After getting Sam's call about Bucky, you were suddenly torn; he was your best friend, and he needed you like never before. The sound of his broken and fear-filled voice was echoing in your mind to torture you into action, but your son was also on a mission that he couldn't possibly be prepared for. If he was planning to storm the Siberia Hydra base on his own, it was clear that he wasn't thinking right. He was acting out of his own worry for his father, and it would cloud his judgement. If the building were still abandoned, as you had last seen it years ago, then he would be okay; but if it wasn't...

"Dad, I promised Sam-"

"I know, go ahead," Tony reassured, "I'll check on Ant, and if there's anything going on that we can't handle, I'll call you right away. I promise, no delusions of grandeur here, honey. I'm gonna get him home safe."

"Thank you," you sighed, trying your best to calm your nerves, "I'll be on my way as soon as I'm done and find Steve."

"Okay, I'll have FRIDAY keep you in constant surveillance. I need you to do one favor for me though."

"What's that?" you asked, eyeing him skeptically.

"Don't tell Pepper what I'm doing, okay?" Tony tried to give you his best, convincing smile, his eyes actually sparkling somehow as if it would help his case by stunning you into submission. He knew that he could get you if he was endearing enough, and he was definitely giving it his best effort. What he surprisingly didn't realize was that after all of the years together, you had developed an immunity to his methods.

"Ha!" you scoffed. "No deal, old man! I won't offer up, but if she asks me, then I'm spilling it. I don't need her wrath either!"

"Chickenshit."

"Oh, I'm the chickenshit! Okaaaay, right. She's not my wife, pal, I'm not scared of her at all. I'm just not going to be an accomplice when I know how strongly she feels about you and that damned suit. I don't blame her though, I still have nightmares about that stupid glow in your chest," you said, rolling your eyes as you tapped the nanotech housing. "Now I have two of you wearing it."

"Sweetheart...I thought you were okay with this...with Ant?"

"I'll never be okay with it, Dad. But he's an adult and it's what he wants. I suppose I don't blame him, because all I ever tried to do was to make you proud of me, and he's just doing the same. He gets that from me too, apparently."

"Honey," Tony stepped closer, taking your arms in his grip, "there's never been a day that I haven't been proud of you. Or any of the kids. Hell, I've even been proud of Steve here and there."

"Woah, I need to get this down on the calendar. Momentous occasion."

