It was three days before Chris even bothered to check her new phone. She'd binge watched Stranger Things season 2, finally, but it made her sad because Bucky wasn't there to watch it with her on top of everything else that had blown up in her life. The team had been sent on a mission to Africa but were expected back any time from what F.R.I.D.A.Y. told her.

Only certain Avengers and Director Crenshaw had her new number. She had a couple of texts from Tony, her new boss, about how she could stay put in her apartment space unless she wanted something else and to see if she would meet with him today.

Well, hell.

Chris decided she'd get cleaned up, stop wallowing in self-pity and at least see what her new boss wanted to talk about since she worked for Stark Industries now.

But she'd been with the FBI. That change still really hurt. And it was all her own fault.

There were a handful of texts from Steve. Respectful and just what she would expect. His messages were caring and careful, promising her he'd give her the time and space that she needed if she'd just consider still letting him be part of her life.

As if he didn't realize how fortunate she was to be part of his.

Bucky was another story. Where Steve was trying to be patient and gentle, Bucky was insistent, just as he'd been from the beginning. She had a feeling he was playing to her sympathy for him, damn him. And when she got to the text where he'd told her that she'd "brought his world back into focus and he didn't know what he and Steve would do without her", Chris paused, feeling guilty.

She picked up her new phone, not knowing if they were even able to get texts at the moment and replied to Bucky's last text.

Chris: Hey

A minute hadn't passed when she got a response.

BB: Hey, beautiful. How are you?

Chris: I've been better. I'm sorry I didn't answer right away.

BB: I understand why. I'm so sorry about what happened. If you need anything at all, I'm here. I hope you know that.

Chris: I have to meet Tony in a couple of hours. About my new job.

BB: Are you going to be okay?

Chris: I hope so…

BB: We should be back within the next two hours. Do you want me to come with you?

Yes.

Chris: Should get out of that at 5 or 6. Could I come talk to you then?

BB: Of course. Whatever you need. My place?

Chris: Please.

BB: Just me or did you want Steve too?

Chris thought about that. Likely, Steve was reading the texts with him. That made Chris smile. She hoped they'd been making each other happy during all this. She didn't know Steve as well, but, yeah, it would be nice to see him too.

Chris: If Steve's not busy, I'd like to see him too.

BB: He'll be there.

Somehow picturing the two of them waiting for her made her feel a little lighter. Yeah, she was out of the bureau for now, in hiding from HYDRA for now. But they'd taken her in, were protecting her, gave her a job.

And they weren't just still focused on each other. They were still very insistent on seeing her too. Why, when they had each other, she had no idea. But…

BB: Are you okay, baby?

Chris stared at his message for several long moments before deciding to answer it.

Chris: I don't know.

BB: Get through your meeting and we'll be here, okay?

Chris: K

Chris showered, dressed a bit more casually than she did for the bureau. She had to laugh as she threw on jeans and a top. She would have bitched about dressing up if she were meeting Crenshaw, now she missed dressing like an agent because she didn't have to.

She arrived at Tony's office with five minutes to spare and he waved her in, his expression kind.

"Hey, kid, how are you?" he asked.

Chris sat on the other side of the desk, shrugged. "I'm fine. Thank you for this, Mr. Stark."

"Tony, okay?" Tony studied her for a long moment. "So, I've checked out your vita. You've been holding out on me."

Chris huffed a laugh. "Have I?"

"You are almost a genius like myself," Tony told her. "Fury wasn't wrong when he said your skills rival mine. What I want to know is why you chose to do what you do?"

"Work for the FBI?" Chris played coy.

"No, why you're hiding in an apartment instead of being out in the field. With the mind you've got kid, you'd be much more useful out there. I realize you can't right now, but eventually…"

"Would I?"

"That begs the question," Tony went on. "Why are you where you are?"

Chris shook her head. "I'm not. I fucked up and lost my place with the bureau for now."

"Now you're working for someone you've admired for some time," he barely kept the smile off his face.

"Crenshaw told you, did he?"

