This fic takes place roughly six weeks after Every Judas Loved His Jesus, and is pretty much just baby fluff with Dagny and the agents/friends of SHIELD.
Dagny's Daily Rounds
Oneshot
Phil Coulson started his day at six in the morning. In his younger years he would have spent an hour or more in the gym, but since leaving active duty he made do with a thirty minute run. Afterwards came a quick shower and a fresh breakfast, and then Coulson dressed in a clean suit, ready to face his duties.
Stop one was Captain's Rogers' quarters on the top floor of the residential building. He and his team had returned to base only a few hours before following a mission on board a captured oil tanker, but it wasn't the debriefing on Coulson's mind. He had SHIELD's smallest agent to check up on.
"Captain Rogers?" Coulson rapped on the door to his apartment and waited patiently. He received no reply. He was considering calling Rogers' phone when he heard a high pitched squeal from inside, and he resorted to overriding the door lock. "Captain?"
The inside of the apartment was neat and tidy. Coulson noted the bouncy seat in one corner and Steve's uniform folded on the table, ready for the housecleaning staff to retrieve. "Captain Rogers?" he called again, but the only reply was another quiet squeal, and he followed it into the second bedroom.
It had been made up as a nursery. Gentle pastels colored the walls and at the center stood an unusual, metal framed cradle with vital readouts and soft, blue padding. A pair of chubby hands was holding onto the side, and as Coulson entered, a round, blue head rose into view. Two gleaming white eyes twinkled back at him.
"My, my, look at you." Coulson smiled and came forward. He watched in awe as Dagny pulled herself upright. "Standing up, all by yourself? You'll be walking in no time."
Dagny looked up at him and let out another happy squeal, bouncing on her little legs. "Then your daddy will really have to worry," said Coulson as he checked to make sure her battery was tucked safely into the front pocket of her nightie. He lifted her out of the cradle. "Where is your daddy, anyway?"
Coulson carried Dagny against his hip as he headed to the master bedroom and peeked inside. "Captain?" Since the door was already partially open, he nudged it with his toe and stepped through.
Steve was inside, asleep in bed. The sheets were only partially covering his half naked body and his face was shoved deep in his pillow, one arm dangling off the mattress. Coulson moved closer and offered a sympathetic smile. "Captain," he said. "I think I'm going to push back your debriefing to 0900, if that's all right with you."
Steve stirred, and his fingers twitched as if stinging as he drew his arm back up into bed. "Copy," he grumbled into his pillow.
"Miss Dagny is on duty this morning. I'm going to take her on her rounds, all right?"
"Sure..."
Coulson carried her back to the nursery. "What did you put your daddy through last night?" he said as he set her down gently on the changing table. He shrugged out of his coat. "He had a very busy day yesterday, you know."
Dagny stared at him. She played with her feet while Coulson changed her diaper and blew spit bubbles while he dressed her in a new onesie. Coulson hadn't had a great deal of experience with infants before her, but he had to think that she was one of the better behaved. She drank only water, so she never cried to be fed. She wasn't easily startled, and when she was fussy, she was easily distracted. Her nighttime behavior Coulson couldn't vouch for, and it wasn't unusual to find Captain Rogers with dark circles under his eyes. But when awake, she was everything Coulson imagined her father to be like as a child. Coulson sometimes wondered if she would ever begin to display more than a physical similarity to her mother, and if he would be able to tell if she did.
Once her battery was safely tucked away in the inside pocket, Coulson strapped her into her baby carrier and hoisted it over his shoulders. With his suit coat back on over it, he was ready for his rounds.
SHIELD Central was bustling that morning. Though one potential crisis had been resolved there were always more to look forward to, and no one wanted to be caught in the next one with unfinished paperwork left over. Coulson moved briskly through the administration building, checking in with each of the section heads. Over the past several weeks they had all become accustomed to greeting him with a baby strapped to his chest. Some preferred to smile through without comment, while others were all too happy to coo at and tickle SHIELD's youngest member. Dagny enjoyed the attention immensely. She was a kicker, and a grabber, and her delighted squeals could be heard up and down the halls.
"Can't you stick a pacifier in that thing?" Fury grumbled as Coulson reported to his office.
