Chapter 13

Once Thanos and his army were confirmed to be entirely wiped from the planet and no more threats were present, the Avengers breathed a sigh of relief. Some of them shook hands and hugged each other after being reunited. Doctor Strange and the other Masters of the Mystic Arts began sending people home by opening portals and allowing them to walk through.

Doctor Strange took it upon himself to care for the body of Tony Stark and with instructions from Pepper, he removed their hero from the battlefield. Rhodey went with Pepper through her portal and back to her house. Danielle worried about how Morgan would take the news.

Morgan and Jamie.

How had she forgotten her son through this entire mess? Guilt flowed heavily through her body. It had been nearly three days since she had last seen her son, and she hadn't spared him much of a thought until this moment.

She looked over at James, who was saying goodbye to T'Challa and Shuri. How was she going to tell him he had a five year old son?

James finished saying his goodbyes and walked over to join Danielle. He took her hand casually like they hadn't missed five years together.

"Where do we go now?" He asked, glancing at the rubble that used to be the compound.

"I have a house." She furrowed her brows. "But I don't have a car anymore."

"Walking through the portal isn't that bad." James replied.

As if knowing they were ready, Doctor Strange approached them. Danielle had never seen the doctor in person. He was taller than she imagined and less of an asshole than she expected. His intelligent eyes scanned both of them.

"Do you have somewhere to go? We can find you lodging if you need it." He offered.

"Thank you, but I have a house a few miles from here. It should be safe." Danielle answered.

Strange nodded then looked at James. "And you?"

"He's going home with me." Danielle spoke quickly.

James' lips curled into a content smile.

Strange pressed his lips together, annoyed by their affection. He held up his left hand and started spinning his right hand with the ring. An orange glow appeared and grew into a circle large enough for them to walk through. On the other side, Danielle could see the front porch of her house.

She started forward and tugged James' hand to urge him to follow. He hesitated only a second before stepping through the portal after her. Once they were a few feet past the edge of the portal, it closed, leaving them alone in the near darkness of twilight. Luckily, Danielle had left her porch light on so they could see as they climbed the steps.

The excitement to show James her house dissipated when she realized Jamie's stuff would be visible all throughout the house.

"Okay, stop." Danielle faced James, her hand still firmly in his.

"If this is too fast or if you need space, I can go back to Wakanda for a few days." His face remained stoic but his pale eyes gave him away. Fear raised his eyebrows and his eyes were wider as he looked at her.

"No, I want you here." Danielle stepped closer, almost pressing to his chest. "But you need to know something."

James dropped his gaze to their joined hands. "If there is someone else in your life, I understand. I didn't expect you to wait for me."

Danille shook her head. "Stop. Just listen to me for a second."

He brought his eyes back to hers.

"Things have changed in the last five years," she admitted. "But I need you to trust me for a minute. Can you do that?"

He nodded slowly to confirm.

She led him to her front door and looked back at him. "Close your eyes."

He pursed his lips, nervous energy needing an outlet, but he obliged to her request.

Danielle put in the electronic passcode and opened the door. She turned on the lights and led him through the house, straight to Jamie's bedroom. She positioned him to where he could only see into the bedroom and she could see his face.

"Okay, open your eyes." She instructed.

James' eyelids slid open studying the bedroom before him. She watched his pale eyes flick across everything in the room, taking in the toys and child drawings within the space. He stepped forward like he was being drawn into the room by an invisible force. His fingers touched the bedpost at the foot of Jamie's bed and he froze.

"You have a kid." He said more as a statement than a question.

Danielle heard the pain in his voice, but she didn't approach him. "His name is Jamie."

James kept his back to her and nodded.

"He's your son."

His shoulders went rigid. She thought he had stopped breathing all together. He froze for so long, Danielle began to worry that he wasn't ready to hear the news.

"James?" She spoke quietly, not wanting to scare him any further.

Finally, he faced her. Tears were trailing down his cheeks.

"We have a son." His words came out barely above a whisper.

Danielle stepped toward him and brought her hands up to his cheeks, wiping the tears with her thumbs.

"Yes, we have a son." She brushed his long hair back from his face. "He looks just like you and he's so smart."

James let out a relieved laugh and more tears fell from his eyes. "Can I meet him?"

"Of course." She smiled at the thought of James meeting his son. "But he's not here. Happy took the kids to a safe house while we attempted to bring all of you back."

His eyes grew wide at the plural use of kid.

"I should back up further." Danielle paused then restarted. "Tony and Pepper have a daughter, Morgan. Happy was going to take Morgan to the safe house, and I begged Tony to take Jamie, too. They should be back tomorrow."

"Good," James sniffled and wiped his hand under his nose, "that will give me time to clean up, so I can meet…I can…I can meet my son." He choked out the words before the emotion overtook him and he started to cry.

It wasn't a sad cry, but an elated and relieved release of everything that had been suppressed inside him for so long. Danielle moved her hand to the back of his head and brought him down to rest on her shoulder. His arms circled her waist and he held on for dear life. Tears formed in Danielle's eyes as she listened to her super soldier break down.

They held each other for a long time until his tears stopped and his breathing evened out. He was the first to release her, taking a small step back.

"We should get cleaned up and get some rest," said James.

"You're right." Danielle looked down at the dirt and mud dried onto her gear.

"You can shower first. I'll wait in the living room." His hands clasped behind his back.

If she didn't know any better, Danielle could've sworn he was blushing. Then as she thought about the fact that she hadn't seen another adult naked in five years, she could feel the heat rise up in her cheeks too.

But this was James, her James. What did she have to be afraid of?

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I would be okay to share, if you were. You know, cause I might need help getting this tactical gear off and–"

"Okay," he agreed.

"Okay." She confirmed. "I'll go start the water."

She left him in Jamie's room as she moved down the hall to her bedroom with the bathroom inside. She forgot how messy she had left her room that day and started putting things away to at least seem like she had her life together. In the bathroom, she hid her hamper in the corner with a towel, and put away what she could in her vanity drawers. Danielle turned the water on and stepped back into the bedroom right as James reached the bedroom door.