately for us, yeah. Trust me, it's gonna be fun." Pepper nearly groaned at my tone. She knew that tone. It was the same one Tony used before something went horribly wrong. "I've already got the official statements written up to be released, but I'm not gonna send them to you until after the announcement. Spoilers."

"Good Lord. Uh, no. Stay here, Rhodey's with him. Happy's going to take me and bring us all back. Less chance of you being seen."

"Take him cheeseburgers! He's gonna be cranky. And have that press conference ready for him before you get him."

"You know, you're not my boss," Pepper teased. "But I've got it. I'll take care of it."

Pepper left, leaving me with a half-asleep super soldier doing his best to flatten me. I nudged him with my knee, trying to get him off of me. He grunted and snuggled down more. I let out a groan as he knocked the air out of my lungs. Damn super soldier was heavy!

"Barnes, if you don't get your cyborg ass off of me, I'm going to stab you."

"You don't have a weapon," he mumbled into the pillow. I snickered as I moved the knife in my left hand, so the sharp edge was against his side.

"Wanna bet, motherfucker? Now budge, or you're gonna need a new kidney." Bucky rolled off of me, careful to avoid the knife, and avoid hitting me with the adamantium arm.

"I'm proud of you," Bucky said as I rolled off the bed. "You slept with a weapon, and you got the drop on me. But it won't happen again."

I flipped him off and walked to the bathroom.

"Training room in fifteen, Stark, or it's your ass!" I grumbled as I heard him moving around my room. I huffed and brushed my teeth, trying to remember where I left my sports bra. "Your clothes are on the bed."

"Thanks!"

"Ten minutes Stark!" I huffed again and started getting ready, throwing my hair up in a ponytail. I just hoped he wasn't gonna make me do core work two days in a row, again.

"You did ask for this, Miss Stark."

"I also asked to be five five instead of five two. How're we gonna manage that one?" If Jarvis had been human (or Vision) he'd have rolled his eyes at me.

I grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and jogged down the stairs to the second sub-basement that was completely empty. We started using it to train when the paparazzi did a helicopter flyby that not only sent Bucky into a panic attack, but very nearly caught us. After that it was inside all the time.

Bucky was standing in the middle of the room, waiting for me. Had this been any other time or place, I'd have teased him for the garter he was wearing, loaded with throwing knives.

"Laps, Stark, five. Go." I groaned, already knowing it was going to hurt like a bitch. Bucky only called me by my last name when we trained. He said it was to be impartial, but I secretly thought it was just part of the soldier mindset.

I was half finished with my fourth lap when my leg decided we'd had enough. It gave out, and I fell to the ground, yelping in surprise. Thankfully I caught myself before I ate shit. I let myself lay on the floor for a second.

"Really? I was almost finished too." I rolled over to sit up and started rubbing at the pain. Bucky was next to me in a heartbeat, concern written all over his face.

"What happened?"

"Leg gave out. It does that. I'll be fine." I winced as Bucky started rubbing at my leg, trying to figure out what was wrong. He glared at me until I sighed, "there's a screw in my ankle. Causes a very slight limp that I usually don't notice. Makes running a bitch. My i.t. band is already tight, but too much, well, anything, and it seizes up and I go down."

I waved his hands away and stood, using his shoulder as a balancing point until I had my feet firmly under me. Sure, it hurt, but I was so used to it at this point, I could manage through it if I grit my teeth.

"What are you doing?" He looked up at me incredulously. I was genuinely confused about his concern. I broke my ankle at fourteen. I've had this pain for a decade. Sure, it hurts, but it hasn't stopped me before, I wasn't about to let it stop me now.

"I've still got a lap and a half. I'm finishing up!"

"You're in pain, you need to rest."

"It's fine, I'm used to it." While Bucky was busy glaring at me, I started off again, clenching my teeth against the unfortunately familiar pain. It faded to a dull inferno once I finished the laps and walked over to start whatever it was Bucky was gonna put me through. "What's next?"

