Thank you to everybody who read or review the last conversation. You are the absolute best. I adore all your comments. Remember, your writer is needy for feedback.

We are back in the bad timeline, and we will be for a few chapters. But I don't think you'll be that upset about it because we have a lot of Steve Tony stuff.

There are a few tiny WandaVision spoilers in this chapter. Remember, I will use things from the new material if it works for my continuity.

Conversation 32: Progress

Agent Laura: So, you will be happy to know that getting Hunter involved was the right choice. We just had dinner together with May. Simmons acknowledges that she is drinking too much. She wants me to help her get sober.

Tony: Hunter is definitely getting a raise. Not that I'll ever actually be able to pay him enough for all he does. He's a child whisper.

Tony: So, am I sending her to Pinecrest or Pleasant Hills?

Agent Laura: I'm not sure either is an option for her. If she tells the psychologist or addiction specialist that the trigger was her fiancé getting swallowed by a monolith that allows people to travel through time, what would happen? Granted, this is a world where half of the people disappeared, but some things are still too weird.

Tony: I see your point.

Agent Laura: Back in my timeline, we have our own addiction program in-house for the ATCU/shield. It was actually your other self's idea. Your old Florida property is now the rehab house there.

Tony: I could see the advantage of a superhero/super agent rehab center. We don't have just Simmons; we also have Thor. I think I still have that property. Or maybe I transferred it to Pepper after Morgan was born. I don't remember right now.

Agent Barton: My Tony can't remember everything he owns either. Even with everything in the trust until he no longer works for the federal government.

Tony: It's good to know some things are universal. If we want something closer, I have several places in Jersey, including one in Westview. I helped Vision buy a home for Wanda before it all fell apart. Robin convinced me to finish it. It could make a good rehab place.

Agent Laura: You bought the couple someplace really nice in Europe, although I don't know where for security reasons. It was a wedding present. We might need a few potential rehab houses or even places for the resurrected Avengers and family to live. I'll discuss it with Friday. I'll start things, and then I'll try to find someone else to turn everything over to you. I think I might have a lead.

Tony: I feel there is a but coming.

Agent Laura: Would you be Simmons AA sponsor?

Tony: I'm not saying no, but why me? I consider it a miracle that I haven't relapsed for a while.

Agent Laura: Well, unlike most people, you understand her world complete with multiple timeline fiancés and everything else. You also both speak the language of science.

Tony: True.

Agent Laura: Also, her boyfriend is your nanny. I think she needs to stay with Hunter for a while. She's better when she's with him. She won't make it without him.

Tony: Will this change if we bring Fitz back? The snapped version, not the one who is married to Hunter in the other timeline. I think he is staying there for good.

Agent Laura: I don't think it will. I heard Robin drew a picture of the three together. It seems obvious that there's a third option on the table here.

Tony: I saw that picture, and it made Hunter very sad.

Agent Laura: It doesn't anymore.

Tony: Because it means we're going to succeed?

Agent Laura: Maybe. At least we know there's a potential timeline where we bring dusted Fitz back, and you will need a place for Wanda to live. To get to that better reality, we have to find the stones in my timeline and bring them here.

Agent Laura: We're going to work on the timeline tomorrow and have it ready for the princess 2018. The general was really helpful, and she put me in contact with Rocket and Nebula. They're on their way to help. They bonded with Deke when looking for Fitz. They also want to get their friends back.

Tony: You are good.

Agent Laura: The Guardians probably won't get here until after our next meeting. But they are going to send me what they have on the stones. Friday and I are working on it.

Tony: Good. What about Scott?

Agent Laura: I outsource that to Natasha. It was Clint's idea.

Tony: That was brave.

Agent Laura: Natasha is a softy. She's always liked me. Besides, I need to focus on Simmons and Clint right now. I've barely gotten him to the point he'll eat pizza with me. It was a miraculous first step.

Tony: That is true.

Agent Laura: How are things going with Steve? You didn't strangle him on the way to Manhattan?

Tony: No strangling of any type, even the safe word variety. I'm not sure either of us would be up to that anyway.

Agent Laura: I think that's on the hard no list for my Steve and Tony.

Tony: Well, somebody has had a fun separation. I can see it.

Agent Laura: Even though I've been part of an open marriage for a long time, even before the separation, I know better than to fuck Dr. and Mr. Stark-Rogers. You two are just way too needy. Some relationships really are platonic.

Agent Laura: I know about the list because although Pepper is still my Tony's best friend, there are some things you don't discuss with your ex-girlfriend. So I get all the sex stuff.

Tony: You have a point. Do those boundaries change when you have children together? Because Pepper has decided to force Steve and me to share a room tonight.

Tony: Don't suggest sleeping in Hunter's room because I considered that but then found a bottle of KY just sitting on top of the bed, and nope.

Agent Laura: It's not the first time you've shared a bed with Steve. Boundaries disappear once you have children together. Even when you're dealing with your spouse from another timeline.

Tony: It's been eight years and the realization that he is married to me in another timeline. That's a lot of baggage to bring into bed.

