Author's Note: I saw Chris Evans at work today, and I'm still kind of reeling from it. We didn't speak. He didn't even see that I was there. But he smiled, and my gosh I about passed out. Enjoy this chapter and leave a review!
As the dawn broke over the lake, James opened his eyes with a start, then turned over in the king-sized bed to find his mother and sister still sleeping. "Get up! Get up! We have to have adventures today!"
Kayla groaned, pulling a pillow over her face as Sarah opened her eyes and stared at her brother with an unhappy expression. "Tired."
"No, get up! Let's go play!" James whined again, standing on his chunky legs before beginning to bounce up and down on the bed.
"Why must you do this child?" Kayla mumbled under her breath, pushing her dark red hair away from her face to rub her eyes. "Go downstairs and see if anyone else is awake. If they are not, do NOT wake them, understand?"
James didn't reply, but instead slid off the bed and landed on his butt, not understanding that any other child would have severely hurt themselves. There were a lot of things James didn't understand about his advanced physiology, but Kayla found that it worked better to simply make him think everyone was like him and to not bash things, smash things, or hit things because that's bad.
James slid down the wooden stairs into the kitchen, finding Pepper at the stove cooking eggs, "Hey James. You hungry?"
"Of course he's hungry, you seen his parents?" Tony called from where he sat at the kitchen table drinking his coffee. "Where's your mom?"
"Sleepin?"
"Did you wake her up?"
"Yup!" James exclaimed proudly, crossing his little arms as he stared up at Morgan, who worked diligently on her schoolwork. "Aren't you gonna play with me?"
"When I'm done with this physics equation," Morgan mumbled, shoving her dark hair behind her ear. There were several reasons Pepper and Tony decided to homeschool their daughter, the biggest being that she might spill the beans that her father was still alive. The second was from a very young age she started showing signs of being a gifted kid like her dad and grandfather. Homeschooling allowed Morgan to have the most regular life she could, even if she didn't spend a lot of time with other kids.
Kayla came wobbling down the stairs, holding Sarah in her right hand and her cell phone in her left. "Morning."
"Morning sleepy head. Breakfast?" Pepper called playfully as Kayla used the back of her hand to rub her eye socket.
"Yes please," Kayla mumbled, shifting her shoulders. Sarah leaned in close and whispered in her mom's ear, shielding her words with her little hand. Kayla nodded and turned back to Pepper, "Do you have any juice boxes?"
"Yes, we do." Pepper opened the fridge and handed a juice box to Sarah as Kayla placed her in Morgan's old high chair.
"What do you say?" Kayla prodded, nodding toward Pepper. Sarah turned to the strawberry blonde and blushed, looking down shyly.
"Thank you."
Pepper smiled graciously, "You are very welcome. We're happy to have you here. Aren't we Morgan?"
Morgan swiped her hand, closing her digital book and sending it away to focus on their company. She gave Sarah and James a grin, missing several teeth. It reminded Kayla that the little girl was still a child, despite everything she now understood about the world she lived in. At seven years old, Morgan was fully aware that her father was thought to be dead, and that there were aliens and wizards and superheroes. She knew who Iron Man was. And currently, she was being bribed by Iron Man to keep his identity a secret from their company.
"You heard from Steve this morning?" Tony asked casually, shooting Kayla a knowing glance as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Kayla's green eyes lifted ever so slightly to look at the man, blowing on her mug to cool the beverage. Tony nodded, "I see. You worried about him?"
"Where's Daddy?" Sarah asked quickly, catching on to what Tony was saying. Kayla's children were more perceptive than she would have liked.
"Daddy is with Uncle Ryan and his brothers. They are camping. They aren't far from here actually." Kayla assured the little girl, offering a genuine smile before frowning when her gaze met Tony's. She widened her eyes and shook her head threateningly.
Tony pulled up a screen, and Kayla immediately recognized it as her super soldier formula. She set the mug down, the click of ceramic on the counter the only noise in the room as she began approaching the hologram. Her eyes focused in on her formula, the weight of her success reflected in her green eyes.
