Steve POV

It took Tony and Bruce a few hours, but they finally figured out a way to use the tesseract to power the cradle. Bruce shooed everyone out of the lab but most of the team was lingering in the hallway, watching the two geniuses work through the glass walls.

Steve couldn't begin to process the overwhelming number of emotions swirling within his chest. Rage towards Rumlow was at the forefront for what he had done to Stella. Steve overall was a pretty peaceful person but if he saw Rumlow right now he thought he might actually snap his neck.

Grief was the next one he could pinpoint, over what was happening to Stella and deep seeded guilt for not better protecting her.

Tony had given him one job, keep Stella safe. It should have been nothing. He was in love with her after all.

Steve had known for a while now and probably would have said something to Stella the day he'd helped her in her bathroom if they hadn't been interrupted.

Bucky…Steve was livid with his best friend. If Stella hadn't been training with Bucky, she wouldn't have thought she could take on Hydra's henchmen and she wouldn't have been at the fight. Steve could barely look at the man.

Said man was loitering in the hallway along with Steve, Nat, Clint, Vision and Wanda. Thor was downstairs with Loki and Sam was resting. He had sustained wounds during the battle and had been sentenced to bed rest.

"Why don't Tony and Bruce have surgeons come here and operate… or send Stella to the hospital?" Clint asked as he studied the men work on the other side of the glass.

"She's too delicate to be transported and the cradle can't be moved while someone is inside it," Natasha informed him.

"Well then why wouldn't they ask them to come here? I'm sure Tony has enough pull to make it happen." For a moment, no one answered.

"Because what they're about to do-use the tesseract to heal Stella…Some might call it inhumane to test this theory on her," Vision finally stated.

"Inhumane?"

"Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner don't know what the results are going to be. The tesseract is unlike any artifact known to man. They have no idea how it could change Stella."

"…So this is their last hope."

"Yes." The room fell silent as Bruce walked over to the cradle and began typing onto the keypad that powered it. The cradle gave a loud hiss as it depressurized.

"Are they…"

"Taking her out of stasis? Yes." Natasha replied, now standing toe to toe with the glass.

"But what about her wounds? Won't she start to bleed out again?"

"Yes, but the machine can't regenerate new tissue while she's in stasis. Her body needs time to adapt and bond with the new flesh."

"This is all too weird," Clint replied. Steve moved closer to the glass so he could better see what was happening. The machine was generating the new skin and muscle which looked like a thin pink film in the center of her abdomen. "I think I'm gonna be sick," Clint muttered.

"Then go," Steve and Bucky snapped at the same time. Clint looked bewildered but stayed seated.

"It's not working," Bruce spoke from inside the lab. "She's bleeding out too fast. The cradle can't heal her quickly enough."

"I know I'm trying," Tony said, typing away frantically from his machine. Blood was starting to ooze from beneath the pink film. It was a disturbing sight to see. The heartrate monitor suddenly started to go wild, beeping rapidly.

"We're losing her Tony!" Bruce called. Steve pressed his hands to the glass, his forehead practically pressed against it as he watched the events inside the lab unfold.

The monitor let out one long, prolonged beep. Steve rushed into the lab, Tony and Bruce be damned. Bucky and Nat were on his heels.

"Shit. Get the paddles!" Bruce rushed over to a cart with a defibrillator attached and rolled it over to where Stella lay. Bruce squirted jelly on the paddles before rubbing them together. He placed one on her chest and one on her side.

He shocked her. Stella's body arched, then fell flat.

"Nothing…Again Bruce," Tony instructed.

Bruce shocked her again. Stella's body bowed and collapsed. The monitor remained the same.

"Again!"

"Tony…"

"Do it Bruce!" Bruce looked conflicted but shocked Stella again. The long, monotonous beeping continued.

"Tony…she's gone."

"She's not gone. She can't be," Tony implored.

"Tony..."

"No! I haven't even gotten to know her yet…" Tony's voice cracked. He glanced around the room, at a loss of what to do.

"The tesseract…" He started when his eyes fell upon it. He turned towards Steve, Nat, and Bucky who were lingering by the entrance to the lab. "Barnes, grab it." The tesseract was still glowing in the chamber Tony and Bruce had placed it in to power the cradle. Bucky didn't hesitate; he used his vibranium arm to break through the glass and grab the glowing cube. "Put it in her hand," Tony instructed.

"Tony, no!"

"Shut up Bruce!"

Bucky placed the tesseract in Stella's fingers, closing them around it.

"Hit her again with the paddles."

"No," Bruce refused, backing away from the table. "I won't do this. Stella is gone."

Steve didn't hesitate and shoved Bruce hard. The man flew back into the wall behind him.

