1 Year Later

"Mamma, Mamma, Mamma!" James squealed as he came tearing down the hallway from the kitchen to the living area of Avenger's Compound. Kayla looked up to see chocolate icing smeared across his mouth as he scrambled to crawl up into her lap as Steve appeared with his hands on his hips in the doorway.

"James."

"I-I wanted a bite!" James squawked up at Kayla, holding her around the neck tightly. "I didn't mean to drop it!"

"He pulled the whole pan of cupcakes down," Steve deadpanned. "Vision's been working on them all morning."

Wanda chuckled as she stood, her ruby engagement ring catching the light streaming through the compound's windows. James looked up at her with watery eyes and she just mussed his hair as she started towards the kitchen. "They're only cupcakes. We can make some more."

"You need to be careful, Buddy. They were by the oven," Steve warned, shooting his wife a look that said he'd been much more worried about James burning himself than toppling the cupcake tin.

Kayla knew her son though. He was too smart for a one year old. He was walking at six months, talking by nine. By his first birthday he was chattering away like a first grader to all the Avengers who came to celebrate with him. He was fearless and reckless, but so, so sweet. He was his father's son in every definition, but he loved his Mom more than anybody.

She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, kissing away the tear that escaped his eye. "What have we said about being near the oven?"

"The oven is bad."

"The oven is hot, and it is dangerous," Kayla corrected, using her finger to scoop some of the chocolate icing off his cheek. "You could get burned and it would hurt really bad. Mommy would be really sad if you got hurt."

"But Daddy would save me."

Kayla turned to Steve, seeing him beam with pride at the notion his son thought so highly of him. "Well, yes, but what if Daddy is busy? What if he's helping Mommy? You know soon Mommy isn't going to be able to chase after you soon." She rubbed her stomach, feeling the slightest bump growing beneath her t-shirt. James pressed both of his hands to her stomach, staring at it in wonder. "You'll be a big brother by Christmas, James. You gotta go easy on Mommy."

"I keep you safe," James assured Kayla, inadvertently kicking her stomach in an effort to get closer to her face. "You and baby brother."

"Oh, you want a little brother, huh?" Kayla chuckled as Steve settled onto the couch beside her. "What if it's a girl?"

James squished his face, displeased with the idea of having a little sister. Steve laughed loudly and leaned his head against Kayla's. "We'll make you a little brother and a little sister. Maybe a couple of each." He kissed Kayla's cheek, ignoring the way her cheeks heated up a bit. He murmured against her cheek, "We'll make a whole battalion of little super soldiers..."

"How you make a supper soldier?"

Kayla leaned away from Steve with a blank expression, then featured down to James. "Yeah Steve, how are you gonna make more super soldiers?"

Steve's cheeks turned beat red as James waited for an explanation. Kayla shifted the boy to Steve's lap so she could stand, wandering away to grab a wipe to clean James's face.

"Well," Steve started, wishing his son wasn't advanced enough to understand adult conversations. "Your mom and I come together and-"

Before he could continue, Kayla swept in and wiped the chocolate off James, stealing his attention away from his father. "There's somebody who wants to say hi before they leave for their mission today."

James slid off his father's lap and started yelling, "Uncle Bucky?"

Bucky snuck up behind his godson and scooped him up, causing the boy to squeak excitedly when he realized who had him.

"How's my favorite kiddo today? Getting into trouble?"

"Yes," Steve mumbled as he stood. He draped his arm around Kayla's shoulders and asked, "Where they sending you?"

"San Francisco. There's been a disturbance they want Nat and I to check out." Bucky grinned at Steve and added, "Why? You wanna join?"

"No thank you, I have enough disturbances here to keep an eye on." He squeezed Kayla's shoulders as she leaned into him, sighing contentedly.

True to his word, Steve had stayed by her side since the moment James was born. Tony gave him his shield back, but all he did was lock it in a case near the armory, becoming a relic instead of the glorious weapon it had once been. Kayla hadn't expected him to retire, but Steve said his pardon stated he was a civilian, not a combatant. He wasn't going to risk going back to the raft, and he sure as hell wasn't going to risk missing any more time with Kayla and James.

His constant presence allowed Kayla to work on behalf of the Avengers on Ross's panel. She kept busy, monitering threats and speaking on the team's behalf when she thought they were needed. It made it easier for Steve to step away knowing she was the one with her hand on the wheel.

Nat was reinstated as the Black Widow, unnoficial leader of the remaining Avengers. Sam and Tiffany worked in Avengers Public Affairs. Wanda and Vision were inseparable until a quiet engagment occured. They didn't need the fanfare as long as they had each other. They preferred the quiet anyway.

Bucky, after agreeing to phycological evaluation, was pardoned of his past crimes and became a full fledged Avenger when he agreed to sign the Sokovia Accords. Steve had been weary about the decision, but Bucky assured him he didn't mind having safeguards in place to protect people against him. The fear was still there, that the Winter Soldier lurked deep inside.

