NOTES: Thanks until the end of time to the_wordbutler for being my beta and sounding board.
Also, this is the next to last chapter. Just an epilogue, to be posted in a couple weeks, and this story will be finished. Thanks so much for reading it.
"Explain it again," Phil asked in an exhausted tone.
Natasha sighed, but at least contained her eye roll. Clint, not so much; Steve looked like he wanted to join in, but refrained. The pained expression on his face wasn't from the mead—he'd slept his hangover off last night—but rather from not being able to understand the words coming out of Bruce, Tony, and Jane's mouths.
To be fair, the scientists looked equally frustrated.
"For the umpteenth time," Tony groused, "Odin's setup pulls energy from the Odinforce—just go with these names, alright? While he's sleeping, it leaves Asgard and the king vulnerable, but it recharges his batteries and helps restore his power."
Jane nodded, picking up his train of thought. "We want to do something similar, but reverse the direction of power. Instead of drawing in energy and leaving everything vulnerable, we want to pull it out of Thor to create an energy barrier around the planet that would prevent the drones from being able to portal onto the surface for a fight."
"Won't that still leave Thor vulnerable?" Steve asked.
"Aye," the Asgardian prince said. "I will be as a mortal while in the sleep, and for some time after."
Jane touched his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. "He would slowly regain his power on his own, or we could bring him back here for his own Odinsleep to restore his power."
"So we just let him nap in this custom bed all the time?" Clint questioned. "Because I want to know why I didn't land that gig."
"It would require you to have some kind of power," Tony quipped with a smirk. He then ignored Clint flipping him off.
"Thor wouldn't be there the whole time," Bruce explained. "For one, he'd eventually run out of energy, and then the whole thing would be useless."
"Then how will he know when to be put down for a nap?" Natasha asked.
Bruce rolled his eyes at Tony for making some under-the-breath comment about how much she sounded like a mom for asking it that way. "We've been able to start detecting a certain wavelength of ultraviolet radiation in the satellites we sent up into space about a year ago. We think it's a signal from whoever controls the drones, trying to pinpoint the exact location of Earth so they know where to open up the other end of the wormhole. It usually appears a couple hours before an attack."
Coulson nodded slowly. "So when we detect this UV radiation, we send Thor to set up the energy field."
"Finally, comprehension," Tony snarked.
"Is two hours enough time?" Steve asked. "And how long would he have to stay asleep?"
Jane manipulated her calculations in the air, the golden figures shimmering in front of her. "It should be long enough to build a force field with enough strength to prevent them from opening a portal on Earth. As for how long he'd have to stay there, that depends on the other side of things. Thor could stay in the sleep for up to a week, and the force field would be strong enough to hold for another month after that, but then we'd be exposed again. At least until Thor regained his full power."
Thor cleared his throat. "It should also be known that while the force field is in place, other portals cannot open on Earth."
"Like ones from Asgard?" Natasha asked.
Thor nodded. "Aye."
Steve crossed his arms and his face grew serious. "So if we get into trouble, no calling for backup from your friends like we've done before?"
Tony blew a raspberry and waved his hand in the air. "We'll be fine. We took down the Chitauri on our own, and we did okay."
Clint raised his eyebrows. "You and I were head cases for months after and Phil died."
"Clarification," Tony argued while pointing a finger in the archer's direction. "Phil died from Loki, not the Chitauri, so that doesn't count. And it didn't count anyway since he didn't stay dead. Also, I'm not sure when either of us stopped being head cases."
"So when do we get started?" Jane asked excitedly.
Thor sighed wearily. "Beloved, we are supposed to honeymoon, as the Midgardians would say."
She patted his arm once more. "We're going to live for thousands of years. There will always be time for sex. Science on the other hand…"
"Go," Bruce chuckled. "It will take us at least a few weeks to get all the resources together."
Tony nodded. "And there's probably some permit work I'll have to do to build this, but I'll let Pepper take care of that."
"I could help procure materials," Jane offered.
Tony offered her a look of pity. "Are you the one in this conversation with their name everywhere and billions of dollars at their disposal?"
"Not yet," Jane shot back.
"Touché."
"Take your honeymoon," Phil encouraged. "The rest of us—the ones gifted at science or paperwork, at least—will get things ready."
"Thank you," Thor said.
