So, this chapter is a bit of a break from any drama :) Apologies for the delay in posting (I'm rubbish, I know)

Thank you to anyone still reading this, it means a lot. Reviews are always welcome.

Enjoy :)

It had been three days since their failed mission to find the enhanced twins, three days of trying to wrap his head around Fury's emotional confession, well, emotional for Nick, anyway, and three days of everyone fussing and fretting over Natasha's tiny, prone form as she lay convalescing in bed. The mini spy had been less than impressed about being on constant bedrest; her adult self was known for ignoring doctor's orders at every turn and would be back in the field the same day as a minor surgery if she thought she was needed. Baby Natasha, however, was finding that her body was not as cooperative as she would like and on the many, many, occasions she had tried to sneak down to join the rest of the family she had easily been spotted and carried back to bed, her protests falling on deaf ears.

By the fourth day she had been deemed fit to join the group for a late breakfast and Tony watched with a pang in his chest as she was escorted carefully down the stairs by Clint; the boy's hands hovering around her ready to catch her if she fell, but far enough away that she could not accuse him of babying her. Tony had never seen Clint so serious about anything as he had about Natasha's care the past few days. He had even taken to sleeping at the foot of her bed in case she needed him during the night. Tony had expressed to Pepper, not for the first time, his questions about the nature of their relationship. Pepper had playfully scolded him for being so nosy, but there had been an infuriating smirk on her face as though she knew something he did not. Tony had tried to shrug it off, but he hated when people knew things he was in the dark about, something my darling partner most definitely knows, and very much enjoys exploiting.

"And how is our little warrior this fine day?" Tony asked as Natasha eased herself into a chair, he almost missed the slight spasm of pain that crossed her face before her features settled back into their usual cool composure.

"I'd be better if people stopped treating me like a baby," she pouted, although her annoyance did not quite meet her eyes. Tony knew she would never admit it out loud, but he thought she had enjoyed all the fussing a little bit. She certainly did not protest as Pepper poured her drink for her, or when Steve prepared her a breakfast plate, including cutting up her pancakes into the little squares she liked. Tony most definitely did not miss the tiny smile that graced her lips as the super soldier set the plate in front of her and poured over a generous helping of maple syrup. He tried to catch Pepper's eye, wanting to silently ask all the questions he had about the other relationship in Natasha's life, but Pepper was too busy engaged in a heated debate with Thor about the proper etiquette of pancake eating. The blonde had a stack of six, smothered in Nutella and syrup, that he was currently trying to eat like a burger. Whilst the rest of the group looked on in a mixture of horror and disgust, Tony was left amused, and slightly worried, at the hero-worship currently shining out of Clint's eyes.

"So, now Tasha has finally stopped being so lazy and dragged herself out of her pit," Clint started round a mouthful of pancake, earning himself a kick to the shin from the redhead, "what's on the agenda today? Battling aliens? Kidnapping enhanced siblings? Fighting our supposed allies?"

Tony rolled his eyes at the archer, whilst internally hoping that none of those things were going to come up again for a little while. He certainly had no desire to throw the kids back into any sort of battle for a while – he only hoped the universe would be kind enough to leave them be for now. He was content to let Fury deal with the freaky duo who had caused them more than one sleepless night, and he was most assuredly going to avoid any run-ins with SHIELD employees for the foreseeable future. That just left Thor's brother, and he was sincerely hoping the Asgardians would have locked him up somewhere secure by now, and that they would not be stupid enough to let him out a second time; he was not going to hold his breath about that one though.

"Actually, Short Stack, I was thinking about hiring a boat and getting away for the day. There's a little cove not far away that should be relatively empty today. We could take a picnic out there?"

He looked enquiringly at Pepper; he had not run the idea past her, it having only just popped into his head, but he was relieved to see her smiling back at him. The kids certainly seemed to approve, and all wolfed down the remainder of their breakfasts so they could go and get ready. Happy set off shortly after the plates were cleared to make the arrangements for the boat hire whilst Pepper and Tony packed a picnic basket with bread rolls, ham, cheese, cooked chicken, fruit, and drinks. They worked together in comfortable silence until Tony's mind drifted back to the little redhead who had managed to burrow deep into his heart without him realising.

"Sooo," he started, dragging the word out in a way he knew would immediately get Pepper's full attention, "Red and Spangles? Or Red and Legolas?" He tried for a look of innocent wonder, but Pepper was certainly not buying it.

"Why don't you ask Natasha that question?" she smirked at the look of horror that crossed his face.

"Do you think I have a death wish?! Actually, don't answer that."

Pepper laughed and rolled her eyes at his antics as he sidled up behind her, wrapping his arms around her middle and resting his head on her shoulder. It was a slight source of contention with him that he did not have to stoop to do this, as she was taller than him, but it also meant she was naturally the big spoon in bed. If anyone ever asked he would deny it until he was blue in the face, but he secretly loved being the little spoon.

"Seriously though," he continued, when she was clearly not going to volunteer any information, "is there something? Do you know something? Should I buy a hat?"

Pepper laughed out loud at him, the sound going straight to his heart and making him smile over her shoulder as she swatted playfully at his hands.