"You're taking a shower. You're taking pain meds, and then I'm going to talk to Pepper about this." I flinched when he mentioned telling Pepper. She was going to freak. "And you're not going to argue with me on this, Doll. Or I won't train you at all."

If looks could kill, I'd have a dead cyborg in the basement. I glared at him before heading towards the stairs. I knew he was right, but that stupid injury was what got me separated from the Navy, I wasn't about to let it stop me now. It wasn't even my choice to be separated.

I slammed my mouth shut against the cry that I really wanted to voice as my leg seized up again, sending me to the ground. I managed to catch the railing, but I still fell down a few of the stairs. I felt a bruise start forming on my shin and wondered if it was gonna be purple or green this time.

"Doll? Grey!" Bucky came running up the stairs, checking me over for injuries. I twisted around so I was sitting on my butt and looked up at him.

"Sug', I'm fine. I just fell."

"Her leg is what caused her to fall, Sergeant Barnes," Jarvis interjected, snitching. Didn't his actor once say snitches end up in ditches? How do you kill an AI? Other than with Ultron.

"Of course, it was, stubborn brat." He muttered something under his breath, but it was in Russian, so I couldn't understand it. I glared at him as he scooped me up, carrying me the rest of the way to my room, where he dropped me on the bed. "I'm not letting you stand on that without support, so you can either take a bath-"

"I'm taking a shower, Barnes, and there ain't a damn thing you can do to stop me. I'm a big girl, I've made it this far, I can make it through a shower." I glared at him as I kicked off my sneakers. Take a bath. I had to wash my hair. I wanted to smack the shit out of him. I pushed off the bed, stalking to the bathroom, ditching my socks and shirt on the way.

The showers here were amazing. Waterfall showerheads, a small bench, and if you wanted, water coming at you from three of the walls. Shaving in the shower was no longer the worst part of my week. I programmed the shower - and that sentence took a while to wrap my mind around - and finished getting out of my workout clothes.

Rather than risk collapsing again, I sat down on the ground like a child to get my shorts off. I threw my clothes into the basket and pulled myself to my feet. I hated how much this affected me. Lost my mobility, my navy career, and whenever it got this bad, my life. I kept hold of the shelf as I walked into the shower, trying to not fall. I'd never live it down if Bucky had to come get me out of the shower.

And wasn't that the thought that jinxed me. I felt my knee buckle, and in that brief road-runner moment before I started falling, it was just a mental face-palm. I braced for the tile floor to get a lot more familiar with my ass, but I didn't hit it. There was an arm wrapped around my waist. A very warm arm. And a hand on my hip. A very cold metal hand. I'm certain that at that moment my face was red enough to stop traffic.

I opened my eyes to see Bucky standing half in the shower, like he was just stepping in when I fell. It took more willpower than I thought I'd need to keep my eyes on his face. It also took a lot to not try and cover myself. I knew I didn't have a reason to hide, but I was still shy.

It wasn't that I hadn't seen him shirtless before, we end up sharing a bed more often than not, but now... Oh, now he was naked, and in my shower, and holding me. Hey, I may be ace, but I'm still a red-blooded woman.

I swallowed heavily and gave him a shy smile as he stood me upright.

"As I was saying before you threw a temper tantrum; a bath, or I'm joining you in the shower, so you don't fall. Like you just did." There was that stupid half smile on his face that was so Bucky Barnes every part of me melted. He climbed completely in the shower with me, standing behind me - but not too close, he didn't want to make me uncomfortable, or crowd me - with his left hand on my side to help keep me balanced.

I leaned back as I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair, running my fingers through it to work through the tangles I was sure to have. I didn't realize how close Bucky was to me until the top of my head hit his chest. I blushed and stood straight again, resisting the urge to hide. He put his other hand on my hip. It was supposed to be reassurance. But something in there got lost in translation between us, and my back was pressed against his chest.

