PART 2

Steve tapped his fingers against the plastic table at the McDonalds as he stared down the little blonde across from him. She sat in a regular chair, but wasn't quite tall enough to sit comfortably, so she leaned her arms up on the table and popped her chin up on top. She stared at Steve with a cautious curiosity that made Steve anxious. He needed her to like him.

"Hey, Denny!" Dallas called as she approached with a tray full of food. "Why don't you go play for a little while. They said your nuggets would be a few minutes."

"Are you sure?" Steve practically squawked, unsure if his young daughter should be playing in the dirty playground, "What if she gets hurt?"

"She won't, she's half super soldier." Dallas growled through clenched teeth as she shooed Denver away to go play. "Be careful, okay! I'll let you know when your nuggets are ready!"

While Denver toddled over to the play area, Steve watched in terror as he read the sign, saying children should be four and older to enter, "Dallas, she's too young."

"She's fine, look." Dallas pointed to the little girl as she climbed up and over the barrier into the ball pit, laughing loudly as she fell beneath the heap of rainbow-colored balls. "She'll be okay. Plus, we can see her, if she gets into trouble, you can literally reach up and pluck her out."

Steve grumbled under his breath about avoiding accidents before they happen, but Dallas just sipped her Coke through her straw, pretending not to notice. She carefully pushed up the lace on her funeral dress, clearly not wanting to get it dirty against the sticky table.

The lady behind the cash register had stared questioningly at the trio when they showed up to McDonalds in a black dress and matching suit. Even little Denver was wearing a tiny black dress with slip on black shoes.

"Her mom died. Came straight from the funeral." Dallas deadpanned and the cashier's eyes practically bugged out of her head, and nothing else was said about the manner.

Steve leaned back, causing the seat to crack under his weight before he sat up straight and picked up his burger. He was too nervous to eat, but he forced down a bite anyway before asking, "So, Denver, huh?"

"Thought we'd stick with the family theme." Dallas said sat down her soda, "Hope that's okay."

"No, it's fine. It's perfect, it… it suits her." Steve stammered as he watched the little blonde somersault through the ball pit before throwing one up in the air and catching it. She seemed to have better reflexes than a child her age should have, and it made Steve consider the effects of his super serum on his young daughter, "You said she'll be a year next week?"

"Yeah." Dallas answered, leaning against her fist as she munched on some French fries while she watched Denver play, "She seems to be developing rapidly. She was walking by six months. Talking by nine. She's about the size of someone six months to a year older, but I wasn't too alarmed given her… parentage."

Steve considered this as he chewed on the side of his cheek, "What did the doctors say?"

"What doctors?" Dallas raised her brow, then pushed herself to her feet when the cashier called her number, "Let me get her food. Read the journal Steve, it'll answer all your questions."

"I'd rather you just told me what I needed to know." Steve grumbled and motioned towards the playground, "Should I, uh, get her?"

"Yeah, good luck with that!" Dallas laughed as she went up to the counter to collect Denver's happy meal.

Steve wandered over to the ball pit and sat on the edge, watching the balls roll around as his young daughter played, "Time for lunch."

"No."

Steve's brow shot up at her defiant behavior and he turned to Dallas as she sat the food down. She just motioned for Steve to try again and he sighed, "Denver, it's time to eat."

She popped out of the ball pit and jutted out her bottom lip, "I don't wanna."

"Denny, eat, or we'll leave." Dallas called without looking up from her phone. The child looked at her aunt, then her father, before climbing out.

Steve grabbed her under the armpits and hoisted her out of the ball pit as she squirmed, "Put me down, Daddy! Aunt Dee!"

"Listen to your father." Dallas droned through a mouthful of chicken nuggets, "Come eat or I'll eat your nuggets."

She scurried over to the table and raised her hands, silently asking to be lifted up and put into the highchair. Dallas secured her and handed her the chicken nuggets and fries before unscrewing the chocolate milk that came with it.

Steve watched curiously, taking note of how Dallas interacted with the child. "Shouldn't she eat something a little more-"

"Nutritious?" Dallas suggested, looking up from Denver to Steve, "Usually, yes. But we took her to her mother's funeral today, so I decided that called for something fun."

Steve watched Denver devour her food. She occasionally looked up at Steve with a crooked smile that made his heart melt.

"I just can't believe I missed everything. Her birth, her first steps. Her first words." Steve sighed, "Why didn't Brooke want me to know?"

Dallas smiled weakly, reaching across the table to place her hand on Steve's, "Because she was scared you were going to die. It was hard enough leaving her for weeks at a time to come be with you, but she didn't want Denny to know you and then… then lose you." Dallas smiled sweetly at Denver when she looked up at her aunt, "I guess that kinda backfired."

