Chapter 15
Hours had passed and the darkness of midnight loomed outside of the house, but inside the lights casted a warm glow over everything. James stood at the stove finishing the grilled cheese sandwiches they had both decided they needed. Danielle had poured each of them a glass of milk and settled in on the couch with a blanket.
James turned off the stove then brought the plate of grilled cheeses to the couch. He sat down, tucking a leg under him as he sat sideways facing Danielle. She adjusted the blanket to cover his lap, too. He offered her a grilled cheese and they sat in silence enjoying their snack.
He was methodically chewing his latest bite when Danielle noticed the blank stare of his eyes on the floor.
"What are you thinking?" She took another bite and watched his eyes come up to hers.
"I was thinking about the last five years." He looked contemplative. "What did you do after the snap?"
She nodded as she finished her last bite of her sandwich, agreeing to answer, but thinking over her response. She sipped at her milk then set it back on the table.
"After the snap," she swallowed hard to clear her throat, "I stayed in Wakanda for a few months. The first few days we were scanning Earth and then the universe for signs of life. When we realized half the population was gone, just erased, we knew we had lost.
"Steve and the others went into Avengers mode and tracked Thanos, but I didn't care anymore. I didn't know where to go, or what to do, so I went back to our hut. I would wear your clothes and sleep on your side of the bed, trying to feel you."
He reached across the space between them, placing his metal hand on her knee. She placed her hand on top of his.
"When I realized I was pregnant, I called Steve. He flew to Wakanda and brought me back to the Avengers compound. They gave me a room and wouldn't let me out of their sight my entire pregnancy. I even had Jamie in the medical bay of the compound. Steve is not so tough when it comes to childbirth." She laughed at the memory of Steve, pale as a sheet as she screamed through a contraction.
James pulled his hand away. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"Don't." Danielle moved closer to him on the couch. "I know you would have been there if you would have had the choice."
"I wish I could've been there for you." He took her hand and squeezed it.
"You were in a way." She ran her other hand along his forearm as she remembered giving birth. "It was like I could sense you standing beside me the entire time. Then when I looked at Jamie for the first time, I saw you. He looks so much like you." Danielle smiled up at him, her eyes shining with the hint of tears.
"I can't wait to meet him tomorrow." He pressed his lips together. "What's he like?"
"He's sweet and kind. He's playful and so full of energy, sometimes I can't keep up with him. He likes playing outside more than he likes to be inside. He doesn't like his schoolwork, but he's incredibly smart."
James nodded along as she described their son. "What did you tell him about me?"
She saw the uncertainty in his face. He knew the darkness of his past and didn't want it to touch his new family.
"I told him his father was a hero." Danielle revealed, trying to ease his mind. "I told him you died defending the Earth with Uncle Steve."
He furrowed his brows. "How do you plan on explaining that I'm back from the dead?"
"You're thinking too much about this."
"You have no idea, do you?"
"Not a clue."
He released a real laugh that shook his shoulders as the tension left his body.
A yawn broke through Danielle's smile, though she tried to hide it.
"We should go to bed," James said, removing the blanket from his lap.
Danielle watched him get to his feet while grabbing their dirty dishes from the table. He placed the glasses and the plate in the sink to wash tomorrow, then circled back to the couch. She looked up at him, admiring her soldier who returned to her at last.
"What?" He asked, cocking his head.
"I'm just…happy."
A content smile curled his lips before he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to hers. When he broke away, he took her hand and pulled gently to raise her from the couch. She kept hold of his hand as she followed him back to the bedroom. They released each other only to crawl into bed and find each other once more. They laid on their side with James curled around Danielle, his flesh arm holding her tightly to his chest. Danielle closed her eyes and welcomed the best sleep she had had in five years.
Outside the house the sun was shining brightly like the world hadn't nearly ended the day before. The dawn of a new day and a new world. The noises of the forest had doubled overnight with more birds to chirp and more small creatures to skitter across the forest floor. The world was more alive than it had been in five years.
Danielle stood in the kitchen putting away the dishes from last night's snacks and that morning's breakfast. She hadn't spoken to James since the end of breakfast. Not because they had fought, but because he was so nervous to meet his son he hadn't stopped moving around the house. She had noticed his excess energy during breakfast, and to keep his mind off Jamie, she asked him for favors.
She asked him to sweep the dead leaves off the porch and straighten the furniture. She asked him to fold Jamie's clothes and put them in his dresser. She realized she hadn't seen him since he disappeared into Jamie's room.
After drying her hands, Danielle walked over to Jamie's room to find James standing by the end of his bed just staring. She stopped in the doorframe.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He jerked his head toward her.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She remained by the door as she studied him.
James shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "This feels like a dream."
"I promise it's not." She said with a smile.
Her phone beeped in her pocket, breaking their spell. She raised it to see the screen and read the message that had popped up. The smile reappeared on Danielle's lips.
"He's here." She announced, her eyes meeting James'.
His face remained unreadable as they walked out to the porch.