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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟐
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄

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Charlie and Primrose walked down the hall side by side with Freyr and Pietro behind them. No one said a word as they made their way to their destination, unsure what to make of their urgent summons. It wasn't long before they arrived in the living room, only to find they were the last to arrive. The Njördson man was about to ask what was going on when their attention fell on the hologram sitting in the center of the room. The monitor was split into three screens, each displaying the Infinity Stones with locations written on top of them.

The Space, Mind, and Time Stones were on the screen that had "New York" neatly written at the top. The Reality Stone was displayed in the middle underneath "Asgard." Lastly, the Power and Soul Stones were on the screen underneath "Morag/Vormir." It only took the two couples a moment to realize the meaning of the information in front of them. And once they did, all of their attention turned to the older heroes in the room with them.

"I take it you came up with a plan," Pietro spoke as his eyes bounced around the room like an energetic rabbit.

"We did," Tony replied after looking away from the screen and over at the four people standing near the doorway, "you and Charlie are coming with me, Steve, Scott, and Bruce to New York. Primrose and Freyr, you're going with Rocket and Thor to Asgard. Clint, Natasha, Rhoday, Nebula, and Trina are our Morag/Vormir team."

"I'm going to Asgard?" the Quill woman said with a hint of excitement in her voice, earning smiles from both Freyr and Rocket.

But not everyone matched Primrose's enthusiasm. Charlie was staring at the screens as she took in all the information she just received. Something didn't make sense to her and she was determined to get an answer. It wasn't long after that when she looked over at Clint, who was already staring back at her with a look in his eyes she knew all too well.

Clint knew what his daughter was thinking and he knew the question bouncing around in her head. But the Barton man didn't want to explain why he was sending Charlie to New York rather than taking her with him. Other than the fact that they didn't have time to waste, he didn't want to argue with her in front of their allies. After all, the only reason he wanted her to go to New York was to protect her. And he knew that Charlie would play the age card against him and say she was old enough to decide for herself, which she was. But Clint would rather send her somewhere he knew rather than take her somewhere unknown.

Charlie let out a long sigh after seeing her father send her a look not to question the plan. Even though she wanted to argue, she knew they didn't have time. So instead the Barton woman let out a long and leaned into Pietro's side. The Maximoff man instantly welcomed her with an arm around her shoulders.

"Alright, everyone knows the plan," Steve announced, drawing everyone's attention toward him before he continued speaking, "six Stones, three teams, one shot."

After everyone changed into their Time Suits, they headed to the hangar. No one said a word as they walked together toward the Quantum Tunnel. They stayed in a single-file line as they walked up the ramp in silence. Not even a second after that passed when they stood in a circle around the center of the tunnel. Everyone exchanged looks with each other before holding out their fists in front of them, both charging their Time-Space GPSes and signaling they were ready. Steve made eye contact with everyone standing around him before opening his mouth to speak once again.

"Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends. We lost family. We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back. You know your teams. You know your missions. Get the stones. Get them back," Captain America said while his eyes continued to travel around the heroes surrounding him, "one round-trip each. No mistakes...no do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. That doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives...and we're gonna win. Whatever it takes."

"Alright, you heard the man," Tony sighed before turning his attention toward Bruce, who was stationed at the control panel, "stroke those keys, Jolly Green."

A wave of uncertainty washed over Charlie as she watched the Banner man type away. But she was soon snapped out of her daze by someone nudging her with their elbow. When she glanced over in their direction, she found Clint staring back at her with a hint of concern in his eyes. He kept his eyes glued to her for a moment longer before breaking the silence between them. "Be careful, Char. I just got you back. I don't wanna lose you again."

"Same goes for you," Charlie responded before her eyes landed on Natasha, who was watching the father-daughter duo with a blank expression on her face, "both of you."

A small smile appeared on Natasha's lips followed by a hint of pride in her eyes. "See you in a minute."

Not even a second after that passed when the Quantum Tunnel came to life. The equipment above them began to spin as it slowly grew. Everyone watched the machine come to life for a moment longer before pressing the button on their wrists, causing helmets to form. The next thing anyone knew, the floor below them started to glow before they were taken into the Quantum Realm.

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𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐎𝐑𝐊
𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟐

When the world around them became clear, the New York team found themselves standing in an alleyway. The streets in front of them were ablaze as Chitauri soldiers flew above them. Charlie couldn't help but watch them in awe, knowing exactly how this battle was going to play out. This was the reason she became a hero and she couldn't believe she was witnessing it. But she soon shook off those feelings and focused back on the situation at hand.

