While Bucky had been so happy when Tony had consolidated their apartments and he'd moved in with his Steve and his Chris. Having them next to him at night kept the nightmare visions from his past at bay mostly. In their arms, he found rest, peace.

His past was currently the least of his problems.

He and Steve had gotten up at dawn as they normally did, leaving a sleeping Chris in the center of their bed. Steve usually had to drag him away because she looked so beautiful, so soft laying there tangled in the sheets that he just wanted to crawl back into bed with her. He wanted to wrap himself around her until she began to stir and then wake her completely up the most sensual way he knew how.

Now she looked so tired. The shadows beneath her eyes weren't getting better. Normally at night, she went between being Bucky's little spoon to wrapping herself around Steve when he stretched out on his back. Now when she came to bed, normally only an hour or two before their run, their girl was so exhausted she didn't move in her sleep – and not in a good way.

"You okay?" Steve asked, rubbing the back of his neck as he stopped behind him.

"I'm okay," Bucky didn't like the sad note in his own voice.

Steve blew out a sigh but didn't say anything. His blue eyes were clouded by his own worries when his gaze met Bucky's.

"You ready?" Steve asked.

It had been like that for days. As usual, they went for their run, barely talking until Sam came up and got them both going as only Sam could. Sam tactfully found ways to bring up Chris without asking how she was. He'd even offered to talk to her as a counselor, as he had for the VA, if they ever wanted or needed him to.

Bucky was giving it some thought.

Steve cared too but Bucky was concerned about him for different reasons. Reasons he was guessing Steve wasn't sharing with him or Chris. There was a mission coming up soon and though Bucky didn't know many of the details yet, he assumed they'd all be going. Only he had no plans whatsoever to leave Chris there without one of them so long as Ross was still milling around. Ross had been conspicuously absent from the compound since Siberia, but Bucky knew it was only a matter of time before he came around again.

Chris had survived his attempt to get rid of her. She knew Ross was responsible for what happened to her and for the lives of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents he'd cost. But they couldn't just go after him, guns blazing.

Taking down Ross, because of the station he'd attained, required having stone cold proof that he had been the one responsible. And he'd covered his tracks very well. Tony, Nat, and Fury all three had been working behind the scenes trying to find anything to implicate Ross in the entire affair but so far hadn't had any luck.

That left things in a mess.

Steve didn't say much but Bucky knew it was eating at him. More than a couple of times at the lockers or when Steve thought he was alone, he'd ask FRIDAY for a status on Chris. Making sure he knew where and how she was. When they were all together Steve acted as he normally did. Bucky knew he was hoping with time, Chris would snap out of the melancholy that had taken hold of her after the kidnapping.

Chris would stop work when they made it back each day and they all had dinner together. Steve had been teaching her little things about cooking which brought Chris out of herself for short periods of time, so he kept it up. Then they'd watch TV together.

Intimacy was unpredictable now. To the point that he and Steve would often grab a shower together before dinner, getting each other off quickly so they'd be ready for however the evening went, so they could be patient with their girl and not frustrated. If Chris initiated things, they went from there, giving her whatever she wanted and needed. A couple of times she'd told them she had work left to do for Tony and retreated to her cave. He and Steve had ended up making out, heading for the bedroom with the understanding that Chris could join in any time. They always wanted her. And she did eventually follow them back, but just as an observer, gently kissing Bucky and holding him as Steve solidly fucked him.

Most of the time, she went back to bed with them to watch TV and sometime after they'd fallen asleep, she'd get back up, go back to her cave and stay there for hours.

And that was the part that scared Bucky. Chris could be doing anything in there and he wouldn't know. Chris was right up there with Stark when it came to technology. She was formidable enough that when the identity the FBI had established for her was compromised, some of the most powerful deviants in the world were after her. As far as he was concerned, Chris was capable of a lot.

He knew she was after Ross and his ultimate fear was that she would do something that would result in them losing her.

"Cap, Tony and Fury are asking for you," Sam came and got them as they walked back to the compound from their run.

Steve's expression told him that he knew what the meeting was about, and it wasn't good. "I'll catch up," Steve told him.

Bucky nodded. He could go to the gym. But he decided then and there he was going back up to their place instead, maybe sleep in a little while with Chris because that was what his heart wanted.

Heading straight for the bathroom to shower when he got there, he was startled to find Chris there, sitting on the edge of the tub, sobbing.

"Baby?"

He'd startled her, she wasn't expecting to see him, and he pulled her into his arms as he joined her there. She felt cold, sitting there in one of Steve's shirts and her panties. An open box of feminine products was tipped over in the floor between her and the toilet and he realized what was going on.

Smoothing his hands up and down her back, he pressed kisses into her hair. "Does it hurt?" he whispered. "I can get you something for the pain."

Chris didn't answer just held onto him tighter.

