2022

Steve celebrated his 104th birthday with Natasha at their beach house. He had never been a fan of birthday parties and Natasha had to fight with her morning sickness so she wasn't in the mood for a party as well. She was at the end of her first trimester and his poor wife had to deal with all the symptoms. She could barely keep any food to herself, was exhausted all the time and she hated pretty much every shower gel and aftershave he'd tried. He'd given up on shaving and used just plain soap to wash his body because everything else made her nauseous.

He had been in town, getting stuff for their BBQ tonight. Natasha had tried to make him breakfast, but the smell made her sick and she had to run to the bathroom. He had felt a little helpless, when she'd started crying because she thought that she'd ruined his birthday. She always made him breakfast in bed on his birthday and her pregnancy hormones were making her more emotional than usual. He'd told her that everything was okay and he just wanted to spend time with her. His wife was growing their child inside of her, that was already the best birthday present.

He put everything in the fridge before he looked for his wife. He found her on their bed in the bedroom, laying on her side, her face towards the windows. He thought that she was napping so he wanted to leave her alone.

"Hey." She whispered and turned around. God, she was so beautiful. She already had the famous pregnancy glow and she looked breathtaking. She truly was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. And she was pregnant with his child. How did he get so lucky?

"Hi, sweetheart." He came closer and sat down on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better." She reached her hand across the mattress and he laced their fingers together. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll get birthday sex this year."

"That's okay." He chuckled and squeezed her hand. "I've read that women are insatiable in their second trimester. It's probably best if I save my energy for that." He winked at her and she laughed. "And besides, I'm sure you'll make it up to me next year."

"Next year, there will be a little baby." She smiled dreamily and he was sure that he looked the same. "I'm sure the little one will want all of our attention." She scooted closer to him and put his hand on her stomach. She did that a lot. He couldn't wait for when he would feel the baby kick. "I'm so happy, Steve."

He bent down to kiss her. "Me, too, sweetheart. Me, too." He whispered and laid down next to her for an afternoon nap.

Natasha managed to get a bit of salad down later that day, but pushed the ribs over to him because she couldn't stand the smell. They watched the fireworks from the balcony, and he was happy and content with his pregnant wife sleeping in his arms.

He woke up later that night because someone was poking him in the shoulder. "Steve? Wake up, darling!"

He blinked his eyes open and Natasha was hovering over him, looking down at him. "What? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

She smiled. "Yes, we're both okay."

He sat up and looked at her confused. "Then what is it?"

"I forgot to give you your present, my love." She smiled sheepishly. "I think I already suffer from pregnancy brain."

He hadn't even noticed that she hadn't given him anything and he honestly didn't care. He didn't need presents. He was married to the love of his life and she was pregnant with his child, what more could a man want?

"It's nothing fancy." She said, almost looking guilty. She handed him a wrapped box. "I made it myself."

He unwrapped the box and opened it. A leather-bound photo album was inside of it. "You made this?"

She nodded and her cheeks flushed. "I picked up a few skills over the decades. Open it."

He did as he was told and his breath got caught in his throat. She had made this album for their family, for their children. She had written their love story onto the first pages and included the napkin he'd drawn a ballerina onto when they had met. She had put a wedding photo and the first ultrasound picture of their baby in it as well. There were also pictures of their friends and photos of the two of them over the last ten years. He smiled at that. They had been together for ten years and were still madly in love with each other. And now their love created a baby. There were still a lot of empty pages left in the book.

"We can fill it with photos of our family. Add our children to it. This is our family book." She said softly. "Do you like it?"

He cupped her face and kissed deeply. "I love it, sweetheart. This is a great idea." Natasha beamed happily at him. "But you said children. How many do you want?"

"Honestly?" She bit her lip and he nodded. "Three or four. We can afford it and we have so much love to give. I want a big family with you."

He pecked her lips. "We can have as many children as you want. It's your body, your choice. I want as many children as you are willing to give me. I want our house to be filled with love and children's laughter."

Natasha slung her arms around his neck to kiss him. "You're my dream come true, Steve. All I want is you and this baby." She kissed him again. "And the babies after this one."

