The Watcher gazed down, captivated by the scene unfolding below. Natalia was caught in vivid memory, a moment where she and Peter strolled hand in hand down a bustling street, their fingers entwined like a promise of togetherness. She was stunningly adorned in a sleek, black elegant dress that hugged her figure perfectly, the fabric gracefully cascading down her left leg, while the right side flirted with modesty, stopping just at her knee. The dress accentuated her every curve, a testament to her radiant beauty.

Her hair was styled with exquisite care, cascading in soft, alluring curls that swept over her right shoulder and flowed down to her hip, catching the dim streetlights as they walked. Beside her, Peter looked dapper in a tailored suit, the fabric sharp and crisp, reflecting the importance of the occasion—today marked their third anniversary, a celebration of their journey together.

After a delightful dinner, filled with laughter and meaningful glances, they had witnessed an exhilarating motorcycle event in town. Peter, well aware of Natalia's thirst for adrenaline, chose the perfect evening activity, knowing it would ignite the adventurous spirit that lay within her. They both reveled in the thrill, sharing smiles and playful banter throughout the night.

As they reached Natalia's home, the air crackled with the remnants of their joyous evening. They turned to face each other, the warmth of the moment lingering as they prepared to say goodnight, their eyes reflecting a mix of happiness and the promise of many more memories to come.

"I had a really great time, Peter," Natalia said as she reached up and pecked his lips. "I had the best time."

"Yeah, sorry about the whole thing being outside, I would have warned you to dress for that," Peter admitted with a giggle.

"Oh, and here I thought you planned to be a gentleman and give me his coat," Natalia said, reaching up and messing with his jacket.

"Nope, just my Parker stupidity," Peter said with a laugh. "Good night, Nat."

"Good night," Natalia said when she watched him walk away. She knew she had to tell him... he needed to know. "Peter?"

"Yeah?" Peter turned to face her again.

"There's something... there's something you need to know," Natalia said, gesturing for him to come into her place.

Entering her apartment condo, Natalia walked over to the trash and picked up a stick which worried Peter as she handed it to him Peter looked down and realized he was looking at a pregnancy test. His hands quaked a little when he saw that there was a double line confirming that Natalia was pregnant. Natalia seemed nervous to see his reaction as she saw he stared at the test for a good moment.

"I know what I said, and I don't really know who said that I wasn't able to get pregnant, but here we are," Natalia said in worry. "I also thought we were careful, but-"

Peter interrupted her as he pulled her in for a kiss. Natalia was surprised but decided to go with it, happy to see Peter wasn't worried or angry about this. She leaned into the kiss and relaxed in his arms.

"This... this is the best news that I could get," Peter said as he reached into his pocket and sighed. "And this was supposed to be a surprise for earlier, but that bank robbery spoiled the mood a little."

"What is it?"

Peter took a deep breath as he slowly knelt on one knee. The soft, carpet beneath him rustled gently with the movement, creating a quiet symphony of nature around them. With a trembling hand, he reached into his pocket, the fabric brushing against his fingers, and pulled out a small, satin-lined box. As he opened it, a radiant glimmer of gold caught the sunlight, casting dancing reflections in the air.

Natalia's eyes widened in astonishment, the breath caught in her throat at the sight before her. Nestled delicately in his palm was a stunning wedding ring, its surface shimmering with intricate designs that seemed to tell a story of love and commitment.

"Natalia Rushman," he spoke, his voice steady yet laced with a depth of emotion that resonated between them, "Will you marry me?"

Natalia couldn't answer before she found herself in an unfamiliar setting, disoriented as she descended a grand staircase adorned with polished wooden banisters. The soft sound of classical music floated through the air, guiding her toward what appeared to be a ballet studio inside a castle of sorts. She glanced down at her attire, realizing she was clad in a sleek black one-piece bodysuit that clung to her figure, enhancing the curves of her body.