There wasn't a part of us that wasn't touching. I could feel him move, and then there were lips on my neck. I let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a whimper.

"Do you want this?" A thousand thoughts ran through my mind in a half second. Every past encounter with a man. Every night spent laying on my side, completely unsatisfied, annoyed, and buried in self-hatred. Every time I showered afterwards and scrubbed at my skin until I was glowing pink. Every time I started something new with someone, and it ended in me hating them, and myself.

Did I want it? I knew if I said no, Bucky would step back, things wouldn't be awkward between us, we were too close for that. But for once, I didn't want to say no.

"Yes."

I didn't feel us move, but then I had the cold tile wall to my back, and Bucky looming over me. He leaned down to kiss me, and I felt his hand slide down from my hips. I whimpered against his mouth, wondering if I was going to regret this later. I hadn't done... well, anything for the better part of four years now, and this was likely going to hurt.

"Oh, fuck." Bucky laughed into the kiss as I tried to figure out if I wanted to move or stay still. He pressed me tighter to the wall, and I hissed again.

"Breathe Doll, or you won't be comfortable, and you won't cum." And now I was going to have to live with the fact that Bucky Barnes did in fact like dirty talk in bed. Take that fandom!

"Never have," I panted, completely unused to everything that was happening to me. He froze, his forehead pressed against mine.

"You're?"

"No. Definitely not. But it was never for me, always for them."

"What do you mean, Doll?" He tugged at my hair with his free hand, encouraging me to talk, but also completely distracting me from what I was trying to say.

"I'm a toy. A pet. Something to be used, and then stored away until you want it again." I shrugged, long over it. I didn't feel the pain anymore. Most days I didn't feel anything anymore. "No one cares if the toy finishes, as long as the master does."

Bucky let go of me and spun me around, so I was facing the wall, and he was pressed up behind me. His hand drifted back over my hip and between my thighs. I pillowed my head on my arm as I whimpered.

"Not to me," he practically growled.

Breathing became harder as stars exploded behind my eyes. Was this what I'd been missing for the decade I'd been sexually active? This was what they were all talking about? Was it always like this?

I felt myself being turned back around and blinked until I could see. He was smiling at me, a smug look on his face that looked like it belonged there. I gave a weak laugh, still reeling, but started shuffling around so I could do as expected. I didn't mind, not here. Not this time, not yet anyway.

"Nope, not this time." Bucky picked me up, forcing me to wrap my legs around his waist. I threw my arms around his neck, not having much of a clue what was happening. "Just relax, Doll, let me take care of you."

I nodded but was still confused until he moved again.

I lost the ability to breathe for a few minutes. He went slow, trying to make sure I was comfortable. I was leaning my head back against the wall, and Bucky had his forehead on my shoulder, trying to slow down his breathing. I came to the terrifying realization that this was likely his first time since hydra took him.

"I'm okay. Are you?" I whispered, running my fingers through his soaking wet hair. Mmh, a dripping wet Bucky Barnes. Even more heat raced through me.

"I don't want to hurt you, I haven't... Not since before."

"It's okay. We're okay."

Shifting Universes

"Your eyes are red. Shed a few tears for your long-lost boss?" Tony asked, trying his best to stay collected in front of the others. He wanted to scream, to cry, to throw things. He wanted to rip the reactor out of his chest to make it stop burning. He felt like his chest was on fire.

"Tears of joy," Pepper said, knowing Tony wasn't prepared to deal with emotions just yet. "I hate job hunting."

"Yeah, well, vacation's over." Tony settled in the back of the car, not fully able to hide the sigh of relief when he was off of his feet. He braced himself for Pepper's onslaught of questions, demanding to know how he was physically, emotionally, everything he didn't want to talk about.

"I've already called for a press conference, the reporters are waiting for you, and your cheeseburgers are here, Tony," Pepper said, passing the burger king bag over, only after taking a few fries for herself. Tony looked at her in open-mouthed surprise. He'd decided fifteen minutes ago what he wanted to do. "It's my job to predict you, Tony. And don't worry, I already have the official Stark Industries announcements typed and ready to send to the media after you make the official statement."

