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Chapter 9

December 29, 2012 – Manhattan, New York

Clint sighed and hoisted Darcy's small form over his shoulder. He spotted the empty vial and groaned. "Really?" He grossed, grabbing his phone and dialing the last person he wanted to deal with.

"Rogers, get your ass to medical. I found Darcy."

Not bothering to wait for an answer, he crammed his phone back in his pocket and made his way to the car he'd borrowed from Tony. After Darcy was settled in the back seat, he sped away, the cemetery in his rearview mirror.

His eyes lingered on Darcy's form and he felt the familiar ache bloom in his chest at not being her man. Not keeping her safe. Not having her in love with him.

Bottom line – he was going to kill Bruce.

"I literally told you not to say anything!"

"I didn't tell her! I don't know how she found out!"

Clint's unimpressed glare made the doctor wilt. "What do you mean you didn't tell her? Who the fuck did you tell? And if you say Captain fucking America, we're gonna have words, Banner!"

"As fun as it would be to watch Katniss and Big Green duke it out, I'm pretty sure short stack would lose her shit if she found out," Tony said, poking his head out of her hospital room. "Either of you catch wind of the geriatric soldiers?"

"Beating each other to bloody pulps in the lower gym," Natasha said as she appeared with a doctor. "Darcy should be fine. They're running the blood work that Clint approved of.

Tony's eyes cut to the archer, but the other man refused to back down. "I'm her next of kin, even if you are her pseudo-dad or whatever the fuck you claim to be."

He held up his hands. "Do what you want. I'm the one in her room."

There was a thundering down the hallway before a worse-for-wear Barnes fairly limped down the hall. Blood was smeared high on his forehead and the hollow of his left eye was rapidly darkening.

"Is she okay? Where is she?"

"Where's Captain Tight-Ass?"

Barnes growled and shouldered his way past Tony, making his was to his girl and taking her hand.

Natasha filtered in after him and gave him a rundown as he hovered. "Physically, she's fine. Nothing sprained or broken. Clint signed off on blood work and we're waiting for the results. She – "

"Where was she? What happened?"

"With her brother. She found the cure – "

There was a metallic crack as Barnes crushed the guard railing surrounding her bed. "Goddammit! Fuckin' punk shoulda told her – "

"Rogers knew? And you?" Clint grunted once he'd also pushed past Tony.

"And me!" Tony smirked.

"Fucking gossip," the arched groused, glaring at the general area where he knew Bruce was still lingering in the hallway.

Yelling erupted down the hall near the nurse station and it was only a matter of seconds before Steve appeared in the doorway, annoyance melting off his face and being replaced by worry when his eyes landed on Darcy.

"Is she okay?"

"We shoulda fuckin' told her," Barnes said lowly. His voice was gravel when his eyes swiveled to his friend. "She took it. She took it without knowin' – " his voice broke. "Without knowin' the risks."

The blond sighed and looked around at the group that had gathered. "Can we have a moment, please?"

There was some grumbling before everyone moved out and he shut the door behind a protesting Tony.

Steve took the seat of the opposite side of the bed, holding her left hand tightly in his. "She's a big girl, Buck. She made her choice."

Bucky nodded, swiping the lone tear that escaped his eyes. "She shouldn't have had to do it alone."

January 2, 2013 – Manhattan, New York – Stark Tower

Darcy really did not want to wake up. She felt like she was cocooned in the warmest, softest blanket she'd ever had and she didn't want to leave it.

"You with us, honey?" A voice said from above her. Steve, her mind supplied.

She grumbled, wiggling onto her side and the bed rumbled beneath her.

"Think she's ignorin' ya, punk."

Steve sighed. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"Can you both shut up?" She groaned, flopping onto her back and throwing her arm across her face. "I'm trying to sleep. What the – put me down!"

Lips kissed every part of her face, Bucky managing to get words out in between. "You've been asleep – for days – and we really – really – missed you!"

"Am I alive? Everything good?"

They both knew the weight of her words, knew what she was really after and wanted to avoid.

"You're aging like normal now, honey, just like us. Everything…worked itself out."

Darcy sighed and opened her eyes, seeing a slightly disgruntled Bucky looking down at her. "No. I don't want to get the lecture. I did what I did and it's done and over and everything worked out fine. No lectures, James Buchanan Barnes!"

"I wasn't – "

"I know that face and that's not the face of someone that's going to let it go." She paused. "Can we just accept that I'm actually aging and we're all on the same page again? Christ, it was hard as fuck trying to plan a future when you two were becoming old men and I'm still eighteen and smokin' hot."

