Chapter Eight: Degree Eight: Everyone Should Really Fear Darcy:

Darcy waited outside the doors to Tony's lab, hands clasped tightly in front of her. She knew that they wouldn't be able to keep it a secret for long, she very much doubted she would be one of those rare women that barely showed, but as of that moment they didn't want to share. Well share any more than they already had. Still, she didn't like lying to the Big Boss Man.

Tony had taken her in and given her a job and a place to live when he didn't have to. She could have simply remained just Jane's intern and had an apartment across town or something, instead Tony took one look at her and offered her a place in not just his building, but his life. Now she would be using the trust and friendship between them in order to get something she wanted.

She doubted he would actually mind, well not the giving her money bit though she was sure he would have a thing or two to say about her choice, but she wanted to forgo the lecture she knew was bound to happen. One, because she hated being talked down to, but mostly because there was nothing anyone could say that would change her mind. She had already made her appointment for that afternoon; quick openings being one of the perks of knowing Tony Stark; and if things went well she should hopefully be well and truly pregnant in the next two months.

"Lewis, get your tight, little ass in here and stop loitering outside my door!" Tony's voice carried through the lab, echoing easily in the vast room. Unlike the other labs in the tower, Tony worked in an open-plan space. The design allowed for more room to be utilized towards Tony's inventions; IE: his suits. But it also amplified any sound made in the room, allowing it to carry easily into the hall when the door was open. As it was at the moment.

"Hasn't Pepper informed you about using that language?" Darcy slipped into the room, closing the door behind her as she went. It wasn't as though she planned to tell him anything, but she didn't need anyone overhearing the coming conversation. Rumors and speculation ran rampant through the tower over the smallest things as it was.

"Hey, I'll stop once you stop slapping my ass every morning." Tony glanced behind him, the hand with his wrench pointing at Darcy. He gave her a disapproving glare, though by the smirk on her face he was sure that he was nowhere near convincing.

"But it's such a nice ass; firm and yet it has just enough jiggle when I smack it!" Darcy smacked her hand through the air, making a "mmmcah" sound with her lips to accompany the action. Sure, it all was highly inappropriate and the stuff lawsuits were made out of, but Darcy never would've started it if she hadn't known Tony would be fine with it. Theirs was a friendship built out of impropriety and sass.

"It doesn't jiggle! That is rippling muscle!" To prove his point, he stood and flexed his glutes; squeezing and releasing a couple times.

"It jiggles like jell-o and you know it." Darcy made a little shimmy with her hips, laughing at the affronted expression on Tony's face. The fact was Tony didn't have a bit of jiggle even though she liked to tease him about it. His behind was as rock hard as everyone else's in the tower. It made her a bit jealous actually.

"Pshhh, now are you going to tell me what you were doing pacing outside my door like a naughty girl sent to the principal's office?" Tony waggled his brows obscenely as he leaned back against his work table.

"Must you always make everything sound sexual?" Darcy let out a long sigh. It was the sigh normally heard from those in Tony's presence, and occasionally Darcy's.

"It's a gift of mine, now stop stalling." Tony watched as the young woman played with the ends of her shirt. It wasn't unusual for her to visit him in the lab, she was there just about everyday. What was strange was the pacing outside the door, because the fact was Darcy never knocked and never cared about waiting for permission. It was one of the things he liked about her.

"I need some money." So, no beating around the bush. Not that Tony would've appreciated that, he wasn't the round-about sort of guy.

"Alright, pay raise or just money in general?" Not really what he was expecting, but it was something he could live with.

"There's some personal stuff I want to get, but I'm not sure I'll have enough with just my normal paycheck." Well, she wasn't really lying. It was personal, and even though she got a nice paycheck she was far from rich. Comfortable would probably be the best word in her opinion.

"Ok, here." Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, Tony slipped a little black card from inside and handed it over.

"Ok? Just like that, Ok?" Darcy blinked down at the shiny card in her hand. She had expected him to protest, or at the very least try to pry out of her what she wanted it for. She had prepared a whole speech. She didn't know what do now that he had just handed over the money, no questions asked.

"Yeah, just like that." Tony rolled his eyes before turning back to his work.

"You don't even want to know what I'm doing with it?" She knew she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but she was still a little blindsided by what just happened.

"Nope." Why did everyone want to bring feelings into it? And that was what he was sure this whole thing entailed. 'Personal' normally equated to feelings, and he really didn't want to go there.

"What if I was planning on using it to start funding my world takeover?" Darcy laughed, flicking the card between her fingers. It was a running joke around the tower that Darcy would one day show her true colors and would make her bid for world domination. She was pretty sure it was Tony who started it.

"As imminent as that is, I doubt you would actually ask for anything when you could just steal." Tony spoke over his shoulder, his eyes never leaving the project in front of him.

"Nah, asking would be better, I would do everything legit and under the guise of SI. No one would see it coming." Darcy stuffed the card into her pocket alongside the little piece of paper she had used to jot down her appointment information.

"You're right, give me back my card." Tony reached around behind him, his fingers waving at her expectantly.

"No! Mine now!" Darcy took a couple of steps back, her hand slapping down against her side.

"Sometimes I really do wonder why I put up with you." He shook his head, his hand moving back around in front of him.

"Same reason why I put up with you." Darcy kicked out one foot, the tip of her toes just reaching Tony so she could poke him. He responded by swinging his hand around and swatting at her.