Well, Pepper didn't, but Grey had them drafted and ready to be sent off. Grey didn't want anyone to know what Tony was going to do.

"You... Hogan, drive." Tony started on his burger, pushing Pepper's newfound omnipotence to the side for the moment. He had other stuff to worry about. Like Obie's reaction to what he was going to do.

Tony wanted to know where Pepper's questions were. She always demanded after his health. He'd expected to have to push her away from him, ducking and dodging her hovering. She was acting as if it was just another Tuesday. It was different, and refreshing, but it also had him slightly worried.

Pepper watched as Tony worked the crowd, looking for all the world like he'd only gone on vacation.

"Miss Potts," Phil said.

"Agent Coulson! Nice to finally meet you," Pepper said, moving to shake the agent's hand. "What can Stark Industries do for SHIELD today?"

"We need to debrief Mister Stark on the means of his escape," Phil said, slightly shaken by Pepper's attitude and knowledge. He handed her his card, watching as she tucked it into her folder.

"Oh, yeah, that explosion was something, even for Tony," Pepper said, giving a weak laugh. Later, once everything was settled, she'd be able to find the humor in it. "I'll talk to him and see if we can get you in, alright? Miss Merlyn will, of course, have to be present."

"Who?"

"Tala Merlyn, she's third-party security I hired for Mister Stark. This has proven that not even the American Military can protect him, and I'm not taking any more chances." Phil looked at Pepper, bewildered. "Don't worry agent Coulson. As bad as her bite is, her bark is her real weapon. Just last week she reduced a man to tears by shouting at him."

Well, no. Grey'd gotten so sassy while they played Life, that Bucky jokingly threatened to kill her. But what she told Phil was the watered down, SHIELD-safe version of the story. She wasn't sure why Grey was creating this additional identity, but Bucky had agreed with the idea, so Pepper didn't question it.

"Right, of course."

Pepper turned her attention to the podium as Stane started the conference even though he had no idea what was about to happen. Pepper nearly laughed as Tony had everyone sit down, just so he didn't have to stand.

"Odds on him getting rid of Stane?" Rhodey asked Pepper as they knelt down in the back.

"Not a chance. Tony clung to Stane too hard after..." Pepper glared at Stane from her spot, before her face softened at Tony.

"Think he'll believe Grey?"

"She'll have to prove it to him," Pepper answered. "People have been trying to take advantage of him for too long. He's too cynical."

"Yet he keeps Stane around."

Pepper and Rhodey watched in shock as he started talking about Howard. Grey said it was going to be explosive, but neither of them expected Tony to bring up his dad.

Rhodey started moving the moment Tony stood up, announcing the end of weapons manufacturing. He was at his side, pushing Stane away, and standing firm with Tony.

A little warning would've been nice. Pepper and Rhodey thought as they expertly kept their faces blank, as if they'd known exactly what Tony was going to do. The glanced around, watching the chaos around them as everyone speculated what was happening. Grey said explosive, she didn't say catastrophic. Pepper moved to Rhodey's side, easily convincing everyone, including Tony, that she'd known what was about to happen.

They got Tony out of the main room, and he steered them to where the arc reactor was powering the whole factory. Pepper and Rhodey moved away, letting him think, and feel like he was alone, but keeping an eye on him.

"... think the over under is gonna be on the stocks tomorrow?" Stane demanded.

"Optimistically? Forty points," Tony said, yanking his tie off with one hand.

Rhodey's hand inched toward his gun as Stane demanded to see the reactor in Tony's chest. Neither of them had said anything about it. So, he only could've known from the people that took him.

Rhodey couldn't hear what Stane was saying as he wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulders, but he was willing to bet his military pension that Grey wasn't gonna like it.

Shifting Universes

I dug through my closet, trying to find Tony's hoodie. Bucky was toweling off his hair, trying to dry it as best as he could.

