Disclaimer: Marvel Characters are property of Marvel. Original Characters are mine. Just for fun, not for profit.

Content warning: This chapter contains sexual content.

Unexpected Visitors

"…Christmas Eve will find me, where the love light gleams, I'll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams." Nyssa sang along to the music playing in their apartment as she carefully hung ornaments on the Fraser fir that Bucky had erected in the corner. The scent of pine blended with the smell of the apple cider simmering on the stove, putting her in a definite holiday mood.

"That's… really kind of a depressing song," Bucky noted. "I remember hearing it on the radio all the time when I was deployed in Europe. A lot of the guys were already missing home. I was never sure if the song made it better or worse."

"Do you want me to change the song?" Nyssa asked, feeling for a branch and slipping the loop from a sparkly green ornament over it. Bucky shook his head.

"No, that's okay. It might have taken longer than I liked, but I'm home now." He looked down at the commemorative ornament Nyssa had gifted to him the first Christmas after their wedding. It was a pair of swans with necks entwined in a heart shape and their anniversary date painted across their bodies. He smiled and hung it near the top of the tree. Between the music and the general ambiance in their home, he was definitely getting into a holiday mood. He was caught by surprise by a knock at the door. Nyssa glanced over at him quizzically.

"Did you know Shuri was coming by for a visit?" she asked.

"I did not," Bucky denied. "Apparently the princess isn't fond of calling ahead." He went to answer the door. Shuri hugged him in greeting, then strode regally into their abode. She paused as she took in the decorations scattered around the apartment, the tree in the corner, the lights and garlands adorning the walls and entryways.

"You are preparing for a winter celebration?" she guessed.

"Yes, Christmas," Bucky confirmed. Shuri nodded thoughtfully.

"Fascinating," she commented, gazing around the apartment. "What is the significance of the tree?"

"Umm…" Bucky was stumped. "It's… traditional." He knew it was what was done but had never really stopped to consider why.

"Stolen from pagan traditions," Nyssa contributed helpfully, hanging another ornament on the tree. "Originally supposed to be a reminder that spring will come again. Now, just a place to put your presents under."

"Ah," Shuri acknowledged, then made a face as she contemplated stolen traditions. "I am here to check on your offspring," she continued, switching topics.

"Of course." Bucky gestured for her to follow him and led her back to their bedroom. She crouched down by the container and pulled out a palm-sized tablet. Nyssa joined them a minute later, Darshan following closely behind her. She stood next to Bucky in the doorway, and both of them watched anxiously as Shuri looked over the data.

"Wow!" Shuri exclaimed softly to herself. "That can't be correct," she muttered in Wakandan. Nyssa's hand slipped into Bucky's, and he could feel her tension and concern, mirroring his.

"Everything okay?" Bucky asked. Shuri glanced back at them.

"They are doing very well," she confirmed. "I had hypothesized that there would be an increased rate of development, but they are further along than I had estimated. Chronologically, they are nine weeks along. Developmentally, they are scanning at almost nineteen weeks. I would not be surprised if they reached term in another ten weeks." Stunned, Bucky leaned against the doorframe. That was a much shorter timetable than he had expected.

"They have been going through the nutrient mix faster than I expected," Nyssa said thoughtfully. "The tanks are depleted in about three days, when you said they should last a week."

"I will have more sent," Shuri said decisively. Standing up, she grinned at the couple. "I will return in ten weeks, and we shall see if they are ready. Alert me immediately if any of the alarms sound or the readings begin to deviate from expected." She pointed at Nyssa. "And if you still want to breastfeed, I recommend you start those injections now." Nyssa nodded acknowledgement. Shuri turned the viewscreen on and contemplated the projected image of the pair of fetuses floating peacefully in their amniotic fluid. Touching a button beside the screen, the image flickered slightly as it created a permanent record. "Send me images every now and then from the mainframe," she instructed. "I want to keep track of their progress. Daily would be optimal."

"Yes, ma'am," Bucky said with a two-fingered salute. Shuri grinned at him and exited the closet.

