NOT CANON

(Takes place during "Tales From Another Timeline" from "Tales From Fallen Warriors")

Alex

This is fucking weird. I'm staring at myself, my younger self. He's sitting in a chair, his expression a little groggy because of the drugs still coursing through his system. He's looking at me with skepticism, like he doesn't trust what he's seeing. If I hadn't seen such weird shit in my life already I wouldn't trust this was real either.

"What the hell happens to me in the future? You look like a grunge Emporer Palpatine."

Wow, I really was a prick back then. It takes all my willpower not to give him a retort back. Instead I give him the honest answer: "During the Kree war a tank set off a blast that would have killed my husband. I pushed him out of the way. I got hit instead of him."

Other me doesn't show any regret for his comments, just nods. "Where is your husband now?"

"Outside with our parents. I'm sure he'll come in shortly, he wants to make sure you're alright."

He crosses his arms over his chest, his expression growing a little annoyed. "Is that why you're here? To check on me?"

I take a step closer to him. "That and I wanted to give you advice. Advice I ignored for a long time."

"I am waiting with baited breath." He says flatly. I ignore him.

"Stop doing that."

"Doing what?"

"This whole act," I take another step forward, making other me grow a little tense. "You're cold and harsh and angry. You don't trust anyone, you push everyone away, everyone who could possibly make you happy. You treat everyone like they're the enemy and give them no choice but to hate you. It's all a stupid act and you know it. Behind it all you're just a scared kid. You're too afraid to get hurt so you don't give anyone the chance to. And don't tell me I'm wrong, I'm literally you."

Other me doesn't say anything, just stares me down, his mask of indifference and annoyance slipping ever so slightly. I take this as my cue to continue.

"Getting hurt is apart of life. If you try to block it out, you'll block out all the good in life too. You'll never be happy. You'll always be alone."

"I don't mind being alone."

"Bullshit."

"Are you done yet? I'm getting a little tired of getting lectured by an ugly old man who talks about life and happiness like a naive toddler."

I don't hold back my retort this time. "Yeah? Well I'm tired of lecturing a petulant man child with anger issues. You could have everything, you could have a happy life despite what HYDRA did to you, but you sabotage any chance you get to claim that happy life. You're a coward."

The other me is getting angry, really angry. So angry he might shift, but I don't really care right now. His voice comes out at a growl as he says: "You have no idea—"

"I'm you, asshole, I have every idea of what I'm talking about. And don't even think about attacking me right now. You can't even control your shifting. Compared to me, you're a runt."

He lets out another growl, but suddenly stiffens, his eyes gravitating towards the door behind me. I glance over my shoulder and see Khari standing there. I have no idea how long he's been there, I didn't even sense him come in. The other me watches him the entire time he approaches us, his anger fading as curiosity sets in.

When Khari reaches my side, I slip my hand into his, welcoming the warmth and stability it provides me. "This is Khari Roberts-Chikere, my husband. Khari, this is younger me."

Khari smiles at him, his eyes filled with nothing but unconditional love. For a second I find myself feeling jealous of the other me. Khari steps forward, his hand slipping from mine, and pulls up a chair beside other me. Other me watches Khari the whole time, actually beginning to look a little scared of him, of his kindness and warmth. He knows that any attempt he makes to push Khari away won't work, I know because that's what scared me so much about Khari in the beginning. Khari saw through my mask and my walls, he saw the real me. He loved the real me. It was scary as hell.

"So you're the husband I've heard so much about." His voice is stiff and awkward.

Khari tilts his head in curiosity. "What has our daughter told you about me?"

"She said you're a lord and that you're a walking inspirational quote just like my sister is."

Ha. A walking inspirational quote. I'll have to remember that one for later.

Khari smiles softly at that, glancing at me briefly before settling his eyes back on other me, who tenses up as Khari leans forward, placing his hand over his.

"How are you feeling?"

"Confused."

"I meant physically."

"Fine."

"Why are you confused?"

Other me opens his mouth but abruptly shuts it, then he reconsiders and opens it again, asking an unexpected question: "Why did you fall in love with me? This other version I get, he's all open and feeling like you are, but he's only that way because of you. You fell in love with me, me like this. Why?"

Khari's hand tightens on his, his smile widening. "You make others see the worst of you, but even when you were showing me your worst, I saw that it was just a mask. I have always seen you, the real you. I have always seen your pure heart and soul. That's why I fell in love with you; because the real you, including every scar and every flaw, is beautiful and worthy of love."

Both of us have tear lined eyes as we stare at Khari, at this magnificent man who took a broken man and made him whole, who made him feel worthy of happiness and of the love he gave him. Of course I knew how much Khari changed me, but I don't think I really understood just how much until I talked with the past version of me, the version Khari fell in love with. He truly saved me. In every way a person can be saved.

A tear falls down other me's cheek, then another. Khari reaches his free hand up and wipes them away, his voice lowering as he says: "Love and happiness are worth any pain that may come your way. Your life is worth being lived fully. Your love is worth being given freely. Just remember that, alright?"

Other me nods, keeping silent. Khari squeezes his hand again, then places a kiss on his cheek, making other me flush red. Khari wipes another falling tear from his face, then whispers: "I love you, Alex Roberts. Any version of you."

He then smiles, gets out of his chair and takes my hand again, leading me towards the door. Other me is left utterly speechless, and honestly so am I. I give him no parting words, just a nod. He nods back, watching us as we exit his room, a glimmer in his eyes that isn't from tears. Confusion? Longing? Hope? Maybe all three?

