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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Story [MCU] Sometime This Century [Post-CACW]

Discussion in 'Non Star Wars Fan Fiction' started by DaenaBenjen42, Jun 4, 2016.

  1. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Accordion to the Calendar...


    Sixteen Hours post the Battle of Leipzig/Halle Airport...


    White light nearly blinded him as Steve helped him out of the door of the base and out into the snow. Bucky bit his lip against the pain of having to be upright, as well as the pain in his head as he squinted down at the white snow.

    "Come on," Steve muttered, his voice a breathless mix of pain and determination. "Not that far to the jet. Then I'll go back in and get Tony."

    "Umph," Bucky mumbled back, interrupting him. "I'm not worth all this, Steve. You should have let him-"

    "Don't start that again." Suddenly, Steve stopped moving forward, and Bucky had to bite back a yelp in pain at the loss of momentum. He looked up, still squinting against the white glare, to find the guy in the cat suit standing there with his helmet off, his face a wavering stone mask in Bucky's vision. "Uh..."

    "Let me take him, Captain," T'Challa in a neutral tone that didn't match the expression on his face. "You look ready to collapse."

    Steve simply stared at him, mystified. "Huh?"

    "I heard," he said as he nodded to the doorway of the base behind them.

    "Oh. Oh..."

    Feeling a tremor go through him, Bucky fought to focus on Steve, and blinked in confusion at how pale he was under the helmet. "Steve?"

    "I'm fine, Buck, I..." And then his eyes rolled back in his head, and suddenly it was Bucky holding him up, barely able to support his weight, and then they both ended up on the ground.

    Bucky groaned and looked up at T'Challa, who was staring down at them with wide eyes.

    T'Challa, mindful of Bucky's injuries, bent down and helped him to his knees, and then rolled Steve over so they could both look at him. He glanced speculatively over his shoulder at the SnowCat parked next to the Quinjet, then returned his attention to the two men in front of him to find Bucky shaking Steve's shoulder. "Sergeant?"

    "I've seen this before," Bucky explained as he shook Steve's shoulder again and didn't even get a grunt in response. "I... can't put. Pieces. Can't place the why or how, but I have." He shook his head, winced at the pain it induced. "Extra rations? Something about Howard and Colonel Phillips and fuel?"

    T'Challa frowned at him and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Take a deep breath, Sergeant, and let the information come to you."

    "You wanted to kill me earlier today," Bucky muttered at him. "Why are you helping me? Us?"

    "We'll have that talk after we figure this out. So... extra rations? Fuel? Your Colonel? Howard? The Captain? Something you've seen before?"

    Bucky blinked, then nodded, and took a deep breath as he peered down at Steve. "I... In Berlin or on the way in from Bucharest, did you see him eat?"

    "No. Why?"

    "And I only saw him eat an apple and nothing more. Car. Leipzig." With effort, Bucky turned and looked hard at the doorway of the base before turning his attention back to Steve. "Oh! Metabolism!"

    "Sergeant, I'm going to need a little more than that..."

    Wincing, Bucky looked up at him. "What they did to make him big? His metabolism burns really fast. And if you didn't see him eat, and I only saw him eat very little when Sam insisted that I eat two sandwiches... crap. And then what happened in there, after what happened at the airport earlier..." He waved his right hand at the entrance.

    T'Challa frowned down at Steve. "You mean the Super Soldier Serum."

    "Yes!" Bucky took a deep breath and then looked at T'Challa. "There are two of you. Which one is you?" T'Challa shook his left shoulder carefully. "Oh."

    "Up with you, now. I'll come back for him."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    A glucose emergency gel stick in his hand, T'Challa shook the captain's shoulder hard enough to wake him, then handed it to him. "Eat."

    Steve blinked up at him. "'Oh hear me oh lord, blue girdler of the islands...'"

    "Captain? Eat."

    "'...if I am thine indeed, and thou art father; grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, never sees his home. Laerte's son, I mean, who kept his hall on Ithaca, should destiny inend that he shall see his roof again among his family in his father's land, far be that may, and dark the years between. Let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at home.'"

    T'Challa stared at him. Was he really quoting The Odyssey? "Captain?"

    "'In a republic, who is the country? Is it the government which is for the moment in the saddle?'" Steve stared at him, then at the Insta-Glucose slurry in his hand. "'Why, the government is merely a temporary servant: it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. It's function is to obey orders, not originate them.
    Who, then is the country? Is it the newspaper? Is it the pulpit? Why, these are mere parts of the country, not the whole of it, they have not command, they have only their little share in the command.'" He finally did suck on the glucose stick, and T'Challa breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes didn't clear, but his color improved slightly.

    And then words started falling forth again, and T'Challa could only listen and wonder... "'In a monarchy, the king and his family are the country: In a republic it is the common voice of the people each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak. It is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catchphrases of politicians. Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may. If you alone of all the nation shall decide one way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you have your duty by yourself and by your country. Hold up your head. You have nothing to be ashamed of.'"

    "Can you stand, Captain? Time to go." T'Challa couldn't place that one, but it felt familiar...

    Steve stared at him blankly. "'The wind sits in the shoulder of your sail...'"

    "I'm sure it does," T'Challa replied as he helped him up. "Come on."

    "'Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice; Take each man's censure, but reserve thy judgment...'"

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Bucky was buckled into a seat into T'Challa's jet, resting with his eyes closed and doing his best to ignore the zinging of his left shoulder, when someone or something was plopped into the seat next to him. He cracked an eye open to find T'Challa buckling Steve into his seat, and Steve himself sucking on something that had white and red packaging. "Steve?"

    Steve blinked, frowned... "'To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles..."

    "That's Hamlet," T'Challa muttered as he pulled the now-empty Insta-Glucose stick out of Steve's hands, gave him another, and then handed Bucky three more. "Make sure he eats those, Sergeant."

    "'Fair is foul and foul is fair, hover through the fog and filthy air,'" Steve interjected suddenly. "'When the hurly-burly's done, when the battle's lost and won.'"

    Bucky looked at T'Challa. "He said something about going back in there, for Stark, before, and we can't just leave him. And-"

    "I've got Stark, Sergeant. One thing, though..." T'Challa handed him a map. "Am I reading this right, that there's a settlement not too far away? I'd ask the Colonel, but don't want to remove his gag. He's done and said enough."

    “'It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known,'" Steve mumbled, and Bucky looked at him funny before taking the map from T'Challa and attempting to focus on it. The lines and the symbols kept blurring on him.

    Bucky frowned up at T'Challa as he gave the paper back to him. "I think so? And that sounded familiar."

    "'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...'"

    T'Challa frowned at Steve again. "It sounds familiar because it's Tale of Two Cities." At Bucky's blank expression, he shrugged. "I'll be back. Get him to eat those, Sergeant. It's going to be a long flight." He took the map back, watched Steve for another moment, then shook his head in wonder as he headed back out of the plane.

    Later, Bucky wasn't sure if he'd imagined hearing an engine start up while listening to Steve quote Romeo and Juliet under Zemo's glare or not...


    Now...


    Towards the end of The Voyage Home, Steve found he liked the quirkiness and the problem solving, even if it felt like they'd dropped him into the middle of the story. And it was about world saving, so it wasn't all that bad. "Interesting."

    "Good interesting or bad interesting?" Pepper asked.

    "Good." He glanced down at Bucky, still out from the Ativan sedation. "And this would be good to show him, I think."

    "That's the idea," Jill said as she got up to change out the disks. Then she paused. "And this next one is based in something you might recall. 1925 Diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska."

    Steve smiled. "That statue is one of the things that hasn't changed about Central Park, Jill."

    She changed out the DVD's with a grin. "Right. And after watching this, you'll start to be able to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon." She turned and saw the kids, Laura, and Clint in the doorway. "Come on in! Pull up some floor! We've got talking dogs!"

    Cooper peered at Bucky, still asleep on the couch. "You weren't kidding about the nap attack."

    "I never kid about naps like this, Cooper," Jill said as she returned to her seat. "Steve, really... Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon is a degrees of separation game, using Kevin Bacon, who plays the voice of Balto in this movie, as an example."

    Clint nodded as he sat down on the floor next to Pepper's chair, Laura joining him, and Nathaniel climbing off of Steve's lap and running to the two of them. "It's a 90's thing. Actually gets really funny when the connections are made."

    Bucky, who had by now rolled back off of his metal left shoulder, mumbled in his sleep. "Want plums. Plums..."

    Steve frowned down at him, then shrugged and looked at Clint. "Thank you for that bit of trivia."

    "Any time. How out is he?"

    Steve grinned. "Nathaniel? Who is this?" He pointed down at Bucky.

    "Bug!" Nathaniel yelled, and Bucky blinked his eyes open.

    "Steve?" Bucky asked, yawning.

    "Hmmm?"

    "Elevator shaft." And then he was snoring again.

    Pepper looked up from inspecting her finger nails, frowned at Bucky. "Elevator shaft?"

    Damian frowned, glanced at Jill as Lila picked up the blocks from in front of the couch and took them over to where her parents and Cooper were sitting with Nathaniel. "You said he was having flashbacks?" She nodded. "Then maybe part of this is that he had a traumatic flashback and passed out when he hit peak."

    "That makes sense. Would have happened at the same time." She watched as Steve stroked his hair again, frowning deeply. "Steve..."

    "Like I said before," Steve mused. "I didn't want to give him nightmares. Not of that. And that's how out he is, Clint. He can't seem to stay awake, even if he wants to. Though he is putting words together now, so... improvement, thy name is elevator shaft." He frowned, glanced over at Jill. "And I've been wondering this since the 4th of July: what is a Chuck E. Cheese?"

    Damian frowned at him. "Sort of an arcade slash restaurant slash theater for kids. There's one on Flatbush Avenue that we took the kids to a couple times for birthday parties. Why?"

    Steve shrugged. "Something Commander Johnson said, about my continuing catch-up of popular culture. She seemed really offended that I'd not been dragged to one yet."

    Sam laughed. "You mean the people who consulted with Khamisi on Barnes and then left us wondering about purple aliens?" At Steve's nod, he laughed again. "You could have asked at the time, you know."

    "No, because the medical team brought Bucky out of cryofreeze after that and it didn't seem important. Can't go there right now, anyway."

    Jill smiled at him, looked at Pepper. "Mason did say we'd have pizza when Damian and I got home. What's the chances that this'll get fixed in such a way that it's possible?"

    "We'll discuss that later," Pepper answered. "And... is he off bland foods yet?"

    Jill nodded. "Aside from the pancakes setting off a flashback? Yes. Why?"

    "I have an idea," Pepper said as she got out of her chair and snagged her tablet from the end table. "Have to go discuss it with Fujo."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    In the hallway, Fujo was still reading her book when Pepper tapped her shoulder. "Yes, Miss Potts?"

    "Need your help with something." Pepper showed her tablet to her. "Is this possible?"

    Fujo turned her attention to the tablet, frowned at the picture of pizza. "I don't see why not. Why?"

    "Because... a taste of home, and James probably hasn't had pizza in a really long time, and Jill got his attention this morning by mentioning it. She said he was off the bland diet now, so..."

    Fujo smiled. "You're right." Shuri passed by right then with a yawn, and Fujo caught her arm. "How tired are you?"

    Shuri blinked at her. "Why?"

    "Miss Potts has an idea. Involves Pizza."

    Shuri frowned and accepted the tablet from Pepper, studied the picture. "Hmmm... we've got a chef that studied cuisine in Italy, too. She'll love this. Lunch or dinner?"

    "Dinner," Pepper said. "Sergeant Barnes is still out from sedation right now. So it's possible?"

    Shuri nodded. "Very. Tell Laura she doesn't have to cook tonight, that we will handle it." At Pepper's frown, Shuri smiled. "They've been doing their own cooking on alternating nights. It's Laura's night to cook."

    "Oh!"

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Pepper re-entered the common room to see that Steve was looking through a small notebook and frowning at it. She retook her seat and Lila climbed up to join her at Clint's urging. "Laura, you don't have to cook tonight. And... Steve?"

    "Commander Johnson put Balto down in here." He glanced up at her. "And what is Miracle?"

    Jill grinned. "Oh, we have that one! Cooper, do you like hockey?" Cooper nodded. "Then we'll be watching that after lunch, and Steve will get his answer. You'll love it, Steve."

    "I will?"

    "Let me put it this way: it's one of those awesome unification stories that just happens to be true."

    Pepper frowned suddenly. "Where's Wanda?"

    "She's got tutoring," Clint explained. "T'Challa's demand while he's teaching her physics is that she gets a proper well-rounded education."

    "Oh. And are you okay with dogs?"

    Laura nodded. "We had to leave Lucky with a friend." She glanced up at Lila with a fond smile. "And you miss him, right?"

    "Miss him a lot," Lila said with a nod.

    Pepper glanced at Bucky again, frowning. "It didn't strike me as odd until now, but... where'd the wacky pajama pants come from? Didn't he arrive here with basically the clothes on his back?"

    "Cooper's idea," Jill said with a smile. "Go on, Cooper. Explain."

    Cooper shrugged. "All I said was that he needed something fun, like those t-shirts that Mom sometimes wears with the cats and the dogs on them."

    Steve nodded. "And it was a very good idea, Cooper. And Pepper? We got him some Penguins."

    Pepper chuckled. "Well, good! She's here in spirit, if not in person!"

    "Huh?" Cooper wondered.

    "Becca has a Skiing Penguins scrub top," Steve explained with a grin. He frowned as Pepper stood up again, Lila staying in the chair. "Now where are you going?"

    She smiled. "That one might be asleep, but the rest of you aren't, and Jill already got hers, so..."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Pepper entered the kitchen and found the King studying a pictures in a photo album at the kitchen island where she'd left the box. "See anything interesting?"

    T'Challa nodded absently. "The Captain was very... small. And I've yet to see Barnes that happy and carefree. It's... odd."

    "Days gone by?" Pepper suggested as she rooted in the box and pulled out a bag with his name on it. "Ah-hah! I did remember right, there's one here for you." She handed it to him and he frowned at her. "It was last minute, but well-meant."

    He frowned at her for a moment before opening the bag and pulling out two cards in orange and green envelopes. He opened the green one first and could only stare at the sympathy card, signed by a bunch of people whose names and signatures he didn't recognize, then looked at Pepper. "I don't understand."

    "The Barnes Family, specifically James's sister Rebecca, organized cards for everyone. That," she plucked it out of his hand and studied the signatures, then handed it back to him. "Those are the nurses on MedSurg at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn."

    "And you know that how, Miss Potts?"

    "I've met a few of them," Pepper answered with a shrug. "Also, the card on the back says it's from the hospital gift shop."

    T'Challa looked at the card again, read the inscription it had come with, and smiled. "Oh."

    "I'm wondering how she explained it, though. 'Hi, can you sign a card for the King of Wakanda? Yes, I'm serious!'"

    "You're trying to make me laugh."

    "Is it working?"

    He smiled and opened the other one, only to stare again. This one was another sympathy card, only... "Miss Potts?" He handed it to her, and she read the signatures, and Rebecca's note to him, re: his loss of his father.

    Pepper smiled. "She did that for Tony, too." T'Challa frowned at her. "If there's something Rebecca understands, it's losing people. And the others who signed this? All family." She handed it back to him and he looked at it again.

    "Thank you," T'Challa told her after a long, silent moment.

    She nodded and then pulled four bags out, only to stare at the fourth. "Your Highness?" He glanced at her and she held out the bag. "Give this to Wanda for me? Clint said she had tutoring, so you'll probably see her first." T'Challa nodded and accepted it.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    When Pepper returned again to the common room, Jill had finally set her laptop aside and was absently playing with Damian's hair while they watched the movie. Pepper smiled at that, and then handed a bag first to Steve, another to Sam, and the last to Clint who looked up at her funny while she lifted Lila up and sat down again. "Never underestimate a grandmother, Clint. She'll badger anyone she pleases if she wants to. And she must have really, really wanted to."

    Clint smiled as he looked into the bag, then showed Laura. "No, I just wasn't expecting... all this."

    Laura reached in and pulled out a card. "Can I open it?" At his nod, she did, and found a birthday card, a humorous one with a cat playing an accordion on the front. "Accordion To The Calendar, it's your birthday?" She opened it and they all jumped at the accordion music that issued forth. The inside said "squeeze all the fun out of it!" and was signed by... "Who is Mason?"

    "Want!" Nathaniel yelled and grabbed at it, and Laura held it up so he couldn't take it out of her hands. "Mama! Want!"

    "No, Sweetie. This was for Daddy."

    Clint frowned and looked up at it, open, and read the signatures, as well as the note... "Mason is Rebecca's grand-nephew. The rest who signed that must be the detail team."

    "Is that an accordion?" Bucky wondered, staring straight at them.

    "Sure is!" She opened it again, and grinned at his bemused expression. "Awake now?"

    "Bug!" Nathaniel said happily, and Laura quickly handed the card to Clint and caught her son before he could start running anywhere.

    Bucky yawned, looked up at Steve, who had pulled a card of his own at random from his own bag and opened it. "The future is weird, Steve."

    Steve chuckled. "You're the one who wanted to go, Buck. And... there's a disk in here labeled '4th of July In Absentia Birthday Party, Recorded for Steve, Fran, and Nicole.' And now this. Buck, you awake?"

    "That, or I'm dreaming about accordions..." He frowned when Steve showed him a blurry picture of something hard to make out. "That's a weird-looking picture, Steve."

    Steve smiled. "It's an ultrasound. Becca explained this, year before last, to me as sort of taking a picture with sound waves. Do you see them? There's two." Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jill was staring at him, her hand still in Damian's hair. Damian himself was frowning.

    "Two?" Bucky wondered, yawning again. Clint closed and opened the card, setting the goofy accordion sound off again, and Bucky focused on the images. "Oh. I see them... sort of. But... now I'm confused."

    Steve continued to smile. "You see... James wanted you to be the first to know, aside from his parents, his wife Nicole's parents, Miriam, Jane, and Andrea. They haven't told Becca yet, and according to James, who is your great-grand nephew, by the way, Nicole stayed home from the party on the forth so they wouldn't have to spill the beans to Becca, and also to rest and stay out of the heat." He raised his head to look at Jill. "Is twenty-two weeks the second trimester?"

    "Yes," Jill answered. "And she'd very definitely be showing, with twins."

    "I have a grand-nephew named James... who is having twins?" Bucky frowned tiredly. "And wanted to tell me before Becca? What for? Why me?"

    "Why not you?" Steve asked, and Bucky stared up at him blankly. "You're going to ask this later, when you're not so tired, and I'll say the same thing: you're loved. You may have missed a whole heck of a lot, but... this?" He held up the photo again. "Inclusion. Family, Buck. Yours." He watched at Bucky yawned again and fell off to sleep once more. "He took that rather well." He passed the ultrasound photo over to Sam, with a motion to give it to Jill. Sam squinted at it, smiled, then passed it to Damian, who passed it to his wife without actually looking at it.

    "I could make the card play again," Clint suggested humorously. "That's the most coherent he's been."

    "No," Jill said with a laugh as she studied the photo before passing it back to Damian. "Let him sleep. And... someone needs to tell James he can tell his grandmother now. Honestly." She blinked when Damian handed the laptop back up to her. "Oh, right. I'll do that."


    To: StonyERDuo
    From: PsychologyMom
    CC: EngineerStudent, WeatherKid
    Subject: uh-huh...

    I'll make this short and sweet: He knows. Now tell Rebecca she's going to be a grandmother again. (Also... three weeks?!? Andi!)
    And to Nicole from another mother who had multiples... I understand completely. Been there, done that.

    To: PsychologyMom
    From: StonyERDuo
    CC: EngineerStudent, WeatherKid
    Subject: re: Uh-huh...

    He does? Awesome! Can't today. Fran's due any day (other reason they held off), and calling all the Hockey parents she knows today when I checked on her an hour ago, looking for a Missionary for some reason she couldn't explain, for her mom. (Hopefully, Aunt Jane will explain that at some point...)
    And... duly noted. Sorry!
    I love you, Mom. We never tell you that enough, do we?

    To: StonyERDuo
    From: WeatherKid
    CC: EngineerStudent, PsychologyMom
    Subject: re: Uh-huh...

    Okay... what is going on, and why are you CCing me? And... um. Right. Love you, mom! (Who knows what?)
    Weather down here at the bottom of the world... I miss NY in Summer. That's something I never thought I'd say...
    Fran's looking for a... Hockey Missionary? And... if I'm reading this right... babies! Yay!
    -Thomas, from McMurdo Research Base, land of snow and ice.

    To: WeatherKid
    From: EngineerStudent
    CC: StonyERDuo, PsychologyMom
    Subject: re: Uh-huh...

    At least you're not having to read Mom's textbooks, Bro. And you're not missing much, weather-wise here. (And for all the complaining I do about the reading... I love you, Mom!)

    To: StonyERDuo
    From: PsychologyMom
    CC: WeatherKid, EngineerStudent
    Subject: re: Uh-huh...

    I love you three, too.
    Martin? Knowledge is your friend. But then... you know that.
    Thomas... it's winter in Antarctica. Of course it's snowy and icy! (Yes... babies! Very yay!) Right now... I sort of miss NY weather, too. We can't tell you who knows what, or why it was important.
    Andi: Fran's doing what when she's nesting? No, I read it, I'm just not sure I believe it. Our love to Fran and Henry and the kids!


    Damian glanced back at her as Jill set the laptop down again. "You were laughing. About?"

    "Hockey missionaries, Thomas wants out of McMurdo, and Martin's still complaining about the reading, but he loves me."

    "Ah."

    "And Fran might be in labor." He stared at her. "You asked. Steve?"

    "Yes?"

    She nodded to Bucky, now mumbling in his sleep about dancing. "If you didn't know before... Fran is due any day. Maybe even today." He stared at her. "What? I just report these things, I lost track of time, and I've been out of regular contact since May. Jane doesn't regularly email me with updates, Fran's not in my email list for whatever reason, I've not logged into Facebook because it's hard to do from here, and it doesn't come up that often."

    "Oh." Steve looked down at Bucky. "So we get to tell him that, too. When it happens. Probably today."

    Pepper frowned. "Which one is Fran? I know a lot of them, but..."

    Damian smiled. "Fran is Jane's oldest, Jane is and was Abiah's youngest, Abby was Hazel's second born. I think I have that right, anyway. Took forever to understand it, and Kristy explained the family about six different times before I did. With a chart."

    Steve winced suddenly. "Yes, you've got it right. And... I have to tell him about Abiah."

    "We have to tell him about a lot of things, Steve," Jill said with a yawn. "And it's good that James included him... boy, is that going to be confusing. As it is, we have to clarify which Robert we're talking about if both are present! Rob and Bob!"

