A/N: I don't own The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,or Thor. Also, the time line has been skewed to allow for the preceding oneshots. Everything from Captain America: the Winter Soldier forward is a year after it happens in the cannon, except Steve met Sam, and Sam joined the team (sort of) before WS. R&R!
1 Month Later...
The sun had barely risen when Steve heard movement around him. He opened his eyes, let them adjust to the darkness, and smiled at what he saw. Emma and Caroline were sitting on the bed beside him, each holding an envelope.
"Happy birthday, Daddy!", Emma chirped, and Steve accepted the envelope she offered him.
"Thank you, Emma-bee!", he replied as he opened the envelope and read the birthday card.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart.", Caroline told him, handing Steve the envelope she held.
"Thank you, dear. Well, would you look at that: two wonderful birthday cards from two beautiful ladies! I love you girls.", he told them as Emma pulled a square box from behind her.
"And you can't forget your present!", the three year old said sweetly.
Steve opened the box, and inside was a gold watch with an engraving on the back. 'Happy Birthday, Daddy,' it read. The soldier felt as if he was about to cry, and his only response was to pick Emma up and set her in his lap.
"Thank you, Emma-bee. I love you so much!", he whispered into her hair as she snuggled into his chest.
"I love you too, Daddy!", the girl said with a giggle, and Caroline snapped a picture of the two.
A few hours later, the Rogers family entered the commons floor to find Phil standing in front of them. He was smiling, which had done little of in the month since the Disney World trip.
"Steve, go ahead and spend the day with your wife and daughter. When you get back for dinner, we'll have everything we planned set up for your birthday dinner.", he ordered.
"Okay, I'm going, I'm going!", Steve said with a laugh, and a loud outcry from behind Phil sounded.
"Happy birthday, Spangles!", it was Tony.
"Thanks, Tony!", Steve replied, and the Rogers family left.
That afternoon, Steve decided it was a good time to take Emma to the zoo. When Steve moved to take Emma to get a closer look at the polar bears, Caroline stopped and grabbed onto him. He turned to face her, a panic look across his face.
"Are you okay, Carrie?", he asked her softly.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I think I'll just go sit down for a little bit. It seems our s- baby wanted to celebrate with you today too.", she corrected herself before she told Steve the one thing he said he did not want to know.
"It's okay, Carrie. I've known since Downtown Disney; super-hearing can sometimes ruin surprises. I think that's why they had us leave this morning.", he said with a chuckle.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. You are happy, though, aren't you?", she asked, and Emma tilted her head to the side as her parent's spoke.
"I'm ecstatic. Should we tell Emma?", Steve replied simply, smile on his face, and Caroline nodded.
"Tell me what?", the three year old asked.
"Well, you know that Mommy is going to have a baby in November, right?", she asked her daughter, who nodded in reply. "Well, this baby is a boy. You're going to have a baby brother, Em!"
Emma smiled brightly and jumped in the air. As her blonde curls bounced, she looked up at her father.
"Can we name him after you and Uncle Bucky?", she asked, and Steve felt his breath hitch in his throat.
"You know, that's exactly what Mommy was thinking of doing. How does 'James Steven Rogers' sound to you, Em?", Caroline said while Steve nodded in reply to his daughter's question.
"I love it! Can we go look at the polar bears now?", Emma replied, switching subjects quickly.
So Steve walked off with Emma, and Caroline went to sit down on a bench a little ways away. As she sat there, a dark haired man sat down beside her. She looked over at the man and let out a barely audible gasp. It was a man she had only ever seen in photographs and sketches.
"Sergeant Barnes?", she asked quietly.
"That's what I've come to realize is my name, Ma'am. I take it you're Mrs. Rogers.", he replied, and Caroline turned to face him.
"What are you doing here?", she demanded of him.
"I've spent months trying to figure out who I was, what happened to me, and who I am now. The only person I can go to who is alive and doesn't have a mental illness is the Captain.", Barnes said calmly.
"No, I mean in the zoo. How did you know we were here?", Caroline asked him, and he chuckled.
"Steve used to love coming here to draw the animals when we were younger. When I remembered it was his birthday, I knew I could find him here. I didn't exactly expect him to have a family of his own so soon after they found him in the ice. Your daughter is three, so when did you two meet?", Barnes asked, and Caroline took a deep breath.
"Steve adopted Emma when we got married. My ex-husband is an abusive and sexist, pardon my language, jackass who can rot in hell for all I care. I'm happy now, with Steve, and he loves Emma as if she were of his own blood. To answer you question, we met two years ago. I was running from my ex, who was trying to find me because I'd gotten the judge to forbid him from seeing Emma. I lost control of the car, and Steve came to my rescue, along with Nat. He knew he wanted to marry me and adopt Emma within the first two weeks we knew each other, but we decided to wait a little while longer before anything actually took place. Emma actually called him 'Daddy' for the first time on the Christmas Eve after he stopped my car from skidding off the road. Now we'll have another little one, and they're both so excited.", she explained, and Barnes nodded, finally understanding how Steve had a three year old daughter.
"Boy or girl?", he asked.