"Nat," Steve called as he approached Stella's body. Natasha approached Bruce as he recovered and blocked him from approaching the table where Stella lay.

"I'm on it." She responded. Steve picked up the paddles.

"Are you insane? Don't you people get it? She's gone, Stella is dead!" Bruce shouted once he realized what their intentions were.

Steve let the paddles charge and shocked Stella again.

"Come on baby," He murmured to her. She couldn't be dead. It wasn't possible. Not Stella.

"Don't Bruce," Natasha warned. "Again Steve," She instructed. Steve hit her again.

The defibrillator beeped and Steve looked at the screen, which read "CPR recommended". He dropped the paddles and placed his hands on Stella's chest, performing CPR.

"Don't die on me baby," Steve pled. He felt tears blurring his vision but he didn't stop. He plugged her nose and blew air into her mouth, then continued the CPR. Bucky was still holding the tesseract in her hand.

"Come on Stella. Please," Steve begged. "Come back to me."

A blue halo of light formed and surrounded Stella's body. Steve had only a second to marvel at it before a wave of power threw him back. Bucky was blasted as well and went flying into a nearby machine. Natasha and Bruce were thrown through the glass walls, which shattered.

Wanda shrieked.

Steve stumbled to his feet, the first to recover. He glanced back at Bruce who was clutching his head.

"Natasha." Steve rushed over to her, stepping over the ruined remains of the wall.

"I'm…okay," She said after a minute.

"Bruce," Steve emphasized. Nat looked over at Bruce and hurried over to the man.

"Hey, big guy. I'm here," She cooed. Steve couldn't worry about Bruce turning into the Hulk right now. He glanced at Bucky who was struggling to his feet. Tony peeked around the machine he had taken cover behind. Steve rushed over to Stella's body which was still lying supine on the table.

"Check her heartbeat," Tony managed. The machine tracking her heartrate had become dislodged in the explosion. Steve grabbed a stethoscope off a nearby machine and pressed the dial to her heart before putting the arms in his ears. He strained to hear, but his super soldier hearing came through.

It was faint, but it was a heartbeat.

XXX

"What was that?" Clint asked once everyone had been checked on and confirmed okay. Natasha had managed to calm Bruce enough that he hadn't transformed into the hulk. He and Natasha had a couple cuts and scrapes from being thrown through the glass wall but nothing major. Tony was fine and if Bucky was in pain from being thrown into that machine, he wasn't letting on.

"It was like a wave of pure energy…" Wanda replied.

"Was that the tesseract?"

"It must have been." The team all turned to look at Stella who was still lying on the bed, unconscious. Tony had managed to reconnect most of the wires that had been dislodged and her heart was beating steadily.

"So…it worked?" Clint asked. Bruce had checked on Stella once he had recovered. The wound on her chest had closed and now looked months old. All that remained was a long, jagged scar.

"Well, it certainly healed her. Now we need to see if she wakes up." Bruce answered.

"What do you mean if?" Steve asked.

"This is a possibility after any major procedure…And we don't know what damage could have been done to her brain while she was dead."

These words sunk in. Stella had been dead, but Natasha, Tony, Bucky, and Steve had brought her back.

Natasha was the first to speak.

"So what now?"

"Now, we wait," Tony replied.

"I hate to say it…But we need to talk about what happens if she does wake," Bruce said, his arms crossed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, she could be different. She may not even remember us. The tesseract could alter her cells in ways we don't even understand. We took a gamble because it was the only way to save her, but if there was any other option…" Bruce trailed off. "I would hate for what happened to me to happen to Stella."

"Do you think there's a chance the tesseract could change her that much?"

"I just think it's a possibility we need to prepare for."

"…If she wakes up."

"Yes."

Stella was transported to a room on a lower level where she could recover away from the hustle and bustle of the lab. The team convened in one of the conference rooms, but not before Tony installed a camera in Stella's room so they could keep an eye on her while the team conversed.

"Alright Bruce, what are your major concerns?" Steve asked, his eyes glued to the screen that displayed the live feed.

"Wait. First, I want to know why the hell my daughter was even involved," Tony said angrily.

"There was hardly time to put her in the safe room Tony," Natasha replied.

"Besides, she wouldn't go. She wanted to fight," Sam added. He had rejoined the team after he heard the blast. The team began to talk over one another.

"Shouldn't we talk about how Loki found out about the tesseract's location?"

"We need to interrogate him."

"That'll be a waste of time."

"I'm going to kill Rumlow. I can't believe he did this to Stella."

"Where the hell did she even learn to fight?"

Steve looked around suddenly after hearing Tony's question.

"Where's Bucky?"

