January 3rd, 2015
-THE FARM-
It was so peaceful here. AJ had only arrived at the farm three days ago and a part of her felt like she never wanted to return to New York. The farm was quiet, cut off from the rest of the world, a place so calm that AJ couldn't help but relish in it. She understood why Clint had kept it a secret for so long. Of course, she knew that there were other reasons why he kept this place a secret – reasons that were more important than just wanting to maintain his privacy. AJ had only learned of Clint's secret a year after she had been woken from the chamber. It hadn't been something planned, but when Clint had received a distress signal on his phone, he had dropped everything (including their mission) and ran back to the quinjet. AJ had refused to leave him alone after seeing how worked up he was, and no matter how many times Clint had told her to stay back – AJ had not. She'd gone with him to a private hospital and sat in the waiting room with Clint and his wife and son while his daughter was getting her appendix out.
AJ didn't ask Clint why he hadn't told her about his family; she understood why he would want to keep them a secret from the world. Their job was dangerous – they put their lives on the line every single day, and if anyone ever found out about his family...they'd use that against Clint. AJ swore that she would never tell anyone about the secret Barton family.
She hadn't even told Steve. No one on the team knew aside from her and Natasha.
"Auntie Addie?"
AJ looked over toward the door as she rocked back and forth on the porch swing. When she saw Lila, she smiled. The little girl was wearing a pout on her lips and her arms were folded over her chest. "Cooper told me that you are as old as our Grandpa – but I told him he was wrong because if you were that old you'd be all wrinkly and have white hair." AJ couldn't help but laugh at the notion, but she quickly sobered up when Lila frowned.
"Come sit with me, Lila." AJ instructed the little girl. She waited until she hopped up onto the porch swing and took a seat next to her. "Cooper is actually right." She told Lila, causing the little girl's eyes to widen. "I was actually born a very long time ago."
"When?" Lila asked with a gasp.
AJ chuckled but answered Clint's daughter. "I was born in 1918." Lila's eyes grew even wider, if possible. "And next month I am going to be turning 97 years old." Lila slowly scooted away from AJ and put a good amount of space between them. AJ frowned at that. "What's wrong?"
"If you're a vampire, you have to tell me. That's the rules."
She smiled. "I promise you, Lila, I am not a vampire." Lila still looked unsure, so AJ lifted her upper lip to show Lila that she did not have any fangs. The little girl squinted her eyes suspiciously but finally relaxed. "Captain America is just as old as I am – did you think he was a vampire too?"
"Well...no." Lila said bashfully. "But that's 'cause Cooper said that Captain America was stuck in ice and was able to survive because he's a super hero."
That made AJ's heart warm. AJ lit up whenever she heard someone refer Steve Rogers as a hero. And yes, most of the time they called him 'Captain America'– but AJ knew what made him a hero. And that was Steve.
Lila's eyes then widened more than AJ thought possible and a big grin spread across her face. "Are you a super hero, Auntie Addie?"
"Lord no!" AJ laughed.
It was odd to hear someone refer to her as Addie again. It was a name her father had called her – a name her brothers had used while teasing her, and a name that Sam's children had called her. And now, years into the future, someone was calling her Auntie Addie again.
Her mind wandered back to Andrew, the nephew she did have...or had. AJ thought of him often. Clint would fill her in whenever Steve would contact him, but there was still a part of her that felt like she should be back in New York, monitoring the stone.
"Are you okay?" Lila asked, breaking AJ away from her thoughts. "You look sad." AJ forced a smile and Lila frowned. "You might not think you're a superhero, Auntie Addie...but I think you are."
She let out a shaky breath as her eyes filled with tears. "That's very sweet of you to say, Lila." But I'm not hero. Just ask the guy who she had beaten into near oblivion a couple of days ago. AJ placed her hand on Lila's knee and gave it a squeeze. "That's not why I'm sad, sweetie."
Lila grabbed AJ's hand. "Why are you sad?"
Where should she start? Should AJ explain what had happened with Andrew? Or should she sob her way through telling Lila about Bucky?