"Of course, he did." Tony placed his hands on the desk before him. "Which only reiterates the fact that you are brilliant. I just need to figure out where to put you that would do us the most good."

"I have to stay hidden," Chris pointed out.

"Yes, you do."

"How can I help then?" Chris asked. "The Avengers?"

"Yes. If we did this the right way, you could almost be me when I can't be here, being me," Tony told her. "Almost like being able to clone myself. Some of the things we could have unleashed if I hadn't been out there, having to be Iron Man."

That got Chris's interest. "If you think I could learn… some of what you do, Tony."

"That's what I wanted," he said pointing to her, "the perpetual student. So, you're willing to learn?"

"Yes," Chris told him.

"Good and I'd like for you to work with Pepper as well," he explained. "There's a lot she can teach you that, surprisingly, I can't. I'd love to have someone with the know how to back us up when we can't be here. And between us, that's often."

"She was the first person who spoke to me when I first came here. She was nice." Chris huffed a laugh. "And I need something to do."

"You didn't answer my question though," Tony went back to it. "And I don't think you're the type who keeps bodies in the freezer in her basement so… why so private, Chris? There's something there…"

Chris blew out an exhale. "I'm just weird okay?"

Tony's hazel eyes took her in, almost made her feel like she was being analyzed.

"Not weird but gifted in some way," Tony said, thinking out loud more than he was talking to her.

"Gifted?" Chris asked, trying to play dumb but failing spectacularly.

"I'll figure it out," Tony told her. "In the meantime, how about we work together each day when I'm here, 10 -4, and get you acclimated with F.R.I.D.A.Y. and everything. We'll start Monday. That gives you the weekend."

Chris couldn't contain her smile. "I'd like that."

"Good," Tony told her. "Some days it won't be me but Pepper, but I think you'll get a lot out of those sessions too. Maybe more. I'll totally deny it if you tell her I said that."

Chris nodded and laughed.

"Any questions?" Tony asked.

"I'm sure I'll have some as we go along but not right now," she told him.

"You're an empath, aren't you?" Tony's expression was knowing and smug.

Chris froze at that, like the proverbial deer in headlights.

"What?"

"That's it, isn't it?" Tony's gaze moved over her. "An empath could take advantage of such a high intellect, use it to keep safe behind walls and doors, remotely managing data, assessing risks. That's why you chose this path. Does the bureau even know?"

Chris bowed her head. How had she been able to keep her secret from the FBI for nearly 10 years and these enhanced beings, these Avengers, were able to spot it right away?

"No," she admitted.

"Do the two senior citizens know?" Tony asked.

"What?"

Did he know about Bucky and Steve?

"That's not my business," Tony told her, "sorry."

"No, it's not and I don't want to talk about that," Chris said, meaning it.

"Understood."

"And yes, they do," she told him.

Tony smiled.

"Chris, I want you to understand how flattered I am to have someone like yourself feel that I'm deserving of your… admiration. I'm not just your boss, I'm your friend. We're friends on this team. We trust each other with our very lives. We've got good people here. Just give this a chance, okay?"

Looking at the StarkPad in front of him, he grinned. "Team's back. Have you talked to them since the meeting?"

Chris nodded. "I texted Bucky before I came here for the meeting. I'll see them later on."

"Good," he told her. "Very good,"

Walking around the desk she thought he meant to shake her hand, but he pulled her into a hug. "I'll show you the office that will be yours Monday, okay? I don't personally care where you work but Pepper thinks it's important to separate work and home so… just wanted you to have that head's up."

"Thank you." She meant it.

Having the details of her new job ironed out, Chris headed back for her apartment, running into Natasha on the way. They shared the elevator.

"How did it go?" Chris asked the beautiful spy.

"Well, I just about had my ass handed to me, but I'll live to fight another day," Nat said with a smile. "How are you?"

Chris nodded. "Met with Tony about the new job. It went okay."

"I think you'll be happy here," Nat told her. "I know of a couple of fellas who were very happy to hear from you. And it would sure help my ass, all our asses, if their focus wasn't so divided."

