"It's my fault Steve…I mean, I always knew I was never going to be a good parent after my Dad fucked my up, but I at least thought I would be able to be a parent if I ever wanted." Tonya said bitterly. Steve shifted closer to her, wrapping an arm around her.
"Listen, we don't know that. The doctor is still analyzing the tests. There could be no problem at all and we just need to keep trying!" Steve pointed out optimistically. Tonya spared him a withering look.
"Yes, I'm sure that's it." She agreed dryly, "Speaking of that, god, it's been like a week since we took those tests. I told you we should have just let Bruce do them…" she muttered. Steve sighed.
"Yes, but you said so yourself how awkward that would be when you would later have to work with him, knowing that he knew you…like that." Steve finished awkwardly. Tonya shrugged.
"Whatever. It still would have been faster." Tonya repeated, just as the door opened, and a doctor holding a file entered. He glanced up at them, frown on his face.
Steve felt his heart drop.
"Mr. and Mrs. Rogers…I am so sorry…."
"Tonya, please let me in." Steve banged on the door to the lab repeatedly. Jarvis had denied him entry repeatedly now, and he was getting annoyed. He saw her sitting on a work bench, doing something to the Iron Woman suit, and heard the loud music that was probably drowning him out. He growled in annoyance, stalking up the steps.
Only to return a few minutes later with his shield.
The glass wall to the lab shattered.
Tonya did not react, and Steve carefully made his way through the glass to sit down next to her. Glancing at her face, he sighed. Her face was scrunched up, eyes shut tightly, but that still didn't stop the tears from leaking out.
"We'll figure this out Tonya. I swear we will." He promised, wrapping his arms around her and tugging her into his chest where she could sob freely.
Jarvis turned the music off to give them some peace.
"Come on." Steve insisted, tugging her upstairs. "Let's think about it." She stumbled out behind her, eyes red and cheeks still wet.
"Steve, it hurts too much to think about." Tonya objected. He pulled her to the couch.
"This isn't the end Ton. I know it isn't. We're going to have a baby." Steve insisted. Tonya frowned.
"Not sure if you just ignored the doctor or are pretending to make yourself feel better, but the doctor said that I was infertile. Not sure if you had that term back in the 40's, but it means-"
"I know what that means Tonya. But you seem to forget that pregnancy isn't the only way to get a child. We can adopt or surrogacy." Steve pointed out happily, but Tonya still frowned.
"Yes Steve, because that is exactly what I want. To watch some other woman have my child for me." Tonya said tiredly.
"Then adoption." Steve insisted. Tonya sighed.
"Steve, things are a lot more complicated now than they were back in the 40's. There's paperwork and social workers and it would take forever." Tonya explained. Steve shook his head.
"So? Wouldn't it be worth it?" Steve moved closer, grabbing her hands. "Besides, aren't you always going on about how you can buy anything you want?" Steve teased. Tonya's eyebrows shot up.
"You want me to buy us a kid?" she asked sarcastically. Steve shrugged.
"Why not?"
"Tonya, I know you're nervous, but the social worker is going to approve of us. The house is completely baby-proofed, and we're nice enough people. Just don't snark the poor woman and we'll be fine." Steve joked. Tonya glared at him.
"How can you be so calm about this?" she hissed at him. "It's over if she doesn't approve us. No matter how much money and influence I have, none of that matters if she doesn't let us have a baby." Steve stood, wrapping his arms around her.
"Tonya, she's not evil. She's going to see how much we want a baby, how much we deserve one." Steve insisted. "She's going to approve of us. I promise."
The doorbell rang.
Tonya swallowed hard, before opening the door with her charming smile plastered on her face, hiding her nervousness perfectly.
"Hello! My name is Tonya Rogers, and this is my husband, Steve." She greeted. The woman nodded, holding a notebook and pen. She held out a hand.
"Elizabeth Stanley. Trust me Mrs. Rogers, I know plenty about you and your husband already." Tonya's smile faltered.
"Yes, I suppose being Captain America and Iron Woman would assure that." Steve jumped in, also shaking the woman's hand.
"Yes, it would also assure that you two were called away from home often, plus I've followed Tonya Stark many years before the Avengers were formed. She, of course, was in the news often, for parties and…her male friends." Tony bristled. It was an understood rule in their house that they didn't speak of her more slutty days.
Elizabeth walked around, eyeing the place.
"It is to be expected that there are many experiments of Mrs. Rogers lying around. The baby could easily injure itself if that was the case." Elizabeth pointed out. Tonya opened her mouth, about to say that as a matter of fact, she kept most of her experiments in the lab, except for the evil social woman eating robot. Steve must have read that in her face, because he jumped in again.
