Hey all just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews so far. I had to cut this chapter short because it was starting to get long and wanted to give you all something after what happened in the last chapter. Anyway just wanted to to give my thanks and hope you all like what's coming. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.
The Next Morning- Nora's POV
I woke up in Wren's nursery but Wren wasn't in his crib. I started panicking and ran out of the nursery and started looking in each room.
"Boss, Aiden is downstairs with Wren he asked me to alert you to that when you woke up." Friday said and I immediately relaxed. Great I'm turning into one of those overprotective helicopter parents. I jumped in the shower and tried to pull myself together before heading downstairs. I was surprised to see Dad there.
"Morning." I said.
"Hey kiddo, how you feeling?" dad asked looking me over.
"Still a bit jittery but it'll pass." I said. "How are things at the Compound?"
"Roger's shipped Carter off to London in a quinjet this morning. Had an interesting visitor last night." Dad said.
"Interesting from the future or interesting from the past?" I said genuinely not knowing what to expect. It was getting really hard to keep my timeline straight.
"Interesting as in past you from the night of the masquerade gala. Kinda funny to watch you talk about your assassin roommate who wanted you dead when I'm watching him make rocket ship sounds as he feeds my grandson." Dad said.
"Welcome to my world." I said.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Cronus protocols." Dad said.
"What about them?" I asked.
"You kinda freaked Rhodey and Helen out last night when you passed out and woke up throwing up." Dad said.
"I'm the host of the time stone with increased healing abilities…" Which may or may not be due to the fact that I'm apparently a super soldier I added silently. "I've literally come back from the dead before."
"I put my hand through her and broke her spine and she was alright." Aiden added.
"The worse thing Helen will ever have to with is a bullet wound to my shoulder, a hangover, and an exhausted past me." I said.
"Still don't you think this is something you should have accounted for?" Dad said.
"Dad I have tried to get everyone ready for when they meet a past version of me without screwing up the timeline which you have no idea how hard that is. I've done all I can." I said.
"I'm not saying you haven't I'm saying there's always room for improvement." Dad said.
"I'll look through the protocols and check with Aya if there's anything I can add to make things easier or at least make it so you all won't freak out again." I said.
"Thank you." Dad said.
"Is that the only reason you're here?" I asked.
"I wanted to check in and see how you two were doing." Dad said.
"We're fine." I said.
"Are you really?" Dad said. "We all saw what happened last night."
"It was handled. Wren's safe and Aya didn't pull another stunt like in '44." I said.
"What'd Aya do in '44?" Aiden asked.
"You don't need to know." I said.
"You sure?" dad asked.
"Yeah." I said.
"How about I take Wren for the day and you relax." Dad said.
"Thanks for the offer but maybe another day." I said.
"Then how about we all go out for breakfast?" dad said.
"That I'm up for." I said. "I'll go get us dressed." I said picking up Wren and teleporting upstairs. I quickly slipped on a black top and a tan and black maxi skirt with black heels before slipping Wren into a cozy grey onesie.
.
We went to one of dad's favorite brunch places but of course the press was there.
"Miss Stark, Miss Stark Is this your boyfriend?" One of them shouted.
"Let us see the baby!" One shouted.
"Oh screw this." I said putting a hand on my dad and Aiden put one on me and I teleported inside.
"What a bunch of Vultures." Aiden said.
"That's what they get paid to do." Dad said. "How's the little man?"
"Fine, just a bit fussy." I said.
"He's not the only one" Aiden muttered and I kicked his foot under the table.
"And you two wonder why they think you may be dating." Dad said.
"We went on one date over two years ago." I said.
"And I was trying to use her to kill my brother." Aiden said.
"Didn't even get to second base." I added.
"I'm sorry you two actually dated?" Dad said.
"I never told you? I could have sworn I did." I said.
"It was one date that I won at an auction for ten grand." Aiden said.
"Excuse me?" dad said.
"Charity date auction for the hospital." I said.
"Right." Dad said. "So you two never… you know did anything?"
"No." We answered at the same time.
