See Chapter One for Disclaimer
I Don't Do Boys
"Hello?"
"Hey Gabby, it's Dannie. I just got your message, is something wrong?"
"Nope, nothing! I just know wanted to see how you were doing, with your empty nest and all?"
Dannie huffed. Steve, whose office was right across from her, raised an eyebrow. She shrugged, and Steve raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her before returning to his paperwork.
The Floor to ceiling window-walls that separated the offices was nice when she just had a quick question and could just mouth it to him or write it down and hold it up, and he'd see it.
But Dannie was in the middle of a moment, and she didn't want to worry Steve…but she also just wanted to be grumpy for a while.
She contemplated closing her blinds, but then Steve would REALLY know that something was wrong, so she kept them open…reluctantly.
She did turn her chair slightly. "I can't believe my house is finally empty" Dannie admitted. "It hasn't been just me since 1960, and even then it was only for a few weeks." She shook her head. "I mean, Sam left for college, Quinnie had that great opportunity to study abroad, and Katie's having such a good time helping Laura with the babies that she's hinted at staying and enrolling in the high school there come September. I mean," Dannie frowned. "Should I get a pet or something?"
"Well actually, that's why I was calling you," Gabby admitted. "I have three siblings that need placement. Thing is, they're younger than you usually take," Gabby hesitated.
"And?" Dannie sensed a but, and she was usually right.
"But," there it was, "they're boys."
"Whoa." Dannie leaned back in her chair. "You know I don't do boys, I've NEVER done boys…what would I even do with them? And how young are we talking?"
"six, three and," Gabby hesitated, "five months."
"Dude. A baby? What am I supposed to do with a baby?"
"Ma," Gabby's voice pleaded, "Just listen. If you don't take them, I'll have to split them up, and all these boys have are each other. And they're good boys, Ma. They like to play with trucks and play video games, and really, you're good at both those things! I'm sure there would be plenty of people at your work that would be more than happy to watch them while you teach, and they would be great just playing in your office. Ma please," Gabby pulled out the big guns. "You're their last chance."
Dannie sighed heavily. "I will only agree to meet them," She finally allowed, and Gabby squealed. Dannie rolled her eyes. "For a grown woman, your squeal is still shockingly loud." She observed. "When works for you?"
"I can bring them by your work in about two hours," Gabby said enthusiastically, and Dannie rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll see you then." She hung up with her social worker daughter and sighed heavily.
Why had she agreed to that? She never dealt with boys! Dannie heard a thunk and looked up to see Steve grinning back at her, holding up to cups of coffee.
Dannie grinned and shook her head, but gestured him over. His grin widened and he crossed the hallway and strode into her office. Dannie took the cup with a smile of thanks, watching as Steve settled into one of the chairs across from her desk.
"Three, two, one," She counted down, rolling her eyes when Bucky burst into her office.
"How do you always know?" She teased.
"I can sense it," Bucky said dramatically, taking the other seat. "So, what are we talking about?"
"Nothing yet," Dannie answered as Steve said at the same time, "Something's wrong with Dannie."
"Dude." Dannie shook her head.
"There is." Steve turned to Bucky. "I've been trying to figure out what it is, but I haven't figured it out yet."
"Does it have something to do with your memories?" Bucky leaned forward.
"No, I have pretty much everything back, except for the real traumatic stuff." Dannie pointed a finger at Bucky, "and no, it's not the traumatic stuff that's bugging me."
Bucky wilted. "That was my first guess too," Steve admitted. "So then I thought maybe it was the job," Steve blinked innocent eyes at Dannie. "I know you only agreed to fifteen students and two classes a week, so eight classes a week and over seventy-five students has got to be a stressor."
"Stressful, sure." Dannie shrugged. "But it's good work, and I'm having fun." She smirked at the men, at her friends. "And my coworkers are okay."
"Yes!" Bucky grinned. "She's talking about me," He informed Steve loftily, "not you. She hates you."
"Please." Steve snorted. "She likes me the best."
Dannie rolled her eyes and listened to the two men bicker, and realized that she while maybe she hadn't really dealt with boys before, times were changing.
"Dans, just tell Steve that you hate him and love me the best," Bucky demanded.
Dannie chuckled, "I hate both of you equally," she informed, and both men grimaced at that.
Times WERE changing, because here she was, thirty seconds after admitting that she didn't deal with boys, and what was she doing?
Dealing with boys.
Bucky and Steve were still in the room when Gabby turned up forty-five minutes later, a blue bundle in her arms, a small boy holding her hand, and an even smaller boy trailing behind her.
