A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying this! And this is the last chapter until next week, so enjoy the ending ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Disney, ABC or the Avengers.
While Pietro played with Callie outside, and Steve and Tony went to drop off Carson and Malick to the authority of the President, I went for a quick fly around the field. It felt good to have the wind in my face again, and the winter sun on my back.
"How did it feel, to be reborn?" I heard Wanda ask over a comm I had in my ear.
"Excruciating. I thought I was dead and I was burning for all the things I had done. But I'm survived because the fire within me, burned brighter than the fire that surrounded me. That and this InHuman gene shit. Honestly, I feel like a character in a book. Something is good and then WHAM! I've got actual powers, or a set of twins that is so rare, it's like one in a billion."
"At least you weren't an experiment."
"Technically, my mother was. And in turn I was supposed to be as well. You and Steve have a very dry sense of humor in regards to your procedures." I smirked.
"So does James," She said, and I almost laughed.
"Bucky feels a little different my dear. Trust me, I've read his deepest darkest secrets, the desires of his heart to go back in time and torture Arnim Zola. It was a beautiful thought, but sometimes you just have to get over your hang ups and become better. Let that rage you have turn you into someone better. The real accomplishment? Becoming the opposite of what you were designed for. I was supposed to be an Heiress of Hydra, but I took great satisfaction in bringing down their empire."
"Will you have to go now?" She asked softly, as I descended.
"Yes, but Pietro and I will come back soon. Don't forget, I've adopted you as my sister. Anytime I can come, I will be here."
"Hate to interrupt the bonding moment, but we just received a message from Sera's dimension." Clint's voice said, and I nose dived for the ground, before landing hard on one foot and one knee.
"I'm on my way. Who was it?" I said, sprinting into the building.
"Sounded like… I don't even know. Just get to the lab," Sam's voice said, and I skidded to a halt outside of the door. But instead of stopping though, I slipped on the linoleum because of my snow wet shoes, landing hard on my hip.
"Mother-" I bit out as I got up, much to Clint and Scott's amusement as they laughed their heads off.
"Are you okay?" Pietro asked, helping my up.
"God, that almost hurt as much as getting shot on that mission in Budapest," I groaned and Clint stopped laughing.
"No," he said, eyes wide.
"Oh yeah, I was there for that," I smirked, before Sam asked exasperated, "TELL US."
"Well, since it was only my Nat and Clint, I made the promise of silence to, I will begin with the book fountain that Clint got distrac-" I started and then Clint's hand covered my mouth while saying, "ARSENAL, play the recording."
"Sera," Steve's voice said, sounding strained, and I listened intently, glaring at Clint.
"Please come home." He said, and my heart dropped. Had something happened?
"Elijah… he needs his mother. Is what you are doing… is it more important than your son? Than us?"
"ARSENAL, pause." I said, before looking at the remaining Avengers in the room. They got up wordlessly, except Pietro, who held my hand while Callie chatted to him about the snowmen she wanted to make tomorrow.
"Play," I whispered, and Steve's voice stated again, "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty for staying. I know you mean it when there is something you need to finish. But, we need you here too."
"End of recording." ARSENAL's smooth voice said and I gave a small smile.
"We are going home. Tonight," I said, looking up at my little brother. Pietro smiled and said, "Tonight."
When Tony and Steve got back to base, I could tell they had talked, begrudgingly. But there was easiness to their conversation that hadn't been there yesterday. And I was happy that they had at least decided to be adults about the situation.
But it was seeing Bucky talking to Tony that made my heart soar.
Tony was telling him to come by the lab so they could measure his arm and get FRIDAY to start on the prototype's digital design schematics. Bucky simply nodded and then asked, "You aren't gonna put a bomb in it, are you?"
"No. As much as I would like to, I'm not going to give you an arm that shoots bombs."
"No, like a bomb. Specifically with my name on it," Bucky had said, and Tony looked offended until Steve gave him a look. He looked back at Bucky and said, "Barnes, I don't... hold you responsible. Now that Sera has given me the truth… I'm starting to see how it wasn't you that did that."
And I just about started crying. But Callie's chatter was distracting me from the rest of that conversation.
"Momma, can we have hot chocolate now? I want to watch Frozen." She said, and I laughed.
"Okay, but just the two of us. I don't want to subject anyone else to that torture."
"What's torture?" She asked and I said, "Something I will explain when you are older."
