A/N: DAAAANG! I tried to update this yesterday, but my brain… suffered a hostile plot-bunny's takeover, forcing me to write something else instead. (chuckles) BUT, here we are. Yay?

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, for all your reviews and love! You have NO IDEA how happy I am that you've been sticking with this story for so long. We've almost reached the goal, now! (HUUUUUUGS)

Awkay, before I get all sappy… Let's go! I REALLY hope that you'll enjoy the ride.

Epilogue, part 2 of 3 – Trust Again

When Dr. Sarah Harris received Steve's request for their newest session's location she was… confused, for a moment. Most of her patients valued privacy above all else. Instead Steve invited her to Central Park.

The man she found wasn't the same she met on their previous session. Steve was drenched wet from rain, visibly exhausted and tense. The weight that'd always been on the soldier's shoulders seemed a lot heavier, now. And the eyes staring at nothing in particular were haunted.

Sarah sat slowly to give the Captain time to adjust to her presence and covered them both with an umbrella. When he made no attempt to start talking she did. "I'm curious, and not only professionally… What are you doing out here in the rain?"

Steve swallowed hard. "Clint… has a panic attack every time I touch him. Or whenever we're alone in the same room. I scare him because… That's the kind of a person I've become. And…" The man trailed off, then nodded towards the people everywhere. Some of them glanced curiously towards him, clearly recognizing him. "Fury made sure that there was a statement, after. Saying that I was under Edith's control when I…" The words 'shot Clint' wouldn't leave the man's mouth, but still cut his tongue deep. He looked down, his eyes clouded from shame. "Everyone believed it. Because… Apparently no one believes that Captain America could do something like that out of his own free will."

"And you didn't." It was something Sarah had to get through to him, the most important thing he needed to hear. "Maybe she didn't use her powers. But you were still under her control."

Steve shuddered. His face seemed to lose a hint of color. "She… said something like that." His jaw clenched. "She said… that because I care… I'm so weak she doesn't even have to use her powers to control me."

Sarah snorted. "Okay, I'm stopping you right here. Which one do you listen to? Me, or that psychopath?" She went on when she seemed to have his attention. "Steve… You made the only possible choice, and you probably don't even understand how strong that means you are. You did what you had to, even if it'd destroy you. Because that's what you've been doing since long before you crash-landed to ice." She gave him a few moments. "If you didn't do what you had to… then they'd both be dead right now. You had the chance to save a life, and you did."

Steve nodded. The soldier didn't believe her, not yet. She hoped that one day he would.

Sarah charged forward. "And another thing? The way you care about your people, especially your friends… Never, ever let it be called a weakness. Because that's what makes you special, your real superpower. Not some serum from a shady lab."

And how about that, Steve smiled, just a little bit.

It wasn't much of a session. They'd need many more, far more painful ones. But it was a start.

A few days later Sarah couldn't quite contain her surprise when Tony Stark sat hesitantly to the couch of her office. Of course he noticed and frowned. "What?"

Sarah smiled. "This… is the first time I actually meet you at my office." She winced with sympathy. "I wish that it would've taken less to make this happen."

Tony chuckled mirthlessly. "Yeah, well… We Starks are pretty stubborn, so…" He trailed off, seemed to sink deep into unpleasant thoughts. The billionaire clenched his jaw, eyes squinting slightly. "I, ah… saw Steve's scar, for the first time, yesterday. He trained, overexerted himself and collapsed, and… I saw."

Sarah nodded slowly. Of course Tony had seen a whole lot injuries. But to see one he'd caused, no matter how involuntarily… She bit her lip and waited, because it didn't sound like the story was over yet.

Tony gulped laboriously, eyes clouding. "I… was there, when he woke up. And, the way he looked at me… It was just like, you know, right after." The man shook his head like someone trying to wake up. "He was… He was terrified of me. Hell, he even checked my hands for a gun!"

