*Jumps out from nowhere*

Hi Everyone!

Long time, no see! I'm sooooo sorry! I've been very busy this year...

But now I've got some free time, and decided to sit down and continue on this journey with you guys! Now, I know I said I have 2 chapters left, and that is true, however they may end up being divided into two parts each. (So 4 chapters worth! YAY! This is my gift to you all for being so patient with me).

Anyway! If you need to brush up on where in the story we are at, feel free to! This Chapter isn't going anywhere.

And with that, I present to you Battleship (Pt. 1)

Enjoy!

Chapter inspired by Battleship by Daughtry.

This is a fan inspired story. I am not making any money off of this. All characters belong to their respective creators.

Warning: Some cursing ahead

Battleship

"Well…" Steve said after a long moment. "I can't say this was expected..."

His blue eyes were locked on the veterinarian, Doctor Jonathan Thames, as he collected his equipment in his carry case. The other man had just finished examining all three horses for their yearly check-up, especially for Boots. The yearling had been gelded (1) last year and Steve was glad to see that he had recovered well.

"So, this wasn't planned?"

The former soldier shook his head. "We've done our best to keep Lieutenant and Tatiana away from each other during her heat periods. I guess we must have misjudged a day."

The vet chuckled. "Well, it only takes one. I've given her the vaccination against Rhinopneumonits (2) and I'll need to see her again a month or so before she foals and give her a few more vaccines. If she shows any signs of illness, injury or any other issue, please call me." Dr. Thames stood and held out a hand to Steve, which the soldier gladly shook.

"Thank you for coming out, Doctor."

"You're welcome, Mr. Rogers."

After the vet left, Steve headed back to the barn and walked over to Lieutenant's stall. He rubbed his forehead. "Why, again, did we adopt a fertile stallion and a fertile mare at the same time…?" He asked himself before looking up at said stallion. "You are one sneaky son of a gun, you know that right? You just had to go out and do the thing!"

Lieutenant huffed, shaking his mane like he was proud of himself.

"Now, don't get feisty with me, Mister." Steve scolded lightly, putting his hands on his hips like a disappointed parent. "We already get enough of that from Tatiana."

"Tell me about it..." A tired voice said from behind the blonde.

Steve turned to look. Natalia lead said Budyonny mare into her stall, confirmed that she had enough food and clean water, before closing the padlock. The red haired woman brushed off her hands and turned to her partner.

"So…What's the verdict?"

He kept his face blank. "It appears my son has been sneaking out with your daughter, Ma'am." He deadpanned.

Her green eyes widened, animatedly, before she clutched onto one of the posts next to Tatiana's stall to hold herself upright as she broke down, laughing.

Her laughter was contagious, and Steve soon found himself in stitches as he leaned against Lieutenant's stall.

"That…your face…" Nat gasped out, trying to catch her breath through the giggles. "I wish…I'd gotten…your face…on camera!"

A fresh wave of laughter swept through Steve and it took him several long minutes before he could compose himself. "Pesky teenagers…" He said, finally, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

"And here I thought Boots would be the problem child." Natalia giggled, coming to sit by Steve. The former soldier soon joined her. "Guess I should have seen this coming…"

Steve shrugged. "So…now what?"

"Now what indeed, Mr. I-have-a-library-on-how-to-care-for-horses."

"Well…" the blonde rubbed the back of his neck. "Horse pregnancies are about a year in length, so you'll be able to ride her until about April, should all go well. Riding will be good exercise for her. She may need a more nutritious diet and a closer watch…" he bit his lip. "I guess the real question is, when the foal is born, will we want to keep it?"

Natalia thought about it for a long moment. "I'm assuming that financially we could, right?" At Steve's nod, she continued. "Well, Boots could use a companion, and our herd is rather small…maybe having another horse around would be a good idea."

The former soldier nodded. "Alright then." He stood and held out a hand to Nat. "I guess we better go tell Clint and Laura."

August

"You know, you are very lucky, Tatiana." Natalia said as she held out a piece of apple to the mare from her seat under one of trees on the ranch property."

The pregnant mare sniffed the apple before taking it from her mistress' hand.

"You don't have many worries. You've got a roof over your head at night, fresh grass and feed, clean water every day, a gelding companion and a stallion who is protective of you, and now a baby on the way…"

The mare's ears twitched, indicating that her attention was divided between her mistress' words and the apple the redhead held in her hand.