"I need to clean up," he whispered. "How about I take you back to bed, get a shower, and I'll come get back in bed with you. Would that be okay?"

Her head tipped up at that, the hope in her gray eyes had his heart squeezing in his chest. Chris nodded.

Bucky had her situated in bed with a glass of water and some of the painkillers she had left from Dr. Cho. He showered and was back with the efficiency of a SWAT team, pulling her against him and letting her get comfortable as he stretched out.

"Feeling better?" he whispered as she laid her head on his chest.

"The cramps are really bad." She sniffled. "It's my first cycle since…"

It hadn't occurred to him until then that it had been about six weeks since the kidnapping and the miscarriage.

"Helen said she'd work with me on something for… birth control… I need to call her I guess but…"

The tone of her voice and the way she lightly trembled against him had him thinking.

"Is that what you want, Chris?"

Lifting her head, her gaze met with his. "What do you mean?"

Someone in their apartment needed to talk about it. She and Steve never did.

"Do you want to go back on birth control? Or did you want to…"

The misery he read in her eyes broke his heart a little. With his flesh hand, he brushed her hair back from her face and waited for her to form an answer.

Bucky shook his head. She was just like Steve. She wanted something but was so afraid of inconveniencing anyone else, like she wasn't allowed to want something for herself. Sometimes they both drove him crazy.

Bucky tipped up her chin when she tried to look away. "Chris, do you want a baby?"

She hadn't expected him to ask that. He could tell.

And that's when the tears returned. "I don't know," she whispered miserably.

Sitting up with her, Bucky pulled her onto his lap, letting her cry it out and wishing with everything he had he could take the pain for her.

When she finally pulled back to gaze up at him, he watched her struggle with whatever she was trying to say.

"Bucky, I think… I do want one… a baby but…"

Was it wrong that his heart was flying at those words? Having a child that was theirs was something he could envision, something he was starting to really hope for.

"But?" he prompted gently.

"What if… I guess it would wise to resolve everything with… with Ross first," she reasoned slowly.

Bucky nodded thinking that statement could be taken one of two ways. Either she meant she was afraid of being pregnant and taking a chance that Ross could get his hands on her again.

Or she meant she couldn't be pregnant because of what she might be planning to do with Ross and the consequences from that…

Surely, Chris wasn't thinking that way.

"He won't ever get near you again, doll, I promise," Bucky tried to assure her. "If you want a baby, we'll have one. Stevie and I? We'll take care of you. Ross will never be anywhere near you or him. Or her."

Chris smiled through her tears at his words and shook her head. "It's not that," she whispered.

"It's not what?" Bucky wanted to know.

Chris shook her head, dropped her gaze. He cupped her cheek with his hand, guided her to look at him again.

"Chris, promise me you're not planning anything," he pleaded. "Promise me you're not going to try and move on Ross by yourself. Please. Baby, I can't –"

Chris pulled away from him, he let her and she jumped out of the bed. She ran one hand over her face, the other pressed to her abdomen as the fast movement had hurt her.

"Bucky," she said through her tears. "I love you. I love Steve. But I can't promise you that I'm going to sit on the sidelines and let everyone fight my battles for me."

He was off the bed and in front of her in the next beat.

"Chris," he lightly gripped her shoulders, "that's exactly what needs to happen when it comes to Ross."

Chris glared up at him. "Why? You think I can't take him on?"

Bucky shook his head, afraid of how determined she was. "No, I'm all too afraid that you can, baby. But Ross is in a position of power. He's not some thug you've fucked with in some other country for the FBI. It's going to take time and the right approach to bring him down. I know you can do it. But it would kill me and Steve to see you hurt or killed or locked away because of that asshole."

The anger faded from her expression as she considered his words.

"Not only that," he went on calmly. "When's the last time you slept more than three or four hours, huh? You don't sleep. You don't eat much. You never leave the apartment even though Ross hasn't been here since before…"

Her gaze dropped, she nodded.

"Let this go, doll," he begged her. "Let us deal with it. We'll get him for you. Steve's as set on exposing the bastard for what he is as you are. You know that. You could get back into doing all the techie stuff you and Stark do. We could have a baby if you wanted. We're all together now, let's enjoy this."

Chris sank down onto the edge of the bed, swiping away tears. Bucky knelt in front of her, not willing to end the conversation until he felt she understood where he was coming from. And he was confident he could help her understand. She wasn't quite as stubborn as Steve…

"And if Ross hurts any of you?" Chris said through her tears.

Bucky shook his head. "Not going to happen, doll baby."

"You can't promise that." She was right. "And I… What? Am I supposed to just let you, you two, the Avengers, just… this is all I am now?"

At that moment, Bucky understood more. Chris was missing being a valuable FBI agent, a member of a team, who could take care of herself. He got that.

