Sunshadow

The laughing circle

"Hello, dear, why did you leave the door unlocked?" called a woman from in the hall. Steve started to look panicked, but seemed to remember Bucky was there.

"We have guests, Peggy. You might want to come see them." Kiki picked up her tea again, trembling. She had never been like this before, and she had met Avengers, aliens, everyone they tell you about as a kid, she knew them. But the person she was nervous about meeting was just an ordinary woman.

An ordinary woman who founded Shield and created a better world.

She paused in the doorway, looking at Steve. "You need to take James out for a walk, Steve. He's going to get restless if he's inside all day. Who is it?"

"Why don't you have a look?" Steve said, getting up and pulling on James's collar. "Let's go, boy."

Peggy turned to look at the people in her living room. The first she saw was Kiki, who was still holding her teacup.

"Pleasure to meet you. My name is Peggy." She extended an elegant hand to her.

"I'm Kiki. And really, the pleasure is all mine." Peggy smiled at her accent. She would know a southern English one anywhere.

"And I'm Bucky, but I think you already know that." He stood up and walked over to her.

"You're – you're alive?" She turned around and raised a hand, as if to check he was real. "AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?"

She slapped him.

Kiki gasped and laughed at the same time. It was more like a muffled snort.

Steve heard the shouting and ran in to diffuse the situation. "I didn't tell her everything, not yet, so she doesn't know about what happened." He stood in between Peggy and Bucky, James barking in the background. "He's from the future, Peg. He doesn't know who he is at the moment, the Bucky in this time frame. This one is very different. Show her the arm, Buck."

Bucky pulled off his sleeve, making Kiki wince as he tore the fabric. He really shouldn't do that. It's a waste.

Underneath was a normal arm. Shuri, since it was made with Wakandan technology, had programmed it to look normal, as no one had that level of prosthetics at that time. Bucky flicked his wrist and the illusion fell, revealing the vibranium weapon beneath.

"They basically gave me a shittier version of this right about now, since the Winter Soldier is left handed." His face was blank, but Kiki could tell he was remembering the pain.

"So why are you here?" Peggy asked.

☾

She was taking this remarkably well. Kiki knew Peggy had heard a lot of weird things, but this took it to the next level. Even she got freaked out just thinking about it.

This was why Peggy was her role model.

Peggy nodded to Steve and walked out. This seemed to mean something to him as it was only then that he properly decided to go back with them.

They stood in the barn again, back in 21st century clothes. Steve didn't seem surprised at all by the nano tech,even though it was more developed. Kiki thought that he would have sunk back into life in 1948, but it obviously hadn't been as long for him.

Bucky counted down from ten as their helmets formed over their heads.

"Oh, yeah, Steve?"

"What?"

"You can still make tea."

☾

"The forward is worse." Kiki said as she staggered out of the magic teleporty circle (as Rosa had dubbed it).

"Steve!" Rosa cried, a smile lighting up her face. "I missed you!"

"Hey little princess," he smiled, looking a little queasy. "D'ya still have the crown?"

"Course I do. No one else looks nearly as ugly in it."

"Rosa!"

Bucky came, a little late. "Did everyone get back ok?" He looked around and saw Steve and Kiki standing next to Rosa.

"Aren't you the one my cousin has a crush on?" She tilted her head, as if remembering. "Yeah! That's what Sol told me!"

"ROSA!" Kiki blushed bright red, shaking her head violently.

"And he had a crush back." She whispered to Steve.

"Why did you come back after us?" Kiki asked Bucky, who had not heard any of the previous conversation.

"I set mine for a little later because it is a risk if there are more people than you started with, so I needed to make sure there was only two of us or it might have caused a rift or something." He explained.

☾

The shadow drifted back towards the main cave. There was a meeting currently. It's mistress would like it if it heard the discussion.

It crept in and hid behind a chair, under the glow. No one could see it. And even if they did, if they tried to destroy it, they would die. That was it's power, after all.

"They have played right into our plan. We know their every movement." Crescentia announced.

The circle started to laugh.