A/N: When I wrote the first chapter, I intended it be just a one-shot. But I kept wondering what would happen next so this chapter happened. As of writing this chapter, I have no bigger arc/plot or idea in mind yet so I'm going to take this one chapter at a time, writing chapter ideas as they come. Not a lot of planning on this, I'm planning as I go so I'm not sure how much sense it will make but I hope you like it! By the way, I'm not incorporating a BuckyNat subplot in this one. I'm adapting MCU's (ridiculous) decision of ignoring one of the best romantic relationships in the comicbook universe.

When Steve and Natasha emerged from the quantum tunnel, Steve immediately knelt down and set Natasha on the platform. She was still unconscious. Their quantum suit deactivated, leaving them in their old uniforms. Steve gently shook her again but her head just lolled on his forearm. He also noted that she seemed to be a bit warm.

"Is that -," a familiar voice in a distance trailed off.

Steve looked up and saw Bruce, Sam, and Bucky all staring at him in shock and surprise. He was so focused on Natasha that he forgot they were waiting for him there.

"Nat?" Bruce spoke again.

Steve nodded with a smile. It was Sam who moved first. He jumped on the platform and knelt by Natasha's side. He did not know what to do, his hand hovered for a while in the air, wanting to touch Natasha to see if she was real but was afraid at the same time that she might be already dead cold.

Steve clasped Sam's hand and said, "It's okay, Sam. She's fine."

Sam eased up a bit and finally reached out for Natasha's hand. He gasped and smiled to feel her warmth. Steve looked up and saw Bucky kneeling by his side, near Natasha's head. Unlike Sam, Bucky did not hesitate and just reached out to gently touch her braid.

"It's red again," Bucky whispered with a smile.

Steve chuckled and was about to warn Bucky that this redhead was already taken when a large shadow loomed over them. Steve looked up and saw Bruce kneeling across him.

Bruce did not make a move to touch her, but his eyes were scanning her from head to toe, a thousand and one questions swarming inside his head.

"I thought it didn't work. I thought it can't be undone," Bruce said in disbelief.

"The snap didn't bring her back, Bruce," Steve said, "the stone did."

Steve watched as Bruce tried to make sense of everything.

"I have no idea how exactly this happened, but I think we can all agree, that doesn't really matter," Steve said with a smile.

Finally, Bruce smiled and nodded in agreement.

"She's hot," Bucky said.

Steve chuckled and looked at his best friend incredulously but then Sam spoke.

"Steve, she's burning up."

Steve immediately touched her forehead. She was burning up. His jaw tightened as he contained the panic that suddenly crept inside him, afraid that Natasha's resurrection possibly did come with a catch and it was happening now. He slid his one arm underneath Natasha's knees and wrapped the other around her waist. He stood up and started to get off from the platform.

"What are you doing?" Bucky asked.

Steve did not bother answering. He just kept walking towards the compound and based on the rustles and crunches of grass and fallen leaves, he knew the three were following him.

The Avengers compound was reduced to rubble but in the past months, when Scott and Banner were rebuilding the quantum tunnel, they have managed to set up a temporary laboratory and living space near it. They went through the debris to see if there was anything salvageable. There were some, but most of the equipment and supplies for the new quantum tunnel were provided by T'Challa.

When they reached the lab, Steve immediately set down Natasha on the only couch in the common living area while Bucky went straight for the pantry.

"I know there's a first aid kit here somewhere," Bruce said and rummage through the cabinets.

Meanwhile, Sam went straight for the air conditioner and adjusted the temperature for Natasha's benefit. When Bucky came back, he had a bowl of water and small towel. He immediately soaked it in the water, wrung it, and placed it on Natasha's forehead. Steve smiled, remembering how many times Bucky used to do that to him when they were kids and he was running a fever.

"Thanks, Buck," Steve said.

Bucky clapped him on the shouldered and smiled.

"Actually, I think this might be better," Bucky said as he removed his left glove and then gently placed his cold metal palm on her forehead.

Steve raised his eyebrows but did not protest. He had touched the vibranium arm, it was indeed cool to the touch.

"Better get those gear off," Bucky said and nodded to Natasha's uniform.

Steve agreed and he started unbuckling all the straps. He removed the ones around her armpits first. He then raised Natasha's head and upper back a bit so Sam can pull the batons and the holster from her back. Her shoulder plates came next followed by her belt and holsters around her thighs, which were both empty.

Then Sam caught Bucky staring at Steve with a knowing grin on his face.

"What?" Sam asked.

Steve looked at the two and waited for Bucky to answer.

"Nothing. It's just, it seems Steve really knows his way around those straps and belts," Bucky teased.

"Really, Barnes?" Sam asked. "You can joke right now?"

