─ FIVE YEARS LATER ─

── ☆ ──

Alessia stood silently by the window as she watched the sunrise, she let out a shaky breath hearing someone walk into the room. "Are you alright?" Steve's voice caught her attention. She nodded slightly before focusing back on the rising sun. "Five years Steve. It's been five years since we finally found Thanos and killed him..." Alessia spoke with a saddened expression. "But five years since you saw..." Steve trailed off before looking out the window.

"He wouldn't want you drowning in your thoughts," Steve spoke up after a few minutes of silence. "Let's see if Nat has anything new," Alessia spoke up before walking away, finding Nat in the main room with tears. "I'd offer to cook you dinner but you seem sad enough already," Steve spoke up as the two walked into the room. Nat turned to Alessia and Steve with a deep breath. "Come by to do your laundry?" Nat teased making Alessia smile softly.

"And see a couple of friends," Steve added as he looked from Nat to Alessia, resting his arm around her shoulders. "Well, your friend's are fine," Nat responded dejectedly, Alessia sighed in response before stepping away from Steve and looking up at the holographic scenes running through an endless list of names who had disappeared in the snap. "She leaves the house today?" Steve asked in hopes to convince both women to leave the compound.

"Nothing out there I particularly want to see," Nat answered as she looked to Alessia. Alessia was creating little energy balls in her hand as a focus on anything other than the name that rolled by. "I spotted a pod of whales coming over the bridge," Steve spoke as he sat on the edge of the desk. "In the Hudson?" Nat pondered. "Fewer ships, cleaner water," Alessia spoke up with a small smile, she didn't mind nature taking its natural course over its land and ocean.

"Just saying, there's still a world out there," Steve teased as he looked to Nat. "If you're about to tell me to look on the bright side. I'm about to hit you with a peanut butter sandwich," Nat answered back making Alessia chuckle as she turned to them, "Say it please, I wanna see that happen." Steve shook his head with a smile as Nat winked at Alessia before they fell into momentary silence as they do anytime they had the smallest bit of fun.

"Sorry. Force of habit," Steve spoke up in reference to Nat's earlier words. "I don't know how you do it," Nat leaned back in her seat as Steve bites into the uneaten half of Nat's sandwich. "I guess I don't know how not to do it," Steve responded after he swallowed the food. "It's not a bad thing, Steve. We appreciate it," Alessia said as she closed her eyes thinking back to better days. "I keep telling them, move on. Grow past it. And some of them actually do. But not us," Steve spoke honestly to both women.

"If we move on, who does this?" Nat asked as she pointed to the screens in front of them. "Maybe it doesn't need to be done," Steve answered back causing both women to look at him. Alessia looked around the Avengers Compound before shaking her head and looking down. "I used to have nothing. Then I got this. This job, this family. And I was better because of it," Nat spoke before a quiet sob left her lips before she collected herself with a slow breath.

"And even though they're gone, I'm still trying to be..." Nat spoke only for Alessia to finish the sentence for her, "Better." Steve nodded at her words, his gaze landing on Alessia who was twisting the ring on her finger. She wanted her husband back, she needed him back. "I think we all need to get a life," Steve spoke up with a smirk. "You first," Nat teased as she looked at Steve. Alessia smiled before turning her head to the screens when she heard a ping.

Nat swipes to a CCTV display where Scott Lang's face fills a screen causing Alessia's eyes to widen. "He's on the snap list," Alessia spoke softly. "Hello? Is anyone home? This is, uh, Scott Lang? We met a few years ago. At the airport?" Scott's voice carried through the speaker. "This an old message?" Steve asked Nat. "It's the front gate," Alessia spoke before rushing down to let him into the compound, this was the next step to bring everyone back.

── ☆ ──

Scott was pacing the room, Nat was sitting in the chair while Steve stood with his arms crossed and Alessia sat on the desk with her legs crossed watching Ant-Man pace back and forth as he processed Alessia's explanation about the snap and what had happened. He began mumbling to himself causing Steve and Nat to look at each other while Alessia just watched Scott, she could tell that he was coming to terms with everything.

"Scott, are you okay?" Steve asked. "What? Yes!" Scott replied before looking at Alessia who sent him a small smile in reassurance. "Have either of you guys ever studied quantum physics?" Scott asked the three. "I didn't study it but I have an understanding," Alessia explained before forming an energy ball in her hands. "Some of the energy I build within my cells is from the quantum realm in order to keep it stable," Alessia explained before letting the energy fade out.

"Well, five years ago, just before this Thanos guy... I went into a place called the Quantum Realm. It's like its own microscopic universe. You can only get there if you're incredibly small," Scott rambled on in explanation. "Hope, she's my... she was supposed to pull me out. But then Thanos happened. And I was stuck in there," Scott finished off looking between the three Avengers who he honestly admired more than most.

"I'm sorry. It must've been a long five years," Nat apologised but Alessia shook her head. "Actually, that's not how the Quantum Realm works," Alessia spoke before nodding to Scott who was getting excited. "Exactly! It wasn't. For me, it was only five hours. The rules in the Quantum Realm aren't like out here. They're completely unpredictable," Scott explained to Nat and Steve who were paying full attention to the man. "Is anybody gonna eat that sandwich?" Scott then asked, Nat pushed it forward and Scott dived for it.

"Scott, what are you talking about?" Steve asked as he looked from Alessia to Scott. "Time works differently in the Quantum Realm," Scott explained in English words for the super soldier and the assassin. "Problem is, right now, it's chaos, there's no way to navigate it. But what if we could figure out a way to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time... and come out in another. Like, before Thanos--" Scott explained with a wide grin.

Steve stood up straight, "Wait... wait. Scott. Are you talking about a time machine?" Alessia smiled before shaking her head. "No, not a machine. More like a... Yeah, like a time machine. I know it sounds crazy," Scott spoke before frowning slightly. "Scott, I get emails from a raccoon. Nothing's crazy anymore," Natasha explained to Scott. "So, who do we talk to about this?" Scott asked causing a smile to grace Alessia face as she turned to Nat and Steve. "Take him to the man, I gotta make a few calls," Alessia told them before leaving the room.

── ☆ ──

Author Note
Help me decide

Do we want a happy ending for Alessia and Bucky?

Or do we want a sad ending?

-Rose <3
{1310}