"Tony, why are you so concerned with this?" Tony shrugged against her back.

"I just like to know things," he admitted, "and usually I can fathom things out without being told, but that's never the case with Nat. I just want to know" he almost whined the last part, causing Pepper to laugh again.

Pepper turned in his arms, leaning back against the worktop and putting a small amount of space between them, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth, although not unkindly.

"Nat will tell you if she wants you to know."

"So, you do know something?" he narrowed his eyes at her, trying to decipher every twitch of her mouth which was fighting hard to not smile.

Pepper drew her hand across her lips like a zip before extracting herself from his hold and making her way towards the stairs to get herself ready. Tony was left pouting behind her. He was tempted to continue his mithering, hoping to wear her down eventually, but he knew it was no use; besides, she was right – if Natasha did not want to tell him something, it was worth more than his life to try and come by the information using other methods. He sighed in resignation before going to join his girlfriend in getting ready.

Soon enough the rag-tag group were galloping down the beach towards the sea; Tony had one of his bots dragging a dinghy down the shore so they could row out to where Happy was waiting for them on a large speedboat. Tony had sailed in – had owned – much bigger yachts in his time, but this seemed sufficient for their little family. Nat hung back with Pepper and Tony as the boys raced ahead. Tony glanced down at the tiny redhead and smiled fondly at the sight of her little hands clasped in both of theirs. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that adult Natasha would rather gouge her own eyes out than allow this type of contact with him, so he decided to swallow the jokes and teasing remarks on his tongue and just enjoy the moment instead.

Once the boys reached the waterfront, they commenced shouting for the trio to hurry up, as though afraid Happy was going to sail off without them. Tony eventually took pity on them and scooped Nat up into his arms, his heart swelling with affection as her soft weight settled against his chest and her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. He could see Pepper smiling serenely out of the corner of his eye as they increased their pace and joined the eager boys at the dinghy.

It took two trips to get everyone across safely and they were delighted to find that Happy had already broken out cans of Pepsi and Fanta for them to enjoy as they lounged about the large deck. They were less impressed with Pepper's militaristic sunscreen drill.

"But Mooooooom," Clint whined, his pout doing little to sway the determined exec from her mission, "we already put some on before we left!" he looked around at his comrades, hoping for backup, but none of them seemed inclined to risk Pepper's wrath by refusing her commands.

"Well, if you don't want to put any on, you're more than welcome to wait below deck for the rest of the trip." Clint tried to stare her down, but even in adult form he had never quite mastered the type of death glare that Natasha could muster to get people to bend to her will. His childish attempt produced nothing but sniggers from the others, until he eventually caved himself and stuck his arm out for Pepper to continue lathering him in factor 50.

Tony had been watching Pepper closely whilst he pretended to listen to Happy's rundown of their route; her face had been firm and unyielding as Clint had danced away from her clutches, although her blue eyes had been sparkling with mirth the whole time. When the boy had called her Mom, her whole countenance had shifted slightly. Tony was not sure the others would have noticed; her face had certainly remained stern enough – but he had seen how her eyes had softened and he had noticed how she had pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth for the smallest of moments. In that tiniest corner of time Tony had felt as though he had fallen in love all over again.

After Happy had insisted on carrying out a safety demonstration, which only Pepper and an enthralled Thor paid the slightest bit of attention to ("My good man, do the floatation vests come in any other colours?"), they were finally on their way. They marvelled at the glistening water around them, shrieking and pointing at any fish they happened to see swimming beneath them, and trying to scare one another with the idea of what else might be lurking in the dark depths.

Upon approaching the cove, Happy dropped anchor and they made another couple of trips back and forth in the dinghy before everyone was happily relaxing on the sandy shore. Tony took a minute to breathe in the fresh, salty sea air and marvel at the crystal-clear waters lapping at the quiet little beach they had arrived at. Behind them, the beach gave way to low-standing cliffs topped with luscious green foliage. There was not another soul in sight, for which Tony was extremely grateful; he just wanted to spend a day enjoying having his family together without worrying about extra-terrestrials or strangely gifted human adversaries.

"Yo, Stark! Think fast!" Tony had barely turned at the sound of his name when a football smacked him in the side of his head, stinging the skin across the left side of his face and whipping his head back in the other direction. He turned back to see Steve standing, frozen, like a deer caught in headlights, mouthing a silent apology as the others looked on in various stages of glee and horror. Tony took a steady step towards the boy, his face a stern mask of disapproval although inside he was secretly delighted as the Captain took a shaky step backwards, holding his hands up in surrender.

"Tony, that was a complete accident'" the young boy said, placatingly, as he took another retreating step. "It's not my fault your reflexes peaked back in the stone age," he continued, a small, impish smirk starting to creep over his features, turning him immediately from scared kid to the devious little shit Tony was quickly realising he was.

Tony stopped in his tracks, his shocked face turning between Steve and their captive audience who were all trying hard to stifle their giggles. He pointed at the young super soldier as he addressed the rest of the kids.

"This? From the living fossil?! The audacity!" Without any warning he took off after Steve, determined to tackle the cheeky little so-and-so until he was face-planting the warm sand. Maybe I'll dunk him too, for good measure.

