Author's note! I own nothing of Marvel-verse except my OC character, everything else belongs to the amazing Stan Lee, may his wonderful self Rest in Peace, Jack Kirby and all the other amazing men and women who helped bring about the Marvel-Verse in Comic AND live-actions well as cartoon and animations, bringing this creativity and enthusiasm to our world and to other inspired minds of creativity. All my work and creativity put in here is purely fictional and fanfiction based on the MCU-verse. All my work and creativity put in here is purely fictional and fanfiction based on the MCU-verse. Thank you, and have a wonderful adventure! also have a great Day/Afternoon/Night.

Chapter 1

1999

She cried to the skies of the open field of flowers, the small fire of smoking woods, herbs, and a spell she had sung up into the air hours ago, waiting for the one she was trying to reach. But with no answer, she made her next attempt. One that would go around the Seer of Realms. "Heimdall! I know you can hear me! I know you can see me… Forgive me for going around you my friend…" She called up, pleading for the Gateways Guardian's forgiveness. "Frigga! I call you! Goddess, mother of children, of her blood and those of not, Queen of Asgard. Please, I beg of you!" the woman cried, rocking herself painful back and forth. She'd lost another child. Cursed to be baron by Odin himself for the part she refused to play in her banishment, she was even forbidden from ever saying the woman's name. her dearest friend, a woman she knew had loved her.

"Brenna?" a soft woman's voice called to her from behind.

She turned to find the ever-lovely woman, her peach soft gown she was likely wearing for bed, her long hair hanging loose, and the tight blonde curls of her hair had her looking more like the goddess she had read and heard stories of over the many years of her being here on Midgard. "Frigga," she breathed a breath of relief, a smile pulled up along her sweet face, and hope-filled her.

"I hear you," she told the still ever-lasting young woman. "And I know why you ask me here, Brenna."

She felt the void in her aching womb, the cursed magic Odin had laced her with before her banishment. "I can't do this anymore…I want a child. I want my husband's child. I want him to have the family he always wanted. If I could just give him something-"

"He already has you, he needs nothing else,"

"But I need this! I want this for him. For us! Please, Frigga. Help me."

She wanted to cry for her, heck, she had cried for Brenna for centuries for being punished for something that had never been her doing, never been a part of. She'd even turned her back on the one true friend she had when Hela had gone too far. "You are asking me to break my husbands' trust."

"Would you not ask me the same if you were to suffer the punishment of being cursed baron for something that was never your fault?" Brenna asked the woman with pain and betrayal lacing her heart. Of all of those in Asgard, never had she thought Frigga would have said no to her, not against this request.

Frigga knew the answer to that all too well, and her heart ripped to pieces of the thought of being refused her children. "I would," she answered under a whisper. "And I know you would go against everything to help me, even when you turned your back on her."

"I knew what she would do! I had no choice! She was going too far! But she was still my best friend, and I betrayed the only woman who ever cared about me!"

"I do care about you! Like a daughter, Brenna."

"Tell me, Frigga, do your sons know of her? Do they know how your family even became rulers of the Nine Realms? Because I remember, I was there, I watched your husband proudly announcing her as his Executioner. I watched as they rode into war, slaughtering, winning those bloody battles! At least with Odin at her side, they left the innocents out of it if they could."

Frigga took in a painful breath as she listened to the broken woman. She had watched as the woman had been banished, watched over her while Brenna had watched over the lost children over the thousands of years, giving them homes, shelter, watching them have children and families of their own, having normal lives. A life she could never have. To be born, to live a normal life, children, a loving partner, and a peaceful death. Brenna had been cursed with more than just being baron, she had been cursed to live. "Enough. You're asking me to do more than just betray my husband's trust, you're asking me to kill you, to let you die slowly. Painfully. You want me to help you kill yourself over a child that was never meant to be born. Do you have any idea what we will be creating with our combined magic? The cost will be more than you yourself could ever imagine." Frigga warned the desperate woman.

"Let it kill me then!" Brenna screamed. "Let me at least have death if I can have nothing else!"

2006

Dugan sat with the little girl beside him, her little head resting against his arm and her strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a gentle bun, her sweet little face streamed with tears as they stared at the Casket. Her little arms wrapped around his one large arm. His daughter was dead, the little girls' aunt and main guardian, the only mother the little one had ever known after her mother died in childbirth. In an orderly row of their family he could read the names and dates with a painful heartache.