"That'd be like screwing my sister." Aiden said.
"That'd be like screwing Sam." I said.
"Okay then." Dad said relieved.
"Although I do have to say you are an excellent kisser." Aiden said just to get under my dad's skin.
"Not bad yourself." I said.
"Please I actually want to keep my breakfast down. I had to listen to you talk about your dry spell last night." Dad said.
"Oh it was that time." I said. "You didn't seem too bothered last night."
"I was buzzed." Dad defended.
After breakfast we all went our separate ways. I decided to leave Wren with Aiden at the house while I went to go deal with updating the Cronus protocols.
I walked into my office at the compound and started checking them.
"Nora!" Steve said surprised to see me.
"Hi." I said giving him a nod before going back to work.
"I wanted to apologize for last night…" Steve started.
"Don't you weren't the one that kidnapped my son and pointed a gun to his head." I said squeezing my hand into a fist in anger at remembering what Sharon had done.
"Still I should have dealt with her sooner. And I know about the masquerade gala. I know Sharon knew and I am so sorry." Steve started and I looked up at him. I was about to say something when I noticed there was something in Steve's hair.
"Is that a leaf in your hair?" I asked.
"What?" Steve said running his fingers through his hair.
"Other side." I said.
"Oh." Steve said blushing while taking the leaf out and casually putting it in the garbage bin.
"How was past me? Lot more relaxed?" I asked with a smirk at watching him struggle to say anything.
"Uh. I- I uh it was uh and we… I'm sorry?" He asked making me laugh.
"It's adorable how you never lost the 1940's shyness. It was pretty great by the way." I said and Steve looked at me confused. "The sex? Definitely scratched that itch."
"Oh uh thank you?" He said as Bucky walked in.
"Doll? I didn't know you were here." Bucky said.
"Hey sweetie." I said standing up to give him a hug and kiss him. "Just had to check on some things with the Cronus protocols and then stop by the lab."
"Oh everything okay?" Bucky asked. "Wren okay?"
"He's fine we both are just need to fill in Helen on some things." I said.
"We were thinking of going to the movies. Why don't you come with?" Bucky suggested and Steve's eyes looked at me full of hope and damn it no we are supposed to be mad at him no matter how gorgeous and adorable those deep cerulean eyes are.
"I can't, have to go home drop off Aiden in Hong Kong then check in at my lab in the hospital to make sure the 3D printer is printing that model correctly." I said.
"Oh maybe next time." Steve said.
"Maybe." I said before kissing Bucky one more time. "See you later."
With that I headed down to the lab. I went inside and grabbed a blood draw kit and started running tests.
'I don't know why you're bothering with all of this?' Aya said.
'Because one of the few people who tried to use this thing on themselves ended up with a red skull.' I said making her appear.
"Don't you think if you were going to have any side effects you would have noticed by now? It has been over thirty years." Aya said.
"We don't know how it works." I said looking at the DNA Sequencer and looking for any significant markers.
"Oh that's it, you need to get some air." Aya said before disappearing.
Suddenly I started feeling the chills and started glowing.
"Can't I get some air in my own time?" I asked.
"Have fun." Aya said.
"Aya!" I shouted as the glowing grew intense and suddenly I was standing in a weird room with rounded metal walls and I heard screaming.
"What the hell." I said focusing energy in my hand to blast someone if needed. I walked down the corridor until I got to a door.
"AHHH!" Someone screamed. I decided to shoot first ask questions later. I blasted the door open and behind the door was a woman with fuchsia pink skin and green hair and a familiar man in bed.
"AHHH!" She shouted when she saw me.
"WAHH!" He screamed.
"Peter?" I asked.
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing on my ship?!" He shouted.
"What are you… Oh shit." I said realizing that this was before the last time I saw him and this was probably the first time we ever met.
"Who are you?!" He shouted.
"You know I'm just going back over there because you're clearly busy." I said looking at the door. "I can fix that."
"Just go!" He shouted.
"Okay!" I shouted running back. "Aya I am so getting you back for this."
"I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend?!" I heard someone shout.
