When you woke up the next morning, it was far earlier than you were used to, but when your phone disrupted your slumber and lit the room around you with Anthony's smiling face looking back, you had to answer. You shared a characteristic with Steve that you sometimes found intolerable in him; the anxiety of something going wrong at any moment as your history had proven to you plenty of times over. You had promised yourself that you would never turn down a call from your family, and even though your eyes burned with fatigue and your body tried to refuse you, you rolled over and took your phone in hand, whispering to try to not wake your husband at your side.

"Ant?"

"Hey, mom," he greeted, and you could hear a smile in his tone, giving you some relief. "did I wake you?"

"Well, we are in nowhere near the same part of the planet as you," you chuckled, "but you didn't do too bad. You only beat the sun by about an hour or so."

"Shoot, I can call back, I'm sorry!"

"No, honey, it's good. What's up?"

"Which kid is it this time?" Steve groaned, pulling the pillow over his head. "I thought we taught them all how to read a clock."

"It's Ant. Go back to sleep."

"So, I got the weirdest phone call yesterday," Anthony began again, "and I called Grant and Brooke but they haven't heard anything yet. Some guy named Kevin who said that he has an opportunity for us, but it really needs to be everyone for it to work."

"Okay?"

"He said that after Grandpa passed he started to hear more interest about the new Avengers team, but he also wanted to know more about how all of it started and how Grandpa turned into Iron Man in the first place. Sounds like they want to make a movie or two about us. Not sure how I feel about it," he paused, taking a deep breath, "that's a lot to dig back up, but more for you guys than us. It's a lot for you, mom."

"Wow," you exhaled heavily, "I'm not sure how to feel either."

"About what?" Steve mumbled into his pillow.

"I'll tell you in a minute," you deflected.

"Or you could tell me now. I'm awake."

"Just hold on," you said, turning your attention back to the call. "Okay, so I think we need to get everyone together, right? I mean, it's not just us. I don't know..." You finally rolled to your side toward your husband, and the look on your face put him on almost immediate alert. "Ant, how long do we have to decide?"

"Decide what?!" Steve tried again, now getting upset. "I swear, I'm going to rip that phone out of your hand in a second-"

"You wanna go?" you smirked, pushing yourself up a bit straighter. "I've been awake longer, old man."

"Mom."

"You don't think I can take you even half awake?" Steve countered. "Bring it, (Y/N), I'm not scared of you."

"Mom."

"You have been scared of me since you met me, Rogers, don't lie. Put on the suit, let's go a few rounds."

"Doll, you know what the suit does to you, that wouldn't be fair."

"Not fair to who? It always seems to end pretty damn well for you if I recall-"

"MOTHER!"

"Shoot, Ant, sorry," you startled back into the moment. "I'm sorry, honey."