"Alright, we all have our assignments. Two Stones uptown, one Stone down. Stay low. Keep an eye on the clock," Steve told them after finishing taking in their surroundings and turning to address his allies.

Everyone jumped after hearing a loud bang coming from the streets. They turned their attention toward the sound to find Hulk using a crushed car to take out some of the Chitauri soldiers. He let out another roar before running into the distance. As soon as he was out of sight, everyone turned toward Bruce, only to find him cringing. It was obvious he was embarrassed by his past self and everyone had to do their best to hide their amusement.

"Maybe smash a few things along the way."

"I think it's gratuitous, but whatever," the Banner man responded before walking out onto the streets of New York. He let out a soft roar while holding his arms up in the air. After looking around as if to make sure no one was watching, Bruce slammed his fist down on the roof of a destroyed taxi, leaving another dent. He then picked up a motorcycle as if it weighed nothing and tossed it aside. It wasn't long after that when he took off running in the direction of the New York Sanctum.

Pietro kept his eyes glued to Bruce for a moment longer before turning his attention toward Charlie. He wasn't surprised to find her already looking back at him with worry in her eyes. They didn't know until the last second that they would be splitting up and they weren't the happiest about it. But they both knew it was for a good reason. Too many extra people at Avengers Tower would be too noticeable and they didn't necessarily need Pietro's abilities there. So while Charlie would be going with Steve, Tony, and Scott, the speedster would be joining Bruce.

A small smile soon appeared on Pietro's face as he took Charlie's hand into his own. The two of them stared at each other in silence while their allies continued talking about their plans. It wasn't long before the speedster placed a gentle kiss on the archer's lips. When their moment ended, they pulled away while keeping their eyes locked on each other.

"Be careful, anđeo," the Maximoff man said while giving Charlie's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Same goes for you. Don't do anything foolish."

The smile on Pietro's lips soon turned into a mischievous grin. "Oh, like jumping out of a window to follow a giant alien?"

Charlie couldn't help but roll her eyes in response before playfully elbowing the speedster in the side. "You better get going before Bruce beats you there."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Pietro responded after placing a kiss on the archer's cheek before sprinting in the direction of the New York Sanctum.

"You two are disgusting," a voice declared, drawing Charlie's attention toward the sound to find Tony, Steve, and Scott staring at her.

The Barton woman simply rolled her eyes at the billionaire before responding. "Like you and Pepper are any better."

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"Better hustle, guys. Things look like they're just about wrapped up here," Tony said through the comms as Charlie and Steve walked through the halls of Avengers Tower.

"Got it. We're approaching the elevator now," the Rogers man responded before passing a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. None of them looked in their direction, but their presence was enough to concern Steve. Especially because the Barton girl had nothing to conceal her identity. "Are you sure no one's gonna recognize you? You weren't originally part of this battle. It'll be strange if someone sees you here."

"I didn't join S.H.I.E.L.D. until after this battle. Right now, my eighteen-year-old self is on the couch with Laura watching the news. The only people who would recognize me are my dad and Nat," Charlie explained for the umpteenth time before noticing the look on his face, "it'll be fine, Steve. The chances of running into them are extremely slim."

The Man Out of Time sighed before nodding in response. It wasn't long after that when they finally arrived at the elevator. Neither of them said a word as they walked inside. Charlie watched as Steve stared at the buttons on the wall beside them before hitting the one for the 50th floor. The elevator music was the only thing that broke the silence between them as they rode it up.

Charlie had to admit that she understood his uncertainty. The Rogers man had been protective over her since their first mission together in Sokovia. And if she were being honest, she didn't mind it most of the time. The way he watched over her always reminded her of Asher. The Barton woman knew she could never replace her brother, and she would never dream of it. But it was also nice to have someone play that kind of role in her life. Steve was there for her through her highs and lows, even if she didn't want him to be. And that was why Charlie wanted to prove herself to him. She was ready to prove herself to him.

"Mr. Rogers, I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your *ss," Tony said, making the Rogers man roll his eyes.

"No one asked you to look, Tony," the Rogers man sighed  as a small smirk appeared on Charlie's lips.

"I think you look great, Cap," Scott added, earning a long sigh from Steve while the Barton woman did her best to hold back her laughter, "as far as I'm concerned, that's America's *ss."

