Author's Note:
Hello! I just couldn't help myself, and I love the story and little world I created that I just had to continue the story! SEQUEL to; Undercover as Steve's Girlfriend and Learning to Love. I recommend that you read them first, however, you can just go straight into the story. There might be a few small confusing parts due to what we've changed, but you'll get the hang of things!
Huge reminder, I am co writing this with the one, and the only, amazing; ThisVioletofMine! Also, with her, we are writing prompts which are currently on her page, so if you haven't already, go check it out!
To incorporate this story more efficiently with the MCU, we will be including as much of Captain America Civil War as we deem necessary, which still works with the story! (Spoiler alert for CW) We won't just be breezing through and saying it happened, as there are many aspects which are changed, for example - We had already killed off Peggy Carter; and they are in contact with Bucky, so there would be no, or a lot less, doubt there. Amongst other things, like… there would be no way Steve would kiss Sharon- unless he wanted Natasha to actually murder him!
So, obviously, this story is a CIVIL WAR SPOILER ALERT! Although, not so much this specific chapter, but this is your only warning (if you don't include the summary).
Anyway, without further ado, let's get down to business!
Steve took in a nice, calming breath through his nose, letting it out of his mouth and letting the tension leave his body with the expelled air. He opened his eyes, determination settling on his features as he scanned the layout of the room, calculating and mentally measuring, hunting. All of his training had led to this one moment, this moment that would forever go down in history no matter the outcome. Lives depended on his success. Countries would crumble and die if he were to lax for even a moment; he couldn't let his guard down. He needed to hone his super-soldier senses and locate the query. This wasn't just an act of duty- things had gotten personal when his skills had been doubted.
He took carefully-measured steps forward, making sure his gait was as light and quiet so as not to alert them to his presence. His mind rushed through calculations of size and probability until he came to one conclusion. Surely it wasn't true, his brain insisted. They wouldn't do that. But his gut told him that they would, and he would follow his instincts over his brain any day in a situation such as this. His bare feet barely made a sound on the hardwood floors as he snuck forward, muscles tensing slowly in preparation to spring. His hand crept forward with admirable control, slow and steady. Then, with one final inhale, he attacked.
"Found you!" He exclaimed as he flung the cabinet doors open to reveal both of his daughters, the larger of the two hunched over to fit in the tiny space. Selina screamed in surprise before catching herself, realising what had happened, and began to giggle.
"How'd you know?" She asked, trying to worm her way out of the cabinet. She and Chloe had really crammed themselves in there. Steve chuckled and knelt down, pulling her out before offering a hand to Chloe. Once they were both out and stretching their cramped limbs, he led the way out of the kitchen and into the living room, which he'd set up for a movie while he waited for them to find a hiding spot.
"I have super finding powers." He replied. In reality, he'd heard them sneaking around in the kitchen, then he'd heard a cabinet closing, and then, when he'd gotten closer, he'd overheard Chloe whisper-scolding Selina to give her more room and Selina breathing rather loudly despite her best efforts to stay quiet.
"Nuh-uh! It took you forever to find us!" Selina argued, sticking out her tongue before grabbing her new Sleeping Beauty cup and taking a long sip from the twisty-straw. Steve raised his hands in surrender.
"My apologies, Princess." She giggled and plopped onto the couch beside Chloe, who was quietly munching on some popcorn and watching the interaction amusedly.
"Chlo, that was a super good hiding spot idea! You're like a spy!" Selina praised her older foster sister.
Chloe smiled slightly shyly at the compliment. "Thanks."
Steve's lips turned up at the two- they were so cute together. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, setting up the DVD player. "Alright, girls, pick a movie that you both agree on." He instructed, gesturing to the shelf beside the television that held a large selection of kid-friendly movies Natasha and Chloe had picked up when they went shopping a few days ago.
"Can it be a princess movie?" Selina asked almost immediately after the last word had left his mouth, springing up from the sofa and running to the shelf to peruse the selections.
"If Chloe wants to watch a princess movie, too, then sure." Steve answered.
Chloe took one look at Selina's puppy dog eyes and sighed. "Sure. Just please not that 'Let it Go' one."
Selina withered a little before nodding and happily going through the movie titles. "What about Tangled?" She asked excitedly.
"You weren't planning on watching Tangled without me, were you?" Natasha asked, appearing behind them. Her hair looked slightly more of a mess than it had been in a while, and her eyes were tired- but apart from that, she looked exactly the same as twenty-three hours ago, when she left.
"Natasha!" Selina cried, running over and tackling the woman's legs while Steve stood and went to greet her as well.
"Hey, Nat." Chloe greeted with a smile and wave, not moving from her position on the couch.
Natasha lifted Selina up into her arms. "Hey, did you miss me?" She asked, looking at Chloe to show she was asking all of them, not just Selina.