The answer to that was neither.
"Grown up stuff." AJ decided to say. "But being here with you guys is making me feel a lot better."
Lila moved to rest her head against AJ's arm while she held onto her hand. "I have another question..."
AJ chuckled. "And what's that?"
"Is it true that you can shoot icicles from your fingers?"
She laughed and shook her head. "Would that make me more of a super hero?" Lila tilted her head up at AJ and nodded. She laughed again and moved her hand out of Lila's. Before, AJ had only been able to create ice if there liquid nearby that she could use – but her powers had advanced. All AJ had to do was conjure the ice in her head to activate her powers now. She moved her hand forward, palm up, and pictured a sphere of ice in her mind. Lila gasped loudly when a mist came out of AJ's skin and the sphere of ice began to form.
"You are a super hero." Lila whispered as she leaned forward to look at the ice. "Can I touch it?" She asked.
"It's pretty cold." AJ warned her.
"Does it hurt you?"
Yes. Everything hurts. But not because of the ice.
"No, sweet girl, it doesn't hurt me."
Lila kept her eyes on the ice, but AJ could hear the little girl breathe out one word; good.
_
February 13th, 2015
-The Farm-
"It was good to have you here, AJ." Laura said with a warm smile as she poured AJ some fresh coffee. "I know that Lila has enjoyed your company."
AJ smiled fondly at the mention of Lila. "She's a sweetheart."
Laura took a seat across from AJ at the kitchen table and watched as the other woman took a sip of coffee. When AJ gave her nod of approval, Laura chuckled. "Are you ready to get back to being a superhero?" Laura chose the word that Lila always used while referring to AJ and the rest of the Avengers.
AJ looked down at her cup of coffee and sighed. "I am." It was the truth. But being here almost felt like AJ had had a chance to start over. She felt like she had gotten a taste of the life she had once dreamt about while snuggled up against Bucky in those early morning hours before he'd sneak out.
A home. A family. That was what she had wanted with Bucky.
Laura bit her lip before speaking again. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." AJ said as she breathed out with a smile. "Your home is amazing and I love your family so much, but I'm away from my friends...and that's my family."
Laura smiled softly and reached across the table to hold AJ's hand. "You're a part of this family, too."
"Damn right," Clint said as he walked into the kitchen. "Adge is an honorary Barton. Lila said so herself." He declared, causing AJ to chuckle while he rummaged through the refrigerator.
"Bottom shelf." Laura told Clint.
"Ah!" Clint shouted happily and pulled out the remains of the pie Laura had baked two days earlier. AJ watched with a smile as Clint walked up to Laura and smiled down at her. "What would I do without you?"
Laura lifted her chin up and grinned at him. "Suffer miserably." She teased. Clint met her halfway for a quick kiss. AJ had watched the two of them for the last month and couldn't help but feel jealous of the way they lit up around each other. Of how Laura always knew what Clint was about to say and able to anticipate his next move. Of how Clint would greet her every morning in the kitchen with a smile and a kiss, and whisper in her ear, causing Laura's skin to flush.
AJ missed being...loved.
She still loved Bucky – she always would. But that love sometimes felt very one-sided. It had been a year and he hadn't come back. AJ had apologized to Steve after she had said that Bucky didn't care about them anymore but...it was a legitimate fear that she had. She loved him so much, but maybe his feelings had changed over the last year. That's absolutely crazy, AJ could practically hear Steve saying in her head.
AJ knew that Bucky was likely staying away because he wanted to keep them safe – either from him or from Hydra, but that didn't stop the longing she felt for the man who had once meant the world to her. Still does. AJ missed being loved by Bucky, she missed being looked at the way Clint looked at Laura. She missed the feeling of Bucky's arms wrapping around her middle from behind when he'd sneak into the labs after his meetings with the Howling Commandos. She missed how he'd press a soft kiss to her cheek. AJ missed Bucky. Everything about him. The good, the bad, all of it.
70 years apart.
