#slayersoldier series

[targaryenvampireslayer]

Maggie & Bucky going through a metal detector but they have to remove weapons, they just keep pulling out more & more. Maggie's are all completely unhinged though. Meanwhile Simon is groaning at both of them because he can't take them anywhere.

Of course Maggies would be unhinged 😂 she’d probably have a potato peeler there

[jrubalcaba]

Snapped

“Why do we need to go to Wakanda?” Evie whined at Steve as he and Bucky led the kids, Alice and herself onto the waiting Wakandan ship.

“I told you,” he snapped over his shoulder. “T’Challa wants our help.” As she opened her mouth to argue, he spun around and the look on his face said it all.

Things were very bad if he and Bucky were coming out of retirement.

“Please don’t. We can fight after it’s all over,” he begged her. She nodded, keeping her mouth shut for once.

The ride to Wakanda was fast and quiet. Even the kids picked up on how anxious Steve and Bucky were feeling. As soon as they arrived, they were ushered straight to Shuri’s lab, where Bruce, Rhodey, Nat, Sam, Wanda, Viz, T’Challa, Gail, T’Zari, Kerry, Riley, Simon, and Maggie were assembled.

“Thank you for coming as quickly as possible,” the King greeted. “I hate to ask this of you, but…..” he trailed off, looking grief-stricken.

“What’s going on?” Alice inquired from beside Bucky. He sighed.

“War.” They all looked at him, not liking the sound of that.

“Where’s the fight?” Bucky asked solemnly.

“On it’s way,” T’Challa answered. “Vision was attacked by members of the Black Order, a group that serves Thanos. They tried to take the Mind Stone from him, so he was brought here for protection and to see if Shuri could figure out a way to remove the Stone without killing him.” Evie walked over to Shuri and looked at the hologram she had pulled up.

“Well that’s easier said than done,” she replied. “Trying to disconnect the Stone from Viz is gonna be like trying to undo a ginormous tangle of string, but the string has about a gazillion different endings coming off of it.” Evie sighed, realizing how monumental this would be.

“So, if Evie is here to help Shuri, why are Alice, Gail, Kerry, Maggie and all of the kids here?” Nat asked. They all gave her the same look, before Alice answered.

“Because there was no way in hell that we were being left behind if our men were going to fight, especially if Evie was going,” she huffed. Nat rolled her eyes but remained silent.

“Now that that is settled, you ladies and kids stay here while the rest of us go on protection detail,” Sam cut across T’Challa, kissing Kerry and Riley as he talked. T’Challa, apparently about to say the same thing, nodded before kissing Gail and T’Zari and walking down the hall. The rest of the guys bid them farewell as well, Steve and Bucky not wanting to leave.

“Steve, Bucky, y’gotta go. We’ll be fine,” Evie assured them. Bucky ruffled her hair before giving Alice and Becca one last kiss before he walked down the hallway. Sarah and Robby each had ahold of Steve, not letting him leave. “Kids come on, let daddy go. He’s gotta job to do,” Evie chastised them. He gave them each a hug as they let go, placing one last kiss to her lips as he stood. “I love you. Stay safe,” she murmured, squeezing him tightly.

“I love you too. I’ll be back before you can miss me,” he replied as he released her and followed Bucky down the hall. She turned back to Alice, who looked so scared.

“So, I’m gonna help Shuri , but if you need me, just ask, okay?” she told her, earning an eye roll.

“Evie, get to work. The sooner you guys fix Vision, the sooner we can go back home.” Evie nodded in agreement with her before joining Shuri.

After awhile, they all saw the giant ships land, everyone but Shuri flocking to the window. They could see blips in the shield surrounding the city as the ugly looking space dogs began to flank around to the back, towards them. Suddenly, the Wakandan forces charged forward, engaging with the enemy. Alice, Gail, Kerry, Maggie and Evie all tensed up, knowing that their men were down there fighting to keep them safe.

Taking a deep breath, Evie turned back to the table to keep helping Shuri. The two women were getting down to the last few million neurons when the guards outside let out strangled cries.

The battle outside was the distraction. Another member of the Black Order had snuck in to attack Vision. That asshole’s mistake though, was thinking that he was alone.

Evie grabbed the collapsable spear that Okoye had left her (gifted really) and extended it, blocking the intruder’s staff before he could stab Vision. Alice, Gail, Kerry and Maggie huddled with the kids in the corner, while Wanda and Evie stood their ground.

“If you want him, you’ll have to go through me,” Wanda snarled, eyes ablaze and hands glowing red. The alien smirked when Evie stood at her side.

“As you wish,” he stated simply before he began to attack. Evie may not be enhanced like Steve, Bucky, Alice, or Wanda, but she can still fight. Wanda was doing most of the damage while leaving Evie small openings to get a good stab here and there. Suddenly, he kicked out at her and she flew across the room and out the window, leaving Evie alone to face him. “You pathetic humans and your attachment to things. You are too blind to see the good that Thanos will bring about once he has all six Stones,” he spat at her while they circled each other. “You better hope that your children survive after I kill you.”

Oh….he’s a dead motherfucker.

A veil of red covered Evie’s eyes as his words fully registered, a guttural growl coming from deep inside as she launched herself at him. He was unprepared for the intensity of her attack, which gave Vision the opportunity to wound him with a golden beam from the very Stone that asshole wanted to collect. As the alien was weakened from their attacks, Evie walked around behind him, jamming her spear into his back and impaling him to the floor. She went back around to face him, grabbing his chin to make him look at her.

“I could care less about what ‘good Thanos will bring’,” she snapped, looking over at the girls and kids, then over at Shuri. “You threatened Vision, and that’s the thing about family. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.” And with that, she grabbed the back of his head and jerked his head sharply to the left, snapping his neck. Evie watched the light leave his eyes and smirked, knowing he couldn’t hurt anyone anymore before standing and walking over to the others, hugging Robby and Sarah as they threw themselves at her.

“Wow. If I was into women at all, I’d be so hot for you right now,” Maggie muttered in awe. Evie flashed her a grim smile as she looked around, realizing that Vision was gone.

“I guess he went to go find Wanda. Hopefully she has the heart to destroy the Stone, or at least bring him back so we can separate them,” she murmured to no one in particular. They all stood, watching through the window at the battle down below. One by one the girls and kids all walked away, no longer wanting to watch the carnage. Evie was the only one still there when there was a giant flash of golden light. “Oh my god. Vision...the Stone,” she gasped in horror. The rest of the girls gasped as they understood what had happened.

“Poor Wanda,” Maggie whispered. Evie was turning to add her agreement to her statement when the flash of light went in reverse.

Oh no. Thanos.

Evie stood in place, shock holding her still. How did this happen?

After a few heart pounding moments, the shakiest little voice call out.

“Mommy?” What Evie saw when she turned around would haunt her forever.

Robby, her first born, her mini me, was turning to dust.

“NO!” Evie screamed as she ran to him, falling to her knees. She pulled him to her chest, all the while yelling “No!” over and over, as if it would stop or reverse what was happening. Robby’s terror-filled eyes were the last remaining bit of him before they faded to nothing. She looked to Sarah, who looked like she was going to be sick. Evie cupped her daughter’s face in her hands, crying for both of them, when she made a startling realization.

It was her turn to disappear.

Evie looked at Sarah, her frightened squeak of “Momma?” the last thing Evie heard, the look of pure horror on her face the last thing Evie saw before she too faded to nothing.

Sarah turned to Alice, eyes welling with tears.

“Auntie Alice, where did my mommy and bubby go?” she asked, her little hands outstretched and still covered in the last remains of her mother. Alice ran to her and held her niece while the little girl, who was almost a second daughter to her, sobbed over her loss.

ON THE BATTLEFIELD

A bloodied Steve, Rhodey, Bruce, Nat, Thor, Rocket, and Okoye were huddled together around the gray corpse of Vision. They were all in a daze, having just watched Bucky, T’Challa, Sam, Simon, Wanda, Groot and countless Wakandans dissolve into dust. Steve was sitting, not fully able to comprehend what had just happened, when he jumped to his feet.

“Oh God,” was all he said before taking off towards the lab, needing to know if Evie, Sarah, Robby, Alice and Becca were safe. Steve burst through the door, seeing everyone huddled together. The women all looked up as the rest of the survivors walked into the lab behind him. Alice, Maggie, Kerry, and Gail noticed that there were a few men missing, theirs. Alice walked up to Steve, Becca and Sarah trailing behind her.

“Steve, where’s Bucky?” she asked shakily. When all Steve did was pull her in for a hug, she felt a bit of her heart break off and shatter. Tears welled in her eyes as the truth that Bucky, her love, her soulmate, the father of her child, was gone. Becca tugged on her uncle’s sleeve, and when Steve looked down at her, she asked the same question.

“Uncle Steve, where’s my daddy?” Steve struggled to swallow the lump in his throat. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words, but that was about the time that he saw his little girl crying, and noticed that she was alone.

No, please God no.

He looked around, wondering where Evie and Robby were, his heart beating frantically in his chest. When he realized that his wife and son had vanished, along with his brother, grief consumed him as he fell to his knees, grabbing ahold of Sarah.

“Daddy, where did mommy and bubby go?” she wailed as she threw herself at him, sobbing into his shoulder.

Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, the leader of the Avengers, openly wept as he held the last remaining member of his family in his arms.

Bruce, hearing Sarah’s question, felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. His daughter, and grandson, who was his namesake, were gone. He swayed in place, eyes blurred with tears.

“Whoa, easy Bruce. I gotcha,” Rhodey called out, grabbing hold of the doctor’s arm, who gripped him back tightly.

“They’re...gone” was all Bruce was able to mutter before stumbling. Rhodey, having caught Tony plenty of times before, caught Bruce and let the man soak his shirt with tears.

THE SOUL REALM

A set of blue eyes opened.

Evie sat up, not knowing where she was. It looked like an eternal sunset of orange, but she could care less. She only had one thought on her mind.

“ROBBY!” She yelled, standing up. She looked around, seeing the bewildered faces of the countless people around her, but she spared them no thoughts as she began to walk around, shoving people out of the way, yelling for her son.

After what seems like hours, she, literally, ran into someone. Both women landed on their backs before getting up to see who they collided with.

“Ohmigod Wanda!” Evie cried as she hugged the shocked woman. Wanda returned the hug, realizing that it was a friend, not foe. “Wanda, I’m so sorry about Vis.” Wanda pulled back and attempted to smile.

“I had hoped he would be here, but he isn’t,” the young woman replied, eyes watering. Evie teared up with her before taking a deep breath.

“Maybe he is, and you just haven’t found him yet. Let’s keep looking. Maybe he found Robby,” she offered. Wanda gasped before grabbing Evie in a tight embrace.

“Evie, I had no idea Robby was here! I agree, let’s keep looking.” And with that, the two women set off, searching for anyone they knew.

They first bumped into Peter, who looked so lost and scared that Evie’s maternal instincts went into overdrive and squeezed him as hard as she could before taking his hand in a death grip and the three continued on.

Next were the Guardians, Gamora among them. Evie and Wanda normally didn’t get on well with Drax, but in the situation they were in, they were happy to see another face they knew and hugged him tightly just the same.

Stephen Strange, along with Hank Pym, Janet Van Dyne and Hope Van Dyne, were the next people the Group came upon.

“Dr. Pym, Dr. Strange,” Evie greeted first, making sure to address Hank before Stephen, as she knew that Strange hated being addressed secondly and she knew that Thanos had gotten the Time Stone from him, so this was clearly all his fault. “Janet, Hope. Terrible that you all were separated for so long, but at least you were taken away together.” The mother and daughter threw an arm around each other and nodded.

“Dr. Collins, Dr. Pym,” Strange replied bitterly, knowing Evie’s distaste for her maiden name. She glared at him, cutting off Hank as she retorted.

“That’s Dr. Rogers to you, Strange,” she snapped. Hank held a hand up to silence them.

“Dr. Rogers, while I’m sad that you’re here, it’s good to see a familiar face,” he greeted, making Evie smile a bit, before turning to the surgeon. “Dr. Strange? What is that, like your made up name? Cute.” Evie giggled at the astounded look on the other man’s face, catching Hank’s sly wink as he turned.

As the Group was still walking around, Vision appeared, to which Wanda threw herself into his arms. Evie was happy that he had been found, but he hadn’t seen Robby, so she was still in mourning. The group walked on, running into Fury and Maria, the utterance of ‘motherfucker’ echoing throughout everyone.

Sam was lost when he came to, and for some time of not being able to find anyone that he knew, he happened to look up and see someone who looked like Bucky, and upon further inspection, he realized that it was Bucky. So he took off, shoving past people in his bid to get to the one person that he actually knew. Bucky, seeing him running towards him, broke into a huge smile and ran forward as well, the two men meeting in the middle and hugging each other as tightly as possible, afraid that if they let go, the other would disappear. They were so happy to see each other, knowing that if they were here, then Kerry, Riley, Becca and Alice were back home and safe. They began to walk, staying close by each other for God knows how long before Bucky happened to spot Evie.

“EVIE!” he screamed in horror, as the one person he knew, without a doubt would protect his girls, was here with him. He ran at her, enveloping her in a hug. When they pulled away, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong? Becca and Alice alright?” She nodded.

“Steve?” she croaked, her shoulders sagging with relief when he nodded back. “Have you seen Robby?” Bucky’s heart sank as he realized that his nephew hadn’t survived, but he knew that what he was feeling was nothing compared to what Evie was feeling. He hugged her again, wishing he could find him for her.

Simon wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating when he woke up. He saw no one that he knew, but knowing that Bucky had disappeared like he had, he set off to look for him. He hoped beyond everything that Maggie survived. After what seemed like days, he heard the smallest little voice.

“Uncle Simon?” came from behind him. He turned and was met with the sad blue eyes of Robby. He walked forward and scooped the little boy up and held him tight.

“Don’t worry, buddy. Uncle Si’s got you and I ain’t letting you go. Your mum would kill me if I did.” Robby began to cry at the mention of his mom, and Simon realized that Evie must have been holding him when he vanished. “Come on, let’s find Uncle Bucky.” Simon set off, letting Robby soak his shirt with tears.

Finally, the group came upon T’Challa, who was standing with a group of Wakandans. As they were breathing slight sighs of relief, Evie was still grieving. Not one person had seen Robby, so he was still lost in this godforsaken place. Peter, who was still shaken over disappearing in Stark’s arms and as a result hadn’t left Evie’s side, poked her arm gently, pointing off in the distance when she turned to him. She looked in the direction he pointed and began to run.

Robby. There was Robby!

She ran as fast as she could, taking him from Simon’s arms and squeezing him tightly.

“Mommy!” Robby cried out as they hugged. She reached out and pulled Simon in as well, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispered, grateful to have her little boy back. Simon pulled away, a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Aww come off it, love. There was no way I could leave this little guy all alone. Maggie and Al would kill me if I did, after you did of course,” he replied, Evie nodding in agreement. The three walked back to the Group, noting there was a loud discussion going on, and most of the animosity was directed at Strange.

“This is all his fault, isn’t it?” Evie cut in, pointing at the surgeon. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

“No, this isn’t anyone’s fault but Thanos’-” he started before she cut him off.

“Oh of course. The great Stephen Strange can never be at fault for anything, even the accident that ruined his career,” she spat, earning a chuckle from everyone. The surgeon smirked, huffing a quick breath through his nose.

“Apparently getting married has gone to your head.” Bucky grabbed Evie’s shoulder to hold her back. “But, it looks to me like being the wife of Captain America can’t save you from Thanos either. Tell me, what were you doing while the rest of us were fighting, baking cookies?” he sneered. It took all of Evie’s self-control to not smack the smirk right off his face. Doesn’t help that Sam and Simon both had ahold of her as well.

“No, actually. I was killing a member of the Black Order when it came for the Mind Stone. I see you gave up the Time Stone willingly enough,” she shot back.

“I did it to save Stark’s life,” Strange protested, to which Evie snorted.

“Oh please. What on earth does Tony Stark have to do with this?” she argued.

“Trust me,” the surgeon explained. “This is all part of the plan.”

Evie was struck silent with anger.

“Plan?” she asked. “This was all part of a plan?” Everyone apart from Hank, Janet and Hope all stepped back, knowing that the calmness in her voice was a sure sign of the ice-cold fury that was about to come. Wanda took Robby, and as soon as her hands were free, Evie leaped forward and punched Stephen right in the throat. He sputtered as he fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath, while Bucky, Sam, and Simon all grabbed ahold of Evie to keep her from attacking him further. “SO it was part of your plan to make me watch my son turn to dust right in front of me?!” she screeched, trying like hell to lay hands on him again, reverting to cussing him in Spanish. Strange stayed down, feeling it wiser to stay out of arm’s reach from her. Bucky, Sam, and Simon finally got Evie calmed down enough to lead her away, allowing Strange to finally catch his breath and climb to his feet.

“It’s not like I saw everything, Evelyn,” he snarled, causing her to glare as she made to go for him again. “Trust me, after all is said and done, we’ll all be back home. Promise.” When he was met with silence, he walked forward and grabbed her hands in his. “Evie, you know I’m a man of my word. All we have to do now is wait.” He released her hands and sat down, looking around expectantly at everyone. They all looked to her, sitting down as well after she nodded.

