Bree:

Plane

The plane was high in the sky now.

Steve and Bree hopped off the wheels onto a platform walkway.

They saw missiles labeled Chicago and New York City. Missiles that had to be flown and triggered manually.

Hydra agents ran down the walkway.

Bree flipped down from a rafter to kick Hydra Agent 1 in the back, making him fall.

Hydra Agent 2 drew a knife, trying to stab Bree. Bree raised her staff to block the move, punching him in the stomach, making him double over in pain, kicking Hydra Agent 3 who stood behind him.

Hydra Agent 1 stood, running away. Bree threw her staff toward Hydra Agent 1, embedding the point of the curve into his back, making him fall dead. She held her electromagnetic gloved hand toward the staff to bring it back to her hand.

Hydra Agent 2 tried to punch Steve. Steve raised an arm to block the move.

Hydra Agent 3 got into the Chicago missile, opening the floor beneath him to allow himself to fly out.

Hydra Agent 1 fell through the opening in the plane.

Hydra Agent 2 tried to punch Steve. Steve ducked, punching him in the face. Hydra Agent 2 tried to punch him. Steve ducked, kicking him in the legs, making him fall to his knees, picking him up, throwing him out of the opening in the plane.

The New York City missile was preparing to take flight.

Steve looked at Bree. "Go get Schmidt. I got this."

Bree nodded, running off.

Steve jumped onto the missile, looking at the Hydra agent inside.

The Hydra agent flew the missile out of the plane, into the sky.

Steve clung to the top of it for dear life.

The Hydra agent waved the missile around in a failed attempt to throw Steve off. Instead, he raised it completely in an attempt to make him fall back into the blades. Steve managed to keep a strong hold on to the missile to stay alive, ripping open the lid to the missile, pulling the Hydra agent out of the pilot seat, into the blades, watching as they shredded him into nothing within a second. He got into the pilot seat, closing the lid, flying the missile in front the plane.

Red Skull could see Steve flying the missile, trying to shoot him with blue blasts.

Steve evaded the shots by flying out of the way. He went to dispose of the missile before the shots would activate and explode around him, leaving the airplane behind.

✯

Cockpit

Bree entered the cockpit, unable to see Red Skull.

Suddenly, Red Skull emerged from behind her, aiming a blue blast gun at her. Anticipating the attack, Bree spun her staff, using the hooked end as a shield to deflect the blast into the plane's wall, creating a hole.

"You never give up, do you?" Red Skull inquired.

With a dramatic, mocking sigh, Bree responded. "Never."

Red Skull attempted another shot, but Bree parried with her staff, sending the blast off course and hurling the staff at him, its hook embedding in his shoulder, forcing him to drop the weapon. Using her electromagnetic glove, she summoned the staff back to her grasp.

Advancing on Red Skull, Bree swung her staff, which he narrowly avoided. She then hooked his leg, destabilizing him. In retaliation, Red Skull landed two punches on her face and aimed a kick, which Bree countered by entangling his leg with her staff and yanking it away, sending him spinning to the ground.

Bree lifted Red Skull, pinning him against the wall with the staff at his throat, the hook's point threatening his neck. He resisted, the tip perilously close to piercing his skin, until he managed to kick Bree away and tackle her to the ground. They both rose from a crouched stance, ready to continue the fight.

Bree struck Red Skull in the face with the staff, the curved point slashing his face deeply and causing him to bleed and turn away. She then used the staff to hold Red Skull from behind, pressing it against his throat. In response, Red Skull rammed her against the table where the Tesseract stone was kept, causing her to fall and lose grip of the staff.

Red Skull seized the staff. As Bree got to her feet, Red Skull attacked, swinging the staff at her. Bree lifted her arm to defend herself. Red Skull then pushed the staff against Bree's throat, pinning her to the table. Bree retaliated with a headbutt and a kick to his groin, forcing him to release her and stumble back, hitting the plane's controls in the process.

The plane began to nosedive, throwing both Bree and Red Skull around the cabin.

Eventually, Red Skull reached the controls, steadying the plane and restoring smooth flight.

Bree rose to her feet.

Red Skull walked weakly toward Bree, aiming his blue blast gun at her. "You could have the power of the gods. Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations. I have seen the future, Star. There are no flags."

"Not my future," Bree told him.

Red Skull attempted to fire at Bree. She executed a somersault to evade, seeking shelter behind a wall as a blast whizzed by.

Bree hurled her staff, spinning it horizontally towards Red Skull, aiming to skewer him with the hook.