Well, AJ had spent 65 of those years in the chamber, but God, it felt like it had been hundreds of years since the last time they had been together. When she saw him again last year, the wind had been knocked out of her and she had felt her heart burst and break at the same time. He was alive. He had been alive this whole time and...she had hated him without even knowing it.
The Winter Soldier had killed Theodore Adams – it had been her mission in life to avenge his death, and the second that mask was flung off of the assassin and she saw that it was Bucky...that anger and hatred only turned into sorrow and confusion. There had been so many emotions running through her mind in that moment and AJ could hardly breathe, it was so suffocating.
Bucky is alive. Happiness. He is the man who killed Theo. Sadness and confusion. He is Hydra's secret weapon. Anger. But he is alive. Love. He doesn't know who he is. Sorrow. They took his memories. Despair. Loneliness. Love. Anger. Confusion. Frustration. Love. That was the only constant emotion she felt.
Love. Love for Bucky.
AJ looked down at her coffee again to distract herself and focused on the steam that was rising from the cup. It wasn't until Clint dropped a paper plate with a piece of pie on it in front of her that AJ looked back up at him. "Eat up." He told her. "We are leaving soon."
"Have there been any new developments?" AJ asked Clint when he handed her a fork. He knew what she was referring to. Andrew. "Did Palani do the test I suggested?"
"They did the test last night, but Steve said there hasn't been any change." Clint replied with a sad expression.
"Yet." Laura stressed the word as she looked at AJ.
She smiled at the woman. "I appreciate your optimism, Laura. You're probably the only one who doesn't think I've gone absolutely crazy."
"That's not true." Clint disagreed. "Lila doesn't think you're crazy." He smirked, only to have both AJ and Laura swat at him.
Clint reminded AJ so much of her older brothers. It was like he was a mixture of them all – the good and bad!
"Don't be rude." Laura chastised her husband. "AJ having faith that Andrew will come out of this does not make her crazy – it shows that she has heart and does not give up on the people she loves, even when everyone else is telling her she should."
AJ couldn't help it when her eyes began to mist. "Thank you, Laura." She whispered.
Laura gave her a warm smile and then said, "Andrew is your nephew. He's your family – family never gives up on each other."
Family over everything.
That's what Henry Frost had drilled into his son's head. It was a motto that Brian and Andrew had lived by – it's why AJ refused to give up on Andrew now. Brian had already died trying to save her life, AJ refused to let another one of Henry's sons die. Andrew would be fine – he'd make it through this.
"Auntie Addie." Lila called from upstairs. "Can you turn Cooper's X-Box into an ICE-BOX?"
"Shut up, Lila!" Cooper shouted from his bedroom.
"Hey!" Clint hollered. "Cooper – don't talk to your sister like that. Lila – stop antagonizing your brother."
AJ chuckled as she watched Clint. It was so odd to see him acting all fatherly, but at the same time, AJ loved it. She remembered how Cooper had clung to his father when Clint first walked through the hospital doors, and how he had snuggled into his side the entire time that they waited for Lila to come out of surgery. AJ remembered the way Lila's eyes had lit up when she saw her father sitting next to her when she woke up – his kids absolutely loved him. Clint was their hero.
And the little one on the way would love Clint just as much as their older siblings did. Laura was almost five months along, and AJ and Natasha were taking bets on whether it would be a boy or girl. AJ had a feeling that it would be a little boy, but Natasha swore it was a girl – because if it was a girl, it would be named after Natasha. The red head was such a big part of the Barton family's life that AJ completely understood why they would want to name their next child after her.
"You all packed up?" Clint asked AJ. She looked over at him and quirked her brow.
"You that ready to get rid of me?" She smirked.
He let out a loud laugh. "You say that like I'm not about to miss Valentines day with my wife again to go to this damn birthday party Tony is throwing you."
AJ frowned when Clint looked over to Laura who shrugged her shoulders and playfully smiled at her husband. "It's not like you were gonna get any this year." She teased. "I'm as big as a whale."
"You're beautiful." Clint disagreed.
"You should stay." AJ insisted, making Clint look away from his wife. "You two deserve to have a nice Valentine's day – I can find my way back to New York just fine."
