In time, they'd mostly put Ross out of their minds and things fell into a comfortable routine around the compound.

Chris was six months along in her pregnancy and each day closer to the birth of their son made her boys both worse. In good ways. When they weren't pointing out that she'd started waddle – because that's what a woman with a ballooning figure wants to hear – they were hovering over her.

Okay, maybe she did waddle. A little. As Helen suspected, the baby was on the larger side and preliminary tests she'd run revealed that the father, whichever one of them it was, had indeed passed his modified and superior DNA on to their child judging by the size and slightly accelerated growth. And that was a good thing in her mind. It did a lot to calm Steve's mind anyway.

The hovering wasn't bad at first. She didn't mind that they took care of all the household tasks and ran her baths and kept her fed. That was all good.

It was the little things like being able to carry her own laptop. She'd closed it one evening after work when Bucky showed up to walk her up to the apartment only to have him freak out when she went to pick it up. She could lift things with no harm to the baby. He couldn't be dissuaded. Worse, Tony backed him up – how about that? – and now when Steve and Bucky weren't carrying her things around for her, Tony was.

And Nat on occasion. And Bruce. And Sam. And Wanda. And Darcy. And Phil especially.

Jesus.

They continued to work on the return of Project Insight as they waited for Ross along with other missions that came up like clockwork. When Ross had returned the week after Steve had met with him, Tony and Fury, he informed them that there was intel that HYDRA had hit a snag in their production efforts, wherever they were, and that he'd let them know when it was time to strike. It gave Chris and Tony time to look for the plans and algorithm copies in the meantime.

Chris had eliminated data from thirteen servers so far, all across Eastern Europe. Mostly mockup plans for restarting the project but no sign of the algorithm so far – and Chris really wanted to get her hands on that. Just last week Fury got intel on where it was believed they were building the new helicarriers and Chris was heading for the meeting. She knew this mission would require both Steve and Bucky and she was as ready as she was going to be for that.

Hell, she couldn't sleep for worrying about it. About them. Chris needed them both. She loved them both.

What she wasn't ready for when she walked into the conference room was for Ross to be standing there, his expression stony as his gaze fixed on her, dropped to her belly.

Fuck you, Ross. I haven't forgotten it's your fault I lost my first child.

His expression became something like a disapproving sneer as she headed to where Steve and Bucky sat, both of them watching Ross with gazes she wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of. Bucky moved over a seat, placing her between them.

Chris took a deep steadying breath. She'd hoped Ross would show up. But she couldn't let on that she did.

"Where the hell were you?" Bucky hissed as they waited for a couple of others to arrive. "I've been looking for you for an hour because of this."

Oh, she knew they'd be pissed. Her boys intended to keep her out of the meeting, away from Ross. She understood why. Really.

But for her own plan to work, she really had to be at the meeting to see Ross.

"I got wrapped up in checking out that server in Bavaria," she said in a low voice, knowing her soldiers could hear her. She hated playing this card. "I know I should check my phone more but… I get so forgetful these days. I guess it's the pregnancy."

It was the one thing she knew she could use as an excuse that would make them feel guilty if they continued to fuss at her.

"You need to find an app or something," Bucky did go on. "I don't care if you have to set an alarm that goes off every hour, for your safety we need to be able to reach you. I called three times."

"I forgot to put my volume back on from my meeting with Tony this morning," she said pitifully. "I'm so sorry."

Oh, all the lies. Still, she told herself. It was necessary. They'd understand why later.

Steve's jaw was locked but his gaze had softened, letting her know he was upset but couldn't bring himself to be that mad at her.

Bucky on the other hand…

"I'm just about ready to restrict you to the apartment for the rest of the pregnancy," he warned, keeping his voice low.

Nat took her seat across from them, winking at her. Good. Nat was all ready to do her part.

"Do you hear me?" Bucky went on. "I'm serious, Chris. We're not taking any chances with your safety or his."

Putting on her best remorseful expression, Chris acted ashamed to meet his gaze and when she did, she nodded.

"I'm so sorry. I love you both and I… I'll do whatever you think is best. I promise."

After all, if she and Nat pulled this off, it would be worth it to spend the next three months restricted in the apartment. If she could stop Ross…

"What are you up to?" Bucky's gaze narrowed on her. That got Steve's attention.

"What?" Chris sounded innocent.

"You agreed to do what we wanted, even stay in the apartment, huh? Just like that?"

Chris blew out an exhale, trying to come across as tired and overwhelmed. Bucky wasn't easy to fool.