Hours passed, but they felt like days, that stretched into weeks then months. After what seemed like an eternity, Strange stood up, holding his hand out to Evie.

“Doctor, if you don’t mind,” he said. Her forehead creased in disbelief.

“Oh, over my dead body.” She crossed her arms over her chest and stayed put. Strange huffed before reaching down and yanking her to her feet anyway. Bucky and Simon both glared up at him, Robby being the only reason they didn’t kick the surgeon’s ass.

“Doctor Rogers, it’s time to go back, but you have to go first, as the rest of us can’t go back without you,” he explained. She pulled free of his grasp, looking down at Robby.

Like hell she’d leave him alone again.

“I’m not going anywhere without him,” she stated, shaking her head. Strange pinched the bridge of his nose before launching into an explanation.

“Evelyn, you are the only reason why any of us are able to go back. You are the SOLE reason Robby will see his dad again. You need to go back first. Tony will be there waiting for you.” Evie’s eyes grew big as she came to terms that she’d have to leave Robby again, if only for a short while.

“Alright fine,” she consented. “What do I have to do?” He flashed her a small smile.

“Close your eyes and count backward from ten. When you get to one, you’ll be back in Wakanda.” She looked over her shoulder at her son, who was sitting on his uncle’s lap.

“I’ve got him, Evie,” Bucky promised. She nodded and faced Strange before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes.

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

Evie felt a pull, like she was stuck on a fishing line, and suddenly, it was pitch black. The next thing she felt was sand encompassing her entire body, even her face. She began to claw her way out, chest heaving as she struggled to breathe. Finally, after forever, she opened her eyes, the last of the sand clear from them.

The first thing she saw was the amazed look on Tony’s face, followed by the equally thrilled face of Shuri. But neither of those compared to the look of pure joy on Bruce’s face when he saw his daughter again. The three reached down and helped her up, letting her catch her bearings before explaining anything.

“What, the hell, just happened?” she gasped. She looked down, seeing that she was in a Wakandan robe. Thankfully someone had thought about dignity for those returning. Tony smirked at her, patting her back.

“We brought you back. Listen, there’s a lot you need to be caught up on, so-” he started but Evie held her hand up to stop him. There was something off, something she couldn’t put her finger on, and until she figured it out, it was going to bother her.

“That can wait. I need to see Steve and Sarah. Now.” Evie staggered on her feet, brushing them away as they made to grab her. “No, I’m fine. I want to see my husband and my daughter, and as soon as I see them, I’ll get going on bringing my son, T’Challa and everyone else back, ‘cause apparently I’m the only one who can.” Evie made to walk out the door when it burst open.

Steve.

It didn’t matter if it was days or minutes since she last saw him. Steve was still able to light her very soul on fire with the smile, her smile, that he had plastered across his face. She began to go to him when the door opened again and a blonde girl came in, stopping Evie in her tracks.

The girl had her nose.

Her eyes were the same color as Steve’s, along with the blonde hair on her head.

“Momma?” the girl asked, a smile, one that was identical to Steve’s, stretching across her face as she ran and threw her arms around Evie.

No. It couldn’t be. This girl was too old to be her little girl.

“Sarah?” Evie gasped, still trying to comprehend what was going on. Sarah looked up at her and smiled.

“You’re home!” she cried, squeezing her again. Evie looked to Steve, who walked up and embraced them both.

“I’m so glad you’re back babe. I’ve missed you so much. We both have,” he mumbled in her ear. She pulled away and glanced at Bruce, Tony and Shuri, and that’s when it hit her.

They looked older.

“Wha-” she wheezed before the tears overcame her. Steve held her as she wept. After a bit, she pulled away again only to wrap her arms around Sarah and squeeze her tightly. “My baby!” she wailed as her tears began again. Sarah cried too, happy to have her mom back. Finally, after all their tears were done, they released each other, ecstatic to be together again.

“Evie, it’s been five years,” Tony started as he grabbed her shoulder. She turned and leveled him with a look not unlike the same one he gave Steve when he found out the truth about his parents. “Don’t look at me like that. I know it’s a lot to wrap your head around, but come on. We gotta get started on bringing everyone else back.” They stared at each other for a bit before Evie’s shoulders sagged, nodding as she followed him, Bruce and Shuri out of the room, one arm wrapped around Sarah, the other hand in a death grip on Steve’s arm.

Evie was brought up to speed on everything.

It had truly been five years since the Snap. In that time, the remaining Avengers, Rocket, and some new Captain Something or other (Evie wasn’t really paying attention at that bit because she was seething over someone else taking Steve’s place as leader) joined forces to beat Thanos’ bitch ass. After he was defeated, Shuri, Bruce, and Tony began trying to figure out how to bring everyone back. Shuri explained to them about the journey to the Ancestral Plain that the King must undergo when he comes into power, and that was how they decided to bring everyone back. But, why was Evie needed to bring the rest back?

“Because of your incessant need to get everyone’s DNA on file, you fuckin’ nerd,” Tony snarked at her. Evie’s jaw dropped in shock before drawing up in a grin.

“Normally ‘nerd’ is an insult, but I’m taking that as a compliment,” she teased. “So, you guys couldn’t figure out my passcode?”

“No,” Bruce cut in. “F.R.I.D.A.Y tried but you have it set to where after so many wrong attempts, it wipes everything clean.” Ah. Well, damn.

“Okay so, where’s a computer so I can type it in and get everything started? And, no offense, but where can I get a pair of jeans?” Evie asked, completely ill at ease in the traditional robe she woke up in. Shuri laughed as she held her hand out to Tony.

“Told you she would want pants,” she taunted as he slapped money into her palm. “No, no, no, colonizer. I want the nanomites you promised.” Tony scowled as he pulled the chip out and handed it to her. “Right this way Doctor Rogers,” she said smugly as she led Evie from the room.

After she was able to change, Evie found her way back to the room where Steve and Sarah were waiting and had barely closed the door behind her when she was attacked. When all her assailant did was hug her incredibly tightly though, she relaxed as there was only one person who would be able to do that other than Steve and Bucky.

“Alice!” she sobbed, hugging her sister back. There was no sound other than Alice’s own sobs as the two women cried, happy they were able to hold each other again. Evie felt what felt like Sarah press against her back, but when she looked over Alice’s shoulder and saw Sarah, her heart dropped as she realized who it was.

Becca.

She reached an arm behind her and brought her niece forward, pulling away enough to look at her. Becca was her father’s miniature, her teal eyes the only bit of Alice she could see in her. Tears flowed again as she lamented how much time she had missed in her niece’s life. Steve and Sarah walked up and joined in on the hug, their family almost complete.

“Come on. I promised I’d bring you by to see them all once you got your sea legs back,” Steve murmured into her ear. She nodded and went to pull away but Alice, Becca and Sarah clung to her, so they all left in single file, not wanting to let each other go. Steve led them down the hall to a meeting room, letting Evie walk in first. All conversations stopped as the survivors looked up and saw her, making her feel incredibly self conscious. Nat and Maggie stood immediately and made their way over, engulfing her in a hug, everyone else following suit. All at once everyone began to ask her the same thing: what was it like over there? She knew this would come, so to be fair, she stood on a chair and told everyone in the room at the same time.

“Firstly: it’s orange over there. Sky, ground, it's all orange. Secondly: time passes by slowly. What we thought was months there was obviously years here. Thirdly: Yes, everyone is alright. Even Vision is there. We were all able to find each other and we stuck together, so our big ass family is sitting together in a group, waiting to come home. That is literally all we’ve talked about for the past five years, so we’re just as eager to see you as you are to see us. And yes, it’s good to be back.” She hopped down and was met by Gail and Kerry, two dark-skinned little boys standing with them.

“Evie, it is so good to have you back,” Gail exclaimed, reaching forward to hug her again. The boy standing next to her smiled T’Challa’s smile as he grabbed her hand.

“Doctor, is my baba okay? Will he come back too?” he asked, and Evie realized this must be T’Zari and the other boy could only be Riley, who came forward and grabbed her other hand.

“Miss Evie, my daddy was there too? He okay?” he asked, the similarity of his age and Robby’s threatening to overwhelm her. She smiled, sniffing to keep the tears away.

“Of course, my darlings. They are both so excited to come home and I’m sure they will be happy to know that you two kept your moms safe while they were gone,” she said. They both grinned before running off to hang with Becca, Sarah, and a mysterious little girl. Maggie walked up and hugged Evie again, as she, Alice and Evie had become incredibly close before this nightmare began.

“Simon was there?” she asked. Evie nodded before releasing her. Maggie smiled and held her hand up in the ‘hang on a second’ gesture before walking over and bending down next to the mystery girl and talking to her. The little girl looked over at Evie and smiled, and there was familiarity that Evie couldn’t place as she watched the girl walk over, holding Maggie’s hand. “Evie, this is my daughter, Sophie Ann Travers.” Upon hearing the last name, Evie’s eyes snapped up to Maggie’s, seeing guilt there.

“No. No no no no no,” she lamented, realizing what this meant. “Si had no idea, did he?” Maggie hung her head, shaking it.

“I had just found out since the Magick Swap thing had happened since Kerry had given birth to Riley. I was going to tell him after we won, but obviously, we lost. I wanted him to have a clear head while he fought,” she explained. Evie reached out and hugged her.

“Hey, it’s okay. You had no idea this would happen. He’ll just be in for a very big surprise when he comes back,” she whispered. When they broke apart, Evie knelt down and smiled at Sophie. “Your daddy is gonna love you so much, and he doesn’t even know you. He helped me find my little boy who was lost, so your daddy is a good daddy.” Sophie smiled Simon’s smile, and hugged her.

“I miss my daddy. Can’t wait to meet him,” she giggled in Evie’s ear. Just then, Shuri walked in.

“Evie, Sister, Mother and T’Zari, I need you to come with me,” she said before walking out.

T’Challa must be coming through.

They all followed her back down to the, for lack of a better word, regeneration room. They all knelt down, ready to assist him as he came back. After a few moments, a hand came through, followed by another. They grabbed ahold and gently pulled him up, letting him get his bearings.

“T’Challa!” Gail cried, tears streaming down her face. Ramonda and Shuri were silent, but T’Zari was overjoyed to see his father, launching himself at him and hugging him tightly.

“Baba!” he yelled, crying along with his mother. T’Challa was in shock, not realizing that his little boy wasn’t so little anymore.

“T’Zari, Gail,” T’Challa said, at last, pulling them into his embrace. After a few moments, he climbed to his feet, never once letting his wife and son go. Shuri and Ramonda joined in and hugged him tightly, so glad to have him back home. He looked over Gail’s head at Evie, his eyes brimming with tears.

“It’s been five years since we lost,” was all she said before T’Challa was led away by his family. Bruce walked up then, nudging her shoulder to get her attention.

“We’re working on getting Robby back. Since he’s still a child, we have to take that into consideration so we can make his body as old as Sarah’s,” he explained. Evie looked at him in shock, not realizing that they would have to do that.

“Didn’t think about that, but it makes sense. He’s technically older than Sarah, but if we don’t age his body properly, then she’ll be years older despite them being twins.” She sighed, hating that it would be even longer before she could hold her little boy again. “Well, let’s get started on someone else then while I wait for Robby’s body to be done.” They went back to the lab, pulling up Peter’s DNA file and began to construct his body. After it was done, they put it in the sandpit and covered it before starting the regeneration sequence. Evie went and got Tony and May, who had been flown in from New York, and brought them both to help with Peter’s return. As they waited, Evie looked up and could see tears in Tony’s eyes.

“See something interesting, Doc?” he quipped, voice thick. Evie smirked.

“No, just wondering when you’re going to officially adopt the kid is all.” He gave her a look and May opened her mouth to retort when a hand came up through the sand. Tony grabbed it without hesitation and pulled, May grabbing the other as it followed. Slowly Peter emerged, looking bewildered at first then relaxing as he saw who was in front of him.

“M-May! Mr. Stark!” he cried, his lip trembling as he tried to keep tears at bay. May threw herself at him, squeezing him tightly.

“Peter! I’m so happy to see you!” she wailed. Tony was at a loss for words, simply beaming as tears ran down his face. Evie felt like she was intruding on a private moment, so she got up to leave when she heard Tony speak.

“Kid, under no circumstances are you ever allowed to say ‘Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good’ again.” Evie looked back in time to see Tony pull Peter in for a hug, the latter bursting into tears. Evie left them to catch up, as she had an idea on who to bring back next. She went and found Bruce in the lab and went straight to the computer, pulling up Simon’s DNA to get his body started.

“Simon? I figured you’d bring Bucky back next,” he mused as he watched the machine whir to life.

“Dad, as much as I love my uncle/brother in law, he already knows that he has a daughter. Simon has absolutely no idea that there is a little girl that looks like him and has his last name,” Evie explained, tearing up. “They deserve as much time together as possible. Besides, I’m not bringing Bucky back until Robby is already here. I’m not leaving him without someone he trusts.” Bruce nodded in agreement before walking over to check on Robby’s body.

“Hey, he’s ready,” he called over his shoulder. Evie stopped, thinking about what to do next.

“Okay, let’s get him going while Simon’s body is being made. I’ll go grab Steve and Sarah so they can be here when he comes back.” She left without a word as Bruce took Robby’s body and laid it in the sand and buried it. He had just started the regeneration sequence when Steve, Sarah, and Evie came through the door, looking excited.

“Momma, is Bubby coming back?” Sarah asked, sheer joy coming from her pores.

“Yes, sweetheart. Now, it’s going to be a bit scary for Robby, so you have to give him a chance to wake up, okay?” Evie explained to her daughter. Sarah smiled and nodded enthusiastically. “You ready?” she asked Steve, who looked nervous.

“Yeah. It’s almost like him being born again, but this time I don’t have to worry about you almost dying,” he replied. She nodded before looking down at the sand, waiting. Finally, a hand came through, which she grabbed immediately. Steve grabbed the other hand and together they pulled their son up slowly, giving him a chance to catch his breath. The joy that filled Evie’s heart over seeing her little boy living and breathing again was unparalleled. Sarah felt the same apparently as she launched herself at her twin.

“Robby!” was all she managed to say before she began to sob. He looked around, his eyes lingering on Steve and Bruce before landing on Evie.

“Mommy?” he gasped. Evie reached forward and hugged him, her own tears falling.

“Yes baby, it’s me. You’re home now,” she cooed as she rubbed his back. He pulled away and wrapped his arms around his sister.

“Sarah!” he cried, making her sob even more. After a bit, he looked up at Steve and reached out for him. “Daddy!” Steve wasted no time in pulling both children into his arms and squeezing them tightly.

“My boy!” he exclaimed before breaking down in tears as well. Evie joined in on the hug as they were all together again.

“I’m going to go see if Simon is ready,” Bruce said quietly before leaving the four of them alone. When he got back to the lab, he saw that Simon was indeed done, but since Evie had been the one to decide on bringing him back, he felt she should be there when it happened and moved on to get Sam’s body going. It had just finished when Evie came in, face all blotchy and eyes red from crying. “Hey, so I have both Simon and Sam ready. Wanna go grab Maggie, Sophie, Kerry, and Riley?” he asked. She nodded before going back out the door. He took the bodies and buried them in the sand, getting the processes started for them both. Evie came back with their families and while Bruce helped with Sam, Evie helped with Simon.

“Si, listen. You’re fine and Maggie is right here,” Evie explained calmly as the burly man looked around wildly after she had pulled him out of the sand. His vision cleared and he looked at Maggie, his face breaking into a huge grin.

“Maggie,” was all he said before he was up and wrapping his arms around her, breathing in her perfume and relishing in her warmth.

“Daddy!” came from beside him, causing him to freeze. He pulled away and looked down, seeing a beautiful brown haired little girl with eyes lit up with mischief, his smile, his mother’s smile, plastered across her face. “Daddy I’ve missed you!” the little girl cried as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Simon looked at Maggie, disbelief clear in his eyes and guilt clear in hers.

“I had just found out. I wanted you to have a clear head during the battle, so I was gonna wait until after it was over before telling you,” she explained shakily, tears rolling down her face.”I’m so sorry.” Simon was shocked beyond anything, no words could explain how he felt in this moment. After a few tense minutes, he placed a hand on either side of Maggie’s face and kissed her deeply.

“Mags, you ‘ave nothing to be sorry for. None of us knew this would ‘appen,” he argued. He kissed her again. “We ‘ad a little girl?” he asked, the sappiest grin lighting up his face. She nodded, unable to speak. Simon knelt down and looked at his daughter, studying every inch of her perfect face. “What’s your name, princess?” he cooed, opening his arms for a hug.

“Sophie Ann Travers,” she said proudly before hugging him. Simon looked up at Maggie in shock. There’s no way she would pick that name, is there?

“I know how much she meant to you, and I honestly love the name,” she whispered as he stood up with Sophie in his arms.

“Thank you. This is the greatest gift anyone ‘as ever given me. Come on, let’s go somewhere private to talk and find me some actual clothes.” The three of them left, Simon had both arms wrapped around his whole world.

Evie was too emotional to speak, glad that Simon was back with his family. She went back to the lab and saw that Bruce had already made a body for Hope Van Dyne and was working on ones for Janet and Hank.

“These three, plus Fury and Hill are the last of the un-enhanced. Once they’re all back, we can start on the enhanced people,” Evie said quietly, thinking about her brother in law. Bruce nodded in agreement before turning to her.