Clint furrowed his brows at her while he considered her offer. "I don't like it."
"You don't like that I'm giving you the chance to spend Valentine's Day with your hot wife?" AJ smirked again and Laura chuckled. "I will be fine, Clint." He still frowned at the idea. "How about you drive me to the quinjet, and I'll fly it back to the Tower on my own – I'll just tell them that I got super annoyed after spending a month with you and uninvited you to my party."
Clint rolled his eyes and stole back AJ's plate of pie before she could take a bite of it. "No one will believe that you could ever get annoyed with me." He said and then proceeded to take a big bite of her slice of pie.
AJ reached forward and stole her plate back and playfully glared at Clint. "Do you want to spend Valentine's Day with your wife, or not?"
Clint glanced at Laura. She gave him a look that read, it's your decision. He groaned but agreed. "Fine. But I'm turning my phone off as soon as you land at the Tower so I won't get calls from Tony pissed off that I let you go off on your own."
Tony was overprotective. He treated AJ like a little sister – which was ridiculous, because AJ was a lot older than Tony – but at the same time it was very sweet. And though it was a bit overbearing, she appreciated him looking out for her. He had protected her from the press, he had paid off people who witnessed things AJ did during her spiral, and he had never once held it over her head.
If she were being honest, Tony was her best friend, both him and Steve. Which was hilarious to her, because most of the time those two bickered with each other like teenagers. But they were her two very best friends. She had Natasha, Clint, Banner, and Thor – they were also her best friends. But AJ had always felt the closest to Steve, but now it was that way with Tony, too.
Maybe it was because Tony had the same personality that his father had had when AJ knew him. Tony had never seen that side of Howard Stark, which was truly a shame – but AJ knew that Howard hadn't always been hard and serious, he hadn't been the kind of man who would show no love to his son – he had been kind and funny and loyal. AJ wished that Tony could have known his father from back in the 40's.
Clint drove AJ two towns over, where the Quinjet was hidden. He loaded her bags into the jet while AJ took in the view in front of her. They were near a large field that reminded AJ of her past.
"You sure about this?" Clint asked. He moved to stand next to her as she looked out over the field. "Adge?"
AJ looked over at Clint. She smiled softly at him and pressed her hand to his shoulder. "I'll be fine." He moved forward and pulled AJ into a hug. She hid her face against his shoulder and closed her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you." She whispered.
Clint nodded and slowly pulled away from her. "You're always welcome to my home, Adge. Anytime things become...too much for you again – you know where to find me. I'm here for you. Always."
Always.
AJ took a deep breath and smiled. "You better call me tomorrow to wish me a happy birthday. It's not every day someone turns 97, especially someone who looks as great as I do."
Clint laughed and shook his head. They hugged one more time before AJ got into the Quinjet, and then she took off. But she didn't put in the coordinates for the Avengers Tower.
AJ was headed back into her past.
She was going to Camp McCoy.
_
February 13th, 2015 - Camp McCoy, Wisconsin
Clint had been furious when he had tracked the Quinjet and seen that it was not headed to New York. But when AJ had explained to him where she was going, that anger had slowly disappeared. He'd only let out a slightly frustrated sigh and told her that if she wasn't in New York by 7pm, that he would send Tony to go get her.
AJ hadn't planned on staying long at the old military base, but then she had seen her tree in the distance. Their tree. Her legs were moving before her mind even realized it, and within seconds, she was standing in front of her and Bucky's tree.
Her eyes filled with tears when she saw something carved into the large tree.
Bucky Frosty
She felt her lower lip tremble as she traced her fingers over his name. AJ had never known that Bucky had done that – he must have done it on the last day before he left. "Dammit, Bucky." She whispered, but she couldn't help but laugh a little. AJ bent down and grabbed the knife she always had on her person. She began to carve into the tree underneath where Bucky had carved their names.