Agent Laura: Engaged. The wedding wasn't supposed to take place until April. I think they're going to have to get a new date anyway.

Tony: Why?

Agent Laura: Because their original wedding date happens to coincide with when the attack happened here. I think the grooms consider that a bad omen.

Tony: That makes sense. Of course, I would choose the day of the invasion. My original wedding to Pepper was supposed to be the week after the invasion.

Agent Laura: I think the April date got chosen because an algorithm Tony created said it was the day less likely to have an alien invasion.

Tony: The algorithm was wrong or possibly reversed. They should've consulted Robin.

Agent Laura: Possibly. So did you actually talk to Steve?

Tony: I now know about his abusive alcoholic father and a half-sister in Nevada. BTW she didn't survive the decimation.

Agent Laura: That's horrible. She's so nice. We've visited her a few times. She adores Afia and Miles. She thinks Flash is a prick, but that's his defense mechanism half the time.

Tony: Understandable.

Tony: Friday also talked us into doing the 36 questions that lead to love. Or rather, she forced us to on your orders.

Agent Laura: I see Friday being a little Emma is a universal constant no matter what form she is in. I wonder if she's made any progress on Spider Venom.

Tony: I don't even want to know what ship that is.

Agent Laura: Flash and Peter. You and Steve are Stony.

Tony: That was prophetic. It's definitely been stony.

Agent Laura: I am glad you and Steve had a real conversation, even if you needed help from the New York Times. How many questions did you get through?

Tony: The first 13 before I turned on the radio. Although when Friday decided to play Linkin Park's invisible, I felt it was time to let Steve drive so I could send text messages and read through reports. Deke's interview with Ana 2018 was illuminating. I think I know where I need to start now with fixing things on our side.

Agent Laura: I think Friday has notes on their research and the specs on their multidimensional communications device.

Tony: Which I should probably duplicate on our side when I get home.

Tony: Simmons can stay at the cabin for a while once we get all of this done. And I'll be her sponsor.

Agent Laura: Good.

Tony: You're going to have to find a specialist because you're probably going to need one for Thor as well.

Agent Laura: Why? You mentioned for before, but you didn't give me any details.

Tony: Thor lost his father, friends, brother, and planet in less than a month. He also went for the heart instead of the head, and therefore he blames himself for Thanos succeeding. It was made worse by Jane being dusted. I think only Dr. Darcy made it. He lost practically everything and didn't cope in the best way.

Agent Laura: Even gods can become alcoholics?

Tony: Yes. I have Friday keeping an eye on him, and it's not good.

Agent Laura: So, I guess we are recruiting him for our little project?

Tony: Well, he is the only one who actually knows exactly where the Tesseract was in 2018, so yes. His home planet was a big place. The Valkyries' report had some missing details.

Agent Laura: OK, I'll just get the avenger rehab center altogether. Do you think if we can get the dimensional travel thing done, we can bring Dr. Suarez here? It might be better to bring someone else and for my side.

Tony: Who is Dr. Suarez?

Agent Laura: Your former therapist and the head of the ATCU's psych department. We are a bit more social work than spy agency now. We do more outreach and fewer guns blazing. We are training more counselors like me to be agents. It's something that your other self pushed for. Thankfully the President agreed with us.

Tony: Really?

Agent Laura: OK, Suarez and I came up with it, but Tony went along and managed to make the President see our point of view. We're trying to demilitarize and rethink what the agency can do.

Tony: Really?

Agent Laura: Yes. Look, a lot of old Shield's problems were Hydra-related, but not all of them were. Maybe you shouldn't send people in with guns to deal with those that suddenly develop superpowers. That is just asking to escalate the situation. Social workers can do more.

Tony: True.

Agent Laura: Hey Friday, can you see if Dr. Suarez survived the decimation and is available? I want to bring her in.

Friday: Unfortunately, she did not.

Agent Laura: What about Dr. Margarita Cruz?

Friday: She actually did survive. She is now a professor of psychology at Empire State. She recently worked as a therapist for SWORD but left two years ago when the new director took over.

Tony: Smart woman.

Agent Laura: This does not surprise me. She still former Shield because she was when the timeline divided?

Friday: Yes.

Agent Laura: OK, that can make things easier. What is Sword?

Tony: Shield replacement agency here. The official one. May's team is really just an extension of the Avengers at this point. It was founded by Carol's late wife. Unfortunately, the guy who took over was a Dick, so no wonder Doctor Cruz got the hell out of there.

Agent Laura: I guess I have something else to work on. Although now I want to know who Carol is? Robin 2018 has been telling us we need her for the last year. Coulson doesn't remember who she is because Nikki messed with his memories.

Tony: That sounds like something patches would do.

Friday: I will prepare a primer for you and the Avengers of 2018.

Tony: I'm available to answer questions. Although I'm going to go to Steve now because I'm exhausted. We are totally going to end up sharing a bed, aren't we?

Agent Laura: Like you don't want to.

Tony: I can want to do something and still be fucking terrified. I'm good at that.

Agent Laura: You are, and this is one of those times. However, you are a strong person, and you will get through this.

To be continued…