On Monday, the team turned full care of the baby back over to Tony.

While Steve was sure they had enjoyed extra time with the baby, it was really time for everything to go back to normal. The baby would be happier bonding with Tony, Tony would be happier getting out of the house again every morning, and Steve would be happier knowing he had his walk with Tony to look forward to after his morning run.

Steve braced himself for the paparazzi onslaught their first day back in the park together, but it looked liked the media had moved on to other stories. So he just draped an arm over Tony's shoulder and listened indulgently as Tony prattled on about feedback loops, electronic discharge, and particle density. He still had no idea what any of it meant. Tony could have been talking about toilet repair for all he knew. The only thing Steve paid any attention to was the excitement in Tony's voice.

He had really missed these moments.

"-which is why those idiots at NASA will never be able to make it work," Tony concluded. He paused to take a breath and then his brow furrowed. "Hey, isn't that Sam?" he asked, pointing to a man in gray sweats drinking out of the water fountain.

"I think it is," Steve said. And as he watched, the man straightened up and waved. "Yeah, it is."

Tony nudged him with his hip. "You can go and say hi if you want. We're not going anywhere."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. Isn't that right, Stephy?"

The baby took that as her cue to start fussing.

"Oh, come on," Tony said. "Daddy will be right back." He lifted the baby out of the stroller and cradled her against his chest.

"Maybe we should just go home early," Steve said. "Put her down for another nap where it's nice and quiet."

"Nah, I probably just need to change her. You go catch up with your friend and I'll take Stephy into the restroom."

Well, Tony knew the baby best. So he just shrugged and jogged towards the water fountain.

Sam pulled him into a one-armed hug."Hey, man," he said. "Long time, no see."

"I know," Steve said. "Where've you been? You slacking on your morning runs?"

"Nah, just moved to a different part of the park. Same spot as the girl at the front desk."

Steve grinned. "Oh, is that why? You sure you didn't just get tired of me showing you up all the time?"

"How could I ever get tired of running with you? Where else am I going to hear such motivating pep talk as 'on your left'?"

Steve laughed. "I really have missed you, Sam."

"Speaking of missing people." Sam lowered his voice. "Your buddy's been spotted in the area."

Steve breathed a sigh of relief. It had been so long since he had seen Bucky that he had started to get worried that they had scared him off for good this time. But Bucky was finally starting to circle back to the Tower. It was the best news he had heard in awhile.

"Got a plan for catching him this time?" Sam asked.

"No plan. Bucky will come home when he's ready."

"A guy like him really shouldn't be out wandering the streets."

Steve shook his head. "I can't make him stay, Sam. You know that. He needs his space to figure himself out. Maybe one day he'll come home for good, but until then, all I can do for him is just be there whenever he needs a friend."

Sam shrugged. "Well, you know him better than I do. I'm just the guy with eyes in the sky."

"And I appreciate that, Sam. Thanks for the head's up." He clapped Sam on the back and jogged over to where Tony was waiting with the baby stroller.

"Any news?" Tony asked

"Yep. Bucky's back in town."

Tony's eyes lit up. "I'll get things ready." He tapped at his phone. "Jarvis, make sure Clint picks up those butterscotch candies Bucky likes when he goes out. And remind me to make up a room on the ground floor. Bucky's still kind of weird about elevators."

Steve smiled and squeezed Tony's shoulder. He was proud to see Tony taking charge to make sure Bucky felt safe and comfortable in the Tower. Maybe this would finally be the time Bucky stopped running.

By the time they returned to the Tower, Tony had come up with a couple meals Bucky might like, a few movies they could watch without upsetting him, and a card game that would hopefully bring back memories of sitting around the campfire with the Commandos. Which was great, but Bucky probably wouldn't show up for another week or two. That was usually how it went. Bucky circled around the area for a few days first and did reconnaissance before he could be convinced the Tower was safe. But if planning everything out ahead of time made Tony happy, more power to him. Besides, with Bucky's condition, there was no harm in being overly prepared. The more they took the time to think through what would set Bucky off, the more likely they were to be careful around him.

Tony was still bursting with enthusiasm when they got home. He held the baby snugly in his arms and turned in a slow circle. "Wheee, baby airplane." He dipped down with her a little. "Mayday, mayday. Pull up, pull up!"

The baby squealed and kicked her feet.

Tony straightened up and spun around in another circle. "Whew, cruising altitude reestablished."

Steve snorted and shook his head. "I'm going to tell the others we survived."

"Oh, good idea." Tony followed after him as he padded into the den where most of the team were still sitting around in their pajamas, drinking lemonade or iced coffee.

"Welcome back, boys," Natasha said. "Oh, Pepper called while you were out. She said leaving your phone at home is not a good excuse for missing her calls." She gave Tony a meaningful look.

Tony grinned sheepishly. "I'll call her back. Does someone want to take Stephy for a little bit?"

"I will," Clint said eagerly. He held out his hands. "Come here, baby girl."

