Electric / Steve Rogers x OC x Bucky Barnes ✓

Chapter 197: Big News

MADELINE

I feel like a giant ball of nerves while I wait for the others to come back from their walk. 

I'm nervous and a little bit nauseous but also extremely excited. 

I want to tell Steve and Bucky as soon as they get back, I don't think I would be able to hold it a secret for long. 

I can't wait to see their reaction, the expressions on their faces when I tell them that I'm pregnant. 

I know it's soon - and very unexpected, considering the circumstances, but I know they're going to love it. 

At least, once the initial surprise of that whole 'I was pregnant when Thanos first came five years ago and then it got blipped but now it's back' situation has passed. 

That one is probably going to be a little hard to explain.. But in the end, I'm sure it won't really matter. 

All that matters is that I'm pregnant, carrying their baby, and that we'll finally be a family. 

When I spot Clint and Laura walk through the door I get up from my seat, tugging on the sleeves of my shirt nervously as I walk over from where I was sitting at the dining table. 

Pepper, Morgan and Tony follow closely behind them, and Morgan runs up to me with a beaming smile, "Look, I found a ladybug!" 

I chuckle as she holds her hand out for me to see, giving her a wide smile as I say, "That's great, Squirt! They bring good luck, you know." 

"I know," she says with a proud smile, "Daddy told me." 

I greet Tony and Pepper, as well as Clint and Laura, and they walk further inside and get settled. 

I wait by the door for a short while, waiting for Steve and Bucky to walk through, and I frown slightly when a few minutes pass without them walking through the door. 

But then I swiftly turn around when I hear a familiar voice. 

"Hey doll," Bucky says as he walks towards me, from the other end of the house, "Feeling better?"

"Yeah," I say with a hesitant smile as he walks up to me, planting a kiss on my cheek, "Where did you come from? I didn't see you come in." 

"Oh I went through the other entrance," he says with a shrug, "Had to use the bathroom." 

I nod and purse my lips a little as I glance towards where he came from, and then back at him, "Where's Stevie?" 

Bucky furrows his brows as he looks around the room, "I thought he was here. He went back before the rest of us, he said he was feeling a little tired." 

"What?" I say with a frown, shaking my head, "No, he didn't come back here. I've been here this entire time and I haven't seen him."

"Huh," Bucky says before trailing off. Then he looks towards the living room as he says, "Well, he was talking to Tony right before he went back, so maybe Tony knows where he went?"

I take Bucky's hand before pulling him with me over to where Tony is sitting. 

"Hey Tony," I say as I approach him, "Have you seen Steve?" 

Tony is sitting on the couch, Morgan in his lap as she drives a truck up his arm, apparently pretending that it's a road of some sort, while Pepper is sitting besides him. 

"Yeah," Tony says, taking a sip of water from the bottle in his hand, "He's outside." 

I furrow my brows a little, "Oh, okay. Do you know what he's doing?" 

Tony frowns as he looks up at me, "Well, yeah. Obviously I do." 

I tilt my head, chuckling as I ask, "Okay? And will you tell me, or..?" 

Tony scoffs, "Come on, you know where he is." 

That makes my brows furrow in confusion, an uneasy feeling suddenly running through me, "Uhm, no, I really don't.."

I glance over at Bucky, "Bucky doesn't know either. Right?"

Bucky quickly shakes his head, "No, I haven't seen him since he went back early. He said he had to go speak to you, and then I didn't see him again," he looks at Tony as he finishes his sentence and it makes Tony look at us incredulously. 

"Yeah, well, obviously he needed to talk to me." 

"About what, Tony?" I ask, glancing from him to Pepper, but she just shrugs, clearly not aware of what's going on right now. 

Tony chuckles, "Oh come on now, Steve told me you knew what was happening, I'm not letting you prank me like this." 

That makes me frown instantly, my eyes narrowing slightly as I look at him, "Tony. What are you talking about?" 

Tony chuckles again, "Steve came to see me, just like you agreed he would." 

"I didn't speak to Steve about coming to see you," I quickly say, my tone getting sterner with every word I speak, "And I have no idea what you're talking about right now. Where is he?" 

Tony glances at Pepper before he looks back at me, and his voice clearly surprised as he says, "He told me you knew." 

"Knew what?" I ask sternly again, my tone slightly irritated at this point. 

"That he was going to go back," Tony replies, "That he changed his mind." 

It feels like my heart stops beating as soon as he says it. 

A terror runs through me, it seeps into my bones as I look at Tony, processing his words. 

"What?" 

"Steve said that he had changed his mind," Tony says, gesturing with his hands as he speaks, "And that he had informed you both that he would be going back to return the stones today." 

"He did what?!" Bucky suddenly exclaims.

I quickly glance at him, my eyes wide as I feel myself getting practically sick at the thought. 

"Yeah," Tony says carefully as he looks between the two of us, "He said you'd talked about it and agreed that he should do it, and that's why he came to me to let me know that he had changed his mind." 

"Tony," I quickly say, "Where is Steve?!"

"On the platform," he replies, clearly confused by this entire interaction, "He went to get suited up when he went back early. I called Bruce to let him know, so he could get it all ready for him. So I'm assuming he's about to be sent back any minute now."

"What?!" I yell, looking out of the window that leads towards the forest before I turn to back to Tony, "He's leaving right now?!"

"Yes," Tony says, his brows furrowed as he scans my face, "He's going to return the stones, just like we agreed he would. But don't worry, he'll be back again immediately. I don't understand what the big deal is?" 

I don't have time to respond. 

Or rather, I choose not to. 

Because I act completely on instinct as I set off into a sprint, running towards where I know the platform has been set up in the woods, in an area a little bit away from the farmhouse.