His wife, of sorts, Stephanie Lou Rogers, born July 26th,1921 - August 13th,1962.

His second child and son, James Carter Dugan born October 20th, 1951 - December 31st,1968.

His firstborn, Steven Juniper Rogers born July 24th, 1948- February 5th, 2001

His daughter-in-law and mother to his only living grandchild, Alice Bianca Rogers (nee Divers) born September 15th,1951-July 24th,2001.

And finally, his youngest and only daughter, Sarah Gabriella Rogers-Dugan born August 10th, 1952- February 3rd, 2006.

Fury walked up to Dugan as the funeral came to a close and everyone was walking away from the lowering casket. "Corporal Dugan?"

Smiling up to the man sadly, Dugan shook his hand gladly, "Director Fury, it is a pleasure to meet you,"

Smiling to the man and smiling to the little girl who'd glanced up to look at him, Fury looked back to Dugan, "And my honor to meet you, Corpral. My deepest condolences sir. May I have a seat?" he asked out of politeness.

"Yes, of course, Bianca, this is Director Fury, say hello sweet-pea," Dugan told the little girl. He rested an old gentle hand atop her head when she tried to smile at the man and waved her cute little wave to Fury. "I apologize Director, but that is the best hello anyone will get from her for the time being."

"It's quite alright, sir, I was hoping to talk to you actually. In privet. Agent Coulson can watch your granddaughter if you'd be alright with that." Fury suggested looking over to Phil for his okay after he'd just randomly suggested him to babysit, but he smiled when the man nodded with his own smile and nod.

"Yes, thank you, there are a few things I need to discuss with you without Bianca present." Picking the little girl up off her seat, Dugan kissed the top of her head, "Go one sweet-pea," he smiled when Bianca had latched onto Coulson's hand and the two wandered off a little way from the funeral spot while Fury and Dugan spoke to one another over a handful of things.

2011

Steve remembered the conversation he'd had after waking up, the ballgame from '41, the fake hospital room, running from a facility, then being cornered in the middle of Time Square looking around the strange place he thought he knew, and the cars that swarmed him, blocking him in with what they thought was no way out, but he wouldn't just plow through them.

When Fury had told him he'd been asleep for nearly 70 years, Steve felt sick and confused. But what else was he to believe? Nothing looked as he had left it. But that hadn't stopped him from not wanting to believe any of this. But when it came to acceptance, Steve felt regret. He'd thought he'd have died that day, not frozen. 'I'm sorry Peggy,'

Four months later

They had given Steve a few months to coup with the reality of it all, set him up in a two-bedroom apartment, even though he didn't need two rooms, then, out of the blue just four months after he'd woken up and shocked with the news of his life and time had clearly moved forward without him, like time and all life should. But it hadn't hurt any less. Steve was shocked once again when Nick Fury came to see him, this time with a Briefcase. And a pale pastel-colored pink backpack on one shoulder? Confused and curious, Steve looked the man over before looking the man in the eye with a nod, "Director Fury," Steve said casually and just a little confused at the pink backpack. Moving aside the apartment door, however, what shocked the captain far more beyond words was the child with a roll-away suitcase behind her, a big teal blue Nike Gym bag and two backpacks on her back, one strap from each bag on her shoulders.

"Hello, Captain. Louie, could you give Mr. Rogers and I a moment alone please?" Nick asked the cute little strawberry blonde.

Steve blinked a little, confused why Fury would have a child with him with bags like she was moving in with him. He was very confused, and frankly, just a little concerned. But as Steve studied her for a quick second, he noticed she wasn't just small, she was hardly a teenager, about seven or nine, how small she looked. But her name had Steve reeling with memories. 'Louie?' He was curious, was it her nickname like Steph's? Or was it her actual name? As Steve looked between the kid and Fury, the little girl looked up to Fury, her turquoise eyes looking sad. And frankly, he'd never seen anyone with turquoise eyes before. Watching the girl nod and roll her things into the nearest room, Steve looked at Fury as the man walked in, a knowing look on his face.