As she continued down the steps, a sense of urgency overcame her, and her limbs seemed to move of their own accord. Just then, an older woman approached her, exuding an air of grace and authority. The woman's elegant posture and knowing smile hinted at years of experience, instantly compelling Natalia to respond as if she had been summoned for a performance she didn't quite remember preparing for.

"You'll break them," Natalia informed the woman, looking at all of the girls.

"Only the breakable ones." The woman replied, no emotion shown in the voice of her actions. "You're made of marble. We'll celebrate your assignment after their graduation ceremony."

"What if I fail?" Natalia asks.

That's when she suddenly flashed forward to find herself shooting a gun at a man-shaped board. After a few shots, it was like her mind glitched, and the fake manboard was replaced by a real person with a rag over their head. Muffled screams cut his pleas for mercy or help.

"You've never failed me before, Natasha."

Natalia then raised her hand with a gun, no emotions on her face as she took the shot.

That's when Natalia almost jumped up and let out a gasp. Looking around, she was back in her bed. Peter was next beside her, and his arm was wrapped around her waist protectively.

Sighing in relief, she saw that it was nothing more than just a bad dream. But...was it? It felt like it was more than just a bad dream.

Like...a memory.

She then broke out of her thoughts when she heard someone lightly sneeze. She turned around and immediately smiled as she saw it was Clinton who had just sneezed. He once again escaped his crib and found his way across their home.

The sad thing is they thought of locking his door so he couldn't do it, but they couldn't bring it to their hearts to deny him to sleep with his parents. Maybe it was because neither of them got the chance to grow up with their parents, at least Peter assumed that since Natalia never talked about them that much.

"Hello again, Houdini." Natalia greeted her son and saw he was wide awake again. "Come on." She then crawled out of bed while holding onto Clinton as he cheered.

After some time of trying to get him back to sleep, Natalia decided to just stay awake and wait it out for him to fall asleep.

Peter would usually do this himself, but Natalia would do it for him if she was awakened. It's just a matter of him thinking she needs the sleep more than he does. Considering he's used to longer nights and going days without much sleep. But in her eyes, that sounded like a stronger reason to let him sleep.

Peter already does so much for her, Clinton, his friends, and his aunt, not to mention the city, that he deserves to have a night off here and there. While waiting for her son to pass out, Natalia decided that she could at least enjoy some television while she was awake.

Seeing nothing good was on at this hour (that being 1:43 in the morning), she decided to put on Moonraker. The eleventh movie in the James Bond series, which happened to be her favorite of them all.

Meeting Peter, she got introduced to a lot of the old-timey movies he once grew up on with his aunt.

"You're not. Sportsman, Mr. Bond." Hugo Drax in the movie said. "Why did you break up the encounter with my pet python?"

"Because I discovered he had a crush on me." Bond said, as well as Natalia, reading along as she knows the movie from the heart.

As she was watching the movie, Clinton finally drifted back off to sleep and she just decided to stay there for a while longer. He only stays out for a couple of minutes, and just when you think you can leave, he's right back at it and ready to play.

As she sat there, she heard something thump in the hall. Acting defensively, she immediately huddled Clinton close and grabbed a nearby weapon.

It was like an unknowing part of her brain became animal-like, ready to fight back and protect her son. The nearest weapon she was able to grab happened to be a screwdriver from her work. She started to make it around the room and looked down the hallways for anything that might've fallen.

While she was focusing on the hallway, Peter walked up behind her with a bowl of ice cream in his hands. Peter wondered what his fiancée was looking at and leaned over her shoulder.

"What are we looking at?" Peter asked.

But that seemed to have unlocked something inside Natalia as she while holding the baby, spun Peter around and used his hand to yank him over her body, and slammed his body on the ground.

Peter groaned in pain while Natalia gasped in shock at what she did and who she did it to.

"Oh my god!" Natalia cried just as Clinton started to cry from the commotion. "Peter, are you okay?"