His comment was enough to get a chuckle out of Charlie. But she quickly pulled herself together after seeing the playful glare Steve was sending her. It wasn't long after that when the elevator stopped and the doors opened. The Rogers man was the first to step out to make sure the coast was clear. After receiving a wave from him, Charlie followed him into the hallway. The two of them stood in the shadows and out of sight from anyone who may walk by while they waited for the signal. Lucky for them, it didn't take long before they received it.

"Alright, Cap and Katniss, I got our scepter in the elevator just passing the 80th floor," Tony announced, causing Steve to come out from their hiding place and hit the elevator button.

"Thanks, Tony. We'll see you in the lobby soon," Charlie responded while walking across the hallway to join the Man Out of Time.

"Alright, I'll see you there."

Adrenaline flowed through the Barton woman's veins as they waited for the elevator. What felt like an eternity passed when a small ding cut through the air, signaling the elevator's arrival. Not even a second after that passed when the doors opened to reveal nine men staring back at them. And to the archer's dismay, she knew most of them from her time training with S.H.I.E.L.D.. Charlie forced herself to swallow her nerves as she stepped into the elevator with Steve, who pressed a button on the wall as they passed. The two of them found themselves standing between Rumlow and Sitwell with Rollins directly in front of them.

"Captain. I thought you were coordinating search and rescue," Sitwell said while he and the other men in the elevator continued to study the duo.

"Change of plans," Steve declared in the most serious voice Charlie had ever heard come out of his mouth.

"Hey, Cap."

The Rogers man hesitated for a moment before looking over at the man standing next to him. "Rumlow."

"Who's your friend?" Rumlow asked while looking past Steve and at the Barton woman, "aren't you a little young for all of this?"

"Agent Bridger. And thank you. I appreciate the compliment," Charlie responded while keeping a straight look on her face.

Rumlow let out a humorless laugh before he turned his head back toward the door. It wasn't long after that when the Barton woman noticed Rollins place a hand on his pistol, which didn't go unnoticed by Steve.

"I just got a call from the secretary. I'm gonna be running point on the scepter with Agent Bridger," the Man Out of Time announced while unconsciously moving between Charlie and Rollins.

Confusion appeared on all of their faces before Sitwell finally turned to look up at Steve. "Sir? I don't understand."

The Rogers man took a moment to look around at the men in the elevator with them. Once he was finished studying all of them, his attention returned to Sitwell. "We got word there may be an attempt to steal it."

"Sorry, Cap," Rumlow sighed while looking over at the Man Out of Time with a bored look on his face, "we can't give you the scepter."

"I'm gonna have to call the director," Sitwell announced, causing a wave of worry to wash over Charlie. Lucky for her, it seemed to go unnoticed by everyone surrounding her.

"That's okay. Trust me," Steve told them before saying two words the Barton woman couldn't even imagine him saying, "hail Hydra."

Sitwell just stared at him with shock in his eyes before looking over at Rumlow, who was just as surprised as his ally. Not even a second after that passed when the brunette man handed the case over to Captain America. Silence surrounded them for an eternity before the elevator doors opened. Rollins stepped aside to allow Steve and Charlie to exit. Neither of them said a word as they exited the elevator and walked into the hallway. They kept their mouths shut until they heard the doors close behind them. It was soon after that when matching smiles appeared on their faces.

"Good job, Agent Bridger."

"You too, Cap."

They barely made it into the next hall when alarms began blaring through the building, causing their smiles to fade. Steve and Charlie exchanged a concerned look before the latter began speaking into her comms. "Tony, what's going on?"

"Tell me you found that Cube," Steve added before stopping in his tracks, making Charlie almost slam into him. The Barton woman quickly regained her bearing and looked around the Man Out of Time to see what spooked him, only for her to wish she hadn't.

Staring back at them with no emotion in his eyes was Steve's past self. The three of them just studied each other in silence until the 2012 Captain America brought his hand up to his ear. "I have eyes on Loki. 14th floor. And he's not alone."

"I'm not Loki and I don't wanna hurt you," Steve declared. When his past self continued to stare at them with hatred in his eyes, the Rogers man handed the case over to Charlie. "Take this and go out the back stairway. I'll meet you back in the alley as soon as I can."

The Barton woman hesitated for a moment before noticing the seriousness in Steve's eyes. That caused her to send him a nod in response before retracing her steps and going down a different hallway. She barely made it to the stairwell door when she heard a loud crash coming from behind her. Charlie paused with her hand on the door, having a mental debate with herself about going back to help Steve. But she knew she wouldn't be much of a match against a super soldier. She barely made it out alive after her fight with Bucky. So after letting out a long sigh, the Barton woman pushed the door open and began her descent.

