Chapter 27- Tangled Strings

"Beyond us these motions emerge from the dark. Now I'm tied up in circles so I won't fall apart. Tied up and tangled strings on your heart. It's clouded in mystery surrounding your heart. It stumbles to finish before it can start. In silence, through canyons of motion we start. Beyond us these motions emerge from the dark. Now I'm tied up in circles so I won't fall apart."

~Strings On Your Heart, Meat Puppets


Bethany had sent Steve down to their apartment to get her a clean pair of undies, something that he did with a smile on his face. After cooling down, getting dressed and kissing a tired Bethany softly, he made his way down, her panties balled up in his hand, dodging people as swiftly as he could. When he finally got to the apartment, he tossed a quick wave to the three people on the couch before ducking into his bedroom. He dropped her thong into the dirty clothes bin and grabbed a new pair. He checked his reflection in the mirror, making sure he didn't look like he had thoroughly fucked his wife. When he left Bethany, it was obvious that she was still falling from her high. Her hair was starting to curl at the ends and some of her makeup was smudged from her sweat and tears.

Putting Bethany's clean pair of underwear into his pants pocket, he decided to go check on Jamie, as well as get some of his diaper wipes so Bethany could clean herself up. Stopping by Jamie's crib, he bent down to look at the sleeping baby's face. He smiled, finally seeing himself in his son. Despite having a good amount of baby fat covering it, it was obvious that he had Steve's jaw. His lips were more Stark dominant, but Jamie had his eyes, a softer version of his nose and Steve's skin tone. But his curls were all Bethany's.

Steve had never seen Bethany with her hair this curly, but she had confirmed that her curls had been wilder as a child and softened as she got older. He could just imagine a younger Bethany, her freckled nose and bright smile all but hidden under her frizz. He wished he had a picture of her from that time, but he had never really seen anything of her childhood. That really wasn't a surprise since cameras weren't as popular back then as they were now, not even in the slightest. But the reason for the lack of photos was Bethany's own vanity when she hit her teen years.

"I was an ugly duckling," Bethany had explained as she and Steve had a small picnic inside the base. It was raining outside, which had ruined their plans for a date with just the two of them, but Steve was quick on his feet and found a solution.

"You keep saying that, but I don't believe it," Steve replied after he finished off his plate. "You're the most gorgeous woman in the world. Explain to me how it's even possible. What was wrong?"

"My nose was too big, my hair too curly, my teeth not centered and-"

"Don't you think you're being too critical?" Steve interrupted. "And looks aren't everything Bethany."

"I know that," Bethany whispered. "It wasn't like I looked in the mirror and found flaws. My mother did that for me. They just… sunk in. And looks aren't everything, but they are a lot. Women treat you differently now don't they?"

"They treat me like an object," Steve replied honestly. "But before they just brushed me aside. I don't know which is better."

"Do you think I treat you like an object?" Bethany asked curiously. "I don't mean too."

Steve shook his head, reaching out to take her hand. "You've taken the time to actually get to know me. So no. You aren't like other girls, Beth."

"That's not always a good thing," she had said with a sigh.

Bethany peppered Jamie with love. She gave him all the love she never got from either one of her parents. It made his heart ache that she was never told by her parents that she was beautiful or important. All those men she had been with before him would have told her how beautiful she was and how much they wanted her, and in a lot of ways, Steve understood why she gave herself up so easily. He was happy that she learned to respect herself and even happier that she was all his to love unconditionally.

Reaching a hand through the bars of Jamie's crib, Steve touched the little dimpled hand, still not completely believing that this perfect little gift from God was his son. At one point, he didn't think he could love anyone more than he loved Bucky. But then Bethany came along and he learned a new type of love that was just as important to him, but much more powerful. But with Jamie… He could confidently say he loved Jamie on a whole new level. But despite how much he loved his son, he knew that Bethany loved him more.

"Sleep tight Jamie," Steve whispered before getting up to get some baby wipes. He made his way back upstairs, being as sneaky as he was before, and came back to his wife without being stopped.

