After lunch, James and Morgan found entertainment in each other, as Morgan was faster, but James was stronger, so they played a neverending game of chase where Morgan led him all over the house. Pepper did the dishes as Tony deposited a medical kit onto the kitchen table and pulled up holographic screens where they had just been eating.
"FRIDAY, pull up my vitals please," Tony called and the AI did as she was asked, showing all of his vital signs in front of Kayla. She stared at them lazily, looking for any anomalies. Tony simply leaned against one of his wooden chairs, watching Kayla as her green eyes scanned the information before her.
"I'm not seeing anything to be alarmed about Tony." She informed him, looking over his shoulder as he moved from the chair to a beam by the staircase. "I can take blood if you want, run diagnostics on that. I'm not a doctor though."
"Wouldn't be the first time you studied blood samples." Tony taunted. As Kayla stared at him, he just grinned at her, waiting for some response. She didn't give him one. After a few moments, he broke down and his smile fell just a little as he looked to the ground, "If you would, I'd appreciate it. Just to be safe."
"You're paranoid," Kayla answered, but opened the medical kit anyway, never taking her eyes off of the eccentric hero, "How have you been feeling?"
"Great actually. Really good. You're very good at what you do, Mrs. Rogers." He gestured to the kit, and Kayla lazily looked down and saw the note she'd written her formula on. She grabbed it and read it silently, occasionally mouthing words as she scanned her own scrawling penmanship. Tony lowered his head to get a better look at her expression before he continued, "Why did you send it to Pepper?"
"I couldn't trust a living soul with my formula. Especially knowing the Red Skull was after me. I sent it to Pepper... just in case Bruce had lied to me about... you know, saving you not working." Kayla mumbled quietly, looking to the kids to make sure they weren't listening. Morgan and James giggled loudly as she turned and put up her hand at him like Iron Man, pretending to blast him before turning and running away again. Only Sarah sat in her playpen nearby, staring up at her mother with a goofy smile. "I left a version formula for Bruce. A fake one, just in case this whole thing was an elaborate rouse to get my formula and get me out of the picture. Banner never got it, which makes me think it was."
Tony nodded as Kayla pulled on two sky blue gloves, then put together a syringe to take a blood sample from Stark. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, but, with Morgan around- I can't risk there being any side effects. I've been meaning to get you out here for a while. Check up on you and Cap. See how the kids are doing. I figured since Romanoff is on the run it could be a good time to get away."
"It would have been perfect if Steve hadn't gone AWOL. I haven't heard from him since he left with Nat yesterday morning." Kayla grumbled as she gently pushed the needle under Tony's skin, drawing a steady flow of blood. "I know he's fine, I just wish he'd call..."
"That sounds like Rogers." Tony sneered as he pulled his sleeve down, looking at Kayla from over the top of his dark tinted glasses, "Doing what he thinks is right without giving it a second thought."
"You know, I think part of that comes from Erskine's original formula. It changes brain chemistry."
"No shit?"
"Tony, language." Pepper yelped from the sink, turning to look at her husband and nod toward the two children chasing each other nearby. They were none the wiser, but Tony was already giving their daughter bad habits. Pepper didn't want to be responsible for James picking them up too.
Kayla chuckled as she used her teeth to pull off her right glove, gently maneuvering the blood sample into the computer backing of the medical kit for testing. "Yeah. I worked on that part a lot. I suffered a lot from it the first time. It's something I was able to overcome with my later revisions of the formula." She looked up at Stark with a piqued eyebrow, "So if you're feeling a little extra you...you can't blame me. That's just your winning personality."
"Yeah, you almost had him using the serum as an excuse for his behavior with that," Pepper warned as she finished drying the last plate before wondering to the table and pulling up a chair. "He used to be in a lot of pain. He's not anymore."
"Rapid healing is a side effect. In fact, it's the point." Kayla replied as she began moving the holographic screens in front of Tony and Pepper, studying the results as FRIDAY displayed them. "I gave you a very small dose. Just enough to keep you from dying. Took a little longer to kick in because of the gauntlet, but that was a possibility. Did the same thing for me."
"I just need to make sure I'm safe around Morgan and Pepper." Tony reiterated, and Kayla threw him a pointed look. Did he think she was an idiot? He met her glance with a judgemental one of her own, "Like you, I didn't ask for this. Am I thankful, yes, of course I am. But I can't put my family in danger."
Kayla typed away on the floating screen and finally zoomed in on Tony's test results. The man and his wife leaned forward, taking a closer look as Kayla pointed, "You're fine, Tony. I promise. There are no signs of Gamma Radiation in your system, I flushed that out. It just worked to kick start the serum. Even then, it's a very small dose- as you can see. You aren't nearly as good looking as my husband and I." Kayla jabbed, but Pepper just smiled and wrapped her slim arm around Tony's chest as he pretended to be in shock from Kayla's teasing.