Seeing the man's confused and curious expression as the girl walked her way into the closest room around the corner, Nick sighed and held a hand up between him and Steve like he was surrendering, "Before you say anything, Cap. She's family…Your family." Nick said, setting the briefcase on the countertop with a sigh. "I was trying to wait a while longer before telling you. But she's been living in S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities since her grandfather died back in 2008. Before that, the poor man broke his back, due to the events of his health after his daughter died. We secured a live-in home nurse with them 24/7, of course, for the man's health benefits, and a live-in babysitter for the girl. But she's still hurting, her grandfather was the last family she had." Fury started, then he took a deep breath. "She's depressed. Obviously, anyone who would be after the trauma and losses she's had to suffer in life from the moment she was born would be the same way. Her mental and emotional state is declining, Cap. The girl hardly talks anymore. I worry and we at S.H.I.E.L.D. have little time as of lately to watch her and care for her like we used to. Like she needs. Then we found you… She's an artist, you know like you were before you went into the ice. And she loves dancing, Agent Romanoff convinced her to do Cheerleading and Ballet, she is pretty good. But she needs you, and I think you could use her too. To maybe get back into the groove of family, and civilian life. Living, if I may be plainer with my words." Fury said honestly, looking down to his boots with a sigh.

Steve watched the man curiously, almost like he was handing his own kid over, "You seem as if this is ripping you apart, Director. Everything okay?"

"Uncle Nick?" a sad and timid voice said from the doorway, the girl looking around the door nervously as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

Clearing his throat, Fury hid his look of annoyance at the captain, "What's up kiddo?" he asked her, looking to her. Steve was right, this was ripping him up, he'd gotten attached to the kid. Like she was his own niece. But Steve was her biological relation, her granduncle, Steve had more rights to claim the child's care more than Fury did.

Looking between him and the tall blond man looking at her with a gentle smile. Why? She honestly wasn't sure. But she was thirsty, and she had stupidly forgotten her drinking container in the car. She could have sworn she knew his face from somewhere. "I forgot my juice in the car," she whispered.

Smiling to the kid, Fury nodded towards the door, "You remember how to get back up here, right?" he said and watched her nod. "Well, go on then, baby-girl," he told her, watching her nod in response and made her way out the door.

"Okay Fury, what's going on?" Steve asked him as he took a deep breath that he knew hurt his own chest and lungs as he looked from the door down the hall to Fury.

Looking at the man for a few moments, Fury nodded with a sigh of defeat and took in a deep breath then released his nervousness. "Bianca Margaret Lou Rogers-Dugan. Legally, her last name is just Rogers, but we hyphenated it in honor of Corporal Dugan after he passed away. Bianca is the only surviving Rogers and Dugan child to date. She is the daughter of Steven Juniper Roger, the eldest son of Stephanie Rogers and Timothy Dugan, who was named in your honor. Obviously by his first name. Your eldest nephew hyphenated his name after his little brother, James Carter Rogers-Dugan, legal name, died at seventeen years old from Legionnaires in 1968, it's a type of pneumonia. Sadly though, his name was never legalized to be officially hyphenated like he may have wanted before his death." Fury started into the family files after opening a big file he'd removed from the Briefcase.

Clearing his throat as the man raised a curious brow while he went into the whole family history. This wasn't awkward at all. "With James's asthma, the poor boy didn't have a chance. Steven, unfortunately, passed away in 2001 from suddenly developed cancer that was sadly incurable, no one even saw it coming and by the time it was spotted, treatments were… Well, useless. He never got to see his daughter born, and neither did her mother in fact. His wife, Alice, died before she could completely give birth. Sadly, her heart gave out during her labor. Apparently, they spent years trying to have a child. The day your grandniece was born in 2001, six months after her father passed away, Bianca was handed over to her aunt, Sarah Gabriella Roger-Dugan, again, legal name and unfortunately never married. Sad really, she was very beautiful, as well as talented, Sarah was an art teacher. Bianca was cared for by both Sarah and her father, Timothy Dugan, the latter being known to you previously as-"

"Dum Dum Dugan," Steven finished with a chuckling smile. He remembered the man wonderfully. "I knew him," he said softly, looking to his feet. Dugan had been the one to hand a wounded Stephanie down to Bucky after she had gotten hit with the grenades at the HYDRA compound when they had saved them and Bucky. He had to say though, he was rather surprised and wondered how his sister had ended up with Dugan. "Those two married?" he asked. Though he was grateful Stephanie had moved on after Bucky's death, that someone had filled her with love after his best friend had died. Steph had been so ripped up when Steve had come home and told her about Bucky's death. That they had no body to bury. It was a cried scream he'd never forget.

