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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟗
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐔𝐍

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Night had fallen when Charlie, Pietro, and Trina arrived at the Compound. The three of them changed into comfy clothes before settling on the couches to watch a movie. The archer leaned in as close as she could to the speedster, who had his arm tightly wrapped around their shoulders. A comfortable silence surrounded them as they watched the movie, all of them perfectly content with their current situation. At least, that's what Charlie thought. But it wasn't long before she discovered how wrong she truly was.

When she looked over at Trina, Charlie realized that the Felicity woman wasn't paying attention to the movie at all. Instead, her attention was glued to the beaded bracelet on her wrist. Trina's fingers traced over the handmade jewelry with a look that the archer knew very well. She was longing for someone, who the Barton woman assumed was her son. She had tried numerous times to ask the Felicity woman about him and she was always shut down. But something felt different now. It was as if Trina wanted someone to ask about it.

"Hey, Trina," Charlie called out, drawing the woman's attention toward her before she continued speaking, "are you okay?"

Trina just stared at the archer for a moment before letting out a long sigh and looking back at her bracelet. "It feels like we're so close to getting him back. To getting everyone back. But it's just out of reach."

The Batron woman instantly exchanged a look with the speedster, who was trying his best not to think about Wanda and Alex. Instead, he grabbed the remote and paused the movie. He let the silence surround him for another moment before he began speaking. "I know it might be hard, but would it help to talk about him?"

The Felicity woman hesitated for a second, her hand freezing on top of her bracelet. Ever since she met the Avengers, she had never given them any hints as to who or what she really was. Trina did a good job at keeping her past hidden and only revealing what was necessary. But at that moment, she didn't care if they knew. Trina needed to let all of her building emotions out. She needed to talk to someone about Orion. And she knew Charlie and Pietro were the perfect people to talk to.

A small sigh passed over Trina's lips as she sat up and turned to face the couple. Her eyes scanned over them for what felt like an eternity before she finally opened her mouth to speak. "I adopted Orion when he was one. The orphanage didn't know too much about him, just that he was dropped off on their doorstep one day. We bonded very quickly and it felt so good not to feel alone. I knew he was special, but it wasn't until he was fourteen that I realized just how special he was."

"What do you mean?" the archer questioned, more interested than ever in the mystery woman's story.

"Orion is a chlorokinetic, meaning he can control plants. He just doesn't know because it's only happened while he's asleep. At least, so far," Trina explained, earning shocked looks from the couple before she continued speaking, "I always wanted to tell him, I just never knew how."

"That's understandable," Pietro told her with a small smile on his face while the Felicity woman stared at him with surprise in her eyes, "I can't even imagine how hard it would be to tell your child they have powers. Especially when that could put them in danger."

Trina simply nodded in response. She let silence surround them for what felt like an eternity before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a picture of her and Orion. The Felicity woman just stared at it for a long moment before handing it to Charlie and Pietro. "That's us when he went to London for the first time."

Confusion instantly appeared on the couple's faces as they looked at the picture. They knew Trina looked young, but seeing her standing next to a seventeen-year-old really sealed the deal. There was no way Trina and Orion were mother and son. They looked more like brother and sister. And while Charlie didn't have it within herself to ask the question bouncing around in her head, Pietro did. "How old did you say you were again?"

The archer and the speedster were surprised when they saw Trina tense. They didn't think such a simple question would receive that response. A few minutes passed before the Felicity woman finally looked up at them with no emotion in her eyes. "Would you believe me if I said I was alive in 5000 BC?"

Pietro's jaw instantly dropped while Charlie just blinked at Trina, trying to comprehend what she had said. They sat in shocked silence for another moment before the Barton woman opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry. Did you just say 5000 BC? How is that even possible?"

"I was sent to Earth with a small ground called the Eternals to protect humanity from Deviants," Trina explained while the couple stared at her and hung onto every word coming out of her mouth, "we succeeded in eliminating them in 1521 and have been living among humanity ever since."