"That's just rude." He pointed at Kayla, but she just closed the medical kit and turned off the screens with a wave of her hands. Tony studied her, seeing the sadness in her eyes, "Cap was so sure you'd be happy with this arrangement. Looking at you now, I'm not so sure."
"I just wish he'd come home. And I wish Natasha wasn't wanted for kidnapping my son, and I wish my parents knew I was alive. I just wish things were different. But I know they can't be. Tony, Pepper, the woman- the prosecutor, she... she wasn't a lawyer. She was working with Red Skull, when I was on the stand, I saw him... I can't risk it." Kayla sat herself down with a thump as she sat backward on a chair, resting her chin on the chair back. "I wish I hadn't taken the Soul Stone."
"You saved Romanoff. You saved me. You did a good thing." Tony assured Kayla as he knelt down to meet her eyes, "You meant well."
"Tell that to the people who Red Skull killed that night." She snapped, grinding her teeth together as she fought back tears, "Tell that to Tiffany."
Suddenly a loud shriek was heard from the family room as Morgan tripped and fell against the fireplace, skinning her arm. Tony jumped to his feet, but Pepper put a hand on his shoulder and went to check on the girl, finding James was sitting next to her, patting her leg supportively as she cried.
Kayla let her face fall behind the chair, pressing her forehead against it, "I sent you the real formula because I thought you could do something good with it. If anyone could think of a good way to use that type of serum, it was Tony Stark."
"Well, I'm not going to do anything with it without your input. But I'd like to think we'll be seeing a lot of each other. We'll work something out. As much as I hate to admit it, my daughter seems to really enjoy your son. I mean, I'm more fun, but it's nice that she has other kids around." Tony admitted as he pulled out the chair next to Kayla, leaning against the table as he crossed his leg over his knee.
Kayla followed his gaze to the fireplace where James sat next to Morgan, watching Pepper as she cleaned up Morgan's scrape. "You gonna homeschool her?"
"Yeah, we think she'll be a gifted kid. She's already starting to play with the suits in the garage."
"That's not very safe." Kayla snorted in return as Morgan hopped off the brick fireplace and reached up, pulling James down to the ground with her and began their chase again. "But she is her father's daughter."
"He more like you or dad?" Tony asked, nodding toward James as he tackled Morgan to the ground, causing the little girl to squeal loudly.
Kayla shrugged, "He's ten months old. At this point, it could go either way."
Steve paid his taxi driver in cash as the man dropped off the soldier a few miles from the old Avenger's Compound. Nobody seemed to be around, even though the remaining Avengers were beginning to rebuild from the generosity of Stark Industries. Perhaps they weren't planning on moving back in until construction was finished. Either way, Steve was glad to be alone as he searched for his friend.
The compound was silent except for the soft crunching of Steve's boots on the dirt as he slowly walked toward the building. There were cranes all around, but the main building seemed once again intact. Steve felt better coming back here, knowing it wasn't the place Tony Stark took his last breathes. Thank goodness for Tony Stark. He wouldn't have his wife without him.
A twig broke to Steve's left and he spun around, clenching his fist. He felt naked without his shield. He had no gun, no knife, no weapons. If whoever was here wanted to disarm him, he'd have nothing but his strength and wits to fight with.
"It's just me." Natasha said quietly as she emerged from behind a large tree, her hands in front of her defensively. "It's just me."
"Sam's coming for you tonight. Buck called me and warned me."
"I know. I overheard." Natasha admitted with a sly smile. "You should go though, otherwise Sam will know you're alive. The more people who know, Steve...the more dangerous it becomes for you and your family."
Steve shook his head, approaching the redhead, "You are a part of my family. I can't leave you here alone. Sam could kill you. You promised him James and you don't have him."
"That's my decision, Rogers. Let me do this." Natasha argued, but Steve's eyes fluttered to the sky as he heard the light buzzing of Sam's wings approaching. Natasha knew it too, so she pressed her hand to Steve's cheek, gaining his attention quickly, "At least hide, Steve."
Steve took her suggestion and hid behind the tree she'd emerged from, watching as Sam landed a hundred feet away, staring at Natasha. Nat's loose hair blew in the wind as she approached Sam, and he met her halfway, about fifty feet from where Steve was hiding.
"Romanoff." Sam called as he got closer to the Black Widow, and she beamed in return.
"Sam."
"Where's the kid, Nat?" Sam asked evenly, finally reaching Natasha. She walked in a circle with Sam, stopping when Steve was positioned behind the Falcon's back. Sam was none the wiser to her ploy, but Steve felt his chest deflate as he watched the conversation from the safety of the woods.
"He's safe," Natasha admitted truthfully as she shifted her boots in the dirt, leveling with Sam, "I promise, he's somewhere safe."
