Things hadn't really changed much after brunch. Steve and Bucky wanted me to come back to the compound and live there with them but I decided against it. As much as I would love to hole up with them until it was time to go I wanted to make the most of the time I had left.
Though I was spending more time at the compound working on a cure for Aiden's problem. The trail for the first order had gone cold. Apparently William Abernathy the second was away at an ashram or… monastery that was very secluded.
Neither of us was in the mood to go to anymore Lianist church luncheons so all we could do was wait.
"Alright Friday run the simulation one more time. See if increasing the temp can increase the enzyme's function." I said.
"Running…" Friday said before the results popped up the screen. "Experiment was a failure."
"Shit." I said. "I'm running out of ideas. Maybe I'm missing something. Can you bring up Aiden's file again? I've looked at Aiden's blood before when he was still brainwashed by Snow and besides the obvious huge amounts of narcotics and psychotropic drugs they used to brainwash him everything looked normal."
"You okay Auntie?" Connor said as he walked in.
"Yeah. Why?" I asked.
"You're biting your thumb." He said and I immediately moved my hand away from my face. "And you normally only do that when you're frustrated over a science problem."
"I'm looking through your uncle's medical file trying to see if there's a way to reverse his non aging condition but nothing I do works. I thought it was the telomerase not degrading his DNA when it replicates but it's not. It might be a secondary ability brought on my his enhanced genes but…" I said rambling and Connor just nodded along. "You have no idea what I'm talking about do you?"
"I understood DNA but after that…" Connor said letting out a chuckle.
"Sorry, I rambled." I said with a sigh as I looked back at the screen.
"Oh I don't mind. I ramble all the time. I think I get it from you and Tony." Connor said.
"I think I need to start over from scratch." I said. "Too bad there aren't any case studies for people who don't age."
"Uncle Aiden's Patient zero. You'd have to find someone that doesn't age first." Connor said.
"Someone who doesn't age…" I said before it hit me. "Someone who doesn't age."
"Auntie?" Connor said.
"Aiden's not patient zero." I said in realization quickly going to the computer to find some old files. "I was."
"Uh…." Connor said.
"Side effect of time traveling. When Aya takes me or Wren or any of her hosts out of their time, we're in a sort of stasis. She keeps us from aging… something about keeping the timeline from correcting itself." I said. "I got stuck in the past for thirty years and I didn't age at all. I went back looking exactly the same as when I got sent back."
"Yeah but you're here now and you do age." Connor said.
"Exactly." I said. "Back in the sixties I got a bit dark and had given up on ever going back so I was looking for a way to undo whatever Aya did. I took samples but never got anywhere but I wasn't the only one that took a look at my blood work and coded my DNA. Zola did."
"Zola… the… short insane Nazi scientist with the goggles and brainwashed uncle Bucky?" Connor said in disbelief. "You gave him your blood?"
"No. I took samples and let Howard sneak one out. Howard gave it to Zola thinking I didn't know but I knew." I said. "I let him work on it to see if he could figure anything out, intercepted any intel info drops he tried to pass on to Hydra and when he didn't find anything I set his lab on fire destroying everything and making him think all his data was lost. I kept his files hidden away in my old storage unit."
"That's thorough." Connor said.
"It was the 60's, there weren't any computers and the internet so it was a lot easier to contain information." I said. "If I'm right then I'm sure there should be a digital file of it… here! Friday run both the codes side by side and give me a comparison analysis."
"Of course boss. Estimated time of completion one hour." Friday said.
"Would have taken hours back in 2016." I said putting down my tablet. I turned ti Connor who was staring off into space as he bit his lip deep in thought. "So what's new with you kiddo?"
"Oh! Nothing!" Connor answered quickly. "Just work, end of the quarter paperwork for the investor's meeting in a few weeks. Super boring stuff."
"No there's something else." I said staring at him. "You're biting your lip. You only do that when you sneak a dessert before dinner or something's bothering you."
"You knew about that?" Connor said.
"Duh, who do you think always left them where you could reach them?" I said. "Don't change the subject. Talk to me."
"It's just relationship stuff." Connor said.
"Long distance is tough." I said.
"Yeah…" Connor said staring at his feet. "I screwed up."
"Everyone screws up sweetie. Just ask your Uncle Steve." I said a bit surprised that I was finally at a point where I could say that as a joke and not because I was mad.
"It's a pretty big screw up Auntie and now I'm just confused." Connor said.
"Did you two not define the relationship?" I asked.
"It's complicated. There's a lot of history there… and then we slept together" He said.
"That's kind of what happens when you date someone." I said.
"Yeah but… I mean years ago we had a thing but it was a tough time. She was going through some things and she called it off." Connor said.
"I thought you and Morgan just started dating?" I said confused.