    Damian glanced back at her, noticed she was yawning again, and smiled when she leaned back and started snoring. "Finally. Only took two movies, some venting, chart notes, and the kids saying I love you."

    Steve stared at her. "That's the first time I've seen her do that."

    "You've never seen the Doctor Nap Attack before?"

    "No. Nurse Cat Naps, sure, but... Sam, what's so funny?"

    Sam grinned. "Just remembering something I saw before, related to doctors falling asleep while doing chart notes."

    Damian opened up Jill's laptop with a grin while also noticing that it needed to be plugged in...


    To: StonyERDuo
    From: WesternStories
    CC: WeatherKid, EngineerStudent
    Subject: Well...

    Well done, the three of you! She finally relaxed enough to take a nap! (She needed it, trust me.)
    And this is an odd question, but... Andi: Is Fran in labor? (And speaking of that: what's her email address? Jill doesn't have it in her address book on her laptop...)

    To: WesternStories
    From: StonyERDuo
    CC: WeatherKid, EngineerStudent, WisdomsPower
    Subject: Re: Well...

    She might be, or she's just really, really stir-crazy from being cooped up due to repeated pre-term labor. And something about giving permission to Aunt Jane to go three hours away today for an interview... which has yet to make sense, out of context, but if this entire situation made sense, I'd be rich.
    Mom took a nap! Mom took a nap! Yay!!!!!!
    Fixing the "Mom not having Fran's email on her laptop" thing! Fran! Talk to Dad! (For some reason, he's using her computer. This day is weird.)

    To: WesternStories
    From: WisdomsPower
    CC: WeatherKid, EngineerStudent, StonyERDuo
    Subject: Re: Well...

    Henry's not letting me out of bed, the kids are at the rink for bonus ice time, and I'm tired of looking at these same walls day after day. What more do you want me to say? Yes, I'm grumpy. Grr.
    And we can't put it in context over email, Andi. I want to, but it's Mom's story to tell and very hush-hush. And... must make another phone call. Hmmm... **picks one at random from address book**
    Also, Damian? What are you doing with Jill's laptop when you've got your own?

    To: WisdomsPower
    From: WesternStories
    CC: WeatherKid, EngineerStudent, StonyERDuo
    Subject: Re: Well...

    Ah, so the calling of Hockey Parents has a context related to Jane and is hush-hush over email. Gotcha. (That still makes no sense, Fran.)
    As for why I'm using Jill's laptop... she took a nap and left it on. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
    Can someone thank Kristy for sending Last of the Dogmen? Thank you.
    And be as grumpy as you want, Fran. Bedrest is full of tedium. How did you end up on bed rest, anyway?

    To: WesternStories
    From: WisdomsPower
    CC: WeatherKid, EngineerStudent, StonyERDuo
    Subject: Re: Well...

    In May, I was at Aunt Miriam's house for dinner when I went into pre-term labor, which they were able to stop because Aunt Becca recognized it for what it was and got me to care immediately, thank goodness. Having this baby at 28 or 29 weeks would have been bad. Gave Aunt Becca something else to focus on, too. And it gave Henry and I an idea. What was the idea? Aunt Becca is going to be the first to hear it, aside from Mom and Dad, who both loved it.
    Thank Kristy? Will do.


    Damian looked up from the laptop screen with a frown and glanced at the man sleeping on the couch, and Steve next to him. How many had been affected by Zemo's actions that had not been in the immediate circle? He was starting to lose count.


    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    A/N: In order: Steve was quoting the Cyclops from The Odyssey, Mark Twain, Polonius and Hamlet, the witches from MacBeth, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens...
     
  2. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    Interesting how when Steve is out of it, he starts quoting classic literature.
     
  3. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Cowgirl Jedi 1701: To quote the late, great Peter Falk... "In my day, television was called books!" (No, that's never going to get old...) Thank you. :)

    And now... this isn't a story post, but rather an informational one because I had people wondering about the Barnes Extended Family over at FFN. So, while it's not complete (but is, as near as I'm going to get it right now, and I'd like to get back to the story now)... Family lists! The characters in BOLD are the ones who have made story appearances up to now... Underlined means either mentioned or by email contact.


    Rebecca C. Barnes and William Matthew Proctor (1921, deceased 1994, CHF)
    -Lillian "Lily" Emma and Thomas Steven Proctor (1944) (72) (born March 1944 while William was at sea)
    -Benjamin James Proctor (1946) (deceased in 1997, Aortic Aneurysm at 51)
    -Naomi Margaret Proctor (1948) (68)
    -Kathryn "Kate" Ruth Proctor (1950) (lives in Shelbyville, Indiana) (66)
    -Vincent Timothy Proctor (1952) (64)
    -Harold George Proctor (1954) (62)

    Benjamin J. Proctor and Alice Walbridge (deceased in 2000)
    -Colleen Mary Proctor (1970)

    Thomas Proctor and Yvonne Madeline Richards (1946)
    -Michael William Proctor (1965)
    -Anna Diane Proctor (1968)
    -Warren James Proctor (1971)
    -Daniel Vincent Proctor (1974)

    Michael Proctor (51) and Jennifer "Jenny" Sable Webster (1966)
    -James Martin Proctor (1990) (26)
    -Emily Winifred Proctor (1993)
    -Christine Nicole Proctor (1995)
    -Ruth Rebecca Proctor (1998)
    -Chase Steven Proctor (2002)

    James Proctor, MD and Nicole Naomi Taylor, RN (1990)
    -Baby Boy and Baby Girl Proctor (2016-October 25, Week 23-25 in July)

    Kathryn Proctor and Clifford "Cliff" Longmire (1949)
    -Mary Ella Longmire (1970)
    -Russell Harold Longmire (1974)
    -Deanna Candace Longmire (1977)
    -Robin Rebecca Longmire (1980)

    Vincent Proctor and Josephine "Josie" Andrews (1955)
    -Douglas William Proctor (1978)
    -George Timothy Proctor (1981)

    Harold Proctor and Evelyn Waddell (1955)
    -Jerome "Jerry" Green Proctor (1976)
    -Warren Bruce Proctor (1979)
    -Joanne Veronica Proctor (1981)
    -Grace Pamela Proctor (1983)
    -Justin Luke Proctor (1985)

    Colleen Proctor and Perry Bradford (1969)
    -Benjamin Wesley Bradford (1992)
    -Angelina "Angie" Erin Bradford (1994)
    -Susan Bonnie Bradford (1996)
    -William Benjamin Bradford (1998)

    Jillian Kendra Mackenzie (1974) and Damian Pentel (1974)
    -Andrea "Andi" Leanne Mackenzie (1991)
    -Martin Lee Mackenzie (1991)
    -Thomas James Mackenzie (1991)
    -Maria Rebecca Mackenzie Pentel (1996)

    Kristy Blake and Robert Mackenzie (1963)
    -share kids with Damian and Jill...

    Naomi Proctor and Fredrick Pryor (1948)
    -Eliza Ann Pryor (1970)
    -Edward Clay Pryor (1973)
    -Ervin Walter Pryor (1975)

    Lillian Proctor and Eugene "Gene" Davis Blake (1945)
    -Kristy Anne Blake-Mackenzie (1965)
    -Arnold Eugene Blake (1966)
    -Harmon James Blake (1971)
    -Baby Girl, Stillborn (1974)
    -Twin Boys, miscarried at 10 weeks (1977)

    Douglas Proctor and Sadie Eleanor Hommel (1979)
    -Carrie Susan Proctor (2002)
    -May Edith Proctor (2005)
    -Randall "Randy" John Proctor (2007)

    George Proctor and Amy Elizabeth Brown (1982)
    -Gilbert William Proctor (2006)
    -Brooke Josephine Proctor (2009)
    -Paul Davis Proctor (2011)

    Anna Proctor and Nathan Kowalski (1968) (married 1992, divorced 1997)
    -Sawyer Nathan Kowalski (1993)
    -Owen Herschel Kowalski (1995)



    Emma Barnes and Victor Nettleton (1920, deceased in 2010)
    -Mark Joseph Nettleton (1946) (70)
    -Natalie Tatiana Nettleton (1949) (67)
    -Gilbert Ward Nettleton (1952) (64)
    -David James Nettleton (1954) (62)

    Victor Nettleton and Hannah Bailey (re-married January 1958, Moved family to Great Neck in 1964... which is how Mason passed his CIA background check without anyone realizing who his grandmother was related to. Because he's got two!)
    -Charles Bailey Nettleton (1959) (57)
    -Deborah Ann Nettleton (1961) (55)
    -Louis Emil Nettleton (1963) (53)

    David James Nettleton and Caroline Isabelle Porter (1953)
    -Allison Samantha Nettleton (1974)
    -Lori Emma Nettleton (1976)
    -Joyce Rebecca Nettleton (1978)
    -Kimberly Amber and Christine Katherine Nettleton (1981) (Fraternal Twins)
    -Mason David Nettleton (1987)

    Natalie Nettleton and Kevin Green (1945)
    -Jason Robert Green (1973)
    -Stephanie Rebecca Green (1976)
    -Christopher Matthew Green (1978)

    Jason Green and Brandy Bukoski (1973) (never married)
    -Bruno Ernest Green (1999)

    Jason Green and Juliana Bowman (1975) (married in 2004)
    -Jadzia Joanna Green (2006)
    -Tamara Teodora Green (2009)

    Christopher Green and Wanda Korhonen (1978)
    -Nelle Elisa Green (2005)
    -Heidi Ilona Green (2008)
    -Jaqueline "Jackie" Elaine Green (2011)

    Stephanie Green and Lambert "Bert" Jacobsen (1977)
    -Alan Nathan Jacobsen (2005)
    -Daphne Emma Jacobsen (2007)
    -Jade Jocelyn Jacobsen (2010)
    -Morgan Octave Jacobsen (2013)

    Gilbert Nettleton and Ellie Miranda Baker (1952)
    -Angela Nicole Nettleton (1975)
    -Miranda Heather Nettleton (1977)
    -Phillip Daniel Nettleton (1977)
    -Melissa Ashley Nettleton (1980)
    -Jennifer Sarah Nettleton (1982)

    Mark Nettleton and Lucy Dawson (1947)
    -Tyler Dawson Nettleton (1972)
    -Liam Elijah Nettleton (1974)
    -Paul Kenneth Nettleton (1976)
    -Donald George Nettleton (1980)

    Allison Nettleton and Nicholas Camilli (1972)
    -Aurora Beatrice Camilli (2000)
    -Carmen Carolina Camilli (2003)
    -Dante Edmondo Camilli (2005)

    Lori Nettleton and Albin Hansen
    -Britta Cecila Hansen (1999)
    -Esther Jacobine Hansen (2001)
    -Jonas Lars Hansen (2003)
    -Lilly Pauline Hansen (2006)
    -Otto Sebastian Hansen (2008)

    Joyce Nettleton and Adrian Olsen
    -Maxwell Rasmus Olsen (2002)
    -Lottie Camilla Olsen (2004)
    -Judith Karin Olsen (2006)

    Kimberly Nettleton and Keiran Whalen (1981)
    -Conor Seamus Whalen (2007)
    -Finn Gilroy Whalen (2007)
    -Maura Osheen Whalen (2010)
    -Patrick Quinn Whalen (2014)
    -Shane Torin Whalen (2016-November)

    Christine Nettleton and Dimitri Kostas
    -Chloe Irene Kostas (2005)
    -Diane Katerina Kostas (2008)
    -Anita Selene Kostas (2008)
    -Nikolas Stamatios Kostas (2012)
    -Anastasia Yanni Kostas (2016-June)

    Angela Nettleton and Anton Pasternak (1973)
    -Grigore "Greg" Ioan Nettleton-Pasternak (adopted from Romania-1998, born 1995)
    -Mitica "Mitch" Sandu Nettleton-Pasternak (adopted from Romania-1998, born 1995)

    Miranda Nettleton and Boris Rapava (1976) (married in 2007)
    -Moira Ellie Rapava (2009)
    -Victoria Tereza Rapava (2012)

    Phillip Nettleton and Atsuko Tachibana
    -Walter Ichiro Nettleton (2006)



    Hazel Barnes and Richard Dennis Foster (deceased in 1992)
    -Amos George Foster (1939) (77)
    -Abiah Monroe Foster (1942) (deceased in 2013)
    -Agatha "Aggie" Charlotte Foster (1944) (72)
    -Adam Gabriel Foster (1947) (deceased in 1981)
    -Aaron Neville Foster (1949) (deceased 2008)

    Amos Foster and Elizabeth Quanz
    -William Amos Foster (1958)
    -Gabriel George Foster (1960)
    -Carl Elliott Foster (1960) (fraternal twins)
    -Miriam Emma Foster-Baines (1962)
    -Robert James Foster (1965)
    -Connor Steven Foster and Clara Claudine Foster (1967)

    Abiah Foster and Murray Simpson
    -Elwin William Simpson (1961)
    -Lewis Benjamin Simpson (1963)
    -Thomas Moses Simpson (1966)
    -Jane Sarah Simpson-Talbot (1968)

    Agatha Foster and Raymond Hawkins (1944)
    -Alice Susan Hawkins (1967)
    -Alvin Theodore Hawkins (1970)
    -Sherry Emeline Hawkins (1972)

    Adam Foster and Martha Blackwelder (1948)
    -Malinda Della Foster (1973)
    -Alexander Dennis Foster (1976)
    -Jeremy Steven Foster (1979)

    Martha Blackwelder-Foster and Anthony Bost (1950) (remarried in 1985)
    -Noah William Bost (1986)
    -Charles Cole Bost (1988)

    Aaron Foster and Elsie Allison Goodman (1951)
    -Allison Erin Foster (1975) (41-Lawyer)
    -Grace Edna Foster (1979)
    -Leah Catherine Foster (1983)

    Jane S. Simpson and Jeffrey Wallace Talbot (1967)
    -Francesca "Fran" Hazel Talbot (1988) (28)
    -Alexander Grant Talbot (1990) (26)
    -Eugene Jeffrey Talbot (1992) (24)

    Miriam E. Foster and Daniel Albert Baines (1961)
    -Albert Daniel Baines (1983) (33)
    -Maureen Arianna Baines (1985) (31)
    -Joseph Leonard Baines (1987) (29)
    -Arthur William Baines (1994) (22)

    Francesca Talbot and Henry Fuller (1988)
    -John David Fuller (2009) (8)
    -Donald Raymond Fuller (2011) (5)
    -Helen Marie Fuller (2011) (5)
    -Grant Buchanan Fuller (2016-July 23rd)

    Albert Baines and Melinda Roberts (1984)
    -Rachel Cassandra Baines (2005)
    -Mary Laura Baines (2007)
    -Joseph Chester Baines (2009)

    Maureen Baines and Jonathan Lawrence (1984)
    -Jacob Isaac Lawrence (2007)
    -Peter Nathaniel Lawrence (2010)
    -Walter Thomas Lawrence (2013)
    -Joshua Ira Lawrence (2015)

    Joseph Baines and Michelle Adeline Murphy (1986)
    -Mary Alexandra Baines (2011)
    -Edward Daniel Baines (2013)
    -Sophia Abigail Baines (2015)
    -Ethan Jacob Baines (2017-January)

    Alexander Talbot and Lauren Melissa Hall (1989)
    -Kyle Samuel Talbot (2014)
    -Andrew Joshua Talbot (2016-March)
     
  4. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    Wow. That's.... a lot of names. But I'm not judging, because I myself have concocted/am concocting a pretty long list of names for a Star Trek fic that is still a work in progress.
     
  5. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    Daena - Sorry I haven't replied in a while. DRL's been keeping me so busy I haven't even been updating my own 'fic as I'd like ... [face_blush]

    Good to see people remind Bucky he's wanted. And Steve certainly has good taste, even if it emerges when he's delusional. :p
     
  6. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Cowgirl: Thank you. :)

    Onderon: Understand completely. Thank you! :)




    Two Days Post the Battle of Sokovia...


    It was late in the day, two days after nearly dying to save the world, after the world had nearly been destroyed again, when the Quinjet landed at the Tower in Manhattan and five very tired people disembarked. Steve watched as Pepper met Tony at the door, then turned to Natasha and Clint and Wanda. "I'm turning in."

    Natasha waved him off, and Steve hurriedly brushed by Tony and Pepper on his way to the elevator without another word. All he wanted right now was peace and quiet and space... and out of the uniform.

    Stepping off the elevator onto his floor, he set the shield down by the door, and then started taking the battlesuit off a piece at a time. He'd barely gotten his gloves off when he saw the message light blinking on his answering machine. Blinking, he moved to press the button and hear the message. The first was Rebecca, checking on him, and the second made his jaw drop open in shock.

    It was Peggy, thanking him for a wonderful evening at the Stork Club... for dancing. Her voice was reverent, dream-like, as if she'd gotten lost in the fog of memory again. A good memory... that never happened.

    He stands there for a long time, staring at the answering machine and aching to call her, to talk to her. To tell her that it did happen, after a fashion, after all. To tell her that in the middle of something bad, Wanda accidentally gave them both something good and unexpected, even if it hurt.

    He never does ask Wanda how it was possible.


    Six Months Before The Battle of Leipzig/Halle Airport...


    Ordinarily, she'd have been spending Black Friday either on MedSurg at Maimonides, or at home behind closed doors, avoiding the shopping crowds, Rebecca reflected as she watched Natasha land the Quinjet from the co-pilot's chair, and listened as Chase enthused about Thanksgiving Dinner in Stony Brook while Michael and Jenny occasionally added a thing or two and Steve asked questions. She glanced back, wondering why Ruth had said nothing in an hour, and saw that she was sitting in her seat, arms folded, clearly not happy about being here. "Natasha?"

    "Hmm?"

    "We have an unhappy teen on our hands."

    Natasha smiled as she completed landing procedures, then spun and looked. "Ah. Ruth, you'll love it here."

    "I wanted to go shopping with Chris," Ruth complained. "It's like the thing to do on Black Friday!"

    "Oh, come on," Chase interjected with a smirk. "You can go shopping anytime! How often do we get to go anywhere by Quinjet? This is awesome!" She glared at him.

    Natasha chuckled as she lowered the boarding ramp. "What he said, Ruth."

    "And it's a wasteful thing, this insistence on going shopping for things you don't need," Rebecca intoned. "On a particular day, just because there are sales."

    Ruth looked at Steve. "But it's the start of the Christmas Season! It's tradition!"

    "One we're breaking this year," Jenny told her with a frown. "To visit friends."

    "Mom!"

    "And trying to plead to Steve will get you nowhere, as he's a Nonagenarian like your great-grandmother."

    Steve snorted in laughter. "Thanks."

    A golden retriever came tearing up the boarding ramp and made a beeline for Natasha, who laughed and bent down to hug him. "Lucky!"

    "Sorry about that," Clint said from the boarding ramp. "And is this all of you? Where's Miriam? And why didn't Pepper come?"

    "Miriam had transcription to do," Rebecca told him. "And Dan and Mason begged off, saying they wanted guy time, whatever that means... probably a football game or two with the detail team. And Pepper had business things to do, but wanted to come."

    "Ah."

    "Could I have stayed with them?" Ruth asked plaintively.

    "No," Michael said, glaring at her mildly. "Now stop complaining, would you? It's rude." He watched as Lucky approached and sniffed at her, and she let him smell her hand, and then pet him on the head. "And see? You've made a friend already."

    Clint waited while everyone unbuckled, then led them all down out of the Quinjet, to where Cooper and Lila were waiting impatiently. "Lila and Cooper, this is part of Steve's family..."

    "Because if all of us had come, the Quinjet would have been overloaded," Michael said humorously, and Rebecca laughed. "Ah-hah! She laughs!"

    "Troublemaker."

    "Ah, you love me anyway."

    Lila frowned up at Rebecca, then looked at Steve. "Is she your grandma?"

    Steve blinked in surprise. "No, she's... what is it, Becca? Adoptive younger sister?"

    "Close enough," Rebecca admitted with a smile and held out her hand, which Lila took. "I'm actually younger than him, little one. It's odd and complicated."

    "Oh."

    Rebecca pulled Chase closer with her other hand. "And this one and the grumpy one over there are my great-grand children. This is Chase."

    Chase smiled at Lila, nodded to Cooper. "Hello."

    "Is everyone going to just hang out, out here in the cool air?" Laura asked as she joined them, a sleeping five month old strapped to her chest in a gray baby wrap. "Because it's more fun in the house. Warm, too."

    "We were just going to break this up," Clint told her. "Come on everyone! To the house!"

    Natasha just barely remembered to close the boarding ramp again behind them.


    Hours post the Battle of Leipzig/Halle Airport...


    In borrowed clothes, Peter Parker stared out of the window at unfamiliar standalone houses and row houses, almost letting himself forget the silent woman also seated in the back seat of the car with him. The ache of his broken ribs had faded to a dull throb over an hour ago, now just a reminder of the awesomeness of the day. Had he really gotten to take down a giant with his webs? It had been awesome!

    "Here, Miss Potts?" The driver, whose name he'd not caught, asked as he stopped the car in front of a modest house.

    "Yes, Happy," she told him. "Thank you."

    Peter blinked in surprise. The man's name was Happy? What kind of name was that? "Where are we?"

    "Brooklyn," Miss Potts answered as she opened her door. "Come on."

    "But I have to get home," Peter whined, and stopped when she glared at him mildly.

    "You need medical attention first, Mister Parker, and I can't take you to a hospital without your aunt being informed."

    Peter stared at her. "I'm fine."

    She sighed. "And I'll believe it when a medical professional tells me that you are. Come. On."

    "I'd listen to her, Kid," Happy called back to him. "And anyway, you'll like Mrs. Proctor."

    "Who?" Happy nodded to the house as he also got out of the car, and Peter rolled his eyes long-sufferingly, but followed anyway.

    At the door, they were met by a man who appeared older than Mr. Stark, who frowned at him before looking at Miss Potts. "What happened to the kid? Almost looks like he went three rounds with a Grizzly bear."

    "Can we come in, Daniel?"

    Daniel looked beyond them, up and down the street, and then opened the door wider. "Sure. I can't guarantee you'll not be mobbed by reporters if more show up, wanting interviews, though."

    "That bad?"

    "Imagine Rebecca yelling no comment in Romanian and slamming the door in their faces," Daniel mused as he shut the door behind them, and then led them into the living room where an elderly woman was reading the newspaper with a frown. "Bad enough. So... what brings you to Brooklyn, today?"

    Miss Potts gestured to Peter, who wasn't sure if he should sit down or just run away. "This one needs an exam and I couldn't take him to a hospital. And you're not wrong... he sort of did go a round with a Grizzly. A really tall Grizzly."

