Charlie's POV:
My sleep is disrupted by Bucky's warm breath against my neck. His face is fully nuzzled into my hair as his heat blows against me. Usually, I'm the one who holds on to him, but he's pressed firmly against my back. Arm tightly wrap around me, and his hand softly lays on my lower stomach, while the other is under our shared pillow. Bucky has been right by my side, and his hand is almost permanently on my stomach. His eyes have been so light, happiness clearly weaves its way through his cerulean orbs, and I can't help but to smile up at him constantly myself.
In the beginning I was annoyed that Maggie favored Steve, but now I almost envision a perfectly happy smiling boy that looks identical to Bucky. Shimmering blue eyes with a sunny smile to mimic his dad's. A strong jaw, with his cleft chin. Maybe have a dimple or two like his sister. I imagine how protective he would be like his father. How he would follow Bucky around like his shadow. Bucky will be his favorite hero.
Definitely getting ahead of myself. I'm having a child with Bucky. We're having a baby. This is actually happening. And in a short time, I will be married to the man. I don't want to wait to marry him. He's exactly who I want to be with. We need to find someone to expand the cottage now. Growing a family means we need more space. We've also got to tell Sam.
Bucky's fingers wiggle around on my belly and his course facial hair tickles my neck due to him twisting his face in my hair, while deeply inhaling. A giggle leaves my mouth at the feeling. His fingers still on my stomach, and I arch my back, pressing my butt onto his engorged cock. Bucky's morning voice hums out his approval of my ass in his space.
"You always know what to do, doll." The hand on my stomach, presses into me. Holding me in place. Inhaling deeply, he adds, "Why do you always smell so sweet?"
"Because I love the smell of vanilla." I respond with a giggle.
"No, it's just you. You smell sweet. Taste sweet. You're just sweet." I wiggle my butt around a bit, feeling himself get even harder behind me. "Until you're my filthy girl, huh?"
Strong hands travel up my thigh, and up under his shirt that I wore, "And no panties. Charlie, you're begging me to give you morning sex, aren't you?"
"Mhm. Or middle of the night sex. Whichever you prefer, daddy." His voice growls into my neck, gently nibbling me.
"Say it again, that sounded good." Hands drifting over my stomach, down in between my legs, dipping in between my warm wet folds, until he connects with my bundle of nerves, and rolling the nub in between his thumb and forefinger. "Already so wet."
"I am very horny when I'm pregnant, daddy."
"Oh, we're going to have fun. You've always been ready and horny." Bucky's hips roll forward, pressing his hardened cock deeper onto me. "Want you to beg for it. Beg for daddy's cock, doll. How bad do you want this buried in my sweet pussy?"
His voice is too damn sexy in the morning. I already whimper and feel myself heating up, at the rumble of his baritone early hours timbre. "Already got you falling apart, honey. How bad you want this cock?" Bucky's hands press up against my clit, as deep moans escape my mouth.
"I want to feel you in me, daddy. Please, fuck me, I'm so close already." His lips and growing beard tickle my neck. I bend my arm to rub along his jaw. Almost petting the course hair.
"You like the beard huh?" He arrogantly asks. I can only moan in approval. He spreads my legs a bit, jerking his throbbing cock out of his boxers, before placing himself at my entrance. Lazily pressing himself into me. A soft whine releases from my mouth as he softly pumps into me.
"Yes, James. You look extra handsome with the beard babe." This causes him to nuzzle his face more into my neck. Heating up the already sensitive skin, causing beard burn, and I LOVE it. A different way of marking my skin, to show who I belong to.
Pushing himself harder and deeper into me and continuing to massage my clit, "Just handsome?" His teeth scrape along my neck, nibbling into my heated skin.
"Sexy as fuck."
"That's what I thought." Removing his hands from my drenched sex he rubs along my stomach. "I can't wait. You're going to be beautiful swollen with our growing child. God, I can't wait." The thought of how possessive and protective Bucky is going to be the more my womb stretches causes me to loudly moan out, arching my back, I press myself closer to Bucky. "Going to take good care of you. Gotta keep you safe, and no one touches your stomach unless I allow them too, understand?"