Chris took the hint, her face heating up.

"Hey," Nat said as they reached her floor. "I'm not judging you. Promise. And they aren't talking. But I do feel like I should tell you that they are both close friends of mine. Particularly, Steve. And if you hurt him…either of them…"

Natasha didn't have to finish that statement.

"Understood," Chris told her.

Natasha nodded, appeared satisfied and exited at her floor.

Chris continued up to her floor, nervous without being able to put her finger on why.

Well, she did know why. Within a matter of months, everything in her life had been turned upside down because she'd wanted easy sex, fucked up and fell in love. Not to mention that she fell in love with two extraordinary men and…

What the hell was she doing?

Maybe thirty minutes had passed when her phone vibrated.

BB: We're back from debriefing. Come over any time you want.

Chris sank down onto the couch, just staring at the screen.

What was she doing? She wasn't good at relationships. She didn't even belong here. These two men loved each other, had for pretty much a century. She was the catalyst in bringing them together, and not unhappy about that, but where did she fit in the grand scheme of things with them? Maybe they cared about her. Maybe they just felt sorry for her. That would make more sense. Chris wasn't special. She wasn't anything like them.

What the hell did they see in her?

BB: Doll, are you there?

Her heart sank. She felt unable to breathe.

Chris: The meeting went well but I'm not feeling well. I'm going to stay in today. I'm so sorry. I promise, we'll talk soon. Sorry.

Her hands shook, she still couldn't breathe, Chris slid down on the couch so that she was laying down. Her mind was locked up, her heart was racing.

Then someone knocked on the door.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., who is it?"

Like she couldn't guess.

"It's Captain Rogers."

That surprised her. She would have guessed it was Bucky.

"How would you like to respond?"

Chris started to feel dizzy. Her mind was yelling for her to tell the AI that she couldn't see anyone. Didn't want to see anyone.

Her heart had other ideas.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., please let him in," she whispered.

Steve opened the door, still in uniform, concern clouding his handsome face. When he spotted her, he was at her side in a second. One hand smoothed over her hair, while the other one took her small shaking hand in his steady one.

"Chris, are you okay?" Steve whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair. "Please talk to me, sweetheart."

Gasping, she glanced up into his blue eyes, wanting his strength. "Can't breathe," she mumbled.

"I thought we'd agreed you would wait to hear from me," Steve said over her head.

"Oh, God, is she okay?" Bucky's tone was filled with worry, then he was right there also still in uniform. Not petting her like Steve but pulling her onto his lap. "I think she's having a panic attack. It's okay, baby. I have these. You're going to be okay."

Chris ended up curled in on herself in Bucky's lap. Steve sat behind her, smoothing a gentle hand through her hair.

"Doll baby, what brought this on?" Bucky whispered. "Are you okay?"

Chris nodded. It was all she could manage.

"I know you've been through a lot," Steve whispered above her. "Let us help you. We don't expect anything, I promise."

Her heart tightened in her chest at that. No, she hadn't been afraid they'd just want sex with her again. For them to clarify that for her, well, it meant everything.

"You look so tired," Steve whispered. "You haven't slept, have you?"

Chris lifted her head off Bucky's chest, glancing up at him. He looked as tired as she felt. Both of them had deep shadows beneath their eyes from their mission.

"And you have?" she asked weakly.

"We really haven't slept the last few days," Bucky admitted. "We could get some takeout sent up, get some sleep. What do you think, doll? We could have dinner and then all go to sleep? Would you sleep any better with us there?"

Chris considered that. If they were with her, she wasn't as likely to let her mind fill with an endless array of scenarios unlikely to happen.

When she nodded, Bucky's face lit up. All his emotions uncurled from his control. Relief. Happiness.

"Want to stay here?" he asked her.

"Actually, I think I have the biggest bed. Want to go to mine?" Steve offered.

At her nod, Bucky rose from the couch with her while Steve grabbed her phone, ducked into her bedroom for a couple of items. Then Bucky carried her back to his Steve's apartment, which Chris hadn't been in before.