Pietro quickly snatched her from my arms and smiled at Wanda, "Race you to the movie room."
"Pietro there's no-" And he had already left, "Movie room."
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU STARK?" I heard screamed from down the hallway, and chuckled.
Natasha ended up staying behind in the lab with Bruce and the guys, while Wanda, Clint and I walked up to the kitchen, living area to watch a movie with my little girl. Bucky was trailing behind us at a safe distance, as he wasn't supposed to be in sight of Callie.
"How's Nathaniel? Talking yet?" I asked, excited about my alternate dimension godson.
"Almost. He's got Dada down pat though. It annoys Laura."
"Clint, you should head home." I said, and he nodded.
"I've stayed too long already. I just needed to know that I wasn't going to be hunted down on my farm."
"Tony won't let that happen. And now Steve won't either."
"I'll wait till you're safe at home and then I'll go. Maybe take Wanda with me. She needs off base for awhile." He teased, bumping into her shoulder.
"I need a girls day, away from all this testosterone," She joked right back.
"So Laura and Nat are what you need then," I laughed as we made it to the kitchen. I started the movie for Callie, and then made a big pot of hot chocolate. Stirring in chili powder, and nutmeg, I heard Pietro take in a deep sniff.
"It that…."
"Secret family recipe," I smirked as I quickly stashed away the ingredients.
"You and your family recipes. Wanda is really looking forward to your Paprikash by the way." He said, as I heard the opening music to the movie. Sighing as the beat took over my daughter's attention, Bucky came up behind me in the kitchen. He didn't say a word, but I knew that once I opened my mouth, I was going to say something stupid. He made me feel safe, like my own Bucky. But I was conflicted by my feelings for him. Perhaps it was just him being a mirror image to my own husband, and I hadn't seen either in almost two weeks.
The silence between us was comfortable, as he watched me flit around the kitchen, pouring cups of hot cocoa for my daughter and her movie guests. And then I busied myself with making lunch. He seemed to realize that my spirits were lifted, and with the interrogation over, my time here was over.
I chewed my bottom lip gently as I mixed my ingredients together, and Bucky sat at the bar, watching me carefully, like Vision had the last week. I would occasionally look up and gesture to his mug and he would nod. Handing it back to him full of hot cocoa, he would take a few sips, relax again and continue watching me, ears attuned to the sounds of Frozen behind him.
I was lost in thought though, realizing the consequences of my actions from this morning a lot too late. This could set the Accords back months. I could have just made a bigger mess for them. I should have just taken him back to my dimension and locked him up. Or killed him there.
But it just felt so good.
"He wouldn't have stopped. You did what was needed, not what was easy."
"Now you sound like me." I said softly, as I heard Steve's voice coming down the hallway with Tony.
That was the end of our conversation, because I suddenly heard Callie start singing along to Anna's First Time in Forever.
"Mama, sing!" She exclaimed, and I laughed.
"Okay pumpkin." I said, singing along with Anna, when Tony and Steve walked in. I set down two cups of hot cocoa in front of them, when they sat down at the table.
They smirked at me as I continued singing, and then I twirled around a bit when Callie looked back at me.
Callie giggled and went back to watching, asking Pietro to dance with her.
"Just remember that Auntie Jemma will want him back!" I teased when she giggled.
"Actually, Jemma recorded a message for her." Pietro said suddenly, pausing the TV and taking out his phone. As he swiped through his pictures, and said, "It's from all your Auntie's."
"Callie! Darling girl, I miss you. Hopefully you'll be back before you have to watch this."
"Jemma, don't hog it. Hey Callie girl. I've missed our cuddles. I hope you're being good over there with your mom. Give her a big hug for me, will you?" I heard Daisy's voice say.
"My turn!" I heard Wanda sing song, and I chuckled.
"Callie, my литтле бирд. I want to hug you so badly, and I can't wait for you to get back, because you are going to be my flowergirl!"
"Momma, what's a flowergirl?" Callie asked as the phone in the video was passed to another of Callie's adoring Aunts. I went to speak but Bobby started talking.
"Little bird, you need to fly back to the nest. Because I miss braiding your hair. I can't do it to your brother's hair." She joked and Callie giggled.
"Callie, listen to your mother. She's gonna bring you home soon." I heard May say and I looked at Pietro in surprise.
"Yeah, threw me off completely too," He teased when he saw my face.
