A/N: Written for the 2020 Charity Hawktion for kalika_999.

NB: The STRIKE team featured are all simply SHIELD agents and not double-crossing Hydra agents, so Rumlow and Rollins are good. Most of this story is just an excuse for kid!fic fluff with the characters requested by the prompter. Considering the various ages of many of the Littles in my life, many of the issues Clint and Natasha face are from reality. Such as the song that's now stuck in your head if you read the title of this story and have any Littles in your own life.

Beta'd by the magnificent and patient eachpeachpearplum .

Fury's in his office when Sharon Carter enters on behalf of Margaret Carter herself, informing one of the few people aware of their relationship that her aunt has just been kidnapped. The intelligence she'd been able to gather so far had pointed to an actual remnant of Hydra, so she asks the director if she could have a team to rescue the SHIELD founder.

Fury stares at her with that serious demeanour, speeding through the file she's handed him. Then, he immediately summons Rogers, telling the Captain about Agent 13's discoveries. Steve immediately demands to be part of the team.

"Can you keep your personal feelings in check, Rogers?"

"My feelings aside, I know how to be a professional, as I've proven before, Nick," he challenges.

Fury grabs his jacket, the long coat billowing behind him. Steve and Sharon look at him in surprise.

"You're going on this mission, Sir?"

"An old friend of mine has been kidnapped, Rogers. Not only has Margaret Carter done more for this country than most, but she's been taken by an organisation that will not hesitate to exploit any and all information she contains in her once-sharp mind. Carter," He turns, suddenly addressing Sharon again. "Do not underestimate the lengths to which Hydra will go to unlock your aunt's mind. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" he growls. "Assemble the STRIKE team and meet us at the Quinjet. Rogers, this mission requires the most reliable, effective assets at our disposal. Do you understand me?" Steve and he stare at each other, their conversation silent but unambiguous. He gives the director a nod.

"Good. Then call them in. Tell them to maintain radio silence. We've got some heads to cut off."

When they're in the Quinjet headed for the middle of absolutely nowhere, Fury briefs the STRIKE team Sharon's assembled.

"We believe a resurrected division of Hydra has taken one of our own. Margaret Carter knows more secrets than Google, and a lot of powerful people would do anything to get their hands on that information. We don't know what surprises they have waiting for us, but to get to her they had to have a lot of power and money at their disposal. Captain?"

He hands Steve the controller for the screen in front of them. He pulls up the dossier they had back in World War II for everyone to see.

"Hydra had weapons of mass destruction before the nuclear bomb was even invented. They are one of the most dangerous organisations that have ever existed. Peggy is in the early stages of dementia. They must believe whatever technologies they have now can somehow override or reverse those effects. Do not underestimate what they are willing to do to protect their technology. Our mission is to rescue Director Carter and dismantle Hydra once and for all."

The STRIKE team all grunt their agreement.

"Rumlow, you go in with Hill, Rollins, and Morse from East entrance. Stark has supplied SHIELD with these." He tosses a single device out to each team member. "He called them Electro-magnetic disruptors. Only use them as a last resort. Carter, Martinez, and Goldman and take the North entrance. Fury and I will take the South entrance."

"All due respect, Director, I'd like to assist on this one as well," they hear from the cockpit. Fury and Rogers have another silent conversation and agree.

"Coulson, you go in with Carter. The rest of you, get ready to jump."

"Sir," Angel Martinez asks, "what about the West entrance?"

Captain America looks at her, giving a quick nod as he straps his shield on his back.

"Don't worry. I called in backup," he assures before he jumps out of the plane.

"We get to use parachutes, right?" Ben Goldman asks.

"If you insist," Fury agrees snarkily, following the Captain out of the Quinjet.

Things seem to be going fairly well, and each team is slowly moving in on the most heavily guarded area of the base.

Steve is able to knock out quite a few Hydra goons with his shield, and Fury takes out his fair share as well. That is, until a shot comes dangerously close to his head. Steve tosses his shield at the newcomer, but it's unexpectedly caught.

In a metal hand.

He and Fury nod at one another, splitting up and trying to get to the door the intruder is guarding so fiercely. While Steve keeps the guard occupied, Fury does his best to sneak by. But the guard is quick, shooting at him even while fighting Captain America. Fury rushes in to help Rogers fight, but it seems no use. Whatever the masked man is guarding has to be important for him to fight so hard.

He's now got his gun to Fury's head and his iron grip around Steve's neck when suddenly his mask is shot off, catching him off guard.

As he turns to Agent 13, who is still holding her gun in her hand, he hears the Captain give a heartbroken gasp.

"Bucky?!"

Before any of them have time to explore what just happened or who the man is, Carter, Hill, Rumlow, Morse, and Coulson are all rushing past. Rollins, Martinez, and Goldman's guns are all still trained on the now-unmasked Hydra agent.

"Aunt Peggy?!" Steve hears, finally coming out of the daze of seeing his long-dead best friend again, and it's enough to have him push past the confused Barnes into the room.

Peggy Carter is in a long, glass tube with an odd contraption in the middle of the room pointing at her, sleeping peacefully.

And looking nearly 70 years younger than she should.

"Peg," Steve whispers, running over to the tube, staring at the face of the woman he'd fallen in love with another lifetime ago.

"Martinez, Goldman, get her out of there," Fury shouts to the agents closest to the panel he sees the soldier had been guarding, training his own gun on Roger's long-lost friend. They run over to Peggy's tube, inspecting it for an opening.

Hill and Rumlow are examining the contraption clearly responsible for Peggy's current state. Morse is examining the tubes connected to Peggy's tube. Coulson is at the computers trying to search out information on Hydra before corrupting the system. Rollins is setting charges for when the room is clear, and Rogers and Carter have turned back to the soldier- to Bucky- ready to get answers.

But Hydra hadn't left their most valuable assets guarded by this lone soldier for nothing. Before anyone has a chance to blink, Bucky charges the panel. Captain America throws his shield, which deflects a couple of bullets from Fury and Carter's guns, causing them to ricochet around the room. Hill or Rumlow, they can't be sure which, hit something causing the contraption to start beeping. One of the flying bullets strike the control for the explosives in Rollins' hand, which all simultaneously activate. Coulson sees the multi-coloured lights emitted from the contraption, and tries to find the command codes to deactivate it. Instead, the doors the soldier had been guarding seals everyone in.

Just in time for the contraption to go off.

The room explodes around them a few seconds later.

When Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, The Backup, arrived at the facility, they ran toward what sounded like an explosion.

When they got to what was left of what looked like a sealed room, they both drew their weapons at the movement in the rubble.

They sheathed them at the terrified look in the children's eyes.

All 8 of them.

"What the-" Natasha muttered.

"Help," was Clint's whimper as he recognised the gear swaddling each kid.