"What? Did you go off on a mission or something?" Bethany teased, commenting on how long he took. She was still resting up against the wall where he left her, looking like she was about to fall asleep any moment. He knew that he had to get her back out to the party and get her blood pumping again. Her heading to bed early wasn't an option, but he knew that she wouldn't even consider asking. They didn't get to have nights like this very often, so she wouldn't take it for granted.

"I got distracted by our son," Steve explained, kneeling in front of her and pushing her poufy red skirt up her body. "Spread your legs."

She listened to him, letting out small content sighs as he wiped her legs and core clean before taking out her clean underwear and handing them to her. He tossed the wipes into the waste bin tucked in the corner. "I'm hungry. Do you think there's still food out there?"

"Most likely," Steve replied, watching as she pulled the pink lace up her body before flipping the skirt of her dress back down. "If not, we'll order a pizza. Pepperoni on top of the cheese, just the way you like it."

She gave him a smile, taking his hand in hers. "You're perfect."

He leaned forward and kissed her softly before pulling her up. "Okay, people will start to notice that we're gone. Do we have an excuse?"

"We snuck off to get some alone time," Bethany said, leaning her head against his shoulder, wrapping an arm around his waist. Steve reciprocated by tucking her under his arm. "That way if they ask you specifically, you won't have such a hard time lying."

"Smart," Steve replied with a chuckle as they made their way back out to the party. Steve stopped a waiter and took the tray of food in his hand, the two of them settling on a couch and munching down on their snacks.

"Can we still order a pizza?" Bethany asked when every single crumb was gone.

Steve threw his head back and laughed, kissing her cheek. "Yes, Doll. We can still order pizza."

The two of them made the rounds, asking people if they wanted in on the pizza and what kind they wanted. After placing an order, Steve wrapped Bethany in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Take a look at that," Steve whispered, gesturing to Natasha and Bruce at the bar. "I know you're concerned about what'll happen, since a break up between those two won't be easy on anyone, but don't you think they deserve what we have?"

"Yes," Bethany said with a nod. "But we both know that it's not easy."

"No, but it's worth it, isn't it?" Steve felt the need to ask.

"Some days," Bethany teased, a smirk on her face.

"Oh, you're very funny," Steve said with a roll of his eyes, closing the gap so he could kiss her lightly.

"Tony says we PDA too much," Bethany added when they pulled apart.

"We do," Steve confirmed, moving his hands down to rest on her backside. "But I don't care."

He was rewarded with a bright smile before Bethany looked back over at Natasha and Bruce. "You're right. They deserve to give it a chance, if that's what they want."

"Come on," Steve encouraged. "Maybe they just need a push. We did."

"Oh, I remember," Bethany replied with a sigh, thinking back to when Howard pointed out that she had been stringing him along, treating him like her first boyfriend Jason treated her. All that led to her tackling Howard, Steve pulling her off of him and eventually to the two of them spending their first night together.

Making their way to the bar, arms wrapped around each other and still feeling their deep connection from their romp in the closet, Steve gave Bruce a comforting smile as Natasha sauntered away. "It's nice."

"Wha-wha-what is?" Bruce stuttered, looking alarmed.

"Aw, look at him blush," Bethany teased, her fingers moving slowly up and down Steve's side, not quite tickling him, but sending pleasure up his spine.

"You and Romanoff," Steve explained to Bruce.

"No, we haven't-" Bruce sputtered quickly. "That wasn't-"
"It's okay," Steve promised with a smile. "Nobody's breaking any by-laws."

"Trust us, we aren't judging," Bethany added with a smile, reaching over the bar and handing Steve a beer before picking up a half full bottle of vodka for herself. As much as he wasn't a fan of her drinking vodka straight, he knew that his worrying would be futile.

"It's just, she's not the most…" He trailed off, searching for the right word. "Open person in the world. But with you she seems very relaxed."

"No, Natasha… she-she likes to flirt," Bruce struggled to answer.