"That depends..." Peter slurs out the best he can as he had managed to hit his head first and it has the biggest impact. "Is the ceiling moving or am I flying?"

Natalia rolled her eyes and knew he was exaggerating...hopefully. "Come on." She said as she reached down and pulled Peter up all while holding Clinton. "Are you okay?"

"Well, my ice cream took most of it," Peter said as he looked over to his bowl of ice cream that was now all over the place. "We're gonna have to clean that."

Natalia sheepishly smiled at her fiancé and started to rock Clinton to sleep.

"Two weeks after the accelerator explosion, things have yet to settle down after that experience." The Watcher reported as he looked at the changes to the timeline that began when Barry was never struck by lightning. "Harrison Wells, Eobard Thawne, was killed by the accelerator and Barry Allen never became the Flash." He then took a look back in time to when Natalia learned Peter was Spider-Man, as well as everyone else he was close to as Ronnie, Caitlin, and Cisco were all other to see the reveal. "And in this universe, Peter had already revealed to everyone who he was. All of his friends and family are aware of Peter's second job." He then turned his attention back to the Parker and Romanova family currently. "And this family has a few things they need to work out..."

Natalia and Peter sat in the softly lit office of a couple's counselor, the faint hum of the air conditioning creating an almost comforting background noise. It was a space meant for healing, yet the tension between them was palpable. After the unsettling nocturnal attacks that had plagued their nights, they felt it was essential to seek guidance from someone who could help decipher the turmoil swirling within Natalia. This troubling side of her had manifested more than once, and each time it had left Peter shaken and concerned. This was the counselor that Caitlin and Ronnie suggested as they also went to her when they were going through a rough patch. And look at them now, they were planning their wedding, and Caitlin even tried to get Natalia to agree to a double wedding. But Natalia thought that it would be nicer to have two separate days for them to have their moments.

As Natalia flipped through the stack of magazines on the coffee table, she noticed that many of them were dated long before their own births. The glossy pages, full of vibrant images and outdated fashion, felt like relics of another era, a stark contrast to the raw reality they were facing. Meanwhile, Peter sat beside her, his focus on their young son, Clinton, who was perched happily on his lap. Peter gently bounced the toddler, his quiet efforts to keep him entertained a clever distraction from the weight of their circumstances. The room was a blend of unease and tenderness, the couple seeking solace in the presence of each other while grappling with the shadows of their lives.

As they waited, the door opened, and their doctor came in. "Hi, I'm Doctor Sharon Finkel. You must be Natalia and Peter." She said as she approached and shook their hands. "And this must be Clinton. I'm sorry to have kept the three of you waiting."

"No, it's fine," Natalia assured her. "I honestly think that this is just a little crazy."

"More or less crazy than handling me in the middle of the night and sending me across the room?" Peter asked her. "Or smacking me in the throat like some Jackie Chan movie?"

"You showed me Rush Hour. I blame you." Natalia stated.

"I missed the part of the story where I pulled a gun on you," Peter commented.

"So, I'm told that this has become a referring thing?" Sharon questioned as she sat down.

"Waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares and followed by a punch to the fiancé." Peter recapped his nights for the last few weeks.

"Well, I've heard a lot of you two on the phone. You two are getting married, right?" Sharon asked them.

"Yeah, it's been a... strange road for the two of us," Natalia commented. "He found me in the cold with amnesia and helped me get through it. Down the road, we just...felt a spark." She then eyed their escape artist. "Then Houdini came along. And we knew it was a blessing. A sign that it was meant to be." She then took Peter's hand in hers and smiled. "We were meant to be."

"And what about your life before meeting Peter?" Sharon asks.

Natalia shrugged. "Pretty normal, I guess. Normal parents, normal upbringing."

"She doesn't talk about them a lot," Peter admitted before realizing something.

"What?" Natalia asks. "I talk about them all the time."

"No. No, I don't even know your mother's maiden name." Peter informed her.

