Author's Notes:
zikashigaku- Thank you so much for all the reviews! They make my heart so happy, and I'm sorry I haven't been replying! I've been the worst and have been posting old chapters (that I forgot about facepalm) but things are ramping up now! A few little side detours for funsies coming up, but then we're off to the climax of the whole story!
Thank you to everyone who's read, followed, and commented on this story. Coming to the home stretch hurts my heart but all good things must come to an end!
"James!" Kayla screeched as she dove toward the edge of the bleachers to reach her son when the SHIELD agents took hold of him. Steve quickly grabbed her and placed his large hand over her mouth, shushing her as he held her still with his other arm around her abdomen. They hid behind the bleachers, watching the exchange in terror as their son was interrogated by SHIELD. Alone.
"Let them take him. Let him go, Kay. We'll get him back." Steve promised, keeping his blue eyes locked on the jet as Maria Hill stared down Tessa. "I swear on my life, I'll get our son back."
Steve loosened his grip a little when something wet hit his hand, looking down to see tears streaming freely from his wife's green eyes. He kept his hand over her mouth as she wept, holding her tightly against his chest as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Bucky glowered at the Director of SHIELD, his jaw set tight as he watched the woman address Tessa. "She knows Tessa is my wife. Figures. Should have assumed SHIELD was still keeping tabs on me." Bucky turned to Steve and Kayla, keeping his deep voice low, "I can call in a favor. We still have an inside man."
"They know whose kid he is. He looks just like me, Buck." Steve said as the jet took off into the sky. He sighed, finally releasing his wife. Kayla fell to the ground, wailing as she wrapped her son's jacket tighter around her. "It's gotta be me."
"This doesn't have to be a big production. I'll call Sam, he can be at the Helicarrier before I am." Bucky scolded, but Steve's mind was already in motion. Bucky punched Steve in the bicep, getting his best friend's attention, "Steve, he's going to be okay. He leveled that guy. He's dangerous."
"You shut your mouth." Kayla snarled as she leaned back and used her palms to bounce back onto her feet. She filled her chest with a heavy breath, not taking her eyes off of Barnes. "He's our son."
"Yeah, have you seen his father?" Bucky pointed to Steve as Tessa peeked around the corner to find them. "Your husband is dangerous. I'm dangerous. And you- you might be the most dangerous of us all."
Kayla narrowed her eyes, but Steve put one hand up to stop his wife from mutilating his friend, "Buck, I have to go. I get it, he messed up, but it's our fault. I should have told him the truth. I don't want him to learn who his father was from SHIELD. I want him to hear it from me."
"I'm sorry, Kay." Tessa grabbed Kayla's arm, but the superhuman woman just stared up at her husband and Bucky with pleading eyes.
"Bring him home." Kayla swallowed down the lump in her throat, her voice cracking, "Tell him I'm so sorry- and that I love him so much."
Steve pulled his wife into his arms and rubbed her lovingly as he pressed his lips into her hair. "I will, Kay. Go make sure Sarah's okay. I'll have him home by morning." Kayla's lower lip quivered as she looked up and nodded. Steve reached down and quickly pressed a kiss to her lips, knowing not to say goodbye.
He sighed at Bucky, and the Winter Soldier hoisted up Tessa by the ass and kissed her passionately before setting her down gently. "See you in the morning, Doll."
"I love you." Tessa called as she held her hands to her chest.
Bucky turned, walking backwards alongside Steve to blow her a kiss.
"Alright, Juliet, you coming home with me?" Kayla snipped as she started walking toward the parking lot, empty except for a few cars and Bucky's motorcycle. She tilted her head to the side as Steve turned to her. She groaned and dug through her purse to find the van keys, tossing them to Steve so they could take the van. Kayla and Tessa watched the men zoom away, not saying a word until the sound of wheels against dirt faded away and the crickets took over with their symphony.
"You want me to drive the bike?" Tessa asked meekly, knowing Kayla was a loose cannon when everything was good, but she was a time bomb when things were bad.
Kayla looked at Bucky's motorcycle for a second, "No. I'll drive. Get on." Kayla easily swung her leg over the bike and held it in place as Tessa secured her helmet. She held out Bucky's for Kayla, but the woman just snorted and pulled up the kick stand with the back of her foot before speeding off at full speed, almost loosing Tessa in the process.
As they flew out of the park, they unknowingly passed a car sitting off the side of the road in the trees, but the women in the car noticed them.
"That's my mom." Sarah said quietly as Morgan continued studying the footage from her drone on the dashboard. She bit her lip in thought as she moved the angle, trying to get a closer view of the coordinates on the quinjet's dashboard. "Morgan, are you listening, Mom's heading home!"
"Yeah, gimme a minute. I'm trying to figure out where they're taking your brother." Morgan squinted, trying to get the video to focus, "Come on... there it is." She put her fingers to the hologram, and zoomed in, pulling the coordinates and saving them to a file. "Alright, heading home?"
"Yeah, preferably before Mom and Aunt Tessa get there." Sarah grumbled as she looked over her shoulder at the silent park behind her. "Mom's gonna lose her shit."