Unfortunately for Tony, Steve had been uncomfortably correct about his reflexes, and the smirking little twerp danced easily out of his grasp every time. Determined not to lose any more of his dignity in front of the kids – the only one of whom that was cheering for him, he noticed, was Bruce – he pushed through the stitch under his ribs and the niggling pain in his hip until Pepper mercifully called for a truce so they could eat. Tony had never been so grateful to the woman in his life and he flopped unceremoniously onto the red and white picnic blanket next to her, trying desperately to hear snatches of conversation over his own obnoxiously loud breathing.

"You know, even on a normal day you're not as young and fit as these guys," Pepper whispered as she rubbed soothing circles across the back of his sweat-dampened t-shirt. "I wish you wouldn't always push yourself to compete with them; you'll give yourself a heart attack one of these days".

Tony huffed and rolled his eyes at her worrying, mainly because speech was still evading him after his impromptu running session – much harder to do on soft sand, FYI.

The truth was that Tony liked to be the best and, with his gadgets and inventions, he could usually ensure he was at the top of his game competing with gods and super soldiers in the field. Out of the suit his brain was his best weapon – still fast and beyond smart. His body, on the other hand, was starting to show its years; although he kept in shape, he had to admit that he struggled to keep up with the others - the only one on his level was Bruce. His science buddy, however, had little desire to compete physically with their comrades; in fact, Tony could not remember the last time he saw the guy hit the gym – the scientist seemed comfortable with his softer, less-honed physique. Tony admired that self-acceptance (especially as it seemed about the only thing his bespectacled friend actually seemed at peace with about himself) but Tony had never had that mentality. His father had drilled into him the importance of always striving for more, to be more, and that was not something the genius found easy to cast aside.

Once his breathing had reached a less embarrassing volume, Tony finally started to relax and enjoy the picnic spread out before him. A strong, solid hand slapped him on the back as he took a large bite of his sandwich, causing him to choke around the mouthful of food. The same hand pounded relentlessly against his back, seemingly trying to help dislodge the offending morsel, until he managed to successfully manoeuvre himself away from his assailant.

"Odin's beard!" Thor was staring at him with a look of shock and concern on his strangely chiselled child-face, "I did not mean to cause you distress, Man of Iron. I simply wished to express my thanks for all you have done for us."

Tony waved his thanks away good-naturedly.

"Nothing to it, Bjorn Ironside, just a little grub rustled up."

"No, not that, my good man." Tony still sometimes struggled to grasp adult Thor's Shakespearean way of speaking but hearing such phrasings from this young demi-god, and in such a deep, booming voice, was beyond bizarre for him. "What I meant to say is that the tenacity and care you have shown to us in these most troubling of times has been most assuredly noted by myself and my comrades. You, and the most estimable of ladies, Lady Pepper," Tony did not miss the faint flush of his partner's cheeks as Thor bowed low to the lady in question, "have gone above and beyond for us all and I hope our gratitude to you both is not lacking. Were we on Asgard, I would ensure the feast to end all feasts to be held in your names. There would be tourneys and dancing and enough food to last a lifetime. Alas, we are on Midgard, and I can offer you nothing."

On that anticlimactic note, Thor bowed low to the pair before dashing off to join Clint splashing in the shallows. Tony turned, dumbstruck, to his partner with his eyebrows almost kissing his hairline to find the strawberry blonde looking just as perplexed at the abrupt end to Thor's adulation.

Before either could begin to voice their thoughts on the matter, a softer, raspier voice piped up right behind the pair, causing a jolt of shock in both of them.

"It's true we can't really express our thanks properly right now," the pair turned in unison to find Natasha crouched behind them on the picnic blanket, one tiny hand pressing lightly against the newest scar hidden beneath her habitual beach shirt, "but we all really appreciate how you've looked after us. Even if some of us don't always show it very well." The mini spy grinned coyly at her last statement, and the two adults smirked back at the youngster, all three picturing her recent, vocal, disdain over her forced bedrest.

Natasha blinked big, green eyes at the pair and Tony was surprised to recognise a look of uncertainty flashing momentarily across her gaze before the redhead darted forward and flung her arms around their necks. The surprising strength of her grip was less shocking than the brief kisses she pressed to each of their cheeks before she gingerly backed away and fled. Although her getaway was greatly impeded by her still-healing body, Tony was pleased to see that her movements were a little easier than they had been even just a couple of hours earlier.

"Tony," Pepper's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts and he turned his attention from the little girl back to his partner, "is it completely selfish of me that I almost don't want them to turn back?"

"You mean you enjoy wrangling with five unruly, ridiculously strong and precocious children every day? And you don't miss the peaceful nights we could spend just drinking wine and talking about adult things, instead of arguing over teeth-brushing and the amount of sugar that is appropriate to consume before bed?"

Pepper merely gave him a knowing smile and all Tony could do was sigh and nod, watching as Thor and Clint tried desperately to dunk Happy under the water whilst Natasha cheered them on from atop Steve's shoulders, and Bruce cast uncertain glances back to the pair still sitting halfway up the beach.

"Honestly, Pep? Same."