Stranger things have happened.
Steve had walked into the common rooms first when he came back for his meeting with Hill, he could have asked FRIDAY he knew, the AI kept telling him that it was what she was here for, but even though he was looking for Thor to know if the God wanted to go a few round at the gym, he liked the idea of never knowing who he would find in there. Once he regretted it, no one wanted to catch Nat and Sam in a compromising position. Mostly it was Clint, Scott and Sam playing games, sometimes Wanda trying to lift Mjolnir with her powers, Pietro mocking her, remembering silently his first encounter with the hammer, Vision and Rhodey having talks trying to find out what part of their purple team mates came from JARVIS.
That however had never happened before. Steve found Thor in the commons as he hoped, but what he hadn't planned on was to find him sitting on the floor watching carefully has a baby was crawling all around him.
"Thor?" Steve asked not really sure what he should question his friend about first.
"Steve finally, we were waiting for you." Thor said standing up careful of not disturbing the baby.
"I…" Steve said confused still eyeing Thor as the baby tried to grab at the hem of his jeans to stop him from going away.
"You are way too cute for your own good." Thor said taking the baby in his arms. It looked even smaller in the God's care and Steve suddenly found some remaining brain cells.
"That's a baby." Steve said out loud wincing as he heard himself.
"Isn't she welcome here?" Thor inquired pouting a protecting hand around her.
"It probably isn't the safest place on Earth for a baby." Steve said brushing off Thor's concerns of being unwelcome, he was only concerned.
"I do not understand your behavior my shield brother." Thor's booming voice resonate in Steve's head while he kept saying
"It's a baby."
"Are you well?" Thor insisted.
"How?" Steve said not able to finish his thought.
"My beloved Jane has been keeping Lady Darcy up all night for work they both needed sleep so I volunteered to keep little Frigga safe." Thor explained giving Steve almost all the Intel he had wanted to learn about.
"I didn't know Miss Lewis has a baby." Steve said, although he should know he had to approve housing for Jane's team when she and Erik agreed to come work for the Initiative, and Miss Lewis had been a package deal, she didn't have the qualification to work for Jane but she was the perfect assistant for Hill and being only a floor away allow her to keep an eye on the tiny scientist.
Steve hadn't met her yet, but all the Avengers including Tony and Pepper were fond of her, he, on the other hand, only knew she made delicious pancakes, always keeping some hidden for Sam and Steve for whenever they came back from their run, and that she only required a small office in her place, that Steve had agreed on without thinking twice about it. Although now that he remembered, she required a 'small place with two rooms, even pretty small one with place for only a cot would do' she had written on the form, not an office than but a second room for a baby.
"Frigga?" Steve said watching had Thor had let him think over the news, cooing at the baby in his arms. "She gave her your mother's name?"
"My Lightning Sister felt the need to honor her." Thor said as if it was obvious.
"Hi!" Steve said approaching the baby. But the little girl who couldn't be much older than one hid herself on the crook of Thor's neck.
Steve could only see her pale skin, dark curly hair, her little hand, knuckle white holding tight to Steve's collar.
"Her father doesn't work for us I suppose, if you're the one looking after her." Steve asked not really questioning it, just an affirmation, he had listened to Nat talking about their girls' night out and how Wanda and Darcy were using her and her death glare to fend potential 'one liner guys', saying that none of them were in the mood to meet someone, maybe especially ex-SHIELD agents though.
"She doesn't have one." Thor said and Steve didn't ask it really didn't concern him.
"Ah! She's here." They heard someone say and Steve turned around to watch Clint totally ignore him going straight for the little girl, Sam in toe, already babbling to her through his place by the door.
"We've been looking for her, we went to talk to Darcy and her office was closed, so was the lab so we figured, binged science night! which usually means we have the day to teach silly things to the little Munchkin." Clint explained while Thor handed him the baby without a word.
"Hum…" Steve very elegantly objected to everything that was happening today.
"Darcy made us cookies." Nat said passing one to Sam before handing the plate to Steve. She lifted an eyebrow watching the baby and Steve thought 'Finally someone else questioned this'. "I thought Darcy had a strict one night of science a week, that's the third time Frigga ends up with Clint this week."
"Hey!" Clint protested. "That's not fair, I totally stole her once."
Instead of answering him Nat started to tickle the girl's foot to make her laugh. Steve definitely liked that sound, her laugh was clear, untainted, coming from her little belly.
"Am I the only one who didn't know we were housing a baby in a Super-heroes, Super-secret facility?" Steve asked sighing loudly the question was stupid they were here playing with her of course they already knew.
"It's the safest place for her." Nat told him.
"I highly doubt that." Steve retoured. "But it's not what I am concerned about right now." He told them.
"You really didn't know?" Sam asked him taking another cookies from the plate.
