Affliction of War: The Intermission

by StrawberryGirl87

An intermission story between the events of The Affliction of War and Captain America:Winter Solider, when the proper sequel is set to happen.

4. Part Four

The Final Installment of the Intermission chapters, putting us three months until the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which is where Affliction of War: The Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D will start.

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Affliction of War: The Intermission - Part Four

The next morning Harry was feeling rather under the weather after his night of heavy drinking. Phil popped his head into Harry's hotel room to let him know that he and the team were leaving, having had a call to attend an evaluation for a woman in Batesville, who appeared to have telekinetic powers. By eight in the morning, a couple hours after the others had left the hotel, Harry had finally stopped vomiting and was ready to leave. He had prepared a portkey and was readying himself to travel back to America, feeling nothing like his normal self and dreading returning home, for no other reason than the lecture he would no doubt receive from Steve.

When he arrived back, it would be three in the morning back in Washington but Harry wanted to surprise his family and be there when they all woke up. He wanted to cook pancakes for them all and spend the day playing with his twins and simply enjoy his family. He found that he was rather looking forward to it; he missed his children. He wasn't looking forward to the confrontation with Steve but he did want to see him.

Taking the portkey in hand, Harry took a deep breath and a moment later he felt the familiar pull behind his navel, which, of course, didn't make his nausea any better. The second that he landed in his living room, Harry had to make a fast dash to the downstairs bathroom where he promptly vomited into the toilet once again, almost missing it in his haste. Muggle alcohol normally didn't affect him like this, only firewhiskey got to him this badly, though it had been awhile since he had had a proper drink.

With his head throbbing from dry heaving so much, Harry tiptoed up the stairs, wanting to look in on his children before he started to make breakfast. His first stop was the twins room; he peered down into each of their cots and smiled fondly at the sight of both of them sleeping peacefully. Harry didn't realise just how much he had missed Sarah and JJ until he finally laid eyes on them. Not wanting to wake them, he quietly shut the door, moving down the hall to Teddy's bedroom.

He suspected that Misty was in the guest room; he didn't think that Steve was naive enough to put Misty and Teddy in the same room, they were still so young but Harry still didn't think that it would be appropriate. Opening the door and peering inside, Harry was momentarily confused as there didn't appear to be anyone in Teddy's bed at all. Trying not to panic, Harry went into the room and searched everywhere but found no sign of the ten year old.

Thinking that he might have fallen asleep in Misty's room, Harry quickly made his way there. Opening the door Harry was horrified to find that the guest bedroom was just as empty. It took only two minutes for Harry to search the house from top to bottom and determine that neither Teddy nor Misty were anywhere to be found. He even used magic, casting the spell to detect anyone who might be in the house, there were only three others aside from him when their should have been five. The second that Harry knew for certain that the ten and eleven year old were missing, he went straight to his room to wake Steve.

"Wake up," Harry said urgently, shaking his husband, "wake up. Teddy and Misty are gone!" Harry's whole body was shaking with fear about what could have happened to the two young children. All manner of things were racing through his mind, memories of the last time Teddy had gone missing coming to the forefront of his mind in his panic.

"Harry…?" Steve groaned, blinking his eyes open and peering up at the person who was still shaking him almost violently. "You're home," he said groggily, when he realised that it really was his husband leaning over him. "When did you get back?"

"Forget that," Harry said impatiently, wanting his husband to focus on the matter at hand. "Teddy and Misty aren't in the house! I can't find them."

"They're fine, they're in their rooms," Steve said, still half asleep. He was happy to see his husband and just wished that Harry would stop shouting and just join him in bed so that they could get themselves reaquainted.

"No they're not!" Harry said, panicking to the extreme at this point. Teddy was his Godson and in his charge, he couldn't believe that he was gone. "I've searched this house from top to bottom and they're not here!"

Groaning, Steve sat up in bed, trying to get his head around what his husband was saying. He didn't know how Teddy and Misty could be missing, he had put them both to bed the night before and everything had been fine. The twins hadn't woken up at all through the night and Steve had been able to get an early night himself. He had checked on all of the children before he had gone to bed and they'd all been where they were supposed to be.

"They're probably just playing hide and seek or something, those two like their privacy," Steve said as Harry rather violently threw a pair of jeans and a t-shirt towards his husband, who was only wearing boxers. Normally, Harry would have taken the opportunity to fully admire and appreciate the sight of his partially undressed super soldier husband but now was not the time.

"Misty might be able to turn herself invisible but Teddy can't!" Harry shouted, completely unamused by the fact that Steve just didn't believe him. "And they can't get round the spell I used to detect if there was anyone in this house. They aren't here and the longer you don't believe me, the longer that they're out there on their own!"

-x

At half ten, earlier that evening, Steve had gone to bed, exhausted from his day of child care. Misty, having turned invisible, had snuck into Teddy's bedroom and together they had waited. When the two of them were sure that Steve was asleep they had snuck out of the house, with the help of some magic from Teddy to make sure that they weren't heard.

Between the two of them, they had come up with a plan to find Harry. They were smart enough to know that they wouldn't be able to get anywhere close to anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. who might have been able to help them; it was unlikely that they would get told anything and it was probable that Steve would be alerted and they would simply be sent home the second they reached the Triskelion. This is why they were going to someone who would be able to get them what they wanted, Harry back at home.

Their plan was to drive the four hours from Washington to New York and gate crash Avengers Tower. Jarvis was going to be a lot easier to get passed compared to hundreds of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Teddy didn't want to question Misty's knowledge on hotwiring cars, he just accepted it, just as she accepted the fact he was able to unlock a car and silence the alarm with a wave of a wooden stick.

By the time it had been noticed that they were missing from their beds, Teddy and Misty had arrived in New York, dumping the car outside of Avengers tower, narrowly avoiding hitting a street light in the process. Despite the fact it was three in the morning, their presence was immediately picked up by the high-tech security equipment guarding the tower. Happy was the first one out, gun raised. Misty, being as nervous as she was, immediately turned invisible; it hadn't even been intentional, simply a gut reaction to having a gun pointed at her.

"We're friends," Teddy said at once, trying to make himself sound braver than he felt. "I'm Harry Potter's Godson, he's known as Blackbird, I've trained at S.H.I.E.L.D. and know Phil Coulson. We only want to see Tony Stark." It took a lot for his own ability as a metamorphmagus not to be triggered as he battled his own fear about what could happen if he couldn't convince these people that they were no danger to anyone in the tower.

"Where did your friend go?" Happy asked. He kept his voice very firm, not relenting at all just because these were children. He would not put any of the Avengers currently in the tower in jeopardy for any reason.

"She's special, we both are," Teddy said, his hands now raised so that he wasn't perceived as a threat. All the while a long list of spells that he knew was running through his mind in case it came down to defending himself and Misty from a spray of bullets. "We're with S.H.I.E.L.D.," Teddy said again,."Captain America is my guardian, he's married to Blackbird, you can check all of this if you don't believe me."

"They're kids," another of the security guards whispered to Happy, not feeling entirely comfortable with aiming a gun towards a child who looked damn near terrified.

"Take them into the detention room while I confirm with Mr Stark," Happy said, stowing his gun back into it's holster and watching as Teddy breathed a sigh of relief and Misty suddenly reappeared out of thin air, half hidden behind Teddy.

The two of them were very quickly escorted into a plain grey room that had a table and two chairs but nothing else. The two children shared a rather apprehensive look as they were sealed inside, wondering if this was really a good idea. Happy in the meantime went to wake Tony, who probably wasn't going to happy about being dragged from his bed.

-x

"So they're safe?" Harry said with a sigh of relief down the phone. He was so thankful that Tony had had the forethought to call when the two young children had arrived at Avenger's tower. He felt such a weight lift off of him when he knew that Teddy and Misty were safe.

Steve was sat close by, looking extremely concerned as he listened in to what Harry was saying on the phone. He was kicking himself for allowing this to happen, he had no idea why Teddy and Misty would have run off like this. Mostly though, Steve was just glad that Harry was finally home.

"I'll come and collect them now," Harry said. "Thank you, Tony, I won't be long." With that Harry hung up the phone letting out a long breath. He was so happy that they were both safe and being well looked after at Avenger's Tower but that did very little to change how on edge he was feeling. He knew he wouldn't feel truly calm again until Teddy was back with him.

They had been on the verge of calling S.H.I.E.L.D. and asking for their help, which could have been very embarrassing considering Misty was supposed to be in a S.H.I.E.L.D. orphanage. But thankfully Tony had called them just in time, informing them that Misty and Teddy had given Happy and the Tower's security detail quite a fright, but that both of them were unharmed and perfectly safe.