"Well, I stay so tired these days," Chris explained, and it wasn't a lie. "If I was there in the apartment, I could catch a nap here and there. I was thinking earlier that I wish I could've taken a nap."

She caught the glance the two of them exchanged and Bucky backed down. Steve had to be happy as hell to hear her say that. He'd been gently asking her to work from the apartment for the last month, and she had to be ready to go through with it now. And she would be if she and Nat pulled this off.

Tony finally walked in, his gaze going to Chris, his expression something like disapproval. Beneath the table, she felt Steve's hand slide protectively over her belly, over their son, his large hand spanning a lot of it. Steve was watching Ross, but the gesture had her melting.

"We've located HYDRA's production facility," Ross began without preamble. "Just as we suspected, it's deep in Siberia and very well concealed. We actually lucked into learning its location. We don't have a lot of time. The helicarriers will be ready to carry out their mission within days."

Chris's heart clenched in her chest. Bucky's hand slid into her own in her lap, lending her strength.

Ross had a laptop set up on the opposite table, within reach of Nat which wasn't a coincidence. Ross pulled up maps on the screen, hooked into Tony's guest network so he could display it easily for them. All he needed to do was turn his back quickly…

Her boys studied the map, looking over the terrain and buildings they would have to navigate in their quest to destroy the second incarnation of Project Insight. Ross turned to the maps, pointing things out. It gave Nat all the time she needed. Chris watched as Nat followed her instructions, no one seeing her hands move towards Ross's laptop.

"I understand, Stark, that you've had some luck in tracking down copies of the plans," Ross said but he was looking directly at Chris. "How about the algorithm?"

"Not yet," Tony's voice didn't hold any of its normal exuberance.

Ross's gaze on her was intense and as much as she hated to do it, she reached out to read his emotions.

Curiosity. Determination.

That he was up to something was no surprise. But what? What could he possibly hope to do now?

They discussed the terrain of the site, potential landing sites, exits. Bucky and Steve had a lot of input on how they were going to pull off the mission, Bruce throwing in a couple of ideas. Rhodes would be going with them and every extra person helped as far as Chris was concerned.

She just wished Steve and Bucky didn't have to go at all. Their baby would be there in three months and she wanted both of there in one piece.

Hell, it was terrible timing. Everyone else was gone on a mission led by Sam and Clint. That group that included Vision, Wanda, and Peter.

"I'll meet with you later this afternoon on a lead we have regarding the algorithm," Ross said too calmly to Tony before turning his attention back to the maps. The mission parameters were reviewed, and Tony, Fury, and Steve went over details.

The mission would deploy tomorrow.

The meeting adjourned, and Chris took a steadying breath. Her plan was in place and if Nat did everything right, and Chris couldn't imagine that she didn't, she'd have exactly what she wanted.

The bad news was, she had only hours to examine the data. And a doctor's appointment too.

Knowing they had a lot to do to get ready, Steve helped her up from the chair. "I'll walk her back to up to the apartment if you want to get started, Buck."

"I'll walk her up," Natasha offered. "I've got to run up to my place anyway."

Before her boys could debate it, Chris smiled. "I'll go with Nat. You two head on. I'll just be so glad when this is over with."

The weepy way she said that earned her kisses from both, Steve's hand rubbing soft circles in the middle of her back.

"Just stay put," Steve instructed her. "If someone comes to visit you, FRIDAY will let me know."

"I have a doctor's appointment, Steve," she reminded him. "At 3. What about that?"

He and Bucky communicated silently. "Just a routine visit, right?" Steve asked.

She nodded.

"I'll see if Dr. Meadows can come up to see you at the apartment, how about that?" he offered.

Chris shrugged. That was fine with her.

She and Nat just chit chatted until they got off the elevator on her floor. Once they were inside Chris's apartment, Nat gave her the small drive back.

"I hope you can get what you need," Nat told her.

Chris gave her a huge hug. "I'm sure I will. I can't thank you enough."

Nat smirked. "Don't thank me yet. If you actually get something, then you can buy me dinner or something."

"Deal!"

Nat headed out to get ready and Chris headed for her cave.

The utility she'd given Nat to use was very black hat, a spider meant to grab certain file types, to look for certain sizes and dates. Everyone did naming conventions differently so she knew she'd be flying blind there.

The results seemed basic at first and Chris sighed in defeat, seeing very little. Until she noticed that an apparent junk file, grabbed only because of its size, was grabbed. Within it, she found quite a lot.

Ross had the plans for the resurrection on Project Inside. He had the algorithm. The fucking algorithm.