She pressed herself against him, kissing him hotly. He tried to pull away because his body started to react to her, but she tightened her hold on him. "I'm feeling better. I want you." She whispered into his ear before she bit into his earlobe. "Make love to me."

And he did.

Steve woke up alone the next morning, a little bit confused. The space next to him was cold, so Natasha had already been up for some time. Was she feeling sick again?

"Natasha, sweetheart?" He asked, getting out of the bed and searching for his underwear.

"Bathroom." Was her answer. God, he hoped that she wasn't feeling sick.

He put on his underwear and made his way into the bathroom. He stopped in the threshold, his heart fluttering in his chest because of the sight in front of him. She was standing in front of the mirror, completely naked, only wearing her rings and bracelet. Her right hand was on her stomach who was a little bit arched. She started showing!

"Can you see it?" She turned so he could see her from the side. "I know it's not much-"

"I see it." He breathed out. "God, Natalia, you're so beautiful. Stay right there!" She looked confused, but nodded. He quickly left to get his phone and took a few photos of his pregnant wife. He already knew that he would start a portrait of her later today.

"I hope you don't share this with the Avengers group chat." She laughed, posing for him.

"No one is ever going to see you like this besides me." He grinned back. God, she was truly a vision. "Cover your breasts with your arms so we have a photo that we can show the little one later, so they can see how beautiful their mommy was when she was pregnant with them."

She did as she was told and he took a few more picture of her. "I think we should do this every month."

"Good idea, sweetheart." He put his phone onto the edge of the bathtub and walked over to her. "You are so beautiful."

She smiled up at him. "Thank you, darling." She pressed herself against him and ran her hands down his back. "Steve?"

"Yes? Do you want breakfast?"

"No." She shook her head. "I think my second trimester has already started."

"Okay?"

She bit her lip, looking almost embarrassed which was very unlike his wife. She rose to her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his ear. "I'm horny."

He laughed when her hands landed on his ass. He had a thing for hers and she had one for his. Perfect match. "You're really know how to set the mood, doll." He gave her a dirty kiss and picked her up to carry her to the bedroom. It wasn't his birthday anymore, but it still felt like it was with the things they did that morning.


Seeing Natasha pregnant was still the most beautiful thing Steve had ever seen. She was so happy and just glowing. Her baby bump was still relatively small, but it was noticeable and Natasha wore it with pride. She wore loose clothing outside, but when she was in their house she wore tight shirts and leggings to show off her baby bump. They always sat on their patio at the end of the day with Natasha in his arms and his hand on her belly and Liho was sitting Natasha's lap. The cat was very gentle and protective of Natasha.

Natasha wasn't an active member of the team anymore since the start of her pregnancy and Sam was now his second in command. He hadn't told his friend about it yet, but Steve planned to pass the shield onto him. Steve would still join them, just like Nat, if they were needed, but they both wanted to focus on their family. A child needed a lot of attention, and their jobs were just too dangerous and he didn't want to leave Natasha and their child behind, and he couldn't even imagine doing this without his wife. No, it was time to give up the shield, at least until all of their kids were in college. And Sam would make a great Captain America.

He was already home and decided to continue to clean out the room next to their bedroom that would be the nursery. The baby would sleep in their bedroom for the first months, but they still wanted the room to be done before the baby was here. They had used the room as storage, and unfortunately a lot of stuff had ended up in here over the years. He was packing boxes for the storage unit when he heard that Natasha was coming home. She had been shopping with Laura since she and Clint were in town to celebrate their anniversary and Laura needed something for the occasion.

He shut the box and left the room to greet her. Natasha was still in the hallway with Liho in her arms and her face pressed into the cat's fur. He chuckled quietly when he saw the shopping bags around his wife. She had always loved shopping and she especially loved buying things for the baby.

"Hi."

She removed her face from Liho's fur and let the cat back down. "Hi." She smiled back at him and he came closer to kiss her.

"How was the shopping trip?"

"Good." She pecked his lips again. "It was great to catch up with Laura. It was just weird that Laura was the one who bought sexy lingerie and I'm the one who bought unsexy maternity fashion. You'd think they made better clothes by now." She shook her head and kissed him again. "I missed you, though. And the baby missed you, too."