"That may be true," Bethany replied quickly. "But it's usually to get dirt on someone. It's kinda required when you're a female SHIELD agent, as sad as that sounds. And as someone who used to flirt with everyone, even before SHIELD, trust me when I say that she's not just flirting for the sake of flirting."

"Beth and I know all too well that when you care about someone, waiting isn't always the way to go," Steve revealed, looking down at his wife for a moment, thinking about all the time they wasted back in the forties. Steve didn't know that Bethany would let him take that coveted place in her life. He wondered what would have happened differently if he had just kissed her sooner.

"Don't be like this goof and wait seventy years before proposing," Bethany continued.

"Or like this one and wait seventy years before admitting how you feel," Steve said sternly, knowing that Bethany was a better example of waiting too long. He was just happy that it wasn't so long that they missed their chance. "Look, you both deserve a win."

"And she's a fantastic kisser," Bethany said as an afterthought, giving Steve's shirt a little tug, encouraging him to move forward. "In my top five for sure."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Steve added for good measure as they walked passed Bruce.

"Wait… what?!" They heard Bruce exclaim, making them both chuckle.

"Well that was fun," Bethany said before taking a heavy swig of her vodka. "Shall we dance now? We haven't got a chance all night. Maybe it'll restore some of my energy."

Steve drank half of his beer before he placed his drink down, Bethany following suit. He pulled her to an open spot in the living area, one hand on her waist, the other intertwined with her hand as they started to sway.

"Hold on a minute," Bethany said suddenly, her brows furrowed. "I'm sorry, but exactly when did you kiss Natasha?"

"Oh… crap," Steve muttered, wincing slightly.

"Steve?" She pressed on, the two of them still swaying. "Please tell me it was for good reason. That's what I'm choosing to believe."

"Yea-of course, Doll," He stuttered.

"No, no, no," she said, shaking her head. "Don't 'Doll' me. Explain yourself. And then I'll make the decision on whether or not I have to punch Natasha in the face."

"Don't do that," he pleaded.

"Or the boob. That's not pleasant either," Bethany continued.

"When we were hiding from SHIELD," Steve explained. "Last year. At the mall. Before SHIELD fell. We were hiding in plain sight. I felt horrible about it."

Bethany nodded, collecting her thoughts for a minute. "Let me get this straight, not only have you kept this a secret from me for over a year, but you kissed her when I was pregnant with your son."

"Beth-" He sputtered, but she offered him a smile.

"Relax," Bethany breathed. "I'm only teasing. I trust you. If you were having an affair, the guilt would eat you up alive. You wouldn't have lasted that long."

"I-I honestly wouldn't," Steve promised her. "Please don't punch Natasha."

Bethany threw her head back, laughing. "I won't, but you remember this if I'm ever in that position and I have to kiss someone."

Steve swallowed hard, not liking the idea but accepting it. Bethany closed her eyes, humming along to the soft music. The lights in the room danced off her skin and Steve could see where some of her mascara had smudged under her eyes. He had meant to clean up her face as well, but used all the wipes elsewhere.

Bethany closed her eyes, humming along to the soft music. The lights in the room danced off her skin and Steve could see where some of her mascara had smudged under her eyes. He had meant to clean up her face as well, but used all the wipes elsewhere.

"I love seeing you like this," Steve whispered to her, Bethany's eyes fluttering open.

"Like what?" She inquired, the hand on his shoulder moving to the nape of his neck, playing with the hair that rested there. He secretly loved it when she did that. It was so intimate.

"Relaxed," Steve elaborated. "At ease. And earlier with Jamie… just… happy."

Bethany frowned, sensing something more. "What is it? You can tell me, love."

"No, I know," Steve promised, inhaling deeply. "When Natasha and I were at the old SHIELD base in New Jersey when we found Zola… there were these photos on the walls. And the one of you… it was broken, like someone had punched it and the glass had shattered. But you were so happy in it. I never really saw you like that since I woke up and I got a glimpse of that smile tonight when you were dancing with Jamie."

