See Chapter One for Disclaimer

Maddie leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as she took in the looks she got.

Clint wasn't surprised. He'd always known.

Dean knew that one EXISTED. He didn't know it was Captain Freakin' America, but there you go. There it was, looking ripped and holding Orie like they were related, and looking like each other, HOW DARE THEY.

Cas and Sam shared a look, because they were surprised, but more worried. Dean looked seriously close to a panic attack, which they couldn't begrudge.

Maddie's ex was CAPTAIN AMERICA, goodness personified, the total opposite of Dean.

Talk about coming up short.

Sherlock was slightly surprised. But then, he actually really didn't care, so…he was fine.

Wilson was Steve's best friend. He knew there was a kid. He didn't know about the MADDIE part. So that was a shock.

Pietro didn't get it.

"What kind of a nickname is Papa?" He asked dumbly. "Is it cause Steve's old?"

Pietro wasn't always this stupid. Wanda shot a look towards her brother. But right at this moment? VERY STUPID.

"No." Tasha blinked a few times. "It's because Steve is the father."

Now it was Pietro's turn to blink. For some reason, the idea wasn't getting through. Maybe because it made no sense?

"I don't get it." He finally admitted. "I'm not getting the joke."

"There's no joke, Pietro!" Clint threw his hands in the air. "Maddie and Steve had sex!"

Dean visibly flinched. Steve covered Orie's ears. Pietro frowned.

"Now it's not even a funny joke," He critized.

"On that note," Maddie shook her head. "I'm going to change. Ladies?" Tasha and Wanda stood, determinedly. "We shall continue this interrogation in my room. Rogers?"

Steve stared wide-eyed at the room in front of him. "Good luck."

Maddie smirked and made a run for it. Wanda and Tasha followed. Steve made a move to run as well, but Clint was taking the baby from him and shoving him onto the couch before Steve could decide on an escape tactic, and there he was.

Trapped.

"Please." Wilson's voice was frosty. "Enlighten us."

"We didn't plan this."

"Well, I appreciate the honesty." Clint shook his head, bouncing Orie on his lap. "You didn't plan this, great. So what did happen then? You just…slipped?"

Wilson choked. "I don't need to know the details," he blurt out, and from the pale faces around the rest of the room, everyone else was in agreement.

"I know how babies are made," Sam added, raising a beer at Wilson. "Uh, so, how did you meet Maddie?"

Steve bit his lip.

"I hired her on as an Avengers recruit?" He began slowly.

"And uh," Dean stepped forward, fists clenched. "How long were you her boss before you slept with her?"

"Good question." Clint handed Orie to Dean as a reward (and also so Dean wouldn't punch Steve in the face,).

Steve gulped. "Less then a day?" He closed his eyes, and everyone exploded.

"She was your employee, Steve!" Clint spat.

"Also!" Wilson threw his hands up. "Less than a day?! Really? Did you forget your brain? What were you thinking?!"

"Well he obviously wasn't thinking with his BRAIN," Sam spoke up reasonably. "Was he?"

"I can't believe you Rogers!" Clint stepped away. "This is crazy."

"It wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done," Steve admitted readily.

"No, it was quite literally, the STUPIDEST thing, you've ever done!" Wilson threw out, opening his mouth to continue berating Steve, but Steve spoke quickly over him.

"But I don't regret it!"

That got the room to go quiet.

"I don't regret it."

"Really?" Tasha sat on Maddie's bed, arms crossed, as she watched Maddie mess with her hair. "You slept with your boss, had unprotected sex, and now, you're a single, unwed mother having to negotiate custody with a father who lives on the other side of the country, and you don't regret it?"

"Well." Maddie put in her 69th bobby pin and eyed her curly updo with a satisfied smile. "It's not easy."

Wanda snorted. "Understatement."

"Okay," Maddie turned to the two women. "It's damn hard. When Steve wants to see his son, I've got a day full of meetings or it's the only time all week I've gotten my son alone or my person is in town and we just want to be together without me having to disappear for two days so my baby daddy can spend half an hour with his kid. It's hard, and it sucks, sometimes, but I never knew my dad. I'm not doing that to my son. And Rogers is an idiot, but he wants to be a part of his kids life, so we'll work it out."

Maddie huffed and grabbed for the long dress hanging in her closet. "But I can't regret my son. He's the best thing that's ever happened in my whole life."