"What do we do now?" Steve asked and Dallas just sighed and shrugged.

"Read the journal. Give it a few days and let me know what you want to do. I need to be back at work the end of the week."

"I'm moving back to New York." Steve said quickly and Denver tilted her head to the side at how excited he sounded, "I'll be nearby, it'll make it easier to transition- or share custody."

"You can have her, she's your kid." Dallas hummed, winking at Denver despite the child not understanding what she was saying. "Seriously though, whatever you want. I know your life is a little bonkers, so, if you aren't ready to be a full-time dad, I get it. It's not like you had a say in the matter."

Something tugged on Steve's sleeve and he looked down to see Denver's little fist wrapped around the material near his cuff links, "Daddy?"

"Yes, Honey?"

"Do I has a toy?"

Dallas reached into the bag and handed Steve the little barbie toy wrapped in plastic. He ripped open the package and dumped her out onto the table, then handed her to Denver. She grabbed the toy with a gasp and gazed up at her father like he'd bought it for her himself, "Thanks Daddy."

"Well, lunch is done." Dallas said slowly, "I'm gonna take her back to the hotel for a nap. What are you gonna do?"

"Read the journal?" Steve suggested and Dallas pointed at him, telling him he'd gotten it right.

"That's a good answer. Read it over and call me in the morning? We can get together again if you'd like before we leave."

Steve carefully pulled Denver out of her highchair and held her to his chest, "Would that be okay if I saw you again?"

She shrugged, "I guess. Do you know Mommy?"

"Yes. I love your Mommy very much." Steve said slowly, deciding not to use the past tense. It wasn't like he'd stopped loving her, "I miss her."

"She'll be back in a long time. She had to go to Heaven for a while."

Steve's jaw fell open as a defeated gasp left his throat, and Dallas sighed and massaged her temples. He could see how the child had aged the once vibrant Dallas Wells. Now she was Denver's legal guardian unless he stepped up to the plate. "Would you hang out with me while we wait for her?" Steve finally asked with a weak smile.

Denver nodded, rocking back and forth a little against him, "Yeah. Mommy told me you were the best. She said you loved me very, very- very much that you work hard to make sure we is safe."

"Alright, Denny. I think it's nap time." Dallas said as she stepped up to Steve and held out her arms to take Denver from Steve, "Say goodbye to Daddy. We'll see him again tomorrow."

"Bye Daddy." Denny said before pressing a sloppy kiss on his cheek. She reached away from him to climb into Dallas's arms. She placed her hands on either side of Dallas's ear to whisper loudly, but Steve heard her clearly asking if she could tell him she loved him.

"Yes, Denny, you can tell Daddy you love him." Dallas said with a gentle smile. That was Brooklyn's smile.

"Love you Daddy!" Denver called as her aunt carried her out of the McDonalds to the van she'd driven down from Manhattan.

Steve watched her secure his daughter into the backseat, wanting to talk to Brooklyn more than anything. He wanted to know why she'd kept this from him, and why she'd told him she couldn't have children, knowing full well Steve had a daughter hiding in Manhattan.

He looked down at the journal in his hand, knowing if he sat down to read what Brooklyn had left him, he might find the answers he needed.

Late September 2012

Dallas scrubbed her teeth in front of the mirror as she perused Brooklyn's belongings lining Steve's bathroom counter. She hummed to herself as she picked up the various vitamins and medicines that her sister took, because Steve Rogers clearly didn't need anything to help him stay in good shape.

"Hmmm," she picked up Brooklyn's vitamins and unscrewed the cap before rolling two of them into her hand to take later before picking up her sister's birth control. As an OBGYN in training, Dallas prided herself on being able to quality check her sister's life and make sure that, aside from the whole IUD snapping, she was taking care of herself.

She sat the birth control back down and picked up a bottle of prescription pills as she scrubbed her bottom molars on her left-hand side. As her eyes scanned the label though, she let go of her toothbrush to hold the bottle with both hands so she could focus. Her toothbrush fell into the sink as she realized what the drug was, and she quickly spit out her toothpaste before going to find her sister.

Dallas found Brooklyn laying across the couch with her legs on Steve's lap and a book in her hands. She looked up when her sister stumbled through the doorway, raising her brow questioningly as she panted. Dallas looked between her sister and boyfriend, then stammered, "I need tampons."

Steve choked on his own breath, pounding his chest before looking up at Dallas with watery eyes, "Excuse me?"

"I need tampons. Can you go get me some? I'd really appreciate it."

"You can just borrow some of mine?" Brooklyn offered, "They're in the bottom drawer on the left."

"Those are the wrong ones." Dallas yelped as she ruffled her drying pixie cut, "I need special ones. Uh, I have a- a wide set vagina."

