HEY GUYS! BLACK WIDOW SPOILERS IN THE UPCOMING CHAPTERS! If you haven't watched Black Widow/ don't want anything spoiled, don't read on until you have. This chapter doesn't give much away, but the next several are very plot heavy with the movie. You've been warned!
"I got this. I got this. I got this. I got this."
Denver wiggled desperately in an attempt to get away from the strange man holding her tight as they flew out the shattered glass of the Avenger's Compound lobby. "Let me go! I want Auntie Dallas and Cupcake!"
"What about Daddy? Daddy's good, right?" The man asked as he clutched the little girl with one hand and the saddle on the ant with his other. Scott was thankful he had his full strength when he was small, or else this tiny super soldier would fall from their ride, "We're gonna go see your dad. Captain America."
The child stopped squirming and looked up at Scott with big blue eyes through her helmet, "Daddy?"
Scott nodded his head as they flew away from the bright lights of the compound towards the edge of the property, "Yeah, Daddy asked me to come get you. I promise."
This seemed to calm her enough, and she turned to look forward as they flew through the trees before the ant landed and Scott sat her on the ground. She trembled in fear at being alone with this strange man, but he'd promised to take her to her dad. Aunt Dallas had said her dad was never coming back. Denver was very confused, and terribly scared. "I don't wike bugs."
"Really? Because Antiana Grande likes you." Scott said sincerely as he tapped the sleeve of his suit, causing them to grow to normal size. He carefully unlatched Denver's helmet and a tear rolled down her face until he pulled his own helmet off and knelt down in front of her, "Hey, it's okay Kiddo. You're gonna be with your dad soon. It's complicated, but he worked really hard to get you back, okay?" She nodded slightly, never taking her eyes off the strange man as he stood back up and looked around. "They should be here any minute now."
A crack from deeper in the woods caused Scott to jump and swing around, but Denver just turned dully and narrowed her eyes before yelping, "Auntie Nat!" She bolted towards the bushes just as the Black Widow emerged with her arms outstretched to receive the child, picking her up and holding her tightly against her chest as the little girl ran her fingers over her hair, "Where's Daddy?"
"He's waiting for you. He met Uncle Sam to pick up some of your stuff, but he's very excited to see you." Natasha explained before turning to Scott with a threatening stare, "Thank you for your help. I'm sure you can understand that this is the farthest you'll go."
Scott bopped his head up and down, looking around curiously before asking, "Anything for Captain America…" When he didn't make a move to leave, Natasha raised her brow and he added, "You sure he isn't around to say hello? I'd like to make sure he gets his daughter safely. Like, wow, how bad would that be if I gave his daughter to the wrong person…"
Natasha didn't find his accusation humorous, but she chose to keep her mouth shut and raise her hand to her ear and murmur, "He wants to see you to make sure Denver reaches you safely."
"I have a daughter." Scott blurted as Natasha shifted her weight, "Her name is Cassie. She's my whole world… If I were the Captain I wouldn't take the risk-"
"Which I appreciate." Steve answered quietly as he appeared from the side, offering a firm nod to Scott before crossing to Natasha to take Denver, who's fat tears streamed openly from her eyes at the sight of her father, "Hey Pumpkin. Daddy's here."
He took her into his arms, and she sniffled as she held his neck, not saying a single word as cried quietly. Steve rubbed her back and shushed her as he swayed, "It's okay. I'm here now. I'm not gonna leave you again, I promise."
"I was so scared."
"I know you were, Sweetheart. I'm sorry I was gone for so long." He looked over at Scott and thrust his right hand forward to shake, "Thank you for your help. I'm sorry you had to break into Avengers Compound for me, but her aunt isn't incredibly happy with me right now. We need to figure some things out on our own."
Scott released Steve's hand and saluted him, "It was an honor, Captain America."
"Steve. It's just Steve now." He answered with a sad smile, "Thank you, but we need to go. We've got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time."
"Good luck Cap- Steve." Scott waved and pulled his helmet back on before shrinking down and disappearing from view.
Steve turned to Natasha, realizing Denver had fallen asleep, "Where to?"