That same smile he had seen earlier returned and she shook her head. "Well I'm very happy Steve. This is what I want for us. For our lives."

"Parties every night?" Steve teased.

"No," She said with a chuckle and rolled her eyes.

"I know what you meant," Steve promised, leaning down to kiss her forehead, the two of them continuing to dance, lost in their own little world.


"That's what you think," Natasha told Clint with a roll of her eyes. Most of the party had dispersed, the group all gathered together, having a few late night drinks and finishing up what was left of the take out. There were pizza and Thai boxes littered all over the table, along with empty bottles. Everyone was talking, alcohol still fueling them with a good time, except for Cho who looked like she was either falling asleep or actually asleep. Maria, Tony and Rhodey were playing with some cards and Steve and Bethany were carrying along their own quiet conversation until she was pulled into the argument at hand.

"That's what I know," he corrected. "Back me up here Bethany."

"Choose your side very carefully Bethany," Tony warned before taking a sip of his beer.

"I don't remember what happened," she admitted. She was curled up to Steve's side on the couch, still drinking away. Her speech wasn't slurred or her actions delayed, but she had that familiar fuzzy feeling surrounding her, making her feel amazing. It was the next best thing to getting shit-faced drunk. "That was a very long time ago."

"It was last week!" Clint protested. "Natasha said that there was no way-"
"It was not last week," Bethany disagreed "It was before I was pregnant, you doofus."

"What? No. Wrong, Grandma," Clint said with a shake of his head.

"Yes it was," Steve defended Bethany, his fingers playing with her hair. "I was in the kitchen when all this went down."

"Someone is getting old," Bethany teased, getting him back for his Grandma comment.

"Damn, where has the time gone," Clint mumbled, leaning back on the couch.

"I hear ya," Bethany said with a nod, placing her now empty bottle on the table. "It's been a year since SHIELD fell."

"And the world hasn't fallen to Hell," Tony said, lifting up his beer. "I say we've done a pretty good job. All thanks to my brilliant weapons manufacturing."

"Pretty sure two of the weapons we use that make the most difference aren't yours," Bruce pointed out. "Where would we be without the shield and the hammer?"

"They're ancient," Tony said with a wave of his hand.

"Steve, you mind?" Maria asked, holding up his jacket.

"Go ahead," Steve replied, Maria shrugging on the leather.

"The weapons, or the people wielding them?" Rhodey inquired.

Bethany gasped. "Watch it, none of you will ever look as good as Steve, Thor and I at our age."

"Yes, you should all be at our feet, praising our beauty and wrinkled-free skin," Thor announced with a smile.

"The shield I could have created," Tony defended, still on the topic.

"Oh yes, with all the vibranium you have lying around," Natasha taunted.

"Vibranium isn't the only metal on this Earth, you know," Tony pointed out, growing defensive.

"It's the strongest," Steve reminded him. "Shield aside, you couldn't make Thor's hammer. And that helps us a lot. Unless you have some magic stored up in one of those cabinets in your workshop."

"Yeah, well if I could make a hammer, I would make it so that only I could lift it," Tony declared.

"But it's a trick!" Clint declared.

"No, no. It's much more than that," Thor insisted.

"Ah, 'whoever be he worthy shall have the power!'" Clint mocked, making Bethany break out in laughter. "Whatever man! It's a trick."

"Well please," Thor said, gesturing to his hammer, which was on the table, surrounded by empty boxes and bottled. "Be my guest."

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Bethany declared, kicking off her heels and bringing her feet up so that they were curled beside her. Everyone else in the room agreed with her as Clint got up and confidently strode over to the hammer.

"Clint, you've had a tough week," Tony began. "We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up."

"Oh geesh," Bethany chuckled, shaking her head.

"Y'know I've seen this before, right?" Clint asked Thor, ignoring Tony's comment. He took a hold of the handle, giving it a firm pull before a chuckle slipped from him. "And I still don't know how you do it."