“Shuri brought up an interesting point. Since we’re going to create a new body for Vision, why not give him an actual body?” Evie looked at him in shock. “I mean, we’re already making new bodies, organs and the like for everyone, why not him too?” Evie was speechless as she processed what that would mean.

“He'd be in for quite the shock when he woke up, but after getting to hold Wanda in his arms again, he'd think it was worth it,” she reasoned. “On that note, I wonder if Bucky would want two real arms again.” Evie turned and ran back upstairs, finding Alice in the private room with Robby, Sarah, Steve, and Becca. “Alice, I need to ask you something.” Sensing the tension behind her sister's voice, Alice jumped up immediately and met her at the door.

“What's wrong, Evie? Is it Bucky?” she asked, scared.

“Yes, but not the way you're thinking,” the doctor answered. “You're the only one who can make this decision, so I have to know before we make his body: would you rather him have his metal arm or him have two flesh arms again?” The weight behind the question was astounding. Alice gaped at her sister like a fish out of water for a few moments before stuttering.

“W-why would you ask me something like that?! As if you really need an answer! I don't give a damn what kind of bloody arm he's got, so long as he comes back!” she exclaimed, breathing heavy after she was done. Evie smiled and grabbed Alice's shoulders.

“Alice, I know you want him back. I do too, but you know how much he hates that thing, and this is the closest he'll ever get to having the arm he was born with. So, what do you think he would want?” she explained soothingly. Alice visibly calmed and let out one huge breath.

“Real. Both of them.” Evie smiled again as she already knew.

“One Bucky Barnes with two real arms coming right up,” she joked, releasing her sister. Becca came up and squeezed her tightly.

“You're bringing my daddy back, Aunt Evie?!” she asked, tears in her eyes. Evie had to blink back her own as she nodded.

“Of course sweetie. I'll come to get you and your mom when he's ready, okay?” Becca beamed at her and nodded, squeezing her aunt again. Evie left the room and went back to the lab, seeing that Hope was being buried along with Janet. She looked over and saw that Hank, Fury, and Hill were also ready, but seeing as she and Bruce were the only ones working on them while Shuri and Tony were working on beings that weren't from their galaxy, they could only do two people at a time at most. She knelt down and helped Bruce bring the two women back, helping them get their bearings.

“Everything's okay, ladies. We're gonna bring Hank back now, so be ready to help him up,” Bruce explained as he buried him. He then started the regeneration process and all four watched and waited. When Hank didn't wake up like the rest had, Evie checked his vitals and found a weak pulse. Instantly, she slipped into Doctor Mode and began chest compressions and breathing for him. Janet, Hope, and Bruce watched as Evie continued this for a while, the two women starting to cry.

“Come on Hank! Don't do this! I've not lost a patient yet, and I don't wanna start now!” Evie growled, pumping his heart harder. Finally, he began coughing, music to her ears. She and Bruce got him on a stretcher and wheeled him up to a recovery room, Janet and Hope following behind. The Wakandan doctors took him from there so Evie and Bruce could continue bringing everyone back. As they waited for Hill and Fury to come to, Evie put in Bucky's information, putting in a special note to make both arms flesh and bone.

“Motherfucker! Where the hell am I?” sounded from behind her and she grinned. Fury must be back. She turned and smiled, her jaw dropping as she realized that he had both eyes working perfectly now.

“You're in Wakanda, Director,” she answered. He sighed.

“I'm not the Director anymore, Evelyn,” he argued. He was the only person who could get away with using her full first name and not have the wrath of Evie rain down upon them.

“You'll always be the Director to me, Sir.” Hill had woken up by then, so she led them both upstairs, letting them meet with everyone. She swung by and grabbed Becca, Alice, Steve, and the twins before heading back downstairs to the lab. Bucky had just been buried and they just had to wait for him to wake up. “When his hands come through, grab and pull him up,” she told Alice and Becca. They stood on either side of him and waited.

“Daddy!” Becca yelled as his hands shot through the sand. She and Alice grabbed hold and pulled, and Bucky sat up slowly, gasping for air. Once he caught his breath, he looked around and stared at his wife and daughter, shocked that his baby was so much older.

“Becca? Alice?” he asked, afraid that he was dreaming. When they both smiled at him, he leaped to his feet and hugged them both as tight as possible, before pulling away. “I...have a real arm?” He flexed it a few times before sighing in satisfaction and embracing his girls again. He looked over and saw Steve, Evie and the twins standing nearby, and in the next moment he was letting go of his girls and embracing his brother. “Steve,” was all he managed before the two broke down.

“Okay, we're all incredibly happy that you're back, Buck, but why don't you guys take this upstairs so I can bring the rest of them back?” Evie said softly after a few moments. Bucky and Steve released each other and she was swept up in Bucky's arms.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” he repeated in her ear.

“For what?” she asked, puzzled.

“For giving me two real arms.” Bucky pulled back and smiled brightly at her. She returned the smile before nodding at Alice.

“It was her call, not mine. She's got the only right to make that kind of decision.” He looked over at his wife and smiled, but the reply died on his lips as he actually saw Becca properly. He spun around and looked at his niece and nephew and Evie could see the wheels in his head turning as he tried to figure out why the kids looked so much bigger.

“Buck, it's been five years since you guys vanished,” Steve answered his brother's silent question.  Bucky stared at him, mouth agape. “Don't worry, Sarah and I kept Alice and Becca safe for you. Like you kept Evie and Robby safe for us.” He looked at Bucky's left arm and snorted. “Rocket is gonna be pissed that you don't have the metal arm anymore.” Alice started to laugh along with him while Evie and Bucky were lost.

“Rocket said that he needed your arm to defeat Thanos, but what he really wanted was to beat that Grimace-looking asshole to death with it for taking Groot,” Alice choked out between laughs. Bucky and Evie joined in the laughter.

“It's gonna be one hell of a job bringing Groot back. Hopefully, Rocket doesn't beat my ass if I screw up,” Evie lamented. Alice scoffed at her.

“Oh please. You? Screw up? Don't make me laugh. You are scarily perfect at almost everything, so pffft,” she snarked, blowing a raspberry at the end.

“Whatever you say, Alice,” Evie replied. “I guess I better get back to work. Gotta bring the rest back, even though wish I could leave Strange there.” Bucky burst into laughter as he remembered her attack on the surgeon.

“I want you to bring him back. He said something about how being married has changed you after you left,” he tattled, grinning evilly. The answering look on Evie's face was terrifying.

“Is that so? Well, I'll just leave him for last so I can punish him properly then.” She turned and led them all from the room so she could bring back more of their family, Steve and Alice sharing a look that showed how worried they were for the surgeon.

Once she was back in the lab, Evie pulled up Wanda’s information and began to make her a body, having to keep the Mind Stone powers in mind. She figured that since she was making Wanda, she may as well make Vision’s body as well, since they were both powered by the Mind Stone. After much consideration, she decided to make Viz’ body the same age as Wanda’s, thus giving him a more youthful appearance. Evie didn’t blame them for wanting Viz to look more human, but the phase he chose looked WAY too old for Wanda, so Evie made him look the same, but younger.

“Dad, you help with Viz, since you were one of the ones who helped create him, while I help Wanda,” she instructed as she set about to bury them both. Bruce nodded as they began the regeneration processes for both, then waited. After a few moments, Wanda’s hands came through, followed by Vision’s. The doctors pulled them up, helping them take in their surroundings.

“Vision, calm down. You’ve got a full human body now, so you have to breathe, okay?” Bruce explained as Vision struggled to catch his breath. Wanda, still recovering herself, reached over and touched his arm.

“Viz? It’s me. We’re home,” was all she said before his breathing leveled out. They looked at each other, and it was a truly touching moment. Viz and Wanda stood, wrapping an arm around the other and walking out of the room, completely ignoring everything around them. Evie and Bruce looked at each other in disbelief before shrugging and getting back to work.

Groot’s information was entered, but since he was a living tree, it was gonna take a while. While he was being made, Evie put in to make Quill and Gamora’s bodies, since they were the least complicated. Evie had gone up and told Nebula and Rocket that she was bringing them back, so they came down as Nebula wanted to be there when her sister came back.

Evie and Bruce had just pulled Gamora and Quill up when Rocket leaped forward and began to attack Starlord, causing him to scream like a little girl. Evie, being one of the few people who could lay hands on Rocket without him getting mad, grabbed and pulled him away.

“Lemme at him! It’s his fault I lost Groot!” he snarled, scratching at her as he tried to bite Quill again.

“Rocket no!” she yelled, trying to be heard over Quill’s screams. “It’s not his fault! Thanos did all of this, remember? He was the one who made us all die, not Peter!” She stood up and dragged the raccoon out of the lab, taking him all the way upstairs and handing him over to Thor. “You need to calm him down! He was attacking Quill just as we brought him back!” Thor and everyone else looked at Rocket in shock, while Steve’s eyes were glued to the scratches on her arms. “Steve, don’t. I’m fine. I just can’t have newly awakened people being attacked.” She turned to Rocket, placing a hand on either side of his muzzle and stooping down to look him in the eyes.

“Get your paws off me!” he snapped as he tried to shake her off.

“NO. You listen to me, Rocket, and don’t make me hit you! I’m against cruelty to animals, but I’ll make an exception for you.” He huffed and stopped struggling to get away, so she took that as a sign to keep talking. “I know it hurt you to watch Groot go. It hurt me watching Robby go, so I know how you felt then and how you feel now. But, you guys already got the bad guy. He has paid for his crimes against the universe, and Bruce, Tony, Shuri and I are fixing everything he messed up. So please, stop trying to hurt Quill. We’re all family here, finally being reunited after five years apart. Is that really how you want to greet someone that you’ve missed? No, didn’t think so.” Evie stood up and sighed.

“Sorry for scratchin’ ya, Doc,” Rocket apologized, nodding at her arms. She nodded.

“Thank you. Now, Nebula is gonna bring Gamora and Quill up here. If I hear any ruckus or find out that you attacked him again, I swear I will shave every last bit of hair off you.” The look of absolute horror on Rocket’s face was priceless.

“You wouldn’t dare, Doc!” he cried, which made her smirk.

“Ask anyone in this room. They will all tell you that I make good on my promises, both good and bad.” She gestured at Steve. “I told his ex-girlfriend to not break his heart or she’d have bigger problems. Well, she did and I sent her to jail. Don’t test me Rocket Raccoon.” With that Evie turned and left the room, feeling the heat of Steve’s gaze on her back.

Evie returned to the lab and noticed that Groot's body was still being made, so she began making Mantis’. Bruce had already begun Drax’ body, so when it was done, they buried it and waited for him to come through.

“Drax no! Stop!” Bruce yelled. In his disoriented state, Drax had reached out and grabbed the first thing he could, which had been Evie's neck. She sputtered, trying to fight him off, which only made him squeeze tighter. “Drax, please, you're choking her. Let go!” Evie's face was red when she was finally released, falling to the ground and sputtering as she tried to catch her breath.

“My apologies, Doctor. I was not sure about what I would encounter when I woke up,” Drax replied, looking both sorry and not sorry for his actions.

“Thank you, Drax. Bruce is going to take you upstairs while I work on getting Mantis back,” Evie rasped, rubbing her throat. The men left while she grabbed Mantis and Groot, whose body was finally done, and buried them both. Bruce returned with Rocket and Quill, who was actually Mantis’ half-brother, and they all helped bring them back through the sand.

“Groot!” Rocket cried as he leaped into the tree's arms and promptly broke down in tears.

“I am Groot,” was the only response as Groot stood and carried his ‘dad’ out if the lab, with Mantis and Quill following.

“Well, looks like all we have left is Doctor Strange to bring back, and then we're done,” Evie sighed, the end in sight. She got his body being made before her stomach grumbled.

“Hey, I think I can take care of one guy by himself. Why don't you go get some food and I'll bring him up when he's done?” Bruce offered.

“Sounds good.” She left at once, food calling her name. After a while, Strang's body was done, so Bruce buried him, and then helped him wake up.

“Evelyn!” Stephen roared, looking around for her as soon as he woke up. When he didn't find her, he relaxed. “She purposely made me last, huh?” he asked. Bruce shrugged, making the surgeon sigh.

“Come on, let's get you upstairs with everyone. We're finally done getting everyone back, so I'm sure there will be a celebration.” the two doctors stood and walked upstairs, letting Stephen change before joining everyone. “Here's the last one. We're done!” The room broke into cheers, as Evie, Tony, Shuri, and Bruce were all surrounded, everyone clapping in victory. After the noise calmed down, Evie looked over at Strange and smirked.

“Stephen, I'm glad you're finally here, ‘cause I'm gonna send you back!” She lunged at him, making them both fall down to the ground as she scrabbled for his throat.

“Evie no!” Steve cried as he picked his wife up and threw her over his shoulder. “You just spent five years being dead, and this is what you choose to do once you come back?!” He carried her down the hall to the room he had been using the past few years and set her down.

“I'm sorry, Steve, but he said that this was all part of a plan while we were over there, and it's been on my mind ever since,” she apologized. “I just wanted to make him suffer like I did when I watched Robby turn to dust.” She started to cry and he pulled her to his chest and held her, his shirt getting soaked with her tears. After a while, she stopped, and he pulled back to look down at her.

“It's alright, everything is okay now. You, Robby, Bucky, and the rest of our family are back, and that's all that matters.” He kissed her deeply, his memory of the taste and feel of her lips not doing the real thing justice. “Why don't I go get the kids and all four of us can hang out in here for the rest of the day? Sarah and I have missed you two like crazy.” Evie smiled, nodding up at her husband.

“That sounds great. We've missed you guys too, so I'm sure he won't mind.” They stood there for a bit, staring at each other before he picked her back up and threw her on the bed and climbed over top of her.

“I know it's been five years, but those five years have been long without you. I'm gonna make this real quick baby,” he growled as he captured her lips again.

*************

It was nighttime, and Evie was happy once again. She was in bed with her family, Sarah snuggled into her side and Robby curled up against Steve’s chest. Bucky, Alice, and Becca had joined them a couple hours ago, not wanting to be apart anymore. Bucky was currently smushed up against Evie with Becca between him and Alice. The seven of them were catching up on everything they had missed since the Snap.

“Mind if we join you?” came the question from the doorway as Maggie, Simon, and Sophie came in. Luckily the bed was huge, so they were able to squeeze in, Simon scooting up next to Alice with Sophie on his chest and Maggie tucked against his side.

The family of ten all got comfortable, happy to be together again. They all fell asleep one by one, a content smile on each of their faces.

*******************

Evie woke with a start, gasping for breath. She sat up and looked around, confused as to why she wasn't in Wakanda. She felt wetness on her face and realized she had been crying. Still trying to get her bearings, she looked over and saw Steve fast asleep, his chest bare. Seeing as she had just seen him with a blue Henley, she was even more lost when she realized that the bed wasn't as full as it had been just a moment ago.

Sarah and Robby weren't there.

“Robby?! Sarah?!” she called out, waking Steve as she struggled to untangle herself from the sheets.

“Baby what's wrong?” he slurred, his voice thick with sleep. “Evie wait!” but she was gone, running from their room down to Robby's. He followed her, reaching the hallway as she threw their son's door open. Steve went after her, not understanding why she was so frantic. As he entered the room, he saw Evie on her knees at Robby's bedside, kissing his forehead before standing, Howie looking up at her wondering what her deal was. “Evie! Tell me what's wrong,” he demanded, trying to be stern but quiet at the same time. She went right by him, on a mission.

“I'll tell you after I make sure both our kids are okay.” The tone of her voice was strained like she was barely holding her terror back. Steve followed her down to Sarah's room, still confused. Evie sighed upon seeing Sarah but froze as she realized there were two extra bodies in the bed.

Becca and Hunter.

Bucky.

Evie ran from the room, almost knocking Steve over in her haste to get downstairs. He followed her again, for once almost not able to keep up. He was right behind her as she ran through the walkway and bounded up the stairs leading the Bucky and Alice's apartment.

“Evie stop! Don't wake him up! He could hurt you!” he whispered yelled at her back, but he may as well been talking to a wall.

Evie had only one thing on her mind: make sure Bucky was okay. She threw the bedroom door open, relaxing once she saw her brother in law curled around her sister. The door had swung open with enough force that it hit the wall behind it, rousing them both from a deep sleep.

“What the hell is this?” he groaned when he saw Evie and then Steve standing in the doorway. Alice opened an eye to gauge the situation before sitting up in bed, turning on the lamp on her bedside table.

“Evie? Steve? What's wrong?” she asked sleepily. When she saw how red and blotchy her sister's face was, she fully woke up, worried. “E?” Watching Evie Rogers’ face crumple as she ran and hugged Bucky was alarming. Bucky looked at Steve then Alice, eyes wide as saucers while Evie sobbed into his shoulder.

“Evie, what's wrong?” he asked after a while when her sobs lightened. She pulled away and wiped her eyes, sniffling.

“I had the worst dream ever, and it felt so real I had to check and make sure it wasn't,” she explained. The other three exchanged glances before Steve sat next to his wife and rubbed her back.

“And Bucky was in it?” he asked, a minuscule part of him jealous that she dreamed of another man.