"I've got a guy. He's setting up a safehouse. We just gotta get overseas and ditch the quinjet. I don't trust stealth mode. After losing Bruce, I don't think Tony would allow a version of his tech he couldn't ever find again."
"Alright, let's get moving." Steve bowed to kiss Denver's head before gazing through the trees as more lights flew on at the compound, meaning the race to find Denver was on.
By the time Steve and Natasha landed in Russia, Denver was restless and confused, and Steve was beginning to wonder if he'd made a mistake.
"I'm hungry." Denver whined as she rubbed her eye with her fist, "Where's Aunt Dallas?"
"She's back home. We're playing a game of hide and seek. We gotta hide until it's time for her to find us." Natasha explained calmly, and Steve was struck by how casual Natasha was taking their situation. He didn't know how to explain their actions to his young daughter, but Natasha knew just what to say. She ruffled Denver's blonde hair and looked up at Steve, "Yelena was Denny's age when we were taken to America undercover. I understood what was happening, but she didn't. Sometimes it was easier to just pretend it was real, and it was normal. We should do the same for Denver. If this is her life, she needs to believe it's normal."
Steve slung Denny's duffle bag over one shoulder and his black backpack over the other. He wore a black t-shirt and jeans with his combat boots, and his uniform shoved into his backpack. He took all the money he could find hidden in the quinjet, and nothing else. All Steve needed was enough to take care of his daughter, and Natasha had assured him she had secured somewhere safe for them to lay low for a while.
"We have a four o'clock train out of Moscow. We don't want to miss it." Natasha told Steve quietly as she unzipped his backpack to shove her Black Widow suit in with his. She pulled a black hoodie over her head and fluffed out her hair before scooping up Denver, "You wanna ride a train, Denny? Like at Disney World?"
She nodded, looking over her shoulder to Steve. He forced a brave smile and nodded, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek and whispering, "We're going on an adventure. Just the three of us. You'll be a brave girl, right? It'll be very different than you're used to."
"Adventure!" She cried out, throwing her arms out to the side as Natasha laughed, "Yes, adventure!"
Steve's heart clenched at the sight of Natasha with his daughter. She was so good with his little girl, and he was rethinking their conversation in Wakanda about being together. They were going to be a little family, whether she wanted to accept it or not, because she'd chosen to go on the run with Steve and his daughter. Even if she didn't want to be in a relationship with Steve Rogers, Natasha was going to help raise his daughter, and Steve knew that would leave a lasting impact on all of them.
"We better get moving." He choked out, hitting the button on the side of the jet to close the door. He allowed Natasha to lead the way towards the city with Denver in her arms. The little girl looked over Nat's shoulder at her father, her eyes glassy from lack of sleep and lots of tears, but her body was relaxed against the Black Widow.
The train station was overwhelming, but Nat led Steve to their terminal effortlessly. She held Denver with one arm and Steve's hand with the other, easily lying her way into a private car for them.
"Моя дочь плохо себя чувствует, есть ли возможность получить личную машину?" Natasha asked sweetly, telling the man at the ticket counter Denver wasn't feeling well while rubbing her back comfortingly. Steve smiled weakly behind her, shifting the bags before stroking Denver's cheek and invertedly validating Nat's lie.
The man nodded and pushed forward three tickets, "Приятного вам путешествия, миссис Роджерс." The ticketer told Natasha and she smiled sweetly and carried Denver towards their train, occasionally looking over her shoulder to make sure nobody was following them.
"What did you tell them?" Steve asked as they boarded the train, and Natasha shushed him under her breath before handing over their tickets. She leaned her cheek against Denver and motioned for the man to hand the tickets back to Steve before heading left towards their cabin. Once inside, Steve closed and locked the door and Natasha gently sat Denver on the seat, kneeling before the child and holding her cheeks between her palms.
"You are so brave, Denny. I'm sure it's scary hearing everybody talk in a language you don't understand. Soon we're going to go somewhere quiet where the three of us can hang out, would you like that?"
"Yeah." Denver answered, looking up at Steve expectedly, "Daddy, can we cuddle?"
"Of course, Sweetheart." Steve answered as he sat next to her, shifting her into his lap for a nap, "Go to sleep, we're going on a long train ride. I'll wake you up for snacks."