"Who are these guys?" Steve asked.
"My worst nightmare," Dannie muttered, but she moved forward to greet Gabby with a smile.
"You said two hours." Dannie pointed out. Gabby grimaced and blew a blonde wisp of hair out of her face.
"I just wanted you to meet them so badly," She admitted. Dannie sighed, then she squatted.
The older boy took a step back, shy, but the younger boy toddled forward, green eyes wide. Dannie smiled reluctantly. "Hi," She greeted, and the boy smiled back, mouth opening to reveal one little tooth. "What's your name?"
The boy mumbled something but he was so quiet that Dannie didn't catch it.
"His name is Hudson." The older boy moved forward slowly. "He can't talk real good yet."
"But you can." Dannie smiled. The older boy was six, Dannie remembered. First grade. "What's your name?"
"Drew." He scrunched his nose. "I'm the oldest. Wyatt is the baby." He pointed and Dannie stood and reached for the baby. Hudson hopped forward to grab onto Dannie's pants. She took the baby and smiled down at Hudson, who smiled back.
"Those are my brothers." Drew said seriously. "I'm in charge cause mommy and daddy are dead." He frowned. "Being in charge is hard, because Hudson never listens and Wyatt hasn't learned how to yet."
Dannie looked at Gabby who smiled brightly.
Bucky and Steve watched the scene unfold, eyes bright.
Dannie leaned back down. "Well Drew, my name is Dannie. I'm pretty old, so I'm used to being in charge. How would you feel about coming and staying with me for a while?"
Drew's brow furrowed. His eyes were green like his little brothers, but unlike Hudson, freckles dotted his nose and cheeks, and his hair was a lighter shade of brown. "Would I have to listen to you?"
Dannie tilted her head. "We could make a deal," she said after a moment. "I will listen to you, if you listen to me. But I am older, so sometimes I know about stuff just a little more than you. That means you'll have to listen just a little bit more."
Drew nodded slowly. "You and me and Hudson and Wyatt though, right? You want all of us?" He looked at his shoes, scuffed sneakers that had seen better days. "Some people wanted us, but they didn't want all of us." He shrugged. "Then some people wanted all of us, but they changed their minds."
Dannie handed the baby off for a second and turned to Drew. She pulled him close to her and looked him straight in the eyes. "I want all of you," she promised. "And if I want you, I will always want you. I won't change my mind."
"You promise?" Drew chewed on his lip, and Dannie smiled. "Yep." She nodded. "I promise."
Drew threw his little arms around Dannie's neck and squeezed. Dannie hugged Drew back tightly. Hudson clapped excitedly and joined the hug.
Gabby wiped her eye discreetly, then clapped her own hands.
"Well boys, Miss Dannie has to get home to get your rooms ready. We need to go pack up your stuff so we can meet Miss Dannie for dinner."
"At your house?" Drew asked, and Dannie nodded. "We're going to live there now?" Dannie nodded again. "Starting tonight?" Dannie smiled and nodded for a third time.
"Okay." Drew reached for Gabby's hand and allowed her to escort the three men out of the room.
Bucky and Steve waited for Dannie's office door to close before turning to her.
"I know!" Dannie groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "What have I done?!"
"They're cute though," Bucky tried.
"But they're boys." Steve grimaced. "Do you know what to do with little boys?"
"I deal with you and Bucky on a daily basis," Dannie retorted, "So I think I'll be fine."
"True." Bucky's eyes narrowed. "But aren't all your extra bedrooms decorated for girls?"
Dannie's eyes widened. She grabbed her keys and jacket. "I'm taking the rest of the day off," She announced. "See you tomorrow."
"Wait!" Bucky raised a hand. "Do you need help?"
Dannie turned to consider the men. "Are you going to actually help or just be distracting?"
"We'll help." Steve promised. "We'll be so helpful!"
"Ugh." Dannie rolled her eyes. "Fine. Come on."
Bucky and Steve high fived and then followed Dannie, who shook her head.
She still couldn't believe what she'd just done…but it would be okay…right?
Guest Speakers
Dannie found being a mother to boys was a lot easier than it had been mothering girls. Boys were simple creatures…especially at that age.
Drew was at the age where he needed to be stimulated. He was a serious one, who wasn't afraid to ask questions. He loved puzzles and homework, surprisingly enough, and he preferred to be left to his own devices to play.
Hudson was a cuddly clingy little boy who loved to sit in Dannie's lap and color or hang off of her pant leg and babble at her or follow her around or just be around her. He also loved trucks and dogs…and Steve.