"I can't have children," Natalia continued, deciding that she didn't want the rest of the apple and offered the remaining slices to Tatiana. "I've already told you this, and honestly, I thought I'd come to terms with that fact after Laura was pregnant with Nathaniel and after talking to Bruce about it…but it still nags me in the back of my mind. The one thing about my past that I just can't resolve."

The woman watched the mare for a long moment before running his fingers through her red locks. "Some days, I catch myself wondering if that's the kind of life Steve wants. A wife, kids, normalcy. He doesn't talk about it, but I see the way he is with Clint's kids…if there was one man on Earth who deserved that kind of life, its Steven G. Rogers."

The mare huffed, as if she agreed with that statement.

"But he's also incredibly stubborn," Natalia leaned against the tree, staring up at the still green leaves, and rolling her eyes. "He refused a lot of the dates I set him up with. I don't think he grasps the concept that you can't meet your 'right partner' if you don't get out there and look for her."

Tatiana lowered her head to graze, her ears on her mistress, indicating that she was listening.

The redhead closed her eyes and listened to the world around her. The wind blew comfortably by her ears, moving her long hair around her shoulders. It was comfortable out here. More comfortable than the thoughts that swarmed like hornets in her head. "Whoever this girl Steve's looking for is…she must be quite the Lady. And stupidly lucky."

The mare huffed once more, but didn't provide any additional commentary as she continued to graze.

Meanwhile, in the barn.

Steve was brushing down Lieutenant. "Nat and Tat have been gone for quite a while, huh." The former soldier said, brushing a particularly stubborn patch of dirt on the stallion's hind leg. "I'll bet they are at their tree."

The black stallion nickered in response.

"They'll be fine." The soldier reassured, though who he was trying to reassure was up for debate. "Has Nat been distant from you, too? For the past month, she's retreated into herself. I'm…I'm worried about her."

Lieutenant huffed.

"Now, now! I don't give you hell when you worry about Tat. I'm allowed to worry about my partner, too, ya know."

The stallion pawed at the ground twice with his right hoof.

"I'm not sure what to do about it." With a final swipe of the brush, Steve finished cleaning off the dirt. Setting down the brush on the table next to him, he picked up the comb beside it and began to work on the stallion's mane. "She told me once that she did ballet. It was part of her training, and apparently the theater in the next town over is having a showing of Swan Lake."

The horse's ears twitched.

"Maybe I should take her out. She doesn't go many places anymore…and I think we can spare one night away. After all," He patted the stallion's neck. "You can't cause more trouble beyond what you've gotten yourself into."

Lieutenant shook his mane, defiantly.

"That was not a challenge, Lieutenant. It was a fact. There are no other mares around here for you to knock up, so stay put and take responsibility for your actions."

Another huff issued from the horse's nostrils, but he seemed to understand that statement, so Steve continued to work on a stubborn knot in the stallion's mane.

"I'll talk to Clint before booking some seats. Heaven knows I'm more likely to mess this 'going out' thing up." He frowned as the stubborn knot came loose. "Granted…this wouldn't count as a date…would it?"

Lieutenant stomped the ground twice once more.

"I'm gonna need to think this through…"

The Next Sunday

One of the many things Clint enjoyed about living out here in the middle of nowhere was how clear the night sky was. Lila in particular loved to stargaze and was currently sprawled out on Steve and Nat's front lawn gazing up with her older brother at the different constellations.

Weekly dinners at the former Avengers' home had become routine of sorts shortly after they moved next door and Clint had a feeling that it wouldn't change anytime soon. Taking a swig of his after dinner beer, he sat back in one of the chairs on the porch and relaxed.

"Nice night out here," A voice interrupted his musings.

Clint smiled. "That's one of the joys of living out here, Steve," He addressed the other man. "Haven't you learned?"

Steve chuckled and sat in the chair next to the former archer, a beer also in his hand. "Even after five years, the beauty of the night still amazes me."

The father of the three raised his bottle before taking another swig of the brown liquid and the former soldier did the same. A comfortable silence filled the porch as the two men watched two of the youngest members of their little family point up at the stars and animatedly explain to each other what each constellation was.

"How's Tat been?" Clint asked after a long moment.

"She's been doing quite well. Nat's been riding her regularly and she's been well behaved." Steve replied without missing a beat. "Foal's not far along, so we don't know the gender just yet."

The archer nodded. "How's Nat been?"

