LUCKY CHARM
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"You should never run out of ammo without realising you're about to," Sam said, after Sadie's shot at the target came up empty. "You gotta count your shots."

"I'm never going to be taking this many, though, Sam," Sadie sighed, putting the empty gun away in her utility belt and flexing her gloved hands. "I'm never going to use this gun on the field."

"As you've reminded me, fifty million times," Sam laughed. "But if you've gotta carry it, you've gotta know how to use it safely."

"No such thing," she said.

"You're right," he agreed, with a shrug. She wondered how they looked, all suited up on the grass. A casual Saturday afternoon at the Avengers Facility. "But you have to weigh it up when you're out there. Calculate. When you draw a gun, you accept responsibility for ending a life. But you have to decide whether yours, or the person you're protecting, is more important."

"That's terrible."

"It is, but it's reality. In this job, most times your opponent isn't worth the shit on your shoe," Sam said. He paused for a moment, as if thinking of what to say. She wondered if Steve had told him about her guilt the previous week, tried not to let it show on her face. Eventually, Sam spoke. "You're an Avenger. A good one. Protecting people is in your job description. You don't have to feel any type of way about it."

Their debate was interrupted by a simultaneous beep from two devices- Sadie's smart watch and Sam's... well, she could never figure out what bit of tech the soldier was using at any given time.

"Intruder on the roof," Sam clarified, as she read the alert on her screen. "We're the only ones on duty."

"You wanna give me a lift?" Sadie grinned, and Sam rolled his eyes but complied, supporting her spine and neck as he carried her for the short ride onto the roof. So short, in fact, it felt more like a large leap than a flight. As he dropped her though, Sadie made sure not to underestimate their speed and to roll on her landing- she wouldn't be any use with broken legs.

"What's going on down there, Sam?" Sadie could hear the voice through Sam's communicator, but it was a little too muffled for her to identify.

"You see anything?" Sam asked her, and she looked out in front of them, frowning at the underwhelming view.

"Just gravel and sky," Sadie shrugged. "Maybe it was a glitch."

"I had a sensor trip but I'm not seeing anything," Sam said into his communicator, which was somehow in his wrist as opposed to his ear- Sadie would have to speak to someone about the fact it seemed she had all the slowest tech. "Wait a second."

"What?" Sadie asked, as Sam scanned their surroundings.

"There's someone here," he answered, and she almost laughed.

"What are you talking-"

"I can see you," Sam said, to thin air, and thin air suddenly turned into a man. Sadie took a step back, astounded as to where the intruder had appeared from. Had he been there the entire time, invisible?

"Hi, I'm Scott," the man said, after opening up his helmet. Sadie felt even more confused, started to wonder if this was all a prank.

"Scott who?" she questioned.

"Long- I mean Lang, Scott Lang," he answered, and she conducted a search of his name through her smart watch.

"Where did he come from?" Sadie asked, taking a defensive stance, despite the warm introduction.

"He was real small a second ago," Sam said, never taking his eyes off him. "What are you doing here?"

"First off, I'm a big fan," Scott said, simply. Sadie couldn't understand his casualness. "Of both of you- all of you, actually."

"Thanks," Sadie said, but it wouldn't be enough to let her guard down. No matter how much this man pandered to her ego. She skimmed the search results she'd come up with.  "But you're a criminal, a thief."

"Not anymore," Scott said. "I mean, kinda not anymore. It was always more of a Robin Hood sorta situation anyway-"

"Who the hell are you?" Sam asked, firmly.

Scott shifted his demeanor slightly, lowered his voice, and said so seriously Sadie could have laughed, "I'm Ant-Man."

"Ant-Man?" Sam repeated, a smile on his face.

"What, you haven't heard of me?" Scott asked, shaking his head. "No, you wouldn't have heard of me."

"Look, Ant-Man," Sadie said. "You seem like an alright guy besides the convictions. But you gotta realise you're trespassing."

"So, you want to tell us what you want?" Sam asked, his voice still incredibly firm, and his stance still threatening.

"You guys have a great good-cop, bad-cop routine," Scott grinned, but his smile fell when nobody laughed. "I was hoping I could grab a piece of technology? Just for a few days, I'm gonna return it. I need it to save the world. You know how that is."

"I know exactly how that is," Sam said, with a glance at her, and they came to an unspoken agreement. They couldn't let this stranger walk away with any of their equipment. They walked forward, enough space between them to work, not enough for Scott to escape. "Located the breach. Bringing him in."

"Sorry about this," Scott shouted, as Sam moved to grab him, and in an instant he had disappeared again, and Sam was flying backwards into the field.

Sadie instantly launched into a sprint, leaping down to the ground via the emergency staircase, again landing in a roll to avoid injury.