"Is there anyone that is allergic to… what am I saying, I know everyone's allergies." I said, finishing my own thought.
"And the best for last," I heard Jemma say as I looked over and saw the small screen. Natasha's face came into view, and her smile was easy as she said, "You owe me a lot of hugs little miss."
"You are missed by everyone here and we hope to see you soon. Chin up, and remember that we love you. Now, do as Daisy said and give your momma a hug for us. I love you Callie."
"Love you too Auntie Nat," Callie said to the screen, thinking see could hear her. Almost as soon as the video ended, Callie sprinted over to me crying.
"Little love, why are you sad?" I asked.
"I miss everyone!" She sobbed and I patted her hair as she cried into my shoulder.
"Well, you miss them because you love them, and because they love you. You know that the love of a family can never be broken?" I said, looking at Tony.
"It can't?" She asked.
"Never. We may part ways for awhile, but those we love and who love us, will always be with us. In our hearts."
"And guess what?" I said, pulling her back from my shoulder to tuck her hair behind her ears.
"You don't have to miss them too much. Because we are going home, tonight." I beamed at her, and her smile and happy tears made me realize it had been too long. We needed to be home.
"Right after lunch, we are going home. I promise." I smiled.
"I get to see Dad and Daddy?"
"You get to see everyone."
As her sobbing quieted, and Pietro led her back to the couch to finish her movie, I served dinner for the adults in the room. Wanda practically beamed at me when she noticed it was Paprikash.
"I'm rusty and I needed the practice," I shrugged before she hugged me tightly. Vision, who had been quite absent as of late, drifted in through the walls and sat down next to Rhodey and Thor on his opposite. Wanda gave him a shy smile, and my head just about came off from the whiplash of watching Vision's similar smile.
"Thank you for setting me right Sera," Rhodey said, looking up at me and I nodded, head cleared from my distraction.
"I know it couldn't have been easy for you. To do that to them. Others wouldn't have gone to those lengths for answers. I appreciate you going that far."
"Yeah, but I'm sorry about how I handled Ross. That shouldn't have happened."
"I calculate that if Secretary Ross had lived, he would have more than likely, used the prisoners in the Raft as an army, and revolted against the UN." Vision said.
"I agree. We got answers, and letting him go would have cost us more." Thor added.
The next moment was silent as Callie started to twirl around singing, "LET IT GO, LET IT GO!" I couldn't help but chuckle as I watched my little princess twirl around, pretending to spread ice everywhere.
"Momma, can I have powers?" She asked, stopping dead and looking at me expectantly.
"When you are old enough, and if you're Daddies agree with me, we will see if you carry the InHuman gene. If you do, we will let you decide if you would like to go through the mist. How does that sound?" I smiled at her. She beamed and said, "Oh please!"
"I have to talk to your daddies. It might hurt you, so we want to make sure it's safe for you first." I explained.
"You'd want her to go through Terrigenesis?" Thor asked, confused.
"We don't see it as a bad thing now. We will give her the choice when she's older. As long as she's happy and healthy. Who am I kidding, as long as she doesn't grow a second head or turn out like Raina, I'll be happy."
The silence came back with a vengeance as I noticed Bucky's eyes still hadn't left me. I was beginning to wonder what his problem was when Steve said, "Buck, can I speak to you in the hall?"
"No Mom," he sassed and Sam chuckled.
"Now," Steve said, throwing down his napkin and getting up. Bucky got up, begrudgingly and grumbled, as he walked behind Steve into the hallway.
"Someone's in trouble," Wanda joked and everyone lost it. Wanda seemed pretty proud of her joke, glancing at a chuckling Pietro nervously.
"I miss this," I whispered to myself. But when I did, Bucky's head stuck back through the doorway to glare at our table. It just sent them into another round of laughter.
"Okay pumpkin, are you ready to see Daddy and Dad?"
"Daddy and Dad! And Elijah. And Jemma, Fitzie, Daisy, Uncle Tripp, Uncle Brock, Auntie May, Uncle Phil-"
"Okay little bird, you'll see everyone. You and Pietro are going first okay? Hold on tight to him and don't look around, okay?"
"Family, whoever is in the lab, be prepared for a very excited little girl on a silver bullet." I had ARSENAL send over recording. Bruce was on the other end and said, "We're ready to catch her."
