A/N: Protective dad mode makes Natasha horny, who can blame her?

Chapter IX

He couldn't get the blood out of the gouges of the shield. He rubbed and rubbed with his fingers, but the blood wouldn't come off. Steve dunked the shield in the river again and started rubbing at the gouges again. His shield had killed someone. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it.

Getting the shield back hadn't been too hard. Walker had put up a fight, but he still didn't know how to use his new strength and Steve had quickly won the upper head. He couldn't believe what Walker had done. Steve knew rage, he knew how it felt to be so furious that you wanted to kill, but he'd never acted on it. He'd never killed someone in cold-blood.

He had been so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't heard Natasha coming towards him. He knew immediately that it was her small hand that landed on his shoulder.

"Steve, honey." She knelt down next to him and took the shield out of his hands to place it next to her.

"Nat-" He couldn't talk, he just grabbed her and hugged her against him so he could hide his face in her silky hair. She was the only thing that could calm his mind.

"It's okay." Natasha whispered and ran her hand over his back. "It's okay, Steve."

It wasn't okay. The kid's death was on Steve. He should have never given up the shield. He should have kept it until Sam was ready. Or someone else who was as good as Sam.

"Hey." Natasha said softly and moved out of his embrace so she could look at him. "It's not your fault. It's not!" She cupped his face and kissed him. God, he loved her so much. Her kisses were soothing the pain.

They kissed and kissed until Sam cleared his throat. He hadn't noticed that Sam and Buck were here as well.

"Um, we should go guys. We'll need to talk to the authorities so we're allowed to leave the country. Walker has been arrested."

Steve kissed Natasha for one last just because he had to before he stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and he helped her get up. She bent down to pick up the shield and handed it to him. He accepted it without saying a word.

"Stevie?" Buck's worry was all over his face.

"I'm okay." He wasn't, not really, but he would be. He took Natasha's hand and didn't let go. Bucky didn't look convinced, but his worry disappeared a little when he looked at Steve's hand being intertwined with Natasha's. Steve would be okay because of Natasha. He would be okay for Natasha.

"I know, now is not the time, but how long are you two together? Like when did that happen?" Sam's eyes flickered between Steve and Natasha. He was grateful that Sam was trying to lighten the mood.

"Two weeks. How much money did you lose to Clint?" Natasha asked.

"Five hundred. Damn!"

The shield was hidden in the deepest corner of Natasha's closet. Steve didn't want to look at it at the moment. Sam was back in Louisiana and Bucky was tracking down Zemo. Steve had offered to help him, but Bucky had said that it was between him, Zemo and the Wakandans. And as it turned out the government didn't put a fight and Steve could keep the shield without anyone mentioning Bucky's pardon. Not that they had any leverage, not after what their new Cap had done.

Steve was staying at Natasha's to spend time with her and Chloe. What he needed right now were his two girls. With them, he felt like himself again. He looked down at Chloe who was sleeping in her bed. He wanted to be a good father for her. And he wanted to be a good husband for Nat. One day, if she wanted him.

"You can't ignore me forever! Urgh!" Natasha groaned in the living room and Steve left Chloe's room to check on her.

"Who are you talking to, sweetheart?"

"Yelena!" Natasha was clearly annoyed with her sister, but Steve didn't know why. She let herself fall down on the sofa and threw her phone next to her.

"What did Yelena do?" Steve walked over to the couch, grabbed Nat's phone to put it on the coffee table and sat down next to her.

Natasha sighed and turned around until she was facing him. "When we were fighting the Flag Smashers and Karli jumped on my back...She was talking to me. She asked me to keep someone safe. That Yelena said that they could trust me with "her" and that I shouldn't trust anyone besides you, Sam and Bucky."

"Huh? Who-" Steve took in how tense Natasha looked. There could only be one person that Natasha could think Karli had been talking about. "You think she meant our Chloe?!"

"I don't know who else she could have meant. And Yelena is conveniently not picking up ever since our trip to Riga." Natasha picked her cuticles and he wrapped his hands around her smaller ones. He knew she did that when she was nervous. "What if the Flag Smashers want her?"