Selina nodded with a big smile. "Uh-huh!" She chirped. "You were gone for a long time! What were you doing?" She asked curiously.
"Our friends, Wanda and Rhodey, just had a beautiful baby girl." Natasha answered, placing Selina down onto the couch before looking at Steve. "Looks like the girls are going to outnumber the boys for a change."
"Is Wanda okay?" Chloe asked, to which Natasha nodded.
"She's fine."
Steve was relieved, offering Natasha another smile and a kiss on the temple. "That's great! What's the little lady's name?"
Natasha gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Arianna Magda Maximoff," she answered with a chuckle. "She's AMM."
"I assume she's adorable." Steve added, noting that the girls were back at the TV, setting up the movie. "Well, adorable despite the wrinkles and redness, that is."
She chuckled in reply as she slipped closer to him. "I'm going to take a scalding hot shower- I need it." She grabbed hold of his top as she placed a kiss on his lips. "And I have to admit… I'm kinda glad I can't give birth. That's…" She shuddered as she stepped back.
Steve didn't know how to reply to a statement like that, so he didn't comment. "Well, hurry back so we can watch the movie." Behind them, Chloe and Selina were waiting, Selina bouncing around and fidgeting impatiently.
"Watch it without me." Natasha replied. "It's starting to get late, so Selina should be going bed straight after the movie."
Chloe looked like she was struggling to hold back a laugh.
Steve faltered. "Oh, um… Okay, sure. Yeah, because her bedtime is… then." It came out lamely and he knew it.
"Bedtime? I didn't have one last night! Steve let us stay up super late!" Selina piped up. Steve winced guiltily.
Natasha crossed her arms. "Did he now?"
"Yep!" Selina confirmed.
"I'll deal with you later." Natasha warned Steve before walking out of the room. "Enjoy the movie."
Chloe laughed. "You are in so much trouble."
Steve sighed and rubbed at his neck. "You have no idea, kid."
Steve grabbed two beers from the tiny fridge and carried them over to the couch, where Bucky was seated, looking a little anxious- understandable, considering his current status as a wanted fugitive. "You look like you really need one of these." Steve commented, handing his friend one of the bottles and sitting beside him.
"Thanks." Bucky said simply, taking a large gulp of the alcohol. "There was a home security camera across the street… Apparently it caught everything I did, and the FBI found the footage." He laughed shakily and started bouncing his leg. "Now they've seen the killer I can be, and they're going to catch me and put me down like some rabid dog." Steve lightly punched his arm to cut him off before he kept talking so pessimistically.
"Hey, don't say stuff like that, Buck." He scolded. "Those agents were in the wrong when they tried to apprehend you with violence- you were reacting to that. And we won't let them catch you, much less kill you, okay?" Steve pushed all the conviction he possibly could into his words, which seemed to help, as Bucky slowly sat up a little straighter, anxiety not quite as crushing as before. "We've already punished you for your actions, and anything they try to do would be unfair to you. We'll fight this."
Bucky sighed, abandoning the leg-bouncing in favor of agitatedly picking at the label on his beer bottle. "How do you intend to fight it, anyway?" He asked. "This is the government we're talking about. S.H.I.E.L.D is part of the government- won't they turn me in?"
Steve sipped at his beer, leaning back on the couch. "Buck, Fury doesn't take well to being told what to do- that's why he worked his way up to the tippity-top of S.H.I.E.L.D. He'll do what he thinks is right, regardless of the red tape around it. And technically, S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't exist any more- but I think he'll agree with my judgement. Don't worry about it."
Bucky let out a breath, some of the tension leaving his frame. "Alright. Thank you, Steve. Between your help and Maria's, I know I'm in good hands."
"Yes, I can guarantee that Maria won't let them get their hands on you either." Steve chuckled. "Now, I didn't come here just to talk about you, you know."
Bucky cocked his head confusedly. "What else was there to talk about?"
Steve smiled. "In case you have forgotten, I have just officially become a father to a little girl." Bucky's eyes widened.
"Oh yeah, that's right! Selina, right?" Steve nodded.
"Yep! I can't wait for you to meet her."
"How is Chloe doing, then? She doesn't feel badly about the adoption?" Bucky asked, genuinely concerned.
Steve shook his head. "Nah, she's totally fine with Selina now- there were a few doubts at first, but it all worked out nicely."
"That's good. Hey, did you hear what Thor did last week?" They continued on in conversation for almost three hours before the obligations and demands of life caught up with them, forcing Steve to return home to help with dinner and Bucky to meet up with Maria to discuss the critical details of the FBI's case against him- at least, that's what he claimed they were going to do.