On the outside, though, he was just Uncle Bucky to the precocious one year old who'd stolen his entire heart.

"You'll be back soon?" James asked Bucky. "Can I come?"

"No, Buddy, not this time. You gotta stay and keep your Dad out of trouble, right?"

"Right!"

Once he was on the floor, James scuttled back over to Steve, tugging his pant leg with enough force to shift them from his waist. Steve rested his hand on his son's head and smiled. A small part of him wanted to join Bucky and Nat on their adventure, but he'd made a promise not to leave again. He'd done such a good job keeping it and couldn't let Kayla down again.

"I'll see you guys in a few days."

"Be careful Bucky," Kayla called, her voice firm, demanding. Since Steve had stopped fighting, she had to put her worry towards someone else. Bucky seemed to appreciate being looked after, though.

As Bucky walked towards the elevator, a bright yellow ring began to form and a portal split open. Kayla scooped up James and stood behind Steve as he leaned back, raising his fists towards the threat instinctively. Bucky didn't balk from the light, standing between whatever threat was arriving and the Rogers family, but it was Tony who emerged with Bruce and Spider-Man right behind him. Doctor Strange appeared moments later before the portal closed.

"Bruce?" Kayla gasped, seeing the man look around in wonder. "Where have you been?"

"Space. I've been in Space, I was the Hulk for two years, but that doesn't matter right now- Thanos is coming. He's coming for the Mind Stone, he's coming for Vision."

Sarah Rogers wasn't sure what she'd expected when she crossed the multiverse into a branch timeline, but she definitely wasn't expected to emerge into the same place on the other side. She turned around, calling to Doctor Strange, "Where should we go from-"

The portal closed before she could finish her question, locking herself, her older brother, and Morgan Stark in the timeline where Thanos won. "Here," she grumbled as James looked around curiously at the conference room as the intruder alarm went off.

"It's exactly the same."

"I know. It's unnerving," Morgan mumbled. She turned to Sarah and said, "We have to save our parents. I'll take care of my dad, you two take care of Steve and Kayla, I'm sure they'll stay together."

Sarah and James shared a look and he added, "If they don't, you wanna look after Mom or Dad?"

"I guess Dad. Dad can take care of himself, Mom's a loose cannon."

"Maybe not here," Morgan replied, remembering Strange's comments earlier. "He said their personalities changed in this timeline. You don't really know who these people are. None of us do. My dad is probably different..." She tapped a couple buttons on her wrist as the alarm continued to blare, suddenly wondering if it was them who set it off and not Thanos. "FRIDAY, can you stop the alarm?"

"I'm trying, but hitting interference."

"I'll take Dad," James told his sister as they heard footsteps running down the hall. He ducked under the conference table, pulling Morgan with him as Sarah did the same. They watched a couple people running past them towards the armory. "If anything, he'll probably try to keep her out of the way. That'll keep you out of danger, too."

Sarah's eyes glowed orange as two more sets of legs appeared in front of them through the glass wall. Her breath hitched and she scooted forward enough to see them better from under the table. "James."

He shifted to lean forward, careful not to give away his location as he looked up to see his parents standing just beyond the glass wall. James swallowed hard as he studied his mother, fighting back the urge to go to her and tell her how much he loved her. She looked young, and she looked strong. He gasped a little and tapped Sarah's arm. "She's got the serum now."

"I see that," Sarah answered thoughtfully, noticing the way her mother's calf muscles shifted as she moved from foot to foot, adjusting herself. Kayla shifted and Sarah realized what she'd been adjusting. "You're already born."

James understood what she was telling him as he gazed at the little boy in Kayla's arms. Chubby cheeks and big green eyes, it was definitely him. "He won't be a snap baby," James murmured sadly, wishing he could have back those five years with his parents. He wished he could have back five minutes with his mom.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Morgan mumbled, staying farther back to avoid being seen under the table. "Just because he's born doesn't mean he can't be snapped. It just means they won't have to carve him out of her-"

"But she might have to watch him disappear," James finished, feeling his head spin. Steve leaned down to kiss Jame's head as a couple tears escaped the boy's eyes. "We can't let that happen."

"You heard Doctor Strange. We can't stop Thanos. He's gonna win. He's gonna snap," Sarah told her brother, seeing his expression begin to harden. "A lot of these people are gonna get dusted. We have to remember our purpose here, it isn't to stop Thanos, its to keep our dads alive."

The idea of knowingly allowing this Kayla's son die broke James's heart. He watched her lean up on her tip toes and kiss Steve, lingering a little too long until he pulled away and looked over his shoulder. She cupped his cheek and told him she loved him. James watched Kayla turn with her son held tightly in her arms and jog towards the residential section of the compound while Steve stayed in place, watching her as she disappeared from his view.

