Chapter 21: The day we were at the dance studio

"ONE!"

"TWO!"

"THREE!"

Cheers and applauses were heard on the small pavement. A small gathering of people with smiles on their faces. "Congratulations!" Tony yelled as he walked towards the redhead woman. "Finally you are going to do what you want!" He smiled at her and pulled her into a hug.

The woman smiled and hugged her friend back. "Thank you, Tony." She pulled back and set aside the scissors she used to cut the ribbon that was put at the front of the small structure. She took the keys and opened it. "Let's get in people." She said grabbing her son's smaller hands. Tony had came with Pepper who apologized to Natasha days earlier. Steve was there as well with Elena and Maria had also came.

It was currently two weeks after the storm, Pepper had apologized the day after they left Natasha's house. The said woman had forgiven her and had allowed Steve to properly meet James. It was actually one of the cutest things she had seen, both were shy and didn't dare coming towards the other.

A light knock on the door informed the mother that the Rogers family had arrived. "Jamie!" She called out the little boy who then stamped down the stairs. "There's a little surprise for you at the door." She said and grabbed his shoulder slightly before he could run to the door. She crouched down to his size. "Wait a minute, darling. I want you to be on your best behavior today, this person is very important for you and for me. I know you might not understand who he is right away but he's really important." The blonde haired boy nodded his head and looked at his mother. "I promise momma." He told her and earned a kiss on the cheek. "Can I go open the door, now?"

Natasha chuckled and nodded. "Yes, go ahead."

Jamie ran to the door and tried to reach for the knob. He got onto the tips of his toes and stuck out his tongue as he tried to take the knob in his hand. Natasha chuckled slightly and couldn't help but see Steve's features in her son's concentrated face. He managed to reach it and pulled on it opening the door, he got back down on his feet and he came face to face with a little girl who had the same blue eyes he did. He frowned slightly looking at the girl. "Who are you?" He asked then turned to his mother. "Is she the person important to us?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

Natasha laughed and walked up to the door. "She is, but that's not the who I was talking about." She smiled at Steve and crouched down to the children's level. "But try to look higher, he's the important one." She told him as she put her hand on her son's back. Jamie's eyes drifted from the little girl up to the man he had once met. "Oh, Steeb!" He exclaimed smiling. "Hi!"

"No, sweetheart. His name is Steve." The mother explained with a sweet laugh.

"Silly me," Jamie giggled. "Hi, Steve!"

Steve smiled at the mother and son. "Hello, Jamie." He said nervously as he scratched the back of his neck slightly. "I took Elena with me, I hope that's okay."

"Of course it is, silly you." She said mimicking her son and stood back up. "Come on, come in." She said and stepped aside. However Jamie stayed at the front door and was looking at Elena with a frown. "Who is she?" He asked again.

"We're going to tell you, step aside and let them in Jamie." Natasha said.

"Why does she look like me?" He asked again folding his arms over his small chest in defiance.

"I told you to step aside, James." She said in a warning tone and looked at him raising an eyebrow.

The little boy knew that if his mother called him James that meant that she was getting angry with him and he didn't want her to be angry at him. He apologized and stepped aside. Steve looked at them with a small smile playing at his lips. Jamie may have his looks but he had the same stubborn character. "Thank you." He said and walked in after his daughter did. "Hey." He said as he properly looked at Natasha.

"Hey." She said returning his greeting. "Sorry for that."

"It's alright, don't worry. I know what it is." He told her and handed her a box which she looked at her. He knew that she had opened her mouth to protest but he cut her before she could even talk. "It's muffins, homemade."

"Oh." She said. "Thank you." She took the box and went to the kitchen to put the muffins into a plate. She let them on the side for snack later. She came back to the living room and found Steve sitting on the couch with Elena on his lap playing his hand while Jamie was talking to his father as he sat next to him. Natasha walked to them and set down next to her son. "Can I have some muffins, daddy?" Elena asked as she looked up at her father.

"Later, honey." He told her.

"Muffins make me crazy." Elena said and looked over to Natasha. "I remember you! From the wedding, you're a ballerina!"

"Yes, she is!" Jamie said as he looked at her. "She dances like an angel."

"That is true." Steve commented making Natasha's cheeks turn light pink. The woman cleared her throat slightly. "Jamie?"

"Mommy?" He asked.

"You may be wondering why Steve is here today, right?"

"Yes but I'm also wondering who she is." He said.

Natasha smiled slightly and nodded her head. "Yeah, that too."

Elena and Steve turned their heads to look at Natasha at the same time. "So soon?" He asked with hesitation.

"After four missed years, I think the sooner the better, right?" Natasha shrugged and looked down at her son. "Well, you see Jamie, it's kind of hard to explain. You remember all those people who came to our house two days ago?"

"The ones who screamed at you?" He innocently asked.

"Yes, sweetie." She sighed. "Well, these were people I knew for a very long time and I used to be friends with them."

"Steve, too?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded and thought about how to tell him that Steve was his father. "Alright, sweetie. You want to know why you look familiar to Elena and Steve?"

"Yes!" He said getting up on the couch so his little head was at his mother's level. "Why Mommy? Why?" He eagerly asked.

"Well, Steve and Elena look alike because she's his daughter. You look like them because Steve is your father, sweetheart and Elena is your stepsister."

He looked at her frowning, not quite understanding what his mother meant. "Mommy?" He asked.

She looked up at Steve pleading him to help her explain to their son. "Hey, champ," Steve began as he leaned towards the little boy. "I bet some friends of yours at school have a mommy and a daddy, right?"

"Yes." He replied nodding after thinking for a moment.

"Well, you have also a mommy and a daddy. You have known your mother since you were born and now you know me, too."

