Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait, its been a busy week. I hope you enjoy, and a big whoop for Steve and Natasha.

Natasha

"Will you marry me?"

The words kept repeating in her head, she stared at the ring in his hand. She felt like she was floating, her heart was fluttering and she felt a sudden rush of warmth hit her cheeks. Steve was watching her for her answer and the question took her off her guard. She stared at the small diamond that was in the small metal circle. She felt like time had stopped, the world had stopped rotating and she was the reason why. The moment felt drawn out, everything was in slow motion. She exhaled in a small gasp at the ring, she couldn't believe what he was doing.

"Will you marry me?"

She heard the words replayed in her head and she didn't know what to say, she suddenly couldn't find any words to say. Steve was proposing to her, it was sudden as well, nothing subtle about it. She couldn't stop staring at the ring, she pictured it on her finger and she pictured seeing her standing next to Steve in a white gown. She didn't know how to register that, it was a huge question. She was so stunned by it that she was speechless, her speechless. She looked at Steve and his eyes were calm and sure, yet she could tell he was nervous. His cheeks were light red and she noticed the slight movement in his hand and he was dying inside waiting for her answer. She came to the dilemma: oh god what if she said no? Would that ruin everything, would he still keep waiting? But what if she said yes? Every fiber in her being wanted to scream yes, but her rational mind said no. Captain America and Black Widow married? It would be incredibly controversial, but Steve didn't care about that, if he did why would he be asking?

"Will you marry me?"

She didn't know what to do, Steve wanted her to be his wife, the one that didn't deserve him. The one who couldn't give him what he always wanted. Would it even work out? She was still amazed how he could love her. She blinked and the ring was still there, it wasn't a dream or a figment of her imagination. It was all real, the look of his eyes, the redness of his cheeks, the slight shaking in his hands, the ever blue eyes staring into her. She opened her mouth slightly and she felt a pang of fear, what did she want? What did she really want? Honestly she couldn't figure it out in the few seconds of looking at the damn ring. She did like it though, it was a very beautiful ring, incredibly simple. How did he do it? How could the small simple ring make her want to put it on her finger? They were both involved in such complex and stressful lives that the one thing that she would wear on her finger was so simple. She was still lost for words, her heart screamed 'Yes' and her mind screamed 'No'.

"Will you marry me?"

Knowing that there was no turning back either way, she breathed and spoke. "Yes"

Steve's eyes lit up and he smiled at her, she breathed a laugh and smiled. Steve looked at her hand, she put it out and he slipped the ring onto her finger. She looked at it and she had rings on her fingers before, but this one had a certain weight to it that felt different. She close her hand and she took a deep breath. Steve smiled at her and she leaned forward and kissed him lightly. Steve chuckled and he pulled her into an embrace and he held her. Natasha swallowed and her heart was racing, she just accepted to be Steve's wife.

After a half an hour, they were both staring up at the ceiling, Steve had a stupid grin on his face. Natasha looked at him and she felt the ring on her finger. She smiled slyly at him "I thought you didn't get me anything for Christmas?"

Steve breathed a chuckle "It was originally before Christmas, but Bucky being captured kind of delayed it"

Natasha nodded "Now I feel bad"

"Why?"

"I didn't get you anything"

Steve held her a little tighter "Just be you and that's all I need for Christmas"

Natasha tilted her head and placed it on his shoulder. "So what now, what do regular couples do?"

"I don't know, tell everyone?"

Natasha felt the realization hit her and she looked at him and he nodded "Keep it a secret for now"

Natasha exhaled and placed her hand on his chest. He chuckled, she frowned "What?"

"If you want to keep it a secret, aren't you going to take off the ring?"

Natasha looked at it on her finger "Not till we leave the room"

Steve nodded "Well this room is never being empty"

"My thoughts exactly" she smiled and kissed him tenderly on the lips, Steve felt her hand moved down his chest and his eyes lit up again when she found what she wanted.

Peter

Peter wiped the pasta sauce from his lips with a napkin, he placed it on the plate and looked at Felicia. She had finished her burger that used to be his five minutes before he finished her pasta. He leaned back and he couldn't wait to hear the terms. Felicia seemed to know what was on his mind, she inclined her head "So terms?"

Peter crossed his arms "Their your terms"

"Ok well since, we both know who each other are, maybe we could keep that to ourselves"

"So we know who each other are and we just go about as business as usual, you keep stealing things while I keep trying to stop you?"

"Yeah" she said bluntly

He scoffed "How is that a deal?"

"Well if not I guess I will just whisper your name to everyone"

"I thought that you wanted to keep it to yourself?"
"Only when it gets me something"

"Ok Felicia, I guess business as usual"

"Is that accepting the deal?"

"Yes"

She smiled at him "You can get the tip"

She stood and walked away, Peter quickly tossed some money onto the table and he quickly followed Felicia out of the diner. She stood on the sidewalk and Peter stood next to her as he stopped himself, there was a cop checking out the car that she had stolen. She looked at him "Well I guess you're walking"

"Walking?" he asked confused

Felicia turned to leave, Peter frowned and he reached and grabbed her by the arm. She turned around and faced him "So where are you going?"

"Home"

Peter sighed and Felicia smiled and she quickly put her hands on his face and gave him a kiss and Peter didn't know why he opened his mouth and he felt her tongue meet his and he moved his hands down her arms and around her waist. The feeling was exhilarating and they broke apart and Felicia smiled. "See you Spider" she walked away and disappeared into the crowd. Peter stood there and he could still taste her lips, he stared in the direction she had went and he didn't know why, but he wanted to chase her and do that again.