"She's not!" Peter shouted.
"I'm really not!" I shouted trying to help.
"Uh! I can't believe I fell for your stupid tricks starboy!" She said marching through the room.
"It's Starlord!" Peter shouted
'How is this getting air? We're in outer space?" I asked.
'You are at an intergalactic trading post. There is air.' Aya said
'Not the point." I said.
"I'd rather sleep with a Belacan than have to spend one more minute on your stupid ship, Millennium Falcon my ass." She said.
"You named your ship the Millennium Falcon?" I asked barely containing my laughter.
"Who are you?!" He shouted pointing a gun at me. "How did you get on my ship?"
"Okay calm down." I said slowly raising my hand.
"You're a bounty hunter aren't you? Who sent you? Hanaly? Lanston?" he said.
"What? No!" I said. "Look I know this doesn't make any sense but later on it will. I'm Nora and your name is Peter Quill you like to call yourself Star Lord."
"I don't know you? How do you know that?" he said getting anxious.
"I'm a time traveler." I said. "I met you in the future but this is apparently the first time we meet."
"Time travel that's impossible." He said.
"I used to say the same thing. I'm guessing we're not on Earth?" I asked.
"No. You're terran?" he asked lowering the gun.
"I'm from earth, New York if you want to get specific." I said.
"Prove it? Who are the members of the Beatles?" He asked.
"Easy, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr." I answered.
"Who's Luke Skywalker's father?" Peter asked.
"Darth Vader or his real name Anakin Skywalker." I said.
"They never said that in the movies." Peter said.
"They included it in the prequels." I said.
"Prequels? There's only three of them." Peter said not believing me.
"There's the three originals and the three they made later on." I said.
"There's more Star Wars?!" He said cheerfully.
"Yeah dude, I have them on my phone." I said.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot. Peter Quill, most people call me Starlord." He said offering me his hand.
"Nora Stark." I said shaking his hand.
"Well Nora welcome to the Millennium Falcon." He said.
"Dude you cannot name your ship after the most famous ship in the world. Be original." I said.
"You're the first person I've met out here that even understands that reference." He said.
"Well no duh, movies about space travel don't really seem that interesting when you travel through space on a daily basis." I said.
"I have to give you that one but the story is pretty great. It has everything, drama, action, a love story…" he started.
"I should warn you the prequels don't live up to the originals. They have a few moments but not really. Wait until you meet Jar Jar." I said.
"What's a Jar Jar?" he asked.
"You'll see, how do I connect this? Do you have wifi or Bluetooth?" I asked.
"Uh let me see…" he said.
"No I got it." I said hacking in. The ship did have Bluetooth.
"Let's start with Episode one." I said playing it.
About half way through the senate meeting.
"This… is not what I expected." Peter admitted.
"Yeah, pretty slow. The effects are better though." I said.
"I used to pretend to be a jedi and have lightsaber fights with my mom." He said nostalgically.
"My dad and I tried making our own lightsabers once. Didn't work before they overheated and blew up." I said.
"What's Earth like? I haven't been there since the eighties." Peter said.
"It's pretty much the same. Girls don't use as mush hairspray in their hair as they used to. Technology's better. My phone also works as a computer. Global warming… not really a theory anymore. Social media, huge thing. People are posting nudes all the time. We got invaded by aliens a few years ago that's a big one." I said.
"No freaking way!" Peter exclaimed.
"We beat them though. Not like in independence day but we kicked ass." I said.
"They invaded on the fourth of July?" he asked.
"No it's a movie about aliens invading, I'll show it to you next time." I said.
"Next time?" Peter said.
"Hey we watched Star Wars together. We're buddies now. Expect me to pop in every once in a while, probably unannounced so stay close to your pants. Sorry about that by the way." I said.
"It's okay, saved me the trouble of trying to get her out of here later." He said. "So you have a boyfriend back on Earth?"
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Uh yeah My soulmates or well soulmate now." I said.
"There's a story there." Peter said.
"Not really a story… more like a soap opera." I said.
"Oh I missed earth lingo." He said.