"Yeah?" He pressed his hand on her belly. Natasha was already feeling the baby kick, but he hadn't had the privilege yet. "I missed you two, too."

Natasha smiled happily and kissed him again. "Steve? I'm hungry and horny."

He laughed, giving her another kiss. This was pretty much her constant mood in the last two months. And she was so energetic that it was starting to freak him out. She had no problem to run around Brooklyn all day to shop baby things and then she wore him out in the bedroom. He was starting to think that she was the one with the super serum and not him. While he was trying to catch his breath after their lovemaking, Natasha padded into the kitchen on the hunt for something to eat.

"How about I make you something to eat and then I take care of your other urge." He squeezed her ass and Natasha chuckled.

"Sounds like a plan." She went to the bedroom to put away her new clothes while he headed to the kitchen to make his pregnant wife something to eat.

Natasha had changed into one of his button down shirts when she came into the kitchen and he noticed with much joy that even under the too big shirt her belly bump was visible. She sat down on one of the chairs at the kitchen island, watching him making her a sandwich.

"Anything new with the Bartons?"

"Oh, yes! Cooper got that internship with the senator! He's very excited." She said, grabbing some strawberries from the bowl on the kitchen island. "And Nate is in the finals of the spelling bee contest."

"That's great. Clint and Laura must be so proud of their boys."

She nodded. "Yeah. It distracts Clint from the fact that Lila is going to college next year. I can't believe that my little Lila is almost a grown woman!"

He pushed the finished sandwich over to her, smiling. "It's gonna be even weirder when it's our own kids who are gonna leave the house. Does Lila already know where she wants to go?"

"She asked Tony to write her a recommendation letter for MIT, so I think that's a favorite. I know that he's interested in Lila working for SI one day. She's truly a genius. She definitely didn't get that from Clint." She grinned and bit into her sandwich.

He laughed and shook his head. "Can you imagine how Buck is gonna react when Rikki leaves for college?"

Nat snorted. "He's gonna move into the dorm with her to make sure that she's not gonna meet guys like him. I taught her how to deal with men, he doesn't have to worry."

"You taught her how to kick them in the balls?"

"Yup. I will teach that our daughters as well!"

"That's my girl." He smiled proudly and moved around the kitchen counter to press a kiss to her forehead.


Bucky was helping him getting the boxes to the storage unit while Natasha was helping Rikki with her history assignment about the Soviet Union. Apparently Bucky had provided his niece with a lot of intel that she couldn't use for her school project without the CIA or Shield knocking on their door, so Natasha'd volunteered to help. Bucky and Rikki were a good team and he could see how much it meant to Bucky that he could take care of Rikki. He had missed watching his little sister grow into a woman and Bucky had loved Rebecca more than anything, but he had now the chance with Rikki and he knew that Rebecca and her daughter would be proud if they could see the two. Rikki had already offered to babysit for them, saying that she could use some extra money.

He and Bucky stopped by a diner to get food for the four of them before they drove back to the house. They found Natasha and Rikki in the living room with Rikki practicing her presentation. Natasha was sitting on the couch, eating a yogurt, and Liho was naturally next to her and it almost looked like the cat was actually listening to what Rikki was saying.

"Hi, you two!" He said, walking over to Nat to properly greet her. He bent down to kiss her quickly, but his wife deepened the kiss and he happily participated in it.

"Ew!" Rikki whined in the background and Nat grinned into the kiss.

"Yeah, ew!" Her uncle agreed. "Get off your wife, you already got her pregnant! I'm hungry!"

Steve watched Natasha absently eating her burger, her hand on her stomach. She was deep in thought and smiling from time to time. He was sure that she was thinking about their baby. She was five months pregnant, but it still amazed him every single day to see her pregnant. She loved being pregnant and he was just happy to see her so happy. He knew that she would be an amazing mother, he had seen the way she was with the Barton kids, with Morgan, and now with Rikki. God, their baby was so lucky to have Natasha as their mom.