Bucky barked a laugh. "Old men? Baby, I can still show you a good time and Stevie's no slouch, either."

She smiled. "Can we go back to our place, now? I really want to sprawl out in our bed with my pillows. And by pillows, I mean you two."

January 5, 2013 – Manhattan, New York – Stark Tower

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Darcy's screams echoed throughout the apartment, mingling with Bucky's quiet grunts as he thrust into her from behind. "Bucky!" She wailed, "Right there! Motherfuck!"

Bucky pinned her arms behind her, his metal hand resting on her hip and pulling her against every push and pull that he managed to press into her. Her cunt clenched at his aching length, making him never want to leave the warmth of her.

"You gonna come, baby?" He asked breathlessly, his hand leaving her wrists and wrapping around her throat and pulling her taut against him. Her back arched and she whimpered as she grew tighter around him. "You gonna come all over me? Let me feel you, baby. Get my cock nice and wet so I can fill you with my seed?"

"Bucky!" The cry tore from her lips. Hips stuttering, she pushed fully back onto Bucky, his eyes crossing as her orgasm squeezed him unbearably tight.

"Lord, I can't leave you two alone for ten minutes," Steve griped halfheartedly as he kicked off his shoes from his run.

"It's…been…an hour," she corrected breathlessly, her breath hitching at a particularly hard thrust. "Fuck, Bucky!"

They were just begging to be caught, really. He'd bent her over the kitchen island for fuck's sake when she'd only been trying to make coffee. Dammit. She didn't finish the coffee.

The blond leaned against the wall, palming his growing erection through his sweatpants. He adored watching Darcy come apart, no matter who was doing it. The jealousy had dissipated into nothing as soon as they'd come together again and hell if he didn't like how Bucky's cock made her squirm.

"Fuck, I love you," Bucky cooed as he buried his cock as deep inside her as he could. She shuddered as a smaller orgasm raced through her and she collapsed in a heap on the cold granite of the island.

"You up for another round, honey?" Steve's grin was filthy as he prowled over to her.

She smiled tiredly and beckoned him over as Bucky's cock slid wetly out of her. "Come here, big boy. Make me see stars…and stripes."

January 15, 2013 – Manhattan, New York – Central Park

"That one looks like an elephant."

"Hmmm. That one looks like Texas."

"Alabama at best."

"Oh, shut up."

Darcy smacked Clint's ribs, smirking when she heard a slight wheeze. She'd needed a little escape from the tower and her best friend was more than happy to spring her.

After a lot of testing, Darcy was cleared for field duty. She retained her strength and enhanced abilities, without the non-aging factor. Steve and Bucky had nearly had kittens when she told them she was going on their next mission with them, but Tony had put his foot down.

"She's a grown woman, Rogers. Women are equal, they can join the army now! If she wants to help protect the world, I'll make sure she's got state of the art protection and – "

"I'm not worried about her getting hurt," Steve sighed, "I'm more worried about how she'll handle herself now that she's not…"

"She's got the same abilities she's always had. Just without the pesky perpetual teenager thing going on."

"I love you, you know?" She asked quietly. Turning her head, she caught his gaze and gave him a small smile. "I think about the circus a lot and how different it was. Sometimes, I wonder how different it would be if that was still our lives. If I was able to live out that life, do all the things I wanted." She trailed off. His hand found hers and squeezed gently. "A normal life with a normal guy and a normal house in the boring suburbs. But then I would've missed out on all this. All this excitement and my boys and…I wouldn't trade it. Not for anything."

Clint sighed. "I love you, Darce. I'm glad you're happy."

February 2, 2013 – Unknown Location

"Darcy! Marry us!"

The girl in question spun around, barely missing a spear thrown by one of the aliens that were hell bent on making earth bow to them. Her braid had come undone and her hair hung around her face as she loaded her gun and took the shot, watching two of the giant purple things fall from the tall building.

"Are you fucking crazy?" She screeched. An arrow nicked her bicep and she grimaced in pain. "Now is really not the time, Steven Grant Rogers!"
Clint picked her up and rolled her over his back so she landed on his other side, gun prepped as she flung the blade strapped to her thigh. "Get your ass to higher ground; Tony needs your eyes."

And sure enough, there was a rope coming down from the side of the building that she hauled herself up without a second thought. Besides, the thought of impending marriage.

"You know Stevie never had much tact, baby," Bucky's voice rumbled through her com along with the sound of gunshots. "Give him some slack."

"He speak for you, too, Barnes?" She huffed back, climbing as fast as her legs would take her. Scaling a fucking building was hard. Especially when you were fun-sized.