He turned back toward the road when he heard sirens, he saw a large truck fly by at a speed that was unnecessary. He saw two police cars fly by after it. Peter saw everyone on the sidewalk was looking at the spectacle happing before them. Peter pulled out his scanner and he listened, he heard a female voice "We have an armored truck, in pursuit"

Peter left it at that, he ran into an alley and he looked and he saw no one. He pulled his coat off and he stuffed it into his book bag, he pulled his shirt off and his suit was underneath. He quickly got undressed and he climbed the wall and he left his book bag on the roof. He stood on the edge of the roof and he could see the lights from the police cruisers. He leapt off the roof and fired a web, he pulled himself up and swung over the street, he heard the crowd become loud as they saw him. He landed on a large pole that had the street lights hanging over the road, he leapt to another one and fired another web to swing to the side of a building. He placed his hands on the side of the building and jumped sideways and rolled across the edge of a small ledge, he dove off and swung and flew in between the cars on the street. He flew high and he felt his body feel the gravity, he exhaled and fired another web and took a turn. He fired two webs at either side of the long line buildings that he was between. He grunted as he pulled himself with a fast and strong lift, he flew between the buildings and took a short cut. He came out from the alley and he saw the police cruisers on the street to the right. Peter pushed it and he swung as fast as he could and went through another alley, he straightened himself and he flew through the small opening of a fire escape. He saw the armored car to the street on the right, he fired a web and he came in at a curve and he landed on the hood of the armored car. He saw the two criminals in the driver and passenger seat, their eyes widened and the one in the passenger seat aimed his shotgun and fired. Peter leaned back and dropped off the hood and stuck to the grill of the truck, he heard the shotgun pump and he used his weight and flipped backwards and went through the already broken windshield. He was sitting between the two criminals. "Hey guys" he said jokingly

They jumped and the passenger pulled out a knife, Peter saw it coming though and he stopped his arm and punched him in the face, he grabbed the knife and tossed it out of the open windshield. The driver swung at him and Peter leaned forward and his arm hit his friend in the nose, breaking it. "Hey guys, this is not the time to fight each other"

They swung at him and he got hit in the face, he groaned "You're driving, he punched him in the face and he kicked the other one and the door opened. He yelled as he hung onto the door as the armored car sped across the road at high speed. Peter moved and he grabbed him and tossed him to the side of the armored car and stuck him there with web. He felt his head buzz and he dodged a bullet as the driver fired at him. Peter gritted his teeth "There are people on the street" he said angrily

He hit the man in the ribs and the vehicle swerved, he knocked the gun out of his hand and he hit him in the jaw, dislocating it with a crack. The man grunted in pain, Peter put his hand on the emergency brake. "You're stop sir"

The man looked at him and he pulled the emergency brake and the armored car lurched forward and the tires burned and squealed over the road. He saw the man wasn't wearing a seat beat and he saw him fly forward. Peter grabbed him by the belt and stopped him, he hit the hood of the car and he stuck him there with web and he felt the armored car come to a halted stop. He sighed and he climbed out of the car and stood on the street. He walked a few steps, people on the sidewalk that had seen what he had done started taking pictures and videos with their phones. He didn't mind, he saw the cops walk toward him. He started to walk backwards and he jumped into the air and swung away from the scene. He made his way back to the roof that he left his book bag on.

He collected his things and he headed to Stark Tower. He figured since he was off school, he would visit. He walked into the main living area, he noticed that no lights were on and it was quiet. Peter shrugged, he walked past the kitchen and up the steps toward the lab. He opened the door, he walked into the lab and tossed his book bag onto the long table that he always worked on. He took a seat at the stool that was calling his name. He looked at his station and he noticed a note, two ear pieces were placed next to it. He grabbed the piece of paper that had his name on it, he inspected what it said.

Hey kid, I noticed how well you and FRIDAY get along and figured what the hell, the two ear pieces are for you. You can talk to FRIDAY when you have them in, take it as a Christmas gift. Oh and your suit is coming along nicely, I almost want to take it out for a spin when it's done, but it's for you, I also put FRIDAY into the suit's interface, so like what I had with Jarvis you have with FRIDAY, she'll still be in mine, but she's an AI, she can be in numerous places at once, well Merry Christmas. Oh almost forgot, can you not be here from seven to ten, I have company coming over for dinner, Pepper would kill me if you showed up, and if that doesn't sway you, she'll probably kill you to. Well, have a good time kid.

Peter put the piece of paper back onto the table he pulled off his mask, and grabbed the ear pieces he looked at them. He glanced around the lab and put them into his ears. He cleared his throat. "Hello Peter" FRIDAY said

Peter smirked "So what am I thinking right now?"

"I'm not that kind of interface"

"Ah worth a shot"

Peter grabbed his mask and put it back on. He didn't feel like the ear pieces would get in the way, he took a deep breath. "Are we leaving?"

"Well I originally came here to talk to Tony, and he isn't here"

"Well before you ask the suit is at twenty percent completion"

"Thanks, do you know who Tony is having dinner with?"

"Captain Rogers and Miss Romanoff"

Peter was surprised by the names "Oh, well I defiantly don't want to be here"

"So where are we going?"

"Somewhere where there's trouble"

"Sounds interesting, I can't really help you"

"Well the company is nice"

Peter left the lab and he made his way back to the roof. He was soon standing on the edge of the tower and the cold air was picking up. Peter looked down at the city and he took a deep breath. "Aren't you cold?" He heard FRIDAY ask

"Not really"

"Ok so why are you just standing there?"

