A/N: A lot of people want to know how William became Captain America. I think this one is super cute. Just to give a little information, Will is around 23 probably. If you want a visual of him, I'm thinking Scott Eastwood would be his face claim. Hannah is 18. I'm thinking Hayley Lu Richardson for her. Winnie is around 16 and I picture her looking like Lennon Stella circa 2015. Kate Beckinsale would be an older Catherine. Enjoy!
The door in front of William Barnes was a familiar one. He had passed by it a thousand times in the eighteen years he lived in the house. Even after he joined the Army he would frequently pass by it during his visits to his parents' home. It was a door that was protected by a code. They all knew the code, but his parents were the only ones allowed down there. He had only caught glimpses of it when one of them would sneak down there.
Will knew what was inside. He just couldn't visualize it. Winnie often made jokes that it was their very own museum, but he knew that it was much deeper than that. It was their parents attempt at keeping their jobs separate from their personal lives. The magnitude of what his parents and the other Avengers had done the past nearly thirty years had been plastered everywhere.
His school textbooks growing up. Videos. His Uncle Steve's public service announcements. Toys. Games. It was everywhere. There was no escaping it no matter how hard his parents had tried. William supposed it was ingrained into his DNA or something. His grandfather had helped create weapons and technology to save the world. His father had been in the military and the Avengers. His Uncle Tony had been an Avenger.
His mother had been a SHIELD agent, assistant director and now director in addition to being a hero. Everyone he knew was either an agent or an Avenger. Most people thought it would have been cool to have superhero parents, but they didn't see the sacrifices. They didn't see how many times he watched his mom mourn the lose of yet another team member. They didn't see his parents stitching each other up after a fight. And they didn't have to know if it was going to be the last time they saw their parents.
He walked closer to the door before punching the code in. When he heard it unlock he opened it. Their home had been an old farmhouse before his mom had renovated it. They hadn't done much with the basement until a few years after Winnie was born. Slowly, they added drywall, ceiling, floors, security measures. His mom had wanted somewhere to store valuable items that meant something to either her or his dad. Somewhere other than the Avengers compound.
The minute his foot stepped off the bottom step and onto the floor, the lights flickered on. Shelves and boxes surrounded him. Some contained old files while others contained weapons. In the corner of one part of the room were old uniforms that belong to his parents and some of the other Avengers. There was a large desk on a wall with three monitors mounted on the wall and two computers on the desk. It was where his mom went when she really didn't want them hearing what was happening.
Hannah often joked that the phone on the desk had a direct line to all the world leaders. He didn't come down there to peruse. There was a purpose. Hanging on the wall surround by multiple uniforms was a shield, but not just any shield. It was Captain America's shield. It had been made by his grandfather. Uncle Steve, Uncle Sam and even his dad had carried it. However, it hadn't been used in nearly eight years.
"You know you aren't suppose to be down here." The voice of his sister, Hannah, from behind him.
"Neither are you." Will said as he turned around to his little sister giving him a disapproving look.
It was a look he had seen from their mother too many times. Out of all three of them, Hannah was the one who was a perfect mix of their parents. William looked like their dad, but acted like a Stark. Winnie was practically a carbon copy of their dad look and personality wise. Hannah looked slightly more like their mom. Her carefree attitude came from their dad, but her sharp witted tongue was 100% their mom. She was also the smartest out of all three of them.
"Taking a trip down memory lane?" Hannah asked.
"Something like that. Aren't you suppose to be in school?" He asked.
"I don't start at MIT for another week." She answered. "How long have you been back? I actually didn't know you were even back yet."
"No one did. I flew in this morning. It was kind of a last minute thing." He said as they began to walk up stairs. "Where's dad and mom?"
"Dad is mostly likely doing something outside. Probably feeding the goats or chickens. Mom is at work, per usual." Her tone hinted with a bit of annoyance.
Will chuckled. "You know she has an important job."
