Steve finally got out of bed at two thirty. Tina had been tossing and turning all night, and he felt like he was constantly in her way. Besides, the soft noises she made as she fought to get sleep had been keeping him awake. Taking out a sketchpad and sitting in the loveseat, he began to draw absentmindedly. First, a valentine heart with an arrow through it came from his pencil. He grinned, thinking of Tina's due date, February 15th. Who knows? Bruce keeps saying that twins come early…maybe they'll be Valentine babies! He looked up at the calendar. November 15th. Exactly three months left, he noted. Chuckling to himself, he sketched Clint perched in a nest, looking as though he had just shot the arrow. With a grin, he added cherubic wings to his friend. Agent Cupid Barton, he laughed internally. Tina grunted again, resituating herself. Steve looked up in sympathy. Sleep deprivation is the worst. Steve placed Natasha in the nest, rolling her eyes at Clint's behavior. With a mischievous grin, Steve drew devil horns and a tail on the female Avenger to contrast with her counterpart, also surrounding her with grinning spiders. Soon the whole team was there, Thor and the Hulk arm wrestling and Pepper judging the match, wearing referee gear. Bruce stood to the side, holding up a foam finger and cheering for the Other Guy excitedly. Tony stood at the base of the tree that held Clint's nest, blasting at the trunk with a repulsor. An English butler stood by Tony in a neat suit, Steve's physical representation of JARVIS. The soldier also decided that classy Pepper should be included in addition to peace-making Pepper, so he drew her in a cocktail dress, dancing with the Iron Man suit, which wore a top hat. Steve giggled to himself again, studying his doodle. Suddenly, he heard a gasp. Tina sat up, expression clouded with worry. Steve flew to the side of the bed.

"Ow," she mumbled.

"Are you okay? What happened?" he tucked her curls behind her ears.

Tina rubbed the side of her belly.

"I don't- I'm not…I'm not sure."

Her green eyes met Steve's blue ones.

"Okay…"

He climbed into bed beside her, placing a hand next to hers. "Don't hurt Mommy, Champ," he admonished, rubbing where she indicated. "Did one of them kick you really hard?"

Tina frowned.

"Maybe. I don't know. Maybe I rolled over weirdly. I've been really uncomfortable all day..."

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but he felt her belly tighten under his hand, growing hard. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath.

"Oh!" she panted slightly as the tightness receded.

"Was that…was that a contraction?" Steve wondered aloud. "One of the Braxton-Hicks ones? They're supposed to happen sometimes, right?"

"Yeah, but…they're supposed to be painless," Tina said softly, "and that was not."

"Alright," Steve said, "do you want me to go get Bruce?"

"No, not yet. I'm…I don't know. Stay with me, okay?"

Fear saturated her tone and she grabbed onto his arm frantically.

"I'm not going anywhere, love," he said, rubbing her back in small circles.

"Maybe that was Braxton-Hicks," she decided tentatively after a few moments of silence. "Maybe it just kind of scared me because I wasn't expecting it."

At this point, Steve was reviewing all he had learned with Bruce and highly doubted this. These seemed like the real McCoy to him, but he wasn't about to say that aloud. He nodded, and she gasped again, her hand clenching on his forearm. For a few moments, her entire body tensed. A small mewl of pain escaped her. The contraction eased and she started to quake.

"Steve," she whimpered, her voice shaking with fear. Wetness began to slowly spread through the bed then, and Steve was sure that he had been right.

"Hm. Looks like we're getting Thanksgiving gifts instead of Valentines, huh?" he quipped in an effort to relax her.

"Steve, no," she started to cry in earnest, "it's too soon, it's too soon!"

Steve wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap and holding on tightly. He gathered himself, pushing away his own fear and uncertainty for the moment. Right now, she needed him to be the strong one. When he'd had night terrors, he was sure they had scared Tina, what with his yelling and running and crying, but she had been tough for him. now it was Steve's turn. After a moment, he let go of her, cupping her face and lifting her eyes to his.

"It's okay, Tina. Bruce said this might happen, remember? Remember how he told us that twins come early all the time?"

"Not this early!" she sobbed, "I did something wrong, they're too small, they won't-" she dissolved into tears once more, shaking in his arms.

"You didn't do anything wrong, honey. And they'll be just fine. Champ is almost seven pounds. And Doll is tough beyond her size. I know it. You do too; remember some of the crazy strong kicks we've felt from her? They are both going to be perfect. Besides, Bruce is going to be taking care of them. He won't let anything bad happen." Tina stared up at him, drinking in his encouraging words like a child dying of thirst. "We've got no reason to think anything negative. I'm kind of excited, actually. Come on, it's like opening presents before Christmas!" Tina sniffled, burying her head in his chest. "You're ready, baby," he whispered in her ear. "I believe in you." Steve felt her whole body clench up. She held in her breath until the pain faded and then moaned quietly.

"I'm gonna get Bruce, Tina," Steve said after her muscles had loosened slightly.

"No! No, don't leave, please," she begged, her voice full of need. She was still tucked in his lap and holding onto him with a surprising amount of strength.

"Don't need to," Steve said proudly. "JARVIS, please tell Bruce that Tina's in labor. Her water broke, too."

"Yes sir. And I'd like to extend my preemptive congratulations to you both," the AI responded.

"Ahh, technology. Thanks J. We're pretty excited," Steve answered calmly, smoothing Tina's hair back.

Although fear and shock were mostly prevalent, Steve thought he also saw some happiness in her eyes.

"Every five minutes," Tina noted, looking at the clock.

"Wow. Comin in fast, huh?"

She nodded, still looking quite bewildered and more than a little frightened.

"Steve…"

"I'm right here," he reassured her, pressing her palm over his heartbeat, "I'm gonna be right here with you the whole time. Promise."

"I love you," she said, attempting a smile up at him. "And…I'm excited to meet our babies." Steve placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "But I'm…really scared. I don't know if I can do this."

"You can. I know you can. Hey, your body decided you and the kids were ready, didn't it? You've got this. You're ready. I love you, Tina."

The couple began hearing commotion in the hall and Tina couldn't help the weak giggle that escaped her. Steve chuckled too, until she began to stiffen up again.

"Breathe, Tina. Remember how Natasha practiced with you. Slow," he instructed, "With me." Steve demonstrated the proper technique, Tina following along with his example. Bruce, Pepper, and Natasha skidded into the room, pushing the wheelchair Tina had used when she hurt her leg.

"Well isn't this a fun surprise?" Bruce bounced on his heels in excitement.

"But, the-time-" Tina gasped out.

"It's fine, Tina. Very few women carry twins to term," he reassured her. "And none your size, for sure."

"Hospital room's all set up and waiting for you," Pepper said, ending the call on her phone.

"Ready?" Bruce asked as Steve carefully set Tina in the chair.

Tina squeezed her husband's hand, a new resolve forming within her.

"Yes. I am."

Ahhhh! The big day is here! Disclaimer: I have never given birth nor gone into labor. I did my research, but don't hate if it's not perfect.

What if Tina's worries come true? Or is Steve's confidence well-founded? Who gets to be in the delivery room? Who do we meet first, Champ or Doll? How many questions is the author going to ask? ;)

We shall see! Review, dear people.