He'll figure it out. I think no matter what he's feeling right now, Khari's words really struck him. They certainly struck me. When we exit his room and make it out into the hall, I give him a thorough kiss on the lips, only pulling back when he's left breathless, his gaze filled with a hunger that makes me blush as hard as the other me did.

"Thank you." It's a loaded statement. I'm not even sure what exactly I'm thanking him for. For everything I guess. Everything he made me, everything he gave me.

He rests his forehead against mine, taking in a deep breath, one filled with contempt and joy. "Any version of you." He repeats.

-

Soroya

"How are you feeling?" I ask the other me.

She's sitting on an office chair on the other side of the room, looking thoroughly exhausted but otherwise okay. She nods to me, gesturing for me to come closer to her. "I'm fine. How are the kids? And Bucky?"

"Completely fine," I grab onto another office chair and pull it up opposite her. She watches me sit down, looking fascinated and curious in the kind of way people are at the zoo: seeing something new and exciting that's so completely different from everything you know. "I wanted to thank you for looking after my kids and husband the last few days. You've kept them safe, I'm very grateful."

Other me now stares straight through me, her mind drifting into memory, a smile dancing across her lips. "The kids protected me and the others way more than we did them. They're incredible. You should be proud."

"I am. How are you taking that by the way? Taking all of this? I know time travel isn't an easy thing to swallow."

"That's putting it lightly," She chuckles softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her hair. I forgot I used to do that. Thank god I started cutting my hair and rectified that situation. "I think the hardest part was grasping that Bucky wasn't the man I thought he was. All I kept thinking about was—" She cuts herself off, sorrow cutting deep into her eyes, sorrow I know all too well.

"Julian. I know, when I started to see the real him, when I started to care about him, I felt like I was betraying Julian's memory. It was hard to see past all that, but it was worth it. He was worth it."

Other me's cheeks tinge pink. "Yeah, your kids have shown us many photos and videos of your life together. You're clearly very in love."

"We are. How does that make you feel?"

She contemplates the question for a few seconds before answering. "I don't know. I care about him, more than I thought I would, but it feels like there's an expectation now that he and I will be together. My whole life has been dictated and written for me. Now that I'm out of HYDRA...I want to be in charge of my own life. Does that make sense?"

"The last person you need to explain yourself to is me," I joke, giving her a smile, which she returns. "I completely understand, but I also think you shouldn't throw away a chance with Bucky because you think it's what's expected of you. You're no longer apart of our timeline, your future is your own to make, and I think that future will be happier with him apart of it."

Other me nods but says nothing. I take advantage of her silence to add: "There's something I think you should know about the future, or I guess it's more about the past. It's about Julian."

Other me waits patiently as I explain that Julian has a twin sister, that using her blood he was able to tamper with our serum enough to make it so our shifting was successful, that she's out there right now driven by vengeance and anger trying to hunt her down. It's hard to watch the emotions change on her face as she listens: horror, sadness, anger, and most of all betrayal.

"Julian lied to me." She whispers, tears lining her eyes.

I nod, remembering the pain I felt when I first learned this all those years ago. "He did, but that doesn't mean he cared about you any less. He still died for you. That's actually where Analiese's anger stems from. She believes he picked you over her. In my timeline she found me, kidnapped me, and experimented with my blood to find a cure for herself. Her powers didn't operate like ours, it was involuntary and very painful for her. That's contributed to her anger. But I escaped, my friends in Wakanda were able to find her a cure, and then she went to jail for over twenty years. Ironically, during her prison time we bonded. Today she's one of my best friends."

Other me quirks an eyebrow. "Really?"

I nod. "Yes, but it was a long and painful road to get there. Ana deserves to have that second chance at life and happiness. Zy'aire is trying to set up you and the others in Wakanda while the world hunts down all that remains of HYDRA, but once the heat dies down and you're all safe, you need to find Analiese."

Determination floods into her expression as she nods firmly. "I promise I will."

"You also need to find Jade Rosales, but she won't be hard to track down, she's at the same HYDRA base Alex was. That is unless someone moved her, but I doubt it."

"Whose Jade Rosales?"

"A close family friend. I'm sure the kids decided not to break her out when you broke Alex out because of her unstable powers, but I know it hurt them deeply to leave her behind. She's an aunt to them. She has the powers of molecular combustion. She was used as an executioner just like Alex was. She needs your help."

"Analiese Remington and Jade Rosales," Other me repeats, giving another firm nod. "I promise I will find both of them and help them any way I can."

I nod back and let out a sigh, beginning to stand up from my chair, but as I do so, I pause and ask: "Can you promise me one more thing?"

She gestures for me to continue, so I do. "People will tell you that having hope and believing the best in people is naive and stupid, but they're wrong. You're true strength is your compassion and your optimism. Never loose it, and never underestimate the power it gives you; the power to change people's lives for the better."

The corners of her lips quirk up. "I'm starting to see what everyone is saying when they say I'm like Sigmund Freud."

I grin at her. "Well from one Freud to another, I wish you luck."

She reaches forward and squeezes my hand, returning my grin. "You too."

I start heading towards the door, but before I touch the door handle, I hear the other me say: "Soroya?"

It's so strange hearing my voice call my own name. I raise my eyebrows inquisitively in reply.

"Thank you. For everything." She says this in German, her hand placed sincerely over her heart.

I do the same, and reply in German as well. "Of course."