Six Weeks Later
"Alright, stand by the door! First day of school photos!" Kayla called to her kids, motioning toward the front door for them to pose. James groaned loudly from the kitchen where he finished his breakfast, not amused by his mother's demands. He called back that he didn't feel like taking pictures and swiped a sausage from Sarah's plate.
"James, listen to your mother. She wants to remember all your milestones and stuff." Steve nodded toward Kayla as he shoveled his own pancakes into his mouth. He watched as Sarah wiped her hands on her jeans and stood to join her mother, standing dutifully by the door and offering a beaming smile. Steve gestured toward Sarah with his fork, "See, somebody follows directions."
"Nobody tells me what to do." James grumbled under his breath, looking down to avoid his father's gaze. Steve opened his mouth to chastise his son, but his wife beat him to it.
"James Anthony Carter, get over here or you're not getting lunch money!" Kayla yelled loudly and James's eyes widened as he scrambled toward her to stand near the door, offering a big cheesy smile before holding out his hand for cash.
Steve sighed loudly and shook his head, grumbling something about how withholding food from their children wasn't great. "I heard that!" Kayla called as she grabbed two backpacks and handed them to her fourth and fifth graders. "I love you two. You sure you want to ride the bus? We can take you..."
"We'll be fine Mom. We want to try and do this on our own." Sarah said softly and hugged her mother, knowing Kayla needed it more than she did. "Everything's going to be fine. James knows what he's doing."
"I have everything under control. I'll make sure Sarah has a good seat on the bus and I won't leave her behind after school." James recited as he allowed his mother to press a doting kiss to his head. "I love you."
"I love you both. Be good, okay? I'll be here when you get home." Kayla hummed as she opened the door and waved her children off as James dragged his sister toward the yellow school bus. Once her kids were on their way to school, Kayla turned toward the kitchen to find her husband poking his food dejectedly. Kayla leaned against the table and tapped her fingernails against the wood patiently, "You gonna tell me what's wrong?"
"After everything we did... The Medranos got away. Contini got away. Hydra is still growing and thriving and there's nothing to show for it. Tessa almost died. Sarah almost died."
"And my father did die." Kayla slammed her hand on the table as her eyes began to well up with tears, "You think it was easy? You think it didn't hurt saying goodbye to my mother knowing she was alone now? You think it was easy watching Tessa struggle to heal every day while Sarah got up like nothing was ever wrong?"
Steve stood up, facing down his wife with a tight jaw, "I didn't know how much they needed, if I had, I would have done everything differently. You know that. You know that haunts me every day-"
"Everything haunts you every day, Steve! Every mistake you've ever made keeps you up at night, but you have to move on. We have to move on Steve..." Kayla dropped her head, allowing her thick red hair to fall around her face. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, but kept her face low, "We can't bring them back. I've learned that the hard way. Sometimes people die and we have to accept that. We should have never gone with Barnes."
Steve grabbed Kayla's jaw and lifted it to see her face, massaging her cheeks with his thumbs as he studied her, "I love you so much. I'm sorry I can't let go."
Kayla shrugged, drawing a knowing smile from within, "That's something I kinda know about you. I should be used to it by now."
Steve kissed her lips gently, then grabbed her hips and hoisted her up against him, causing her to erupt into giggles. She lifted up her bare feet off the ground and wrapped her arms around Steve's shoulders as he kissed her again, humming against her, "I still got it."
"Oh yeah? You sure about that, old man? Can you keep up with your young wife?" Kayla growled as she tugged on Steve's hair, licking her lips hungrily as he held her in midair.
"Is this a bad time?"
Steve and Kayla's neck's snapped so fast toward the doorway Tessa questioned if they were broken. Steve lowered his wife to the floor and smoothed back his hair as his cheeks turned red. Kayla smoothed down her thin t-shirt and cleared her throat, "Hey Tess! What's up?"
"I was hoping you guys had heard from Bucky. It's been over a month- not a word." Tessa said quietly as she closed the front door behind her. "I also wanted to see how you two were doing with the kids back in school?"
"We were doing great. Really great." Steve gestured between himself and Kayla as she smiled playfully. Steve winked at Tessa and pressed a kiss to Kayla's hair before adding, "I'm sorry, but I haven't heard from Bucky either. His phone's been off. I don't know where he is."
"I'm sorry, Tessa." Kayla added quietly as she pried away from Steve to embrace her smaller friend. "If we hear anything you'll be the first to know."
"What if he's after Hydra? What if they are going after the scientists again? What if he's-" Tessa rambled into Kayla's chest, but the taller woman just covered her mouth and shushed her.
"He's doing his job, Tess. You'll make yourself sick worrying. If there was trouble with the Avengers, you'd hear about it. They draw quite a crowd." Kayla explained as she leaned her chin on Tessa's head. She sighed deeply before letting go of her friend, "Go to the Brewhouse. Work. Stay busy. There's nothing you can do now."
