Third Person's POV- 2016
After leaving the page in the trunk and giving Axl one last tummy rub Wren teleported Steve and Bucky back to the compound.
"Did you set it somewhere?" Aya asked.
"Yeah, Nora's still a sentimental hoarder, she's bound to look through there at some point." Wren said walking over to the basinet to check up on his sleeping son.
"He's a heavy sleeper." Tony said. "Just like his mom."
"Yeah," Wren said smiling at him.
"How long is this going to take?" Steve asked.
"That depends on Nora, how far in the future she is, how long it takes her to find it." Aya said.
"Mh…" Wren started fussing.
"Sh sh…" His dad soothed. The baby grasped Wren's finger for a minute before he drifted back to sleep.
"I'm glad you're around." Wren said to Tony, "You and Nora have always been better together than apart."
"You don't know the half of it." Tony said.
"I prepared for everything after I died, my will, the funeral, the wake, even what Nora was going to wear but I never thought I'd be leaving him behind too." Wren said.
"Some things you're never really ready for." Tony said. "Twenty four years later and I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing. Nora on the other hand, she's a natural at it."
"She was always great with kids." He said watching as his son started waking up. "Hey there."
"Mh." The baby coed before smiling and lifting his arms up before Wren and Tony smelled something unpleasant.
"Oh…" Tony said.
"Duty calls." Wren said picking him up. "Diaper bag?"
"Here." Tony said handing it to him.
"Okay bugger, let's get you cleaned up." Wren said cooing at his son who blew a raspberry at him making him laugh.
Nora's POV-
I waited at the apartment for two days waiting for anything to happen. Finally Aiden had had enough. I was on the couch and as soon as I heard the door open I was on my feet.
"Grab your coat and shoes, were going out." He said.
"Aiden…" I argued.
"Now." He said throwing a jacket and a pair of shoes at me. I slipped them on before following him out. We grabbed a coffee at the coffee shop down the block before taking a walk through the park.
"I've been moping haven't I?" I asked as we stopped by the bridge.
"More like golden retriever barking at anything that moves." Aiden said. "It's going to take some time Nora."
"Yeah, guess now's a good a time as any to talk about what happens next." I said.
"There's not really much to talk about. You go back, live your life, trust your instincts and do what you think is right." Aiden said.
"I was talking about you." I said. "Time to start looking for a new partner."
"Or I can just go back to working on my own." Aiden said.
"I don't think you should." I said.
"I can take care of myself." He said.
"I know you can, but that doesn't mean you should." I said. "There's a reason Wren asked us to look out for each other and it's not because we can't be alone but because when we're alone we get reckless and we go dark. That's not who we are. He wanted us to move on, build a life."
"I tried that, didn't really work out." Aiden said.
"Did you ever try talking it out with her?" I asked.
"I think the dead guy in our living room said it all." Aiden said.
"Either way just because things didn't work out with Abby doesn't mean you don't deserve to be happy." I said.
"I'm happy with the way things are." Aiden said.
"Maybe but that doesn't mean you couldn't be happier." I said as we kept walking.
"Or maybe this is just the way things are meant to be." He said.
"I call bull shit on that." I said. "Unless you're destined to die epically to save the world nothing is meant to be."
"Casually bringing it up in conversation now." He said. "Is this the new bomb through a wormhole?"
"Well I figure the sooner I get used to the idea the better I'll be at keeping it together when I go back." I said.
"You know you can't tell anyone right?" He said.
"Of course I can't, I've seen what knowing too much about the future does to a person." I said thinking of Katya and the catatonic state she was in when we met. "Besides if my days are numbered I'm going to make the most of it."
"Does that start before or after you get back?" He asked.
"What do you think we've been doing?" I asked him.
"You want to spend what's left of your time chasing cold leads on terrorists?" He asked.
"I'm spending time with my brother doing what we do best, chasing down heads of big mysterious shadow organizations causing trouble." I answered. "And if along the way you happen to find happiness again then I'll consider that a bonus."
"While I do like spending time with you, there are two century old super soldiers that might also want to spend some time with you." Aiden reminded me.
"And I will, I was actually thinking of staying over at the compound for a few days, to do some lab work." I said.
"I was actually thinking we could go do some recon, check in to see if our resident pain in the arse knows anything about the First Order's merc." He said.
"We can make a day out of it. Stop by Sister Margaret's, have a drink over a round or two of pool before heading to the compound to check in." I suggested.
"Keeping busy." He said.
"Not much else to do." I said.
We ended up skipping Sister Margaret's because it was closed for some event. I was a bit curious to know what event a bar for mercenaries would be hosting but then thought better of it.