Steve carefully shifted Brooklyn's legs to the ground before standing and stretching, "I'll go to the store and get your… tampons."

"Thank you! Just, anything is fine, as long as they aren't what Brooklyn has." Dallas said as she leaned against the doorframe and forced an awkward smile, "I appreciate you."

"I'll text you what she needs. Thank you, Honey." Brooklyn called as Steve grabbed the keys to his bike and gave an uncomfortable wave before leaving.

Once alone, Brooklyn turned to her sister with an accusatory stare, "What the hell was that?"

"Have you been taking these?" Dallas asked as she produced the pill bottle and plopped down beside her sister.

Brooklyn took the bottle, reading it quickly before handing it back, "No. Didn't need to. They gave them to me in case I had stomach trouble."

"Like, three days ago? Why would you have stomach trouble from being fucked too aggressively, Bee?"

Brooklyn threw her hands in the air in defense, leaning away, "How should I know? I'm not a doctor! I don't even know what those are, they just said if I felt nauseous to take two in the morning."

"God, you're such an idiot." Dallas groaned as she leaned against the back of the couch, stretching out her neck, "These are high concentration Plan B pills. They gave you these to make sure you weren't pregnant."

"But they said I wasn't pregnant." Brooklyn said slowly, taking the pills to study them. "They gave me IVs and stuff, but this was the only thing they sent me home with. They encouraged me to take them, but I didn't need them."

Dallas stared at her big sister for a long moment, then leapt to her feet, "Come here."

"Why?"

"You're gonna pee on a stick." Dallas ordered as she pointed to the bathroom.

Brooklyn tossed her head back and laughed, "Are you serious? Some of the best doctors in the country checked me over when I got back. If they say I'm not pregnant, I'm not pregnant."

"Then why are they so worried about making sure you aren't?" Dallas pressed and Brooklyn frowned, looking down at the pills again, "They didn't tell you what they were for, why? Because they didn't want you to know you could be pregnant."

"Screw this. I'll pee on the stick if it makes you stop." Brooklyn grumbled as she managed to stand, wobbling back and forth for a second before following her sister into the bedroom.

Dallas threw her bag onto the bed and began digging for a toiletry bag, which she unzipped and pulled out two pregnancy tests, "Wow, were you planning on getting pregnant on this trip?"

"No." Dallas spat back, handing her sister the tests and shoving her into the bathroom, "But I knew why I was coming, so I came prepared."

Brooklyn rolled her eyes as she closed the door. Dallas leaned against the doorframe for a few minutes, tapping her foot impatiently as she looked at her Fitbit. She moved to the mirror to study her reflection until she noticed the vitamins she'd stolen earlier. Dallas popped them in her mouth and swallowed them dry before pulling out eyeshadow from her sister's caboodle to begin doing her makeup. After about twenty minutes, Brooklyn appeared from the bathroom.

"See." She said, thrusting out the stick with a shaky hand, "Not pregnant. You happy now?"

Dallas took the pregnancy test, looking down at it to see a little plus sign. She looked to her sister to see her putting her finger to her lips, telling Dallas to be quiet. She handed her the second test, and Dallas realized it said the same thing.

Brooklyn was pregnant.

"I mean, it depends, on whether or not you were hoping you were." Dallas said cautiously, but before Brooklyn could answer, Steve called from the front door, saying he'd bought one of everything for Dallas.

She snorted and Brooklyn laughed, lifting her head to keep the happy tears from falling. She looked at Dallas and nodded, mouthing 'this is a good thing' before giving her hand a squeeze.

Steve appeared in the doorway and Dallas quickly hid the sticks behind her back, "You two okay?"

"Yeah, she's just emotional because it's her period." Brooklyn spat out and Dallas smirked in a vain attempt to hold back her laughter, "We'll take the stuff. You can hang out in the living room."

"Right. Yeah. Here." Steve thrust the bag full of tampons towards Brooklyn and Dallas, causing the two to giggle as he closed the door.

Dallas grabbed Brooklyn's face and grinned as her sister cried softly, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just gotta walk it off." Brooklyn breathed out, her expression falling a little, "One day at a time."

"You gonna tell Steve about the tests?" Dallas asked.

"Why would I?" Brooklyn asked, taking the positive tests, and tucking them away in her makeup case. "No need to get him worked up about what won't be."

Dallas nodded, looking over her shoulder to the closed bedroom door, wondering if her sister intended on telling Steve he was going to be a father at all. She couldn't imagine being in Brooklyn's shoes. A spy, dating a world-famous superhero, currently pregnant with a baby that her agency wanted to make disappear without her knowing.