"You sent this to Pepper... for a reason. Because you needed someone to have it- someone you trust. You didn't even know it had worked, but you knew that somebody had to have it. You can change the world, we need you." Tony told Kayla evenly as he rose to stand beside her, watching her reaction as she stared dumbfounded at the hologram before her.
Kayla swallowed and turned away, rubbing her forehead with her hand, "No. No, the world doesn't need this. I know you think I can stop the-" She looked to the three kids who were zeroed in on her, hanging on her every word, 'You think I can help, but I can't. It was a whim. It was a hobby. It was an obsession. I have no regrets, but it needs to be buried. It's done. I can't do it."
Tony and Kayla stared at each other for a few moment before Tony scratched his grey scruff, leaning his head toward Pepper, "Hey Pep, why don't you take the kids out to the lake. James was telling me last night he wants to learn how to skip rocks on the water. Morgan, you can show him how right?"
Morgan nodded and hopped off her chair, grabbing James by the hand and leading him out the door to the patio with Sarah waddling slowly beside Pepper behind them. Once alone, Tony began tapping his fingers on the wooden table, keeping busy while Kayla debated. She pursed her lips and finally turned back to the hologram over the table, picking out several elements and throwing them to the side. Tony raised his brow in question, stopping his incessant tapping for just a moment as he waited for an explanation.
"Those create the steroid effect. They aren't necessary. I didn't use them on you."
A smirk slowly grew across Stark's face and Kayla rolled her eyes. She opened another screen to the left of the table, showing a list of chemicals. She began flicking some away from her formula, and grabbing others from the list.
"Friday, run a test for me please." Kayla called into the room, staring intently at the diagram ahead of her, "See how this would hold up against cyanide."
"One moment please." Friday's mechanical voice answered, and a virtual simulation of the serum attacking cyanide in a human cell showed up in dull green. After a moment, the cyanide disappeared, but the cell seemed damaged. "Model rendered. Seventy-three percent successful."
Kayla turned to Tony and gestured to the model. "See. It's not meant for that."
"That's it?" He asked her, his eyes wide with disbelief, "You're not going to try again?"
"Why should I Tony? This is bigger than us. This isn't our world anymore. We have to leave it behind. All of it. There's no 'little bit in'- it's all in or not at all." Kayla's voice rose as she tried to explain her apprehension, but her passion died at her last words.
"And If they came after Steve, you'd just give up? If it was James or Sarah you'd just shrug and let them die? Romanoff is missing. What if it could save her?" Tony prodded, and Kayla's green eyes clouded over as she set her jaw. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but closed it and turned back to the hologram. She began replacing more chemicals and adding in more regenerative drugs, occasionally glaring at Tony Stark out of the corner of her eye.
"So, you ever been fishing before Carter?" Jack asked as he cast out his line into the crystal blue of the lake. The sun was shining bright on the little fishing boat, and there wasn't quite enough space for the four men. Steve easily situated his fishing pole and sent the line flying away from Jack's, leaning back and adjusting his glasses to try and fix the glare. He eventually pulled his baseball cap lower onto his head, trying to shield his fake glasses from catching the sun's rays.
"No." Steve answered quietly as he held onto the pole with one hand, leaning against the metal of the boat. "Can't say that I have."
"Could have fooled me." Phillip shot back. Steve leaned his head to the side to meet the man's judgmental gaze. The oldest brother wasn't quite as kind as his two younger brothers. Something about him just seemed off, and he really seemed to dislike Steve.
Ryan sat silently as the front edge of the boat, smiling to himself as he gazed out at the lake. His mind seemed to be somewhere else.
"You alright, Ryan?" Jack asked, feeling a slight tug on his line. The youngest of the four began to yank back the pole but was struggling. "A little help?"
"Stop being a wuss, reel it in." Phillip laughed as the fish pulled hard against the line, causing Jack to lose his footing a little.
Steve's lightning reflexes caught the pole before it took Jack into the water, and he positioned himself to easily reel the fish in. Once the fish was out of the water, Steve released his grip on the pole and smiled at Jack, "Nice catch."
Jack stared at Steve, scanning the burly blonde in front of him. "Thanks. You, uh-" Jack gestured toward Steve's arms awkwardly.