"I am thinking about testing my new upgrade that I gave the suit"

"If the suit was a piece of technology I would be able to tell you the odds of it working"

Peter chuckled "FRIDAY, have you ever watched Star Wars?"

"I can watch it in a minute"

"Well when you do there is a line: never tell me the odds"

Peter closed his eyes and he took a deep breath, he prepared for what he was about to do could completely fail and he would crash and burn…ok maybe just the crash part. He jumped off the edge and he fell down. He kept his arms at his side and he could feel the air blasting past him, he always felt a sense of freedom whenever he spent his time around New York. He opened his arms and he inhaled and he angled his hands down and pressed the buttons on his web shooters that were angled to the sides of the index fingers, he got the idea from the Ant-Man suit. The meticulous work he had done on the sides of his suit were coming into play. Web shot outward and met in the middle and over laced themselves and became strong and flexible. He felt them catch the air and he angled upward and flew over a roof. He yelled in triumph as he glided to the left and past a skyscraper. He laughed as he was gliding through the air. He was basically wearing a wingsuit.

He couldn't help but smile as he smoothly glided through New York. He lightly bit his lip and he had an idea. He put his arms back at his side and he started to fall and he aimed for a roof. He was about to hit it with full force and he opened his arms again, he felt the force as they pulled him back as they caught the air. He came up and he pressed the buttons on the sides of his index fingers and the webbing dissipated and he landed on his feet in a crouching stance. He put his hand to the roof and his heart was beating loudly in his ears, the adrenaline was pumping and he couldn't stop smiling. He stood and looked around, he could see the Stark Tower in the distance, he could have just kept going, and he laughed again. "Well I get the quote" FRIDAY said

Peter took a deep breath "Not so bad". He ran off the edge of the roof and he fired a web and swung around a building and he launched himself into the air and he pressed the buttons again and the webbed wings formed again and they caught the air and he glided past and office window. Which inadvertently made someone spill coffee all over themselves.

Montana

The sound of someone hitting a punching bag filled the small cabin. The man was hitting it as soft as he could, he didn't want to break it. He jabbed it with two punches and he brought his knee up in a form of hitting someone. He punched the bag and it moved back from the force of the punch. He felt a sudden feeling of anger and he swung his body around and kicked it across the room. It smacked into the wall and hit the floor. He stood in an open stance and he was breathing calmly, he wasn't tired.

He rubbed the back of his head and he wasn't sweating either, he nodded and walked out of the cottage. He stood in his yard, the snow had made it difficult to get anywhere. He took a deep breath and he started in a light jog as he ran out to the road and took a left turn. He was running to a small town, if it was called a town, more like a stop that had a few things that were important, for one there was a grocery store and a gas station. He didn't care for the gas station. He ran into the small not known town and he had a truck pass him as he ran. He saw the driver looking at him like he was crazy. He walked into the grocery store, he did his best to get as much snow off of his boots as possible. He didn't want to have them squeaking for too long.

He went down almost every aisle, grabbing something on occasion. He had a small black basket in hand for the food that he was purchasing. He got to the other side of the store and his basket was full, shopping was complete. He made his way to the checkout line. He stood behind an elderly lady who was taking forever to pay, but it didn't bother him. After she finally left his placed the basket on the conveyer. He took his items out one at a time. He got to where he would pay. He watched as the girl who was working the cash register typed in what was needed. She looked at him "That would be fifty-two sixty"

He pulled out a wallet and paid her in cash "Keep the change" he said and collected his things. He was walking out of the grocery store when he noticed that something was happening at the gas station across the street. He saw that a snow storm was settling in. He saw a man yelling a woman, he raised an eyebrow and against his better judgement walked over to them. He saw the man smack the woman "Need any help?" he asked them

The man looked at him and frowned "I don't need any help teaching her some manners pal"

"I wasn't talking to you"

The man gave him a testing look, the woman had tears streaming down her face and her mascara was running. The man walked up to him "Listen pal, hit the road before I bust your face in"

He looked at the man that didn't scare him "Ask me nicely"

The man chuckled and looked at the woman and he quickly look at him "ask you nicely?"

He nodded, glancing at the woman. The man got in his face "Fuck off"

He smiled at him "I guess that's counts, sorry to disturb you" he turned to leave

"Yeah walk away tough guy, go suck a dick"

He stopped walking and he lightly placed his groceries down and turned around. The man looked at him "What?"

He slightly shrugged and he picked up his groceries again and started to walk away. The man chuckled "I got the tough guy to walk away like a little bitch"

He ignored the man's words and he kept walking he was going to start jogging when he heard another smack. He stopped in his tracks. He dropped his groceries, he wasn't that hungry anyway, and he had plenty to eat. He turned around and he walked toward the man and woman again. The man raised his hand to hit the woman again and he grabbed it. The man turned to look at who had stopped him. "Now I don't really care about much, but even I know it's not polite to hit a woman"

"Came back huh?" he said clearly trying to be all brave.

He slightly increased his grip and he grabbed the man by the back of the neck and he leaned forward. "You are nothing but an asshole who can't get anything unless he hits something. You're impotent and you get off hitting woman, and you are a asshole, stop me when I'm wrong"

The man gritted his teeth and he didn't say anything "Now treat her with some respect or I'll break ever bone in your pathetic body and you'll be drinking out of a straw for months. You never hit another woman again, got it?"

The man nodded and He let go of him and he patted him down and straighten his coat "Now go suck a dick asshole, and if you're lying, I'll break the other one"

"Other what?"

