I don't own anything except any original/own characters and any original plot.

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Chapter 13 - Bad But Not

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"Wait, I know this one," I held up a file with Ulysses Klaue on the front, "He works off of the African coast, black market stuff." I noticed the strange looks everyone was giving me, "I had a mission against him once, impersonated his right-hand. He was always talking about some big game changer."

"What's this?" Thor asked, motioning to a mark on Klaue's neck, "It looks like a brand."

Bruce put the picture on a scanner, isolating the image and running it through a wide database of symbols, whether people had been branded by them before or not. After only a few moments of waiting, a match popped up.

"It's a word in an African dialect meaning thief," he explained, eyes squinting at the screen, "In a much less friendly way."

"What dialect?"

"Wakanada? Wa- Wakanda."

Steve and Tony shared a concerned look, "If this guy got out of Wakanda with some of their trade goods..."

"I thought your father said he got the last of it."

"What comes out of Wakanda?"

"The strongest metal on Earth," everyone looked at Steve's shield.

"Helk nersh."

~*~

"I haven't shifted into a man in a while," I mumbled to myself, blocking out the memory of Bucky nearly killing me on the helicarrier. I was currently Pietro, waiting for my cue to step in and join the fight.

"(Y/n) now!"

I jumped down a level, easily avoiding Wanda's magic. She wouldn't hurt her twin brother after all. Stepping in front of the woman, I swiped her legs out from under her. She hit the metal floor with a loud slam, taking a few seconds to recover.

"Pietro, what are you-" She stopped speaking, smirking when she realized who I really was. I took a step back when she stood up, gold discs surrounding my hands.

"You don't have to do this Wanda," I stated, keeping my guard up, "We can help you."

"I don't need help from murderers," Wanda waved her hand, red light flowing through her fingers. When I wasn't thrown back or injured, I lowered my hands in confusion, "Sweet nightmares."

The world around me melted away. I was no longer on the abandoned ship. I wasn't sure where I was for a few moments. But looking at the two moons rising, and the sun setting, told me what I needed to know. I was back home, in the garden.

The sweet smell of Danflorn flowers flowed up and into my nose. The steady breeze had carried it. Along with the breeze came a new scent, smoke. I turned towards the smell, gasping in horror. The palace was on fire, burning so hot it was blue. The stone was crumpling slowly to the ground.

"Glorious isn't it?"

I whipped around, eyes wide in shock. Loki was in front of me, arms crossed, scepter and eyes glowing bright blue.

"I told you I would rule a planet (Y/n). You took Earth away from me so I'm taking Orveon away from you. I'm burning everything you knew to ashes, so we can build a new empire. Together."

"No," I took a few steps back, nearly wiping out on an exposed tree root, "This isn't you. This is the twisted version you became with the Chitauri. This isn't real."

"Isn't it?" Loki disappeared, reappearing in front of me, "You're my queen, and there is no escape from us."

Loki's eyes seemed especially blue when he said 'us'.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

At least seven platoons of Chitauri soldiers came up behind Loki. Their combined stomps shook the ground beneath me. Loki began to laugh joyously, waving his hand to the soldiers. Eight stepped forwards, dropping limp bodies to the ground.

"No," I whimpered, "How...Why?"

Bruce, Nat, Clint, Tony, Thor, and my three family members made up the pile of dead bodies. They were bloody, near unrecognisable. Steve wasn't there. Did he live? Where was he?

Not being able to handle the smell of blood in the air, I turned and ran. I ran past the fiery remains of the castle, past the hills, past the village. I ran until my lungs felt as though they would implode, until the irony smell I had tried to escape became a taste in my throat.

"(Y/n), hey, hey. Slow down," a soothing voice caught my attention, strong arms wrapping around my figure, "I have a quinjet ready. We can go back to Earth. Leave all this behind, forget it."

"Steve," I sobbed in relief, clutching onto his uniform shirt, "He burned my planet, he killed my family. I can't just leave everything else to be destroyed. I need to go back, we can fight them, together."

"Why can't you leave Orveon behind?" Steve's voice became dark, angry, "You never felt like you belonged. Now you want to stay? You really don't belong anywhere."

"Steve?" I pulled away from the man, lip quivering. How right was he? It seemed as though I wasn't able to belong. I didn't belong anywhere.

"Too alien for humans too human for aliens right?" Steve laughed bitterly, "I don't know what I saw in you. You shifted into Peggy. You manipulated me, created a relationship on lies and deception. I could never love someone like you."

"Steve it's not what you think," I fell to my knees, sobs rising in my chest again, "I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't know what I was doing. Romance was so new to me-"

"What you did was unforgivable," Steve interrupted me, "I never loved you anyways. You were a distraction. I loved Peggy, it was always Peggy."