Red Skull stooped swiftly, causing the staff to strike the table where the Tesseract Stone lay. The staff's hook grazed the stone, leaving a fissure before clattering to the floor.

Consequently, the Tesseract Stone was left with a fracture.

Red Skull stood, picking up the stone. "What have you done?"

The plane seemed to vanish around Red Skull, as visions of the Nine Realms danced in the light, a rainbow portal stretching past an observatory and into space, much to the shock of Bree as she saw it all.

The visions sped up until they blurred, until the cube vibrated violently. Red Skull looked worried, knowing something was wrong.

Blue energy shot from the cube in small bursts, ricocheting off the ceiling and striking Red Skull, starting to consume him whole as the Tesseract went nova, making him scream. A massive column of energy shot toward space in a long stream, growing in intensity until it exploded outwards, evaporating the clouds, and taking Red Skull with it, shooting him into the sky through the stream until he disappeared entirely. Light glared through the cockpit windows.

Suddenly, once Red Skull was gone, the power of the Tesseract stopped instantly, making the light fade to darkness, and leaving everything as it was before, almost like it never happened at all, as the plane continued to fly.

The cube fell to the floor.

Bree took a step toward it hesitantly, but before she could get close to it, the plane banked violently, as its engine was roaring.

The cube glowed briefly as it disintegrated the floor underneath it just enough so that it fell through the plane floor, and out into the open skies outside.

Bree was breathing heavily in shock, not knowing what had just happened or what to do about it. She picked up her staff from the floor, walking toward the pilot seat to fly the plane, which of course she knew little to nothing about, thanking that the plane was in autopilot for the moment. She saw that the target was still set on New York City, and that the plan was still in action.

Didn't matter that the missiles were no longer on board.

The plane itself was the weapon.

✯

Amara:

Hydra Base - Outside

Steve had just landed the New York City missile at a safe landing place, where he had met up with the other soldiers, Peggy, Amara and Phillips.

Technical soldiers were dismantling the missile.

They heard Bree's voice over the radio. "Come in. This is Bree Rogers. Do you read me?"

Morita answered the radio. "Star, what's your--"

Steve took the radio from him to talk to his sister. "Bree, are you all right?"

"Steve, Schmidt's dead," Bree told him.

"What about the plane?" Steve asked.

Bree was trying to figure out how to stop the target, unable to. "That's a little bit tougher to explain."

"Give me your coordinates," Steve told her. "We'll find a safe landing site."

"There's not gonna be a safe landing, Steve," Bree told him. "But I can try to force it down."

"I'll get Howard on the line," Steve told her. "He'll know what to do."

"This thing's moving too fast, and it's heading for New York," Bree told him. "I got to put her in the water."

Steve was taken aback by the suggestion, shaking his head in denial. "Bree, please don't do this. We have time. We can work it out."

"Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere," Bree told him. "If I wait any longer, a lot of people are going to die."

There was a long, somber, sad moment of silence.

Every soldier, Peggy, Amara and Phillips were stunned into silence.

Bree had tears in her eyes. "Steve, this is my choice." She hesitated, breathing shakily, pulling out her compass, opening it to look at the photo of herself, Bucky, Alec, Alyssa and Steve. She placed the compass in front of her to look at the entire time. She started to fly the plane down. "Steve?"

"I'm here," Steve told her.

"I'm sorry," Bree told him.

Steve had tears in his eyes, nodding. "I know."

Bree started to cry silently, holding her engagement ring-clad hand over her heart like she had done when saying goodbye to the boys at the docks before the war. She used the words she had said goodbye for Steve. "And know though you'll know no one in your company, you'll never be alone. I'll be with you."

Steve put his hand over his heart to finish. "In here."

Steve and Bree were both crying silently.

"I love you, brother," Bree told him, grabbing her compass, and putting it back into her pocket, holding onto her compass pendant necklace. "Amara?"

Amara walked closer. "I'm here, Bree."

"Promise that you'll both take care of Alyssa," Bree said, her voice cracking. "I couldn't make the promise that I would make it back, but that we would try everything in our power to. But this is out of our hands now. I need her to know how much I love her. And that she'll be okay and taken care of."

"She will," Amara agreed somberly, taking a deep breath with tears in her eyes, already grieving the loss of her friend. "I'll take care of Alyssa, no matter what."

Peggy nodded in agreement, swallowing. "We both will."

Bree relaxed slightly at that, nodding. "Thank you, Peggy."