"I'm sorry, Harry," Steve said, his arms folded over his chest to keep from reaching for his husband; he didn't think that Harry would welcome such affection at the moment, least of all from him. Steve was feeling rather hopeless; It summed up how he had been feeling since Harry had left, if he were honest with himself, but he couldn't have failed more than losing two of the children in his care.

"At least they're safe," Harry said with a weary sigh, running his hand over his face. He knew that his husband had done his very best, not that that had been good enough. "I'll apparate to them and bring them home. It'll be quicker. I assume you can handle the twins on your own?"

"Don't be like that, Harry," Steve said a little heatedly; he knew that he had let Harry down and felt terrible about that, but he would never have deliberately let anything happen to any of their children. "You up and left, leaving me with three children. I did the best that I could."

"And I do the best that I can every single day that you're not here," Harry argued, his arms flailing as his fear for Teddy and anger at the situation started to boil over. "I'm an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. just as much as you, Steve! And yet, I've been staying at home with the children since they were born while you up and left time and time again." Harry was fuming mad at this point; he had been doing everything for his family since the twins were born but he was an Auror and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. too. Just because he had been the one to birth the children they had together didn't mean that everything he had been trained for, everything that he was, just went away.

"You're their mother!" Steve said, fully believing that it was Harry's role to take care of the children; it was the way that he had been brought up. He did understand that his views were a little outdated, however, he honestly thought everything had been alright between them, not perfect but not as broken as this either.

"And you're their father!" Harry snapped back, needing Steve to actually step up and act like it. "And you managed to lose Teddy and Misty! These children are our responsibility, one that you clearly can't handle. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't have time for this conversation," he said, as he quickly made sure he had everything he needed, "I have to go and get our children back."

Steve didn't want to leave things as they were between them, but he didn't know what to say. Harry had a point when he said that he had failed as a father. However, he had been thrown in at the deep end when Harry had left, he hadn't been equipped to deal with three children on his own, let alone four when Misty had arrived. Harry had just assumed that his husband could take care of their children when that was clearly not the case. Steve was cross with both Harry and himself with how out of his depth he had felt, but Harry hadn't given him any guidance at all before rushing off and he had never had to take care of them alone before this.

Steve had been about to point this out when Harry vanished from in front of him with a loud crack. He truly hated that weird mode of transportation Harry had at his disposal, it was beyond frustrating when he had not finished what was saying. Clenching his fists, Steve tried to control his rage as he heard the twins start to stir upstairs.

-x

Teddy and Misty were sat in one of the living areas when Harry arrived. The two children both sipping on large, steaming mugs of hot chocolate and looking a little sheepish when they saw Harry step out of the lift and start coming towards them. Tony was the only one sat with them, having excused the security guards after determining who it was that had tried to infiltrate Avengers tower.

"Thank you," Harry said, looking to Tony first, grateful for the fact that he had kept an eye on the troublesome youths since they had arrived. "I was worried sick about them when I got home and they weren't there."

"It's alright," Tony said, stifling a yawn. "I think they were looking for you though," he added with a pointed expression to Harry. He knew that his fellow Avenger had been out on a mission; Tony made sure that he was kept informed of all the goings on in S.H.I.E.L.D., whether the secret organisation knew about it or not.

"I was called away to help Coulson in England. Thor made a little bit of a mess in central London," Harry said with a grin.

"Ah yes, I did see that. How is our thundering friend?" Tony asked. He had kept a close eye on what was going on in England with Jane and Thor but with everything that he had going on with his company and not to mention in his personal life, he just couldn't justify dropping everything and going to help. Things were not going smoothly with Pepper and these things were not helped by his continued contact with Draco.

"On earth again, I think permanently this time too," Harry informed him, "though I think he might be spending some time reacquainting with Jane after their lengthy time apart."

"Speaking of a lengthy time apart," Tony said with a meaningful glance towards Teddy and Misty, "I take it the good Captain hasn't taken to single fatherhood very well."

"I wasn't gone that long," Harry said with a sigh, "I just don't think he knew what it meant to take care of three children, all of them with rather unique abilities." There was a small part of him that was glad that Steve had struggled so much, in that it might help Steve to understand what Harry went through every day taking care of their children, but he hadn't anticipated Steve having this much trouble. "I thought he could handle it, I manage it every day."

"But he isn't you," Tony pointed out, having always been impressed with how well Harry seemed to juggle everything in his life. "These two were telling me that he struggled with just the twins, let alone anything else. Now with these two disappearing off as they have, he'll be feeling even worse about his parenting skills."

"Well it doesn't look like I'll be able to go anywhere for awhile now," Harry said rather defeatedly. He didn't want to resign himself to a life of being a house-husband but it didn't seem that he was going to be able to have a life of his own until his twins were old enough to look after themselves. One thing was for certain, he wasn't having any other children, the four they had already were more than enough.

"Mum…" Teddy said quietly, feeling a little guilty now he could see how stressed Harry was. "Can we go home?" Misty nodded her head silently in agreement, curling up close to Teddy, needing the comfort from him. It had been a very long night but at the very least they had got what they had wanted. Harry was back.

Harry sighed and nodded his head. He would take Teddy and Misty home and settle them down to sleep. It was starting to make Harry think that going home could mean more than returning to Washington. He was wondering if it might be for the best if they all returned to England for a while. Harry knew that Steve wouldn't be happy with this plan but Harry had had enough of being stuck here where he didn't know anyone and had no support with the twins.

"Take care of these two," Tony said with a wink to Teddy and Misty, "they're something special. Stealing a car and driving from Washington to New York, now that is something that I can't help but admire."

"Not something I really want to encourage," Harry said pointedly to Tony as he encouraged Teddy and Misty up off the sofa, glaring at the two of them. "Your father is worried sick about you; we're going to have a long discussion about what you've done when we get home."

Teddy and Misty nodded their heads, almost in unison as they joined hands, coming towards Harry, looking extremely ashamed of what they had done. They hadn't meant to cause so much worry and upset but at least Harry was back and things could get back to normal, or as normal as things ever really got for them.

-x

No sooner had Harry arrived home with Teddy and Misty, than did Steve grab his jacket and walk out of the house without saying a word. Sarah and JJ were in their highchairs eating breakfast, both squealing happily at the sight of their mother. Harry couldn't help but feel like crying as he heard the sound of his husband's motorcycle start up as the super soldier left their home.

"Where's Dad going?" Teddy asked a little fearfully. He had only wanted to bring Harry back, he hadn't wanted to break their family apart, quite the opposite really. He didn't want to think that he and Misty had been the cause of their peculiar little family breaking apart.

"I don't know," Harry said with a tired sigh, even though he had only been awake a few hours. "You two go upstairs and get some rest, you must be exhausted. Set your alarms for midday though or you won't sleep tonight."

"I'm really sorry, Mum," Teddy said and Misty nodded her head in agreement to this sentiment. "We just wanted you home," he added and Harry couldn't help but smile, opening his arms for the two of them. Teddy and Misty went willingly into the embrace, wanting the comfort of being close to Harry.

"Bed, both of you," Harry said fondly to them, thinking that the serious discussions could wait until Teddy and Misty were a little more well rested. He had the twins to take care of and he would also have to talk to Coulson about Misty; there was no way that she could stay at the foster home now, not if what she was saying was the truth. She had already settled into their family and Harry knew that Teddy would be heartbroken if they sent her away. It seemed that Misty was simply part of their family, Harry just had to make it official.

Teddy and Misty both nodded their heads, wanting to do as they were told for once. It had been an extremely long day for the two of them, neither of them having slept all night. Both of them were more than ready for some sleep.

-x

Steve hadn't consciously decided to go anywhere, he had just known that he needed to leave the house. When he had ended up in the basement garage of Avenger's tower, parking his bike, he knew that this was where he needed to be. At least he was safe here and he had friends that would listen as he vented his frustrations over his failing relationship.

It seemed that Tony wasn't surprised to see him; however, Natasha did seem a little taken aback and she handed over a twenty dollar bill to Stark with a huff as Steve collapsed down on the sofa, looking utterly fed up. Both Tony and Natasha just seemed to understand the mood that Steve was in and waited for him to speak first.

"I'm failing miserably," he finally said, leaning forward and putting his head in his hands. "I can't even look after my own children." Tony took this as his cue to take a seat beside his friend. Natasha on the other hand remained where she was, watching and listening.

"You're not failing," Tony said, wanting to comfort his friend, though he knew that he couldn't exactly lie to Steve, "you didn't handle it brilliantly but you aren't a failure. Four rugrats is a lot for anyone to handle and to be honest I don't know how Harry does it."

"I just can't help but feel as if Harry doesn't love me any more. Everything about our relationship was rushed. Sex, marriage, kids… it all happened at hyper speed and we never really stopped to think if it was a good idea or not." Steve hated that things were falling apart so quickly, he wanted so badly to fix it but he wasn't sure that he was going to be able to.