The drive up was as peaceful as always. I sang along to the best songs that came up on Aiden's playlist and even though he denied it I knew he had hummed along to them too.
"That song never gets old." I said.
"It does, it just doesn't want to die." Aiden said.
"It's a classic." I said. "Fifty years later and everyone still knows it."
"Don't stop believing is overplayed." Aiden said.
"Because it's a great song." I said.
"Didn't know you guys were stopping by." Bucky said as we walked into the common room.
"We wanted to check in and see if we got anything to go on." Aiden said.
"And I was wondering if I could crash here for the weekend, catch up on some lab time." I said.
"Y-yeah, of course you can." Bucky said. "You're always welcome here."
"Thanks. I'm gonna go drop this off in my old room before heading to the lab." I said walking out.
I left my bag on the bed before heading to the lab and getting to work.
It must've been a few hours later before Steve walked into the lab. I was working while I blasted music. It just made work go faster compared to deafening silence.
Suddenly the music stopped and he was standing there.
"Oh hey." I said.
"Hey, you busy?" Steve asked.
"Uh just running some sims. I actually need to put these in the fridge to rest before trying them out tomorrow." I said.
"Dinner's ready and Buck and I were about to watch a movie, if you wanted to join us…" He asked.
"Sure." I said putting in the sample in the fridge. "Mind if I change into my pjs first, I smell like lab."
"Of course." Steve said smiling. "Meet you in the common room."
I gave him a smile as he walked out. I put everything away before going to get cleaned up. I changed into a pair of shorts and a grey shirt with the avengers logo on it before heading to join them for a movie night. I swear it must've taken me ten minutes to figure out if I should leave my hair up or down before I finally decided to leave it down. It felt like I was going on our first date all over again.
When I walked into the common room Bucky and Steve were trying to pick out a movie.
"What about back to the future?" Steve asked.
"Remind her that she's stranded?" Bucky said.
"It is a classic." I said.
"Doll…" Bucky said.
"It's okay Buck." I said. "They're good movies but maybe something not time travel related?"
"Space travel?" Steve suggested bringing up the Martian on the TV menu.
"The book was good." I said.
"The Martian it is." Bucky said. "I made spaghetti and meatballs."
"My favorite." I said.
"Because that's the only thing I knew how to make." Bucky said chuckling.
"I could never get the sauce right." I said.
"But that chocolate cake you made me on my birthday back in the forties…" Bucky said. "That's one of the first memories I got back after leaving Hydra."
"It was not." I said.
"I swear doll, almost a hundred years later and I still remember how amazing that cake was." Bucky said.
"That apple pie…" Steve said.
"I still can't believe you don't like cake." I said.
"It's too sweet." He said.
"It's cake it's supposed to be sweet." Bucky said.
"Well," I said moving to sit next to Bucky on the couch. "More for us then."
I grabbed my plate and dug in as Steve started the movie. When we finished our food Bucky took our plates and put them in the dishwasher before coming back with three spoons and a quart of ice cream.
"Imagine having to eat nothing but potatoes." I said. "With no ketchup."
"And having to grow them using your own…" Bucky said making Steve tilt his head in contemplation.
"It's resourceful." Steve said making me notice a chocolate mark on the corner of his mouth.
"Steve you've got something…" I said gesturing to his mouth and he missed it completely.
"Got it?" Steve asked and Bucky just chuckled.
"No, just…" I said gently cupping his cheek and wiping off the ice cream from his beard with my thumb. He gently put his hand over mine and we stayed like that for a minute just staring at each other before there was a loud noise from the TV and we snapped out of it.
Bucky just smiled while shaking his head. We kept watching the movie and cheered at the right times before it ended.
"That was a good movie." I said.
"Wouldn't have happened in real life." Bucky said.
"Of course, artificial gravity doesn't actually rely on centripetal force, it's actually an electromagnetic field generator…" I said. "Plus rocket boots."
Steve just smiled as he switched off the movie.
"I'm gonna read the book." Steve said. "I want to see how the movie matches up."
"Either way Matt Damon did a great job." I said curling into Bucky's side.
"He did." Bucky said. "You want to watch another one?"
"Sure." I said not wanting to move from where I was. Steve played some historical drama. Bucky put an arm around me while Steve grabbed us a blanket. At some point I ended up falling asleep hugging Bucky. He started running his fingers through my hair and I dozed off.
I woke up the next morning tucked in bed not remembering how I got there. It was a nice day out so I figured instead of running on a treadmill I'd run outside on one of the trails. I ran at my own pace just enjoying the freedom before I felt like I was being watched. Then I heard footsteps and Steve sped by followed by Bucky. I sped up and chased after them. I wasn't as fast but I could keep them in my sights.