"You're so much cooler now," Pietro muttered under his breath, earning a small laugh from the Felicity woman.

But not even a second after that passed when a more serious look appeared on her face. "You guys can't tell anyone though. I wasn't even supposed to tell you. And if I'm being honest, I'm not even supposed to be helping you at all."

Charlie and Pietro instantly exchanged a look before turning their attention back to Trina with smiles on their faces. "Your secret's safe with us."

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Charlie was woken up the next morning by an annoying poking in her side. A groan passed over her lips as she swatted the hand away and rolled over. Just as she thought whoever was trying to wake her up left, the blanket was ripped off of her. The Barton woman sat up so fast and glared at Pietro, only for her annoyance to fade when she spotted the urgent look on his face.

Before she had a chance to speak, the speedster sprinted around the room. Charlie shut her eyes until the strong wind surrounding her vanished into thin air. When she opened them again, the archer found clothes on the bed in front of her. She just stared at the items with confusion in her eyes before returning her attention to Pietro. "Get dressed and come with me. Quickly."

"What's going on?" Charlie questioned while staring at the Maximoff man with uncertainty in her eyes.

"The Hulk is talking."

The Barton woman just blinked at him as she took in his words. "What does that even mean?"

"Hurry, Anđeo," was all Pietro said before speeding out of the room.

Charlie let out a long sigh while rubbing her hands down the sides of her face. After sitting in bed for a moment longer, she slowly stood up and changed into the clothes Pietro chose for her. As soon as she finished getting ready, she left their bedroom and made her way down the hall. She barely made it to the next corridor when a gust of wind greeted her. The next thing Charlie knew, the Maximoff man took her into his arms and sped her through the Compound.

It wasn't long before the world around her finally became clear and Pietro set her back on her feet. The Barton woman couldn't help but look up at him with a hint of annoyance in her eyes despite the urgency still on his face. But before Charlie could question his actions, the speedster placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to turn around. The archer would be the first to admit she didn't expect what she saw next. The Hulk was standing in front of her wearing long black pants and a navy blue sweater with a pair of dark-rimmed glasses. But the strangest part was watching him type away on the machine set up in front of him.

It wasn't long before the Hulk looked over at the couple and sent them a smile. "Hey, guys. Long time no see."

"I'm very confused right now," Pietro mumbled while keeping his eyes glued to the man standing in front of him.

"These are confusing times," Bruce responded with a large smile on his face.

Charlie just stared at him for a long moment, unsure of what to make of the scene in front of her. What felt like an eternity passed before she muttered a simple sentence under her breath. "What the h*ll is going on?"

"Language," a new voice said, causing the couple to turn to find Steve walking toward them with Natasha and Scott right behind him.

"How is...this possible?" the Barton woman questioned while gesturing toward the Hulk, who couldn't help but laugh at their reactions, "why is this possible?"

"It's actually pretty simple. For years, I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then, I started looking at him as the cure," Bruce explained while Charlie and Pietro continued to watch him with confused looks on their faces, "eighteen months in the gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together...and now, look at me. Best of both worlds."

The couple just stared at the Hulk for a moment longer before the Maximoff man opened his mouth to speak. "That is anything but simple."

"Okay. Let's just move on," Charlie said before gesturing to the van and machine in the room with them, "is this Scott's time machine?"

"If that's what you wanna call it," Bruce responded before turning his attention toward the Lang man, "Scott, fire it up the...uh, the van thing."

"Breakers are set," Trina announced after walking into the room and stopping next to Charlie and Pietro, "and if that fails, the emergency generators are on standby."

"Good, because if we blow the grid, I don't wanna lose Tiny here in the 1950s," the Banner man said while gesturing toward Scott, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"He's kidding," Natasha responded with a somewhat forced smile on her face before looking up at Bruce, "you can't say things like that."

"It's just...it was a bad joke," the Hulk stammered with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, something that went unnoticed by everyone except Trina and Charlie.

