Steel Hearts

- 44 -

We didn't see any of the rest of the Avengers until Tony's funeral. It was going to be held at their cabin.

"Come on kiddos, we're already late!" I yell up the stairs to the twins after Wanda had already passed me on her way down. "You too Sam!"

"I come back to you having two kids and the first thing you're gonna do is mom me?" he calls, poking his head around the corner at the top of the stairs.

"If you make us later than my kids already are, yes I will!"

All I get in response is an eye roll as he trudges down the stairs after Sarah and Jane. Steve chuckles, fumbling around with his tie, "There's one thing you've gotta learn, Sam. Stay under our roof and you follow her one rule. Everyone gets adopted."

Smiling, I swat Steve's hands away and finish neatly tying his tie for him, "I can't help it."

"You owe me five bucks, by the way," Sam nudges my arm as he walks past.

"For what?"

"You're a witch!"

I roll my eyes, "That was seven years ago, Sam!"

"And for me it was seven minutes, pay up!" he spins around with his hand out and a smirk.

"Really?

"Yes!"

I groan and roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest like a child. Steve smirks and fishes a five-dollar bill out of his pocket and hands it to Sam.

Since Wanda, Sam, and Bucky were staying at our house, we had agreed to meet in the living room before carpooling to the funeral. Two of the three were waiting. All of us dressed in some form of black.

"Where's Bucky?" Wanda questions, she was sitting on the couch with Jane on the floor in front of her; braiding her hair.

Sam motions toward the laundry room door, "He's out back."

"He's stubborn," Steve raises an eyebrow, leaning down to pull Sarah up into his arms.

"So am I," I say with a smirk before moving toward the back door, "Go. We'll meet you there."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we planned on taking two cars anyways."

Sharing a chaste kiss, Steve wrangles up the four of them and walks out the front door toward the garage. The creaky storm door announces my presence before any words could be said.

Bucky was sat in one of the porch chairs, hands knitted together in his lap as he looked out into the trees with a blank face.

"Hey," I don't move from the doorway.

"I can't go."

"Why not?"

"I don't deserve to. He wouldn't want me there."

"Well, did you ask him if you could go?"

Bucky glares at me without moving his head, his posture stiffening at my comment.

"Sorry, bad comedic timing," I mumbled, moving to take a seat next to him. "Ya know, the first step is always the scariest, but nobody can take that step except you. And I know you feel like he wouldn't want you there because of the things you did. But HYDRA made you do those things because they thrive off of power and control. Both of which, you have in your life right now."

"Everyone has this big picture idea of where they want to be in like forty years. The stereotypical one is they want a house with a white picket fence, to be married, with kids and a dog, and all that bullshit. But you can't get to the big picture unless you break it down into small attainable goals that you can achieve right here, right now."