Bucky Frosty
Always
AJ sat under their tree with her eyes closed and relived the past in her mind. She dreamed of the lost future with Bucky that she had so desperately wanted. The sound of a twig snapping broke AJ's reverie. Tightening her grip on her knife, she opened her eyes and sprang to her feet.
"I'm sorry!" A man said when she pointed the knife at him. "I saw you sittin' under the tree and I wanted to make sure you were okay." He held up his hands, showing AJ that he meant no harm. "My name is Russell Caldwell."
AJ looked up at him and blinked a couple of times. Russell Caldwell?
"Jr." He said when he saw AJ's expression. "You knew my Dad."
"...Is he?" She was scared to ask. But Russell nodded his head and smiled.
"He and my Mom are retired and living in Europe." He was alive. He was alive and happy. AJ bit her lower lip and smiled happily at that. "I uh," He cleared his throat. "When my Dad saw you on the news after New York, he said that one of these days you'd come around here."
AJ didn't understand – why would Russell tell his son that, and why was his son here in that moment? "I don't-"
"My family owns Camp McCoy now. After the war, my Dad decided to come back to Wisconsin. He was a general here that trained cadets. It's how he met my mom." AJ was surprised to hear that, but Russell Caldwell Jr. explained that his mother was the daughter of one of the Colonels and how she often visited her father for lunch. That was how she met Russell Caldwell Sr. The Russell AJ knew.
"How come he never reached out?" AJ wondered aloud.
Russell smiled. "He knew you'd get back here eventually." He then looked past her. "And I see you've added something." AJ looked over her shoulder at the tree and then back at Russell. He was biting his lower lip as if he were having some inner struggle with himself. He sighed and then motioned for AJ to follow him. "Come with me."
She reluctantly followed after him into the main building at Camp McCoy.
It had changed so much.
But that wasn't surprising.
The whole world had changed.
"My Dad said not to show you this because he wanted to keep you safe, but," Russell opened the door to a room with a bunch of monitors that showed all of the security footage of the camp. "I think you should see it."
Russell unlocked a drawer of the desk and pulled out a USB drive. He then plugged it into a laptop. He pulled up security footage, and AJ moved forward to look over his shoulder as he scanned through until it landed on one date: 02/14/2014
She leaned in, pushing Russell away when she saw what was on the screen. She held her breath as she watched a man walk up to the tree, pulled off his glove, and traced his fingers over the names.
Their name on their tree.
"Bucky." She whispered.
"Dad saw all the footage from D.C...he just wanted to keep you safe."
AJ swallowed hard when Bucky put his glove back on and turned away from the tree. He was wearing a baseball cap and a dark coat that ended just below his waist. AJ had only seen his face for a second before he ducked his head down and walked away. The image was incredibly blurry but AJ knew that it was him. That Bucky had come to their tree and she no longer wondered if their love had only been one-sided. Bucky did love her, and though it pained her that he was still in hiding...it didn't matter.
Because he had risked a lot to come back to Camp McCoy. Russell hadn't wanted AJ to see the security footage – their old friend could have easily called someone to let them know that Bucky had been here, but he hadn't. Bucky was a wanted man, and even though Russell wanted to keep AJ safe from him – it was obvious that he was also still protecting Bucky.
Footage from the bridge in D.C that someone had filmed on their phone had been uploaded to the internet for all to see, and the world watched as the Winter Soldier attacked both AJ and Steve. She refused to watch the footage but had walked into Tony's office one day to see that he was watching it. The metal hand had been wrapped around her neck as he had lifted her from the ground. It had been hard to watch, but AJ knew that it wasn't Bucky who had tried to kill her. It had been the Winter Soldier.
People didn't understand that they were two separate people. And it was apparent that Russell was one of those people. But he was still protecting Bucky. That was good.
"Can I keep this?" AJ asked Russell Caldwell Jr.
He nodded his head and took the USB drive out of the laptop, handing it over to her. "You still love him?" He asked.
AJ shoved the USB drive into her back pocket. "Always."