"How's your leg?"

"I can stand if that's what you're asking. I promise, that isn't what's sore." I threw another flannel over my shoulder, and grabbed the tac boots I'd tucked in the back corner. When I glanced over my shoulder at him, he had a soft smile on his face as he watched me. In this moment he was all Bucky with no Soldier in him. This was the man he could've been if Hydra hadn't been around. He pulled his shirt on and turned to grab his boots.

"Miss Stark, Sergeant Barnes; Sir has returned." I felt like I'd been sucker punched. Tony was home. The man that was now hopefully my brother, my only family here, was home.

Then the anxiety kicked in. What if he didn't like me? What if he didn't want me? Or believe me? What if he kicked me out?

"Shh, Doll, hush, you're crying. It's okay." Bucky pulled me against him, trying to soothe the half hysterical sobs that I couldn't suppress. "He's okay, he's home now. You don't have to worry about that."

I didn't have to tell him that I was more worried about everything now that Tony was back, he already knew. He knew that this was the turning point. Today decided whether or not I succeeded. I needed Tony on my side.

"Here, finish getting dressed, and we'll go talk to him. Rhodey and Pepper are with him, and they likely want to talk to you too." Bucky handed me the hoodie, and sat me down on the bed, before crouching down to help me get into my boots. "We'll sit down, all five of us, all cards on the table. Okay?"

I nodded, already feeling better with Tony's hoodie on. We cut through the kitchen to get me a mug of coffee (decaf, Bucky insisted), then met them in the living room. I flopped down, careful to not spill the coffee as I kicked my feet up on the back.

Tony squinted at me, like he was trying to figure out who I am, before looking pointedly at his hoodie.

"Isn't that my MIT hoodie?"

"Don't get her started, Tony, you're not getting it back. She still has two of my air force hoodies."

"I didn't get to bring my Navy sweats with me, and I miss them. Stop whining." I stuck my tongue out at Rhodey and laughed. Rhodey leaned against the wall next to Bucky, shaking his head at me. Pepper kicked her heels off and curled up on the other corner of the couch I'd claimed.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be drinking coffee?" Tony asked. I thought that question was just a bit hypocritical, but I didn't say anything.

"Good luck having her put it down," Bucky said. "She's more likely to stab someone over coffee than money. Besides, I managed to convince her to drink decaf this time."

Pepper muttered something about him pulling off a miracle. I ignored it. I drank decaf, I just preferred caffeine.

I also didn't deny his claim. I really did like my coffee. I laughed, "T, I'm never not drinking coffee. And Jarvis is a saint that keeps ordering me fancy dark roasts."

"You are quite welcome, Miss Stark."

"What the fuck?" Tony asked, sitting warily on the coffee table. I know he wasn't used to seeing Pepper this relaxed while she was working. I know he didn't know who the actual giant was that was looming in the shadows like it was his job. Then there was this tiny girl that looked like she'd been living at his house while he was gone. Rhodey was relaxed, actually relaxed. "I need an explanation, or maybe a few of them."

"As far as everyone outside this room is concerned, I'm your younger sister hidden away from the fame and publicity that came with the Stark name."

"And the truth?"

"I was born in 1997."

"You look a bit older than thirteen," Tony deadpanned. I just raised my coffee mug in a toast. "And if I call bullshit?"

"I could talk about palladium, or Yinsen to prove a point I don't really wanna make." I was still looking up at the ceiling, giving Tony the time he needed to process what I'd just dropped on his lap.

"Maybe start from the beginning, yeah, Grey?" Bucky suggested before sitting down on the floor at my feet. Pepper idly shifted so her calves were leaning against Bucky's left arm. Tony looked at him warily before deciding to take after Pepper and Rhodey and ignoring him.

And so, I did. I told him about the movies, the comics, the fanfictions. I told him about how the movies saved my life a few times. I gave a general sketch of the timeline we were looking at, and brought up things I'd already changed, or were in the process of changing.