"Smell the silent judgement?" Tony taunted.

Holding his arms open, Clint smiled. "Please, Stark. By all means." The room once again broke out with excited murmurs. "Never one to shrink from an honest challenge."

"No, but wouldn't that make our lives that much easier?" Bethany asked the room.

"Hear hear," Maria agreed, holding up her glass.

"It's physics," Tony declared, taking his spot by the hammer.

"Physics!" Bruce repeated, shaking his head.

Tony took in a deep breath, looking to the hammer and then up to Thor. "Right, so if I lift it, I then rule Asgard?" Tony clarified.

"Yes, of course," Thor encouraged, already knowing that there was no way that Tony would be able to lift the hammer.

"I will be re-instituting Prima Nocta," Tony added.

Bethany cringed, shaking her head. "I have lost so much respect for you."

"You're about to lose more," Steve murmured to her as Tony took grip of the hammer. There was silence for a moment before Tony declared that he would be right back.

"Hand me the tablet?" Bethany requested, Steve leaning forward and picking the tablet off the table. The screen illuminated on a sleeping Jamie's body, Bethany zooming in to watch the rise and fall of his chest.

Steve's lips ghosted over her ears, whispering "he's fine" before laying a sweet kiss to her temple. "You worry too much. And that's coming from me."

Bethany sighed, leaning into him. "I know. But the moment I stop worrying is the moment something will happen."

"Or everything will be fine," Steve offered, leaning towards the coffee table and picking up a bunch of bottles, looking for one that still had alcohol in it. Handing her a gin bottle, he gave her a smirk. "This'll help you."

Letting out a 'humpf' sound, she began to drink the gin, feeling the liquid fall down her throat and warming her every nerve. "Okay, let's try this again," Tony announced, now with a hand from his Iron Man suit on. They all watched silently as he began to pull, trying to use the benefits of the iron hand to lift the hammer, but only failing.

Rhodey got up quickly, disappearing as Tony continued to struggle, making the room both chuckle at Tony's stubbornness in succeeding in this task, but also pitying him. Clearly, he was not worthy, but worthy of what was up to debate. Bethany still didn't understand how the hammer weighed worthiness. Not just the act of providing the strength based off of being worthy, but also the merits behind it.

There was a time when Thor wasn't even worthy of the hammer, so it was something you had to earn. He got it back by sacrificing himself, but everyone else in this room had done the same at one point or another, so it had to be something more. In her opinion, Steve was the worthiest of them all. Worthy of everything.

When Rhodey returned, his own iron hand on, the two men tried their luck at lifting the hammer. "Are you even pulling?" Rhodey asked Tony after a few seconds of heavy pulling, both men visibly tired.

"Are you on my team?" Tony returned with.

"Just represent! Pull!" Rhodey commanded.

"Alright, let's go!" Tony pumped up, Bethany shaking her head.

"Give it up boys," Maria spoke up.

"You're just embarrassing yourselves," Natasha agreed. "Soon they'll be no more shred of self-respect that we have for you."

They gave it a few more tries before conceding, looking around the room for any other takers. Bruce got up, rubbing his hands together, studying the hammer before taking a firm grip. The group waited expectantly, watching as he went full out, as if Thor's hammer was Excalibur, and in a lot of ways, it was.

Everyone stayed silent as Bruce grunted and moaned, pretending to be frustrated and angry, seconds away from turning into the Hulk. Bethany couldn't help but offer him a small smile, happy that Bruce was at a point in his life where he could make jokes about the Other Guy.

Bruce looked around the room at the blank faces. "Nah?"

"I swear to God Bruce, if you turn green because of that, I will single-handedly kick your butt to the moon," Bethany declared, her Mama Bear coming out of her, thinking about Jamie only a few floors below them.

"Who's next?" Bruce asked, looking around the room. Cho had woken up from her nap, both her and Maria deciding to give it a shot with all fairness to the others. Both women failed, but it was a whole lot more comforting since the only one to succeed thus far was Thor.

