Things didn't change over night after Steve apologized. It was a slow progression into some type of normalcy they didn't have before. Sharon found herself eating breakfast with them more, and Steve started to join in on a few movie nights and bedtime stories. They still had their moments when he'd get angry at her and she'd stop communicating with him, but they were getting better at not letting it linger. Sam jokingly recommended they attend couples therapy, while seriously telling Steve he should go talk to a therapist to deal with his shit. Steve eventually did as his friend suggested. He didn't go often, but he was trying and he hoped that counted for something. He could notice there was a positive shift with his interactions with everyone.

"Are you excited to go to the zoo," Sharon asked as she helped Morgan get changed.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the lions and the gorillas," she squealed as she jumped around excited. "And the giraffes!"

"Yep, we're going to see all of those," Sharon said as she smiled at how happy she was. "Let's head downstairs for breakfast and then we'll leave."

Morgan ran past her and down the stairs and Sharon shook her head at the little girl. The new thing that they were doing was outings together. Morgan was more than safe with Steve and Sharon, and Bucky and Natasha were coming along today too. Sharon headed downstairs and grabbed some breakfast for herself before sitting down with everyone.

"You've never seen a gorilla," she heard Morgan ask Bucky, her eyes wide with shock as he told her no.

"Yelena called me this morning to chat, she said to pass along to you that all is well in your empire," Natasha said and Sharon nodded, quickly glancing over at Steve to see if he heard. He was very focused on his plate, so Sharon figured he did.

"I told everyone that any information about the serum or about Extremis or anything of the like needs to go directly to her," Sharon said. "I gave her Banner's burner phone number so she has a direct line to him if anything pops up."

"Yelena seems to be sitting pretty over there."

"She can take over," Sharon said with a shrug. "I'd rather her than someone else take over my role. I brought everything important to me here."

"You did," Steve asked and Sharon nodded, biting back a comment about eavesdropping. "That's … that's good to know."

Natasha and Bucky decided they were going to explore with Morgan and they left Steve and Sharon alone. Sharon scowled as she watched Bucky lift Morgan onto his shoulders and declare that god-mom and god-dad needed a break.

"We could do our own thing," Steve said after they stood there awkwardly for a few minutes. "If you wanted to."

"Exploring the zoo isn't the most fun by yourself, who am I going to point out all the weird looking animals to," she said and smiled when she saw how relieved he looked. He was giving her an out from spending time with him, which she appreciated. If they were really going to start over and get to know each other, this isn't the worst way to do it.

"Do you have a favorite animal," he asked as they began to wander around the zoo.

"Tigers," she said and he nodded.

"We can go check out Tiger Mountain first if you want," he offered as he looked over the map. "The bears are on the way too."

"Do you like bears?"

"I don't really have a favorite animal," he shrugged. "Not a fan of baboons though."

"How random," she said with a smirk. "Come across a lot of baboons back in the day?"

"No, can't say I did. It's an old movie from the '60s that Stark was watching one time, turned me off from baboons."

"Are you okay with other primates," she teased. "The gorilla exhibit is pretty cool."

"I think I'll live," he said with a smile. "I haven't been here since I was a kid."

"This zoo is that old," she asked and winced once it came out of her mouth.

"Opened in 1899," he said. "My mom once saved enough money for the two of us to come here as my birthday gift. We got lucky that it was a really nice day out because she worked a lot so days off were few and far between."

"That sounds really special," she said as they walked into one of the indoor exhibits.

"It was," he said. He smiled to himself as he thought about that day, and realized he never told anyone that story before. He didn't voluntarily talk about his mom often, not even with Peggy, but there was something about being with Sharon that made him want to open up.

They ended up in the mouse house, Sharon's least favorite exhibit here. The air conditioning was a relief from the hot weather, so she wasn't going to complain too much. They separated from each other as they walked around the exhibit, eventually meeting in the middle where a tour guide was speaking.

"And we're fortunate because we have three," he ended his speech.

"But there are only two," a little boy pointed out.

"No, there are definitely three," the tour guide said, looking into the enclosure and Sharon saw the panic in his face. "There were three."

"Oh my god," Sharon said, instinctively jumping up onto Steve. He was startled but didn't drop her. He steadied himself as she climbed onto his back with ease, trying not to focus on the fact that he found her strength to climb on him with ease incredibly hot.

"You want to go," he asked with a laugh as she quickly nodded, her legs secured around his waist.

"This doesn't mean anything," she mumbled into his shoulder as they walked out. "Just a means of transportation away from the escaped rodents."