“Not just him, our family.” The three all looked at her in shock, but Evie could tell they didn't understand. “Our ENTIRE family. Us, the Team, the Guardians, Wakandans, Slayers, everyone.” A few more tears fell before she went on. “Thanos wanted all of the Infinity Stones, including the ones that Dr. Strange and Vision have. Viz was attacked so he was taken to Wakanda and T'Challa asked both of you to come out of retirement to fight against Thanos. We had gone with you, as we didn't want to be separated, and….” Evie trailed off as more tears started to cascade down her face. Steve hugged her tightly.

“Its alright, babe,” he cooed stroking her hair. She slapped his hand away in irritation.

“No, it's not. We lost! Thanos punched you once and you went down and didn't get back up, Steve. He threw Bucky aside like a rag doll. He CRUSHED Rhodey's suit like it was made of paper. He pulled the Stone from Viz’ forehead and killed him. And then, oh god.” Evie hid her face in her hands and started to cry again as she remembered what happened next. Bucky, Alice, and Steve waited with bated breath until she could go on.

“Thanos has all six Stones by that point, so all he had to do was snap his fingers while wearing the Infinity Gauntlet. When he did that, half the universe turned to dust. Wanda, Sam, Simon, Peter, Quill, Mantis, Drax, Groot, Strange, Hank Pym, Hope, Janet, Fury, Maria, T'Challa, Bucky, Robby and me all died.” Alice gasped in horror while Bucky and Steve were frozen in shock.

“Becca?” Alice squeaked after a bit.

“You, her, Sarah and Steve were the only ones left from our family. Sarah had to watch me and Robby disappear and Steve watched Bucky turn to dust.” She laughed humorlessly. “If your life was a series of movies, the studio and directors behind them are truly sadistic as you've had to lose Bucky so many times, Steve.” They all shared a dark look, as that was entirely too true.

“So, half the universe died. More like half of our universe was taken from us,” Steve snapped. “Did everyone come back?” Evie sighed, nodding.

“Yes, but it was five years later. Becca was 11, Sarah was 10, T'Zari was eight, Riley was five and Sophie was four.” Evie looked up and was met by Steve and Bucky's horrified stares and Alice's confused one. “Oh. Sophie is Maggie and Simon's little girl-” She broke off as another tear rolled down her cheek. “Riley was still a baby and Maggie hadn't even told Simon she was pregnant yet. She wanted him to have a clear head during the battle, so she was gonna wait until we won.” She sighed again. “But none of us were counting on losing. Once we all turned to dust, we woke up in the Soul Realm of the Soul Stone and eventually all met up and stayed together. Dr. Strange told us that it was part of a plan that he had seen through the Time Stone, but none of us cared. We wanted to go home. Then he said that it was my time to go back because none of the others could come back without me.”

“How was that possible?” Steve asked, genuinely curious.

“Because I have everyone's DNA profile and samples. Using that, Shuri, Bruce, and Tony were able to create bodies for all of us and-” Evie cut off, looking at her brother. “I gave Alice the choice of whether you should have both flesh arms or to give you a metal one. She obviously didn't care what kind of arm you had, just that you came back. So, you had two real ones when you woke up.” Bucky smiled at the thought of having two real arms but shuddered at the price tag.

“Well, at least it was only a dream, Evie. I'm sure that this would make a very interesting movie, albeit a sad one.” They chuckled before the sounds of little footsteps reached their ears. All three kids walked in, yawning and rubbing their eyes.

“Mommy, why did you wake us up?” Robby asked sleepily. Hunter and Howie came in behind the kids, yawning as well. Evie sighed.

“I had a really scary bad dream, and I wanted to make sure that our family was safe,” she explained. “Come on, let's go back to bed.” She picked Sarah up and walked out of the room. “Goodnight Uncle Bucky, Auntie Alice, and Becca.” Steve scooped Robby up and they all went back to their side, tucking the kids back in and getting back in bed themselves.

“Evie, just so you know, Bucky and I would never leave you, Alice and the kids behind. You are our main priority, everything else can just deal.” Evie turned to her husband and smiled.

“That's good to know. Can you hold me, please? I feel safer in your arms,” she whispered. He chuckled darkly as he hovered over her.

“It's a good thing I know exactly how to hold you and make you feel good,” he answered as he kissed her deeply.

@suz-123 @avenger-nerd-mom @aglarelen @amaranthuspetals @amillionfandoms-onlyoneme @bad-wolf87 @bolontiku @brighterlightss @buckybarnesappreciationsociety @buckyywiththegoodhair @caplansteverogers @captainradicalpassion @caramell0w @celeb-fess @delicatecapnerd @doloreschanal @donnaintx @earinafae @etts21 @ghostssss @girlbehindthecameraposts @gramaeryebard @jhangelface0523 @kimistry27 @liz-pbnz @loki-god-of-my-life @magellan-88 @marvel-trash07 @pegasusdragontiger @punkfrog @ruinerofcheese @ryverpenrad @sarahp879 @silver-starburst @the-real-kellymonster @4theluvofall  @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety  @stars8melanin  @getinmelanin011  @honey-bee-holly   @lostinspace33  @dustycelt  @avengedqueen26 @amandarosemire  @diinofayce  @sillinessinseattle @lookwhatyoumademequeue  @jewels2876

[jrubalcaba]

Good Night, Sleep Tight - A CHFIL/SlayerSoldier series crossover story

Good Night, Sleep Tight - A CHFIL/SlayerSoldier series crossover story

author: jrubalcaba

warnings: none except seeing superheroes in tears

rating: so fluffly it’ll rot your teeth. oh, mentions of smut, but no actual smut.

words: 3876

I hope you guys all enjoy this. I certainly enjoyed writing it!

“But I don't wanna go to bed!” Evie heard Robby whine as Steve carried him and Sarah upstairs, one under each arm. She looked over her shoulder and laughed as her mini-me started to kick and scratch at his dad, trying his best to get away.

“Robert, it's time for bed. End of discussion,” Steve snapped. He was still irritated from bath time when the kids decided to see who could make the biggest waves and soaked the entire bathroom, Steve included.

Normally Evie did both bath and bedtime, but since their fight, Steve has been doing every little thing around the house so Evie could relax more. He felt guilty for slacking off on his daddy duty, hence why he was wet, but not in a good way.

Evie sighed as she continued reading her book, when a wild Robby appeared, running through the house towards the Barnes’ side. A streak of pink with blonde on top raced by after as Sarah chased her brother.

“Man, those two are fast,” Steve panted as he entered the living room. Evie grinned.

“Just like their dad,” she replied. He rolled his eyes.

“How do you handle them both every night?” he asked, clearly at his wit's end. She giggled.

“Awww, what's wrong? Can Captain America not keep up with his two demons, I mean, darlings?” she teased with a wink. He sighed.

“Yes I can, but they're just so…..” he trailed off.

“Stubborn? Gee, I wonder where they got that from.” Evie smiled at her husband, laughing when he went Sad Faced at her comment. “We have a routine. I noticed that you get restless when your own bedtime routine gets messed up, so I got them into their own and it works wonders.” Steve's jaw had dropped, as she had neglected to mention that little detail to him.

“Well, you need to tell me more about it so I can do it too,” he snapped at her. She mulled it over for a bit.

“I guess I could,” she answered. Suddenly, voices in the hallway caught their attention as Alice and Bucky walked in, looking unamused.

“Can someone explain why the twins interrupted Becca's bedtime story, just to say goodnight?” Bucky asked, clearly pissed. Evie grinned at Steve.

“Well, Daddy is in charge of bath and bedtime, but it looks like fighting off bad guys is so much easier than putting his kids to bed,” she teased, causing him to roll his eyes again.

“Okay, I'll admit that I slacked off a lot, but this is hard work,” he said in defense. Evie scoffed.

“Yeah, if you haven't done it every night for the past five years.” Becca was tugging her parents forward more and more as the adults talked.

“Momma! I wanna say goodnight to everyone too, just like Robby and Sarah!” she whined impatiently. All three adults looked around in confusion while Evie's eyes grew wide.

“Ohhhh boy,” was all she said before following her niece upstairs, the other three right behind her. Once they all made it to Robby's room, they stopped at the sight that met them.

The three kids were standing at the wall that Robby had dedicated to all the heroes in his life, each of them replicated in action figures that may or may not have been commissioned especially for him.

“Look! Daddy and uncle Steve!” Becca cried as she saw the two figures (Robby refused to call them dolls) on the nightstand. The Steve one was identical to the real Steve, right down to the beard that covered his face. The Bucky one was also identical to the real Bucky, complete with fully movable Vibranium arm (that was specially made in Wakanda).

“Well, duh. Those two are the best, so of course they're gonna be right next to my bed, Becca!” Robby said snottily. Evie and Alice looked to their husbands and saw them both tear up at being called ‘the best’ by their son/nephew.

“That is adorable, but what did Becca mean when she said ‘say goodnight to everyone’?” Alice asked quietly. Evie turned to her and grinned.

“I think it's best if you three each take a kid and find out,” she replied. Each of them shot her a puzzled look as they walked into the room and Steve picked up Robby, Bucky took Becca, and Alice got Sarah. Robby reached up and grabbed the Ironman figure.

“Good night Uncle Tony,” he said, kissing and hugging it before handing it to Becca. “Good night Aunt Pepper. Good night Big Papa Howard and Big Mama Maria in the sky,” he added, tilting his head back and speaking to the ceiling. As if on cue, Steve, Bucky, and Alice all looked over at Evie, jaws dropped in shock and awe.

Something Evie caught on camera, as she was finally able to record Robby doing this.

One by one, each figurine was taken down, told ‘goodnight’ three times, and given three hugs and three kisses before being put back. What was even sweeter was the fact that each one was called by their real name, not their superhero one. Those who were deceased also got told goodnight, affectionately called ‘Uncle Pietro’, ‘Big Uncle Yondu’, ‘Big Uncle Odin’, ‘Big Auntie Frigga’, all the ‘Auntie Valkyries’, ‘Big Uncle T'Chaka’, ‘Big Uncle Ben’, ‘Big Grandma Sarah’, ‘Big Grandpa Joseph’, ‘Big Grandma Winifred’, ‘Big Grandpa George’, ‘Big Grandma Elizabeth’, ‘Big Grandpa Kevin’, ‘Big Auntie Becca’, and ‘Big Auntie Maggie’.

After all the figurines were placed back in their holders, the kids all squirmed down from their adults and ran to the nightstand. Robby grabbed the picture frame from it and began to kiss each person in the picture, telling Uncle Simon, Auntie Maggie, Auntie Kerry, Cousin Riley, Auntie Gail, and Cousin T'Zari goodnight before handing it to Becca and Sarah, who did the same.

Once everyone had been told goodnight, the kids each hugged Steve, Bucky, and Alice, bidding them goodnight as well, hugging and kissing them extra hard before running to Evie and doing the same thing. Once Robby was tucked in bed, the two girls and four adults left the room, and Evie made sure to capture the tears on her husband, sister and brother-in-law’s faces as their parents had been included by their children.

Out in the hallway, Evie downloaded the video to FRIDAY's server before sending it to every member of the Team, all of the Defenders, to Wakanda, and to the Benatar, wherever the hell it was.

After Sarah was tucked in and the Barnes family left, she and Steve laid down for bed. Steve was silent for quite some time before he finally spoke, his voice cracking.

“You told them?” was all he said, to which she nodded.

“Of course. Sarah wanted to know who she was named after, so I sat them both down and told them about your parents, Bucky's and Alice's. Then, they wanted to know why T'Challa's daddy wasn't here but his mommy was, and they wondered about Thor and Loki's mommy and daddy, so I just explained everything to them. They took it all in, eager eyes and everything.” Steve was silent again for a while.

“Howard and Maria?” That was the trickier thing to explain.

“They know that a guy who looks like Uncle Bucky hurt Howard and Maria and made them go to sleep forever, and that's why Uncle Tony isn't very good friends with Uncle Bucky.” Steve stared at her for what seemed like hours before speaking.

“That's….probably the best way you could have explained it. Good job,” he said, squeezing her.

“Thanks. Those kids are so much smarter than you think. Robby knew we were having that fight, and he understood that Daddy had said some things that hurt Mommy, but didn't mean to. That being said, I don't think the concept of brainwashing is something a five-year-old would understand, but I could be wrong. I'd much rather wait to explain it to them properly until they're older.” Steve nodded in agreement before snuggling into Evie's side and they both fell asleep.

***********

Shuri pulled up the video file from Evie and read the accompanying text. She then went to find her brother, sister-in-law, nephew, mother, and Okoye to show them as well.

“This is a video that I just received from Evie, and this is what she wrote: To brighten your day and to show how much you mean to us.” She then played the video for them.

“Okoye, are you crying?” T'Challa asked incredulously after the video was done.

“Absolutely not. I just have...something in my eye.” The General wiped her eyes as she turned away. Gail giggled.

“Oh, I must tell Evie and Alice that,” she said before pulling out her phone and sending a message to them.

“It is good to know that we are never forgotten by our friends,” T'Challa said as he hugged her.

“Mama! Tell my cousins I say good morning to them!” T'Zari exclaimed brightly.

“Of course my darling,” she cooed as she sent yet another text overseas. “That did brighten our day.” They continued through the palace, wanting to spend the day together.

************

“Hey assholes, we gotta incoming message from Terra,” Quill shouted over his shoulder to his fellow Guardians. Groot, Rocket, Drax, Mantis, Gamora, and Nebula all joined him at the holoscreen and read the text.

“‘To brighten your day and to show how much you mean to us’? What the hell is that suppose ta mean?” Rocket grumbled. Quill shrugged.

“How would something brighten our day? Is it a light of some sort?” Drax asked.

“I am Groot,” came a reply from the back.

“Peter, just play the video,” Gamora sighed.

“Alright. Oh, it looks like it's from Evie, Captain America's wife.” At this, Rocket perked up.

“She gives the best head scratches,” he said with a longing sigh.

They all chuckled as the video began to play. Once they saw Robby grab the Quill figurine and hug and kiss it so tenderly, they all began to tear up as their own were given the same loving treatment. Quill burst into tears as Yondu was also told good night, as it had been years since the man had died.

“That was...the cutest thing I've ever seen,” Gamora said softly after the video was over.

“I am Groot,”  Groot said, wiping what looked like tree sap from his eyes.

“I've never been called Auntie before,” Nebula said quietly from the corner. Gamora walked over and hugged her.

“Me neither. It felt pretty good too.” Loud sniffles were coming from Rocket and Peter, who both appeared to try and hide their emotions.

“Who do those little gargoyles think they are, calling us all ‘Uncle’ and ‘Auntie’ like we're all some big family?” Rocket grumbled angrily as he wiped tears away. Gamora scratched his head and he turned away, walking to the sleeping quarters muttering about ‘family and how it felt good to have one’.

“I can't believe they remembered Yondu,” Quill stammered as he cried. Gamora came to comfort him too, patting his back.

“How did that brighten our day? All that did was make me feel happy,” Drax said from right next to them.

“It made your day better, right? Well on Terra, ‘brighten your day’ means ‘make your day better’,” Quill explained, his voice muffled as he cried into Gamora's shoulder.

“Oh. Well, then yes, that did brighten our day,” Drax said loudly as he too walked to the sleeping quarters.

The rest of the Guardians all stood in silence as they came to terms that they had a family again, after losing their own so long ago.

***********

“Sam! Come see what Evie just sent us!” Kerry called from their room. A few moments later Sam walked in, ready for bed.

“What is it?” he asked, kissing her sweetly.

“It's a video to ‘brighten our day’,” she replied, pressing play. They watched it in silence, both of them tearing up when they and their unborn baby boy were mentioned.

“Oh my god. That is the cutest fecking thing I've ever seen,” Kerry said shakily once the video was done. Sam nodded, unable to speak.

“It's good to know Riley is already so loved before he officially gets here,” he said after a while. The expectant parents snuggled in bed, smiles on their faces as they fell asleep.

************

“Hey everyone, Evie just sent us a video. Let's watch it!” Peter called through the Compound. The Team assembled in the common room, ready to watch. FRIDAY began to play it, and Tony was a mess within the first five minutes, unashamedly sobbing into Rhodey's shoulder as his parents were so affectionately wished goodnight.

Thor and Loki were the next to choke up as their mother and father were mentioned, followed by Natasha. She was used to being called Auntie Nat by the kids, but to see them send her such love was enough to crack her tough exterior.

Wanda burst into tears as her brother was also wished goodnight, as she missed him terribly. Peter and Aunt May were there, as May and Bruce were still dating. To hear Ben be mentioned brought tears to their eyes as well, Bruce included.

The video was done playing, and everyone sat in stunned silence.

“Yeah, that just made everything that we do worth it. Those kids look up to us, and I'll be damned if I let them down, “ Rhodey declared, patting a still sobbing Tony on the back. Everyone nodded their agreement, then slowly, one by one, they all went to sleep, sweet dreams aplenty.

#

The next morning, Evie woke to her phone going off, the notification tone repeating every few seconds. She grabbed it and unlocked it, looking at all of the messages on the screen.

“Steve, wake up,” she urged, grabbing her husband's shoulder and shaking him. He snaked his arms around her and pulled her close, throwing a leg over hers.

“Five more minutes,” he mumbled into her neck before covering every inch he could reach in kisses. He began to grind his hips into hers, his arousal growing by the moment.