_
February 14th, 2015 - New York City
-The Avengers Tower-
Steve and Tony had really wanted to do something special for AJ on her birthday, but Steve knew that the only thing his best friend truly wanted was Bucky. And sadly, that wasn't something he could give her, not right now anyway. So he didn't argue with Tony when he started planning a big, extravagant party of AJ.
When she arrived in New York yesterday evening, she'd seemed...lighter. In better spirits. The life had returned to her eyes. She had grinned as she got off the Quinjet and had swept into a tight hug. Steve couldn't remember the last time he had seen her smile so freely. He knew why. Clint had told Steve that he had been monitoring AJ's flight, and that she had made a pit stop in Wisconsin. Camp McCoy. Being there must have somehow helped AJ in a way that her friends couldn't.
Steve looked around the large room and watched as everyone danced to music and laughed. It was a combined party (that was the only way AJ would agree to having such a huge celebration), so their closest friends and colleagues brought their loved ones with them for a nice Valentine's Day/birthday celebration. Steve smiled when he heard AJ's laugh from across the room and chuckled when he saw her being dipped by Thor.
"It's good to hear that again."
Steve looked to his side and saw Dr. Jordan Connors standing next to him. Apparently, when you date Natasha Romanoff, you pick up on her ability to sneak up on someone without them being aware of it. The doctor wore a long dark blue dress and her long blonde hair was stick straight. The blonde had smiled happily when she AJ looking truly happy again. A look of relief had washed over Natasha's as well when AJ had beckoned them over and greeted them both in a hug. When a waitress had come by with a tray holding champagne glasses, AJ had shaken her head with a smile and declined. In fact, Steve hadn't seen AJ drink anything but water since the party began. Which was a good thing. A great thing, really. What had brought about the change?
He thought that she would have started to lose the color in her cheeks and the light in her eyes when she went down to the labs to check in on Andrew, but she had simply pressed her hand to the stone and whispered something to it that Steve couldn't hear. She simply had gone over all the tests that Banner, Stark, and Palani had done while she was gone. She didn't even lash out at Kai when he said something irritating, or demand that they do the test again. AJ only thanked them for watching over Andrew while she was gone.
Something had changed.
Steve listened as AJ laughed again and smiled as he finally replied to Jordan. "Yeah, it is." He agreed.
"Nat's been really worried about her." Jordan commented. They had all been worried about her. "I told her that it would take time to get the AJ she knew back." She continued on. "The woman was grieving Barnes all over again." Steve frowned at that. Jordan looked at Steve and saw his expression. "You didn't see it?"
He shook his head and looked back over at AJ. "No."
"She had thought that he was dead, Steve." Jordan reminded him. He didn't need that reminder. "And then all the sudden he's alive again, but runs when he realizes who he really is – she's lost the love of her life twice now, Rogers. He might not be dead, but he's not here."
"He'd be here if it was safe." Steve felt the need to defend his best friend. "He's trying to protect us."
"She knows that." Jordan assured Steve. "AJ may have doubted that for a while, but she does know that he's only staying away to protect you two. But if he had stayed, she would have had another opportunity at a life with him – you both would have. She was grieving for what...could have been." Jordan decided on the phrase.
Steve understood.
"And throw in what happened to Andrew – God, it's shocking that she didn't turn all of New York into the Arctic. The girl is a lot stronger than you all give her credit for." Jordan said, causing Steve to look at her with raised brows. "Oh, relax, Rogers. It's a compliment to AJ." Steve chuckled when Jordan rolled her eyes and smiled.
He glanced back at AJ who was now dancing with Bruce Banner. He smirked as the man awkwardly tried to lead her through a dance, and AJ threw her head back and laughed. Tony's head of security and personal driver Happy intervened after Bruce stepped on AJ's foot for the second time. He hollered at the poor, beleaguered scientist to take a dance lesson or two before he spun AJ around the dance floor.
"You're right." Steve agreed softly as he watched AJ. "She is a lot stronger than we give her credit for."
Steve looked over at Jordan and saw her smirking. "I know. That's why I said it."
"Are you trying to steal my date, Cap?"
Steve laughed when Natasha moved out from behind him and went to stand next to Jordan.