"Hang on!" Morgan pulled the gear shift into reverse and the wheels squealed loudly as she slammed her foot into the gas pedal. Sarah gripped the side of the car as Morgan swirled the car around, then shot the shifter into drive to try and beat Kayla home.
"Morgan, what am I going to tell my mom? My brother just got arrested? Kidnapped? Either way, she's not going to be happy... maybe I shouldn't bring up the attic incident." Sarah suggested, studying the driver to gauge her reaction. Morgan just pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, a clear sign she was annoyed by the idea. "I'm scared."
"Yeah, I'm sure you are scared. Your brother is probably scared, your parents are sure as hell scared, but you can't keep this from them. All hell is breaking loose, you might as well get it all out there." Morgan slammed on the break, skidding to a stop at a red light. "Damn it!"
"What are they gonna do to James? Who are those people?" Sarah asked as the light turned green and Morgan floored it again, speeding through the intersection far too fast.
"They'll run tests. Probably draw blood first, then, when they realize what he is, they'll question him. Maybe more." Morgan's heart beat louder than the engine, the pounding in her ears only subsiding when the sound of sirens alerted her to trouble. Morgan and Sarah looked in the rear view mirror in unison, Morgan quickly slowing down as the cop pursued her, "Shit!" Morgan pulled over, reaching into her purse to pull out her license, already knowing what was about to happen.
The police officer exited the squad car and walked over to the girls, pulling out her notepad as she approached. When the officer got to Morgan's window, she chuckled a bit and shook her head, "You two again." Morgan cringed as she looked up to see the same police officer they'd encountered at the game staring down at her expectantly.
"Yeah, uh, family emergency. Her brother," Morgan motioned to Sarah, who just waved meekly, "was the one who took out that other guy, and now he's in trouble and we have to get home."
"You were going seventy in a thirty-five." The cop deadpanned and Morgan opened her mouth to argue, but had no excuse. She closed her mouth quickly and handed over her license and registration, waiting to hear what would happen next. The cop started to walk away with her information, and Sarah unbuckled her seat belt and knelt on the seat, focusing her gaze on the police officer.
"What are you doing?" Morgan droned, leaning back against the headrest and looking over to Sarah. Sarah narrowed her eyes, carefully lifting her hand and pulling it toward her slowly. Morgan watched Sarah's eyes glow gold for a moment, which only terrified her more, "Sarah?"
Sarah quickly sat back down and buckled back up, looking to Morgan nervously before nodding back toward the driver's window. Morgan turned to see the officer outside her window, handing back her license and paperwork, "Listen, I get it. It's a hard day. I'm gonna let you off with a warning this time, but please, slow down."
"Yes ma'am!" Morgan squeaked, handing over her things to Sarah slowly when the officer started walking away. She looked to Sarah, who looked at her hands in wonder, "You did that, didn't you?"
"I never actually thought it would work. I just focused really hard. I focused on her letting us go. And she did."
"Let's get home, I need to talk to Aunt Kayla." Morgan stuttered as she started driving back to Sarah's house at thirty-five miles per hour.
Steve watched the speedometer carefully, making sure not to go too fast and get pulled over, even though his right foot felt like it was made of lead. He was the reason his son had been taken. He'd been alone with James just the day prior. He could have explained everything. He could have told the boy who he was, but instead, Steve hid behind the lie. James would find out his dad was Captain America in a prison cell, after being poked and prodded and questioned. Steve didn't know if James could ever forgive him for lying. He'd forgive Kayla. Their son would forgive Kayla for murder, but James would never forgive Steve for withholding the truth.
"Sam, I'm calling in a favor." Steve's eyes darted to his cell phone that sat on the dash, "SHIELD took my son."
"So that's who they're bringing to the compound. I don't normally get work calls from Maria Hill this late at night, but she says she's on her way. They should be here within the half hour." Sam replied, causing Sam and Steve to share a glance.
"I'm gonna need you to help us out, Sam. I don't want him finding out who I am from them." Steve said sternly, but the response he got was a frustrated groan.
"I don't know what you want me to do, Steve-"
"Just let us in." Bucky answered for his friend, pulling off his black leather glove that covered his vibranium hand. "We'll take care of the rest."
"Barnes, I can't do that. This is SHIELD we're talking about. They aren't going to let him go that easily if they think he's a threat." Sam answered, causing Steve to tighten his grip on the steering wheel.
"He's my son. I'm getting him out of this, whether you help me or not." Steve grabbed his phone and ended the call, staring ahead with hazy blue eyes. They darted to Bucky, knowing his best friend was done fighting, "Buck, I can do this alone."
"I know you can. But you don't have to. You know how much that kid means to me." Bucky replied. Steve smiled grimly and pressed harder on the gas, knowing it was a long road to the Avengers Compound.
Morgan pulled into the Carter's driveway, turning off the engine and looking to Sarah expectantly, "You ready for this?"