"I am talking about Morgan." Connor said and I just gave him a look. "Right you didn't… uh this is awkward."
"If you're not talking about your Morgan then that means….you're talking about Morgan!" I said in shock. "You and Morgan!"
"Uh I can't believe I'm telling my aunt my drunk hook up." Connor said.
"I can't believe my nephew and my kid sister are hooking up. Though it does explain the weird looks you two were giving each other at brunch." I said.
"You noticed?" Connor said.
"Who didn't." I said.
"Mhmmm." Connor groaned.
"Sweetie it's okay." I said rubbing his back.
"No it's not. I cheated on my girlfriend Morgan with my ex Morgan." He said.
"You definitely have a thing for girls named Morgan." I said. "Come on."
"Where are we going?" Connor asked as I led him out of the lab.
"To get a drink and sort this out." I said.
Meanwhile…
Aiden was in his apartment going over some intel a contact of his had just sent him to see if there was any news on the first order when his doorbell rang.
"Friday?" Aiden asked.
"It's Miss Stark." Friday answered.
"Since when does Nora knock?" Aiden said.
"Not Nora." Morgan called from the other side of the door.
"Friday let her in." Aiden said. Friday unlocked the door and Morgan let herself in.
"Hey. Are you busy?" She said.
"I should be asking you that. Aren't you supposed to be working?" Aiden said.
"Took an early. Perks of being the boss." Morgan said. "So you busy?"
"No, I'm just chasing dead end leads." Aiden said as Morgan went straight to his kitchen and took out two glasses and went straight for where Aiden kept his good scotch. "You do remember your father was an alcoholic right?"
"I don't need the reminder, the reason he turned into one came back from the dead." Morgan said. "I did a thing."
"With Connor?" Aiden asked.
"How did you…" Morgan said.
"With the looks you two kept shooting at each other at Brunch it was hard not to." Aiden said taking his glass. "What happened?"
"Wren and Elle had to ditch our monthly hang out for something… so it was just me and Connor we were talking and drinking and then there was more drinking. He talked about Morgan and then we started talking about us next thing I know we were in bed and … yeah." Morgan said.
"And that's it?" Aiden said.
"Would I be here if it was just a one night stand?" Morgan said.
"Wouldn't be the first time." Aiden said sitting down. "So?"
"So…" Morgan started.
Hours Later…
"What is wrong with me?" Connor said.
"Love is complicated." I said.
"It was a one night stand." Connor said.
"You wouldn't be this torn up if it was just a one night stand." I retorted.
"I ruined not one but two relationships." Connor said.
"I'd say one relationship and maybe…" I said.
"Auntie!" Connor whined.
"Sweetie it takes two to tango. And like you said there's a lot of history and unresolved feelings between you two." I said. "And as for morgan, if you really care about her you have to be honest with her. She deserves that much."
"I know, but I can't believe I did that too her. She deserves so much better than me…" Connor said.
"uh oh…" Bucky said as he walked in with Steve. "That's never a good sign.
"You guys okay?" Steve asked eyeing the bottles of booze on the coffee table.
"We're fine. Just working through some stuff." I said.
"I should go. I have to go tell my girlfriend I'm an idiot and get dumped." Connor said standing up.
"Maybe you should wait until you sober up." Steve said.
"Plus it's the middle of the night in Norway." I said.
"Oh right…" Connor said. "I think I need a nap… Night night."
With that Connor stumbled back to his room.
"You feeling okay Doll?" Bucky asked with a smirk.
"I'm good." I said sitting back. "How's Sam?"
"Sam is good." Steve said. "He says hi. Told us to let you know he's free if you need to talk."
"That's nice of him but I'm gonna pass. Shrinks and I don't really go well together." I said finishing my last sip of scotch.
"Right." Steve with a knowing look.
"I made dinner. It's still in the oven if you guys are hungry." I said.
"You cooked?" Bucky said looking at the empty bottle and glasses on the coffee table.
"Freezer Mac and cheese." I said cuddling into Bucky's side. "Oh shit! I was supposed to check the lab report."
I jumped out of my seat.
"Woah…" Steve said putting his arms around me and picked me up with a spin before putting me back on the couch. "Nora maybe you should wait until tomorrow morning when you're… not drunk."
"I'm not drunk." I said. "I'm slightly buzzed but I can do science in my sleep. It's not like its heart surgery."
"Well maybe we could do science in bed?" Bucky suggested.
"Aw…" I said kissing him. "I've got work. I've been putting this off long enough."
"Nora…." Bucky whined.
"Duty calls." I said going off to the lab.
I spent all night going over the analysis and it just left me with more questions than answers. First thing in the morning I headed back to the city to see if there was anything Aiden could tell me that may not be in his file.
"Rise and shine!" I sang as I walked into his apartment. "I have coffee and bagels!"