"Understood," he said, unable to keep a smile off his face.

Morgan begged to go on the carousel, so Bucky and Steve took her on it while Natasha and Sharon grabbed a table and some coffees at the cafe across the way.

"Twitter is blowing up about some woman jumping on a Captain Rogers look-a-like in the Bronx zoo," Natasha said with a smirk as she slid her phone across the table.

"What the fuck," Sharon muttered as she scrolled through the tweets. "The whole world is really convinced he's dead, huh? Even as he galavants through the zoo with Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff."

"I dyed my hair for this," she said as she tossed her darker hair over her shoulder. "People see what they want. Plus he's got the beard and those weird glasses, and James's arm is covered up. You're avoiding the conversation."

"I tried to," she said as she passed the phone back. "There was an escaped rat in the mouse house, I did what anyone would do."

"Climb Steve like a tree?"

"Yes," she said proudly. "Climbed him damn well."

"Wasn't the first time you've done that."

"No it was not," she said, blushing a bit. "First time fully clothed, though."

"Do you miss it?"

"Miss what? The sex? Absolutely. Everything else that came with it? No."

"Why is that?"

"I came to the realization recently that I don't think we ever really knew each other. We knew the personas that we put on for the world, but never who we really are," she said and Natasha tilted her head thoughtfully. "You, Bucky, Sam, and even Stark are maybe the only people who know who Sharon Carter really is. I was Thirteen for so long, and then when Peggy died I thought I could finally be Sharon."

"And then Stark and Steve started a war with each other," Natasha finished and Sharon nodded.

"We're getting to know each other again, as Steve and Sharon."

"You think if you both were honest with each other from the beginning, things would have been different?"

"I don't know," Sharon said with a sigh, having thought about this herself. "It's kind of a moot point anyway because I was under strict orders not to tell him who I was. But, people seem to like Sharon Carter, my own opinion of my true self is still up for debate. I also think sometimes I've always been me just with a different name from time to time, so maybe things wouldn't have been different."

"We compartmentalize to make things easier, and we still have most of who we are shine through our other personas. You did seem like a different person when I first saw you in Madripoor."

"Those years really took a toll on me."

"You lost the true Sharon Carter in the Powerbroker role for a bit," Natasha said and she nodded.

"I wonder if she still exists sometimes," Sharon said sadly.

"She does," Natasha said sincerely. "And I'm seeing her come back more every day."

"Is it pathetic that I wonder if Steve will like, or does like, the person I really am? I shouldn't give a shit what he thinks of me after everything."

"You shouldn't, but it's not pathetic. I also think you both showed more of who you are when it was just the two of you than you realized, I think you shined through in the little intimate moments are that too painful to look back on right now. You cared about him a lot, and I think deep down you'd like to care for him again."

"I don't know if I can do it again though," Sharon admitted. "I don't know if I'll ever get it out of my head that he left to be with Peggy. He went back in time and had a relationship with my aunt. There's an ick factor there."

"They didn't have sex," Natasha said and noted Sharon's shocked expression. "Steve told James, who told me."

"Aunt Peggy wasn't one for tradition, so to speak, and Steve was no virgin," Sharon said.

"Do with that information what you will," she shrugged. "I have my thoughts about it all."

"And those thoughts are?"

"They're mine and mind alone," she said with a smirk.

"I should probably feel bad for sleeping with his best friend then," Sharon said thoughtfully. "Can't say I regret that though."

"He is good in bed," Natasha said. "No regrets, Thirteen."

"No regrets," she said, tapping her coffee cup against Natasha's.

"I got to ride on the praying mantis," Morgan yelled with excitement as she ran over to the table, effectively ending their conversation.

"That's so cool," Sharon said as she helped her into the chair next to her.

"Did you know the girl praying mantis bites the head off of the male after they make babies," Natasha said and Sharon and Steve glared at her. "What? It's science."

"I already told her," Bucky shrugged as he sat down.

"Are you tired, sweetie," Sharon asked as Morgan cuddled into her side. She felt her head nod against her chest. "We do have a bit of a drive back, we should probably head out."

"Let's get going," Steve said, picking her up with ease. Sharon fell into step next to him as they headed back to the car. "Did you have a good day?"

"Me," Sharon asked and he nodded. "Yeah, it was really nice actually."

"It was," he agreed.

"Favorite part?"

Steve looked at her curiously and warred with himself if he should give her an honest answer. The way the sun made her hair glisten and her eyes sparkled at him as his she waited for his answer made him go with honestly.

"The mouse house," he said and bit back his smile at her look of surprise.

"Mine too.