My Alternate Universe ϟ Avengers

36

"Wake up, kid." Dad shakes my shoulder gently and fast, desperate to see my eyes open up at three four in the morning.
"Where are we going?" I say half asleep, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand. He doesn't answer and hands me the first thing he sees from my closet to get dressed. "Dad." He doesn't answer and gives me fifteen minutes to get ready.

We get in his expensive white Audi and drive for a couple of hours to upstate New York. I know the road too well that even with my eyes closed I can feel exactly where we are. I hear the gates open when my dad punches the access code and my heart flutters; I haven't been here in a really long time. Outside the massive facility I see a man contemplating his existence, almost disappointed with himself. His tall posture gives away who he is, no one stands like him, no one looks like him. We stop the car right in front of him and he relaxes the he sees us, his eyes light up with hope.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asks pretending he doesn't know the exact reason why we are here.
"Why the long face?" Tony answers him with a question. "Let me guess he turned into a baby."
"Among other things, yeah." He nods embarrassed to admit the mistake Dad told him they were going to make.
"It's the EPR paradox." We both get out of the car and stop at the rear end of the car. "Instead of pushing Lang thought time you might've wound up pushing time through Lang." I chuckle.
"He fixed it." I tell Steve, giving him a second chance for hope.. "A fully functional time-space GPS." Tony chuckles with pride.
"I just want peace." My dad does the signature peace sign with his finger and opens the trunk without letting Steve look inside. "It turns out resentment is corrosive, and I hate it." Steve nods agreeing with my old man. "We got a shot at getting these stones, but I got got tell you my priorities." He looks at me like he knows exactly what we are going to risk but don't want to lose. "Bring back what we lost I hope, yes. Keep what I found, I have to, at all costs."
"Not dying would be nice, too." I remind the two.
"You got a deal." He shakes my father's hand and wraps his arm around my shoulders.
"I have to get it out of the garage before Morgan takes it out sledding." Tony finally lets Steve look in the trunk to reveal what he once owned. 
"Thank you, Tony." I smile at the sweet re-encounter we are all having.
"Will you keep that quiet? I didn't bring anything to the rest of the team." My dad reminds Steve he is the only one who gets his toy back.
"Is everyone here already?" I ask and Steve looks at me disappointed in himself.
"We're working on it."

We walk insole the compound and the first person I see is Natasha and I don't hesitate to run over to her and give her the hug I should've give her when I saw her two days ago in the cabin. She is somewhat happy to see us but I can feel her rejecting me a little bit because of my behaviour the other day, which is totally understandable. Se knows why we are here, she knows me well enough to even ask. As Tony starts to update everyone and come up with a plan I decide to walk around the compound and go down memory lane; it's been five or six years since the last time I was here, it feels bittersweet. All the picture frames in the common room remind me of how close we were before Steve and dad fell apart; one of those pictures specially catches my attention. The picture was taken the night we first met Ultron, simpler times. Peter was still one-hundred percent human, I was with Bucky, Loki was still alive and everything was better. A tear starts slowly streaming down my cheek and I star to hope with all my heart that Steve is right with this one and that we can bring everyone back without changing anything or losing anyone: I would hate to see a different outcome.

"Are you okay?" I get startled and turn around to see Steve leaning on one of the pillars near the arch door.
"I hope you're right, Steve." I say putting the frame back where it was.
"I am." He assures me and walks closer to me looking at the same picture I was holding seconds ago. "This is the night I realized I was in love." He says without taking his eyes off the picture. "I was so jealous of Bucky." He looks at me and down at the picture again. His vulnerability is still uncommon for me but I appreciate it. "That red dress looked beautiful on you." He smiles and grabs my hands. "I missed you." He pulls me in for a kiss and I kiss him back.
"I have a terrible feeling about this." I drop my head down as a sign of fear.
He holds me in a protective embrace. "Everything's going to be okay." We stay like that for a couple of seconds before Tony interrupts.
"Everyone is on their way." His voice is full with awkwardness when he realizes he interrupted a moment between us. Steve and I look at each other and taking big breath before following Tony.