"We have to do something. We can't just sit around and wait for something bad to happen again!"
Bucky looked up dully at Kate Bishop as the archer paced the front of the conference room. Sam stood near a holographic screen, looking through all the data they'd collected about Hydra's activities. With the Red Skull captured in their basement, Hydra's activities were erratic. The Avengers couldn't figure out what their goal was, and what their leader wanted.
"They've been quiet ever since the Geneva incident." Bucky muttered, wiggling his metal fingers as he stared at his vibranium hand. His steely eyes looked up to meet Sam's, "I wish she'd just make her move so we could counteract it."
Sam and Bucky exchanged a knowing glance. Captain Wilson knew Barnes was tapped out. He wanted to go back to this Tessa person he'd become so hopelessly devoted to. But Sam needed his right hand man one last time. "We're doing everything we can-"
"It won't be enough." Cassie mumbled from her spot at the table next to Peter Parker. The man was looking through photos of his young son on his phone, trying not to listen to the gloom and doom Avengers meeting. Cassie looked over Peter's shoulder at the photos, feeling herself shrink just a little as a feeling of dread overtook her.
"This is all we've got." Bruce exclaimed from his spot at the head of the table, gesturing the team in attendance: Wanda, Cassie, Kate, Peter, Sam, Bucky, and himself. Everyone else had retired. Time continued on, and the former heroes wanted to enjoy what time they had left. Even Bruce didn't leave the compound on missions. And Sam was tired. He didn't have super soldier serum to keep his bones and muscles strong. He didn't have something flowing through his veins keeping him invincible. He was getting older. They all were.
Sam looked from Bruce to the rest of the team, seeing their resolve weaken from loss after loss. They cut off the head of Hydra, but the woman behind the Skull was too powerful and unpredictable. They needed something more.
A rapid beeping alerted the team to a holographic map that appeared above the glass table. Sam strode toward it, reading the location on the map as the compound's AI said, "Hydra activity detected in Tonsberg, Norway."
"What kind of activity?" Sam asked anxiously, and the AI's voice almost wavered before she answered, "Cosmic activity Sir."
Sam looked to Bucky and the Winter Soldier groaned and slammed his metal fist into the table, "It's her."
"Activity is abound at the Avengers Compound after reports of a Hydra attack on a small town in Norway. Nobody has been able to get in or out of the small town of Tonsberg since around ten o'clock this morning, when local authorities first saw a dark green cloud swirling above the secluded town. There are no local news stations for the small town, and no one has been able to make contact. We will give the most updated information we can as we learn more about this attack and the Avenger's response. One thing is for certain, if the Avengers cannot defeat Hydra here, there may be bigger issues for the rest of us come tomorrow."
The television screen went black and Kayla looked over her shoulder, holding her index finger between her teeth nervously. Steve just stared at the blank screen with the remote in his hand. His back was rigid and his jaw was set tightly. He held the remote so tightly, Kayla wondered if he'd squish it to pieces. She studied him for a second with her lips pressed to her fist before she finally spoke, "Steve?"
"They're going after her."
"I know." Kayla answered softly, lowering her hand as she broke away to look at the blank screen. She could see his reflection in television and heard the crunch as the remote finally fell to pieces around Steve's massive fist. Kayla took a deep breath and closed her eyes as her stomach dropped, "Please don't."
"Kay, we need to finish this, if the leader is in Norway, we can take her out and destroy Hydra once and for all." Steve barked and Kayla opened her eyes and turned slowly to look at her husband. He was shaking now, almost a hundred years of hatred for one organization that he just couldn't squash. Steve locked his blue eyes onto Kayla's deep green ones, seeing worry and dread and acceptance, because she knew he would go. "I have to. They're my friends."
"They're my friends too. I don't want them to die any more than you do, but they can handle this. We can't do the things we used to do, but they can. Have faith in them. They are your team." Kayla pleaded, but Steve's mind was already made up. "If anything happens to you, I'll never forgive you. I'll tell your children you were a no good son of a bitch and tell them not to mourn you-"
"You don't mean that." Steve chuckled, grabbing Kayla's hips and pulling her closer. She scrunched her face, pulling back her neck as he held her close. "I love you so much. Let me finish what I started. So our kids don't have to live in fear anymore. Come on, Kay, let me go."
"I hate you right now. I hate what you're asking of me. You want my blessing, but you aren't going to get it." Kayla snarled as Steve raised his hand to stroke her cheek. She rolled her eyes and turned her head, allowing Steve to kiss her cheek gently. "After everything we've been through, you're going to walk into a battle that doesn't need you?"
"Sam said that she melted his shield to a pile of goop, you think she's going to play nice? They need all the help they can get. I have to do this. Please, let me go." Steve asked again as Kayla turned to finally look into his eyes. She shifted her jaw, but after a moment, she gave the slightest nod, and Steve responded by kissing her passionately. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his, refusing to let him go until she needed to come up for air.