Hudson's favorite person seemed to be Dannie, but it also seemed that Steve was a close second. He would light up whenever he saw Steve, and Steve, to his chagrin, did much the same. Hudson loved to sit on Steve's shoulders or just perch on Steve's shoulders as Steve walked around the facility and made sure everything was running smoothly.
Wyatt was easy. She just strapped him into a baby carrier she'd gotten and he just kind of hung there, only getting squirmy when he was either hungry or sleepy or needing to be changed.
Dannie found that the boys didn't distract her at work as much as she'd thought, and at home, they were slowly settling into a routine. When they all got home from work it was dinner, playtime, bath and bed. When the boys were asleep Dannie would finish up any work that she needed and then fall asleep herself.
She always woke up with Drew's little body tucked into her side and Hudson sprawled on top of her, snoring loudly.
It was a different life than the one she was used to, but Dannie found herself happy with her boys.
Unfortunately for her, the girls and women she taught thought Dannie still needed more…one more boy to add to her life.
Or more specifically, a MAN.
And the Lost Girls had a plan.
"Alright ladies, today we have Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes and Captain Steve Rogers with us, AKA Bucky and Steve, as you know them." Dannie sat on a stool in front of the room, Bucky and Steve also on stools to her left. Her students sat in rows facing them, all with paper in front of them and pens in their hand. "Today's going to be a bit of a question and answer session about the Avengers facility in general; I know you ladies have been taking classes here for months now, but seeing as we just share the facility, I thought getting these guys in here would give you an opportunity to better understand what they do on their end, and help you decide if it's something you might want to pursue once you've graduated from my class."
"Leave you?" A girl in the back row called out. "NEVER."
"Shut it." Dannie rolled her eyes. "Now we've only got these guys for about forty-five minutes, so let's get started. Who has the first question?"
Every hand in the room raised, and Dannie smiled. "Alright then." She picked one at random, and the question and answer session began.
The first dozen questions or so were legitimate, and Bucky and Steve took turns answering. Slowly but surely though, the questions became less about the Avengers facility and more about…well.
"Why did you choose this profession?"
"What three events most shaped your life?"
"What are two things you do well and one thing you don't do well, but wish you did?"
"What is your most difficult challenge right now?"
"Your job is a stressful one. What do you do to unwind?"
"So how is one supposed to raise a family if the job is so time-consuming?"
"What's your ideal date?"
"Whoa, wait, what?" Dannie looked up from where she was feeding Wyatt. "That is NOT an appropriate question!"
"It's totally appropriate! How else are we going to pick one?"
"Pick one for what?"
"To date you!"
"What?! No way, I'm not dating these guys," She argued.
"Of course not." Bucky agreed. "You have to pick one of us."
Steve pointed a finger at himself and nodded meaningfully.
Dannie snorted. "Whoa, no way,"
"To answer your question," Bucky turned to the girls, who smiled and held pens at the ready, "My ideal date would be,"
"Stop it." Dannie ordered, but Bucky continued to speak as if he hadn't heard her.
"And you?" The girls turned to Steve, once Bucky was finished.
Steve didn't even have to think about it. "A baseball game."
Some of the girls crinkled their nose, but then they saw Dannie, who was nodding slowly in approval.
"That is what we first bonded over," he added, shooting her a smile that she returned warmly.
The girls noticed the sweet exchange, and so did Bucky. He leaned back in his chair, hands raised in defeat.
Wyatt began to fuss so Dannie missed the victorious grin that Steve sported, and the girls nodding in grudging agreement: Steve was the guy.
Steve and Bucky seemed to agree with them.
Now they just had to get Dannie on board.
Take me Out
"Hi, there are four of us…but he's a baby." Dannie pointed at baby Wyatt, who gurgled at the ticket guy.
"So you need three tickets." The guy punched a few numbers into his computer.
"Is that how it works?" Dannie mused, and the man chuckled.
"You're not buying their entrance; you're buying the seats. So the baby is on your lap, and you only need three seats."
"Make that two." Hudson squealed and grabbed onto the pants leg of the man that had approached Dannie and her boys.
Steve smiled and picked up Hudson, the little boy settling easily into his arms. "Hudson can sit on my lap." He held up a ticket of his own. "And…I'm already taken care of."
Dannie shot Steve a surprised smile. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Steve winced.
"It's exactly what it looks like," he finally admitted, and Dannie shook her head.
"I figured. Ah well." She smiled down at Drew, who just shrugged at her.
"You could do worse," he said seriously.