He ripped the man's hand around and turned the wrist all the way backwards. The man howled in pain and hit the ground holding his hand that was facing the wrong way. He looked at the woman "Stand up for yourself, and ditch this fucker"

He walked away from the man and woman and they saw him disappear into the blizzard.

Bucky

The Quinjet was in auto-pilot and Bucky was sitting in the pilot seat, he wasn't strapped in, he was resting his head against the seat, he was lightly brushing his fingers over his metal arm. He felt a hand touch his shoulder, he looked at Hill, she inclined her head "You ok?" she asked worried.

Bucky shifted slightly and nodded "Yeah"

Hill looked at him like she didn't believe him, he was holding something back, but it was nothing important, not even worth a conversation. He didn't continue with it, and she noticed that he didn't want to talk about it. "So Gerald must be happy" Hill said breaking the silence

Bucky smirked "Yeah I bet, it's a surprise that we're coming"

"You didn't tell him?"

"Nah, better this way, raw emotion. Sometimes Gerald's first expression and emotion when he sees you and he didn't know it is one of the truthful things he does."

Hill nodded "When are you going to tell me how you two met?"

Bucky shyly chuckled "it was a long time ago"

"Well, we're not even to Europe yet, we've got time"

Bucky looked at her and nodded "I won't go into the large complicated details but, it was a few years after I was turned into, well me. He was sixteen when we first met, that would make him eighty-four now. Well it was a complete accident really. It turned out that he was an analyst for the KGB. I kind of just ran into him, after that we had a moment that we bonded over. He got out of the KGB years later when he was in his thirties, and he went into the business that he is in now. As the years went by I had help from him. It wasn't a regular thing, since he did defect so it was technically illegal, but he set up this pub in Austria and years and years later I walk into the pub and ask for his help."

"That was when you were looking for Niko?"

"Yeah, and well he's actually my best friend, other than Steve that is"

Hill nodded, she crossed her arms as she contemplated all that he had said. She frowned and looked at him "You're leaving some things out"

"Well yeah, it would be too boring"

"Boring?"

"Yeah, hearing about what the exact mission was that I met him on, first it would take too long and second I don't remember that time in my life so well"

"Sounds like a pity"

"Only you would say that"

Hill smiled "well let's hope he isn't too drunk when we arrive"

Bucky looked out of the canopy "He'll probably be drunk, he usually is"

"His liver must be awful"

"Oh it is, amazing he's still alive"

Hill took a deep breath and she tried to relax, there was still a lot of time till they got to Austria.

Steve

Steve was standing at the dresser, he was not ready for the dinner and he was a little stressed out. He couldn't really figure out if it was a formal dinner, normal dinner, or kind of formal dinner. Natasha was in the bathroom and she was putting on makeup, she usually didn't wear any, the occasional lipstick and a little foundation. Steve pulled out one of his flannel shirts and he frowned at it. Natasha creaked the door open and she was basically ready and Steve was still standing in front of the dresser where she left him ten minutes ago. She noticed he wasn't ready, in fact he wasn't wearing anything. "I don't know if your birthday suit will be approved" she said teasingly

Steve looked over at her through the crack in the door. "What is a birthday suit?"

Natasha giggled "Well if you are not dressed by the time I come out of here then we are leaving and you are going naked"

Steve sighed "I don't exactly know what to wear"

Natasha opened the door a little more "Just wear something that you're comfortable in"

"Well is it a formal dinner or casual, or is something in between"

Natasha held back her giggles "I thought I was the girl"

Steve sarcastically chuckled at her "I just want to be presentable"

"You know what, wear something that I will want to rip off of you later" she said smiling from behind the door.

She heard a tested sigh from Steve, she became a little more serious "Steve just wear something or nothing at all"

"I got it"

Natasha playfully rolled her eyes and she looked at herself in the mirror, she looked good, but she wanted to see Steve's reaction. She began to open the door "You better be ready to go" she opened the door and Steve was standing with his back to her, he was buttoning up a flannel shirt. He turned and he saw her, she was wearing a simple black dress, it fit her perfectly and everything about her was complemented, from her curves, the size of her breasts, and her emerald eyes. He stared at her and he couldn't speak, she just smiled at him. "Well that's the reaction I wanted" she walked up to him and she finished the last button before the one for the neck. She looked up at him and she smirked slyly at him "Well you look good"

Steve nodded and smiled "You look beautiful. Um did I wear something you want to tear off me later?" he asked with a stupid grin on his face.

Natasha smirked "You make me want to take you right now" she said getting close to him and he blushed "Well, maybe later"

Natasha smiled "You better bet on it"

Steve swallowed as her eyes seemed to be screaming: Screw the dinner, fuck me. He cleared his throat "Let's go, or Stark will never let us down that we were late"

Natasha gave his a tender kiss "Ok well let's go eat"

Steve watched as she walked away and eh saw that she had left the ring on the dresser, he took a deep breath and followed her. Natasha decided that she would drive, Steve didn't object. He sat in the passenger seat calmly and he was quiet for the entire car ride. Natasha glanced over at him as they were entering the city. "Are you freaking out more about being engaged than I am?"

Steve looked at her and shyly chuckled "A little, never asked anyone to marry me before"

Natasha tilted her head "Well it's something you get used to"

Steve looked at her "Have you gone through this before?"

Natasha looked at him and uncomfortably swallowed and her neck tensed up. Steve shook his head "I'm not upset if you have, I do expect that you have had sex with other people than just me, I'm not the first"

Natasha nodded "You are not the first, sorry"

"No big deal"

Natasha frowned slightly "I was in love once"

Steve looked over at her "Who was it with?"

