The Prince and the Sol

Chapter 31

ELIZA'S POV

"Remember, you have to return the stones to the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities." Bruce glances up at Steve from the time machine control panel.

"Don't worry, Bruce," Steve replies. "Clip all the branches."

"You know, if you want, I can come with you," Sam offers. Steve smiles appreciatively but shakes his head.

"You're a good man, Sam, but this one's on me." Then he directs his attention to Bucky. "Don't do anything stupid until I get back."

Bucky grins at his best friend. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." They hug. "Gonna miss you, buddy."

"It's gonna be okay, Buck," Steve says, nodding along with his statement. He moves over to me.

"Don't get sappy, you'll be gone for a few seconds," I joke, but tears spring in the corner of my eyes. I know it's not, but this feels like goodbye. And I've had enough goodbyes to last a lifetime.

Steve gives me a hug. "Thanks for keeping me grounded all of these years."

"Thanks for always being there." Steve walks back over to the Quantum portal as the suit forms over his clothes.

"Hey, don't forget this!" I grab Mjlinor and run it over to him, but not before turning to the others. "For the record, I can lift it. You're never going to see it again, but I can do it."

"Eliza, stop bragging and get back here," Bruce says, laughing. "Ready, Cap? All right, we'll meet you back here, okay?"

"You bet."

"Going Quantum in three... two... one!" Steve disappears. Any second... "And returning in five... four... three... two... one!"

He doesn't come back. Where is he? "Where is he?" Sam asks, voicing my thoughts. Bruce's eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"I don't know. He blew right past his time stamp. He should be here."

"Well, get him back!"

"I'm trying!"

"You get him back!" 

"Hey, I said I'm trying!" 

I quietly walk over to Bucky, who doesn't seem at all surprised or concerned about the unfolding events, so I'm not really, either. "Do you know what's going on?" I whisper.

"I do. He can finally have what he's always wanted." A small, wistful smile settles on his face.

"What do you mean? I- oh." All of a sudden, our conversation at the funeral makes perfect sense.

"Sam," Bucky says. Sam comes over to us, and I notice a gray-haired man on a bench by the lake. We approach him slowly. Bucky nods to Sam and me. "Go ahead." Sam immediately goes to talk, but I hang back for a moment.

"You're okay, right?"

He winks. "Yeah. I don't know what he's thinking. Times are so much better now." I smile and head over to Sam and Steve. His face is wrinkled and his back is bent with age, but his eyes are still that familiar blue, and his smile is as bright as ever.

"Hi, Eliza."

"Hi." I'm not quite sure what to think. It's weird seeing your ninety-year-old best friend actually look ninety after you've seen him in his twenties and thirties for years.

"So did something go wrong, or did something go right?" Sam asks. 

Steve shrugs. "Well, after I put the stones back, I thought... maybe I'll try some of that life Tony was telling me to get." 

"And how did that work out for you?" Steve smiles again, just remembering the bliss of the last years. 

"It was beautiful." 

"Wow," I say. "That's incredible. I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," he replies. 

"Only thing bumming me out is the fact I have to live in a world without Captain America," Sam says, his voice bittersweet. Steve seems to remember something. 

"Oh, that reminds me." He pulls out a brown, circular case. He unzips it to reveal the shield, and holds it out to Sam. "Try it on." 

Sam just stares in shock for a second. He glances over at Bucky, who nods, before reaching out and strapping it onto his arm. It looks good on him. 

"How's it feel?" Steve asks. Sam chuckles a bit. 

"Like it's someone else's." 

"It isn't," Steve says simply. 

"Thank you," Sam whispers before straightening up. Pride is practically radiating off of him. "I'll do my best." 

"That's why it's yours." He shakes Sam's hand, and we both catch a glimpse of a simple wedding band. 

Sam nods to the ring. "You wanna tell me about her?"

He smiles, mischief in his eyes. "No. No, I don't think I will." He winks as Sam walks away shaking his head. I plop down on the bench next to him. 

"Do you wanna tell me?" I give him puppy dog eyes, and he laughs hard. "Stevie, you may be old, but I'm your best friend and worthy-of-the-hammer buddy. Spill!" 

"Shouldn't you respect your elders?"

"Did I before? Loki's over a thousand years old, and you see how I act around him," I joke, nudging him with my shoulder. 

"It was what I needed. To live in a world I didn't feel the need to fight anymore. To finally be with her." A reminiscent look settles on his face. "And I got my dance." 

"This is what you asked me about, right? At Tony's funeral." He nods. "I'm glad you did. You deserve it."  

"I was worried you would be upset with me," he admits. "I should have known you would understand." 

"I always will." 

"So, now that all of this is finally over, what are you going to do?" 

I think about it all. How years ago, I never would have imagined this. I was just a college student, an undercover agent who really didn't know about herself. Now, I have this family, this disjointed, crazy-overprotective family who save the world every few years. I have a husband who loves me, who understands me better than I do myself. And soon enough, that family will grow. 

I catch Loki walking down the hill towards us out of the corner of my eye. Just the sight of him makes me smile. "I'm going to be very happy."