She shifted against Steve's thigh for a few minutes before finally falling fast asleep as the train began to move away from Moscow. Once he was sure Denver wasn't listening, Steve repeated his question, "What did you tell the man at the counter?"
"I told him my daughter wasn't feeling well." Natasha confessed, fiddling with her passport before shoving it into Steve's backpack. "I took your last name. I figured it would be less suspicious if we looked like a family."
"I think we kinda are." Steve confessed boldly, patting the seat beside him, "Thank you for taking such good care of her today. I couldn't do this without you."
As Natasha sat, she studied the Steve with soft green eyes. "What made you decide to go back for her, Steve?"
With a groan, Steve shifted to lean his head against the wall, looking across the small cabin with a blank stare as he considered his answer, "I knew she'd have a better life without me. She could grow up as a normal kid and have a normal life, but she'd feel abandoned. She lost her mom. She's never gonna have the chance to know Brooklyn, and despite knowing it'll ruin her life, I want her to know me. I guess I made a selfish decision."
"Perhaps, but she'll thank you for it someday." Natasha whispered, stroking Denver's hair with her fingernails. She stood quickly and went to the door, "We'll be in Oslo in a couple days. I have a car waiting for us on the other side. How about I get some food and bring it back so she can sleep? She's tired."
Steve nodded, releasing a heavy breath he didn't know he was holding. As Natasha disappeared, he was alone with his child and his thoughts, and he focused on all the good that would come from being together instead of all the things Denver would never experience being his daughter.
A couple hours later, Steve was jolted awake by a soft whine from his daughter in his lap. He sat up straight and studied her, seeing her pale and shivering, "Daddy, my tummy's sick."
"What?" Steve's mind tried to understand what she was trying to tell him. She shouldn't be sick. She had his blood, his serum. He'd never considered that his little girl could get sick from traveling across the world without a break or a bed or an explanation. He blinked and shifted Denver to sit her up as she whimpered and started to gag.
"Natasha!" Steve yelled, startling the assassin awake across the cabin. She bolted up with her hands balled into fists, ready to fight off whoever was on to them, but she softened when she saw Denver coughing. Steve moved to sit Denver on the seat and kneel before her, looking around frantically for something to help, "I don't know what to do."
"Tummy hurts so bad-" Denver doubled over and Natasha quickly opened a plastic bag for her to vomit into. She pushed Denver's blonde curls away from her face before turning to Steve, "Go get her some water, and ask for crackers."
"She isn't supposed to get sick. I can't get sick- why is she sick?"
"It could be lots of things- stress, travel, new germs. Just because she has your genetics doesn't mean she has the same serum in her that you do. The half of her that is Brooklyn can get sick. Go get her water and crackers, I'll stay." Natasha ordered while Denver cried and gagged some more. As Steve bolted out of the cabin, Nat turned her full attention to the child, "It's okay, Sweetie, you're gonna be okay." Natasha pressed the back of her hand to her forehead to see she had a fever.
Tears streamed down the little blonde's cheeks as she emptied her stomach, but between gasps she cried out, "I want Mommy!"
Natasha sighed and tied the bag closed before collapsing onto her ass on the floor in front of Denver, "I'm sure you do. Your dad misses her very much, but he's going to take care of you, and so am I."
"Are you my new Mommy?"
"No, I'll never replace your mom." Natasha assured Denver, but her pale lip quivered at Nat's confession, so she added, "I'm Auntie Nat, and I'm always going to be here for you, okay? No matter what, I'm going to help your dad take care of you." She reached over and grabbed a tissue from the front pouch of the backpack and wiped Denver's mouth before discarding it, "I love you, Denny."
"Love you, too." Denver murmured as she leaned forward until she collapsed into Nat's arms.
When Steve re-entered the cabin, Natasha carefully pushed Denver back so he could sit beside her and give her the water and crackers he'd collected. Looking at the clock, Nat realized it was the middle of the night, meaning it was a good time to get cleaned up without worrying about the other riders realizing who they were. "I'm gonna take a shower while I can, do you want me to take her with me? It might help break the fever."
