A/N: Hey guys, it's been awhile. Sorry about that. Pregnancy brain, I guess. Anyways, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel, Disney, ABC or the Avengers.
Song used in this chapter is "Goodnight," by Cher Lloyd.
Callie's POV
"No, I need him found. He is planning an attack on the UN, trying to divide the Avengers... It's revenge! He lost his family in Ultron's attack on Novi Grad... I understand. I will do what I can from my end. Thank you President Thomson. I know the intelligence on him is minimal, but he nearly succeeded in an alternate dimension."
"I will bring over all the evidence from the other dimension's case, but it won't be enough to convict him. I need him to confess his plans. So we need to bring him in and I will get it out of him."
"Yes sir. Goodnight President Thomson," Mom said, sighing loudly as she hung up. She stayed calm for a moment before hanging her head.
"So, what priority is he right now?" I asked, watching as Elijah came back in with Joey. The floofy Golden Retriever sensed Mom's distress and ran up to place his head in her lap.
"On my list, priority two. On the UN's… well that will be decided by my committee in the morning before we decide how to proceed. Since he hasn't done anything as of right now, we do things as if he was simply a threat, not a criminal."
"That doesn't sound very reassuring," I said, as Eli sat back down at the table, with a soft pretzel halfway done.
"Where did you find a pretzel?" Mom asked, looking around the kitchen confused.
"I stopped asking those kinds of questions awhile ago. If Elijah is hungry, he follows his nose," I explained. Eli went to speak, mouth full of food, but thought better of it when Mom gave him a look.
"There was a stand in the park down the street. Joey wanted one too," He said, after swallowing his food, "Now, who's a threat?"
"Zemo. ARSENAL has dedicated all non-essential power to finding him. She's hacking a few secure satellites to help. But we know he was planning to divide the Avengers. Doing so is what killed King T'Chaka, and several other people at the UN on another version of our world in the multiverse. It's what started the man hunt for the Bucky of the other dimension your sister and I visited."
"So he's gonna be a problem." Eli said, giving me a steely look. I flashed my eyes at him that we would talk later.
"Not if we get to him before he makes any moves. Tony and I talk. Mainly about our ideas for ARSENAL's defense Network and the shield. Things they can start on their Earth and be ready for their own invasion. It may not happen the same way it does here."
"Do you think you'll talk to him tonight?"
"No, I'm exhausted from the flight back and partially from the pregnancy. I really wish that I could sleep now. But I need to stay up another hour to start my own search for Zemo."
"Have ARSENAL and LUCY start now, and you can finish tomorrow. You had a long trip," Elijah said, noticing how Mom seemed to be fading.
"Didn't seem like that long, but my body seems to think it was," She yawned.
"Go get some sleep Mom. You deserve it. Plus you have an early morning tomorrow," I said as she nodded.
"Unfortunately, but yes, I do. Okay, I'll get ARSENAL running the search and-"
"Mom, go to bed," Elijah said, "You were about to go off on another tangent."
"Fine. It's like you know me too well," She laughed, kissing us both goodnight and padding down the hall.
"Love you," She called after I heard the tablet being placed on the desk in the living room.
"Love you too!" Eli and I said, before turning to talk. He raised a single eyebrow at me, and I nodded, gesturing to the rooftop deck. As we snuck out to the cool night air, I hoped Mom wasn't paranoid enough to bug her own apartment. But this was a precaution.
"When?" He asked softly.
"Next week. We don't have a lot of time, but after this, we need to go back. Mom's got it from here."
"What are the repercutions if we deal with this the way we want? Quietly."
"Better than if we let it happen," I sighed.
"Mom is in danger if we don't. Screw the laws of time travel those monks taught you. Steven was very specific that he can't tamper with what you do, but we can tamper with events he has dealt with."
"Well, in this reality, he's already had his accident, but not even gotten to Kamar-Taj yet. So I suspect he will have little opinion on the matter. And if the Ancient One herself shows up to stop us, we will take that as a sign."
"So, you know where he is?" Elijah said, looking out over the city.
"Doing recon in Russia. Looking for the book," I whispered, watching him get the same look as Dad; jaw set and ready to do a necessary evil in the name of Mom's safety.
"He's not getting it. Only we know where it is. And besides, it won't work anymore since Mom dispelled the trigger words from Daddy's memory."
"But we know his plan Eli. We know where he's going to hit first, and we can stop it from ever taking place here."
He looked at me and said, "If you knew we had to stop it, why tell Mom about Zemo? You freaked her out over something we have handled."
"I just need her and T'Challa to be on guard, in case something goes wrong with our plan," I explained, "And besides, its better I gently remind her versus her remembering suddenly and panicking even more."