"Actually, Tonya keeps all her experiments down in her lab, which is locked down and impossible for a child to get into." Steve said helpfully. Elizabeth spared him a glance, before returning to her inspection.
"Okay. I wonder if any of the enemies you have made would be interested in a child of you, Mrs. Rogers? I don't think that we would want another Afghanistan situation, but with a helpless child, correct?"
That was the final straw.
"Hey! Listen lady! I don't care what you've heard about me from the paparazzi! You don't know me and you do not know how much I want a baby, okay?" Tonya snapped, tears coming to her eyes.
"Ton-" Steve attempted to intervene, but Tonya waved him off.
"No! This isn't fair. I don't care how much you don't like me! You shouldn't get to decide if I deserve a kid, because to be honest, I don't think I do! Okay! There! I said it! I don't think I deserve a kid, but that doesn't mean that if I'm blessed enough to get one that I'll be a bad parent! I may not deserve a kid and I may not be the best parent, but he does and he will!" she pointed at Steve. "I'll figure out the whole parenting thing and I'll love my baby more than anyone!" she snapped, eyes tearing up. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, snapping her notebook closed.
"I think I've seen everything I need to. I'll be leaving now." She sniffed, heading out the door. The door shut and they stood in silence for a few moments.
Tonya sniffled.
"I ruined everything."
Steve shook his head, wrapping his arms around his waist. "We'll figure it out." He swore, swallowing hard. "I don't know how, but we'll figure it out. We'll find out some other way." He promised. "I swear." He murmured, a few of his own tears leaking out.
Two weeks later, they got a phone call from the adoption agency, telling them that Elizabeth Stanley had approved them and that they could come to the orphanage and pick out an infant to take home at their earliest convenience.
"Steve, how are we supposed to just pick one?" Tonya glanced around the newborns and infants. "We don't know anything about these babies. I mean, we know about their parents and their names, but we don't know if they're going to be smart like me or super honest good like you." Tonya shook her head, "Steve, I don't just want to pick one at random or based on looks." Steve sighed.
"Then what do you suggest we do Tonya?" he asked quietly. She shook her head.
"I don't know. I'm going to go talk to the social worker, see what other options there are." Steve nodded as Tonya left. Steve wandered out of the room as well, not truly paying attention, until he heard a crash from one of the rooms. He hurried in that direction, pausing in the doorway to assess the situation.
"Aw, poor little Peter Parker! You could have stayed with your Aunt and Uncle, but they didn't want you, so you were forced here!" A kid, about ten taunted a much younger child, who frowned up at him, hands fisted at his side.
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The littler one, Peter obviously, chanted. The older kid chortled.
"Nice. Keep telling yourself that."
"Steve, I talked-"
"Shhh." Tonya looked over his shoulder, now also watching the proceedings.
"No one wants you, you little freak. It's why you have no friends." Peter frowned.
"I don't want any friends if they're anything like you. You're just a bully and mean! You feel better about yourself by making others feel worse and that's not nice!"
Tonya grabbed Steve's hand as the older kid stepped forward threateningly, and Steve's chest tightened protectively, surprising him.
Peter however, just looked unimpressed.
"I'm gonna crush you! You little freak!" The older boy lunged, as did Steve and Tonya, but Peter was faster. He moved his hand and a white substance coated the other boy, nearly from head to toe, stopping him in his tracks. "Arg!" the boy moaned, tugging at the stuff coating him, before running out of the room.
Peter turned to Steve and Tonya, eyes wide. "I-I'm sorry…It won't hurt him or anything! Honestly! It will wash out with water and soap! It's just a mixture I made out of glue, water, and some parts I separated from soap! It's harmless, but it will make him be quiet for a little while!"
"You made that?" Tonya's face lit up, moving to crouch in front of the boy. Steve did the same. Peter nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, and I shot it out with this." He turned his wrist around to show them what looked like a thermos with a bottle nipple on top and some barbed wire attaching it all to his forearm. "He's always bullying the smaller kids and I'm just sick of it!" Peter stomped.
"How old are you Peter?" Steve asked. He glanced up.
"I'm six."
"And you made this?" Tonya questioned incredulously. "At six?" Peter nodded, chest swelling with pride. Steve put a hand on Tonya's shoulder, squeezing gently. She glanced at him and they both nodded.
"Hey Peter," Steve started conversationally, "how would you like to come home with me, Steve, and my wife, Tonya?"
"Like…live with you?" Peter asked hopefully, "Like…you want to adopt me?" he stared at them with wide eyes.
"Yeah, exactly like that." Tonya grinned at him, and Peter smiled too, throwing himself into their arms.
And so, that was decided.
R & R. This is not something that I'm used to doing, but I tried and I actually like this piece.