"She spits them out," said Coulson. He gave her one of his fingers and smiled as she gripped it tightly in her fist. "At least she's happy. If this is how loud she is when she's in a good mood, I'd hate to hear her cry."
Fury conceded the point with a quirk of his mouth. "You're getting awfully attached, Agent. Everyone's saying it's a shame you never had one of your own."
Coulson's smile was half wince. "Yes, I've heard them."
Fury glanced up and, seeing Coulson's face, he seemed to regret his words. He pursed his lips uncomfortably. "Anyway. Agent Romanoff is still in the infirmary. I'm sure Barton's down there with her. You might want to reschedule your debriefing."
"I have, for 0900." When Dagny began to squeal, Coulson gave her another finger to occupy her other hand. "What about you, Director Fury?" he asked, a bit of playful revenge in his tone. "I think you would have made quite a father yourself. And I'm not the only one."
Fury heaved a sigh. "You had better not be encouraging speculation in my base."
"Speculation is for amateurs, sir." Coulson took a step back. "Am I dismissed?"
"Yes, yes. I'll be waiting for your report after the debriefing."
Coulson stepped out into the hall. "What do you think of that, hm?" he asked of Dagny, tickling under her chin. "Director Fury as a father? It won't be long before you're begging him for story time before bed."
Dagny wiggled, and they continued together through the rest of Coulson's rounds.
Natasha awoke in the infirmary. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, and she immediately remembered having come in overnight to have her left wrist put in a cast. It wasn't the worst she had suffered on a mission by far, but it would certainly be a hindrance for the next several weeks, and she wasn't looking forward to being out of combat.
The door to her room opened, and the first thing she saw was a pair of shimmering white eyes in a blue face. She straightened up as Coulson entered with Dagny in tow. "Good morning, Agent Romanoff," Coulson greeted. "I see the staff managed to keep you overnight."
"I figured you'd be here to debrief me," said Natasha. "No point going back to my room." She glanced to the chair in the corner where Clint was fast asleep. "Agent Barton felt the same way."
"Debriefing has been pushed back to 0900, so you have time now."
Natasha frowned, but it didn't take a lot of thought to figure out what had caused the change. "Captain Rogers is still in bed, isn't he?" When Coulson's guilty smile confirmed, she sighed. "You've been going easy on him, Coulson. If you don't mind me saying so."
"He saved your life last night," said Coulson. "I think an extra hour or two of sleep is the least we can give him."
Natasha rolled her shoulders. "How is the little alarm clock?" she asked. She glanced down to Dagny, who was studying her thumbs as if nothing could be more fascinating. "She didn't give her sitters any trouble while we were gone, did she?"
"Not any more than usual." Coulson regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. "Would you like to hold her?"
Natasha decidedly did not make a face. "Of course you would try to corner me in the infirmary," she said. "When I'm short a hand with fewer avenues of escape. You must have spent weeks planning this."
"I believe this is the first time I've offered," said Coulson.
"Exactly."
"She doesn't bite, Agent Romanoff. She doesn't even have teeth yet."
"She will soon, at the rate she's growing." Natasha regarded Dagny and her lovely thumbs a moment longer and then shrugged. "All right. For a minute."
Coulson might have beamed as he loosened the carrier's straps and slid Dagny free. "Just be gentle," he said as he settled her carefully in Natasha's crooked arm. "Make sure you support-"
"I've held a baby before." Natasha shifted against the headboard as she accepted Dagny's weight against her chest. It wasn't much, but almost as soon as she had settled Dagny began to squirm. She latched onto the front of Natasha's tank top with both hands and pulled, almost yanking it off her shoulder. Her little legs kicked and she made a quiet, grunting sound as she climbed up Natasha's body as if she were a rock wall. When Coulson looked about to intervene, Natasha warded him off with a look.
"She's fine," said Natasha, reclining just enough that Dagny's progress would be easier. Soon Dagny had reached her objective, which was to grab a fistful of Natasha's red hair. With her heels digging into Natasha's thigh and one hand still clenched in her tank top, she shoved a thick strand of curls into her mouth.
Coulson smiled. "Looks like you're a natural."
Natasha sighed, but she held still and let Dagny do as she pleased. It only took one hand on Dagny's back to support her. "Standing up on her own already," she said absently. "Captain Rogers is going to be in trouble soon."