"Chris, for now, yes, I'm asking you to trust us. To lean on us. I think sometimes you forget that the reason you are here is on us. Maybe it's our fault and we should handle Ross for you. I know that's what's in Steve's head."

Her gaze narrowed on him. "That's what's eating Steve? He thinks all of this is your fault? The two of you?"

Bucky shook his head. "No. In his mind, it's his fault."

"Seriously?" Chris shook her head. "I should have known. Jesus, we're a mess right now, huh?"

"We don't have to be, doll."

With that, he scooped her up because she was shivering, and situated her back in the bed with him next to her.

"Just think about what I said, okay?" Bucky pressed a kiss to her lips. "Let's get a couple more hours of sleep. You could use it. I'll stick around today."

Chris gazed up at him, running a hand through his hair. "I look that bad, huh?"

"You look beautiful, doll baby. But you need to sleep. For me?"

Snuggling up to him, she was asleep in minutes as he caught up on the news.

She'd left Bucky with a lot to think about and he wasn't able to go back to sleep after all. He just stayed and watched over her.

Steve wasn't in the best mood after Tony and Natasha's latest attempt at getting anything on Ross turned up empty. A mission was coming soon, not involving Ross, but he was going to have to make a decision he didn't like when the time came. They really needed all hands on deck for it, the situation was likely to be that bad. He knew Bucky would refuse to go and leave Chris alone. And he agreed with that. He didn't want her to be there without one of them either. But he really needed Bucky too.

After weeks of Chris recovering from the kidnapping and assault, Steve had been about to lose hope that things would turn around and get back to something like normal.

After HYDRA had been revealed inside S.H.I.E.L.D, he'd found Bucky back but for the longest time, he didn't really have Bucky back. Not until Chris came along.

Chris not only gave his first love back to him, but she'd loved him too, just as he'd asked her to try and do. And they'd all been happy for a time.

Until Ross had literally plucked her out of their lives to punish him. Ross had given her to an animal and Steve was only grateful that things hadn't been worse. It had been bad enough that he'd beaten her so badly, caused her to lose a child. The depression she'd slid into since concerned him.

The one thing it had done was bring out every protective instinct Bucky had and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He was so focused on Chris and her well-being that he almost seemed, at times, the Bucky Barnes that he'd known in childhood, the one who'd saved his scrawny ass on several occasions.

A few days ago, Buck had disappeared from the gym, and he found him back in their apartment, in bed with their girl and unapologetic. Steve hadn't said anything. He was grateful he'd held his tongue because, since that morning, things had been a little better. He couldn't put his finger on how. Chris was spending less time in her cave. She even worked in her office next to Tony's the day before and he was half-hoping she'd do so again today.

Steve had almost been jealous of how stuck together she'd been with Bucky since that morning, their quiet conversations seemed to fade when he got close. But just last night, he was stretched out on the couch watching a football game. Chris came and just stretched out in front of him, curling up like a cat and falling asleep against his chest. Any jealousy he might have had disappeared after that. He just needed to know she needed him too. She did.

He'd just wrapped his hands up and was heading up to the gym to go a few rounds with the punching bag. It'd always been a way he could let off steam which lately was getting to be pretty often.

Steve was surprised when he reached the gym to see Natasha sparring with Chris.

They hadn't noticed him, at least he didn't think Chris had anyway, and he just watched. Chris wasn't bad at all. If she could put on a little weight, she'd do better he mentally noted. She was outmatched by Nat who was throwing her around aggressively, but it seemed to be what Chris was looking for. And Chris was patient as Natasha would stop and explain a sequence of moves to her and correct her technique.

He didn't realize he'd headed in the direction until Nat looked up, smirking at him. "Hey, Rogers. Come to supervise?"

Steve shook his head. "No. You're doing just fine. Keep doing what you're doing, and I'll spar with her."

Nat's brows shot up, but she didn't argue.

Chris stood panting and gazing up at him with a look that he took to mean really? He could hear her say it in his head and he grinned.

"Hey, Sweetheart," he told her, throwing off the boxing gloves, pulling off the tape job. "Is that okay with you?"

She hesitated but slowly those gray eyes lifted to meet his and she nodded.

Together he and Nat put her through a pretty rigorous session. She'd impressed him with her patience and her eagerness to learn. Her demeanor appealed to the teacher in him, had him going over techniques and moves right along with Nat.

"I've got to go," Nat said reaching down to check her phone at the edge of the mat. "Tony," she added meaningfully.

Steve hoped with everything in him that they had something.

"You want to keep going?" he asked as they watched Nat dash out.

Chris grinned. "For a little while, yeah."

Steve focused on helping her use her size to her advantage and she was an eager student. They went a few rounds until he noticed she was tiring, not hitting with the same power.