"Just a guy from the past, he died"

Steve bit his tongue slightly "Sorry"

"It was way back, no big deal" she held back tears as it made he feel a little more pain that she would admit to. "Well I got you so" she added

Steve smiled "So…what can we expect from Tony?"

"Probably the usual"

Steve looked at what he was wearing "Do I look ok?"

Natasha looked over and she knew that he was casual, but she found nothing wrong with it "Yeah you look good, nothing wrong with being in something other than expensive suits and silk ties"

Steve smiled "Well I hope it wasn't a formal dinner"

Natasha shrugged "Who cares in the end it's just a dinner, and formal doesn't always mean well dressed, which you are by the way"

"Thanks"

"Don't mention it, although I do feel like turning around and going back to the facility to have sex"

Steve closed his eyes and blushed. He looked at her and he gave her a challenging look "Or we could just pull over"

Natasha looked at him as they stopped at a red light "Bold" she said smiling

Steve became even redder, Natasha liked it when he got embarrassed, he looked adorable and he did know how to make flannel look good. They were getting closer to the tower and Steve looked up and he saw that the tower looked the same, except the large A was gone, it was back to being Stark. Steve sighed "well I just hope Tony doesn't poison us"

Natasha chuckled "Well if he does I will kill him for you"

Steve silently laughed "No, just dangle him over the edge of the building"

"What if I got tired and let him drop?"

"He has a suit"

Natasha laughed and nodded as they pulled into the underground garage for the tower "Yes he does"

They parked the car, they entered the elevator and stood shoulder to shoulder as it traveled up to the top floor. Steve was lightly tapping his foot, the elevator pinged and Pepper was waiting for them. She smiled as she saw them "Steve, Nat"

Natasha smiled and she gave Pepper a short hug and she saw Tony walking toward them. Steve stepped out of the elevator and Pepper saw him, he looked nice. She gave him a hug "You look nice Steve"

Steve smiled "I didn't know if it was formal or casual"

Pepper looked down at his flannel shirt and jeans "You may be a bit underdressed, but you'll just give more attention to Tony"

"I bet he'll be happy with that"

Tony gave Natasha a smile "Red"

"Stark" she said

Tony looked past her and saw Steve, he looked at Natasha "Who let the lumberjack in here?"

Natasha looked back at Steve "He chose casual"

Tony chuckled "Wrong choice" he was in a suit, but no tie, and Natasha and Pepper were in dresses. Natasha slightly frowned, Tony noticed "I will do my best not to poke at him"

Natasha gave him a look, he nodded "Hey old man" he said to Steve

Natasha gave him a glare, he whispered "Sometimes they just come out"

Steve walked forward and shook Tony's hand, he looked around and it looked nice; different than how he last saw it "You've changed the scenery"

Tony looked around "yeah, it's more like a home now than, ever before"

"So this is your farm?"

"Yeah"

"It looks nice Tony"

"Thanks, now I hope you are hungry"

Steve felt his stomach ache a little as Tony mentioned food "Starved"

Tony nodded, Pepper followed him to the dining table. Steve felt Natasha behind him, her hand took his "You ok?"

"Yeah, just have to get used to it again"

Natasha went up on her toes and kissed him lightly on the cheek "See you at the table"

Steve watched as she walked toward the table that had a fancy Italian meal. Steve took a deep breath and walked forward. He reached the table just as Natasha did and he pulled out her chair for her. She took her seat and he pushed her in. She smiled at him, he grinned as he took his own seat. Pepper and Tony were both already pouring wine into the glasses. Steve looked at the food that was steaming on his plate, it looked good enough. Tony handed him a glass of wine, he accepted "Thank you"

Tony smirked and took a long swig of his, either because it was a habit or he was just as nervous as Steve was. Steve took a small sip of the wine, it was a red wine that meant dry. Not Steve's preferred wine, but there was no reason to complain. Natasha watched Steve closely as he muttered something under his breath and he grabbed a fork. He took the first bite and he chewed, he swallowed and he gave Natasha small nod and she began to eat. Tony noticed "I hope you like it"

"Not bad" Steve said getting another bite in. Pepper glanced at Natasha. She swallowed "You look very nice Natasha"

Natasha looked at her "Thanks, took me ten minutes"

Pepper looked at her "Really? It take this one forty minutes to get his hair done" she said inclining her head at Tony.

Tony looked at her "My hair is important to me, we discussed this in the contract" he said jokingly

Pepper smiled and sighed, she looked at him "Oh, on if that wasn't true"

Steve smirked as Tony was the one who looked embarrassed. He never go to see that very often. He could get used to it a little more. Natasha wanted to be as normal as possible "So Pepper how's the company going?"

"Good, Stark Industries is making more than ever" she said giving Tony a look. He smiled "I should have made her in charge years ago"

"Well you were never really good at it" she said

Tony shook his head "it was the fact of never trying"

Steve noticed that Tony seemed to becoming a little annoyed that all the poking was going at him, he decided to save him by asking him a question that he knew he would love to answer. "What's new with your suit Tony?"

Tony looked at him and his eyes screamed 'Thank you'. "Good, actually I have been busy working on a suit for Parker"

Steve raised an eyebrow "Really?"

"Yeah, it's not done yet, but it looks nice so far"

"Does Parker spend a lot of time here?"