"I might've asked after I had your thighs shakin' 'round my ears for the third time in a night, but, y'know, I know how you like it."

She could practically feel how smug he was and it took her a second to regain her footing because, damn, his voice could do things to her.

"Can we not discuss my daughter's sexcapades, please? I like to pretend I'm blissfully ignorant when it comes to what she gets up to."

Darcy smiled, hauling herself up the last of the rope and throwing her leg over the edge of the building. "Steve, Buck?"

"Yeah, honey?"

"Baby?"

"My answer's yes."

April 9, 2013 – Manhattan, New York – Stark Tower

Darcy was running. She was so late. And someone was at her corner! Damned poacher. How dare he?

Growling to herself, she turned on her heel and started back to the corner store. A squeal of surprise tore from her as she was yanked backwards, falling on her bottom in the process.

"What in th' world." She cursed as she stood up, brushing the dust off of her trousers and trying to find her hat that had somehow fallen off.

"I saw the light – "

"What's th' matter with you?" She asked the boy that stood directly behind her, her hat in his hand. "Am I not allowed to cross the street?"

"I saw the light change. Didn't want ya to get run over."

Darcy looked up at the stoplight and noticed it was green. Sighing, she shook out her curls and thanked him. "Guess I wasn't paying attention. What're ya gawkin' at?"

She looked him over, noticing that his hair was just a bit lighter than hers but he was just as pale. His eyes were a lighter blue, too, and she simply cocked her head at him.

"Name's James," he said, his voice cracking before he coughed violently.

She gave him a gap-toothed grin and responded in kind. "Lewis. Good to meet ya, James.

Darcy flipped in bed, cuddling closer to Steve, just barely on the brink of sleep.

Hauling herself up from her spot in front of the canned beans, she walked stiff-legged to the door and hauled it open. A skinny blond kid stood in front of her with a confused face that she was sure mirrored her own.

"Can I help you?" Darcy asked, a bit of a bite to her voice.

"I-I saw the light – " he started before he began coughing violently.

Alarm welled up in her and she was beside him in a second, beating against his back as he struggled to breath.

"Steve?" Bucky's head popped out of the market and his eyes were big. "What're ya doin' here?"

When the blond, Steve, regained full use of his lungs, he stuttered out, "Saw the light on in th' store. Wanted to come by and see if ya needed anythin'."

Darcy ushered Steve into the store, mindful of how frail he was. Granted, she was still on the less than healthy side, but this kid looked like he was on death's door.

"Steve, this is my…friend, Darcy," Bucky said awkwardly. "Darce, this is Steve. He lives a few blocks over from me."

She smiled at him. "Nice to meet ya, Stevie."

"Likewise…doll."

She turned an unflattering shade of pink and looked down, pulling her sleeves down her arms. He'd said her words. Steve had said her words. Should she ask him if he had words? She'd just met him…that was probably considered bad etiquette.

"Well, I should probably get home," she finally said, wanting the tension in the room to go away. "I'll see ya on Monday, Bucky."

"See ya Monday, Darce."

Darcy bolted upright in bed, tugging at the bracelets around her wrists and reading them carefully.

I saw the light.

Without thinking, she flipped Steve onto his back and pulled at his left arm, whispering fiercely for JARVIS to turn up the lights. Wrapped around his left wrist were her words. The first words she'd ever said to him.

Can I help you?

"Wasgoinon?" Bucky mumbled, trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes. He looked at Darcy straddling Steve and grinned. "Am I missing something – Darcy, what the hell!"

She didn't waste time jumping from one man to the other, effectively pinning him down and reaching for his right hand, ripping off the leather cuff he usually wore and ignoring his scolding.

What's the matter with you?

Before she could catch herself, big fat tears were rolling down her face and she cried into Bucky's chest when he moved to comfort her. Steve looked over at the pair, completely bewildered.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Fuck if I know. I woke up and she was tryin' to ride ya like a damn pony and before I knew it she was on me. Now she's cryin' like the world's endin'."

"Darcy? Honey, what's wrong?"

She sniffled. "You wear my words. You both do. I…I remember and you wear my words."

Both men stiffened before they came down on her, covering every inch they could reach in kisses and mumurs of affection.

"Like there was ever any doubt," Steve sighed against her hair, wrapping his arms around her on top of Bucky's.

"You wear my words," she repeated, too blissed out to care.

And they showed her exactly how much they loved her.

April 10, 2013 – Manhattan, New York – Stark Tower

"Darce! Wake up – move it, red, white, and annoying – Darce!"