"I don't like to talk about this," Natalia told him, looking at Sharon. "You were saying?"

Sharon looked between the two and saw they had some strange problems. "Natalia, it sounds like you have some problems with your past."

"Well...I wouldn't call them problems." Natalia commented on his statement.

"Assaulting your fiancé isn't a problem?" Peter asked her.

Natalia thought for a moment and realized he was right. "Okay, maybe a few problems."

"When did this start?" Sharon wonders.

"A... few moments after the accelerator exploded," Natalia admitted.

"Yeah, we lost a few friends then." Peter agreed in a mutter.

"Oh, like who?" Sharon wonders.

"Harrison Wells. Max Modell," Peter recapped a few people they got word of that were killed in the accelerator.

"I lost a few buddies at the construction site," Natalia admitted.

"What about your son?" Sharon wonders, eyeing their son. "Clinton. What does that name mean to you?"

Natalia shrugged. "It felt like a great name at the time."

Sharon then scribbled a little into the notepad and the two wondered what they could do. "Natalia. I'd like to see if you can recall a few things about your life."

"I think we need to see a hypnotist." Peter joked, saw her face, and realized that was her plan. "What, you know one?"

"I actually am one," Sharon confirmed.

Natalia sighed and laid back, not afraid of giving it a try. "Sure. But I don't believe in hypnotism."

It didn't even take a minute for Natalia to be asleep on the couch and for Peter to move and join Sharon on the other couch. Clinton was babbling a little while the scene played out as Peter let his son play with his hand and mess with his fingers.

"That was quick," Sharon commented. "It usually takes a moment."

"That good or bad?" Peter wondered as he smelled the room and realized Clinton needed a change. "Uh, you mind if I...?"

"Nothing to worry about," Sharon said. "There's a bathroom down the hall."

"I'll only be a moment," Peter promised as he got up and walked away.

"Okay, Natalia...you are back with your family...what do you see?" Sharon wonders.

Natalia blinked her eyes and found a normal life and was amazed at how normal it seemed. Nothing out of the ordinary as she was a little girl on a bike in what had to be Ohio.

"I'm on a bike..." Natalia reported to Sharon that her younger self was...doing what she said she was doing. "I think it's my old home." She rode her bike down the street before coming across a house. "But... something is wrong. It feels... different."

"What else do you see?" Sharon wonders.

Natalia stood at a distance, her gaze fixated on the scene unfolding near her childhood home. She watched her younger self, a carefree child with a glimmer of innocence in her eye, emerge from the side of the house. With a squeak of tires on gravel, she parked her bike snugly against the garage, the sun glinting off its handlebars.

Curiosity piqued, Natalia observed as her younger version scurried around to the back of the house, where she took a deep breath and let out a long, melodic whistle that echoed through the air. It was a sound that seemed to dance in the sunlight, inviting and carefree.

To Natalia's surprise, a whistle responded — sharp and cheerful — from somewhere beyond her view. Intrigued, she leaned in, and her heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of a girl with flowing blonde hair swinging joyfully in the backyard. The girl's laughter rippled through the air, filling the space with an unsettling sense of familiarity that both beckoned to her and sent a shiver down her spine.

But an eerie realization lingered; Natalia had no recollection of this girl, no memories of this laughter or the games they seemed to play together. The vibrant tableau playing out before her felt like a mirage, a fragment of a past she had never experienced. She watched as her younger self and the blonde girl chased one another, their giggles intertwining like ribbons in the breeze. It was a scene of pure joy, yet it felt foreign, a life resembling her own but crafted from shadows of forgotten dreams. How could these moments exist so vividly, yet be entirely absent from her memory?

"I see...a girl? I...I think it-"

Then the memory was cut off.