On the third lap I decided to stop and head inside to work on the balance beam. I did a few twirls and flips before doing a dismount but my foot slipped a bit.
"Ah!" I said carefully rolling my foot.
"Need a medic?" Steve asked.
"No, just keep forgetting I don't have Aya to help soften the landing." I said standing up. "Finally done with your run?"
"Got a late start." He said.
"What do you consider a late start?" I said knowing that anything past sunrise was early.
"Early bird gets the worm." Steve said.
"There is such a thing as too early." I said. "You know sleeping in, enjoying your big comfy bed hugging your soulmate. I know that's what I would do if I could."
I missed not waking up alone or waking up to a crying baby. Steve just gave me a sad look.
"Well I'm going to get cleaned up. Have work to do." I said heading out of the gym to shower and get started.
Lab work was mostly busywork at this point. I had isolated the protein and now I just needed a way to permanently inhibit it which required the correct isomer or else I would inhibit the wrong enzyme causing cellular degeneration and a slow painful death for Aiden. No way I was letting that happen.
"How's it going?" Bucky asked walking in.
"Slow but it's going." I said.
"I thought you might be hungry." He said putting a sandwich on the table.
"Must've lost track of time again." I said taking off my gloves and washing up before digging in. "Why is it that sandwiches taste so much better when someone else makes it for you?"
"I've heard that before." He said smiling. "Want to get out of here for a while? I've been craving a shake."
"I can never say no to a milkshake." I said finishing up my food. I left Friday running alternative solutions to try and isolating the rare isomer before heading out on Bucky's bike. I hung on tight and enjoyed the ride as the wind blew past us. The diner was empty and judging by the fact that the waitress already know what Bucky's order was going to be I could tell he came here often.
We grabbed out shakes before Bucky took us to a very familiar spot up in the hills overlooking the entire compound and small town nearby.
"I like to hide out here when I need to get away." He said.
"The views changed a bit since I was here." I said. "Town's bigger and the compound's busier. Still a great view."
"When were you last up here?" Bucky asked.
"Uh… it was during a time jump… with Steve." I said and Bucky chuckled.
"That explains it." He said with a smirk.
"Hm?" I said confused.
"Steve came up here with me once and he had this weird look on his face." Bucky said. "Blushed a bit."
I couldn't help but smile at that. "It was a fun visit." I said.
"That's one word for it." He said.
"You bring all the girls up here Sarge?" I teased.
"Just you." He answered smirking at me.
"Hundred years later and you still have the same panty dropping smile." I said making Bucky bark out with laughter.
"Haven't heard that in years." He said.
"You ever miss it, how simple everything was back then?" I said.
"Sometimes," He said. "It wasn't perfect but we had some good times."
"And even the bad times weren't so bad." I said. "We got captured but we found each other."
"Nothing brings two people closer like being tortured together." Bucky said.
"It was a good ice breaker." I said and we stared at each other and started laughing.
"I never thought I'd actually laugh about getting tortured." Bucky said.
"We did spend most of our time between screams trying to figure out which Disney dwarf we should name Zola after." I reminded him.
"Even Grumpy was too good for him." He said bitterly. I took his hand and rested my head on his shoulder.
"He got what he deserved, made sure of it." I said. Bucky let go of my hand and pulled me into a hug, tucking my head under his chin. I hugged him tight and just listened to his heart for a few minutes while we watched the sunset. Eventually he pulled away when it was time to head back.
We got back on the bike and headed back to the compound. I went back to the lab to do a bit more work before I decided to call it a night. I heard Steve and Bucky joking around as they were cuddled on the couch each reading something on their tablets.
I didn't want to interrupt so I headed back to my room. The only problem was I couldn't sleep.
I quietly made it to the kitchen but I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.
"Trouble Sleeping?" I asked and Steve jumped up hitting his head with fridge shelves.
"Ow!" He said.
"Sorry." I said going to check on him.
"I'm okay just didn't hear you coming." Steve said.
"Habit." I said and Steve nodded before taking out a small pot and heating up some milk. He added some cocoa mix and poured us each a cup. "Thanks."
"I used to make cocoa for Wren whenever he woke up from a Nightmare or just couldn't sleep. Though most of the time I was the one with nightmares." Steve said as Connor walked in and Steve gave him the other mug.
"Thanks Uncle Steve." Connor said sitting down.
"Something on your mind?" I asked.
"To many ideas and I can't pick one." He said.
"Big deadline coming up?" I said.
"Budget reviews coming up and I need to figure out where I'm going to put the remaining funds or lose it and there are so many things I want to do." Connor said.
"I hate budget reviews." I said. "Sweetie you just have to figure out what has the most potential. Just because it sounds good doesn't mean it's the right choice and if that doesn't help go back to old projects that didn't pan out before and see if there's something you can do now."