"Please, don't start, you two," Steve said with a laugh and resumed his task. He did know his way around her uniform because he saw her suit up a hundred times already. Plus the fact that nobody seemed to notice it, but their uniforms mirrored each other in so many ways - the straps around their shoulders to hold his shield and her batons in the back, the extra padding and the protective plates on their shoulders, their utility belts, their leather gloves and widow bites, and then their boots. They were pretty much a mirror of each other.

That thought made him smile as he moved on to Natasha's boots. Then Steve went last for her widow bites. He was not sure if they were still charged and functioning so he took his time with it. By the time he freed her wrists, Bruce finally came back with three aspirin tablets and a glass of water.

"Ammm, I have a question," Bucky asked tentatively.

Sam shot him a warning look.

"Relax, Wilson. It's just, how are we going to make her take those?"

"Shit," Sam said in defeat.

"Steve, she needs to go to a hospital, and it's not just because of her fever. She might have other medical conditions after - after what - happened," Bruce said.

"Too much attention, too much questions too, Bruce," Sam said and shook his head.

Steve paused for a moment, looked at her, and tried to think. Bucky's hand was still on her forehead. Then it hit him. He looked at Bucky and said, "The princess."

Bucky's face lit up and nodded.

"But Wakanda's in another continent and we don't have a jet right now," Bruce said. "Maybe I can call Pep -"

"No," Steve cut him off. "She has a lot on her plate right now."

"Strange," Bucky said, almost as a whisper.

"What is?" Sam asked.

Bucky blinked his eyes fast as if waking up from a trance and said, "No, I mean, Strange."

Sam's eyes widened in agreement as they all watched Bucky make circles in the air with his right hand.

"Right! I'll ring him up," Bruce said excitedly and stepped into the laboratory.

"I'll ring T'Challa, let him know," Sam offered. He fished his phone from his pocket and started for the door. But he stopped and turned back to Steve. "Steve, you know there's one more phone call we need to make, right?"

Steve looked at him.

"He has to know," Sam followed up.

Steve nodded and said, "Let's get her in Wakanda first."

Sam agreed and headed out to make a call.

Barely five minutes had passed when the familiar round orange portal appeared in thin air and Stephen Strange stepped through it. His eyes immediately fell on Natasha's sleeping figure on the couch.

"Remarkable," Strange said. Then his red cloak suddenly detached itself from Strange and went to snugly wrap itself around Natasha's body like a blanket. Bucky could not help but smile and tried to pet the cloak. Good thing the cloak let him.

"I have read almost every book of ancient wisdom on the Infinity Stones but I don't remember any account similar to this," Strange continued.

Bruce emerged back from the laboratory as Steve went to shook the sorcerer's hand.

"I know, even the guardian didn't expect this," Steve said.

Strange walked closer to Natasha. "Bruce said she has a fever."

"A very, very high fever," Bucky corrected him.

Sam finally came back, "Done. T'Challa's out of the country but Shuri assured us it won't be a problem. She said we can go now."

They did not waste any second anymore. Steve picked Natasha up while Bucky and Sam secured all of her discarded gear. Then Strange conjured the portal and in two seconds, Steve could see Shuri waiting and smiling at them from the other side. It was not just Shuri though. A medical team was standing behind her and Okoye beside her.

When the portal was fully opened, Strange stepped through first followed by Steve, Bucky, Sam, then Bruce. A gurney was immediately rolled in front of Steve and he carefully placed Natasha down. Bucky patted on the cloak and it reluctantly unwrapped itself from Natasha.

"This is unbelievable," Shuri said in amazement.

Steve smiled at the princess but before he can further explain the situation, he noticed Okoye approaching.

The general did not say anything. Her surprised yet pleased expression and the impending flow of tears on her cheeks were more than enough to convey what she was feeling and thinking. She slowly reached for Natasha's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Steve saw Sam, Bucky, Bruce, and even Shuri exchange puzzled looks. Unlike him, they did not have an idea on the kind of bond that the two women have formed in the past five years. Several months after Thanos' snap, Natasha and Okoye communicated constantly. Wakanda had the resources so Natasha could continue their work; while Natasha had insights that helped Okoye re-focus on her duty. Okoye was a general with more than half of her army wiped out. She was a king's guard with no king or royal family to serve. Natasha reminded her that T'Challa served the people of Wakanda so by extension she did too. Not wanting to fail her king, Okoye went to work and reinstated order in the kingdom.

The two women connecting did not surprise Steve at all. Natasha and Okoye had different backgrounds but at their core, they were the same - a woman you wouldn't dare piss off.

Okoye glanced up at Steve and gave him a nod. Steve smiled and finally explained the situation.

"The short of it is, the stone gave her back but once we emerged from the quantum tunnel, she started burning up."

"And I'm pretty sure it's steadily rising," Bucky followed up. He raised his metal arm. "I think I felt every degree as it hiked up."