"No one is taking our daughter from us." He promised her and Natasha's eyes filled with tears. He'd seen the paperwork on her desk. He knew that she was working on Chloe permanently and legally staying with them. He hadn't missed that his name was on the papers as well. She wanted him to be Chloe's dad and that was the greatest gift anyone had ever given him. "No one. I won't let that happen. No one touches you or Chloe. You and the munchkin are mine. I won't let anyone come between us."

Natasha did one of her moves and he landed on his back with her on top of him. She grabbed his face and slanted a kiss over his lips. "I love you, Steve. So much."

"I know, doll. I love you, too." He whispered between deep kisses. God, her touch was like magic. "We'll find out what Karli knows about our girl. We'll find out Chloe's past and we keep her safe. We're her parents. We protect her."

"Yes, we're her parents." Natasha's eyes were full of love and longing. He felt so honored that he got to see this side of her. "I love you both so much. I'd do anything for you and her." She started to unbutton his flannel and ran her hands over his chest when she got his shirt open. He could only focus on Natasha. On how beautiful she was and how fucking good her soft hands felt on his heated skin. She was his dream come true. "Chloe asleep?"

His brain took a moment to catch up. "Yes." He rasped out.

"Let me make you feel good, baby." Natasha whispered and he sighed at the pet name. She'd started to use them and it drove him crazy. He was her honey, her darling and sometimes her baby, and it was everything to him. "Hearing you talk about our family does things to me. God, you're everything I want. I thought I knew lust and desire, but I didn't, not until you."

She rolled her hips and he couldn't stop the loud moan leaving his mouth. "God, Nat!"

"Shh." She put a hand on his mouth. "Don't wake our sweet baby." She removed her hand and bent down to kiss him. Her tongue was exploring his mouth while her hand undid his pants.

His hands pushed her dress up and he groaned quietly -remembering their little girl was down the hallway and the living room door was wide open- when he saw her underwear. "God, you're so fucking beautiful!"

She smiled shyly, her pink cheeks flushing even more and she whispered to him to move her panties to the side. Natasha swallowed his groan with a kiss and he did as he was told. He watched in awe how Natasha moved on top of him, her hand on his mouth while she drove them both insane. He'd never experienced anything as good as this. He'd waited an eternity for it, but it had been more than worth it. Nothing would ever feel as good as this.

Natasha collapsed on his chest and he pressed kisses onto her hair. "Hm, so soo good, doll." He sounded drunk. Well, he was drunk. Drunk on Natasha and her magic.

He felt her grin against his skin. "It does wonder to a girl's ego when you talk like that." She looked up at him. Her skin still flushed and glowing. "I'll protect you, too. You and Chloe. I'll keep you safe."

"I know." He brushed a strain of hair off her sweaty forehead. "We protect each other and we protect our girl."

He was worried about Karli's connection to Chloe and how much of a danger that was to their little girl, but he knew that hell would rather freeze over before they would let anyone lay a finger on Chloe or take her away from them.

Natasha kissed him softly before she got off him and straightened her dress. "I'll check on Chloe."

He watched her leave and gave her a few minutes alone with Chloe until he joined them. Natasha had Chloe in her arms who was wide awake and trying to grab Nat's hair. Natasha laughed and let Chloe grab her finger.

"I love you, sweet girl." She kissed Chloe's forehead who cooed in delight. "You are meant to be ours. Me and your daddy love you so much."

Warmth spread through his chest. He was someone's daddy now. He'd never thought he'd get to have this. To have a child with the love of his life. He walked over to Nat and Chloe and gave his girlfriend a deep kiss. "We keep you safe, Chloe. No one will hurt you. Your mommy won't let that happen."

A sob left Natasha's mouth and she pressed Chloe gently against her chest. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes, but she'd never seemed happier. She had never been more beautiful. She was born to be Chloe's mother and he was born to love Natasha and Chloe.

I'll protect you. Whatever it takes.