The brunette rolled onto her back and effectively pinned Bucky beneath her as she blinked up at Clint with sleepy eyes. "Clint? What's wrong?" Her voice was groggy from sleep, but she wanted to give him her full attention. Well, as much as she could give with Bucky's full attention flagging against the small of her back.

"I found her."

"What?"

"I found her."

"Clint! That's great!"

In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have bounced out of bed and wrapped her arms around his neck seeing as she was still naked from her romp the night before. With a few indignant squawks from the boys she abandoned in the bed, Clint hurriedly wrapped a sheet around her, leaving the soldiers bare.

"Jesus, can none of you wear clothes?"

Bucky hefted himself out of the bed and strode to the closet gloriously naked while Steve just threw an arm over his face, the tips of his ears turning pink.

"Okay, but in our defense, you came into our apartment without knocking. What if we were having crazy monkey sex?" Darcy tilted her head, a smirk tugging at her full lips.

"He missed that by a few hours," Bucky grinned, pulling up some sweats and throwing a pair at the blond on the bed. "Besides, anyone would like to see that, baby. Have you seen how pretty you are when you – "

"Bucky!" She blushed down to the roots of her hair and kissed Clint's jaw playfully. "She pretty? And nice?"

"Gotta be honest, Darce. She's not as pretty as you. Not nearly as nice, either. But I think I can make it work. Her name's Laura and…she's got a couple kids from a previous thing she had goin' on. Doesn't bother me any."

"But kids – "

"I only ever wanted kids with you. And I'm fully aware that I'm sayin' that in the room with your fiancés that you're marrying in less than five hours, but it's true. She doesn't seem to keen on havin' more, anyway. It's a good match. A smart one if anything."

Darcy sighed. "As long as you're happy."

"I think I will be," Clint murmured, giving a half smile, "I gotta be."

May 5, 2013 – Manhattan, New York – Stark Tower

"You're pregnant."

Darcy's head snapped up and the cookie in her hand clattered to the countertop. "What the fuck, Tony?"

She'd only been married for almost a month, but they had…not been using contraceptives. Shit. Groaning, she smacked her head against the island and mumbled incoherently.

"Have you taken a test yet? Oh! Better yet, let's get to medical. They can check you out and – "

"I'm not pregnant, I can't be. Nothing feels different and I – "

"You're eating an obscene amount of calories, short stack – "

"It's to make up for all the obscene sex I've been having."

Tony made a face. "I really don't want to hear that."

"Then, I'm not pregnant," she shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you have a lot of experience with that, right? You can't just look at me and know.
"Touché."

May 10, 2013 – Manhattan, New York – Stark Tower

It turned out that Tony did in fact know. Especially when later, that very same day, she began puking her guts up in a ficus plant in the entryway of the tower. She had waved it off as the flu again, but when it persisted for days afterwards, she knew something was up.

So, after recruiting Natasha to go with her, Darcy made her way to the medical wing and peed in a cup only to be told that she was pregnant. Almost a month along. Which led her to promptly pass out and be awoken by Clint staring down at her like an idiot.

"You're – "

"Pregnant. I know," she grumbled, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Someone had dressed her in an exam gown and she was quick to tear it off – ignoring Clint's intake of breath – and shimmied back into her leggings and sweater.

"You don't seem…"

"I've already lost one baby, okay?" She said quietly as she laced up her shoes. "What's keeping this one from going anywhere?"

Clint knelt down in front of her, gripping her chin and forcing her to look at him. "You know what that serum did to your body, sweetheart. You couldn't age, couldn't accommodate new life. But that gene's gone now. You have all the normal risks with pregnancy, but you can do it. I…I know you can."

She swallowed dryly. "Where's Talia?"

"Went to go find your boys. Didn't want them to worry."

Not even five minutes later and Steve and Bucky were rushing into the room, looking her over critically.

"Everything okay?" Bucky asked, worry etched on his face.

"Did something happen?" Steve tilted her face from side to side and she indulged him.

Deciding to bite the bullet, she baldly said, "I'm pregnant. So, you two better start brushing up on daddy-to-be books so we don't muck this up more than we have to – Bucky!"

She was squished against him and all she could smell was the cologne he'd sprayed on when he'd left that morning.

"Dammit, baby, why you rushin' everything?" He murmured, pressing kisses to the crown of her head.

"Excuse me?"

Steve laughed. "We were gonna take you a little bit upstate. To a house we've been fixin' up. It…was supposed to be a surprise and we were gonna tell you – "

"That we wanted to start tryin' for a family, baby. But ya fuckin' beat us to it."

She giggled, "You know I hate surprises."

One more chapter left! Hope you all enjoy.