Taking a calm breath, Fury released it in a long and sad sigh, "No, she never married the man, not legally at least. They were permanently engaged though, and the man did give her a ring, one that she was buried with when she died in 1962, worn on her married hand in fact according to Corporal Dugan." Looking at the Captain, Fury sighed sadly at the news he was about to tell him. He'd been holding onto the files for years, then months after he'd been found and dethawed, not wanting to give the information to the man. Steve had been traumatized enough by being frozen for almost 70 years. "I'm sorry Cap, but your sister died three months after surviving a critical car accident from her injuries in the Boston Hospital. Left behind, from my understanding, three devastated children and a very heartbroken man. Dugan loved your sister, at least know that. And he stayed with her until the day they both breathed their last." Fury informed the clearly shocked and upset man.

Nodding as he took a breath to help himself remain grounded as possible, trying to blink back his tears. "Dugan, huh? He ever marry after Steph?" Steve asked, feeling hopeful for the man. Hoping he had moved on. However, Fury's expression told him otherwise.

Softly shaking his head no to the man, Fury sighed softly, "No." Fury answered him. "Everything about your sister, Corporal Dugan and their children and grandchild, is all in this briefcase, as well as Bianca's custody Papers. I expect them to be signed and mailed in. Her medical files are in here as well for you to look over. I believe you'll find a few similarities between the two of you." Fury said with advice and expectation. "The envelopes for the addresses are pre-addressed and are in the larger envelopes with the papers needing to be signed and sent for Custody transfer. There is, unfortunately, a lot of paperwork. Captain Rogers-" Fury stopped in his 'briefing' when the heard the door open and the soft tapping of shoes that did not belong to a ten-year-old child. Curious by their natures, the two men turned to find Agent Romanoff walking in with an obviously upset strawberry blonde, her large water bottle filled with juice hugged to her chest and her chin resting on the lid of said water bottle sadly.

Curious, Fury looked to Rogers and politely excused himself from the captain and knelt before the little girl, "Okay, what's goin' on cupcake?" Fury asked her gingerly. When Bianca hadn't answered him, he looked at Natasha for answers.

Natasha smiled sadly to the Director while she gently rubbed Bianca's arms for comfort, "She tried to hide in the trunk," Natasha answered the Director.

He pulled her into a tight hug when he saw the tears brewing. "Now, why is my little angel upset? You know I hate when my best girl is upset, don't'ch ya," Fury told her, lifting her up off her feet and into his arms, her tiny arms wrapping around him to hide her face. Rubbing her back, and understanding why she was so upset, Fury sighed as nodded to Romanoff, who also didn't seem as pleased about this either. "Come on, talk to your uncle Nick," he told her, playfully poking her sides. When the girl hadn't said a word, Nick sighed with defeat. "Come on Louie, I want you to met someone. He's actually family. Your real family. Come on, can you wipe those pretty eyes for me?" Fury asked. Smiling when she nodded and wiped away her silent tears before looking at him then looked over to Steve and did that cute little shy wave to the Captain. Fury smiled when Steve smiled back to her, it was a smile that no one could help give when a kid was just too cute and waved back to her.

"Hi," Steve said to her, she was so precious it was heartwarming.

Blinking back all the tears as she possibly could, Bianca looked at the man, then looked between Nick and the man her uncle Fury had brought her to. She'd been bounced around between S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent's to care for her ever since her aunt had been killed in the car accident, but that had only been mild for the time being. Until her grandfather grew sicker after breaking his back, then he had died, leaving her alone. When Fury had collected her from Children Services, S.H.I.E.L.D. had raised her on his own, with the help of his agents when he couldn't be there for her. When he'd gotten ahold of Natasha Romanoff, he'd had her watch Bianca while she healed from her injury before sending her undercover with Stark then all the times afterward he could spare Natasha Romanoff.