“Steve…” she trailed off as his left hand came up to cradle her face while he kissed her deeply. He took advantage of her distraction to climb over top of her, grinding his erection into her even more. Evie wrapped her arms around his back, reveling in the way his muscles moved under her fingertips. Her hands slowly made their way to his pants, intent on removing them as her earlier preoccupation was forgotten as they continued kissing.

“Uncle Steve! Get off Auntie Evie! You're gonna hurt her!” came the outraged cry from the doorway as Becca ran into the room. Evie jumped, causing her teeth to nick Steve's lip. He quickly got off of her, sitting up in bed as Alice and Bucky entered soon after their daughter, bursting into laughter as Steve's blush covered his upper body. Evie quickly sat up as well and swung her legs over Steve's lap to help hide his erection from their niece.

“Becca! What have we told you about coming into our room without knocking?” she scolded the little girl. “What if I or your uncle were getting dressed? We don't want you to see us naked, so you have to knock first.” Becca bowed her head.

“Sorry, Auntie Evie. I was just so excited to tell you about what Auntie Gail said about Miss Okoye,” she replied. Evie sighed before holding her arms out for her niece.

“It's okay, but that's one of the rules, remember? We all have to knock before opening someone's door,” she said as she hugged the little girl.

“Becca, she's right. You wouldn't want her or Uncle Steve to just walk into your room while you were getting dressed, right?” Bucky asked his daughter. Becca's eyes grew big as she understood the issue.

“No. Okay, I'll knock every time, I promise.” Evie hugged her again before kissing the top of her head.

“Good deal. Why don't you go hang with Sarah? I'm sure she's awake.” Becca was out the door before Evie got the whole sentence out. Once she was gone, Steve got out of bed, holding a pillow over his crotch as he walked past Bucky and Alice as he headed to the bathroom.

“Why the hell are you hiding it from me? It's not like I don't know what one looks like,” Bucky directed at his brother's back.

“Yeah, well my sister doesn't need to see it though,” he shot back over his shoulder as he threw the pillow at Bucky, shutting the door. Alice shuddered as she climbed up next to Evie.

“Yeah, I really don't need to see him like that,” she agreed. Bucky rolled his eyes.

“What? We're all adults here,” he argued. It was Evie's turn to roll her eyes.

“Yeah, but you wouldn't want me to see you like that though, right?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Well no, but we're related.” Another eye roll from the doctor.

“They are too, because of us, so it's the same thing, moron.” Bucky flipped her off before calling over his shoulder.

“Having problems in there, Stevie?” Evie couldn't hear her husband's response, but judging by the blush that covered Alice's face and Bucky's laugh, it was pretty filthy, even for Steve. “I think we're gonna go hang with the little monkeys so you can go help him out.” He stalked to the bed and swept Alice into his arms and walked out.

Taking that as her cue, Evie went into the bathroom, walking up behind Steve, who stood in front of the toilet. She grabbed his hands and turned him towards her, the tent in his pants quite noticeable

“Here, let me,” she said as she sank to her knees.

**********

Evie followed the voices of her kids and niece downstairs, finding them, Alice and Bucky in the kitchen, eating breakfast.

“Everything okay?” Bucky asked teasingly. Evie smiled at him.

“Oh yeah. You know better than anyone about that super soldier stamina, so we had to take care of his issue a few times,” she replied with a wink, making Alice blush.

“Eww. So anyway, we didn't know that you had sent that video to everyone last night,” she said, narrowing her eyes at her sister. Evie shrugged.

“What? I thought that everyone would enjoy it. Sorry for not asking before I sent it.” She set about making a cup of coffee for herself and a glass of milk for Steve.

“Thanks, baby,” he said as he walked in and grabbed it from her. He wasn't a fan of coffee, so it was milk or water for him.

“Welcome, babe.” She kissed him sweetly before walking over to Becca. “So, what did Auntie Gail say about Miss Okoye?” The six-year-old grinned brightly, her father's smile copied perfectly into her little face.

“Auntie Gail said that Miss Okoye cried when she saw your video, Auntie Evie!” she exclaimed. Evie looked around at the other adults in shock. Making Okoye, the General of the Dora Milaje, cry over a video was an impressive feat.

“Uh, wow. That is pretty amazing,” Evie replied in a daze. Becca nodded enthusiastically.

“Yep and cousin T'Zari said hi to us too!” All of the adults were glad the super kids would all grow up so close. Steve had opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when the front door opened. The four adults went to see who their unannounced visitor was.

“Brighten our day?! Tug at our heartstrings is more like it!” Maggie cried as she stomped in, followed by Simon, Kerry, and Sam.

“Yeah, that was pretty heavy-handed, Evie,” Sam said, closing the door behind him. “Kerry woke up crying a few times over ‘how fecking cute’ it was.” Steve and Bucky grinned at the thought of Sam having to deal with a pregnant partner and the accompanying mood swings.

“Sorry. I didn't mean to make her or Okoye cry,” Evie apologized.

“Wait...Okoye cried?! Wow,” Simon exclaimed, impressed.

“Apparently.” Her phone dinged again and she looked at the messages. “Oh yeah. I was going through the responses I got when someone distracted me,” she said, glaring at Steve.

“What? I had needs, and you took care of them,” he answered with a shrug. “What did everyone say?” Evie scrolled through her notifications, her smile growing with each one.

“So Okoye cried, so did Quill and Rocket. Tony sobbed, and Thor and Loki got choked up. Oh my gosh…..Nat cried. I made Natasha Romanoff cry.” Evie honestly didn't know what to say. She didn't mean to make anyone cry with the video. She just wanted to show everyone how much they meant to the kids.

“Simon cried too, Evie. Good job,” Maggie congratulated her. The offended look on the burly man's face was priceless as she sold him out. Bucky, Steve, and Sam burst out laughing, while Kerry and Alice smiled sweetly at him.

“Awww, Si. I've made you cry, and now Evie has. Did you cry when Gail got married? Will you cry when Kerry gets married?” Alice asked. He scowled at her.

“Shut it, Al. For the record, I wasn't crying last night, I just had….allergies,” Simon explained.

Which, in the presence of a doctor, probably wasn't a good idea.

“Do I need to prescribe you something for those then?” Evie said, slipping into Doctor mode. He stuttered at being caught in a lie.

“Yeah, some time to hang with all of the kids so he's not such a fecking moody bastard,” Kerry quipped, making all of the adults laugh. “Oh. Riley must want to play too.” She rubbed her belly, looking uncomfortable.

“Everything okay in there?” Evie was on edge. She couldn't exactly diagnose anything with Riley or Kerry, as obstetrics was out of her league. The redhead sighed.

“Yeah, he's just over eager to get here. I'll be so glad when he does though.” Sam rubbed her back soothingly as she took some calming breaths.

“Alright. Just don't go into labor yet. He's not done cooking and there's no one here that's qualified to deliver him,” Evie warned. They all gave her the same look. “What?”

“You are the most qualified person here,” Alice insisted. “None of us have gone to medical school and only two of us have given birth.” Evie's eyes grew big as she realized her sister was right.

“True, but let's leave me as Plan Z. You'll be at the Compound when you go into labor I'm sure.” They all nodded in agreement. They've had enough excitement to last them a lifetime.

“Okay, enough chit chat. I've got a nephew and some nieces I need to see,” Simon declared, pushing past them all and heading towards the kitchen. Evie chuckled as they all followed him. If he's this whipped before fatherhood, then he'll be a downright puddle of mush when he and Maggie have a baby. 

Evie hung back and watched everyone in the kitchen, happy to see all the love and affection they all had for each other.

@suz-123 @avenger-nerd-mom @aglarelen @amaranthuspetals @amillionfandoms-onlyoneme @bad-wolf87 @bolontiku @brighterlightss @buckybarnesappreciationsociety @buckyywiththegoodhair @caplansteverogers @captainradicalpassion @caramell0w @celeb-fess @delicatecapnerd @doloreschanal @donnaintx @earinafae @etts21 @ghostssss @girlbehindthecameraposts @gramaeryebard @jhangelface0523 @kimistry27 @liz-pbnz @loki-god-of-my-life @magellan-88 @marvel-trash07 @pegasusdragontiger @punkfrog @ruinerofcheese @ryverpenrad @sarahp879 @silver-starburst @the-real-kellymonster @4theluvofall  @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety  @stars8melanin  @getinmelanin011  @honey-bee-holly   @lostinspace33  @dustycelt  @avengedqueen26 @amandarosemire  @diinofayce  @sillinessinseattle @lookwhatyoumademequeue  @jewels2876

[jrubalcaba]

Christmas in New York

A CHFIL/SlayerSoldier series crossover

author: jrubalcaba

featuring: OFC Evelyn “Evie” Collins x Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes x OFC Alice Winters

word count: 12,394 words

Rating: mature audiences please

warnings: cussing, suggestive situations

A/N: Okay everyone. So, this is the first chapter I ever posted about Evie and Steve, but it’s been updated. A LOT!!!! I hope everyone likes it!

THERE IS SMUT IN IT!!!! 18 AND OVER PLEASE!!!

With just a few days until Christmas, Evie was finally getting her gift for Steve. She had purposely saved him for last, as she knew he would be hardest to shop for. And, to ensure she got the perfect gift, she enlisted Sam, who knew him best. She was gonna ask Bucky for help, but he was too busy devouring Alice to be available.

Evie and Sam were walking down the sidewalk, arguing over what Steve would want.

“I'm tellin’ ya Evie, all you’d need for Steve would be a few strategically placed bows and he'd die happy,” Sam insisted, making Evie blush bright red at what he was implying.

“Oh, shut up Sam. Besides, he's got a girlfriend for that.” She looked down at the ground, avoiding his gaze. “If I did that, it would make things incredibly awkward between us,” she added, causing Sam to snort.

“Oh, hell naw girl. It would only make it awkward because then we'd all have to listen to him screw your brains out constantly.” If possible, Evie blushed even redder.

“Steve would never. He has a girlfriend, remember? I'm just his doctor,” she trailed off lamely.

“Yeah, and I quote ‘the most beautiful doctor he's ever seen’.” At this, Evie snorted.

“Yeah, whatever. He's seen plenty of them in his life, so..” she left it at that, making Sam laugh.

“Damn. Do you ever leave the state of denial? You both have it bad, but are way too chickenshit to do anything about it.” Evie shook her head and sighed.

Apparently, the other night when she admitted to Alice that she was in love with Steve, Sam had been nearby and heard it all. She begged him not to tell, and he agreed, but that opened her up to relentless teasing. Add to that the constant ribbing from Alice and Bucky and she was surprised Steve didn't know.

“Sam, I get that you, Alice and Bucky think that Steve has a thing for me, but he doesn't. Wouldn't you think he'd break up with her if he wanted me?” she asked pointedly. Sam shrugged.

“You would think so, but he doesn't know how you feel. If you let us tell him, you'd have your lips wrapped around his-”

“Samuel Thomas Wilson! Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?!” Evie cut him off, smacking his arm. He laughed.

“No, but I kissed yo mama with it last night,” he joked, wiggling his eyebrows. Evie joined in with his laughter, heading down the sidewalk towards more stores.

They stopped at a crosswalk, waiting to cross. When the signal changed, Sam offered his arm and Evie took it as they went through, reaching the other side and continuing on, looking at the different shops.

As they were coming up on a shop, there was a grotesque looking snowman out front. Evie heard the person inside hiccup but by the time she went to stop Sam, it was too late. The dude inside had jumped, scaring the Avenger and making him scream like a little girl confronted with a spider.

If Evie wasn't too busy trying to breathe from the laughter, she would've felt bad for him. But she didn't.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Evie burst out laughing as Sam tried to act like he hadn't just gotten the scare of his life. “Oh my God, that was great! Are you in need of new underwear, Sam?!” She dissolved into another fit of giggles at the look he gave her as they continued to walk down the sidewalk.

“Har had, very funny,” he snapped as he tried his best to mimic Steve’s Sad Face.  “You’re a sick bastard, ya know?” She grinned at him.

“Oh, come on. It wasn’t that bad,” she teased. He shook his head at her.

“You do realize that you owe me one now, don’t you?” Evie’s face went white as she contemplated his words.

“How do you reckon that? I had nothing to do with it!” she argued. He chuckled at her.

“Yeah, you did. You let that asswipe scare me!” Her jaw dropped in shock.

“Sam, I heard him like a split second before he jumped! I had no chance to warn you!” she exclaimed, but her pleas fell upon deaf ears.

“A likely story. I already know how to make it up to me, so no worries.” At this, Evie stopped in fear.

“How so?” she squeaked. Sam turned to her and grinned evilly.

“You have to scare someone for me. And not just anyone, a certain someone. A certain someone who is all big and bad...and carries a red, white and blue shield.” She gasped at who Sam was talking about.

“No. No, Sam, I can’t. I can’t do that to him!” she pleaded.

“You can, and you will. Or I will march my happy ass right back to the Tower, find him, and tell him everything I heard you tell Alice the other night. Hell, I’m sure FRIDAY caught it on video/audio, so I could just show it to him. Your choice.” Evie was torn. There’s no way she could let Sam tell Steve, but she just couldn’t scare Steve like that.

“Sam, he’ll hate me if I do this,” she whined, causing him to smirk.

“Well, would you rather him hate you for a short while over a small prank, or possibly have him hate you indefinitely for wanting to be Mrs. Steve Rogers?” he mused out loud. After a few minutes of thinking, she hung her head and sighed.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” He punched the air in victory as they went on walking, discussing how to lure Steve out here.

***************

“Hey, Steve?” Evie called softly, knocking on his open bedroom door. She looked in and didn’t see him, and was about to walk away when he stepped out of the bathroom, pulling a shirt over his head. Evie internally groaned at the sight of his oh so yummy abs, wishing she could lick along the lines of his Adonis.

“You need something, Evie?” he asked. She huffed out a breath at being caught in a daydream and shook her head to clear it.

“Uh, yeah, actually.” She cleared her throat, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve gotten everyone something for Christmas except for Bucky and Alice. I don’t really know them well enough, so I was wondering if you would be able to go out with me and help me find them a gift?” Steve gave her a look.

“You want me to go out with you?” he clarified, smirking. Evie thought over her words and giggled at how she had phrased her question.

“Not like that,” she lied with a giggle. “Let me rephrase; will you help me find a gift for Bucky and Alice?” Steve smiled at her.

“Oh, well in that case, sure. I was actually gonna go grab something for lunch, wanna make a date of it?” It was his turn to be embarrassed at the choice of words. “Let me rephrase; wanna grab some lunch and do it after?” Evie struggled to keep her laughter at bay as he facepalmed.

“Yes, Steve. I’m actually getting hungry too so lunch and some shopping would be great.” She headed back to her room to grab her coat when she ran into Clint, literally. “Oof!” she went as they collided, the ginormous bowl of spaghetti in his hands spilling all over her.

“Shit!” Clint cried. She stopped in her tracks and looked down at her clothes, covered with red sauce. “Sorry, Evie!” Steve chose to walk out just then to see what the ruckus was about.

“Evie, you okay?” he asked, seeing the distraught look on her face. “Oh god. What happened?” He looked so upset for her.

“It was my fault, Cap. I wasn't paying attention and I ran into her. My spaghetti got all over her,” Clint confessed.

“Yeah, I'm gonna have to go change now, and shower,” Evie said in defeat. Steve frowned.

“Well, it doesn't seem to have gotten anywhere other than here,” he pointed out as he gestured to her lower stomach and hips. “Just change your clothes and take a shower when we get back.” He didn't want to miss out on spending as much time with her as possible, so he wanted to go now.

“Okay. Luckily it hasn't soaked through yet, so that'll work for right now. Give me a second to change and we'll get outta here,” she answered as she walked very carefully to her room.

“Here Barton, I'll help you clean this up while I wait for her,” Steve offered, stooping down to help the other man. Clint started to chuckle.

“You're welcome, by the way,” he said, still laughing. Steve quirked an eyebrow at him in response. “I gave her a reason to get out of her clothes. You just gotta go in her room and you can ‘help’ her take them off.” Steve blushed bright red as Clint winked.

“Shut up, Barton,” he growled, ducking his head to hide his blush.

“Just tell Evie how you feel. The worst she can do is tell you she thinks of you as just a friend.” Steve's heart took off as he wondered about if Evie felt the same. Just then, she came out of her room, wearing clean clothes.

“Okay, I’m ready to go,” she said, looking down at the two men. Steve stood then, taking in a deep whiff of her perfume. He loved it on her and he could honestly get high off of it because it always made him think of her.

“Awesome. Barton, I think you can clean this up by yourself. Be careful next time,” he instructed as he offered Evie his arm, and the two walked away, leaving Clint to clean up the spaghetti.

“Yeah, those two have it so bad for each other,” he muttered under his breath.

***********

“So, what do you think Bucky and Alice would like best? Should I get them each something or just a single gift for them both?” Evie asked as they walked down the sidewalk. Steve thought for a bit before answering.

“Well, coupley gifts are what everyone got them, so a single gift will work.” Steve led them further down the street, and as Evie looked around, she saw the snowman from earlier, and her heart sank.

God, this was going to suck.

“Maybe something they could take up as a hobby together, so they aren't….fonduing all the time,” he said with a shudder. Evie giggled half-heartedly.

“You know, it's not a crime to engage in copious amounts of physical love. It's actually a great stress relief, and as a doctor, I actually recommend it from time to time,’ she replied. He sighed.