What was Ross doing with it? Had he been part of HYDRA all along? Or did he mean to use it against someone? She didn't understand.

Then she found a good deal of information on the Avengers Initiative. There were meeting notes, official missives, proposals. Apparently, Ross wanted the entire initiative dissolved but how could one politically do that? They couldn't just make the set of heroes disappear with so many fans and appreciative citizens out there. They couldn't control them – they'd proven that.

Frame them?

The more she read, the more she started to realize what the plan was. Ross meant to make it appear that Tony Stark himself was trying to resurrect Project Insight, a project to take out now anyone who was perceived to be a threat to the Avengers who then meant to try and take over…?

Who the hell would believe that? Tony was what he was, but no one would buy him being a HYDRA-level megalomaniac seeking world domination with the rest of the team.

Chris's head began to ache. Correspondence about the Avengers Initiative on an official level finally started to die down around October of the year before. It was like Ross hit a wall, decided to give up.

The date of the next file got her attention. It was dated Thanksgiving of last year. November 22, 2018.

Private notes Ross made with a couple of slides. A presentation he'd given to someone. Someone. Who? Who on earth would be persuaded to go along with him on such a crazy, hair-brained idea? Who would allow themselves to be convinced that Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and the rest of the Avengers would try to take over the planet?

The notes were very detailed. Mentions of Steve caught her eye. Of course. Steve had rejected the accords before. It would look like the entire plan was born of the disagreement between Tony and Steve on how the Avengers continued serving the planet. It almost made it seem that Steve would only agree if they had complete control prompting Tony to say "hey, let's just take over the world."

What was the significance of Thanksgiving?

Chris had just opened another file when it hit her.

Thanksgiving was the day that both Tony and Bucky announced that she and Pepper were pregnant at their holiday dinner.

Fuck.

In Ross's head, the Avengers were such a threat that he needed to eliminate them – somehow – before they could hatch another generation. Was that it?

Chris felt sick.

Fury had also been worried about word getting out. She thought about the people in their group who had known. Who among them would help Ross?

Or did he have bugs around them?

Surely she and Tony would have detected that.

Rising from her chair because her lower back ached, Chris began to pace. How did Ross think he was going to get away with this? What did it all mean for the team tomorrow? Were they heading straight in for a trap? The last files detailed the mission he was about to send them on, but all of those files looked official, aboveboard.

Did Ross mean to kill them all? And if any of them survived, they'd have evidence to show how they'd tried to take over?

Chris had meant to find something she could use against Ross, to dump it before he could stop it and let the world at large judge him for his many crimes. While some of his "notes" could be incriminating, there wasn't anything there to actually prove intent. There was nothing about his transaction in selling her to Odysseus.

What was coming?

She had some water, she paced some more. In the end, she decided she needed to tell Steve, Tony, and Fury what she'd found.

She hadn't realized it was 3 PM.

"Dr. Meadows has arrived," FRIDAY announced.

She really wished she didn't have an appointment today of all days. Maybe she could just tell her she wasn't feeling well and get out of it that way.

When she opened the door, Dr. Meadows smiled at her. The OBGYN had been taking care of her at Helen's recommendation and Chris was fond of her. It just wasn't a good time.

"Are you okay?" the other woman asked, walking in while Chris held the door for her.

Chris bit her lip. "You know, I'm not having such a good day. I'm really sorry."

"It's no problem," Dr. Meadows placed her bag down on the coffee table. "Let's just make this a quick check and I'll let you get some rest, okay?"

Chris nodded. Her anxiety level was climbing.

"Do you feel okay physically? Is it anything to do with the baby?"

Chris shook her head. "No, I don't think so. It's just… Not feeling well in general. I think it's just that I haven't been sleeping well. I'll go to bed early tonight.

The doctor hummed, motioned for her to sit down on the couch. Chris's phone hummed from the coffee table before her. While Dr. Meadows was taking her blood pressure, Chris snatched up her phone to see she had a text.

From Phil.

SKJ08U7342: Are you home?

Trying to angle the phone so she could be sure the doctor couldn't see the screen, Chris quickly considered the text.

Chris: Yes.

SKJ08U7342: Can you stay until I get there? I needed to go over plans for tomorrow.

Chris's heart dropped. Something was very wrong. The text was intended to let her know that and to let her know he was coming for her. Phil never put in anything important in writing directly.

"Relax," Dr. Meadows whispered as the blood pressure cuff squeezed her arm.

Chris: I'll be here the rest of the day. Did you need Steve and Bucky too?

"Your blood pressure is off the charts," the doctor told her with a wince.