"Old projects…" He said before something clicked. "That's it! Thanks Auntie!"
With that he ran out of the common room. I just chuckled and took a sip of my cocoa.
"What's keeping you up?" I asked Steve.
"Just have a lot on my mind." Steve said.
"Anything I can help with?" I said.
"Just thinking about everything from before." He said. "If I could go back and do it over…"
"Don't do that to yourself Steve." I said taking his hand. "There's a reason most of Aya's hosts went crazy. There's a bigger picture and everything happens for a reason."
"But if there was another way…" Steve started.
"I went down that road before and it ended with me also falling from the train with Bucky." I said. "Sometimes there is no other way and some things are meant to happen Steve. Fixed Points in time."
"How do you live with that?" He asked.
"It's hard." I said. "I was trained to save lives but you can't save them all so I try to focus on the one I did save, the good in the bad. If Bucky hadn't fallen from that train and you hadn't crashed that plane you both wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't have met Wren and our son wouldn't be here. It's like I told Bucky, we've been through a lot in the past century, there was a lot of bad but there was lot of good too. You just have to remember that."
"Yeah." He said staring at our joined hands. He let go and slowly put his arms around me, giving me a chance to push him away if I wanted to but I didn't. I hugged him back enjoying the moment. Steve gave the best hugs. It felt like we were there for a while before Steve slowly started pulling away.
"It's late." Steve said.
"Yeah." I said finishing up my cocoa and putting it in the dishwasher. "Good night."
"Night." He said smiling softly before I left him.
The Next Morning-
I had managed to come up with a few possible solutions to use the right catalysts to obtain more of the rare isomer that could potentially reverse Aiden's condition. It was going to be a few hours before any of the catalysts would be ready and even longer before the actual reaction would be done so I wandered over to the kitchen. I looked around and saw that we had a ton of apples and plums. Bucky really liked plums.
I had time to kill and it had been a while since I baked. I got everything out of the cupboards, put my hair up and put on an apron before getting started.
"Hello?" Ellie called out.
"Hey sweetie." I said.
"Auntie," She said hugging me. "I'm sorry I haven't visited…"
"It's okay, Wren told me you were busy preparing your next show and making a big deal." I said.
"Making something?" Ellie asked looking at all of the ingredients.
"Yeah I have to wait for one of the catalysts to be done so I thought I'd bake something. With all these apples I thought pie might be a good idea." I said.
"I wish I knew how to cook as well as you did." She said.
"Are you busy today?" I asked.
"Well I was going to hang with Connor but he decided to go surprise Morgan this weekend and Wren's busy at work." Ellie said.
"Then now's a good a time as any to learn." I said passing her an apron.
"Auntie I'm really bad…" Ellie said.
"Do you want to learn?" I asked.
"Yes but…" She started.
"No but's, I'm going to make one with you step by step, and I'll keep an eye on you." I said. "It's how my Nana taught me. Now pick up an apple and peel."
After the apples were done we got started on the crust.
"Wouldn't it be easier to use the mixer?" Ellie asked.
"You can but it's easier to make sure the dough isn't over worked. Get your hands dirty Ellie." I said making her laugh as she started mixing the ingredients.
She copied my movements exactly. I kept checking on her to make sure the dough was properly worked and didn't have any clumps. We let it rest before starting on the filling.
We each heated the apples in separate pans and added the cinnamon and brown sugar.
"Okay this is the tricky part." I told her. "We have to stretch out the really thin and even before draping it onto the pan."
"How thin is it supposed to be?" She asked.
"About an eighth of an inch but first throw down a bit of flour so it doesn't get stuck." I said throwing it on the table and dusting it a bit before putting the dough down.
"You're Nana taught you how to make pies?" Ellie asked.
"Yeah, she started showing me how to make small things when I was about five. Wanted me to have basic survival skills for when I lived alone." I said. "She always knew more than she let on."
"Connor was always better at cooking. Used to make us Grilled cheese sandwiches when he watched us." Ellie said.
"That was all he ate for a while." I said. "At one point I started sneaking veggies into his sandwiches to get him to eat something else. Your Uncle Wren though, don't know how but he always got him to eat whatever he put in front of him."
"Wren looks just like him, from what I've seen in photos." Ellie said.
"He does." I said checking her dough. "Okay, time to put it in."
I showed her how to do it and sure enough she managed to do it perfectly. We put in the filling and then the top layer of the crust, crimping the edges. Ellie's were a bit uneven but still good.
The pies were put in and all that was left to do was wait. I grabbed a bottle of wine and poured us each a glass.
"Never thought I'd be drinking in the middle of the day with my god-daughter." I said.