"Relationships are hard," Tony said, "I can't tell you how many arguments that I've had with Pepper and she still seems to tolerate me but it isn't easy. It isn't like either of you have ever tried having a serious relationship. Harry has freely admitted he was whatever a male version of a whore before you and you, well, you were on ice."

"I'll leave you boys to it," Natasha said quickly. She had heard enough and she knew what it was that she had to do. Standing here eavesdropping wasn't going to help matters, she just wanted Steve to be happy, with no added drama. Without another word she slipped from the room, formulating a plan in her mind as she went.

"I want to fix things," Steve said with a sigh, "I just don't understand how!"

"Whenever I fuck things up I just buy Pepper presents, sometimes it works," Tony said with a shrug, not knowing what else to suggest. He usually messed things up massively, the fact that she was still around in his life was a shock to him.

"I don't think gifts are going to solve our problems," Steve said feeling a little hopeless. "Harry is… well he's not like anyone that I've ever met before. Before the war, before I became a soldier, everything was so simple. Find a girl, marry her and raise a family, it's so much more complicated now. Harry wants to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and I need to be as well."

"If that's the case, why not suggest a S.H.I.E.L.D. nanny. They can be trusted with the extra abilities and they're vetted by S.H.I.E.L.D. on top of that," Tony suggested, thinking that having an added pair of hands to help with the children might be just what the couple needed.

"I'll talk to Harry," Steve said with a sigh, thinking the idea over. A nanny to help out wouldn't be a bad idea, especially one recommended and vetted by S.H.I.E.L.D.. It would mean that both he and Harry would be able to continue their work without either one of them feeling trapped at home with the children. The idea certainly had a lot of merit. "Would it be possible to stay here for a couple of days?" Steve asked hopefully. "I just want to have some space for a day or two, before I go home."

"Sure," Tony said with a shrug, not minding the company at all. Each of the Avengers had their own floor and bedroom, it was certainly no skin off his nose to allow Steve to stay in the tower. "Though I want your opinion if you do," he added as an afterthought, thinking that if there was anyone's opinion he valued, it was Steve's.

"Okay," Steve said warily; it wasn't often that Tony asked for the input of others so Steve was rather intrigued as to what it might be.

"I've been wanting to give this to Pepper for a while now," Tony said, taking an unboxed ring out of his pocket. It was so clearly an engagement ring that Steve had to roll his eyes over the fact that Tony was simply carrying it around in his pocket as if it were loose change.

"What's stopping you?" Steve asked, watching as Stark fiddled with the white gold ring, playing with it as he stared at it so intently.

"Draco," Tony said honestly. "I've never met a man like him."

"I didn't realise that the two of you were still in contact," Steve said, trying to hide his displeasure at the sound of Draco's name. He still wasn't keen on the blond male, ever since he had found out that Harry had slept with him. Though, the super soldier had to admit that if Tony hooked up with Draco it would certainly mean that Draco would no longer be a threat to his and Harry's relationship.

"Frequently," Tony explained, "I get all these weird feelings that I can't explain when I'm around him and when we talk, and things have been so complicated with Pepper recently. I honestly don't know what I want to do."

"I don't think that getting engaged to Pepper is going to help solve your problem," Steve said truthfully. He didn't think that Tony getting married to someone when he thought he might be in love with someone else was a very good idea. It seemed to Steve that being an Avenger made relationships nigh on impossible.

"I've had this ring since before I met Draco, I just haven't found the right time to… you know, actually ask her," Tony said with a sigh, slipping the ring back into his pocket. "I just can't figure out what I want but I know for a fact that if I take the next step with Draco then it'll be over between Pepper and I, she wouldn't forgive me for cheating."

"I don't think that I have the extensive knowledge needed to give you relationship advice here; Harry and I are struggling, more than I'd like to admit. Getting married didn't fix our problems, if anything it gave us more," Steve said, wanting to give Tony the best advice he could on the matter. "Perhaps the best thing to do is to keep that ring in your pocket for a little while longer, just until you figure out what you really want."

-x

Harry spent the rest of that day and then a sleepless night lying in bed, not knowing where Steve had gone and wondering if he would ever be coming back to his family. Harry woke up rather suddenly the next morning after only two hours of sleep, early enough that the twins were not yet awake, his stomach churning horribly. He had to make a mad dash to the toilet to throw up rather violently. It took him a few moments before he realised what it was that had woken him. Someone was at the front door.

"Auntie Nat," Harry heard Teddy say excitedly before he dry heaved again, his stomach empty. There followed a muffled conversation that Harry couldn't make out as he continued to heave, unable to catch his breath, before he felt the familiar presence of Nastha behind him.

"You alright?" she asked, looking down at him with concern. She didn't have much of a bedside manor and it wasn't as if she had much practice tending to the sick.

"Yeah, just another sign I'm getting old," Harry said with a weak chuckle, slumping back against the cool tiled wall a little out of breath.

"What do you mean?" Natasha asked confused, offering him a hand up.

"The night before last I went out drinking with a friend of mine, female before you ask," Harry said quickly before Natasha could accuse him of anything, accepting her help to clamber to his feet, "clearly my hangovers are getting worse with age."

"You clean up," she said a little stiffly, not approving of the drinking at all. It wasn't that she was adverse to a little tipple herself, just not to the extent which Harry seemed to enjoy it. "I'm going to put the kettle on."

Half an hour later and Harry and Natasha were sat at the kitchen table. Sarah and JJ were in their highchairs attempting to eat toast and making a mess. Teddy and Misty had taken their breakfast into the living room to watch cartoons and for once Harry didn't mind this as he had a feeling that whatever Natasha had to say would need to be said in private.

"Is Steve alright?" Harry asked, worried that Natasha was here because something had happened to his husband.

"He's fine, he's at Avenger's tower with Tony," Natasha informed him. "Those two are having a right old time hashing out their relationship woes."

"As long as he's okay," Harry said with a sigh, hating that Steve and Tony had enough relationship issues between them to justify a sleepover or two.

"I think that the two of you need to either talk this out or you walk away," Natasha said rather bluntly. Harry was used to the way she was and he didn't falter at the suggestion, though it was mainly because he had been wondering if he and Steve were going to be able to work it out at all. It had crossed his mind that he might have to walk away.

"I want to make it work," Harry told her with a sigh, "things are just difficult."

"How are things difficult?" Natasha asked, wanting to know. She genuinely liked Harry and Steve, she wanted to see them happy and together, not miserable and fighting. She couldn't help but glance at the two beautiful children sat beside them, still munching on soggy toast, cooing at once another.

"I'm a trained spy in my world, I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent here and all I'm doing is babysitting my children, I've become a housewife. Don't get me wrong, I love my children, it just feels like I'm wasting my skills. All I want is for Steve to take his share of the responsibility when it comes to the kids. How would you feel if you were a mum? Would you give up who you are?"

"It'll never be an option for me," Natasha said rather matter of factly.

"Why? Don't you want children?" Harry asked, looking at his friend with curiosity as he put the other half of the toast on Sarah and JJ's highchair trays.

"It isn't an option because I physically can't," Natasha said matter of factly, "part of my training to become who I am meant becoming sterile. It was one less thing to worry about, the mission was all that matters."

"I'm so sorry," Harry said, shocked at what Natasha had told him and a small nagging voice in the back of his mind wondering if he might be able to help her with magic.

"It's done," she said, brushing it off, "I told you because you need to know how lucky you are to have what you have. I agree that your talents are wasted here but that is something that you need to tell Steve so that the two of you can work it out. If you want to work it out that is."

"I want to," Harry said with a sigh. He might have been unhappy with Steve now but that didn't mean he truly wanted to leave him. He couldn't imagine his life without his super soldier husband, just him on his own with the four children. "I also want to help you, if you'll let me."

"How could you help me?" Natasha asked, a little confused; she wasn't aware that there was anything that she needed help with. No one knew about her intimate feelings for Bruce and she was going to make sure that it stayed that way. There were many secrets that she was keeping and she would continue to keep them.

"If it was possible, would you want to have a child?" Harry asked, his mind going into overdrive about all the different spells and potions he had seen in books and wondering if they would work on a muggle. If they did, Harry was sure that he would be able to give her back her ability to have children.

"I haven't ever thought about it. I came to terms with the fact I couldn't have a child a long time ago," she said, becoming a little agitated by the topic of conversation. She couldn't help but feel that Harry was simply trying to change the subject but that didn't stop her mind from wandering off in a direction she hadn't let herself consider in a long time.

"I can't make promises," Harry added quickly, not knowing if he truly would be able to help, "but if it is something you were interested in, there might be something that Draco and I could help you with. It is amazing what magic and potions can do," he said with a fond glance over towards the twins, who were animatedly babbling to each other about something or other.

