Till the End|MCU|3

three

I bounce Steven in my arms as I enter a lounge area. He's upset and fussy and I don't know what to do. I've tried everything to calm him, he just won't settle. I've walked around the entire compound trying to calm him down, but he's still upset.

Sitting on a sofa, I place his bottle on the coffee table and set Steven down on my lap as he cries.

"What?"  I ask desperately, bouncing him on my legs trying to calm him down. "What is it? What's wrong?" I'm starting to notice that some of the others are getting annoyed by his crying, but I don't know what I'm doing.

He's not hungry.

He doesn't need to be changed.

He's probably tired but he won't settle down.

"Do you want to hear a story?" I ask, an idea forming in my head. "Let me tell you a story. This is a story that my Umama used to tell me and my sister Shuri when we couldn't sleep." I pull Steven close to my chest as I begin the story.

"Long ago there was a powerful Black Panther. He was a great protector of his land and of the animals that lived on his land, keeping everyone safe from the dangers the world held. One day, while patrolling the border of his land, the Black Panther found something. He had found a White Wolf, an outsider to his jungles. White Wolves were vicious animals, taking everything for themselves and leaving nothing but destruction behind. But this White Wolf was only a pup, nothing more than a baby.

"The Black Panther, taking pity on the little White Wolf pup, took the pup home to his den. The Black Panther adopted the White Wolf pup into his family, raising him alongside his other cubs. The White Wolf along with his Black Panther brothers and sisters were raised to protect their land and the other animals alongside their father. But the White Wolf took his job very seriously, wishing to prove himself to the Black Panther.

"One day, the White Wolf overheard some gorillas planning an attack on the Black Panther, to take the land for themselves. As fast as the wind, the White Wolf ran to warn the Black Panther about the attack. But the Black Panther did not believe the White Wolf. 'Why would my people wish to do me harm, I am their protector,' the old Black Panther had said. 'You must have heard wrong.' But the White Wolf did not hear wrong, he was convinced the Black Panther's life was in danger.

"So that night, the White Wolf waited in the shadows outside the den for the attack. Sure enough, the gorillas came while everyone else slept. But not the White Wolf, the White Wolf was wide awake and saw everything. Before any harm befell the Black Panther, the White Wolf attacked, unarming the attackers and saving the Black Panther. The Black Panther asked for forgiveness, ashamed that he did not believe his White Wolf son. To show that he was forever grateful, the Black Panther made the White Wolf an official protector of his land.

"Now it is said the Black Panther will always protect his land from the outside world, but the White Wolf will protect the land from itself." I finish as Steven finally starts to settle down. He's not asleep but he has stopped crying. That's a start.

He cuddles into my chest, chewing on a wolf claw from my necklace. His large brown eyes stare up at me expectantly. Like he's waiting for another story.

"Nice story." A voice calls from behind me. I turn to see Captain Rogers walking over, taking the armchair next to me.

"Nice shave," I comment. Captain Rogers chuckles, rubbing a hand against is now clean-shaven face. Steven babbles happily, reaching his arms out to be lifted. Captain Rogers chuckles again as he obliges, lifting Steven into his arms before setting him down on his lap.

"I still can't believe your brother named his son after me and Bucky." Captain Rogers says as Steven snuggles in close to his chest, continuing to babble happily to himself.

"My brother wa-is a very big fan of yours," I say, watching Steven as he starts sucking on three of his fingers, content in Captain Rogers' arms. "He almost had a heart attack when I told him I knew you and Sargent Barnes. Insisted I introduce him to you. I told him I would once your government gets their shit together and you could come out of hiding. Those words exactly."

Captain Rogers chuckles again, but it's not as genuine as the one before. He glances down at Steven as he pats his slobber covered fingers against Captain Rogers' check, curious about where the stubble went.

"So that story you were telling..." Captain Rogers trails off, desperate to change the subject.

"It's a legend of Wakanda," I explain as Steven gets restless in Captain Rogers' arms. He slides off his lap and begins to waddle around the coffee table. I pull my legs to my chest to give him more room to move. "It's a watered-down version of the tale of the first White Wolf. There's a whole series of tales, Mother would tell them to me and Shuri when we were little."

"I figured." Captain Rogers says as he watches Steven make a complete circle around the table, smiling happily to himself.

"So, our new friend..." I change the subject again, not wanting to talk about Wakanda. I had left the lab room once Lil' Steve started to get fussy again. So, I know nothing about this mystery woman.

Steven notices the bottle and makes a happy squeal, grabbing for it. He continues to waddle around the table while chugging his milk. So now he's hungry. Typical.

"She says her name is Captain Carol Danvers, air force pilot and something about an alien superhero warrior. She claims to have known Fury in the nineties. He helped her stop the annihilation of an entire alien species, helped the refugees find a new planet, stuff like that." Captain Rogers glance over at the door before continuing. "Nat and Rhodey are checking old S.H.E.I.L.D. files at the moment, making sure her claims are true."

"And where is this Captain Danvers now?" I ask as Steven throws his now empty bottle to the ground. He just glares at it before continuing his waddle around the coffee table.

Captain Rogers leans over and picks the bottle up, placing it back onto the table. "She stepped out for a moment. We had to tell her what happened to Fury and the other half of the universe." Captain Rogers explains as Steven plops down on the floor next to him, releasing an exhausted cry. "Tired bud?" Captain Rogers murmurs down to Steven before glancing back up at me. "I think she said something about checking on some friends in Louisiana. But we were able to convince her to look out in space. Help us find out what happened to Tony."

I tilt my head, causing my hair to fall to the side. Anthony Stark, the Man of Iron, was the only one absent from the fight in Wakanda. From what Dr. Banner has said, he fought against the aliens in New York and followed them up into space, along with a wizard and Spider-Boy. 

But that's it. 

We don't know what happened up there. We don't know who's still alive. We know nothing. And to be honest, that's the scary part. Not knowing what happened to Anthony Stark and his friends in space. I can tell that not knowing is tearing everybody else apart.

I nod my head in understanding as Colonel Rhodes enters, the hiss of his leg braces announcing his presence. We turn to face him as he stops behind the sofa.  

"What did you find?" Captain Rogers asks. He stands up and takes a couple of steps toward Colonel Rhodes. I turn to face the both of them.

"All true. Every bit." Colonel Rhodes answers with a shake of his head. "Apparently, Fury lost his eye while helping her."

I make a face as Captain Rogers sighs aggressively. "Let's just hope she's not the reason Fury has trust issues."