After spending three hours reading Brooklyn's journal in his hotel room, Steve understood why Dallas was so desperate for him to read it. From Brooklyn finding out that she was pregnant to hiding Denver for her own safety from Hydra while Insight prepared to launch. Steve didn't want to admit it, but Brooklyn was smart to keep Denver hidden from him and SHIELD.

"What did it say?" Bucky asked from where he rested on the other bed. He was doing his own research on the tablet Natasha had gifted him, scouring the internet for any information he could find about himself and his past. A worn notebook sat on his right knee, opened up to his current page as he wrote down all the little details that made sense to him.

Steve groaned as he shifted, sitting up and setting the journal aside. He rubbed his hands over his face as he leaned his elbows on his knees, "Everything. She wrote about everything in great detail. It's like I'm reading the story of Denver's first year."

Bucky nodded, lowering his gaze back to the notebook as he wrote something slowly. "That's what she told me… before she died." Steve raised his brows questioningly but didn't pressure his friend. Bucky sighed and closed the notebook, choosing not to look Steve in the eye. "When we were on the carrier, after the gun went off… I was going to kill you. But she said 'Моей дочери нужен ее отец'. It means 'my daughter needs her father'. That's why I stopped. She was the only person who cared for me… who made sure I was taken care of. I didn't realize she had a kid." Bucky leaned his head into his palm, sniffling loudly as he softly cried, "I took away that little girl's mother. I didn't mean to; I was supposed to kill you. I didn't even know why, they just told me what to do and I did it. If I didn't comply, they wiped it all away."

"It wasn't your fault." Steve choked out in an attempt to convince himself it was true. He leaned his mouth against his fist, staring past Bucky at the window overlooking D.C. The lights were shining brightly from the helicopters trying to find victims in the rubble of the Triskellion. It had been a week, and they were still pulling out bodies out from beneath the rubble Steve left in his wake. "I should have listened to her. I didn't have the slightest clue what she was going through, but as soon as I realized she was Hydra, I shut her out. When I realized she knew you… that was it. I knocked her out when she tracked me down."

"We all made mistakes." Bucky mumbled, shutting down the tablet and setting it on the table between their beds. He placed his notebook on top, then laid down, clasping his hands over his chest while he stared at the ceiling, "I pulled the trigger. You didn't listen. She didn't share."

"I can't help but think maybe if she'd shared the trouble she was in, we could have had this reunion earlier." Steve said as he tilted his head to look at Bucky, "I know you don't remember me, but it's really great to have you back, Buck."

He nodded, gnawing his teeth a little as he thought, "Maybe." Bucky said quietly, "Maybe not. She was good to me, though. Always gentle, and kind. Whenever I woke up, if she was there, somebody would say her name and something just sparked in my mind. She felt like home."

Steve wanted to be mad at Bucky for the affection he held for his girlfriend. He wanted to blame Bucky for killing her, but Steve knew that he couldn't see through the fog. Brooklyn had written about him in her journal too. "She loved you, you know. She said so in here." Steve raised the journal and Bucky turned to him in surprise. Steve just shrugged, "She was complicated."

Bucky snorted, "Yeah, I've started to gather that." There was a comfortable silence for a few minutes as Steve placed the journal next to Bucky's tablet and notepad on the table. "What are you gonna do about the girl?"

"I have no idea." Steve admitted truthfully as he shifted down the bed, laying on top of the covers. He was scared if he got comfortable, he might forget that Brooklyn was gone.

"She looks like you. She has your eyes."

"She has Brooklyn's smile, though." Steve murmured, blinking away the tears. He leaned over the table and hit the switch to turn off the light, plunging the super soldiers into darkness. Steve laid on his back, counting the bumps in the popcorn ceiling as he milled over Bucky's question. "I'm scared."

"Yeah," Bucky chuckled, "Me too."

"Seriously, I have a daughter. I wasn't prepared for that. I was nowhere near thinking about kids, and Brooklyn said she couldn't have any."

"Maybe because she knew you had one."

"No." Steve said sadly, "She really couldn't. Denver was a one in a million fluke."

Bucky shifted and Steve looked over, seeing his friend glaring at him in the darkness, "You did not just call that angel a fluke."

"Not like that." Steve smiled, thinking about his daughter, "Just that, she shouldn't have been able to get pregnant. Timing is everything, I guess."

"I promised her I'd watch out for you and her sister." Bucky murmured under his breath, "I kinda think she made me promise her that so you and her sister could look after that little girl."

Steve felt the gravity of the past two days weighing on him. He'd have to call Dallas in the morning and figure something out. He had to figure out how to be a father. He never had one. Steve had hoped he'd have a wife to figure things out with, but Denver's mother was gone. He just had his dead girlfriend's little sister, his brainwashed childhood friend, an assassin, and a random veteran he met running through D.C.