"I'll think about it," Natasha said, not really sure how to feel about that possibility. It had been easy for her to not consider her true desires when there had been no choice to make, but Harry had complicated things once again and she wasn't quite sure whether or not to be glad for that yet.

"Of course," Harry told her with a nod of his head, not wanting to push the issue but just glad to have something else to think on other than his failing marriage. "Will you let Steve know that we want him home?"

Natasha nodded, her swirling thoughts hidden behind a calm facade. "You going to be okay?" she asked, not sure that she should be leaving Harry alone, particularly given how sick he had been when she arrived.

"I'll be okay," Harry assured her, touched by her concern. "Besides, Bruce said he would be over tomorrow morning. I have some theories on how magic might be able to help him too."

"Just be careful with Bruce," Natasha said as she got to her feet, treading carefully with what she said, she didn't want Harry to figure her out, "he's more fragile than the rest of us."

Harry smiled knowingly. "Okay," he said trying to keep the happiness out of his voice as he too stood up, knowing that this meeting was over. "I won't get his hopes up," he added, having a small inkling about why Natasha would ask this of him.

"Don't worry, Steve will come home," she told him confidently, as she headed out of the room, towards the front door, Harry following behind her to see her out. "He just needs a little time. And be honest when he does," she advised.

"I hope you're right," Harry muttered under his breath as he leaned against the doorframe of his home and watched his friend leave. He could hear his twins squawking for his attention and with a sigh he shut the front door and went to tend to them.

-x

Harry had been hoping for a quiet morning with his children after Natasha had left, but that hope had quickly disappeared when Coulson turned up on his doorstep less than an hour later. He had been putting off talking to Teddy and Misty about what they had done, and talking to Coulson about Misty, but it seemed to all be catching up with him now.

"Come in," Harry said, gesturing Phil into the house and closing the door behind him. "How was Batesville?" he asked, ushering Phil into the living room where Teddy and Misty were playing with Sarah and JJ, rolling a ball around on the floor to each other.

"Well it wasn't telekinetic powers as we had first thought," Phil said, taking a seat on the sofa and watching with a smile as the four youngsters played happily together.

"Interesting. What was it?" Harry asked curiously. He loved hearing about the many adventures that Coulson and his team went on. Harry felt honoured that he had been able to be part of some of them and slightly gutted that he hadn't been able to go with them this time.

"I'm not here to talk about Batesville," Phil said with a sigh, "though perhaps I can catch you up on that later. For now I think we have more important matters to discuss."

"Yes," Harry said, glancing over to Teddy and Misty, "we have a problem to solve."

"I think that it's a problem that has already been solved," Phil said, his gaze switching over from Harry to Misty, who was clearly trying to pretend she wasn't listening to every word being said. "She seems to have settled in well here."

"If you consider stealing a car and driving from Washington to New York, settling in," Harry said with a small smile. He had been worried sick about the two of them, however, now that he knew that they were both safe, Harry couldn't help but be a little impressed by what they had done.

"For these two... Phil said, returning the grin. "Chameleon still has quite the reputation at the S.H.I.E.L.D. academy and now Ghost is making a name for herself too; the two of them are making quite the pair."

"And think, they're only ten and eleven," Harry said with a sigh. He knew that eventually the two of them would be separated, it was inevitable. Teddy would be leaving for Hogwarts in just ten months time.

"Which is why I think that Misty would be in the best place possible for her if she were to remain here with you," Phil said. He had been thinking about it a lot and he couldn't think of any better options, or in fact any options at all. No one else would be able to handle Misty and there was already a full investigation going on in the last place she had been placed.

"Oh can I, please?" Misty said from her position on the floor, JJ in her lap, the baby boy gurgling happily. "I'll behave, I promise," she added, "I just don't want to go back to that home, it was awful there."

"A decision like that…" Harry said, wanting to say yes straight away, but knowing that he needed to consult with his husband. "Steve and I should talk first."

"Mum, please," Teddy begged, "she has nowhere else to go."

"He'll say no," Misty said sadly, struggling not to tear up at the prospect of being refused a home here, a family. "He won't want me here, not after what we did."

"Misty," Harry said calmly, "I want you here, Teddy wants you here. Steve will as well but I have to talk to him first; we're a family, he's my husband, we make these decisions together."

"And where is your overly-patriotic other half?" Phil asked curiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of his childhood hero again.

"In New York with Tony," Harry said, not wanting to let on how bad things were with the two of them. "I think the two of them are living it up somewhat."

"It's a shame that I missed him, perhaps I will swing by New York. My team and I are on a short sabbatical until the New Year, so I have some time."

"Sounds like a plan, Phil, I only wish that I could join you," Harry said to him, wishing that he could just pack up his things and go chasing after Steve, wanting more than anything to make it right with his husband. However, he just couldn't, not with his children all there. "Misty, you have nothing to worry about," he assured the young girl, seeing the still worried expression on her face. "I'm not going to kick you out and I'm certainly not going to send you somewhere that I don't feel you're safe. You will always have a place here, whatever happens."

"I appreciate that," Phil said, wanting to speak on the young girl's behalf when she failed to say anything. "I should go, but I am leaving with the knowledge that Misty is in capable hands here," he said, getting to his feet.

"You are always welcome here, Phil, and if you ever need me for anything, all you have to do is call. I'm always happy to consult on your cases," Harry said hopefully, getting to his feet as well.

"Mum," Teddy said, "you're not going away again are you?" he asked, sounding concerned. He didn't want Harry to leave again, not since just getting him back. Teddy wanted his normal life back, or as normal as it got for them.

"Not for the moment," Harry said to Teddy as he motioned for Phil to lead the way to the front door. "It was lovely to see you, Phil, I'll let you know what we decide about having Misty here permanently."

"Thank you," Phil said as Harry opened the front door, revealing a rather startled looking Bruce Banner, who clearly had been about to knock. "Good afternoon Bruce," Phil said with amusement, "I'll leave the two of you to your afternoon."

"Hi, I'm sorry I'm early, I finished what I was doing earlier than expected. I hope that's not a problem," Bruce said, stepping to one side, allowing Coulson to exit the house.

"Not at all," Harry assured him, with a smile. "See you soon, Phil," Harry called, giving Coulson a small wave, before turning back to the other man. "Come on in, Bruce," he added, stepping out of the way and allowing his friend entrance.

"It seems as if you have your hands full," Bruce said as he stepped inside and allowed Harry to close the door behind him.

"Oh, Bruce, I always have my hands full," Harry said with a small laugh. "Would you like some tea? I have earl grey and I'm sure I have some honey too."

Bruce couldn't help but smile. "You remembered," he said, shaking his head in disbelief, allowing himself to be guided into the living room. The sight that met his eyes made his heart swell in a way that didn't turn him green; it was beautiful to see the four children playing together so sweetly.

"I'll make the tea," Harry said, enjoying watching Bruce's face light up at the sight of his children playing. "Then we can talk about why I called," Harry said, feeling happy at the stream of visitors into his home. It felt as if he had a purpose again.

-x

Bruce stayed until Harry had put all four children to bed; it was a nice break from his work to just be domestic and he had found that he rather liked simply spending time around children. Though it did raise the question of why Harry was here alone and what had happened to Steve. Bruce voiced this query, but he almost wished that he hadn't when Harry went silent, bowing his head in sadness.

"He's in New York with Tony," Harry said softly. He had successfully not thought about his husband since Phil had left, Bruce had been a welcome distraction, but now Harry realised that it was unlikely that Steve would be home tonight. "We've had a slight disagreement."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bruce asked, thinking that maybe a shoulder to cry on was what Harry needed, however, the response was Harry shaking his head.

"No," he said confidently; he didn't want to talk anymore, he had had enough of talking about that. "I want to talk to you about the reason I called you here." Harry needed to keep his mind off things. He would think about it when Steve came home but for now the super soldier needed his space and Harry was going to give him that while waiting for him to come home.

"Yes, I'm quite fascinated myself. You said something about a potion that might be able to help me but you weren't specific on the details," Bruce said as he and Harry settled down in the kitchen with tea. Harry would have much prefered something stronger but he still wasn't feeling his best and he wasn't sure that it was a good idea for Bruce to be drinking.

"I'm not sure how much it would help but I know that you would have already tried everything readily available to you to manage your little green problem. I wanted to give you some more options," Harry said with a smile, "things that you wouldn't have had access to."

With his interest peaked, Bruce was keen to hear more. "I'm curious to the things that you have access to that I wouldn't have," he said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Where I come from, there are a plethora of magical creatures, vampires, werewolves, things that you wouldn't think existed. Fairy tale creatures that come straight out of books. The creature that you need to be interested in is the werewolf."

"Well, you've certainly got my attention," Bruce said, listening intently, curious as to how this could help him.