He walked Rikki and Bucky after supper to the door and he noticed that Rikki was carrying a bag. He smiled, but didn't say anything about it. He was sure that Natasha had given the girl something from her closet.

His wife was laying on the couch with Liho on her lap, and the cat had her ear pressed against Natasha's belly. Could the cat hear the baby?

He joined her on the couch and Nat immediately snuggled into his side. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and Liho jumped off her lap, not pleased that her human pillow had moved.

"What did you give Rikki this time?"

"Just a jeans jacket that I haven't worn since the late 90s. I'll never wear it again and she liked it." She snuggled even closer to him. "Don't worry, I have still enough clothes to give to our daughters."

"I know." He chucked. "The majority of the boxes that Buck and I took to the storage unit are your clothes, sweetheart."

Her eyes were closed and he thought that she'd fallen asleep, but she was still awake. "I want Clint to be one of the godparents of the baby."

"Yes." He agreed. Clint was a great choice. "Do we need godfather and godmother or can it be two godfathers?"

She smiled, her eyes still closed. "Bucky can be a godparent, too."

He kissed her forehead and smiled at her. His wife knew him so well.


Ten years. Ten years they managed to keep their relationship a secret from the world. And now everyone knew. The story that Captain America and Black Widow were together was everywhere. Every news outlet, every blog, just everyone was reporting about it.

Natasha hadn't come out of the bedroom yet. The world didn't know yet that she was pregnant and she was terrified that they would. And he was too. The baby had two super serums running through its veins and both serums were very valuable. The thought that someone could try to take Natasha to...Steve couldn't even finish that thought or he would lose his mind. He had to keep the two most important people in his life safe. Natasha and the baby were his whole world.

He stood in front of the bedroom door, trying to come up with something to cheer Nat up. They had been always so careful. They'd never worn their rings to public events and didn't really show any PDA when they were outside. They'd even hired a private Lamaze teacher who came home to them instead of going to a class. He'd felt bad that Natasha didn't have the chance to bond with other mothers. There were Pepper and Laura who were a big help to Natasha, but it would have been nice if she'd could talk to someone who was currently going through the same thing, but the risk was too high. The Lamaze teacher had signed a NDA that would pretty much ruin her entire existence if she told anyone who her clients were. He had felt guilty when he'd read the NDA that Pepper had sent over, but the safety of Nat and the baby was more important than anything.

He opened the door and peaked inside the room. Natasha was lying on their bed with Liho pressed against her side. Her hand was on her growing baby bump and he was sure that people would realize why she was wearing baggy clothes outside; he wasn't even sure if they could even still hide the bump.

"Natasha sweetheart?"

"We have to protect the baby." She whispered.

"I know." He answered and got into the bed, pulling her against him. His hand landed next to hers and he hoped that he would feel the baby kick. He had felt it a few times over the last two weeks and it was just... amazing. "We will. I promise you that I will always protect you two."

"What are we going to do?" He wished he had an answer. "Do we know who leaked it?"

"No. But it has to be someone who works at the Tower. Friday is looking into it." He said and Natasha made an unhappy sound.

"What if they are coming for the baby?"

He couldn't think about that. He only knew that he would kill anyone who would even think about laying a hand on his family. "No one even knows about the baby yet." He said, trying to calm her.

"But they will. I tried not to think about it, but one day they will know. Someone just has to see one of us with a baby and post it online and then..."

"You know that Friday deletes those posts immediately." He started to rub her belly. "And the world knows about Morgan."

"She's not the daughter of a super soldier." She whispered quietly and buried her face in his shoulder. She had a point.

"We can protect our child." He kissed her head. "I know you, Nat. You are going to be a mama bear. No one's wanna mess with your baby."

"I already love the little one so much, Steve. So much." She mumbled into his shirt. "I can't even..."

"I know how you feel." The love he felt for his child was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

She looked up at him. "I always knew that people would eventually know that we are James' parents. I mean, at the latest when he goes to kindergarten or tells people who his parents are...but it's still scary!"

"James?" He asked softly. She wanted to name the baby James? And she thought that it was a boy? They didn't even know the sex yet, they wanted it to be a surprise.