He helped her up, smiling at her. "You feel okay?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah, this was good. I need to get back into running, training. I'd like to do this more."

"You feel like Nat and I helped you?"

Chris nodded, grinned. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, Sweetheart," he told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and steering her towards the dressing rooms. "We can do this every day I'm in the compound if you want to."

"So you're going to improve my fighting skills and teach me to cook?" He loved the bit of mischief in her big gray eyes at that. "Buck might start getting jealous."

"I wish," Steve told her with a wink. "He'll catch on to this soon enough and then he's going to tell you how to cheat when you spar with me."

She laughed at that. He'd really missed that sound.

"He could beat you?"

"Yes," Steve told her honestly. "He beat the hell out of me on one of the helicarriers when the Triskelion fell."

"I'll bet you weren't trying to fight him," Chris said as they walked.

She wasn't wrong.

"Buck's been beating my ass and saving it since we were kids," he explained. "Yeah, he could probably beat me most days."

Chris blew out an exhale. "I forget. Once upon a time, I guess you weren't a lot bigger than I am, huh?"

He stopped, his gaze moving over her. "I was your height. I maybe had ten pounds on you."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"So that's how you're able to tell me how to go up against someone like you are now?"

"Pretty much."

"I want to get better at this," Chris said with feeling.

Steve nodded. "Maybe one day you won't have to hide anymore. You can get back out there. I know I'd feel better with you trained by us."

Chris grinned at him bashfully. "I'll never be Avenger level but… I don't know what's in my future as far as a career. I do miss the Bureau but life here is pretty good too. Nothing like thinking you're going to lose everything or die to make you take a good look at what you have. I have quite a bit, Steve. I'm grateful. For you, for Bucky. For Tony and everyone here. You should know that."

His heart was flying at her words. She thought she could be happy here? She was grateful for all of them? Steve wanted it to be true so bad.

"What?" she asked him, her gaze searching his. "You look… skeptical."

Steve dropped his head. "You mean all that?"

"Why would I say it if I didn't?"

"Because you don't want me to worry?"

"Granted, but… I do mean it, Steve. I've been doing a lot of thinking and…"

"Talking to Bucky about it," Steve threw in.

"See? I knew you were jealous of that," she told him, concern clouding her pretty face. "I just… I don't know how to…"

Steve took her face in his hand, made her focus on him. "Just say it, Chris. Put us both out of our misery here. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"It's not that I could tell Bucky and not you," Chris began. "That's what he said but you and I lately… You've been worried about me and I've been worried about you, and I still am. I know what you're doing and that you're going after him. And I understand, and I love you for it. But I'm so afraid that something will happen to you because of this, Steve. With everything you've been through… I'm not worth this."

He pressed a finger to her lips. "You are to me. You are to Bucky. I don't think you understand just what having you in our lives has meant. I won't do anything to jeopardize that. I promise."

Chris blew out an exhale, stepping into his arms. He held her against his beating heart.

"Was that it?" Steve whispered. "Was that what you were worried about all this time?"

"Part of it."

He tried to pull back from her, but she held on tight, not moving her head from where it was pressed against his chest. She wasn't looking up at him.

Steve didn't know what else to do but wrap his arms around her again, smoothing his hands up and down her back.

Clint walked up the hall, nodded to him in greeting, but kept walking as they stood just outside the dressing rooms.

"What else, Sweetheart? Tell me," he said gently.

Even with his enhanced hearing, he barely heard her.

"Iwanttohaveababy."

Steve's heart sped up. Did she just say what he thought she said?

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Bucky knew, and Steve knew just how happy he had to be about it. How had Bucky been able to keep that from him?

Steve had a couple of concerns like his and Bucky's line of work and the fact that he'd always imagined being married before he had kids. There were a few things to talk about, iron out.

But their girl wanted a baby…

"What was that?" Steve pried himself away enough to capture her chin and tip it up, so she'd look at him.

The color that flooded her face only had his smile widening.

"Steve," she said so quietly, "I want to have a baby."

He gazed down at her for a beat, everything that had been preying on his mind dissipating.

"Then let's do it, Sweetheart."

Steve fought back his own tears as he watched relief and happiness take over her expression.

"Really?"

"Really." Steve pulled her back into his arms, holding her close and not giving a damn who was walking up and down the hall by them right now. Her heart pounded as hard and fast as his did and for a moment, he was able to let so many things go.

He'd deal with the situation with Ross tomorrow. He wasn't going anywhere.

"I love you," she muttered against his chest.

"I love you." Steve pressed a kiss into her hair. "You working in the office today?"

"Yes," she told him.

"Then Buck and I will swing by and get you after work and we'll go have dinner," he told her. "Celebrate. Sound okay?"

Sam's whistle was low as he walked by in time to see Chris pull Steve down to her for a kiss that was equal parts passion and love.