The briefing room is stark, cold, and buzzing with quiet tension. Steve leans against the table, glancing over the dossiers laid out before him. Then, the door opens, and she walks in — taller, stronger, but unmistakably her.

His breath catches. For a moment, the world shrinks until it’s just the two of them.

“You’re… you’re really here,” he says, voice low, half in disbelief, half relief.

She meets his gaze, eyes wary but familiar, and there’s a pause heavy with the years between them.

“I had my doubts,” he admits, stepping closer. “I thought I’d lost you for good back in… well, you know.”

His hand hovers uncertainly, as if reaching for the past and the present at once.

“Welcome back,” he says finally, a small, grateful smile tugging at his lips. “It’s… good to see you again.”