She made a face. "I left a lot of good things in my reality." She shook her head. "I don't talk about it much, because I can't get back, so why cry about what I can't change? But my family, a good job, a really good guy," She sighed a little wistfully. "All of that was ripped away from me, and I ended up here. And in my grief," Maddie scrunched up her nose. "I rebounded, a few times," she hedged. "But I got my son. And I would trade my whole life and this life and almost all of my new people, as long as I got to keep him."

Tasha and Wanda shared a look. And unlike the men, who were still arguing loudly with Steve a few doors down, they understood. They nodded. But then Tasha smirked.

"How many times is a few?" She asked slyly.

Steve's passionate speech about how much he loved his son and couldn't regret it fell on deaf ears.

"Well of course you don't regret it," Castiel had said matter of factly. "You're now forever connected by an amazing son to a beautiful, strong, capable woman. What is there to regret about that?" And at Cas' serious words, any sympathy he had been trying to earn was thrown out the window.

Tasha leaning her head out of Maddie's bedroom to shoot him a sly look and say,

"80 times? Really?"

Well, it certainly didn't help.

The women came to a quick understanding. By the time Maddie was kicking everyone out so she could finish getting ready and "talk" with her "person" Steve had only succeeded in making everyone angry at him.

"This party is going to be a blast." He said sarcastically, following Tasha as the group strolled the few blocks it would take to get to their hotel.

"Oh, yeah." Tasha grinned.

Steve rolled his eyes. "I was being sarcastic."

Tasha patted Steve's arm consolingly.

"I know." She snickered. "But I wasn't."

Wanda moved to the other side of Steve.

"Look at the bright side," She tried to encourage Steve.

"It quite literally, can't get any worse."

Maddie stood in the foyer, less than an hour after she'd kicked everyone out, trying to get her earrings in without looking.

It was hard.

It was even harder NOT to look at Dean, who'd been silent since she'd kicked everyone out.

She had no idea what he was thinking.

"What are you thinking?"

Maddie gave up on the earrings, they weren't important. She turned to Dean, who WAS important.

Dean was very pointedly NOT looking at her, focused on handing Orie, trapped in his high chair, cheerios.

When she'd been doing it, the gesture had been completely acceptable. But situation reversed?

Yeah, Maddie wasn't pleased.

But Maddie was patient.

Finally Dean sighed and looked up.

He stared at her for a long time, and the scrutiny made Maddie want to squirm. But she was a professional, so she simply waited.
"I think you're gorgeous," he finally admitted.

Maddie tilted her head, because that wasn't what she was talking about.

"I also think," Dean rose and moved towards her, "that you're smart, and beautiful, and way out of my league." Dean reached for Maddie's hands, and she let him take them.

"It was easier when my baby daddy was just some faceless guy?" She guessed, and Dean shrugged.

"It's worse now, because he is who is, am I right?" She continued. Dean looked away, and Maddie was tired of it. She reached for his face, placing both hands on his cheeks and turning his head so he was looking right at her.

"He's got a lot of things going for him," She admitted easily, watching the doubt creep along his face. "He's attractive, smart, famous, the father of my child," Dean scrunched up his face, and Maddie moved a step closer, so that their bodies were flush against each other. "Just one problem." She kept her voice light, waiting until she knew she had Dean's full attention.

"He's not you."

"That's a bad thing?" Dean snorted. Maddie shrugged.

"Well," She thought for a moment. "Yeah. Because I don't want Captain America. I want you."

Dean started to smile, but then his smile froze. "What about Orie?"

"Rogers will be in our lives for the next seventeen years or so," Maddie admitted. "There's no getting away from that, unfortunately. Rogers and I have a friendship for that very reason." Maddie smiled, moving her hands from Dean's face and wrapping them around his waist.

"You're the only one I wanna see naked," She teased, and Dean finally, finally, gave her a real smile.

"So take the clothes off, he's not that great then?" He pressed. Maddie snickered and stepped back, the doorbell ringing loudly in the background.

"Oh he's good," She admitted freely. "But you're better."

She left Dean to preen as she answered the door, letting in the babysitter.

"Now are you ready to party?" She asked, hands on her hips as the young woman who would be watching Orie took over cheerio-duty.

Dean nodded and stepped towards Maddie, grabbing her hand.

"Yep," he answered, winking. "Let's go."

They're adorable, Dean and Mads. That is all.

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~CLC~