"Yeah, well… that card has no limit, but I do ask that you not drain my accounts. I rather like my money." He gave a cheeky grin over his shoulder and laughed when Darcy stuck her tongue out at him. The girl was closing in on thirty, but she was so much like a child at times. Pepper said that was why they got along so well.

"Thank you, Tony." Not even thinking about it, Darcy jolted forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug.

"Yeah, yeah, now get outta here, I've got work to do." Tony patted her arms before removing them from his person. That was enough feelings for one day.

Steve looked down at his phone for what had to be the hundredth time since he received the message. He had half an hour until he needed to meet Darcy down in the lobby, and he was spending most of it pacing around the shared kitchen.

He knew the appointment that afternoon was just a consultation; just a meeting in order to ask and be asked questions and get the run down on what would happen. Still, he couldn't help but be nervous, once they stepped inside the clinic doors he knew there would be no turning back. He was frightened and excited all at the same time.

"What is it with everyone randomly pacing today?" Tony stood in the doorway that led to the common room, one shoulder propped against the frame while he unsuccessfully tried to wipe away the grease on his hands with a dirty rag.

The interruption from Darcy earlier had brought the time to his attention, as well as the angry rumbling in his stomach. Normally he was able to ignore all that, go hours without food while he worked, but Darcy had distracted him enough that he became fully aware of his body. He hated that.

"Excuse me?" Steve stopped moving, one hand clasped in the back of his hair. Realizing how he looked, he slapped his arm down to his side and straightened up.

"First Darcy and now you, it's a little disconcerting." Giving up on the rag, Tony tossed it to the side where it landed in the base of a potted plant. Pepper would give him hell about it later, but he figured it was his tower, his plant, he could toss as many grease rags in it as he wanted. Not that he wouldn't make sure it was gone before Pepper could ever see it. That woman could be scary.

"Considering that makes two out of eleven I'm not really sure you can call it everyone." Steve had a momentary thought as to why Darcy had been pacing, but shook it off quickly. It could've been any number of things, but he was pretty sure it had to do with the appointment.

"My tower, if I say it's everyone then it shall be everyone." Alright, so he had a tendency to hyperbole at times. His friends should've been used to it by now.

Ignoring the rolled eyes that had been directed his way, Tony made for the bar on the other side of the room. His stomach protested for more than just scotch, but he figured he would appease it with cocktail olives until he finished his drink.

"Whatever you say Tony, now if you'll excuse me." Steve shook his head and headed for the door. He really didn't need to deal with Tony's nosiness at the moment. Steve could lie with the best of them, but Tony just dug and dug until you gave in out of pure annoyance.

"Sheesh, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? Did the date last night not put out?" Tony sneered down at the line of grease he had just smeared along the bottle, this was probably the reason Pepper kept getting after him about cleaning up before leaving the lab.

"My what?" Steve whirled around, his brow furrowed as he looked at the other man. He probably should've just ignored him and left, but right now Steve couldn't help but be suspicious. Darcy and him weren't doing anything wrong, but neither of them felt like dealing with the others yet.

"Yeah, his what? Stevie, you didn't tell me you had a girl." Bucky stepped around Steve as he made his way into the room. He looked at his friend with narrowed eyes. He wanted to reach out and smack him upside the head. How could Steve even think about having children with Darcy if he was going turn around and start dating other women?

"Because I don't, now both of you drop it." Steve had to clench his fists just to keep himself calm. This was what he hated about living in the tower with everyone. Sure, having the team close and having friends to keep you company and help you when needed was nice. But the problem was that everyone thought they were entitled to information about your private life.

"Oh, no, no, no, you are not keeping this one to yourself." Tony rounded the side of the bar, one hand stretched out so he could point it at Steve. This was the first interesting thing to happen in a while, and he wasn't about to allow it to be kept secret.

"There is nothing to keep to myself as there is nothing going on." How they thought they would be able to keep their plans secret, Steve didn't know. Steve was a good liar, thankfully, but Tony had other ways of finding out information than just asking.

"Right, so you just decided to ask Bruce to run tests on your semen on a whim?" Though, knowing Steve, Tony figured that could be true. Steve looked like the type that wanted everything in his personal life in order.

"Seemed like the thing to do." Steve shrugged his shoulders as though he didn't have a care in the world. The problem with dealing with Tony was that one never knew just how to handle the situation. Sometimes it was best to play it coy, keep all your cards close to your chest. Others it was best to pretend that nothing was wrong in the world. Choosing the right tactic was an art, one that Steve was realizing he needed more practice in.

"Yeah, not buying it." Tony chomped down on another olive, pushing the briny morsel from one side of his mouth to the other.

"You had tests run?" Bucky could feel the gears in his arm clink and whir as his temperature rose. Once he got Steve alone he was going to beat the shit out of the bastard.

"I… well…" Shit. Steve looked his friend in the eyes, cringing minutely at the look the man was giving him.

"If you will excuse us Tony, Steve and I have some urgent business to attend to." Biting down on his tongue, Bucky grabbed his friend's arm and started dragging him out the door.

"Now just wait a minute, this is my tower and so I should be included in on anything that goes on in it." Alright, so that was an argument that Tony never won, but it wouldn't stop him from trying. Mostly when it seemed as though the good Ol' Captain might just be getting his cherry popped.

"Shut up, Tony, and go blow something up." Bucky extended his metal arm behind him to flip Tony off as he pushed Steve out into the hall.