"It's the least we could do," Peggy told her, upset and emotional.

Soon, Steve could only hear static. "Bree?"

Everyone knew what the static meant.

The soldiers, Peggy, Amara and Phillips were sympathetic and sad, having lost another of their friends.

Steve was despaired, trying to keep from crying any further while in front of them. "Bree?" The remains of the plane were in the water, drowning Bree along with it. Steve still had his hand over his heart. "I love you... Sister."

Bree was not completely in the water. Her head and chest were above. She had her eyes closed, whispering what Bucky used to tell her to calm her nerves so she wouldn't be afraid, believing that she would see Bucky and Alec, and her parents again. "'And there she is. Mistress Ann Page. The one with the wit, courage, strength and intellect. Mistress, you'll be a star yet."

When the water took her, Bree wasn't afraid.

✯

After the War - In the Streets

Steve had to carry on and finish and end the war with the rest of the soldiers, without Bree, Bucky and Alec.

While he was still fighting the war, Alyssa was taken care of by Alyssa, Peggy, Howard and Jarvis, just like they all promised she would be to Bree before her sacrifice.

The entire world was celebrating the end of the war, while the citizens of Brooklyn were celebrating Bree Rogers / Star Mistress , Steve Rogers / Captain America and Amara Carter / Lady Liberty.

Planes were flying over crowds gathered in the city for veterans day.

People were waving flags for the USA, red white and blue.

✯

Amara:

Restaurant

In the restaurant that Bree had used to sing at, the one that she, Bucky, Alec and Steve were at the beginning of the story.

The rest of the Commandos, including Steve and Amara, were gathered, solemnly raising their glasses to toast to the Commandos that they lost.

"To the Mistress, Barnes and Anders," Dungan told them.

The other Commandos spoke together. "Star Mistress. Barnes. Anders."

Steve and Amara raised their glasses sadly. "Bree, Bucky and Alec."

They took their drinks.

✯

Oceans

Howard and several other men were dredging the water where Bree and the plane had landed, finding the Tesseract stone in the depths of the ocean.

A man was looking at the screen that showed the stone. "Sir?"

Howard walked closer, looking at the screen to look at the stone. His interest looked piqued, but otherwise, he was uninterested by the stone; he was looking for Bree. "Take us to the next grind point."

"But there's no trace of wreckage," the man told him. "And the energy signal stops here."

Howard looked away. "Just keep looking. I made a promise to Alyssa I'd find her. That's what I'm gonna do."

✯

Alyssa:

Amara:

Anders Apartment

Amara, Peggy and Steve had taken Alyssa to her and Alec's apartment to get the rest of her belongings.

Alyssa had had time to come with terms over Bree's sacrifice, but she was devastated, just as much as she had been with Alec and Bucky's loss.

And even more so when she knew that Steve was going to be gone next. Steve was planning on going into a cryo-sleep so that when Howard or someone else did inevitably find Bree, if she was still alive due to the ice she had dove into, Steve would be there when she woke, no matter how long in the future it might have been.

Alyssa didn't know the complete details, but she knew enough to know that Steve was leaving. As much as that devastated her, Alyssa felt a sense of hope that maybe, if Steve believed that Bree was still alive, maybe Alec and Bucky could be out there somewhere, too.

Alyssa stood in the middle of her old bedroom, her small hands clutching a worn teddy bear that Bucky had given her for her last birthday. Her eyes, so much like her father's, scanned the room, taking in every detail as if trying to memorize it all. The faded wallpaper with its pattern of stars and moons. The bookshelf filled with her favorite stories, many of which Bree had read to her on quiet evenings. The dresser where her father used to leave little notes for her to find in the morning.

Steve watched from the doorway, his heart heavy with the weight of what was to come. He knew that leaving Alyssa would be the hardest part of his decision to go into cryo-sleep, but he clung to the hope that one day, he might wake up to find Bree alive.

Alyssa turned to face Steve, her small face etched with a mixture of sadness and determination. She walked over to him, still clutching the teddy bear.

"Uncle Steve," Alyssa said softly. "I want you to take this with you."

Alyssa held out the bear, and Steve knelt down to her level, gently taking it from her hands.

"Are you sure, sweetheart?" Steve asked, his voice thick with emotion. "This is your favorite."

Alyssa nodded, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Uncle Bucky gave it to me to keep me safe. Now I want it to keep you safe while you're sleeping. And... and when you find Aunt Bree, you can give it to her."