Coulson's phone rang, jolting Clint awake at last. As Coulson turned away to answer and Clint stretched and yawned, Natasha had just a tiny moment to herself and the infant intent on nibbling her bald. She stroked the line of Dagny's back, marveling at the unsteady strength in her growing limbs. Within a few years' time this child would tower over them. Someday, Dagny Rogers would be a god. It was hard for Natasha to imagine that even she had once been so small, let alone a giant from another world.
"Hey." Clint rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. "They finally got you, huh?"
"It's just a baby," said Natasha. "It's not like-" She was cut off when Dagny's fascination moved from her hair to her mouth, and five blunt fingers poked and tugged curiously at her lips.
Coulson returned. "That was Agent Hill," he said as he began unstrapping the baby carrier. "She needs me over at Section R. Do you mind looking after Miss Rogers, just until debriefing?"
Clint caught the carrier when it was tossed to him. "I thought we were debriefing now...?"
Natasha turned her chin away long enough to answer, "We'll be fine, sir."
"Thank you." Coulson sent Dagny one last fond look and then left.
Holding the baby was one thing. Clint wore the carrier on their way out of the infirmary, and Natasha had to admit, there weren't many people that could make a blue baby look like a holstered weapon. He stared straight ahead as if not trying to call attention, but Natasha noticed that whenever she started to wriggle he reached down and rubbed the bottom of her foot with two fingers. It was not unlike the fleeting gesture of familiarity he often granted his bow.
"I can see why you were avoiding this," he said as they made their way toward the cafeteria.
"I wasn't," Natasha replied. "Babies don't bother me." One of the passing techs gave them a look and then quickly averted his eyes. "What bothers me is everyone thinking they bother me."
"To be fair, you don't exactly exude a mother's warmth."
"It's just a child." Natasha glanced down and noticed that Dagny was watching her very closely. "Everyone seems to think that a woman can only have two reactions to a baby: to ooh and ahh, or to run away. But it's still just a child that will eventually be a person. That's all."
Clint was quiet for several paces, and when she looked back, their eyes met and his brow raised. "What?" she asked.
"I think she likes you," said Clint. Dagny was still watching her.
"I think it's just my hair." Natasha gave her head a shake, and Dagny squealed with delight. "I wonder if she'll ever have any."
They came to the cafeteria, which in retrospect might have been a mistake. It was prime breakfast hours and there were plenty of agents, scientists, and office workers milling about with their trays. Many curious eyes made it their way. Natasha did her best to avoid the stares, but as she and Clint came to the end of the line she heard a snicker from the men ahead of them.
"Look," said one young man to another. "It's the star-spangled baby."
Natasha glared, and when the man noticed and reacted with only a half smirk and a shrug of his shoulders, she stepped forward. She could feel Clint wince behind her long before she clenched three fingers tightly around the man's left ear.
"This little girl is going to have to put up with enough without assholes whispering behind her back in her own home," she said as the man grimaced and tried not to struggle.
"I'm sorry!" the man yelped, shrinking beneath the pain of having his ear twisted. "I didn't mean-"
"It's Miss Rogers to you," Natasha went on. "Or Miss Dagny, or Captain Rogers' daughter. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am! Yes ma'am..."
Natasha let go, and the man slunk back to his friend. They hesitated together, seemingly confused as to whether they were meant to retreat from the line, but Natasha merely turned her back on them as if nothing had happened. Clint was trying to look uninterested but she saw the smirk hiding in the corners of his mouth. Dagny was kicking excitedly and blowing spit bubbles.
"You could have at least covered her eyes," Natasha scolded.
Clint shrugged. "Why? She loved it."
They got their food, and were halfway through it when Jane spotted them and came over. She greeted Dagny with smiles and tickles, but when she noticed Natasha's cast, she grew serious. "I heard you were out on mission last night," she said. "Are you all right?" She glanced around the cafeteria. "Where's Steve? Was he-"
"He's fine," said Natasha. "Asleep, probably."
"Agent Coulson ditched the little squirt with us," added Clint. He still had Dagny strapped to his chest, and when she grabbed a sausage off his plate he didn't try to stop her.
Jane watched with disapproval as Dagny stuck the end into her mouth. "You shouldn't let her have that."