"Uh too loud." Morgan called from the couch hiding her face in a pillow. The living room was a mess and She was wearing nothing but one of Aiden's shirts and her underwear.
"Morgan?" I said surprised to see her.
"That better be an espresso." Aiden groaned from the kitchen.
"Yeah…" I said handing it to him. "Why is my half naked kid sister passed out on your couch?"
"She needed help dealing with some stuff." He said.
"Connor stuff?" I said.
"How did you…" He asked.
"Got drunk with Connor last night helping him figure out everything with the Morgans." I said. "he's definitely his father's son."
"He's practically Sam's clone." Aiden said. "What are you doing back so soon? I though you'd still be sandwiched between Steve and Bucky."
"Oh they tried but I had to work. Speaking of I needed to ask you a few things." I said. "I had Friday run a comparison analysis on your DNA and mine and…"
At that instant Aiden's phone started buzzing.
"Shit. I have to go…" Aiden said. "Source is in town and wants to meet."
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We're not. Someone needs to stay with…" He started just as Morgan let out a huge snore. "It'll be a good sibling bonding experience for you both."
"What about…" I started.
"We'll talk later." Aiden said rushing off.
I stood there and looked over at Morgan. Well not the first time I babysit a hungover Stark. I went to the living room and started picking up all the glasses and bottles. She probably wouldn't enjoy the smell.
Next I went to put her clothes in the washer/dryer before I started making her a hangover breakfast and coffee.
"Mhmmm." I heard her groan as she started waking up.
"Morning sunshine." I said placing a cup of coffee on the table in front of her.
"Mhmm…" Morgan groaned taking the pillow off her face and looking up at me. "You're not Aiden."
"No. He had a meeting." I said small smile. "Breakfast is ready."
"I uh…" Morgan said looking under the blankets and realizing what she was wearing… or wasn't wearing.
"I put your clothes in the washer/dryer." I said.
"Thanks…" Morgan said awkwardly as she followed me to the kitchen. "Did we wake you up?"
"No I was at the compound, got here early. Rough night?" I asked.
"We were just catching up." Morgan said.
"Great minds think alike. I caught up with Connor last night." I said and Morgan choked a bit on her coffee.
"Oh…" She said.
"Yeah." I said putting the plate of bacon and eggs in front of her.
"Trouble with Morgan already?" Morgan said.
"Yeah but not the Morgan you'd think." I said giving her a look. Morgan just looked at me confused before it hit her.
"He told you." Morgan said. "Fucking Connor. He's such a momma's boy."
"He didn't tell me. Well not on purpose anyway… He's an over thinker. Get's that from his dad." I said.
"Uh… You probably think I'm a slut or worse." Morgan said.
"I don't judge people. We all make mistakes, especially when tequila's involved." I said.
"Story of my life." She said as the washer/dryer started beeping.
"I'm going to get your clothes." I said. "Eat."
"Aren't you going to ask why I'm here?" Morgan asked.
"No, I use Aiden for drunk therapy all the time." I said pulling the clothes out and folding them neatly. "For someone who claims he isn't the sappy emotional type he's a good shoulder to cry on."
"Does anyone else know?" Morgan asked.
"No one besides You, Connor, me and Aiden…" I said. "Though with how weird you two have been acting it wouldn't surprise me if someone else knew."
"Uh... that's something at least." She said. "And these pancakes… so fluffy."
"The hangover special." I said checking my phone to see a text from Bucky and Steve asking me where I was. I couldn't help but smile at the emojis they both sent when I told them I was back in the city. "Never thought I'd see the day Steve used emojis…"
"You two picked up right where you left off." Morgan said.
"In 2023… maybe but not 2016." I said and Morgan just looked at me confused. "You're not the only one in a complicated relationship."
"Mom and dad had it easy." Morgan said.
"Dad flew around in a suit of armor and flew a nuke through a wormhole. I wouldn't call that easy." I said. "Pepper does have the patience of a saint. That probably helped."
"Mom had her hands full." She said. "She was lucky though. Her soulmate loved her and she loved him back."
"Pepper wasn't dad's soulmate." I said.
"What?" Morgan said.
"Dad didn't have her name." I said.
"But I thought…" He asked.
"No. Dad loved her but they weren't each other's soulmates. Well not in the traditional sense anyway." I said.
"I always thought… you know they were so good together." She said.
"Years of practice." I said. "Soulmates aren't always a fairy tale sometimes being meant to be doesn't mean you stay together or that you're going to get together. It just means they're meant to be in your life for some unknown reason."
"So Connor's meant to be in my life to be a drunk hook up." Morgan said. "Not sure how I feel about that…"
"Maybe right now that's all he is but who knows later on. There's always a bigger picture Morgan and your story's not even close to being over." I said as my phone buzzed again. This time it was a photo of Bucky pouting.