"Okay, Pietro. Come back for me." I smiled at the silver speedster. He smirked, let me kiss Callie's head and was gone. He disappeared into the red fissure that floated in the middle of the lab, and I sighed, waiting for a sign that they made it. A minute later I received the best message yet, from my husbands.
"Pietro's coming back for you," Steve's voice said.
"Get on his back this time, you hear?" I heard my Bucky's relieved voice ask.
"Everyone," I said, gaining the group's attention. Pepper stood tall beside Tony, while Steve stood on his opposite. Bucky, Sam, Scott and Clint were on Bucky's right side, while Natasha, Rhodey, Wanda and Vision were on the opposite side of Pepper.
"Thank you," I sniffed, blinking back tears, "Thank you for the time and energy you all put into making my daughter and I feel comfortable and safe. Thank you for trying to find a way home for me."
"Your one of us kid," Tony said, and I smirked.
"You are a family now. And a family should be whole. Which is why I've given Tony the coordinates to Phil Coulson's SHIELD base, and the encryption on their defense systems. I don't believe Daisy is with them right now, because if she was, I would have had to try." I chuckled, and Tony did too.
"We'll bring hem in. We're gonna need all the help we can get," Steve said, before giving me a look.
"Yes, I volunteer if I'm not otherwise preoccupied, to help you defeat Thanos. It will give me an edge for my own fight possibly."
"I'll help too," Pietro said as he walked up beside me. I nearly jumped but I held myself from yelling and saying that he scared me.
"So, I guess this is goodbye, for now." I sighed, looking at everyone again.
Each of the guys gave me a hug and wished me well until we saw each other again, and Pepper thanked me for setting her straight about Tony. Vision gave a nod and said, "I should very much like to "
"Take care of yourself," Natasha said. I nodded and replied, "You as well. Keep these guys in line, would you?"
"I'll attempt to." She chuckled.
"We'll attempt to," Wanda said, stepping up and hugging me tightly.
"If you ever need to vent, call me. I'm just a Quicksilver minute away," I joked.
"I will."
And with that, I was almost home.
"Wait," Bucky said, stepping forward and wrapping me in his arms.
"Thank you for giving me my head back. For giving me my life back."
"That wasn't what I did. I gave you the opportunity, the chance to choose for yourself who you were. You just made the right choice."
The light sparked in his eyes once more, as he pulled out of the hug and kissed my cheek. The light brushing of his lips on my skin made me blush, because I was having some very bad thoughts about my husband's multiverse doppelganger. I smiled and backed up, nervous to say anything. But I think all was said and Pietro grabbed me in a bridal hold.
"Hey, watch it Junior. I still have two husbands that would love to beat you up for your obvious flirting with me back in Sokovia." I said, making Natasha chuckle. Bruce, who was standing next to her, smiled at the sound and said, "Be safe Sera."
"All of you as well. I'll inform you of any news I receive on Thanos, and Tony?"
"Yeah?"
"Go visit them," I said, and he seemed to understand.
"And NO ONE mess up the recipe book I left you guys. Seriously, I will hunt you all down here and whack you upside the head." I said, before waving goodbye to everyone and tucking my head under Pietro's chin. In an instant we were gone, and I looked around to see flashing lights and passing memories as we travelled through the multiverse.
One approached us faster than the others. It was like travelling to the Mars versus Pluto, because all of a sudden the others were closer, but this was by far the closest. I squeezed my eyes tight as we approached the red fissure, and Pietro ran full tilt into it.
With a pop to my eardrums, we passed through the fissure. As I caught my balance, I was transferred from Pietro's arms to what felt like a cot. My head was spinning as the change in frequency, and I was feeling a bit of vertigo. As the world re-aligned itself, I tested out my vision. Opening one eye, I saw the spinning was slowing down, so I opened the second.
A blonde head of hair on my stomach made me pause. Was I out cold or something? Why is Steve's head on my stomach? And then I noticed that the little hand that held mine was connected to the blonde head.
"Momma?" I heard Elijah's voice say as he lifted his head from my stomach. My eyes watered as I said, "My baby boy!"
"She's up," I heard Steve's voice say happily, as I clutched Elijah to my chest, kissing his head over and over. I saw my husbands as they came to my side, and noticed neither one had shaved recently. Both wore unimpressed looks on their faces, but were relieved at the same time.
"You both stink," I smirked.
"Never again," Steve said softly, cupping my face.
"Well, this brings back memories," I smirked, reaching up to pull each of them down for a long overdue kiss.