"Boy, and they both want to name him after you.", she said, giggling as she watched Barnes' eye twitch.
"Please tell me he doesn't want to name the kid 'Bucky'!", he begged her.
"He doesn't. We've agreed on 'James Steven,' after both of you. He really does miss you, and Emma just wants to meet her 'Uncle Bucky' who she hears all kinds of stories about.", Caroline assured him, and his eyes lit up like fire crackers.
"She knows who I am? Really?", he asked.
"Steve took her to the exhibit at the Smithsonian. She asked who you were, and he told her. Her favorite story so far has been the time he rescued you from Red Skull and you asked him if he got taller. If you really want to try to talk to him, I can always have Pepper set an extra place at the table tonight.", she offered, but he shook his head.
"I don't know if he wants to see me right n-", but Barnes was cut off by a small blonde mass.
"Mommy! Daddy lifted me up to see the polar bears better, and one of them stood up and looked at me! It was fun!", Emma squealed before turning to see Barnes. "Uncle Bucky?"
"Well, this little punk that apparently used to follow me around calls me 'Bucky', so I can say that, yes, I am your 'Uncle Bucky.'", he replied, and the last thing he expected occurred: Emma gave him an incredibly tight hug, and he could not see how someone so small had that much strength.
As Emma hugged Barnes, Steve walked up. He looked over, saw Barnes, and glared at him. Barnes could do nothing at the moment except look to Caroline for help.
"Steve, quit glaring at him. He came looking for you because he needs your help. You are the only one from his time, your time, who is still alive and in his right mind.", she said quietly but sternly.
"Fine.", and that was that.
"Daddy, can Uncle Bucky stay with us tonight? He doesn't have anywhere to go!", Emma called to her father, who had to try to not shout at the three year old.
"I'll think about it, but he can come to dinner. Honey, call Pepper.", Steve said coolly.
"Thank you, Captain. Happy birthday.", Barnes said, and Steve blinked.
"You remembered?", he asked his once best friend.
"Of course I did! Do you think I've spent these last few months doing nothing? I went looking for every bit of information I could to find on you, on me, and on us! You are my best friend, Steve, and you are the only one who can fill the holes in my memory. Of the few things I have remembered in these last few months, I remember us coming here on your birthday every year to look at the animals so that you could sketch them. I know that I almost had your partner beat to a bloody pulp in order to find you, and in retrospect I should have overlooked my past relationship with her. I was wrong in doing so, bu-", and Bucky was cut off by Steve.
"She's more than my partner. Nat is like the little sister I never had. She, along with her husband and the rest of the Avengers family are the family I haven't had since I thought you died. If her daughter would have been hurt or killed before being brought into this world, I would not have stopped until I found you for being responsible for that. I heard that, too, Carrie.", Steve said, smiling as he told his wife the last part.
"I figured you did when you told me you heard what I wanted to name the baby.", Caroline told him as she got off the phone with Pepper. "They've finished decorating, so unless there's anywhere else you want to go for your birthday, we can head home."
"There's just one more thing I want to do.", Steve replied, and all three looked curious.
"What?", the adults asked.
"I want to go to my old house in Brooklyn. You coming, Bucky?", he asked, and for the first time since the 1940s, Sergeant James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes gave a real smile.
About two hours later, the Rogers family and Bucky entered the commons floor of Avengers Tower. Emma skipped into the room, saw Clint, and darted towards him. The archer caught her with ease, and he smiled over at Steve.
"Happy birthday, man.", he called, and Steve nodded politely.
"Daddy and Uncle Bucky took Mommy and me to Brooklyn to see where Daddy grew up! Isn't that really cool, Uncle Clint?", the three year old asked excitedly, and Clint nodded before placing her back on the floor.
Almost at once, Emma took off behind Clint and into the arms of the person behind him: Natasha.
"Has she kicked yet?", Emma asked excitedly.
"She hasn't toda- There she goes! Put your hand right here!", Natasha told her goddaughter, her baby choosing that moment to begin kicking.
"Hi, Alexandra. I'm Emma, your god-sister. I can't wait to teach you and my baby brother all kinds of things.", as Emma spoke, Natasha had to hold back tears, for it was the sweetest thing she had ever heard from the little girl.
Bucky looked over at Natasha, and he let out a gasp. He had heard she was pregnant, but he had never expected her to look pregnant. With all the Red Room had done to the girls it had in its possession, he was sure she would never have been able to get pregnant in the first place, so it was all a major shock. He did not move until Clint moved toward Steve.
"Barnes, pick your jaw up off the floor. Steve, Dad just called me, and he said to tell you that he and Skye are sorry. They'll be back soon, but there was an incident with Grant's younger brother, Thomas."
"Okay, it's fine. So, what are we having for dinner?", Steve replied, and Tony walked out of the kitchen.
"Dude, it's your birthday! This is the day where we become slaves to your likes, dislikes, and favorites. I've been in that kitchen for the last hour frying chicken.", and Steve laughed.
"Sorry, Tony! So, where's everybody el-", but Steve never finished his statement, for Roger had run up to him and cut him off.