    The elderly woman looked up from the newspaper, her frown deepening with almost clinical precision that made Peter uneasy. "Oh?"

    "And if I understand correctly, he has a healing factor like Steve's," Miss Potts explained further as she sat down on the couch. "Which is the other reason I couldn't take him to a hospital. Plus, you're the expert."

    "Get my kit, Dan," the woman ordered as she neatly folded the newspaper, set it aside, and stood up. Until right that moment, the fact that she was wearing a very cute blue scrub top with paw prints on it had escaped his notice... and for some reason he couldn't fathom, the cuteness didn't settle his nerves. "And you, kid. Sit down and calm down, right now."

    Peter obliged her. "I, uh..."

    She studied him from three different angles without touching him, then shook her head and held out her hand. "I'm Rebecca. You?"

    Slowly, he shook her hand. "Peter."

    "And how did you get that shiner?"

    "Someone hit me." At her glare, he sighed. "I was in a fight... with Captain America. Shield to the face."

    Rebecca frowned again. Daniel returned momentarily with a small bag and she accepted it from him with a roll of her eyes. "Is Miriam still trying to make heads or tails of that transcription tape?"

    Daniel smiled. "She was muttering about pathologists with thick accents who do their notes while eating, so... yes?"

    "Then we'll tell her later," Rebecca said as she unzipped the bag and pulled out a stethoscope and then a blood pressure cuff. Then she looked at him again. "Any other injuries?"

    "No," Peter tried to say, and winced when Miss Potts glared at him. "All right, sorry! My ribs."

    "Any trouble breathing?"

    "No."

    "Pain on the scale of one to ten?"

    "Three?"

    "Three, you notice it, or three it's really distracting?"

    Peter frowned. "It was really hard to move for a while, and now it's a dull throb. Why?"

    "Because my brother's best friend used to get into fights and not tell us he was in pain," Rebecca explained. "His three was an all the time low throb of feeling bad, before. Mind you, that was before we started using the pain scale to describe pain like we do now... and he told me that when I started explaining new medical things to him."

    "Huh?"

    Daniel chuckled. "Becca, you're confusing him."

    "Well, he let Steve give him a black eye. He deserves to be confused." Rebecca focused on him again, tilted her head. "May I take your vitals, Peter?" At his nod, she proceeded to strap the BP Cuff on his arm, and do just that. Then she took his pulse. "Normal. Good. Mind telling me what you were doing in Germany?"

    "I was back up."

    Rebecca frowned at him again as she removed the cuff from his arm and set it aside. "Back up. For what?"

    "For Mr. Stark, to help... why are you glaring at me?"

    Rebecca blinked and shook her head. "Does your guardian know where you are? Or were?"

    "My aunt? No. She would flip if she knew."

    She studied him for a long moment. "Lift your shirt so I can see?" He did, and she deftly examined his side, frowning at the bruising. "I can see what you mean, Pepper. It's already well on it's way to being healed. Another couple hours... you can put your shirt back down, Peter. I'm done."

    He did and she moved away again. "What makes you an expert on healing like mine?"

    Rebecca returned to her chair and sat down. "Wouldn't say expert. I know a lot about it, because of Steve."

    "Steve... you mean Captain America?"

    "The very same." She pursed her lips, then sighed. "And I am going to ask, because you were there, and it's been a maddening couple of days. How did he look?"

    "Cap? Fine. Why?"

    She paused, studying him. "And the other one?"

    Peter frowned at her. "Other one?"

    Pepper sighed. "Rebecca, he's a little young to realize whom you're asking about, and you didn't tell him to start with. From what I've been able to parcel out so far, he protected Sam from this one doing something idiotic and dangerous when Sam was already restrained."

    Now he understood, or thought he did. "The long haired emo dude with the awesome metal arm?"

    Rebecca looked at Pepper. "What was the dangerous idiotic thing?"

    "He swung feet first at Sam with enough force to break the glass behind him, feet aimed at his chest."

    "Oh." Rebecca turned her attention back to Peter, still frowning. "And yes... him. And don't ever swing at someone like that again, or I'll be giving you a lesson in the anatomy of the chest!"

    "Huh?"

    She motioned to his own chest. "Broken ribs hurt. They can puncture lungs. Blunt force trauma? Bad. If you are going to use your talents to go out and do things, then be smart about it. Or it'll be me telling your aunt, and she can ground you herself. Understood?"

    He'd been right, initially, to be wary of this elderly woman. "Yes, ma'am."

    "Good. Now as to the other thing..." She pulled a picture in a picture frame off the end table by the couch. "Here."

    He accepted it without looking at it, confused as to why she would hand him a picture. Then she turned her attention to Miss Potts, frowned at her, and pointed to a doorway. Miss Potts blinked, nodded, and went into the kitchen, with the elderly lady following her. Peter frowned as Happy sat down next to him. "She's scary."

    "She's a nurse," Happy told him with a smirk. "And a mother and grandmother. I'd be worried if she weren't."

    Peter looked down at the picture in his hands, to find a picture of two younger men... one of whom startled him at how familiar he was, though his hair was short, his clothes weren't black, and he was clean-shaven. "Oh."

    "What is all the commotion out here?" someone asked, and Peter looked up to see an older woman with brown hair that was peppered with silver. "And really, I'm half-way to emailing that pathologist to tell her that she needs to either stop doing her recording during lunch, or speak in her native tongue, because it's easier to understand." She stared at him, then looked at Daniel. "What did I miss?"

    "Pepper's here," Daniel told her, motioning to the kitchen doorway.

    Peter watched as she disappeared into the kitchen, then looked at Daniel. "Who is that?"

    "Miriam," Daniel told her with a smile. "And if you decide to become a doctor when you're older, don't ever do your transcription recording while eating lunch. A medical transcriptionist will thank you."

    "I like chemistry," Peter volunteered. "And science."

    Daniel continued to smile. "Then why were you in Germany on a school day?"

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Miriam entered the kitchen and paused at seeing Pepper with her head in her hands while Rebecca sat near her patiently. "Oh."

    "How goes the transcription?" Pepper asked, not looking up.

    "Could be worse," Miriam told her as she went and filled three glasses with water, then brought them to the table. "And you're not fine, so don't even try saying you are."

    "Furthest thing from my mind," Pepper said as she took the glass of water and stared into it. "I was as close as a retreat in Switzerland and no one called me, Miriam. I didn't even know about Vienna or Berlin until yesterday evening, when it was too late to do anything! And then today... I have no idea what's going on, save for what I was able to get out of the authorities in Leipzig. I haven't even reviewed Tony's Voice Record Log from Friday yet, because I had to get that kid home safely, and couldn't do that in front of him."

    "Switzerland?" Rebecca wondered, questions in her tone.

    Pepper nodded. "I tried planning a weekend in Fiji, realized I was checking for terrorism and crime in Fiji, and had to take a break away from Tony. I even cancelled on him for that MIT presentation earlier this week, because I couldn't stop looking for the next attack."

    Miriam nodded. "Stress is a real thing. If you need time, you take it."

    Pepper took a deep breath and let it out. "Thank you."

    "Miriam?" Rebecca asked after a minute of silence. "If that young man's metabolism works like Steve's does, he's probably ravenous about now. Plus, he'll probably heal faster if he has the fuel to do it with."

    Miriam smiled. "I was just about to suggest that. Sandwich or fruit?"

    "Both. High-calorie sandwich."

    Pepper drank her water and watched as Miriam set about making two sandwiches, handed one to her, and then left the kitchen with the second after cutting up an apple, and grabbing cookies from the cookie jar and a bag of chips from the cupboard. "I'm not hungry."

    "Humor us," Rebecca told her. "And it's been a bad week. If I see another reporter, I'm pretending I actually don't speak any English. At least Fran's okay, after all the stress..."

    "Huh?"

    Rebecca shook her head. "Not your concern, right now. Eat."

    "Rhodes is being flown to Columbia tomorrow."

    "We'll deal with that when the time comes. Eat."

    She did.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    In the living room, they watched as Peter ate like the teenage boy he was, and then Miriam turned to Happy. "Think you could take him home? Pepper needs a little time."

    Happy stood up, went into the kitchen for a minute or so while Miriam accepted the plate and the empty chip bag back from Peter, and nodded. "Let's go, kid."

    "However," Daniel said as Peter got to his feet. "Be aware that one of us might drop by to check on you."

    Peter stared at him. "Check on me? Why?"

    "Because, however it happened, you ended up in the middle of a fight that didn't actually concern you, in a foreign country, without the knowledge of your parent and/or guardian, and were injured badly enough for Pepper to bring you to us." Here Daniel handed him a pad of paper and a pen. "Address, please, and phone number. Actual phone number and address." Peter winced and wrote the information down, and then Daniel handed him three business cards.

    "What are these?"

    "Our contact information," Daniel explained, smiling slightly at his confusion, then looked down at the notepad that Peter had handed back to him. "Queens? Really?"

    Now Peter smiled. "Really. It's the best!"

    Daniel chuckled. "Oh, go on. And we'll agree to disagree."

    Miriam led them to the door, watched as they got into the car and drove off, then closed it and turned back to him. "Good touch."

    "She really that stressed out?"

    Miriam nodded. "She was as close as a retreat in Switzerland and didn't know until last night that anything was amiss." Daniel winced. "And was stressed out before that."

    Daniel crossed the room and joined her, taking her in his arms as they both leaned against the door. They stood there for a while, taking solace in each other.


    Six Weeks Post the Battle of Leipzig/Halle Airport...


    "This feels really dishonest, Jane."

    Jane sighed and turned to look at Chase, Mike's youngest son, as they sat down on a bench in a part of Queens neither had been to before. "And?"

    "And nothing," the fourteen year old grumbled. "I'll do it, pretend I had a fight with someone I've never met, defending Uncle Steve's honor. I just..."

    "I know," Jane said with a smile as she glanced back at where Happy was waiting in the car. She'd wanted to bring one of the detail guys, but none of them knew what the kid in question looked like, except Rebecca, Dan, and Miriam, and they'd been unable to come. Happy did, so here he was... even if he was waiting in the car. "It's underhanded and we are going to lie." She frowned when Happy started pointing, and traced where he was pointing to, to see a teenage boy walking along, earbuds in his ears, wearing a backpack. "And... action. Mr. Parker?" Getting up, she quickly moved to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Mr. Parker?"

    Peter stopped, stared at her, and pulled his earbuds out. "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

    "An annoying Paralegal!" Chase called from the bench with a grin.

    Jane rolled her eyes long-sufferingly, then smiled at him. "My name is Jane Talbot. You met my Great Aunt Rebecca six weeks ago... and I need to take your statement, regarding what happened in Leipzig. Mr. Hogan is over there, keeping watch, and Big Mouth is here as a cover story, just in case."

    "Cover story?" Peter asked as he looked in the direction she pointed in, saw Happy, and waved hello.

    "Yes. What did you tell your Aunt about how you ended up with that black eye?"

    Turning back, Peter frowned at her as she led him back to the bench. "That I got into a fight with a guy named Steve from Brooklyn. It's not a lie."

    "No," Chase said as he sized him up, then held out a hand. "Chase Steven Proctor. Happy to meet ya!"

    Peter stared at him, startled, then shook his hand. "Peter. And it's good to meet you, too. And... Steven? After...?"

    Chase nodded as Jane pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "Yep! It lends credence to our having gotten into a fight in Uncle Steve's honor, seeing as I'm named for him. I won't tell anyone to the contrary if you don't."

    Jane chuckled. "Chase, stop proving your father is a lawyer and made you read a basic law book and a dictionary."

    Chase grinned at her. "Aren't you proud that I thought of a probable cause for the fist fight that didn't actually happen?"

    "Yes, now shush." She was starting to wish she'd been able to bring Stephanie instead, even if that meant explaining how a thirty-eight year old woman from Great Neck would have slugged it out with a teenager... Jane smirked that that thought as she looked at Peter. "Future possible lawyer, this one. Now then: what can you tell me about what and whom you saw and interacted with at the airport?" At Peter's silence, she sighed. "Look, I need your statement, and this isn't going to go anywhere other than directly to Chase's father, Rebecca's grandson Michael, if we don't need it for our burden of proof, because we have a lot already. I'm covering all the bases, Mr. Parker, in regard to my Great Uncle and his involvement in this mess we've found ourselves in."

    "This is about Sergeant Barnes?"

    "It is. What can you tell me about what you saw of him?"

    Peter shrugged. "Not much, because I didn't really interact with him, other than knocking Falcon down and him trying to punch me in reaction with that awesome metal arm of his. I even told him it was, and he stared at me."

    Jane nodded, and put a hand on Chase's arm before he could speak like he clearly wanted to. "And?"

    Peter winced. "And then there's the thing that Miss Potts told Rebecca, about getting caught up in the moment, and swinging at someone so hard that I broke the glass behind him. Sergeant Barnes ran in so fast that I almost didn't see him, and I hit his arm and shoulder instead of actually making contact with Mr. Wilson. I didn't interact with either after that, because Mr. Wilson threw me out of a window. Miss Potts called it a Red Wing?"

    Jane wrote all of that down, nodded, and then blinked when Chase poked at her arm. "What?"

    "Incoming," Chase told her, and she blinked at his sudden change in body language to sullen teenager before turning to find a woman with dark hair approaching them and quickly put the notepad in her purse.

    "Hello," Jane called with a smile.

    "Hi, Aunt May," Peter greeted, and Jane was suddenly glad Chase had been paying attention to Happy, because she definitely hadn't been.

    May Parker put her hands on her hips, keen eyes studying the picture they must have made. "New friends, Peter?"

    Jane stood up and approached her with a hand held out. "Hi, I'm Jane. We were checking up on Peter, here, and I was making these two clear the air after their fight a while back when Steven was in Queens on a field trip."

    If May was surprised by that, she didn't show it as she looked at Chase, who was looking back at her with folded arms and surliness. "Oh. You came all the way to Queens just to check on my nephew?"

    "We did."

    "Dad gave me a lecture about getting into fights," Chase mumbled. "'Men should resolve their differences with words, Steven, not fisticuffs!'"

    May shook Jane's hand with a smile. "Well, he's right, young man. And it's good to meet you both."

    Jane returned her smile, but it was more at being amused by her young cousin's acting than she was by May agreeing with him. "This is going to sound odd, but can we take a picture with you two? And could you sign a card or two? A family member's birthday is in two weeks, and another one is ill and needs all the encouragement he can get, even from people he doesn't know."

    Behind them, Peter blinked in surprise and leaned closer to Chase. "What?"

    "Long story," Chase whispered back. "Grandma Becca started this whole thing with cards. No idea why, exactly..."

    The women chatted for half an hour, bonding over the trials of raising teenagers. Eventually, a picture was taken by Happy pretending to be a hapless passerby, and two cards were signed.


    Now...


    Lunch was so far a quiet affair. Jill had woken up from her nap in better spirits and was currently making faces at Nathaniel with Laura, while Cooper was mulling something over as he ate his sandwich. "What happened with an elevator shaft and why would there be bad flashbacks?"

    Silence descended and Steve sighed. "That's a bit of a story, Cooper. And I'm glad Buck is still out, too."

    "Steve," Jill said slowly. "There is such a thing as too much protection."

    "Pancakes," he reminded her. "And no there isn't, not about this."

    "Pancakes?" Cooper asked, and Jill turned to look at him with raised eyebrows, a questioning expression on her face. "There was something bad about pancakes?"

    "But pancakes are good!" Lila chimed in.

    Jill sighed. "Steve, you mentioned it, so you get to explain. Carefully."

    "Why me?"

    "Why not you? It was you that fell down an elevator shaft, wasn't it?" Nathaniel threw a Cheerio at her, laughed, and she handed it back to him. "Yes, Nate! We're all being silly today."

    Steve looked at Laura, who nodded her ascent, then Clint, who nodded to Cooper with a serious expression. "Right. Bad things happened in Berlin, Cooper. More specifically, there was a bad man that managed to get into Bucky's cell under false pretenses."

    "Bad man?" Lila asked. "How'd he do that?"

    "We don't know," Sam admitted. "But he did. And then the power went out while he was in there. Did Nat ever explain about trigger words, Clint? With the kids?"

    Clint frowned at that. "Only vaguely."

    "Learning to conquer them!" Cooper said suddenly. "I think? It didn't make much sense."

    Jill paused. "That's one way to defang them, sure. Long process, though. Hard, if not harder, than what we've been doing. And thank you, Cooper, for reminding me that I need to have a long talk with Natasha."

    Steve smiled, then looked at Cooper again. "When the power went out, the monitors went down, and... Bucky got triggered by the bad man. Sam and I went down there to check things out, because we'd pieced things together with Sharon, only it was too little, too late. I ended up at the bottom of the shaft, and..."

    "Then the bad man got away," Sam finished. He looked to find T'Challa standing in the doorway, listening.

    "As to the pancakes being a problem," Steve continued. "Like Jill keeps saying: anything and everything can be a trigger. Yesterday, it was a food item with deeply personal connections for Bucky. Both our Ma's made good pancakes, and while he was in enemy hands, someone else also made him pancakes. Badly."

    "Oh." Cooper frowned at his sandwich. "Shouldn't we be waking him for lunch, then?"

    "No," T'Challa said, startling everyone but Sam by his presence. "Fujo's watching over him right now, and when I checked on them, he looked very firmly asleep."

    "And we're surprising him later with pizza," Pepper said, causing Jill to look at her funny. "What?"

    "Oh, it'll be a surprise, all right. Steve? When did you first have pizza?"

    Steve blinked, startled at the question. "On tour in Italy." Pepper frowned at him, and he shrugged. "Next time I had it was with Becca, Miriam, and Dan in Brooklyn."

    Pepper turned to look at Jill. "I don't understand."

    "I did a lot of research," Jill admitted as Laura made funny faces at her youngest son and got him to eat more of his lunch. "And Rebecca explained a lot of things. Pizza didn't become common in the United States until after the Second World War, when returning veterans who had served in Italy returned with a hankering for it."

    Pepper stared at her. "Oh. So..."

    "So it's a good memory," Jill told her. "And there are never enough of those."

    Sam paused. "So when you say the food is a lot better, you mean it."

    Steve nodded. "I do. Ma used to tell stories about her grandparents making Stone Soup, during the Potato Famine, and... food is just plain better now. Really."

    "The wonderful, wonderful soup stone," Jill sang, and shrugged when Steve stared at her in confusion. "That is where they'd know of the Irish Potato Famine, if they'd heard of it." She looked at T'Challa, who was frowning at her. "You wouldn't happen to have any Bobby Bare, would you? Lullabies, Legends, and Lies?"

    T'Challa shook his head. "No, but I could probably find a copy, Dr. Mack."

    "It's immortalized in a song somewhere?" Steve wondered.

    "Along with a Voodoo Queen, Paul Bunyan, and a Sure-Hit Song Writer's Pen," Damian told him with a grin. "Among other things. Shel Silverstein was the man."

    "Who?"

    "Oh no," Clint said, seriously. "This won't do. Not at all. You don't know where the sidewalk ends!"

    Steve looked at Pepper, who had to hide her smile behind her sandwich. "Do I want to know?"

    "Yes," Laura said. "You're reading to the kids tonight. We're up to Where The Sidewalk Ends this week. Clint, really."

    "If you can't joke about these things, what fun is it?"

    Laura laughed. "Good point." She glanced at Lila, to find her hand in the air. "Yes, Lila?"

    "Dr. Mack? Isn't she Dr. Pentel?"

    Damian grinned. "There's a rule when there's two of us on site, Lila. I'm Dr. Pentel, and she's Dr. Mackenzie. Prevents confusion. Usually."

    "Oh!"

    Fujo appeared in the doorway, and T'Challa turned to look at her. "Sleepwalking to the bathroom. Slowly."

    T'Challa backed out of the kitchen to look, then chuckled. "Well, now. Let's go follow him."

    "Want me to come?" Sam asked. T'Challa shook his head, and Sam watched them go. "Guess not." Steve moved to get up, and Sam glared at him. "Stay."

    "But..."

    "If they think they can handle it, then you are going to sit your caboose back down and relax," Sam told him with a glare. "Worst that could happen is another kid-inspired flashback, and they're in here with us."

    "Bug?" Nathaniel asked, looking around at all of them, as if realizing they were short a person.

    Steve sighed and sat back down. "Okay." Then he saw the photo albums on the kitchen island, and got up instead to look at those. He flipped through the first one for a minute or so before figuring out how to pull a page carefully out of it, then brought the page over to the table to show Pepper. "Here. Wasn't sure if there was one, but there is."

    Pepper accepted the page with a frown, studying the images of a small boy, not too dissimilar from Nathaniel, being held by various family members... including a smiling James Barnes. "Is this Amos?"

    "At two years old," Steve affirmed, emotion in his voice, and Pepper glanced up at him. "And... hang on." He went back to the kitchen island and rummaged through another of the albums, before nodding to himself and taking that page out and bringing it over. "And so is this." On that page was a large picture of an older man, a small girl, and a woman, seated together on a couch in what appeared to be their Sunday best. "The child is Miriam, the woman is Abiah, Amos's sister."

    Pepper froze, staring from one picture to the other. "Oh. Wait a minute-"

    "Amos is Miriam's father," Jill explained, interrupting her. "If you didn't know that before."

    "I didn't," Pepper said, and passed the pages to Sam. "This is going to be hard, explaining to him, isn't it?"

    "A little," Steve mused as he sat back down. "Jill's got a slide show that Mason made, but it was the wrong place to start him off in, like she said when she told us she had it."

    "Start somewhere familiar," Damian said with a nod. "Then work forward, through the trauma."

    Steve took a bite of his second sandwich, chewed, then swallowed. "And until this morning, he'd not mentioned Amos at all." Sam passed the pages to Cooper, who frowned at the pictures before passing them to Lila. Lila passed the pages to her father, and Clint smiled at the familiarity of family moments caught candidly.

    Clint showed them to Laura, who returned his smile, and then Clint got up and put the pages back into the appropriate albums. He turned a few pages in the first one, stopped on a page, and looked up at Steve with discerning eyes. Steve looked back at him with a wry expression on his face, and Clint shrugged as he rejoined them at the table. "So it's progress."

    "It is," Steve said, then took another bite of his sandwich.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    When Natasha arrived in Oymyakon and found the local clinic, it was just after 6PM local time, still light out, and on the chilly side. Bundled up in a warm jacket, she entered the clinic to find the local doctor muttering to himself in Yakut while writing in a patient chart. "Um... hello?"