"Very true," she agreed. She smiled up at the ticket guy, who held out two tickets for her, eyes locked onto Steve. "Thanks," She rolled her eyes, then took Drew's hand. "Let's go find those seats now." She smirked at Steve. "You too, I guess."
Steve grinned and looked at Hudson, who nodded. "Alright then." He smiled. "Let's go watch a baseball game."
"Man I miss the Dodgers," Steve brought up wistfully.
"They're not dead." Dannie teased. "They just moved."
"Yeah," Steve sighed, "All the way to L.A. I miss my Brooklyn Dodgers."
"I know you do." Dannie patted Steve sympathetically on the arm. "New York still has the Yankees though,"
"No." Steve shook his head. "I'll take anyone over the Yankees. And these guys aren't too bad."
"The Red Sox?" Dannie smiled. "Yeah, I've got a soft spot for them." She nudged Steve lightly, trying not to jostle the snoring Hudson in his arms. "A girl who graduated the program got me hooked on them actually, her brother had been a big fan." She chuckled. "Which now means you're rooting against the New York, seeing as these guys are their worst enemies."
"Perfect." Steve grinned. He leaned over Dannie. "How are you doing Drew?"
"They change pitchers a lot," Drew pointed out. "Why?"
"It keeps their arms from getting tired," Steve explained, adjusting the small boy in his arms so he could lean closer to Drew. "The pitchers throw the ball really hard and really fast, and if they throw too many times in a row, they could really hurt their arms, so they have to take lots of breaks."
Dannie nodded. "Steve is right," she agreed, "It's very hard to throw for long periods of time, and especially to have good throws every time."
Drew nodded thoughtfully. "I bet Steve could throw strikes the whole game."
"I don't know about that," Steve tried, but Dannie nodded.
"I think so too," She agreed with a warm smile. Steve flushed.
Wyatt babbled loudly and pointed to the field, drawing the groups attention back to the game.
This kiss cam was a relentless monster, and if Steve were more paranoid, he would think that one of Dannie's girls were running the show.
Dannie was more paranoid, and she knew that the girls had gotten to the camera.
It was the only explanation.
The kiss cam landing on the two of them the first time was a coincidence, and the darn thing should've been happy with the kiss Dannie bestowed on Hudson, who she'd traded Steve for the inning before.
But the kiss cam returned, and Steve, flushing, had held baby Wyatt up so both of them could smack kisses into his chubby cheeks.
The baby had giggled and it had been very cute, and that should've been the end of it.
But the kiss cam singled them out for a third time, and Drew had sighed heavily. "You should just kiss ," He'd persuaded, pulling his little brother into his chair, out of the way, and with a shared look and a shrug, Steve had wrapped a hand around Dannie's neck and pulled her close. Baby Wyatt didn't seem to mind at first, but as the kiss lingered, he squawked with indignation.
Steve released Dannie and the two chuckled, Steve sitting back to bounce the baby. Wyatt calmed after a few moments, and Hudson crawled back onto Dannie's lap, smiling and reaching up for his own kiss. Dannie laughed and smacked her lips against both his cheeks.
"There, now we can get back to the game," Drew huffed.
Dannie's smile widened, and she leaned towards Drew. "So that was okay?" She asked quietly.
Drew shrugged. "I guess so. You're still going to keep us, right?" He checked.
Dannie didn't hesitate before nodding. These boys had latched onto her heart, and she wasn't letting them go…ever. She was already working on the adoption papers; in fact, they were nearly finished.
"Well then, I guess it's okay if you decide to keep Mr. Steve too." He furrowed his brows. "He can stay with Sonny."
Dannie chuckled, wrapping an arm around Drew. "I'm sure we'll figure something out when we get to that point."
"Yeah." Drew thought for a moment. "Maybe he can just stay with you."
Dannie's smile widened. "Let's focus on the game, drew, we'll worry about that later."
"Okay." Drew settled into his seat, and after a moment, Dannie did the same, adjusting Hudson on her lap. If, in her adjusting, she ended up leaning into Steve, and he just found it more comfortable to wrap an arm around her shoulders, well…
It wasn't like anyone noticed.
But the two girls running the kiss cam did.
And no one could blame them for the high five they shared.
Mission ACCOMPLISHED.
For the Love…Of the Game
Dannie and Steve attended several other baseball games throughout the rest of the season. Some with the kids, and some without.
And the amount of time they spent out on the field gave them an idea.
It took a while to set up; the Lost Girls program was right in the middle of "Finals" and Steve and Bucky were dealing with breaks in a secret case of their own. Both teams finally found some time, on Steve's birthday of all things, the 4th of July, and they met on the field.