"Why not? It's just sausage." Clint pinched the other end so that there would be no chance of Dagny swallowing more than she could handle. With one hand gripping her prize and the other Clint's hand, she happily gummed away. "See?" said Clint. "She loves it."
"She doesn't even drink milk or formula," Jane insisted. "Her digestive system is nowhere near ready for solid food."
"It's not like she's eating it." But Clint relented, sneaking the offending sausage out of Dagny's grip and setting it on his napkin.
Dagny was slow to comprehend what had happened. She stared down at her empty hands for a long moment and then shoved them into her mouth, sucking the leftover taste from her fingers. Her feet began to kick. A quiet whine started in her nose and then she was opening her mouth, taking in a deep breath-
"Give her to me," said Jane, practically climbing over the table to get to them. She lifted Dagny straight out of the carrier and cradled her against her chest. Dagny only managed to get out one high pitched squeal, turning heads up and down the cafeteria, before Jane began to hum. With slow rocking and You Are My Sunshine Jane soothed Dagny quiet once more in no time.
Natasha watched. It seemed like such a simple thing, to hold and comfort a crying child. Jane was certainly a natural. She found herself wondering what lullabies she knew, and remembered the helicopter ride back to base just that morning-remembered Steve, humming quietly to himself as he secured her wrist to a splint. She hadn't recognized the melody, but she could picture Steve up late at night, lulling Dagny to sleep in the crook of his arm. He probably didn't even realize he did it all the time now.
"She'll be calling you 'auntie' in no time," Clint told Jane.
Jane smiled; she looked as if she would like nothing more. "She loves music," she said, stroking Dagny's back. Dagny, having forgotten the lost sausage, was busy trying to grab a lock of Jane's hair to suck on. "Even if it's just a few notes. Sometimes she even tries to sing back to the radio."
Natasha gulped down the rest of her breakfast. "I'd like to go back to my room," she said. "Clean up before we meet Coulson for debriefing."
"I'll take her," Jane said immediately. "We're opening the bridge today, and Thor will want to see her."
Clint shrugged out of the baby carrier. "Shouldn't Rogers be there for that?" he said as he tossed it onto the table.
"It'll be fine. Once Thor is through we'll come find you all just in time for you be finished debriefing." Seeing two pairs of raised eyebrows, Jane repeated, "It'll be fine. Steve and Thor are both good men with a lot in common. Dagny will bring them together, I know it."
"Don't overstep," Natasha warned. "It's up to Rogers who he lets around his daughter. And you're not really her aunt."
"Yet," added Clint.
Jane blushed profusely. "I'm not overstepping-Steve knows he's coming. It'll be fine. Right, Dagny?" She bounced Dagny against her hip and was rewarded with a happy squeal. "Just text me when you're finished with Agent Coulson, all right?"
"Sure," said Natasha, and once Clint had finished his breakfast the two of them left together. She didn't intend to continue any part of the conversation, but when she glanced at Clint she saw that look of his. "Say what's on your mind," she told him.
Clint stared straight ahead and obliged. "When Jane first started singing, were you thinking about Zagreb?"
Natasha frowned. She remembered the little apartment they had stayed in while waiting for their final orders, remembered the cool metal of the balcony rail beneath her elbows. There had been a bench on the sidewalk below, and every morning a young woman had seated herself there, a wriggling baby in her sling. She had been waiting for her husband, Natasha assumed. Every morning she would wait and sing, except for the last one.
"No," said Natasha. "Actually, I was thinking about Captain Rogers, and what lullabies his mother would have sung for him. If they'd be anything I know." She shrugged slightly. "What were you thinking about?"
"Rogers," said Clint. "Did you notice he was humming the whole way back to base?"
"Yeah. I did."
Sometimes, Clint lied to her. Natasha didn't mind. They were spies, after all.
By the time Jane finished her breakfast and arrived in the lab, preparations for the bridge opening were in full swing. Erik was at the head, ordering their handful of interns to their positions as the last calculations were entered. He lit up at the sight of Dagny and abandoned his post to come say hello. "There's my little blueberry," he said, and when she kicked he tickled her feet. "Come to see her uncle, has she? He'll be glad."
"I know." Jane didn't feel the need to mention Barton and Romanoff's reservations. "Is everything set? Is Stark here?"