    He glanced up at her, frowned, and returned to his charting. He ignored her for another minute before closing the chart. ["Hello."]

    "Pepper sent me."

    The man blinked up at her, at her clothes... "You be?"

    Natasha smiled and held out her hand. "Natasha. You?"

    He returned the handshake. "Elley. Here to pick up?"

    Natasha nodded. "Something about dog treats?"

    Elley chuckled. "They be hungry on flight. Have had shots, but are curious. This way." He led her to a side room where three juvenile pups were playing and let her watch. "Three calmest from recent litter. Pepper asked for two, but three seem better. What think?"

    Natasha smiled. "I think it's an interesting idea. Did she say why?"

    "Service dog."

    "Oh. Good idea. Can I...?" She motioned to the pups who were all looking at her now, curiously.

    Elley smiled, opened the bottom half the divider door, and they promptly all ran for the two of them, yipping and barking. Natasha bent down to pet them, and got many doggie kisses.

    Natasha looked up at Elley, who was smiling widely at her. "Did Pepper actually ask for three, or...?"

    "Asked for two, saw man in bathrobe in call. Question for you, on what situation is. Also... dogs good judge of person. They like you."

    Natasha frowned at him. Had he really just tested her with dogs? "They like me?"

    "You not like that Colonel."

    She stared at him for a moment. "Oh. So you... you're the nephew?"

    Elley nodded. "Uncle didn't like them, either. Could see in face."

    "Would Russian be easier for you? We don't have to use English."

    Elley shook his head. "Want to. Like Stark keeps saying: Practice good. And learned English in case saw again. Michil speaks it better, but..."

    Natasha scratched behind the ears of one of the pups while a second nuzzled her, and the third sniffed at her. "Was the man in the bathrobe blonde?" Elley frowned at her. "Yellow hair, but dark?"

    Elley nodded. "Didn't say anything, seemed... sad. A little. Right word?"

    Natasha smiled. "Yes. That's the right word. And that was Steve. He's homesick, and the situation is complicated, with Barnes. And if he doesn't want a dog, I'll take the third one myself."

    "Homesick?"

    Natasha nodded and looked around the clinic, and that's when she spotted the StarkPad, plugged in on his desk. She pulled out her cellphone, shot off a text, and waited. Elley jumped when the pad rang at them, and he went to answer it.

    "Hello Pepper," Elley said into the pad in confusion, then he looked at her with a frown. "Uh..."

    "Ask her," Natasha prompted with a smile. "Or better yet, give her here and I'll ask." He unplugged the pad and handed to her, and she was surprised to find Lila also looking back at her with a grin. "Hey, kiddo!"

    "Hi Auntie Nat!" Lila enthused, then frowned. "And... oops. Too loud. Sorry!"

    "It's okay, Lila," Steve's voice told her. "He's alert now, kind of. Come on, Buck. Sit up, watch the sports movie." Grumbling was heard, and Steve laughed. "Or not..."

    "Sports movie?" Natasha wondered.

    Pepper grinned. "We're watching Miracle. What was the question?"

    "Oh right." She angled the tablet so Pepper and Lila could see the pups, then re-angled correctly. "Why'd you ask for two?"

    "One is for Tony," Pepper answered. "Why?"

    "Go out into the hallway," Natasha requested. Pepper frowned at her, but did as requested, then nodded at her to continue. "Elley saw Steve when you called earlier, thinks he also needs a dog. Right now? I'm inclined to agree, because he's not wrong. What do you think?"

    Pepper bit her lip in thought. "He's... raw, I guess is the word. Wants to talk to Rebecca, definitely. Jill has an interesting therapy going on, related to art and what she said was visualizing and giving him tools that he didn't get before, after Project Rebirth, whatever that actually means. He's definitely been more open than I've ever seen him with anyone that isn't Rebecca. And Laura did say that they left their dog with a friend in the States, so even if Steve doesn't want a dog... bring all three."

    "I agree," Clint's voice said, startling her. "Sorry."

    Pepper smiled. "Don't be. Fujo, why didn't you say anything?"

    "Book is good," a woman's accented voice answered. "And we're not under attack."

    "Fujo?" Elley asked, and Pepper angled the tablet to show a woman seated on a chair in a large hallway, reading a book. She waved at him with a grin. "Oh."

    "Can I see the dogs?" Fujo asked, Nat showed her, and one of them yipped at the tablet. "Thank you, Agent Romanoff!"

    Natasha smiled and pet a random head. "Clint, what do you think? The kids miss Lucky that much?"

    "I think they do, yes," Clint said as Pepper turned the tablet back around. "I'd ask you to go get him, but that increases risk here. He's fine where he is. Who is the guy in the background, looking up at us?"

    "This is Elley. Wave to Clint, Elley." Natasha yawned, and fought not to show it outwardly. "And I'm signing off now."

    "Nat?"

    "Yes?"

    "Fly safe."

    "Yes, Clint. Now stop acting like a Dad."

    "No."

    Pepper laughed. "Oh, I missed this! I didn't even know I was missing it! So much!" At Elley's distant questioning expression, she shrugged. "It's been a bit since I've seen them like this, even over the phone."

    "Oh," Elley said with a smile.

    "And don't tell Tony about the dogs, when he calls, Elley. I want to surprise him."

    Elley nodded. "Won't tell, but will teach him commands in Yakut."

    "You do that. He needs the practice himself."

    They hung up, and Natasha handed the tablet back to him. He studied her. "Saw that yawn. Stay, take a nap."

    "But..."

    "All of you this stubborn about rest? Stark kept arguing, too."

    "He did?"

    "Much. Wanted out, didn't want to sleep."

    She had the feeling there was more to that story, but decided to listen to the concerned man and take a nap.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Steve watched as Pepper and Clint came back into the Common Room, frowned at them. "Is something wrong?"

    Pepper made Lila scooch over, smiled as she sat down. "No, Natasha just needed to ask something, and Lila already woke James once. If that yawn of hers was anything to go by, we'll probably be seeing her sometime tomorrow instead of tonight."

    "You picked up on that, too?" Clint asked as he reclaimed his spot on the floor.

    "I'm awake," Bucky complained as he sat up, then leaned into Steve. "I just don't want to be. What is this thing?"

    "Olympics history," Pepper supplied. "And yes, Clint, I did."

    "Olympics history? With hockey?"

    Jill grinned. "As I told Steve before lunch: it's one of those unification stories that just happens to be true."

    "Oh." They watched for several minutes, then Bucky frowned and craned his neck to look at Steve. "Did I imagine you and a very out of focus weird picture?"

    "No. Where'd that get to, Jill?" Damian passed it back to Sam, who passed it to Bucky... who stared at the ultrasound in wonder. "See 'em?"

    "Yeah. Neat, that they can see inside now like this. What's the thing look like that took the picture?"

    "We'll show you that later," Steve told him with a smile. "Movie first."

    Bucky was very pleasantly surprised by the ending of the movie.
     
  7. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    I am still in awe of how you are able to take an already large cast, add to it times ten, and still keep the threads of your story engaging and clear to follow. (Though I was super appreciative for the family tree - I haven't had to keep genealogies like this straight since reading for Tolkien's work. :p)

    In this update, I loved seeing so much of the girls interacting! And the dogs, and Clint's family, and the movie! Miracle really would be the perfect film to share; I loved Bucky's reaction in the last line. [face_love]

    As always, this continues to be a fantastic story. I only apologize for continuing to fall behind. I'm in training for a new job right now, and my time has not been my own. 8-}
     
  8. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    I did my replies already, but... **HUGS**!!!!! to Mira_Jade for new-job awesomeness!!!!! (Take your time, there's a lot here.)

    Re: Miracle. That was two things: "What team do you play for?" (something CACW threw at us with "pick a side"... when there really was only one side ever to choose), and teamwork, guys becoming family to overcome an obstacle. So, so the right movie to show these people, to remind of the team/family/country they represent. (Was it meta? Totally.) Thank you, Mira!!!!
     
  9. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    The Invaders Bring Leftovers


    Six Months Before the Battle of Leipzig/Halle Airport...


    She heard the noise of people as she followed Steve into the Barton's house, with an arm around Chase's shoulders, and then froze in her tracks just inside the threshold that Jenny nearly plowed into her. Blinking, Rebecca took in the sight of Kathryn supervising a board game at the table, where nine kids, aged between seven and fourteen years sat, gleefully enjoying a round or two of Monopoly. "Steve?"

    Steve turned and smiled at her. "So... good surprise? Bad surprise?"

    "Get on over here, Mom," Kathryn ordered, in her best stern-mother voice, and Rebecca laughed. "Play with us!"

    She turned to Laura, who was smiling back at her. "Are we that close to Shelbyville?"

    "Twenty, thirty miles," Laura admitted, grinning as Cooper and Lila rejoined the game, and dragged both Ruth and Chase into it. "And since it's a week for family..." She shrugged, and blinked down at her son as moved against her.

    Steve watched as Rebecca joined them, and Kathryn detangled herself from helping one of the seven-year-olds count the pretend money long enough to give her mother a long hug. He glanced at Michael, who had come to a stop beside him. "It was worth that hour Miriam spent on the phone, arranging this with Kate."

    "It was," Michael said in agreement as Jenny leaned into him and he put his arm around her. "Mr. Barton? Wonderfully done with the acting."

    Clint chuckled, and glanced back at Natasha. "Learned from the best."

    "We'll have to do this again," Steve said after a minute of watching. "For Bucky, when we find him."

    "Steve," Jenny interjected before anyone else could say anything. "If and when that time comes, and it will, I think we'll actually be getting everyone to fly or drive home to Brooklyn..." He turned to stare at her, and she smiled. "What? Miriam and I have spent time talking about it, as a surprise for Rebecca. It's been ages since we were all together, and not everyone makes it home as often as they'd like. You and Sam concentrate on finding him, we'll plan the party."

    "Oh." Someone pulled on his pantleg and Steve looked down to find one of the younger girls looking up at him with a grin that was missing a tooth. "Hello."

    "Grandma says you need to come help, Mister Captain!"

    Steve bent down to look her in the eyes. "Now who are you?"

    She pointed to herself, then held up both hands with fingers out. "Sofia! I'm six!"

    "Did she say what I'd be helping with?" Steve asked as he allowed her to pull him into the game.

    "No," Kathryn answered. "But now you're Sofia's partner. And she landed in jail."

    Steve glanced over at Rebecca to find her smiling, then pulled up a chair and hauled Sofia into his lap. "Let's see what we can do, then, about getting you out of jail, Sofia."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    Later, after Autumn had come out on top in a very sneaky climb to the top that no one realized until she'd pulled the rug out from under Jonas and Cooper, Kathryn stood with her mother, Steve, Clint, and Laura on the porch while everyone else, including Michael and Jenny and Natasha, played a rousing game of hide and seek on the property. "They'll be hard-pressed to find Sofia and Casey in those bushes..."

    Rebecca chuckled. "They will. Kate, why didn't you tell me, when we talked yesterday?"

    "And spoil the surprise, on an open phone line? No. This was better." She turned and looked at her mother with a shrewd gaze, then looked at Steve, who was watching the action, and Clint beyond him. "Thank you, Mr. Barton, for allowing us to invade your home for the day."

    Clint glanced at her with a smile, nodded. "The kids need to be social, and it's good to meet more of Rebecca's family."

    Kathryn put an arm around her mother's shoulders, hugged her close, and Rebecca leaned into her. "And this one, I never see enough in person." Looking at Steve again, she frowned. "Just how tall were you, before?"

    Steve frowned back at her. "Five foot three. Why?"

    "Curiosity, and it's one thing to see you over Sykpe, another to see you in person, real and here in front of me." She hugged her mother a little tighter. "Aunt Hazel would have loved to have seen you, like this."

    Steve winced. "Kate..."

    "It's true. Isn't it, Mom?"

    Rebecca nodded against her. "Yes. Very true. And I wonder, sometimes, about the medical advancements made since '89. If it would have done any good, or not."

    "Becca, I..."

    She blinked at the troubled tone of Steve's voice and dragged him into the hug. "We're having a moment, Steve. Don't make anything more of it than it is."

    Words of protest died in his throat as he stood there on Clint and Laura's porch, watching as the kids played in the yard. Kathryn glanced over at their hosts to find Clint watching them with an arm around Laura's shoulders. He nodded back to her, and she offered him a watery smile. There wasn't anything else, really, to say.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    Two rounds of Hide and Seek, and a game of Tag, later found Rebecca seated on the porch in Clint's rocking chair holding Nathaniel while Laura organized everyone else into teams for a Scavenger Hunt. Steve had again ended up paired with Sophia, and also fourteen-year-old Jonas.

    Laura came back to the porch and presented her with a list. "If you want to try, too."

    Rebecca shook her head and smiled down at Nathaniel, who was staring up at her. "No, we're good right here. Aren't we, Nathaniel?"

    "The ground is a bit uneven," Laura agreed as she brought another chair out onto the porch. "And I think I gave Nat an unfair advantage with three partners."

    "Good."

    Cooper came running up the stairs of the porch, Jenny and Casey behind him. "Mom, did you mean any kind of stick, or did it have to be special?"

    Laura waved him away. "Any kind of stick! If it's in a weird shape, so much the better."

    "Okay!"

    Jenny watched her two partners run off, then looked up at them. "This was a good idea."

    Laura grinned. "This one was Kathryn's idea, I just made the list. Common items on a farm?"

    "Ah." She peered up at Rebecca. "I could go get your cane from the Quinjet, if you want."

    "Jenny, go catch them before they win without you," Rebecca told her, and Jenny grinned again and took off after them. She laughed and looked down at Nathaniel. "Well now. I hear that you were supposed to be a girl?" He burbled happily at her, and Rebecca hugged him closer.

    "Proved Nat wrong," Laura said with a smile. "She called him a traitor..."

    "Ah. Well, it's good to have him here, either way."

    "I found a string!" Ruth yelled as she ran past, Kathryn and Asher behind her.

    Rebecca blinked, surprised, and looked at the list that Laura had brought with her to the porch. "Oh. You didn't specify a color."

    "Too hard, and I'd have had to place them personally without Cooper or Lila seeing me do it."

    "Good point." She heard the faint sound of crunching gravel and looked to find four cars approaching from the direction of the main road. "Were you expecting more people?"

    Laura nodded. "Kate said their parents were coming with lunch. That must be them."

    The cars parked one by one, and then Rebecca counted ten more people getting out of them. She stared as they organized and got baskets and coolers out of the trunks or hatchbacks of each car, and then approached the house in an organized mob.

    Mary, Kathryn's oldest daughter, stopped at the base of the stairs to the porch and looked at her in mild surprise, then hurriedly climbed and handed the big basket she was holding to Laura. Then she threw her arms around Rebecca without giving her a chance to stand. "Grandma!" Nathaniel squeaked at her, and she looked down at him. "And... extra kid. Hello to you, too!"

    "I'll just put this inside," Laura said, and vanished into the house.

    Rebecca soon found herself on the receiving end of a large group hug, and enjoyed every second of it.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~

    Chase stared at the prize handed to him by Laura for winning the Scavenger Hunt with Clint and Caryn. "This... is a golden hand turkey."

    Cooper leaned closer to him while the adults organized for lunch at the kitchen table. "That's part of our decorations from yesterday."

    "Oh!"

    "I did the glitter!" Lila told him, bouncing on her heels. "Cooper did the art!"

    Clint grinned. "And it was a very good job that both of you did, too." He glanced over to where the four oldest grandkids in the room were seated in a circle in the living room and conversing, then looked at Michael. "Ruth seems to have gotten over her grumpiness."

    Michael nodded. "Helps to have a distraction. Even better that it's family. Also, I don't think my grandmother is going to give your son back to you until we leave."

    Clint shrugged. "That's okay. He's getting to meet new people." Caryn tapped his hand and he looked at the nine-year-old. "Yes?"

    "Can I hold him, after?"

    "Why don't you go ask her?" Clint watched as Caryn joined Rebecca in entertaining Nathaniel, and then took stock of the others in the room. Steve was being plied with questions from at least three children, Sofia included, while Natasha was sending more kids his way and chatting with Laura. "Pretty sure we've not had this many visitors before. Ever."

    "Good day, though."

    He agreed whole-heartedly.


    Two Weeks Post the Battle of Leipzig/Halle Airport...


    It wasn't odd, having guests at dinner time around their house, but Kathryn was intrigued when Laura Barton showed up with four suitcases, a diaper bag, three kids, and a dog just after sundown. "Laura?"

    "We can't stay long," Laura told her frankly as she pushed Cooper and Lila toward the living room after handing Nathaniel to her oldest son. "And we need to talk."

    Kathryn shut the door, patted Lucky on the head. "All right." Then she led her to the kitchen, where both sat down at the table. "About?"

    Laura took a deep breath, let it out. "Can Lucky stay with you and Cliff? I can't take him with us, and Clint managed to get word out that our cover might be blown. How much, I have no idea, but he told me to get to San Francisco. I can't do that with a dog. It's hard enough doing it with three kids."

    Kathryn looked down at Lucky, who had followed them to the kitchen. "Sure, he can stay. As long as you need. How did...?"

    "Clint," Laura answered. "Called from the wind, on a scrambled line to disguise his voice and location. Told me to scatter, gave directions. Said you're not being watched by anyone. In code."

    "Oh." Kathryn looked toward the living room. "You could leave the kids, too, if you want."

    She smiled. "I know, but... I can't."

    "I had to offer."

    Laura nodded. "And I'd love to be able to accept, but I'm not putting anyone in any more danger than this. Just coming here is a danger, if anyone was watching the farm at all."

    Kathryn considered that, then stood. "Have all of you eaten?"

    "Not since lunch," Laura admitted as her stomach growled and she blushed. "I was too worried and busy packing to think of anything else."

    Later, Cliff entered the kitchen to find they had some very hungry guests. He offered ice cream to Cooper and Lila.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    Scavenger Hunt Teams

    Steve - Sofia - Jonas
    Clint - Chase - Caryn
    Michael P. - Autumn - Monica
    Jenny P. - Casey - Cooper
    Kathryn - Ruth - Asher
    Natasha - Lila - Austyn - Adam
    Laura - Rebecca - Nathaniel (who sat it out)

    A/N: Not everybody ended up in narrative, because it was going to be confusing if they did...

    Kathryn Proctor and Clifford "Cliff" Longmire (1949)
    -Mary Ella Longmire (1970) (46)
    -Russell Harold Longmire (1974) (42)
    -Deanna Candace Longmire (1977) (39)
    -Robin Rebecca Longmire (1980) (36)

    Mary Longmire and Frank Eckstein (1969)
    -Evelyn Felicitas Eckstein (1995) (21)
    -Gloria Hannelore Eckstein (1998) (18)
    -Jonas Kaspar Eckstein (2002) (14)

    Russell Longmire and Katrina Huffman (1974)
    -Austyn Russell Longmire (2002) (14)
    -Monica Rose Longmire (2004) (12)
    -Asher Beckett Longmire (2004) (12)
    -Sofia Carmen Longmire (2009) (7)

    Deanna Longmire and Braden "Brady" Dennell (1978)
    -Autumn Beryl Dennell (2001) (15)
    -Adam Wesley Dennell (2004) (12)

    Robin Longmire and Avery Thatcher (1979)
    -Caryn Azure Thatcher (2007) (9)
    -Casey Cullen Thatcher (2010) (6)
     
  10. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: Before getting back to the present... Tony and Dr. Knutz had an appointment. **grin**


    Yesterday...


    For some reason, he felt like he was listening to Larry the Cucumber espouse about loving his lips as he watched and listened to Tony Stark rant about secret keeping and Captain America, in reference to his parents. It was an odd comparison, Dr. Knutz realized as he glanced down at his note pad to keep track of where they were during this session... there was common theme here, involving compartmentalization and bad reactions to things, honor, and putting someone on an imagined pedestal based on the words of others. "Sit, Anthony."

    Tony stopped pacing and blinked at him. "Huh?"

    "Sit." He glared mildly at his patient to get his point across, and Tony sat back down on the couch. "Feel better, now that you've ranted?"

    Tony nodded after a moment of silence. "I think so?"

    "Good. Tell me what you think it means to compartmentalize something."

    He frowned at him. "What does not telling certain things have to do with-"

    "In psychology, compartmentalization is an unconscious defense mechanism used to avoid mental discomfort about certain things. Meaning: you can know something, but not let yourself know you know it, if you actually do know, to avoid internal discord. It's not the same as the military definition, exactly, that has to do with need-to-know and information security." He waited for Mr. Stark to say something, but the man simply stared at him in confusion. "You were ranting about someone not telling you something important, because there was nothing, or so they thought, to tell you, no top of your having a bad reaction to a mere mention of the subject material."

    "Oh. What does that-"

    Dr. Knutz sighed. "How old was your father during the second world war?"

    Tony paused. "I... thirty? Maybe? Doc..."

    "And how old is Captain Rogers? Physically, not chronologically."

    "The same, or close to it." Tony frowned at him. "Why?"

    Dr. Knutz felt like getting up and ranting himself for twenty straight minutes, but settled for looking down at his note pad again. "One more question: those stories that your father used to tell you, about this man. What context did he tell them to you in? As examples of behavior he wished you to follow, or as fond tales of times gone by, for you to hear? War stories, as it were."

    "I think... both. Again: why?"

    Dr. Knutz studied him for a moment. "Because you seem to have two frames of reference for Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark. The one gleaned from your father reminiscing when he was older, and the personal one from personal experience and knowledge due to working with him." Someday, he was going to personally thank Agent Romanoff for provoking this line of conversation. Somehow.

    Tony nodded slowly. "Right. Still don't see what Dad talking about him has to do with Steve not telling me anything for two years."

    Dr. Knutz stood up, went to the door, and looked out. "Mr. Hogan, could you come in here, please?" Happy entered the room and Dr. Knutz closed the door again. "Thank you. You can sit down, if you wish."

    "I'll stand," Happy told him as he leaned against the door frame, arms folded.

    "Fair enough. Tell me, Mr. Hogan... did your father serve in the military?"

    Happy nodded. "Did a tour in 'Nam."

    "Ever talk about it much?"

    "Not a lot. When he did, it was about fellow soldiers, people he considered brothers. Met a few of them, once or twice."

    Dr. Knutz held up a hand to forestall Tony from saying anything. "When and if he told stories about his time in military service, what were the circumstances of the storytelling?"

    Happy glanced at Tony, looked at Dr. Knutz. "I see where you're going with that, Doc."

    "I don't," Tony grumbled.

    Dr. Knutz smiled, then flipped the page on his note pad and wrote down several things. "I told you before, Mr. Stark. I am here to help you find answers and learn things, not to hand-feed you the answers and let you stumble in the dark unknowingly. I had a grand-uncle who served on Guam. He never talked about it, except for once, over a beer with my father, on the passing of a fellow soldier."