"You know, I'm starting to rethink this already," your son groaned, and you could clearly see in your mind the expression he had to be wearing, and his hand surely covering his eyes in frustration. "After growing up with you two, I don't think I want to see it replayed out for me on a huge screen with a crowd sitting behind me where I can't run away. So embarrassing."

~~~

A quiet morning was no longer a rarity in your life, with the absence from the team other than the occasional consulting job if any of them needed either you or Steve to help. Since the young members of the family took over the business, they had each stepped up in their own ways and left the original Avengers to find their ways in normal life. No one could remember what normal was, if they had ever known it in the first place, and some were struggling to reconcile their lives now. To your own dismay, your husband was seeming to be the worst of all. He wanted to retire and find a new way, but dammit if that compound and the new team of heroes kept pulling him back in.

Gathering the family together for a meeting wasn't as big of a challenge as you had thought it would be, with each of them filtering back into the compound over the course of the next day. Clint and Nat arrived first, followed by Wanda and Vision, then Sam and Bucky, Scott, Peter, Thor, Stephen, Rhodey, and Bruce. T'Challa would take longer, having to come in from the furthest distance, but he was due to arrive soon.

When an unexpected guest arrived at the compound they brought with them more information on the intriguing offer that you were gathering to discuss, but it was an offer that would have you all facing that old life that you thought you had put to rest. You'd have to face the good and bad again, and you had been very successful in locking all of that down since you had lost Tony. It was just too much, and easier to let it all rest.

When FRIDAY announced a visitor at the door, you mentally took count of all who had already arrived, and quickly decided that your expected team and family were already there. You turned to Steve as he cleaned up after breakfast, the sound of the announcement halting him just as it had you. "Were you expecting anyone?"

"No?" he answered with a furrowed brow. He set the dishes gently in the sink and rinsed his hands, hurrying to dry them before answering this new guest.

"Hello, Captain Rogers," the young woman smiled eagerly with a hand out in greeting, "it's a real honor to finally meet you."

"Thank you," Steve smiled politely, "and you are?"

"Sarah," she answered with firm handshake, immediately impressing your spouse, "I'm a casting director. We have the actors who have been preliminarily chosen for each member of your team, but one of them asked to be here to deliver the choices and get your opinions himself. Pretty sure he's just doing it to be the first of the group to meet you in person. He's a little competitive." She took a few steps to the side so that the two of you had a clear view of their vehicles in the driveway; when the topic of her announcement came into your sights, you gasped and took a stumbling step back.

"Oh my god," you whispered, covering your mouth in shock, "it's Robert Downey Jr."

"Calm down, doll. I'm standing right here."

"No, Steve, it's not that. He looks so much like Dad." You tried to compose yourself and took a few steps back into the conversation, but as the man moved closer to the doorway where you stood, your nerves began to get the best of you and your hands began to shake despite your husband's attempt to hold them steady. You hadn't wished for your dad to be by your side like this in years as you felt your anxiety build; he always knew how to get you through. "I don't know if I can do this, Steve. This might be a bad idea."

You tried to pull your hand from his hold, but he remained solid and almost forced you to stay; not out of demand in any way, but so that he could keep an eye on you to be sure that you were okay. When you couldn't take it anymore, you yanked your hand clear and turned to leave as quickly as you could, hoping to run before the actor saw you flee.

"Hey, Captain, good to meet you, I'm Robert," he greeted, hand out but glancing over Steve's shoulder to catch a glimpse of you just as you rounded a corner and to the elevator. "Um...was that (Y/N)? Is she okay? Sometimes I come off a little arrogant even before I open my big mouth but I don't actually mean it. It hides my social anxiety so please don't share that." He stopped and took a deep breath, trying to smile away his nerves, "Sorry, that was a load to take on and I haven't even been here a full minute. Seriously, though, did I do something?"

"No, not at all," Steve answered quietly. His eyes were still wide at the sight, and his breaths were just a bit shallow but not enough to give away his own inner turmoil. "It just...you look...you're...you look just like T-tony." He swallowed thickly, the dryness in his mouth and throat nearly intolerable now. Maybe you were right; maybe it was too much, and too painful. "It's a bit of a shock, that's all. She'll...um...she'll come around but I think I need to check on my wife. Excuse me for a moment."

As Robert stood by almost helplessly, watching Steve walk away and Sarah looking on in shock, the other guest they had brought along had made his way to the building, slapping a firm hand on his friend's shoulder as he tried to figure out for himself what had just happened. "What the hell did you do this time? We talked about this in the car, man, you can't be yourself yet. People need time to adjust."

"Nothing, Evans, I swear! I just have the wrong...face."

"Hmm, maybe I'm just used to it but seems fine to me."

"I look too much like Stark," Robert sighed heavily, turning towards Chris with worry in his expression and chewing nervously on his lip. "I think I freaked her out. You think I should try to check on her?"

"You want to keep your job?"

"Pfft, I'm not so sure anymore. But, no...not if it's gonna hurt anyone. I don't care how big the check is."

"Bob..."

"But, hey, at least you look like Cap. He's still alive and hot as hell, and I bet you can prank a shit ton of people if you shave that fluff off your face."

"Thanks!" Chris laughed aloud. "You just called me hot."

"No, I called Steve hot," Downey scoffed with a point of his finger and a playful glare. "You never listen. You know what...I think this might not be the best idea, they might be right. I'm just gonna give Feige a quick call-"

"Seriously? No," Chris pressed, "just get your ass in there and be a man. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Jesus, did you not do your homework? Am I the only one who did the readings? There's like six books, how did you miss all the shit that went down with them? You're just asking for trouble, dumbass."