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.
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