A scream woke up both Steve and Bucky the next morning. They both sat bolt upright, glanced at each other then ran out of their room and into the doorway of Brianna's. The sun wasn't out yet but the sight of their daughter...

Bucky still couldn't believe that they had a daughter of their own. But when he saw Brianna, he narrowed his eyes and slowly walked over to the bed.

"Brianna? You okay?"

Brianna was sitting up, little eyes wide and hair tousled from bed. She was shaking and frantically looking around the room and when her gaze landed on him, she started up and ran across the bed to jump into his open arms. Bucky immediately caught her and tightened his hold around her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Steve came to stand in front of them and pulled them both into his arms. Bucky sighed and relaxed into Steve's hold, feeling Brianna do the same.

"Princess? Did you have a nightmare?"

Brianna nodded, still quivering a little. "It was... "

"It was...?" Steve echoed quietly, pressing a kiss to her hair then leaning forward to kiss Bucky. He yawned into the kiss, warm and content.

"Ew."

Bucky and Steve both peered down at their little girl. Bucky snorted at her expression: exhausted and yet... She was staring at them with the kind of expression that meant she was a kid who thought parents kissing was gross.

Steve chuckled quietly, yawning a little.

"We were just kissing," Bucky murmured, smiling down at her.

Brianna nodded, more than a little sleepy, eyes closing then reopening then finally closing, and fell back asleep in between them.

Bucky glanced down at her then at Steve. "She definitely had a nightmare. That scream was..."

Steve nodded hesitantly, grimacing. "It sounded like when you woke up screaming after I found you and brought you home."

Bucky winced. "What the hell happened to her to cause her to sound like me though? I want to investigate."

"In the morning," Steve said. "Let's go back to sleep."

Bucky pulled away, a little reluctantly, glanced at Brianna's bed and started over to lower Brianna back onto the bed.

"You know, after your nightmares, you liked cuddling," Steve quietly remarked, grinning a little. "Granted, sometimes you didn't like to be touched but..."

Bucky was already slipping under the covers, all the while not dislodging Brianna's clenched hand on his shirt. "Way ahead of you, Rogers. Get your ass over here."

Steve snorted but padded over to the bed anyways, climbing in on the other side of Brianna and throwing an arm around them both.

Brianna woke up when the sun shone through the windows. She was awfully warm and when she opened her eyes, she realized that it wasn't because of the blankets around her. Steve and Bucky were lying on either side of her, still asleep. She glanced around the room after sitting up, not having studied it really when Steve carried her here.

She giggled a little at the nightlight that looked like Cap's shield then turned to do a double-take when she saw one of the chairs beside the bed.

"Fawkes!"

The phoenix was settled on top of the chair, peering at her. Fawkes gave a quiet trill of happiness, shaking his golden red wings a little.

Brianna squirmed around then crawled to the bottom of the bed and slipped off. She heard Bucky grumble sleepily a little, turning on his side to watch her.

"Papa! Look!"

"Hmm? Is that suppose to be me?"

Brianna nodded, turning to look at Bucky. She could see Steve slowly waking up and moving to slide right up against Bucky's back.

"Yes! You're papa and Steve's daddy," Brianna stated, already turning back to walk up to the chair that Fawkes was on.

But before she could climb up onto it, she was suddenly scooped up. She yelped and turned to see that Bucky had quietly but quickly slid out of bed and padded over to her in one step.

"Brianna, do you know what that is?" Bucky asked quietly, holding her with one arm and pulling out a knife. "Steve?"

"I've never seen a bird like that," Steve remarked, coming over to stand next to Bucky. "Jarvis?"

"That bird is not on any birding lists," Jarvis replied.

Bucky stared at the red bird that was currently staring at both of them, almost like it was studying them. Brianna was squirming in his arm, trying to get down. He exchanged a bewildered glance with Steve then turned to stare at the bird some more.

"I know him!" Brianna exclaimed. "He won't hurt us. It's Fawkes!"

"...Fawkes?"

"Yeah, the phoenix?" Brianna glanced up at Bucky. "I told you last night?"

Bucky hesitantly lowered Brianna to the floor but didn't put his knife down.

"Fawkes!"

Bucky watched the bird drop down from the top of the chair and down onto the arm. Brianna ran up to it and wrapped her arms around it. He watched as the bird toddled into Brianna's arms.

"He helps with my nightmares sometimes," Brianna murmured, as Fawkes started to trill lightly.

"Phoenixes are real?" Steve questioned a little quietly, like he was still bewildered.

"Judging by the evidence," Bucky started, running his metal arm through his hair. "I think so."

Steve snorted and elbowed Bucky in the side. "Would Fawkes let us say hi?"

"I think so," Brianna said, turning around and stepping aside almost timidly. "He says he likes you two."

"Oh? He said that?" Bucky repeated. "Does he talk to you a lot?"

Brianna nodded. "Yeah."

Bucky watched as Steve went up and kneeled to be at eye level with the bird.

"Hello, Fawkes. It's good to meet you."

Fawkes stared at Steve, trilled a little.

Hello, Captain.

Steve gasped and stepped back, jaw dropping.

Brianna giggled a little. "See? He talks."

Bucky stepped up, hand unconsciously tightening on the knife.

You do not need that knife, James Barnes. I'm only here to help the young one.

Bucky gaped, hand loosening and dropping the knife and hearing it land on the floor with a clatter.

"What."

"Maybe Thor would know something about this?" Steve mumbled.

"Are there phoenixes on Asgard?" Bucky whispered back while Fawkes took flight and alighted onto Brianna's shoulder.

"How would I know?" Steve exclaimed. "I only drew one from a fantasy book before the war."

"Or maybe Loki would know something?" Bucky asked. "Brianna, how are you so comfortable with him?"

Brianna turned to him then glanced at Steve. "'Cause I'm a witch."