Steve allowed himself to be pushed around, something that only Bucky and Darcy could do. Most of the time he found it funny when his friends did it, though normally the situation was a lot less serious than it currently was. Right now it was mostly out of self-preservation. The conversation that was about to happen was not one for others' ears, so Steve didn't protest when Bucky pushed him into one of the empty rooms on that floor.

"Please tell me this isn't about what I think it's about." Why, oh why did Bucky have to have Captain Stupid and Reckless for a friend? It was just like when they were children and Steve would get some cock-and-bull idea into his head and Bucky would have to go and save the idiot from being beaten to death. Only this time the inane idea involved the making of a baby.

"What this is about is none of your business." Sometimes Steve wondered if Bucky actually saw him; if his friend didn't continue to see that ninety pound weakling he had been before the war. He knew Bucky was only looking out for him, but he was beginning to figure it was time for his friend to start focusing on his own life and less on his.

"Fuck! You promised, Steve. You said you would never put her through any of that." Bucky had the urge to run his hand through his hair, but stopped himself. Darcy had started him wearing his hair in what she termed a 'man-bun' and he had found out the hard way that he could easily tangle his hair into knots.

"I changed my mind." Steve kept himself from rolling his eyes, he was beginning to sound like a child.

"She changed it." It wasn't a question, Bucky had no doubt that Darcy had been the one behind all of this. He loved that woman, but she was just as reckless as Steve was.

"Not like you're thinking. Hell, Buck, I think I've actually been on board with this since the beginning I've just been too damn scared to do anything about it." And if that wasn't the truth. Since he had gotten out of the ice he had found himself too scared to even believe what was real. For so long he worried that everything happening around him was a dream and that he was actually still in that crashed plane, slowly bleeding to death.

"And you're not scared now?" Bucky's voice had risen to almost a squeak, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"I'm terrified, that is not what changed, it was how I've come to look at those fears that has." In contrast to his friend, Steve was calm and collected.

"You are both idiots!" Bucky threw his hands up in the air and spun around until his back was to Steve. Was there something in the water, the air?

"Maybe, but I'm finally taking what I want and what will make me happy. This will complicate things, sure, but it's worth it." Steve took a few steps forward until he could place his hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Please, Buck, I need you to be happy for me."

"Couldn't you just get a puppy?" Bucky hung his head, he knew if he turned around Steve would've pulled out the puppy eyes. That man never played fair.

"Not the same and you know it." Giving a slight squeeze, Steve withdrew his hand and stepped back.

"I still think you two are making a mistake." Bucky turned slowly, and yep, Steve had sad puppy eyes. He could kick the person that taught him that.

"And I still think you're a jerk, but I deal with it and so should you." A slight smile slipped over Steve's face when Bucky just sighed and gave him a quick hug. The two of them had been through a lot together, and Steve had no doubt that they would get through this as well.

"So, when's this happening?" Bucky knew he was crazy for hoping to hear a couple of years come out of his friend's mouth, but it didn't stop him.

"Don't know yet, we've got an appointment to discuss things this afternoon. One that I'm going to be late for if I don't leave now." Something that he didn't want to happen. Darcy might've said that he didn't need to be there, but he wanted to be involved every step of the way. They might not be going about things in the normal way, but he was determined that in this he would do right.

"Look, Steve, it's not that I'm not happy for you, I just…" Bucky shrugged a single shoulder as he cut himself off. He wasn't too sure what he wanted to say; that he was worried, that he thought his friends to be idiots, that this kind of life was not meant for them. Whatever it was, he figured that maybe, at that moment, it was best left unsaid.

"I know, Buck, don't worry about it."

Steve always hated that cold, empty feeling hospitals and clinics gave off. No matter where you were, the little room they shuffled you off to always had the same feeling. The room in the upscale fertility clinic they were currently in was no different, nor did it improve his mood.

"Hey, calm down will ya? We're just going to talk today, nothing is going to happen yet." Darcy reached over and laid her hand on one of Steve's thighs. She gave a slight squeeze and had to hold back the lewd comment that wanted to slip from her mouth. Now was not the time…. But damn did that boy have thighs of steel.

"I know, that is not what is wrong. I…" Steve gave a small smile to the woman next to him, his hand moving to cover the one she had placed on his leg. He wondered when it was in their friendship that such a gesture became normal. At some point they simply threw out all caution and boundaries.

"What? Come on, Steve, you've been jumpy since we left." Actually he had been like a nervous little puppy worried about getting caught having piddled on the floor. Not that she would say that to his face, he didn't much find being compared to a puppy funny.

"Bucky confronted me before we left. He… he interrupted Tony being Tony and he put two and two together." And that was something he would still have to deal with later. He wasn't sure how much he had gotten through to Bucky, but he was sure his friend hadn't finished with him yet.

"He still doesn't approve?" Darcy swallowed back the unease she felt. It didn't matter what Bucky thought, or anyone really, it was Steve and hers decision. Still, she loved Bucky and she wanted his support with this.

"He thinks we are idiots." Steve rolled his eyes. Maybe they were, then again he wasn't sure there was a person on Earth that wasn't.

"Do you think we are?" Darcy pushed that unease back even further. He had agreed to this, but Darcy had also pushed him towards it, and she kind of feared he was only there because of her.

"No, of course not. It's just that Buck and I have been through so much together…" Steve leaned back, his fingers tangling with Darcy's. Sometimes it was strange to think about just what they had gone through together. At times it felt as though he had lived three separate lives.

"And you want him to be happy for you." Darcy turned in her chair enough that her knees pressed into Steve's thighs. She rested her head against the wall, eyes downcast at their clasped hands.