"Basically every weekend" Pepper added in

"Ever since Fury benched him" Tony said finishing his glass of wine

Natasha took a long sip of her wine and she lightly rubbed her foot against Steve's leg. Steve noticed, but didn't give it away, he had become quite comfortable with the way she touched him. He slightly smirked "Anything else you've been working on?"

"Not really"

"Maybe a new house, you never did rebuild the house that the Mandarin destroyed"

Tony put a finger up "It was actually a burnt out old actor dude"

"You must have plenty of other houses?" Steve said

"Yeah, but Pepper likes California"

"What's wrong with the tower?" Natasha asked

Pepper looked around and sighed "I love it, but I miss the house more"

Steve smiled "You might want to build that house Tony"

"Ok, after the winter, I will build a house, and when I say 'I' I mean a team of guys that I will pay to do it"

Natasha was half done with her meal, Pepper looked at her "So, Natasha"

She looked at her acknowledging what she had said, Pepper inclined her head at Steve "How is it being with Captain America?"

Natasha swallowed the food that she was currently chewing and she looked at Steve. Tony put his head in his hands "This better be good" he said

Pepper didn't look at him, but she gave him a little smack on the hand. Steve looked at her, Natasha exhaled softly "Different" she said

Pepper inclined her head "Different?"

"Yeah, different"

Tony looked at her "That's it?"

"Well if I told you everything you'd need a book"

"I will get the paper" Tony said

Natasha closed her eyes and smirked "It's nice, he's not like the normal guys"

"In what ways?" Pepper asked

Natasha glanced at Steve and he blushed. "Well the sex is amazing" she said

Tony almost fell out of his chair when she said it "Ew, you're screwing an old man"

Steve looked at Tony, he sighed "I know, good job pal"

Steve closed his eyes and shook his head, Tony raised his hands "what?"

Pepper took another swig of wine and she looked at Steve and back at Natasha "Like what?" she asked

Tony looked at her and he couldn't believe she had just asked that. Natasha looked at Steve and he was somehow becoming even redder than he already was. She leaned over and whispered into Pepper's ear, she raised her eyes brows and looked at Steve "Wow"

Steve became even redder. Tony put his head back in annoyance. Pepper stared at Steve "Who would have known you were like that Steve"

"You know what they say, it's the quite ones" Natasha said teasingly. She put her hand on Steve's arm. He looked at her "Well we know you're not" he said smiling

Natasha looked at him, and she saw Tony nodding "Everyone hears you guys, you do know those walls are sound proof…well enough"

She saw Pepper look at Steve even more with amazement. Tony nervously chuckled "Honestly I barely sleep some nights"

Pepper gave him a little smack "Be nice"

Tony looked at her "Ok you want to talk about our bedroom activities?"

"I don't even think what we do is legal" Pepper said

Everyone at the table laughed at that remark. Steve took a long swig of wine, he really wished it affected him. It would help with the nerves. He was actually having a good time, he really thought he wouldn't. Natasha guess she deserved that remark after what she had just told Pepper. She felt rather proud that Steve actually said that, he wasn't very shy anymore, at least not in that area.

Bucky

They were both walking through the streets of the small town that Gerald had been living in for years. The snow was falling rapidly and the wind was nerve bitingly cold. Bucky had his around Hill and held her close. She shivered slightly from the wind. They came to the door to the pub, it looked warm and eventful inside. Bucky swore that everyone in that pub was always like that. Gerald was sitting at his usual spot and he was holding his mug in the air and shouting something along with everyone else. Bucky opened the door to let Hill go in first. She walked in and took off her hat and put it into her coat pocket. Everyone noticed new people were coming in, but they didn't know her. Gerald looked and saw Hill and he smiled, and Bucky closed the door. He stood up and almost stumbled "James, Maria" he said walking toward them.

He brought them into a hug, Bucky was smirking and everyone went back to being loud and drinking. Gerald stepped away and he brought Bucky into a big bear hug. Bucky exhaled as the breath was squeezed out of him. He patted Gerald on the back. "I'm ok old man"

Gerald chuckled "This old man could still kick your ass"

They both laughed at the remark, Gerald lightly patted Bucky's arms "At least you're in one piece, I heard to killed Niko"

"Well I hope I did"

Gerald nodded "I think he's dead, getting shot in the chest and falling over a cliff ought to do it"

Gerald looked over at Hill, he smiled "Maria, you look stunning" he said and took her gloved hand and kissed it. Maria smiled at him "Thanks Gerald"

"So when are you kids officially tying the knot?"

Bucky and Hill both looked at each other, Gerald gave them a look "Is that a look of news or that you have no idea?"

Bucky sighed nervously "Well…news" he said hesitantly

Hill glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Gerald looked at them "Let's hear it" he declared

Hill inhaled "We thought about getting married here"

Gerald looked at them "Like here, here, like the pub?"

They both widened their eyes "No" they said in unison

Gerald chuckled "Good, she's a beauty, but a wedding…that's ill advised. Well first of all one drunk at a wedding is bad enough, a whole pub full of them?"

"Yeah I figured you'd say something like that"

"Second I am the only person who can get drunk at your wedding, don't need anyone taking the lime light away from me"

Hill snickered, Gerald looked at her "What?"

"Nothing just, don't get drunk at my wedding"

Gerald chuckled "I swear, but after…"

"Drink to your hearts contempt" Hill said

Gerald gave a loud hearty laugh "I knew there was a reason I liked you"

Bucky smiled "So Gerald do you think we could take one of the guest rooms"

"This is a longer stay than one night?"

"Yeah, we thought about staying threw Christmas…if that's ok?" Hill said questioning his reaction.

