April 16, 2013
Brooklyn hummed to herself as she stirred the mashed potatoes on the stove, occasionally checking the pork chops in the oven as pain radiated through her body. "Stupid Braxton Hicks," she grumbled as she closed the oven and looked at the clock. Dallas should be home within the hour. They would eat and then Brooklyn would try to sleep, having cleaned, and organized the entire apartment three different ways since her sister left that morning. Brooklyn slept better when her sister was home and was thankful she'd been moved to the day shift.
Another contraction hit Brooklyn and she grasped the oven handle tightly as she grimaced, waiting for it to pass. According to Dallas, her baby shouldn't be due until mid-June, but Brooklyn had a sneaking suspicion that Steve's super soldier serum had found its way into his future child, because Brooklyn had hit every milestone at breakneck speed. Dallas teased her that she'd be meeting baby any day, but Brooklyn wasn't ready. As the days went by, she missed Steve more than ever, and wished he could be there.
Steve would have been so doting while Brooklyn was pregnant. He would have rubbed her feet, massaged her shoulders, and helped her into the bath. Dallas did none of those things, despite Brooklyn's whining. Just because she knew she was doing what was best for Steve and their child, it wasn't easy to do it without him.
At least she wasn't alone.
Except at that very moment when another contraction hit her hard enough to bring her to her knees. Brooklyn panted, placing her hand on her stomach, "You couldn't wait one hour?"
She groaned loudly as she pulled herself up, turning off the stove and the oven and sliding the pot away from the hot top. Dallas would be tired and hungry, but she was going to have an awfully long night ahead of her.
Brooklyn drug the kiddie pool her sister had purchased into the living room and filled it with buckets of water while desperately trying to stay on her feet. By the time Dallas walked through the door, Brooklyn was sobbing in pain, "It's coming."
"Shit!" Dallas shrieked as she dropped her purse on the floor and locked the door, ripping off her jacket and leading her sister into the pool without another word.
Eleven hours later, Brooklyn wanted to die. She was drenched in sweat and no closer to giving birth than she'd been the night before. Neither her, nor her sister, had eaten anything, despite the lulls in Brooklyn's contractions. Dallas's neighbors were knocking on the walls to tell them to shut up, but Dallas screamed back that she was midwifing and to 'shut the fuck up'.
"Dee, I can't do this." Brooklyn sobbed, lulling her head to the side against her sister's cheek.
Dallas lifted her face with both hands and wiped away Brooklyn's tears, "You need to go to the hospital. I don't know how to help you, and if we don't get them out soon, I'm scared there will be complications."
Brooklyn stared ahead, thinking about the past five and a half months that she spent on her sister's couch, literally hiding from the world. She wrote to Steve every single day, but she'd only sent two letters. If he were here, he wouldn't let her give up. He'd do everything humanly possible for his son or daughter. Brooklyn had to do the same.
"I haven't spent the past five months without the man I love to give it all up. I'm not going to the hospital. I'm having this baby here, and I'm not taking no for an answer." She growled as she grabbed the side of the tub. She closed her eyes and blew out through her mouth, "This baby is Captain America's child, and I'm not going to be the pussy who fucks them up."
Dallas leaned back and blinked as her sister screamed loudly, causing her neighbors to pound on the wall again. "I'm having a fucking baby, let me do what I want or shoot you through the skull!" Brooklyn screamed and Dallas followed with a, "I'm so sorry Mrs. Cavanagh!"
"I can do this. I can do this." Brooklyn breathed rapidly, planting her hands on either side of the tub, "If I call Steve right now, will he even make it in time?"
Dallas smiled sadly and shook her head, "I doubt it, love. You gotta get this baby out, or we gotta go to the hospital."
Brooklyn steeled her jaw and stared at the far wall, summoning every ounce of bravery and strength that she had as she let out an ear-piercing scream so guttural Dallas thought she may have been possessed. But at five thirty-six in the morning, Brooklyn heard a smack, followed by a tiny scream.
She panted as she blinked slowly, trying desperately to focus her vision on Dallas and whatever was sobbing in front of her. Suddenly, a little blob of blood and gunk was plopped into her arms. Brooklyn stared down, trying to register the feeling in her heart, "Oh my gosh."
"I know, I'm so pissed." Dallas sighed, and Brooklyn looked up at her in panic before Dallas chuckled, "She has her father's eyes."
Brooklyn's lip began to wobble as she looked down at her newborn child, "She… she does have Steve's eyes." She began to cry and hold her baby girl close to her chest, kissing her head as the baby cried, "I love you so much."