During her time in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s courters and under their guidance and care she had become rather close with Natasha, Clint, Fury and Phil, and a few others. But it was those few Bianca had become close too. She had even met Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. She liked Pepper. But she loved Natasha, almost like a big sister, but mostly Natasha had been a mother figure to her, and she had eventually kept that thought of the woman. However, Bianca had no idea how Natasha would react if she had called her "mom", even if it was accidental, so Bianca had been as careful as she possibly could. But as she looked at the man closely, she knew that she somewhat recognized him, but she still couldn't figure out from where! It was irritating honestly.

When Fury set her back on her feet, he rested his hands on her shoulders, basically presenting her to Steve, "Bianca, this is your grand-uncle, Steven Rogers. He will be taking over your care from here on out." Fury said, looking down to the girl looking up at him, her turquoise eyes shimmering with clear understanding. It was sad really, many children would have been confused, but she was such a bright child, as well as the typical Orphan looking for a home and parents, he knew foster children had that same look on them when they were told someone else would be taking over their care. It was understanding and the expectation that it wouldn't last. Looking back to Steve, Fury stood there for a moment, watching the man as he and Bianca just stared at one another. When Bianca moved forward to Steve and gently tugged on his t-shirt, Fury stood back with Agent Romanoff as Steve smiled and knelt to her level.

"Are you really my uncle?" Bianca whispered.

Smiling to her cuteness, Steve took her little hands in his and looked back to her hope-filled eyes before nodding. He'd have lied then and there about that just to see the kid smile. "Yeah, yeah, I am. Want to see a few family photos?" He asked her. His smile grew wider when she nodded with a big smile of excitement. "Okay, I'll go grab those albums in a moment and met you over on the couch, how's that?" he asked, and softly laughed when she bounced with excitement and rushed for the sofa. Looking up to Fury, Steve sighed and stood, rubbing his hands together nervously. "So, where do I sign?" Steve asked. This was definitely a shock.

Getting a look from Fury, Natasha walked forward and pulled out two thick brown envelopes, she opened the first one and pulled the papers out and carefully filled through them, handing Steven a pen, "Here, here, and here," she said, pointing to the several lines, where he signed, "here, here and your fingerprint here." She said, watching him sign and press his thumb into the paper after pressing it into the ink pad.

"This sure is a lot of paperwork," Steve said curiously, looking over Natasha's curly red hair to Fury. He was more curious why all this much paperwork.

"She's family, Captain, S.H.I.E.L.D. family. Director Carter loved your family so much she was not just an aunt to Stephanie's children. She was also their Godmother. When Dugan called about needing help, we took that very seriously. The man requested the best-given care for her when he was gone, and this is us doing what he asked. But in the end, Bianca is safer with you."

Curious and now actually worried, Steve looked from Natasha and Fury to Bianca on the couch waiting as patiently as she could before turning his worried gaze back to Director Fury. "Safer?" Steve asked curiously, his brow frowning when Fury had said that, why would she not have been safe in the first place.

Understanding why the man had jumped to conclusions, Fury held his hand to the man in a silent motion to 'calm down'. "She was living in S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities, Cap. While S.H. .D. is a living domain for families it is not always safe inside the compound where we mainly work. And with Agent Romanoff and myself being her main caretakers she was always inside the buildings, in rooms and departments she shouldn't technically be in. Therefore, she is safer with you." Fury clarified.

"He's upset because I hacked the mainframe," Bianca said softly, kicking her feet playfully back and forth.

Turning a look of disapproval to the little strawberry blonde while Steven covered his mouth and coughed lightly to cover his amused chuckle, Fury cleared his throat, "And don't think you still aren't in trouble for that young lady. You are still very much grounded. No tablet, no camera. Natasha will bring your confiscated belongings when you are no longer grounded."

"No sketch pad," Natasha reminded him with a tone of dislike to reminding Fury, but she had too.

"What! Oh, come on, Aunt Nat," Bianca pouted.

"Oh no, don't bring me into this, you're the one who did it, you have to suffer the consequences Bia," Natasha said casually.

"But I didn't really do anything, I just wanted to make sure the pizza got to the building!" Bianca whined.