"Yes, daddy." A deep growl behind my ear as he nips at my ear completely makes me fall apart. He's already become so primal and feral just thinking about me carrying his child.
"Such a good girl." Bucky's voice hums onto me. He slowly pulls out, laying me on my back. His hand slides up my leg, assisting in bending my knee and lifting my leg. He adjusts himself in between me before plunging back into my heated core. "I could stay in my sweet sweet pussy all day, doll. Love watching you like this. My sweet pussy stretched and filled with your cock." He deeply rumbles out of his mouth. The same mouth that's kissing softly on my neck. My voice sobs out at the feeling and filthy praises.
My hands pull his face up onto my lips, kissing him. Hungry for me his tongue dominates my mouth, before he pulls away, kissing along my hairline. Sloppily returning to my mouth. His thrusts become faster, deeper, racing to find his own release, and I already heat up, climax building up. "Squeezing me so tight doll. You going to milk this cock? Your cock?"
"Yes, daddy. I want you to fill me up."
"Whatever you want, you get?" His hand comes back to my clit, adding pressure and tight circles. "Cum with me, honey. Want to feel you cum on my cock again." My leg that's pointing toward the ceiling trembles as I feel the tightening in my core, until the dam is broken and the heavenly wave washes over my body, seconds later I feel the warmth from Bucky's cum pours deep in my womb. Him inside of me is the most comfortable I have ever been. It makes me feel so safe, so full, so loved.
He leans over, gently kissing my lips, before his lips connect with my chest that's covered with one of his shirts. He creates a trail of kisses until he comes to my stomach. Rolling onto his stomach, planting himself in between my legs, and he begins the sweetest whispers to our baby. "I can't wait to meet you baby bean." My sight clouds up as I watch this sweet man talk to my belly that's housing our baby. "I love your mom so much. And I will do anything to protect you and her and your big sister. You're going to be so spoiled baby bean."
He leans over kissing my belly again. Overcome with tears they spill out of my lash line. My hand comes to his face as I pet his now bearded cheeks. "Bucky, why are you so perfect?"
"Honey, why are you crying?" He snuggles his cheeks into my belly, causing the slight burn that I'm loving.
"Because, I'm so happy I can give this to you. You're going to be an amazing dad. You already are." It's now his turn to cry. The slow fall of his tears make me cry even more. "Fuck we're a mess."
With a final kiss to my stomach, he moves his body to hover over me. "I love you, Charlie. I'm glad I get to live this crazy life with you." Softly he kisses my lips.
"I love you, too, James. And I can't wait for the years upon years I have left with you...baby bean?"
"Hey, it just came out. That's what it looks like right now. A bean, but it's a baby. So, yeah." He gives me a signature crooked grin.
"I love it, babe. It suits baby Barnes. BB, baby bean."
"You know, we still have to get Maggie that cat." I roll my eyes at him. "She said pwease, Charlie."
"Yeah, I know. You big softie." I watch as his eyes crinkle up with his smile. This man has me completely and permanently enraptured. "We should get cleaned up. Maggie will be awake soon. I need to make myself presentable. My family is coming today."
"You mean you don't want this mess dripping down your legs while everyone is here?" I shake my head no giving him a smile. "I think it's quite sexy to think of my cum dripping down your legs and making you even more sticky than you already are."
"You're not right, Bucky."
"And you love me anyways. C'mon, let's shower then. Are you wanting to say anything to Clint and Laura?" Bucky nearly pouts at me.
"I don't know. I still think it's too early, but it's not fair that they won't know even though everyone here knows, thanks to Thor." I pet his beard; I love it being fuller instead of just scruff. The little bit of gray that peppers his beard is my favorite part. The man looks ridiculously sexy for 107 years old.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He chuckles out.
"Just hoping we have a son that looks just like his daddy."
With a sweet smile he answers, "And I hope we have a daughter that looks just like her mom. We already have one that looks like Steve." Even I laugh out about that. I'm beginning to wonder if I don't have strong genes. At least my two baby daddies are extremely attractive.
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Bucky's POV:
Listening to the random conversations to the people at the compound, I daze off into a world of my own. Thinking about what I'm going to say to Clint, no doubt that the conversation with him will be much different than it was with Thor. Thinking about the future of our baby bean growing inside of my sweet Charlie. If I'm not next to her, hand resting on her stomach, hoping with my super soldier abilities I'll feel the bean, then I'm looking over at her, a smile forever on my face.
"Buck, you haven't stopped smiling." Steve says coming up beside me. "Or looking at her. Buck. Bucky. James Buchanan Barnes."
"Huh?" I ask looking at him.
"You've got it bad. I just said you haven't stopped smiling or looking at her. I'm happy for you, jerk." He says slapping at my arm.
"It's just perfect. I never thought I would be here. She's perfect, and she's mine, Steve. I still don't get it." Charlie begins laughing at whatever the Peter guy is telling her. He doesn't bother me, after a quick touch to her stomach, and realizing how irritated I got he doesn't touch her. But she seems to enjoy his odd sense of humor.
"So how far along is she?" I finally look at Steve, giving him a confused look when it doesn't register what he actually said. "How far along?" He repeats.
"Bruce said about three to four weeks. It has a tiny little heartbeat, barely recognizable, but it's there. We can still have sex too." He rolls his eyes at me.
"Yeah, I know. Been there before, Buck. Literally." Oh yeah.
"How...I mean, you two were retired then, but I'm confused on what I should do if there's a mission. She's not going anywhere." I search his eyes, hoping it was something he at least thought about.
"The thought did cross my mind. I decided that if it was an easy enough mission, and not too much of a travel to get back to her then I would take it. I mean there's no guarantee with something like that. Maggie's happy. Told me she always wanted a little sister." It's his turn to look over to Charlie. She gives me a sweet smile and I watch his face fall.
"You, okay?" I ask him, almost dreading his answer.
"Yeah. There's a part of me that doesn't want to go back."
"I told you not to go back in time. You made it back as an old man, so we know that you'll go back." He gives a shrug. "No, Steve. Don't be stupid. If you choose not to go back you ruin our timeline. Son of a bitch. I knew this would be too good to be true."
"What?"
"If you stay here, instead of going back where we know you were supposed to be, seeing how you came back as an old man, then you create an alternate universe. The multiverse. Did you even listen to Tony, Bruce, or even Strange when they talked to you about this? Promise me, you're going back. I told you not to do this." I look over to Charlie. She sees I'm upset and begins to walk over here, I shake my head no. She pauses and continues her conversation with Peter but continues to look back over to us. "Steve, promise me."
He begins walking away, "Steven Grant Rogers. I'm being serious."
"You're being ridiculous. You don't even understand."
"You can't say that anymore. I do. I'm having a child and would do anything to protect that child. I get why you want to stay, but you can't. If you stay you can change everything about this timeline. The one we're living in currently. You can change my life, her life, Maggie's life, and even yours."
"He's right, Steve. You in your current state don't belong here. Time catches up with you. And I don't think things will work out the way you want them to. You were supposed to be in a time loop. It's a life you chose when going back. Sorry." Bruce adds in a bit of wisdom as he walks past. Steve huffs not wanting to admit we're right while he walks away. Steve wants it all. He had it all. He chose a different path. "The longer he stays the harder it's going to be for him to go back. He should have never left. He had a daughter, regardless of how his relationship was with Charlie. I'm not usually this honest, but Charlie, she's a good one, and he very rarely did right by her. Because she was never..."
"Peggy." I finish his sentence.
Bruce nods a yes, "And now that he has Peggy, he's realizing she will never be Charlie. You're good for her though. Keep her safe. And Clint will be here in about five minutes. Good luck." He walks away from me, and I make my way to Charlie.
"Hey, doll." I peck a kiss on her cheek. "Quill." He gives me a nod. "Sorry about earlier." I shouldn't have snapped at the man, but I do have a visceral need to protect Charlie, unfortunately I view everyone as a threat, even if they're not meaning harm.
"It's okay. I'm just curious. I shouldn't have just assumed I could touch your girl's belly. I don't think I've ever been around someone pregnant, and you don't even look it." His green eyes stare at my hand that is resting on her stomach, the other wrapped around her waist, and she leans tightly against me.
"It's still early Peter. Peter! I need to call that little turd. I haven't done much at Stark Industries since we've been back. By the way he might have to crash at the cottage awhile. I told him it was always open. The Daily Bugle kind of revealed his identity and he's a kid." Her hazel eyes peer up at me, thinking I'm going to object.
"Isn't that the Spider-Boy?" Quill asks.
"Spider-Man actually, but yes." She answers him. His eyes glance back down at her stomach.
"I'm okay with that doll. Wouldn't want your adopted brother to be in trouble. Why do you keep looking at her stomach?" I ask Quill as he glances back down and quickly back at my face.
"Sorry. Just curious, honest." His hand scratches at the back of his neck. "Do you even feel anything?"
I shake my head. "We've got pictures though. And maybe when I'm showing you guys can come back and see the progress." She gives him a quick giggle.
Quill's eyes go large, "Can I see them? The pictures, I mean."
Charlie starts to leave to grab the pictures. She won't find them. I reach into my back pocket pulling them out and walking over to Quill. "That dark spot is the amniotic sac, and this dot. That's our baby bean."
"Huh...so that's why you're not big. You've got a tiny dot in there. That's cool. So that turns into a Maggie?"
"Yes, Maggie was like that once upon a time. And now she's my talkative little girl, who loves Rocket." All three of us look to the couch where Rocket is indeed entertaining a small blonde girl with wavy pigtails. Baby hairs curl around her hairline. The straps to her overalls keep falling off her shoulders as she talks to the raccoon, and her little hand keeps pulling them back up only to fall again.
"I've never seen that trash panda more pleasant than when he's around her. He's known her since she was a baby, right?" Charlie nods her head, but then spots Clint, Laura, and the kids walk through the door.
Her walk speeds up as she runs into her uncle's and aunt's arm. I'm going to beat her for running. She's got precious cargo. "You should really calm down. She'll be okay." I snarl over at the tall man. "Sorry, man. Just saying."
Angrily I walk over to Charlie and her family. Strongly shaking Clint's hand, "You got a minute?" I ask him. Smiling he follows my lead outside.
"So, what're you needing Barnes?" He leans up against the outside of the compound. Arms crossed, and simulating dominance over me. And suddenly I feel like a child. His blessing means more to me than Thor's. For Thor it was out of courtesy. For Clint, it's like her actual father.
"Um...as you know, I really love Charlie, and I want to be with her for the rest of my life." Clint glares at me. I'm not a small man, but his intimidation tactics of flexing his arms, while they're crossed is working. His jaw shows how tightly his teeth are clenched. "And I would like to marry her." His eyes tighten their gaze at me, and he turns his head popping his neck. "I'm asking, I guess to see if I, uh, have your permission to marry her."
"Can I be honest with you?" He asks, never straightening up his stance.
"Yes, sir."
"You really pissed me off when you left her those five months."
"I understand. I was stupid. I was running from something out of fear." I try to make him understand, because I'm getting the feeling this isn't going to go the way I want it to.
"No, I don't think you understand. For two months after you left, she was nearly a robot. She did what she needed to do, just to make sure Maggie was taken care of. But who was there to take care of her? Definitely not you." Every part of me wants to ashamedly look away from him, but I need to hear this. "And then something clicked. She was able to get out of that funk and grow. Three months later you're back in her life. While she might have been quick to forgive you, I'm not."
"I'm sorry. There are no other words I can say to explain my actions. But I am really sorry."
His eyes look me up and down. "I know. She explained on your behalf when she came and picked Maggie up. I don't fully trust you Barnes...but she does. Charlie is extremely intuitive. She's obviously empathetic. Other people's feelings affect her, they exhaust her. Can you imagine being able to feel people's emotions? So, when she tells me that you are sincere in you love, I trust her. Not you."
"I understand." My head slowly nods. I completely understand where he's coming from, and I'm not offended.
"Understand this, if you ever do anything to hurt her or that little girl, I will personally hunt you down, and I will murder you. And I can do it. This isn't a threat, that's a promise."
"I would let you. I have no intentions of hurting either. I want them both in my life until forever. She's it for me."
"Good. I still haven't forgiven Steve." He stands walking over towards me, extending his hand to shake. "Okay Barnes. You have my blessing. Laura would have taken it a lot easier on you." I strongly shake his hand.
"I deserved it. I appreciate your honesty."
"Good. How did things go with Thor?" He asks wanting to head back in.
"Overwhelming. He called her Princess of Asgard and Goddess of Thunder." I shake my head.
"Eh...I'm sure that didn't go well. He wasn't around her and Steve much." He looks back in the compound, Thor standing closely to Charlie. His hand starts to go to Charlie's stomach, but she smacks his hand away. "What's that about?"
"Well, Charlie and I have to tell you guys something."
Clint shakes his head at me. His face twists in an unnatural snarl before completely falling flat. "You're dead. Run." I stand there just looking at him. "I'm being serious Barnes. Run..."
Still not knowing if he's being serious, but trusting his words I open the door running towards Charlie, and go behind her looking over to Clint. "What are you doing?" She giggles at me, looking over at Clint who's stalking towards us. "Papa bear?"
"You couldn't just wait? Did you think that things would go better for you if you had an insurance plan?" He almost screams at me. "Hiding behind Charlie won't save you, Barnes."
"I'm sorry. It was kind of an accident." I tell him. It actually was an accident, a happy one. Charlie's ass backs into me, perfectly on my dick. Time and place, Bucky. Time and place.
"Clint!" Laura screams.
"Papa bear, you need to calm down, okay?"
"No. You don't have the best track record with super soldiers and now another one has knocked you up?"
"Clinton Barton. I love him. We're happy. Cut us a break." Clint and Charlie stare at one another. Her own staring contest. Both aren't backing down. My metal arm protectively wraps around her stomach, palm over the baby bean's nest.
This staring contest goes on unnecessarily long and then Clint and Charlie both cackle out laughter. Shortly after Laura joins them. "I had you going didn't I, Barnes?" Tears fall down his cheeks he's laughing so hard.
"Are you kidding me? I thought you were being serious!" Even Charlie has tears falling down her cheeks. "You are a brat." I pull her closer to me, whispering in her ears, only for her to hear, "You'll pay for that later."
"Don't make promises you can't keep." She casts back.
"You should have seen your face. You were actually scared. Congratulation's man. Oh, that was hilarious." His hands wipe the tears off his cheeks as he walks into the living room area with Rocket and Maggie.
Charlie's body turns to look at me, "You're too sweet James. Clint's a jokester. How did the talk go?"
"Well, now I don't want to tell you." I pout down at her, poking my lip out.
"Only fear him if he has a weapon. You think we're good shots. He's a perfect shot. Good with a katana too." She attempts to kiss me, but I don't lean down to meet her halfway. "James Bucky Barnes, you better give your baby mama a kiss."
"I really don't like when you refer to yourself like that." I frown down to her, lip still pouting out.
"Why?"
"Soon, you'll be my fiancé." My body turns to walk away from her and she pulls me back, jumping into my arms. Not wanting her to fall I hold tightly to her, slamming our lips into each other.
"Ugh...get a room." Quill says as he walks by.
Good suggestion. Still kissing, I carry Charlie to our room. Let's repeat this morning.
__________________________________________________________________
Steve's POV:
I watch as Bucky carries Charlie away. Probably to their room so they can fuck...again. I guess that marathon the other night was more than celebrating. It was her in her pregnancy hormones. Just wait until she gets sick and tired of looking at him. It will come, the only difference is during her pregnancy with me, she was pining over him. Dammit.
Jealousy doesn't look good on me.
Maggie is completely all about Rocket. Every time I listen to them, he's explaining some deep meaning of something to her, and she understands. He wants to make her his prodigy. He sees her potential. Even Quill gets annoyed with him and his "smart talk".
Annoyed and feeling like life here continues on even if I'm not here. It's a sobering thought, how I don't fit into this life, even thought I desperately want to be apart of it again. I walk to my room. Throwing myself on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Years ago, a young Charlie would sneak into my room at night, snuggling close to me. We would sneak around the compound, stealing kisses, whispering filthy words to each other. Then I was her everything. There was nothing that girl wouldn't do for me. Even pretending to be okay with being friends with benefits, because I was too stupid to realize how amazing she was. Blinded by Peggy, who I put up on a pedestal. Confliction. That's what it is straight confliction. I miss the days when it was simple. I wish I would have realized what was right in front of me. Wish I would have listened more closely to Nat when she told me I had someone living right in front of me. After Peggy's funeral I should have let her be dead. When Charlie told me she loved me, I should have told her. Let her know she was it, the only one. And now it's too late, but I still don't want to leave her. She's a part of me. She was meant for me.
"No, she wasn't." I sit up in the bed, coming face to face with an almost haggard looking man. Cheap suit, grayed hair, crooked nose.
"Who are you and why are you in here?" My voice is steady and calm, and inside I'm freaking out.
"Agent Mobius of TVA." He extends his hand out to me. I shake it, but continue to look at him confused. That answered nothing. "The Time Variance Authority."
"What is that supposed to mean." I ask.
"I see what you're doing." He tells me sitting at the foot of my bed.
"And what exactly am I doing?"
"You are trying to change the timeline. How many people have warned you just today?" He asks. His voice is too calm.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"Steven Grant Rogers. Born July 4, 1918..."
"You can find that in a museum." This Mobius is starting to annoy me.
"Let me make this clear Steve. You continue on this path you will create branches. I can't allow that to happen. The multiverse is already a mess. People here seem to be having things fall into place. You made a choice. Your choice was to go back in time to be with Margaret Carter. You lived a life with her. Had children with her. Grandchildren with her. You grew old. She died holding your hand. But in this moment, you're contemplating staying in this time, even though there's now an old man Steve in this present timeline. Isn't that everything?"
Okay. He knows what he's talking about. "You say this like it's a bad thing."
"It can be." He stares at me. Showing no emotion.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well...there's millions of alternate realties that you can create here. Should you choose to stay." I stare wanting him to elaborate. "Not all of them give you the ending you desire."
"What is it that I desire?" I don't even know.
"Charlie. It's not just about Maggie."
"What are some of these alternate realities? Do you even know?" He nods his head. "Well...what are they?"
Taking in a deep breath. "One of them include the death of you and Charlie in the battle with Thanos. One of them include a life of you alone, constantly trying to win her over, even Maggie disowns you. One of them includes you going dark. Murdering Charlie and Bucky. One of them includes Charlie agreeing to live a life with you. She's miserable. Bucky's miserable, even Maggie is. You are the only one who feels he accomplished something in having Charlie as your wife."
"Are any of them good?" I ask.
"Yes. One continues down this path. However, Peggy dies alone. She never has kids, never loves again because her husband left her. Charlie and Bucky live a happy life, have plenty of kids. You and Maggie have a great relationship. You, Bucky, and Charlie have a great relationship. One sees you three in a polyamorous relationship and happy. Another you three are in a polyamorous relationship and you and Bucky resent each other. One sees the relationship between Charlie and Bucky not working out, and you and her get back together, living happily, but Bucky murders you for taking his girl." He continues rattling off alternate realities.
"How do I choose which one I want?"
"Which would you choose, Steve? What's the right answer for you?" I shrug my shoulders. I honestly don't know. "Unfortunately the thing is you can't choose. It just happens. And the world...yes, the world is the one the deals with the repercussions of that."
I sit looking at him. "What you're saying is, if I choose to continue the thoughts I'm having one of those realities happen? I don't get to choose. So, it can be one of the nightmare realities that happen, or one of the good ones?"
"Yeah. Here's the thing though...it creates a ripple effect. Just because it's a good or bad life for you doesn't mean it is for the world."
"Would her and Bucky know?" I ask. This might be worth the risk.
"No... but you would." He stares at me. "You would know exactly what that choice created. Say the reality that sees Maggie not existing happens. You would know that you had a daughter with Charlie. Would remember every moment you had with her, but you would be too ashamed and too scared to talk to Charlie about her. You would carry that guilt with you forever. Is that worth it to you? Say you have a good life with Charlie, but she's miserable because she really wants to be with Bucky, and he her, you would know that they were really supposed to be together, and you denied them of their true happiness. Would you be okay with that?"
I listen to his words. Fully take them in. There could be a life without Maggie, but I would remember that. "Steve when you went back to be with Peggy why were Maggie and Charlie not the first thoughts you had? You could have visited Peggy, but you stayed, growing old with the woman, and now you're trying to mess up the timeline. Why?"
"I love her." Tears fall down my eyes. "I love her, and I didn't realize how much I would miss Maggie."
"You should love Maggie. She's your daughter."
"No...I love, Charlie. I want her. I need her." The words linger in the air. Both of us frozen. "There's no way I can choose?"
"Tell me, which would you choose? Would you choose a happy life with Charlie, and deny her the life she was supposed to have with Bucky? She's pregnant. With his child."
"Yeah, I know." I glare at him. I'm fully aware.
"Have you watched them? They're happy. She was always meant to be with him, in this reality. You would steal that from her, from him. And you're trying to tell me that you love her. That he's your best friend." He lets out a chuckle which irritates me to no end.
"You don't have any idea what it feels like to love her."
"No... but Bucky does. He's never wished she was someone else. He's never curled up to her hoping when he woke up that she was a girl from his past. He's never had sex with her with his eyes closed pretending she was someone else. You have. Are you telling me you would selfishly put your needs above the world's just for a small chance out of a million that you have a happy life with her?" He stares over at me waiting on an answer, and I allow his words to sink in.
"I don't know."
"Wow...I never heard about this part of Steve Rogers." His eyes turn looking at the closet. "If that's how you truly felt, why did you leave?"
"I didn't know, until I left." I answer honestly.
"He didn't need to do that. Even when he wasn't with Charlie, he thought about her every day. He thought by leaving her that he was doing her a favor. He thought that he wasn't good enough for her. He wanted her to have the world, not realizing that he was her world."
"I get it! Bucky's perfect for her. Unlike me." I angrily turn away from Mobius. He makes me sick. And I still don't know what I want to do.
"He is. And yet, you are thinking about denying both of them that. Why? What makes all that worth it?"
"Her." His eyes come to look at me.
"We continued to let you time hop. Not seeing it as a threat because you were in fact returning to the correct timeline. I'm now interfering because of your thoughts."
"If I choose not to stay in this time, I can continue to time hop?"
"Not anymore."
"What? You just said..." I feel my chest tighten. Unable to control my breathing.
"We can't trust you. Sorry."
"How will I see my daughter? Or her?"
"You can visit them as an old man. Your old man self has refused to see them. Even he has lingering feelings for Charlie."
I count my breaths. Trying to calm myself the way Charlie once did. "But, she's pregnant. With my best friend's child. I won't get to see them have a child. Me... this current me."
"You would have...Listen, I can make you a deal. You can continue to stay in this time for up to a week after their child is born. When myself or an associate comes to let you know the time is up, you have a decision. Either stay in this time, and risk ruining this timeline or you go back to 1946. The time you chose to go to. Need I remind you...this was your choice. It's going to continue to be your choice, and you could possibly be taking that choice from everyone. Including the three people you claim to love above anything else." He extends his hand out to me again.
"Can I time hop back to Peggy in between?"
"No. If you do, you're stuck. One of us will be collecting that watch. One way or the other. Steve, don't think just for yourself. That's the only thing I can warn you about. Choose wisely. Use this time wisely. Don't try coming in between them. They're happy. Do you not see how happy they are? Even Maggie. One week after their baby is born, Steve."
"Four weeks." I counter.
"Two weeks."
"Three weeks."
"One week." He goes back down.
"Fine...two weeks. And someone will come back to remind me?" He nods his head.
"Choose wisely." He turns to look away. "And Steve, no one needs to know about this conversation. And the outside world doesn't need to know you're still here. You're retired. You don't exist anymore. Two weeks after their baby is born. Use that time to observe them and their love, figure out if what you're thinking about is worth it."
"The world? So just the ones who know now?"
"Sam will be okay to know. But other than the Avengers. Keep it secret. And maybe visit with old man Steve. Get an elder's perspective of your life."