"So where is Thanos now?" Bucky asked. "After the battle he just disappeared and we never heard from him again."
"We were able to track him down a few days after we found Tony. We didn't bother calling you guys, we figured you were busy." Nat said softly. "We went to retrieve the stones and we came up short handed, they had been destroyed in the snap. He's dead though, Thor handled that one."
My eyes tracked to Thor who was in the room. Thor had always been a man of size, but he had lost control of himself. He had lost all of his muscle definition and had a beer gut larger than most. It was sad to see, but this loss had clearly affected everyone differently. I hadn't seen him since the old headquarters and I could see clearly the last 5 years caught up with him. He probably blamed himself for what happened, not to mention his brother died before his eyes just days before. I would have lost control too.
Banner had been in his Hulk form, but didn't seem to be in a state of rage as he usually did. He seemed calm and collected, but rather just big and green yet his normal self. I had no idea what most of them had been up to these last few years. Nat's hair had grown out more than I had ever seen it before, clearly I had seen her in our monthly calls but never in person. She looked to be constantly tired and it doesn't surprise me that she likely didn't sleep much. Steve however looked the same as always, maybe just a bit more facial hair.
Bucky seemed to be uncomfortable and I couldn't blame him. He had been completely disconnected from this scene for the last 5 years. Even sitting here in the very building I came to after the snap, felt very off. Nat had stayed here ever since the snap and I don't know how this place hadn't consumed her with her own thoughts. Being here now had me putting myself in the same mindset I was in when we had lost. I wondered if she had ever left that state of mind.
"He really just died just like that? After everything he put up before?" Bucky asked.
"Without the Infinity Stones, he was powerless." Steve said shaking his head.
"So what now? Tony isn't going to help us so how do we do this?" I asked.
"I think I've got it figured out, I mean do you understand quantum mechanics, it's actually simpler than I thought- I can explain it." Bruce said and I just chuckled.
"That unfortunately is well above my pay grade." I said shaking my head because while I had learned to be handy and good with tech I was far from understanding quantum mechanics.
"Well it's ready, I can actually show you." He said and he gestured for us to follow him.
We followed him to the other side of this large warehouse portion of the base. I looked to Bucky frankly not believing in this stuff, but if he really thinks he could do it, might as well give him a chance. Bruce was half of our brain power when it came to our crazy problems from before so maybe his brain was as good as Tony's.
I could see the set up they had and for starters part of it was built out of the back of a van. I walked over and Bruce started to work on his computer and Scott ran to put on a suit. I hopped up onto a counter and watched them. Nat and Steve looked over his shoulder intently watching what he did. I saw the truck come to life and whatever contraption they had built come to life.
It roared to life and Scott went to go stand in front of it. I crossed my arms and Bucky came and stood with his back towards me between my legs.
"Alright, we're gunna send you back a week let you walk around for an hour and then I'll bring you back in 10 seconds. Make sense?" Banner asked.
"Perfectly not confusing." Scott said with a smile on his face.
"Good lucky Scott, you're going to need it." Steve said.
"You're right, I do Captain America." And with that he was sucked into whatever portal was in the back of the van.
We all stood tense for a long moment watching Bruce and the truck. Bruce let out a count down and the van shook and Scott had returned. I sat up a little straighter when a younger boy was now wearing the suit.
"Uh guys, this doesn't feel right." The kid said and I started to get nervous.
"That's Scott?" Nat asked.
"Yes it's Scott." He said before getting sucked back into the van.
"Give me a second." Bruce said messing with more controls and buttons. Scott was shot back out, but this time he was old and wrinkly.
"Ugh, my back." He said sounding much older. He was instantly sucked back in and I could see Steve and Nat freaking out at his work station
"Can you bring him back?" Steve asked.
"Of course just give me a minute." Bruce said now smacking equipment.
"Oh boy." Bucky said with a voice filled with doubt.
"We're all going to die." I mumbled as another form of Scott was launch out of the machine now even further away from the correct Scott.
"It's a baby." Steve said sounding annoyed.
"It's Scott!" Bruce said defensively.
"As a baby!" Steve said angrily.
"He'll grow!" Bruce said while still frantically looking over the computer.
"Bring Scott back!" Steve demanded.
"When I say so kill the power." Bruce said looking to Nat who looked just as flustered.
"Oh my god." Nat grumbled but complied.
She rushed over to the power station and got at the ready to kill the power. We all sat there anxiously awaiting for Bruce to do something. He pressed a button and shouted for her to kill the power. Scott launched out of the van now looking like himself and I heard a sigh of relief and even I relaxed a little.
"Somebody peed my pants." He said looking very stiff.
"Oh thank god." Natasha said looking relieved.
"I don't know if it was baby me or old me... or just me, me." Scott said.
"Time travel." Bruce declared throwing up his arms.
"We're doomed." I said hopping off the counter and sighing.