"Let's just say it's complicated." I said.
"Who cheated?" Peter asked.
"No one cheated." I said. "I thought they were dead, now they're not. I'm a time traveler and lived over thirty years without them and stuff happened things were said. I was mad, I threw someone through a wall and now I'm just uh I don't know."
"That is complicated. You know what isn't complicated, booze." Peter said.
"No." I said.
"Yes, come on. Drinks and kids don't lie we are going to sort shit out." He asked.
"Okay one drink." I said taking the cup of some blue liquid he poured into it.
Turns out one drink was all it took.
"If you like pina coladas." We sang. "And getting caught in the rain."
"This is an awesome mix." I said.
"Yeah, my mom made it for me." He said.
"My dad and I had a playlist we linked and shared when we didn't see each other as a kid." I said.
"Okay so this Sharon girl, is your best friend from the 40's great grand niece?" He asked.
"Yeah, she's not important." I said. "Got sent to England or the nuthouse didn't really ask."
"Then I don't see what the problem is?" Peter said.
"Steve crashed the plane." I said.
"So don't let him fly a plane problem solved." Peter said.
"It's not the plane it's what the plane represents." I said.
"I don't get it." Peter said as I started getting the chills and slowly sobering up.
"Aw Time for me to go." I said.
"What no… we didn't get to Jar Jar." Peter said.
"I uploaded all the movies and music to your computer." I said. "Catch you next time."
"Looking forward to it. And you know what would solve your problem? A little ba chiki wa wa." He said.
"Bye Peter." I said as I started glowing.
I showed up back in the lab thirty minutes after I had disappeared.
"The air help?" Aya said.
"I got a good laugh." I said. "And the sequencing is done."
"Nora… would it change anything? You're still you, you're my host, Wren's mother and if anything the only thing it's done is keep you alive." Aya said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." I said.
"Good now you have better things to worry about, like the two super soldiers upstairs plotting an intervention even though you've told them constantly now isn't the time. Get out of here." Aya said.
"Thank you." I said before teleporting home.
One Month Later-
"Uh…why." Bucky groaned.
"What happened?" I asked Steve when I went to go pick up Bucky for dinner on Friday afternoon. Sam invited us over said he was inviting someone and needed back up. Aiden was away on an extended intel gathering trip so I was bringing Bucky for back up since it was his night with me anyway.
"That's actually my bad." Rhodey said. "It was my turn to cook."
"Oh baby you didn't." I said.
"It smelled okay buah." Bucky said before puking into a bucket.
"You just need to rest and get it out of your system." I said.
"Here, this'll help." Dad said handing Bucky an antacid.
"I think I'm dying, Howard's being nice to me Doll." Bucky said.
"Oh he's bad." Steve said. "I'll get him to be."
"I'll get him some more water." Sam said.
"I should call Sam and cancel." I said.
"No It's the first night off you've had in weeks." Steve said.
"It's fine, Sam was just using me as a buffer." I said.
"No you should go, it's a big step for him and he wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important. It's not like Bucky's going anywhere you know how he gets." Steve said.
"True, chances are he'll lock himself in the bathroom so we'll start hovering." I said chuckling a bit. "If anything happens give me a call."
"I will." Steve said. "You look beautiful by the way."
"Oh thanks, just thought I'd dress up for once." I said straightening out my red lace dress.
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"Come on sweetie, you're hanging out with your cousins." I said taking Wren from Dad.
"Have fun." Dad said.
"We will." I said before teleporting to Sam's place.
"Nora?" Sam called out.
"Auntie!" Connor cheered before running to hug me.
"Hey bud, give me a sec." I said before going to put Wren down in the playpen. "No where were we, Super hug." I said spinning Connor around in a hug.
"AH!" He cheered while laughing.
"There you go." I said putting him down.
"I'm dizzy." Connor said.
"Hey Nora, where's Bucky?" Sam asked.
"He decided to give my dad's cooking a chance and well he got food poisoning." I said.
"Oh that's not good." Sam said starting to get nervous.
"It's okay he's a super soldier he'll be all good by tomorrow." I said.