The boy got closer to Steve and looked at him. "You are my daddy?"

"Yes, I am." He said looking at his mini self. Jamie smiled slightly and wrapped his small arms around Steve's neck as he hugged him. Steve was surprised and felt the tears welling up in his eyes, his own son was hugging him. He wrapped an arm around him.

Elena got off her father's laps so they could hug better. Jamie took her place onto his lap as they hugged. The blonde girl went to Natasha and sat beside her. "Miss Ballerina?"

"Call me Natasha, honey." She told her as she rubbed her hair. The sight of Steve and Jamie hugging and being happy together made her glad that they found each other again.

"Tasha," She began. "Does that mean you're my mother?"

Natasha looked at her and her eyes widened slightly. "No, I'm not." She shook her head and kept brushing her hand through her hair. Elena nodded sadly and went to hug Natasha as she laid on her lap. "Where is my mommy?" She asked in a whisper as she laid her head on Natasha's shoulder.

"This place looks fabulous, Natasha." Steve complimented as he walked inside holding his daughter's and son's hands. Jamie had decided to go to his father when Natasha opened the door.

"Thank you." She smiled. "I absolutely love it!" She squealed happily.

Elena dropped her father's hand and ran to Natasha. "Can I become a ballerina?"

"If you want to, sweetheart. Remember what I told you at the wedding?"

"Yes!" She turned to her father. "Daddy, now can I take ballet class?" She hopped up and down looking at her father with her pouting lip and pleading look.

He chuckled. "Of course you can."

"Yesss! Thank you, thank you!" She squealed with happiness and ran to her father. She jumped and he got her with his free arm.

Natasha laughed at them and looked at her son. Jamie looked up at them and smile slightly, he got used to have a father but not to have a sister. Tony stepped up to the HiFi. "Let's celebrate the good news!" He cheered and put on the music. He walked to Pepper doing a little dance and grabbed her hand. He pulled her to the middle of the room and danced with her. Jamie seeing that did the same with Natasha who laughed amusingly and took her son's hands to dance with him.

Steve began dancing with Elena who was in his arms. "Whirl with me daddy!" She said clapping her hands. He put her down and she whirled standing on her tiptoes. "Your turn!"

He spun around slightly. "No, no you're doing it wrong!" She shook her head. "On your toes!"

"Whoa, bossy lady." Tony commented as he looked at her. Pepper laughed and kept dancing with him.

Steve chuckled. "Look, honey I'm not a ballerina I can't stand on my toes."

"Yes, you can! If you want you can." She said crossing her arms as she quoted her father.

He laughed and whirled again as he tried to stand on his toes. "Better." Elena said and danced.

Natasha kissed her son's head. "Go dance with your sister." She told him which he did. The two children had some trouble getting along with each other but sometimes they found peace and were happy of the other's presence. She walked towards Steve and smiled at him. "Look at them," she said. "You'd think they've known each other forever when it's only been two weeks."

"Yes." He said and paused before adding. "Thank you."

"Whatever for?" She frowned.

"For letting me be a part of his life." He replied. "And part of yours, too." He gave his boyish smile and nudged her slightly.

"Don't thank me for that, Steve." She smiled and turned her body to fully face him. "I have a question for you."

"Well, I might have an answer for you." He said in a small teasing tone.

She chuckled shaking her head a bit. "Where is Sharon? Elena asked me where her mother was the other day and everything leads me to think that she's not present in her life."

A sigh escaped Steve's lips. "Well," he began and stopped, he turned his head towards his children and saw them playing with each other. "She's dead..." He said turning his head back to Natasha whose eyes widened. "She died while giving birth to Elena."

"Oh, my god. I-I'm so sorry Steve." She said and put a hand on his upper arm surprising him. "I wish I could have been with you, I know how much she meant to you." She said.

"Yeah." He replied with a scoff.

Natasha wrapped her arms around Steve and hugged him. She was not expecting to hear that Sharon was dead. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Natasha," He began and pulled away. "I need to tell you something." He looked at her and waited for her to say something. When she didn't talk he took it as an opportunity to keep going. "I loved Sharon, very much. She was my savior and the mother of my daughter. I was saddened by her death and I still am because her and Elena never got the chance to meet one another. But even as much as I loved her, I did not love her the way I love you." He told her and she slightly shook her head. "I never loved anyone the way I love you and this is no joke nor an illusion. I missed you, I miss you. I miss talking with you and holding and kissing you, I miss being with you. Natasha, I have loved you for the past five years no matter what happened these feelings never went away. I was not the same without you, I tried to be a good man for my daughter but I couldn't be the one I really am because I didn't have the woman I am in love with by my side." He got close to her and put a hand on her cheek. He saw Natasha's eyes fill up with tears. "You are that woman, Natasha and the fact that we had a child together makes me love you even more. You're so easy to talk to you but you're so hard to forget, I don't want to try to forget you ever again. I am admitting this to myself and to yourself, I love you and I can't just let you go again. That was the stupidest thing I ever did or sort of and please don't tell me that I am saying this because of Jamie and that I'm not really in love with you because I am. I love you, Natasha Romanoff."

The tears in Natasha's eyes began to pour out from her eyes. She closed them for awhile trying to sink in what he told her. "Steve... Iâ""

The redheaded woman was interrupted by somebody bursting into the structure. "Thank God you're all here!" A breathless Wanda said. "You have to come with me right now! Something bad happenedâ" Iâ" Oh god." She looked panicked and out of place.

"What happened, Wanda?" Steve asked worriedly.

"Clint is in the hospital." She said and heard a few gasps being drawn from people's mouth. "Alexei attacked him."

Natasha felt more tears welling up in her eyes. This couldn't be happening.

Alexei was back and ready for revenge.