"Why can't he?" Had it been the other way around, Steve hoped that he would be happy and supportive of Bucky.

"He will, eventually. Just give it time. When he realizes that what we are doing is not a mistake he will come 'round. Until then… until then we think only on the two of us, soon to be the three of us." Darcy pulled their joined hands towards her and placed them against the flat of her stomach. Just the thought of their child growing there sent flutters throughout her body.

Steve smiled warmly down at the woman beside him, the hand laced with hers holding on just a bit tighter. There was so much he wanted to say, about becoming a father, about this new adventure they were embarking upon together. Though before he could gather his thoughts enough to actually speak the door opened.

Darcy and Steve turned to be met with the smiling face of a short woman in a white coat. She was probably no more than an inch shorter than Darcy, but where Darcy was a mass of curves this woman looked like a pixie. She was slight, but her frame did not suggest girl, but woman. She immediately put the two of them at ease.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Lewis and Mr. Rogers?" The woman stepped fully into the room, closing the door before taking a seat. She placed a couple of clipboards on her lap and looked the two in front of her over. She would have to have been living in a cave for most of her life not to know just who it was that she was facing. Not that she could, or would for that matter, let celebrity get in the way of doing her job.

Darcy held a hand over her mouth as she tried to keep from laughing. At least she refrained from singing 'It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' this time.

"Darcy, must you giggle every time?" Steve sighed as Darcy continued to laugh from behind her hand. The things that amused her.

"Long answer: yes, short answer: yes." Darcy gave a cheeky little smirk thinking about the Christmas gift she had given him last year… a cardigan she had spent a lot of time on. Even though it had been a gag gift, he had still worn the thing for her the entire day. Of course he hadn't been as pleased with the photoshopped picture she had presented him on New years. Bucky on the other hand made sure the picture was placed front and center in the common room so no one would miss it. Darcy's musing was interrupted a moment later when the doctor quietly cleared her throat. "Oh, um sorry, yes that is us."

"As I was saying, good afternoon, I'm Dr. Mary Abbey." She held out her hand to each of them before sitting back in her chair straight. "Now, we are not going to do anything today besides talk. So, feel free to ask me anything. I want you both to feel comfortable with me, I'm here to help you through this whole thing. Before I get started, was there anything you wanted to know?"

"You do realize that this meeting and everything that happens from here on out is to stay in the strictest confidence." Even though Darcy had heard good things about the clinic… well Jarvis had heard good things about the clinic, and she was pretty sure it hadn't been through legal means… she still wanted to lay out all their cards so to speak. It really wouldn't be good for it to get out that the world's boy scout, Captain America, was at a fertility clinic with some mystery girl.

"I assure you, Ms. Lewis, I fully understand. All documents have been signed by all those that will be working on your case. Your identities and privacy will remain secure, this is not the first time we have worked with celebrities." Of course most of their clients were movie stars and a politician or two. No one that would send the tabloids into a frenzy like the man in front of her. Still, she was confident in their NDAs.

"Then we are good, unless you have anything you want to ask?" Darcy glanced at Steve, turning back when he gave a slight shake of his head. "Then we're all set."

"Alright, well this is all pretty straightforward. I've reviewed both of your files and I'm not seeing any problem that could hinder conception." Dr. Abbey flipped through the pages on her clipboard, giving them a quick onceover.

"My file? You mean Bruce's tests results, how did you get those?" Steve sat forward in his chair a bit, but forced himself to relax when Darcy squeezed the hand she was still holding.

"J-man and I are buds. Oh, and by the way he is totally on our side. I think it's mainly because he's looking forward to having another baby to take care of. Who would have known that AIs could be broody?" Darcy shrugged a shoulder. Everything that just came out of her mouth should have been weird, but when one lived with superheroes and had fought dark elves little was weird anymore.

"So, as I was saying, you both are perfectly healthy. You especially, Mr. Rogers, though I'm sure you already know that. I don't really think we will need to use any fertility drugs. Though I do want to point out that while you both are in perfect health, conception may not happen on the first try, or even the second, so I don't want either of you becoming worried if it doesn't take the first time." Dr. Abbey gave a soft smile at the two sets of head nods she received. Throughout her career she had dealt with many frantic couples coming to her crying because the first couple of rounds didn't take. Sometimes it was simply the matter of not having everything lined up just right, nothing to be worried about. But there were times when it had been an unforeseen problem. Not that she believed anything of the sort would happen with the couple before her.

"Got it." Darcy squirmed in her seat a bit, the fluttering in her stomach increasing. She wanted to blurt out that they were ready, but she knew she would have to wait. She might have been ready, but at the moment her body wasn't.

"Have you two discussed what procedure you wish to pursue?" After getting a quiet shake of the head from both, Dr. Abbey pulled a pamphlet from her clipboard and handed it over. "Well, we could try either an ICI or IUI. With the ICI we place the sperm at the cervix where with the IUI we place it within the uterus."

"Which one would you recommend?" Steve flipped through the pages of the pamphlet, his eyes skimming over the images of the woman's reproductive system.

"Either would be fine in your case, but the IUI does have a higher success rate." Dr. Abbey pulled out her own copy of the pamphlet and turned it to the section on IUI. She leaned over in her chair until her elbows rested on her thighs and used her pen to point out the information she had highlighted earlier.

