Since 1945. (Marvel 'Winter Soldier' Fanfiction)

Chapter 4

*Yay– an update! I hope you guys enjoy! As always, reads, votes, comments, and feedback are all greatly appreciated.* 

"Good news or bad news?" Tony asked, as soon as Steve was within earshot. He continued fiddling with the data on his desk, holographic screens popping in and out of existence as he waited for an answer. Anna's jaw was practically trailing the floor as she took in the lab, easily spotting the Dum-e robot in one of the corners, and nearly squealing when she noticed Tony had changed into his staple Black Sabbath t-shirt. 

"Hello to you, too" Sam muttered, plopping himself down onto a lab stool, and smirking when Tony sent him a half-hearted glare. 

"I still have your wings in the lab, Wilson," Tony bit out, which only earned a slightly nervous chuckle from Sam, as he thought of the irreparable damage Tony could wreak on his baby. 

"Good news," Steve interjected, stopping the bickering before it could begin. 

"Well, Pepper's bringing in some chocolate directly from the Swiss Alps, and the Shwarma place down the street is having a 'Buy One, Get One Free' deal," Tony responded, turning his back to Steve in favor of expanding a screen that was full of data that could pass as another language. Anna watched the exchange silently, standing part way behind Sam. 

"That was the good news?" she thought to herself, unconsciously worrying her lower lip. Steve repeated her question out loud, and Tony simply shrugged. 

"Then what's the bad news, Stark?" Steve asked, quickly becoming exasperated. 

"I've looked through every piece of data Jane has collected, including the data supplemented by Thor, and there's nothing indicating that we're dealing with any type of Einstein Rosen Bridge," Tony stated, absentmindedly twirling a screwdriver between his fingers. 

"Which means...?" Steve prompted. 

"Which means I'm no closer to finding out where she," Tony said, suddenly giving his full attention to Anna, "came from, and what the consequences of this whole thing might be. Jane suggested that it might be a rip in the space-time continuum and in that case, there's really nothing we can do about it now without further research. But we did completely rule out that she's with Hydra." Her relief at having her name cleared was short-lived. Anna took in a breath, letting it out slowly through her nose to abate another wave of panic. 

"Alright," she muttered, giving Tony a watery smile. "Stuck in another universe with my favorite fictional characters, that's not so bad...right?" Anna hadn't realized how much she was betting on Tony to figure out a solution quickly. 

"You don't look so good," Sam said, watching Anna's face slowly drain of color. 

"Well, you know, thirty-thousand dollars down the drain for college, the possibility of never seeing any of my friends again, and winding up in what could've been a fanfiction can take a lot out of a person," she replied, choking out a breathy laugh. 

"Rogers...Rogers– Steve, I'm not good with crying women, do something," Anna vaguely heard Tony snap, and she finally realized that she was crying. 

"He's just as awkward with women," Anna shot at Tony, vision going fuzzy as the tears began flowing in earnest. 

"Oh my god," she heard Sam groan, before he enveloped her in a hug. She let herself be held as Sam berated Tony and Steve over her head.

"This is so weird," Anna sobbed against Sam's chest. She let herself be coddled for a few more minutes, before pulling away and wiping hastily at her eyes.