It's Forbidden

It's All Here

Aspen couldn't begin to understand what was going on. Bruce just told her, she was related to Tony. Her head was spinning once again. She was beyond grateful in the moment. She honestly didn't care she was related to Tony, well, not yet. She was just focused on the fact that Bucky, was not her brother. She was relieved. She wondered if Steve really thought they were related because of what he said their mom said, or if he still didn't want them together for whatever reason. But she was determined to find out when they got back.

She hoped that Steve was being civil while they were one the mission. Her and Bruce were waiting for them to arrive on scene before going on comms. And Peter left for the day, friendly neighborhood Spiderman stuff. Nothing he couldn't handle alone. She didn't really want to think about what was going on on the mission. She didn't want to worry. Bucky wouldn't want her to worry. But it was in her nature. She couldn't help but worry. She worried for Steve too.

He may not be her brother, biologically. But she grew up with him. She loved him. She worried about him, cared for him. She was always worried when he had to go on missions, even though they were arguing, even though she told him she hated him, she didn't. Shows just angry. And she was hated that the last thing she said to him, was that she hated him.

Aspen was speechless. So Bruce decided to explain it to her without her asking questions. Because she couldn't. She was too stunned to speak. "Your father is Howard Stark Senior." Bruce tells her. "Your brother is Howard Stark Jr." He says. "Tony's father." He was speaking slow and breaking his sentences down to make sure Aspen heard them and understood. He knew she was having trouble comprehending everything that was going on.

Aspen thought for a moment. Shaking her head. Her eyes wide. She was no longer upset and in tears. She felt like she could finally breathe again. Because she still had her Bucky. And he still had her. And now that she knew they weren't related, thank god, she wouldn't let anything come between them, not even Steve. He couldn't control her anymore. She wouldn't allow it.

"So I'm Tony's aunt?" Aspen asks. "Yes." Bruce says. Aspen was still trying to wrap her head around it. She needed more clarification. "and I was adopted." She asked. She needed to make sure. "Yes." Bruce said. He was patient because he knew she was really going through all the stages of grief today. He knew she was going through it and wanted to help as best he could. Even if it meant answering the same questions over and over again until she could fully comprehend it.

"So Steve isn't my bother?" Aspen asks. "Biologically No." He says. He didn't want to say 'no he's not your bother' because she had still grown up with Steve and he felt she still considered him her brother, blood or not. "And Becky's not my brother." She says. That was the only thing she really cared about. The one thing she really wanted to know. Praying silently Bruce would once again say 'no he's not your brother.'

Bruce was slightly confused. Aspen never told him Steve told her Bucky was her brother and he didn't know for sure Bucky and Aspen were together, but everyone suspected it. It was almost obvious at this point. If Steve weren't so focused on not wanting to believe it, he would have seen it sooner. "No." Bruce says, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

"Thank god." Aspen breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath almost this entire time. "Thank you Bruce." She said to him. She was beyond grateful to him right now. She would have gone crazy not knowing. "You're welcome." Bruce told her. He didn't really know Aspen. He did tests on her when she first got here, read her file, but didn't know her personally. But he was glad she came to him and was more than happy to help ease her mind. He felt guilty he had to practically experiment of her when she first got here. Bucky too.

Just in time, the team reached their destination. Bruce and Aspen put in their ear pieces and listened. The team entered the storage container. The makeshift lab. Bucky first, holding a gun. Sam behind him, with another gun. The rest of the team came in, just their suits, Steve with his shield. Bucky looked at Sam, signaling to follow him further into the storage container.

They spotted Dr. Nagel at a table in the corner of the unit. "Back away from the table." Sam says. Nagel backed away from the table. "Hands in there air Nagel." Steve told him. TO make sure he had no weapons on him. He backed away from the table, hands in the air. He turned to face them. Bucky and Sam both held their guns, pointed at him.

"The serum that's in this lab, is this all?" Tony asked him. He looked at Tony smugly. Not paying Bucky any mind at the moment. "Now why would I tell you that?" He asked, smirking. He looked around, eyeing the entire team. When his eyes finally met Bucky's, he saw his expression, the gun in his hands, and the metal arm. He was the only one Nagel was afraid of.

Bucky kept his jaw clenched, trying to look at him, trying to intimidate him. But he knew, and so did the entire team, if something needed to be done about Nagel, Bucky wouldn't be the one to pull the trigger. He wasn't a killer anymore. He wouldn't do it. Someone else would have to. Bad guy or not, it wasn't him anymore, that was his past, he wanted to help people, not hurt. That's why he was on the team.

"It's all here." Nagel says.