"A friend of mine, someone who died in the war that I fought in as a teenager, Teddy's father and my Dad's best friend, he was a werewolf. He taught me so many things but what matters to you is what he used to control his transformations."

Bruce sat in silence, listening intently. There was so much to Harry, so many stories that he could tell. The Avengers all had their fair share but Harry's tales of his past involved magic and monsters as if it was something out of a fairy story. It was a struggle for Bruce to believe that any of it was real; he was a man of science and it seemed unfathomable but Harry spoke with truth and conviction and Bruce wanted so badly for it to be true so that he could finally have something to control the other guy inside of him.

"Was it magic that he used?" Bruce asked curiously. Harry had never divulged all of the intimate details of his world and Bruce was absolutely fascinated.

"In a sense, it was a potion called Wolfsbane," Harry explained. "Now I'm not much of a potion brewer myself but if this is something you decide you want to try then it wouldn't take me long to acquire an adequate supply to allow for a trial."

Bruce considered it for a moment. Harry was right about one thing and that was that he had tried everything that was available to him, in this world at least. If there was literally another world out there with a whole collection of new possibilities for him to try then he was more than willing to give anything a go. It wasn't like he could die; that was another thing that he had tried, but the other guy wouldn't allow him to die.

"As long as we can do it in a controlled way, in controlled circumstances, in case something goes wrong, I'm willing to try," Bruce said, trying not to get his hopes up. He knew that like everything he had tried there was a very slim chance of any of it working.

"I'm assuming that you have places where you can do these experiments," Harry said and Bruce nodded his confirmation of this. "Then I'll get the potion."

"I don't wish to cause you any imposition, but is there any possibility I could stay here tonight. It's a long drive back to anywhere that is safe for me to sleep and I trust that with all your magic that you would be able to stop me if I became the other guy."

Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Of course you can stay," he said, certain that Bruce would not become the other guy. If he had any worries on that front he wouldn't have allowed him into the house at all, not while his children were there. Beside, he could really use the company this evening.

-x

Steve had made the decision, after long and arduous talks with Tony, that he needed to return to his home and his family. He missed his children and he also missed Harry, even despite their arguments. He had come to the conclusion that no matter what, they needed to come to terms with their differences and work together to get a resolution, so at six o'clock in the morning he had grabbed his things, got on his bike and headed for home.

The feeling of complete freedom he felt on the back of his bike was amazing and it gave him the chance to think too. His mind was completely clear of worry as he drove the four hours from New York to Washington. He pulled into his driveway just after 10am. There was another car parked just outside, one that he didn't recognize and it put him on high alert instantly.

Taking his keys out of his jacket, Steve let himself into his home. The sight that met his eyes was one that he didn't know how to feel about. Bruce Banner was stood in the hallway wearing nothing but a pair of tight white pants and holding a giggling Sarah in his arms.

"What's going on?" Steve asked, dropping his bag on to the floor and moving to take his daughter, who had her arms stretched out towards him, wanting her Daddy.

"Harry's washing my clothes," Bruce said, not having expected for Steve to walk in at that moment. He honestly didn't know what to say, everything had happened so quickly this morning that his mind was still in a muddle.

"Okay," Steve said, feeling rather confused about what was going on himself. "And where is my husband?" he asked, feeling a little put out by Bruce's state of undress.

"Cleaning up JJ; he threw up his breakfast all over himself and all over me," Bruce explained as Teddy and Misty ran into the hallway to see what all the fuss was about. The two of them stopped dead at the sight of Steve, not having expected to see him back.

"Is he alright?" Steve asked, concerned for his son as he cradled his daughter close to him. He had not been gone long but he had missed her.

"He's fine," Harry said, coming down the stairs, JJ perched on one hip, freshly dressed in clean clothes free of vomit. "His eyes were bigger than his belly," Harry explained with a fond laugh, cooing at his child.

"Dad," Teddy said, charging in with a huge grin on his face. When Steve had stormed out of the family home upon Harry's return two days before, Teddy had been overly concerned that he and Misty had been the cause of the breakdown of his adoptive parents' marriage and he didn't like thinking that.

The ten year old boy flung his arms around Steve's waist and hugged him, Misty standing well back looking absolutely terrified. She knew that this could very well be the last day she spent in this house. She didn't want to leave Teddy but this wasn't her family, she was the intruder here and they had every right to ask her to leave.

"Bruce, I don't suppose you could put some clothes on," Steve said, feeling more than a little awkward with Bruce just wearing his underwear. Harry had to bite his lip to keep from laughing, he knew exactly what it was that his husband had thought when he walked through the door and it didn't half amuse him.

"He doesn't have any," Harry said, trying very hard not to break down into fits of laughter, "I put them in the washing machine."

"Then he can have some of mine," Steve said quickly, "You could make them fit right, Harry? With your magic?"

Now Harry just couldn't help himself, he laughed and nodded his head, rather glad that Steve was suffering so much with the simple fact that Bruce was mostly naked in their hallway. "Teddy, go and fetch a pair of your dad's trousers and a shirt, I'll make them fit."

"Go on," Steve said when Teddy was reluctant to let go. "I'm not going anywhere for a long while. Do as your mum says." Still unsure, Teddy hesitated for a moment more until Steve added, "I swear to you, Teddy, I am not leaving." Reluctantly, Teddy nodded, releasing his hold on Steve and going to do what Harry had asked, Misty following after him.

When Bruce was finally dressed, Steve seemed to relax a little more, helping Harry to settle the twins into their pushchair. Bruce had offered to take all four of the children to the park down the street so that Harry and Steve could have the privacy they needed to talk.

"Are you sure that you're going to be okay?" Steve asked, unsure how Bruce was going to be able to manage with the twins plus Teddy and Misty all on his own.

"I'll be fine," Bruce said, trying to reassure his friend, "we're not going far and I'll be back in a couple hours, I'm even taking my cell phone with me. You two just talk, figure things out."

"We'll be good," Misty promised quietly from where she was standing very close to Teddy, still looking nervous. Teddy nodded his agreement fervently, eager for his adoptive parents to work out their problems.

"Of course," Steve muttered quietly as Bruce let the four children towards the front door, "you'll behave for Bruce." There was at least part of him that hoped that Bruce would struggle so that someone might actually understand how hard it was taking care of four young children, all with their own special abilities; but he suspected that Teddy and Misty, at least, would be true to their word and be good as gold while in Bruce's care.

"They don't behave perfectly for me either," Harry pointed out. "We're their parents, they are always going to push us much more than anyone else."

"We'll leave you two to chat," Bruce said as he guided the pushchair out of the house, Teddy and Misty following behind him. Harry stood at the door, watching them leave, Steve at his back, a hand resting on Harry's shoulder.

"He's right, we really should talk," Harry said with a sigh, shutting the door and turning to face his husband. Steve nodded in agreement; he had come home to talk to Harry, and was grateful that they would get the chance without the children under their feet, but that didn't mean he wasn't dreading this.

The two of them headed back into the living room, taking seats on either end of the sofa, the awkward tension hanging between them as neither of them quite knew where to start.

"I've been thinking about us a lot in the last few days, while you were gone," Steve said, thinking that the two of them needed to start somewhere and it was clear that Harry was apparently lost for words.

"That sounds ominous," Harry said, worried that Steve was about to end their relationship. He wasn't sure what he would do if Steve said that he wanted a divorce.

"No, no, not at all. It's a good thing," Steve said quickly. He didn't want to string this out and he certainly didn't want Harry to get hurt or misunderstand his intention. "I honestly have no idea how you manage on a day-to-day basis. I admit, I struggled. The three of them are a handful, let alone the now four of them."

"It's hard," Harry admitted, "especially when you vanish off for days at a time with your work for S.H.I.E.L.D.; I'm a trained agent too and I'm here, playing housewife."

"I might have a solution to that," Steve said, remembering what Tony had suggested. "We both want to continue with our work so why don't we look into a S.H.I.E.L.D. nanny to look after the kids while we're working."

"A stranger?" Harry asked skeptically. He wasn't convinced that asking someone they didn't know to look after their children for days if not weeks at a time. There was no telling how long either of their missions would be.

"No, not a stranger," Steve said quickly, wanting to win Harry round with this idea. "We'd know them, at least we would get to know them before we left them with the children. Plus they would be agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., hired specifically for this job."

"I think that it might work, besides I think it's the least that S.H.I.E.L.D. could do for us, especially considering they're asking us to take Misty in full time."

"They want us to take her in permanently?" Steve asked feeling entirely overwhelmed by this. He wasn't sure that it was such a good idea but equally he didn't feel like the idea of turning her away either. "What do you think?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Harry admitted. "If you're open to it then we would have to lay down some ground rules because no matter who is taking care of them we can't have a repeat of what happened the other day."