"Do you think he had a flashback?" Sarah decided that it was time to continue when the expression on the billionaire's face closed up even further. "He was hurting and confused. And… It brought back memories when he was in no condition to handle them."

"That's just it! They were memories!" Tony bounced up and started pacing, his whole body twitching from far too much restless energy. "I… I tried to kill his best friend! For something the guy did when he was under mind-control! And I… I almost killed Steve! It was… It was an accident, at least partially, but… but it happened and…"

"Tony." Sarah noticed how rapidly Tony was sliding towards a panic attack and needed to stop the crash-landing while she still could. "Have you stopped, for even a second, to see what you went through?" He continued when he stared at her with open shock. "You saw on TV how Steve, for all you knew, killed your friend. And then you were told that Bucky killed your parents."

"They…"

"… had their reasons. They had their motives. And it's important that you realize it. But it's also important that you understand that you had your reasons, too." Sarah gave him a moment. "Tony, you were hurt. Betrayed. And grieving."

"I was angry", Tony murmured, stood in front of a window and staring out.

"And angry", she agreed. "I think you've been angry for a very long time, under all those jokes and grins. The kind of uncontrollable rage you displayed towards Bucky doesn't appear in overnight. It's festered deep inside you for years, maybe even decades, snowballing the whole time." She leaned forward when she had the billionaire's full attention. "You know what I think? Somewhere along the way the fear and pain of losing got tangled with anger in your head. They can be a dangerous combination."

Tony stared at her. "So… You're saying that I'm crazy?"

Sarah rolled her eyes. "No, because you aren't. And you're not a monster, either, no matter how much you like to imagine that you're one. I'm saying that you're confused and need help. Your anger is something we need to start working on, now that we're actually trying to get somewhere." The look in her eyes hardened ever so slightly. "But for us to get somewhere… I need you to trust me. And I need you to trust yourself. Do you think you can do that?"

Tony kept staring at her. Tears filled the man's eyes but didn't spill. "I… I don't know."

It was almost funny, really, that the Avenger who contacted her first was the last one Sarah encountered in the aftermath of the nightmare.

Sarah wasn't sure if she should've been amused or alarmed when she came home and found Clint Barton leaning against her door. "All that avoiding me… And you guys start appearing to my door." She pushed a key to a lock, constantly keeping an eye on her unexpected guest. "Let's go inside, then. If you see a cat, don't touch her. She's been especially moody lately."

Clint followed her inside as quietly as a ghost. When he saw her couch he hesitated, then forced himself onwards. "I'm… not sure if it's a good idea for me to be here", he admitted atypically quietly. He refused to meet her eyes. "I'm not… stable."

"I know", Sarah reassured him. She knew about his powers, how destructive they could be. "And if you feel like you need to leave, at any point… I won't try to stop you. And I won't push you. But… I'm guessing that there a reason you're here at…" She checked the time. "… eight in the evening. What happened?"

Clint gritted his teeth. It took time and effort before he finally managed to talk. "I, ah… I lost control over my powers, yesterday. Badly. And I… I hate it, because…" The man shook his head. "I should be more in control by now." He tapped at his own head aggressively. "I… I shouldn't let her keep messing with my head like this, not anymore! She's dead, it should be over! Finished!"

"But it's not." Sarah could only hope that her calm tone would be enough to ground his chaotic thoughts. After a few moments he seemed to focus, at least a little, and she went on. "Clint, these things… They don't have a time-limit. You can't tell yourself to move on and forget. You need to let yourself heal properly."

Clint finally looked at her, with shockingly open despair. "And how long is that gonna take? Because… I've got people who need me to have my head in the game." He ran an unsteady, frustrated hand through his hair. "I… I brought her to their lives. I let her mess them up, too. And I can't even help them!"