"Same here." She said laughing.
"I haven't done this in a while." I said.
"I know, Most of my friends are married or with another kid on the way so most of the time I go out with my assistant or brother." Ellie said.
"I have girls night with Natasha and Wanda but not really an option anymore. I can't really call going out with your Uncle girl's night." I said making Ellie laugh.
"I remember my first boyfriend in high school, I thought I loved him and the ass broke my heart." Ellie said laughing. "It was high school and I thought my life was over. Dad was on a trip and Aubrey still wasn't living with us. Uncle Aiden was the one who told me the ass was an idiot and wasn't worth crying over and that one day I'd really be in love with someone who did deserve me. Then he took me to egg that jerk's car."
That made me laugh. "Your Uncle puts up a tough front but he's a good guy." I said.
"Auntie can I just ask… did you two ever… you know?" Ellie said and I was a bit confused about what she was asking until I figured it out.
"No." I said laughing. "No Aiden's one of my closest friends, my brother even but no."
"But you two are so close." She asked.
"We've been through a lot together." I said. "We went from trying to kill each other, to unlikely friends and then family. Aiden was the one that drove me to the hospital when I went into labor and I named my son after him."
"And to this day he's looking out for everyone." Ellie said.
"Life takes some crazy turns." I said as the timer started ringing. "Time to see how you did."
We walked over to the oven and pulled out two perfectly cooked apple pies.
"Wow." Ellie said.
"Told you, you could do it." I said
"I need to take a picture of this." She said taking out her phone. "Come on auntie."
We crowded together in front of the pies and took a photo.
"Next time Connor or anyone teases you about not being able to cook, show them that." I told her as Steve walked in.
"Is that apple pie?" He said staring at the pies.
"They just came out of the oven so you're gonna have to wait a few minutes." I said.
"But it is apple pie?" He asked again.
"Yes Steve, it's apple pie." I said as Wren teleported in.
"Hey babe." Wren said kissing Ellie.
"Hey, work go okay?" She asked.
"It was rough day, but everyone's okay." He said. "Something smells good."
"It's the pie." She said giving him a huge smile. "I made a pie."
"You baked?" Wren asked.
"She's a very good student." I said.
"It looks good." He said.
"Sit down." I said grabbing plates and handing them to Ellie. We served them all a slice and Bucky when he showed up.
"This is so good." Steve said with his mouth full.
"Mh…" Wren moaned.
"Since Steve got pie can you make me chocolate cake?" He asked.
"Eh, I don't know…" I said and Bucky gave me the most adorable pout ever. "Of course I'll make you chocolate cake."
Bucky pulled me onto his lap and kissed my cheek as he held me. If it means I get more hugs like that I'll make him a chocolate cake every day.
"We should get going." Wren said eying us oddly.
"Yeah." Ellie said before going to hug me. "Thanks for everything Auntie."
"Don't forget your pie." I told her.
"See you tomorrow for Brunch." Steve said as they walked out.
"Another slice?" I offered Steve.
"Maybe after dinner." He said. "I was thinking Thai."
"I could go for Thai." I said.
"Friday the usual and an order of shrimp fried rice and chicken pad see ew." Bucky said.
"My order's still the same." I said smiling knowing it was more of Bucky actually remembering what I always ordered.
"Want to pick out a movie?" Steve asked.
"I think it's better if you pick one, don't feel like accidentally spoiling things for myself again." I said.
"Original Star Wars?" Steve offered.
"Empire Strikes Back." I said.
"That's the best one." Bucky said as we sat down on the couch and played the movie. I had seen this movie so many times I recited most of the movie by memory.
"Oh here it comes, biggest plot twist in movie history." I said.
"His name is Darth Vader, it literally translates to Dark Father." Bucky said.
"Pretend you're a kid that still hadn't learned German." I said.
"Vader kinda sounds like father." Steve said.
"How?" I asked.
"Hate this part…" Bucky said right before Luke got his arm cut off.
"Sorry." I said gently squeezing his knee.
"Still the best one." Bucky said smiling at me.
"Revenge of the Sith had the best fight though." Steve said.
"Longest one too." I said. "Want to watch it next?"
"I'll grab the pie." Steve said standing up to go get it.
Steve was right, Revenge of the sith did have the best sword fight of all the movies. We all finished the pie before somehow ending up cuddled together.
Steve put his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head on his shoulder. Bucky moved a bit closer but it was a bit awkward so he picked me up and moved closer to Steve before putting me so I was on both their laps.
Bucky just grinned at me kissing my temple before turning to watched the movie.
Well this was cozy. Bucky's arm was around my waist as he sort of spooned me while Steve held me. I relaxed and leaned against him watching the rest of the movie. I don't remember how it ended but I fell asleep in Steve and Bucky's arms.