Dallas collapsed onto her ass, staring at her sister and niece in wonder and disbelief. She couldn't believe they'd done it. She'd delivered her sister's child in her living room, by herself, without anybody's help. And she was perfect. As much as Brooklyn loved her daughter, Dallas adored her niece, "What are you gonna name her?"
"What?" Brooklyn was in a daze as she ran her fingers over the little blonde hairs already growing from her daughter's head. She looked up at Dallas, "What?"
"What are you gonna name her? I think you should name her America. Just my two cents."
Brooklyn snorted, stroking her fingers along her baby's side until her crying subsided, "I mean, Mom and Dad really liked the whole city thing."
"Yeah, but you don't." Dallas teased and Brooklyn just shrugged, "Really? You wanna uphold the family tradition?"
"Mom was Charlotte. Brooklyn. Dallas."
"Atlanta." Dallas suggested with a smirk and Brooklyn shot her a dirty look and shook her head, trying to hide her own grin. Dallas laughed, "I'm kidding! What are you thinking?"
"When I was leaving… forget it." Brooklyn said and Dallas motioned for Brooklyn to hand over her daughter. The new mother stared at her sister with wide, protective eyes, but Dallas just picked up a warm cloth and reached for the baby, taking her to clean her off while Brooklyn babbled, "I told the Director I'd head to Denver because I had family there."
"Well that's a lie."
"I know, but… I kinda like it. Denver."
Dallas carefully cleaned off her niece, pressing a kiss to her clean curls before handing her back to Brooklyn, "I like Denver, too."
"You think Steve will like it?" Brooklyn asked sincerely as she cradled the baby against her bare chest.
Steve.
He'd never forgive her for having their child without him, without telling him. Steve would want Denver, but Brooklyn wasn't so sure he'd want Denver's mom after all the lies she told him. When he realized who she worked for, and when he realized Bucky was alive and she'd withheld that from him… Steve would hate her. But he'd love little Denver.
Dallas watched her sister for a few minutes before answering, unsure of what answer Brooklyn wanted, "I think, when Steve finds out that he's a dad, he's going to absolutely adore her. How could he not? She's perfect." Dallas whispered and Brooklyn began to cry again, holding little Denver close as Dallas leaned against her shoulder, closing her eyes, and getting some well-deserved sleep at her big sister's side.
Tony Stark sent a quinjet for Steve and Bucky to bring them back to New York the day Dallas took Denver back home to Manhattan. Her Aunt Jenna flew back to Los Angeles after making sure Dallas was okay driving back alone. Steve had offered to come along for the ride, but Dallas said she was fine. He decided not to pressure her into letting him join, because he knew if Brooklyn had been independent, her little sister didn't need anybody.
Natasha had already moved on, telling Steve she'd come back when she was ready. Sam said he'd come to New York in a few weeks, but he had a life to wrap up in D.C. first. Bucky was wary to move into Avengers Tower because he didn't trust these strangers, let alone himself, but Steve insisted. Steve needed Bucky to ground him and remind him that all wasn't lost. Having Bucky around made Steve feel like he'd accomplished something good that day SHIELD fell.
"You ready for this?" Steve asked Bucky as the quinjet landed on the pad, and the Winter Soldier sighed loudly and nodded as the back of the jet opened.
Steve approached Tony Stark and Pepper Potts with a blank expression, unsure of what the billionaire would say about his friend and his predicament. Luckily, Pepper knew just what to do.
"Steve." She said as she threw his arms around his shoulders in a light hug, "I'm so sorry. Tony told me about everything that's happened. Just know we have everything ready for your friend, and you and I can go over what you need for your daughter. I'll have it delivered by tomorrow morning."
Steve's eyes widened because hearing Pepper say the word made it feel so real. He had a daughter. He didn't have a wife. He didn't even have a girlfriend, but he had a daughter. "Thank you, Miss Potts. I really appreciate your help. This is Sergeant Barnes. He's… his memory is a little foggy."
"So we've heard." Tony eyed him warily as he sipped scotch from a crystal glass, "I got him set up on the level below you. I need to enter his biometrics into the system, but you two are welcome to do what you need to." Tony turned to Pepper and sighed, "Including prepare for your little munchkin. Where is she by the way?"
"She's with Dallas." Steve answered slowly, studying Stark's reaction, "I'd like her to come live with me though, if that's alright."
Steve had never considered that Tony Stark might not want his toddler daughter running around his high-tech tower. Steve had hoped to someday raise his family in a house somewhere in the suburbs or the country, with a wife and a job doing something other than fighting alien invasions in the future.
Pepper cleared her throat, shifting back and forth slowly to tell her boyfriend that he needed to say yes. Tony threw his head back and groaned, "Of course, it's fine. What am I supposed to say, no?"