"Happy birthday, Steve. I'll be back for dinner, but I've got to go.", he said quickly, astounding Bucky.
"Thank you, Roger, and thank you for saying that in English. Darcy, where is he going?", Steve replied as he looked up to see his handler/surrogate mother.
"His grandmother insists upon visiting with him, and because I don't trust my mother whatsoever, I insisted that this occur for an hour at a public place. We're going to Central Park, and Tony has J.A.R.V.I.S. keeping an eye on us. Also, Loki is going to be accompanying us.", she said, and the others nodded.
Then, Darcy saw Bucky. She looked over at Steve again, smiled, and turned back to Bucky. He looked at her for a few moments before anyone spoke.
"Hello, Bucky. I'm Darcy Coulson, and this is my son, Roger Coulson. My husband should be back in a little while, so I'm sure we'll get to talk later. I'm just glad you and Steve found each other again.", and with that being said, she and Roger walked into the elevator behind Bucky and disappeared; Bucky had no idea what he was supposed to do after that.
Right before dinner, after Roger, Darcy, and Loki returned, the elevator opened again, and four people stepped off. One, Bucky observed, was an older gentleman who must have been Darcy's husband. The one next to him was a young woman with dark hair and eyes. In front of Darcy's husband was a young-ish man with pale skin and dark hair. In the second man's arms, hiding his face in the second man's shoulder, was a small boy who looked very much like the second man.
"What happened with Thomas? Who's the kid?", Tony asked worriedly, and Darcy's husband walked over to them before speaking.
"Thomas didn't make it. He died on impact, and they pronounced him DOA at the hospital. Donnie, his son, was luckier. He has stitched from his brow ridge to his hair line, but he's otherwise fine physically. Christian refused to take his nephew in and insisted they call Kasey Ward, his sister. Kasey is divorced and has four children of her own, so she refused to take Donnie in, too. Grant was there, and he is blood related, so he has custody of Donnie now. Skye accessed Donnie's records on the way here, and we copied everything over onto the hard drives. His full name is Donald Thomas Ward, and he is eight years old. I was thinking, if he remains quiet and unresponsive to anyone aside from his uncle, that Mac might be able to get him to open up. She's scarily good at that sort of thing.", he answered Tony before turning to Bucky.
"Sergeant Barnes, it's nice to meet you. I'm Phil Coulson, and this is my daughter, Skye. Have you been introduced to everyone else?", he said.
"I have, Sir.", and before anything else was said, Mac had walked over to where Donnie was now standing beside Grant.
"Hi, I'm Mackenzie, but you can call me 'Mac.'", she said to the boy.
"Hi, I'm Donald, but everyone calls me 'Donnie.'", he replied with a smile, and everyone else had stopped eating to watch the two children.
She really was good at getting people to talk.
After dinner, everyone went up to the roof to watch the fireworks. As a firework erupted overhead, the phrase "Happy Birthday, Steve!" was spelled out in a shimmer of red, white, and blue. It was at that exact moment that Caroline tapped Steve on the shoulder, pointed at the firework, and told him to look behind him after he had seen it. That was where he saw the red, white, and blue three layer birthday cake with twenty-seven candles on it.
After a chorus of "Happy Birthday to You," Steve made a wish and blew out the candles.
"You know, I wanted to put ninety-seven candles on there; but I was told that might be a fire hazard.", it was that comment that got Tony smacked upside the head, but Steve only laughed.
"It probably would've been, Tony. It's a nice thought though.", he told the engineer.
That night, after everyone had gone to bed, Bucky woke and went into Steve's kitchen in search of a glass and the milk. Instead of the aforementioned items, he found Steve already at the breakfast bar with two glasses of warm milk.
"Even after so long, you still know my mind better than I do.", Bucky said quietly.
"Given the events of the past seventy years, I wouldn't be surprised about that detail. Wanna talk?", the Captain replied.
"Yeah. What's been going on since the War?", Bucky asked, and Steve shook his head.
"A lot. Within a week of waking up, I had to team up with the other Avengers to stop Loki and the Chitauri. After fighting aliens, I went on a bit of soul searching. After about a month of that, I realized that I had no one aside from the Avengers that I actually knew. We all moved in at this hotel while Tony finished rebuilding the tower. The day Roger was born, we all moved in here. A year later, I met Carrie and Emma. Tip, I am the only one she actually lets call her 'Carrie.' Just don't attempt it. This year, aside from the world falling to pieces, we went to Disney World.", Bucky looked confused at Steve's last statement, so the latter clarified. "It's a group of amusement parks in the middle of Florida."
"Okay then. Was there anyone who wasn't at dinner that I need to know?", Bucky asked Steve.
"Not immediately. Sam leaves in the morning, and we most likely won't see Trip until New Year's Eve. Just go to bed, and we can talk more in the morning. Emma's awake, so I need to go get her back to sleep.", he replied, and Bucky nodded.
"Night, punk.", he said with a smile.
"Night, jerk.", Steve replied with a laugh, and the two parted ways.
A/N: Next up:Halloween! What will happen now? Even though I am the one writing this, it should be interesting. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you stay tuned in for more! R&R! P.S., I do not own Disney World.