"Yeah, whatever she needs." Steve said quietly, never taking his eyes off his daughter as she munched on the crackers, "I'm so sorry, Baby, I'm so sorry."
Natasha carefully picked up Denver and motioned to her duffle, "How about we get her into some pajamas so she's more comfortable. The time zone changes are gonna be hard, but once we get settled, she'll be okay."
Steve passed Natasha a little t-shirt and pants combo for Denver, then collapsed onto the bench as Nat took Denver to get cleaned up. Dallas would lose her damn mind if Denver got sick. Perhaps Denver had been sick before, but Dallas, being a doctor, knew exactly what to do. Steve never needed to know. He was barely around anyway.
He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, but it felt like Natasha was barely gone when she returned with Denver. Her color was coming back, and she breathed heavily, but there weren't anymore tears in her eyes. Natasha carefully laid her down on the opposite bench and unzipped her duffle bag to rifle through it, "You want your blankie?"
"Can I has my shield?"
Natasha rummaged through the bag and sighed, "Sorry, no shield. How about a stuffed doggy?"
Hearing the assassin Black Widow say the word 'doggy' made Steve giggle and he quickly cleared his throat and looked out the window when she looked to him, but she didn't say anything, only pulled out the stuffed husky and gave it to Denver before pulling out a red blanket and placing it over Denver's shoulders, "Get some sleep, Denny. We'll be here."
As Denver fell asleep to the rumbling of the train, Steve stood and stretched his arms above his head, letting out a quiet groan as he arched his back, "You take the other bench, I'll take the floor."
Natasha considered this, then nodded, "Alright. Wake me up if she needs anything. Her fever's down so I think she'll be okay." She reached up and cupped Steve's jaw, causing him to stiffen, "We'll be okay."
He nodded and watched Natasha curl up on the opposite bench to get a little more sleep. Even Steve was tired. It had been a long two weeks, and it wasn't going to get easier anytime soon.
When they got off the train in Norway, Steve carried Denver while Natasha led the way out of the train terminal to the parking lot. She kept looking down at her phone and over her shoulder, but eventually knelt down and pulled up a loose piece of concrete to reveal a set of keys, "Thanks Mason." She mumbled to herself as she stood, kicking the concrete back into place before jingling the keys at Steve, "We got a ride."
"Daddy, I'm cold." Denver whined as she buried her face into Steve's collarbone. Natasha reached up and rubbed her back, shushing her soothingly before turning to Steve, "There should be some cash in the car. I can stop and get her a warm jacket. You too, maybe."
Steve just shrugged, looking over his shoulder as sirens blared behind them. A couple of police vehicles sped by, and he turned back to Natasha, "I'll be okay."
"You sure? I know how much you hate the cold."
He clenched his jaw and looked past Natasha at the parking lot, "Which one's ours? I'm guessing it'll have heat." He didn't look at the redhead again, instead focusing on rubbing Denver's back as she looked around nervously. "We're okay, Sweetheart."
Nat nodded a little and turned, hitting the key fob to figure out which car was theirs. She didn't mention the way Steve paled at her words, or how she knew he hated the cold. Brooklyn had written about it in her report on their time at the Retreat. Natasha didn't know if he hated the cold now because of being frozen in the ice, or because it reminded him of his time with Brooklyn Hayes.
A little white SUV finally beeped, and Natasha unlocked it before pulling open the backseat, "I didn't tell my guy to get a car seat. I didn't want anybody to know about her." When Steve stared at the backseat nervously, Natasha added, "She'll be okay. You can drive. I'll even sit back here with her if you want me to."
"I trust you." He murmured, sparing a quick glance at Nat before carefully setting Denver into the seat behind the driver. He pulled the seatbelt across her chest and ruffled her hair, "No more booster seats for you, Kiddo. You're gonna have to be a big girl now."
She giggled, kicking her feet against the seat and stretching her back to look out the window, "Where we goin now?"
"A safe house." Natasha told her before meeting Steve's blue eyes, "We'll make a quick stop for some food, then head somewhere we can rest. Somewhere we'll be safe."
Denver cocked her head towards Natasha, the wheels turning in her mind, "Daddy keeps us safe."