“I know, Evie. I guess it's part jealousy on my part as to why I have an issue with it.” She looked up at him in wonder.

“Why? Do you have a thing for Alice or something?” she asked quietly. He sputtered for a while before he could answer.

“God no! She's my best friend's girl!” he exclaimed in shock. “No, it's just that they're so happy and in love, and….I'm not,” he finished lamely.

“Hmm. Well, I would say ‘I told you so’, but I won't and just settle for smug instead,” Evie said with a smirk. He turned and gave her his best ‘oh really?’ look before reaching down and scooping a handful of snow up and throwing it at her. “Oh, you did not just do that!” Steve smirked at her in response.

“Oh, I just did.” There was a split second before she dove at him, trying to knock him over. That didn't go far before he threw her over his shoulder and walked away, reaching up to swat her behind when she started to kick.

“Steven Grant Rogers, you maybe be old enough to be my great-grandfather, but that does not mean you are allowed to spank me!” she wailed. He laughed out loud at that, not realizing that he was walking right to the snowman. He was just next to it when he finally put her down in front of him.

“Well, someone needs to show you who's boss around here,” he teased, wrapping his hands around her lower back and bringing her closer to him.

“Sorry Steve, but you'll never be the boss of me, no matter how old you are,” she countered, smiling at him from under her lashes. He glanced down at her lips for a second before he started to lean in.

That's when everything went wrong.

The snowman decided to jump at that point, but instead of scaring Steve, it made the super soldier go into protector mode, and his priority was keeping Evie safe. He swept her behind him, out of harm's way. Unfortunately, when he did that, she slid on some ice and went down, cracking her head against the ground. Steve was in a defensive stance still, but once he heard her skull connect with the pavement, he turned back to see if she was okay.

“Oh my god, Evie! Are you okay?!” he exclaimed, worry dripping from every word. She looked up at him before bursting out laughing.

“Apart from hitting my head, your reaction was worth it,” she wheezed betweens guffaw. He looked down at her, a frown spreading over his face.

“You….you knew it was gonna do that?” he asked, incredulous. She nodded vigorously.

“Yeah. It got Sam earlier when we were shopping. I didn't get to warn him beforehand, so he said that I did it on purpose and to make up for it, I had to scare you,” she explained, still giggling. He stood abruptly then, looking thunderous.

“How could you do that to me, Evie? I thought we were friends.” She stopped laughing and looked up at him, a frightened look on her face.

“Steve, we are friends. It was just a joke, really,” she answered timidly. She was gonna kill Wilson the next time she saw him.

“No, it's not just a joke, Evie. I thought that thing was gonna attack you. Why would you deliberately do something like that to me?” Steve didn't wait for a response before turning around and walking away, leaving Evie still sat on the ground.

“Steve?” she called after him. He kept walking and knowing that she had made him do it broke her heart. She slowly stood, tears beginning to fall as she watched him walk further away.

From her.

Evie was frozen as tears ran down her face. She could no longer see him, as her eyes were obscured and there were too many people in the way. After her sobs subsided, she started to follow him, but since he was nowhere to be found and had a head start, she figured he was halfway back to the Tower by now. Defeated, she turned and went into the first store she saw, which happened to be a bookstore that young Peter had told them all about.

*************

Steve felt like an asshole.

He has never gotten mad at Evie, in any way, shape or form. Ever. And now, because he couldn't take a fucking joke, he went off and made her cry.

He was a sore loser, and she paid the price.

Steve sighed, glancing around to see where he was. He had walked pretty far in his anger, but even with his enhancements, he didn't want to walk all the way home, so, he had to go find Evie and pray that she hadn't left him there, even though he deserved it.

After a while, he finally found that fucking snowman, so he walked up to it.

“Hey, you remember scaring me and my girl earlier?” he asked the person inside. She wasn’t his girl, and probably never would be after this, so he took the chance to call her ‘his’.

“Yeah, and you threw her to the ground?” the guy replied in a scratchy voice. Steve was ticked in an instant.

“I didn't throw her. She fell, and it's my fault.” Steve just needed to find her, and this guy was making him feel bad again.

“Yeah, well, you're a massive dick for yelling at her like that. She started crying as you walked away.” Steve felt even worse now. He thought he had heard her crying, but hoped he had imagined it. “If that's your girl, I feel sorry for her. She deserves better from her man.” Steve hung his head and sighed.

“She's my best friend, and I'm in love with her,” he replied, making the snowman scoff.

“That's how you treat the woman you love? Nice.” This dude, a complete stranger, was right. He had treated Evie like shit, so he needed to make it up to her.

“Can you tell me where she is so I can apologize to her? I'm an asshole and I need to make things right,” Steve said solemnly. The snowman chuckled.

“She went down that way, might've gone into the bookstore? Not sure, but I know she went the way. Mighta been following you,” the snowman answered. Steve clapped him on the shoulder and set off, trying to find her. He made it down to where the snowman had said and went in the shop, the scent of Evie’s perfume letting him know that he was in the right place. He went through all of the sections, finally finding her in the self-help section. He watched her for a bit, walking up as she reached for a book way up high. He grabbed it and held it out to her, watching the grateful smile on her face vanish when she realized he had been her helper.

“A book on stress relief would be great for those two,” Steve murmured, giving her a small smile. He noticed that her eyes were all red and her face was blotchy, and it felt like a punch to the gut from Bucky’s left arm. He reached out to rub her arm and she flinched away.

“Don’t fucking touch me, Rogers,” she snarled, making his stomach drop to the floor. Evie has never called him by his last name like that. Steve knew he had fucked up.

“Evie, I’m sorry for earlier. I-” he started before she cut him off.

“Suck my dick, asshole.” With that parting shot, she turned on her heel and walked to the registers. He made to follow her, but was stopped by a group of teenagers.

“Hey, you’re Captain America!” one of them cried. As more and more patrons approached him, he could see the smug look on Evie’s face as she walked out the door.

************

Evie felt so good about walking away from Steve and getting the last word. She headed down the street, her Jeep her destination. About a block away, she had pulled her keys out, only to be grabbed and thrown over someone’s shoulder.

“What the fuck!” she yelled, struggling with whoever it was.

“Evie, knock it off! I’m gonna drop you again if you keep it up,” came the stranger’s voice. One she would recognize anywhere.

“Steve? Put me down, you asshole!” she shouted, drawing attention to themselves.

“Don’t mind her folks. Just a couple who got into an argument, and now I’m trying to fix it,” he replied. A few people cheered and clapped, but most kept silent and went on their way. Evie was stunned. Did he just call them a couple? He has a girlfriend, that isn’t her. Well, to be honest, looking at this from an outsider’s view, ‘couple’ was easier to swallow than ‘just friends’. Steve had finally gotten them to the Jeep and reached up to grab the keys, which she held out of his reach. “Hey, either unlock it or I’ll break the window,” he warned.

“Oh, like you haven’t done that before!” she snapped at him, molten heat pooling in their bellies at the reason why he had broke her window.

“Admittedly, this reason would be a lot dumber than the last time, so just unlock it.” She rolled her eyes and hit the button. Once the doors were unlocked, he opened the back door and laid on her on the seat before climbing in and shutting the door behind him.

“Screw you, Steve,” she spat, using her foot to keep him away. He chuckled as he grabbed it and held it to one side before doing the same with the other.

“You know, if you wanted me between your legs again, all you had to do was ask,” he taunted, pressing his hips against hers. Evie was getting too turned on to care about his language, so she tried to slap him to get her point across.

“Fuck off, asshole!” she snapped as she slapped his arms or whatever she could reach. Her hand came up to slap his cheek, but he leaned back just in time.

“Evie, now stop. I'm trying to apologize to you,” Steve grunted as he grabbed her wrists, keeping her from pushing him away.

“Oh, so if you want to apologize, I have to listen, but if I want to apologize, you're allowed to storm off and leave me all alone,” she snapped up at him, fighting back even though she'd never be able to fend him off.

The two wrestled in the back of her Jeep, each working out their frustration. After a while, they stopped, panting. Steve still had ahold of Evie's wrists, pinning them to the seat on either side of her head. His hips were keeping hers down, which meant that there were mere inches between their faces. They stared at each other, slowly calming down as they did. Once they had settled, Evie looked around and realized that she was once again underneath Steve in the backseat, but as she opened her mouth to tell him to let her up, he pressed his lips to hers.

Steve knew he was crossing a line. But he didn't really care. He was alone with Evie, her soft and warm body under him. Her perfume was all around him, making his head swim with thoughts of her. His memory of their first time together, in this very car, came to the forefront of his mind, and suddenly, a thirst sprang forth inside him.

And the only way to quench it was Evie.

He released her wrists, running his hands all over her body, cupping and squeezing every bit of her he could. He ground his hips into her, glad she was wearing leggings so she could feel everything that she did to him.

Evie was incapable of rational thought, a base instinct taking over as she kissed Steve back. She could feel his erection rub against her clit, sending shocks of pleasure through her body. She wound her fingers into his hair, tugging firmly. He growled into her mouth, his actions becoming frenzied as he reacted to her. Suddenly, he pulled back and looked at her, eyes wide, lips swollen from kissing.  

Steve searched her face for any signs of hesitation or dislike, and upon finding none, relief flooded his body, quickly replaced by desire. Making sure not to break eye contact, he reached down and began to undo his belt. Before he could undo it completely, Evie grabbed his shirt and brought their lips back together. He stopped messing with his clothes, his hands coming up to tangle into her hair.

Evie knew where this was headed, and although she knew he had a girlfriend, she gave zero fucks that she was helping Steve cheat. She had him all to herself, and she'd be damned if she didn't take advantage. She reached down and resumed undoing his belt, then his button and zipper. Once that was done, she pushed his pants down over his ass before grabbing his length, pumping him a few times as she reveled at how warm he felt in her hand. His hands were gone from her hair, yanking her leggings and panties down before running a finger through her folds. She moaned against his lips, nipping his bottom one and running her tongue over it to take the sting away.

Steve wasted no time in lining his tip up at her entrance and pushing inside her. They both hissed at the feeling of being completely bare to each other again. He slowly sank into her tight heat, knowing above all else that this was where he truly belonged. Once he was in to the hilt, he started to thrust gently, opening her up for him.

Evie was in heaven. Feeling Steve, all of him, stretch her so much, but at the same time, not nearly enough, was a dream come true. She dug her nails into his ass, pulling him in deeper, his cock reaching places inside her that no other man ever could.

Or would.

Steve broke the kiss and pulled back slightly to look down at Evie, his exhales becoming her inhales. He never stopped thrusting, only slowing slightly, and as she ran her hands through his hair with the gentlest touch, something in him snapped. His brain tapped into a dark place and he sped up, thoughts of claiming her ever present in his mind. He pulled the collar of her shirt down, exposing the skin of her chest. He bit down, sucking a dark mark over her heart.

“Fuck, Steve...” she moaned, head thrown back. Once he was satisfied with his work, he added a bit of strength to his thrusts, almost weeping with joy as Evie accepted it, never crying out in pain.

He could never let go like this with any of the women he had been with. Not even Peggy.

Steve slid his hands up Evie's back, hooking them over her shoulders and used that as leverage to speed up and intensify even more, his eyes never leaving hers. Evie's hands cupped his face in the most tender fashion, her thumbs brushing over his lips. Their orgasms were fast approaching, and as hers began to wash over her, she closed her eyes and threw her head back again.

“No, don't hide it. I wanna see and hear everything,” Steve whispered. Evie opened her eyes and stared into his, transfixed. He got to watch as she became undone, her velvet walls clenching down triggering his own release. She was captivated by the look of pure bliss that came over him as he came, spilling his seed deep inside her. As they both came down from their highs, they peppered each other with kisses, hands wandering and caressing what they could reach. Once they had calmed down completely, Evie and Steve stared at each other, and they knew something had changed between them. He withdrew from her, both wincing in their sensitive state before he fixed their clothes. As they got back in the front, they shared another look before taking off.

“Evie….” Steve started before she cut him off.

“Steve, it's alright. This is a safe space. What happens in my Jeep, stays in my Jeep. Promise.” Evie wished above anything that she could shout from the rooftops about what they had just done, but outing Captain America as a cheater seemed like a bad idea, a complete PR nightmare for sure.

“Okay, only if you're sure.” He looked out the window, thinking about what had just happened. He just cheated on his girlfriend, and he was pretty sure he forced himself on Evie, which would explain why she was so quiet. “I'm so sorry, Evie,” he apologized. She looked over at him in surprise.

“For what? Breaking my dry spell?” she retorted. When she saw that he was serious, she grew worried. “Steve, what are you sorry for?” He sighed in irritation.

“You know what. Are you okay?” Evie honestly had no idea what he was talking about.

“Apart from my crotch being wet from your jizz oozing out, I'm great,” she replied. He sighed.

“Cut the crap, Evie. What just happened, you know what that's considered, right?” He didn't want to say the word out loud, but it seemed to settle in the air between them, unspoken.

“Yeah, you technically cheated on your girlfriend. Well, there's no ‘technically’ about it. You did cheat. That makes me the other woman.” Evie couldn't help but laugh at that, but it was true.

“No, I mean what I did to you,” Steve snapped. Evie had just pulled into her parking spot in the Tower garage, so she was able to turn and face him head on.

“What you did to me? Steve, you fucked me.” Evie was so puzzled as to what he thought they did. He sighed, getting out of the car and shutting the door with a little too much force. Evie got out and gave him a look.

“Sorry. Evie, I rrrrr…..” he trailed off, acting like he would be struck down by God if he spoke it out loud. “I...forced myself on you. You should be hating me right now.” Evie was floored. That was the absolute last thing she expected him to say.

“Steve, you didn't.” Evie crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. How could he possibly think that?

“Yes I did, Evie. I didn't ask if it was okay with you, nor did I give you a chance to say ‘no’. I just yanked your clothes out of the way and then went to town.” He looked so upset with himself, but there was no reason to be.

“Are you serious right now? Do you honestly think that if I didn't want to have sex with you, I wouldn't have said something?” she shot back. “Even if I couldn't talk, I would've hit or kicked or punched, hell I would have bit you to get my point across. But did I do any of that? No. I kissed you back. Hell, if I recall, I was the one who undid your pants and had my hand wrapped around your dick. How is that you forcing yourself on me?” Evie was beyond pissed now. He was ruining their moment.

“Evelyn, enough.” Steve's Captain voice was in full effect, and dammit if that didn't turn her on again. “This will not happen again. I can't seem to control myself around you, and that puts you in danger. End of discussion,” he added when she went to argue.

Evie bowed her head and walked passed him to the elevator, waiting for him to get in before hitting the button for the residential floors. They rode up in silence, Evie trying to keep her tears at bay until she was in her room. It broke her heart to hear him say that he would never have sex with her again, which obviously meant that Steve didn't think of her that way, that she was just a friend to him.

Steve felt like shit. He knew he was full on lying when he told her it wouldn't happen again. He would gladly sleep with Evie all day, every day, if she wanted, even if he was in a committed relationship. Which she would never want now, after all he said and done to her.

The elevator opened and Evie shot out, running straight to her room and slamming the door behind her. Steve, feeling like a complete asshole, hung his head and sighed as he walked out.

“Hey Steve, what's wrong? Why did Evie look so upset?” Wanda asked from where she was sitting next to Vision. The whole Team was in the common room, and they all looked to Steve expectantly.

“We had a disagreement, and I was an ass about it,” he replied as he walked over and sat next to Sam. “Can I ask everyone's opinion on something….for a friend?” For Steve to ask the whole Team something was pretty huge, and they all agreed.

“Sure Cap. What's eating your friend?” Tony asked from beside Bruce. Steve swallowed, knowing he had to tweak his question a bit.

“Okay, so….my friend has been in love with a….co worker of his for years. He's never been able to make a move because one of them always had a partner, and then he went….abroad for a while, so he definitely wasn't able to be with her then. Well, now that he's back, he has a girlfriend.” Steve stopped to take a breath when Bucky piped up, grinning.

“Hey Steve, what's this friend's name? Didn't think you had any outside of me and Bird-brain over there,” he asked, smirking at Sam who flipped him off. Steve blushed, knowing he couldn't exactly say his name.

“Uh….Roger,” he said at last. Everyone shared a look.

“Does his surname happen to be ‘Stevens’?” Alice joked. She got her answer when Steve blushed even redder. “Who is this coworker of his? Is she a doctor of some sort?” Alice knew exactly who Steve was talking about, and she wanted to tease him as much as possible.

“That has nothing to do with the issue, Alice,” he snapped. She grinned, but remained silent so he could continue. “As I was saying, Roger has a girlfriend, but he's still in love with his coworker. Well, ea-”

“Wait! What's his coworker's name? This could get confusing,” Alice cut in again. Steve sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“For fuck's sake, Alice. Her name is Ev...a,” he finished lamely. She grinned wider than ever and laughed.

“Eva, huh? I like the name ‘Evie’ better, not that you're talking about our beloved doctor though, right?” she teased, staring him down. The entire Team was looking at him, waiting for his response.

“Okay, I think it's time for me to leave, especially if Evie is being name-dropped,” Bruce said as he stood and left for the lab. Steve coughed, realizing that it was probably a good idea for Bruce to not hear this next part.