Third Person's POV-
Connor took a red eye back from London to make it back in time for brunch. He had a great weekend with his girlfriend and was feeling refreshed. He thought it was strange that he hadn't run into anyone on his way in. Normally Steve and Bucky would be up by now.
Either way he walked into the common room in need of a cup of coffee. He almost didn't notice his two Uncles and Aunt asleep on the couch in each others arms.
It appeared Steve decided to take Nora's advice and finally slept in and hugged his soulmates.
Connor smiled and quietly took out his phone and snapped a quick photo of them before heading to his lab, letting them sleep in.
It wasn't much later that Steve woke up noticing that he hadn't gone to bed the night before and that Nora was in his arms with Bucky curled around her. He smiled and kissed the top of her head before deciding to sleep in for a few more minutes.
Of course Friday decided to alert him that it was his turn to host brunch and he needed to get started cooking before everyone showed up. Steve decided to let Bucky and Nora sleep in a bit longer and carefully moved them so Nora was comfortably in Bucky's arms. As soon as he got up the two of them ended up lying down on the couch.
Steve smiled at them, committing every single detail to memory before going to get started on Brunch.
Nora's POV-
I couldn't remember the last time I had slept so well. Maybe I should get one of these pillows. It was warm, form and… it moved.
I opened my yes and saw that I was lying on top of Bucky. Both of his arms around me trapping me in a hug. I chuckled a bit.
"Something funny?" Bucky muttered.
"Forgot how adorable your snores are." I said smiling. "You whistle a bit."
"Do not." Bucky said.
"You do." Steve said coming over and putting two coffee mugs in front of us. "Foods almost ready which means everyone's almost here."
"Right, Brunch." I said getting up. "I should probably go get dressed."
"I should too." Bucky said getting up as well.
"Do you need help with anything?" I asked Steve.
"Everything's ready." He said. "Just need to set the table."
"Which I'll do." Bucky said.
"Okay, I'll go get ready." I said going back to my room. I jumped in the shower and dried my hair deciding to straighten it before slipping on a black and tan color blocked leather skirt with a black scoop neck top and tan heels with tassel earrings.
Once I was ready I headed back to the common room where Wren, Ellie, Connor and Aiden were already there.
"Hey kiddo, when'd you get back?" I asked Connor.
"Took a red eye back, got in early this morning." Connor said. "No way I could miss brunch."
"Enjoying the lab time?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah made some good progress." I said. "Few promising leads."
"Well that's more than I got." He said.
"Did you spend the past couple of days working?" I said.
"What else was I supposed to do?" Aiden asked.
"I don't know, relaxing, updating your Netflix queue, go to the beach, pretty much anything but work?" I suggested.
"I'll take a vacation when the first order is gone." Aiden said.
"Hi, hi sorry we're late." Aubrey said as she and Sam walked in.
"No worries, we all just got here too." Ellie said.
"Guess we should go dig in." Wren said as we all sat down and started catching up. Ellie proudly bragged to everyone that she actually baked a pie.
"No way." Connor said.
"She did." I confirmed. "Tasted great too."
"And you didn't get food poisoning?" Connor asked.
"Nope." Wren said.
"I don't believe it." Connor said.
"Ehem." Ellie said showing him the photo she took yesterday.
"Aw, that's a cute picture." Aubrey said.
"With two perfect pies." Ellie said.
"Huh, you didn't burn it." Connor said. "Nice job sis."
"You can make the pies this year for Thanksgiving." I said.
"Why wait, your birthday's next week." Sam said and everyone froze.
"Not really my birthday, I jumped a few decades." I said.
"Didn't stop you from celebrating back in the forties" Bucky said.
"Gramps looked for any excuse to throw a party." I said.
"Or to fly off to another country." Steve said.
"That was one time." I said.
"I'm pretty sure it was more than once." Bucky said. "I remember an incident in Scotland where Jarvis and Peggy had to go pick you two up."
"We didn't actually fly there we got on the wrong train." I corrected.
"How'd that happen?" Wren asked.
"We were really drunk." I said. "I forgot what were we celebrating… Didn't remember most of the night except that at some point we called Jarvis to come get us before going to visit one of Gramps' friends."
"Sounds like quite a night." Aubrey said.
"It was pretty tame all things considered." I said exchanging looks with Aiden and Sam.
"Yeah." Sam said.
"No one swallowed any keys." Aiden said and we all started laughing.
"We should do something." Ellie said. "It's not every day you turn… Uh How old?"
"Well depends how you look at it." I said doing the math in my head. "I'm either turning 56 or if you count all the years I've actually lived through, time travel included I'm… still turning 56. Damn I look pretty good at 56."