"We had a deal, Natasha. You said you'd bring James. Where is he? His family wants him back. It's the last bit of Kayla they have left Nat, you have to understand that?" Sam pleaded to his old friend, reaching out to put his gloved hand on her arm. "Please Natasha, where is the boy? If I don't come back with the boy, I have to come back with you."
Natasha nodded a little, rocking her torso back and forth as she contemplated her options. She knew what she had to do- protect the boy and his family. Whatever it takes.
"Sam, he's... he's dead. Schmidt came for him before the gala. He... he killed James. I tried to stop him, but he incapacitated me. I didn't run away to keep him safe... I ran away because I couldn't face Steve and Kayla after I failed." Natasha lied, swallowing hard to make her story seem believable as she started to tear up. "I couldn't save him."
There was a loud knock on the door of the Ellis residence. Mathew and Sandra both looked up from the dinner table, and Mathew rose when the noise happened again, quickly making his way to his front door. He looked through the peephole, then turned to his wife with questioning eyes before opening it. "Sergent Barnes?"
"President Ellis. You have to call off the hunt for Natasha Romanoff."
Sam's lower jaw quivered at Natasha's revelation. His heart plummeted in his chest. He'd failed. He couldn't bring James home safe to his family. He couldn't bring James home safe for Steve. He'd thought he could trust Natasha to tell him the truth. He was wrong.
"Sam, I'm sorry. I didn't take James. I just- I didn't know what to do. I couldn't admit that I didn't save him. That I couldn't save him-"
"You're lying." Sam finally said, taking a deep breath and a step closer. "I've seen the footage of you leaving the apartment. With James in your arms."
Natasha's sad eyes turned cold and her jaw set as she reached for the gun behind her back. "Sam... you don't know what you're talking about."
"You're lying to me. Why? Where the hell is James?!" Sam screamed back at Natasha, clenching his shield in his left hand and reaching for his gun on his right side. "Tell me where he is!"
"Natasha isn't hiding your grandson," Bucky told Mathew and Sandra quickly as the older blonde woman stood from her seat and sprinted to her husband.
"Where is he? We are his closest living relatives, we want him here with us." Sandra snarled, grabbing Bucky's left arm before she pulled her hand away, feeling the cold metal beneath his jacket.
Bucky shook his head, grabbing both of her hands in his, "No, you're not." Sandra and Matt looked at each other, and he pulled out his cell phone and began typing in a phone number feverishly, waiting for whoever was on the other line to pick up.
Natasha and Sam pulled their guns out at the same time, aimed at each other, but Sam had one great advantage: a vibranium shield. He ignored the ringing of his phone. If he let his guard down, he would die at the hands of the Black Widow.
"Sam, please. You just need to trust me." Natasha pleaded, and Sam could see a hint of real, true fear in her eyes. She knew she was outmatched, and if she killed Sam, she'd never be free again.
"I can't Natasha." Sam sobbed quietly, "I can't trust you, because I don't understand. What have you done?"
"Please Sam, don't do this," Natasha begged, and her eyes fluttered to the side for just a moment to catch a glimpse of movement behind Sam.
Sam shook with anger, frustration, and sadness. He felt betrayed. He felt lied to. "I'm giving you one more chance Romanoff. Where is the boy?"
Natasha smiled sadly at her old friend, "That's not my secret to tell."
Natasha moved her gun quickly, shooting at the center of the shield and Sam retaliated by shooting just above her shoulder, but to his alarm, the bullet struck the last person he'd expected.
Kayla was reading a book to James and Morgan by the light of the fireplace when Sarah began sobbing wildly in her crib. Kayla quickly handed the book to Morgan, who had been resting against her Auntie Kayla's arm, and moved to the playpen that was positioned just to the right of the fireplace. "Shhh, what is it baby? What's wrong honey?" Kayla scooped up her daughter, but the girl wouldn't stop wailing uncontrollably. Kayla smelled her, trying to figure out if she needed to be changed. She'd been sound asleep when something set her off.
Pepper came running down the stairs in her bathrobe, followed quickly by Tony in his pajamas and slippers, "What's happening? What's wrong?" He asked quickly as he scooped Morgan up off the couch. The girl curled into his chest as Sarah continued to cry, and Kayla just bounced her up and down, looking up at Pepper and Tony for help.
"I- I don't know. She just started crying. Woke up from a dead sleep. I don't know what's wrong. What- what should I do?"
"Momma." James babbled as he slipped off the couch and crawled over to his mother where she sat on the side of the fireplace, "Momma is Sawah alwight?"
Kayla looked down at the boy and forced a terrified smile to convince him she was, "Yes James, she's fine. Just a little fussy that's all."
It would come to pass that the girl wasn't just fussy after all.