"Steve wait!" I reached out for the man as he disappeared into the trees, but it was too late. He was gone, and I was alone again.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

I lowered my head in defeat as the marching neared me. I was broken. There was no point in fighting back. Not anymore. Overonians were made to be docile anyways, to never fight. Strange, that in the breaking of my spirit, I became what I was born to be.

"I told you, you can't run from me."

"(Y/n). (Y/n) come on, it's not real."

I snapped up, breathing heavily. I looked down at myself in a panic, normal uniform. I looked around me. I was back on the ship. Nothing was on fire. None of that was real. In front of me was Steve, my Steve. Everything was normal.

"Steve," I whispered, jumping forward and clinging onto him tightly, "I thought you were gone. I was back home and everything was on fire. The Avengers and my family were dead. You- you told me you didn't love me."

Word vomit rose in my throat. I wanted to tell him that I shifted into Peggy. I had to tell him what I did. Even if he left me, called me a monster, he would be free from the lies I had held him down with. And I would be free from the chains I had created for myself.

"I dreamt that it was the forties again. I never got frozen, and I never met you," Steve revealed, stopping me before I could reveal what was perhaps my biggest regret, "It was so real, I forgot what was happening before it. But I knew something was wrong."

"Wait what happened?" I looked at our surroundings, "Why are we on the quinjet?"

"The news is loving you guys," Maria popped up on screen. News reports around her. The Hulk got out of control and attacked the city. Most likely due to Wanda's power, "Nobody else is. There's been no official cal for Banner's arrest, but it's in the air."

"Stark Relief Foundation?"

"Already on the scene. How's the team?"

"Everyone's..." Tony looked around. Everyone was completely out of it, "We took a hit. We'll shake it off."

"Well for now I'd stay in stealth mode, and stay away from here."

"So run and hide?"

"Until we can find Ultron, I don't have a lot else to offer."

Tony sighed, "Neither do we."

~*~

Early the next morning we arrived and landed outside of the Barton farm. Despite the situation in which we were there, and my exhaustion from not sleeping, I still cracked a smile. I hadn't been to the Barton's in at least a year.

I stayed close to Steve as we exited, keeping an eye on Nat. That vision really shook me up, and it seemed to have done the same thing to Nat. When we entered, Clint called out for Laura.

"Honey, I'm home," Laura stepped out of the kitchen, "Sorry I didn't call ahead."

"This is an agent of some kind," Tony claimed, having trouble processing what was going on.

"This is Laura," Clint introduced.

Laura chuckled, "I already know all of your names."

Cooper and Lila ran out, cheering until they pulled their dad in for a hug.

"These are smaller agents..."

"Did you bring Nat and (Y/n)?"

"Why don't you hug them and find out?" Nat and I stepped forward. The two ran forwards, hugging each of us.

"Is it true you're an alien?" Cooper questioned, poking one of my scales.

"You bet I am," I ruffled his hair.

"Sorry for barging in but we had no idea you existed," Tony crossed his arms.

"Fury helped me set this up when I joined," Clint explained, "He kept it off SHIELD's files, and I'd like to keep it that way. I figure it's a good place to lay low."

"How's little Natasha?" Nat leant down to Laura's stomach.

"She's...Westley," Laura gave Nat an apologetic smile. I jumped in happiness. Clint said that Nat could pick the name if it was a girl, and I could pick the name if it was a boy. While I had proposed the name Valerian at first, I learned that it was a strange name for a Midgardian boy.

"Traitor," Nat whispered at Laura's stomach.

Loud footsteps stormed out of the house. I shivered, remembering the stomping of the Chitauri soldiers. When I turned though, I calmed down when I saw that it was just Thor. Steve and I followed after him, curious as to why he was leaving so abruptly.

"Thor?"

"I saw something in that dream. I need answers, I won't find them here," Thor gave each of us a nod, then swung his hammer and flew off.

"I should probably help Laura with dinner, I know she wasn't ready for all of us-" I shut my mouth as Steve tugged on my hand, "Where are you taking me?"

Without giving me an answer, he pulled me down a path that led into the forest. The kids always took it to a clearing so they could play swords in a clearing up ahead. My mind wandered back to my vision, but I knew Steve wouldn't bring me out here to do something like that.

"(Y/n), I was in love with Peggy seventy years ago, and when I came out of the ice, I still was. Until you came along and changed all of that. Being in love with Peggy, I've realized, is because she saw me as more than a scrawny kid. But you, you always saw me as more than what I thought I was, even when I felt like I was that scrawny kid again."