"Did you want to stay for dinner?" Nyssa invited. "We would hate for you to have traveled all this way just to leave so soon."

"Thank you for the offer," Shuri said sincerely. "But I am meeting my brother for dinner in Haiti. It is warmer there, anyway."

Bucky carefully traced an arc through the wood, then guided it through the circular saw. There were things he had wanted to get done before the babies came, and now he had dramatically less time to do them. Focusing on his craft helped to tamp down the feelings of frantic panic. He traced and cut, sanded and carved late into the night. He expected Nyssa to be asleep when he got back to their apartment, but she was still up. As he had so often since their conception, he found her in the closet beside the emulator.

"It's late," he noted. "We should be in bed."

"Yes, we should," Nyssa agreed. There was a catch in her voice, and tears still drying on her cheeks. "I tried to sleep. I can't get my brain to shut off. I keep thinking of everything that we still need to do. Like, babyproofing. We need a gun safe for your arsenal. We have no baby clothes, no toys, no changing table, no diapers. We haven't even started converting my office into a nursery yet. We haven't even discussed names!" He could feel her anxiety rising as she continued with her litany. Stepping closer, he leaned down and took her by the hand.

"We aren't going to get any of those things done at four in the morning," he reminded her. "Let's go to bed, and we can make a list tomorrow and start crossing things off of it." He pulled up gently, and Nyssa rose to her feet. She flopped down in their bed while he stripped down to his boxers, then climbed in beside her. She rolled over almost immediately, throwing an arm around his torso and nuzzling into the side of his neck. Her body was still, her eyes closed, but he could still feel the restless wanderings of her mind. Normally, he slept better with her at his side, but tonight their anxieties kept bouncing off each other.

"Want to talk about it?" he offered. She tilted her head up towards him and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Didn't I already?" she asked. He ran his fingers lightly up and down her upper arm.

"Obviously not," he pointed out, "since you still have something on your mind." With a sigh, she pressed her face back against his shoulder. He could feel her internal struggle, wanting to talk to him about it but hesitant, the ghosts of old insecurities nibbling at the edges of her usual confidence. "No secrets, my love," he prompted. She chuckled softly, the noise ending in a groan, and shifted so her head was pillowed on his chest, her ear pressed over his heart.

"I'm worried," she confessed. They were both worried, about many things, but it was evident she had a specific concern weighing on her mind. He waited. Nyssa took a deep breath. "Usually, a mother carries her children with her, within her, and they are never apart. The child grows within her body and her energy, grows attached to her, cradled in her love. I can't… couldn't do that. So we keep them stashed in the closet. I try to sit with them whenever I can, but I still leave. Every day. And a part of me wonders, what kind of mother does that make me? Will they even recognize me… as their mother?" The self-doubt and plaintive note of failure in her tone echoed the despair that coiled in her chest. Bucky exhaled sharply, brushing her hair gently back from her face as he searched his own heart for how best to answer.

"You may leave every day, but when you're here, I know they feel the love you have for them," he said reassuringly. "And I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing deeper, softer or more comforting than your love. You made a choice to give them life the best way you could. The only way we could. Once they're here, I have no question that you will be an amazing mother. Or that they will know who you are." He paused, nothing the moisture on his chest, and gently wiped the tears from her cheek. "Mothers aren't always there from birth. Sometimes they are adopted, or surrogate, or honorary. The most important thing, the thing that makes a mother, is love. And that, you have in spades." Nyssa sniffled and drew in a shaky breath. Crawling on top of him, she rested her forearms on either side of his head and lightly touched her forehead to his.

"You are the sweetest man alive, you know that?" she whispered against his cheek.

"Well, don't let that get out," Bucky returned, his voice a low rumble. "It could do some serious damage to my reputation." She laughed, her breath warm against his ear.

"Heaven forbid the world discover that Bucky Barnes has a healthy, emotionally supportive relationship with his wife," she replied teasingly.

"If Sam finds out, he might be jealous," Bucky returned. She raised her head, and he found himself gazing directly into her hazel eyes. For all that he knew she couldn't see out of them, they still seemed to stare into his soul. There was a mischievous glint in them, and a suggestive smile on her lips.