Doctor Strange had said that Steve and Tony died. He never said Kayla died. He hadn't corrected them when they assumed she did, but he never said it himself. There was a chance she survived, but James wasn't willing to take that risk. He wasn't gonna let her die again.

The ground beneath them shook and Steve whipped around and sprinted back in the direction he'd come from. James scrambled out from under the table and pushed open the door as silence settled over the compound. Sarah appeared beside him and whispered, "He's here."

Morgan tapped her wristlet, revving up her nano-suit. Before she slipped out the door, she pulled James in for a quick kiss. "I'll see you after."

Once she was out of earshot, he murmured to himself, "I love you."

"Barf. Let's go," Sarah hissed. She tapped her wrist, turning her suit gray to blend in with the walls of the compound. She looked in the direction Kayla had gone and murmured, "I'll try to find where she went. Keep Dad safe, whatever it takes."

James drew his mouth into a thin line, thinking his sister would rather he die than their father, but he wasn't going to mention it out of fear she'd tell him Steve was more important. James was aware of that, but he didn't want to talk about it. He waited until his little sister was gone, as Steve had done with Kayla, then doubled back to find Captain America.

When Steve rejoined the Avengers, he came face to face with a massive purple alien staring him down with a knowing smirk.

"The Avengers."

Tony raised his gaunlet to Thanos, preparing to strike as Steve tightened his shield to his left arm. He hadn't held it in almost two years, and it was heavier than he remembered it, but he stood between Thanos and his wife and son. He also stood between Thanos and the Scarlett Witch, who stood protectively in front of Vision. They hadn't gotten the stone out. They hadn't gotten enough time before Thanos arrived.

Bruce looked haunted as Thanos stared down the Avengers. He'd explained that Thanos killed Thor. He'd leveled the Hulk. He currently had four stones in his gauntlet, meaning they had the last two.

He clenched his fist and smiled. "This was inevitable," Thanos stated calmly, taking them all in. "Hand over the stones, and some of you will be spared."

"Don't you mean half?" Tony spat, his arc reactor lighting up. Steve's gaze darkened as he watched the Titan take a slow step forward.

The golden stone on the far left of the gauntlet glowed as Thanos threatened, "Stand in my way and I won't leave a soul in this building alive."

He raised his hand and four aliens, three almost as tall as him and one twice Thanos's size, appeared from a swirling blue portal behind him. Steve's knees buckled at the sight of their weapons, noting how smug they looked. These weren't Chitauri. These were something far deadlier, even if there were only four of them.

Thanos looked around, taking in Tony, Steve, Natasha, Rhodey, Bucky and Peter Parker. He studied Wanda protecting Vision and the Mind Stone shining in his forehead with Bruce and Sam by their side. He studied Tony curiously before asking, "You four disappeared before my children could retrieve the Time Stone. I don't believe that's within your skill set, Tony Stark."

"You know me?"

"I do," Thanos said simply, bowing his head a little. "You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."

"Then you have to know we're not gonna let you take the stones without a fight," Tony bit back.

Steve hoped he'd given them enough time to escape. He'd sent his wife and son with directions to leave with Tiffany and not look back. Sam and Steve would find them if they made it out alive. Thanos seemed to realize Doctor Strange and the Time Stone were missing, though, meaning he was about to break through their front line.

If Thanos got past them, Wanda was given explicit directions to destroy the stone, no matter what it meant for Vision. They couldn't lose half the population for one man. Besides, if Thanos killed the Avengers, there would be no use trying to save Vision from his wrath anyway.

They'd wasted as much time as Thanos would allow, and he raised his dual-edged sword towards them and ordered, "Get me those stones, and kill anyone who stands in your way."

Steve led the charge, going into fight mode as the Avengers collided with Thanos's warriors. The largest of them swept his hand towards Spider-Man while War Machine fired at him in an effort to take him down. The bullets did little to hinder the alien, even when Bucky and Sam joined in an effort to take him down. Steve held up his shield before smashing into another alien, but he just lifted his hand and sent Steve flying into the far wall.

He stumbled to his feet as Natasha tried her luck, ducking in time to miss a chair that came flying towards her head. Steve charged forward, causing enough of a distraction for Natasha to get a decent hit in, but they were both quickily sent tumbling away. When Vision turned, though, he sent a beam of power shooting from the Mind Stone, blasting back Ebony Maw.

"Destroy the stone!" Tony yelled as he kept his focus on Thanos himself, sending all his firepower at the Mad Titan. Steve turned to see Wanda crying as she blasted back Maw, keeping him at bay, but if she tried to destroy the stone, neither she nor Vision would be able to help them.

"Where are the other two?" Natasha asked Steve quietly as she paused to catch her breath. Steve whipped around, realizing there had been four of them. They were looking for the Time Stone.