Gerald looked at them for a long time and he burst into another hearty laugh "Stay forever if you want"

They chuckled and a weight was lifted off of Hill's shoulders and weight was added to Bucky's. He hoped that Gerald wouldn't go crazy while they stayed with him. Gerald got them two mugs of something, Hill had no idea what kind of alcohol it was, but she didn't mind. Bucky downed his in less than ten seconds. Hill gawked at him, he looked at her "I always drink like that, it's not just wine you know"

Hill chuckled and she downed her to and she slightly coughed. Bucky chuckled and patted her on the back "You ok?"

"Shut up Barnes and get me another one"

"Yes ma'am"

Bucky left Hill next to Gerald. Gerald looked at Hill as she smiled at Bucky the entire time he was getting more drinks. Gerald leaned over "It's nice to see you smiling"

Hill looked at him "Thanks for being there"

Gerald shrugged "No problem" he looked at Bucky and sighed "One day I won't be here, someone has to look after him"

She looked at him and he looked sad "Everything has to end sometime Gerald"

He nodded "That they do"

Bucky came back over and handed Hill her drink, he smirked and drank his. Hill drank hers slowly this time. Gerald walked back toward the bar where he was sitting, Hill and Bucky followed him. They all sat next to each other and talked for about two hours. Gerald went on about how Bucky once got himself shot by trying to get across a bridge. Hill looked at Bucky as Gerald told the story "Really, the car looked nice?"

Bucky shrugged "It felt like a good idea at the time, just because I was an assassin didn't mean I didn't have fun on occasion." He said to defend himself.

"Were you like this before the war?" she asked

"Yes" Bucky and Gerald both said in unison.

Hill looked at them "You two seemed to cause trouble"

"Well we were younger back then, at least I was"

Bucky looked at him "It was usually you who got us into the situations"

"Yeah, but I always relied on you to get us out"

"That time when you took money from a casino"

Gerald shook his head "Let me just say, I earned every bit of that money"

"Yeah, but you stole it"

"Still earned it, I worked hard to steal that"

Hill sat there and smiled as they went on and on about crazy things they had done. She was happy that Bucky remembered somethings, like he said before the things that involved Red Room he could remember, but the assignments he did for Hydra were all blank except for the occasional memory that slips up. It was getting late and Gerald looked at Hill "You look tired my dear"

"Well, your stories are long"

"But they're great"

Bucky put his drink back onto the bar "Gerald, guest room?"

"Yes, well I guess I should give you a tour"

They followed Gerald toward the secret set of doors that Bucky had been to last time he was here. They followed him down into an elevator, well the floor sank. Hill looked around aimlessly as Bucky and Gerald stared at her. Gerald had his hands in his pockets, the floor kept going down. Bucky wrapped his arms around Hill. He put his chin on her shoulder lightly. His hands were placed on her stomach. Hill held back a giggle as his facial hair tickled. She took a deep breath and they both stood there peacefully. Gerald inclined his head and chuckled lightly "Maybe I will save the tour for tomorrow"

They didn't answer him, and he didn't expect them to. He smiled as the floor came to a stop and the door opened. They walked into the hallway, "The guest room is the last one on the left, I will be in the library if you need anything"

"Good night Gerald" Maria said

He looked at her as he was about to enter the library "Good night Maria"

Steve

They were on their way to the elevator, the dinner had been fun, and Steve enjoyed himself. Natasha just wanted to get home. Pepper was talking to her at the elevator and Tony and Steve were almost there, but they were still in the living area. "Well Cap, it was nice having you over"

"Yeah, we should it again sometime"

Tony nodded "I know we haven't always agreed on things"

"Tony it's ok, we have two very different personalities"

"That we do, well good night Capsicle"

Steve smirked "Good night to you to Tony"

Tony shook his hand and watched him walk away. Steve walked up to Pepper and Natasha. They noticed him, Pepper gave him a huge hug. Steve's eyes were a bit wide in confusion "Congratulations" Pepper said

"She told you?"

"Yeah, but don't worry I can keep a secret, I live with Tony for God sake"

"Fair enough"

"So when is the big day?"

"Don't know, he asked before we came here" Natasha said smiling at him

"Soon" Steve said

Pepper grinned and chuckled "Well when you figure it out I would love to help you"

Steve looked at Natasha and she nodded "You got it"

Pepper looked like she was going to jump up and down in pure joy. She looked at them both "So when will we get a little one?"

Natasha looked at her "Little one…"

"A kid, surely you guys want them" Pepper said excitedly

Natasha couldn't really speak after that. She started to lock up and go within herself. Steve noticed, he gave her a look of comfort and looked at Pepper "We can't have kids" he said

Pepper's smile instantly faded and looked at Natasha's face "Oh I'm sorry"

"It's ok Pepper, you didn't know" Natasha said with little emotion.

Pepper felt awful now, she gave them both a hug "Be safe, see you later"

"By Pepper" Steve said and he walked into the elevator with Natasha.

Pepper watched as the elevator doors closed, Tony walked up to her and put his arm around her waist. "What was that about?" Pepper crossed her arms and exhaled feeling like an idiot. She turned and walked back toward the table. Tony frowned "What?" he followed her.

Pepper turned around "Did you know that Natasha can't have kids?"

Tony never had a conversation about that kind of topic with anyone on the team "No"

"Well I just did and I feel awful now"

"What, did you say something wrong?"