Erik jerked his thumb toward the observation glass, behind which Tony and Pepper were in a close conversation. "Everything's set. Since you've got the pipsqueak, maybe you should join them. I've got the rest."
"Okay, sure." Jane smiled excitedly, and once Erik was finished with teasing Dagny some more, she left final preparations to the interns and slipped into the safe room. "Mr. Stark, she greeted. "Ms. Potts."
"Please, you can call me Pepper." Pepper smiled at Dagny but stayed back as Tony moved in for a more hands on hello. "Are you on babysitting duty?"
"Just for now." Jane reached for the baby carrier straps. "Do you want to...?"
Tony shook his head. "No, I just want to see..." He reached into the pocket of Dagny's onesie and plucked out her battery. Dagny immediately stopped trying to reach her toes and stared, her wide, white eyes mesmerized by the spot of blue light. After checking the readings on its miniature regulator, Tony slipped the battery back into place. "Perfect," he said, giving the top of Dagny's head an affectionate petting. "Looks like she hasn't lost any steam even with the decreased output from the battery."
"Oh, no," Jane laughed. "This little beast, run out of steam? I can't even imagine."
"Jane," Erik called from the main room. "Mr. Stark. We're ready."
"I've got it," said Tony. "Since you've got your hands full." He flicked the bottom of Dagny's foot and left to join Erik.
Dagny kicked and made grabby hands as he left, which made Jane smile. "She's really fond of him," she said. "I'm glad. I was afraid that she would form a negative association or something, since Mr. Stark was there for so much of her testing."
"He's just as fond of her," said Pepper with an almost nostalgic gleam in her eyes. "It means a lot to him that she's doing as well as she is. Even if he won't always say as much."
The switch was thrown. Jane covered Dagny's eyes and her own as the lab was lit with a rainbow of otherworldly lights, swirling and dancing within the spiraled pillars of the bridging device. It only lasted for a few seconds but Jane could feel the energy prickling the small hairs on her forearms and the back of her neck. Some of that came from her own anticipation; it had been three weeks since Thor's last visit, and she could not have been more eager to see him and hear his news.
Several dark figures flashed through the array of light, and when Erik at last killed the power, Thor stood on the platform accompanied by four others. As soon as the all clear buzzer sounded, Jane hurried out from behind the safety glass to meet them.
"Jane," Thor greeted. He stepped down and looked ready to embrace her, until he saw Dagny. He settled instead with clasping both her hands. His fingers were warm and tight around hers. "It is good to see you well."
"You, too," replied Jane, not caring if the entire rest of the lab saw her blushing. She glanced behind him. "And your friends! I'm so glad you've come-we didn't get a proper introduction last time."
"Yes-forgive my boldness." Thor stepped aside and waved for everyone to gather around. "I would have asked permission to invite them, had it been more feasible. I hope your director won't mind." He gestured to his friends in turn. "These are my most trusted friends: Lady Sif, and Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun, the Warriors Three."
"It's good to see you again," said Jane. "I hope you remember my colleague, Erik Selvig." Everyone nodded in greeting. "And Tony Stark, and Pepper Potts. I'm sure you'll get to meet Director Fury soon, too."
"Security breach," Tony said under his breath as he slid his arm around Pepper's waist.
Fandral stepped forward with an elegant bow. "Forgive this intrusion, sirs and ladies. But when Thor told us he would be visiting, we could not pass up the opportunity to meet the friends he has told us so much about." His gaze flickered back to Jane. "Nor his new niece."
"Oh-of course." Jane glanced down, but Dagny had gone still, and from her angle she couldn't see what the child's expression was. "This is Dagny Rogers," she introduced.
The four of them crowded closer. It was evident from their long stares that none of them had ever seen a Frost Giant child before her, either, and they looked to be holding back whispers. After a few awkward moments of silence, Sif straightened up and said, "She's only six weeks old?"
"Yes. Amazing, isn't it?" Jane tapped one of Dagny's closed fists and watched it happily punch the air. "We've wondered if it's normal for Asgardians-um, or Jotnar-to develop so quickly, or if it's just an effect of the energy she feeds on."
Hogun frowned thoughtfully. "She feeds on energy?"
"Almost exclusively," said Tony. "Though we're trying to wean her off of it."
"May I hold her?" asked Thor.