Steve hurtled towards Cull Obsidian, knocking him back a step as Sam, Rhode, and Bucky held their fire. Spider-Man swung towards Tony, attempting to distract Thanos so Iron Man could get a damaging hit in. Steve looked back at Bucky, seeing how defeated the Winter Soldier looked. "Make sure Kay, James, and Tiffany got out. Do a sweep, make sure they aren't here." Bucky nodded at the order as Steve bashed his shield against Cull Obsidian chest, but this time the alien responded by bringing down his fist on the captain.

Kneeling down with his shield up, Steve prepared to take the blow as Sam yelled for him to run, but when the fist connected to his shield, Steve realized he wasn't holding it up alone.

He looked to his right, seeing a young man straining under the weight of the shield with his teeth gritted, determination in his green eyes. Steve blinked, taking in the boy's appearance. They could have been twins if it wasn't for the shaggy blonde hair and the green eyes. Those eyes... those were Kayla's eyes.

The boy let out a yell as he pushed harder against the underside of the shield and Steve broke from his daze long enough to help, shoving Cull Obsidian off of them and yanking back the boy. "Who are you?" he barked, thankful for the help but not understanding who stood in front of him. "Where did you come from?"

"That's complicated, but know I'm on your side." The younger man looked up in time to shove Steve back, taking the hit that was meant for Captain America. He was sent hurtling into a desk on the far end of the room, but Steve didn't have time to dwell on who he was. He had to stop Thanos by any means necessary.

While Steve helped Rhodey bring Cull Obsidian to his knees and Natasha distracted Ebony Maw so Sam and Spider-Man could take him down from above, Tony took on Thanos alone. The Mad Titan used the Power Stone to blast against Iron Man, but he shot out of the way until Thanos reached up and grabbed a chunk of the ceiling to rip down on him. The other Avengers spared a glance as Tony fell beneath the rubble, and Thanos stormed over to him to make the final blow.

"No!" Morgan threw herself in front of Tony, but he emerged suddenly with a blade in his hand. He hadn't realized someone was so close, though, and was startled by the Iron Man suit he bumped into in his effort to stab Thanos. He thrust the blade towards Thanos, but the titan grabbed his hand, snapping the blade off effortlessly while holding Tony with his other hand. Tony's eyes widened as realization, but Morgan placed herself between Thanos and Tony, taking the blade in his place.

Thanos stared at her in disbelief as the blade vanished into her suit and reappeared in her hand. He clenched his fist, using the Power Stone to send them both flying back before setting his sights on Vision and Wanda.

Tears streamed down her face as she tried to destroy the stone and the man she loved, but Thanos had them in his sights. Ebony Maw was pummeling Sam and Natasha, beating them back using his telekinesis while Rhode and Spider-Man tried to work together to web up Cull Obsidian, but he ripped through Peter's webs easily. Steve slid in front of Thanos, but didn't put up his shield. Instead he grabbed Thanos by the gauntlet, pushing back as hard as he could. He had to keep Thanos away until Wanda destroyed the stone, even if it killed him. He let out a yell and Thanos raised his right hand to take down Captain America once and for all.

Before his fist could connect to Steve's head, James was in the way, taking the hit to the side. He was thrown against Steve, sending them both rolling away. James whimpered as he tried to shift, feeling his shattered ribs strain with every breath. Morgan appeared next to him, retracting her faceplate as she asked FRIDAY to scan for injuries. James clenched her hand and hissed, but he looked up to see Steve spring back to his feet to fight again. Steve spared a quick, worried glance at James before turning to Thanos.

Thanos smacked Wanda away as she screamed, having been just about to destroy the stone. He grabbed Vision by the neck as the android struggled, but in less than a moment he'd reached up to the Mind Stone and ripped it from Vision's head. Steve watched in horror as Vision's color drained and his body went limp. Thanos dumped him next to Wanda and turned towards the hallway leading to the residential wing. He dropped the Mind Stone into the gauntlet, causing yellow power to surge through his veins. "Five down, one to go."

Sarah scoured the residential secion of Avenger's Compound in search of Kayla without luck. She started to wonder if her mother and infant brother had escaped unscathed, but the sounds of battle echoing behind her reminded Sarah that they weren't out of the woods yet.

Then the pain came.

A piercing pain shot through her ribs and she doubled over, eyes glowing orange as she sucked in a sharp breath. She hadn't felt this way since she'd recieved her serum... it was James. He was hurt, and she could sense his pain and suddenly she was faced with the realization that her brother could die. She managed to catch her breath and stand straigher, sparing one last look around. Kayla was well hidden. James was in trouble now, which meant her father probably was too. She bolted back towards the battle, sprinting back to the main living space quietly, not realizing she'd been one corner away from running into Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glave, the Time Stone already in hand as they left Doctor Strange laid out unconcious on the floor.