Looking Back
Jarvis’ POV:
Two Months come and go in the tower and for it’s super occupants. The newest occupants, the Maximoff twins are learning and adapting to those around them. Clint stepping in during their training, Tony stepping in for the fun stuff like driving lessons. Steve and Natasha provide the wisdom for them both since both are the oldest of the group. They both relax and come out of their shell, their apartment now expressing the two teens through art and loud music. Both happy to dance around on fun nights when they have no care in the world, on other nights they sit silently as old native lullabies drift through the speakers as they help each other through the homesickness and the loss of their parents.
Bruce and Betty spend most of the months locked in their lab, working side by side sometimes in silence. Betty makes sure Bruce stops and eats every so often or she will simply set a nice cup of tea on his desk in front of him before going back to work herself. They work perfectly together but occasionally there seems to be a wall between them that has only built up over the last three weeks. After something in the lab triggered something unexpectedly causing the Hulk to make a guest experience, things were thrown and Betty was found after locking herself in the steel closet which was closer than the door when it happened. Bruce still refuses to forgive himself no matter how many times Betty tells him she wasn’t hurt at all in the attack just frightened.
Tony and Pepper settle into newlywed life rather easily considering it is Tony. Pepper started working more organized and set hours at the office, making sure to be home by 7 every night as dedicated time to her husband and their friends. Tony spends at least two work days every week at Stark Industries along side his wife, the other days he usually spends in his lab only to be dragged out at 6:30 by Wanda and Pietro. Pepper has certainly helped Tony in a few different ways, although he hasn’t stopped drinking he cut back upon her request. I now keep his cabinets, that hold all the alcohol, locked until after 2 and lock starting at midnight. Pepper now helps him through his nightmares and nightly panic attacks now that she can recognize them even in her sleep. That is how Tony finally overcome the worst part of his insomnia, and although he still has many sleepless nights they are less than those where he does sleep.
Thor and Sif, the out of the realm couple, just returned home from Asgard where they have been for the last month and a half. Thor, who learned exactly how to use a smartphone was able to take pictures to show off his newest nephew who looked exactly like Loki but with the eyes of his mother Sygna. They were also able to announce a pregnancy to the kingdom and his ecstatic mother and proud father. Sif stays quiet whenever he speaks of home and I don’t know if it is because she misses it or likes it better down here. She keeps to herself except in the mornings when she shares the gym with Natasha where she talks about what she likes about here, and what she misses from home. Thor has learned to be even more loving and asks me hourly for updates on Sif if they are not in the same room together. Thor goes to Steve for help purchasing the right parenting books because he trusted him, while Sif ended up turning to Bobbi.
Clint and Bobbi were excited as they were moving towards their 18th week of pregnancy. Their recent ultrasound was able to show the gender of the baby which they asked to put in an envelope to deliver to Pepper to help organize a gender reveal. Pepper who has been spending way too much time looking into it has booked the party for the end of this week. Bobbi who has now started taking measurements of her expanding waistline, complains to me often about not fitting her old pants anymore and now must go shopping. Clint just spends his time looking at houses, without the others knowing, so far his preferences seem to be far from the city and his family that lives here. Coulson pulled both Bobbi and Sif from any active duty and has limited both Thor and Clint to short missions.
Janet and Hank Pym, my favorite couple to monitor and keep up with, other than Tony and Pepper. They are always so happy and work so well together, even though occasionally they have their downs but they work through it. Janet has been feeling a little off lately since starting her first round of fertility treatments. Hank knows not to get his hopes up as Janet works on figuring out her ovulation days for them to try for a baby. Some mornings Hank will wake up first to fix her breakfast just because he wants too. Then sometimes Janet feels the need to hide a whoopee cushion under the cushion of Hank’s favorite reading chair.
Natasha and Steve, the soldier and the spy, the unexpected lovers grew even closer. Natasha laid everything out on the table and in response Steve did too. Right now they can both agree neither want children while they are working so hard trying to improve SHIELD. The both of them have been together for nearly a year and a half, working together for over 2 years. Steve seems to be getting ready to make a big step, whenever she isn’t around he seems to be looking at a ring he has hidden in their office. One night Natasha who was reading in the living room while Steve cooks dinner in the kitchen a call comes in for the two of them stating it to be urgent. They both jump up quickly and changing before heading off to HQ in 5 minutes flat.