"Your turn Captain," Maria announced as she flopped back in her spot. Steve looked to Thor before getting up, rolling his sleeves up in the process.

"Let's go Steve," Tony encouraged. "No pressure. C'mon Cap."

"This'll dictate what happens tonight," Bethany said as Steve took his place in front of the hammer, looking over to his wife for a moment.

"Okay, gross," Tony pretended to gag.

"You brought up Prima Nocta," Bethany pointed out as Steve took the handle of the hammer, giving it a firm tug. A creaking sound echoed the room as the hammer moved slightly, Bethany's heart soaring as hope pulsed through her. She wasn't sure why she was so invested in seeing if the hammer would be lifted by someone else but Thor. She didn't, however focused on the hammer's movement, miss the look on Thor's face as he registered the movement.

Steve continued to pull for a few seconds longer, taking generally less time than the rest of the group before putting his hands up in calm surrender.

Thor began to laugh, but Bethany could tell there was some nervousness and relief in his tone as he relayed "nothing".

"What does it mean when one jiggles it?" Bethany asked as Steve took his place beside her on the couch. "That you're half worthy? Almost worthy? Was worthy? Will be worthy?" Thor looked just as loss for answers as Bethany was. "The rules of the hammer are confusing and stupid."

Everyone's attention turned to Natasha, Bruce making a fanfare towards her. "Widow?"

"Oh, no no. That's not a question I needed answered," Natasha assured, taking a sip of her beer.

"Doll?" Steve asked, turning to look at Bethany.

Letting out a heavy sigh, arms bringing the tablet to her chest. "I'm with Tasha on this one. I don't need an inanimate object telling me if I'm worthy of it. I'm happy with my guns."

Steve offered her a simple smile, but the look they shared revealed that Bethany's eyes betrayed her a lot. They both knew the reason why she didn't want to try was because she didn't want to know. It didn't matter that the rest of the group couldn't lift the hammer. Bethany knew about her sins, and not knowing and there being a possibility of her being worthy, no matter how small, was better than knowing for sure.

"All deference to the man who wouldn't be king, but it's rigged," Tony announced.

"You bet your ass," Clint was quick to answer.

"Steve," Maria began, pointing to Clint. "He said a bad language word."

Steve's face fell in annoyance, Bethany breaking out into laughter. "Did you tell everyone about that?" He asked Tony.

"The handle's imprinted, right?" Tony said, ignoring the blond. "Like a security code. 'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation?"

Thor slowly got up, moving to his hammer. "Yes, well that's uh, that's a very very interesting theory. I have a simpler one." They all fell silent, waiting for his response, the man swiftly picking up his hammer and tossing it in the air for show. "You are all not worthy."

"Oh!" They all broke out, Steve laughing, Clint blowing a raspberry and Bethany feeling happiness seep into her pores. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.

But with a blink of an eye, everything came crashing down around her as an awful creaking sound, almost like audio feedback, filled the room. Everyone cringed, Bethany instinctively raising her hands to her ears, the tablet falling down to her lap. The screen flickered, but Jamie's image remained, the baby still sleeping soundly.

They could hear a straining of a voice, not quite human, moving closer to them. Everyone turned around and stood as the clacking of metal against the floor brought their attention to a Legionnaire robot, severely broken and mangled came into the room. "No. How could you be worthy? You're all killers."

"Stark," Steve said, saying what they were all thinking with one simple word. That night had been about having fun, celebrating their success, but this? A reminder of who they were? What they had done?

"JARVIS," Tony said quietly to his phone, trying to get matters under control.

"I'm sorry," the robot continued. "I was asleep. Or… I was a dream?" Bethany frowned, focusing on his last sentence in particular. Could robots even do that? Dream? Not in her best knowledge. But he hadn't been dreaming. He was a dream.
"Reboot," Tony spoke to his phone. "Legionnaire 06's got a buggy suit."

"There was this...terrible noise," the bot continued. Steve's arm had found his way around Bethany's body, and she could hear how deep his breaths were. He was just on guard. He was concerned and that concern was turning into fear. "And I was tangled in-in...strings. Had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."