"I know, but she promised to take me to get my nails done before I start school. She did the same thing with Winnie. Anyways, why are you here? More specifically, in the basement?"
"You've got a big brain. Why don't you use it?"
A smirk appeared on the young woman's face. "Does this have to do with Captain America?"
"Possibly."
"That was easy. I mean, let's face it. You've wanted to be Captain America since you were young." Hannah said. "You think they'll say yes?"
"Doubt it!" The youngest member of the Barnes family spoke. She stopped in front of her older brother and mocked saluted him in his military uniform. "The least likely thing they want any of us to do is be like them. They've made that abundantly clear."
"It's good to see you too, Winnifred." Her brother teased.
Winnie shot him a look. "Don't use my full name."
The front door swung open to reveal their dad. Bucky was dressed in an old shirt, jeans tucked into a pair of muck boots and a hat pulled over his hair hiding the streaks of grey that had begun to appear. He stopped when he saw all three of his children standing in the living room. Probably conspiring with one another, Bucky thought to himself. A smile spread across his face, however, when he saw Will standing there.
"Hey, dad." Will greeted his father with a hug.
"Will, what are you doing home? I thought your leave wasn't for another few weeks." Bucky asked.
"I just thought a visit might be nice. I also wanted to talk to mom and you about something." He said.
Bucky nodded with uncertainty, but didn't press his son further. "Okay. She should be home soon. She'll be happy to see you."
Right on cue, they heard a car pull into the driveway. Shorty after that the front door open. Catherine didn't see her son at first. She was too busy kicking her heels off, removing the claw clip from her hair and putting down a stack of files. When she did finally look up, she looked surprised. That wasn't the look Will or really any of them noticed. It was her red, puffy eyes. Something had happened. More than likely something went bad at work.
"Will!" His mom said and tried her best to smile while hugging her son. "I didn't know you would be here. I would have cooked you your favorite meal otherwise."
"It's okay, mom. I'll be here for a few more days. There's plenty of time to do that. I was hoping to talk to dad and you, privately." He told her.
"Um, okay. Can it wait until after dinner?" She asked.
William nodded. There was a thickness in the air that couldn't be described. He shuffled his siblings to another room knowing their mom needed space or time to decompress. Their dad stayed in the kitchen.
Bucky gently touched Catherine's shoulder and kissed her temple. "You okay?"
"It's been a bad day." She said quietly. Bad day was their code word for someone had died, usually an agent. They would talk about it later after the kids went to sleep.
"Want to talk about it?" Bucky asked.
Catherine sighed. "It was an Agent named Brandon Collins. He was a good agent. Respectful. Loved his job. They were in South America on a mission to recover some weapons that had fallen into the wrong hands. The team I sent was ambushed and Collins got killed in the crossfire. I had to call his wife and kids and tell them he was dead."
Bucky wrapped his arms around her tightly and held her close. She took every agent she lost personably. It didn't matter how well she knew the agent. "I'm sorry."
"I don't know how much longer I can do this, Bucky. This job....it's hard. Really hard. I think I've done a good job and established a legacy, but," she paused to gather herself. "I've been fighting since I was four years old. I've lost and lost and I just can't do it anymore."
"I know, doll. I know. How about we talk about it tonight? After we talk to William?" He suggested and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
"Okay."
"Okay. Hey," he lifted her chin. "I love you."
She attempted to smile at him. "I love you too."
Hannah watched her parents from the living room. She couldn't exactly hear what they were saying, but whatever it was serious. "Do you ever think we'll find love like mom and dad?"
"Probably not." Winnie answered bluntly.
William shook his head at his youngest sister. "I don't know if I want their exact life, I mean, it's kind of messed up. It's nice that they still care about each other after all these years."
"Truer words have never been spoken." Winnie mumbled.
"We can hear you!" Bucky called from the kitchen.
Dinners at the Barnes household were hardly ever quiet. Someone usually had a funny story to tell or an opinion to give. Once dinner was over everyone pitched in to clean up before going into their rooms with the exception of Bucky, Catherine and William. They stayed sitting at the kitchen table.