The former soldier took another sip of his beer before replying. "Alright, I guess. When I see her, she says she's fine, but she spends a lot of time with Tatiana—more than she did before we found out Tat was pregnant—and honestly, I'm not entirely convinced."

Clint nodded once more. "She did the same thing when she found out that Laura was pregnant with Nathaniel."

Steve turned a bit to face his friend, and it wasn't hard to see the worry in the soldier's features.

The archer leaned forward. "You know that her…graduation ceremony…" he practically spat the words, there was so much disgust in his voice. "Is the one thing from her past that she's very sure can't be reversed. She told me so years ago."

The soldier nodded, but didn't add any other details.

"With Nathaniel, she kind of tried to live vicariously through Laura. For the first few months, Nat rarely left her side, and then we got called to help with HYDRA…the point is," Clint interrupted himself. "Nat needs a distraction. She'll only spiral into some kind of depressive state from here."

The blonde pursed his lips at this. "I was actually gonna ask you about that. There's a showing of Swan Lake next week in the next town over. Would that help distract her?"

Clint smiled. "I'm sure she'd enjoy it. Ballet was probably the one thing she enjoyed about her Red Room training." He pointed at the man beside him. "And Swan Lake happens to be her favorite."

Steve couldn't help but smile and visibly relax. "Good. I'll book the tickets tonight."

"Don't plan on booking for Laura, the kids, and I," the archer added. "I'm taking them to Disney next week."

The blonde took another swig. "Well, I guess it'll just be dinner for two."

The archer kicked the other man's foot. "Are you finally asking her out?"

Steve lifted an eyebrow. "You just said getting her out of the house was a good thing, Clint. I don't have any ulterior motive!"

"Uh-huh…right." Clint rolled his eyes. "I'll believe that when Banner asks Betty to marry him."

Steve laughed. "About that." He reached into his flannel shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of nice paper. "Take a look."

The archer did, and almost spat out his beer.

Elizabeth Ross and Robert Bruce Banner
Request the Honour of your presence
At their Marriage on…

"Damn it…" Clint muttered. "Now I owe Stark twenty bucks… When did you get that?"

The Captain continued to laugh, sliding the invitation back into his pocket. "It was delivered today. I believe you got one, too. Laura might be holding onto it. But do I want to know what you two bet on?"

"Well…Nat might kill me…"

Steve rolled his eyes, his face screaming Really?

"Hey! You two live out here for five years and don't expect us to bet that something's not going on between the two of you?"

"We are not having this conversation again." The soldier said, his tone final, and his stance suggesting he was going to get up in a moment.

But Clint was on a roll, and he wasn't going to stop now. "Actually, yes we are." Clint shoved the bigger man down back into his chair. "Steve, seriously, what the hell is going on? Your eyes follow her every step like you're her devoted puppy, you rescued her from her past – kinda. She did a lot of heavy lifting, but you brought her out here and have made her happier than I've ever seen her."

Steve gnashed his lip between his teeth, but didn't interrupt.

"Bruce told me about when she woke up in the hospital. About how you and Bruce were having a pretty deep conversation and then Nat wakes up, and suddenly Bruce didn't exist. Nothing besides her mattered in that moment, he said. And maybe I could believe that devoted friends or siblings may react in a similar fashion….but to ignore everyone else in the room?" His brown eyes bore into Steve's face. "Why not give the two of you a shot? Things are different now than they were three years ago…"

The soldier was silent for a long moment, and Clint could see the thoughts swirling in the other man's head. There were times where the other man was a hard read, but he generally left his heart on his sleeve. Right now, he was impassive, but Clint chalked that up to him being indecisive. He had spoken his piece and waited for the other man to respond.

"Love is for children." Steve said slowly. "That's what she once said. And after everything we've been through…I don't want to lose her because I wanted to take a chance."

There was something missing at the end, but it wasn't hard to piece together, at least not for the former spy.

Clint had seen the man before him tear apart robots, aliens, and HYDRA operatives with ease, but when it came to women, the poor man struggled. And that struggle went deeper than just his reemergence from the ice after 70 years under. The skinny kid from Brooklyn had never been good with the ladies ("No woman wants to dance with a man she might step on.") and even after the serum, he had been too busy fighting in a war for romance, save for with Peggy Carter. But even then time was cruel, and by the time he returned from the icy water for the dance he promised the foundress of S.H.I.E.L.D. it was too late.

