A/N Well looks like we are going to have two chapters today! Surprise! But it seems to be flowing and I figure why not. I cannot promise this on the regular but I will do my best! No trigger warning this chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 2.  Time Change

I looked at myself in the long mirror on the back of the bathroom door in the small room they had put me. My hair still wet from the shower. I can't recall the last time I'd had one with hot water. They had brought me here after the woods, I'm not sure what this place is but it was where I was to stay, under their watch until they decided where to put me. Once they figured out who and what I was.

I met my own gaze through the reflective glass, I barely recognized myself. Green eyes shone through the glassy gaze of despair and the dark circles beneath them almost looked like black eyes. I quickly looked away seeing none of the force of nature that I used to be, I didn't think I even had the desire to anymore, not without him. I could barely meet my own gaze as guilt burned swiftly thought me like a wildfire.

I was safe.

I was alive.

And he was gone.

Gone.

I swallowed back the raw sadness that ached at the back of my throat again.  I lifted the hairbrush beside the sink and began the task of detangling my dark hair, hair that was longer than I remembered, now it brushed my lower back, where last I recalled it had been just past my shoulders. How long had it been since I'd had these sorts of luxuries? How long had it been that I could have a shower? Brush my hair, put on clean clothes and just take my time getting ready? I put down the brush before I was finished.

One thousand nine hundred and fifteen days. Five years, six weeks and one day. That is how long it had been since Thanos destroyed everything and everyone I loved. All except him, that was barely two hours and fifteen minutes.

I took a deep breath. They had given me clothes to wear. An ill-fitting pair of too tight denim and a baggy white mens shirt that I tucked into the waistband of my jeans.

I felt hollow.

My nerves felt frayed and my senses alert and ready for a fight because they had been conditioned for so long to do so. For as long as I could remember that is what it had been like. From the first time I had met Steve and James as a girl. When I pushed Bucky out from in front of a milk truck only to have him grab me by the hand at the last minute pulling me along with him. After that we were inseparable apart from circumstances far out of our control. My hands shook at the memory of standing on that sunny street corner, because I had a strong suspicion that is not what happened in this world, that James had been unable to grasp my hand and pull me back. A heroic sacrifice, I'd wondered if that is what had helped shaped them here. I hoped it. 

I could hear the noises from the other room, the others, unsure of what to do with me or about me. I heard their hushed whispers. Unaware of what it was I was capable, but just like Steve and James the serum burned through my blood, right now I cursed it, I cursed it all and not for the first time in my long life. I wanted nothing more than to curl into the corner and die. Without him what was the point anyway?

But what then would be the point of his sacrifice?

There was a knocking at the door.

I froze.

"Evelyn?" It was Sam's voice on the other side of the door, and I let loose a breath I did not recall holding, "Can I come in?" I moved to the door and opened it coming face to face with him, his dark eyes kind and tentative his face set to kind concern.

"It's ok," My voice was raw, and my throat burned. "I'm coming out now. I'm sure you all have questions."

He nodded and turned. "You have no idea."

He grinned at me, and I couldn't help but return his smile, I never could. Unable to keep the silence for long he spoke to fill the short distance from my room to the living area. I'm not sure what he said because it all rather started to sound like buzzing. This was an apartment of sorts, it like the platform earlier this day screamed of Stark technologies, causing my guts to rumble with anger.  I cursed the name under my breath my fists clenched unconsciously hoping I wouldn't see the namesake regardless of if they knew who I was or not.

Sam's voice rang through my thoughts like a calming comfort to my anxious ears, "So, I know this place isn't much, but we figured it would be a good place for you right now. The world is a bit turned upside down with everyone who was blipped coming back."

I nodded. Fairly certain he meant the folks that were snapped away by Thanos. I knew nothing of the history of this universe other than the fact that Thanos was no longer a threat. "So, were you blipped?" I found myself asking. Testing the word for the snap in my mouth.

"Yep," he turned to me as we moved to a glass topped table, he pulled out a chair for me, "It was a lot all at once, we were there, then we weren't and then we were fighting Thanos with a whole lot of other folks equally as pissed off. We couldn't have done it alone, each one of us played a pretty big part."

I chuckled darkly as I sat in the offered chair, "Tell me about it."

His eyes widened realizing what he had said, because he had seen that my world if only for the briefest of moments but that was all he needed to realize that we shared a very different fate, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

I looked back up at him, I really looked. I saw the wariness and the fatigue just as plainly on his face as it was mine. It looked like he had been put through the ringer and no doubt in my mind he had been. They all had been, even if there was now the opportunity for a happy ending for each and every one of them.