I told him about Hydra, hiding in the shadows of SHIELD, and what they'd done to Bucky. I told him about Maria and Howard's deaths, and then shouted him down from trying to attack Bucky. He backed off when Pepper and Rhodey spoke up in Bucky's defense.

"What do you want from me?" Tony asked wearily. He was exhausted. He'd only just returned from actual terrorists, and here I was dropping this on his lap. And I truly felt bad about that, but there was never going to be a good time for this conversation. We just had to rip the band aid off.

"Nothing." And I really didn't. It was what I wanted for him. "I want to help you. Bucky's been training me to fight, I'd like you to join in if you're interested. I want you to go to therapy and get healthy. I want to make sure that when Thanos shows up here, he fails miserably - something we can't do without you."

I had told him about the nanotech he would use in the future for his suit, and how there was a chance we could make it work sooner than 2018. What I didn't tell him, was how he used it to take the stones from Thanos, dying to save the world. That was my job.

"We've already started helping her. Jim and I started turning that empty sub-basement into a training room. Which brings us to what we need to talk about next," Bucky said, looking up at Pepper. She absently flipped the tablet over as she looked at him. It was something I had insisted on. "Grey is having a few problems that she needs to bring up and have addressed."

I flipped him off and ran my fingers through my hair, hiding my face. I'd been doing fine, perfectly fine, but I also had Bucky, Pepper, or Rhodey dragging me out of bed every day and hadn't had a moment of downtime since we got Bucky. If they dropped me to deal on my own, I knew exactly what would happen. I sat up and twisted to drop my feet heavily on the floor, the coffee still clutched in one hand.

"Grey? What's wrong?"

"Bucky is mad at me for not mentioning that I'm supposed to be on meds." I glared at him, more mad at myself than him. While I knew there was nothing wrong with needing them, I was still mad that I did. "I've been doing fine without them, but that's because I've had one of you riding my ass since we got Barnes out."

"What do you need?"

"Glasses for one. Antidepressants, anti-anxieties, spironolactone - for my face. I took a few supplements because I usually lived on coffee and potato chips. Migraine pills, and a... Not a pain killer, or a muscle relaxer it's..."

"Anti-inflammatory?" I snapped and pointed at Rhodey; glad he knew what I was talking about.

"Yeah, I'm supposed to take those for my leg."

"What's wrong with your leg?" Pepper shrieked, turning to face me, ready to start yelling. I leaned back warily, not used to this level of concern.

"It likes to give out from underneath me on occasion. Cause pain if I breathe, you know... stuff like that."

"That's what got you separated, isn't it?" Rhodey asked. I nodded.

"Symptomatic hardware, they called it. It's a screw in my left ankle, but apparently I limp because of it, and the limp causes a shedload of problems." Rhodey nodded, he knew what I was talking about. A limp in combat boots meant shin splints and stress fractures at best.

"I'll get a doctor up here for you, and they'll get you what you need," Pepper said, making a note on the tablet.

"And for Tony." There was steel in my voice. It was enough to make Tony look at me in surprise. "Bare minimum something for PTSD and anxiety."

Tony opened his mouth, likely to argue with me, but I fixed him with a glare hot enough to melt stone. His jaw snapped shut with an audible sound.

"Tony, I know everything. I know how everything is going to turn out, and what you're thinking. I'm the only person that can do this. I need you to trust me."

We stared at each other. I tried so hard to get him to believe me, to trust me, to understand that this was something I was going to do with or without him. He looked exhausted, then defeated, then determined. He nodded.

"Well, we are family." I looked at him, tears I didn't want, visible in my eyes. I was waiting for the punchline, the joke, the rejection. It didn't come. I moved slowly, giving him time to pull away, and hugged him, trying to not start bawling on his shoulder. He seemed surprised, but gave in easily enough, that made me hug him tighter. I was careful to not press or push on the reactor - I didn't want him to hurt more than he already was.