"I know it's a little… unconventional." Steve admitted, "I want her in my life, and I'll try to find a place of my own, I promise."
"No. No that's alright." Tony assured Steve, looking over at Pepper to see her urging him on. "Whatever you need. We'll make it happen."
Steve reached out and took Tony's hand, "Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."
"Well," Tony said, "We'll let you guys get settled. Let us know if you need anything."
Steve turned to Bucky, who offered a weak smile and a nod. "Thank you, Tony. I'll drop off my things and meet up with you soon."
"Don't forget, get me a list of whatever you need for your daughter!" Pepper called as Steve walked away, and Tony yelled after him, "Does little Miss America have a name?"
Steve turned and grinned, "Denver."
"Denver." Tony repeated quietly, "Can't wait to meet her."
Dallas took Steve's daughter to her place for the night, needing to give the little girl some semblance of normalcy before they began to transition her into the world of the Avengers. Dallas knew it would be difficult, and she had a sneaking suspicious that Steve didn't have the slightest idea what he was getting himself into, but she had to let Denver go with Steve. He was her father, and he deserved to get to know his daughter. Dallas just worried he wouldn't be able to give her the attention she needed and deserved. She would always be bitter that Brooklyn hadn't.
So, the next day, Dallas stood at the base of Avengers Tower, gazing up at the shimmering building in the sunlight of spring. There was a cool breeze, but the weather was nice, and she felt bad that Denver would grow up in an iron fortress without a yard to play in. Especially if Steve followed Brooklyn's lead and kept her hidden.
Denver tugged on her aunt's pant leg, causing her jeans to droop a little around her waist, "Yes, Sweetie?"
"You said we gonna see Daddy?"
"We are gonna see Daddy." She told the girl, holding her hand a little tighter to guide her into the building, "He lives here."
"Is Mommy here?"
"No, Denny." Dallas sighed as she reached the front desk of the tower, "She's not."
They approached the Avengers' receptionist, who eyed Dallas curiously, "Name?"
"Dallas Wells. I've been here before."
"Her name?"
Dallas looked down at Denver, "Denver?"
"Denver Wells?"
"Well, no. Denver Hayes? I guess?" Rogers. Her birth certificate said Rogers and her father had been listed as S. Rogers, a common name, could have been anyone, but the receptionist didn't need to know that.
She raised her brow, tapping her manicured fingers against the metal desk. She looked to be contemplating her next question, and she asked it under her breath. "She's not Mr. Stark's, is she?"
"No! No, she's not."
"My Daddy is Captain America!" Denver chirped from behind the desk, and the secretary's eyes widened as she leaned over to get a better look at the child.
Dallas glared down at the little girl, but she started kicking the metal desk thoughtlessly, "Denver, please, stop." She groaned and looked up at the receptionist, "She's my niece. I'm a friend of the Avengers."
"That woman who Captain Rogers brought to the tower for Valentine's Day?"
"Well, yes. She's passed away." Dallas said sharply and the receptionist cleared her throat and hit a button on her console to inform Captain Rogers he had a visitor.
Almost immediately, Steve's voice cut through telling her to send them up. The receptionist motioned towards the elevator and Dallas tugged Denver along, the little girl waving at the woman over her shoulder. When the door closed, Dallas knelt down and smoothed out the purple t-shirt beneath her denim overalls, "Okay, when you meet Daddy's friends, you need to be good, okay? Daddy lives with a very important man, and you don't want to break his things. Do you understand?"
Before she got a response, the doors opened, and Denver saw Steve standing at the opposite end of the room with Tony Stark. "Daddy!" She shrieked and ran towards him as fast as she could, leaping into his waiting arms.
"Hey, Honey. I've missed you!" Steve picked her up and rested her against his side. She grabbed onto his neck and looked over at Tony shyly as he stared up at her in shock.
"She's like a little mini robot." He muttered under his breath, his dark eyes darting away as Pepper made her way towards them, "Incoming."
"This must be Denver! Hi, Sweetie." Pepper cooed when she reached Steve, and Denver ducked her head shyly. "Steve, she's adorable. She looks just like you."
"I think she looks like her mother." Tony said quietly as he ruffled her blonde hair, "Welcome to the Avengers, kid."
Denver looked to Steve, then squirmed wildly, squawking that she wanted to get down. He obliged, putting her on the ground and she took off running around the group in a big circle before jumping up and down around them.
"She's making me dizzy." Tony droned as he looked over to Dallas, "How's my favorite robot doctor?"