"What are Steve and Bucky? Are they the fairytale or other?" She asked.
"It's been more than a hundred years and I'm still trying to figure that out." I said and she looked at me in disbelief. "Like I said complicated."
After Morgan sobered up, she got dressed and headed home. Aiden still hadn't come back and I was starting to get worried. How far did he have to go to meet up with this guy?
Meanwhile…
After Aiden had met up with his contact and gotten a bunch more leads that weren't going to lead anywhere, he headed up town to visit his favorite nephew. Not that he'd ever he was the favorite.
The hospital was as busy as it always was. Nurses and Doctors rushing around, the smell of medical grade antiseptic and the monotone room décor. He slipped through undetected and headed up to Wren's office.
He never told Wren his office used to be his moms. Every time he stopped by it brought back memories of all the times he'd come buy to visit Nora at work when she was working late.
Aiden took a seat knowing his nephew was probably on his mid morning coffee break or rounds. Not even a minute later Wren teleported into his seat behind the desk.
"Oh Hey Uncle Aiden. I didn't know you were stopping by." Wren said.
"I was in the area." He said. "Are you just getting in?"
"Yeah, Elle made breakfast and it was actually edible." Wren said.
"Those cooking lessons are starting to pay off." Aiden said.
"Everything okay with mom?" Wren asked.
"Nora's okay but uh… something's come up. She's asking questions about how it happened." Aiden said.
"It?" Wren asked confused.
"He means how he got frozen in time." Aya said appearing. "Your mom's been trying to fix your uncle."
"I thought you said that couldn't be done?" Wren said.
"I said I didn't know of anyway it could be done. If anyone could figure it out and is stubborn enough not to give up it'd be Nora." Aya said.
"Well she decided to run a DNA analysis comparing mine to an analysis done by SHIELD back in the 70's and she's asking questions." Aiden said. "Questions that for obvious reasons can't be answered."
"Because it hasn't happened yet." Wren said.
"Exactly." Aiden said.
"Nora never known when to leave well enough alone." Aya said.
"Then we give her the usual answer." Wren said. "No spoilers, don't want to screw up the timeline."
"Well no more than it already is." Aiden corrected.
"She's not going to drop it." Aya said.
"Then we keep her busy." Wren said. "Chase dead ends, ask the dads for help…Just don't tell her anything."
"That's a given." Aiden said. "I'm going to have to soundproof the walls if your dads are going to be around more."
"Uh don't remind me." Wren said gagging a bit.
"At least you didn't live with them." He said. "You doing okay? With everything?"
Wren's smile faltered for a second and he sighed.
"This whole situation is… weird… even for us but it's also a second chance so I'm trying to focus on the bright side of things not the fact that were eventually going to send her back to die." Wren said.
"Yeah… that parts going to suck." Aiden said. "Well I should get going. I left your mom with Morgan and your aunt happens to be hungover so…"
"The job not going great?" Wren asked.
"She just needed to vent." Aiden said patting his nephew's shoulder. "Stay out of trouble."
"I don't look for trouble, trouble finds me." Wren answered making Aiden smirk.
"Sure it does." Aiden said heading out.
Hours Later…
Aiden still hadn't shown up. I had called to check up on him with no answer and I was starting to get worried. Then there was a knock at my door.
"About time." I said.
"It's not Aiden boss. It's Sergeant Barnes." Friday answered.
"Bucky?" I said confused but got up to open the door. "Hey you."
"Hi dollface." Bucky said kissing me as he walked in.
"Didn't know you were coming." I said.
"I missed you this morning and wanted to check up on you." Bucky said. "I also brought lunch."
"Oh… You cooked." I said.
"I did. I even made a pit stop in Brooklyn and picked up some cannoli." Bucky said.
"I love you so much right now." I said.
"Just right now?" Bucky teased.
"Not just right now, just slightly more right now." I said kissing him. "I'll get some plates."
Bucky smiled before grabbing his phone and sending a text.
I got her attention, distraction is a go. You're still going to have to talk to her.
Aiden answered back a second later.
I know but she won't push as much of she's too busy drooling over you two.
Try to keep it down in there, remember I live next door.
Bucky smirked.
No promises.
Aiden answered with a series of forehead slapping emojis, gun blowing his brain emojis and puke emojis that made Bucky chuckle.
"Something funny?" I asked.
"Oh nothing just Steve." He said.
"I was going to mention he's gotten really good at using emojis." I said.
"Yeah after they released avenger themed emojis and his Shield was an emoji he started signing all of his messages with a tiny Shield." Bucky said making me laugh.
"Wow I'm still at the point where he starts all of his messages with 'Hi Nora this is Steve Rogers' or he answers the phone with 'Steve Rogers'." I said.
"I remember that…" Bucky said chuckling. "Or when he video called and you could only see his feet?"