A million thoughts ran through Charlie's head as she ran down the stairs. The biggest one was about how she was going to make it out of the building without being seen. She tried her best not to let that bother her, knowing that everyone would probably be preoccupied with something else. And yet that was still what worried her the most. Mainly because she had nothing except for her combat skills to defend herself. She just made it to the landing between the first and second floors when she heard voices coming from below her. That caused the Barton woman to stop in her tracks.

Charlie stayed as still as a statue for what felt like an eternity, not wanting whoever was below her to know she was there. She continued to listen to their muffled conversation before a female voice spoke a very clear sentence. One that made the archer's blood run cold.

"We know you're there."

The Barton woman wasn't only distressed about being caught, but by who caught her. And it only made matters worse when another voice called out to her. One that belonged to a person she knew better than anyone.

"Might as well come down and turn yourself in. It'll make it easier for everyone."

Charlie swallowed the lump in her throat and let out a long sigh. Despite her nerves being on overdrive, she managed to climb down the last staircase with ease. That was when she found Natasha and Clint standing between her and the exit. The Barton woman never thought she'd see the day her father aimed an arrow at her, but there was a first time for everything. Lucky for her, it was only a stun arrow. She did her best to push away her panic but ultimately failed. This was a situation that Charlie wasn't prepared for and she had no idea how to get herself out of it.

The Barton woman's feet felt as though they were glued to the floor as she watched Clint and Natasha study her. It was as if they were trying to figure out where they'd seen her before. But like Charlie told Steve earlier, she looked different than she did when she was eighteen. She didn't know what to make of their actions, but she also wasn't going to be the one to make the first move. It wasn't long after that when her father broke the silence surrounding them. "Aren't you a little young to get caught up in all this?"

"I mean, I wouldn't say so. I'm twenty-nine," Charlie responded while trying and failing to hide the shakiness of her voice.

"Look, just give us back that case and we'll make sure that S.H.I.E.L.D. goes easy on your sentence," Natasha said in a calm tone.

However, that only made the Barton woman tighten her grip around the case. "I'm sorry, but I can't give this to you."

"Then you're gonna make this a lot harder on yourself," the Barton man told her while pulling back on his bowstring. But Charlie's next words made him pause.

"You're not gonna wanna do that."

"And why not?"

A shaky breath passed over Charlie's lips while she pulled out the only thing that could stop this whole mess. She knew showing them would cause a lot of confusion, but she didn't have much of a choice. The next thing anyone knew, the Barton woman was holding her sparrow necklace out for them to see.

"Charlie," Clint said just loud enough for them to hear as he slowly lowered his bow, "you should be back on the farm and away from all this. How are you here? And how are you twenty-nine?"

"Short explanation, I'm from the future where someone way worse than Loki won. I'm trying to help fix it and save...save our family," the Barton woman explained before gesturing toward the case, "but I need this for that to work."

Natasha just stared at the woman in front of her with a hint of uncertainty in her eyes before looking over at her partner. "Are you believing any of this?"

The Barton man hesitated as his attention returned to the sparrow necklace. His eyes scanned over it, catching all the imperfections from when Asher made it. Another moment of silence went by before Clint's eyes met Charlie's once again.

"I'm believing every word of it," the master archer declared before stepping aside to give his daughter a path to the door, "good luck saving the world."

A smile soon appeared on Charlie's lips as she descended the final staircase. As soon as she reached the bottom, she pulled her father in for an unexpected hug. Clint just stood there in shock until returning the gesture. The father-daughter duo stayed like that for what felt like an eternity before their moment ended. After saying a quick goodbye to both of them, the Barton woman walked out the door.

"Anđeo, you there?" Pietro's voice said through the comms after the door closed behind her.

"I'm here. Did you get the Time Stone?"

"We got it. But the magic woman turned us into ghosts. It was really weird," the Maximoff man responded, causing confusion to flow through Charlie's veins. However, before she had a chance to question anything, the speedster continued speaking. "Bruce already left with the Stone. I just wanted to check in to see if you needed any help."

"Well, I have Loki's scepter and I'm outside of the Tower. I could use a ride."

Not even a second after those words left her mouth passed when Pietro appeared in front of her. A smug smirk was plastered onto his face as he took Charlie into his arms. After placing a quick kiss on her cheek, the Maximoff man took them to the alley where they arrived in 2012.