"Raring to go back to work." She deadpanned sarcastically. She looked down at Denver and scratched the back of her neck, "You guys sure you can handle her? She's got a lot of energy. She can't sit still."
Pepper rubbed Tony's back as he watched the child nervously, "We have plenty to do to keep her busy." Pepper assured Dallas. "Don't worry, she'll have the time of her life."
Two hours later, Denver was screaming at the top of her lungs and Tony was about to toss her off the side of the building.
"Denver… Denver please, what can I do?" Steve asked in exasperation as he laid on his stomach in his bedroom, staring at the little blonde as she wept, "How can Daddy make it better?"
"I want Mommy!" She yelled and pounded her fists against the floor. Big tears streamed openly from her blue eyes and her face was so red from screaming Steve was worried she was running out of oxygen.
Steve sat up and scooped up his daughter, pulling her to him as she pounded his chest angrily, "I know, Honey. I miss her, too." Steve buried his face into her hair and held her tightly. He shushed her as he rubbed his thumb along her back, swaying her back and forth, "It's okay. We're gonna be okay. I'm gonna make sure you're okay."
That night, Steve finally got Denver to go to sleep. Dallas had called him when she got off at eleven, telling him she could pick up Denver on her way home, but Steve said they were fine. He should have known better than to lie.
She'd cried and cried against her down pillows in her little bed that Steve had gotten for her. Despite the teddy bears and the dolls and the blankets with little cartoons on them, she continued to sob and ask for her Mommy, until she eventually cried herself to sleep.
Steve put up the gate to keep her from rolling off the side and grabbed a blanket and pillow for himself. He wanted to be close to her, make sure she felt safe and not alone, so he laid down on the floor and stared at the smooth ceiling. His mind raced over the day, and his complete deficiency of any fatherly instinct for his child. Sure, he loved her, but he didn't know how to soothe her or help her. Pepper had offered. Bucky had offered. Tony had offered to have a nanny come to the tower, followed by offering to contact an exorcist when the screaming continued for another hour.
He couldn't help but let his mind wander to the might have beens. If Brooklyn had told him about Denver, he would have been there. He would have been there when she was born, when she first walked, first spoke. He would have been there to soothe her when she cried as an infant and then maybe he'd have an inkling of how to do it now. He would have played with her and made her laugh and loved her from the moment he knew she was coming, but instead, now he had to find some way to fill the void of her mother, somebody who did all of that without him.
It wasn't fair, but it was his life. Steve could make up for lost time, or he could send Denver back to her aunt. The idea made Steve sick, because he could see how tired Dallas was. She was twenty-four, working as a doctor, and now raising her sister's daughter alone. She would never say so, but she didn't ask for Denver, she didn't want to be a single mom. If Steve gave up on his daughter, that would mean that nobody wanted her, and that broke his heart.
Brooklyn had wanted her. She'd said so over and over again in her journal, she'd gushed over how excited she was to be a mom and how she couldn't wait to give their child everything. She was ready to be a single mom if Steve died, but she had wanted to be here for Denver so badly.
Steve wasn't sure how long Denver had slept, but she began to murmur in her sleep. That was followed by tossing and turning, and eventually soft crying until she woke herself up in a fit of tears.
"I'm here, Baby." Steve whispered as he lowered the railing and reached into the bed to stroke her hair, "What can I do?"
"I want Mommy."
Steve winced, figuring as much. He swallowed and leaned forward to kiss her cheek, "Mommy can't come right now. What do you do when Mommy goes away for work?"
"I cuddo with Auntie Dallie." Brooklyn whimpered, looking around in terror.
"Would you cuddle with me?"
"No, I want Auntie Dallie!" She cried, throwing her face into the pillow, and punching the mattress. "I want home!"
Steve sighed and scratched his head, looking over his shoulder at his clock. It was three in the morning. Dallas would be sound asleep, but he'd run out of ideas. He needed to help Denver before she hurt herself. "Okay, let's go see Auntie Dallas."
He scooped her up and held her to his chest, looking in his dresser mirror and deciding to just wear his sweatpants and tank top over to Dallas. Denver snuggled into his chest, but her soft cries told Steve she wasn't happy about it as he rode the elevator down to the garage.
Dallas woke up to a loud knocking on her front door. She groaned and sat up, raking her fingers through her shaggy bob before swinging her legs over the bed and stretching. It was three-thirty in the morning, but the knocking persisted.
She pulled a fluffy bathrobe around her shoulders and shoved her feet into matching slippers before shuffling to her front door. When she looked through the peep hole and saw Steve with Denver, she pulled it open with such ferocity she heard the hinges creak, "What happened?"