Jane started to say yes right away, but she was given a moment's pause by Thor's face; he was watching Dagny so intently, with so many layers of emotion in his bright blue eyes. She knew immediately that he had no good news to tell his young niece. "Of course," she said. She loosened the front of the carrier and allowed Thor to lift Dagny free.
Dagny kicked wildly, and instead of squealing resorted to great huffs of air through her chubby lips. Thor smiled, which in turn eased his companions. They took turns touching her little feet and letting her pull on their fingers-and Volstagg's beard. As they laughed and fawned over her Tony leaned in to Jane's ear. "Steve's not on his way down here, is he?" he whispered.
Jane rolled her eyes. "Everyone is so paranoid. Steve is fine. He's glad that Thor can make these visits." Her shoulders sagged. "Even when he doesn't have any news to offer." Tony made a face but let it drop.
"It's a shame," said Volstagg as he let Dagny yank at his mustache, "that she takes so much after her mother."
"Poor, bald little Dagny," Fandral agreed. He tried not to smirk. "Is 'mother' even the right word to be using, I wonder?"
Thor grimaced uneasily, and Jane thought to intervene, but Sif beat her to it. "But look how strong she is," she said, placing her hands under Dagny's feet. "Feel for yourself-feel how she pushes."
"She aches to walk," said Hogun.
Their prompting roused Thor quickly from his discomfort. "And we all know that Hogun is wise in the ways of children," he teased. "Let us see." He stepped over to one of the lab's tables and held Dagny over it so that her feet could rest.
"Careful..." Jane said involuntarily.
"Aye, of course." Thor held Dagny very delicately in his broad hands as he let her rest more and more of her weight on her unsteady legs, until she was shifting back and forth, testing her balance. With Sif close by as a spotter, he first took one of Dagny's hands in his, than the other. Everyone in the room hushed as they watched Dagny stand on her own power and then begin to bounce happily.
"See?" Thor laughed. "She is very strong already. She will be a great warrior, like her father."
"And her uncle," said Sif.
As they continued to marvel over Dagny's prowess, Jane thought she saw in Thor that same look of cold disquiet. Though his friends were clearly doing their best to support him, she could almost feel the barbs under his skin from a careless word thrown here and there. It reminded her of the face Steve sometimes made whenever Dagny's parentage came up even in their own group. Only the two of them could understand what it was like to be joined forever to their common enemy.
Tony stepped forward, trying to catch Thor when his guard was down with questions as to when he might be able to get a peek at Asgard. As Thor laughingly held him at bay Hogun slipped away from his friends and offered Jane a short bow of acknowledgement. "Lady Jane," he said quietly. "I know not if Thor will say so himself, but you should know."
Jane smiled grimly. "There's been no sign of him anywhere, has there."
"Not in any realm known to Asgard." Hogun bowed his head again. "Maybe you will be good enough to tell Sir Rogers the same."
"He knows." Jane sighed. "But that might not stop him from asking."
"I hate to interrupt," said Erik, gathering everyone's attention, "but Director Fury wanted us to bring Thor to his office as soon as he had arrived. I'm sure he'll want to meet your friends, too, Thor."
"Yes, of course." Thor scooped Dagny up in his arms again and then hesitated. "Jane, is-"
"I'll take her," Tony spoke up. "I want to finish up a few things on the bridging device's cool down procedure, and then I can take Dagny back to her pops. I'm sure Fury sees enough of her already."
Jane set the baby carrier down on a table as the hand-off was made. Despite all her confident talk, she couldn't help but be a little relieved that Steve wouldn't show up and find so many strangers teasing his only daughter. "Thanks, Tony. I'll have my phone on-I'm sure we'll all meet up at some point."
Thor's friends bid their goodbyes to Dagny, and with Erik at the head they left the lab. Jane and Thor followed along behind. "She is beautiful," Thor said determinedly. "My niece."
Jane took his hand and squeezed. "She is."
As soon as the entourage had moved on, Tony turned to Pepper. "I really do have to fiddle with this thing," he said. "So you take her."
"What?" Pepper made a squeamish face. "Tony-no. No, I'm not a baby-sitter."
"You're not baby-sitting, you're just baby-holding. For a minute." Tony pushed Dagny-gently-into Pepper's chest, and she had no choice but to quickly arrange her arms to accommodate. "Just make sure you support her head," he said as he helped her.