Shuri smiled at Bucky and then turned to Steve, "Very well, leave it to us, Captain. She's in safe hands."

"May I?" Strange asked Shuri.

"Of course, doctor," Shuri said with a smile and gestured for Strange to follow her and her team.

The rest of them hanged back. Steve watched helplessly as the medical team wheeled Natasha in the middle of the room where equipment, monitors, and other medical supplies were stationed and then went to work. As much as Steve wanted to stay beside Natasha, he knew he would only be a nuisance.

He was lost in his thoughts that was why he was taken aback a bit when Sam raised a phone in front of his face.

"Time to make that call," Sam said with a smile.

Steve agreed and retrieved the phone from Sam's hand. He walked away from them and settled near the glass the windows. When he found the name he was looking for, he brought the phone to his ears and heard the line ringing.

Steve immediately racked his brain on how he should handle this one. He thought of ending the call so he could come up with a more concrete and proper plan of how to break the news, but it was too late.

"Hello," a friendly voice cracked from the other end.

"It's Steve."

"Oh, hey, Cap."

"I have something to tell you but first I think you need to sit down."

"What?" the voice asked in laughter.

"Clint, it's Nat."

There was silence from Clint's end and Steve waited patiently. After probably almost a minute, Clint spoke again.

"What about her, Steve?"

Clint rarely called him Steve but when he did, Steve knew Clint was not messing around.

"It's something best discussed in person, Clint. I'm sorry. I'm going to arrange for a jet to pick you up today. Just you, in the meantime," Steve said firmly but calmly.

"Okay, I better get ready then," Clint said and cut off the call.

Steve stared at the phone for a while, assessing if that went well or not. But before he could figure it out, he heard Shuri firing rapid series of commands to the medical team. When Steve turned to look at the commotion, they were wheeling Natasha into an enclosed corner of the room and then left her there. To Steve, it looked like an ICU, but to enter it, one had to go through a small decontamination room first.

Steve tried to enter the enclosure but Strange stopped him.

"I'm afraid you cannot go in there," Strange said with sympathy.

Steve looked at the medical team and saw them putting on additional protective gears like masks, goggles, and gloves. Then they went through decontamination first before joining Natasha back inside the ICU. He looked at Strange again.

"Her body is responding against infections -," Strange tried explaining.

"Yeah, that's the fever, right?" Sam cut him off. "What's the big deal?"

Strange nodded and continued, "Infections. Plural. We can't explain it yet but it seems that her body was reset."

"Reset? Like a computer rebooting?" Bruce repeated.

"Yes," Strange said and further explained, "her immune system right now is similar to that of a child. She seems to have lost all the antibodies she had acquired over the years."

"That means her body is re-orienting itself to the different pathogens entering her system," Bruce said and Strange nodded.

"Right now, there seems to be nothing significant to cause us any alarm. That quarantine would help manage the influx of pathogens, preventing her from getting overrun by infections. All we can do is administer antibiotics and boost her immune system, helping her fight these pathogens on her own. It would be slow at first but both the princess and I are optimistic, her system will eventually revert to its original state."

Steve sighed in relief and he heard everyone else do the same.

"So how do you technically reset an immune system?" Bucky asked.

They all looked at Bucky, surprised at his question at first but then they all realized they were curious as well. They looked at Strange for answers.

"Studies on rebooting the immune system of patients with autoimmune diseases have been done before and showed promising results. However, nothing is conclusive yet. This is the first time I have seen a successfully rebooted system," Strange explained and hearing that it was actually probable calmed all of them.

"Could it be also because she was, in a way, reborn?" Sam asked.

"That crossed my mind. The simpler hypothesis is that, the stone gave her a new body," Strange admitted but then turned to Steve. "Was she conscious when she returned?"

"No, but she eventually woke up."

"How would you describe her mental state? Cognitive functions, etc?"

"Well, she recognized me and she did remember what happened to her," Steve replied.

Strange's eyes widened, started to slowly pace back and forth and mumbled to himself, "New corporeal vessel with pre-existing consciousness. This is truly remarkable, both from the point of view of a medical doctor and a sorcerer."

"Wait, are you talking about transcendental consciousness?" Bruce asked.

"Not quite. Transcendental consciousness is a mental state where a person, still very much alive and awake, experiences consciousness in its purest form. This is different. In Ms. Romanoff's case, her consciousness continued to exist on its own, showing that it is indeed a separate entity and can survive apart from its corporeal body. And apparently, transferable."

Bruce fell silent, obviously understanding the gravity and implications of what Strange just postulated.

Steve seemed to understand it too but right now, if he was being honest, he could care less about transcendence, mysticism, and other existential bullshit. Maybe he would be more interested about it another time. But now, all that mattered to him was Natasha.