"Mmm hmm," he scoffed, hurrying to kiss your cheek and giving a hasty hug before turning to leave. "Alright, I'm off. Go see Sam and Bucky and let them know that if they need anything, all they need to do is call me, okay? I'll call you the second I have your boy in my sights."

~~~

When you arrived at the hospital shortly after seeing your father take to the sky, you weren't fully prepared for what you were about to see, or what you were about to take on. Sam had called you in full distress, sounding like you had never heard him before, and of course you feared the worst. Steve had fallen to this mystery condition first, and the fear that you were feeling was suddenly pale in comparison to the strains of pain and pure terror beneath Sam's voice. You stood outside of your friend's room, taking a deep breath to calm and prepare yourself for the certain onslaught of tears that were already building in your eyes, gently pushing the door open with a loud gasp as your senses took in the first barrage of information.

"Sit your ass in that goddamn bed right now!"

"Make me!"

"Barnes, so help me-"

"What, Sam?! You gonna push down an old man?"

"Try me! I've done it before and I'll do it again!"

"Guys!" you tried to break in, but your voice was falling on deaf ears. "What the hell is going on?"

"Just because Rogers says to jump, it doesn't mean that you have to!" Sam continued on in his argument. "You're not okay, Buck, and you can't rush off to some fight just because it's a habit to have your head so far up that guy's ass for the past hundred years!"

At the sound of Steve's name, your attentions sharpened and you were on full, anxious alert, stepping forward to position yourself between them to break their concentration. "Rogers?" you asked Sam, grabbing the sides of his face to turn him to look at you. "What do you mean, Sam? Do you know where Steve is? You were supposed to call me if you saw him."

"Yeah, I know where he is, alright," he sighed heavily, "he's outside getting the jet ready to go."

"Dammit, Sam! Go where?"

"Siberia."

"Oh, son of a bitch," you groaned, letting him go, "I'm getting too old for this. Having kids was nothing compared to babysitting grown adults. Wait..." you paused in revelation, "Siberia? Did Dad call already? Is it Anthony?"

Bucky was still trying to change into his regular clothes and out of the hospital gown that was barely covering him, though even so he didn't care who saw what at this point. "No, they didn't call, (Y/N). FRIDAY gave Steve the heads-up and there's no way that we're letting that kid go in there alone. No telling who or what he'll find and we're backing him up."

"No, Buck, you're sick."

"Fuck if I am," Bucky argued, turning around abruptly, forgetting his lack of modesty.

"Woah, Buck," you snorted, covering your eyes and tossing a pillow hurriedly in his direction, "at least cover up with something."

"Ain't nothing you haven't seen before."

"Ain't nothing I need to see again," you retorted playfully. You couldn't help but crack a small smile at the tone in his voice, allowing even those few precious moments of levity before returning to the topic that had no time to be avoided. "Your husband is right though, get your fine ass back in bed."

"I never said fine," Sam added, not amused in the least.

"It is though," Bucky chuckled with a carefully positioned pillow in hand.

"Alright listen, our odds are better with one sick Avenger and one healthy one, rather than two sick ones on their own. Steve and I will take this. Dad's already on his way, and Ant is our obviously dumb and impulsive child so this is on us. Just stay here and rest, Buck. Besides," you smiled, turning towards the door, "I think I hear a visitor."

Sam's brow furrowed, reviewing his mind for everyone that he had called when Bucky passed out, and who was home at the time, but he'd told them all not to come by other than you. "Who?"

"My hearing's already slipping, (Y/N)," Bucky shrugged, straining to hear, "who you got?"

"Black Wilson!" Wade hollered from the door, pushing it open with too much excitement and bouncing it from the wall behind it. "Give papa some love!" He rushed in, pushing past you without so much as a look to acknowledge you, making a move towards his one and only target with arms wide to wrap around him. His voice lowered to an almost uncomfortable whisper, his face buried in the crook of Sam's neck. "Oh, yeah...there it is. Hmm, I've missed you and your manly scent and those strong arms wrapped around me. Don't you worry, I've got you. I'll never let anything happen to you, Chocolate Bear."

"What the hell?" Bucky huffed, throwing his hands in the air in disgust, "I'm the sick one!"

"Hey, you just said that you're not sick-" you tried, but it was no use.

Wade gasped deeply in both shock and regret at his own clearly obvious faux pas, releasing Sam with a push away and turning to Bucky with energetic hands waving before wrapping his arms around him hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. "Oh, I've got you too, my sweet, sick baby boy." He leaned in next to Bucky's ear, whispering so close that Buck swore he felt the gentlest kiss on his lobe as he spoke to him, "don't tell your hubby, but I love a nice scoop of my Vanilla Ice too."

~~~

"Rogers, what in the hell do you think you're doing?"

Steve's hands stopped their motion over the panels of the quinjet, hovering over them in pause as he accepted your presence there, and as he considered the response that he might give you. The last time the two of you were together was in his hospital room when he had asked you to leave for the night; not so long ago when he had given you his word that he wouldn't do anything risky or stupid. He should've known that you'd see through that before anyone else.

"Mrs. Rogers," he answered with a false smile in his tone, "I might ask the same of you."

"I'm not the one who broke out of my hospital bed and snuck into a quinjet."