"Breach is an adult male who has some sort of shrinking tech," Sam explained via the communicators. She scanned the grounds to find him a moment later, firing at thin air, apparently fighting blind.

She would be fighting blind too, she knew, which was why she was relieved to arrive at a point where Scott Lang was at his full size, and so she threw herself into the fight, working with Sam to knock him down but the man was too fast, even for the two of them.

Sadie let her hands glow as Sam launched the man into the air, before she aimed blasts of light at their intruder, but there was no use in even that, as Scott had shrunk and disappeared again.

"Sorry!" she heard a voice over her shoulder, but could see no one there, only for it to be followed by a force that felt like a kick to the chest, knocking her off her feet. "I don't want to hurt you, but you nearly took me out just then!"

"Thank me later," Sam exclaimed, charging forward just as Scott returned to his full size again, and tackling the man to the ground. It was only a moment though, before Scott had the upper hand, as he shrunk away yet again.

Sadie jumped to her feet, eager to help, but she was even blinder than Sam was, and her fall caused her to lose her bearings, having no clue where the 'Ant-Man' was.

"He's in that shelter," Sam said, casually lifting her again as they approached the dark storage space, the door shutting right behind them.

"We're in a really compromised position right now, Sam," Sadie said quietly, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dark. "Perfect spot for an ambush."

"Nah, this is just one guy, I can tell. When he comes, I'll see him," Sam said, but suddenly Sadie was knocked off her feet again, feeling force that she couldn't keep track of.

"You were saying?" Sadie said, trying to get up.

"I gotta admit, my daughter loves you Doctor Moore, you're America's sweetheart right now," Scott's voice sounded, as she struggled to move. She could see no one, but felt a full man's weight on her. "But please, just stay down."

"Sam, you wanna help? He's right here," she shouted, but the weight was already gone, and Sam was crashing through the shutters, letting a flood of light in as she watched the jerky movements of his wings as he soared away, clutching at his pack.

"He's inside my pack!" Sam shouted through the comms, as Sadie rushed out after him to no avail- he was so far away now, and crashing.

She sprinted forward, knowing she couldn't reach him but she could maybe break his fall, let her hands glow ready to cast a forcefield beneath him. When he did drop, she was ready, the blue light extending across the field to catch him as she rushed over, but Sam was already back on his feet, panting heavily.

"He's scrambled my system," Sam said, removing his mask. "And he took something, I don't know what."

"We'll get the technicians to run through the inventory," Sadie said, gently. Sam didn't respond to that, raising his radio once more and speaking into it, but the words were directed at her too.

"It's really important to me that Cap never finds out about this," he said, and Sadie let out a loud laugh.

"Hey, it's between us," she agreed. "I got my ass beat too, didn't I? Let's just pray that guy's serious about saving the world."

~

There were no familiar faces apart from Tony at the EBME Paris Expo, and he didn't count since they were there together. There were people she recognised, of course, faces and names, but she couldn't slide in and mingle with the crowd like she used to be able to at these things.

Sadie never thought she'd admit this sort of thing to herself, but she was looking forward to seeing Doctor Strange, the only other New Yorker on the guest list, and someone she could hold a conversation with at the very least.

In truth, she knew the talk she and Tony were to give in thirty minutes would be the event of the night, and G.E.M.I.N.I would blow any other inventions at the Electronic Biomedical Engineering Expo out of the water. So she'd hoped Strange would be here, and she could rub it in, remind him of how much he'd underestimated her at the start of her career.

Of course, the neurosurgeon hadn't showed up.

And Sadie didn't want to stick too close to Tony either- she knew he wouldn't mind if she did, but she simply wasn't about to burden him with her own anxiety. It was always the same interactions at these things. Grey faced doctors who all insist they 'recognise' each other, but 'can't put their finger on it', as opposed to the embarrassing alternative: admitting that they all highly admire each other and know all about the other person's work, and are simply desperate to hold them as a contact.

The problem was, Sadie didn't fall so easily into that etiquette. If there was somebody whose work she admired, she couldn't keep it to herself. She'd let the whole thing spill out without her thinking, and people rarely took it for the positive intent that it was.

At least, not until they realised who she was, and then if was back to that old trick- 'yes, I thought I recognised you Doctor Moore, I just couldn't put my finger on it!"

Now, she sat at the bar, champagne in one hand, flashcards in the other, and her phone pressed to her ear. She was calling the one woman she always did in a crisis.

"You've got this," Shan said, her voice stronger than last time Sadie had heard it.

"Do I?" she laughed, staring at the notes she'd memorised.

"I saw you working so hard for most of this year. Of course you do," her mother said, firmly. "Have I gotta do the routine again?"

"No, you don't-"

"Stop lying, I know you called for the routine," Shan said. "Alright, Shelly-girl. Do you know why I gave you your name?"

"Yes," she smiled, her heart filled with warmth. Already she was much more relaxed.