Stella POV

Stella's eyes shot open. She gasped, disoriented, and whipped her head around to analyze her surroundings. She was in a dark room and there were a series of glowing machines next to the bed she lay on, some of which she was attached to with a few wires. She sat up and pain rippled through her middle. The events of the battle came rushing back to her.

The break-in. Loki and his henchmen attacking. She had dove for the tesseract and someone had…She looked down. Stella ripped up the thin hospital gown she was in to see a jagged pink scar in the center of her chest. She touched it. It was sore…but it was healed.

What had happened? How long had she been asleep? Where was everyone?

Stella swung her legs to the side and attempted to stand. She promptly collapsed into waiting arms as her legs gave out beneath her. She grasped the person and looked up.

"Bucky?" His expression was unreadable.

"…I told you to stay by me." He helped her back over to the bed.

"What happened?" Her eyes fell to his shirt which was covered in blood.

"Rumlow stabbed you through the chest," Bucky answered. He hesitated. "You passed out."

"Rumlow?"

"He used to work for SHIELD, but he was a Hydra plant."

"…Why did he stab me?"

"Because you had the tesseract…Stella, why did you grab it?" Bucky demanded.

"Natasha said it was volatile and dangerous. I didn't know what would happen if it hit the ground and shattered…I just wanted to get it as far away from there as possible."

"You almost didn't make it."

"How did I…what happened?"

"Your dad should tell you."

"He's not here."

"They're upstairs talking about what happened."

"What happened…" Stella glanced at his shirt again. "Whose blood is that?"

"…Yours."

"Bucky, how long was I out for?" Bucky hesitated.

"Bucky…" Stella pleaded.

"A few hours."

"A few hours?! But my chest, how could it have healed so quickly?" Bucky glanced down at her chest. Stella, seeing the curiosity in his eyes, lowered her hospital gown off her shoulders a bit so he could see the top of the new pink skin.

"The tesseract. They used it to power this machine called the cradle. It healed you. Brought you back."

"You mean I was…" Stella didn't finish her sentence as the team burst through the doors.

"Stella!" She shifted her gown so it covered her chest again.

"Careful! She's still healing."

"How're you feeling?"

"Are you alright?"

"What do you remember?"

"Everyone," A voice rang out, clear as day over the din. "Give her a minute." It was Steve.

"Stella." Bruce stepped forward. "How do you feel?" He pressed his stethoscope to her heart and listened.

"Uh…fine considering I was just stabbed in the chest."

"Heart beat is strong," Bruce informed everyone. He whipped a flashlight out and shone it in her eyes. Stella blinked.

"Normal dilation," Bruce muttered to himself.

"Did Loki escape?"

"No, Steve managed to capture him. He's in one of the cells downstairs. Most of his men escaped though. Including Rumlow."

"He was covered in blood. Loki, I mean." Stella recalled.

"Twas mine." Thor said. Stella noticed a large bandage across his chest. "Fortunately, I heal more quickly than mortal men."

"Do you feel like yourself?"

The room quieted.

"…Yes?" Stella said after a moment. "I mean, pretty sore I guess."

"I mean your mind."

"My mind?...I feel fine, Bruce."

"Good." Tony stepped forward. "What the hell were you doing there?"

"Tony, maybe now's not the time."

"Shut up, Nat."

"Don't talk to her like that. This wasn't her fault." Stella argued.

"Then whose was it?" Tony turned towards Bucky. "Guess I have you to thank for training her to fight."

"She needed to know. Loki is after her. What would have happened if she'd had no training and he got his hands on her?"

"She's a kid."

"I'm twenty-four and was doing a perfectly fine job of taking care of myself before you came into my life," She snapped, her anger spiking.

"Could've fooled me. That was damn reckless, Stella. You're a civilian." Stella whipped her head towards Steve who had spoken.

"Really Rogers? You too?" She sighed, then continued. "I never asked for this. You brought me here. I was perfectly happy with my old life." She aimed her words at Steve and Tony.

"Regardless that doesn't mean you get to fight the bad guys in your spare time. Just because Barnes taught you a few moves doesn't mean you're part of the team. Did you want to be one of the Avengers? Thought it would be great to fight alongside the famous Black Widow and Captain America?"

Stella glared daggers at Tony.

"Uh, is it getting hot in here?" Sam asked, but Steve, Tony and Stella ignored him.

"Are you kidding me?" Stella was getting angrier by the second. "You're pissed because I didn't want to see my friends die?"

"We can protect ourselves Stella. We don't need you to do it for us." Stella felt her patience snap.

"I'm sorry were you kissing Tony's ass or lying to me so I would fuck you? It's hard to keep track these days."

The room fell silent. Steve's expression was one of shock, along with everyone else.