"I don't think either of us could cope with Teddy if we decided that she couldn't stay," Steve said with a sigh. "If you're okay with it then I think we can try and make it work. Four is a handful though."

"Three is a handful," Harry said with a laugh, "Adding an eleven year old isn't going to make too much difference to that. Don't think we'll be having any more any time soon though. Four of them is enough."

"Agreed," Steve said with a fond smile to his husband, "though I'm not against having more eventually," he added, wanting to test the waters on that matter. He envisioned having a large family with Harry and that was coming true all too quickly.

"Does that mean that you're not leaving me?" Harry asked, thinking that it was a good sign that Steve was talking about their future.

"Only if that's what you want," Steve said a little solemnly. He hadn't known before this that Harry was so unhappy but if his husband wanted their marriage to end then there wasn't much he could do about it. He just hoped that they could make what they had work so they could build a future together.

"I didn't want our relationship to be over, Steve," Harry said with a sigh. "I just want for things to be different. I don't want to be miserable. All I have is our children; no friends, no family, everyone I know in America is always busy with their S.H.I.E.L.D. work."

"I never realised that you felt like this," Steve said, feeling like an idiot for not releasing it sooner. He should have known that Harry was struggling and yet he had missed it. "I know it's a big thing for you, living in another country and I wish there was a way around it but S.H.I.E.L.D. is here…"

"I'm not asking you to leave America," Harry said with a soft smile, "you're Captain America for goodness sake, but I was thinking that we could go and visit my friends and family for Christmas."

Steve thought about it for a moment. He wasn't keen but then he asked so much of Harry and he knew that he needed to be a little more flexible. There was so much going wrong in their relationship because he hadn't known what Harry was thinking or feeling, he had just been so busy with his missions and becoming a father. This was something that Harry wanted, and he knew that it would be good for both of them to do this.

"Alright," Steve said with a nod of agreement, "We'll go to England for Christmas, it'll be nice to see Hermione and Ron again." He knew that Harry missed his friends and the only reason Steve was reluctant about it was because he knew that one of Harry's friends was Draco.

"And when we get back we'll organise a S.H.I.E.L.D. nanny," Harry said, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He wished that he could have done this sooner but Steve had never been around for him to talk to. This was what they needed and Harry could only hope that things would get better for the two of them now.

-x

After their talk, things did improve in the Potter-Roger's household. Steve agreed to hold off on any new missions to the New Year and Harry agreed the same. They needed time as a family, to get used to being six instead of five now that Misty had officially moved in and been adopted legally.

Harry still wasn't feeling great, however, he put it down to the two glasses of wine he would have on a night, his body not having fully adjusting to having alcohol in his system again after abstaining for so long during his pregnancy. He made a mental note to visit Draco at St Mungo's when he got to London if things didn't improve; he didn't want to worry Steve if it was nothing, the problem was there was a nagging voice in the back of his head telling him that he might be pregnant and the nausea that he was feeling was morning sickness. Harry very quickly brushed that aside though, it wasn't as if they had been having tons of sex recently and he wasn't showing at all; it was highly unlikely.

On the twentieth of December, Teddy and Misty had their last day of the school term, both of them arriving back at home in rather jubilant moods. Misty had really come out of her shell in the time that she had been living with them and was a lot more confident in herself. She was really looking forward to the trip to England, never having left the country before. Teddy just wanted to see the Weasley's again; they were family and a lot of fun to be around, and he couldn't wait to introduce Misty to every single one of them.

"When do we leave?" Teddy asked excitedly, bounding up to Harry the second that he walked through the door. He knew that they were flying; it was too difficult to do anything magical with two babies and two muggles in tow, however, due to their position in S.H.I.E.L.D they had been granted use of a jet so that there wouldn't be an issues with security.

"This evening," Harry said with a smile. He too was looking forward to the trip home. JJ, who was balanced on his mother's hip, clapped his hands with excitement. He had picked up on all the happy vibes in the house and even though he didn't understand it, they were clearly affecting his mood. "Both of you, go and finish packing, the cars are coming to get us in two hours," he instructed, heading up the stairs to find Steve and Sarah.

Simply climbing to the top of the stairs winded him a little, something that wasn't like him at all. Harry had to stop and take a brief moment to catch his breath as he watched Teddy and Misty run past him to get to their bedrooms so that they could finish packing what they wanted to take. Praying that he wasn't pregnant, Harry went into his and Steve's room where he found Sarah sitting in Steve's suitcase on the bed, throwing neatly folded items of clothing out and onto the floor.

"I see this little monkey isn't really helping," Harry said with a chuckle, closing the door and putting JJ on the floor so that he could crawl around.

"Everytime I take her out and put her on the floor she manages to get back in," Steve said with exasperation. JJ had not quite made it to walking yet, but Sarah had and was climbing up and into everything. Harry wasn't worried about his son though, it was simply that he had no motivation to walk; he had mastered levitation and summoning and had become a little lazy with things. Harry was a little amazed at just how strong their magic was but thanks to Draco he had known that this was likely to happen. His magic and Steve's genes as a super soldier had made them a little different to other magical children.

"Let me help," Harry said, highly amused at the whole situation. "Come here, my darling little girl," he said, swooping Sarah up, out of the suitcase and into his arms making her giggle. "You have to let your Daddy pack his suitcase otherwise we can't go on holiday in the morning."

"Ol-day," Sarah repeated with a smile on her face, clapping her hands together as Harry went to put her on the floor next to her brother. It seemed that the two of them behaved more when they were together.

"It'll be nice to see your friends again," Steve said with a smile to his husband. He knew that it was long overdue, but they all had small children, making it difficult to travel long distances, something Steve just hadn't thought about when he had moved them all out to America. He knew he wouldn't have liked being stuck in England, not knowing anyone and having no purpose, and Steve knew now that he had to give a little more to Harry to make their relationship work and that was what he intended to do.

"Yeah," Harry said, sitting himself down on the floor with his twins to play with them and allow Steve to pack his suitcase, "I'm really looking forward to it, and I know Teddy is. The Weasleys are his family too, I know that he misses them."

"And they know about Misty?" Steve asked, wondering what was going to happen with the young girl. Steve knew about magic and the wizarding world, at least he knew as much as he needed to, but Misty was not so knowledgeable.

"Yes," Harry said as he started tickling JJ, making him squeal in delight. "I've told her about me and the wizarding world, the basic's anyway and she knew a lot because of what she's seen Teddy doing. She swore that she would keep it a secret. I also told her that, because of what Teddy and I are, he has to go to a special school as well, one she can't go to. She seemed to be okay with that, though she was upset that she couldn't go too."

"Understandable," Steve said as he threw some more t-shirts into his suitcase. The mess of it was seriously bothering Harry, so with a roll of his eyes and a flick of his wand, the items in Steve's suitcase began to fold and organise themselves a little more neatly. "Those two have been inseparable recently, it'll be difficult for both of them to be separated." Steve chose not to pass comment on his husband's magic or the fact that he could have ordered the suitcase more himself, to be honest he was glad of the magical assistance.

"I think it's sweet," Harry said with a fond smile as Sarah crawled onto his lap. "They'll be friends for life after what they've been through together and that can't be a bad thing."

Giving up on his suitcase, Steve came and sat down on the floor with his husband and twins. He loved his family, however big and confusing it was, they were the centre of his world and nothing was going to change that. Taking JJ onto his lap, he smiled at Harry. He was happy in their decision not to have any more children, what they had was enough and it already made his heart swell with the love he felt for them all. Things were going to get better for them, he knew that they were.

-x

Christmas at the Burrow was chaotic. It wasn't even Christmas day and the house was full to the brim with people laughing, joking, drinking and preparing for the big day. Molly refused to not have her whole family staying in the Burrow with her at this time of year and as a result several tents had had to be set up outside in the garden to cater for everyone. There were too many children and grandchildren and they wouldn't have all fit in the house. The absence of both Fred and George still sat heavily on the family, though no one had said anything about it. Fred was gone and George sat in a cell in Azkaban, grief having consumed him entirely.

Harry and Steve, being very special guests, had been allocated to the biggest bedroom aside from Arthur and Molly's. It had once been Charlie's bedroom and there was still a large dragon mural painted on one of the walls, which was where two cots had been set up for Sarah and JJ.

Teddy and Misty were in a tent in the garden with Bill and Fleur's eldest two children, Victoire and Dominique. Molly was a little unsure about the three girls being in the same tent with a boy but Misty wouldn't share with anyone else without Teddy by her side and there was no where else for them to sleep. Louis, the youngest and only son, of Bill and Fleur was only five months past his first birthday and would be sleeping in the same room as his parents, Bill's old bedroom.