"Yeah." She smiled a little. "James for a boy, and Sarah if it's a girl. But I think it's a boy."

"Nat." He choked out. She wanted to name the baby after his best friend or his mother?

"Do you like the names?"

"I love them!" He kissed her softly and hugged her closer to him. "But we don't have to name them after-"

"No, I want to. And I want Clint or Laura as their middle names."

"I love that."

She smiled and kissed him again. She soon fell asleep in his arms and he looked up the ceiling, praying that nothing would ever happen to her and their child.

It was a former employer of SI who'd hit on Rikki's underage friend during Rikki's birthday party which Tony had witnessed and immediately fired him. The guy had been angry and sold them out to the tabloids. SI wanted to sue, but it was already too late. The world knew that they were married and one day they would know about the baby. Tony came over to install a new and improved security system that was connected to Friday and Natasha felt a little better. And Steve did too. Tony stayed for dinner and he shared with them that he was always worried about Morgan's safety, but it was no way to live. And Tony was right, if anyone could protect their children, then it was them.


"And there's your baby." Bruce said with a smile and both Steve and Natasha looked at the screen with big smiles on their faces. "Little Rogers is healthy. There's no abnormal development. The serums don't seem to have any effect on the baby. How are you feeling, Nat?"

"Great. Well, I mean my back aches and I have to pee all the time, but I'm good." She laughed and Bruce nodded.

"Good. I send everything to your obstetrician. Have you decided where you wanna give birth?"

"Here, at the Tower." Natasha answered. "It's the safest place in the world. Well, according to Tony."

Steve pressed a kiss to her head. So far, they managed to keep the pregnancy a secret, but they had still six weeks ahead of them. They thanked Bruce for taking a look at the baby and Steve wondered if Bruce knew what sex the baby had. Natasha was convinced that they were having a boy ( a mother just knows these things, Steve!), but he was still dreaming about a little redheaded girl. He would love a son just as much, but he was still picturing a mini version of Natasha running around the house.

Happy drove them home and Natasha immediately walked up the stairs into the nursery. He followed her after he changed the water in Liho's bowl and gave her some nibbles.

"Hey." He said softly, watching Natasha rearrange some books in the bookshelf.

"Hi."

"You okay?"

She turned around and smiled. "Yes, of course. I just want everything to be perfect."

"I know. And it is." He looked around. The nursery made things feel real. Their baby would be living here. Natasha had chosen everything with so much love and affection, the room looked beautiful. She'd chosen gender-neutral colors and he'd painted the room and drawn animals onto the walls. Natasha had sat in the rocking chair, talking to him. It had been the perfect afternoon. Laura had gifted them the Barton mobile and added a little Cap shield and an hourglass to it.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?"

She shook her head and moved away from the bookshelf. "No, thank you. I think I'll take a nap. Do you want to join me, darling?"

"Of course." He kissed her lips before he bent down to press a kiss to her belly. They walked hand in hand to the bedroom and Steve waited until his wife found a comfortable position until he joined her in bed.

"He's soon here."

He chuckled. "Still convinced it's a boy?"

"I know it. Next one will be your little girl." She yawned and laced their fingers together. "I can't wait to meet our child."

"Me, too." He lifted their hands and kissed the back of her hand.


Steve and Tony went alone to the birthday party of the President. The rest of the team was helping Shield, and Bucky stayed in New York to keep an eye on Natasha. They both had told Nat that he wasn't going on the mission because of Rikki, but of course she knew that was a lie. But Natasha was heavily pregnant and she needed protection and Steve trusted all of his friends, but Bucky was different. He would protect Natasha and the baby no matter what.

Steve didn't even want to attend the party, but he knew he had to. The Avengers were technically freelancing and a good relationship with the President was very important. He'd ignored questions about Natasha and changed the subject. Being with Natasha for ten years had taught him a few things about these things.

He was talking to the Secretary of State when Tony suddenly appeared at his side, a little bit out of breath. "Why aren't you answering your fucking phone, Rogers!"

Steve looked from the Secretary to his friend. "Uh...I think my battery died. What is it?"