"The IUI, I would think." Darcy looked at Steve and gave him a sort of unsure look. She had read up on the procedure, but they hadn't really talked about which one they wanted. Darcy had kind of thought their doctor would figure that all out. "I mean anything to increase the chances."

Dr. Abbey nodded and sat back in her chair. So far everything had been going smoothly, something that wasn't always the case. So many that came to her were skeptical about the procedure, having tried and failed at so many other options. She wasn't sure if it was confidence or what that was helping things along, but what was sure of was the intelligence and maturity of the couple. Then again, what did one expect when it came to Captain America?

"We will need to monitor you for ovulation. Are you pretty regular?"

"I was lucky, unlike some women in my family, I normally start around the same time each month… give or take two days." Darcy had always been grateful that she had taken after her grandmother in that respect. She had a cousin that was irregular and used to curse about how the damn thing made going on vacation hard.

"That will make things easier, but I'm going to give you a kit to help you monitor. Have you already gone through your cycle this month?" She made a mark down on her clipboard before looking back up.

"I'm due next week." Darcy could already feel it coming on; her boobs felt like someone had been using them as punching bags.

"Good, so we have a little bit of time to prepare. Now, we will have to do this as soon as you are ovulating. We will be able to do it here in the clinic, so do both of you think you will be able to drop everything when you are needed?" Making a final tic on her clipboard, she clicked her pen closed and sat fully back.

"Shoot, half the time the scientists don't even notice if I'm in the lab or not." Darcy shrugged a shoulder. It was funny just how absentminded the scientists were. She was sure she could go to work dressed up as a clown and no one would notice…. Actually, she thought, that might be fun to do.

"As long as there isn't, you know…" Steve kind of waved his hand about in a vague gesture. Having your main job be saving the planet from rampaging villains kind of meant that the hours were unpredictable.

"Right, that is understandable. So, when you are ovulating I want you to call us and come in, both of you. We will prepare everything while Mr. Rogers supplies the sperm, which will then be washed. Do either of you need that explained or…?" Dr. Abbey trailed off, this was the part were things normally got a bit awkward. Some of the younger guys weren't so comfortable talking about their little soldiers in front of a couple of women.

"No, we actually did a little research." For which Steve was glad, he liked to be as informed as possible. This situation was no different.

"Good, as you may have read the sperm wash isn't intrusive and takes place after the donation has been made. All it is, is to ensure only the best, viable sperm is used and to remove anything that may be harmful to the mother.

"Now, after the sperm is prepared we will proceed with the procedure. Ms. Lewis, you will be asked to remain most likely around an hour, and then to remain as inactive as possible the rest of the day. Stress can have a huge effect on conception, so I normally recommend that the mothers take off of work that day if at all possible." A request that she had found normally didn't go over real well. It was amazing how many people didn't understand how much stress impacted pregnancy.

"Shouldn't be hard, as I said they don't even realize I'm there half the time. Once I took off a whole week to visit my family and when I got back all I got was Jane asking me why I hadn't finished the paperwork she asked me to do the day before." Darcy waved off the look Steve threw her. It didn't bother her because she knew it had nothing to do with her, and everything to do with SCIENCE! It was like putting a tub of ice-cream and a puppy in front of her, no way she was going to pay attention to everyone's boring ass when she had heaven like that to indulge in. Ice-cream and puppy kisses were better than people any day.

"Our involvement doesn't stop once conception happens, though you might wish to have your own OBG-YN outside of our clinic, we like to monitor all our patients from conception to birth."

"I don't plan on having any other doctor, I've heard a great deal about your clinic as well as you yourself, which is why I requested you." Most likely by more not really legal means via Jarvis, but no one really needed to know any of that.

"We strive for the best here, it is important that all our patients are comfortable. Are there any other questions?" Dr. Abbey folded her hands in her lap, a small smile gracing her lips. The two seemed really sweet, they hadn't let go of each other's hands the whole visit except to look over the pamphlet. She really hoped everything worked out of them.

"How much will this cost?" He knew it wouldn't be cheap, not that the cost mattered much to him, but it was best not to be surprised.

"Not as much as you would think. Most people when researching tend to mix up an IUI with In-Vetro, which is more costly. The IUI will cost you five-hundred per attempt, which as I said it may take more than once. Normally we are looking at five to ten tries before conception, but it may take less for you two if we factor in, uh the procedure done on Mr. Rogers back in the forties.

"The sperm wash will be one-hundred each time, and the ultrasound which we will use to monitor will be three-hundred each. With general costs and the ovulation kit, I would say around fifteen-hundred to two-thousand per round. That is just for the procedure, once conception occurs you will have visit costs that will include ultrasound and lab.

"Also, you might look at your insurance policy, some businesses will cover part of the costs under fertility coverage." She pulled out another pamphlet and handed it over after turning to the page on costs and different insurance options.

"Oh, that's ok, my employer is covering all the cost." Darcy slipped a small black card from her pocket and flashed it quickly before placing it back. She waved off the pamphlet, but said nothing as Steve took it and threw her an odd look.

"Oh… well, I guess everything is in order then." She had to say that that had thrown her, not to say it was all that surprising seeing how well Mr. Stark took care of his employees. Still though…

"Yep! One of the perks of working for a philanthropist, or you know, having Tony Stark wrapped around your finger." Darcy twirled her finger in the air and gave a wink.

"So, is there anything else we need do?" Steve looked away from Darcy and towards the doctor. This was the first time he had heard anything about Tony paying for this, and he wondered why Darcy hadn't said anything to him before now.

