*A/N I do not own Marvel or any of its characters, only my own OC. Story contains spoilers for the movies.

ARC 1: Infinity War

11 years ago

"No need to worry." The stranger said calmly. "We're safe… well safer."

Arianna remained tense, staring warily at the man who stood opposite her potential savior. The archer in question had finally turned away from her, moving his stance to be facing the new man. But despite the fact that the archer was no longer looking her way, Arianna's eyes still narrowed uneasily, disliking how she was sandwiched between the two men.

The man in the suit seemed to notice her discomfit, and he waved his hand. Immediately, the archer moved away, heading over to stand next to the body of Arianna's would-be killer while his superior addressed the teenage girl.

"Arianna Hart. My name is Phil Coulson. We would like to hire you. We would hire you as our computer technician officially, but we'd like to ask you to join our spy operations - specifically, strike team Delta. You'd work with Barton, here," Coulson nodded at the archer, "and one other person."

Arianna looked at the two men, weighing Coulson's words and their offer.

"Why me?" She asked a last, and Coulson smiled at her.

"We told you - you're what we need." He replied.

"But don't think we'll go easy on you because of that." Barton interjected. "You'll still need to train hard; the job's not easy and we'd be expecting you to put your life on the line every time. You're saving people, but it's from the shadows. I mean that. No coming home to a peaceful family life."

Arianna stood looking from one man to the other, contemplating the pros and the obvious cons of their deal. She glanced again at her would-be killer, the assassin sent to take her out simply because she showed potential to be a threat. Finally she thought about the good she could do, and she knew her decision was made. She took a deep breath.

"I'm in."

Present

Arianna stood quietly by the window to the small apartment, her gaze unfocused as she stared unseeingly out into the rain that pattered softly against every surface of the Dutch village.

Sometimes, it was so hard to believe it had already been over ten years since she had left her old life behind for a life of secrets, danger, and the supernatural. Ten years since she had shaken Phil Coulson's hand, trained under Clint Barton, and befriended the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff, herself. Six years since the Avengers Initiative had been rolled out. Six years since her life had been changed forever once more.

But it hadn't been just her life. The entire world had changed that day and continued to change since. No longer were alien attacks something out of fantasy or as shocking as that first Chitauri attack on New York had been. In just the past two years alone, Arianna had heard of the strangest rumours: a puzzling disaster event in Hong Kong that had been caught on a security camera two streets over, but strangely had not existed on the cameras on the actual street the disaster supposedly happened on; the craziness that had happened in New York that allegedly had to do with the boy Tony had brought to their fight at Leipzig airport (who was apparently known in New York circles as 'Spiderman'); and of course, there was T'challa's opening of his home country to the public eye after a brief but tragic civil war within the Wakandan king's borders.

Scrounging up such supernatural news had made her truly appreciate the possibility that Vision had been correct in suggesting that perhaps, by having their team thrust into the limelight, the Avengers had been a catalyst for the change. Yet as much as the world was changing and new, unprecedented threats appearing, there were just as many heroes (big and small) coming to light.

Arianna had been impressed with Scott Lang's story (after researching the full description of what had happened in San Francisco and reading between the lines of the 'official' statement regarding a scientific experiment gone wrong at Pym Technologies). But after becoming aware that heroes who hadn't been explicitly known to their team existed, Arianna had realized that there were far more said heroes than she could have imagined. Of course there was T'challa's Black Panther and the boy who called himself Spiderman, whom Steve and Sam had the pleasure (or displeasure in Sam's case) of meeting in Bucharest. And there was Thor out somewhere in the universe searching for the infinity stones, whatever those were. But there was also whoever had possibly saved Hong Kong; and Arianna was certain there were more that she hadn't even yet managed to get on her radar.

At the same time, what concerned her was the increasing reasons these hidden heroes were being forced to come to attention. Whatever had attacked Hong Kong had torn the city apart before it was somehow restored; the man that Spiderman had taken down had almost crashed Tony's jumbo jet into New York after failing to try steal all Tony's latest weapons technology; Wakanda had almost been led to start a war amongst all of humanity. And that was not even including all the evil Arianna had herself faced, whether human or not. Whether with Steve or not.

And now, they had a son to think about...

"You're worrying again."

A small smile found its way onto her lips as Arianna turned to look at the doorway to the single bedroom. Steve was leaning in the doorway after placing Jim to sleep in the bedroom, and a wry smile was on the Captain's own face as he watched his wife.

"Was I being that obvious?" Arianna joked, and Steve grinned.

"Let's just say if Nat had been here, she would have railed into you for letting your guards fall so much."

"And after all the training she and Clint put me through." Arianna smiled. "I'm a failure as a spy."

"But not as their sister." Steve observed. "Or my wife, and our son's mother."