    Tony frowned at him. "So..."

    "So I know a thing or two about this, yes, but not from your experience." He looked up at Happy. "Ever gone golfing?"

    "No," Happy answered, frowning at him. "Why?"

    Dr. Knutz ripped the page from his notepad, handed it over to Tony, who took it reluctantly, then stared down at the movie and book titles. "Then that is where you'll be going today, with your charge. Play nine or eighteen holes, talk about your father. His father. Whatever happens to come up. Bring him to his appointment on Monday."

    "But I don't have-"

    "Yes. You do, Mr. Stark. And we will schedule it before you leave."

    Tony glanced up at him. "And the golf movies?"

    "They're good. And Bobby Jones had something in common with your Captain Rogers, growing up... poor health."

    "Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Ann Porter?"

    "One of the better books about the 1918 Flu Pandemic," Dr. Knutz answered.

    Tony frowned at another three items on the list. "Bread Givers and Call It Sleep? And... Band of Brothers? Wasn't that some kind of a miniseries?"

    "About life as an immigrant on the Lower East Side." Dr. Knutz stood up, went to his book shelf, pulled three of those, and handed them to Tony. "In fact, here. I don't have a copy of Pale Horse here, though. And yes, Band of Brothers was a miniseries. Did you watch it?"

    "No. Why?"

    "Read the book first, then."

    "That's not an answer, Doc."

    Dr. Knutz sat back down in his chair, smiled. "Perspective is important, Mr. Stark. Be glad I didn't add The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men."

    Happy just barely succeeded in not laughing at Tony's incredulous expression. Barely. "Well, Boss? Let's go make that appointment and then hit the range."

    Dr. Knutz watched as Happy escorted him out, then shook his head and moved to prepare for the next appointment.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Getting out of the car, Tony looked out at the sea of manicured green that was the golf course that Happy had brought him to. "Where are we?"

    "South Brooklyn," Happy answered as he shut the driver-side door.

    Tony sighed. "Why Brooklyn?"

    Happy smiled. "Why not? Come on."

    "I don't even like Golf!"

    "This wasn't about you liking Golf. This is about time spent outside and talking, Mr. Stark."

    "Nothing I say will get me out of this, will it?"

    "No."

    They entered the club house to arrange a tee time, and in the middle of that, an older man joined them at the desk and told the attendant that they could join him for their Tee Time, since their other two got held up. At that, Tony turned to study the guy, and found him vaguely familiar. "Um..."

    The man smiled. "Rent your clubs, Mr. Stark. We'll talk out there, away from prying ears."

    The attendant chuckled. "Good one, Doctor Nettleton. Prying ears. Right."

    "Not you, Rick. And Rob got stuck in a consult, so..."

    "Ah. So, Mr. Stark: right or left handed clubs?"

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    They were joined by another man, this one a little younger than the first, wearing a grey FDNY polo shirt. Doctor Nettleton introduced himself as Mark, and the other man as David, his brother. Tony looked from one to the other in confusion. "So..."

    "You were probably overwhelmed at the party," David observed. "Which is understandable, because there are a lot of us."

    At that, Tony suddenly understood. "Oh. You're part of Rebecca's family. Her... what?"

    Mark chuckled. "Nephews."

    He sighed. "Happy, I don't think this is going to work, if-"

    "Tony," Happy interrupted, making Tony blink at him in surprise at the use of his first name. "Of course this is going to work. People to talk to, ones who will not repeat it to anyone. Correct, Doctor?"

    "Correct," Mark told him. "Medical confidentiality trumps one's need to gossip. And Dave's an engineer. No one asks him if he knows any juicy gossip." David laughed. "It's true!"

    Tony eyed the shirt David was wearing. "Right. So... who is going first?"

    Mark motioned to the first tee. "You, sir. I want to see your swing."

    "I don't golf."

    "So much the better! A beginner!"

    Behind them, Happy grinned as Mark and David coached Tony on how to swing a golf club correctly after watching him practice swing badly.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    David studied the score card while Tony attempted to hit his ball off of the sixth tee, smiling because the man had yet to make par or even birdie. "So what brings you to South Brooklyn on a Friday afternoon, Mr. Stark?"

    "What brought you?"

    David glanced at Mark, who mouthed 'total evasion,' and he chuckled. "Rob and his wife were going to meet us for a round, but they both got held up in consults or time consuming procedures."

    Tony stared off across the green. "Therapist. Wanted me to think about veterans. Or something."

    Mark frowned and turned to Happy. "Vets?"

    Happy nodded. "In the context of them not talking about their experiences much, except for select things."

    David turned to look directly at Mark, who rolled his eyes and decided to tee off instead of addressing the subject himself. "We know a thing or two about that, yes."

    "Huh?" Tony wondered.

    "Mark never talks about it, but he went to Vietnam. As a doctor."

    Mark did two or three practice swings, then shrugged as he stepped up to the tee and placed his ball. "Not much to tell, Dave."

    Tony sighed, for Dr. Knutz had made his point without even being there to make it.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Isaac was taking his break when he noticed Mr. Stark himself come into the building, Mr. Hogan following along behind him, with a set of golf clubs and a paper bag. He frowned at that, wondering when Mr. Stark had decided to take up golf, and why he didn't look particularly happy as he got on the elevator.

    Shrugging to himself, he sipped his coffee. Maybe an opportunity would present itself where he could personally ask Miss Potts about that. Maybe.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    A/N: the movies Tony got prescribed to watch included The Legend of Bagger Vance, The Greatest Game Ever Played (also the book), Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius, and Tin Cup. (Yes, the Kevin Costner movie. Tony needs some comedy here. Seriously.) Also, the golf course that Happy took Tony to was Dyker Beach, in South Brooklyn.
     
  11. Onderon1

    Onderon1 Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Mar 18, 2008
    Daena - Apologies for not replying sooner - been playing catch-up over on the Beyond board ... :p

    Interesting nuances in how Tony (unconsciously) sees Steve ... very complex relationship, there. [face_thinking]

    And is Lucky ... a Pizza Dog reference !? [face_laugh]^:)^=D= Brilliant bit of working that in. :D

    (For those not in the know - https://comicvine.gamespot.com/lucky/4005-84953/
     
  12. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    Golf therapy! I like.

    BTW, I have played golf, but I sort of stink at it. Unless you count the Wii. I don't stink so bad at Wii golf.
     
  13. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Onderon: Yep. Lucky is indeedy a Pizza Dog reference. :) And that relationship? So, so complex... Thank you. :)

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701: My father loves golf, but basically the only golf I've played was a computer game, too. Thank you. :)


    Two and a Half Weeks Post the Battle of New York...


    It felt odd, sitting there on Rebecca's couch with a photo album with Miriam occasionally telling him who the people were while Rebecca made phone calls. It wasn't that Steve didn't want to be catching up... just that it felt odd. Very, very odd, and he'd already been overwhelmed before stumbling upon Rebecca the way they had... he flinched when Miriam reached over to turn the page, and she drew her hand back, eyes filled with concern. "Sorry."

    Miriam shook her head. "No, I shouldn't have touched you, and you don't need to say you're sorry. Aunt Becca?"

    Rebecca glanced over at them with a smile. "Mark and David are on their way with Hannah, and Amos is bringing Abby with him."

    "Oh, good."

    Steve stared at Rebecca. "Amos? Last I saw him, he was three or four."

    Rebecca laughed at Miriam's expression of confusion. "He's Miriam's father, Steve!"

    Steve looked again at Miriam. "Oh. This is weird. And... Hannah who?"

    "Now that," Rebecca said as she stood up to go replace the phone on the charger base. She'd been very reserved since she had basically shooed Pepper, Clint, and Natasha out with a promise to return him at some point to Stark Tower. "How do I explain this? You knew her, before. She was a friend of Emma's, and married Victor, Emma's husband, a while after..."

    Steve nodded slowly. "Right. And... who else is coming?"

    Miriam looked from her aunt, to Steve, and back again, and then chuckled. "You didn't."

    Rebecca's smile grew exponentially, and Steve was struck nearly dumb by how young she suddenly seemed. "Of course I did. Bert agreed with me, that she should come, too."

    "Huh?" Steve wondered.

    "You'll see, Steve." She paused for a long moment, eyes distant, then turned to look at Miriam. "It's impossible for Adam to be here, but..."

    "One thing at a time, Aunt Becca." At Steve's questioning expression, Miriam shook her head. "Story for another time, when we introduce you to Martha. You'll like her, Steve."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    The first to arrive were Amos and Abiah, both of whom were greeted by Miriam who hugged them both long and hard. She smiled up at her father. "Did Aunt Becca tell you?"

    Amos nodded slowly. "Some. Where is he?"

    "In the kitchen." Miriam disentangled herself from her father, glanced at her aunt, and took a deep breath. "But first... we need to talk. He's a bit... traumatized. You remember Mark, after he got back from Vietnam?"

    Abiah winced. "That bad?"

    "In some ways, it's worse, Aunt Abby. Culture shock and post-traumatic stress? At the same time?"

    "Also has very good hearing," Rebecca said from behind them. "He's in the kitchen, looking through a recent photo album. Amos... you were both very young the last time you saw him, so this is going to be a little bit of a shock."

    Amos nodded. "Probably more than a little."

    Rebecca looked at Abiah, who was frowning deeply. "Problem?"

    "How young was I?"

    "Less than a year, Abby. Now come on. There's a long-lost sort-of adopted uncle for you to meet." Rebecca paused, thinking about it. "Who is younger than you. Can't forget that, now can we?"

    Amos chuckled suddenly and put his arm around her shoulders. "Aunt Becca?"

    "Hmmm?"

    "Breathe."

    She turned her head to stare at him. "I'm fine, young man."

    "And I've known you my entire life, Rebecca. I know when you need a minute to process through things. Something like this?"

    ~*~*~*~*~​

    Steve's attention had been divided between straining to hear the conversation in the other room, and the photo album of color photos. He was so distracted that when he glanced up at the entrance to the kitchen, the unfamiliar woman startled him. She reminded him of Hazel... if Hazel had been older and wearing modern clothing. "Um..."

    "Amos is giving Aunt Becca a minute to collect herself, Captain," she said as she approached the table and sat down across from him. "And I won't ask how you are. I can guess, what with the stopping of alien invasions and running into familiar faces."

    Steve frowned at her wording. "Right. Who are you?"

    "Me?"

    "Yes. You."

    She slowly stood and went to the bookcase, pulled several of the albums out before she found the one she wanted, and returned. "This explanation will go better with pictures, Captain."

    "Steve," he said automatically. "You don't have to-"

    "My mother would wash my mouth out with soap, were she here and heard me disrespecting my elders with familiarity that I haven't earned, sir. So yes, I do have to. Captain."

    He watched as she pulled a chair closer and sat down, and couldn't stop himself from smiling. He liked her already. "All right. What do you want to show me?"

    She opened the album and thumbed through several pages before she found the page she wanted, then showed it to him. "Here. That's you, correct?"

    Steve gestured for the album, and looked at the pictures to find himself and Bucky with Hazel, Richard, Amos, and... "Abiah was a month old here." He blinked, startled that this woman, who reminded him so much of Hazel, would give him pictures that were reminiscent of that time, to this specific time. "Wait. Just... wait. Abiah?"

    She smiled. "Hello. And I'll call you Steve, if you want. I grew up hearing stories about the uncle who died in the war, and the man who might as well have been my uncle. Welcome home?"

    Steve stared at her, photo album momentarily forgotten. "You look so much like your mother."

    "She does," Amos said from the doorway with a smile. "And it's too bad Mother couldn't be here to greet you, too."

    Steve looked from Abiah to Amos and back again. "Amos?"

    "It's a lot to take in," Rebecca intoned as she entered the kitchen, Miriam behind her. "Especially when you might have changed someone's diapers at least once and now they're older than you and are grandparents."

    Amos laughed at Steve's dubious expression. "There is some truth to that!"

    Steve eyed Rebecca, not missing the fury in her eyes. "You're mad."

    "Yes. But not at you." Rebecca sighed. "Trouble is... I can imagine Emma, here with us. And..."

    Steve watched as Miriam quietly left for a minute or two, then came back with a small black thing. "What is that?"

    Miriam smiled as Rebecca spun to look at her. "This is a more modern camera than what you remember, growing up. Aunt Becca? Go over there, would you? Picture time." She blinked when Rebecca plucked it out of her hands. "Or not..."

    "You first," Rebecca told her, nodding to the table.

    ~*~*~*~*~​

    Next to arrive were two men, a woman with a toddler on her hip, and an elderly woman who appeared more frail than Rebecca, who if she'd not been being helped by one of the men, Steve would have gotten up to help her into a chair. She waved at him, smiling. "Isn't every day I get to see an actual ghost who resembles someone we lost, only healthier. Hello, Steven."

    Steve frowned at her, then looked at Rebecca. "Is this...?"

    Rebecca sighed, and motioned to the elder of the two men. "Mark." Then the younger. "David." And then the woman with the toddler. "Stephanie, and her daughter Jade. Mark was born in '46, and Dave in '54."

    Stephanie chuckled. "Mom and Uncle Gilbert were somewhere in the middle, there, Aunt Becca."

    "Quite, but for the purpose of introductions, it's best to keep this simple," Rebecca explained with a mild glare directed at Hannah, who simply smiled back at her. "And yes, Steve. This is Hannah."

    Steve looked at Stephanie, still frowning. "So you are one of Emma's grandchildren?"

    Stephanie grinned. "Yes. Would you like to hold Jade?" The little girl hid her face in her mother's shoulder and Stephanie chuckled again. "No, Jade. He's not a stranger, he's family."

    "Don't know!" Jade told her without looking up.

    Stephanie quickly pulled a chair out and sat down very close to Steve, and got Jade to look at her. "He was gone a long time, sweetie, but is back now. All right? Your Uncle Amos knows him, and we would like you to meet him. What do you say?"

    Jade stared up at her mother for a long moment before glancing over at Steve with a worried expression on her face. "Momma know?"

    "Starting to, yes."

    "You don't have to convince her," Steve told her, and then blinked when Jade lunged for him with a laugh. "Oh! Hi."

    "Have stawbeeies?"

    Steve frowned again, then looked at Stephanie. "Strawberries?"

    "Jade loves strawberries," she explained, still smiling. "And really, Jade. You've only just met him!"

    "Want, Momma! Want!"

    Mark cleared his throat suddenly, and they all turned to look at him. "Steph, could you, Amos, Dave, and Abby take Jade into the living room for a minute, please?" Stephanie frowned, but nodded and did exactly that, sweeping up Jade as she did so. Mark waited a moment, then looked at Steve with a serious expression on his face. "You did well, Captain Rogers."

    "Huh?"

    "She shouldn't have done that, knowing that you've recently been in combat," Mark explained patiently. "More importantly... Aunt Becca shouldn't have taken that risk with Jade, and she knows it."

    Rebecca sighed, then nodded as he glared at her. "You're right. I hate it, but you're right. I just... something normal, after being reintroduced to Amos and Abby this way? It's not the same as you returning from 'Nam." She waved Steve off when he got that confused expression on his face again. "We've got stories, Steve."

    "Yes," Hannah said after a moment. "And Mark, while right... is also wrong in this instance. You, Steve, need, and probably have needed, something as normal as a two-year-old that wants strawberries in your lap. Becca evaluated him before calling any of us, Mark."

    "And I'm fine," Steve said. "Startled and confused, but fine."

    "And Mark?" Miriam spoke up. "It's more culture shock and PTSD from certain things than it is reactions to people and children." He stared at her. "What? We helped Jill through medical school, and I do medical transcription."

    "Fair enough," Mark said as he sat down in the chair that Stephanie had vacated and really looked at Steve. "Sorry."

    Steve shook his head. "No, it was warranted, and... Buck would have done the same in your shoes."

    "Really?"

    "Yes. Really."

    Rebecca came to rest near Hannah's chair and leaned closer to her as Mark and Steve began to converse in earnest. "I won't tell him that you set him up for that. Ever."

    "What are step-mother's for?" Hannah whispered back with a grin on her wrinkled face. She winked at Steve when he glanced at them in annoyance.


    Earlier today...


    He still wasn't sure how the Nettleton brothers managed to actually talk him into going to the Bronx Zoo with their family, but here he was, sitting on a bench and looking into an enclosure with a Snow Leopard, in a part of the park that was called the "Himalayan Highlands." Tony glanced at the elderly woman seated in a wheelchair parked next to the bench he was seated on, and wondered why Mark had told him he was to be her escort. "So..."

    "You don't have to pretend, Mr. Stark. Not here. It's the zoo."

    Tony paused. "I don't?"

    She glanced at him, then went back to looking at the Snow Leopard. "No. And I'm not going to lecture you, either. I did want to, the moment I saw you here, but... you don't know me, and I don't know you. I'd like to change that, if you'll let me."

    "Um..."

    She held out a hand, and he slowly took it, shaking her hand. "I'm Hannah Bailey-Nettleton. You met my stepsons yesterday while golfing."

    Tony glanced over to where Mark and David were looking into another enclosure with some of the kids. "Oh."

    She squeezed his hand to get his attention, then released it when he looked at her again. "It doesn't surprise me that he'd invite you to the Zoo, really. He probably diagnosed you with PTSD within minutes of talking to you." At Tony's frown, Hannah smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I know a lot, because I've chatted with Becca, but that doesn't really tell me much. So my first question is this: How are you?" She raised her hand, stopping him when he opened his mouth. "And you don't get to lie to me by saying that you are fine, Mr. Stark. You are your way to being fine, but you aren't there yet. If my children didn't and don't get to lie to me, then neither do you."

    Tony looked away from her, to look at the Snow Leopard again, and found that it had turned it's head and was lazily watching them from where it lay. "You sound like Dr. Knutz."

    "Must be a smart man, your doctor. And that's evasion." He turned a startled expression on her, and Hannah simply looked back at him with a wry expression. "What? Basic psychological defense mechanisms 101."

    Now he was intrigued, for he wouldn't have immediately pegged this woman as someone with that kind of knowledge. It was enough to make him smile. "You're right, as hard as that is for me to admit to a stranger... no. I'm not fine."

    Hannah nodded. "Mm-hmm... and my second question is: what can I do and how can I help you, Mr. Stark?"

    "You want to help me? Why?"

    She stared at him for a moment, hazel eyes narrowed, and then threw a glare in Mark's direction. Tony looked to find the man was now watching them instead of interacting with the kids. "Has no one ever freely offered you help before, that it's so foreign a concept? If so, I'll be having words with Steve when he's out of exile." She paused, shook her head. "And how odd is it that I sound like his mother right now?"

    Tony laughed, surprising himself. "That's not it. I just... find it hard to talk to anyone. Frustrates Pepper to no end, Mrs. Nettleton."

    "I can imagine." He looked at her incredulously. "What? Just because I'm old, doesn't mean I can't sass people to my heart's content." He chuckled again, and then blinked in surprise when they were joined by a small bundle of energy in overalls.

    "Grandma! Big kitty!"

    Hannah laughed. "Yes, Jade! Very big kitty!" She looked around. "Now where's your mother, hmm?" She followed Jade's pointing finger and nodded. "Ah. Would you like to help me keep Mr. Stark company?"

    Jade looked Tony, who was watching them with a twinge of a smile on his lips. "Mither Tark?"

    "He's a friend of Uncle Steve's, Jade," Hannah explained patiently. "Remember? He was at the party in the park?"

    "Oh," Jade said slowly. "Like the big kitty, Mither Tark?"

    Tony nodded. "Yes. It's a very nice Snow Leopard."

    "Ah-hah! Found you!" an older boy said, startling them, and Hannah smiled again. "She got away from me. Sorry, Gramma Hannah!"

    "That's fine, Alan," Hannah told him. "Go bug Ruth and Maria for me, hmm?" He grinned and took off running, and Hannah shook her head in amusement, then looked at Tony, who was fighting and losing a battle not to smile.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    She stood, watching the man converse with her grand-aunt-in-law and couldn't help but frown deeply. Jennifer Proctor wanted nothing more than to rush over there and give him a slap in the face, visibly and publicly, even if it meant being brought up on assault charges. A hand on her arm caused her to jump, startled, and she looked at David. "Sorry."

    "Don't be. Also... don't. Let Mom sort him out."

    "The nerve of that man," she hissed, causing him to blink at her. "Doing what he did..."

    David dropped his hand with a nod. "I know. Mark and I got him to open up a bit, but the subject of the fifteen-year-old never came up. And I know you want to march over there and do something that would get you arrested, but now really isn't the time."

    Sighing, Jennifer nodded, letting the common sense wash over her. "Now I'm glad I dropped Chase off at the Queens Zoo, with Connie as his minder." She pulled out her cell phone, checked it, and smiled at the picture Chase had sent of a t-shirt. "Ah, they've visited the gift shop."

    "Hmmm?"

    She showed him. "I wonder if they have that one here?"

    David stared at the picture of four beetles impersonating Abby Road, then chuckled. "Maybe. And that's a report I want to see Secretary Ross reading: 'Subjects went to the Zoo for the day, visited gift shop, and got t-shirts with anachronistic references.'"

    She stood there for a long moment, staring back at him in disbelief, before telling her son to buy it. "How is this our lives, that we're talking offhandedly about surveillance thrust upon us by crooked bureaucrats?"

    "You're the one who wants to slap a billionaire, Jenn," David reminded her patiently. "Normal is relative."

    She paused, glanced toward Hannah and Mr. Stark again, and nodded. "Good point."
     
  14. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    I've been missing this. So glad there's finally more of it.
     
  15. Mira_Jade

    Mira_Jade The (FavoriteTM) Fanfic Mod With the Cape star 5 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2004
    Oh, I loved Hannah's conversation with Tony - and the trip to the zoo! He's on his way to being fine, but he's not yet - but this big, beautiful family is certainly helping him on the way. [face_love][face_love] As a contrast, I loved Jenn's feistiness; she certainly has every right to feel the way she feels, and David is so good for her. :D

    I too have missed this one! I'm glad to see it being updated again. [face_dancing]=D=
     
  16. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Cowgirl Jedi 1701: Thank you, and here more is. :)

    Mira_Jade: Yep. They so are. And as for the feistiness... she's a mom, and allowing herself a minute to be upset on behalf of May Parker, whom she allowed her son to lie to. Thank you. :)

    A/N: I thought we were going back to Wakanda for this chapter... until I started writing it. Mason's oldest sister Allison Nettleton-Camilli was mentioned chapters ago in passing, and Angela Nettleton-Pasternak had a drabble set appearance for On Down Thru The Years.
    Alt Titles for this chapter were: "Captain America Runs Like a Girl!" or "Runs Like A USO Dancer" (Because there aren't enough call-backs to those USO Dancers...)
    Many thanks to Ewok Poet and BrightFeather for the encouragement. It is much appreciated.