"I have a bit of paperwork I need you both to fill out." Dr. Abbey handed them the second clipboard before standing. "While you do that I'm going to go and get that ovulation kit." With that she slipped from the room.

Steve sat there and watched for a few seconds as Darcy started filling out the forms, Eventually he couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Darcy, where did you get that card?" He pointed to the pocket that she had slipped it back into moments before.

"From Tony, where else?" She threw him a 'duh' look and went back to the forms in her lap.

"Ok, how did you get that from Tony?" He kept himself from pinching the bridge of his nose. Darcy had this way of being annoying that made you want to take her by the shoulders and shake her and laugh all at the same time.

"I asked him for some money." She shrugged a shoulder as she quickly jotted down both of their SS numbers. She had done so much paperwork for the scientists and Avengers that she probably knew their information better than they did.

"You just asked him?" Steve really would have to talk to Tony about his trust in Darcy, sometimes he wondered if the man did things just because he enjoyed the chaos she created.

"I know, right?! I figured he would nag me with questions, but turns out as long as I'm not planning on going all evil-warlord on everyone he'll give me whatever I want. Go-fig." Which was really a bad thing for Tony, now that she knew she could just ask there was a good chance she would use it for evil purposes. Well, maybe not evil, but not necessarily good purposes.

"So, he doesn't know about this?" He gestured a hand around the room before pointing it at Darcy's stomach. He was pretty certain that had he known Tony wouldn't have been able to keep his mouth shut, but Tony could be unpredictable at times.

"Do I look crazy? As far as he knows I needed something personal and didn't think I could afford it with my regular pay." Yeah, telling him would've been a bad idea. It would have gone one of two ways she figured. Either he would've made lots of lewd jokes and yelled it for all the tower to hear, or he would've tried to beat the shit out of Steve. She didn't feel like dealing with either.

"Darcy, you shouldn't have lied to him…" Not that she should've told him the truth either…

"What, I should've told him I needed the money so we could have your sperm put in my uterus? That would have went well." She rolled her eyes and handed him the forms for him to fill in what she hadn't.

"No, what I mean is that I should be the one paying for this, not Tony." He took the clipboard, only giving it a quick glance before looking back up.

"Gah, please tell me you are not going to go all caveman on me?" He didn't do it often, but there were times both Steve and Bucky went all he-man, caveman on her. It was annoying, and she usually responded by throwing a pillow at their face. Sadly there was nothing in the room she could use, plus it would probably not make a good impression if her doctor came back in to find her smacking the future father of her kid.

"As it will be my child not his, don't you think I should be the one paying?" It kind of rubbed him the wrong way to think that Tony was paying for this.

"I didn't know how much this would cost, and well… I'm not really sure how your financial situation is. I mean, you seem pretty well off, but you can't really count your place at the tower and I've never been able to figure it out through your apartment." The times she had been to his apartment it always struck her how bare it all was. She had tried to get him to fix the place up, but he always shot down her ideas about adding in a bit of color.

"You should have just asked." Maybe he pressed the pen to paper just a little too hard, but thankfully Darcy didn't say anything. They were going to have a child together, he would hope that she would be comfortable enough around him to ask him anything.

"Oh Steve, it isn't anything against you. It's just you don't go asking how much a person is worth, even if they are your best friend. Unless they are a Stark that is." Darcy also didn't want to mention that she hadn't even given a fleeting thought to asking him. All of this had been her idea, she figured it was up to her to figure out payment.

"Actually you should never ask a Stark, not unless you want to spend hours listening to them tell not just how much, but how they acquired it… in great detail. Anyway, I have enough for this. I'm not as well off as Tony, but I'm more than comfortable." He could afford to pay for most of what Tony bought for him, but he allowed Tony to pay for it all because he learned early on that that was just the Stark way of showing friendship.

"Oh, well there was a second reason." Darcy blinked, she had never really thought about Steve in regards to money before.

"And that is?" Steve flipped the page, quickly filling out his parts.

"We want this kept quiet, right? Well, Tony has a lot of pull. Just his name is enough to strike fear in the hearts of the weak." She balled a fist and shook it in the air… maybe she could be a little over-dramatic… just a bit.

"Darce…" Steve's voice was just this side of scolding, even if he did find her antics funny.

"What I mean is that by not only throwing his name about, but paying using this…" She flashed the card about again. "…our privacy is ensured. Because if Tony Stark is paying you can be sure he is invested, so when we say it is to stay secret it is to stay secret. To do otherwise could mean ruin. It is easy to forget sometimes since we are friends, but Tony has the kind of pull that could easily shut this place down." Darcy smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

The first time Darcy had seen business Tony had been around six months after her and Jane came to live in the tower. Some online company had been making copycat Avengers figurines and selling them slightly cheaper. When Tony had heard about it he just about hit the roof. The proceeds to the official merchandise went to various children's charities, and the rip offs were taking away money from the kids. She had watched on as the owner of the company waltzed into the tower only to leave an hour later with his tail between his legs after the tearing down Tony had given him. Darcy had to admit she had been a little turned on… not that she had EVER told him that.

"That is… that is actually very diabolical. I think I might need to start taking those comments about you taking over the world seriously." Steve couldn't deny that the way Darcy's mind worked was one of the things he found very attractive.

"You really should, but don't worry, when I'm Queen of the World I shall spare you and you will live as my concubine; you and Bucky." She reached over and pinched his cheek, giving the abused skin a soft pat before retreating.