"Is there anything else we need to do here?" Phil asked. "Anything official? Another banquet or appearance?"
Clint groaned at that. "Please say no. None of my pants are going to fit when I get home."
Tony snorted. "You sound like Pepper."
"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Clint replied.
Thor shook his head at the two of them. "There is nothing more for you to do. I am deeply grateful that you all would travel this far to take part in our wedding celebration. I will not forget this."
"Then let's get out of here," Steve announced.
Tony smirked at him. "Afraid I'll get you drunk again?"
"No," Steve said, although Natasha knew that was a legitimate fear. "I want to see my daughter."
An hour later, they were ready to go. It didn't take long for them all to pack; most of the time was spent finalizing the list of supplies for Thor's chamber. But now they all stood once more in Heimdall's presence. He'd greeted Natasha with a grin. "She has done quite well," he informed her, "but I believe she is ready for your return."
"She's not the only one," Steve quipped.
They exchanged hugs and handshakes with Jane and Thor, and then assumed what Tony called out that they should brace for impact before traveling once more through space. Natasha stepped into Steve's embrace again, but this time didn't squeeze her eyes shut. She wanted to tell Nadia about what it looked like, the swirling lights and colors as they whizzed past stars.
The portal spit them out on roof of the Tower. Tony clapped his hands at Heimdall's foresight, since this was where they'd planned on building Thor's new bed. Immediately, he and Bruce began to finish each other sentences while they began prep work. Tony carried two conversations at once—the first with the Bruce, the other issuing a list of possible needs from the city to Pepper and Phil.
Clint rolled his eyes. "Guess the vacation's over," he muttered as he walked away to let Phil get to work.
Steve grabbed Natasha's hand and tugged her towards the door. "They don't need us," he said.
Natasha could feel his excitement buzzing, and she couldn't quite blame him. They quickly dumped their belongings in their apartment before traveling down to the garage. Once they found the car that had Nadia's booster seat installed in the back, Steve sped them along to Queens. She didn't even bother trying to hide her smirk as her husband cursed under his breath at incessant traffic. Shortly thereafter, but not soon enough, they were parked in front of the Sitwell residence. Natasha'd called Jasper as soon as they left the Tower to give him a head's up on their arrival. Steve barely had the car in park before the front door open and Nadia and Jasper came out to stand on the stoop.
Natasha opened her car door and watched as Nadia looked up at Jasper while pointing to her parents. Jasper gave a nod, and Nadia was off with a flash. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Natasha sank to her knees and caught her daughter in her arms. For the first time in a week—since the drones attacked and even after her lungs were healed—Natasha felt like she could breathe easily.
"Hi, Mama," Nadia giggled into her shoulder.
"Hi, baby," Natasha returned.
The three-year-old didn't even argue about the title just pulled away with a grin. She held her arms up and squealed as Steve picked her up, held her to his chest, and twirled her around a few times. "We missed you," he told her when they stopped spinning.
"Missed you, too," she replied before looking over his shoulder towards the car. "Just you?"
"Daddy and Mama not good enough for you?" Natasha asked as she stood.
Nadia's bottom lip pouted slightly. "I missed my uncles, too."
"You'll see them tomorrow," Steve promised. "For today, you're stuck with your parents."
"Okay," the girl answered with a shrug. She then gasped with excitement, her face lighting up as she remembered something. Nadia clamored to be released from her father's grip and darted over to Natasha as quickly as she could. She motioned for her mother to come back down to her level. "I made a new friend!" her daughter exclaimed. Nadia leaned her face in close to Natasha and whispered, "She's a mermaid."
Jasper chuckled as he walked into the yard to join the group. "No, sweetie, she's just a mutant."
Nadia shot him a look so dark, it reminded everyone that she was wholly Natasha's. "Mermaid."
"Nadezhda," Steve warned. "Watch your tone."
"But, Daddy, she was a mermaid. She looks like a fish."
"McCoy's kid," Jasper explained. "She has a mutation that gave her fish scales on her face and arms." He paused to look back down at Nadia. "And she has legs, not a fish tail, so she's a human."
"Mermaid," Nadia shot back.
"Well, you'll get to find out for yourself in a few days," Jasper said with a smirk. "Lord have mercy on your preschool teacher."
Nadia scrunched her face up in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"Sounds like you met one of your classmates," Steve answered. "She'll go to preschool with you."