"I'd recognize those feet anywhere." I said.
Weeks Later…
Bucky and Steve had made it their mission in life to spend as much time as humanly possible with me and it wasn't us just staying in. We did things like go to amusement parks, we took a polyamorous couples cooking class because apparently that was a thing now, we even went dancing.
Thanksgiving was a pretty casual dinner thing. We spent it at Sam and Aubrey's. Aubrey spent most of the night staring at me. She was apparently still in shock over who I was and the fact that I was there.
Aiden was crawling up the walls. It had been weeks since we had heard anything on the first order and having nothing to do was driving him crazy.
"Uh what I would give to be able to shoot someone." Aiden said.
Another new development was that Thursday night Sam, Aiden and I would go out for drinks and catch up.
"Tell me about it." I said.
"I thought you were happy spending time with Steve and Bucky?" Sam asked.
"I am… you know we've never had the chance to do the normal couple things because we were at war, presumed dead, brainwashed by Nazis, sent to another time by a sentient being or you know Steve was being an idiot." I said. "I just feel a bit… smothered?"
"Well they missed you." Sam said.
"I know… I guess I got too used to being alone." I said.
"When were you ever alone?" Aiden said. "You had Aya in your head."
Then my phone buzzed at the same time Sam's did.
"Huh… Wren wants to have lunch on Monday." Sam said.
"He wants to have breakfast on Monday." I said.
"So either you're both going to be grandparents or he's finally going to propose." Aiden said.
"About time." Sam said.
"So are we taking bets?" I asked.
"Oh yeah…" Sam said.
Monday Morning….
New York was starting to get cold which being December was no real surprise. I woke up early on Monday to work out before breakfast with Wren. When I got back I showered blow dried my newly died auburn hair. My hair was starting to get long, a constant reminder of how long I'd been here.
.
After I was done styling my hair I changed into a white button down shirt dress with a pair of thigh high black suede heeled boots. I finished the look with a black wool cape coat.
"Boss, Wren is at the door." Friday notified me.
"Let him in Friday." I said giving myself one last look in the mirror before heading down.
"Hey mom." Wren said.
"Morning sweetie." I said. "Hope you don't mind. I didn't cook cause I was thinking we could eat out."
"That was actually what I was planning on doing. I had a craving for some crepes?" Wren suggested.
"Mhmm that sounds perfect." I said.
"I know the perfect spot." Wren said offering me his hand.
"It's been a while since I've done this." I said taking his hand before we were off. I felt the familiar sinking feeling of the ground being pulled out from under me before I took a step forward on instinct to steady myself. I looked around and sure enough we weren't in New York anymore.
"Not bad right?" Wren asked with a grin.
"Very smooth." I said proudly as we walked out of the alley and I saw the Eiffel tower. "Paris?"
"Oui." Wren said as we walked down the street to the crepe shop.
We sat down outside to enjoy the fresh air and the view.
"It's good to know some things never change." I said look at the Eiffel tower.
"Yeah… My first date with Elle was here in Paris. She loves it." Wren said.
"It is the perfect date spot. Your dad brought me here for our anniversary. Took a walk along the Seine. Or when we just needed to clear our heads for a bit we'd go sit on a rooftop somewhere." I said.
"Great minds think alike." Wren said. "So I wanted to ask you something."
"Yeah?" I said sipping my coffee trying to play it cool.
"Elle and I have been together for a really long time. She's my best friend, she's my rock and I love her more than anything. She's it for me and I want to make it official." Wren said. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."
"Really?" I said smiling.
"Yeah." Wren said smiling.
"That's amazing!" I said standing up to hug him. "I'm so happy for you two. Even if I do owe your uncles fifty bucks each."
"You guys bet on us?" Wren said.
"One of the perks of having kids is being able to bet on what they'll come up with next." I said. "But congratulations, you two are going to be so happy together."
"Well I haven't asked her yet." Wren said.
"Oh please she's going to say yes. Elle loves you, I can tell by the way she looks at you, and its obvious she makes you happy. You two make a really cute couple and your babies are going to be even cuter." I said.
"Mom!" Wren whined.
"What? It's true." I said. "But on a more serious note. Elle's a keeper. I mean you found someone that loves and supports you though everything we have to deal with from time jumping, Aya, past or future versions of up popping up randomly and people coming back from the dead. You don't need this but for what it's worth I approve."
"Thanks mom." Wren said tearing up. "I uh… I've been thinking about this for a while now. I've been looking for rings but none seemed right except for this one."
Wren pulled out a familiar looking ring box from his jacket pocket before opening it to show me the engagement ring Wren had given me.
"I know how much it means to you and I wanted to ask if it's be okay for me to give it to Elle?" Wren asked.
I picked up the ring box and smiled before putting it back in Wren's hands.