"No. But here we go." Sarah grumbled, trying to find the part of her that was brave. Trying to find the part of her that was Sarah Rogers. Morgan waited until Sarah opened the door to follow, letting Sarah take the lead. Sarah pulled out her house key and opened the door, finding her mother pacing anxiously while Tessa sat on the edge of the couch.
When the door opened, Zawadi scampered over to Sarah and barked once, grabbing Kayla's attention. Her eyes widened and she sprinted to her daughter, enveloping Sarah in her arms, "Sarah, oh my God I was so worried about you! Where have you been?" Kayla pulled away, holding onto her daughter's cheeks lovingly as she looked her up and down for harm.
"We were at the game." Sarah said simply, and Kayla held back a sob, trying to keep it together for her daughter. Sarah took a deep breath and continued, "We tried to get to you guys, but it was too crowded, and then everything got crazy."
"They took James. SHIELD took James. Oh Sarah," Kayla cried, unable to hold back the nerves that had built up inside her, "Sarah, I'm so sorry... we-" She looked to Morgan, who just stared ahead blankly, not offering any help or encouragement, "we haven't been very honest with you."
"I know." Sarah admitted, and her mother's guilt melted to confusion for a moment until Sarah added, "Something... has happened. With me."
Kayla moved her hands to her daughter's shoulders, drawing her brows to show her concern. Sarah's arms were shaking as she stared at her mom, wanting to keep this secret to herself. Morgan cleared her throat, and Kayla looked to the brunette, then back to her daughter, "What is it? What happened?"
"We went to the attic." Sarah said and Kayla drew her breath knowingly. She nodded slowly, smiling weakly as she dropped her hands. Sarah watched as her mother shrunk away, "Please don't be mad."
"What did you find?" Kayla pressed anxiously. Sarah had never seen that look before- nervous, anxious, excited. Kayla was about to reveal her favorite secret, but she wanted to let Sarah be the one to take the credit.
"Captain America's shield." Sarah blurted, feeling a weight fall off of her shoulders. Kayla smiled, despite the tears that welled up in her green eyes. Tessa swallowed hard, looking between Morgan and Sarah and Kayla.
Kayla gave her daughter's arms a squeeze, "We wanted to wait until you were older... it's complicated."
"It gets more complicated." Sarah warned and Kayla closed her mouth, waiting for Sarah to explain. "I touched it... and I saw the battle with Thanos."
"You... what?" Kayla asked, blinking rapidly as she felt her legs turn to jelly, "What do you mean, you 'saw it'?"
"I was transported there by some sort of magic and I saw everything that happened. I saw you. I saw Dad." Sarah explained slowly, staring up at her mother with wide eyes.
Kayla looked to Morgan worriedly, but Morgan just raised her hands defensively, "Oh, it gets much weirder."
"I touched Morgan and I was transported to her father's funeral. I touched the shield again and saw Dad crash into the ice in World War II. And I saw you die from the anti-serum." Sarah rattled quickly. Kayla removed her hands from her daughter's arms and stumbled back a step, looking at the floor with wide eyes as she meandered over to the couch and fell into the cushions behind Tessa.
Sarah wrapped her slim arms around her torso as she walked over to the living room, standing in front of Kayla as she tried to register everything that happened. Morgan came and sat beside Kayla, wrapping an arm around her shoulders supportively as she stared at the carpet. "I was there. I saw it happen, she went into some sort of a trance. She also was able to get me out of speeding ticket by using her magical powers on a cop. It's been at trippy evening."
"Yeah, you can say that." Kayla mumbled as she lifted her head to look at Sarah, "You saw all of that? Like, like a movie?"
"More like I was in the movie, trapped in the scene but nobody could see me." Sarah explained and Kayla looked at Tessa to see what her friend thought. Tessa just shrugged, letting her friend know nothing about this family surprised her anymore. Sarah clenched her teeth nervously while her mother stared at her in disbelief, "Mom?"
"I just- I don't know what to say." Kayla admitted, "Is this how you saw the vision of Wakanda the other night?"
"Wakanda?" Sarah asked, looking between her mom and Morgan questioningly, "What about Wakanda?"
"It's what you drew. I remember that view, it's where your father and I got married. It's where I lived before your brother was born." Kayla explained.
Morgan looked to Sarah thoughtfully, feeling her chest tighten, "It's where my mom died." She met Sarah's gaze and things started to fall into place, "What time did you see it?"
"I think around ten our time?" Sarah guessed and Morgan considered this for a moment, counting hours in her head until she realized her suspicion was right.
"That's when she died in Wakanda."
"I'm so scared, Mom." Sarah whimpered as she sat on the other side of Kayla on the couch, and the older woman wrapped her arms around her daughter lovingly.
"I know. I'm scared too. Your brother's been taken. You seem to have magical powers, and your dad is on a suicide mission, as per usual. I'm absolutely terrified." Kayla admitted, squeezing Sarah tightly, "But we're going to get through this. Now, what do you want to know?"
Sarah stared forward, realizing her mother was going to finally tell her about her past, about her history. Sarah beamed at Kayla, "Tell me everything."