Percy had been allocated back to his old bedroom with his wife Audrey. Their eldest daughter was shy and didn't want to be in a tent in the garden with the others so the six year old was in a fold-down bed in with her parents and little sister Lucy, who was only two years old. It was going to be a tight fit with the four of them but needs must, as Molly had said with a sigh.

Ron and Hermione were in Fred and George's old bedroom with their two year old daughter, Rose, and six month old son, Hugo. They had said that they would happily stay in a tent in the garden so that there was more space in the house but Molly was having none of it, she was determined to fit as many people into her home as possible. As the matriarch of the family. she did enjoy it when her house was bursting at the seams and she didn't want the twins' bedroom to be empty; their absence was going to be hard enough at this time of year as it was.

Ginny had said that she wasn't' coming but then arrived at the last moment, three days before Christmas, her cheeks tear stained and her one year old daughter, Dora, in her arms. The two of them had been squeezed into the smallest of all the bedrooms. It had barely fit a cot beside the single bed. No one dared to question why Justin was not with the two of them, the whole situation was a rather sore subject with the family.

Charlie had also come home for the holidays. He had taken a tent in the garden along with his new boyfriend, Josh, whom he had met on the dragon reserve. The two of them were under strict instructions to keep an eye on the kids and not to get up to any mischief. Molly didn't want any of the little ones overhearing anything untoward.

The morning before Christmas eve was upon them, everyone had piled into the kitchen and gathered around the table for breakfast. It was chaotic to say the least, with highchairs all over the place, babies eating mushed up cereal and flinging it everywhere. Molly, Hermione and Fleur were cooking bacon, eggs, pancakes and hash browns while the children that were stable on their own two legs were running around all over the place making everything seem even more chaotic.

Harry, however, wasn't hungry, he was quite the opposite and the very smell of the cooking breakfast was making him feel sick to his stomach. He had been feeling not quite right for a number of weeks and he had decided that while he was here that he would visit Draco at St Mungo's and have himself checked out, not that he had told Steve this yet, he was still trying to figure out how best to broach the subject with his husband.

"You should eat something, Harry dear," Molly said with a look of concern as he refused a plate of bacon, toast and eggs, focusing instead on minimising the mess that Sarah and JJ were making in their high chairs. He hadn't thought that giving the almost one year olds toast would have been too messy, he had discovered that he was very wrong. Harry's stomach was churning dangerously still, despite already vomiting earlier that morning and the sight of mushed toast was not helping at all.

"Lay off him, mum," Ron said, grinning at Harry wickedly, "he's probably hung over," the redhead teased. Harry threw his best friend a dirty look across the table. It had been a while since he had been drinking, the last time he had been drunk was that evening with Skye while he had been on the mission with S.H.I.E.L.D..

"Nah," Charlie chimed in, "I offered him a drink with me and Josh last night but he refused. Don't blame him really, I'd much prefer to be in bed with a super soldier than be sat down here with some beer." Josh rolled his eyes, knowing his boyfriend too well to be offended by what he had said. Harry shook his head in disbelief at how forward Charlie was, though Harry did rather enjoy the rose tint to Steve's cheeks.

"Which is exactly why I am going to see Draco at St Mungo's this morning," Harry said with a sigh. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it, though he hadn't seen Draco in a while and a catch up would be nice. Harry wasn't keen to do so under these circumstances but they weren't going to be in the country for much longer and he didn't want to disturb Draco's Christmas plans.

"I hope it isn't anything serious," Molly said with a frown. She counted Harry as her family and she didn't like knowing that he wasn't well. She also wasn't overly keen on the friendship that Draco and Harry had and she didn't want it becoming a problem between Harry and Steve.

"I don't think so," Harry said with a shrug, sipping at a cup of tea, which was the most that his stomach could handle right now, "it's just something to put my mind at ease. I didn't want to visit one of the American healers is all. While I'm here I thought I might as well."

"When were you going to tell me about this?" Steve asked, feeling a little hurt that Harry hadn't mentioned it before hand. He knew that Harry hadn't been feeling great and that there was something definitely going on with him but he hadn't thought that it would warrant a trip to St Mungo's and he didn't particularly like the idea of Harry and Draco being alone together.

"I didn't think that it mattered that much, I'll only be gone an hour, two at most," Harry said with a shrug as he tried to clean up JJ, who had jam smeared all over his face. It wasn't that he had purposefully hidden the trip from his husband, he hadn't decided that he was definitely going to go until first thing that morning when he had thrown his guts up for the fourth morning in a row. Harry knew that Steve had a problem with Draco, mainly because of Harry's past with him, however, Draco was still the top healer in the country and Harry still trusted him with, not only his life, but his children's also.

"Are you taking the children?" Steve asked as he was handed a now clean JJ, wondering just how much of this visit Harry had planned out. He was feeling rather out of place in this strange home with all these odd people, he wasn't sure he was ready for Harry to up and leave him for a morning, with or without the four children they were raising together.

"I can if you want me to," Harry said, starting to make work on Sarah, who was by far the messier of his two twins. He didn't have any objection to taking his children with him. Though he would have prefered not to as he didn't want to subject them to the media frenzy that would likely happen when he set foot in a public domain, not having been in the country for months.

"There is no need to take them," Molly said before Steve could reply. "They would be perfectly safe here. The two of you could go together. You two look as if you need some time to just be a couple."

"I don't mind that," Harry said with a shrug, turning to Steve to see what his thoughts were on the matter. The super solider was looking a little undecided as he bounced JJ on his knee, the almost one year old gurgling in delight; he knew how much work the four children they were raising could be and he didn't want to push that burden on to anyone.

"Are you sure you'll be okay watching them, they can be a handful," Steve said, not wanting to cause offence to the matriarch of the Weasley family, to be honest he was a little fearful of her, she was a stern woman and he knew that she could easily kick his arse if it came to a fight, there was no way he would be able to better magic, no matter how super he was.

"My dear," Molly said with a disparaging look, "I have raised seven children single handed while my husband worked all hours of the day and night, I think I can handle four for the day, especially since I have an army of helpers at my disposal," she told him as Harry handed her Sarah, who was now clean and eager to be put down so that she could explore.

"That settles it," Harry said, "we'll get ready and head out in half an hour. We should be back before lunch too," he added with a smile to Steve who nodded his head in agreement. The Super Soldier felt slightly better knowing that he would be accompanying Harry but that didn't mean that he liked leaving his children, though the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of having some peace and quiet for a while.

-x

St Mungo's was not as busy as Harry had thought it would be. Draco had been busy as usual but the moment that Harry had made his presence known, the well known healer had cleared his schedule and ushered both Harry and Steve into his office so that they wouldn't have to be ogled at in the waiting room.

"I wasn't expecting to see the two of you," Draco said with a smile, glad that Harry had thought to visit him since he was in the country. It had been a while since they had had a chance to meet, both of them being so busy.

"As much as I wish this was a social call, I actually need a check up," Harry said with a sad smile, "I've not been feeling great recently and I want to make sure it isn't anything serious."

"Well you never were great at making small talk," Draco joked, glancing to Steve, who was sat rather rigidly in his seat, fists clenched. The two of them only had one thing in common and that was Harry, their disagreements having gone so far as Steve punching Draco in the face.

"Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind recently," Harry said with an apologetic grimace.

"Yes, I can imagine that raising four children is not an easy task," Draco said as he transfigured one of the chairs in his office into a bed so that Harry could lie down.

"How did you know that it was four?" Harry asked, not remembering ever telling Draco that they had ended up adopting Misty. He was a little ashamed of himself that he hadn't kept in better contact recently but things had been busy.

"Tony," Draco explained sheepishly, "we… talk," he exclaimed.

"You, talk?" Steve asked surprised, "you sure you don't fondue?"

"Are you comfortable with Steve hearing my determinations? I could always erect a privacy screen if you would prefer?" Draco asked, disregarding the fondue comment, not really knowing what it meant. Harry had looked to Steve confused for a moment and deciding to ask him about it later, however now the super soldier was looking less than impressed with the suggestion that he be kept in the dark about anything that could be wrong with his husband.

"No, if I'm right in my guess about what's wrong with me then he needs to hear it," Harry said with a sigh as he lay down on the bed.

"Can I ask what you think is wrong?" Draco asked as he withdrew his wand, preparing to cast some diagnosis spells.

"I'd rather have you check and see if I'm right before I say what I think," Harry explained, casting an apologetic look to Steve, who had stood up and was hovering awkwardly at the end of the bed, watching them.

It took a matter of minutes before Draco started laughing a little, unable to believe what he had discovered. "How old are Sarah and JJ now?" he asked, causing Steve to frown in confusion at the odd question.

"They'll be one at New Year," Harry said. "Why?" He had a hunch that he knew why Draco was asking but he needed to hear it from him.