Steve pulled Alyssa into a tight hug, fighting back his own tears. "I promise I'll take good care of it."

Alyssa's face was serious beyond her years. "Uncle Steve, do you really have to go?"

Steve knelt down to her level, his blue eyes filled with a mix of sadness and determination. "I do, sweetheart. But I promise you, it's not forever. I'm going to find your Aunt Bree."

Alyssa's lower lip trembled. "But what if you don't come back either? Like Daddy and Uncle Bucky and Aunt Bree?"

Steve pulled her into a tight hug, his voice thick with emotion. "Oh, Alyssa. I know it's hard to understand, but sometimes we have to do difficult things to help the people we love. I believe with all my heart that your Aunt Bree is out there somewhere, and I'm going to do everything I can to bring her home. Even if takes a long time."

"Like a long nap," Alyssa whispered. "So you can be here for Aunt Bree."

Nodding, Steve held Alyssa close, stroking her hair gently as she cried into his shoulder. After a few moments, he pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes.

"I have something for you," Steve said softly, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small, silver locket on a delicate chain. "This was your Aunt Bree's. She wanted you to have it."

Alyssa's eyes widened as Steve placed the locket in her small hand. She opened it carefully, revealing a tiny photograph inside; it was the same photograph of Bree, Bucky, Steve, Alec and Alyssa together that Bree had in her compass.

"Now you'll always have us close to your heart," Steve said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Alyssa clutched the locket tightly, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "Thank you, Uncle Steve." Her small hands gripped Steve's shirt. "I understand. I just wish you didn't have to go."

Steve pulled back slightly, looking into Alyssa's eyes. "I know, sweetheart. But remember, you won't be alone. Aunt Amara and Aunt Peggy will be here for you, and so will Mr. Stark and Mr. Jarvis. They all love you very much."

Alyssa sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Will you tell Aunt Bree that I love her when you find her?"

Steve smiled softly, brushing a strand of hair from Alyssa's face. "Of course I will. And I'll tell her how brave and strong you've been. I believe we'll see each other again, even if it's not for a long, long time."

"Like Aunt Bree?" Alyssa asked. Steve nodded. Alyssa looked down. "I had a dream that Daddy and Uncle Bucky were out there somewhere. Like her." Steve closed his eyes, sighing. "I know it's not real, but... I wish it was."

Steve kissed Alyssa's head. "So do I, Aly."

Peggy and Amara watched the scene unfold from the hallway, their eyes soft with sympathy.

As Steve hugged Alyssa one last time, Peggy and Amara stepped into the room.

"It's time to go, Steve," Peggy said gently.

Steve nodded, releasing Alyssa reluctantly. He stood up, looking around the room one final time, memories flooding back of happier days spent here with Bree, Bucky, and Alec.

Amara knelt down beside Alyssa, putting an arm around the girl's shoulders. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's go home."

As they walked out of the apartment, Alyssa turned back for one last look. Her eyes lingered on the faded photograph on the dresser; a snapshot of happier times, with her, Alec, Bree, Bucky, and Steve all smiling at the camera. She clutched the locket around her neck tightly, a few more tears falling before she let Amara lead her out of the apartment.

Peggy swallowed, turning to Steve.

"Promise me you'll both take care of her," Steve whispered.

Peggy nodded. "We promise. Howard will find Bree, and then all of this will be over."

"He has no idea when," Steve pointed out. "Just that she's frozen enough in the ocean to be able to be saved."

Peggy was devastated at the thought of also losing Steve, knowing that even if they didn't know each other long, he was the love of her life. "No matter how long it takes. Years, decades, even."

Steve nodded slightly in agreement. "Yeah. No matter how long it takes. I want to be there when she wakes up. After everything that happened with Bucky and Alec... and the plane. Bree needs someone she knows there when she wakes up."

"Yes," Peggy agreed. "I understand your choice. To go under until she's found and woken. To be there for your sister."

Steve nodded, looking down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Peggy told him. "I would do the same for Amara, and she for me."

Steve sighed heavily. "That's why both of you are so understanding of my choice."

"We're sisters," Peggy pointed out. "Of course we understand your choice. As we'd make the same one." She swallowed desperately. "At least we still got to have our dance."

Steve looked up, managing a small smile.

✯

Street

Amara led Alyssa down the street by the hand with her belongings.

As kids were in the street, playing, boys were playing with toy Captain America shields. Girls were playing with toy Star Mistress staffs and Lady Liberty lassos. They all ran along, having a grand old time.