"(Y/N)-"

"No, Steve," you interrupted, taking purposeful steps closer to him, "cut the bullshit. One phone call is all you needed to send to me. Hell, a text would've been enough." Your body was blocking the exit as best as possible, and you had only hoped that he wouldn't try to move you to make a run for it. "I know that you're worried about Ant, and I'm not saying that I don't want you here, because I do. I just wish you would've cut the secrecy because my nerves are pretty much at their limits here and this isn't helping. He's my son too, Steve," you paused, feeling your voice begin to break, "and this is exactly what I was afraid of...and now you're going into this fight...sick..." you sniffled, dropping your gaze away from him. The look in his eyes was sorrowful and their usual shine was dimmed, and your heart couldn't take it.

"Hey, Doll, come on," he urged, finally standing to face you, "I'm gonna be as careful as I can, okay? I promise. I don't know my limits anymore, and trust me I'm not anywhere near ready to check out just yet." When all you gave him in reply was a muffled hum of agreement and a shaky nod of your head, he sighed heavily in near defeat, taking you fully into his embrace to try to reassure you. "I'm sorry, honey. I just couldn't lie in that bed for one more minute knowing that I might not have many of them left. When I heard about Ant, there was no question where I needed to be. But you've got my back, right?"

You looked up at him, as if the question had slapped you across the face, "of course I do. Always."

"Then that's it," he shrugged, pulling you in closer. "That's all I need. I know that I'll be okay out there."

"No pressure, right?" you scoffed. "I've only got your back, Dad's and Ant's to cover."

"Doll, if anyone can do it, believe me, it's you."

~~~

"Tony?"

"Hmm," he hummed, stirring slightly at first, "yeah?"

"Where's Steve?" you asked with a strained voice that was barely able to sound above a whisper.

"Oh, hey," he finally turned when he realized that the voice was yours, bringing him to a fast wakefulness, "hey, sweetheart, how do you feel? Any pain? Are you thirsty?"

"Where's Steve?" you repeated.

Tony stood and walked around your bed, grabbing the pitcher of water to pour you a glass, moving slowly and thoughtfully and trying to appear as calm as he could, hoping that it would keep you that way. "They're still working on him, honey."

"How long has it been?"

"Eleven hours."

Your heart began to race, and you were immediately in a full panic, filling room with the sounds of your monitors alarming at the sudden increase. Without any thought to yourself, and not an ounce of rationality, you tore the patches from your chest and ripped out your IV, pushing yourself up in a determination to find him. "I have to go."

"Shit...(Y/N), lay down," he urged, rushing around to you, trying to push you back. "You can't get up, you just got out of surgery too. Stay in bed."

"No...I can't...I have to find him..."

The door burst open with nurses taking their places to pull you back into bed, but your adrenaline had taken over. Your leg came up and pushed against Tony's chest, knocking him back far enough for you to reach out to land a firm strike to another man's jaw, toppling him to the ground. Another nurse made the mistake of trying to grab you from behind, finding herself pulled up and over you, dropping with a slam on the ground at your feet before she knew what had happened.

"(Y/N), please, don't," Tony urged, but you didn't hear him. Nothing was getting through to you now that you had only one goal in mind, and no one was about to stop you. "Sweetheart, you're not thinking clearly." He pushed his way slowly along the wall until his hand just reached an emergency call, but he felt no relief even knowing that more help was on the way.

"I have to go," you said again, trying to stand with a wobble. "I can't stay here." Another nurse approached from your side, but quickly dropped with a strike to their chest as if it didn't even phase you.

"What the hell?" Sam gasped, rushing first into the room with Clint and Vision behind him. "(Y/N), please, lay back down," he urged, pushing forward to grab your arms, pinning them to your sides before you could break away. "Come on, baby, lay down."

Sam's grip only tightened as you fought him, seeing a nurse moving in from behind with a needle in hand and anticipating that it wasn't going to go over well when you realized what was happening. When you felt the sting of the injection, you tried to fight your way out, but it hit you too fast, and everything went dark.