Whereas my happy ending was gone in a fiery explosion.

A cup of coffee was set down in front of me and I could only look at it. "Shit." I cursed the tears welling in my eyes over a damned cup of joe.

"You, ok?" Sam said sitting next to me his own cup in his hand, worry painted his expression.

"It's nothing really," I lifted the cup between my hands feeling silly as the hot coffee warmed the cup. The rich smell of it wafted through the air like the finest perfume, "I just can't for the life of me really remember when the last time I had a cup of coffee was." I brought the cup to my lips and took a big sip of the black gold. I burnt the hell out my mouth but holy shit it tasted delicious I looked up to him with a sad smile on my face, "It tastes like heaven."

He grinned, "That's how I felt overseas," he looked down at his cup, "When I was deployed the stuff we drank tasted like an ashtray, having that first cup at home was always the best."

I smiled because he did, I liked that he was lost in a happy memory even I was lost I'm mine and I felt nothing but anguish.

I was brought to myself by the door opening and my heart galloped in my chest right before it was lanced with pain. I knew exactly who it would be striding into the room. I looked down into the dark liquid of my cup, trying my best to pretend like he wasn't here. The room filled with the clean fresh scent that screamed of him.

Of Steve Rogers.

I could hear the sounds of voices but there was no way my brain could comprehend what any of them were saying. I heard the door open and close again and a third and fourth person enter after that. I couldn't look away from the cup, I couldn't look at them, any of them. I could only gaze at my own haggard reflection in the dark liquid. I couldn't even say how I got to this place, the entire time my ears buzzed, and my heart thudded uncomfortably.

"I'm glad those clothes fit," it was Bruce, his voice cut through the noise. It was friendly, and I turned to him suddenly realizing that he was a perfect mesh of both Bruce and Hulk. In the stress of earlier I had not even had the chance to see this because my mind was so full of surprise and despair.

His large green hand fell over mine and I replied, my voice still hoarse. "The shirt is a bit big but better than my suit, I think I have been wearing for longer than I would like to admit," I met his green eyes with mine and smiled, it was tunnel vision. If I spoke to Bruce, I might not have to speak to him.

Bruce nodded and grinned back, "Evelyn," he paused shifting in his seat as he took it, "It is Evelyn, right?" I nodded looking away sensing a question I might not want to answer was coming. "I know it is going to be hard for you to answer our questions and I want you to know that you can take your time."

His voice was soothing but still I scoffed, "I guess I have all the time in the world now huh?" I made the mistake of looking around and my eyes fell to Steve, I quickly looked away and back to Bruce trying to hold the tremble of my lip. The look of pity in his eyes was nearly too much to take but I swallowed down whatever resentment that might be filling me. I sighed and set the coffee cup down my stomach too unsettled for more. "What do you want to know?"

There was a moment of silence before I heard a voice. The sound of it sent a thrill though me like none other could. Even if it was the first time his voice had been directed at me, I still did not look at him, "I take it in your world Thanos won."

I nodded because my voice was stuck in my throat.

"How?"

I shook my head my eyes rose to meet his, "The better question I think Captain, is how did you defeat him?" I tried to keep the anger from my tone, but it was still there, what was it about this world that had allowed them to win. Why is it that on my earth we were doomed to fail? But I could already think of more that a few reasons without any help all of which made my stomach-ache.

"We did fail." His voice was firm, I knew this tone, he was on edge, and I was the reason why. "For five years we were doomed to live in a world where half of its people were just gone." He looked to Bruce who nodded sagely, "Scott Lang returned from the quantum realm, he had avoided being snapped because he was there. With his help and with Tony Stark's brilliance," I felt my anger flare again at Stark's name, but I did not interrupt as Steve spoke, "we were able to go through time and collect the Infinity stones and make a gauntlet of our own."

"Time travel had problems of its own," Bruce interrupted, "We caught the attention of Thanos from 2012 and he followed us back, but we did it." He grinned.

I reached out to lightly touch his charred arm, "Not without consequences."

The light dimmed in his eyes only a fraction before he continued, "I would say it was worth it," he looked to Sam and James. They both must have been blipped.

I followed his gaze to James. His expression was hard, and he eyed me with barely contained suspicion. I understood especially if he had gone through the same thing that he had in my world. My heart ached realizing he would have gone through it alone rather than with me.

I lowered my eyes, "Should I start at the very beginning?"

"That might be the best," Steve' voice was outwardly clam, but I could hear the trepidation in his tone.