All the while, Alyssa felt completely numb.

The years passed slowly for Alyssa. She grew from a grief-stricken child into a strong, resilient young woman, always carrying the memory of her lost family close to her heart. Amara and Peggy kept their promise, raising her with love and care, while Howard continued his tireless search for Bree.

As technology advanced, Howard's search became more sophisticated. He used cutting-edge sonar and tracking devices, determined to find any trace of the plane or Bree herself. But the vast, icy waters seemed determined to keep their secrets.

Alyssa never gave up hope. She would often sit by the window in her room, clutching the locket Steve had given her, and stare out at the stars. She imagined her Aunt Bree out there somewhere, frozen in time, waiting to be found. And she thought of Steve, sleeping peacefully. And she thought of Bucky and Alec, who she never let their memory go.

When Alyssa reached the age where she would be able to join S.H.I.E.L.D., she never once stopped looking for Bree so she could wake Steve and bring back two pieces of the family she lost, even if she couldn't bring back her father or her godfather.

But in losing one family, she gained another. Amara and Peggy became her family.

And when Amara married Natasha Romanoff and became her wife, taking the Romanoff name, and having two daughters, Anastasia and Tatiana, they became her family as well, despite all the pain they endured.

Alyssa herself had a son, who she named after her father, Alexander. Rather than going by Alec like his grandfather, Alyssa's son preferred to be called Xander, as it rhymed with their last name Anders. How their family came to be was heartbreaking, shattering, but they wouldn't give up their family for anything.

And while it wasn't Alyssa herself that found Bree, it was a protege of hers, and her family of Romanoffs, by the name of Agent Ever, that had. And Ever, Alyssa and the Romanoff ladies had rescued Bree together from an army base in a frozen wasteland and brought her home.

After ensuring that Bree was stable enough to wake, they also woke Steve.

In the year 2011.

As much as Alyssa wanted to introduce Xander to Steve and Bree when they first woke, she knew that she had to take it slow, not just for her godmother and uncle, but for herself and her son. She knew there would be time to introduce them all, but first, she had to help Steve and Bree adjust to the modern world as much as she could, knowing how overwhelming it would be for them both. Especially after losing Bucky and Alec and almost everyone else they had known.

The rest would come with time.

✯

Bree:

Ever:

"Infirmary"

Bree opened her eyes, waking up to find herself listening to a baseball game.

Man: (on radio) "There's a pitch. It's a ball high outside. So, the dodges tied four to four. At the count no doubt, one swing of his bat. This fella is capable of making it a brand-new game again."

Bree looked around, seeming to be in an infirmary.

Man: (on radio) "Just an absolutely gorgeous day here at Ebbets Field. Philly's have managed to tie it up four to four. But the Dodgers have three men on."

Bree slowly sat up.

Man: (on radio) "Pitch. It's a strike. He leans in... Here's the pitch. Swung on. It's a line to the right. It gets past Grissom. Rizzo will score."

Bree looked at the radio in confusion.

Man: (on radio) "Reiser heads to third. Durocher is going to wave him in. They look to relay but they hold steady. Pete Reiser with an inside the park."

Agent Ever entered the room, in attire from the 40s, just like Bree, to ease her into the idea of waking up 70 years after her sacrifice.

"Good morning," Ever greeted. "Or should I say, afternoon?"

Bree was very disoriented and out of it. "Oh, my God. Where am I?"

Ever tended to Bree. "You're in a recovery room in New York City."

Bree listened to the radio.

Man: (on radio) "The Dodgers take the lead, it's eight to four. Oh ho, Dodgers! What a game we have here today, folks. Fine game indeed."

Bree looked at Ever. "Where am I really?"

Ever frowned, puzzled. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"The game," Bree said. "It's from May 1941. I know, 'cause I was there. B..." She slowly, painfully trailed off when she had realized that she had been about to say Bucky's name. "My fiancé took me to that game." She stood, approaching Ever. "Now I'm going to ask you again. Where am I?"

"Miss Rogers..." Ever trailed off, hitting a panic button.

"Who are you?" Bree asked.

Two guards walked in, though they were thrown out the room, through the set wall, falling to the floor on the other side.

Bree stepped off the set, extremely confused.

Ever tried to stop her from leaving but kept her distance as to not overwhelm her more. "Bree, wait." Bree ran out, leaving. Ever spoke into a comm on her shirt. "All agents, code 13." Bree ran into a hallway with more guards and agents. "I repeat, all agents, code 13."