That made everyone chuckle. We finished eating and cleaning up and I decided to head back with Aiden. We needed to focus on the First Order and we couldn't do that here.
"Heading back?" Bucky asked.
"Yeah, I got ahead on lab work but we need to get back to what really matters." I said. "Besides I'm sure other me misses you guys."
"Yeah." Bucky said sadly.
"Doesn't mean we're not going to miss you." Steve said.
"Well you know where I'll be if you guys ever want to stop by for a movie night or if you just feel like visiting" I said. "I do still owe you a chocolate cake."
Bucky smiled and pulled me into a hug, kissing my forehead and holding me for a minute. "Looking forward to it." He said before letting me go.
"You should try sleeping in more, you seem happier and well rested." I told Steve.
"The extra sleep helped but the company even more." Steve said.
"That it did." I said hugging him.
"Try to stay out of trouble." He said.
"I don't go looking for trouble, trouble finds me." I said grabbing my bag and heading out with Aiden.
"You're chipper." Aiden said as we got into the car.
"Had a good weekend," I said with a smile on my face.
"You got laid." Aiden said.
"No." I said. "We just spent time together, it kind of reminded me of when we first met. What'd you get up to?"
"Went to a pub," Aiden said simply.
"Meet anyone?" I asked.
"No one important." He answered speeding out of the compound.
The next few days were uneventful, We were so bored we decided to go to Sister Margaret's and see if anyone had a lead on our mysterious mercenary.
I stuck to an all black leather ensemble with a short black skirt with tights under and combat boots which oddly seemed to match Aiden.
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We walked inside and no one paid us much attention. We ordered drinks and played a few games of pool listening closely to those around us.
"The British are coming, the British are coming…" Wade exclaimed.
"Wade." I said.
"Nora." He said oddly joyful, waving his hand and bowing. "What brings you two to this part of town? Thought you'd be kept locked away in a tower somewhere."
"Needed a drink and some ambiance." Aiden said.
"And to ask around for a brunette English mercenary working for a cult?" He said.
"So you know something?" I said.
"No but I've heard rumors." Wade said. "Just got back from a job in Athens. My target got taken out by a brunette, when I asked around all anyone could tell me was he was he had a funny accent."
"Who'd he take out?" Aiden asked.
"Just some guy, rival in a turf war that's been going on for a while." Wade said. "Just took a new job and I'm heading over now, if I hear anything I'll let you know."
"What are you getting out of it?" I asked.
"I'm just doing my good deed." Wade said with a shrug before walking off. "It's almost that time of the year again."
"Thanks Wade." I said.
"Nora." He said turning around and curtsying before walking away.
"Didn't know Wade still believed in Santa." I said making a shot.
"He wasn't talking about Christmas." Aiden said.
"Is he Jewish?" I asked.
Third Person's POV- 2016
Wren quickly took care of the mess in his son's diaper, changing him into a fresh set of clothes before sitting with him, watching him grasp at his fingers and babble.
There was so much he wanted to do, things he wished he could live to see, and things he wished he could tell him. He looked over and saw a desk with a notebook and a set of pens.
Wren picked up the baby and sat down on the desk chair. He took out a page and started writing a letter but he didn't know what to say.
What could he write down that could possibly make up for missing out on his entire life?
Wren tore out the page and threw it out.
"Anything you'd want to know?" Wren asked the Baby who just stared at him. "Didn't think so."
He got up and walked back to the common room.
"Anything yet?" Wren asked.
"Not yet." Aya said.
"It's a nice day out." Wren said looking outside. "Mind If I take him for a walk? He could use some air."
"He's your son." Natasha said.
"Do you need the stroller?" Rhodey asked.
"No we're not going far." Wren said taking a blanket and wrapping it around the baby. "Come on Bugger."
"Ah!" The baby cooed loudly.
"Yes we are." Wren agreed walking out of the compound.
"Was that really a good idea?" Bucky said.
"The compound's secure," Tony said. "Besides he should get to spend as much time with his kid as he can."
Wren walked outside, walking around the building to a path going near the tree line before curving over to a lake, where a deck with benches had been set up.
Wren took a seat and held his son up, keeping him bundled up.
"You have the same eyes as me, and my hair but your smile, you got that from your mum." Wren said smiling. "The first time I saw her smile was when we met in Afghanistan. It was one of the toughest days I had ever had…"
Steve had decided to get some air and had seen someone walking towards the dock. He quietly followed them and when they started talking he realized it was Wren.