Steve smiled fondly as he glanced over at Selina, who was slumped against Natasha's shoulder, fighting to keep her eyes open so she could watch the rest of the movie. He could see the thin glaze of sleep in her eyes, though, and knew that she probably wouldn't make it to the end. He returned his gaze to the screen as the generic 'prince saves the princess' movie played, letting his thoughts wander in many different directions as he barely paid attention to the film. Only when the credits started rolling did he return to the present. Another smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he saw that Selina was, predictably, fast asleep, cheek squashed against Nat's shoulder and drool accumulating in the corner of her mouth. "How long has she been asleep?" He asked Natasha quietly so as not to disturb the girl- not that it was necessary, as Selina was dead to the world.
"Fourteen minutes." Natasha answered precisely before turning her attention to him. "Want me to carry her up?" She offered.
Steve shook his head. "Nah, I got her." He replied, stepping forward and easily pulling Selina into his arms, the girl immediately snuggling into him whilst still- thankfully- remaining asleep. He carried her up the stairs as gently as possible before carefully laying her on her mattress and pulling the covers up to her chest. With a small kiss to her forehead, he turned off the lights and went back downstairs.
Chloe, as it turned out, had passed out in the armchair off to the side, her book lying limply in her lap. Steve chuckled and turned to Natasha. "What do we do with her? I'm not sure she'd appreciate me carrying her to bed." He said, grabbing the remote to turn off the TV.
Natasha tilted her head to the side. "I doubt she'd be comfortable on the chair for very long- I'd risk carrying her upstairs." She informed him as she took Chloe's book and bookmarked the page.
"Alright, but I'll need your help- I can't hold her with one arm, and I think she left her bedroom door closed." Steve said, carefully manipulating the teenager until she was comfortably in his arms.
He received a chuckle from Natasha followed by a teasing, "I could manage it." Before she headed up the stairs before him.
He followed her lead and sent her a grateful look after she opened the door for him, then repeated the process of putting the girl into her bed and tucking her in before slowly closing the door behind himself. He sighed contentedly and followed Natasha back to the living room. He glanced at the clock. "It's only nine?" He exclaimed, surprised. "I thought it was much later!"
Natasha chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "I'm surprised that Selina lasted this long- we should make sure we keep her bedtime of 7pm from now on, though." She commented, picking up a cup and placing it in the sink. She looked around. "It's far too quiet here for 9pm- I actually miss Wanda's guitar playing."
Steve laughed. "And the cleaner bots sweeping down the halls? That sound always annoyed me, but I grew used to it, so this peace and quiet at night is almost unnerving." He admitted with a crooked smile. "Who knew the typical family home life was so unsettling?" He joked.
She approached him with a smile. "We've got hours alone, which I didn't expect. Do you know what we can do in that time?" She asked suggestively. He smiled, catching her drift, and bent his head down, but she turned her head away. "Clean up! I thought we wouldn't have time. Then we have time to train. too!"
He groaned. "Must you take so much joy in leading me on like that, then crushing my hopes and aspirations?" He asked, admittedly melodramatic. "Can't we do the cleaning tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow? Why leave it? Besides, we're going to visit Selina's new school and it's Chloe's first day back since coming to live with us. Not to mention that when they're at school we're going to the compound. There's a lead on Rumlow, suggesting he's going to Wakanda. We're just waiting for it to be confirmed." She informed him.
Steve nodded. "That's good- he's been causing issues since S.H.I.E.L.D fell. Do we know why he's in Wakanda?"
"The intel we received suggests he's planning on attacking the police force there." Natasha replied. "But that's a problem for tomorrow- we can't go there right now."
Steve snorted. "Are you sure we can't just sneak over to another continent while the girls're asleep? We could totally be back before they wake up."
Natasha glared at Steve. "They've been here for less than a week. We have to at least give Chloe a test drive as a babysitter before we leave the country."
Steve backed up slightly. "Woah, calm down, Nat- I was joking." He assured her, wide-eyed.
"You were honestly considering going right now, though, weren't you?" She said confidently. Steve chuckled sheepishly.
"It had… crossed my mind. Although you would have stayed behind with the girls, obviously."
She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Why is it obviously me who stays behind?"
Crap. Steve regretted those words ever leaving his mouth. "Well, Rumlow is a dangerous psycho… Also, the girls would appreciate having you around more than me." He tried to explain.
Natasha turned around and began walking up the stairs. "Next time you say something sexist like that, I will be looking after the girls by myself."
Steve gulped before following her up the stairs, hoping she wasn't actually pissed at him as he rather that they went to bed on good terms, as even though he liked a feisty Natasha in the bed, he was more in the mood for a gentler Natasha.
Thank you for reading! I would be delighted if you drop me a review- it would be great to know who's still interested!
Also, for this story, there are two themes; each chapter will be done in one person's point of view, instead of it depending on the scene. However, some characters will get more than one chapter!
And secondly, we are going to line up our postings with the birthday of MARVEL ACTORS! (The best we can), therefore, this chapters actor birthday shout out is: Paul Bettany - Who we all know voiced JARVIS and is now the incredible Vision! Happy Birthday Paul!