"I'm so sorry," she told her, her hands shaking.

SKJ08U7342: Be there in 5.

Dropping her phone to the table, Chris gave the doctor her attention now. If she were in danger, the doctor with her was in too. The poor woman didn't deserve that, not for trying to help her.

"Dr. Meadows?" Chris said slowly. "I don't mean to be rude, but can I talk to you another time?"

The doctor's warm brown eyes widened. "Is everything okay?"

Chris typed. Fast.

Chris: Remind me to have Steve talk to Nat. And to have Tony check out of my desktop. I picked up some virus called Poseidon.

Turning her attention back to the doctor, she smiled. Trying to put the other woman at ease.

Chris never noticed the woman held a slim cannister in her hand. "I'm sorry."

The spray was deployed in her face and then her world went black.

Phil knew before he hit the hallways something was wrong. He hit the com.

"We have an Athena alert," he said calmly, knowing it in his gut.

Sirens began blaring a beat later and Phil knew that the elevators and stairwells would automatically be sealed off to those not authorized given the seriousness of the alert.

Stopping at Captain Rogers' apartment, Phil used his thumbprint to get in, having authorization in such a situation. Nothing looked out of place, a quick check revealed that Chris wasn't there.

"FRIDAY, where did they take Agent Danforth?" Phil demanded.

"They are on the roof," the AI responded.

"En route," Tony was on the com now and Phil heard his boosters in the background.

"We're coming up on the south side," Captain Rogers advised him.

"I'll take the north side," Tony told them.

He didn't use it often, but Phil took out his work phone with all the Stark tech, shook out the image to display where he stood in the living room. "Show me the roof," Phil ordered the AI.

A small group of soldiers in all black uniforms followed the woman they knew as Dr. Meadows, had just reached a helicopter waiting on the roof. Four of the men surrounded one soldier who carried Chris Danforth easily in his arms.

Tony flew in, placing himself between the helicopter door and the group. The situation wasn't ideal because extreme care had to be exercised with Danforth's delicate condition.

When Captain Rogers arrived on the roof, Barnes at his back, he slowly approached, taking in the situation. When he saw the doctor, his expression hardened.

"Give back Agent Danforth now," Tony ordered, taking a step closer to them as they took a step closer to the vehicle. Unlike Steve, Tony had been able to suit up and didn't look worried. "OBGYN, huh?"

The woman they'd known as Dr. Meadows nodded. "I am."

"Working for who?" Steve asked angrily.

When there was no answer, a fight broke out. Dr. Meadows looked uneasy as the four soldiers around the one carrying Agent Danforth began firing. Captain Rogers did have his shield. Between it and Barnes's arm, they deflected enough bullets to move closer. Just when it looked as if they were gaining the upper hand, they turned to find the doctor with a hypodermic needle poised at Danforth's throat. The young pregnant woman still lay unconscious in the arms of the soldier carrying her.

"Make one more move I don't like," the woman said angrily, "and I'll inject this and kill them both."

"Why are you doing this?" Barnes' frustration was clear in his tone.

"This child is crucial to my research," the woman told him coldly.

"That child is ours," Steve's voice was low.

"Behind you!" Phil called on the com, watching in horror as two more men climbed over the side of the building.

The two new soldiers yielded guns firing rays of gold like the Destroyer protype gun Fury had entrusted him with. One blast of it had Iron Man fighting back hard. The other fired at Rogers whose back was to him. Barnes blocked the shot with his Vibranium arm, giving Rogers time to turn and deal with him.

The next volley sent Iron Man flying off the roof. Rogers and Barnes and then faced the two. One of them then fired a blue ray, hitting Barnes and dropping him to the ground unconscious. Before Captain Rogers could deal with that, he found himself facing two of them with weaponry that was highly dangerous and new to them.

Phil was on the move, heading for the roof. He didn't stop, fight for breath. His captain needed him and a group of SHIELD agents, led by Black Widow, were on his heels, coming from he didn't know where.

When Phil reached the roof, the helicopter was in flight but still in view. Three bodies, clothed in black, lay scattered around Captain Rogers who was on his knees, struggling to breathe. No sign of Iron Man or Barnes. One soldier remained on his feet with one of the new weapons. Aiming it under his own chin, he pulled the trigger, dropping to the rooftop without a head.

The sound of Captain Rogers' scream could likely be heard for miles.

Phil didn't know at that moment, but they'd not only taken Agent Danforth and the child she carried, they'd also taken Bucky Barnes. And Tony Stark was seriously injured, on the ground several floors below them.