Hidden | Bucky Barnes

twenty nine

•••

Ellie sat opposite Tony, in the double bed he had moved into, Pepper having taken Harry somewhere, whilst the rest of the team had gone to space. When Rocket explained so casually that her best friends would go up into space, Ellie threw up, partly because she was pregnant and partly because she was terrified, she couldn't lose them.

"They're going to be fine." Tony reassured her, as she recalled her previous encounter. "If you're so worried why didn't you go with them?"

"Tony..." Ellie sighed, earning an annoyed groan from the older man.

"You're keeping something from me." He stated, looking her in the eyes.

"They told me that I couldn't have children, because of what HYDRA did to me. But then, when I found out I was pregnant, I was terrified, and that made me feel selfish, because I was scared of something I wanted but never thought I could have." Tony wasn't entirely sure where she was going with her story, however guilt filled him as she recalled her miscarriage that he blamed himself for.

"And then I found out I was pregnant with Harry, and I was scared. But I had James, and-and now, I don't have him, and I-I-can't d-do this on my own." Tears streamed down her face, as Tony pulled her into his side, wrapping his arms around her tightly, kissing her on the forehead.

"You're pregnant again." He concluded quietly, she nodded, her body wracked with sobs once more. "It's going to be okay, we've got you."

She didn't know how to do it without him, she needed him.

- - -

Ellie stood out the front of the avengers compound, covering her face as the bright lights of the ship blinded her. She breathed a sigh of relief as the plane touched the ground, they were alive.

The team walked down the ramp of the plane, looking solemn, Ellie pulled Natasha into her as she was visibly upset.

"What happened?" She breathed as they followed her back inside, her arm wrapped around her best friends waist. "Did you find them?"

"They're gone." Carol answered, "Thanos is dead."

"W-what do you mean they're gone?" She repeated. "Gone? As in destroyed?"

The blonde gave a small nod, "Destroyed." She confirmed.  Ellie sighed as Natasha walked off with Steve, Bruce, Rocket, and Nebula. "I'm sorry about your husband."

Ellie nodded with a sad smile, "Did you have a family?"

"It's complicated." Carol commented, "but yeah, I suppose I did. You're British?"

Ellie nodded, "Born and raised, moved over here when I was 18."

"Natasha said you were a S.H.I.E.L.D agent, before it fell of course."

"Fury recruited me when I was 16, was undercover for 5 years, officially joined when I was 21." Ellie watched as Carol's face fell slightly at the mention of fury's name. He knew what she meant to him and assumed the feelings were replicated. "He told me story's about you, he's very fond of you."

"You knew Fury?" Carol asked, a small smile fell onto her face as they conversed about their mentor.

"I did." She nodded, "I've known him half my life."

"Wow." The captain muttered, "That's a long time to put up with that asshole."

Ellie laughed, taking Harry off of Natasha who had just walked in with her wailing godson, the doorbell rang in the distance but Ellie ignored it as she knew someone else would get it.

"Thanks." Ellie told her, holding her son into her body.

"What's your sons name?" Carol asked her.

"Harry, he's named after my dad. Do you want to hold him?"

As she took the baby she replied, or began to but Carol was cut off by someone shouting.

"Ma'am you can't be here." She heard Rhodey argue.

"Rhodey she's okay." Steve nodded.

The two women immediately stood up walking into the kitchen where the shouting was coming from. They saw a woman hugging Natasha and a little girl behind her, whilst everyone else stood around confusedly.

"They're all gone." The woman sobbed into the Black Widows shoulder, the assassin had tears in her eyes.

"Auntie Ellie!" The Barnes woman immediately recognised the little girl as Elouise, her 3 and a half year old niece. The child ran into her arm, wrapping her small arms around her aunt and burying her face in her neck.

"Mum?" Ellie recognised the woman's voice, she lifted her head off Natasha's shoulder and stepped back a moment.

As she stated into her daughters eyes, Alison walked over to her daughter placing a shaky hand on Ellie's cheek.

"I-I thought you were-were dead." The older woman cried, Ellie sighed, taking her hysterical mother into her arms, being careful of the girl.

"It's okay, I'm alive." She never thought that she would be so relieved to see her mother.

"Mom." Rhodey nodded, Ellie turned her head to face him, her arms still around her mother. "Makes sense of why she was asking for Barnes."

"Why did you ask for James?" Ellie asked her mother as she sat her down on a chair in the kitchen, placing Elouise on her lap, a few of the people who had occupied the room walked away leaving Ellie, Elouise, Alison, Carol, Natasha and Steve.

"I went to your house and I couldn't find you-"

"You went to my house? When?"

"3 days after everyone disappeared, why?"

"That's when me and Natasha went looking for you." Ellie sighed with a tired laugh. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"It's okay love." Alison muttered into her daughters hair, composing herself slightly, as she struggled to find a way to ask her daughter if her husband and son were still alive.

"James is gone." The woman answered her mothers question.

"Jack and Olly are too."

"I know." Ellie muttered, glancing down at Elouise who rested her head upon her aunts chest.

"I don't know what to do, El." The older woman sighed.

"None of us do. There's no way to get them back."

"I'm sorry about your son, darling."

Ellie furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, realising that to her it looked like Ellie's son hadn't made it through the snap.

"What? He's fine, he's over there." She turned in her seat, pointing over at Carol who was no longer holding her son. "Oh wait, Nat has him. He's okay." Ellie reassured her mother, Natasha turning around so that Alison could see her grandson.

"They're all gone?"

Ellie gave her a sad nod, resting her head on top of Elouise's.

"Forever?"

"Forever."

- - -

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