Natalia Romanova had been the first woman Clint had seen the Super Soldier not struggle with. And that had a lot to do with the fact that they were equals on the battlefield. She could take care of herself and he could as well. They trusted each other, even in New York. Clint had even seen that boost Steve had given Natalia all those years ago, and he was convinced that's when the attraction started (so much so that he had money on it).

But things were different now, and the archer understood that. They were no longer fighting literally for their lives every day of the year. Rather, the two Avengers had settled down nicely out here and things were different. Change was in the air, and not just the change of seasons. Back when the barn collapsed, Clint had seen it. Natalia was no longer the terrified woman she had been when the two stumbled onto his porch in the middle of the night six years prior. And Steve was no longer the soldier that had half carried her up those steps.

They were more than that.

And he prayed that they would realize it.

"She might surprise you." Clint replied, taking the last swig of his beer.

The soldier did the same, chuckling lightly. "She usually does."

The archer began one last time. "Just ask, okay?"

Tuesday that same week

Steve smiled at the tickets he held in his hands. He had managed to snag some really good seats for the showing of Swan Lake on opening night and was quite pleased with himself.

Now, to share the news with Natalia.

That thought alone sent Steve's gut into the floor beneath him.

It was around ten in the morning and, true to the last month's routine, Nat was nowhere to be found in the house and barn. But that wasn't a problem Steve hadn't planned for.

Around eleven, the rancher saddled up Lieutenant, a backpack slung over his shoulders and a hat on his head to keep the glare out of his eyes as he rode.

It didn't take that long for the black stallion and the rancher to find the Budyonny and the red haired woman, as they both were under their favorite apple tree. The mare grazed nearby while the woman leaned against the bark of the tree, looking up at the blue sky. She didn't turn to look as Steve rode up towards them, though the rancher was pretty sure the former spy knew of their arrival. The mare, on the other hand, acknowledged their presence with a raise of her brown head.

The rancher dismounted and took off Lieutenant's saddle and bridle to allow the stallion to graze beside the mare. He patted Tatiana's neck in greeting before approaching her mistress.

"Is this spot taken, ma'am?" He asked, drawing her green-gray eyes towards him. A smile widened on his face as she rolled her eyes, a gesture so typical of Natalia.

And he loved these little things about her.

"It's your ranch, cowboy," She replied, but did turn a bit so he could join her in the tree's shade.

"It's yours, too." He countered, sitting beside her and taking off his backpack and hat. "Weather's been nice out here?"

"Yes," Her green eyes eyed him and he did his best to not let her know just how nervous about this he was. He really did enjoy being with her, and tried his best to make sure that was the only vibe she could read off of him. Especially since he wanted her to be at ease with him. "So, what brings you out this way this afternoon?"

"Lunch, actually." Steve reached into the backpack and pulled out two nicely wrapped packages. He held out one towards her. "Shwarma."

She chuckled, relaxing slightly, and took the Arabian sandwich wrap from him. "Been a while since we enjoyed one of these."

"It was an Avenger's standard. Join the team? Shwarma. Rough battle? Shwarma."

"Tony blow up half of Avenger's Tower? Shwarma."

Steve outright laughed at that. And Nat chuckled some more at her own joke before taking a bite of her wrap. The former soldier soon followed suit. They ate in silence until Steve spoke up.

"I can see why you come out here every day," He observed, his blue eyes gazing across the expanse of grass and trees. "It's very peaceful."

She shoved him lightly. "Isn't that why we came out here in the first place?"

His smile didn't wane at that and his gaze turned back to her. "Something like that. I guess it's just taken me a while to truly appreciate it."

Nat chuckled, a soft sound that Steve would have loved to listen to all day. "Men…never seeing what's really in front of them…" She muttered jokingly to herself.

"Well, we are usually distracted by a million tasks." Steve countered, taking another bite of his wrap.

The redhead rolled her eyes. "Only when nagged to do them."

"Though, we do do things without being nagged…sometimes when we are trying to impress someone."

The words just tumbled out of his mouth, and he could feel his gut clench when she stiffened slightly.

"Oh really, now?" She asked, turning her green eyed gaze back to him, her gaze curious and searching.

The former soldier fought back swallowing hard or coughing lightly and settled on taking another bite of his wrap. "Yeah. Have you seen the things young men pull when they are trying to impress the woman of their affection? Write songs, make something, do something to impress them…It seems that men, generally speaking, need a woman to motivate them."