"I know." Ryan chuckled, and Steve blushed, shifting uncomfortably under their scrutiny, "He never even played sports. He's an artist. He's really good too!"
Steve smiled shyly, pulling his cap down onto his head, "I'm nothing special, believe me-"
"He's being modest." Ryan interrupted, nudging a very unimpressed Phillip, "He's a good guy."
Jack hummed to himself, and Phillip cocked his head to the side, "Seems like it. It's nice to have you along Steve."
"Thanks for having me," Steve answered, but his eyes caught Phillips, and he saw the man's expression shift. One moment he was annoyed, and the next, he was smiling coyly.
The next few hours went by uneventfully, and around five o'clock Ryan started steering the small fishing boat back toward the docks. As they climbed onto dry land, Ryan's phone began to ring, and he quickly answered it? "Hello?" He looked to the others and mouthed, 'It's work' before putting up his index finger and wandering away.
"Good ole' Ry is in some deep shit with all these disappearances happening." Jack said thoughtfully, turning to Phillip, who gave him a firm nod as Ryan wandered closer to the campsite and away from them, "I'd just like to make sure I wasn't one of the ones missing, you know?"
"Yeah, it's pretty nervewracking, especially having kids." Steve agreed, carrying their box full of fish onto dry land, "You just have to be prepared for anything I guess."
"Exactly. Times have changed. We have to be prepared." Phillip agreed, showing off a toothy grin. "We're a part of a group that's working on a better world."
Steve's interest was piqued at that. "So, like... a militia? Are you working with Ryan and the police?"
"Not exactly," Jack admitted, shoving his hands into his pockets. Phillip shot his younger brother a dirty look. They had Steve on the line.
"No?" Steve asked, tilting his head inquisitively, "So you aren't working with the authorities?"
"No. No, we aren't, but we are working on making a better world. No more disappearances. No more murders. We just have to get everything under control." Phillip explained cautiously, gauging Steve's reaction as they slowly lost his support. "We think you'd be a great addition to the team. You should consider it."
"I don't really know. I don't know if I can commit to something like this right now..." Steve started, beginning to backtrack as he took a step away from the two brothers.
"What if we could make sure you and your family stayed safe, no matter what? Would you be interested?" Phillip asked, gesturing away from the lake for Steve to follow along with them.
Steve felt his stomach drop at the question, realizing he was being recruited into Hydra. And if it wasn't Hydra, who else could ensure he'd be safe? Steve pulled his glasses off to wipe them along the hem of his thin t-shirt, trying to buy some time to come up with a plan of action, "I'll do anything for my family."
"We figured as much. See, the people who disappear aren't quite as willing." Jack sneered wickedly, and Steve's eyes caught the glint of something metal hooked into his belt beneath his shirt. Jack shifted from foot to foot, looking up to make sure Ryan was still busy. "You've got to be on the right side."
Steve set his jaw, blue eyes peering defensively into Jack's cold, dark eyes. Steve's voice was low and deep as he spoke, his own feet settling into the ground to prepare for a fight, "Are you threatening me?"
"No, no we aren't threatening you, Steve." Phillip intervened, placing one hand up toward Steve and the other to Jack, "If you aren't interested, you aren't interested, that's your choice. There's no threat here."
"I'm not interested," Steve answered cooly, clenching and unclenching his fists as his eyes flitted between the two men in front of him. "I appreciate the offer, I really do, I just, I can't right now. I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, it's alright, we understand. We just thought we'd offer." Phillip said, grabbing Jack by the arm and pulling him back a little. "Just, uh, don't tell Ryan we asked okay?"
Steve's eyes narrowed, reading the terrain quickly, "He doesn't know?"
"He wouldn't approve of it," Jack said quietly, looking over to Ryan who was still on the phone by the campsite. "He doesn't understand."
"I won't mention it, I promise. I'll keep it to myself." Steve promised, looking between Ryan in the distance, Jack, and Phillip. He looked over his shoulder toward the lodge, contemplating leaving early. "Let's, uh, have some dinner."
Phillip nodded slowly, watching Steve carefully, "Yeah, dinner sounds good."