"Do you need a reminder why you should be more concerned with my opinion than his?" she asked, her tone making it abundantly clear what she intended.

"Mmm. A reminder," he mused thoughtfully. "That might be helpful, yes. You know how my memory is." With a low chuckle, she lowered her mouth over his, first moving her lips gently against his, the went deeper as his lips parted in response. She kissed him leisurely and thoroughly, then more urgently, her mouth both requesting and promising, and he readily granted permission. Shifting, she nuzzled against his earlobe, then caught it between her teeth, giving it a little nibble. Bucky's breath hitched in his throat, and he squirmed slightly underneath her. Encouraged by his response, she lazily kissed her way from just under his ear down to the pulse point under the edge of his jaw, eliciting a low moan. She hummed in response and moved lower, kissing her way across his chest and down his abdomen, her lips and tongue igniting his skin exquisitely wherever they brushed against it. He skimmed his fingers along the soft curves of her slender body before cupping his hands around her ribcage, feeling her heart hammer and skip against his palms. He moved his hands to her shoulders as she moved lower, kissing fire across his hipbones and teasing the tender flesh of his inner thigh with soft, expert lips. Her hair brushed against his wrists, and he buried his fingers in her mahogany brown waves as she turned her attention to the most erect and aching part of him. As usual, he found himself beyond thought, awash in aching desire and pleasurable sensation under her skilled touch.

"Avengers, assemble. Avengers, assemble." The familiar alert broke into his consciousness, and he swore.

"Fuck!" Nyssa exclaimed, her reaction an echo of his own. Unlike him, she rarely swore, but for some reason he found it to be very sexy when she did. It did not help to decrease his frustration with the situation.

"I don't think we'll have time for that," he groaned regretfully. Pulling away from her, he went to get dressed.

They joined the others in the conference room. Sam was yawning, but Steve and Natasha looked the same as they always did. So did Vision, as he technically did not need sleep. Thor was seated at the table, his arms folded over his broad chest. Bruce trailed in after Bucky and Nyssa, rubbing sleep from his eyes and trying to run a hand through his unruly hair. Clint and Scott drifted in a minute later, in varying states of alertness. Nick Fury was standing by the viewscreen with a vaguely impatient expression. Tony came in last, sitting down with an air of irritation. As soon as they were all there, Nick began.

"Avengers, we have a situation," Nick informed them. "We have been receiving reports of wildfires spreading along the western coast of Africa." He gestured towards the viewscreen, which immediately lit up with images of charred forests, burnt cities and ashen grasslands. "Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal." As he listed the countries, new images of devastation flashed on the screen. "They spread fast and leave nothing behind. Over 50,000 dead and 20,000 injured reported so far, with thousands more still missing. Billions of dollars in damages. Now, normally these regions do see some fires each year, but these are massively widespread. Wildfires don't usually fall under our purview, so you might be wondering why I called you here at five AM to discuss them." He looked at the screen, and one of the images froze. "One of the locals managed to catch some images of what we believe may be the source of the fires." The image grew larger and the resolution adjusted to show a humanoid shape with flames leaping out from their charred, blackened body. Steve and Bucky exchanged a look, and Sam shook his head. "We need to get out there, find out who and what this is, and take care of this problem before they reduce the entire continent to ash." Bucky murmured something to Steve, who nodded and grimaced in response. Natasha whispered a reply in Russian. Bucky gave her a hard look.

"Is there something you would like to share with the rest of us?" Nick asked challengingly. Steve took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yes, sir. We know who that is," he admitted, nodding at the image on the screen. He shifted on his feet uncomfortably, glancing at the floor briefly before looking back up. "In fact, we may be indirectly responsible for this situation." Nick glared at them as if he wanted to bore a hole through them with his one remaining good eye.

Thanks to karina001 and DarylDixon'sLover for your reviews! I always appreciate feedback from the readers. In some cases, it can even affect the plot, characters, or general arc of the story. It also makes my heart happy!