"I love this ring, but not as much as I love you two. This ring matters so much to me because of what it represents. Your dad was always there for me until the end and even after he was still looking out for me. I know you two will be the same and if Wren was here I'm sure he'd agree with me and he'd want you to give it to Ellie." I said.
"I met him." Wren said. "I time jumped in the early 2010's. Outside this bar in Germany."
"His favorite bar." I said nodding knowing the spot he was talking about.
"He gave really good advice." He said.
"His specialty." I said wiping my eyes. "So how are you going to propose?"
"Would it be really cheesy if I proposed on Christmas?" Wren asked.
"I think it'd be just the right amount of cheese. Your dads proposed on Christmas." I said.
"Ring from dad and proposal inspired by dads." Wren said. "It fits. Just need to ask Uncle Sam for his input and permission."
"You know he's going to say yes." I said.
"Yeah but I'm still asking. I'm doing this right." Wren said.
"Your dads raised a good man." I said.
"So did my mom." Wren said smiling.
Christmas Day…
I was at the compound cooking helping Steve and Bucky with Breakfast as I was trying to keep my excitement in check. Today was the big day and any minute now they were going to pop in and announce the news.
In the meantime I was keeping up Christmas traditions starting with everyone showing up in Christmas Pjs. I was already in my red and white reindeer Christmas pjs. Steve nd bucky were matching with me. Steve with a white tee shirt and the same print pants and Bucky with a grey long sleeve and the same pants as Steve.
.
"Doll I don't think you need to make reindeer pancakes for the kids." Bucky said.
"It's tradition." I said.
"Yeah but don't you think they're a bit too old for that?" Steve said as Connor came in.
"Ah! Reindeer pancakes!" Connor cheered before picking me up in a bear hug. "You're the best auntie in the whole wide world!"
"And I made your favorite. Rudolph with a strawberry nose and extra big bacon antlers." I said ruffling my nephews hair before putting the plate in front of him.
"Score." Connor said.
"Morning." Morgan said as she walked in.
"Hey right on time." I told her.
"Do you want Blitzen or Prancer?" I asked her.
"Huh?" Morgan asked.
"Reindeer pancakes." Connor said munching happily.
"Oh… uh Blitzen?" Morgan said.
"All yours." I said putting the plate down next to Connor so she could sit down.
"Hey did we miss it?" Sam said running in with Audrey.
"No, they're still not here." I said.
"What's going on?" Morgan asked.
"Wren's going to propose." Connor said.
"Shit, really?" Morgan said. "About time."
"Wow! What happened in here?" Audrey said.
"I'm guessing Nora." Aiden said.
"You wore the pjs." I said surprised.
"Don't remind me." Aiden said putting down the gifts. "Did you buy all the lights in the state?"
"No just… all the lights in town." I said.
"And that one warehouse." Connor added. "They were on sale and we can use them again next year."
"I still don't understand why you needed all those lights? You haven't even turned them on." Bucky said.
"We can turn them on now." Steve said.
"No!" Connor and I said.
"It's a surprise for when everyone gets here." I said.
"It's gonna look so awesome." Connor said.
"There's two of them." Morgan told Aiden.
"Where do you think Connor gets his love for Christmas from?" Aiden said.
Everyone showed up. Clint. Natasha, Wanda, Vision, Rhodey….
We were just waiting on Wren and Elle.
"She either said no or they're still celebrating." Connor said.
"I'm going with the second." Morgan said.
"Kids. Behave." Sam said. "but probably."
"Remember when we proposed?" Bucky said.
"Yeah." Steve said with a dopey smile.
"That was a great morning." I said.
"And afternoon." Bucky said.
"And Night." Steve said.
"Get a room you three." Aiden said.
"We have a compound." Bucky retorted.
"Whoa." Wren said appearing out of thin air with Elle making Aubrey jump in surprise.
"Ah!" Aubrey said.
"Sorry we're late." Wren said.
"It's okay." I said.
"We're sure you had a good reason." Sam said.
"Really good reason." Steve said.
"They you're going to share when you're ready." Bucky said.
"We can wait." Sam said.
"Or not." I said. "You know things can happen at any second."
"Well…" Wren said. "We decided to open presents early."
"He got me the most amazing…" Ellie started.
"And she got me this watch…" Wren said.
"But yours was so much more…" Ellie said lifting up her left hand to show off her new ring.
"But she said yes!" Wren said.
"Finally!" Connor said.
"Congrats guys." Morgan said.
"Told you she'd say yes." I said hugging Wren. "And you!"
"Thank you Auntie." Ellie said. "I promise I'll take really good care of your ring and Wren."
"Well it's your ring now." I said. "And take care of each other that's what really matters."
"I think we can turn on the lights now." Connor said.
"Let her rip buddy." I said.
"Friday! Activate jingle bell rock protocol." Connor said.