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Charlie still couldn't believe the news Tony and Scott delivered after returning to the alley. She knew there was a risk for something to go wrong, but she never thought they would lose a chance at getting one of the Stones. The Barton woman had no idea how they were going to fix this problem, especially since they only had enough Pym Particles to get home. But they were going to have to do something or else everyone's missions would be for nothing.

The archer was still trying to process everything when Steve appeared on the fire escape closest to them. No one said a word as they watched him jump over the railing and land in the alley in front of them. None of them wanted to be the one to break the news to him. But they knew that one of them would have to be the first person to speak. And that person was Tony.

"Cap," the Stark man called out from the driver's seat of a destroyed car, "sorry, buddy, we gotta problem."

Scott couldn't help but scoff at the billionaire's choice of words. "Yeah, we do."

After sending the Lang man an irritated look, Tony told the entire story to Steve. Annoyance mixed with the exhaustion on the Man Out of Time's face as she listened to everything that had happened. He took a moment to come to terms with what had happened before speaking. "Well, what are we gonna do now?"

"You know what? Give me a break, Steve," Iron Man responded while rubbing a hand over his forehead, "I just got hit in the head with the Hulk."

"You said that we had one shot. This was our shot. We shot it. It's shot. Six Stones or nothing. It was six Stones or nothing," Scott ranted without bothering to hide the panic in his voice.

"You're repeating yourself, you know that? You're repeating yourself."

"You're repeating yourself. You're repeating yourself," Ant-Man retaliated while getting out of the backseat of the car, earning an irritated eye roll from Tony. That was enough to make the Lang man continue his rant. "No. You never wanted a time heist. You weren't on board with the time heist. You ruined the time heist."

"Well, we already established that we can't change the past," Charlie said, wanting to stop this pointless argument before it went any further, "are there any other options for us to get the Tesseract?"

"No, no, no, there are no other options! There are no do-overs! We're not going anywhere else! We have one particle left! Each! That's it! Alright?! We use that, bye-bye, you're not going home!" Scott exclaimed with anger in his voice before slamming the car's backdoor shut. That was enough to make Pietro step in front of the Barton woman before sending Ant-Man a warning look.

"Yeah, well, if we don't try, then no one else is going home either," the Rogers man responded while staring at the Lang man with determination and irritation in his eyes.

"I got it! There's another way to retake the Tesseract and acquire new particles," Tony announced before climbing out of the car and closing the door behind him, "little stroll down memory lane. Military installation, Garden State."

While Charlie, Pietro, and Scott were left in confusion, realization crossed over Steve's features. He stayed in his thoughts for a moment before asking the question bouncing around in his head. "When were they both there?"

"They were there at a time...I have a vaguely exact idea."

"How vague?"

"What are you talking about? Where are we going?" Scott asked while Charlie and Pietro were doing their best to figure out their conversation.

"I know for a fact they were there and I know how I know," Tony continued as if the Lang man had never said a word.

"Who's they? What are we doing? Guys, what is it?"

"Well, it looks like we're improvising," the Rogers man announced. It wasn't long after that when his attention landed on Charlie, who was staring back at him with a hint of worry in her eyes. A long sigh passed over his lips as he walked past Tony to stand in front of her and Pietro. "I need you to get the scepter back to the Compound. And don't even think about trying to convince us to let you come."

"I wasn't planning on it," Pietro told him while Scott continued to question a very annoyed Tony, "What are you and Stark planning? What's in New Jersey?"

"Hopefully everything we need," Steve responded with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

After sending the young heroes a small smile, the Rogers man walked back over to Tony. Charlie watched in silence as they typed in their new coordinates into their Time-Space GPSes. It was at that moment that she gathered enough courage to step up and call out to them. Steve and Tony's attention instantly landed on her, only to find the emotions she was feeling to have tripled. She just stared at them for what felt like an eternity before finally speaking. "What if this doesn't work? What if you don't come back?"

"Oh, well, thanks for the confidence booster, Katniss," Tony scoffed before letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, "everything will be fine. We'll be back before you know it. You just have to trust me."

Despite wanting to convince them not to follow through with this new plan, Charlie knew this was their only option. So after letting out a shaky sigh, she sent them a small nod and stepped back to stand between Pietro and Scott. Before anyone else had a chance to argue with their improvisation any further, Steve and Tony disappeared before their very eyes. The three remaining heroes just stared at where their allies once stood before following their actions. After pressing a few buttons on their Time-Space GPSes, they returned to 2023.

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