    Fact-Finding In Bucharest


    A week ago...


    Stepping off a plane into the busy airport terminal of Henri Coanda International Airport in Bucharest, a woman in a slightly wrinkled beige pantsuit can't wait to take a shower, change clothes, or take a nap. Not necessarily in that order. Moving with the crowd, she makes her way to the baggage claim and waits for her suitcase.

    "There you are!" a voice yelled, and she jumped, tired and startled, to find her oldest daughter running towards her, other siblings, and two cousins behind her. "Mom!" Before she even had a chance to drop her carry-on or react in any other way, she was enveloped in a group hug involving five teens. Well... four teens and a pre-teen, that was, as she got a good look at her youngest.

    Good-natured laughter sounded around them as she extricated herself from the group hug, only to point at her husband with a tired grin. "You! You put them up to this, Nick!"

    "Aren't you glad I did?"

    She pulled her two youngest into side hugs. "Always, and I'd rather be here than Rotterdam!" That earned her a laugh from not only her husband, but also her cousin that they were here to visit. "Next time, Angie, you get to go to the ICC instead. If there is a next time."

    Angela smirked. "I doubt they'd want to hear about therapeutic body movements, Allison. Now, which bag is yours?"

    "This one!" One of the girls yelled excitedly, and Allison laughed as two of them pulled the blue bag from the conveyor belt of the baggage claim.

    Allison leaned into Nicholas as he put his arm around her. "Honestly, my carry-on is heavier than that one."

    "Yes, because you're carrying case files," Nicholas muttered in her ear. "How was it?"

    "Later. Too many prying ears."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Later turned out to be after dinner, a nap had while seated on the couch in the embrace of her husband and watching the four teens and one pre-teen in the room play Trivial Pursuit. Now, after they'd managed to get everyone to go at least try to sleep, Angela was seated at the kitchen table, paging through one of the case files that she'd found in Allison's carryon bag. Allison pursed her lips as she sat down, knowing very well which particular case file it was from the pictures. "Need me to explain?"

    "I've been sitting here, reading this... utter crap, and all I can think of is Jill reading it and trying to make sense of it, as if she understands every word." Angela glanced at her, noted the distant expression. "What?"

    Allison sighed and gestured to the case file. "She's seen it. Aunt Becca made sure she did."

    "Oh." Angela studied her with narrowed eyes for a moment. "Okay... it's more than a suddenly not-dead-any-longer long-missing Uncle. Isn't it? And don't try to brush it off as if it doesn't matter, Ally. This is family. Our family, that I didn't even know was here until I couldn't do anything about it because an anti-terror squad took the decision out of my hands before I even knew I had one. Still upset about that, by the way. And did you know that Captain America runs like a girl?"

    Allison paused, frowning. "What?"

    "Mitica and I saw part of it," Angela admitted. "On our way home from an appointment. Saw the helicopter and the flying guy first, and had to park the car, and then across the street, one right after the other, down they came from atop a building."

    She gestured for her bag, and Angela pushed it toward her. "I'm going to need you to write all of that down, and sign it. Where's..." She rummaged in the bag for a moment before finding a legal pad and a pen. "Ah. And yes, it's more." She handed the pad and pen to Angela. "Runs like a girl?"

    "Balletic," Angela told her and began to write. Over her shoulder, Allison saw Nicholas and Anton peeking into the kitchen, and motioned them in while also 'shushing' them with a finger to her lips. "Not that I actually saw very much."

    Allison chanced a smile directed at her husband while Angela wrote. "We might just be able to write this trip off on our taxes after all."

    Nicholas snorted in laughter. "I think we passed that point a week ago with your getting on a plane for The Hague. Not that I was actually worried about the taxes, that is."

    Allison rolled her eyes at him. "Last thing on my mind, really. I've more been wondering where I start in finding witnesses when what I've got is an assortment of surveillance photos from CCTV cameras and the location of the persons who tipped off authorities here in Bucharest, courtesy of Miss Potts and SI Legal." She noticed that Angela had paused in her writing. "Are you done?"

    "Yes."

    "Then sign it and date it."

    Angela did so and put the pen down. "You have surveillance photos?" Allison pulled a manila envelope out of her carryon, handed it to her. Angela opened it and started going through them, then frowned and looked at Anton. Then she beckoned him over and handed him one of the photos. "Is that Piata Ramnicu Sarat?"

    Anton frowned in thought, then nodded. "There's some high rises near there, too." He glanced at her, noted the frown. "And you two want to go out and question people, armed with a photo of your Uncle?"

    "Idee buna, idee rea?"

    He looked at Allison with a smile, noting that she'd pulled another file out and was looking through it. "I think... good."

    "Ally?"

    "Hmmm?"

    "Exactly what did you do at the International Criminal Court? This looks like a brief on Human Rights Violations..."

    Allison sighed. "That's exactly what it is, because what happened to Uncle James was a complex series of violations. I consulted with several Human Rights lawyers, spoke to a judge or three..." She flipped to a page and showed her. "And got this."

    Angela stared at the page in non-comprehension for a moment before she blinked and took the file back to really read it. "This says it's... wait. What? Is this saying that, due to improper arresting procedures, because there was already a mediator on-site, and because there's no actual evidence of wrong doing by the defendant, in light of the evidence against Zemo found in Berlin... oh. Wow."

    Allison took the file back with a grin. "Politics is messy. In Europe? Doubly so."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    To: PsychologyMom
    From: OccupationalHazards
    CC: BarnesFamilyLegalTeam, HeadMinion
    Subject: Crossfire...

    ...could actually make a good talk show title, I think. And Mason... why are we making Minion jokes every time we email you?

    Allison got here safe and sound from The Hague, if very stressed out and in need of dinner and a nap. (Reporters showing up to the office in a huff? Huh?)

    And Jill... we may or may not be able to visit you in Ituri. I think their return trip is slated for August 3rd on the Queen Mary 2, which doesn't give anyone enough time to actually vacation and relax between now and then. We'll see. When's that supply plane due again from Bangui?

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Getting out of the car, Allison looked up and down the street, frowning at how plain and nondescript the buildings were. "This street is depressing."

    Angela chuckled as she closed the door. "Communist-era apartment buildings, mostly. Functional, and yet... depressingly Spartan." She pointed toward a corner. "Around that corner is roof access to the freeway tunnel, and I saw them come down off of... that building."

    "Roof access to a tunnel?" Allison wondered as she hefted her digital camera and took pictures of the street they were on, the building she'd pointed out, and the corner in question. "Weren't the engineers worried that someone would fall in?"

    "In their defense, the access does look like a flower planter unless you're right next to it... and no one in their right mind would normally jump down into it."

    "Normally being the operative word," Allison muttered as she looked upward, calculating with her eyes, and then she frowned and moved to really look up at some weird indentations that from a distance had just looked like a part of the building design. She took a zoomed-in picture of the indentations, then showed her cousin. "That's not part of the architecture."

    Angela frowned at the picture, then squinted up at the side of the building. "No, they're not. Captain came down with his shield, and the first guy was being chased by a second... with claws, because the spacing is just right for a hand. Intriguing."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    The stairwell was standard for one of these older buildings, Angela observed as they climbed the stairs. She'd nearly lived in a building like this, after college when she'd moved to Bucharest for work. "Tight quarters."

    Allison nodded as she got to the twelfth floor landing, only to pause. "Look at this."

    Angela joined her and frowned at the bent railing. Had someone landed, or... she glanced upward, noted that the skylight was broken. "Take a picture and keep climbing, Ally. Whatever did that, came from above."

    "You think so?"

    "Unless some drunk had a thick skull and fell directly down, yes."

    Allison chuckled, snapped a picture, and then frowned at the doorway they'd passed that led to a balcony. "What floor is this?"

    "Twelve. Why?"

    "How tall is the building next door?"

    Angela grabbed the camera out of her hands, went out onto the balcony, snapped some pictures, and came back with a stunned expression on her face as she looked at the bent railing again. Then she blinked and turned to look at the doorway again, before going to examine it. "There was a door here. The hinges are damaged. So... out onto that balcony, hop to the next roof?"

    "Captain Rogers could do that jump," Allison muttered as she bent down next to the railing and really looked at it, then peered upward into the stairwell. "I see a broken railing up there, several floors up, that's bent crazily."

    They stood there, taking in the fact that the available evidence was telling a certain story in regard to egress from the building, looked at each other, and began to climb again. Several floors higher, there was a large indentation in a wall... "I know that shape!"

    Angela frowned at her. "You do?"

    Allison took another picture, nodded. "That's about the size of the shield." Angela continued to frown. "Steve showed it to me once. Or rather, to Aunt Becca while I was there." She glanced down into the open space of the stair well to orient herself, and noticed where the bent railing was. "Whatever he was throwing the shield at... Angie, go over there to that landing."

    "Huh?"

    "Orientation, and I need to see something." While Angela did as she asked, Allison traced the possible trajectory of the shield with her eyes, not missing other dents in the walls and how beat up it was on these upper floors. Turning her attention back to her cousin, she frowned. "So... that explains it. He jumped, as crazy as that is to consider. And there were a bunch of guys in here."

    "Chaos," Angela agreed.

    "Ce faci aici?"

    Allison frowned and looked toward the sound of the voice, to find an older woman, gray hair cut short, wearing a gray sweatshirt and black pants with white shoes, watching them with a critical eye from an open door... "Oh. Angie?"

    Angela answered her in Romanian about what they were doing in the stairwell, and the conversation was too swift for Allison to follow until the woman turned to her with a smile. "Ally, this is Daciana. Seems she has a story of her own to share..."

    Allison slid the photo out of the envelope she'd been carrying it in and handed it to Daciana, who frowned as she studied it. "Do you recognize this man?"

    Daciana glanced at Angela, who repeated the question, and then nodded. "Da."

    Allison grinned as she accepted the photo back from the woman. "Then we definitely want to talk to you, ma'am."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    To: OccupationalHazards
    From: HeadMinion
    CC: BarnesFamilyLegalTeam, PsychologyMom
    Subject: Crossfire!!!! It's been ages!

    You'd have to be here for that Minion joke explanation, Angie. Suffice it say, it's apt.

    Mike and Jane (and Allison) got the reporters all stirred up and doing actual investigative reporting instead of gossip-mongering by unleashing Aunt Becca on them. Yes, it was exactly as satisfying as you think it was, especially since, among other things, Daniel was afraid to answer the front door for a bit due to the sheer amount of pestering. Fara comentarii, indeed.

    Glad sister dearest is safe and sound with you. One of 'em, anyway.


    To: OccupationalHazards
    From: PsychologyMom
    CC: HeadMinion, BarnesFamilyLegalTeam
    Subject: Re: Crossfire?!? No!!!!

    After asking Caroline... it's in a week and a half to two weeks, depending on our needs. Something to consider here: Allison and Nick's return trip date and when school starts, plus the travel time between here and Europe and New York. What? Just because Maria is in college now, doesn't mean I don't still think that way! It hasn't been THAT long...

    You did WHAT to reporters? I hope you filmed it!

    The Queen Mary 2... and that explains how Allison and her family are in Europe and how they got there with no major fuss. Maybe I should look into that for our return trip home.


    To: PsychologyMom
    From: HeadMinion
    CC: BarnesFamilyLegalTeam, OccupationalHazards
    Subject: Re: Crossfire... yes!!!!
    Attachment: LabWorkConversation

    Jane may have recorded the one with Christine Everhart, using the intercom system.

    And really, Jill... who cares about school and return trip dates, and how much under the radar are you trying to fly at a time like this?


    To: HeadMinion
    From: LegalBigSister
    CC: OccupationalHazards, PsychologyMom, BarnesFamilyLegalTeam
    Subject: Right... no Crossfire for Mason. Ever again.

    **reads...** Uh-huh. I second that question, and also want to slap my little brother on the back of the head. Jane? Oblige me, please. (Really far under it, you idiot.)

    And that said... none of us are deep cover agents, and I only chanced international travel to Europe because I had to, to go to Holland. If we can make it happen in the next week or so, then we make it happen. If not, we are fine right where we are, here in Bucharest, visiting with family. Am I clear? Good.

    Jill: Exploding lakes and snow in Egypt? Really?

    Someone get Aunt Becca to explain the meatloaf and Jello thing. I'm confused.


    To: LegalBigSister
    From: PsychologyMom
    CC: HeadMinion, OccupationalHazards, BarnesFamilyLegalTeam
    Subject: Re: We lost all the Crossfire parts on purpose!

    First of all: neither my child nor Mike's are stupid and I had to distract them from asking pointed questions. It just so happened to be Lake Nyos that came to mind. And it DID snow in Egypt recently. Miriam said the same thing, by the way.

    Second of all: Still wondering myself about meatloaf and Jello, even if they are bland foods that are absolutely perfect.

    Third of all: Mason, there is such a thing as plausible deniability. Mayhap you've heard of it?

    Fourthly: Intercom recordings! Yay!

    Fifth of all: I'm not above forcing you all to decode 5-cipher on purpose. Don't tempt me.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    Upon arriving back in the office after a business visit to the Romanian Consulate, Jane opened the Diplomatic Pouch to find numerous witness statements, a bill for roof repair directed at the JCTF from an irate building manager, and a packet of pictures. Opening the packet, she began to sort through them, and had to pause at the first one. It was an obvious selfie, with a grinning Angela in the foreground holding a sign that said "Captain America Runs Like a Girl!", and a roof-mounted air conditioning unit behind her that had a big dent in it... and were those claw marks or was she imagining things?

    On the back, it said: "No, you're not imagining the dent or the claw marks, Jane. That was sheet metal, and it takes a lot to dent it, so just imagine the kicking force of whatever slammed whomever into the thing... with claws."

    "What is that?" Michael asked from behind her, and Jane showed him the picture. "Oh."

    Jane chuckled. "Apparently, you need to send Allison on fact finding missions more often, and team her up with Angie."

    "Are the rest of the pictures that humorous?"

    They quickly discovered, with increasing dismay, that they weren't. Several were of the inside of a ransacked apartment where the windows had been covered with newspaper... before being broken. There was also one of an older woman, on the back of which was: 'Nice lady named Daciana who had only good things to say of Uncle James. Said he was nice, quiet, and fixed things for her a couple times. We took her statement and gave her Aunt Becca's phone number and told her to call. Maybe she will.'

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    To: PsychologyMom
    From: BarnesFamilyLegalTeam
    CC: HeadMinion, OccupationalHazards, LegalBigSister
    Subject: Re: So THAT'S what happened to it. I wondered...

    **bops Mason on back of head as requested** You're welcome.

    Oh, I have at least three different recordings of THE TALK, as given by Aunt Becca. They are all entertaining. (Did I give Christine Everhart her recording equipment back? Hmmm... not that she'd actually miss it or anything. The woman probably has four different mini-tape recorders.)

    And... thank you, Allison, for the trip to the Romanian Consulate. I'd wondered what it was like to actually get a Diplomatic Pouch. Whose idea was the pic on the roof? For that matter, how did you even get access to that roof?


    To: BarnesFamilyLegalTeam
    From: OccupationalHazards
    CC: PsychologyMom, HeadMinion
    Subject: Re: things I saw while driving...

    It was mine, and after reviewing footage from YouTube, well... he DOES run like a girl. Or a dancer. Also? I'm not sure who was more shocked: myself or Mitica at the sudden spectacle of Captain America dropping to the ground after two guys and disappearing around a corner in a balletic sprint.

    As to how we got access... we talked to the building manager, who is still unhappy about guns being fired at his building, particularly the roof, that he had to pay to repair. Allison gave him the billing information for the JCTF in Berlin, and we sent a copy of it to you.

    Oh, it was a new experience for us, too. Had to convince them to let us use a diplomatic courier and explain why.
    -Angie

    ~*~*~*~​

    Steve had just exited the bathroom after his morning shower and getting dressed, to find Jill leaning against the wall, waiting for him with a grin on her face. "What?"

    "I want to see you run."

    He motioned down the hallway to the bedrooms. "But what about-"

    "We have half an hour, Steve. Come on."

    "Why do you want to see me run?"

    Jill paused. "Never in my life did I think the explanation for anything would be 'Angela and her son saw you on the streets of Bucharest for all of five seconds.'" She shrugged. "Call it medical curiosity?"

    Steve stopped to stare at her. "Angela and her son... saw me in Bucharest? Who is Angela?"

    "You've met Stephanie and Allison, right?"

    "Yes."

    "Angela is the third member of the cousin band, who lives in Bucharest."

    Steve paused, thinking back. "Oh. Right, she was at Abiah's funeral."

    Jill grabbed his hand, and he reluctantly let her pull him along. "And if an Occupational Therapist thinks you run like a girl, I want to see why she thinks that. So... demonstration!"

    Stepping out of his room after overhearing, Sam grinned and followed them outside. After all, he had his own morning run to do...


    Two days after that...


    A flat package arrived via international mail with no return address and Angela couldn't help but frown at the content of a note attached to a photo-realistic drawing of a group of women in short, somewhat skimpy dancing outfits that seemed really familiar until it dawned on her that she'd seen them before, in old footage of Captain America's USO tour.

    The note read...

    After an interesting discussion and demonstration, it came to light that our former dancing monkey, one Captain Rogers, hadn't run much before becoming a science project. The girls helped him get acclimated to his new body in the months following, and one had been a ballerina before joining the USO. Good observation, Angie.
    And... after discussion between myself, the flying VA representative, and the on-site psychologist: stay home and do not send us Allison or come yourself. Now is not the time, and we'll tell you when, not before. Not sure when that'll be, and it's best they go home rather than draw attention here. I hate to do that, to tell you no, but... circumstances demand that I do.
    -Jill

    Angela stared at the drawing for a long while before putting it on the refrigerator and making sure it stayed there with a magnet. It was good to know a little more, even if she could do nothing more than offer silent support from afar.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~

    A/N: Will we be going back to Wakanda next post? I think so.

    Translation from Romanian...

    Idee buna, idee rea?: Good idea, bad idea?

    ce faci aici?: What are you doing here?

    Fara Comentarii: No Comment

    Piata Ramnicu Sarat is an open air market in Bucharest, likely the one that the set in CACW was trying to be. It is near some high-rise communist era apartment buildings.
     
  17. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    This was a cool chapter. They mentally reconstructed part of the fight from liking at marks on surfaces. They met Bucky's former neighbor, who had nothing but good things to say about him. The ECHR thinks Bucky is a victim of human rights violations. (And they're right) And when Steve gets told he runs like a girl, he's just, "Well yeah. Girls taught me how to run. So what?"
     
  18. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    Cowgirl Jedi 1701: You had me wondering momentarily about what the ECHR was, and then I found out we meant the same thing! Only... huh. Interesting. Looking at the information on that: Bucky is owed a giant apology from the Russian Federation, as they are a Member State. (I was tunnel visioned on the Geneva Convention.) Thank you for the insight. :)


    A/N: When last we left our heroes in the present... Bucky found out about the Miracle on Ice, Tony met Hannah Bailey-Nettleton at the Bronx Zoo where Maria Mackenzie and Ruth Proctor were leading half the kids in the extended Barnes family through a Zoo activity that included a scavenger hunt, Elley promised to teach Tony some dog commands, revelations were had in Catonsville, Natasha arrived in Oymyakon and met the pups and Elley and was talked into taking a nap, and Rob and Kristy Mackenzie both missed golf the day before for varying reasons. Onward.


    Now...


    They'd been chatting for a while and Tony had relaxed enough to open up a little more without realizing it, when a woman he sort of recognized joined them and plucked Jade off of Hannah's lap. "Ah-hah! Found you, munchkin!"

    "Down, Kisty!" Jade squeaked. "Want Gamma!"

    Kristy laughed. "You're missing all the fun, Kiddo!" She set her down and pointed in the direction of the group of kids and parents. "Go on. I'll keep 'em company now, okay?"

    Jade blinked up at her, then nodded and ran off. "Kay!"

    Kristy glanced at Hannah with a wry expression as she stood back up, then nodded toward the group. "If my animal-loving kid was observant enough to notice the tension radiating off of Jenny and Steph, then it was time to do something about it." She looked at Tony, smiled. "Hello again, Mr. Stark."

    Tony frowned. "Which one is your kid?"

    "One of the two group leaders over there," Kristy said with a motion of her hand. She studied Tony for a moment, then smiled. "You good, Hannah?"

    Hannah smiled up at her. "We are. Where is Rob?"

    She bent down next to the wheelchair and took a deep breath before speaking again. "Rob's having a week where I wish Jill was here and not in the Central African Republic." At Hannah's concerned frown, Kristy sighed. "Just the complex pancreatic case alone would have been enough to make me concerned, but... thyroid storm and two brittle diabetics."

    Hannah nodded gravely. "So I should call later tonight?"

    "Good idea." Kristy glanced at Tony, who was frowning at both of them. "Mr. Stark, are you free for dinner?"

    "You," Tony started, pointing at her. "Want me to come to dinner with you?"

    "Yes," Hannah told him. "For Rob's sake. It's hard to explain, but pancreatic cases are personal for him, and his sister is in Africa, and..."

    "Okay," Tony interrupted, then squinted at Kristy. "How personal and why does it matter where his sister is?"

    Kristy winced. "That's a complicated question, Mr. Stark. Both how personal and why it matters. So can you and Mr. Hogan meet us at Happy Days in Brooklyn? Sevenish?

    "Yes," Happy said from where he was standing, admiring the Snow Leopard while also being alert. "It's for a good cause, Boss," he said when Tony turned to look at him with a frown. "And you can't spend all your time in the lab."

    "No," Hannah said after a moment. "It's good to be around people."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    When Natasha woke from her nap, the last thing she expected to find were pups on all sides while Elley and a man she'd not met earlier led someone through commands in both Russian and Yakut. She lay there, wanting to outright chuckle while stroking the head of one of the pups. Was Elley always that animated when he used Skype, or was it simply the subject matter? "Gruzovoy avtomobil'."

    Elley paused, nodded slightly, and did so. "No, Stark. Patient here. Now repeat that word."

    Ah, so it was Tony. She listened cheerfully for several more minutes before the call ended and Elley sat down with a contented sigh. "Why freight car?" She eyed the man leaning against the door jam suspiciously. "Oh. This is Michil. Michil, meet Natasha."

    Michil nodded to her. "I'd like to know that, too."