Suddenly the lights shut off and the room was completely dark.
"Connor did you cause a black out again?" Ellie said.
"Wait for it…" I said as the far off drum beat started before the guitar
"Da da da." The opening verse of ACDC's back in black started playing as the synchronized lights lit up with each note as the song played and the room and the outside of the compound activated as the song played.
Back in black
I hit the sack
I've been too long, I'm glad to be back
Yes, I'm let loose
From the noose
That's kept me hanging about
I've been looking at the sky
'Cause it's gettin' me high
Forget the hearse 'cause I never die
I got nine lives
Cat's eyes
Abusin' every one of them and running wild
'Cause I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back, back
Well, I'm back in black
Yes, I'm back in black
"No way." Wren said before teleporting outside to the balcony with Elle to see the trees in the forest outside the compound and the grass also activate as the music played loudly on the speakers.
"Wow!" Morgan said following him them outside.
"You've really outdone yourself this time." Aiden said.
"It was a team effort." I said winking at Connor.
Back in the back
Of a Cadillac
Number one with a bullet, I'm a power pack
Yes, I'm in a bang
With a gang
They've got to catch me if they want me to hang
'Cause I'm back on the track
And I'm beatin' the flack
Nobody's gonna get me on another rap
So look at me now
I'm just makin' my play
Don't try to push your luck, just get out of my way
'Cause I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back
Yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back, back
Well, I'm back in black
Yes, I'm back in black
Well, I'm back, yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back, yes, I'm back
Well, I'm back, back
Well, I'm back in black
Yes, I'm back in black
"Surprise isn't over just yet" Connor said.
"Friday be ready to take photos." I said.
"of course boss." Friday said.
"I'm so glad we don't have to play the electric bill." Bucky said.
"I'm still worried they're going to cause a fire." Steve said. "I'm going to go look for the extinguisher.
"I don't think one extinguisher's going to cut it." Bucky said.
Oh, yeah
Oh, yeah
Take my love
Oh, yeah, yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, ooh, yeah
Well, I'm back (I'm back)
Back (I'm back)
Back (I'm back)
Back (I'm back)
Back (I'm back)
Back
Back in black
Yes, I'm back in black
I've hit the sack
And as soon as the last lyric was over the fireworks started going off int the dark sky behind them. Good thing it got darker way earlier in the future or else we wouldn't have been able to see them.
Before kissing. And that ended up being the photo they used for their engagement announcement.
Months Later…
It was March. In other words one year since Aya blasted me into the future and still not a single sign of me going home. Well except for my inevitable expiration date.
"Happy Blastoversary." I told Aiden as he walked in one morning.
"Blastoversary?" Aiden asked confused.
"One year today that I got blasted and subsequently stranded in the future." I said sipping my mimosa.
"We're having one of those morning huh?" Aiden said.
"Yeah." I said.
"Well lucky for you I have something that will cheer you up. I got a lead." Aiden said.
"Lead on…" I asked.
"First Order." Aiden said.
"Real lead or guy who heard from a guy who heard from another guy?" I asked.
"I got an exact location on a meeting the First orders higher ups are having with the extremist sect of the Lianists." Aiden said.
"Real lead! Yes!" I said. "Where are we going?"
"Dublin." Aiden said.
"Ireland?" I asked. "That's… unexpected."
"Which is the last place we would have thought to look which makes it the perfect place to hide." Aiden said.
"When do we head out?" I asked.
"Whenever you're done packing." He said and I walked over to the coat closet and pulled out my go bag.
"Done." I said as Aiden grabbed his keys and we headed out.
I wasn't the only one that was eager to get to work. Aiden floored it while driving, ran three red lights and at one point drifted on a turn. We made it to the compound in record time.
"Hey Doll we were just about to go see you." Bucky said as he and Steve walked into the garage.
"I'm going to have to take a raincheck on the picnic guys. We got a lead." I said.
"On the First Order?" Steve said turning to Aiden.
"Yes which is why we're in a rush." Aiden said speed walking out of the garage and towards the hanger.
"Where are you two off to?" Bucky asked.
"Ireland." I said.
"Haven't been there in a while." Steve said. "Want some back up?"
"No." Aiden said. "You'll just get in the way."
"What he means is that this is more of a stealth mission and you guys aren't really stealthy." I said smoothing things over.
"I was an assassin for over seventy years and people didn't think I existed." Bucky said.
"Yeah honey but since then you've become a bit more recognizable. And Steve paints his shield like a target so maybe its best if we just handle this ourselves." I said and both of them frowned just as we got into the hanger. "but if we get into any trouble we will let you know and you can fly right over. Kay? Kay."
"Nora maybe we should wai…" Steve started.
"Clocks ticking. Are you coming or not?" Aiden called out as he started the jet.