"Do you really? Because if you did, you wouldn't doubt yourself for one second," Shan said. "Isadora means a gift from Egyptian goddess Isis- it's a reminder, that no matter what the world tells you about who you are, or what your heritage is, that there is power in your blood. And Michelle-"

"Michelle was your sister's name," Sadie said.

"Ah, so you remember one thing at least," Shan laughed. "She was the fiercest woman I know, but I think you may be close to stealing that title. She was smart and caring and she always persevered. Does that remind you of anyone?"

Sadie stayed quiet for a moment. The truth was, it did remind her of herself, and all because of the woman her mother had raised her to be. 

"It's all because of you, Mom," she said, honestly, only to hear her mother's familiar cackle down the phone. "I owe you everything."

"Oh, I know, you don't have to tell me," Shan said. "The women in our family are strong. We excel at everything we do. So are you going to get on that stage and pitch your work like nothing's ever been pitched before?"

"Yeah, Ma, yeah I am," Sadie grinned. "I'll see you tomorrow evening, I love you."

~

Sadie already knew that her mother was her lucky charm, but finishing the talk, and seeing the figures right after- investments going through the roof, calculated profits increasing and hearing Tony's congratulatory words- "you're rich, Sadie!"- all of it only consolidated that truth for her.

Shan Moore was a lucky charm.

The hard work of the year had paid off, and as summer died down, Sadie had never been more hopeful for the New Year than as she walked off that stage. Knowing that she would never have to worry about Shan's medical bills, and that once her mother had recovered, she would finally be able to buy her a home of her own. Make up for the one she'd destroyed in that fire four years ago.

If Sadie didn't love her work so much, she'd be able to take an early retirement by the time she's forty if she invested this money right- she could donate more than ever to charities, and help her old community. And she had to get the good news to Cho, indefinitely. The geneticist's cut would be more than enough to rebuild U-Gin after Ultron's ransacking of the company.

Everything was falling into place again.

Sadie was floating on air as she made her way towards the dressing rooms, hearing the loud stomp of her heels echoing through the empty corridors as she grinned widely with pride. Her phone began to ring in her pocket, and so she pulled it out, smiling even wider when she saw the name on the screen.

"Hey Steve," Sadie answered, the thrill of the talk still rushing through her.

"Hey. How'd it go?" he asked her, and she shook her head, unable to keep the smile off her face despite knowing he couldn't see it through the phone.

"Oh, God, it was amazing. I'll tell you all about it when I get to the States," Sadie laughed, pacing back and forth in the corridor. She could still hear the crowd in the hall, the murmurings and chatter. There was noise in the background of Steve's line too. "You in a bar or something?"

"Not quite," he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice too. "But we could always go to one if you wanted."

"Yeah, sure, if you wanna make it to Europe by the time I reach the dressing room," Sadie scoffed, and he laughed down the line.

"You were very charismatic tonight, Sadie," Steve told her, making her heart flutter. She was so used to compliments from him, it seemed, that it took a moment to realise what he'd said.

"Wait," Sadie gasped, still smiling. "You're here?"

"You caught me," he said, in mock defeat, and she was too thrilled to be embarrassed by the happy shriek she let out. "I'm in the lobby."

"You are... You're just so- I'm speechless," she said, as she let herself into the dressing room, gathering her things. "I mean, I shouldn't be, 'cause you fly places all the time but, like, you came all this way, to a conference full of doctors and engineers-"

"My favourite kind of people."

"Right. And you sat through a fifty minute talk, Steve-"

"It's interesting stuff!"

"Only 'cause I say so," Sadie responded. "Honestly, you came all this way for this?"

"I didn't," Steve said, as if he was admitting a flaw. "I'll be honest, these aren't my favourite kind of people. I've already had four surgeons ask if I can donate some time for exploratory surgery."

"Don't agree. They wanna dissect you," Sadie said, simply. "You're a very interesting case, Captain America."

"Yes, and you made sure I knew it the day I met you," he reminded her.

"I didn't pull any punches, huh? Medical vulture that I am," she said, although she wasn't ashamed of it.

"Right."

"You're not meant to agree!"

"Right," Steve said again, quickly. "I didn't come for the people or the talk, I came for you. So, come down to the lobby, skip the start of whatever party Tony's got planned, and get dinner with me," Sadie must have stayed silent a beat too long, because he added, hesitantly: "If you want."

"Wow, dinner in Paris, is this a date?" Sadie blurted, and she was shocked at herself. The applause earlier must have made her lose all inhibition.

"Yeah," Steve answered. She didn't think he could make her heart jump any higher, but as usual, she was wrong. "Exactly."

"I hope you're wearing somethin' nice," Sadie grinned, taking her bag in her hand, halting for a moment at the door. "I heard there's a couple great spots by the Seine."