"More liked asked them if they were ever going to have any kids"

Tony closed his mouth with a shirt breath and lowered his head "Ah"

Pepper nodded "Yeah"

Tony looked back at the elevator doors, Natasha not being able to have kids surprised him then again the fact was that Red Room were assholes. It didn't take him off guard, who knows what other fucked up things went on in there. He felt bad now, he wasn't exactly the kid kind of guy, but hearing that someone else can't even have them is different, it's sad. Then to have it be Steve and Natasha made it worse, he remembered Steve saying he always wanted to get married and have kids. Now it seemed like he would never get what he wanted. Tony grabbed a glass of wine and handed it to Pepper. He grabbed his and looked at her "I'll drink for the sorrows" he said

Pepper took a long sip "Me to"

"You know me, I'm not the kid kind of guy, but Steve always wanted them"

"By the way Natasha looked at me, she wants them to"

"Ah hell" Tony said taking a drink

"Yeah, want to open another bottle?"

"Yeah"

Pepper looked at the elevator as she waited for Tony to return with another bottle of wine. She felt sad now, she always hoped to be some kind of aunt. Tony returned "The word father scares me, but Uncle I could live with"

Pepper sadly smiled at him and she accepted the next glass of wine.

Steve and Natasha walked to the car without speaking a word. Steve offered to drive back, Natasha didn't say anything, but she handed him the keys. He unlocked the car and climbed into the driver side. Natasha closed her door and put her buckle on and sat quietly. Steve did the same and he put the key into the ignition and turned it. The car came to life and he looked at Natasha. She wasn't present at the moment, she was locked up within herself. He turned the car and drove out into the street and turned toward home.

It wasn't till forty minutes went by till Natasha noticed that they weren't heading back to the Facility. She looked over at Steve, he noticed her confusion "We are going to the apartment, a little homier I think. We still have some stuff there so we won't be stuck with these clothes"

Natasha didn't say anything, but she liked that idea. She liked Steve's apartment. Steve pulled up to the curb and parked the car. He pulled the keys out of the ignition. Natasha opened her door and climbed out of the car. Steve walked toward the stairs that led to the door of his apartment building. He opened the door and let Natasha walk in first. He closed it and he walked past the main desk and pressed the up button for the elevator. Natasha stood next to him quietly, she still didn't feel like talking. Steve could tell that Natasha was still locked up as the door opened. They both walked in and the doors shut and the elevator climbed. Steve felt the weight of his feet move and stop as the elevator came to a halt. Natasha walked out as soon as the doors opened and turned toward his apartment. Steve increased his stride to catch up to her. They got to his door. He unlocked it and pushed the door open. Natasha entered first, she tossed her coat onto the couch as he closed the door. He locked it back and put the keys onto the dining room table. He pulled his coat off "I'll see you in the bedroom" He said

Natasha walked into the hallway and walked over the floor board that squeaked. She entered Steve's room, she saw his desk to the right, she could see the sketch book sitting on it, and his compass was sitting to the right on the mantle. The picture she had seen earlier of the Howling Commandos was where it was left. She looked around the room, she saw the nightstand that she remembered having all of her things was now bare and didn't have anything on it, nothing like someone had cleaned everything off and left it. She heard Steve enter the room and closed the door. He locked it, she turned toward him. She felt a little better, but she still wouldn't speak. She looked at him, He walked forward and he softly sighed "I'll help with the dress"

Natasha turned her back to him, he stared at her and moved her hair out of the way. He lightly grabbed the zipper of the back of her dress, he slowly pulled it down. She wasn't wearing a bra, he refrained from touching her. He knew she wanted to be left in her current state as long as possible. She let the top of the dress fall away from her, the air in the room touched her and she slightly shivered. Steve slowly pushed the dress down and she was still wearing panties. The dress fell to her ankles, Steve pulled off his flannel over shirt. He draped it over her shoulders, she felt the sudden warmth from his shirt and she softly breathed. He was still wearing a white t-shirt and he watched as she put her arms through and pulled up the sleeves. She was swimming in the flannel over shirt. She turned around and she looked up at him. Steve gave her a calm comforting smile. He button the shirt up slowly and he moved his hand up to her face and brushed her hair aside. Natasha glanced away from him. He took his hand away from her cheek and he slowly put his arm around her waist. He walked with her to the bed, she sat down and laid down. She felt the cold overs soon become warm. Steve walked over to the other side and kicked off his shoes and took off his socks. He pushed his jeans down, he was in his boxers and he pulled the covers over himself. He moved closer to Natasha, she was staring up at the ceiling. Steve moved his arms around her, he did it as slow as possible he didn't want to get shoved away. Natasha accepted the embrace, she rested her head on his shoulder. Steve inhaled deeply, Natasha listened to his heart beat. Calm and strong, she closed her eyes. Steve spoke softly "I know you don't want to talk, but listen. I love you and I can't imagine my life without you. You mean everything to me, and it's ok. I'm here"

Natasha snuggled closer to him and she exhaled lightly, he could feel her soft breathing against his neck. He closed his eyes, Natasha listened to his heartbeat and basked in the warmth of his embrace. Steve wasn't really tired, but he would lay there with her all night and day if he had to. Natasha liked being in a place that was just him and her, no crazy training noises or the constant buzz of personnel. It was quiet and the only noise she could hear was his breathing and heartbeat. She exhaled and she heard him lightly singing. She opened her eyes for a second and she noticed that it was a Russian lullaby. It was the exact one that she had taught to Clint. He must have picked it up, it was the only thing that she could remember from her mother, he sang it softly almost whisper, but with more sound and comfort. She laid there next to him, so close, she listened to his heartbeat and his soft singing and slowly fell asleep.