Pepper sighed, her eyes scanning the room as if there was some escape prepared for her. "You don't pay me enough for this," she said.
"So you'll get a five minute raise."
Tony made sure Pepper-and-baby were secure before turning back to the bridging device. Soon he had interns scattering back to their posts to take readings and run diagnostics and whatever else needed doing. Pepper rolled her eyes and tried to concentrate on not letting the alien baby drop. When Dagny wriggled, Pepper's heart leapt into her throat, and before she knew it she was sitting down. At least she felt a little more secure that way.
Dagny stared up at her. Her gleaming white eyes were a little creepy, as far as Pepper was concerned, though she was of course perfectly harmless. Pepper tried rocking her a little, but that only made Dagny wiggle more, so she stopped. She wondered if Dagny even recognized her-she wasn't around that often, mostly just to remind Tony that he wasn't being paid enough by SHIELD to babysit, either.
"So?" Pepper called, just to break the feeling that she was alone with the baby. "Did you convince Thor to whisk you off to Asgard this time?"
"Apparently, Odin forbids it," Tony replied. Pepper could see him rolling his eyes even with his head turned away. "Who does he think he is? It's not like his patents would be upheld on Earth anyway."
Pepper smirked to herself. "It must really be something up there. All that secret alien technology they're hoarding away from you. I'm surprised you can even stand it."
"You're telling me," Tony grunted. "But he'll come around. He owes me."
"He certainly does." She brushed her thumb gently over the shape of the battery tucked in Dagny's pocket. But just as she was becoming lost in thought, one of Dagny's hands shot out and grabbed her left breast.
"Hey-Tony!" Pepper squirmed and did her best to tug the hand away without risking Dagny's security. "Tony, she is grabbing me."
Tony glanced over and then went back to work. "She may be an alien god developing at twice the speed of any human, but she's still just a baby. She won't hurt you."
"I know, but she's..." Pepper adjusted her hold, and just when she thought all was well, Dagny smacked her in the breast again. "She is stronger than she looks," Pepper complained.
"Almost done," said Tony.
Pepper heaved another sigh, and when nudging Dagny's hand away didn't work again, she relented and let her do as she pleased. She did, however, do her best to sit facing a direction away from the interns, especially when Dagny tried pulling on her blouse. "Babies," she muttered, a strange sensation threading between her ribs. They weren't all bad, of course-she'd had a few girlfriends with children in the past. But she would never understand the willingness of people to coddle babies that weren't their own.
Tony finished what he was doing and returned, as he had promised, within only a few minutes. He didn't, however, move immediately to relieve her. "Is it really that bad?" he teased, leaning against a nearby console.
Pepper glared at him from beneath her bangs. "It's very uncomfortable."
"It's just a baby."
"It's not my baby." Pepper huffed and had to untangle Dagny's grasping hands from her necklace. "Tony, will you please give me a hand here?"
"You're doing fine." Tony cocked his head to the side, watching, and then...uh-oh. He was making that face. Pepper tried to look away, thinking that broken eye contact would prevent him from going further, but she wasn't having a particularly lucky day. "Did you ever think you would have any?"
She did her very best not to make a face. Despite Tony's flippant tone, she knew that children was a complicated topic for him. "No," she said honestly. "I never did." When Dagny started to kick, Pepper adjusted her arms to better support her. "Really, Tony, do I look like mother material to you?"
"I think you'd surprise yourself," he said. He shrugged awkwardly. "I never really thought I'd... But she's cute, I guess. And Rogers is crazy about her. It's good for him."
Pepper smiled. "Good for you, too?" she supposed.
Tony smiled back, but she had no trouble seeing the way his eyes pinched at their corners. Tony Stark was getting old. His chances of having kids had never been good, and with Pepper they weren't about to get better, making the blue half-alien whose life he'd saved the closest he would ever come. It was good for him. But more and more often Tony seemed to hint at the things that could have been, and Pepper, too, couldn't help but wonder about a life she might have had.
Tony shrugged again. "Sure," he said. "She's been a great little science project for me."
"She's not a robot," said Pepper. "She's a baby."
"They're similar."
"No they're-" Pepper's entire train of thought derailed when Dagny latched onto her breast again, but not with her hands. Even without teeth her gums provided plenty of pinch. "Tony-Tony!"