"I got a place in mind. I'll see you in a sec," Steve's smooth voice was followed by the beep of her phone as the call ended.

Sadie could feel a constriction in her throat as her heart welled up inside her, felt a sudden impossibility to keep still. She checked her hair (slicked back in the neatest bun) and her lipstick (a blue-toned red to make her teeth brighter) and strode out of her dressing room once she was satisfied.

Sadie paused as she closed the door. She closed her eyes, noted her shallow breathing, the involuntary tapping of her foot, and she knew where all of this overspilling energy was coming from. She hadn't had this much energy in months, it was as if there was too much for her body to contain, like the filling up of a well inside her and she had to empty some of the water before it all overflowed, and made a mess of her night.

So, Sadie turned back on her heel, re-entered the dressing room, and allowed herself a brief moment to squeal into a cushion, reapply her lipstick, and jump up and down exactly ten times. Before she could launch into a proper happy dance though, her phone buzzed in the discrete pocket of her dress.

STEVE
Still okay to come out? -s.

SADIE
YES. Just sorting out some files. Be patient ;)

It didn't take Sadie long at all to reach the lobby, although it would have been much quicker if people wouldn't stop her every metre asking where they can purchase G.E.M.I.N.I and the other innovations, and she told them all the same thing- 'there's an online catalogue, or you can ring our distribution department at the number on your pamphlet- oh, you enjoyed the talk? Thank you!'

It didn't take her long to find Steve in the crowd- never took her long to find him anywhere. He stood at the edge of the room, leaning against the wall in what she assumed was an attempt to be inconspicuous. The light from the crystal chandelier reflected from the glass he held in his hand, and she found herself taking in every detail of him, from the material of his navy suit, to the smooth styling of his hair- just how she liked it best.

Sadie caught his eye from across the large and crowded hall, she smiled and waved. He smiled back, of course, pushing off the wall as they walked closer to each other. In his hand, a bouquet a flowers- bright and yellow. Daffodils, always her favourite.

But in a sudden moment, the smile he shared with her fell, and he surged forward, despite still being so far away. Sadie frowned, letting out a confused laugh, but as her expression questioned his sudden panic, her body felt the answer, and her laugh stopped dead in her throat.

A waiter had brushed past, tripping into her and gripping her shoulder as if to steady himself, but Sadie knew where his free hand was, could feel a sharp punch to her abdomen. The room around her was unchanged, people still mingled casually around them. The waiter kept himself close, didn't move his fist from where he'd punched her, and they were the only two people left around.

Suddenly, Sadie couldn't breathe.

"You're not as beautiful as I thought you'd be," the young man said, his voice coated in an Italin accent. His hand drifted to her face, he outlined the line of her jaw, traced the gelled baby hairs she'd laid so meticulously.  "You met my father a month ago. And you know, he had his own sayings, but I got a bit of wisdom for you, Aceso."

He leaned in close to her, and she could see Steve in the crowd, being held back by four members of security, two more pointing guns at him, Tony trying to talk security down. The crowd watched on at Steve's arrest, but Sadie couldn't as much make a sound. It was like her diaphragm wasn't working.

None of this made sense- why were they stopping him? Why not help her?

"He used to say cut off one head, and two more take its place. I'm sure he said it to you before he died..." the man whispered in her ear like a lover. He twisted his fist, and she felt her stomach churn. "But I'm more a fan of the phrase 'an eye for an eye'. And this here?" -another twist- "This feels more than holy."

Sadie was holding on to him tighter than she'd ever held onto anyone. An instinct, to keep this stranger close, stop him from moving, even if she hadn't consciously processed this. If he pulled away, it was over. She couldn't afford to let him move.

But then the man was gone, and the security across the room were lowering their guns, releasing Steve from their grip as if on queue. Sadie moved her hand to her stomach, and it wasn't until she felt the hot, unmistakable liquid that she realised what had happened, and the searing pain began.

She hadn't been punched at all. She dropped to her knees, as Steve reached her, grasping her crimson hands and supporting her fall. Blood soaked into his white shirt quicker than any stain she'd ever seen as he pressed onto the source of the pain firmly, but she couldn't focus on what he was saying.

It was only a moment later, when she heard a faint voice of a woman near her that she truly understood it all.

"Doctor Moore, you've been stabbed..."

...
..
.

oops!

hiya guys!! Hope you enjoyed that wild ride of an update, and sorry in advance for any trauma caused but LMAO YALL REALLY THOUGHT I'D GIVE YOU A STADIE DATE??? You should've known it was too good to be true lmaooo

I had a lot of fun with this update, it felt very fast paced and I cut out a more filler than usual but I'm SO happy I did! Sorry to leave you all on a cliffhanger as well but it's my fave thing to do

Let me know what you all think! I love hearing from you ❤️

-Amber.