Sarah held up a hand, a sharp look aimed at him. "Alright, stop right there!" She paused for a couple of breaths. "Clint, she forced herself into your life, all your lives. It wasn't your fault. Even if you don't listen to anything else I'm telling you today, get that into your thick skull." Well, at least he relaxed marginally at that. "And the others… You don't need to fight for them, too. At least not until you're further along with your own battle." She didn't continue until he'd nodded begrudgingly. "What she put you through, what she did to your mind… It's not something you can choose to ignore or force yourself to overcome. You need help. And it's perfectly alright to need help."

Clint breathed in, then out, and again. She was as impressed as she was saddened to realize that he was trying to struggle past a lingering panic attack. He swallowed convulsively in the internal turmoil's aftermath, shaking visibly. Without uttering a word Sarah gave him a glass of water, which he accepted with a tiny nod.

Her patient waiting finally paid off when Clint found his voice. "I, ah… didn't actually come here for myself, today", he admitted, eyes glaring at the now empty glass like it'd offended him.

Sarah's eyebrow arched. "Then for who?"

A moment ticked away. Then another. When Clint talked again she learned just much he actually trusted her. "Do you… know any good therapists for kids?"

It took two months before Sarah could even consider having all three men in her office at the same time. "This isn't an interrogation. And you're not forced to stay here." It was important to point out as much, because despite all the progress made things were still… explosive. "If any of you needs to step out, at any time… You're free to go. But, for all your sakes… I hope that we'll be able to take a step or two forward today."

The trio nodded with almost identical grim expressions. Predictably it was Tony who tried to turn the tension into a joke. "So… What are you gonna make us do? Trust falls or something like that?"

Sarah grimaced. "Oh, hell no! I hate those things." (She smiled at Steve's muttered 'Language'.) "Besides… We're all adults, and we all know that trust doesn't have an on/off switch. We'll be working on the trust-issues for a long time."

"We've… kind of figured as much", Clint admitted sullenly.

Sarah nodded, pleased to hear the 'we'. "Starting a process like that… It takes time, and commitment. I want you to be ready for it."

The three nodded in perfect, heartwarming unison. The way they glanced towards each other was even more adorable. ('We're in this together.') Sarah bit her lip to keep herself from smiling. "Do you know what's the hardest bit of that? To regain each your trust in yourselves. Because you're all way more scared of yourselves than each other. You need to start fixing that together, too. And that's what we'll try to do today."

A couple of days later Tony was about to head to a meeting when Natasha approached him. The look in her eyes made him tense up instantly. "What's going on?"

Natasha took a deep, sharp breath. "I'm telling you this first, because I know that you'll… react to these news. Then I'll give you some time to pull yourself together." She paused, uncharacteristically hesitant. Her eyes glared at something outside the room's window only she could see. "One of my… contacts found Bucky. And Steve's going to need all our support when I break the news to him."

TBC

A/N: Soooo… Through lots and lots of NECESSARY therapy we reach this bomb. (winces) How bad are the news? And how will Steve handle them?

ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO! Are you still excited? Thoughts, comments? PLEASE, do let me know! I always love hearing from you.

Until next time, folks! I really hope that you'll all join in for the conclusion of this tale.

Take care!

SomeRandomHuman: Baby-Nate is SO CUTE, right? (BEAMS) Oooh, good question! Or maybe he'll develop totally different kind of powers. Time will tell. (smiles) LOL, funny you should mention that… Because soon you won't have to just imagine the therapy sessions. (grins and winks)

I really hope that you'll enjoy the next chapter as much!

Colossal thank yous for the review! Until next time.

MLAkittenz: The time of miracles is here! (giggles) BUT, thank gosh she scheduled the therapy. They all SO need it. (winces) THANK GOSH they're recovering! Let's just hope that they're stubborn enough to make it all the way through.

LOOOL! Poor Thor's been sort of sidelined in this one. Well, at least he got his superhero-appearance during the battle. (chuckles)

I really hope that you'll enjoy the next chapter as well!

Massive thank yous for the review! Until next time.