Now Tony looked a bit uneasy. "Uh...It's about...uh, the game...Your team won... and you've won 1000 dollars! Congrats, pal. Come with me to tell them your... bank info." What the fuck was Tony talking about?! He tried to ask him, but Tony was already leading him away from the Secretary. "Bye!"

He followed Tony out of the room, getting more confused by the second. Did something happen with Shield? "Tony-"

Tony looked around and he only started to speak when the waiter was gone. "Okay, don't freak out. But Natasha's in labor-"

"What?! No, the baby's not due for another three weeks!"

"Well, looks like the baby thinks differently. No one could reach you, so they called me." Tony tugged on his arm. "Friday's already sent a quinjet to the White House. Let's go, daddy."

He followed Tony on autopilot. Holy shit. The baby was coming. Natasha was in labor and he wasn't there. Fuck! What if he would be too late and he missed the birth? The quinjet was fast, but what if the baby was faster?! Oh God, he was on the verge of a panic attack! He tried to calm down, but he wasn't very successful. The baby was coming!

"Are you okay?" Tony asked him when the quinjet took off.

"No!"

Tony chuckled. "It's totally normal to freak out! I was losing my mind when Pepper was in labor. I don't think I was useful to her at all."

"What if I'm too late and the baby's already there?"

"Well, then Red is gonna hold that over your head for the rest of your life."

"That's not funny." He shot back. God, his wife was in labor and he wasn't there. Would he really miss the first moments of his baby's life? He wanted to be there when the baby would be laid on Natasha's chest and she was holding the baby for the first time.

"Is Natasha okay?"

"Yes, Captain Rogers, she is fine." Friday's voice suddenly filed the jet. "She's dilated by 7 centimeters. Her contractions are regularly and she and the baby are doing fine. Miss Rogers said, and I quote, to hurry the fuck up-" The AI sounded amused. "Or you are going to sleep on the couch for eternity."

"See." Tony smiled. "We still got three centimeters to go and we're only 40 minutes away from the Tower."

Those 40 minutes were the longest of his entire life. He had never been so nervous in his life before, not even the night before he'd gotten the serum. Right before they reached the airspace of New York City, Friday announced that Natasha was at 10 centimeters. Shit, she was giving birth and he wasn't there. How long did it take until a baby was born?!

Steve ignored Tony and already let the ramp of the jet down while the plan was still in the air and jumped down. He ran into the Tower and almost knocked over Sam who was waiting for him inside. He just heard Sam yelling that the baby wasn't there yet when he ran past by him to the medical wing of the Tower. He was sure that he'd never run so fast before.

He burst through the door and saw Natasha on the hospital bed, holding Pepper's hand who was murmuring to her.

"Steve!" She yelled through gritted teeth before she screamed.

"I can see the head!" Her doctor said in that moment and Steve wanted to look but Pepper called his name.

"Here, take your place, dad." She let go off Natasha's hand and stood up. "You're lucky you're in time."

He forgot to thank her for being there for Nat when he couldn't and just rushed to his wife's side. Her face was flushed and she was sweaty, but she'd never looked more beautiful. "This really sucks." She groaned. "I don't think I want that many children anymore."

"You're doing so great, sweetheart." He took her hand and kissed her forehead. "Natalia, I'm so sorry that I almost missed it."

"I'm gonna make you pay for that later." She said before she had to push again. And then there was suddenly the scream of a baby and they both looked at each other. Their child was born.

"What a beautiful boy." The doctor said and laid the baby on Natasha's chest. A boy, they had a son?

Natasha looked down at their child and he'd never seen that look on her face before. She'd just looked so happy, she looked beyond happy, she looked like she was finally at peace.

"Hi, my sweet little darling. I waited so long for you, my love." She pressed a kiss to the baby's head and then looked up at Steve. "This is our boy. This is James."

"He's perfect." He breathed out and placed his hand over Natasha's on their son. God, he felt so much love for his son. And for Natasha, it was like he fell in love with her all over again. This was everything. Natasha and James were everything. "Welcome to the world, James." He bent down to kiss his son on the head. I love you and your mommy so much. I promise I will always protect you and your mom. Always."