"Look, I know this fascinates us in more ways than one and we can discuss it in length some other time," Steve said.

Everyone seemed to agree except Strange.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Strange said, "unless you need my services for anything else, I'd like to take my leave now and go to the - library. I'm optimistic Ms. Romanoff will fully recover."

Steve chuckled and extended his hand to the sorcerer for a shake. "Thank you, Steve."

Strange accepted his hand and his nickname, "Anytime, Steve."

Sam and Bucky both let out a chuckle. Even Okoye smiled in amusement. Then Strange drew out his portal and disappeared into the library in Kamar-Taj.

"Now," Steve turned to Okoye, "can we borrow a jet?"

Okoye retained her smile and nodded.

"Sam, can you -,"

"On it," Sam cut him off. "Just Barton, right? No Wanda, No Laura?"

Steve nodded and watched Sam follow Okoye to the elevator.

"Sam," Steve shouted, "don't say anything yet. Just get him here first."

Sam responded with a salute and soon he and Okoye disappeared behind the elevator doors.

Steve hated waiting. He was a patient person but not right now. After Sam left, Bucky and Bruce went to find food. That was when he realized he was hungry. The three trolleys filled with food the palace staff rolled in for them distracted him for a while.

Shuri later on assured him that there was nothing for them to be worried about and there was nothing else they could do right now. Natasha, now comfortable in a hospital gown, was hooked on IV for nutrition sustenance and upon Strange's recommendation, under sedation too to give Natasha's body uninterrupted recuperation. The princess ordered the palace staff to prepare them their bedrooms and that they should rest in the meantime. Bruce did but Bucky never left Steve's side. He stayed in the infirmary and sat outside the ICU, so Bucky ended up just sitting right next to him the whole afternoon.

Around three, T'Challa arrived. He was not supposed to be back until tomorrow but the news of Natasha was enough good reason to cut his trip short and come home. T'Challa knew everything Natasha did to help Okoye and his kingdom in his absence so she was more important than any trade deal discussions he was having with some prime minister somewhere. Steve could not be more grateful to T'Challa for everything.

"I owe her, Captain," T'Challa said, "the whole world does."

Steve and Bucky could not agree more.

By five o'clock, Steve was standing near the glass windows again, this time watching a jet land from a distance.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Bucky asked with worry.

"I don't know, Buck. Any ideas?"

Bucky thought for a while and said, "No not really. I mean, our own reunion wasn't exactly a good reference point."

They both laughed at that then Bucky laid a hand on his shoulder. "Just be there for him."

Steve smiled at him in gratitude. Fifteen minutes later the elevator doors of the infirmary opened. Okoye stepped out first, followed by Clint, then Sam. Steve immediately walked to Clint and surprised him with a hug.

"Woah," Clint said in delight and hugged him back. When they pulled away Clint went straight to the point, "So, what about Nat?"

Steve gave him a comforting smile and gestured to just follow him. Clint did not hesitate. He never hesitated with him and Steve held that in high regard. Behind Clint, Bucky and Sam gingerly followed.

Steve led Clint to the ICU corner but they were still a good thirty yards away when Clint stopped, clutched Steve's arm, and started palpitating. Steve realized that with Clint's perfect vision, he must have already spotted Natasha. Steve turned to look at him. Color drained from Clint's face, his jaw hung open and his eyes wide and fixed at the red head ahead. Steve was sure Clint was nauseated by now.

Clint tried to speak, to say something but there was a hitch in his throat that he suddenly could not breath properly. He also started getting dizzy. His knees gave way under him. He tightened his grip on Steve's to keep himself upright. He did not know who it was but he felt another hand supported him from the back.

"What is this?" Clint finally managed to ask, his gaze fixed on Natasha.

Steve did not answer him, instead he just continuously led him outside the ICU. When they were five feet away from it, Clint stopped so Steve stopped too. Then Clint slowly released his grip on Steve and paused a moment to regain his footing. When he was sure he would not topple over, Clint walked to the enclosure. He touched the glass and started to cry silently.

Without looking at them, Clint asked, "Is she -,"

"Alive," Steve immediately replied.

That was when Clint fell on his knees and cried his heart out. Steve knelt beside him and put an arm around his shoulder. He then pulled him to his side to support him but Clint went in and hugged him. Steve hugged him back and let him sob on his shoulder for a while.

Then Clint pulled away and looked at him.

"How are we sure it's her?" Clint asked. "We're talking about magic stones and aliens here."

Steve smiled and replied confidently, "Well, she called me an old man and when her head cleared, Laura and the kids were her first concern."

Clint sobbed even more, but this time in gratitude and relief. "Thank you," Clint managed to whispered in between sobs.

A/N: Sorry if you got bored on the medical stuff. I'm piecing things as I go, using details from the movies and trying to expand them for this story without becoming too far-fetched.