"I was born the fourth of May 1919. In Brooklyn, New York."

*~*~

No one said a word they just waited for me to carry on, but their faces betrayed them, I could see the gears turning, what it could mean if I was still alive. Was I like them, or was I something else entirely?

I couldn't look at any of them, so I instead looked into my coffee mug again and started talking.

"May 20, 1933, I had just turned fourteen and my parents had given me some money to go to a movie they even gave me enough for popcorn and a soda. I was supposed to go with my friend Dorothy, but she was sneaking out with a boy that day. So, I was to head to the theatre to get myself a soda some popcorn and a ticket to see 'Hold me Tight' with James Dunn and Sally Ehlers."

"How can you remember that?" Sam asked his brows furrowed.

I swallowed thickly, "That day will forever stick in my mind, I will never forget that day." I took a drink of my cooling coffee, "It was a Saturday and my mamma said that if I wanted to go to the show that afternoon then I would have to get all my chores done before I went. On Saturdays that meant running to the store to get buttermilk for the pancakes she made for Sunday morning breakfast. My mother liked me to go right as the milkman delivered to the grocer to make sure that I got the fresh milk right off the truck."

I remembered that day so well, it was already starting to get warm the spring sun was just rising over the rows of apartments and tall buildings. The walk was short, and I could have done it with my eyes closed.

"So just outside of the grocer was where I was when I met them for the first time. That morning the milkman was running late and there were already quite a few folks that were waiting for him to arrive. That's when I noticed Steve and Bucky crossing the street from where I was waiting." I hazarded a glance at the pair of them. Steve had an unreadable expression his eyes looking out the window into the street beyond. James however had a startled sort of expression upon his face, his eyes on mine, "I'd seen the pair of them around the neighbourhood more than a few times, but they were older than me and I was a bit on the shy side." I looked away from James, "Steve was small then, before the serum," when I thought back at the memory now it is frightening how sickly he was. Because all I could imagine was that same frail man doing all the things the super soldier before me had done so effortlessly. "James was having a hard time getting Steve across the street. Steve was having an asthma attack and James was trying to help him get home to get his medication. Neither of them was paying attention and James was practically carrying Steve across the street." I felt the emotion rise within me again and try as I might I could not stop my chin from wobbling, "You have to understand James wouldn't embarrass Steve by carrying him like a child or a lady, so it was an entirely awkward half drag half carry across the road."

Steve turned to Bucky a small grin lifting the corner of his mouth as he too recalled this day and the things James had done for him in the past. James did not return the grin, he stood frozen like this was not a fond memory.

Bruce reached for my hand and squeezed it gently urging me to continue. I cleared the lump into my throat before I did, "Neither of them saw the truck coming, the milk truck that is."

"Shit." Sam cursed under his breath seeing where this was headed.

I nodded at his exclamation "I saw it of course because I was waiting for it. All the other folks on the street were watching too but none of them moved. I just couldn't stand by and watch them get flattened by that driver."

The room was silent as they listened to my memory.

"I ran towards them and pushed James onto the curb, and he dragged Steve with him. It was just in time too because the truck hadn't slowed, folks were yelling, and I thought for a moment..." I paused swallowing thickly, "I thought I was going to be a goner too but at the last-minute James reached for me and pulled me out of the way. After that day we were inseparable. A friendship forged in fire I guess."

I pulled my hand from beneath Bruce's and wiped down my face unable to come to terms with this entire day. Or the memory I'd just been forced to share. Something that had always been private, just for the three of us.

"You need a break?" Sam asked.

I looked up to see that James had gone wholly still, Steve followed my gaze, "What is it, Buck?"

My heart hitched at the nickname. It had been so long since I'd heard it from his lips. It was like a living memory.

James was shaking his head and he turned and walked out of the room without saying a word.

"What is it?" Sam asked, "What's wrong with him?"

Steve broke the silence as he headed towards the direction his friend had gone, "I remember that day too. Just as well as he does."

My heart skipped a beat waiting for my suspicions to be confirmed.

"That girl that pushed us from in front of that truck," he said his ocean blue eyes pinning me to the spot, "didn't make it onto the curb behind us."

I looked down again unable to meet his gaze, I heard him leave the room to follow his friend and I couldn't help but feel the relief that lifted from me with him gone from my sight.

"Wow," Bruce whistled, "that is a hell of story."

I nodded a lump forming in my guts, "It only confirms my suspicions since Strange brought up coming to this reality."

"What is that?" Sam offered me a look like he knew what I was about to say.

"That I am the reason why we could never defeat Thanos.