"Do I look like I knew?" Steve asked, they had all made jabs at the fact that he wasn't the most stealth when it came to hiding his thoughts.
"No you kind of look like that one time we found Tony playing with a bomb that was about to explode because Doom had been stupid enough to make it a Rubik's cube needing to be solved if we wanted to save NY." Clint told him.
And okay, maybe Steve could relax a little, it wasn't a bomb only a baby.
"Okay" he said taking a deep breath. "So Miss Lewis lives here with little Frigga that she takes care off on her own, with Avengers babysitters, on top of her two jobs working for us." Steve summarized thinking that all the good thing he heard about her were not doing justice to her, being a single mother was harder than people tended to think it was. "Somehow what I am most concerned about is why someone gave the baby to Clint?" He said grinning when everyone started laughing around him, Clint holding the baby tighter.
"I am a good Godfather, I babysit all the time." Clint told him offended.
"You're what?" Steve asked shocked.
"Come on Cap, I am not that bad." Clint started to hunch on himself, looking at Frigga as if she would confirm what he told them.
"Clint, I am sure you're good to her. I shouldn't have made fun of you." Steve said, he didn't like to see Clint doubting himself it happened enough with Pietro always making fun of his age when they were training even though the older man always tried to hide it with jokes.
"Frigga, this is Cap, he's usually wearing a ridiculously not discreet Star and Spangle suit." Clint said turning Frigga toward Steve. "Right now he is in civvies but it's not going to last, he has a Shield you could do sleigh in the snow with it when winter comes." Clint mischievous glint in his eyes told Steve he had already plan on doing it whether Steve agreed or not.
"Hi! Frigga." Steve tried again and this time the little girl looked at him with bright curious blue eyes, turning slightly in Clint's arms to get a better look, Steve stood straighter feeling like he had to do a good impression. The girl giggled brightly and let go of Clint jacket to make grabby hands at Steve.
"Can I?" He asked not sure Clint would hand her over.
"Why not?" Clint said shrugging. "You hold babies in that USO tour of yours before, it didn't change in the last 75 years."
"I'll do my best." Steve said making a little salute, before Clint put Frigga in his arms.
"Wow that's even harder to look at than when it's Thor holding her." They heard and turned around to find Jane holding a giant mug of what smelled to be coffee.
But Steve didn't really pay attention at her, Frigga was wearing an avengers' overhaul, and she was pointing out his shield on her front with her tiny fingers.
"Yeah that's me." Steve told her. "And that's Thor, and Nat, and that here…" He said tickling her belly to make her giggle as he brushed his finger on Clint's bow "is Clint."
"Int." She said turning to look at the man who just waved at her.
"Yeah Clint is a little hard for her to say she's only 14 month old." Clint said grinning. "Thor is even worth though, and she is still not clear about Rhodey, Pietro or Vision. But I thing Vision is more of a 'the man is purple!' thing than about his name. And she calls Sam 'Am'"
"Which explain the pig jokes." Steve said shrugging as if it made perfect sense.
"Put the baby down gently Birdhead and no one will get hurt." They heard and everybody turned to look at Darcy who was still wearing her PJ bottom that were a match to her daughter's clothes.
"I didn't take her." Clint said pointing out to Steve who rolled his eyes, he had been the one holding her not 5 minutes before.
Darcy had a serious case of bed hair, obviously she went looking for her daughter first thing after waking up, even though Steve was pretty sure that even if Clint had admitted to have stolen the baby girl once this week, they all wouldn't take her away without leaving a note or asking permission, she also had pillow marks on her right cheek and shoulder. But Steve had to admit she was beautiful, with her dark brown curly hair that went falling down to her waist, her tank top was clinging to her curves, showing parts of her body he wouldn't mind exploring a lot more. Steve shook his head trying to get those thoughts away from his brain, at least while he was still holding a baby, her baby.
"Shit!" Darcy said blushing deeply. "You can keep her, don't fire me!" She said hastily and Steve almost dropped the girl.
"If I did that I'll never get to hold my girls again." Steve said without thinking about it, making a face when he realized how bad that sounded.
"Do you know how long I thought 'the girls' were my boobs?" She said making an exaggerated eyebrows raise.
Steve grinned, kissing the baby temple.
"No, Steve is not allowed to steal my girl." Clint said getting between Steve and Darcy.
"That's good" Darcy told him walking around him to get Frigga out of Steve's arms to give her back to Clint. "You take your girl, and Steve is going to help me see if I can mess up my hair some more."
Steve felt the blush starting to rise on his face but when she took his hand to tug him toward the living areas he followed without any protest.
"I think your mom missed a step or two when she explained that fate/reincarnation process to her." Jane told Thor glaring at him, but the God only shrugged. The Captain and Darcy were meant for each other and if his mother had decided that she should come back to life as their daughter she must have had a good reason, it was enough for him, and it had been enough for Darcy when she agreed to help her.