"It was a scorcher and we had been operating for eight hours trying to save a soldier's leg. We couldn't do it and had to am…" Wren said realizing what he was telling his infant son. "It was a really bad day and when we finally left the OR the sun went away and it started raining. Your mom started laughing as she tried to get soaked by the rain. She had this huge smile on her face and things just didn't seem so bad anymore. She was the sun, she made everything seem brighter and I knew that everything was going to be okay. If I can only give you one bit of advice its this, if you meet someone who can make even the worst days seem just a little bit brighter, hold onto them, fight to keep them in your life because you have no idea how rare those people are. It's one of the many things I love about your mum."
Steve slowly took a step back.
"You can stay if you want." Wren said. "I think we have some unfinished business."
"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt and waste your time with…" Steve started.
"It's a bit of a one sided conversation and he's too young to remember anything anyway." Wren said.
"I'm sorry for before." Steve said.
"I'm the one that should be apologizing." Wren said. "I might have gotten a bit ahead of myself. Though you should really choose your words a bit more carefully."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." He said rubbing the back of his neck.
"I always knew I'd never get to be a father." Wren said. "With the way we were raised it was never an option and even after I got away it just never felt like it was in the cards for me. I had Nora, and Sam and Jess and their kids and that was the closest thing to a real family I ever had but getting to hold my son and be with him even if its just for a little while means more to me than anything."
"I can imagine." Steve said sadly.
"And I can only imagine how hard losing a son is." Wren said and Steve looked at him with wide eyes. "Bucky filled me in on some of the things that I've missed and I'm sorry for what you've been through."
"I…" Steve closed his eyes trying to hold it together. "I didn't think I was going to be a Dad either. The way it all happened wasn't the way I thought it would happen. If I was going to have a kid I always thought it would be with Bucky and Nora, but things didn't work out that way for the obvious reasons. I never loved Sharon but from the first time I heard his heartbeat, I loved my son and when I lost him, I lost a part of myself. Even then I never stopped loving Nora but she had a son and he comes before everything. She offered me a chance and I froze not because I couldn't accept Wren but because I couldn't keep my son safe and if I lost him…"
"You're afraid." Wren said.
"If anything happened to Wren I wouldn't just lose him, I'd lose Nora and I don't think I could live through that again." He said.
"Do you still love her?" Wren asked.
"I never stopped." Steve said.
"Then that's all that matters." Wren said. "You have no idea what I would give to be able to spend one more day with her, to get to see my son grow up and here you are pissing away your chance to be with her because you're afraid."
"He will never be safe if I'm in his life." Steve said.
"You're a super soldier, Bucky's a master assassin, same as his godmother and uncle, his mom is a time traveler that has defied the odds more times than I can count, his grandparents fly around in high tech suits of armor, and lets not forget about the sentient being, older than the universe itself that seems pretty damn protective of him." Wren said. "Don't be an idiot. If you're lucky enough to have her in your life and have her love you, you don't walk away, you fight for her because she deserves someone who will."
Back Inside…
Aya sat down with her eyes closed trying to focus on the flow of time, trying to find any changes no matter how small.
"Any news?" Aiden asked.
"Still waiting." Clint said.
"How long is it supposed to take?" He asked.
"That's what I want to know." Bucky said pacing.
"It'll take as long as it takes." Aya said.
"You've been saying that for hours." Tony said. "Nora could be hurt."
"Nora can handle herself." Aya said. "We just have to be patient and when you least expect it…"
At that moment there was a flash of green light before a gust of wind spiraled through the room and a piece of paper drifted down and Aya caught it at just the right moment.
She smirked before carefully unfolding the worn paper. The edges were a bit burned and from the date she could only see the year, 2048.
"That's Nora's writing." Tony said.
"Let me see." Bucky said crowding over Aya. "She's okay."
"2048?" Tony said.
"That's a pretty big gap." Rhodey said.
"Piggybacking off of Wren isn't easy to control. We can try to get as close as we can but we may miss it by a few weeks." Aya said.
"Just get her back." Bucky said.
"That's the plan." Aya said teleporting outside to the Deck where Wren and Steve were talking. "Hate to interrupt this rousing speech but it's time to go."
"You got it?" Steve asked.
"I did." Aya said holding up the page.
"How far are we going?" Wren asked.
"2048." Aya said. "And we should hurry, who knows what trouble Nora's gotten herself in."
"You think she's in trouble?" Steve said concerned.
"Nora doesn't go looking for trouble, trouble finds her." Wren said standing up, taking one last look at his son. He hugged him and kissed the top of his head. "You got him?" he asked Steve.
"Yeah." Steve said before Wren carefully put him in Steve's arms.
"Same as before?" Wren asked.
"Exactly except this one's going further ahead." Aya said. "Same process though."
"Let's go get her back." He said offering his hand. Aya took it. Wren looked back at Steve and his son one last time before he and Aya teleported away.