“Quit interrupting, Alice,” he snapped. “Like I was saying, earlier Roger and Eva went shopping and after they had a tiny disagreement, they had gotten into the back of her car and-” Steve stopped, as he was unsure how to go on.

“And what, Steve?” Sam asked, looking stony faced. Steve swallowed thickly.

“Uh, well, they uh, kinda, sorta, uh, had sex,” he stammered, blushing bright red. The reactions of the Team ranged from proud (Bucky) to impressed (Tony) to appalled (Sam).

“So, Roger, cheated on his girlfriend with the woman he's actually in love with, Eva? I'd say ‘well done’ and buy him a drink,” Tony said, clapping. Steve bowed his head, hiding his smile.

“Is Eva still standing?” Alice asked slyly. He looked up at her, all traces of humor gone from his face.

“Well, yes, but I, I mean Roger, screwed things up with her.” They all shared a look before he went on. “Roger is certain that he, well, forced himself on her.” The air in the room was gone. Steve felt like the world's biggest asshole, and judging by the look on everyone's face, he was.

“Steve, and cut the shit, alright? What happened?” Nat asked, her tone stern. He sighed before answering.

“I didn't exactly ask if she was okay with me kissing her, and I didn't ask if she was okay with me touching her there, and I definitely didn't ask if she was okay with me….sticking my dick in her,” Steve said, resigned to his fate. Suddenly, he was yanked up from his seat by Alice, who had murder in her eyes.

“So, you just had your way with her? Did she fight back?! WHAT DID YOU DO STEVE?!” she bellowed, raising her hand to deck him.

“No! Evie didn't fight back at all! She let me do it to her!” Steve cried. Alice released him, a puzzled look on her face. Bucky, who had jumped up with Alice, stood in front of him, grabbing his shoulders and looking him in the eye.

“Steve, if she didn't fight back or anything, then what makes you think that you forced yourself on her?” he asked.

“Yeah, we're with Barnes on this, Steve. If Evie didn't explicitly say ‘no’ or try to fight you off, then chances are she was completely okay with everything,” Nat added. Sam stood, placing a hand on Steve's shoulder as well.

“Face it, dude. Evie wanted the D,” he said, shoving the blonde slightly. “I told her to scare your ass, not tap it.” Everyone laughed at that, causing Steve to blush, as he figured the worst was over.

“Yeah, you're probably just feeling guilty about cheating on Amy, and now you have a reason to break up with her so you can have all the sex you want with Evie,” Bucky reasoned. Steve sighed.

“No, I doubt Evie will ever want to talk to me again, let alone have sex with me, after what I said to her earlier,” he lamented. When all that met him was silence, he explained. “I tried to apologize to her, but she kept saying I had nothing to be sorry about, so I snapped and said that I'm a danger to her ‘cause I can't seem to control myself when I'm alone with her.” Bucky snorted.

“Yeah, I don't think that'll be the case, Steve. Evie knew you had a girlfriend, and yet she still jumped on your dick and rode you like a horse. Trust me, she'll be back for more.” He, Alice, Sam and Steve began to walk towards the hallway, the tension from earlier gone. “Ya know, with all the different times you tried to join the Army with a new identity, you would think you'd be able to come up with better code names than ‘Roger’ and ‘Eva’.” The other three laughed at Steve, who went all Sad Faced.

“You guys suck, and for the record, she didn't jump on my dick. How do the kids say it nowadays, I ‘dicked her down good’?” he said with a chuckle before sighing. “I guess I need to go apologize to Evie, properly this time.”

“Oh hell naw. I do not want to see this,” Sam exclaimed, walking off. Steve squared his shoulders and headed down to Evie's door, Bucky and Alice following.

“Uh, I'd like to talk to her alone, if you don't mind,” he called behind him.

“Fine. You get five minutes before we knock. Have fun,” Bucky said, throwing a wink his way. Steve rolled his eyes as he knocked on the door, waiting for Evie to let him in. After a few minutes, it opened, revealing a freshly showered Evie.

“What do you want, Steve?” she asked, her voice wavering on his name. It broke his heart to know he was the reason she was upset.

“May I come in?” he asked after clearing his throat. She stepped back so he could enter, shutting the door behind him. “I'm here to apologize, and to admit I was wrong.” She had sat down on her bed, pulling the stress relief book to her and continuing to wrap it. He sat down across from her, waiting for her to speak.

“What were you wrong about?” She didn't bother to look up at him, as she was concentrating on getting the lines of the design right on the wrapping paper.

“I didn't….force myself on you,” he answered. She looked up then, sensing his hesitation in his wording.

“No, I wanna hear you say it. I want you to tell me what you didn't do.” She leveled him with a look that had him quailing at first before squaring his shoulders.

“Fine,” he huffed before taking a few deep breaths. “I did not rape you. We were both consenting adults that had sex in the back of your car. Happy now?” Evie smiled and nodded.

“Yes, thank you.” She resumed wrapping the book and he sighed.

“Wait, is my gift in here? I don't wanna see it if it is,” he said suddenly, looking around in alarm. Evie giggled.

“No, it's already wrapped. I've got a question for you now. Are you going to tell Amy?” It was a very loaded question, and there was a lot resting on his answer.

“Well, yeah. I did cheat on her, so she deserves to know. I just hope she doesn't cry.” Evie scoffed at him.

“It's a terrible way to do it, but just do it over the phone if it bothers you that much,” she offered with a shrug. He chuckled.

“No, doing it in person is the honorable thing to do.” Evie snorted at him, making him chuckle. “What?” She smiled at him.

“Well, I'm pretty sure the honorable thing to do in this situation is remain faithful to your partner.” Steve glared at her, but she was unphased. “Tell me I'm wrong,” she challenged, smiling even wider when he didn't. “I am curious though, why did we?” Evie knew why she had slept with Steve, but she wanted to know why he kissed her first and kicked the whole thing off.

“Well, honestly, having you under me made me remember our first time and I just couldn't help myself,” he replied sheepishly. She smirked at him.

“So, if I ever wanna have sex with you again, I just need to get you in my backseat and make sure I'm under you?” she teased. He returned her smile, before leaning in slightly.

“You just need to be underneath me, that's all.” Suddenly Evie was on her back as Steve pinned her backward on the bed.

“Whoa. That eager for round two, huh?” she asked. He grinned devilishly down at her.

“Well, why go elsewhere for subpar sex when I can have amazing sex with you?” Evie's panties were soaked, and she suddenly realized that she should have put shorts on before answering the door. Steve must have come to the same conclusion as he began to grind his hips into hers again, her panties doing nothing to dull the friction he was causing. Just as he was about to kiss her again, there was a knock at the door.

“You two better not be fucking again! Steve still has a girlfriend that he needs to dump before you two can you can fuck in peace!” Bucky bellowed through the door.

“Yeah, and I need to be able to tell you ‘I bloody told you so!’ before you're official!” Alice added. Evie used Steve's distraction to push him onto the floor, as that was the only place he could go. He laid there, stunned as she jumped over him and ran to her dresser and pulled on some shorts. He grinned when he saw the wet spot on her panties, knowing he was the reason behind it.

“We are not fucking again!” Evie exclaimed as she yanked her door open. Once her words caught up to her, she rounded on Steve. “Wait, you told them?!” He looked up at her from his place on the floor and knew he was in trouble.

“Well, not exactly. I didn't use our names,” he said as he climbed to his feet.

“What?” she asked, incredulous.

“He made up names to protect your identities,” Bucky explained, making Alice snort. “Yeah, completely unoriginal. ‘Roger' and 'Eva'.” She shook her head at Steve. “Aren't you supposed to basically be a spy? Those code names were diabolical and you should be ashamed.” He shrugged sheepishly.

“It was the best I could come up with,” he mumbled lamely. Bucky laughed out loud at that. “Yeah, I'm sure that the best you could 'come' up with,” he replied, winking at Evie, making her giggle. “God I hope you're better in bed than your imagination is suggesting,” Alice whined, making Steve blush. “He's not bad,” Evie replied with a shrug. “Much better than any other guy I've been with that's for sure.” Steve beamed with pride at this. “Oh yeah? What's his signature move?” Alice inquired, wagging her eyebrows.

“Eewww Alice! Boundaries!” Bucky cut in, gagging.

“What?!” she said with a wink.

“Well, it's not so much a signature move, but-” Evie started to say before being cut off by Steve and Bucky's shout of her name. She winked back at Alice, but said nothing more. Bucky shuddered before changing the subject. “So, does ‘Eva’ think that ‘Roger’ forced himself on her?” he directed at Evie, who didn't disappoint with her reaction.

“Hell no,” she replied with a snort. “That's good because I would have to kill Roger if he did try that shit,” the Slayer growled, glaring at Steve. “Trust me, Roger did no such thing. Eva totally wanted it. No doubt about it,” Evie assured them all. Bucky and Alice broke into matching smirks, causing Evie to blush under their gaze.

“Oh, did she now?” Bucky mused out loud.

“Well….yeah. She's been single for a while, so of course she isn't gonna pass up free sex,” she defended. She knew that Bucky and Alice both knew how she felt about Steve, but she wasn't about to admit it in front of him.

“Yay! So, Roger, when are you dumping the blonde tart and making Evie your girlfriend?” she asked matter-of-factly. Steve immediately began to stutter and blush at her question. “Who said anything about Evie?” he finally got out. Alice's eyebrows rose so high they were in danger of disappearing into her hair. “Excuse me?” she all but screeched. “You're excused,” Evie cut in before she could go on. “I'm gonna back Steve up on this. Who said anything about us becoming a couple?”

“Wouldn't you rather back up ON Steve?” Bucky interjected, wagging his eyebrows at her. “Bucky? Bite me,” she replied, rolling her eyes.

“Beat him to it,” Steve said quietly, knowing full well they could still hear him. “Seriously?” Evie cried, glaring at him.

“Wowwwww,” Alice drew out the word. “Steve's got a kinky side.” Bucky grinned his biggest grin yet at his best friend.

“Freak.” He looked Evie over, clearly looking for said love bite. “Let's see it then, although now I'm kinda worried that it's in a not so innocent spot,” he said when he couldn't find it.

Evie glared up at Steve, as this was his fault they even knew it existed. Shaking her head, she pulled the collar of her shirt down, exposing the deep purple, almost black, hickey just over her left breast. Bucky and Alice both gasped, before Bucky high-fived Steve.

“Goddamn Steve! Way to go bro!” he exclaimed, so proud of Steve’s work. Alice stared in shock a bit longer before recovering.

“Didn't that hurt?” she asked before smirking like mad at the Doctor. “I mean... sorry. Of course it didn't.” Evie blushed, fixing her shirt to hide the evidence of Steve's love.

“No, actually, it didn't. Wasn't really concerned about it at that point though. I had other things on my mind,” she admitted, blushing a bit more.

“Oh I bet,” Alice replied with a smirk. “But you two aren't going to make this official? You know, get to have all the sex all the time and in a BED?!” Evie sighed at her.

“He has a girlfriend. Kinda hard to make anything official,” she reasoned. Steve stopped and looked at her, realization dawning on his face. Evie paid him no mind, unaware that she had just inadvertently admitted to wanting to make it official.

Steve was in shock. There's no way that Evie wanted there to be anything between them, is there? He looked at Bucky, who, having just seen the myriad of emotions flutter across his best friend's face, nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, a girlfriend he cheated on,” Bucky cut in then, with a smile. “His momma raised no fool. He’ll break up with her.” He sounded so sure of this, but Evie wasn't convinced.

“She won't let him go, he's a catch. No woman in their right mind would let him get away,” she argued. “And what makes you so sure we'd even get together? We're just colleagues.” “Yeah, colleagues who have fucked twice now,” Steve said with a confident smile. Before Evie could say anything, Alice cut her off.

“What do you mean ‘colleagues who have fucked twice’?” Evie turned to glare at Steve as he had let loose another secret.

“We hooked up once before. It was after the events of D.C. You know, when you two were busy playing house,” Evie snapped. “It was a one time thing, no big deal.”

Alice Winters, resident ex-Slayer, was beyond ticked.

“That's it? You're just gonna spring that on us like it's nothing, like it's no big deal?” she said slowly, trying to keep her cool.

“Well, it's not. So what if we've had sex a couple times? The only issue is that this time, he cheated,” Evie replied with a shrug. Steve looked mildly concerned for Evie's safety, as he swore Alice had fire in her eyes and smoke billowing from her ears.

“The only issue?! The only issue?!” the Slayer shrieked before lunging for the Doctor, her hands outstretched. Bucky and Steve acted defensively, Bucky grabbing hold of his girlfriend while Steve jumped in front of Evie, becoming her shield. He was a lot more durable than she was, so better that Alice got to him first.

“Whoa, doll! Easy! No need to murder the poor woman!” Bucky groaned as he held her back. Steve stood his ground, not really wanting to physically fight Alice off, but would to protect Evie.

After a few moments of struggling, Alice calmed, sagging against Bucky's chest. “Fine! You two are just so stupid it hurts sometimes! Anyway, come on Bucky, let's go and enjoy the benefits of being in a relationship together. Sexually,” she spat at them. Steve rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, we got that, Alice,” he replied. She smirked at him.

“Lots of sex whenever we want. You're the idiots who are being so damn blind and can't see what's right in front of you.” Evie chuckled at her. “Yeah, well apparently all I have to do is get him in my Jeep so….” she trailed off. “We’ve christened it quite nicely if I do say so myself,” she said proudly, holding her hand up to Steve. He high-fived her back and grinned.

“Yeah we did. That's the one place I've come the most in, and I wouldn't change it for anything.” Steve felt smug saying that, as it was true. Evie felt smug and she decided right there and then that she would never get rid of her Jeep, because it’s the only place she got to have Steve.

“Imagine what you could do in a big, soft bed though. Whenever you want,” Alice pressed. Evie sighed.

“Secret rendezvous are apparently our thing, so why fix it if it ain’t broke?” she shot back. While the girls were arguing, Bucky and Steve were grinning at each other. Steve was over the moon at the thought of Evie possibly returning his feelings, and Bucky’s grin was getting his hopes up even more.

“Dude, come on,” the metal-armed man groaned.

“Sorry, I have a girlfriend that I need to go confess to. Bye you two, see ya later, Evie,” Steve said as he began to walk away.

“Yeah, and if Amy does break up with you, I’m sure Evie won’t mind sharing her bed one bit,” Bucky called after him, getting Steve to stop and look back.

“Yeah, stop acting like such a Tom Cat and treat Evie better, you wanker,” Alice taunted. Making the blonde go all Sad Face again.

“Hey, he treats me just fine, thank you very much,” Evie jumped to his defense. Bucky grinned at her.

“Yeah, and he treats you even better when you’re riding his dick.” Evie’s jaw dropped at his boldness.

“Well, you’re supposed to treat the person you’re fucking better, unless there’s an agreement to be treated like shit. And for the record, I wasn’t riding his dick….this time,” she answered after a beat. Bucky smirked at her, but Alice cut across him before he could say anything.

“Evie, seriously, you’re okay with this? You don’t want more from Steve?” Evie could hear the sincerity in her voice, but was unable to answer truthfully as all three of them turned to her expectantly. She blushed deeply as Steve looked entirely too hopefully for her liking.

“Uh….well, no. We’re just friends, right Steve?” she squeaked. She insisted to herself that Steve did not look disappointed, just caught off guard.

“Oh, uh yeah. Of course,” he answered. Alice rolled her eyes.

“Oh my GOD.” She literally pulled some of her hair in frustration at Evie and Steve.

“Seriously?” Bucky apparently shared in Alice’s frustration.

“Why mess up our friendship? It’s perfect just the way it is,” she replied, shrugging.

“Yeah, hate to change it in anyway,” Steve agreed, sounding incredibly heartbroken. Evie tried not to think about how upset he sounded so as to not get her hopes up.

“You absolute fucking MORONS,” growled Alice as she stomped away. Bucky shook his head and followed her, muttering something about ‘so much for a super soldier, just a super dumbass’. Evie and Steve looked at each other and smiled.

“I’ll go ahead and let you go. Bruce and I have tons of tests that we’re doing tomorrow, so I gotta get plenty of rest. Night, Steve,” Evie said. He took that as his cue to leave and walked out, stopped in the hallway.

“Night, Evie. If things go the way I expect them to and Amy breaks up with me, maybe we can get dinner some time.” She nodded at him.

“It’s a date.” He walked down the hall, hoping beyond hope that he would be single by the next morning so he could finally take Evie out.

********

It was finally Christmas Eve. Christmas was probably Evie’s favorite holiday. She loved the decorations, music, everyone being together. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Tonight, the team was having their annual dinner and she was excited to be able to go for the first time. Every other time either she was sick and couldn’t go, or had other plans that night. This year, Tony said that they all had to find naughty or nice Christmas shirts or sweaters to wear. It was time to join the party, so after making sure she was ready, she headed down the hall.

As Evie walked in, everyone was already there, mingling amongst themselves. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something glowing and flashing. She looked over and saw Alice, Bucky and Steve standing off to the side and that Bucky’s shirt was the thing that was flashing. Evie walked over and had to shield her eyes.

“Damn Barnes, didn’t know you wanted to be a tree for Christmas.” He flipped her off as the other two laughed.

Alice’s shirt was definitely tamer than everyone else’s, but it was still on the naughty side. “You know, Alice, I think Bucky will have to take that monstrosity off before there’s any plowing.”