Denver ran in and wrapped her arms around her aunt's legs. Dallas could see the tear streaks baked onto her face and how her eyes were puffy from crying. She turned to Steve with a glare dark enough to make his blood run cold, "What did you do?"
"She wants her Mom." Steve choked out, and Dallas softened as he cleared his throat, "I tried everything. She didn't want me. She asked for you."
Dallas sighed and knelt down to pick Denver up, allowing the girl to collapse against her collarbone as she took a step farther into the apartment. She realized Steve was turning to leave, so she offered, "You want to talk for a bit?"
"I don't want to bother you. I'm sorry I woke you up."
"It's fine. We all knew this would be hard." Dallas said softly, rubbing circles around Denver's back, "C'mon. I'll put her to bed, and we can talk."
Steve nodded and followed her inside, locking her front door behind him as she carried Denver to Brooklyn's guest room. She carefully placed Denver in her bed and covered her up before whispering, "Love you, Denny. Go to sleep."
"I reach for the moon?"
"Always. You'll catch it one of these nights." Dallas kissed Denver's head and turned on the baby monitor. She watched Denver as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her and running straight into Steve's chest. "Oh! Sorry, Steve."
She realized he wasn't happy and put her hands up to get him to back up. He sighed and dropped his gaze, "Why can't I do that?"
Dallas sidestepped the soldier and led him to the kitchen, pointing at a chair before addressing him, "What do you drink? I have coffee, tea, and whiskey."
"Coffee is fine."
She grabbed the coffee pot and filled it with water before pouring it through the machine. Dallas grabbed creamer and sugar and set it down in front of Steve at the table before speaking quietly, "She does love you, you know."
Steve raised his head, but his expression told Dallas he didn't believe her. She smiled weakly and grabbed his hand before pulling away awkwardly, inwardly cringing at how stiff he'd been. For all the teasing she'd done with Steve, she didn't actually want to have anything with her big sister's boyfriend and baby daddy. Dallas made a mental note to make sure he knew that. "Listen, I'm an OBGYN. I've seen fathers go through this when they're in the delivery room. You aren't behind, you aren't doing a bad job, it's just hard. She doesn't understand that her Mom isn't coming back, but she'll be okay. She has you."
"I can't replace her mother." Steve's voice broke and he looked up at the ceiling to blink away the tears that made his gorgeous blue eyes glimmer.
God, why is he so sensitive and perfect? No wonder Brooklyn died to save him.
"You don't have to, you're her father." Dallas assured him as the coffee finished brewing. She poured them each a mug and sat one in front of Steve. "She's gonna have you in her life longer. In time, the memories of her mom are gonna fade and you're gonna be the one who picks her up when she falls."
Dallas had thought her words would give Steve confidence in being a father, but she realized she was sorely mistaken when he began to weep at her kitchen table. "Oh, oh no. Please don't cry. I hate when guys get emotional. It's such a turn on."
Steve laughed at that, wiping his tears before taking a long drink from his coffee, "I'm so sorry, it's just been a really long week. I just want her to like me."
"How could she not? You're Captain America."
The woman felt like she'd gotten whip lash from how quickly Steve's emotions were swinging, because he glared at her darkly and she realized she'd messed up again. "Ugh. You know what I mean! You're a great guy. You're caring, you're sweet, you're so good natured. She's the luckiest girl in the world. Denny is gonna love you as much as her mom did." Dallas dared to reach her fingers into Steve's hair and push it back, a movement that he either didn't mind or chose to ignore. "This is what being a parent is like. It's screaming and crying and thinking that you don't know what you're doing. Everything you're feeling is fine. You're doing great."
"I just- I really wish Brooke was here."
"Yeah. Me too." Dallas said as she tipped back her mug, "We're gonna be okay though. We're all in this together. You're not alone."
Steve forced a weak smile as he drained his mug, "Well, I should let you get to bed. I'm sorry for waking you."
"It's okay." Dallas answered as he stood. She followed suit and took his mug to the sink, "Do you wanna stay the night? You can stay in the guest bedroom with Denver. It'll help get her used to having you around."
He looked down the hallway towards the bedrooms. The reasonable part of his brain told him to go home and let his little girl rest, but the tiniest voice told him to be there when she woke up. "You sure?"
"I'm positive." Dallas confirmed, gesturing towards the guest bedroom.
Steve snuck in alone, finding Denver sleeping soundly. He crouched down and kissed her hair, causing her to swat him away lightly. "I love you."
Once he was sure she was okay, Steve crawled into the unmade bed beside hers, and pulled the covers around him. He was overwhelmed by the undeniable smell of Brooklyn, and his heart cracked at the realization that this would be the last time he would ever fall asleep feeling like she was still there.