From the brief glimpse Chris got of it, it was elegant with older, antique furniture. The colors were light, sedate. It matched Steve very well. Bucky gently placed her on the huge bed, sinking down with her and reaching for the remote to turn on an enormous television. The screen showed he'd been watching a documentary on WWII.

"Anything you'd like to watch?" Steve offered with a small smile.

Chris shook her head, feeling like her head wasn't really attached to her body. "I don't care."

She caught the concern look that passed between them at that.

"What are you hungry for?" Bucky asked. "We could order pizza. I know you love that."

"Does pizza work, sweetheart?" Steve asked.

When Chris nodded weakly, Bucky pulled his own phone from a back pocket and headed out for the living room. "I'll get your Hawaiian pizza, doll."

Steve's brows knit. "What is Hawaiian pizza?"

Chris huffed out an exhale. "It's a pizza with ham or Canadian bacon and pineapples."

Steve nodded politely, she could tell he didn't get it. She watched as he went to his dresser and pulled out a t-shirt.

"This should work as a nightgown on you," Steve mused.

Chris weakly grabbed it from his hand. It was light blue and worn from wear. So soft. With her hands shaking, Steve helped her undress, so she could pull the shirt on. And oh, was it comfortable. Best of all it smelled like him. After tucking her into his bed, he leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose.

"I'm going to drag him into the shower and hopefully we'll have pizza by then, okay?" he asked smiling.

Nodding, she caught his arm before he could pull away. "How are things between you two?"

Steve's face flushed red.

"That good, huh?"

"Yeah," Steve told her, grinning. "Couldn't do a lot on this mission aside from teasing the hell out of each other. But…"

"Crap," she said, shaking her head. "And here I am messing up your happy homecoming…"

"No," Bucky was leaning in the doorframe, "you're not messing up anything, baby. It's not a celebration without you. You need to understand that."

"You don't need me to make this work," Chris argued. "You need to understand that."

Two sets of blue eyes met, Bucky nodded.

"We'll talk about everything when you're feeling better and we're all better rested," Steve told her, his tone final.

Steve and Bucky headed into the bathroom and Chris heard the rustling of clothes, and the clang of knives and other items hitting the floor.

"Doll baby, yell if pizza arrives, okay?" Bucky called to her.

"Okay," she replied.

Chris had to have dozed off for a few moments. She awoke to the sounds of moaning and gasping in the shower, knowing exactly what they were doing in there. Chris smiled, not jealous at all. As it was, she talked herself out of slipping in to watch.

F.R.I.D.A.Y. let them know pizza was there, so she pulled on a robe she found on the bedroom door and went to the front door to retrieve the pizza. The damn near pornographic sounds in the shower were getting louder as Chris got out plates, napkins, drinks.

Feeling so tired, she sank into a chair at the table, nodding off.

"Sweetheart?"

Chris startled awake to see Steve kneeling in front of her, gloriously naked aside from his boxers. He smoothed a large hand over her forehead, over her hair.

"Are you okay? We could run you down to medical just for a quick evaluation?" Steve asked, those beautiful eyes clouded with worry.

"I'm fine," she told him, her gaze meeting Bucky's as he came up behind Steve. "When I get this way… I end up feeling exhausted."

"Yep," Bucky stepped around Steve and scooped her up out of the chair while she squealed in surprise. "That's why we're going to bed. Steve, grab everything."

In minutes, she was deposited between the two of them in Steve's enormous bed, having pizza and watching Band of Brothers. Steve adored the Hawaiian pizza and they had a good time commenting on what the acclaimed series about WWII got right – and wrong.

She'd cuddled up to Steve as Bucky put cleared everything away from pizza. Chris fought to keep her eyes open, realizing she hadn't really slept since Tony and Steve had crashed back into her life.

"You can go to sleep," Steve told her, kissing the top of her head. "Bucky likes to sleep after missions like this one. I usually don't but I'll make an exception. We'll be here when you wake up."

Chris was out before Bucky ever got back to the bedroom.