"Calm down." Tony finally moved to assist, taking Dagny's weight as Pepper did her best to gently disengage herself. "She's just trying to-"
"I know what she's trying to do-just get her off me." Pepper finally stepped back and straightened her blouse, grimacing baby spit ring Dagny had left behind. "Ugh, it's just so...embarrassing." She reached for her purse in hopes of finding a tissue.
For all his talk, Tony wasn't much more at ease holding the baby. He leaned her against his chest, but she kept trying to squirm, and finally started to whine. She was watching Pepper. "That's funny," Tony muttered. "Usually when I hold her, she tries to grab the arc reactor."
Pepper plucked her shirt away from her chest as she wiped at the stain. "Maybe she's more in the mood for milk for once." She shook her head. "Sorry, all out."
"But she's never..." Tony shifted Dagny into one arm and teased her bottom lip with his free hand. As soon as Dagny noticed, she snatched his finger and pulled it into her mouth. Tony frowned, watching her try to suckle and become agitated again when she failed. "She's hungry," he said, mystified. "She's actually hungry."
Pepper straightened up when she realized how serious Tony's expression had become. "Is that important?"
"Yeah." Tony turned toward the door. "Yeah, it is."
By the time Steve burst into the med-lab, everyone had gathered. No one was sure who had told him or what had been said, but he had clearly come straight out of a sound sleep: he was dressed only in a rumpled T-shirt and camo pants, shoes with no socks, and his hair was-for once-a half-matted mop of unwashed blonde. "Where is she?" he demanded even before taking stock of the room. His friends and comrades parted, giving him a clear path to where Thor stood at the center, Dagny cradled in one broad arm.
Steve hurried forward. He met Thor's gaze and tension showed in his jaw and neck, but then Thor smiled hopefully and the moment passed. "She is fine," Thor said. He gave Dagny a little bounce, alerting Steve to the reason they had all joined in the lab in the first place. "She's only hungry."
"Hungry?" Steve looked for himself and was momentarily stunned at the sight of Dagny's hands curled around a bottle. She was suckling happily, a faint gleam of white illuminating her cheeks from her partially closed eyes. "But...what?" he stammered. When Thor offered Dagny up, Steve accepted involuntarily. She paused in her drinking only long enough to be comfortable again and then carried on.
"They were waiting to start real testing until you got here," said Jane. She was practically beaming as she took Thor's hand. "But it looks like she's finally developed an appetite."
"The formula is one the lab's been working on for a while now," added Coulson. "She won't be able to get much out of that bottle, for now, since no one knows the limits of her digestive system."
"But it is formula?" Steve stared at his daughter with wonder written all over his face. "This is the first time she's had anything but water."
He looked to Tony, who nodded. "It's a good sign," Tony said. "Her system is compensating for the decrease in her battery input by craving real nutrition."
Pepper chuckled beside him. "She's not a robot, Tony."
Fury frowned at the assembly, his hands folded behind his back. He was trying very hard to look stern. "Now that she's eating, we'll have to make accommodations to her ration plan."
"Currently non-existent," teased Coulson.
Everyone began to chatter among themselves. "As strong as she is already, she's sure to have an Asgardian appetite," said Volstagg.
"She'll get that from her dad," said Tony. "You haven't seen 'appetite' like Cap on the Fourth of July."
Clint looked to Natasha. "You see? She really did want that sausage this morning."
Natasha sighed. "Yes, you were right."
"Perhaps we could bring her some delicacies from Asgard," Thor said thoughtfully. He looked to Sif. "Could fenalår be served to an infant?"
"Only in the way Hogun prepares it."
Steve let the speculation and teasing continue around him; he was too deeply absorbed in Dagny to hear much of what they were saying. He even hummed quietly to himself until he realized Jane was at his elbow. His gaze flickered to Thor and back, and he swallowed. "Any news?" he asked.
Jane smiled sympathetically. "Not yet."
Steve nodded as if there was no other answer. "Now that she's eating, she's going to grow faster than ever," he said. "Maybe she'll even get some hair."
"That would be nice," said Jane.
Steve smiled as the others crowded in once more. "She'll be walking soon. I'll be in real trouble then, won't I?"
Everyone agreed.