"Of course I will." Steve assured her, kissing her head as Natasha's gaze locked onto a police officer behind them. Steve threw his arm around her and kissed her cheek, "Let's get going, Honey." He said loudly before opening up the driver's door for her. While Nat climbed in, Steve secured Denver's door then walked around the front of the car, pulling down his black baseball cap before climbing in beside Natasha.
After a while, Natasha drove them to a ferry dock, paying their fare and driving them onto the boat before turning off the car. She leaned back against the seat and looked down at her cell phone as it beeped. Picking it up, she saw a security message and pulled up footage from her apartment building in D.C. "It's Ross. He's looking for me."
Steve's breath caught and he leaned over to look at the security feed, "What are you gonna do?"
"Taunt him a little. He'll never find us. I'll be right back." Natasha opened her door and crossed in front of the SUV to head into the ferry's restroom, leaving Steve and his daughter alone.
"Daddy, when are we gonna go home?"
He shifted to look over his shoulder to see Denver hugging her stuffed husky as she watched the mountains roll by. She didn't seem to realize he was watching her, and Steve considered whether or not he should have taken her from her aunt. Dallas was probably losing her damn mind, and Steve knew she'd never stop searching for Denver. His little girl was all Dallas had left of her big sister, and Steve had swept her away, just like he had with Brooklyn.
"Our home is gonna be wherever we are together, Denny." Steve mustered, gaining his daughter's attention. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Daddy."
Suddenly Natasha reentered the vehicle and slammed the door closed, whipping around to look at Steve with a smirk, "Glad I ditched the widow suit when we grabbed Denny. Ross infiltrated my D.C. safehouse. He's looking for you… and working with Dallas."
"Great." Steve rubbed his hand over his mouth roughly, "Of course she'd go to him. I didn't only break the Accords, I kidnapped somebody."
"Is it really kidnapping when she's your daughter?" Natasha hummed, leaning against her knuckles, "He'll never find us here. I promise, we're safe for now. You once told me you'd trust me to save your life, I'm asking you to trust me now. I won't let anything happen to you and Denny."
Steve grabbed her hand and kissed it, leaving his lips against her fingers as he closed his eyes, "I just wanted to help Bucky. I didn't mean for all this to happen. I've ruined your life. I've ruined Denver's life. I should have just let him go, but he's my best friend. It's not his fault…"
"It's okay Daddy, don't cry." Denver called from the backseat and Steve looked up with a smile for his compassionate daughter, "We're okay. We'll be home soon."
With a heavy sigh, Steve nodded, deciding not to explain the harsh truth to his daughter today, "Yeah, we will."
By the time Natasha parked the SUV in the middle of the woods, the sun was threatening to set. It had been a long several days for the two former Avengers and Denver, and they were ready to hunker down and relax for a while.
"Let me make sure it's safe, then you two come after." Natasha told them as she unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled a gun from beside her seat. Steve watched her sneak towards the metal trailer with her gun drawn. She pulled open the door and crept in as Steve held his breath, waiting to see Natasha reemerge or gunfire to erupt.
After a few minutes, Natasha leaned out the door and motioned with her head for Steve and Denver to join her. Steve scrambled out of the SUV to unbuckle Denver, and the child climbed out of the vehicle and went running through the grass to Natasha with her dad hot on her tail. "Denver!"
She climbed up the stairs and looked around in wonder before staring up at the strange man across from Natasha. Steve trotted up the stairs after her and paused, taking a deep breath and looking to Nat for introductions.
The man sized Steve up, seeming to realize who he was, "Captain America."
"Steve Rogers." Steve corrected, placing his hand in the other man's, "And you are?"
"This is Mason. He's my guy. Got this all set up for me. Takes care of my off-the-radar affairs." Natasha explained as she hoisted Denver up into her arms, "What'dya think, Denny? Can we hang out here for a while?"
"Can we make a campfire?"
"I think we can totally make a campfire. And we'll roast those marshmallows I got at the store." Natasha cooed back, rubbing her nose against Denver's before turning back to see Mason and Steve sizing each other up, "I really appreciate this. Things are kinda rough right now and we need a place to lay low for a while."