Her eyes widened and her entire body began to vibrate with excitement. "I get to go to school with a mermaid?" she half-shouted.
"Apparently," Natasha told her. "But first let's get your things so we can go home."
"She's all packed up and ready to go," Jasper informed them. "She stared out the window waiting for you as soon as I got off the phone and told her you were on your way."
Steve clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you so much for watching her. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."
Jasper shrugged. "I'm pretty sure we both had moments we weren't proud of, but it's fine."
Nadia said her goodbyes and hugged the three Sitwell daughters before leaving. On the way back, Steve asked her wanted for dinner. Natasha twisted in the passenger seat to catch the three-year-old with her "thinking face" on, as Tony called it. After pondering the question for a moment, Nadia answered, "Mashed 'tatoes."
Steve smiled. "What do you want to go with your mashed potatoes?"
Nadia shook her head. "Just mashed 'tatoes."
Steve's grin widened as he stole a quick glance at Natasha. "Pork chops okay?"
"I don't know," she answered. "I was really hoping we could have some more roasted meat on a spit with more meat on the side, and meat for dessert."
Steve groaned. "I need a lot of protein, but Asgardian banquets are almost too much, even for me."
While Steve cooked, they took turns telling Nadia stories about what happened to them on Asgard, and they happily listened—and sometimes cringed—at the stories Nadia told about her stay with the Sitwells.
"So we'll be writing apologies in our thank you cards?" Natasha asked.
Steve nodded. "I'll make sure to do that."
After dinner and at their daughter's insistence, they went through her little backpack for the hundredth time to make sure everything was ready and in its place for her first day of school, even though it was still almost a week away. Then it was time for the dreaded bath. Once she was clean and in her pajamas, Nadia reminded her parents of the deal they'd made. "I get to sleep in your bed tonight," she said as she held up a pinky. "You promised."
"Yes, we did," Steve sighed. "What do you say we watch a movie in our bed before you fall asleep?"
"Popcorn?" Nadia asked excitedly.
Natasha shook her head. "You already brushed your teeth." She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing as Nadia's body deflated with a mournful sigh. "C'mon," she said as she picked up her daughter.
All night, Natasha's thoughts kept drifting to the capsule hidden away in the heel of her left boot. She'd stopped herself three times from asking Nadia what she thought about living with sisters like the Sitwells, and judging from Steve's face, he'd wanted to ask a similar question once or twice over dinner. But that conversation wasn't for tonight. This evening was only for relishing the chance to be around their daughter again. To listen to her tell stories, smile while she giggled in her bubble bath, and snuggle her close in bed.
As the opening credits for The Little Mermaid started for the millionth time in the apartment, Nadia's fingers went to Natasha's hair. "This is pretty," she said as she gently fingered the curls. "I like it."
"Me too," Steve agreed.
"One, two," Nadia counted while pointing to herself, then Steve. "We win."
Natasha raised an eyebrow while silently wondering which uncle she picked that up from. "It's cute how you think this family is a democracy."
"What's that?" Nadia asked.
"One of the many things your daddy fought for in a war long ago," Natasha answered. "Watch the movie."
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Nadia to fall asleep. As soon as Steve and Natasha were sure she was out for the night, they shut off the movie. Even without the modifications made to their bodies, they were pretty sure they could quote the film in its entirety.
"You okay?" Steve whispered.
Natasha nodded. "Better, now that we're home."
A small smile crossed his face. "You didn't ask her about siblings."
"Neither did you," Natasha pointed out. Steve looked down at the girl sleeping between them. As he did that, Natasha watched the mess of emotions flicker over his face. "You want another one."
"I already told you, I'd never ask that of you."
"Not out loud, at least."
Steve sighed. "Sorry."
"It's okay. We'll ask her what she thinks about it this weekend. You said we should go away for a few days, right? Then let's get out of the city where it's just the three of us."
"Take some time before we send her off to school?"
Natasha rolled her eyes at the note of sadness in his voice. "It's preschool, Steve. It's three hours every morning. We're not sending her off to college."
"We'll talk about it this weekend," Steve confirmed, ignoring Natasha's jab.
"And if she says no?"
Steve shrugged. "We both have more than either of us thought we would."
Natasha fell asleep trying to believe his words, but his tone couldn't quite match what he'd said.