Stephy calmly let Clint hold her just until Tony was out of the room and then she started squirming and fussing.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Clint said. He bounced her on one hip. "You hungry? I've got some cinnamon applesauce in the fridge. I know it's your favorite." He disappeared into the kitchen.

Steve settled down on the couch next to Bruce and started flipping through the closest magazine while he waited for Tony to finish his call.

Bruce leaned over. "You hoping to brush up on your knowledge of thermodynamics?"

Steve looked down and realized he was holding the latest issue of Scientific American. "Uh, sort of," he said. "I've been meaning to do a little reading so I can understand more than half of what Tony talks about."

Bruce smiled. "You probably know more than you think you do. Just not in the same terminology Tony uses. For instance, if I was to start telling you about-"

Clint wandered back out of the kitchen, bouncing the still-wailing baby on his hip."Natasha, help," he said. "How do you get her to stop crying?"

Natasha reached into the diaper bag, pulled out the ladybug pacifier, and popped it in Stephy's mouth. Immediately, Stephy's wails tapered into little whimpers as she sucked.

"Oh," Clint said. "That was easy."

Natasha eased the baby out of his hands and rocked her gently in her arms. "Oh, I know. It was so traumatizing being left in Uncle Clint's care."

Clint huffed. "I had her a couple hours last week. And we were starting to get along so well. But now she hates me again."

"Babies can be really picky about people," Natasha said with a shrug. "If she's in a good mood, she probably couldn't care less who holds her. But if she's cranky, she'll just want certain people to hold her and if you're not on the top of her list, no matter what you do, she won't be happy."

"That's just mean," Clint said. He stuck out his tongue at the baby and she responded with a grunt and a scrunched face.

"Oops. Better get out of here before she starts crying again." Clint vaulted over the back of the couch and swung upwards into the vent.

Natasha stroked Stephy's head as she stared up at the ceiling. "Uncle Clint is a monkey. So don't try to copy any of his moves, okay? Save it for the professionals."

Tony padded back into the den, grinning from ear to ear. "According to Pepper, the board's making a presentation to the major stockbrokers next week. Some real big thing to announce all the new products we're coming out with this quarter, talk about the company's direction forward, and all that blah blah blah. But I'm supposed to be there to give a speech, which will reassure everyone that the company's doing fine and I'm not falling apart or anything like that. And that will be my formal announcement that I'm coming back from my leave of absence."

"That's great news," Steve said. "I know you're looking forward to getting back to work."

"I am. Not that I don't love hanging out with all of you. But there's just so much work that needs to get done."

"We understand," Steve said. "All the lifesaving, world-changing inventions don't make themselves."

Tony chuckled. "I guess that's one way of putting it." He scooped the baby out of Natasha's arms. "You hear that? Mommy's going back to work. It's exciting, isn't it?"

The baby spit out her pacifier and started whining.

"Oh, come on," Tony said. "You should be happy for me. And it's not like I'm really going anywhere. I'll be right downstairs in the lab. You can even come hang out and watch me while I work."

"It's not you," Natasha said. "She's just a little fussy right now."

"Huh." Tony furrowed his brow. "I changed you like half an hour ago. And you did have a nap. Is my baby hungry?"

"Clint tried feeding her already and she wasn't interested."

"I'll have a try anyway." Tony lifted his shirt and pressed the baby to his chest. She suckled for a minute or two and then started fussing again.

"Okay, Miss Crankypants. Looks like someone needs another nap." Tony hummed and rocked the baby in his arms as he headed for the elevator.

Once the baby was out of earshot, Bruce heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I was starting to get a headache. I feel bad though. She sounds like she's in pain."

"Probably diaper rash," Natasha said.

Steve shook his head. "Tony would have seen that when he changed her."

"Perhaps she was bitten by one of your stinging insects at the park," Thor suggested.

"It is a possibility," Natasha said.

"Or she could just be tired and cranky. I know we all have days like that," Steve said.

"It's about to be one of those days," Natasha said. She reached into her pocket and plopped her phone down on the coffee table. The screen was lit up with SHIELD's symbol.

"Fuck!" Clint said from overhead. The vent opened and he dropped back down into the room.

"Somebody grab Tony," Steve said.

"Miss Potts has been alerted," Jarvis said. "And Sir is already heading for the launch pad."

"Thanks, Jarvis." Looking around, Steve saw the team already moving to gather their weapons and gear. By the time they started loading up the jet, Tony would be suited up and flying ahead to scout out the scene. It made him proud how efficient they had all become.

Steve swiped his thumb over the phone. "What's the situation?"

"Some big-ass mutant termites fucking up Lower Manhattan."

"Again?" Clint said. "Didn't we fight giant termites like five, six months ago?"

"Same shit, different day," Fury said. "This should be an easy one for you all. So get it handled." And then the call ended.

"You heard the man," Steve said. "Easy stuff. We start with the same strategy that worked last time and go from there." He tapped a finger to his earpiece. "Iron Man, you read me?"

