1980

Natasha smiled as 7-year-old Sarah followed Steve into the ballet studio. She loved how he always dropped what he was doing just before 3 to pick their little girl up from school even though she frequently mentioned it would be just as easy for her to leave her studio for the fifteen minutes it would take to collect Sarah.

Their little girl was their world. She had no idea who her parents were before she was born, and she didn't care. To Sarah, they were just her mom and dad. While they were initially relieved she wasn't born with the super soldier serum, their relief was short-lived when Sarah was diagnosed with asthma.

It was easy enough to treat the symptoms in the day they lived in, but it kept Steve in panic mode. Natasha was much calmer about the whole thing. She learned what they needed to do to help their little girl and made sure they were always ready if an attack started, but, secretly, she was a little grateful. Sarah would never be a superhero. She would have a nice, normal life from beginning to end.

Sarah still loved to dance, and with the meds, she could keep up with the other little girls in the class. Natasha loved watching Sarah dance more than she loved dancing herself. She loved everything about being a mom.

"Alright, princess, tell your mom what happened at school?" Steve said, gently nudging Sarah closer to her mother.

Natasha looked at the little girl expectantly. The girl looked down as she spoke. "I got into a fight."

Natasha gently pulled Sarah's face up to look for damage. She didn't see any evidence, but it did worry her a bit. "What happened?"

"David called Tyler a bad name. I told him to quit and say sorry then he called me a ginger and took a swing at me. I ducked then I punched him in the nose," Sarah said softly. "Mommy, what's a ginger?"

Natasha tried not to smile. She knew she shouldn't encourage fighting, but she was impressed. David was quite a bit bigger than Sarah or Tyler, and her daughter was standing up for her friend. "Ginger is just another word for redhead."

"Oh, maybe ginger wasn't a bad name."

"No, but he shouldn't have tried to hit you. Did you get in trouble at school?"

The little girl nodded. "I had to stay in at recess so did David."

"Fair enough. Go get ready for class."

Sarah nodded and took off. Steve grinned. "He didn't even get a punch in. Mrs. Blanchett said she moved fast. Is it wrong to be this proud?"

Natasha shook her head. "The apple didn't fall far from the tree, but I hope she doesn't make a habit out of it. Maybe the next one will avoid punching all together though. We're going for normal here."

"Next one? Something you'd like to share?"

"I know we didn't plan on another, but we probably should have been a little more careful. If my calculations are right, it's going to be a miserably hot summer for me. By August, we are both going to be ready for Sarah's brother or sister to make its appearance."

Steve picked Natasha up and spun her around. "We're having another baby!"

"Easy, Steve. Whoever named it morning sickness was way off. I feel awful."

1984

Steve, Sarah, and little Wanda carried the breakfast tray quietly into the master bedroom. Natasha wasn't asleep. Steve could tell she was just pretending, so the girls could surprise their mom.

"Happy birthday, Mom!" Sara said as they set the tray down on the table.

"Happy birthday, Mommy!" Wanda parroted. "Daddy make pancakes!"

Steve lit the candle they'd put in the stack of pancakes and Natasha blew it out with a smile. "Go get ready for the day, girls. We're taking Mommy to the zoo. It's her special day."

"Yes, Daddy," they said before running off to their rooms.

"Today's a special day," Steve said. "There are officially two of you in the world now. How are you doing?"

"I'm curious, honestly. I never knew my father's name before Vormir. I still don't know my mother's, but they're out there somewhere with me. I know things have to play out, but it's weird. Do you think they're happy right now?"

Steve scooted in to the bed beside his wife. "I know how happy I was when our girls were born. I'd like to think they're just as happy. I'm sorry it's short-lived. I wish we could do something-stop baby Natasha from going through all that pain."

"But, we can't help my family anymore than we can help James. It hurts. Is this how you feel when you think of Barnes out there in Hydra's hands?"

Steve just kissed her cheek. "I wish I could say it gets easier."

1991

Natasha found Steve sitting in the barn. They'd both dreaded this day for over twenty years. "I got the call," she said, sitting beside him on the pile of hay. "Howard and Maria are gone."

Steve let a tear slide down his cheek. Natasha just curled in beside him. "Tony?" he asked.

"Not doing well. The bags are packed. I packed this morning. We can leave whenever you're ready," she paused. "I called Maria this morning. I almost warned her, but the ring started to glow. I almost did it anyway, but I couldn't do that to you and the girls. If I'd-"

"If you'd said a word, you'd be back in the soul stone, and a new timeline would have appeared-one where we could lose against Thanos and I have to live without you. You couldn't. It's only going to get harder from here, Nat. We can't interfere. Promise me you won't ignore the mind stone. I don't want to lose what we have."

2011

The grandchildren were gathered around the t.v. at the farmhouse. Steve was watching the news with interest as the reporter shared the breaking news that Captain America had been found. Natasha brought in a bowl of popcorn and set it on the floor beside the children before taking her seat beside Steve on the couch.

"The world's changing fast," she said. "New York will be coming soon. It's probably time to talk to the girls. Once they see us fighting the Chitari, they're going to figure it out."

Steve nodded. "We've protected them as long as we could. When they get back to pick up the kids, we'll tell them everything. I'm a little surprised Tony never figured it out."

"Part of me thinks our Tony eventually did. I think it's part of the reason he had such a hard time when the team split. It must have felt like the ultimate betrayal. I mean, we've already established that this is some kind of loop. He's too smart not to have figured it out eventually."

"I guess you're right. At least we don't have to feel so guilty about not helping anymore. Young us can take it from here."

"Speak for yourself. Young me joined Shield a few years ago. I've been in the clear for years. I just wish I could tell her she's going to find a way to wipe out some of that red."

Steve rubbed his wife's shoulder. "All of it, Nat. When you sacrificed yourself, you wiped out all of it."

She looked into his eyes. "I don't think I knew how much I needed to hear that until this moment. We did okay, soldier."

Final chapter coming up. I know these last few have just been snipets of their life together, but we are about to tie it all up in a nice bow. Thanks for reading.