Natasha’s POV:
We arrive at SHIELD quickly making our way up to Coulson’s office. He ushers us in as he takes a seat at his desk motioning for us to sit as well. We both sit as he passes us a file and as soon as I open it I recognize the face staring back at me. Coulson seems to be waiting as Steve reads through his file.
“You located the Winter Soldier…..” I ask glancing up at him.
“Yes, he seemed to have resurfaced but now he has no connections. Fury is working on better tracking his movements, we want to bring him in. Ask him some questions, who knows we might be able to bring him to our side like we once did you Natasha.”
Natasha looks back at Steve who stares down at the face, even with the face mostly covered Natasha can see the resemblance. A man whose picture sits on her boyfriends desk that he had known for years before the ice. “Bucky…” He whispers. “This is Bucky….”
Coulson nods, “Yes it wasn’t until recently that we were able to make the connections after linking it to the files you gathered from the KGB two months ago.”
“I knew him, we worked together a few times, in Russia. They froze him a little while before I left… That’s how they keep him young and submissive…” I speak up Steve glancing over at me. “I think he is brainwashed… but after we took out most of their labs I imagine he managed to get free.”
Steve takes a deep breath, “When do we leave….”
“Well, you both need to read over the file while we find a location. Go home, get some rest report back tomorrow morning.” Coulson says nodding his head. He looks about as sad as Steve right now, of course with his obsession I am sure he knows even more war stories between Bucky and Steve then I do.
I stand and so does Steve, “We will bring him home Steve.”
The walk back to my car was a quiet one, he waits until we are in the safety of my car before speaking up. “I can’t believe… he is alive, I thought I lost him on that train…”
As I pull out of HQ I offer Steve my hand, “It will take a lot of work and even then we might not get him back all the way….” I state only wanting to make sure he understands the reality of this situation.
“I know but it’s us, if anyone can do it.. It’s us Natasha.”
“We can do it, now let’s stop somewhere and get some food. I am starving and the dinner we had cooking you already tossed out.”
He chuckles a bit and squeezes my hand, “Of course you chose the place and I pay.”
“Ah so we’re gonna squeeze in a date night while we are out then?”
He smiles, “You know how about a proper Brooklyn style pizza?”
I nod and turn towards Brooklyn following his directions to a small pizza place. We get out and he opens the door to the small restaurant who has been here since 1914. I walk in and he leads us over to a booth in the near empty parlor. “I used to come here often with Buck, I think our names are still carved into the wall somewhere in this booth.”
I smile as he starts to look for it, a young man comes and takes our order bringing back our drinks before Steve finds the names. He points to a place on the wall where the paint started to peel and underneath were their names in a rough scrawl. I chuckle and take a picture of it glad to see him so happy.
When our pizza comes the kid notices who Steve is, but not because he was Captain America but because his picture was still up on the wall of fame. The kid leads us over pointing to the picture of a teenage, pre-serum Steve and his best friend posing with the owner. “I actually remember this…” I rub his arm as he continues. “Bucky and I used to come in here every afternoon, we were close with Mr. Juliana who owned the place. He put us up here after Bucky finished a whole pizza within half an hour. He was a good man… He passed the day before I was shipped off to boot camp.”
The kid smiles, “That’s my great grandpa, my Pops told me how he nearly had two more brothers. A pair of troublemakers from the orphanage down the road. My dad pointed out the picture whenever you took out those aliens and told me the story my great granddad told my Pops.”
Steve looks like he could cry right now and the kid looks nervous, “Mr. Rogers can I get a picture for the wall?”
He nods and I offer to take the camera but the kid won’t let me as he calls out the chef in the back, his father. Steve pulls me into the picture with him and we all smile talking over our pizza before calling it a night.
When we get back we both crawl into bed and I rub Steve’s back. Tonight must have been rough on him hopefully tomorrow is a better day.