"Loud and clear, babe," Tony said cheerfully. "What is it this time? Out of control robots? An army of acid-spitting snakes?"

"Giant termites."

"Again? Seriously?"

"Yes," Steve said. "So you know what to do. Keep them occupied. We'll be on our way." He made a quick stop to grab his shield from his room and shimmied into his uniform as the elevator took him down to the garage. Clint was already starting the launch sequence so he quickly scrambled inside and they were off.

When the Quinjet arrived on scene, Tony was visible in the sky, shooting down two termites that were attempting to scale an apartment building.

Steve jumped out of the back of the jet and threw his shield at the nearest termite, slicing its legs off. As it screeched and toppled towards the ground, Natasha put a few bullets through its head to finish it off. Thor threw his hammer at a termite, crushing it into the side of a building, and then rose into the air to assist Tony. And Clint was running through the streets, sliding under each termite to shoot at its underbelly, and then rolling out of the way as it collapsed.

"I think I'll sit this one out," Bruce said. "You all remember what happened last time, right?"

"Oh yeah," Tony said. "Hulk dismantled a cell phone tower and started hurling metal bits like spears."

"He stabbed a few, too," Clint added.

"Right. Well, it certainly worked. But people were pretty pissed about their cell reception."

"Bruce can start discussing clean-up with local authorities," Steve said. "And maybe keep one for research. If these things are going to keep popping up, we need answers."

"On it," Bruce said.

Just as Steve had hoped, the battle with the termites was a lot easier than it had been the first time. The bugs didn't behave any different than they had the time before, which was a relief. The team was so used to their villains upgrading their robots or creatures for each new attack, so it was nice to get off easy for a change.

It took just two hours to bring down all one hundred termites. And everyone double-checked to make sure they were all really, truly dead before turning the scene over to civilian authorities. Last time, one of the bugs had still been twitching when they got ready to leave and a volunteer firefighter had run screaming into the subway and had refused to come out until Tony blew a hole through the bug's body.

As usual, the police were very grateful for their help and the civilians that had been huddling in terror in their homes came out to thank the team for making the city safe again. Steve budgeted for an hour talking with the public and another half an hour to direct the clean-up crews before he excused the team from the area, citing the need for a debrief to the few citizens who were still eagerly following them around.

An entire mission complete with daylight left over. Steve really felt like celebrating this rare accomplishment.

Tony treated everyone to sushi since they had missed lunch battling the termites. Thor wolfed down an entire family sample platter, much to the astonishment of the chefs.

"Thank you, my friends," he said. "That was most delicious. May I have another?"

"You don't have to get another sampler," Tony said. "You can just order whichever ones you liked the most. So, let's say you weren't crazy about the California rolls because they're kind of blah, but you really liked the-"

"Watch it," Natasha said. "I happen to like California rolls."

Steve rolled his eyes as Natasha and Tony started arguing about which sushi rolls were the best. "Can we just have another sampler?" he said, offering the still shell-shocked chefs a reassuring smile.

Half an hour later, the team emerged from the restaurant in considerably better moods. Tony and Natasha had found common ground in their love of spicy crab and had made a truce. And Clint had ordered a bottle of sake and passed it around so everyone got to try a little. It wasn't Steve's favorite drink, but at least he could say he tried it.

Everyone was more than ready to head back to the Tower and enjoy having the rest of the afternoon off. And Tony was especially eager to see the baby again.

Pepper was waiting for them at the door, the baby in her arms.

"Stephy!" Tony exclaimed. "Did you miss me?"

The baby wailed and leaned halfway out of Pepper's arms to reach for Tony.

"What?" Tony said as he settled her over his shoulder. "What's the matter, baby girl?"

"Oh, I feel so bad," Pepper said. "She's been crying all afternoon and I didn't know what to do for her."

"Not your fault, Pep. She was crying all morning, too. I think she's teething." Tony patted Stephy's back. "Is that what's bothering you, sweetheart? Is your mouth hurting?"

Stephy grabbed a handful of Tony's shirt and started gnawing on it.

"Yep," Tony said. "I think that's the problem." He adjusted the baby in his arms and hummed as the baby began fussing again. "Oh, it's okay. We'll find something else for you to chew on. Something better than Mommy's ratty old t-shirt. Come on, let's go have a look."

"Oh, joy," Clint muttered. He craned his head to check that Tony was actually in the elevator. "So, we have a pissy baby to look forward to for how long now?"

Natasha shrugged. "Until all her teeth come in, probably. It might take up to a week for these first two to come in, and then the rest will come in as pairs, too."

Clint held up his hands and did a quick calculation on his fingers. "Fuck," he said. "That's a long-ass time."

"Nobody ever said babies were easy," Natasha said. "But relax. Once Tony figures out what soothes her, we'll know how to keep her calm through it."

Steve smiled. If anyone could keep the baby happy, it was Tony.