Softly laughing, Natasha cleared her throat before she looked to Steve and Fury then back to Bianca, "You aren't just in trouble for the hack, Bee, you're in trouble for not telling anyone what you were doing. And you knew not to hack the database, which you still did and that gave you access to things you really shouldn't be seeing as a ten-year-old. That's why you're grounded." Natasha reminded her with a soft smile as Bianca pouted while she enclosed the signed papers in the pre-addressed envelope before getting the second set of papers ready for the Captain. Pointing to where he needed to sign and give his thumbprint. It had all taken about five minutes altogether. When Natasha held her arms open, Bianca rushed to the woman and gave her a big hug and did the same when Fury opened his arms big and wide for her, the man had the biggest smile on his face, but they all knew this hurt to hand her over to Rogers, the kid had practically been attached to their hips since they had taken her.

When Fury and Natasha left, with the signed papers sealed in the envelopes and left the briefcase there on the counters top open with his and Bianca's family information. Thinking he'd look at that stuff later, Steve sighed as he looked down at the kid with a smile, "So, how about those family photos?" He asked curiously, trying to find something to do.

Hearing something about pictures, Bianca looked up to the man with a smiling face and nodded, "What kind are they?" she asked.

Smiling, Steve walked to the hall closet and pulled an old album off the top shelf, "Of me and my life, our family, it has your grandmother, and your great-grandma too, my mother, her name was Sarah, like you aunts," he told her, sitting on the sofa. Steve had to softly chuckle as she scooted up beside him and snuggled up under his arm to look over at the album when he opened it.

"Who's that?" Bianca instantly asked him, pointing to a picture.

Smiling at who she was pointing at, Steve smiled, though his heart was sad at the loss, "That is my mother, Sarah, that's me and this little baby right here, is your grandmother, Stephanie. Stephanie Lou Rogers." Steve told her. He laughed when she gasped with happiness.

"I was named at her then?" she questioned.

Loving this far more than he thought he might, Steve rubbed her tiny arm and kissed the top of her light strawberry blonde head, "Yeah, yeah you were," Steve told her with a smile. And whoever had named her, had named Bianca that way on purpose. And he had a feeling it was Dugan. "So, do you go by Bianca or Lou?" he asked curiously after a few flips through the album.

"Um, both, Aunt Natasha calls me Bee and Bia, sometimes El for Lou. Bianca was my mommy's middle name, and Uncle Nick and a lot of others call me Lou or Louie or other little nicknames, I answer to a lot of names honestly. Aunt Pegs used to call me Bumblebee." She rattled on for minutes and Steve had to smile that she was actually talking this much after Fury had said she was hardly speaking, it gave Steve hope. "Uncle Steve, who's he?" Bianca asked curiously, pointing out a photo of Bucky laughing like a hyena with Stephanie's face covered in her icing-covered cake all over her face.

Laughing at the memory, Steve cleared his throat a bit at how hilarious that night had been. "That, well, that is my best friend, James Buchanan Barns, I called him Bucky for short. He shoved your grandmother's face into her birthday cake when she was sixteen. That didn't exactly end well. You know, payback and all." Steve joked with her. He remembered Lou taking a nice wipe of the icing on her face and smeared it over his. When he'd only laughed, she had grabbed his face and kissed the clean side of his cheek, smearing the cake and icing all over that side of Bucky's face. But it had never bothered Bucky one bit.

Wide-eyed at what he was telling her, Bianca's jaw dropped with child-like shock, "Oh, I bet he wasn't a very happy camper," Bianca said curiously.

"Oh no, he was perfectly fine, it was Steph that had the problem," Steve answered with a soft laugh.

They looked through the album, Steve answering questions where he could, even told her about the photo of him and her grandfather.

"Grandpa never talked about it, just said he was glad grandma went to Germany otherwise he'd have never met her, he said she was the prettiest lady he'd seen, and that when her heart was broken, he felt broken. He said loving her from afar was good enough, but after her heart got hurt, he said he couldn't stand back anymore. Asked her out a few times, and then he said he kissed her one night. So gross," she said childishly, but Steve had to smile as she told him something he never would have known had Dugan not told the girl. The man had more than likely child-proofed the story for her since she was so very young.

They had spent hours talking and looking at the old pictures, and apparently, after Dugan passed away, Bianca had raided the old man's photo albums and kept them for herself. Steve felt his heart warming at the pictures he got to see of Dugan and the boys, Peggy and Stephanie, then there started to be other pictures, Howard smiling his big charming grin, and then several of Stephanie smiling big and horsing around, lastly came the happy pictures of Stephanie wrapped up in Dugan's arms, the two of them slowly dancing on the dance floor or his arms wrapped around her from behind with her face turned into him, her eyes closed and Dugan smiling like he was the happiest man alive.