"Steve," my eyes were filling with tears. This moment was overwhelming, and the guilt I felt was rising substantially.

"That dream, my fear. It was a world without you. I don't want that to happen. You've supported me, fought with me, through everything. Even when my best friend tried to kill you," Steve chuckled slightly at that, "I want you in my world, this new life where anything can happen. The um, the ring is back at the tower. I was planning something different, but this seemed right. (Y/n), will you marry me?"

"Chon wurn," I swore, stunned. Even though Steve didn't have the ring, he was still down on one knee, "Steve...I can't say yes."

"What?" Steve stood up, grabbing my significantly smaller hands in his large ones, "(Y/n), I respect your answer, but, why?"

"Because all of this has been one big lie!" I cried out, everything I had been holding in for nearly two years bubbling over, "You asked me out because you had a dream about Peggy. She told you that you should move on, and you asked me out. But it was me, I shifted into Peggy, I danced with you. All because I didn't understand how Midgardians handled things like that. I ruined everything. Our relationship was formed on lies. Atreya, nersh, wurn!"

My hands ran through my hair, tugging harshly at the roots. Turning away, I continued to swear loudly, not knowing what else I could say that would push the situation past us.

"Hey, language," Steve grabbed my wrists to stop me from hurting myself. If the situation was different, I would have smiled at the fact that he knew some Orveonian, "(Y/n), look at me."

I shook my head frantically, staring at my shoes. I didn't want to see the disappointment on his face, the anger as he took back his proposal and did exactly what happened in the vision.

"(Y/n), I know what you did," that statement made me look up, wide and teary eyed, "When I came to your apartment the next morning, I noticed the shoes next to your door. They were the same ones Peggy wore."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I ran my sleeve under my nose, "You knew what I did, and you still asked me out?"

"Because I understood. Yes, you could have handled your feelings a lot better, but you did what you thought was right at the time. We all do things we regret (Y/n). While it did take you a while, you told me the truth. I've gotten over my anger."

"I love you," I pulled Steve into a long kiss, "I don't want you to leave me."

"Trust me (Y/n), I'm not going anywhere."

"Can we forget that this happened?" I questioned, "Just um, have a do-over at some point in the future? I ruined it a bit."

Steve chuckled, smiling gently, "Of course, I don't even have the ring afterall. This whole thing was bound to be weird."

~*~

I let out a sigh, searching for a change of clothes in the duffle bag I kept at the Barton's. Nat and I both had one, for when we were there by choice or not. The farm was a safe place for anyone and everyone who knew about it.

I finally decided on normal jeans and a t-shirt. The only organic clothes I had at the house were on me, unfortunately. Glancing out the window I smiled seeing Steve chopping wood outside. It was nice seeing everyone doing something to help out.

Hurrying down the stairs, I let out a gasp as my body bumped into Laura's. I checked her over, making sure that everything was okay.

"I'm pregnant, not glass," Laura giggled at my panic, "I saw you and the Captain off alone earlier. What was going on there?"

"He proposed to me," I stated simply, continuing before Laura could get excited, "But there was a situation, it went south but not in a bad way, well sort of in a bad way. Long story short, he'll try again later."

"Congratulations?" Laura seemed confused, but pulled me in for a hug all the same, "Have you seen the ring yet?"

"No, it's back at the tower. I'll send you a message when he proposes again. It's strange. I never thought I would get married. Or, if I did, it would be with someone my parents suggested on Orveon."

"Well even members of royal families should get a say in who they marry."

After a busy day helping out with random chores around the house, and preparing dinner for everyone, the Avengers were gathered in the dining room and kitchen. Fury, who had been staying with the Bartons, was going over the Ultron situation with us. I was helping Lila color a picture, simultaneously turning into anone Cooper said.

"Marilyn Monroe, Abe Lincoln, Spock, me, Harry Potter!"

"Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. Here we all are, back on earth, with nothing but our wit, and our will to save the world. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

I ruffled Cooper's hair, shifting back into my normal self and standing up. As Lila ran to show Nat the drawing of a butterfly we made together, I stood next to Steve, leaning against his sturdy form.

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk," Nat smirked playfully.

"You know what, Romanoff?"

"I can't even swear in Orveonian around him," I added in, "He's figured out what the words mean."

"So what does Ultron want?" Fury brought our attention back to the task at hand.

"To be better. Better than us. He keeps building bodies."

"He's making human bodies," I stated, "No offense, but the human form is inefficient, biologically speaking. My form is almost entirely the same and I suffer many of the same limitations. Yet, for some reason, Ultron keeps coming back to it."

"Ultron's evolving," Bruce cut in, "He's going to keep evolving."

"How?"

"Has anyone been in contact with Helen Cho?"