"So, what did you want to talk to us about?" His mom asked.
"Are you gay?" His dad asked.
William looked at his dad bewildered. "What? No. Why would you-"
"James." Catherine groaned.
Bucky sat back in the chair. "What? We've got three kids. Our chances are high. I mean, we would love you regardless. I'm just saying."
"Dad..." William trailed off. He then set up straighter and both his parents knew something was going on that was genuinely serious. "It's about Captain America."
"Captain America." Catherine repeated.
"It's been a while since anyone has carried the shield, wore the uniform. I mean, a lot of the Avengers are getting older and want to retire. I just thought that maybe I could take up the mantle." William explained.
"You want to be the next Captain America?" His dad asked.
"Yes."
Catherine and Bucky traded looks. They had worked so hard to ensure that their kids didn't follow in their steps. Neither of them cared if they joined the military or SHIELD. Becoming a superhero was a different story. It was dangerous. It took over your life. It caused trauma. It was a life they didn't want for their kids. However, they both knew it was their son's dream.
"William," Catherine began. "It's dangerous. You could die. I don't know if I could justify it if something happened to you."
William knew firsthand what his mom was saying. He watched her lose pretty much everyone she ever loved and then some. Eighteen years later and she still hadn't recovered from her brother's death.
"Mom, I know the cost, but I'm ready." He assured her.
"It's not just about being ready, Will. There's so much more than that. More than being a soldier. More than being able to fight or being strong. It's about being a good man with a good heart. You have to be selfless, caring, the better person." As Bucky spoke he realized that every word he was speaking was a reflection of his son. William was ready. They just had to get Catherine on board.
Catherine sat silently with her hand wrapped around a wine glass. "I can't lose my son."
"You won't lose me mom."
"You don't know that. Believe me, you don't." She said and shook her head. "You could die. I need you to look me in the eye and know. You are a good man, Will. You always have been, but the sacrifice you're about to make is next level. So, I'm going to ask you the question that I've asked every agent or Avengers since I took over, are you willing to die to save the world?"
"I'm willing to do anything it takes to save everyone even it means death." William spoke while looking at his mom.
"Okay. We'll do some training with you and then a trial period and see what happens." She said.
His face lit up and he jumped up to hug his parents. "Thank you. Thank you so much. This is all I've ever wanted."
Catherine chuckled through her tears. "I know, honey."
"I got let me squadron know. I'll be back." He said as he grabbed his phone from the table.
Bucky didn't look at his son as he left. He kept his eyes on his wife. "You okay?"
"Do you think I just sent our son to his death?" She asked.
"That's a bit morbid, but no. I think you just made our son extremely happy. He's going to do fine, Cat. He's going to do great actually. He's got my blood and your's running through him and if there is anything I know is that we're strong and we're fighters." Bucky spoke.
"I think I'm going to retire." Catherine said as she rested her feet on top of the table much to Bucky's disgust.
"Yeah? You said that five years ago." He said with a raised eyebrow.
She gently pushed his metal arm. "I'm being serious. I finally think I've done enough."
"You think? Because I think you did enough when you snapped all of us back." He said and he pulled her into his lap. He hands slipped under the hemline of her dress and he pulled it up her thighs causing her to giggle.
"I think," he whispered and pressed his lips against her neck. "Catherine Barnes doesn't owe this world anymore of her time. I think she's saved more people, helped more people than anyone."
"Mmmm, have I?" She asked with a teasing tone.
"Oh, yes." He looked at her with a smirk. "I think you should retire and stay home with me every single day. Help me with our farm and let me make love to you every day."
"Gross!" Winnie yelled from the stairs. "You two are way too old to be doing that."
Bucky chuckled. "We're not that old, are we?"
"Not a chance." Catherine whispered. "Winnie, you might want to leave the room before we scar you for life, again."