Then, the curtains beside Stella's bed burst into flame. Clint was the first to react and used an extinguisher he retrieved from the hall to put out the fire. Slowly, the eyes in the room turned back to her.

"Stella…"

"Her eyes."

"What?" Stella demanded.

"They're blue."

"…Tesseract blue"

"The stone has touched her." Wanda said softly, speaking for the first time. "It's given her abilities."

Stella looked in the mirror hanging on the wall beside her bed. She didn't recognize herself. Her normally caramel skin was pale and ashen, her hair dull and matted with blood. And in the center of her face her dark brown eyes were gone. They were replaced with eyes were that were glowing, an unnatural bright flickering blue. She resisted a gasp.

Shock and fear lanced through her. She turned to look at the first person who'd made her feel safe in a long time. The one who'd caused her to let down her walls, to open up. She looked at Steve.

It happened all at once. The desk, her sheets, and the remains of the curtains all went up in flames.

Bucky, who was standing closest to her, swept her up into his arms but it didn't matter. She couldn't even feel the flames. The team rushed from the room, Clint using the fire extinguisher to put out the blaze.

"Are you okay?" Bucky asked her once they filtered into the rec room.

"I'm fine, I didn't even feel it…What's happened to me?" Stella's gaze fell on Tony.

"Whatever it is, Kid, we'll figure it out. I promise."

"Stella, I'd like permission to run some tests," Bruce stated.

"Tests?" She questioned.

"When we healed you we used the tesseract to amplify the cradle."

Stella, who was still in Bucky's arms said, "I'm okay Bucky." He lowered her to her feet, letting her put her weight on him.

"Bucky said…you brought me back." Tony and Steve glanced at one another.

"…Yes."

"So I was dead."

"Yes." Stella wrapped her arms around herself.

"Stella…"

"Why…why are my eyes blue?"

"Well, they aren't now actually." Stella blinked. "They must only change color when your powers are active," Bruce mused.

"Powers?"

"The tesseract must've changed you. Given you abilities. Like it did me and Pietro," Wanda added.

"Why do we need to run tests?"

"We just want to make sure everything is okay. You've been through a lot. Being stabbed and brought back, the tesseract altering your cells..." Steve answered. Stella processed this.

"Okay…Can I at least put some clothes on first?"

Steve POV

"Rogers? A word." Tony turned and stalked off in the direction of his office. Steve should have seen this coming, especially since Stella had outed their dirty laundry to the team, but it didn't make it any easier.

"Good luck man," Sam muttered to him as he passed. Natasha patted him on the shoulder encouragingly. Steve noticed Bucky was refusing to meet his gaze. The super soldier resisted a sigh as he followed Tony. Once Steve closed the door behind them Tony rounded on him.

"You slept with my daughter?!" He demanded.

"I'm sorry, Tony." What else could Steve say? That at the time he'd thought Stella wasn't Tony's kid? It was the truth, but Steve knew it wasn't what Tony wanted to hear. Tony began pacing.

"Damnit, Rogers. That's my goddamn kid."

"Then act like it!" Steve snapped. Tony's face turned to shock as he faced him. "Stella needs you and you're bullshitting around in Malibu. She lost her mom. She needs her dad, Tony."

"Did she tell you that in bed?" Tony snarked. Steve wasn't amused.

"Tony, once you get to know her you'll see how amazing she is. Passionate and dedicated and hardworking and kind… She deserves a family."

"I have obligations, Rogers."

"She's your kid, Tony. What greater obligation could there be? She needs you. Now, more than ever."

Tony turned towards the window.

"I don't know."

"Tony, you almost lost her today. We both did. Do you really want to waste more time?"

Tony didn't respond. Steve sighed and turned to leave.

"She'll need training."

Steve paused, then looked back over his shoulder. Tony turned towards him.

"You want me to do it? After everything?" Steve questioned, disbelieving.

"Well, I thought it made sense since you're a model of self-control…but I don't know if that's the case anymore." Tony's jaw tightened.

"I don't know if I'm the best man for the job, Tony…"

"I wouldn't ask if that wasn't the case, Steve."

Steve sighed.

"Alright."

"Just…Try and keep it in your pants this time."

A/N: I know that Rumlow technically died during Captain America: Civil War and Civil War is canon in this story but in this universe, Rumlow survived Lagos. Hope that helps for anyone who was confused.

Also, I am aware I am by no means a doctor! I just watch a lot of tv/movies and wrote the scene where Stella was dying to the best of my ability. I know that's not actually how that scene would happen medical wise, which should be obvious since they use an infinity stone to bring her back to life.

Thanks for reading and if you're enjoying this story please leave a review/comment!