"Is that so? What about everyone else?" Completely ignoring the forms, Steve sat back and mirrored her posture. This was something he had to hear.

"Jane will be my lady-in-waiting and royal scientist. Nat will be the head of my armies; you know she will always side with me. Clint will join Nat; those two can never be separated. Bruce will be my personal guard, Sam I'm thinking he might join you and Bucky. Thor's only job is to stand around my palace with no shirt on, all oiled up and looking pretty. Tony will be my jester, and I'm undecided about Pepper. On one hand she would be a very valuable asset, on the other if anyone would rise up and overthrow me it would be her." She tapped a finger against her chin and lower lip pretending to contemplate the fate of her friend.

"You have thought about this way too often." Him and Bucky really needed to get her out of those labs more often, before she lost her mind.

"Hey, those labs can get really boring." It wasn't as exciting as it had been right after Thor showed up for the first time. Now she spent most of her time twirling in her desk chair while Jane muttered in her little corner of SCIENCE! Which was something Darcy found strange; Jane had been given a whole lab, but the woman still stuck herself in the corner most of the time. She always made sure to check on the woman, make sure she wasn't hunched over one of her machines muttering 'precious.'

"Couldn't you have played on your computer or talked on the phone like a normal person?" Steve bit down on the smile that threatened to cover his face when Darcy gave him an unimpressed looked.

"In the life we lead, planning a takeover of the world is normal." She was pretty sure that Coulson had contingency plans in the event that one of them actually went through with it.

"I really wish I could say you were lying." It wasn't like he hadn't heard similar discussions from Tony and Clint.

"Keeps you on your toes." Darcy nudged his foot with hers when she saw the smile creeping up on his face.

"Is that what it does?" Steve laughed when Darcy stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shut up and fill those out, the sooner we get out of here the sooner you can buy me a coffee and danish." Sitting back in the chair, Darcy pulled her phone out. She had seen this cute little Captain America binky leash when she had been shopping for Pepper, and she wanted to make sure to order one before they ran out.

"Who said I was buying you anything?" He nudged her in the side, his eyes sweeping over her phone screen. His heart stuttered a bit when he caught sight of her wallpaper; a picture of the two of them taken a few months ago when they had ditched some political function. Bucky taken the picture when neither of them had been paying attention, they had been too busy trying to smash fries into the other's face.

"Hey, I'm going to be the mother of your child, best start taking care of me now." Pulling up the website on her phone, Darcy squealed when she saw that they not only had the leash, but also matching binky. Her kid was going to look so cool.

"Of course, what was I thinking?" He rolled his eyes and turned back to the clipboard in his lap.

"Apparently not about getting me coffee and a danish, shame on you. Now, write!"

Abab

Darcy would admit that until Steve showed up in the lobby she had been worried. She knew he still had fears, even if he told her he was ready. When he had walked off the elevator she had been so happy she had to hold herself back from running up to him and throwing her arms around his shoulders.

That happiness stayed with her during the entire appointment, and nothing could dampen it. Not even Bucky sitting on her couch with his frowny face on when she returned home. She really should have expected him actually.

"So, talking to Steve didn't work so you've come to try, and what, persuade me to not have this kid?" She dumped her purse on the table by the door, the sound of the taser she legally wasn't supposed to have making a loud clunk when the bag hit the wood.

"I was hoping to reason with you, but I'm getting the feeling that I would be wasting my breath." He knew it had been a longshot, once Darcy got something into her head she rarely ever changed her mind.

"Oh, gained a few new brain-cells while we were gone?" The snark in her voice could have been heard for miles. She really wasn't up for any of this, but it was best to get it over with before they started their first round.

"Darcy…" Bucky turned to look over the couch and towards where the woman in question was throwing away an empty cup of coffee.

"I know that you are worried, but you can't go around and try to protect Steve from everything. If this is a mistake, which I don't think it will be, it is his to make." After rinsing the danish glaze from her fingers, Darcy moved around until she could flop down on the couch next to Bucky.

"It is not just Steve I'm worried about." His voice was almost a whisper, fear seeming to almost silence him.

"Oh, Bucky, I'm not yours to protect either." Darcy felt as though he had reached out and clamped that metal hand of his around her heart and squeezed.

"Of course you are." How could she think otherwise? Both of them were his to protect… they were all he had.

"Buck… I… oh please don't tell me you are in love with me, because seriously I'm really not up to being the angsty twit in a love-triangle." Visions of cheesy teen romance novels passed through her mind. She really didn't want to start listening to sappy music and go around spouting 'inspirational' and 'intelligent' quotes in an attempt to express her total and complete angst. 'Perhaps they were right in putting love in books… perhaps it could not live anywhere else,' please…

"What?! No! I… what the hell gave you that idea?" Bucky looked at her with wide eyes. Surely he had never given her any indication that he wanted anything more than friendship from her… had he?

"Well, Steve said something about if you had been more yourself and all that." So, she was beginning to think she should've kept her mouth shut on that subject. It was becoming obvious that wasn't what this was about.

"Remind me to wring his neck." Bucky mumbled as he sank into the couch. "Fuck. Fine, yeah, sure if I was whole you would be just the kind of dame I would go after. Hell, I would probably end up dizzy for ya. But I'm not whole, and I realized that not long after we first met."

"Sooo, I'm really not sure how to take that." On one hand it was flattering as fuck, but on the other… yeah that was a whole can of worms she didn't want to open.