I left to get away from this mess. Bucky followed behind me, but he stopped near a set of windows. I stopped and looked back at him to see why he hadn't followed me. He was looking out the window and his face was lit up from the sun. He was looking quite confused but sort of paused for a moment.
"Uh guys?" Bucky said and I walked back to his side and stood next to him looking out the same window he was.
"Is that Tony?" I asked looking at the car that has probably sat in Starks garage for the last 5 years.
"I'll be damned." Steve said joining me at my side.
We all rushed out there unsure of what's going on and why he was even here. The three of us stood at the edge of the sidewalk and Tony pulled in going much too fast. He rolled down the window and we all just looked at him.
"Why the long face?" He asked. "Let me guess he turned into a baby?"
I exhaled and turned away. I loved Tony, but if he wasn't going to help there was no reason to come here and demean us. It was clear we weren't exactly operating at the peak performance we may have had back in the day.
"Among other things yeah." Steve said. "What are you doing here?"
"It's the EPR Paradox, you're trying to push time through Lang, it's tricky and dangerous. Someone should have cautioned you against it." Tony said getting out of his car.
"You did." Steve said coldly.
"Oh did I? Well thank god I'm here." Tony said and I couldn't have rolled my eyes any harder. "Regardless I fixed it. A fully functioning time and space GPS."
He said holding up a contraption on his hands. It was a metal band around his palm and I had no idea what the hell it was. Tony must've found a way to do this, but what confused me even more is why he's here. His mind had been made up to stay out of this and it hadn't even been 24 hours since we had even left.
"Turns out resentment is corrosive and I hate it." Tony said with an exhale. "That and I need to be more than a father to just Morgan."
My eyes rose and I looked up to meet his. He gave me a soft, but almost wore a look of regret. I just shook my head because he shouldn't be here. No matter how much I wanted him here, he shouldn't be. Sure he was my dad in a way, but he was really Morgan's dad. I could take care of myself, Morgan wasn't even 6.
"I have three kids to be a father to. Two of them need my help right now." He said and I felt Steve and Bucky look to me. "We've got a shot at getting these stones."
"You're not supposed to be here Tony." I said coldly.
"But I am, and I will be. I've done the math, what we're trying to do is possible. If we do it right we can all get what we lost and keep what we've found too." Tony said shrugging.
"Sounds like a deal." Steve said reaching out to shake his hand.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. Of course I thought we needed him, but maybe Bruce could get it together. We didn't need Tony here, Tony couldn't afford to be here. I had wanted him to come, but when I stepped back and looked at it, he was right to stay home. He had a job to be a father to Morgan, that needed to come first.
"You're a goddamn idiot Tony, go home." I said before storming off inside the compound.
I could feel their eyes on me as I walked back inside far away from that conversation.
•
"He's got it figured out you know." Bucky said coming into the room we shared.
I hardly lifted my eyes to even look at him. I could hear him hang up his jacket near the door. I was head first into a tablet trying to figure out what this quantum reality stuff and traveling through it was all about. Unfortunately, there wasn't more than theoretical research and a lot of theories that weren't backed up by any actual evidence. Not any that I could understand.
The three people who knew the most were large and green and frankly hardly understood it, the other was an egotistical asshat who wouldn't tell me the risks even if I had begged, and then the other was Scott. I was unbelievably nervous for Tony to travel through this stuff to go back and get the stones. I wasn't even worried for myself, but I didn't want there to be any risk he gets lost or hurt. No amount of lives saved would ever make me consider letting him go if it wasn't safe.
"Clint went in and came out just fine. We got it to work." Bucky said and I once again didn't answer. I felt the tablet ripped from my hand and I looked up reluctantly to see him. "We missed you today. Nat really wants you at the meeting tomorrow to figure out where to go and get the stones."
"I'll be there." I said firmly and I took back the tablet.
"I thought you wanted Stark here?" He asked me.
"I thought I did. But Morgan needs a dad more than I want him here." I said exhaling.
"It's safe Valerie, you have three scientists who know this stuff on deck. It'll be safe. Tony wouldn't send us all in if he wasn't sure." Bucky said.
"I guess your right, but I still worry." I said exhaling.
"You always worry." Bucky said running his hands through my hair.
"It's what I'm good at." I said looking up at him.
He took the tablet from me, but I didn't fight against it this time. He threw it onto the table and he pulled me to my feet from the chair I had been sat on. He looked nervous for a moment and I gave him a confused look.
"You tell me to not worry, but you look just as worried." I said furrowing my eyebrows.
"I'm always worried about you." He said as his thumb traced over my jaw line.
"And why is that?" I asked.
"Because it's my job." He said softly.
"You do it too much." I said shaking my head.
"It's not work if I enjoy doing it." He said and I just exhaled with a smile.
"James Buchanan Barnes, I love you so much." I said hugging him tightly.
"Haven't heard that name in forever, I'm used to Bucky or Robo-Bitch." He said and we both just laughed softly.
"This will never get old." I said as he held me firmly in his arms.
"It better not." He said smiling against my lips. "Not anytime soon."