Turning the next few sleeves, Steve saw a few throughout her pregnancies of all three children, their many birthdays, and then they stopped. There were suddenly no more big happy smiles, no more family pictures after a time, and hardly any light or joy in Dugan's aging face when he tried to smile for the camera because there was no more Stephanie sitting in his lap or wrapped up in his arms. Then suddenly, there was no more James, and life seemed to be sucked right out of the saddened father.

The pictures after Stephanie and James's deaths were many years in between. Steve had concluded that Sarah looked so much like Stephanie it was scary, except Sarah's brown eyes and pencil straight blonde hair compared to Steph's deep waves and green eyes.

The crazy thing was that Bianca was the only child thus far that had been born with strawberry blonde hair while those before her had sandy blonde hair with green or brown eyes. And while Bianca did look like her aunt and grandmother, if anyone put a photo of the other two women beside her, they would be able to tell the difference between Bianca but hardly any between the mother and daughter. Sarah looked like a carbon copy of Stephanie that it was actually a little creepy while Bianca had very close similarities. He could definitely tell they were all family though, he definitely had to say that he saw some of Dugan in Bianca, which he hoped would not get the girl into trouble, especially that heart of his that he'd worn on his sleeve.

Steve hadn't realized how long they had been looking at the pictures until he noticed Bianca hadn't asked a single word for a while. Looking over to the kid, he smiled at seeing she was fast asleep against his side, his big arm being used as a form of a blanket. Quietly closing the album and setting it aside, Steve carefully lifted her up into his arms and walked her to his room, and tucked her into the sheets before he went out onto the couch and fell asleep.

They spent weeks getting her room ready, painting it a slightly orangish peach color. He was learning that she really only liked the pastel colors of things unless she was coloring or sketching. She enjoyed drawing, painting, taking pictures of random things and random people, she was a smart kid that was for sure.

By the end of the month, her room was finished, and Steve got his bed back. Not that it bothered him not using it, most of the time he slept on the floor.

When he'd come face to face with her first asthma attack, Steve swore that he'd have a heart attack, even though he'd been calm on the outside he was nowhere remotely calm on the inside. He'd only experienced his own attacks, never someone else's. And while she had asthma it never stopped her from trying sports. That much he was proud of her for, facing her asthma like it was just another part of herself and accepting it would never change.

Bianca attended Cheerleading, Ballet, girls' baseball and Volleyball were her main activities. Steven had gone to every single game and event. After school, she'd walk over to the boxing gym and wait for him to finish beating on a punching bag, to let him release his demons, the painful memories. The life he hadn't had and the horrors he had endured. But it all came down to one thing now. Bianca needed him.

Over the few times she had sat there doing homework and watching him, she'd eventually approached him and asked if he could show her how to box. That had been interesting, apparently, someone had been previously teaching her but hadn't been able to due to her not being at S.H.I.E.L.D. any longer. He'd also come to the conclusion that he wouldn't use 'Louie' as her nickname for him personally, the name reminded him too much of his sisters, and Bianca had understood that. She was a smart kid, loved music too, she'd listen to his music, 40's music, they spent their time laughing and eating ice cream every week and watching movies and popcorn.

However, today at the gym was different. Fury had entered and handed Steve a file. Bianca had walked up behind her uncle, curiously looked over her uncle's shoulder at what he was looking at.

Wanting to distract Bianca away from the file, Fury cleared his throat at her curiously. "So, I hear you're fitting in well at school,"

Looking at Fury, Bianca glanced back and forth between Steve and Fury, Steve was glancing at her over his shoulder with a grinning smile. Steve was also curious because Bianca never talked about school when she came home. Forcing a smile Bianca nodded, "Um, yeah. It's great."

He knew that tone. And while Fury played along, Steve had other plans. "Yeah, all A's. Alright, kiddo let's go. Grab your stuff." Steve told her.

Almost panicking, Fury looked between Bianca and Steve, "You're not actually bringing the kid, are you?" Fury asked him.

Nodding like it was nothing special Steve wrapped an arm around Bianca's shoulders and took her gym bag from the shoulder, "Yeah, I'm her guardian, means I'm the babysitter. No breaks."