"And she would ask questions if he turned up dead without any explanation."
"So we do it, tell her and then…"
"Go home, and prepare for war," Elijah said. The look in his eyes was one I had seen before, from Mom when she gets determined.
"For war. One we will win," I sighed, trying my very hardest not to show Eli what I was feeling.
"Anything else?" He asked.
"Nothing," I smirked, "So, tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow. He's going to regret messing with our family."
Sera's POV:
All was quiet when I woke up the next morning. Joey was snoring softly, but there wasn't a single sound elsewhere in the apartment.
Slipping out of bed, I pulled on my bathrobe, yawning loudly. Opening my door and padding down the hall, I opened the twin's door slowly. Both beds were made, bathroom empty, and there was a suspicious lack of noise from the kitchen. Making my way there next, I was immediately drawn to a note, hanging from a magnet clip on the fridge.
Mom,
We had some recon to do. I promise we will be back tonight for dinner. Elijah wants your casserole, if you can. And we can bring dessert!
Love, Callie
Seeing her loopy handwriting made me smile, and then subsequently tear up at how grown up it looked. Steve must have taught her, because my handwriting looked like chicken scratch, and Bucky's wasn't much better.
My phone started ringing as I moved back to the bedroom to get changed for the day. Scrunching my eyebrows in confusion, I answered, "Steve? What's wrong?"
"Hey. Nothing's wrong. I just needed to hear your voice. I just couldn't sleep, and I figured you were up by the search you had running on some guy called Helmut Zemo."
"It's something I started before bed and left to ARSENAL to finish."
"Oh, I hope I didn't wake you."
"Of course not, I was up, checking on some stuff for work." I said, biting my lip, hoping he didn't prompt further.
"Trying to be Superwoman, aren't you?" He chuckled.
"It's exhausting, but worth it," I teased back, "How are my babes?"
"Good, both sleeping peacefully."
"What's got you waking up at… 1:30 am?" I said softly, sitting down on the end of the bed.
"I just miss you," He said, letting his tenderness towards me seep into his voice.
"I miss you too. Only one more month of this, and then I will be home, and in yours and Bucky's embrace, for good."
"I hope so. This is torture," He huffed.
"Now Captain, that's a bit of an exaggeration," I smiled.
"No. Bucky agrees. We barely wanted to let you go yesterday."
"The days will fly by. I promise," I whispered.
"The team keeps me distracted so I don't sit around moping all day. Plus, Bucky has enlisted my help in teaching the kids."
"Tactical training?" I teased.
"Actually, yes," He chuckled.
"I was kidding."
"I know. Unfortunately, it is tactical training, but defensive. Learning how to move quietly. Bucky's better at it than I am."
"Well," I sighed, "They are learning from the best, so I can't be mad. Just leave some training for me."
"I will. Angel, I-" He paused, taking a deep breath.
"Yes Steve?"
"I wasn't honest earlier. I had another nightmare."
"Wanda induced or PTSD?"
"I have no idea. I just kept seeing us losing…"
"I can promise you, we won't. I've already talked with Peter about using another planet, one desolate, but able to sustain human life. We'd set up there with the infinity stones, luring Thanos. Earth is kept safe this way, and no lives have to be lost."
"…That might help me sleep better. And maybe…"
"A song, or do you want to have some kinky phone sex?" I teased.
"While both would be amazing, Bucky might feel left out," He chuckled.
"So, a lullaby?"
"Just until I start snoring."
"Okay. I love you Steve."
"I love you too Sera. We'll all call around 2:30pm, your time."
"Sounds wonderful. Okay, you ready?"
"Just laying back down," He whispered as I heard sheets rustling. Once they had stopped and Steve sighed contently, I began to hum.
What if daddy was right?
What if there's no forever?
Would you kiss me goodnight?
So that I could remember?
Keep you frozen in time
Like they do in the pictures
And if I close my eyes,
Would I still think of patience?
Stay with me, don't disappear
To tell the truth, I need you here
I'm afraid, can barely breathe
I need your words to comfort me
Say goodnight, would you say goodnight?
What if daddy was right?
And I knew all the answers?
they could give me the world
But that wouldn't matter
if the gates open wide, and made you an angel
Through tears in my eyes, I'd save your seat at the table
[2x]
Stay with me, don't disappear
To tell the truth, I need you here
I'm afraid, can barely breathe
I need your words to comfort me
Say goodnight, would you say goodnight?
And as I stopped on a soft note, I heard Steve's even breathing and smiled.
"Goodnight," I whispered, before hanging up the phone. Looking down at Joey, who was now fast asleep on my lap.
"Maybe I am a Siren," I joked to myself.
A/N: So what did you all think of that? Leave me a review to share your thoughts :)