"You've been watching YouTube again, haven't you?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Yes, but that's not the point."

"Then what is, because I'm curious. Have you found someone to impress?"

If he had been Bucky, he probably would have said yes and proceeded to tell her everything he's done to impress her.

If he had been Tony, he probably would have just kissed her and been done with it.

But he is Steven Grant Rogers, and there had only been one other woman who had made him feel like the skinny kid from Brooklyn while he possessed the perfectly healthy body that the serum had given him. And frankly, he had never gotten this far with Peggy, because the ice had gotten in the way.

But there was no ice. No plane to crash. No world to save.

It was just Steve and Natalia.

His silence must have spoken volumes to Natalia, as a frown formed between her brows. "What did you do, Steve?"

"I…um…" Damn, he thought. My accent! He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. "There's a showing of Swan Lake next week in the next town over. And I was wondering…would you like to go…with me?" The last two words were barely a whisper and he wished he could have pulled them back in. He hadn't intended to say those last words, but they had spilled out.

And now there was no going back.

And her gaze freaking him out.

She was silent for a long moment, her face turned to stone and for a moment he wasn't sure if she was even breathing, only adding to Steve's anxiety as he struggled internally.

Should he say something else? Should he qualify that it didn't have to be and wasn't a date?

As the silence continued, Steve wished the Earth beneath him would swallow him whole then and there. His tongue refusing to cooperate to just say something else.

All he could do was stare at Natalia's frighteningly blank face.

Natalia was practically frozen to the spot. The Widow's mask that she had long discarded in Steve's presence taking over her face.

While behind her grey green eyes, analysis and studying was going on.

She mulled over his words several times, taking notice of every little flux in his speech, the shifting of his eyes, his quirks that she had learned (studied) so well.

She had noticed his anxiety the moment he arrived, though he did his hardest to hide it behind a desire to be near her and to enjoy the day with her (which was probably a real thing for him, as he didn't lie, even in his body language). But the whole visit had smelt of something off. Steve had only actively searched for her twice since she started making these daily trips to the apple tree – and she had chosen this spot solely because she knew he wouldn't worry if he knew where she was. Both of those times that he had visited her, he had brought food, but he had never really joined her as he had other chores to attend to that day or they had both gone back to the house as Nathaniel was coming over that night.

But now the man had shown her is hand…and there was something different there.

Although Steve had been an easy read when it came to his weak attempts to lie or his bounding honesty, the one thing she had struggled with to find was where his heart was. Some days she convinced herself that it would always be with Peggy, and maybe she was right to a certain extent. But after the Foundress of S.H.I.E.L.D. had passed away and Steve had grieved for her, his heart seemed to be placed on the back burner – which wasn't surprising as that was in the midst of the Avengers Civil War.

Then Steve had asked her to run away with him and when she had asked about Sharon, he had simply stated that it hadn't worked out between the two of them. And although Natalia was curious as to what had happened, she never asked. Broken or damaged hearts were something she understood well, and if Steve didn't want to provide any details, she wasn't going to force them out of him.

What could be the harm in going to dinner and a show with Steve? He won't do anything to hurt me or go any farther than I'll let him or he'll let himself. He is a gentleman after all. And it probably isn't a date anyway, he just didn't know how to ask.

She wasn't sure how many heartbeats had gone by before she remembered how to breathe again. And by then she was taking in Steve's poor facial expression.

The poor man looked so pale and out of his element, almost as if he wished he could disappear. Rarely had she ever seen the "skinny kid from Brooklyn" behind the Super Soldier, but here he was, sitting before her. Almost waiting for her to reject him.

"Sure," She said finally, adding a smile to her face and eyes. As apprehensive as she was about this, Natalia was pretty sure this wasn't exactly a date and more of a way to get her out of the house. She had seen Steve's eyes trailing her for weeks now, doing his best to hide the worry that filled his blue eyes. "When is it?"

He visibly relaxed at her reply and looked like he remembered how to breathe once more. "Opening night is next Friday. The show is at nine in the evening."

Plenty of time to prepare. "Wonderful. So what will you be wearing?"

Steve laughed and the anxiety from before was gone.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all…

And there you have it! Part One of Battleship!

As soon as I have part 2 ready, I'll post it.

Thanks again to all of you for your patience. I really appreciate it. If you have a minute, please let me know what you thought of this chapter with a review!

~Rachel