"She's all yours." He held his hands up in surrender and gave Jordan a warm smile before he walked away from the couple and headed in AJ's direction.
Steve tapped on Happy's shoulder. "May I cut in?" He asked.
AJ smiled brightly at him and nodded before removing herself from Happy's arms. "Don't you look dapper." She teased Steve.
He chuckled and ducked his head, knowing that if AJ saw him blush, he'd never hear the end of it. "Pepper picked my outfit out." Steve shrugged at AJ. She smiled and moved her hands up to fix his tie, making Steve chuckle.
"You were always awful at putting on your tie." AJ smiled as she straightened his. "Bucky was, too." Steve didn't know what to say. She had mentioned Bucky and her tone wasn't cold or bitter – it wasn't even sad.
"Dance?"
She grinned happily at him and held onto his hand while resting her other hand on his shoulder. AJ led the dance, and honestly, Steve would expect nothing less from AJ. He laughed. "Do you remember after we rescued Bucky and we went to that bar in London?"
Steve nodded his head but didn't smile. He was taking it easy – he didn't want to say anything that might upset her.
"And the day after when Peggy was mad at you because she caught you kissing Private Lorraine."
"She kissed me!" Steve argued.
AJ laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's not like you're a super soldier and don't have the ability to take one step back." She teased. "I helped creature the serum and it did not damage your ability to turn away from a girl who tried to kiss you when it was clear that you had feelings for someone else."
Steve blushed and shook his head. "I was in shock. Lorraine was the first girl to ever make a move on me. The only time I had ever kissed a girl before was someone Bucky introduced me to – and I'm pretty sure he paid her to do it."
"You are so dramatic." AJ chuckled. "You weren't a grotesque monster back then."
"Oh, really? So why didn't you make a move on me?" He teased her back.
"I was with Frank." AJ reminded Steve and he laughed. She then started to smile. "Besides – I told Bucky I wouldn't fall in love with you while he was gone."
"Oh, that's the reason!" Steve teased again.
She smiled softly up at him and then pressed her cheek to his chest, sighing happily. "I really appreciate you and Tony doing this for me, Steve." AJ told him. That surprised him. AJ had always hated being the center of attention. "This year has been hard, and I don't know if I could have survived it without you and Tony."
He moved his hand to rest on the small of her back. "I don't want you to ever feel alone, Jay." Steve spoke honestly. "There's so many people here who love you, but I know how badly you wish Bucky was here,"
"-Steve." AJ interrupted him and moved her cheek away from her chest, craning her neck to look up at him. "I know. And I know that Bucky is staying away to keep us safe." She sighed. "I just miss him."
He nodded his head. "I do, too."
"I do understand why he's staying away. Do I agree with it? Not really." She spoke honestly. "But that's just because I selfishly want him back."
Steve smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. "We'll see him again, Jay."
"I know." She whispered as he pulled away.
"Adelyn!"
They both looked in the direction where the booming voice was coming from. Thor was walking over to them and behind him was Bruce, Tony, Natasha, Jordan, Sam, Rhodey, Maria, and Kai and a large number of waiters rolling in a large cake.
"Oh my God." AJ said under her breath, causing Steve to laugh.
"Everyone – silence!" Thor said loudly causing the room to grow silent.
Tony walked forward and patted Thor's chest. "Thanks, He-Man." Steve and AJ approached when Tony beckoned them to come over to where everyone was standing. "I don't know if you guys know this, but Adelyn Frost is a lot older than she looks." The room filled with laughter. "Our Adelyn might look like she's in her early thirties but she's actual a fossil."
"Wow!" AJ laughed.
"I'm sorry, forgive me." Tony raised one hand up. "A rare and special fossil." He corrected, causing even more laughter. "I only kid." He smiled at AJ. Tony stared at her for a moment before he started to speak again. "The people closest to you know that this past year hasn't been the easiest for you, but...look at you, kid. You're here. You survived."
Kid. Even when Tony was letting everyone know that AJ was older than she looked, he still called her 'kid', something that Howard used to call her.