Mason nodded, "Anytime. Let me know if there's anything else I can get for you." He made his way towards the door, drawing Natasha's gaze with him. "What's all that?" She nodded towards a box by the door, and Mason turned to look at it before going down the stairs, "Just some mail and personals from the Budapest safe house."
"Budapest?" Natasha asked, leaning down to rummage through the box of mail, "Sorry you went through the trouble. I woulda told you to chuck it."
"Well, if you don't want it, throw it in the rubbish. I knew you weren't going back to Budapest so I've got someone else in the flat now." Mason explained. He looked from Natasha to Denver, seeing the little girl scuttling around curiously, opening and closing the kitchen cabinets, "I'd maybe keep an eye on her. I, uh, stocked up in case you got into any trouble."
Natasha realized what he was insinuating and looked to Denver in time to see her pull out a gun from under the sink. Steve quickly plucked it from her hand and set it on the counter, "Noted. I'll take a look around and make sure she doesn't get into any trouble."
"Good luck." Mason told them, sparing one last glance at Steve before pulling the door closed behind him.
For the first time in days, Steve could breathe easy. He collapsed onto the couch, causing it to creak under his weight. Hooking his ankle over his knee, he stretched out his arms and leaned back, eyeing Natasha Romanoff curiously, "So, Mason?"
"It's not like that."
"I didn't say it was like anything." Steve answered, his eyes trailing his daughter as she sat on the floor with her stuffed dog.
Natasha chuckled, pulling her lips to the side in a knowing smirk, "You were insinuating that it was like something."
"It's none of my business whether or not it is. Unless you don't want me to think there's something."
"You know, you really are impossible Rogers." Natasha sighed, sitting down next to Steve and patting his knee, "If I had to guess, I'd say you're just really lonely."
Steve shifted, uncrossing his leg and leaning forward on his knees. He watched Denver, ignoring Natasha's gaze despite mumbling, "What makes you say that?"
"Because you said so in Wakanda. When I told you if we got out of prison we'd have sex." Natasha chuckled. Steve raised his gaze to smile at her, finding her gaze locked on Denver now that his wasn't, "You and Hayes had something special. I know that there were so many lies between you two, but there was a connection so basic and pure that the truth didn't even matter. I saw her kill Pierce. Fury said there was nowhere that she could hide Denver that Hydra wouldn't find her, and she shot him through the chest, then ran off to stop Barnes." Nat grunted as she shifted, leaning away from Steve to grab a glass jar of honey from the counter. She unscrewed the top before reaching back to grab a wooden spoon, then called to Denver, "Denny, come try this!"
"Why did you tell me that about Brooklyn?" Steve asked bluntly as Denver crawled up into Natasha's lap to try the honey she'd scooped. When Nat didn't answer, Steve pressed, "Romanoff?"
"I remember her telling Dallas she'd see her later. It wasn't the kind of goodbye you give someone when you think you're going to die. Brooklyn was sure she'd survive."
"Please stop." Steve snapped as he stood, causing Denver to flinch at his tone. He sighed and pushed back his hair, looking back towards the bedroom, "Why are you telling me all this?"
Natasha shifted Denver, looking at the child for a moment before turning back to Steve, "Because you and I can't do this dance forever. It's too complicated for her." She nodded towards Denver and added, "I had a family when I was little. It wasn't real, but it was better than nothing at all. If you're ready to accept that Brooklyn's gone, and you're ready to move on, I'll help you. In whatever ways you need. That said, if you just need me to be Auntie Nat, I can do that, too. Just figure it out so we can be consistent for Denny, okay?"
Steve shifted from foot to foot, wanting to go for a run, and to scream and curse Brooklyn for getting herself killed, and curse the government for implementing the stupid Sokovia Accords, and curse Erik Kilmonger for turning his best friend into a monster after all the work they'd put in together. "I'm gonna go for a walk. You got her?"
"I do. I'll see what we have for food, and I'll make some dinner. Maybe you can look around for firewood. She wants a campfire."
He nodded and pushed open the door, slamming it a little louder than he'd meant to. He looked over his shoulder at the metal trailer, shivering a little in his t-shirt as the sun fell beyond the trees. He should have taken up Nat's offer for a coat because she was right, he still hated the cold.