Arianna's smile widened as Steve walked over. Placing his phone on the windowsill, he wrapped his arms around Arianna and pulled her close against his chest. Reaching up she played with the length of dark-blonde hair that threatened to fall into bright blue eyes, fingering the hair fondly before pushing it back for her husband and causing her wedding band to glint briefly on her left hand.

"It's getting too long." Steve sighed, and Arianna cocked her head thoughtfully.

"Maybe." She answered before kissing his cheek and giggling a little as his beard scratched against her chin. "But I like it. The rugged American look suits you, although I do kind of miss the star-spangled soldier thing you had going when I met you."

Steve snorted at her teasing before he caught her hand between his and moved it from his fringe to his lips where he pressed a soft kiss on her wrist. Arianna smiled but then sighed quietly.

Steve caught the small exhale of air, and he said softly, "We don't have to leave just yet."

"No," Arianna sighed again before giving Steve another small smile. "We've been here too long. I'm just a little tired of constantly moving especially since it takes Jim so long to settle down."

"I know." Steve murmured. "Barton clearly had the right idea buying a farm far away from everything and everyone where he could raise his family in peace. Maybe we should consider that as our next option."

"A quiet house in the middle of a cornfield, complete with white picket fence?" Arianna teased. "I'd likely go insane with boredom."

"Not once Jim starts to really run." Steve countered lightly. "Then it'll take all your training to keep up with him and stop him from the dangers of the tire swing we'll set up in the back."

Arianna laughed. Her gaze then softened and she placed her hand against Steve's cheek.

"You know, two years ago? I really would have gone crazy just thinking about that kind of quiet life." She murmured, and Steve's lips curved up into an understanding smile.

"But now..."

"Now, it doesn't sound so bad, does it?" Steve finished for her, and Arianna nodded.

"It's not just because of Jim, either." Arianna added. "I'm just… I'm tired of it. I'm tired of fighting and risking our lives, not knowing if we'll make it out together. I'm scared of the idea that Jim will one day wake up without one of us. But..."

"We can't stop either." Steve murmured, and Arianna nodded in agreement.

"The idea that something bad happens because we don't want to fight anymore? That terrifies me the most." She admitted. "The thought that people might suffer because I was selfish - it haunts me. And yet, I can't help but want to be selfish; to keep my family safe."

"I know." Stevee murmured, holding his hand against Arianna's on his cheek. "I've also felt it more since Jim was born. I want to fold up my suit and be there for my family. And with our situation being what it is, it would be so simple to do that - to disappear and just live by ourselves out in the country somewhere. But then I remember how we got here: I remember the people who were hurt, the people who died because we couldn't protect them. And I know I can't just sit by and let it happen."

"I guess there is no right answer." Arianna said wryly, and Steve smiled slightly.

"I thought spies loved the grey area." He joked lightly, and Arianna chuckled.

"Wives and mothers don't." She tossed back, and Steve grinned.

Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on Arianna's lips before he drew back and gazed seriously into her eyes.

"We'll figure it out - as long as we do it together." He promised, and Arianna nodded.

"As long as we're together." She agreed.

"I love you." Steve told his wife, and Arianna's smile widened.

"I-"

She broke off as she saw something flash on the television screen from the corner of her eye. Her attention captured, she placed her full focus on the picture that had appeared beside a breaking news headline, a growing coldness creeping up her spine as her brain processed what her eyes were telling her.

"What is it?" Steve asked, turning around to look at what had caught Arianna's attention.

He stilled as well, and Steve's expression became grim as he too stared at the news broadcast.

Arianna's eyes remained riveted on the dark brown gaze in the all-too familiar and somewhat painful to look at face of her ex-best friend. Beside the picture, the headline screamed: 'Tony Stark missing after chase into space: Will New York be facing another alien attack?'

"Tony..." Arianna whispered, and Steve tightened his hold around his wife.

"Looks like we're moving out after all." He said grimly. "I'll get Jim, you get the quinjet. We'll suit up on the way-"

Steve cut himself off as his phone started to ring. The couple stilled once more, before they both slowly turned to stare at the small flip-phone that sat on the windowsill. The small flip-phone that hadn't rung in almost one and a half years. The small flip-phone that Steve carried everywhere with him unless it was in the way of his wife and son.

The small flip-phone that theoretically only one person on Earth had the number to. And according to the news, that person was no longer on Earth.

Arianna turned her body, positioning herself to run to grab her son while Steve slowly leant over and picked up his phone. Snapping it open, he placed the phone against his ear and he kept his eyes locked with Arianna's as he answered carefully.

"Hello?"

*A/N And we are back! Thank you to everyone who waited so patiently for this, and I hope you're as excited as I am!