"And I'm glad, because things would be very dull without you." Tony said next. AJ laughed and shook her head as Steve smiled down at her. Tony wasn't the best at expressing his emotions, but with AJ, he was different. He would make a joke right afterward to make it less awkward for him, but he was able to confide in her. Before that, it seemed that the only person who Tony ever opened up to was Pepper.
Steve looked and saw that Pepper had moved to stand next to Tony. She whispered something in his ear and Tony to chuckle.
"My better half just suggested that I wrap this up before this masterpiece behind me melts. It is in fact an ice cream cake and there are a lot of candles on this bad boy. So, I'll say this; happy birthday, Adelyn. Can't wait to celebrate your hundredth."
Tony motioned for AJ to come blow out the candles as the room full of people sang to her. AJ looked back at Steve and smiled before she leaned over the cake and tried her best to blow out all her candles. But as Tony had said, there were quite a few of. "Thor!" AJ called out. "Help me!"
The God of Thunder laughed and blew out the remaining lit candles in just one blow.
"You could have just sent a cold gust of air to take out all those candles!" Jordan shouted, causing AJ to laugh.
"I didn't want to freeze the cake!"
Steve wished more than anything that Bucky were here right now to celebrate with AJ. But he knew that wherever he was – AJ was on his mind.
He didn't doubt that at all.
_
AJ loved her party and she loved her friends. She happily rode the elevator down to the floor that lab was located on. She couldn't help but chuckle a little at how insane it all was. She had just celebrated her 97th birthday and wasn't in a wheelchair or using a walker to get around the room. She had danced and laughed and ate cake and just...lived.
The time that AJ had spent with the Barton family had really helped her. It was a reminder that even though life as an 'Avenger' was hard and dangerous and extremely hectic – it was possible to have a happy ending. She saw that when she looked at Natasha and Jordan, as well as Pepper and Tony. Hell, even Palani and Hill had an on-going flirtation that could progress into a happy, lasting relationship.
It was possible to be happy, it was possible to not carry the world on your shoulders, it was possible to live. And she intended too. When it was safe and Bucky came back she would live with him. They'd get their second chance, and AJ would get her happy ending. And even if that didn't happen...she wouldn't go back to the dark place she had been in for the last year.
The elevator doors opened and AJ headed down the corridor to the lab.
"Lights, J.A.R.V.I.S." AJ instructed the AI once she had used her security code to get inside. She stepped inside the lab, grabbed her lab coat, and slipped it on. But she stopped abruptly once the room was completely lit.
She breathed in and out at a fast pace as her eyes scanned the room and then landed back to the pile of broken stone on the ground.
AJ took one step forward, but stopped again, terrified to see all the broken pieces of the stone Andrew had been encased in. She closed her eyes tight, no longer having the courage to look.
"J.A.R.V.I.S." She whispered softly.
"Yes, Miss Frost. What can I assist you with?"
"Please tell Tony and Steve that I need them to get down to the lab immediately."
It didn't take long for Tony and Steve to come bursting through the door, followed by Natasha, Bruce, and Thor. "What happened?" Bruce asked.
But she kept her eyes closed.
"Adelyn..." Tony said her name. She could feel his hand brush against hers as he walked past her. And then she felt someone grab a hold of her hand. Steve.
A large hand moved to rest on her shoulder. Thor.
A softer hand took a hold of the hand Steve wasn't occupying. Natasha.
"AJ." She heard Bruce say in front of her. "Open your eyes."
She shook her head. "No."
"You're gonna want to see this, Frost." Tony said.
Steve let go of her hand and both Thor and Natasha helped her move forward. Even then, AJ kept her eyes closed.
"Jay." Steve breathed out. After a moment that felt like a century Steve said, "You were right."
She opened her eyes and watched as Tony and Bruce helped pull Andrew out from under the pile of broken stone. AJ's breath hitched in her throat when her nephew opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Andrew?" She whispered.
His brows furrowed together as he looked at her and then around the room, taking everything in before he slowly looked back to AJ.
"Who are you?"
