Electric / Steve Rogers x OC x Bucky Barnes ✓

Chapter 167: A Real Chance

MADELINE

"Don't do that," I say as I look at Nat from across the bar, "Don't give me hope." 

She smiles softly, "I wish I could have given it to you sooner."

I shake my head with a sigh, "No, Nat, I'm not doing this again. I spent years hoping, I've spent years trying to cope and pretend I didn't lose them. I can't do it anymore, I can't keep living in the past like this." 

"Maddie, it wouldn't be like living in the past," she says as she steps closer, "This is real. I'm not kidding, we figured it out. Scott showed us a way it could work." 

I shake my head again, mainly to keep myself from getting too caught up in this whole farce, "The ant guy?! Come on Nat, seriously.. No. No, it's not real, there's no way." 

"Maddie-"

"No! Nat, you're welcome to stay, have a beer, catch me up on your life. But you can't stay if you're going to fill my head with fantasies like this." 

I start pouring another beer for a customer at the bar, frustrated and annoyed, as she leans in across the counter, making me look at her again, "Tony found a way. He figured it out. Are you really going to tell me you don't believe that Tony Stark could possibly find a way to fix this?" 

I scan her face for a moment, my entire body telling me to leave it be, to not believe that this could possibly be true. That it could be real. 

But then I feel it. That tiny spark of hope, that tiny spark that maybe, just maybe, it could be possible.

I sigh again, "God damn you, Romanoff." 

... 

I arrive back at the compound to Tony greeting me.

"Hey kid," he says as he pulls me in for a hug.

I reciprocate, wrapping my arms tightly around him, "Hi Tony. How've you been?"

"Good," he says with a smile as he pulls back, "Pepper and I are doing well. Morgan too."

"Yeah?" I say with a wide smile, "How is the little hell-raiser?"

He chuckles, "She's as feisty as ever. Misses her godmother, though," he nudges my shoulder as he finishes his sentence and my smile widens even more.

"I miss her too. I'm sorry I haven't been around much, life's been-"

"I know," he says as he puts a hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry about it. We understand. Morgan does too."

I nod slowly as I look at him, "Thank you.. So? What is this? Is it real?"

"Well, it's a little bit complicated.. And we're still working out the kinks.. But basically, yeah, it is real. We did it kiddo, we have a way to bring them back. To bring everyone back."

... 

I sigh loudly as I look at Tony and Bruce standing in front of me in the conference room. Nat and Scott are sitting next to me on the couch. 

"Seriously, Tony? Time travel? This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard." 

I turn to look at Nat, "You didn't tell me it would be something this stupid. Time travel? Are you fucking serious? What is this, Back to the Future?" 

"No, Back to the Future is not realistic at all, in regards to time travel," Bruce says matter-of-factly. 

I scoff as I look at him, "Oh, so theres a realistic way to go about time travel, huh? When I was brought back here, I was told you guys had an ACTUAL way of bringing everyone back. This is just.. another fucking fantasy." 

I start to get up from the couch but Tony stops me, "Madeline, listen to me. Please. This is possible. I can show you right now. Scott has done it, we have successfully sent him back in time. We have an algorithm to make it work. I swear, this is real."

I sigh deeply as I shake my head in disbelief, "Okay, fine. I'm going to need to see that for myself. And then tell me what the hell we're supposed to do." 

...

I sit in the all too familiar conference room as Tony and Bruce explain to us how it works.

Nat, Nebula, Rocket, Clint, Scott, Thor, Rhodey and I listen attentively to everything they say.

"Basically, we have to go back to get the stones. But we have to ensure we don't get caught by our past selves."

I chuckle, "Well, I don't have a past self there, so that should be easy."

"Yeah, about that," Tony says, "We're going to need you to go somewhere none of us have been. If you can handle it."

I furrow my brows as I look at him, "Where's that?"

"There's a place where we can get the Tesseract, as well as more Pym particles, which we might need in case anything goes wrong. I was thinking you and I could go together."

I nod and repeat the question, "Alright, and where's that Tony?"

He clears his throat as he looks at me, hesitating a little before saying, "We're going to have to go to the base where my father worked in the 70's."

I shrug, "That should be easy enough."

He sends a hesitant glance towards Bruce before continuing, "Yes, well.. It's also known as Captain America's birthplace."

"What?" I ask as I choke a little on my own spit.

He sighs, "I'm sorry Maddie, but this way I can tell you where you need to go, and no one will know about you. The others know exactly where to go and what to do because they've been there themselves."

"That's not true," I say as I narrow my eyes at him, "Scott hasn't been."

"No," Tony says with a deep sigh, "But he's going with Bruce. He can turn ant-size. We're going to need that in New York, to get the Time Stone and the Mind Stone."

"Tony, don't do this to me. I don't know if I can do this. Let me go to Vormir instead of Nat, then, if it's because you need me somewhere none of us have been. Please don't do this to me."

"You can do this," Nat says as she puts a hand on my shoulder, making me look at her, "I know it seems terrifying, but it might also be good for you. I know how much you miss him. Miss both of them."

I look down at my hands as I fiddle with my thumbs.

Part of me would love to go, would love to get some sense of Steve's past, even though I know it's 20 years after he went in the ice. But I also know that seeing his name everywhere will cause my heart to break.

And I'll also know where Bucky is, what he's during in that time period. Being controlled, brainwashed, tortured. Being in the past would be tough, but being there, during that time... It's going to take a lot out of me.

I swallow the lump in my throat as I nod, "Okay, I'll do it. But only because I know it's going to bring them both back."