    She wanted to linger in the sea of fur and togetherness that she'd woken to, but the moment was here as she glanced between them, two men grown and shaped by the snowy wilderness they lived in, in one of the coldest places on the planet. They deserved an answer. "It's a code phrase."

    Michil frowned. "A code phrase?"

    "Oh," Elley said after a long moment. "Like the green socks... thing."

    "Exactly like that." She moved to get off of the cot, but a pup licked her nose. "Hey!"

    "Seem to want you to stay right there," Michil observed with a grin.

    "Well, they're coming with me, so there's no need for added affection!"

    Elley smirked. "Always need for that, especially from pups." Over the top of Yellow Collar's head, Natasha glared at him. "What? It's true!"

    She motioned to the dog sitting at his feet. "And that one?"

    Michil smiled. "This is Saya. Elley wanted to give Stark visual examples of the commands, and we thought it would be good for you to meet her."

    "Why?"

    "Mama dog," Elley answered, then clapped his hands and the pups, all three of them, immediately turned their attention to him. "Ko mne!" The three pups went to him and he nodded to a side room. "Go and see to needs."

    She did.

    ~*~*~*~*~​

    A tap on his shoulder should have made him jump from being startled after the day they'd had, Mason reflected as he turned with a frown to look at who had snuck up on him, only to find Kristy and Andi. "Oh. It's only you two."

    Kristy nodded to the still hugging pair. "Right. And them?"

    "Miriam really needed a hug," Mason explained, then looked at Andi with a puzzled frown. "Why are you here? Didn't you have work or something?"

    Andi grinned. "I had shift yesterday, and Maria really wanted me to go to the zoo. You missed a good presentation."

    "Speaking of that," Kristy interrupted, and Mason turned his attention back to her. "Where were you and Grandma, and Miriam today? We missed you."

    Mason sighed and didn't miss Kristy's glance at the camera in his hands. "We went to Catonsville for coffee with Jane."

    "You expect me to believe that, with Fran so close to her due date?" She held up a hand, silencing him before he could speak. "Never mind. I'll ask Jane."

    "Ask Jane what?" Rob asked from behind him. "Hello Mason, Andi."

    "Why she'd go three hours away for coffee," Kristy answered, then pulled the camera out of Mason's hands. "And as I saw that message from Dan this morning, pose for me, all of you!" They did, and then she gave the camera back to him. "Now then... Rob? You're coming to dinner. Aislinn's meeting us at Happy Days with Maria."

    Rob shook his head. "Can't. I've got patients."

    Kristy stepped in, kissed him firmly, and then smiled up at him. "What you've got are concerned nurses, and your family wants to see you. Got it?"

    "Yes."

    "Good." She then spun, looked at Miriam. "And how are you, since Dan said you needed some cheering up?"

    "Better," Miriam answered. "We'd join you for dinner, but we're meeting up with Jane and Aunt Becca shortly. Jane had something that couldn't wait at the office."

    Kristy nodded slowly, then looked at her husband. "Well? Go get your things! We're going!" She watched him go, glanced at Mason and Andi, then turned her attention back to Miriam again. "Is the story a good one, for why Jane would be going to Catonsville today?"

    "It is."

    ~*~*~*~*~​



    The email handle list, as requested by Fierce_Queen...


    PsychologyMom: Jillian Mackenzie-Pentel
    BaltimoreDinerLover: Robert "Rob" Mackenzie
    EngineerStudent: Martin Mackenzie
    WorriedNurse/NurseInLaw/MightyNurse/CrazyScrubs, ect.: Rebecca Barnes Proctor
    CEOWomenRock: Pepper Potts
    RedGoldMan: Tony Stark
    BarnesFamilyLegalTeam: Jane Talbot, Michael Proctor (mostly Jane)
    HeadMinion: Mason Nettleton
    DetailTeamMinions/BillTheMinion, ect: State Department Detail Team
    WildMoonEagle/OtherMom/RadioMom: Kristy Blake-Mackenzie
    FamilyTranscriptionist: Miriam Baines
    KnutsForHorses/KnuttyHorseMan: Dr. Carl Knutz
    AwesomeSecretary: Lucinda Conklin
    SILegal: Stark Industries Legal Department/Isaac
    StonyERDuo/Trio: Andrea "Andi" Mackenzie, James Proctor, Nicole Proctor
    WeatherKid: Thomas Mackenzie
    WisdomsPower/HikarinoSenshiChiReiYST: Fran Talbot-Fuller
    WesternStories: Damian Pentel
    SiberianDoc: Elley
    SiberianMechanic: Michil (tho he never seems to use it...)
    LegalBigSister: Allison Nettleton-Camilli
    OccupationalHazzards: Angela Nettleton-Pasternak
    MSFIturiAdmin: Caroline Harris
    VolunteerZookeeper: Maria Mackenzie
    SilverWave: Allison "Ally" Fangor Granger-Pentel
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2021
  19. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    A/N: This is way, way later than I actually meant to return to writing... **peers up at last posted date...** Heh. My thanks go out to @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha , @DarthIshtar , and @Vek Talis (And yes, I'm done trying to make the weird thing less weird.)

    tag: @Mira_Jade


    Spatial Genetic Multiplicity


    Nineteen Days Ago...


    They'd been chatting for a bit, with Chris and Peter and Vincent engaging the young man in conversation while the rest of them listened when the woman with silver (or maybe gray) piping on her sleeves suddenly interrupted them with an odd question that caused Mason to turn and look at her funny. "Why do you want to talk to a lawyer?"

    The woman, who had introduced herself as 'Ally', shrugged. "None of my teammates are lawyers, and I would like to talk shop with a fellow lawyer, Mr. Nettleton. The law is the law, no matter what dimension or timeline it is."

    Mason paused, then spun and looked out over the crowd... "My oldest sister Allison is over there, chatting with Grandma Hannah. She's a lawyer."

    "Old woman in wheelchair, wide-brimmed sun hat?"

    "Yes."

    "Ally," Peter spoke up as Ally stood, dusting off her uniform pants as she did so. When she looked at him, he tapped his wrist. "Be discreet."

    "Of course." She glanced down at Mason, smirked. "Your sister's name is Allison?" At his nod, she looked at Peter again. "What do you think? Pass myself off as a Rachel, or..."

    Vincent laughed. "Are you planning on staging a bird rescue on live TV while in Elephant morph?"

    Ally paused, considering it. "Only in certain circumstances, you moron. "

    "Then go have that talk."

    Mason watched, puzzled, as she chuckled and then moved off into the crowd. "Bird rescue?"

    "We've got stories," Chris told him with a smile. "Including one where my Dad, before he actually learned to drive, caused his team leader, also his best friend, to have hysterics involving trash cans while trying to stop a dust monster from Saturn from either eating or capturing someone else. And that someone was Ally's mother, Rachel, who once rescued a bird with her boyfriend on live TV." Mason stared at him. "What? You didn't have your parents tell you horror stories about driving?"

    "Something about that feels familiar."

    "Ah-hah!" Vincent said as he pulled something out of a pocket and handed it to Mason. "I knew keeping one of these would come in handy. Here."

    Mason stared down at a book with a cover that had a girl in a purple shirt morphing to a horse. He stared at the Animorph book for a minute before raising his head to look at Chris, who was still looking back at him with a wry expression. "Oh. So..."

    "We're from another dimension, Mr. Nettleton," Chris explained as his gaze shifted to the crowd. "And... Really, Vincent? Why do you even have one of those in your pocket? And why that one, anyway?"

    Vincent shrugged. "Just in case we got kidnapped by an evil sorceress again. That dark dimension is not good for kids, and what better distraction than a government conspiracy based around an alien toilet?"

    Chris glanced at Peter, who was fighting an outright laugh, then looked out over the crowd again with a frown. "Point. And... huh. That's interesting."

    "What is?" Vincent asked as he turned to follow Chris's line of sight. Ally had stopped at the food table on her way to Mason's sister and his grandmother, and was chatting with a pair of young women, before moving on again. One of the young women turned so the group could see them, and Vincent blinked, startled. "Oh."

    "That's just Ruth and Maria," Mason told them dismissively as he turned back. Then he frowned at the various expressions of wonderment and took in the fact that they all seemed shaken and thrown as one of the women stood up and really looked around. "Unless it isn't..."

    "We might have a problem," she said, and pointed. She winced suddenly and put a hand to her ear, listened for a minute. Then she sat down again and glanced at him. "Actually not a problem." She winced again.

    "What?" Everything about her reaction and her wording was setting off alarm bells. What kind of problem, and why would whoever was on the other end of her earpiece stop her?

    "What Amy means to say," Chris interrupted, his tone a scary shade of neutral that made Mason wince, while Vincent sighed and spoke quietly into his communicator. "Is that we can't tell you, yet. When Ranko and the others get back here in a bit... yes. But right now... no." He motioned to the book still in Mason's hands. "I take it you're at least familiar with that book series?"

    "Read the first couple," Mason admitted, making a mental note to circle back to the subject of why the sight of two of his cousins made everybody clam up so suddenly. "Liked other things more. The hysterics involving trash cans does stand out, though... Your father still drive erratically?"

    Chris smirked. "No."

    ~*~*~*~*~*~​

    They were sharing a moment alone in the crowd of family when the woman in the dark, sort of out of place jumpsuit came up to them and simply watched. Allison frowned at her, wondering why that expression of... something... felt so familiar, before she beckoned her closer. "Hello."

    The woman blinked, looked away for a moment, and then seemed to shake herself. "Sorry. I thought I could do this, have a chat lawyer to lawyer, but..."

    Hannah nudged her and Allison glanced at her, frowning. "Bring her over here."

    Allison nodded, stood up, grabbed the woman's left hand, and hauled her over. She pointed to the chair she'd been sitting on. "Sit."

    "I-"

    "You need a moment, Miss...?"

    She blinked and sat as ordered. "Ally. Er... Rachel."

    "Which is it?"

    "Ally."

    Allison continued to frown, but turned and went to drag another chair over. Then she sat down on her grandmother's other side and simply looked at the woman, her blonde hair up in a braid, the silver/gray piping on her sleeves... "So. Lawyer to lawyer, hmmm?"

    Ally stared at Hannah, then nodded. "But can we do person to person first? It's easier. And... you remind me of my grandmother, ma'am."

    Hannah smiled. "I do?"

    "She passed. Not that long ago, really." Ally shook herself, then looked away. "Sorry."

    Hannah reached over and caught her hand, and Ally looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Never be sorry, and I'd love to hear about your grandmother."

    Ally smiled, glanced at Allison. "I feel like I'm interrupting a thing."

    "You're not, really." Allison motioned to her jumpsuit. "You here with Mason's group of detail people? I'm never really sure how many there are."

    Ally paused, then nodded. "He did point me in your direction, so... yes. And... this is going to sound weird, but I kind of wanted to discuss the legality of the Sokovia Accords with you. The military application towards enhanced individuals, I mean."

    Allison's eyes narrowed. "Oh?"

    "Yes. Aside from the danger of putting people on lists and those lists getting hacked like the IMF Agents list from Mission Impossible..." Ally shrugged at Hannah's amused expression. "...and this is the first chance I've gotten to discuss it with another lawyer, military or no."

    Allison stared at her for another minute before nodding. "Fair enough. Mission Impossible? Really?"

    "First comparison that came to mind."

    Hannah was an interested witness to an intricate discussion on the applications in International Law for the Sokovia Accords...

    ~*~*~*~*~​

    He almost didn't notice them when they reappeared and noiselessly integrated themselves, due to Peter and Chris and Vincent still managing to keep him focused on them. In fact, the first one he noticed was the woman in the odd t-shirt and sweat pants, who hadn't sat down yet... "I Can't Keep Calm, I'm a Swim Mom?"

    She glanced down at him, then looked out over the crowd again. "I wasn't on this mission until yesterday, and my uniform... too painful to wear right now. Still tender."

    "You didn't have to come," Ranko spoke up from her seat next to Peter, which caused Mason to startle and look at her in mild surprise. She smirked and leaned into her husband with a familiarity borne of years and years of intimacy. "Some special agent you are, if a doctor can sneak up on you."

    The woman still standing laughed as Mason took stock of everyone and suddenly realized they were short three people. "Ranko, let him be. We have forty years on him."

    "True."

    "Where are your other three?"

    The woman glanced at him again, then sat down with a very visible wince on her face... wait. He blinked in recognition as she looked at Ranko with a sigh. "Don't start. I know my limits, and you'll have to help me up again. I know."

    Ranko nodded, then motioned to Mason. "Actually, I was going to mention him and the hologram protocol. The range... he can see you."

    She paused and glanced at him again, taking in his stunned expression. "Oh."

    "Maria?" Mason wondered, staring at her. She was older, eyes weary, and expression a scary sort of neutral, but this was most definitely his cousin. "How in the-"

    "Going to stop you right there," Maria interrupted, her familiar and neutral but authoritative tone startling him because it wasn't odd for Jill to say that, but he'd never heard his cousin speak that way. "And ask you where my brothers are. I see Andrea, but not Martin or James." He blinked, startled again at the mention of siblings.

    Mason took a moment to compose himself, then shrugged. "Martin is in Boston for school... and I assume you don't mean my cousin James, who is over there with the camera."

    Maria looked, and then shook her head with a wry smile. "No. Andi's triplet brother."

    Mason smiled. "Oh. Thomas is at McMurdo Base for a year or so." For some reason, that caused Maria to laugh. "Why is that funny?"

    "Some things are the same," Ranko explained with a smile. "Time line to time line, even if names and other details are not."

    "Wait," Mason said, trying to get his bearings as he glanced at Maria, who was studying him with that scary neutral expression again. "Are you telling me that there's another Jillian Mackenzie out there in the multiverse who had children with Damian Pentel, and one of them wanted to work in Antarctica?"

    "Sort of," Maria told him. "Though... my mother's maiden name was not Mackenzie, and I have three younger siblings. I don't see them here, and Elsie had a panic attack before she could give us any details beyond 'oh God, Jill's here!'" Maria shook her head, then glanced at Chris. "And then Susan had to pull them both."

    "Which is wise," Chris replied, tapping his ear in acknowledgement. "Jess told me."

    "You have younger siblings?" Mason wondered, still stuck on the idea of it. He blinked again when Maria pulled a small album from the pocket of her sweatpants, and opened it to show him a family photo containing... Rob, Kristy, Jill, Damian, and seven kids. He recognized four of them. "Oh."

    "My younger sister Erin, and my brothers, Connor and Matthew," Maria explained. She handed the album to him and let him leaf through it. "And just between us: if someone finds a bat in a cave very soon, you don't get to say you already knew, Mr. Nettleton."

    Staring down at one of the pictures as her words sank in, Mason nodded slowly. He didn't get that reference entirely, but he'd look it up later. The implication... "Right. Who are these two?"

    Wincing as she moved closer to look, Maria peered at the picture of her mother and father with her and her grandparents. "Oh. Those are my mother's parents."

    'The same, but not the same,' Mason thought to himself as he studied them. He remembered seeing pictures of them, but they'd been a bit younger, in formal attire, and that had been Kristy and Rob's wedding album or albums that Jill had let him look through. Slowly, he raised his head and looked at her, at this woman who was family, but not. "Thank you."

    "For?"

    "You didn't have to say anything, and yet, here you are, explaining as much or as little as you can." Mason noticed the strain on her face, and remembered how she'd winced when she had sat down on the grass. "Is something wrong?"

    "No," Maria said as she took a breath and pressed her hand to her side. "Still recovering from surgery, three weeks ago, and it doesn't matter how advanced the procedure is. Abdominal surgery still hurts. I'm going to regret standing up again, but it was worth it." He started to give the small album back to her, but Maria shook her head. "No. I have another, and your Jill will be curious when she finally has time to ask Dr. Khamisi about their visitors who left her a letter that will make no sense."

    "Speaking of," Ranko said, drawing his attention, and he saw the manilla folder in her hands. "Captain Rogers said that we could give these to you, Agent Nettleton."

    Mason accepted the folder from her, at once noting the Avengers seal on the cover. "Oh. Thank you."

    "You done scrambling him yet, or should I go and have another long talk with one of his family members?" Ally asked as she re-joined the group and Mason opened the folder to read the first page.

    Maria snorted in laughter, then winced and rubbed at her side. "Oh, we're done. How was your chat?"

    "Very good, actually," Ally answered. "I know more about Enhanced Persons Rights than she does, and she gave me some things to think about in regard to birthright law. I almost want to do what Mel did and stay here. Almost."

    Maria laughed again. "Connor would never agree to move to another dimension."

    "You sure?" She turned and looked at one of her team mates. "Exactly how hard was it to convince Whuki to move?"

    Rala rolled her eyes. "That's different, and we haven't actually decided yet."

    "But you already know you're going to."

    "Dependant on what Dad thinks of the whole thing, sure." Rala watched as Mason closed the folder and raised his head to frown at her. "What?"

    "You people are weird," Mason said finally. "Are you always this weird?"

    Maria smirked. "Even when we're not dealing with odd cases of spatial genetic multiplicity." At the recognition in his eyes, her smirk deepened. "Why Mister Nettleton... are you a Whovian?" At his nod, she laughed again.

    Ally chuckled as she sat down on his other side and nudged his shoulder. "And really, you have an uncle who was used badly by the Russians for seventy years. Pot, have you met kettle?"

    "Ally," Ranko said, a hint of warning in her tone. "We are not here to be insulting, and at least his sense of weird is intact."

    "Point." Ally glanced out over the crowd. "Mr. Nettleton?"

    "Yes? And you can call me Mason. Mr. Nettleton makes me look around for my Dad."

    Ally smiled. "What are the details in the case for your uncle? If you know, that is."

    Mason stared at her. "You... want to help with the case?"

    "If possible. So...?"


    Two days after that...


    It wasn't very often that Everett Ross found himself being surprised, but this was definitely one of those times as a woman who seemed to be in her early-thirties with blonde hair and blue eyes was led into his office inside the Joint Counter-Terrorism Task Force offices in Berlin. She was wearing a grey/silver pantsuit and carrying a brown briefcase, and frowning at him. "And who are you? Security wouldn't give me any details other than your last name..." He squinted at the business card that she'd handed to him. "Miss Fangor." What kind of law practice was Proctor & Camilli?

    She set her briefcase down on the chair on the other side of his desk, then continued to regard him with that ever-present frown. "I'm the lawyer that you should have called, Director Ross."

    Everett frowned at her in return. "When should I have called a lawyer?"

    "In May, when Captain Rogers suggested it. You didn't, and here we are." She held up a hand, forestalling him from saying anything. "He wrote to Sergeant Barnes's sister, she brought said letter to my law practice. Be glad I'm here and not her. And that said... I also would like to speak to your prisoner. After you."

    "I'm sorry?"

    She pulled a slip of paper out of a folder in her briefcase and handed it to him. "This is a court order for any and all information on James Buchanan Barnes whilst he was in your custody, Director. You and I are going to have a conversation, and then I am going to have a conversation with Helmut Zemo. You won't like it, and neither will he, because I am here on my client's family's behalf, at his sister's behest, to get any and all evidence and statements required. If you have a problem with it, you can take it up with the UN Security Council, the International Criminal Court in The Netherlands, or the government of Romania. Did you know that the Romanian Government was and is upset with the JCTF for attempted murder of one of their citizens, among other things related to this?"

    Everett stared hard at the piece of paper in his hand, then looked at her again. "You are the Winter Soldier's lawyer?"

    "One of them, yes. And he has a name. I suggest you use it."

    "I'm really not going to like this, am I?"

    "Was that rhetorical, Director? I assure you, that you won't." Before he could retort or get enough leverage to think straight, she opened her briefcase again, pulled out a pen and a pad of paper, and sat down with an open smile that did nothing to put him at ease.

    "When you say that your client's sister received a letter from Captain Rogers... did you bring that with you? For that matter, why would he?"

    Allison's lips quirked momentarily before her posture seemed to relax slightly. "No, I didn't happen to bring it with me. As for why he would write to her... she's ninety-two and a handful, and from what I understand, he can't lie to her, not even by omission. He really, really can't. And it's her brother they'd been trying to find since the collapse of SHIELD. You remember that, yes?"

    "Yes." Really... who didn't, and what kind of question was that?

    "Then I don't need to lay out anyone's motivations, now do I? My client's sister wants her brother back. His family, including those who only know of him from family photo albums and history books, want him back." She glared at him, clicked her pen once. "Now that I've explained quite enough, why don't you start with the capturing procedure? How did that go down?"

    The next hour or so was one of the more uncomfortable ones of Everett Ross's life.

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    To: BarnesFamilyLegalTeam
    From: LegalBigSister
    CC: HeadMinion, SilverWave
    Attachments: SoundFile1, SoundFile2, LegalTranscripts
    Subject: Someone went to Berlin for me...

    ...and I can't say that I'm sorry I let them do it. Attached, please find interviews with CIA/JCTF Director Everett Ross and Suspect Helmut Zemo. Do let Mike listen to those, Jane, because he needs a good solid chuckle.
    As for who Miss Fangor is... she's someone Mason knows. Ask him.


    To: LegalBigSister
    From: BarnesFamilyLegalTeam
    CC: SilverWave, HeadMinion
    Subject: Re: Oh Lord...

    Thank you, Allison. Will add this to the list of things we've got. And I will ask your little brother. Whomever this Miss Fangor is, she's exactly correct about Rebecca and Everett Ross being very glad she wasn't there.


    To: SilverWave
    From: HeadMinon
    Subject: You did what?

    Ally, when you said you wanted to help, you didn't tell me that you were going to basically gaslight a government official. Also, I don't recall introducing you to Aunt Becca.


    To: HeadMinon
    From: SilverWave
    Subject: Re: Hee...

    Allison introduced me to her at the party, after Hannah. She reminded me of my own grandmother, and Grandmother Naomi would have done exactly this to Director Ross. Plus or minus explaining things with finger puppets and having a Hork-Bajir along to look scary... which I didn't do to Mr. Ross, but I was utterly tempted.


    To: SilverWave
    From: HeadMinion
    Subject: Re: ...seriously?

    I'm not sure what's worse: the mental picture of a seven-foot walking weapon of an herbivore staring down Everett Ross, or that I now have to explain Animorphs to Jane. You do realize he could have arrested you, right, Ally?