"That's not why." Sam said, as there was a knock in the door. "Just try not to freak out."
"Why would I freak out?" I asked.
"Uh, keep an open mind." Sam said before going to open the door. "Hey."
"Sammy!" A familiar voice greeted. No it couldn't be…
"Hey come on in." Sam said.
"Thanks for having me over." They said before walking in. "Nora."
"Dean." I said feeling the tension in the room. Starting to see why Sam thought I might freak out.
"Hi." He said coming over to hug me.
"Hi." I said awkwardly returning the hug.
"It's so good to see you." Dean said very happy to see me while still hugging me.
"It's been a while." I said giving Sam a glare.
"It has." He said.
"So I was going to cook but instead I ordered in. Hope you're in the mood for Italian." Sam said.
"That's a ton of food Sam. It's just the three of us." Dean said.
"Oh actually I have to go pick up my boyfriend." I blurted out without thinking.
"Boyfriend?!" Dean practically shouted.
"Uh yeah, he got caught up doing some thing. I'll just go pop over and get him." I said.
"Oh wait can you drop some stuff over there while you're at it?" Sam asked. "Sure, sorry about this." He told Dean.
"Don't worry about it, still the same workaholic I remember you being." Dean said.
"Just one quick thing." Sam said before leading me to his study. As soon as we walked in Sam closed the door.
"What the hell Sam?!" I said.
"I'm sorry. I ran into him in a meeting for work and we started talking and he told me he just moved to New York and he's really alone. And next thing I knew I invited him over." Sam said. "I asked you to bring Bucky so he wouldn't you know…"
"Give me dreamy eyes try to rekindle the non existent flame?" I said.
"Hey I'm not the one that just lied about bringing over their boyfriend." Sam said.
"I started flashing back to the ghost of boyfriends past vision Aya showed me and I freaked out a bit. Sue me." I said.
"What are you going to do?" Sam asked.
"I'm going to get myself a boyfriend." I said before teleporting to the compound.
"Nora, I thought you had…" Rhodey started.
"Guys I don't have time to explain I need one of you to act like my boyfriend for the night and I need you to do it no questions asked." I said.
"Kid what's going on?" dad asked.
"Sam may have invited dean over for dinner." I said.
"Who's Dean?" Natasha asked.
Dad thought about it before it finally clicked.
"Dean as in…" dad started.
"Yes that Dean. Dad's you two are out since he knows about you two. Clint?" I asked.
"Date night." Clint said nodding towards Natasha.
"Sam?" I asked.
"Yeah… I think that's one too many Sams." He said.
"Shit. I'll call Aiden maybe he's free." I said picking up my phone.
"I can do it." Steve said.
"No!" I said right away. No way I was getting both my ex's in the same room.
"Nora it's not a bad idea. He knows you really well, it'll be easier to sell." Natasha said.
"You don't really have many choices." Wanda reminded me.
"Any Chance Pietro's back from Sokovia?" I asked.
"He's on a date." Wanda deadpanned.
"Fuck!" I groaned.
"Nora, I can do this let me help you." Steve said and I turned to my dad to give him a pleading look asking for help.
"Uh Cap maybe you should sit this one out." Dad said.
"Nora please, just think of this as me trying to make amends. Please." Steve said giving me that look that just made me melt inside.
"Okay." I said giving in.
"You won't regret this." Steve said. "I'm just going to go change." He said before running to his room.
"This is going to blow up in your face." Dad said.
"Well it's either this or have you know who hit on me the entire night. At least now I'll only have to worry about his longing looks." I said.
"Who's this Dean guy?" Sam asked.
"Uh…" I started and then Wanda gasped.
"Nora!" Wanda said.
"Wanda we talked about this." I said.
"But…" She started as Steve walked in.
"Not a word." I said giving her a look.
"Ready." He said. Damn that blue dress shirt really brought out his eyes and those jeans… he really had a nice butt.
I was so screwed.
"Let's go then." I said taking his hand and teleporting us to what was probably going to be the world's most awkward dinner ever.