Thirty weeks on and Natasha and Pepper had begun to involve the fathers in the act of plastering their hands to their bellies just in case the baby moves again. It felt miniscule and gargantuan at the same time, because the little baby – rather well developed now – was moving around inside the woman's womb, and that by itself was amazing beyond comprehension.

Natasha went ecstatic like a Chihuahua every time it happened, jumping and squealing Clint it's moving it's moving come here what are you doing oh my god it's moving like an alien was residing in her stomach. She would rub it and put Clint's palm on it and Clint would feel the tiny pushes against the skin, minute movement that represented life. At night, Natasha's hand never left her stomach, just in case the baby moved again.

Pepper was quite calm but alert all the time, whereas Tony was the Chihuahua now, asking every few minutes has the baby moved yet no okay I'll check back with you later my lovely what about now like an answering machine replaying the same message. Pepper was very patient and loving, and let Tony sleep with his hand on her stomach, even if it made her hot and uncomfortable half the time.

But it was the Brixton Hicks contractions that aroused the most noise – Brixton Hicks contractions were basically the uterus tightening and tensing, due to the need to expand and make room for the baby. Clint and Tony had marveled at this, even though worry was never far off, and if any complaint of discomfort came up they would immediately spring to attention and bring warm packs or provide massages upon the area to try and ease the – even if only minor – ache.

So it was with all this bustle and noise that everyone overlooked Steve, on his lonesome but not feeling deserted one bit, mauling over problems of his own. He had asked around for the woman he had bumped into – Peggy's niece.

Apparently she had never existed.

Sure the birth records were there but they stopped after a certain point and there really wasn't anyone behind the records at all. The woman wasn't witnessed going into or coming out of Stark tower at all at any point, and no one except for him and Maria had seen her. And Maria had only had a long look at her pretty behind.

Behind.

There was no pretty, he had not said pretty at all, his mind wasn't anywhere near that – Steve thought. Then he started thinking about Maria, and how rigid she went when he asked about the woman, always busy when he asked to talk and always not feeling up for it when she couldn't get out of facing him.

Steve visited Fury that very afternoon.

"Peggy Carter's niece?" His eyebrow went up but his fingers kept typing on the hologram-keypad. He was looking up a mission planned for one of their agents somewhere, but Steve averted his eyes to that. He had been working as an Avenger long enough to respect other Agent's privacy, and he wasn't really interested anyway. It still stung when Fury said her name; Peggy Carter, but somehow, it was different coming from him. It was like it didn't matter when other people said her name, but it wasn't okay for the woman to – because she was Peggy, in so many ways, and she just wasn't allowed to say her name without warrant.

"Yeah, at least … That's what she told me." Steve now accepted the possibility that she had lied, but his heart just screamed no, because she looked like Peggy. She looked like the Peggy that Steve had kissed one last time, sounded like the Peggy he had spoken to before he was plunged into the cold, and she was the legacy of the only person he had been frozen thinking of.

"Steve, I need to know that you know what you're getting yourself into." Fury said. Steve knew what he meant – she might be an enemy, he might be sent after her, he would have to finish it – but he just couldn't go on like this anymore; spending every day wondering where she was and who she really was. He knew that was the risk, but he also knew that he really really wanted to get himself into this situation. He nodded.

"Please," He paused, his eyes lowering to the ground. "I never ask for anything, please just give me this."

Fury sighed. "I need to know you're not going to compromise anyone involved with her, if I do show you this." Fury's eye searched his face, the silence between them thick and the hum of machines distracting. Steve nodded sternly once, and then with a swish of a finger Fury brought up a file on the screen in front of him.

"Her name is Sharon Carter." He glanced at Steve. "We had all her files and records wiped when she was assigned with us; I have no idea who you talked to to get her birth records. She's been with us since she was a young woman, and I'm sure revealing the background of her identity to you was done deliberately." Fury looked at him, and enlarged a photo, that was the woman, but clad in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. "Steve, allow me to introduce you to Agent 13."

"Agent?" Steve frowned and almost felt like laughing – she was just like Peggy, always a taste for adventure. "Is she with you?"

"Working with S.H.I.E.L.D.? Yes, of course. Her aunt was, so why wouldn't she? She always aspired to be like Peggy you know." Fury said, and then his voice was different. "She told us that Peggy was always very fond of you, till the end of her days.

Steve wanted to change the subject desperately, because his heart hurt and he wanted to bury himself under his blankets. "Why was she at Stark tower?"

Fury happily complied. "Let's just say she's taken upon the job Miss Romanoff had before she was compromised."

Steve's eyes widened. "She's babysitting Stark?"

Fury laughed. "You're surprised? Stark is responsible for half the damage bills in this company, it's time I registered someone to keep him under control." Then he smiled. "Plus with Miss Potts and all, it's better to know that he's safe."

Steve's thoughts were scattered, because now all he wanted to do was to find Sharon. But then he remembered how harshly Maria refused to converse with him all throughout the weeks, how stern her lips had been and how cold her eyes went when he mentioned Sharon at all. His thoughts of Sharon were pushed to the side as he made the connection, and he didn't know what to say really, because the next thing coming out of his mouth was:

"Do you know where I can find Agent Maria Hill?"