    To: HeadMinion
    From: SilverWave
    Re: Yes. Seriously
    Attachment: JointPsychometryReport-WinterSoldier, ReadingListForMartin

    (a) He was too off balance to think of it.
    (b) In order to arrest me, you have to have charges that apply to extra-dimensional law. There are none for this situation. I checked and double-checked. Also, I broke no laws doing that, and I impersonated no one, but now I feel like apologizing to Bernie Rosenthal for stealing her thunder, even if I didn't.
    (c) Have fun explaining the wacky book series that is, kinda, my life. If they ask, that is. I told Allison very little of my own background.
    (d) I'm not sure if this will make sense to you, but Elsie wanted me to pass something along, no matter how odd. So: "Hazel suspected. She went back the next day alone to try to find the homeless guy who reminded her so much of her brother. She didn't find him." (If you read the attachment, Mason? Careful treading. Elsie and Dawn had nightmares for weeks afterward.)
    (e) Dawn said Martin would find the reading list helpful. How or why all of that is going to help, I have no idea. Is Martin doing some kind of psychology research project involving complications of PTSD?


    To: SilverWave
    From: HeadMinion
    Re: The Reading List

    Actually, yes, he is. He had questions about a weird psychology tool presentation, and Jill is forcing him to read up on things so they can really talk about it. He'll be delighted to get more to add to the list.
    And thank you for the nightmare fuel that I can't say how I got it.


    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~​

    When she answered the door, Jane found Mason standing on the doorstep, with a backpack on his shoulder. "Oh. Hi. Where's..."

    "Shopping with Dan," Mason told her. "Can we talk?"

    Jane took in the fact that he'd come alone and had a very pensive expression on his face, which was really unusual for him, and stepped aside. "Of course. About what?"

    "Miss Fangor," Mason muttered as he led the way to the kitchen where Henry was doing the dishes. "Because she so spectacularly did what she did."

    "I wasn't going to ask," Jane pointed out as she watched Mason set the backpack on the table and he pulled from it a binder, a small photo album, and a manilla envelope. "You know people of all sorts."

    Mason sighed as he handed the album to her. "Maybe, but this... I'm not even sure I completely understand, and it happened to me. And," here he tapped the binder. "I got what we can rightly call nightmare fuel on Uncle James. Not that we didn't already have enough, that is."

    "Understand what?" Henry wondered, curious as he laid the dishtowel on the counter.

    "The ramifications of spatial genetic multiplicity," Mason told him honestly while Jane paged through the album. At Henry's frown, he shrugged. "You asked. How's Fran?"

    "Stir crazy," Fran answered for herself as she entered the kitchen and carefully sat down in a chair at the table. She took a deep breath, and then noticed that her husband was mildly glaring at her. "What? I'm allowed to move around some, so long as I don't overdo it."

    "Didn't say you weren't," Henry said with a smile.

    "Oh wow," Jane breathed, startling them. "Mason, where did you get this and did you Photoshop?"

    "There was no photo shopping, no. Those are real. As for where... the same place I got the in-exile reports."

    Jane glanced at him, then continued to peruse the album for another minute or two. "I only met them once. You weren't even a year old yet."

    "Mom?" Fran asked, and Jane brought the album to her, pointed at a specific picture. "Um... who are they?"

    "Jill and Rob's parents," Jane explained and Fran took it out of her hands to really look. "Which is why I asked if these were photoshopped. If they're not... Mason?"

    "What? Do I really need to say it? I'm still reeling and it's been a couple weeks." At Jane's very maternal frown, he sighed. "All right, so I met Maria's extra-dimensional twin who sounded far older than she looked, and also a lot like Jill."

    Jane paused, unsure if she'd actually heard him right. "Of the things I thought you'd say, that wasn't one of them."

    "Yeah. Me either. And if Miss Fangor hadn't gone and interviewed Everett Ross and imitated her grandmother while doing it, I wouldn't have had to tell you. I'm still wondering why she feels like she stole Bernie Rosenthal's thunder, even if she really didn't." He joined Fran at the table, turned a page or two, and pointed to a picture of two boys, very obviously nearly identical, about fifteen or so years old. "If I understand correctly, because it was not explicitly stated, Miss Fangor, whose name is Ally or Allison, I'm not entirely sure which, is married to one of these two. Connor, I think it was."

    Fran studied them. "Huh... they remind me of Martin and Thomas. Definitely Damian. The other one's name?"

    "Matt, I think. It was a lot to take in."

    "I'll bet," Jane said. "And I'm sure Bernie Rosenthal would be amused, if we were to tell her, that a lawyer from another dimension feels that way." Mason frowned at her. "Bernie is helping us on the case, Mason. Pro bono. Allison even tried to set Steve up on a date with her, but he said he wasn't ready to date yet."

    Mason blinked in surprise. "Really? I thought Ally was just rambling in text form. Also, you seem to be taking the fact that I know a lawyer from another dimension really well."

    "We got invaded by aliens, Steve was frozen in ice for seventy years, Uncle James was dead, but not, and in enemy hands instead, and the Avengers fought each other at a German airport while one half was trying to stop the other half instead of actually working together. I'll accept that you know people from another dimension."

    "Ah."

    Fran reached over and picked up the manila envelope. "Can I open this?" At Mason's nod, she did so, only to frown at the group photo including Mason, a Maria who was older and not in uniform like the rest of them, and twelve other men and women. "This looks like it was taken at the party."

    "That's because it was," Mason told her. "I had Kurt take our picture, just so I could have evidence of something this crazy. Also, I put a copy of that picture in the card I did for Steve, because I know he talked to Commander Johnson. Apparently, we need to take him to a Chuck-E-Cheese when this mess is solved."

    "Commander Johnson?" Fran wondered, and Mason pointed to a woman who had red streaks in her blonde hair. "Oh." Her attention shifted to the Maria in the picture, and she smiled at the novelty t-shirt. "I wonder if I could get one of those?"

    "I can't keep calm, I'm a hockey mom?" Mason suggested playfully. "Where are the kids, anyway?"

    "Building a fort in the living room with cushions and a sheet," Henry said after he checked. "Awfully quiet for them, aren't they?"

    "That's how you know they're up to no good," Fran said, smiling. She watched as Jane picked the binder up and opened it up to the first page, paused, and then read what was there again. "Something wrong?"

    "Not exactly. What is psychometry?"

    Mason sighed. "That? They had two natural, trained psychics with them, who did a reading on Uncle James to help the medical team in Wakanda. They confirmed what we already know, and added a whole bunch that we don't. From what I understand, both had nightmares for weeks afterwards, and one or both had to be pulled from the lab due to panic attacks. That, and that's how they found out Jill had been there, consulting. Their psychics told them."

    Jane nodded slowly. "Right. We probably don't need this, but thank them for me, if you have a way to do that." At Mason's nod, she set the binder back down on the table and stared at it. "We would also have to explain how we got it, and we're already doing that for a thing."

    "I still think I need to call all of the hockey parents I know," Fran muttered. "Someone had to have gone to Oymyakon."

    "Maybe," Jane agreed. "If it comes to that, you can call as many as you please."

    Eventually it came to that.
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2021
    pronker and Vek Talis like this.
  20. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Nice bit of normal with time bending
     
  21. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Thank you. :)


    When We Were Very Young


    A week or so ago...


    Dr. Knutz was surprised to see his reluctant patient show up during the 6PM free hour reserved for drop-ins, and the duffle bag made him suspicious. "Mr. Stark?"

    Tony paused, then set the duffle back on the floor. "Would you believe a doctor I know that lives in Siberia requested a psychological consult on our joint project?"

    He paused, not having expected that. "I might. What's in the bag?"

    "Well... it'd be easier to just show you." So saying, Tony opened the bag and lifted what turned out to be a metal arm that had been badly severed up near the shoulder and was burnt on that end. "I told you part of the story of how this happened."

    Not sure of how to respond as Tony set it down on his desk, Dr. Knutz leaned in closer to get a better look. "All right. So it's an arm. What about it?"

    "Not it, but rather the body horror of something like this."

    That gave him pause as he straightened up to look at his patient, and heard the door open and close in the outer office. Frowning, he glanced at his desk calendar, calculating with his eyes... "Body horror?" Who could it be, that would arrive during free hour on a Wednesday?

    The answer to his personal question turned out to be a familiar young woman, about twenty-five, blonde, and carrying a journal like always. It had been years since her last regular appointment as his patient, but he was always glad to see her. Had still on the doorknob, she blinked, startled as anyone would have had the right to be. "Oh. I'm sorry, Dr.K. Your receptionist isn't here, and I thought free hour was open."

    Dr. Knutz smiled, glad for the momentary distraction. "No, that's okay, Mia. How are you?"

    She calmly looked first at Tony, then at the silver prosthetic on the desk. "You seem busy. My child development questions can wait, and Mom might be right about Rocky having a normal kid phase. Tomorrow?"

    It wasn't an emergency, then. If it had been, she would have made up a story about J.P., even though she hadn't seen or talked to him in years. "All right. See you tomorrow." He looked over her shoulder, nodded to Lars in acknowledgement, who nodded back.

    Mia nodded respectfully to Tony. "Mr. Stark, I apologize for the interruption."

    Tony watched as she hurriedly closed the door again. "Who was that?"

    "Former patient of mine. Stops by sometimes to chat and catch up," Dr. Knutz explained. If he didn't recognize the Princess of Genovia when he saw her, then Stark could continue to wonder. "So... the arm?"

    Unsettled by the interruption, Tony nodded and pulled a tablet out of the other bag he'd been carrying. "Elley really did want a consult and he's usually up about now. It's a fourteen hour time difference."

    Dr. Knutz watched as Tony turned the tablet on and then made a Skype call. "So this doctor's name is Elley?"

    Tony nodded. "He said it was a traditional Yakut name." Then he smiled, and Dr. Knutz was surprised at how his face lit up. "Hiya Doc!"

    "He there?" a male voice asked, and Tony turned the tablet so he could see a man who appeared on the Asian spectrum or somewhere in between. "Hello, shrink person!"

    Dr. Knutz laughed at that. "Hello, Mr. Elley."

    Tony chuckled. "Don't mind him. His first language isn't English."

    "Stark, can find way to make fun of you from here," Elley said, mild annoyance clearly in his tone. "This your Doctor Nut?"

    "Yes, this is my Doctor Nut. Ask him what I tried asking you."

    Elley sighed. "Been discussing that arm. Arm have... bad history. Not my question, but his. Process grafting. Unpleasant biological. Worse on mind?"

    Dr. Knutz glanced at the arm, frowned at it, then looked again at Tony. "I'd have to see how it was being used to answer that. Whose arm was this again?" He knew the answer, but wanted to hear him say it.

    "Barnes. The Winter Soldier."

    "Oh. Now it makes sense." Reaching over, he tried to pick it up, only to discover how heavy it was. "Goodness."

    "That's pretty much what Michil said," Tony muttered as he set up the tablet with the Skype call so it was propped up, giving Elley a good view of the room, and then pulled another one out, booted it, and sorted through what looked like video clips until he found what he was looking for, then handed that tablet over. "Here."

    Dr. Knutz accepted the second tablet and looked at the footage of the man in question, who looked very tired, relaxing his stance, noting how the muzzle of the gun wavered. "Is that gun as heavy as it looks?"

    Tony nodded. "Yes."

    "He looks weary here. When was this?"

    "Siberia. There's scattered footage from the airport, but I was doing other things away from where-ever he was, and didn't see him again until Siberia."

    Dr Knutz processed that information in his mind before glancing at Elley. "I'd think it'd have to be nearly as bad on the mind as it would be on the body."

    "Circumstances?"

    "Yes. Depending on the circumstances."

    Elley smiled. "I leave you with your patient now, Doctor Nut. Issues. Lots. He showed up here. Dented armor, cardiac symptoms. Had to get him out with town tools."

    Now that was an interesting tidbit that his patient should have already told him. "Can I call you back?"

    "Anytime."

    With that, they were alone, and Tony sighed. "I don't-"

    "Mr. Stark? Your friend the doctor? Smart man. Crafty. I like him."

    "I really don't want-"

    "Is life fair?"

    "No."

    "Then it really doesn't matter if you want to discuss this or not, does it?"

    Tony sighed again. "No."

    "I'm glad you're aware of that fact. Now... about this arm. Why are you looking into it like this?" He could guess, based on how much better his patient related to mechanical things than people, but wanted to hear him explain.

    "To understand it. To... build a better one?"

    "Oh?"

    ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~​

    At the end of the session, which had been very interesting, Dr. Knutz handed him a book from the bookshelf. "Have you heard of a man named Louis Zamperini?"

    Tony nodded slowly. "A bit. Didn't he break the four minute mile or something?" Then he looked down at the book in his hand and frowned at it. "You must really like Laura Hillenbrand."

    "What's not to like? She writes good, well informed, books while battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."

    "Huh?"

    He motioned to the arm still on his desk. "Our topic. I know you were a prisoner of terrorists, but were you ever a POW? Unbroken is an interesting perspective on that, and it's good to learn things about people."

    "Oh."

    "You mind if I keep the tablet? Maybe call Elley?"

    Tony smiled tiredly and pulled out a charging cord from the bag that had held the tablets. "Not at all. And the more he practices his English, the better. I really don't like the reading assignments, Doc."

    "Builds character, doing things we don't like."

    "But does it have to be-"

    Dr. Knutz held up a hand, stopped him from speaking. "You were starting with the technology rather than the person. I'm making you read that so you can get a better idea of the person rather than the shiny tech, and go from there."

    "You're mean, and I already have so much reading to do."

    Dr. Knutz smiled. "Ah, but is it helping you?"

    Tony sighed again. "If I say yes, will it get me out of more therapy reading assignments?"

    "No." Silence lingered for a moment, then he shrugged. "Could also have you watch Hogan's Heroes, but that wouldn't give you the right understanding, as funny as those are."

    "Hogan's Heroes?"

    "Did you know that one of the actors was a concentration camp survivor?"

    Tony could honestly say that he hadn't.


    Now...


    "Aunt Hazel suspected something."

    Miriam had just put the key in the ignition of her car when Mason muttered something that caused her to turn in her seat and stare at him, only to find that he was staring out of the passenger side window at the cars in the parking lot of Brooklyn Hospital Center. "What was that?"

    Something in his posture seemed off as he shook his head. "Just what I said, though I have no idea how true it is or if the messenger was pulling my leg. I didn't even know what they meant until you and Aunt Becca explained the near miss to Jane this morning. Aunt Hazel suspected something, even if she wasn't sure what."

    "Mason?"

    "Yeah?"

    "That makes no sense."

    He sighed and continued to look out the window. "It didn't make sense to me until today, why anyone would want to tell me that Aunt Hazel went to look for a random homeless guy that reminded her of her brother, alone, either." Now he turned to look at her. "I wasn't sure how to say it in front of Aunt Becca this morning, so I didn't try. She's right, by the way. Aunt Hazel did the exact right thing."

    Miriam wasn't quite sure what to make of Mason's sudden intuition or what he'd said about her grandmother suspecting something, even if she hadn't known exactly what, and it didn't make it hurt any less that he'd been so close and they'd just left him there. But... it helped to hear, now, even if she wasn't certain how Mason knew what he did. Glancing out at the parked cars beyond the windshield, she felt an odd connection with her grandmother across the years and the distance. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but settled for turning the ignition to start the engine.

    "Miriam?"

    "Yes?"

    "Do you remember which market it was?"

    She smiled. "Of course. I still go there sometimes. Why?"

    He brandished the camera. "Because we need to make a stop before going to the office."

    Miriam stared at the camera for a long moment, then smiled again. Yes. They did indeed have a stop to make.

    ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~​

    She'd been watching everything all morning and for half the afternoon before finally deciding to talk to Sam the next time he stood up to leave the room. When he did, she motioned to Steve to come with her while Jill changed out DVD's and asked Bucky his opinion on Native Americans.

    Bucky frowned at her. "My opinion on what? Why?"

    "Indians," Jill corrected.

    "Oh. Fine, I think." He glanced at Steve, who was in the process of standing up. "Why is she asking that?"

    Steve shook his head, smiling at the awkwardness. "She's asking that because this is probably that movie with the bounty hunter civil servant and the professor."

    "Yes," Damian confirmed with a grin. "You've seen it!"

    Steve shrugged. "That was actually one of the first movies I watched in the present, probably because Becca didn't trust me with war movies so soon after the Battle of New York."

    Damian nodded in understanding, then looked at Bucky. "This one treats the subject with dignity."

    "Right. Not sure why you're worried about my reaction to Indians, but..."

    Steve motioned to Clint to join Bucky on the couch while he followed Pepper out into the hallway, where Fujo was still seated, reading her book. "You don't have to sit out here, you know."

    "Too crowded in there," Fujo responded without looking up at him. "And at least this way, I get to listen to the happy cooking going on in the kitchen. How awake is the Sergeant, by the way?"

    "Enough to question why Jill would be asking his opinion on Native Americans," Steve answered.

    Now she looked up at him, smiled, and handed her book to him as she stood up. "Awake enough for pictures, then."

    Steve watched her disappear into the kitchen, then looked at the cover of the book in his hands. "Pepper?"

    "Hmmm?"

    "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?"

    Pepper blinked in surprise, then chuckled at the cover of the Ultimate Edition of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. "Well, she did say it was good earlier."

    "Oh. Why'd you want me to come out here?"

    "Sam left something out of his after-action report," she explained as she lead him farther from the common room. "Regarding Tony."

    "Oh?"

    "And I think I know what, from having reviewed all of the A/V footage, but I need him to confirm it."

    Steve frowned at her. "That's a lot of footage to review."

    Pepper sighed, leaned against the wall and folded her arms across her chest. "I needed to know what happened, to better understand. After Rhodey showed Rebecca part of the airport confrontation, and your letter, I had to review all of it, not just what happened in Siberia."

    Sam came back just then and watched as Fujo darted back out of the kitchen with one of the photo albums and ducked into the common room, purpose in her stature. "What's up?"

    Pepper regarded him with a passive expression. "I need to know if Tony hit you with a repulsor blast like I suspect he did, based on the suit readings, right after Rhodey crashed."

    Sam glanced at Steve, then nodded. "He did."

    "And you left it out of your report."

    He nodded again. "Didn't seem worth mentioning, and I get it. We'd failed-"

    "Stop," Pepper told him, interrupting as she pushed herself off the wall to put a hand on his arm. "No, Sam. I was present for Tony testing those repulsors, early on. It was not done in self-defense that he hit you, and he does not get a pass for hitting you when you were not attacking him, no matter how upset he was."

    "But we failed to catch-"

    "No," Pepper said again, daring to glance at Steve, who had an expression of total understanding on his face. "That was not your fault, either. Was it, Steve?"

    "No," Steve answered and gently put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "And I've been on the receiving end of those blasts more than once. They hurt."

    Sam nodded. "My chest was sore for a while. Khamisi said if he'd hit any harder, and I'd not been wearing tactical armor, there could have been broken ribs."

    "Which makes twice in the same day," Pepper concurred as she turned her gaze to Steve. "James protected him from the kid that Tony dragged into this mess before that." She let silence reign for a moment or two, then sighed. "His highness told me about you in Siberia, passing out at his feet."

    Steve nodded. "I remember making it to the surface door, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up to Khamisi's concerned face, asking me if I could recite Henry the Fifth at Agincourt again." At Sam's frown, he shrugged. "I liked to read a lot, growing up. Ma would get me books from the library when I couldn't go myself. Bucky and his sisters, too."

    "Henry the Fifth?"

    "'We few, we happy few?'"

    Sam paused. "Oh. Right."

    "And Sam," Pepper spoke up. "Jill might not actually be here for you, but... she is here, and a willing ear to listen, should you need to talk about what happened at the airport. I saw Rhodey fall from Tony's A/V log, and it bothered me so much that I ended up in session with Dr. Knutz while we were discussing Tony. And from what I understand-"

    "Pepper," Steve said, cutting her off in a tone that caused her to startle and blink in reflex. "Enough. Thank you for bringing this up. He will also be talking to Jill." Sam sighed. "Hey, if I don't get out of Art Therapy or uncomfortable discussions for my mental health, what makes you think you can skip the talking thing?" Sam didn't even get a chance to verbally protest before Steve hauled him into a tight hug.

    ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~​

    They returned to the common room to find Clint on the couch with Nathaniel on his lap, watching as Bucky looked through one of the photo albums with an expression of confusion on his face. Fujo sat on his other side, grinning.

    Bucky looked up at Steve, then down at the pictures again. "Oh. That's why I'm confused. Steve, you're still a punk."

    "Poo?" Nathaniel asked as Steve sat down on the floor in front of the couch with the book still in his hands, while Pepper reclaimed her chair from Lila, and Sam sat down on Fujo's other side. Steve frowned at the book, then set it down.

    Bucky glanced at him, smirked. "Yes, Nathaniel. That is Poo."

    Nathaniel surprised Clint by launching himself at Steve, and Steve caught him. "Poo!"

    "James, really," Jill said, teasing him. "He's a year old!"

    "Imagine Becca at three or four, following us around with a Winnie The Pooh book," Steve explained with a grin as he tickled Nathaniel and made him laugh. "Only she couldn't say it right, so it sounded like she was calling us Poo, instead of asking anyone to read to her."

    "Poo!" Nathaniel said again. "Bug!"

    Bucky smiled. "Not rescuing you from the tickle monster, kid."

    Steve tickled him one more time, then returned him to Clint's lap. "See anything interesting in there, Buck?"

    "Your Ma's in here."

    "Really?" Sam asked as he leaned over Fujo to look and Bucky pointed at the picture. "Oh."

    "Sam?" Fujo asked, pointedly.

    Sam suddenly realized what he was doing and straightened up. "Sorry."

    "Rebecca gave me a copy of Winnie The Pooh," Jill spoke up, startling them. "As a baby shower gift. She didn't tell me it was one of her favorites as a child."

    Bucky frowned at her. "What?"

    "Story for another time, James." She motioned to the album on his lap that Nathaniel was pawing at. "Kid there wants to see more pictures."

    Bucky blinked and looked at Nathaniel. "More pictures, Nate?"

    "Bug," Nathaniel told him in agreement.

    They sat together for a while, watching Bucky discover the past in picture form, Steve occasionally providing information when he got confused.
     
    Last edited: May 6, 2021
  22. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Very nice blend of teasing and serious. I too loved Winnie the Pooh growing up. ;)
     
    DaenaBenjen42 likes this.
  23. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    They found it already, but... Tag: @Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    ...and thank you to WarmNyota_SweetAyesha for catching that error. Much appreciated. :)
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2021
  24. Cowgirl Jedi 1701

    Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 21, 2016
    Just finished reading this through again, and I still love it.
     
  25. DaenaBenjen42

    DaenaBenjen42 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2005
    @Cowgirl Jedi 1701 Thank you. :) (There will be more, but at the moment Roganda Ismaren has my attention. Which... is in itself hilarious, because I had to write thirty-some-odd parts of this to better understand her story arc.)
     
    Last edited: Jun 18, 2021