Bree ran away from the oncoming men, pushing her way out of the building.

 ✯

Alyssa:

Street

Bree ran outside, but only took a few steps before she stopped.

Modern cars honked and roared in the street. Towering plasma billboards played moving ads featuring lots of flesh. Modern people rushed past, iPods and cellphones to their ears.

Bree staggered, confused, glancing over her shoulder to see the MPs rushing out, taking off, sprinting down the crowded sidewalk.

The MPs chased after her.

Bree ran down the street, coming to a stop on the main street of modern-day New York. She looked around all the digital billboards, buildings, cars, people and clothes in shock, not knowing what was going on or what to do, freaked out.

Black cars pulled up around Bree to stop her from fleeing.

Bree immediately thought threat, looking around, ready to take them all on. She sensed someone behind her, turning to punch them in the face.

Steve was the one behind her, catching her arm before she could punch him, catching her other arm when she tried to punch him again with the other arm. "Bree, Bree. Hey. It's me. It's Steve."

Bree was hopelessly confused and completely overwhelmed. "Steve?"

"Yeah," Steve answered. Bree wrapped her arms around Steve instinctively. Steve returned the embrace. "It's okay. It's okay." They pulled away. "Don't worry. It'll all make sense soon."

"What's going on?" Bree asked.

Alyssa Anders stepped out of her sleek black car, walking closer.

Bree's eyes widened in shock as she saw the woman approaching. Though decades older, there was no mistaking those familiar features.

"Alyssa?" Bree whispered in disbelief.

Alyssa smiled gently, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Hello, Aunt Bree. It's been a long time."

Bree looked between Steve and Alyssa, her mind reeling. "I don't understand. How...?"

Steve placed a comforting hand on Bree's shoulder. "Bree, we've been asleep. For a very long time."

"66 years, to be exact," Alyssa added softly.

Bree staggered slightly, overwhelmed by the revelation. Steve steadied her, keeping a supportive arm around her shoulders.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Alyssa stated. "And I'm sorry for the little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly. Obviously, that didn't pan out well."

Bree stared at Alyssa, taking in her aged appearance with disbelief. "66 years? But how... how is that possible?"

Steve squeezed Bree's shoulder gently. "The ice, Bree. When you crashed the plane, it preserved you. Alyssa and Howard never stopped looking for you. And when they finally found you... they woke me up first. So I could be here when you woke up."

Tears welled in Bree's eyes as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "Everyone we knew... they're all..."

"Gone," Alyssa said softly. "Except for us. And Amara. She's ageless, basically. And Peggy's still alive, but we don't know for how much longer."

Bree's gaze darted around the bustling street, taking in the unfamiliar sights and sounds of the 21st century. Her breath quickened as panic started to set in.

Steve recognized the signs of Bree's rising panic and quickly stepped in front of her, gently grasping her shoulders. "Hey, hey. Look at me, Bree. Just focus on me."

Bree's wide eyes locked onto Steve's familiar blue ones, finding an anchor in the sea of unfamiliarity surrounding her.

"That's it," Steve said softly. "Just breathe. In and out. Nice and slow."

Bree followed Steve's instructions, her breathing gradually steadying as she focused on her brother's calm presence.

Alyssa watched the interaction with a mixture of sadness and relief.

Bree's eyes found Alyssa again, drinking in the familiar features of the little girl she once knew, now a grown woman. "Alyssa... you're all grown up. I can't believe it."

Alyssa stepped closer, reaching out to take Bree's hand. "I never gave up hope that we'd find you, Aunt Bree. Not for a single day."

Tears spilled down Bree's cheeks as she pulled Alyssa into a tight embrace. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry I left you."

"You saved millions of lives," Alyssa said gently, hugging Bree tightly, tears in her own eyes at finally being reunited with a piece of her first family. "You have nothing to apologize for. You're a hero."

Bree pulled back, wiping her eyes as she looked between Steve and Alyssa. "I... I don't know what to do now. Everything's so different."

Steve squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll figure it out together, just like we always have."

Alyssa looked between Steve and Bree. "What matters now is you're home. Finally, after all this time."

And in that moment, that was all that mattered. Bree and Alyssa were both nearly crying completely as Steve wrapped his arms around them both, the three of them holding onto each other tightly in grief yet relief to be together again.

Even if everything else they knew had been ripped away, they still had this. And that was enough for them to discover the rest of the crazy little world, and time, they all lived in.