"Gotta go. Love you." I said giving them each a quick peck on the lips before running into the jet and closing the door before Aiden flew us out.
"Okay, Dublin. We're going to need to run recon. Wait are we going to have time to run recon?" I asked.
"Just about." Aiden said. "We are cutting it close though."
"We've done more with less." I said. "Where is this happening? Warehouse? Abandoned building? Back of a club?"
"A boat." Aiden said. "Abandoned shipping freighter."
"Not so abandoned if they're using it. What's the name of the boat?" I asked.
"The SS… Delphic." Aiden said.
"Delphic as in of Delphi…" I said.
"Are you about to spout off some obscure mythological fact?" Aiden asked.
"Not anymore." I said. It's probably a coincidence anyway.
"Let's keep our eyes on the prize." Aiden said.
"First Order high command." I said.
"If we can catch one of them, we can figure out what they're planning and put an end to them." Aiden said.
"It's not going to be easy to get in. It's a huge freighter. We have to assume they're going to be watching the perimeter around the clock." I said.
"Good thing infiltration is our specialty." Aiden said before he grinned.
"I don't know if infiltration is the way to go here." I said looking at the plans of the ship and docks. "There's only one way in and one way out. The first order has been way too careful up until now to slip up."
"We've gotten out of tighter places before." Aiden said. "If things go bad we can just jump ship and swim."
"Too bad I didn't bring my bikini." I said.
"Yeah because Ireland has perfect swimming weather in March." He said. "I am thinking pub food for dinner though."
"I know a good spot… or at least I used to." I said.
Hours Later…
"This place has changed but at the same time it hasn't. I didn't even know that was possible." I said as I walked down the street with Aiden.
"A pub on every corner, Yeah still the same." He said taking out his binoculars and looking down to the ports. "Alright According to Friday that entire dock is supposed to be abandoned."
"Looks pretty busy to me." I said tapping on the side of my glasses. These were definitely one of dad's best inventions. In a second it roomed into the docks. "And there's the Delphic." All loaded up. Should an abandoned shipping freighter be that loaded?"
"No, there's no heat signatures on it. Besides the crew." Aiden said.
"I changed my mind we definitely need to get in there." I said.
"Keep an eye on the guards. See when they change shifts." He said.
"Or how about when they send the new guy out to get dinner?" I said looking at the car that was heading out.
"That'll work." Aiden said before we got into the car and followed the guard. I flirted a bit and got him to follow me into the alley before Aiden knocked him out, shifted into him and went to go pick up his order. I followed him back in the car and kept watch.
Aiden took a look around and checked in occasionally.
"Alright I got you a way in and you don't even have to swim in." Aiden said. "There's a hole in the fence behind the green warehouse. It's a blind spot to the security camera. The shift change is in forty five minutes, I'll meet you there."
"I'll start looking for a place to hide the car and the grunt." I said starting the car.
Sure enough I left grunty and the car two blocks down the street, changed the license plates and ran over to meet Aiden.
"Took you long enough." Aiden said.
"Parking's a bitch." I said slipping through the fence.
"Found us a good spot to listen in on the meeting. Apparently you can hear and see everything from the room right above it." Aiden said.
"Do we have time to do some snooping?" I asked as I followed him.
"Always." He said handing me a mask. I quickly slipped it on and followed him onboard the ship. It was timed perfectly during the shift change so we didn't run into anyone or everyone was too focused on reporting to their post they didn't bother to look in our direction.
"Make a left here." Aiden said before we slipped in between to stacks of storage containers. "There's another blind spot ten meters down, It's a dead end so it should be safe to take a look."
"I'm still not picking up any heat signatures." I said.
"Don't know if that reassuring or not." Aiden said.
"We're about to find out." I said as we turned into the dead end blind spot. We quickly picked the lock and slid the door open only to find… nothing.
"It's empty." Aiden said.
"Did they unload anything?" I asked.
"No they were loading it onto the boat." Aiden said.
"Maybe they kept this one empty, you know for cover?" I suggested.
"Let's try another one." He said going to open the container across rom it while I went to open the container at the closed off end to check on it. And again it was empty.
"What the hell?" Aiden said walking towards me. "It's empty?"
"So is this one." I said and that's when I started getting this really bad feeling. "Once is chance, Twice is coincidence, Third time is a pattern."
"Shit." Aiden said. "We need to get out now."
"Yeah" I said turning to follow him only for a group of grunts to come towards us pointing their guns at us with their laser sights pointing right at us. We quickly ran back only for more grunts to pop up from above with all of their sights on us.
"It might be time to panic." Aiden said activating his comm's silent panic trigger.
"We're going to be late for dinner." I said doing the same before they shot taser darts at both of us and we collapsed on the ground.
The last thing I saw was an expensive leather loafer and the hem of a tailored suit before everything went dark.