"I love you, I do, but I'm not in love with ya. I might have fancied you at the beginning, but that quickly changed. I don't really know how to say what I want to say, you are my sister but yet you are more, just like with Steve." Bucky reached out, clasped onto her hand, and pulled her until she fit tightly against his side. It was a position that was normal for them, and one that made him well safe.

"More than a brother, but less that a lover." Darcy snuggled into his side, one arm going around his waist.

"What?" Bucky looked down at the head of thick brown hair tucked under his arm.

"That is how I see you. You are stuck somewhere between the two, it is the easiest way I've found to describe it." Darcy looked up with a soft smile on her face. This man who had been through so much had become someone very important to her.

"I like it, it is probably the most accurate I've heard to describe what I feel about either of you." He reached up from her shoulders so he could muss up her hair. "So, you understand why I worry about you?"

"Understand it: yes. Still think you are an idiot and should allow Steve and I to make our own decisions: so very much so." She swatted his hand away and tried to smooth her hair back down. She wasn't sure why he had such a fascination with messing it up.

"I'm not going to stop worrying about you." The day he stopped would be the day he died… then again with the trouble that she seemed to invite his worry would probably follow him into any afterlife there may be.

"You don't have to, just don't allow that worry to get in the way of our friendship. I worry myself sick every time you and Steve go out on a mission, but you've never seen me try and stop either of you." Of course there have been times when she wanted to, it killed her whenever they came back beaten and battered up.

"That is not the same thing." He wanted to shake her, shake some sense into her. He just wasn't sure it would do any good.

"No, it's not. One could lead to the deaths of two of the most important people in my life, and the other will lead to a baby." She kicked out, the tips of her toes hitting the edge of her coffee table.

"That baby could easily lead to your death." Fear twisted in his belly at the thought of Darcy in pain, struggling to give birth only to die. He had heard about it all too often when he was younger.

"Oh shit, is this what this whole damn thing has been about?" Darcy sat up straighter, reached out to take a hold of his jaw, and forced him to look at her.

"Women die in childbirth all the time." He made the smallest effort to pull from her hold, but it was easier just to give in even if he did have the strength to move.

"Yeah, they do, but this isn't the nineteen-forties and we've come a long way. There's no history of birthing problems in my family, and even if there is a complication I will be at a hospital. One that will be fully equipped to deal with those kinds of situations." She knew that there was still a chance, medical advancement had made it safer and easier, but it hadn't made it foolproof. Still, she wasn't going to allow the fear of could-be to stop her from being happy.

"I still don't think this is a good idea." He knew he was loosing, though when he thought he was actually winning he didn't know.

"And I still don't care." She patted his cheek and gave him a cheeky little smile. "You do realize you're going to be the Godfather, right?"

"Darcy…" A lump formed in his throat at her words. It really shouldn't have hit him that hard, that he would be Godfather was a given. Still it did.

"No, you're going to accept this whether you like it or not. Don't make me break out my secret weapon." Darcy moved until she was on her knees next to him, her hands in fists on her hips.

"Darce…" Bucky's eyes widened as he tried to scoot further back on the couch, but she had cornered him.

"Fine, I warned you." It only took a couple of seconds before several tears started slipping down her cheeks. If there was one thing she knew that brought Bucky to his knees, it was a crying woman… namely a crying Darcy.

"Aww, Darce, don't…" Bucky didn't know what to do, his hand flailed as he tried to figure out if it was better to hold her or not touch her at all. He hated it when she played dirty. "Please… don't cry… fuck! Fine, just stop will ya?"

"Will you stop giving us grief now?" Darcy sniffled a bit, she might not have Steve's puppy eyes, but she had this.

"I don't know… aww fuck…" Bucky hung his head as a couple of tears forced themselves past his lids. He hated it, every damn time she cried he cried. It wasn't fair.

"Bucky, we need your support, we need to know you're going to be there for the both of us. The three of us actually. Please, this is important to us." She reached out so she could wipe the tears from his eyes. She hadn't actually meant to full on cry, or make him cry, but everything sort of built up she guessed.

"Sometimes I really hate you." Bucky pressed the heel of his flesh hand into one eye. This was not how this conversation was supposed to go.

"No you don't, now hold me." Sinking back down, Darcy allowed Bucky to gather her up tightly against him. She tried to hold back the tears, but a few snuck past anyway.

"If you tell anyone that I shed even one tear I will kill you." Bucky pressed a kiss against the top of her head, his words lost in the midst of her hair.

"No one would believe me anyway." She laughed a bit and squeezed his middle.

"Still…" Well, Steve would, but then again his friend wasn't any better around Darcy.

"Bucky, shut up and just cuddle with me." She pinched his side, smiling when she felt him jolt.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Abab

Author's Note: Well, this is way over due. Sorry, semester has been crazy. Anyway, I haven't forgotten or abandoned this story, I promise!

Now, I've never been in the situation that Darcy and Steve have, so I kind of just based the clinic visit off every doctor visit I've ever had. Though the information is what I had been able to find out… also I hope you all enjoy this, I had to try and hurry and hide my pages on conception and sperm when my Children's Lit teacher came up to talk to me. Lesson: wait to do fic research until home. Anyway, the pricing might be a tad more now, but when I was first doing the research for this story that is what I found for clinics in New York.

The quote Darcy thinks up is from William Faulkner (Light in August)

I'm not sure when I'm going to get the next chapter up, but I will be doing chapter development for future chapters. Also, I really hate my summery for this story, if anyone could come up with something that sounds better I would be grateful.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.