Natalia suddenly found herself strapped into a Geri device, feeling the cold metal pressing against her skin as it propelled her down a dimly lit hallway. Panic surged within her, a wave of fear that quickened her heart. Glancing around in a frenzy, she caught a fleeting glimpse of her own reflection on a polished surface, and reality hit her—she was spiraling back into memory far after her childhood, far removed from the moment she had just experienced in her backyard.

"What's happening?!" she thought frantically, confusion clouding her senses as she struggled to grasp her situation, momentarily forgetting that she was trapped in her own recollection.

"Natalia. Talk to me. What's wrong?" Sharon's voice pierced through the fog of her anxiety, a lifeline in the chaos as she attempted to soothe her.

"Let me out!" Natalia cried out, desperation gnawing at her as the desire to escape intensified.

She was maneuvered past two girls whose faces blurred into indistinct shadows, their features shrouded as if lost to time. At last, she was brought to a heavy door at the end of the hallway, which creaked open to reveal a room bathed in blinding light.

The brightness enveloped her, leaving her both mesmerized and terrified, as she stood on the precipice of facing her past.

As Natalia's eyes fluttered open, disorientation washed over her, the familiar yet sterile surroundings of the therapist's office slowly coming into focus. Panic seized her heart as she took in her surroundings, her breath quickening. To her relief, she spotted Peter nearby, his gaze filled with concern. Beside her, Clinton sat, his posture protective as he offered comforting whispers to his mother.

Clutching her son tightly, she cradled Peter in her arms, desperate for a sense of security. "I don't want to know," she murmured, her voice trembling. "I don't want to know what that was anymore..."

"It's okay," Peter reassured her, his voice steady and soothing. "It's okay..."

I'm sorry... I can't do this..."

Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure observed the intimate scene from a distance. Clad in military-grade armor that glinted dully under the sterile lights, the figure's presence was both imposing and unsettling. Goggles obscured his eyes, and a mask concealed his mouth, adding to his air of menace. The most striking aspect of his appearance was the prosthetic arm replacing his left limb—its surface etched with time's wear, a red star insignia marking its origin, faded but still distinct.

He spoke into a radio with a measured calm, his voice low and steady. "I've got eyes on the target..." he reported, a hint of resolve underlying his tone. "It's her, Clint."

"Good job, Bucky." His contact reported in. "Now we need to figure out what the hell is going on."

"James Buchanan Barnes. In countless worlds, he bore the weighty title of the Winter Soldier," the Watcher intoned solemnly, observing the soldier with a gaze that seemed to pierce through the fabric of time. Below him stood the haunting figure of Bucky Barnes, a mercenary entangled in a dark legacy that stretched across epochs. "The JFK assassination. The murder of Amanda Waller. A myriad of unforgivable acts scattered throughout history—each carried out by his hand. Yet, these atrocities were not borne of his own volition. Bucky was ensnared after the fall of HYDRA during the war, twisted into a weapon through ruthless experimentation, transforming him into the lethal force known as the Winter Soldier."

In this unique timeline, HYDRA had taken their most formidable assassin and assigned him an intricate task: to train one of the Red Room's deadliest recruits. Within the oppressive atmosphere of the dimly lit training facility, the air crackled with intensity as the sounds of grueling drills and distant clashes resonated off the cold, concrete walls. Emerging from the shadows was Natalia Rushman, her striking red hair cascading like a brilliant flame that illuminated her fierce determination.

She moved with an extraordinary intensity, relentless in her pursuit of excellence, pushing her body and mind to the brink as she sought to surpass even the capabilities of the infamous Winter Soldier. Every throw, every strike was a reflection of her indomitable spirit, as she honed her lethal skills in preparation for the looming battles that awaited her in the tumultuous world outside.

"Unbeknownst to them both, destiny had intricately woven their paths together, a complex tapestry of fate that would ultimately lead them to a cataclysmic clash. As the threads of their lives intertwined, they would find themselves on conflicting sides of a monumental confrontation, a divergence that would irrevocably alter the course of their lives forever."

Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye

Sebastian Stan as James Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier