#like two of my friends and i shoved all of our main agent 3/captains in the same room and its been such a fun rp

[octomae]

i should do one of those relationship charts for my splatoon agents, i want to talk about them so badly. the problem is that im bad at talking to ppl in general about literally anything

[itsanerdlife]

Mistakes Made 29/30

Pairing: Peter  Parker x Reader

Warning: Self doubt. Violence. Anger. Back stabbing. Lying. Arguing. Separation. Blood. Law breaking. Cat Fights. Stalking. A lot of anger. Team fighting. Feelings of being pathetic. Sneaking around. Betrayal.

[[Synopsis has been removed]]

One Part Left!!!

In the cover of the night, they waited. Peter shoves Steve back, slamming him into the brick wall of the alley. Buck’s there, pinning Steve to the wall. Unable to go anywhere but hear out what was to be said.

“Rogers, we need to talk.” Y/N steps forward, pushing the hood of her sweatshirt back. “First though, phone, please.” She puts out her hand. Buck quickly searches Steve’s jacket pockets, pulling out his phone. Handing it over to Y/N, she looks it over.

“What the hell Y/N?!” Steve demands.

“Shut up Punk and listen.” Buck warns him.

“Get off me.” Steve growls at his best friend.

“I’ll owe you one.” Y/N wiggles Steve’s phone. She drops it to the ground, slamming down the heel of her boot on it. Smashing the phone apart.

“Why are you smashing my phone?!” Steve gaps at her.

“Because your girlfriend is a double agent.” She cuts to the chase, tucking her hands into her pockets. “She’s working for Hammer Inc on the side, Steve.”

“How far have you gone to make up lies?” Steve shakes his head.

“She’s not lying Steve.” Buck jumps in.

“How could you believe anything she says, she’s a trained liar.” Steve stares at Buck. Buck leans in a little closer, getting into Steve’s face.

“Just like Nat, Clint and me.” Buck vibrates with a growl.

“We have the evidence. A lot of it actually. You know for a double agent, she really wasn’t that good at it.” Y/N shrugs, rolling her eyes. “She’s using you, she wants to have me removed from the team, so she can be placed.”

“Because she deserves it.” Steve growls. “You’ve been nothing but a problem this whole time.” He glares at Y/N. Peter steps between them.

“Watch it.” He warns Steve. Steve’s jaw ticks.

“Holly is a good person. Fury is already looking into bringing her to the team, your clock is ticking.” Steve watches Y/N.

“Oh I know.” She smiles, shrugging. “But for different reasons.” He and Buck exchange a look, what did she mean? “I’m going to Fury in the morning with all the emails, voice recordings, bank statements, from her home, her office, ohhh and the tail I’ve had on her for weeks.” She grins, shrugging as if she was enjoying this.

“Bullshit.” Steve stares.

“She’s going to help Hammer kidnap Peter for his blood.” Y/N steps in, Buck steps back, startled. She’s toe to toe with Steve. The hair on the back of Peter’s neck rises. “That bitch comes for him, I’m dropping her head at your feet. Before I take you down next.” She warns in an ice cold tone.

“She would never.” Steve hisses back. “She’s not a killer.” He smirks. But she only grins back.

“Yes. Yes I am Steve.” She nods. “If you’re not careful, not smart, you’ll be on my list too.” Her voice is flat, sharp and deadly. “Anything happens to Peter, I’ll hold you personally responsible, you brought that cunt into our lives. Anything happens, and I come for you just the same.” She turns walking back into the dark. Peter looks at Buck, both a little startled still. Buck looks at Steve.

“Holly isn’t who you think she is, Steve.” Buck shakes his head, the two of them leaving Steve standing them with his smashed phone.

------

You stroll into Fury’s office, Nat, Clint, Buck and Peter with you as well. Steve stood there, glaring. You smirk, dropping into a seat at the table in the office.

“Fury, you called?” You bat your eyes, taking a bite out of the taco, half wrapped in your hand.

“Are those tacos, Agent?” Fury blinks at you.

“We were having a little meeting of our own, over lunch when you called.” Nat replies, dropping into a seat with you as well.

“Stevie.” You wink at him, smirking.

“Captain Rogers, that will be enough for now.” Fury waves him off.

“Tootles Stevie.” You grin. “Tell that trollop of a gremlin girlfriend of yours I’ll see her real soon.” You wiggle your fingers as he struts out of the room, not looking in your direction.

“Agent something you want to tell me?” Fury eyes you.

“Before we start, taco Sir?” You drop one of the many bags on the tabletop. Fury looks from you to the others.

“It’s a long story Sir.” Buck chuckles, taking a seat. Clint and Peter do the same. Fury strolls over, Nat passes him a paper bag. The six of you settle in for lunch and explaining.

“Shall we begin?” Fury asks, looking rather happy with food in one hand, settled into his chair.

------

“It’s all there.” You sigh, as Fury scrolls through all the evidence that you had against Holly. “How she knows about Peter and Tony’s experiment, we still don’t know that one.” You admit.

“Tell me something, how did you get all this?” Fury looks around.

“I did what I do best.” You admit. “With some help.” You shrug.

“How did you know?” He asks.

“She only had a problem with me. Only me.” You snort. “You contracted me to work for you, Fury. I’m not former SHIELD or enhanced. It made more and more sense the more she came for me. So I started looking into her. After we found the files of Tony and Peter during the mission. Buck was with me.” You shrug.

“I contracted you, instead of promoting, Agent Smith.” Fury smirks. “I had an inkling about her after your cat fight in my office.” He nods slowly.

“I want to bring her in, Sir. Please.” You nod, sitting up straight.

“Agent, is that a smart idea?” He eyes you. Unspoken knowledge between the two of you.

“I’ll play it smart, Sir. Me and them, no one on one.” You nod, glancing at those around you.

“And Parker, you’re on board with this?” Fury looks at Peter. You jump in quickly.

“Sir.” You cut in. Fury glances at you for a second.

“I’ll make sure she brings her in alive, Sir.” Peter nods.

“Bring them in agent. Alive.” He glances at you and Nat.

“Thank you, Sir.” You nod, looking at the others. “Let’s go to fucking church.” You smirk. Nat’s up with you, the other three following as well.

-------------------

Everything Peaches 2/6/19: @xmtd5 @mo320 @all1e23 @courtmr @izzy--lee @irepeldirt @dumblani @nishanki1 @crist1216 @alyssaj23 @allyp1023 @joannie95 @kolakube9 @rileyloves5 @sarahp879 @sea040561 @sexyvixen7 @pcterpvrker @pigwidgexn @doctoranon @abschaffer2 @bookluver01 @teller258316 @callie-bear15 @nickimarie94 @wandressfox @amandab-ftw @carostar2020 @henrietteoaks @nea90sweetie @circusofchaos @itsagalaxystar @bettercallsabs @miraclesoflove @lucifersnipnips @queenkrissy11 @sadyoungadult @destiel-artemis @paintballkid711 @isabelcrichards @iwillbeinmynest @sweet-honey15 @chanelmadrid13 @mellxander1993 @killerbumblebee @spookygrantaire @geeksareunique @supernatural508 @sammysgirl1997 @itzmegaaaaaaan @booksbeforebois @childishhoebinoo @elizabethaellison @mariekoukie6661 @pure-princess-97 @capsheadquaters @samanthasmileys @youclickedthislink @futuremrsb-r-main @lovemarvelousfics @notyourtypicalrose @petersunderoos96 @loving-life-my-way @buckystolemyheart @booktvmoviefangirl @supernatural-girl97 @abbypalmer14-blog @fanfictionjunkie1112 @meganlikesfandoms @awkwardfangirl2014 @supernaturaldean67 @xqueenofthecraziesx   @queenoftheunderdark @writingaworldofmyown @supernaturallover2002 @daughterofthenight117 @mustbeaweasleyginger @sprinklesandsugarcubes @whothehellisbucky-1930 @verymuchclosetedfangirl @for-the-love-of-the-fandom @ocaptain-mycaptainmorgan @wonderlandfandomkingdom @crazy-little-thing-called-buck @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @stupendoussciencenaturepanda @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety @supernatural-strangerthings-1980

Marvel Tag List 2/6/19: @lumelgy   @dottirose   @jcc04220 @rockagurl @a--1--1--3 @mizzzpink   @jade-taillia @coley0823 @widowsfics @bookluver01 @thelostallycat @shield-agent78 @dtftheavengers   @ilovetvshowsblog @capsheadquaters   @iamwarrenspeace @thefridgeismybestie @whenallsaidanddone @deanwinchestersrifle @fandomsstolemylife00   @daughterofthenight117 @lilmissperfectlyimperfect  

Peter ‘Fuck Me I’m Weak’ Parker: @ml7010 @ariminiria @dkpink123   @boltsgirl919 @quokkatrash @everthenerd @ms-rogers06 @crayonwriting @baebeepeach @dolan-mendes @bellamouse16 @way-ward-whale @honey-bee-holly @kiss-the-stars-goodbye

Mistakes Made: @gabile18 @a-vvenger @lakamaa12 @likhmahass @mottergirl99 @thejupiterkiller @ibookishqueen @mus1cal-barnes @deathofmissjackson @sherlokiantheatrenerd @nerdy-bookworm-1998 @missjjgoddessofanimals @iamnotoverlyfondofwhatfollows

[anghraine]

pro patria, chapters 50-56

For all my lifelong pride, the Althea of a year ago could never have imagined this—me, a hero of Kryta recognized on sight, walking into the throne room in answer to a personal summons from the queen. Gods, where would I be in another year? What would I be?

title: pro patria (50-56/?) stuff that happens: Althea's dissatisfaction with her normal life is quickly interrupted by a summons from Queen Jennah.

verse: Ascalonian grudgefic characters/relationships: Althea Fairchild, Logan Thackeray, Countess Anise, Queen Jennah; Ailoda Langmar, Crusader Hiroki, Agent Ihan, Scholar Josir, various residents of Garrenhoff; Althea & Queen Jennah, Althea & Logan, Althea & Anise, Althea and Ailoda chapters: 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28, 29-35, 36-42, 43-49

-

FIFTY 1 I wasn’t happy. I’d rarely thought about whether I was happy or not—which probably meant I had been, most of the time. But exploring Kessex Hills, while it tickled my curiosity at points, didn’t satisfy me the way that exploring Queensdale had. I helped people everywhere I could, I poked around the nooks and crannies and dutifully added them to my map and notes, I even fought centaurs with the Seraph, but it didn’t … I couldn’t say why it seemed so different. I only felt myself again when I saw Deborah, or got (long-delayed) notes from my friends and family, or defended Fort Salma. Something wasn’t right with this place. Or something wasn’t right with me. 2 It helped, a little, to recall that the maps would go to the Seraph as well as to the Explorers Society. The latter was a hobby that might or might not prove productive, but the former would help my people, in a more lasting way than a battle for this camp or that. Not that the battles didn’t matter, the lives of the Seraph I met, but I’d grown used to—well, to plots and treason and investigations, to helping everyone. Maybe the problem was that so few civilians lived out here. Back in Queensdale, I’d protected monasteries, mills, entire towns of people. Here, I found little but camps and Lionguard havens, the former transitory and the latter prepared to look after themselves. Little, at least, until I stumbled across a village in the southeast of the hills called Garrenhoff. 3 Garrenhoff was by no means the most dangerous place I’d seen in Kessex Hills. That honour went to Viathan Lake and its godsdamned krait, beating out even the worst of the centaur camps I’d helped the Seraph decimate—and the centaurs back in Queensdale were nothing to those here. But Garrenhoff, a village with no attackers and apparently no violence, unsettled me just about as much as the Blood Witch. By all accounts, Garrenhoff owed its security to Isgarren, a wizard who lived in a nearby castle that hardly anyone else seemed to have ever entered. He had set elementals to defend the village and to perform any labour demanded by the villagers. “He has a kind, gracious heart,” one woman informed me, “and he cares for and loves the people of this town.” Enough to supply them with slaves, apparently. 4 “It’s like something out of a children’s story,” another woman said, “with the kindly wizard watching over the sleepy little village and sending his magical minions to help out with day-to-day chores.” Right. A random man talked of the town’s debt to their unknown and virtually unseen patron. The nominal town guard assured me that the elementals kept everyone safe, and his job was to stand around doing nothing in particular. Sailors casually said their job was to sit back and let the elementals take care of everything. The mayor cheerfully greeted me and said I could have nothing to fear or want in Garrenhoff. My skin crawled. 5 It was a relief to hear occasional murmurs of discontent. A woman confided that she felt uneasy around the elementals, as if they were angry; a girl snapped about her annoyance with the tourists; an older lady talked of the days when people did their work with their own hands. The last, however, turned out to be envious of the scarce villagers who got invited up to the castle and spent out the rest of their lives there. As if this place weren’t creepy enough. “Do you ever get to see the villagers who moved there?” I asked. “No, but that’s not surprising—a place as elegant as that … I’m sure they’re just wrapped up in their new lives,” she said wistfully. All right, it just got even worse. 6 I seriously contemplated going back to see how the Falcons were doing and leaving Garrenhoff to a large dot on my map. But I’d never turned back from anything, least of all a peaceable village—and one with a good vista of the landscape around it. I reluctantly started climbing the stone steps leading up to the vista. A sweet-faced boy ran up to me and tugged at my skirt. “What is it?” I asked. “You smell like money,” he said. “You’re rich, aren’t you?” 7 Lyssa’s tears, even the children were disturbing. I made it to the vista without further disturbance; it did, indeed, make for a lovely view, and I quickly sketched in a few more details on my map. But I’d only just returned to the main square of town when I saw an unevenly-written sign on the wall opposite me. Already suspicious, I walked over to see what it said. Get mesmers out of our government! How can we trust mind-shapers to argue fairly for the people? I grabbed the poster and tore it off the wall.

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1) godsdamned krait: a particularly irritating species of snake-lizard-merfolk who attack and enslave people of other species wherever possible.

2) the Blood Witch: the krait's champion.

3) get mesmers out of our government: Queen Jennah is a mesmer as well as Countess Anise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- FIFTY-ONE 1 Not quite satisfied with that, I ripped the poster down the middle, crumpled up both halves, and shoved them into my bag for evidence. When a few scraps of parchment fluttered down from my hands, I ground them into the mud. Beside me, flowers trailed down the stone wall, their innocuous beauty only further aggravating me. I wasn’t angry for my own sake—or at least not only for my own sake; it wasn’t talking about me, but about people like Anise, maybe Jennah herself. Probably Jennah herself. I’d seen far more seditious activity throughout Kessex Hills, but somehow, this was the thing that got to me. Maybe I did need to go home. 2 Towards the front of the town, I heard someone shouting. I turned my attention to the clamour and hurried over, just in time to see the gates open, and a trio of Seraph walk through. Ignoring the curious gazes of the villagers and tourists, they stalked over to the mayor, their voices now decorously inaudible. He glanced around, then pointed directly at me. Something like hope sprang up in my chest, though I couldn’t have said what I hoped for. The Seraph strode over to me, and the leader bowed. “You’re the hero of Shaemoor?” she asked. 3 For once, I was glad to hear it. “Yes,” I said. “I’m Althea Fairchild.” She nodded indifferently, and held out a sealed letter. “I have an urgent message for you.” Not everyone got messages hand-delivered by Seraph—or perhaps I should say, not every occasion required it. Curious, I looked it over; unless I was very much mistaken, that was the seal of the Shining Blade. 4 Anise! How strange—I’d received updates from my mother, my friends, Logan now and then, but Anise was not exactly a devoted correspondent. I tore open the seal, and took in the unexpectedly stark scrawl. Hero of Shaemoor, By the Will and Command of Queen Jennah of Kryta, you are hereby formally summoned to attend the royal presence. Make all haste to her throne room in Divinity’s Reach, and you will be welcomed there. Until next we meet, may the Six Gods watch over you in all things. —Countess Anise 5 What? I’d expected that my summons, whenever it arrived, would come from my mother or Logan. But even if I’d imagined one from Anise, I never would have anticipated that it would come in such a form. This was no request from a mentor and ally, something I might ignore or deny, even if I never actually would; it was a royal demand. I re-read it several more times, trying to understand. It seemed almost a punishment for my restlessness. What in Dwayna’s name had happened? 6 I left Garrenhoff without regret, and led the Seraph north to Darkwood Defile, thankfully without significant incident. I could handle it, and the Seraph seemed impressed by what small encounters we did have, but Anise’s note had not given me the impression of an indefinite timeline. I needed to get to Divinity’s Reach, and I needed to get there now . We found the waypoint, darted through, and emerged out into the city. The Seraph took their leave, marching to their headquarters. I—well, I took one deep breath, then strode towards the palace with as much speed and dignity as I could. The guards at the door let me in without a word. 7 For all my lifelong pride, the Althea of a year ago could never have imagined this—me, a hero of Kryta recognized on sight, walking into the throne room in answer to a personal summons from the queen. Gods, where would I be in another year? What would I be? In the throne room, I found Queen Jennah in quiet consultation with Logan, Anise looking deceptively disinterested, and her Shining Blade on guard. Logan glanced up as I approached, his expression as relieved as Queen Jennah's was neutral. “Your Majesty—Captain Thackeray,” I said. “I was summoned?”

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1) the Shining Blade: the personal protectors of the monarch of Kryta, currently led by Countess Anise.

----------------------------------------------------------------------- FIFTY-TWO 1 Logan clasped my hand as lightly as his gauntlets allowed. “Indeed, and I’m glad you’re here, my friend.” I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Kryta,” he went on, “needs you once more.” By this point, I’d assumed as much. Who could have guessed that a single heroic impulse at Shaemoor would lead to Logan Thackeray and Queen Jennah turning to me in times of trouble? Certainly not me. 2 “You know I’ll do anything I can to help,” I said sincerely, and glanced between Logan and the queen. “What’s the problem, captain?” He quickly explained that they had reports that Risen, the undead servants of Zhaitan, had been seen in a swamp in the south of the country. My skin chilled. “Risen?” I exclaimed. “The dragon’s minions? If they’re in the swamp, anyone who goes in there would be in great danger!” 3 “Precisely,” Queen Jennah said, and my attention darted to her. “The three Orders of Tyria are pushing to be involved, but can’t agree on a plan.” Her mouth tightened. “While they bicker, my people are at risk.” I nodded, scarcely happier about it than herself, even though I had only the vaguest idea what the orders even were. Not what they ought to be, evidently. “Hero,” said the queen, “I have summoned you to act as Advocate of the Crown.” 4 My jaw dropped. To act as what? “I want you to meet with the orders and take charge of the situation,” she told me, stunning me even further. Logan gave a brisk nod. “You‘ll be dealing with the Vigil, the Durmand Priory, and the Order of Whispers,” he said. “All three specialize in fighting Zhaitan and its minions. However, they all use different methods.” 5 Right. Fine. This was fine. “It'll be your job to decide which plan is best,” he said, without the slightest hint of reservation, “and then act on it.” And I’d been sulking about having nothing weighty to do! “You will have the full authority of the crown to handle this situation,” said the queen, and I swallowed. “Will you accept this task, Lady Althea?” 6 I could hardly say no, but I felt a rush of determination mingling in with my astonishment. “Your Majesty, I will,” I said, bowing. I added earnestly, “I’m honoured to serve Kryta and my queen.” Queen Jennah smiled at me, still regal, but almost friendly, and I felt as if I must have flushed a dozen shades. “Thank you,” she said—the queen, thanking me for obeying her wishes! “Go, and meet with the Order Representatives as soon as possible. I look forward to your report.” 7 I accepted the dismissal for what it was, bowed, and turned to go. Rather to my relief, Logan caught up with me after a few steps. “Thanks for taking on this problem, friend,” he told me. When I halted, he looked down at me, his eyes very clear. “I know you’ll do what’s best for Kryta.” From him, no praise could be higher. “I won’t disappoint you,” I said.

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1) Zhaitan: one of the giant Elder Dragons wreaking havoc throughout the world—in its case, via legions of undead minions.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- FIFTY-THREE 1 “Can you tell me what you know about the Orders of Tyria?” I asked. “Absolutely,” said Logan. He began with the Vigil, a worldwide volunteer militia started by a Charr forced to kill her entire warband. I hesitated, then forced myself to say, “She may be a Charr, but I can empathize.” Logan gave an approving nod. “Almorra swore to defeat the dragons.” 2 Next, he described the Durmand Priory, an equally far-flung collection of scholars and relic-hunters with the world’s most extensive library. I’d always been a bit bookish, but I didn’t quite see how scholarship could stand against eldritch dragons. “Don’t let their demeanour fool you,” said Logan; thankfully, however, he didn’t look as if he thought me foolish. “These are tough, shrewd people with a mission to discover the dragons’ origins, purpose, and weaknesses.” Oh, that made a certain sense. I told him as much, and he smiled slightly. “Tell me about the Order of Whispers,” I said. 3 He grew instantly solemn. “The Order of Whispers move in shadows and deal in secrets. Their network of covert agents uses thievery, blackmail, and assassination to achieve their goals.” I could feel my eyes widen. I understood a certain amount of maneuvering and calculation; I did that myself. That much, though— “Are they reliable?” I asked. 4 Logan fidgeted, looking a bit shifty himself—as shifty as he could look, anyway. “They seem to be,” he said, his tone studiously neutral. “Luckily for us, the Order recognizes the threat posed by Zhaitan and the others. I can’t say I trust them, but I respect them.” Ah. Well, they sounded like valuable allies, if in a highly questionable way—perhaps more valuable than a Charr’s brand of unsubtle onslaught or a collection of scholars, tough or not. We’d see. 5 “I think I have everything I need to get started,” I decided. “I’ll let you know how it goes.” “I expected nothing else,” said Logan. He patted my shoulder another time, then turned and swiftly headed back to the queen. Anise drifted over to me, her expression as earnest as I’d ever seen it. She met my eyes directly. “I’m glad you’re here—Advocate.” 6 “It’s imperative that you discover what’s happening in Lychcroft Mere,” she went on. “Lives depend on it.” Despite her solemnity, there was no anxiety in her face. I eyed her a little suspiciously: I felt certain that she had her fingers in more pies than I could possibly know about. “Was it your influence that convinced the queen to name me Advocate?” I asked. Anise’s old ambiguous smile touched her mouth. “I simply ensured that Queen Jennah knew you were loyal and capable.” 7 Even Anise trusted me with this. Particularly Anise, even, if she’d been the one to sway the queen. Anise, my own master, and Master Exemplar of the Shining Blade. The airy chamber felt suffocating, but I straightened up. I’d prove her right—all of them, Anise and Logan and Queen Jennah, or die trying. And I had no intention of dying. “I’m glad you think so highly of me, countess,” I said. FIFTY-FOUR 1 Now I knew what the orders themselves were, but I didn’t mean to walk into this thing without knowing who I was dealing with. “What can you tell me about the people representing the three Orders of Tyria?” “Quite a bit,” said Anise, her easy confidence unflagging. “Which draws your interest, pet?” Pet, indeed. But she’d called me that since I was a child. I felt certain that I could rule the world and she still would. 2 Regardless, her answers came immediately and concisely. The Durmand Priory had sent a man called Josir, an eccentric scholar and explorer; the Order of Whispers, dating back to ancient Elona, had sent one named Ihan; and the Vigil had sent a woman, Hiroki. “She was once a member of the Ebon Vanguard, and continues to be a stalwart ally to Kryta,” said Anise. The Ebon Vanguard! My interest immediately sparked; I’d been rather inclined against the Vigil, partly for its origins and partly for its means. But if a Charr-led militia—however pitiable that Charr—could attract an Ascalonian out of Ebonhawke, out of Ascalon, that was a different matter. “Thank you,” I told her, and shook her hand; Anise just laughed and headed over to Logan. 3 Determined to help and curious about the means by which I would do so, I bowed to the queen and turned to go. “Lady Althea,” she said, clear command in her voice. I turned back. “Logan and the Countess Anise speak highly of you,” she told me, and I tried not to wonder how those conversations had gone. “I am confident that you will protect the people of Lychcroft Mere.” I—she—they— Despite my best intentions, I froze in place, my thoughts spinning faster than I could catch them. 4 A life spent in public saved me. I gathered up my shreds of composure and said, “Thank you, your Majesty. Can you tell me anything else about the area?” I hadn’t imagined myself questioning her when all this started. “You’ll be meeting with the Orders south of Viathan Lake.” I nodded. “Your Majesty, what can you tell me about the Orders?” 5 I was, first and foremost, an Ascalonian and a Krytan; the former guided me, the latter compelled me. I would follow my queen, all the more as her representative. Queen Jennah’s brows rose a little. “So long as they stay out of politics,” she said, “I allow them to operate in Kryta.” That seemed prudent. She proceeded to explain the Orders in her own terms: the Vigil were militants who offered charity and protection to the people of Tyria, the Priory saved Lion Arch’s libraries and were particularly focused on studying the dragons, and the Order of Whispers were covert agents working to help Tyria. “I may not trust them,” she said of the last, “but I recognize their contributions.” 6 I wouldn’t trust them, either—particularly as they seemed the most likely to meddle in politics. Honestly, I was curious about what sort of contributions could have earned the respect, however grudging, of these three people. For now, however, I had more pressing matters than curiosity. I summoned up my nerve, lowered my voice, and said, “During all my years among your noble court, I’ve never been so honoured as at this moment. Thank you, your Majesty.” Queen Jennah smiled. “I am pleased to see you take on the duties of your high birth, Advocate.” 7 Her entire manner suffused with approval, she added, “You will do the nobility proud.” Gods, I hoped so. No, I would, no matter what happened. One way or another, I’d be a credit to my family, my rank, my people. I forced myself to breathe steadily. “I will do my best, your Majesty,” I told her, and drew the sign of the Six. “May Dwayna watch over us all.”

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1) I am pleased to see you take on the duties of your high birth, Advocate: Jennah’s response is dictated by the class origin you chose in character creation.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- FIFTY-FIVE 1 I hurried home to pack for this newest journey, where my mother found me. She didn’t protest the way she had with Debs, just looked resigned. “Where now?” she asked. I almost glanced away, but I refused to be ashamed. “Lychcroft Mere.” Mother’s brows rose. “It doesn’t seem like your kind of place, dear.” 2 It wasn’t. “There are people in danger,” I said, folding some leggings and shoving them into a bag. I didn’t mean to get bitten by whatever ungodly insects infected the swamp. “I’m not sure I can say why.” “Ah,” she said. “Then you’d better hurry.” I eyed her doubtfully. 3 “You should,” said Mother, her voice stronger. She paused, her posture stiff, then reached out and patted my arm. “It’s good, what you’re doing, and noble. You’re a credit to me—you and Deborah both.” She looked like she might cry. I had no real idea of what to do; I never did in these moments, and while it rarely swayed my decisions, I hated seeing her upset. “Thank you, Mama,” I said, and kissed her cheek. 4 That seemed adequate; she blinked very rapidly, then helped me finish packing my bag and led me to the door herself. “I wish I could do more,” Mother said, but immediately afterwards shook her head. “Never mind that. Just—be careful.” “I will,” I told her, hoping it would be true. She grasped my shoulder and pressed her lips to my forehead. “Go with the Six, Althea.” 5 With that, she whirled about and strode back into the house, before I could even tell her goodbye. I inhaled, accepting that for what it was, then walked into the waypoint and out into Ireko Tradecamp—not Lychcroft Mere, not yet. I truly didn’t know what I was allowed to tell people. A child ran up to me as soon as I strode out of the waypoint. Remembering the boy at Garrenhoff, I looked at him suspiciously. “Wanna see my magic trick?” he said. “Think of a number from one to ten, and I’ll use my magical powers to guess what it is.” 6 I relaxed, but shook my head. I had higher priorities right now. At the tents, I found sylvari and Asura merchants, deep in conversation with assorted villagers and other humans. None seemed anything like representatives of dragon-fighting orders. I reached the rear of the village, neither seeing nor hearing anything promising, until a woman’s voice cut through low murmurs. “Really, Ihan, just because—” Ihan—he was one of the Order representatives. 7 The woman, I realized, must be the Ebon Vanguard soldier turned Vigil member; I looked around, then ducked into the shelter that seemed closest to where I’d heard her voice. Three humans stood there—a robed scholar with disconcertingly bright eyes, a black-haired man in red and gold, and a pretty woman with dark hair, blue eyes, and heavy armour. I’d evidently caught them in an argument; they stopped mid-gesture when they saw me. “Finally!” said the scholar. “Thank Dwayna, you’re here. I am Scholar Josir of the Durmand Priory—we’ve been expecting you.” “You’re here to make decisions,” the other man said firmly, reaching out to shake my hand, “and that’s exactly what we need.” FIFTY-SIX 1 “For once,” said the woman, “Ihan’s right about something. I’m Hiroki, a crusader with the Vigil.” I nodded at them. “Good to meet you. I’m Althea Fairchild, Advocate of the Crown.” Somehow, I managed to pronounce the sentence smoothly; hearing the words from my own mouth felt even more overwhelming than hearing them from Queen Jennah. Hiroki said, “The Risen forces are active in Lychcroft Mere.” 2 I took a deep breath, and set my own anxieties aside. This was more important than anything I might feel. Gods, undead in Kryta! “There are missing villagers,” she went on, “mostly children. We’ve got to get soldiers in there! The Vigil has a squad standing by. They’re ready to sweep the area on your signal, Advocate—just give the word.” 3 I almost agreed on the spot, but to be fair, I waited for the others. Josir immediately took the lead, telling me about a Priory invention that could help the children in some as-yet-undisclosed way. “Your device is theoretical!” exclaimed Hiroki, wheeling around to glare at him. “Untested! You want to risk children on that?” She clenched her armoured fist exactly like Logan so often did. “Vigil steel is tried and true.” 4 Josir had pointed out that the Priory’s invention—something called Mortus Virge—could preserve manpower, which I granted as a priority, but I was not at all sure about an untested device that would do something vague that might save the children. Still, rushing into a swamp without any defense but the clothes on our backs didn’t exactly appeal, either. But something must be done, and done soon. I turned to Ihan, hoping for some miraculous third option. “I’m with the Order of Whispers,” he said. “We brought this to the queen’s attention, but we’ll leave the frontline fighting to the others.” Wonderful. 5 Avoiding direct warfare was understandable for an order of spies, but no less disappointing for that. “Very well,” I said. “Hiroki, Josir—give me a moment to think this over, and then I’ll decide.” They murmured agreement, and I pulled a little away, determinedly not tugging at my hair. Every moment wasted was another moment of danger for the children in that swamp, but I had to think, had to make the best decision for them and for Kryta. I glanced at Ihan again. The Order of Whispers had to be used to making difficult calls, choosing the effective over the satisfying, deciding what risks to take—maybe he’d have something to say. 6 “It’s not that my organization doesn’t support you,” he said, almost apologetically. “We just like to have more information before we act. Until then, best of luck.” How incredibly helpful. “I hate to rush you, Miss Fairchild,” said Hiroki—I winced—”but it’s time to decide. We need to find those children.” I hesitated another moment, but there was really only one decision to make. 7 “I’ve decided to go with the Vigil’s plan,” I said, praying it was the right choice. “Now we’re getting somewhere!” said Hiroki, grinning at Josir’s sigh. “My squad and I will wait for you outside Lychcroft Mere. We’ll find those kids—and crush some Risen along the way!” She might have been talking about an afternoon tea-party. “You Vigil types don’t stand still for long, do you?” I asked, a little amused despite myself; she reminded me of Deborah. “I like that.”

[stevieang]

You Can’t Hurry Love Chapters 29 and 30/30

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3  Chapter 4   Chapter 5  Chapter 6   Chapter 7   Chapter 8   Chapter 9     Chapter 10     Chapter 11     Chapter 12    Chapter 13  Chapter 14      Chapter 15     Chapter 16   Chapter 17  Chapter 18 Chapter 19   Chapter 20  Chapter 21   Chapter 22   Chapter 23  Chapter 24  Chapter 25  Chapter 26  Chapter 27 Chapter 28

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Plus-Size OFC

Word Count: Ch. 29 - 7100, Ch. 30 - 4000 for a grand total of 11,100 words, so get comfy :)

Warnings: Fluff, family and relationship drama, (trigger warning) healing after a trauma, some pretty strong angst, and explicit sexual content that is NSFW 18+.  SERIOUSLY.

Tags:   @3dsaunt  @andiyholly  @averyrogers83  @babybluesunsets @bettercallsabs @brittyevans  @brookebarnes @captain-rogers-beard @cecygee   @csrfavs   @docharleythegeekqueen  @dorito-distractions  @everythingisoverrated  @fabicchi  @favhearts  @flawless-disaster  @gifsbysimplysonia @hazeleyedgirl7   @hennessy0274-blog @inumorph @jaguars2007  @jaamesbbarnes @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety  @janeyboo @jouhainak @learisa @letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @lilylovescomics   @lojo83   @lookwhatyoumademequeue  @lostinspace33  @madicardi  @magellan-88   @mamapeterson   @me-a-hopeless-romantic  @meyoko10  @mindingmyownbusiness @mizzzpink @neverleturheartshow2  @nomadicpixel  @no-thanks-justlooking​ @part-time-patronus​ @patzammit​ @pinkieandthebrain1​ @redqueen1221​ @rosiethebaker​ @sebbytrash​  @sgtjbuccky​  @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​  @stark-spangled-banner-man​  @st-eve-barnes​ @stillherebiandabitch​ @sunriserose1023​ @suz-123​ @the-real-kellymonster​    @tutis24​ @winterismyfavoriteseason1945​  @winters-beauty​ @yaykitty3​

A/N: Thanks to everyone's kind words, support, and encouragement - here are the last two chapters of my first story.  I had two amazing betas - @MSEnglish101 and @HMarvels31 - both of whom encouraged me, guided me through my first (and second and third) drafts, and made the story what it is, which is something I am really really proud of.

Then this little tale found a second life here on Tumblr, and oh my goodness, I have so so many people to thank.  To @suz-123​ who was my very very first follower and who has never stopped supporting and promoting me, to @star-spangled-man-with-a-plan​ who helped me navigate this world of Tumblr.  She answered every single question, even ones like “What is tagging?” and “Why would I put a ‘keep reading’ thing in my writing and how would I even do that?”  She was, and is, my sounding board, my supporter, and my friend.  Then, of course, @jamesbarnesappreciationsociety​ for her enthusiasm and awesomeness, @mindingmyownbusiness​ for the absolute best comments that make me wake up in the middle of the night to re-read.  I am so so grateful to everyone else who reblogs, likes, comments and asks to be tagged in my work, it means so much and I am thankful for you.  Honestly.  

Summary: The cliche is true - the more things change, the more they stay the same.  Stephanie and Steve had enjoyed their honeymoon, had spent time with family and friends, and enjoyed relative peace for the first time since their wedding.  The life of an Avenger is never quiet for long, and this new chapter of this life was no different.

After 3 weeks of testimony, evidence, motions, and objections, the trial of Elsbeth and Wilhelm Weber was wrapping up.  The prosecution rested, feeling strongly that they would win.  The defense team was floating the idea that the Webers were guilty, but not wholly responsible, hence requiring a reduced sentence.  The last witness for the defense was none other than Wilhelm Weber.  There was a slight murmur through the crowd, as he had a higher profile than his sister, being the head of an international pharmaceutical company and well-known researcher.  Nothing was known about his personal life, and people in the courtroom wondered if some of those gaps would now be filled.

Another week gone, hopefully only 5 more to go.  You were at home, no longer on bedrest, but encouraged by everyone who knew you to stay away from the stress of the trial.  Since you were unable to attend in person, the prosecution had secured permission for you to view the secure video stream from the courtroom, but you had promised Steve and Bucky and everyone else who wanted in on the hand-holding that you would only watch an hour or so at a time.

From his place in the security center of the building, Steve wanted to keep tabs on his best friend and his wife.

Steve: You ready?

Buck: It’s a go.  I’ll update you when I hear anything.

As Dr. Wilhelm Weber Strucker introduced himself, his lawyer’s questions allowed him to tell his tale of genius, dedication to science, and lifelong investment in helping people beat their dreaded diseases.  His sister’s face remained neutral even after he portrayed himself as a somewhat innocent pawn, used by others for his scientific knowledge and access to materials.

When the government cross-examined, they left no stone unturned.  

“Dr. Weber, please tell us why you were present in the CGS lab on the day in question?”

“Dr. Weber, prior to that day, how long had it been since you had completed a hands-on procedure, such as a somatic stem-cell removal, from a living patient?”

“Can you please explain when and where you trained to do this specific procedure?”

“Could you please describe the steps and environment necessary to complete this procedure as outlined by surgical guidelines?”

“Does the manner in which you performed the procedure, as described by Stephanie Rogers and Captain Rogers, conform to standards set by the American Medical Association, of which you are a member?”

As the answers showed his involvement in the medical portion of your abduction and a complete lack of medical ethics, his attempts to drag others into his web, to spread the blame, took a desperate turn.

“Doctor, did you know who Stephanie Rogers was prior to that day?”

“Yes.”

“Please explain how you knew of her.”

“She was abducted, under the orders of a HIVE agent, West, who then relayed orders to my sister Elsbeth Weber, who coordinated and managed the kidnapping.  My sister told me Mrs. Rogers was pregnant, that Captain Rogers was the father, and proposed the idea that the fetus had the same blood flowing through its veins as his enhanced father, and therefore was strategically valuable to fulfill our mission.”

“What mission are you referring to, Doctor?”

Then, in open court, with prior permission from both sides, Wil Weber explained his, his father’s, and his grandfather’s life work, and why Captain America held the key to achieving their ultimate goal - re-creation of Dr. Erskine’s serum.  Upon further questioning, he explained why they needed Steve’s blood, the process of recreating the serum, and then using his child’s stem cells to possibly regrow the building blocks of life, the foundation of an army of soldiers.  Popular opinion throughout the courtroom was that he was a complete loon.

“Doctor, you realize this sounds a bit far-fetched? That someone with your credibility believes in this science fiction? Can you imagine how your research colleagues would react to this?”

There wasn’t much that got Wil Weber upset, but questioning his knowledge or standing in the scientific community did the trick.  The otherwise controlled man became visibly upset, and went on about how much he knew about the HIVE, about HYDRA and the importance of his work, his innovations and his unimpeachable standing in the scientific community.  The prosecution was providing all the rope he would need to hang himself as he quickly became unglued.   As the judge banged his gavel and the lawyers were trying to calm everything down, Ellie Weber stood, looked at her brother and yelled.

“Wilhelm, hör auf! Du kannst das nicht machen.” [Wilhelm, stop! You cannot do this.]

The courtroom hushed as she spoke.  

As if they were the only ones in the room, Wil stood in the witness chair, raised his hand and pointed at her.

“Wir haben zu sehr daran gearbeitet, dass diese Leute uns ruinieren.”   [We have worked too hard to let these people ruin us.]

Finally, the judge rallied the bailiffs, who dragged both defendants to the anteroom.  The main courtroom quickly stilled, and the judge ordered the gallery cleared and the lawyers into his chambers.  Bucky moved to the lobby of the courthouse, on high alert.  There was definitely something going on.  The Webers had been born into HYDRA - no way simple questioning without punishment would break them.  

Following the meeting, the judge announced the last parts of Weber’s testimony would be stricken from the record, and that court would be in recess until the next day.

Steve asked Bucky to accompany the security detail to Wilhelm’s prison, Limerock.  As he made his way to board the bus, Weber was a blithering mess, ranting about how his life was over and wondering who was going to get him.

“No one, if we have anything to say about it.”  Just as the words were out of Bucky’s mouth, with Steve looking on via the security cameras, the prison bus exploded almost directly in front of them.  Bucky covered Wil’s body with his own and unholstered his weapon.  Scanning the scene, Bucky let off three rounds, taking out several of the armed men swarming the area and heading straight for his prisoner.

As he swung around to get another merc coming up behind him, Steve was there.  The two men’s choreography was well-rehearsed and instinctual, no words were needed as they made quick work of the guys coming at them.

“Weber!” They had lost track of Weber in the fight, and saw him being shoved into a waiting vehicle that was an exact replica of a prison transport.  Steve’s shield sliced through the air and narrowly missed the car as it fishtailed out of the lot, ramming through the security checkpoint, in quick pursuit by federal marshalls.  

The men ran to the security center and activated a tracking device.  Bucky turned to the defense lawyer.  “Tell your client phase one is complete.  It’s her brother’s turn now.”

________________________________

You were going crazy at the tower, after seeing Wil Weber’s breakdown via the video stream.  Nothing calmed you - not reading, making lists, even knitting (which you had taken up for the 5,000th time).  Finally, Sam came in to tell you what happened after the feed stopped.  As soon as you were assured Steve and Bucky were ok, you took a deep breath and checked in with your ex-husband John and your daughters, whose security team reported everything was normal.

Steph: Sam just filled me in.  You guys ok?

Steve: Yes, I love you.

Steph: Love you too.  Be careful, Cap.

________________________________

Ellie Weber waited for word.  Waited for someone to find her and tell her what was happening with her brother, or what else they needed from her.  The message came in an unexpected way - with a weekend visit from her lawyer, to relay that she would be needed in court on Monday to corroborate Wil’s testimony.  In the room, across the table from one another, he showed her what she needed to know and she told her lawyer to carry out her portion of the plan.  

“Tell Barnes he’s up.”

_________________________________

Closing arguments were postponed for one week in order to give the government time to find Wil Weber.  His lawyer argued that he had a right to face his accuser, and given that he had been abducted, he could not exert that right.  

Steve and Bucky were busier than usual, meeting with Fury and other government agencies.  Though you were technically off bedrest, at 36 weeks you didn’t feel much like doing anything.  Unfortunately, your brain didn’t get the message and you could not stop thinking about the renovations, which were nearing completion, and the mounds of tasks that would come after to move a family of 5 (including a baby) into the space.  Thankfully, Maria, Jen, and Ally had come by as often as possible and offered to run the decorating phase, which you detested.  After talking it through with you and giving Steve a token say in paint colors and furniture, they had their marching orders and were thrilled to have a hand in making over your space, again.  

After a long day of being alone and feeling unproductive and cranky, you asked the agents on duty to accompany you on a short walk outside to get some fresh air.  They were hesitant, knowing your recent restrictions, as well as the current threat level outside the tower due to the trial.  

“FRIDAY, could you please ask Dr. Banner or Dr. Cho to call me?”

“What’s going on here?” Now your husband and his best man decide to show up.  Awesome.

“Captain, Mrs. Rogers asked us to accompany her on a walk outside but we wanted to make sure that was ok before we did so.  She was calling the med bay to get verbal clearance and we were about to get on comms with either you or Sergeant Barnes for a go/no go.”

“Thank you Agent,” he turned to face you, “Mrs. Rogers, can we speak with you for a moment?”

You sighed and hung your head, expecting a scolding, replete with crossed arms and stern face, and walked into the apartment.  You slumped down on the couch, closed your eyes, and leaned your head back.  Steve took your hand while Bucky sat across from you.

“Steph.”

You didn’t move or open your eyes.  “What?” You sounded pissed off, to say the least.

“Look at me.  Please.”  

Over-the-top theatricality was the main course for the evening.  You didn’t give a shit if it was petulant or immature.  “WHAT? I AM LISTENING, STEVE!” It did not help that he and Bucky started chuckling “under their breath” at this point.

You got up and walked to the bedroom and slammed the door.  There.  Nothing proven, nothing won, but still felt DAMN good.  You plugged in your headphones, cranked your 80’s pop station and started cleaning.  Nothing crazy, but tidying all the stuff you’d left lying around for the past few weeks.  As you burned up your completely overblown righteous anger, you sat down on the bed and noticed a piece of paper slipped under the door, which made you smile.

“Doll, Steve’s out here trying not to break down the door.  Please let him in, it’s pathetic and you know I have plans with Ally.  You can call her and tell her why I’m late for the romantic rooftop date you helped me plan.  Just make sure to PLEASE tell her it’s because your husband is worried about you and loves you and doesn’t want anything to happen to you or your baby.  Love, Bucky.”

“PS - That was pretty heavy handed.  Did it convince you to open the door?”

You laughed and opened the door to find the two of the biggest, most soft-hearted men in the world sitting on the sofa, looking at you  You smiled and apologized, shooing Bucky out as quickly as possible, and assuring him he could blame you for being late. Steve had his arm around your waist as you closed the door.  He turned to you and as his mouth was about to form words, you gently interrupted with a single finger on his lips.  

“I’m sorry.  I am clearly going stir-crazy and pregnancy-crazy and trial-crazy and no one should have that level of crazy in their lives all at once.  I was wrong, and I apologize for taking it out on you.”  He hugged you gently, aware that your belly had a mind of its own.

He smiled before responding.  “I could go with funny smartass or sincere husband right now.  Thoughts?”  Your laughter was so loud, it echoed off the long windows.  

“Surprise me.  I’ll take either in stride, I promise.”

He leaned in and kissed you, making you forget what got this all started in the first place.  “Sit down for a second, I’ll be right back.”

As he walked back into the room, you felt a jolt of panic when FRIDAY announced a building-wide lockdown, activating the protocols that would keep everyone in place.  Steve asked for further information, as he had every security clearance.

“The lockdown was activated as a result of an attempted incursion on the roof.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from grabbing Steve’s arm and yelling.  “Bucky and Ally are on the roof! That’s where their date was tonight, I helped him plan it.”  You slumped down on the couch and started to bawl with fear.

Yet again, Steve worked the problem as he held you tightly.  

“FRIDAY, locate Sergeant Barnes and guest.”

“Ms. Marsh is in the lobby on ground level, in the confines of the security office. Last known location of Sergeant Barnes was the rooftop of Stark Tower, but his current whereabouts are unknown.”

The location of Sergeant Barnes is unknown.  

“Steve, Ally must be freaking out downstairs.  Can we bring her up here?”  Steve did whatever he had to do and FRIDAY let him out and down to get your friend, who was, indeed, freaking out.  When she arrived to your place, the early panic had given way to deep worry over her boyfriend.

“We were going to meet at his place, then he was going to show me the roof.  I texted that I was running a bit late because of traffic, and then the whole world was ending and I was locked in a room.”

__________________________________

The Soldier was awake.  The last thing he remembered was a chopper, a very large taser-like weapon fired directly at him, and black.

Every sense was heightened, every sound and smell collected and its meaning analyzed.  The scratch of metal against metal.  Breath being inhaled and exhaled with a hitch of fear.  Tentative footsteps shuffling and giving him a large berth.  He blindly confirmed that his body, including his left arm, was immobilized.  Barnes was there, but watching and waiting.  The Soldier was needed now.

His cold detachment didn’t stop when he felt the pressure of a hand running over his left arm and the cool spray of alcohol on the crook of his right elbow.  The pinch of the needle wasn’t a surprise and didn’t incite fear, just initiation of the mission protocol.  He opened his eyes, visibly scaring the technician inserting an IV into his right arm.

“Dr. Weber, the patient is awake.”

“Yes, of course he is.  Is he ready?”  Wilhelm Weber stepped into the brightly lit area next to the gurney.  He was calm, at ease, back in his white lab coat and suit.  The only remnants of his prison time were the bags under his eyes and sallow skin that could not be hidden by the tangible symbols of his former glory.  

He leaned in and affixed the small silver adhesive disc behind Bucky’s ear that matched his own and began the extraction procedure that would be the activating agent for the harvested somatic stem cells.  The beginning of the new race of super soldiers.

________________________________

You were all crazy with worry.  Helen Cho had immediately ordered you back to bed, and you asked Ally to stay with you so neither of you would be alone.  You and your ex-husband agreed the girls and their security team should stay with him until further notice, and Steve wasn’t Steve.  He was Captain America.

“Nat do we have the trackers yet?” The team had converged in the Tower’s situation room and were strategizing how to get their teammate back.

“They started transmitting about 3 minutes ago.  They’re not far.”

“Good.  Let’s load up and get Bucky outta there, then we can deal with the good doctor.”

He stopped when Nat didn’t fall in behind him.  “What? Let’s go, Romanoff.”

The Black Widow was not one to share information in its entirety, but she made an exception when it came to Steve and Bucky.

“Steve.  Before we go, I have to tell you something.”  There was no point in play-acting as Steve stared right through her.

“We both knew that once Weber was back in HIVE custody, Bucky was going to use himself as bait in order to get him out and take them down.  But there’s more.”

Steve waited, but his patience was wearing thin and Nat knew it.

“He knew the HIVE would see right through that.  So he asked me to falsify records indicating that he had been the one our team experimented on to identify the missing element of Erskine’s serum.  That you were the “control” because you have the complete version, and he could be the ideal subject because the only difference between the two of you was the one unknown element.”

Steve’s face was blank, his voice as neutral as it could be.  

“Anything else?”

“We leaked the fake report to Weber’s defense team.  It said that comparison of Bucky’s DNA before and after the experiment showed a change in his serum’s biological composition.  In other words, they think a successfully reworked serum now runs through Bucky’s veins.”

“What the fuck, Nat! Why didn’t you tell me this?” Steve was scared.  No one had to tell him what this meant, that Bucky had sweetened the pot and placed himself in the lion’s den.  

“We’re not going into this now, but believe me, we will Agent Romanoff.  Suit up.  Wheels up in 5.”  Natasha’s face showed a momentary flash of something….guilt, disappointment, fear...whatever it was, the Black Widow had to move now and deal with it later.  

_________________________________

“Sergeant Barnes.  We have the reports from the scientists who worked on you.  We know your serum is now complete.”  Bucky pulled at his restraints and looked both men in the eye showing nothing but dispassionate calculation and menace.

Weber and West stood side-by-side just out of reach of the metal arm that could crush them both in a second.  Following Weber’s abduction at the courthouse, the doctor wasted no time telling West of the bait-and-switch-and-decimate-HIVE plan that his sister had cooked up.  West was not surprised and knew he could exploit the Webers’ anger to achieve HIVE’s goals.  The tracking devices that Weber was given were reprogrammed, and now, the rerouted signals would lead the Avengers to a dummy location.

“Excellent.  The tracking signals have been successfully re-routed for both you and Barnes.  They’ll be led miles away from here.”

Weber silently nodded and turned back to his work.  He was the only one who knew what had to be done in order to achieve their goal of creating another super soldier.  West had escaped with the map of Captain America’s DNA and his child’s fetal stem cells, so Weber now had the genetic blueprint to re-create the serum and the “soil” in which to grow the new super soldier.  

West had instructed Wil to take the leaked medical reports as fact, told him there was no time to verify Barnes’ “new” serum before beginning the final phase of the experiment.  Weber argued as much as his place in the new power structure allowed, but was roundly denied.  Barnes was going to be used as a source of pre-packaged ingredients, so to speak, since Weber did not have time or equipment to convert the printout of Rogers’ DNA into live serum, and the composition of the harvested fetal cells was unknown.

Therefore, Barnes was the new control, since his serum was now being accepted as a complete version.  Bone marrow and semen would be harvested while he was unconscious, with the latter used to fertilize the egg of a chosen female. Following implantation, his blood and DNA would be used in conjunction with the fetal stem cells to genetically engineer the first of a new race of super soldiers.  HYDRA and The Hand wanted 100% control over nature and nurture from the moment of conception - no chances would be taken by implanting the enhanced cells into a living person.  The procedure was wildly risky and unproven, but that did not dampen Dr. Weber’s joy.  Revenge for he and his sister’s imprisonment was in hand, he was once again free, and his life-long obsession would soon be realized.  

__________________________________

After one brief stop, Steve, Vision, Nat, Clint and Wanda were enroute to the identified location.  Sam and Tony stayed behind at Steve’s request, in case you required protection or help.  Usually, you loved having them there, as it made you feel more involved in what was going on, but this time, you were scared, not only for Bucky and Steve and the team, but for Ally.  This was the first time she had been this close to a mission, this close to real peril for a person she loved.  She was handling it well, but the strain was starting to take its toll.  You knew the signs, because you had experienced them more times than you’d like to count.  

Sam was wonderful.  He and Ally walked around the Tower, talking and sharing stories about Bucky.  Sam had a few more tales to tell than Ally, but hers were different, more personal.  Sam listened and smiled without a lick of sarcasm.  He fired up the movie theatre, and screened one of your favorites, The Princess Bride, which had all of you laughing and crying, in the best way possible.

The night they left, Ally lay in your bed while you talked and listened to each other’s stories.

“I thought I was pregnant, you know.”  You shot up from your prone position and quietly squealed, your eyes asking several questions at once.

She sighed and shook her head, with a little laugh.  “We were both absolutely freaking out for a couple of days.  I’ve had the birth control implant for years and he wasn’t so sure about his swimmers, so we figured we were safe.  Turns out it was a false alarm, but it made me think about life with a longer lens….more than just the next few weeks at a time.”

“I’m sorry, love.” You hugged her, but her genuine smile spoke volumes.  She was ok.  “How did Bucky take it when you found out you weren’t?”

“That was tough.  In the span of a few days he had gone from being shocked to concerned to happy to excited.  When I told him I wasn’t pregnant, he was so supportive, but told me what he thought I wanted to hear.”

“Which was?”

“He thought I would be relieved to not be pregnant, that I would never want a baby with him because of who he was before.”  She smiled softly, thinking about how to say what she felt.  “Eventually I figured out how to tell him that the one thing the experience taught me was that I wanted to have children, and that I’d be lucky to have him as their father.”  

Cue late-term pregnancy emotional outburst.  You cried, then she cried, you squealed, and she laughed and everything was good.  “Al, I’m so happy for both of you.  Does this mean you’ve talked about the bigger picture, about the future?”

She blushed, which you found strange because Ally was a tough-as-nails businesswoman who rarely displayed any sort of shyness.  “I think that’s what tonight on the roof was going to be about.  I think he was going to suggest we move in together.”

You clutched your chest dramatically, and giggled for at least a minute with glee.  “I am so incredibly happy for you two.  I KNEW IT! I knew you’d be great together if you could trust each other.”  You set your shoulders straight and got up out of bed.  “C’mon, we’re going to the situation room.  I want an update and I want to know when our men are coming home.”

__________________________________

When the jet landed at a darkened warehouse, Steve got an unfamiliar feeling of deja vu.  He shook it off quickly as they attempted to scan the structure’s interior, and wasn’t surprised when they could not.  He focused on planning their entry and extracting their people, a well-known routine.  

What he did not know was that it was an ambush.  HYDRA didn’t have allies, but they did have professional collaborators, and The Hand was one of them.  It was established as a group of lethal warriors in Asia, formed to give its members eternal life and the spoils that flowed from it.  It worked parallel to HYDRA - not together, but working towards common goals, for centuries.  The Struckers, and now, Webers, were HYDRA legacies - born and forged in the fire of hate and mania their father and grandfather subscribed to.  One of HYDRA’s founding principles was doing whatever was necessary to succeed, and the Struckers knew that Hitler’s failed experiment required flexibility.  By the time the Axis powers lost World War II, the Struckers had already fled to Asia where Wilhelm’s father Wolfgang offered his services to The Hand.  Young Wilhelm was indoctrinated and earned a rightful place among their masters.  

Agent West had long served as an intermediary between both HYDRA and The Hand, ensuring there was no overlap or conflict of interest.  There had been few, until now.  Both groups were part of the Serum project, and hence knew the value of protecting Wil Weber and seeing it successfully completed.  The Hand’s loyalty to Wilhelm Strucker was passed down to his children.  When approached by West to help in the scientist’s escape and Barnes’s capture, they sent their best soldiers without hesitation.  They did not have to wait long to carry out their mission.

As the team took their positions, Steve, as always, went in first, followed close behind by half the team, with the other half approaching from the other end of the building.  He immediately knew something was up, as there was almost no sound, only movement, within the cavernous interior.  He advanced and was immediately blasted back by firepower so strong it blew his shield out of his hands.  Wanda and Clint covered him but were soon swamped by hoards of hostiles.  

As Vision and Nat heard the battle noises, they converged on their teammates’ position.  Steve, Clint, and Wanda were barely holding their own, facing mercs that had not only lethal fighting skill but magic at their disposal.  

Nat knew they had a long fight ahead of them.  “Steve, we need her!”

“No! She stays out of this!  That’s an order!”

____________________________

“Sir, the Avengers have infiltrated the warehouse and have been engaged by The Hand.  Surveillance indicates that Captain Rogers and his team are significantly outnumbered.”

West turned to Weber and nodded.  “Begin.”

Wil Weber took a quiet deep breath and turned towards his subject.  He administered the same sedative his sister used on Rogers and readied his equipment.

Bucky waited.  He heard their plans, their updates.  He knew his friends, no, his family, were in trouble and it was eating him alive.  He had worked at his bindings without success, but realized that the same thing he loathed about himself - his left arm - was the only thing that could get him free.  He knew if he succumbed to the sedative it would be that much harder for the team to find him.

As he heard West instruct Weber to begin, he began to flex the plates in his left arm, in the hope of catching and slicing its binding.  He was frustratingly close when Weber approached him with the needle.  Bucky started flailing and moving himself as much as possible, but Weber was ready for that.  Bucky saw black as the needle was jammed into his neck by an unseen person behind him.  

_______________________________

Sam met you as the elevator door opened on the 23rd floor.  “Ladies, let’s go back to your room, ok?  Tony has to deal with some tech stuff and he’d rather not have an audience.”  You knew Sam, you knew conflicts were fluid and unpredictable, and you were scared - but you played along for Ally’s sake.  

“Oh, ok.  Thanks Sam.  Is there anything we can do to help? Do you guys need some food or anything?”

His smile was genuine and his unspoken appreciation for your help was all over his face.  “Nah, we’re good.  Do you want me to come with you?”

You reassured him that you would make it back just fine and that you’d love to know when things were taken care of so you could get a status update.  It was late, and when you yawned, it was not an act.  You were thankful for third trimester fatigue, because otherwise you knew you would be up cleaning and baking and flicking through the TV channels all night.  Before you drifted off, you texted your daughters and gave Ally free reign over the entire place, in the very real likelihood that she couldn’t get any rest.  

Your sleep was fitful, and when you woke up gasping from a nightmare, you knew something was wrong.  This was supposed to be a quick mission but you hadn’t heard a thing.  You texted Sam and Tony and slipped out of the suite, past where Ally had finally collapsed on the couch from exhaustion.

As you stepped off the elevator in front of the nerve center of the building, the place that connected the Avengers in the field with the team in the tower, you saw Sam slumped forward, his head hanging low.  Tony stood next to him, a multitude of holograms splayed across the room, with the horrible soundtrack of fighting and fear in the background.

When you didn’t immediately get out, FRIDAY reminded you.  “You’ve arrived miss.”  She was always good at stating the obvious.

“I know FRIDAY, I just don’t know if I want to get out.”

“You won’t learn anything until you ask, Miss.  It’s ok, I can tell you that the team is in one piece.”

“Thanks.  I wish that I could hug you, sometimes.”

All the talking alerted the men to your presence.  When he met you at the elevator Sam sighed and ran his hands over his face.

“Steph, you don’t want to be here right now.  Cap would kill us if he knew you were.”  The man who was always your go-to for a positive outlook looked exhausted. His shirt was wrinkled and his eyes red, the long night and worry having taken their toll.  You reached out and gently touched his arm, and were rewarded with a weary smile.  

“Sam, I’m not trying to get anyone in trouble, or put myself through undue stress, but something is wrong.  This was supposed to be an in-and-out type of thing.  Even if something had gone wrong, they would have handled it and come home already.  Just tell me, ok?”

He rubbed his hand over his face and turned to Tony, who was busy doing….well, Tony-looking things.  “Don’t look at me birdman, I’m trying to figure out what’s next over here.”

“They hit some unexpected trouble at the warehouse where they had tracked Bucky and Weber.”  He continued to explain, as gently and quickly as possible, that they had been ambushed, but fought their way through it with only minor injuries.  Once they brought in SHIELD backup and detained the hostiles, it was confirmed that Bucky and Weber were not there.  

Tony finally spoke. “We’ve spent the last few hours trying to locate Barnes and Weber.  That’s what I’ve been up to, trying to hack into the trackers remotely.  We’re close.” The man of iron was showing his age and his concern for his friends.  There were bags under his eyes along with countless empty coffee cups on the table.  His smirk was notably absent, and his smile was slow to appear.  You hugged him, trying to tell him how much you appreciated all his work, and got a tight squeeze of support in return.

You turned back to Sam, ready to plead if necessary.  “Can I talk to Steve, please?”

Sam looked to Tony who nodded imperceptibly and patched you through to Steve.  You felt relief flood your system when you saw his beautifully dirty face and mussed hair.  You reached out and touched the screen while your other hand touched your lips.  He did the same.

“Hey gorgeous, you ok? How’s the little one?”

“We’re both good, Cap.  Just wanted to tell you I love you - we love you.  Be safe.”  He smiled softly and the call disconnected.  As soon as he did, the fatigue from the fading adrenaline hit you like a tidal wave, and you asked Sam to walk you back to your place, where you slept the entire night.

___________________________________

When he woke up, groggy and sore, Bucky tried to move but couldn’t.  He tried to breathe deeply, but couldn’t without pain.  The place on his chest where the bone marrow had been extracted made it difficult for him to inhale and exhale, and he cringed when he realized his groin was also on fire.  As he tried to clear up his vision, he noticed little things….petri dishes, microscopes, monitors, incubators, sterilization equipment….all the things someone knowledgeable would need to make super soldier serum, including the DNA sequences of the only known super soldiers in the world and an innocent unborn child.

As Wil Weber looked over his little garden of evil, Bucky spat out his contempt for the man.  “You know Weber, I’m not surprised you double-crossed us, but to think you’d do it to your sister, too? You know what’s going to happen to her, don’t you?  She’s going to face the big ol’ needle all on her own, cursing you ‘til her last breath.  And I’m going to be there to see it.  Hell, I’m gonna bring popcorn.”

The scientist scoffed, while the man felt what noone but Ellie would understand.  He and his sister would do anything for each other, but they always knew their first priority was this mission.  He was honoring his sister by doing this, not failing her.  Barnes would never comprehend that.

Two hours after the procedure, Weber knew what genetic markers should be lighting up under the microscope.  He didn’t see them.   He smiled to himself as his recording microscope saved all the information that would be needed.

“Is there a problem, Dr. Weber?”  West had appeared at his elbow and caught Wil unaware.  The scientist calmly turned away from his equipment and looked West in the eye.

“Of course not.  These results are exactly what you predicted.”

West noticed the subtle implication, but had no time to address it.  “We’ve got to clean this up.  I’ve learned that the Avengers have subdued the mercs at the warehouse and are on their way here.”

“Excellent.  I have everything I need.  You can dispose of this trash at your convenience.”  Weber carelessly gestured to Bucky and began to collect the most important pieces of his makeshift lab.

Bucky was sore and out of breath, but had battled through much worse.  He had no fear of either man, just anger and growing curiosity at Weber’s nonchalance at the failure of his life’s work.

____________________________________

Clint had touched down over 2 miles away from the new location.  Vision had been sent ahead as a scout and had reported that Bucky and Weber were indeed there, surrounded by a minimal HIVE contingent.  They had not bothered to wall themselves in, given that they weren’t expecting visitors.

Steve was getting his best friend and ending this.  Then he was going to see his wife, sleep, and rip Barnes and Romanoff a new one.  In that order.  He corralled his people and led them in.  The guards had been alerted but were no match for a group of enhanced fighters who were really pissed off.  

Bucky heard them and started taunting Weber.  “You know what’s up, don’t you Weber.  You know that all the reports West relied on, told you to follow, were doctored, right?  You know that I’ve still got the same ol’ knock-off, second-rate HYDRA shit in me?  That your grand plan is no closer to being achieved than it has been the last 80 years?”  He kept it up, noting that the scientist’s knuckles were white from gripping the table edge and his breath was coming in short shallow gasps.  There was movement on the edge of his vision.

Weber spoke slowly and carefully.  “Yes, Sergeant, I did in fact know all that.  What you don’t know is that despite your worthless DNA, this project’s failure is not my biggest concern at the moment.”

“What in the hell are you talking about Weber? What failure?” West had returned and was no longer ignoring the doctor’s comments.  Bucky heard the first inklings of panic in the man’s voice.

The mousy scientist turned towards the man who saw himself as the one in charge, the one controlling Wilhelm Weber’s fate.  West paused and took a step back when he saw a gleefully deviant smile spread across the other man’s face.

“Your failure, of course, West.”  Weber knew West was expecting an explanation, but none was offered.  Weber returned to his table and barely reacted when West grabbed his arm and yanked it, demanding the scientist’s attention.

“What the hell are you talking about, Weber? We have everything we need, including the enhanced stem cells.”

Without as much as a glance, Weber responded.  “Do we?”

West’s panic was becoming more obvious.  His fear at what another failure meant loomed large on his horizon.  He was silent, frozen in place, while Weber calmly packed his supplies in the insulated suitcase used for such things.  The scientist’s voice was eerily even.

“No, we do not, Mr. West.  The Avengers came to me while I was in prison to produce false reports stating the Winter Soldier’s serum had been successfully modified at long last, thanks to my work identifying the missing element of Erskine’s serum.  These reports would be accepted by any scientist HYDRA used to verify them, and would force you to find me, to bargain for me, to abduct me.  

“I am the only person who can carry out my father and grandfather’s plan, and even my sister was stupid enough to bargain for me.  Not even she realized that this whole plan, the abductions and stem cell harvest from the Rogers woman, that HYDRA was never going to get what they wanted.  I’ve got buyers lined up all over the world, who are going to help me disappear.”

“Was sagst du Wilhelm?” [What are you saying, Wilhelm?]  For the first time since he met her, Bucky saw Ellie Weber’s emotions as she emerged from the shadows.  Real, huge, awful emotions.  They overtook her as her world crumbled.  

Without turning, Wil answered. “Also haben sie dich gebracht.” [So they brought you.]

The woman ran at her brother, screaming and clawing while Vision held West and Steve and Nat ran to intercept.  They knew Wil was not a match for his sister, but they could not have predicted the scientist would face her, a surgical scalpel in hand, and slice a perfect line through her carotid artery.

As she fell, the arterial blood sprayed as if in a horror movie, covering anyone in its path, including her brother.  She grabbed him as she fell, disbelief and terror consuming her.  Wil lowered her to the floor and spoke softly.

“Ich musste es, Ellie. Ich musste weg von diesem Wahnsinn.” [I had to Ellie, I had to get away from this insanity.]

Cap ran towards the dying woman and covered the most critical areas with his hands, applying significant pressure, knowing it was futile.  While he encouraged her to hold on, she grabbed his hand and motioned for him to pull it away.

Lying on the floor, she looked only at her brother.

“Ich liebe dich”

“I love you too, Ellie.”

________________________________

The team’s work was far from over when they landed.   The medical staff required them to go through the decontamination process in the scrub showers.   The coroner was in place, waiting for Ellie Weber’s body. Her brother and West were remanded to government custody, and initial paperwork needed to be completed.  The team was shocked when their Captain postponed the usual debriefing to go see his wife.

___________________________________

He didn’t need to knock, but you loved that Steve always did, especially when he came back from a mission.  You slowly trundled to the door, one hand under your belly, and opened it with a smile.  Though he was clean and in civilian clothing, your husband looked worse than usual, with exhaustion and emotions close to overtaking him.  

“Hey gorgeous.”  He enveloped you in his arms, pulling you towards him as much as he dared.  You wrapped your arms around his neck and squeezed.  Your kiss was soft against his lips, and said everything that didn’t need to be said.  

“C’mon Cap, I’ve got something for you.”  You led him to your master bathroom where a bathtub waited for him, bubbles, candles and all.  His shoulders sagged with relief as you helped him out of his clothes, took his phone, and laid out a drink and some dinner on a nearby tray table.  

“I wish you could join me, babe.”  You kissed him gently as he sunk into the water, groaning at its relaxing effects.

“Soon enough, love.”  You closed the door, watching him sink beneath the water and break through again, his eyes closed.

____________________________________________

You and Steve had a tradition.  He almost always skipped his run the morning after he returned from a mission, and you were delighted to see him asleep and snuggled against you when you woke up.  You kissed him and his smile made you giggle.

“What’s so funny Mrs. Rogers?”

For no reason, that made you laugh harder.  “I honestly don’t know, but I guess it has something to do with this mission.  To know that you got West and the Webers and Bucky was safe….I didn’t realize I was holding my breath all this time.”

“Yeah, neither did I.  It’s nice to take a deep breath again.”

Chapter 30

“One, two, three - open!” You laughed as Steve took his hand away from your eyes, and let you see your newly-renovated home.  You were only one week away from your due date, and Steve insisted on carrying you if you needed to walk more than a few minutes.  You didn’t go out much, because, embarrassing, but seeing your new home was one thing you insisted on before the baby was born.  It helped that Maria, Ally, and Jen had lobbied Bucky and Steve and your medical team so intensely that agreeing to it was almost not an option.

The women stood in front of you to showcase the tremendous work they did to coordinate and execute the final steps of creating your home, and it was gorgeous.  Neutral colors, natural wood, lots of light from floor-to-ceiling windows - it was almost impossible to think about the two separate apartments it once was.  It was everything you dreamed.  You looked up at Steve with tears in your eyes.

Steve and Bucky had been back to the apartment several times - to help the women with moving, to setup the security systems, and to make a designated area for the agents on duty that would not require them to enter the apartment.  He kissed your forehead before leading you into another room.  “Just wait until you see the nursery.”  

“Do you need to cover my eyes again?”  You giggled with excitement to see where your baby would grow up.  Steve nodded and gently covered your eyes with his right hand, and guided you into the room with his left hand on your lower back.  When you opened your eyes, you were rendered speechless by the baby shower that was staged in the living area next to the nursery.

“What? What’s all this?”  You were crying to see the girls with their Dad’s wife, Avengers’ families, a select few friends of the girls, and most special - your parents, siblings, nieces and nephews.

Tony stepped up to speak but Pepper intercepted him and took over, handing you a virgin Bellini and showing you and Steve to the seats of honor.  Before you sat down, you walked over to each of the three tables and embraced each person before arriving at Pepper, Maria, Jen, and Ally.

“I don’t know what to say for all of this.  I can never pay you back for all this time and effort and work and beauty.”  Your eyes were leaking at a pretty quick rate.

Jen got the first words in.  “None of us want that, Steph.  All we want is for you and your family to live happily ever after.”  

It wouldn’t be an emotional outpouring if Maria didn’t add her five cents.  “Yes, happily ever after, but also your unending love and fealty to the Unholy Trinity.  Oh, and your husband and his buddies on call for all heavy lifting needs.”

Ally and Bucky had their arms around each other’s waists and you hugged both of them with all the strength you could muster.  Baby Rogers thanked them with a direct kick that even Bucky felt.

The best gift you could receive was that Bucky Barnes was there, safe and whole.  You were grateful and didn’t expect anything more, but when he spoke, you were touched.  “We love you guys, you know that.  

I can’t wait to be called Uncle Bucky.”

“...or Uncle James?” Ally looked at him and smirked, sharing some unspoken secret.  He pinched her side and you laughed as she squeaked.

Showers are, to be blunt, boring as all hell if you aren’t the recipients or organizers.  Nothing escaped Pepper’s notice, so she had planned a wonderful brunch with make-your-own stations for omelettes, sundaes, and waffles to keep people busy and interactive while you opened gifts.  Baby was taking up so much space that even eating had lost its appeal, so you spent the time taking little bites and talking to everyone.  

The gifts were unbelievably sweet, many making Steve cringe when they were red, white, and blue or featured his shield or the Avengers logo.  You fawned over every single one and knew you’d never forget the thoughtfulness behind them.

You weren’t going to move in until a couple of months after the baby was born, which meant your parents and some of your siblings could stay in the apartment while they visited.  It allowed all of you to have some privacy, and it meant your family didn’t have to pay for a hotel.  To have them there with you for the baby’s birth made it that much more special.  Gabbi and Lizzie were already planning all the things they would do together, including setting up their new semi-private living space.

As you took a deep breath after several animated conversations, you felt a hand on your upper back and a kiss on the top of your head.  Steve came around and kneeled in front of you.

“How ya doing gorgeous? Getting tired?”  You nodded slowly and yawned, making him smile.

“Ready to go back home and lay down?”  You yawned again, and put up your index finger, signaling you had something to say.  

“Yes, but I haven’t seen the nursery yet.  Can we, just you and me?”  He smiled as he stood.  “I don’t know how I manage all your high-maintenance requests, Mrs. Rogers.  Of course.”  The two of you quietly slipped into your baby’s room.

“Oh, Steve.  It’s gorgeous.  This looks like your work,” gently touching the hand-painted wall decorations.  He blushed and nodded.

“Yeah.  Ally suggested I help out when Bucky told her I used to draw and paint, and then Maria wouldn’t let go of it, so I relented.”  You turned towards him and put your arms around his waist, as best as you could with your baby bump, and laid your head on his chest.

“It’s breathtaking, Steve.  It’s a dream come true.”  You whispered, “Now I’ve got one last surprise for you.”  His eyebrows lifted, suggesting that maybe Baby Rogers was ready.  You chuckled, “No, sorry Cap, this kid is following in his sisters’ footsteps and hanging out as long as possible.  The surprise is in the back half of my old place.  I swore everyone to secrecy, and I hope they kept their word.”

You gave a heads up to your friends and Bucky and walked back to the special area together.

“You’re going to need somewhere to get away, Steve.  You deserve somewhere to pursue your passion, and I couldn’t imagine a better space.”

He took in the small room that was filled with light and wood and art supplies and looked at everyone with such thanks in his eyes that no words were needed.  You held his arm as he walked around and touched things with an awe that filled your heart.  It was minimalist - no pictures, yet.  

“I can’t wait to see what you hang in here, and how this one influences your work.” You both put your hands on your tummy and softly kissed.

__________________________________

After you thanked everyone and made them promise to share their pictures with you, the group’s collective opinion was that Steve needed to take you home.  You stalled until your doctors, who were in attendance, used the full weight of their medical degrees  and ordered you to go.  Before he had the chance, you begged Steve to let you walk to the elevator and then wait for him to bring the car around.

Once you were buckled in, you remembered something.  “You know, Cap, we’ve got to get the carseats put in.”  

He smiled, “Including the one for the bike, right?”

“Hardee har har, Steve. No.”

When you arrived at the Tower, you noticed the caravan of black SUV’s parked outside.  Your heart sunk.

You couldn’t help it, it just slipped out. “Shit.”

Steve got you settled and went to investigate.  When he returned to find you worried and stressed, he offered reassurance.  “Yes, Fury and Coulson are here.  Yes, they wanted to talk to me and Bucky, but it is not about a mission.  It’s to tie up the loose ends around the Webers and West.”

Following Ellie Weber’s murder at her brother’s hands and the re-arrest and arraignment on new charges for Wil Weber and West, a mistrial was declared in the original trial in which you testified.  Thankfully, your legal team had secured the judge’s agreement that your testimony could be read for the record for the new trial, if you could not go through it again.  West and Weber were in separate prisons, in isolation, not allowed visitors or interaction with the prison population.

“There was still the matter of the physical evidence that Weber had and is now in custody- from you and the baby, from me, from Bucky.”  You started to feel uneasy, as you assumed it would be destroyed, eventually.  Steve held your hands and conveyed his message as quickly and painlessly as possible.

“Fury has been notified that as my serum is technically considered government property, my sample will not be destroyed until such time that it can be, “exhaustively studied” in comparison to the baby’s.  Bucky’s will be kept until the next trial ends, and then destroyed, as it was unchanged throughout this….series of events.”

You were too relieved and tired to argue, so you leaned back and fell asleep, secure in the knowledge Steve wasn’t going anywhere, for now.  

____________________________________

You, Steve, Helen, and Bruce had decided that you would deliver at the nearby hospital, where they had visiting privileges and a wing that was better equipped for any contingency.

“Steph, wake up, baby.  Are you alright?” Steve was pulling the covers off of you after he heard a rush of water in the bed, followed by liquid moving against his body.  You were waking up, wondering what was going on, when he gently shook your shoulders.

“I’m up, love.  Yeah, call Bruce and Helen, it’s most likely…..” You took a deep breath in and out when the first real contraction hit.  It had been almost 15 years since you’d had one, but man-oh-man if it wasn’t still as mother f’ing painful as it was all that time ago.

You directed him towards some sweatpants and a loose top you had laid out on top of your hospital suitcase.  A quick supervised run to the bathroom and a group text to the “Baby Alert” crew, and you were on your way with Bucky at the wheel (he insisted on playing a “critical” role in the birth).  Your husband was spouting delivery protocols like a true military man, while coaching you through your contractions.  He confirmed that Bruce and Helen were already at the hospital, and monitored Bucky’s driving, all at the same time.  You were just glad he brought you along for the ride.

When you arrived, Steve didn’t even ask, he took you out of the car directly into his arms, before double-timing it inside.  A wheelchair was ready, and Steve had to be reminded that at this point, he was no longer in command, the medical staff was.  

As you grabbed for his hand and squeezed, he looked down.  “Sorry Cap, but you’re about to go back to taking orders, not giving them.”  He smiled, nerves starting to peek through his tight smile.  

It was a nice reminder that the check-in process was quite short when you were in active labor, since no one wanted to deliver a baby in the hallway.  Your room was ready, all the machines and people that needed to be there were in place, and you were in your hospital gown and all checked out from head to toe and everywhere in between in no time at all.  Steve didn’t know what to do with himself when you weren’t actively contracting, and you were thankful Bucky was out in the waiting room and could distract him.

“Babe, go see Bucky for a few minutes ok? Your pacing is not helping me relax and I need to rest in between pushes.”

His lopsided smirk that you always found so adorable made an appearance.  “That bad, huh? I can coordinate an invasion but need guidance to help my wife give birth.”

You motioned him towards you and kissed him.  “You’ve had practice with the invasion bit, but I think I’m your first wife and this is the first time you’ve done this childbirth thing.  You’re learning, too.”  You gently prodded him towards the door with a nod of your head and then promised you’d walk the halls with him when he returned.  

It did not take long for you to enter a more active stage of labor, with regular, stronger contractions.  After walking as much as you could stand, you asked for your epidural.  That was something that, despite his best efforts to be with you every minute, Steve could not watch.  Bruce saw how uncomfortable he looked and told him to step out.  

Again, thank God for Bucky in the waiting room, the only person besides you who could handle Steve at his jumpiest.  He threw his arm around his best friend and chuckled as the blond giant paced, then froze when you yelled from inside the room.

“Stevie, she’s fine.  She’s been through this before and now she’s practically got a whole floor of the hospital dedicated to helping her out.  There ain’t nothing that’s gonna get by Bruce and Helen, you know that.”  Steve’s face was a bit gray, but he turned to his best friend and breathed in.  

“Ok.  I still worry, though.”  His head snapped towards the door of your room when the nurse called him back in.  

“Remember, those women want to know what’s going on and they’ll skin me alive if I don’t send them regular updates, so you need to keep me informed, ok punk?”  Steve waved without turning and headed back in.

You had been pushing for quite some time with some, but not much, progress.  You and the baby’s numbers were good, but the docs were worried about a lack of amniotic fluid, resulting from the baby’s size.  In between contractions, Steve pulled Bruce aside.

“Are you going to have to do a C-section?”  Bruce looked up at his good friend, his Captain, and smiled.  For the birth he was more of an assistant and Helen the lead doctor, but he certainly knew what was going on.

“We’re not sure.  She’s doing an awful lot of pushing and though the heartbeat and BP numbers look good, we’re keeping a very close eye on the fluid.  Helen will call for a section soon, if she doesn’t dilate to 10 cm within the next hour.

You were in pain, suddenly flooded with vivid memories of Gabbi’s birth when your epidural hadn’t done much then, either.  Apparently this kid also felt it necessary to press on the parts of the birth canal that the epidural “didn’t cover” and at one point, tears sprung up as you pushed.  

“Oooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww” was all Steve heard as you choked back a sob.  His heart was caught in his throat.  He would have done anything to take the pain from you, but instead he did what he could - leaning into you and doing everything the medical team suggested, even improvising with positions that were easy for him to help you into because of his strength.  With his left hand holding one of your legs up, his right hand holding your hand, and his forehead pressed against you, he told you everything in his heart.

“Baby, you are doing so good.  You are so strong.  You are almost there.  We’re almost at 10 cm, you can do this, my love.  You can do this.  I love you so much and I am so proud of you.”  When he saw Helen nod at him, he knew that even though you were tired and hurting, you needed to give just a little more.

“Ok baby, this is it.  A few more big pushes and our baby should be out in the world.  We’re going to meet our baby, Steph.  We’re going to meet the person who is you and me.  You can do it.  Deep breath in and you’re gonna push for a count of 10.  You can do this, soldier.”

Steve and the nurse who had your other leg held each of your hands as you bore down and screamed out a count of 10.  Helen gave your last order.

“One more, Steph, one more, I can see the head, Baby Rogers is almost here.  You can do it.  One more big push, NOW!”

Tears fell as you held your breath again and pushed with every ounce of strength you had left.  Even with the epidural you felt a tremendous physical release of pressure as your baby slid out, and a rush of emotions as you heard the cry and saw Steve’s tears.  He looked at the baby, got a smiling nod from the doctors, and kissed your forehead before leaning his on yours.  “It’s a boy.  A beautiful baby boy my love.  He’s perfect, and so are you.”

Helen called out to the recording nurse.  “1-minute APGAR is 10/10.”  

Steve accompanied your son to the basin surrounded by nurses and bright lights where they weighed him and put the antiseptic on his eyes that made him look like a gorgeous prize fighter.  Steve’s eyes were focused only on his baby, until he heard you cry out in pain, again.

He took the few steps to you in one leap. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, it hurts, still.” Your moan and the quickening beeps of your monitors brought in the medical folks with ultrasounds and instruments who pushed Steve out of the room while they figured things out.  He wandered into the waiting area to find Bucky, who broke out in a huge grin and rushed his best friend for the news.  He was taken aback by Steve’s seriousness.

“Stevie, what’s going on?” It only took Steve’s brief pause to start elevating Bucky’s anxiety, but he stayed silent.

“It’s a boy.  A healthy, beautiful, baby boy.  He’s just as gorgeous as his Ma.”  Relief surged through his best friend, best man, best ally.  Bucky clapped his hand on Steve’s shoulder and pulled him in for a hug.  “How’s Momma?”

Your scream rang through the quiet ward, and Bucky had to forcibly restrain Steve from running into the room.  “I don’t know, Buck.  After the baby was delivered she started writhing in pain and screaming and her BP was rising.  The docs are with her now.”

After a few tense minutes, the doctors determined that your placenta had not completely delivered and they needed to manually manipulate your very sore lady parts to help complete the process.  So basically extend the grossest parts of birth that no one talks about.  

Steve’s face was ashen when they came to fill him in.  He didn’t brighten up until he saw you sitting up in bed, holding your son to your chest and smiling, exhausted but happy.  He gave you a hard kiss.

“You scared me, Mrs. Rogers.  Promise me you’ll never do that again.”  You kissed him and scooted over so he could get in bed with you and the baby.

“I’ll try my best, but you know how I tend to make trouble.”  You leaned into him, letting him hold you up, as the medical personnel finally left so you could bond as a family.  You looked up in unison as Bucky softly knocked on the door and asked if he could come in.

“Of course, Buck.  Everything’s fine.  Come see your nephew.”  Bucky looked at the three of you and started to cry.  Not a stray tear here or there, not a few drops, but honest-to-goodness cry as you shifted the baby to his arms and grabbed your phone to take as many pictures as possible.  He only gave up the infant when the nurses came in to check on you.  Satisfied with your status, they encouraged you to get the baby to latch, and at that point, Bucky took his leave.

“Buck, can you update the Baby Alert group? Maybe add a few pictures? I really want the girls here soon, so their details will need….” Bucky leaned in to hug you and kissed your cheek.  “Steph, you just had a baby, cool it with directing things, ok?  We’ll handle everything, I promise.  For now, get all the rest you can.  Stevie, you take care of our girl, ok?”  Steve’s nod was all that was needed to know he was not going anywhere.

________________________________________

Steve watched you held the little person the two of you made and something about it felt so right, so real, that he didn’t know how to describe it.  He looked at you, a 45-year-old woman who had just delivered her third child after a 14-year hiatus, and saw the most beautiful, radiant person he had ever seen.  

“I love you, Mrs. Rogers, you know that right?”  You snuggled your head on his shoulder and sighed with relief, a quiet “mmmmm” barely registering in reply.

When he saw your eyes close, he gently took his son and placed him in the rolling bassinet.  The little one wasn’t so little for a newborn, almost 11 pounds, and had already been poked, prodded, and tested.  From the time he was conceived, there were questions about whether or not Steve Roger’s child would be enhanced, and as soon as he was born and cleared, Bruce took blood to begin finding out.  Steve told him that unless it was something that needed to be dealt with immediately, to please hold off for awhile on sharing the results with him or you.  

Steve smiled and whispered the name you chose together as the little boy closed his eyes.  It was your suggestion to find a way to honor Sarah Rogers, which would have been a no-brainer with a girl, but for a boy you had to dig a bit deeper, since there was no clear-cut male counterpart.  You read that in Hebrew, Sarah meant princess.  After investigating other possible choices, FRIDAY actually helped you decide.  She suggested the Anglicized version of the Welsh word for prince.  You both knew it was perfect the minute you said it, with Bucky’s name second.  Steve was more than satisfied to be remembered with the last name - “No kid deserves to be judged based on who his Dad is, plus he’d kill me when people started calling him Captain America, Jr.”

As the boy slept, snugly wrapped in his swaddling blanket, Steve understood what people said about their children - that it was like watching your heart walk around outside of your body.  The intensity of his feelings surprised him and the words flowed as the boy’s hand clutched his father’s finger.

“Hey little guy.  Just wanted you to know what an amazing Mom you have.  She went through hell for you, just like I would for her, for you, and for our entire family.  You’re gonna learn that our family is big and loud and sometimes crazy, and the most fiercely loyal people I’ve ever known.  We are so lucky to have every single one of them.  Your mom and I are even luckier to have you with us.  I love you, Brendan James Rogers.”

THE END

[andinewton]

Healing the Hurt - Avengers Redemption Series - Part Two - Chapter 3

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Amelia Richards (OFC), pretty much everyone from the MCU appears at some point! Pairings: Bucky x Amelia (ofc) Warnings:  Chronic pain, physical disability, implied smut, eventual smut, swearing, fertility issues, pregnancy, angst with a happy ending, Stark has a heart. Word Count:  151372 (complete with additional epilogues added) Summary: Everything is going well at Avengers Tower, Bucky is integrating into the team slowly but surely; he longs for his confidence back but knows it's going to be a long road, never more than when he meets the new secretary at his doctor's office. Amelia Richards is a career SHIELD agent, recruited straight out of college into the "company" but now she finds herself passed around from department to department, her latest position as a secretary at Avengers Tower proving monotonous compared to her former life, but when James "Bucky" Barnes walks into her office one Friday evening everything changes... Join Bucky as he rediscovers parts of himself he had thought long lost with someone who considered herself broken for a long time, helping one another heal in more ways than one...

Master List

Chapter 3

Summary:  Dinner with Bucky

The Italian place was just a short walk away and Amelia was glad as her body was complaining after a long week and it was cold and she didn’t have a coat with her. Bucky held the door for her and the owner spotted them immediately. Angelo was always happy to welcome any of The Avengers to his little cafe, but Captain America and his best friend were two of his best customers. He kept a quiet, well spaced table for two at the back of the room, no matter how busy it was, just in case, but seeing this quiet, serious man with a pretty girl and a small smile on his usually dour face cheered him no end. He ushered them quickly to the table and Amelia was surprised by how welcoming the old Italian man was to Bucky, they chatted like old friends, and how he wasn’t afraid to pat Bucky on the left arm as though it were the most natural thing in the world. The table was at the very back corner, both chairs against a wall, which Bucky knew allowed him and Steve to see the exits, but today it would put Amelia beside him. He could live with that.

He held her chair for her and she thanked him as he took his own seat. Angelo handed them both a menu and left them to look. ‘So, what’s good here?’ She asked as she glanced over the choices. ‘I normally get a couple of main courses, heightened constitution.’ He explained. ‘But if you want an appetiser,’ ‘I’m happy with just a main. Heck, I’m happy just to be out of the tower.’ She laughed. ‘You really haven’t left in two weeks? No fresh air?’ He folded his hands on his menu, sure he already knew what he wanted. ‘I’ve opened my windows and been out on the balcony in the cafeteria. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed actually being out.’ ‘We’re not meant to be cooped up the whole time.’ She realised he probably knew what it was like better than her, but he wasn’t trying to belittle her, more letting her know he understood. ‘If we had one I’d drink to that.’ ‘We’ll delay our toast.’ He promised her. Soon Angelo returned and took their orders, first for drinks then for food, and as promised Bucky made a toast to fresh air. ‘Have you been with the, uh, company long?’ Bucky asked. ‘Straight out of college.’ She smiled fondly. ‘You know, this is going to be a very short or one sided conversation if we talk about work?’ ‘Lots of classified missions?’ He realised what she meant and she nodded. ‘So, let’s try a different subject.’ ‘Like what?’ She stirred her soda with her straw. ‘Steve and I have a weekly pop culture catch up, and we’re always after new recommendations. We could talk about that?’ ‘That I can do.’ She shuffled her seat to lean on the table. ‘Just bear in mind if you release my inner geek she might not go back in her box quietly.’ He laughed as she continued. ‘You want to start by telling me what you have seen, movies, TV shows, what music?’ An hour passed easily into two and Bucky could honestly say he hadn’t laughed so much in a long time. Just last week he had watched one of her favourite comedies and they were going over their favourite scenes, laughing freely and easily. Bucky felt completely comfortable with Amelia, she patted his hand beside hers on the table, even though she already had his full attention, but he was more impressed it was his metal arm and she didn’t seem to care. It honestly didn’t bother her at all. Most everyone else he had met had eyed it warily on first meeting, if not longer, but not her. Amelia was laughing hard and wiped at her eyes as she calmed down. Bucky was a pleasure to spend time with and they seemed to find the same things funny so far. ‘Thank you so much for asking me to have dinner with you. I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.’ ‘Me too. We should do this again.’ ‘I’d like that.’ She nodded. ‘I guess we’ll have to think about heading back soon.’ He said regretfully, noting it had grown dark outside. ‘Of course. I’ll just use the restroom and we can get the check?’ She suggested as she grabbed her crutch and got up from the table. Bucky watched her disappear into the corridor leading to the restrooms and took out his phone. He had told Steve he was eating out and would be back soon. Of course, Steve, being the worrying punk he was, had been sending Bucky messages for the last hour asking if he was okay, did he need space, or help, was something up? Bucky shook his head and replied quickly.

B ~ I went for dinner, Steve. Calm down.

S ~ Where? FRIDAY says you aren’t in the Tower.

B ~ I’m at Angelo’s.

S ~ For two hours? Alone? How hungry were you?

B ~ Hah. Not alone. I’m with a friend.

S ~ Who?

B ~ New friend. No one you know. I’ll be back in a few.

Steve started to type a reply but Bucky put his phone in his pocket. He would see Steve soon enough. He debated for a minute or two if he should pay the tab but he was a little confused by modern etiquette. This wasn’t a date, and even then girls these days liked to pay their own way, so Natasha said, and he didn’t want to offend her. He was so deep in thought he almost didn’t notice the man in jeans and jacket coming to his table, smiling at him. Bucky knew he was the only person he could be heading towards and it made him tense. The man stopped on the other side of the table and gave an apologetic look. ‘’Scuse me, but aren’t you one of The Avengers?’ He asked meekly. Bucky almost sighed audibly. ‘Yeah, I am.’ The guy started talking animatedly about all the members of the team and Bucky smiled and nodded. This was the first time he had been caught by a fan with no one else from the team present, and while he wanted to be polite he didn’t like the attention. Amelia came back out of the restroom to see a man talking to Bucky, who seemed distinctly uncomfortable. As she approached she heard the man say something about an autograph but as his hand reached behind him it wasn’t a book he went for, but a gun, shoved in the waistband of his jeans. Amelia acted on instinct, her years of training kicking in as he drew the weapon. ‘Gun!’ She yelled as she ignored her aching body and hauled up her crutch, hitting the man hard in the back of his knee as her free hand made a grab for the weapon. She caught his wrist as Bucky leapt to his feet, pushing the table into the man as he turned on Amelia, wrenching his wrist from her grip as Bucky grabbed at his arms from behind, hoping to disarm and subdue, but the motion let the man kick out at Amelia, catching her ankle painfully hard and putting her off balance. She fell into the two men and in the commotion the gun went off. The sound was loud and the cafe was full of screams as what was happening panicked the patrons, and Bucky wrenched on the guys gun arm, snapping the bone so he dropped the gun with a wail. Bucky threw him to the side so hard that he bounced off the wall with a cry, but his eyes were all for Amelia, who had staggered back into the table behind her, her hand clutching her side as blood soaked through her blouse. She looked down at herself, at the spreading crimson stain, then back up at Bucky who took a step towards her. She reached toward him as pain assailed her and the motion put her off balance, sending her tumbling forward, but Bucky caught her and pulled her close to his chest as he lowered her to the floor. ‘Hey, Amelia, it’s going to be okay, just keep looking at me, alright?’ She nodded, her eyes wide and lips parted as he grabbed a napkin off the table and pushed it into her side, encouraging her to move her hand. She gasped but knew it would help. ‘What can I do?’ Angelo appeared over them and Bucky reached into his pocket for his phone. ‘Tie that bastard up and call the cops. I’ll get her some help.’ He called Steve and he answered on the first ring, but he didn’t even give him the chance to speak. ‘Steve, I need emergency medical in the lobby of the tower, two minutes.’ ‘Emergency?’ Steve’s voice yelled down the line. ‘What did you do?’ ‘Just do it!’ Bucky barked before hanging up and stashing his phone away. ‘Amelia, I’m going to move you, and it’ll hurt, but just stay with me. Talk to me, anything.’ She nodded and gritted her teeth as Bucky scooped her up in his arms as though she weighed nothing. ‘What should I talk about?’ ‘Tell me about your favourite movie.’ He carried her to the door and out onto the street, and once he had gauged the pedestrian traffic he set off at a run towards the tower while Amelia told him all about some kid called Pete who had a dragon. By the time he raced into the lobby she was quietly singing a song about candles on water when a med team burst out of the elevator with Steve in tow. ‘What happened?’ Steve looked relieved to find his friend uninjured but equally confused by the fact he was carrying a pretty but bleeding brunette. ‘Some nut in Angelo’s. She took the bullet for me.’ He carefully laid her on the stretcher but she grasped at his left hand as he went to step back. ‘Please don’t leave me.’ She whispered, her voice full of fear as more pressure was put on her wound. ‘I won’t leave you, doll.’ He promised. ‘I’ll follow you up, just let them do their job.’ She nodded and reluctantly let him go as they began to wheel her towards the elevators. Bucky set off after them but Steve caught his arm. ‘Wait, were you on a date?’ ‘We just met, it was only dinner.’ Bucky explained. ‘C’mon, punk, let me go with her.’ ‘Sure.’ Steve let him go and fell into step beside him. ‘Can you send some agents or something to Angelo’s? Make sure the guy gets processed properly?’ ‘You got it, Buck.’ Steve headed towards the desk but he couldn’t help watching his oldest friend as the elevator doors closed, while wondering just how he could have got in so much trouble in such a small space of time.

Chapter 4

[iriscasefiles]

The Strange Case of Starship Iris: AUDITIONS pt 2: INFO & ROLES

All actors must be at least 18, as per Procyon Podcast Network guidelines. Beyond that, you are not required to be the exact same age as the characters, as long as you can credibly sound like you are.

You are more than welcome to record a couple of different takes, with different interpretations!  You are more than welcome to try out for multiple roles!

Send an mp3 file of your audition(s?) to iriscasefiles at gmail.com, along with the following:

1.       Your name (a pseudonym or online handle is fine) ETA: and the role(s?) you are trying out for

2.       Are you potentially okay with being cast in a role besides the one you auditioned for?

3.       Are you potentially okay with being cast as a morally ambiguous person, and/or villain?

Auditions go from January 23 to February 2. Callbacks are February 3 through 6. My goal is to have all the roles listed here cast by the end of February 6.

There will be another round of auditions for a few more roles in April.

For now, available roles are below!

MAIN CAST

 Brian Jeeter

He/him pronouns. A trans man (seeking trans actors only, please!)

Note, because this is something I’ve been asked: I don’t have set headcanons about where Brian is with regards to transitioning; if you wanna try out and you’re not on testosterone, you should still totally try out!

Any race

Sounds to be in his mid-twenties to early thirties

A laidback, friendly affect, to the point of maybe coming off like a slacker. You’d probably need to talk to him a few times to realize that he is deeply loyal, and intensely passionate when it comes to his areas of expertise (xenolinguistics, making pizza bagels).

To audition, perform this section:

(Laughs) I dunno, though. Wasn’t all bad. I made some cool friends. That’s how I met Krejjh, actually. I’d been doing fieldwork out in Neuzo, and— (realizes the word and the place are both going to require explaining) Sorry, the Neutral Zone. It was a cluster of planets and stations, kinda out by Telemachus, founded by this very weird Libertarian billionaire. Technically outside any government, so it was one of the few places humans and Dwarnians could trade, talk, whatever.

Shady place. We’re talking arms dealing, gambling, drugs you’ve never heard of. Like, name a vice, you know? Crawling with spies, too. People used to say that’s why both sides kept it standing; they had, like, intelligence assets or something.

But it wasn’t violent. Not like you’d think. Not at first. There were these rival mafias, and they kept the peace? Kinda. I mean, everyone’s fortune was built on keeping Neuzo out of the war, keeping the war out of Neuzo, so there weren’t, like, laws, but nobody was allowed to kill anyone. At first.

Sana Tripathi

I wrote the character with she/her pronouns but I’m flexible on this if a nonbinary and/or genderqueer person wants to audition

Any actor trying out for this role should be of Indian ancestry (Indian-American or Indian-British, etc, is totally fine) ETA: Changing this more generally to “should be of South Asian ancestry.” (ETA2: Elsewhere in a different post, I mistakenly said “Southeast Asian” but I meant more generally South Asian: India, Nepal, Pakistan, etc. The moral of this story is I need to actually look at a map before I type words. I’m so sorry.)

Sounds to be mid-thirties

Warm, decisive, and extremely competent. Comfortable being in charge, but prefers to work via consensus when possible, if only for ideological reasons. A certain daredevil streak surfaces every now and then. The sweetest person you’ll ever meet, until push comes to shove and you see the core of steel that’s been there all along.

To audition, please perform this section:

You’re right, Brian, I’m not your mom. I’m your captain, and I’m your crewmate. And that means I am depending on you to take care of yourself so you can do your part to keep us safe.

(Weighty) Look, you know how tenuous it can get in the deep. You know how much more life is worth out here. That includes yours. We need a translator, Brian. We need a translator and we need a guy who has our back. We do not need a martyr. (A beat, and then, lighter) Also, I’m the boss, and you have to do what I say.

Krejjh

Seeking a genderqueer and/or nonbinary actor of any race

Note: the character is part of an extremely humanoid race of space aliens whose culture finds the whole notion of a gender binary confusing and goofy. Obviously, this is not a perfect analogue to being a nonbinary human; I mean, we are talking about a purple space alien. But the character definitely doesn’t identify as cisgender, and after a lot of discussion and soul-searching, this seemed like the most respectful option.

Sounds to be mid-twenties to early thirties

Concept: Dashing, silly, and generally in love with life. Fun at parties. Has more than a little classic fighter pilot swagger. A sucker for compliments. Adrenaline junkie. 

Note: in a later episode, you are gonna have to speak in a made-up alien language, but I’ll try to write it out phonetically. No big deal.

To audition, please perform this section:

(making an announcement over the ship’s PA system) Folks, I wanna apologize for the turbulence. We are currently flying at—downright unsafe speeds through a debris field that is—taking some damn impressive stunts on my end. Gonna advise that you all make your way to the nearest secure spot and—WOO!!! Yeah! (triumphant laughter)

If conditions persist, you might wanna take a sec and pray. Deity of your choice; I figure, cover as much ground as we can. And if conditions get much worse, I’m gonna need Crewman Jeeter up here, pronto, for a little good luck kiss. Can’t hurt, right?

In the meantime, I advise you to remember that the closer we are to danger, the more clearly we can hear the elemental thrum of our own vitality! In this moment we are living!

…Kids, you are gonna want to hold onto something.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

Alvy

He/him pronouns

Any race

Sounds to be mid-twenties to early thirties

A chill and fun dude.

To audition for this part, please perform the following section:

Jeeter, my man, my pal! What is up? No doubt this message will be unexpected. Get in line! Surprise assignment. A short vacation from the lab. Safe to say I’m living large. Of course, the mission’s secret but: exotic locales? Limited work? Seems almost designed for me.

Eejjhgreb

Seeking a genderqueer and/or nonbinary actor of any race

Note: the character is part of an extremely humanoid race of space aliens whose culture finds the whole notion of a gender binary confusing and goofy. Obviously, this is not a perfect analogue to being a nonbinary human; I mean, we are talking about a purple space alien. But the character definitely doesn’t identify as cisgender, and after a lot of discussion and soul-searching, this seemed like the most respectful option.

Ideally, sounds to be about forty or older. I am willing to be a little flexible on this point, though.

Concept: A diplomat. Stately, commanding, traditional. Not unfeeling, but emotionally repressed like it’s a period piece.

To audition for this part, please perform the following section (that is not in the podcast because most of Eejjhgreb’s actual lines contain spoilers)

There’s not much more to be done about it. The agreements were reached, the papers were signed. Do I wish it had gone differently? Perhaps, but it’s a matter of obligation. It’s a matter of loyalty. I know you don’t think so right now, but it is possible you’ll understand someday. Assuming you don’t get yourself killed in the meantime.

Campbell

Any actor trying out for this role should be of African ancestry (African American, African British, etc, is totally fine)

I wrote this character with he/him pronouns but I’m flexible on this if a nonbinary and/or genderqueer person wants to audition

Sounds to be between late twenties and mid thirties

Concept: A brilliantly talented forger and counterfeiter. Easygoing, charming—that rare person who seems to be friends with everyone. Definitely friends with the crew. Good in a crisis. Hard to really shock.

To audition for this part, please perform the following section:

Tell you what, send me your info. I’ll work on it remotely and pass it over to my contact in Elion for printing and pickup. How many IDs do you need? Four? We can have them done in two hours.

Yeah, I know that’s probably longer than you want to wait, but uh. It’s getting scary out there. You don’t wanna cut corners on this.

Don’t worry about payment, we’ll handle it later. I’m guessing you’re too nervous right now to really try that hard at haggling anyway, takes all the fun out of it. Sending you my guy’s coordinates for when you land. Ask for Red Gregor.

Guard

Any race

Any gender

Any European, Australian, or distinctly regional American accent

Just trying to do their job out in space, far from home

To audition for this part, please perform the following section:

Attention! We’re conducting a sweep of all interstellar vessels. I’m going to need you to comply with the following instructions. (Pause) Attention, attention! Rumor, do you copy?

Ricky

I wrote this character with he/him pronouns but I’m flexible on that if a genderqueer and/or nonbinary person wants to audition

Any race

Sounds to be late twenties to mid-thirties

Persuasive, self-centered, one of those people who considers themselves to be extremely rational and reasonable.

To audition for this part, please perform the following section:

Listen, that’s the nature of the beast. You don’t always win. It’s not my fault if you drew a weaker hand. You’ve got the option of not blaming me for it, you know? Take it or not, but you’ve got that option.

Junior Agent

Seeking a genderqueer and/or nonbinary actor 

Any race

Sounds to be early twenties

Unlike Agent Park, hasn’t yet reached burnout in the job. Might get there pretty soon, though.

To audition for this part, please perform the following section:

I’ve taken the liberty of trimming about an hour of audio from this portion of the transmission, all available in the archive in the, uh, in the honestly pretty unlikely event it is needed? Resuming in the cockpit, forty-four minutes after the Rumor touched down on Elion. On-ship time estimated to be seventeen hundred hours.