We all laughed as she blushed just the tiniest bit.

“Oh shove it. I happen to like his jumper,” she pouted. “Besides, I’ve already told him to keep it on for later. It’ll help him see his present,” she added slyly, waggling her eyebrows. Evie looked away from her giving him bedroom eyes and caught sight of Steve’s shirt, reading it and grinning.

“Hahahaha I like it Steve.” He looked at her in surprise, as did the other two.

“You understand it?” He and Bucky asked at the same time. SHe nodded slowly.

“Well yeah.” Evie reached out and covered the MERI with a hand. “A,” then covered the A. “Meri,” then ran her hand across his chest with a flourish. “Christmas! A Merry Christmas! Get it?” Bucky and Alice nodded with understanding. She grinned up at Steve, feeling incredibly proud. “Nice job Captain.” He smiled and it took all she had to not go weak at the knees. She saw him glance down at her chest, not doubt reading her shirt.

“Wow,” he said with a smirk. “Is that an invitation?” He asked with a wink. Feeling very bold, Evie puffed her chest out a bit and smirked back at him.

“If it is, are you gonna accept it?” she asked coyly. They stood there, grinning at each other, for god knows how long.

“Hey Capiscle! Where’s your girlfriend?” Tony suddenly boomed, clapping Steve on the back. “Oh wait, I forgot. She’s banned from the Tower.” That one word was like having a bucket of ice cold water dumped on Evie. She ducked her head and turned away, catching Alice and Bucky’s gaze. They both smiled knowingly, Alice winking as Bucky threw a thumbs up. She walked away, hurrying to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.

Evie forgot that Steve was still seeing that Amy chick that Sam had set him up with. Just as Evie had predicted, after Steve had gone over to Amy’s and confessed that he and Evie had slept together, Amy did NOT break up with him, claiming that everyone makes a mistake. Amy wasn’t stupid, and she wasn’t going to let Steve go without a fight. Evie jumped as someone knocked on the door.

“Evie, you alright?” Alice asked, concern evident in her British accent.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Be out in a sec,” the Doctor called back to her, drying her face before opening the door and flashing a quick smile. “I’m good. Let’s party, shall we?” Alice grabbed her arm and pulled her back to everyone. Steve regarded her with a sad look, almost like he regretted saying anything, and her heart sank.

They all took a seat around the fireplace, Tony sitting closest to the tree so he could begin giving out presents. Before long, everyone had a small stack of 12 presents and slowly began to open them, thanking the giver of each one. Finally, Evie had gotten to her last gift, which was from Steve. She took the wrapping paper off and found that it was a picture frame, flipping it over and seeing herself and Steve. They were both sound asleep on the very couch that Evie was sitting on, their arms wrapped around each other like it was the most natural and perfect thing in the world. She was speechless.

“That’s my favorite picture of us,” Steve explained softly, sitting down next to her. Evie raised an eyebrow at him, wanting more of an explanation. “The few times I’ve been in your room, I noticed that there weren’t any pictures of me. So, I found my favorite one and had it framed for you. I hope you like it,” he trailed off. She smiled at him, throwing her arms around him and squeezing.

“I love it. Thank you so much. I’m gonna put it up right next to my bed,” she gushed, releasing him, but he didn’t pull away completely. They sat there, in their own little bubble, just staring at each other. Evie agreed with Zemo, Steve does have a little green in his eyes. Suddenly, Steve’s phone began to ring and vibrate in his pocket, making them both jump. As he fished around trying to get it out, she shook her head and glanced up. Everyone was staring at them, and they all had the same knowing smirk on their faces. Evie felt her face burn as Steve finally wrestled his phone out of his pants and answered it.

“Oh hey babe,” he said, clearly talking to his girlfriend and ignoring everyone. He stood up and began pacing as they talked, going over their plans to spend Christmas Day together. Evie sighed, knowing that it’d never be her on the other end of the phone, making plans to spend the holidays with him. She suddenly couldn’t take being in the same room as him anymore, so she made a break for her room, leaving the presents behind.

************

Evie finally ventured out of her room a couple days after Christmas, feigning that she had been sick to her stomach and didn’t want anyone else to catch it. The rest of the team seemed to halfheartedly accept my explanation, but Alice and Nat eyed her warily afterwards. A few days later, Stark was getting everything together for his annual New Year’s Eve party when Steve announced that he wouldn’t be going, for he would be attending a party with his girlfriend. Evie could feel Alice and Bucky’s gaze on her, watching her reaction to the news. She kept her face as expressionless as possible, only looking up from her tablet for a split second before returning to her work.

#

It was New Year’s Eve, and Stark’s party was in full motion. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Well, at least Evie thought they were having fun. She hadn’t actually been down to the party except to grab a bottle of vodka, choosing instead to hang out on the roof of the Tower ever since, enjoying the peace and q-

BAM

What the hell? She looked over her shoulder in time to see Steve throw his coat to the ground. He didn’t seem very happy.

“Hey sorry. Didn’t know anyone was up here,” he stammered. “I’ll go ahead and leave you alone.” He made to turn when she called out to him.

“No it's okay. There’s plenty of room. Here, sounds like you need a drink,” Evie offered, holding out the half empty bottle to him. He sighed before walking over and grabbing it, holding it up in a salute before taking a big swig. “So...what happened?” she asked warily, not wanting to upset him more. “If you don’t want to tell me, I understand.” He passed back the bottle before sitting down, bowing his head. Evie sat down next to him, setting the bottle down between them after taking another drink.

“Remember how I was going to a party with Amy?” he started.

“Yeah.”

“Well, after we got there we ended up separated, and as it got closer to midnight I couldn’t find her.” His breathing was getting faster. She reached out and rubbed his arm in an attempt to calm him down. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before continuing. “When I finally did find her, she had another guy's tongue down her throat, but that wasn’t the worst part.” He took another deep breath and went on. “She had her dress hiked to her waist, while his pants were at his ankles.” Steve looked up at Evie, and she wanted to cry. He looked so broken in that moment. Her arms went around him, holding him tightly, willing the pain to be squeezed from him.

“Oh, Steve. I’m so sorry,” she choked out, tears welling in her eyes. He sat there, motionless for a while before she pulled away, realizing that her actions probably bothered him. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.” Damn alcohol. He shrugged.

“S’alright. Not your fault.” He grabbed the bottle and took another drink before putting it down and leaning in towards her. “Wanna know who the guy was?” he whispered, his breath fanning across her face.

“Who was it?” Evie breathed, not wanting to speak any louder that he was.

“Your ex Brian.” Her blood ran cold at the sound of his name. Brian had dumped her all of a sudden a while back. Things were going great between them, or so she had thought, until one day he accused her of flirting with Steve, of all people, and went out and started fucking any girl he could find.

“That bitch. He's not even in our lives anymore and he's still fucking things up!” Evie stood up and began to pace. She heard laughter and when she turned around, Steve was laying on his back, his mirth getting the better of him. “What's so funny Steve?” she snapped, hands on her hips.

“Did you really just call him a bitch?” he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

“Yes I did. Is that funny to you?” When all Evie got was more laughter, she walked back over to him, dropped to her knees and began tickling him. “If you want funny, I'll give you funny.” Steve froze for a moment as his brain processed what was happening, but wasn't long before he began tickling back.

They wrestling around on the roof for a bit, before Steve had maneuvered Evie to her back as he straddled her legs. “Say ‘uncle’ and I'll let you up,” he offered, his hands at the ready to resume his assault on her sides.

“Uncle,” she laughed. He stood before helping her up.

“Hey I can hear the crowd in Times Square counting down,” he said,  pointing over in the direction of the lights.  “15,14,13,12,11,” he counted out, nodding for her to join him.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

Steve and Evie hugged each other, and it felt amazing to start the new year off together. After standing there for a moment, she felt him start to pull away, but as shei made to unhook her arms from around his neck, his lips found hers. She sprang away from him almost instantly, shock evident in both of us.

“Evie, I'm so sorry,” he started to apologize.

“No, Steve, it's fine. Really.  You just broke up with your girlfriend, who you had intended on kissing at midnight.  It was an accident.  Don't worry about it.” Evie was so heartbroken, and it took all her willpower to not cry. “Look, I'm getting tired, so I'm going to go to bed. I'll leave you alone.  Happy New Year's Steve.”

***********

The next morning, everyone was in quite the hungover mood.  Evie walked out to the common room and headed straight to the fridge to grab a soda. It's the one thing that could clear up her fogginess. Once her head was clear, she started making pancakes, bacon and eggs for everyone.  It was the unspoken rule that whoever recovers first makes breakfast.  As soon as the smell of bacon began wafting around, the team descended on the kitchen like a horde of zombies. She handed out plates to everyone and they dug in like they hadn't eaten in days.

“Mmm. Well, it's not a Full English breakfast, but it'll do,” Alice mumbled from beside Bucky.  

“Oh, I'm sorry your Majesty, but seeing as how this is New York and not London, this is what you're gonna get,” Evie snapped at her. Bucky shot her a shocked look while Alice looked dumbfounded. Alice and Evie haven't gotten on very well since she, Bucky, Steve and the others came back from Wakanda. Evie tends to find Alice a bit abrasive and Alice tends to find Evie a bit thick. Evie closed her eyes and counted to ten while taking deep breaths. “I'm sorry. That came out harshly. I'm hungry and my head still kinda hurts.” Alice narrowed her eyes, scowling for a while before nodding curtly in understanding as Evie turned back to the stove.

“It's alright,” she replied. “Were you even at the party last night? How are you not as miserable as the rest of us?” Evie turned back to add the last of the pancakes and bacon to the platter before fixing her own plate.

“Well I didn't go to the party. I was up on the roof.” Alice quirked an eyebrow so she elaborated. “I'm not big on crowds or parties,  so I grabbed a bottle of vodka and hung out on the roof.” She finished the rest of her food before grabbing their plates and taking them to the sink with hers. She heard a chair scrape back and then Bucky’s amused voice.

“Damn Steve, what time did you get in last night?” Evie peeked over her shoulder at Steve, who had grabbed a plate and was loading it with food. “Did you and Amy ring in the new year?” Her face burned as she remembered who Steve was with at midnight.  

“No we didn't. I came back shortly before 12.” She turned back towards them, drinking her soda as they talked.

“Well then, where were you?” Bucky asked. Steve and Evie locked eyes again.

“I was up on the roof with Evie,” he answered proudly. Evie bowed her head to regain her composure before looking back up and seeing Alice watching her, a Cheshire cat grin across her face.

“So, you two spent the night together,” she mused.

“No. Not like that,” Evie began to explain before Alice cut her off.

“Not like what? Two people standing on the roof at the same time?” she asked innocently. “What did you think I meant?” Shit. Alice backed her into a corner, and they both knew it.

“That we were together, ‘cause we're not, er, weren't,” the Doctor stammered. The Slayer leaned forward on the breakfast bar, a satisfied smirk on her face.

“You were together though. Both of you were on the roof at the same time, which means you were together, right?” she reasoned, the smuggest she’s ever been. Bucky was giving Steve the same look that Alice was giving Evie, but he showed no signs of discomfort. Evie, on the other hand, was about to fold like a cheap suit. “Or does the word ‘together’ mean something different here than it does over in England?”

“No, no, that’s what I thought you meant.” Her face fell the tiniest bit as Evie found a way around the implied meaning. “Steve and I were together at midnight. We ended last year together, and we started  this year together.”

“Cute,” she huffed.

“Did Steve ever tell you what he caught his ex doing? Or who?” Everyone gasped as they all looked to Steve, while he shot her his best ‘really?’ look. Evie shrugged in response. “What? You’ve spilled a secret, so why can’t I?” He shook his head at her.

“Evie’s ex-boyfriend,” he said simply.

“Wait a damn minute here,” Sam cut in. “You mean to tell us that Amy, Steve’s now ex-girlfriend, cheated on him with Brian, Evie’s ex-boyfriend?” Everyone exchanged glances as they processed this information.

“Ask Steve. He’s the one who saw it,” Evie argued. Sam wasn’t letting it go though.

“So, out of the billions of men on this planet, the one that she chooses to hook up with, completely at random, was your ex?” Everyone was looking at her, waiting for an explanation.

“Yeah, I guess so. What? I’m not his damn keeper.” It had suddenly hit her as to why it seemed so suspicious. “Do you think I had something to do with it?” she asked, incredulous. “When on earth would I have the time to do that and, why would I do that?” No one seemed to believe her. “Brian broke up with me, okay? Someone lit his car on fire and told him to dump me or the next thing on fire was going to be him,” she confessed. Evie was so worried about trying to get everyone to believe her that she missed the look that Bucky gave Alice.

“Well, then if you didn’t hook them up, then how the hell did they end up at the same party?” Nat asked.

“They must have a mutual friend and that’s how they got invited to the same party, or else…” she trailed off before turning to Steve, who had this delighted yet disapproving look on his face. “Where was this party at?” He thought about it for a bit, before answering.

“The Aurora.” Well, son of a bitch.

“That’s Brian’s apartment building. I’m guessing it was a building wide party, so all the tenants were invited. That’s how they met,” she pointed out proudly.

“Amy’s best friend lives there too, so yeah that had to be how they found each other,” Steve added. Everyone seemed to accept the theory and went about their day. Nat however, didn’t appear to be entirely convinced.

“Well, has anyone come forward to ask you out?” she asked. Evie shook her head.

“No, but that’s the thing. Someone obviously wanted me single, and yet not one gentleman caller,” she lamented. Alice chose this point to add in her two cents.

“Maybe they were waiting for the perfect guy to become single himself.” Alice caught Evie’s eye and winked before gesturing between her and Steve. “You both are single now, perhaps for your next relationship, you should look closer to home.” Bucky chuckled to himself at Alice’s statement before Steve silenced him with a look.

“Well,” Nat piped up. “I know this really great girl, who can be a bit of a flake sometimes, that would be good for Steve. She’s out of state right now, so it’ll have to be after she gets back.”

“Great. Can’t wait to meet her,” Steve said, somewhat enthusiastically. Nat smiled at him before eyeing Evie out the corner of her eye.

“I’ll set it up then. In the meantime, should you find someone else that you want to be with instead, go for it.” She leaned forward and dropped her voice. “Because you know what they say, the best way to get over someone, is to get underneath someone else.” Steve’s eyes got big as the full meaning of her statement sank in.

“That’s called a sexorcism,” Evie blurted before blushing. The four of them turned to her, making her blush even more. “Where was all this advice when I got dumped? I could’ve used it and gotten one. Hell, I still could do with one.” She buried her face in her hands as Steve snorted.

“I could definitely use one too,” he added. The chance to be Steve’s rebound was right in front of Evie, but she wanted to be more than that to him, so she stayed silent.

“Well, I’m going to go. Hope you all enjoyed breakfast.” Evie walked around the bar and headed down the hall to her room, needing a cold shower to fight off these hormones.

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[targaryenvampireslayer]

Ok I've been trying to send this ask for over 10 minutes, but I'm drunk as fuck & couldn't remember your blog name because you'll always be Suz to me....I had a thought... it's so dumb, but I'm giggling So Hard. Maggie goes to cross back to her universe, because...ya know...job shit &....shit goes sideways. She ends up in a universe where Bucky is a vampire. & He looks like this

Just....just imagine....everyone's freaking out, trying to find her, & she comes back all swooning & "dudes....dudes...my bitches....other Bucky is Hot As Fuck. Alice, You Would Literally Die. He's like Winter but Hotter! He could kill me & I WOULD THANK HIM! *que affronted Winter, because, fucking excuse him, he's hot as fuck, thank you very much*" & shows them all a picture & Simon just "nope. No more traveling for you" & carries her off & she's once again distracted, because Simon is undeniably hot & weirdly Stronk🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

“You’ll always be Suz to me” 😭😭😭 oh god it’s been that long you remember the wretched first url I had 🤣 you’ll always be Mila Kunis on Tom Hardys back to me 🥹

Alice would find the idea of Bucky as a vampire horrifying 😂 she’ll keep her hot Beefy!Bucky with the long hair 😂 Simon being frustrated and jealous is hilarious though 😌

[targaryenvampireslayer]

Ha! Well he could. Imagine Alice on a weed gummy. She saw Maggie eat 1 & thought they were regular gummies & ate 1 before Maggie could stop her. Simon would be in hell. "Fuckin 'ell, I miss when you hated me!"

Oh god, stoned Alice would be interesting to say the least 😅 not least that she would be eating the tower out of every last scrap of food and then getting sick 🤣

[targaryenvampireslayer]

My brain went to her metabolism being like Bucky & Steve's & I'm not sure why. & I took love when Alice gets evil picking on them & Simon gets all huffy

Oooh! I thought it was so Thor could pick her up and keep her away 🤣🤣🤣 remember, Alice is actually the exact opposite of Steve and Bucky, she’s really susceptible to alcohol, she has half a glass and is WRECKED 🤣😭

[targaryenvampireslayer]

Maggie, drunk as hell & looking at Simon: he's so damn pretty.....imma go flirt with him.

Alice, bored & unable to get drunk without Thor: he's in a relationship.

Maggie, now sobbing: WHY ARE ALL THE HOT MEN TAKEN?!

(Wait why can’t Alice get drunk without Thor 👀 did I miss something 👀)

She would totally do that though 😂 Maggie and Simon being gross about each other would definitely stir up her evil and teasing side 😈