UNKNOWN GUEST

#108 'Wonderful' Reunion

The confusion was written all over Dad's and Uncle Sam's faces, like they had stumbled into an unexpected chapter of a book they weren't supposed to read yet. Honestly, I probably looked just as baffled—because in my time, Dad had told me he'd meet Mom around this point in the timeline. But I had no idea that meeting would happen here of all places.

I tried to keep my voice steady as I asked, "Cap, how did you get here?"

He raised an eyebrow, glancing around the rundown farm, his gaze lingering on the rusty fences, weathered porch, and distant fields. "I could ask you the same thing," he said, folding his arms. "What are you doing here? Is Natasha with you?"

Uncle Sam chimed in, clearly just as thrown. "I thought you said you'd be in Asia."

I nodded, scratching the back of my neck. "I was there, yeah... just came here recently. And, uh—yeah, Ms. Romanoff is inside." I could feel their curiosity rising, but there was no easy way to explain what was going on. "But... how did you know about this place?"

They exchanged a glance, and Dad let out a small sigh, the kind that said, This is a long story, and I'm not thrilled about it. "We caught a guy—Mason, I think his name was. He was making some sketchy deals around Budapest."

Uncle Sam leaned in, smirking slightly. "And... turns out he knew someone like us. An Avenger."

I let out a slow exhale. Mason. Of course. I gave a small nod. "Yeah, sounds about right."

Dad looked toward the farmhouse, shifting his weight like he was gearing up to head inside. "So... is Natasha in there?"

I raised a hand quickly, stepping in front of him. "You probably shouldn't go in right now."

Dad frowned, confusion settling on his face. Uncle Sam gave me that Oh, this should be good look.

"Why not?" Dad asked, genuinely puzzled.

I let out a sigh, rubbing the back of my neck again. "Her, uh... her family is here."

Dad blinked, tilting his head as if he wasn't sure he heard me right. "Family?"

"Yeah." I could already feel the absurdity of the situation. "It's... a bit heated in there right now."

Dad squinted slightly, the gears clearly turning in his head. I knew he was trying to connect the dots, but nothing about this meeting made sense.

Uncle Sam raised a brow, his hands resting on his hips. "Nat has family?"

"Surprise," I muttered under my breath.

Dad gave me a long, steady look, and for a second, I thought he might ask more questions. Instead, he just exhaled through his nose—his I'll-figure-this-out-later breath—and nodded.

We stood there in silence for a moment, three men on a porch, trying to navigate one of the weirdest family reunions in history. The only sounds were the occasional creak of the old porch floor and the distant oinks from the pig pen.

"Any chance they've got coffee inside?" Uncle Sam asked, breaking the quiet.

I snorted. "You'd need vodka to survive what's going on in there right now."

Dad's lips twitched into the smallest hint of a smile, the kind he usually gave when everything was falling apart but he wanted to pretend it wasn't. He gave me a pat on the shoulder.

"Well," he said quietly, "guess we'll wait this one out."

Nearly an hour passed, and just as I was beginning to wonder if we'd all turned into porch furniture, the front door creaked open. I turned around to see Mom walking out, Aunt Lena trailing close behind. Both of them looked tense, their faces tight from whatever awkward mess had gone down inside.