Steve let her go and darted out the door without looking back, calling Barnes to get transportation set up to meet them in Norway.
Kayla fell to her knees and sobbed, wrapping her arms around her torso as she leaned over. The sudden urge to vomit overtook Kayla as she looked at the door bitterly. After a moment of agony, Kayla narrowed her gaze and darted toward the end table, grabbing her phone and dialing Tessa's number. "Hey Tess... yes, I saw the news... yes, yes they are going after- Tessa, I need you to do something for me. I need you to get the kids after school alright... Stop- no. Just pick them up. And promise me you'll look after them okay? If anything happens... call my mom, she'll take care of everything. I have to go- Bye Tess." Kayla hung up and stared out the living room window to the driveway where her van sat.
She unlocked her phone and stared at it for a moment, already knowing what she had to do, but also knowing she had no business asking for such a terrible favor. With a deep breath, Kayla typed in a number she'd memorized, but never saved, "Hey-" Kayla narrowed her eyes at the voice on the other end before adding, "You know he is... and I need your help."
Steve sped down the road toward the airstrip where Bucky had agreed to pick him up in a quinjet. Under the radar, only Bucky and Sam knew he was coming. Neither of them wanted him to.
"It's too dangerous." Bucky had grumbled.
"It's not your problem anymore, Steve, you've done more than enough." Sam had argued.
Steve ignored them both and told them to send a jet, or he'd find his own way to Norway.
It wasn't until Steve was twenty miles from the airstrip that he realized he was a complete idiot and had no business in joining this fight. He groaned and snapped into the air, "Call Tony Stark."
Tony's face appeared in a hologram in front of the windshield, and the former billionaire had a scowl on his face as he addressed Steve, "You're going to Norway aren't you?"
"Tony-" Steve started but Tony cut him off, "No, I'm talking. This threat is big, like somewhere between Ultron and Thanos big. With the stunts that you three pulled in Europe, I'm surprised they are allowing you back at all. Where's Kayla?"
"She's at home." Steve admitted, sparing a glance at Tony as the genius threw his hands up in frustration before turning back to his work table, "She didn't want me to go."
"I'm sure she didn't, because she actually wants the father of her children to survive. Something I finally understand. Someday you will too." Tony groaned without looking up as he twisted a screwdriver. "Don't go, Rogers. Go home to your wife and kids. Let this be somebody else's problem. You think it's easy? You think I like staying out of everything and pretending to be dead? It fucking sucks, but I do it, because I was given a second chance. Why can't you at least try?"
"I'm sorry Tony, I have to go." Steve said, getting the talk he'd expected. Steve had hoped Tony would talk him out of it. The soldier shifted in the driver's seat as he considered turning around. Nobody would blame him for minding his own business. Even Captain America had told him to stay home.
Steve imagined New Asgard. He imagined families, people who Thor knew. He imagined them running and screaming and dying at the hands of some awful, magical woman. Steve hadn't heard any news of Thor in the past decade, was his old teammate there? If he wasn't, did he know his people were in danger? Steve slammed on the brakes and came to a full stop in the middle of the highway as cars swerved around him, honking their horns. He wheezed anxiously as he looked over his shoulder, flipping his blinker to the right and pulling off the side of the road.
"I can't do this."
Fifty miles away in a fourth grade classroom, Sarah Carter lifted her head from her schoolwork and looked out the window at the sunny sky outside. She smiled sadly, unsure of why she felt so hopeless all of a sudden. Her teacher took notice of the little girl's change in demeanor and sauntered over, tapping Sarah on the shoulder. "Sarah? Are you alright?"
Sarah crunched her eyebrows, blinking away the weird feeling in her gut. She looked down at the paper she was supposed to fill out, a sort of test to see where she was in her skills. Her lip quivered a little and she looked up at the teacher. "I don't think I can do this."
"Why not? It's just a test to see what you already know. There's no pressure. Just, show me what you can do." The teacher said sweetly to the little blonde, offering a sweet smile before wandering on to check on the other kids. Sarah looked down, picking up her pencil and biting the side of her lip, focusing on the task at hand.
"I can do this."
"I can do this." Steve said to himself, tilting his head curiously as the doubt slipped away and was replaced with easy confidence. "I've done this before and I'll do it again and I'll finish this." Steve threw the truck back into drive and sped back onto the highway, not slowing down until he reached the airstrip and the quinjet to take him to New Asgard.
Author's Notes: Hey everybody! This section of the story is almost wrapped up- but the adventure is far from over- that being said, I'm almost out of chapters to post so I'm going to be slowing waaayyy down with my posting. I'll post the next chapter when I get five reviews! I love hearing from you all! zikashigaku you are my hero and I've literally posted every day just for you! Review, Follow, and Favorite! Our heroes are about to face their greatest threat since Thanos, &ifitseemseasyjustknowitisn'toveryet