Scott sent him a simple nod in response before walking toward the van. As soon as he was out of earshot, the Barton woman found herself looking up at Bruce. "You are kidding, right?"

"I have no idea. We're talking about time travel here. Either it's all a joke or none of it is," the Banner man responded without bothering to hide the hint of annoyance in his voice. It wasn't long after that when he looked over at the Lang man with a forced smile on his lips and his thumb in the air. "We're good! Get your helmet on."

"This isn't gonna end well, is it?" Pietro asked just loud enough for Charlie and Trina to hear, who both simply shook their heads in response.

"Scott, I'm gonna send you back a week, let you walk around for an hour, then bring you back in ten seconds. Make sense?" Bruce explained, earning confused looks from everyone in the room with him.

Despite the lost look in his eyes, Scott simply waved the Hulk off with a small smile on his face. "Perfectly not confusing."

"Good luck, Scott. You got this," Steve said, earning a large smile from Ant-Man.

"You're right. I do, Captain America," the Lang man responded before shrinking down and disappearing into the Quantum Tunnel.

Shock coursed through everyone's veins as they stared at where Scott once stood. That lasted for another moment before Bruce began pressing buttons and broke the silence surrounding them. "On a count of three...three, two, one."

After pulling a lever on the machine in front of him, the Quantum Tunnel glowed and emitted a strange sound. Not even a second after that passed when a boy who seemed no older than fourteen appeared in Scott's place. The boy just stared at them with concern in his eyes before opening his mouth to speak. "Uh, guys? This doesn't feel right."

"What is this?" Steve questioned while staring at the boy in front of them before his attention landed on Bruce, "what's going on?"

"Who is that?" Natasha asked with confusion in her eyes, but a wave of realization soon washed over her, "is that Scott?"

"Yes, it's Scott!"

The Banner man pressed another button on the control panel after messing around with some of the wires, sending young Scott back into the Quantum Tunnel. It wasn't long after that when Bruce pulled the lever, bringing back an elderly version of the Lang man. Panic set in for the Hulk as he went back to pressing the buttons on the machine in front of him and banging on the control panel. Once he was sure he got it right, he pulled the lever again, sending Soctt back into the Quantum Tunnel. But when Bruce brought him back again, they were all shocked by what was sitting in front of them.

"Is that a baby?" Pietro asked without taking his eyes off the infant.

"It's Scott," the Banner man corrected.

"As a baby."

"He'll grow."

"Bring Scott back!" Steve exclaimed without even attempting to hide the annoyance in his voice.

"When I say 'kill the power,' kill the power," the Hulk told Trina, who let out an irritated sigh as she walked toward the lever. She stood by ready to go while watching Bruce rapidly hit buttons on the control panel in front of him. "Kill it!"

The Felicity woman didn't hesitate to push up on the lever at the same moment Bruce slammed his hand on one of the buttons. Charlie and Pietro could only watch as baby Scott was sucked back into the Quantum Tunnel. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as they waited for what felt like an eternity. But soon Scott reappeared in front of them and, to everyone's relief, he was back to his normal self.

The Lang man just stared at them with concern in his eyes. "Somebody peed my pants. But I don't know if it was baby me or old me. Or just me me."

"Time travel!" Bruce exclaimed while holding his hands out in a celebratory manner, earning annoyed looks from everyone surrounding him, "what? I see this as an absolute win."

Steve let out a long sigh in response before walking out of the room. Charlie and Pietro waited about a minute before copying his actions. While the Man Out of Time went outside to get some fresh air, the couple found themselves sitting in the lobby of the Compound. They would never admit it aloud, but they both knew they were debating on whether they should even stay or go back to the farmhouse. That was until the Maximoff man spotted Steve talking to someone through the window. Shock coursed through his veins as he gently elbowed Charlie in the side and gestured to what was happening outside.

"Is that Tony?" Pietro asked while pointing to where the two men were talking.

A small smile instantly appeared on the Barton woman's face as soon as she spotted the billionaire. "Of course it's Tony. Luckily for us, he always wants to be part of the solution."

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