Bethany swallowed back her nerves, her heart pounding in her chest. The tablet was on the table in front of her, Jamie still safe and sound. "You killed someone?" Steve pressed on, his arm tightening around her, as if attempting to give her any small assurance. Until her son was in her arms, breathing, crying, laughing, giving every and any indication that he was happy and healthy, she refused to let down her guard.

"Steve," Bethany whispered, unable to hold back his name. She needed to hear it, as if to reassure herself that everything would be okay, but even his name couldn't bring her the comfort she so desperately needed.

What was eating her up even more was that she knew what this bot was. He didn't have to say it, to tell them. She knew it couldn't have been a coincidence. Bethany had been uneasy with the project when the intelligence refused to be uploaded into the database, but she hadn't predicted this. It was Ultron.

"Wouldn't've been my first call," Ultron declared. Bethany felt sick, not knowing who Ultron had killed. Jamie may be safe, but there were others in her apartment and possibly people lingering from the party, a waiter or security guard. Everyone had been sent home, but there was always a possibility. She didn't want anymore death on her hands, and this would most certainly be weighing down on her conscious. "But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

"Who sent you?" Thor questioned, Ultron quickly playing back a recording of Tony's idea of a suit of armor around the world.

"Ultron," Bruce realized, letting everyone else put a name to the rogue robot.

"In the flesh," Ultron confirmed. "Or no… Not yet. Not this...chrysalis. But I'm ready. I'm on a mission."

Bethany saw Maria take her gun out and prep it, Thor's grip on his hammer even tighter than before. "What mission?" Natasha asked, everyone's mind on what to do to stop Ultron. No doubt everyone had the same goal, but a different way of achieving it. Bethany could see Steve's shield resting up against a wall, but too far in the distance. Looking around her for something to use as a makeshift weapon, she found things that would make a difference if she was fighting something human. Something that could bleed. Breaking the empty bottles or the poles of lamps, but nothing that would really come in handy.

If I get close enough… those wires don't look secure. If I can disconnect the power source, will he fall? Will it all be over?

Remembering Natasha's question towards Ultron's mission, Ultron's words haunted Bethany. They were words she had sung last Christmas, words she told herself everyday was possible if she had enough faith. Words that they all worked towards every waking day. Words that would make her worry less about Jamie. Words that should have freed her. But she couldn't have been farther from free when Ultron spoke "peace in our time".


Cleo9427: It's coming! I just wrote it, but I'm kinda on my A-game right now. I got something like 6 chapters done last week. Insanity.

FeliciaFelicis:Haha, maybe you should take notes ;) I love reading what you have to say whether small or not large :)

Jo: Well Ultron is here now!

ACBD: Awww thank you :)

anonymouscsifan: Haha, I'm not sure! Something about Steve initiating sex in a public setting sparks a fire within my mind! It may happen! A lot of their issues will be handled before Civil War, but ultimately, handled during the movie plot and afterwards. I really feel like it'll come down to that whole plot. Bethany will want to side with Tony for certain reasons that are selfish, but with Steve for unselfish ones. But that's all I'm going to say ;)

gue343: Oh really? Wow! I'm so flattered! Guess I'm doing my job right! I agree; I think that combat skills-wise, Widow has the advantage, but Bethany has experience, knowledge and the whole healing thing under her belt so it would really come down to circumstances. Natasha could continue to outwit Bethany time and time again, but Bethany could take the kicks, the punches, everything and walk away perfectly fine. I don't see the two ladies ever having a physical fight unless one had to restrain the other. As we're starting to see in the story, Bethany is having a really hard time being a fighter when she has this little boy at home who she loves so much, he's changing the way she sees the world. She'd kill for him, but now she's starting to question things she never considered before. So if Bethany ever had to actually hurt someone she loved? It would do a lot of damage to her emotionally, which I think we can all agree on, she's already pretty damaged that way.