"Simply marvelling at your fertility," Draco said, looking rather amused. Steve's frown deepened, and Harry let out a groan, his head falling back as he stared at the ceiling. "I take it that you were not planning for another child?"

"Another child?" Steve asked disbelievingly. "Harry's pregnant?"

Draco nodded his head in confirmation, feeling a little taken aback by the revelation himself. It was clear by the look on his face, however, that Harry had been expecting it, or at least suspected that it might be the case.

"We weren't planning on it at all," Harry said with a sigh.

"Is it mine?" Steve blurted out rather suddenly, causing both Draco and Harry to look at him in shock, though Harry was angry too; he didn't like the accusation that he had been cheating on his husband.

"Of course it's yours," Harry snapped, sitting up from where had had been lying, moving so fast that Draco had to take a step back to avoid being kicked as Harry swung his legs round so that he could stand up.

"How are you so sure?" Steve asked, folding his arms over his chest, looking at Harry rather accusingly, "You disappeared for days, how do I know you weren't screwing every single guy you met?"

"Fuck you, that's why," Harry snarled. "I'm not the one who vanishes all the time. You always just disappear on your missions and leave me with the children, I went on one mission, one mission that lasted four days and you lost two of our children!"

"I think that this might be a conversation best left for another time," Draco interjected, not wanting to see Harry and Steve fight. He knew that it wasn't going to be good for Harry, not in his condition. "For the record though you're four months gone, a single fetus," Draco informed them.

"Only one?" Harry said, confused. After the last pregnancy and the fact that they had inherited Steve's super soldier genetics, Harry had assumed that it would be twins again.

"I know, it isn't what you would expect," Draco said, cutting off Steve before he could speak again. The healer knew what the only thing Steve would say would be to accuse Harry of cheating again. "Especially after the last pregnancy. However, it seems that there might be some health complications this time. I have determined that you're roughly four months gone but the fetus is measuring small, which is why you haven't started to show."

"What does that mean?" Steve asked, not liking the sound of health complications. He might have had conflicting emotions about whether or not he was the father of this new child but he loved Harry deeply and he didn't want for him or the baby to suffer.

"You mentioned that the serum changed you," Draco said, "I have read your medical report post serum, however I would very much like to see the medical records before you were injected. It is highly possible that the serum has skipped over this particular child, especially since Harry is certain that you are the father."

"I am," Harry said stubbornly, knowing without a doubt that Steve had to be the father. He had not been with anyone else, top or bottom. "I'll take truth potion to prove it if you like," he added somewhat bitterly.

"You can't while pregnant," Draco said firmly but I can have a potion made up, if you're willing, that will determine the parentage of the child. However, it is an old potion, not really used anymore because of how it works."

"How does it work?" Steve asked, thinking that this potion would at least put his mind at rest if he knew that he was certainly the father of the baby.

"Purebloods decades ago would want to ensure that their wives had not cheated on them. Pureblood heirs are hard to conceive and some witches, wanting to please their husbands with male heirs, would impregnate themselves via another man and pass off the child as pureblood," Draco explained to them, hating that he knew so much on the subject. His own mother had been subject to the potion, Lucius unwilling to believe that Narcissa had been faithful to him. "The potion was invented to prevent this. It takes blood from the father and the mother and if the baby within the womb was not a match to the blood within the potion then the child would be miscarried within twenty-four hours."

"I'll do it," Harry said, knowing without a doubt that he hadn't cheated on Steve and more than willing to prove it if that was what his husband wanted from him.

"No," Steve said with a sigh, "I know that you wouldn't risk harming a child, you're not that person. If you'd be willing to take the potion, knowing that it might kill the baby, just to prove it was mine, then I believe you."

"I'm glad you realise that," Harry said with a sigh. "Can we keep this news to ourselves for a while please," he requested, "I don't think I'm ready for anyone else to know."

"Okay," Steve said with a nod of his head, "as long as Draco can keep a secret too."

"I am bound by my oath as a healer," Draco informed the two of them rather curtly. He was never going to be a massive fan of Steve but if the man made Harry happy then he was happy too.

-x

Christmas came and went in a flurry of presents, good food, laughter and, in some cases, drunken merriment. Harry, of course, remained sober out of choice, as did Steve and both of them kept their secret. It didn't go unnoticed that Harry was refusing alcohol, something that was rather peculiar for him, however, Harry made the excuse that he didn't want to drink while he had his children to think of.

In the days between Christmas and New Year, Harry found himself coming to terms with the knowledge that they were going to have another baby, even finding joy at the situation, not wanting to feel as if his own baby wasn't wanted. Steve, on the other hand, couldn't bring himself to be happy; he was apprehensive about the whole thing, knowing just how much he already struggled with the twins, Teddy and Misty.

It was likely that he would be away for missions with S.H.I.E.L.D. throughout the year and he didn't like the idea of leaving his husband at home on his own with five children, with or without a S.H.I.E.L.D. nanny to help him.

As a family they made the decision to remain in England until after the New Year celebrations so that they could also celebrate the twins first birthday. They spent the day waist deep in party poppers, presents and birthday cake and then the night in the garden at the Burrow under a magically heated Marquee, counting down the minutes until the clock struck midnight and it was officially 2014. A year that Harry hoped would bring him just as much love and happiness as 2013 had.

When it came time to return to their Washington home on the 2nd January, Teddy was sad to be going. He loved being with all the Weasley's and living in England because he knew that this was where his roots were, where his mother and father had lived and were now buried. It was made easier with the knowledge that he knew he'd be back in nine months at the latest as he would be going to Hogwarts, and that was the only reason he boarded the private S.H.I.E.L.D. plane without any objections.

"It'll be okay you know," Harry said as he strapped Sarah and JJ into their seats, ready for take off. It was the first time that he had spoken of the pregnancy since they were in St Mungo's and it took Steve by surprise as he had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't expected it.

"I'm not so sure," Steve admitted, casting a fond glance over his twins, who were gurgling happily in their specially designed seats. He couldn't believe that it had been an entire year since they had come into their world. So much had happened in that time and Steve felt a little overwhelmed by it all.

"Are you regretting this?" Harry asked quietly, glancing over to the adjacent seats where Teddy and Misty were buckling themselves into their seats, not wanting them to hear. "Are you regretting me?"

Steve sighed, unsure of how to answer without causing offence. "I love you," he began, wanting to make that point perfectly clear and needing time to explain how he was feeling to his husband without upsetting him. "I just feel as if I'm trapped in a Harry Potter whirlwind and I can't catch my breath because I keep getting spun around so fast but just so you know I'm not about to give up because I'm starting to not mind being part of it."

"Well as long as you don't mind being part of this family then I guess it's okay," Harry snapped rather bitterly. He hadn't liked how Steve had used the word trapped.

"I didn't mean it like that," Steve said, realising that despite not meaning to cause offence he had. He loved Harry and he loved their family, though he did feel as if he was drowning half of the time, with so much to do and so much going on it was impossible to do everything that was needed.

"Please don't argue," Teddy pleaded, hating when his adoptive parents fought.

"We're not fighting," Harry said with a sigh, not wanting to upset his two eldest children. "We're having a difference of opinion," he added with a swift glare to Steve, who was looking a little uncomfortable now that he knew Teddy and Misty were listening in to what they were saying.

"Do you not want to be with us?" Misty asked quietly, refusing to make eye contact with the super soldier as she asked him this.

"Of course I do," Steve said at once, "I want to be here so much that Harry and I are going to have another baby."

"Steve!" Harry exclaimed, glaring angrily at his husband. He had not wanted to disclose this piece of information just yet. He certainly didn't want Teddy and Misty getting excited at the prospect of a new sibling, not when it was so early and Draco had said that there might be complications.

"You're pregnant?" Teddy asked excitedly, "As in really pregnant? Is it twins again?" The ten year old was getting so excited that his hair was magically changing colours from blue to pink as he thought about what genders they could be, Misty couldn't help but giggle quietly.

"Yes, I'm pregnant," Harry told them, "but we weren't going to tell you just yet," he added, removing his hand as Steve tried to hold it. "It isn't twins, it's just the one baby and it's too early to tell you what it is just yet, Draco said that there might be complications."

"The baby will be okay though, right?" Misty asked in a slight panic.

"As far as we know," Harry said, not liking that he was having to discuss this with his two eldest children.

"Please prepare yourself for take off," a voice announced over the intercom and Harry quickly did up his belt, as did Steve, the door to the plane sealing shut.

"Look, it's nothing to worry yourselves over," Harry said as the engine on the plane started with a roar. "Everything will be fine, I promise you that."

"Yes," Steve agreed, pleading himself to Harry's words. They were a family and that was the way it was going to stay, he was determined on that.

---

Hope you enjoyed this, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Affliction of War: The Fall of S.H.I.E.L.D will be posted soon so keep an eye out for that.