"Alright," Steve raised an eyebrow at his team. "Buck, you've got the best arm,"
"Duh," Bucky grinned.
"So I'm putting you in center field, and Pietro, right field." Pietro grinned. "We've gotten permission for genetically altered powers, but no tech, so Vision…what?"
"I understand the schematics of the game of baseball," Vision began slowly, "but why are we doing this?"
"Because the Lost Girls have dared us," Scott piped up. "Worse, it was a TRIPLE dog dare. We have to beat them to prove we're better."
"Ah. I see." Vision nodded. "Proceed."
"Right. Vision, you'll be in left field. Sam, I want you on first, Rhodey is at second with Scott on third base. Tasha will be our catcher, and our guest player," Steve grinned, "will be at shortstop." Steve raised an eyebrow. "You sure you know the game?"
"I have been forced to sit through more games than you've been alive years," Thor said severely. "I can handle shortstop."
"Yes," Tasha mused, "but can we handle Dannie's team?"
"OF course we can!" Scott grinned. "We're superheroes."
"But," Bucky shrugged, "on the other hand…it's Dannie."
The team grimaced at that thought.
"Enough talking." Steve slammed his hands on the table.
"Let's play ball."
Steve and Dannie met toe to toe on the baseball field.
Despite the height difference and the fact that Steve was looking down at Dannie, he felt like he was the one with the disadvantage.
"Ready for this?" Dannie smirked up at Steve, tilting her head back to see him past the rim of her baseball cap.
"Not even a little bit," Steve admitted freely. After a moment, he raised his voice, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN." The other Avengers cheered from their dugout, and Dannie rolled her eyes.
"You don't know who you're dealing with," she murmured quietly. Louder, she said, "WE'RE GOING TO END YOU ROGERS…" She smirked, "AND YOUR LITTLE TEAM TOO."
The girls crowded in Dannie's dugout clanked their bats against the fencing and chanted "YOU'RE GOING DOWN! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"
Steve and Dannie shared a smile and a handshake before hurrying back to their dugouts.
"Alright Ladies," Dannie smiled at her team, her fists plopping onto her hips. "We're going up against some bio-engineered freaks of nature so we have our work cut out for us." The girls made faces and hissed.
"But," Dannie drew the word out, the smile on her face growing. "They may train together, but they've never played this game before. We have. They may be a team, but we're a baseball team. And we may have a few new faces," the girls patted Helen and Wanda on their backs, and the two women smiled, "But we've been a team longer than they have…so let's pummel these guys!"
"Need a hand?" The girls turned suddenly, grins brightening at the sight of the newcomer.
Dannie crossed her arms. "Loki. You must've heard about Thor turning traitor."
"Did he?" Loki rolled his eyes. "Of course he did. Well, this will make our victory taste that much sweeter." He rolled up the sleeves of his jacket, and Dannie held up a hand.
"Who says you can play with us?"
Loki paused, an eyebrow raising. He turned to the rest of the team.
"Ma," Jody spoke up, "We are a player short,"
"And Uncle Loki is the best third baseman we've ever had," Sam added.
"Plus," Abby grinned. "He is wearing pink."
Dannie looked down to the bright pink socks Loki had tucked into his baseball pants. "Dedicated," She mused, Loki smirked.
"Fine," Dannie threw up her hands. "Uncle Loki's wearing pink, so Uncle Loki can totally play with us."
The girls cheered, and Loki slung an arm over Dannie's shoulders.
"The Avengers won't know what hit them," Loki said cheerfully.
Dannie rolled her eyes, but she tended to agree.
The game was a close one. The Avengers had dumb luck and some athletic talent on their side, but The Lost Girls were no stranger to the baseball diamond…and they were ruthless.
By the last inning the game was tied and it was The Lost Girls up to bat.
Scott got the first out, when he stopped Abby from stealing second base.
Vision secured the second out, catching a fly ball hit by Helen.
Wanda, Sam, and Loki made it on base.
Then Dannie walked up to bat.
The Avengers narrowed their eyes and readied their gloves.
The Lost Girls and Loki's pivoted on the balls of their feet, ready to run.
Steve's first pitch was a ball, and Dannie smirked.
"Am I making you nervous?" Dannie teased, and Steve snorted.
"Hardly," he called back. Dannie rolled her eyes but got ready for the next pitch.
The second pitch was a strike.
Dannie's eyes narrowed at the call, and she adjusted her grip on the bat, sending Loki a quick nod.
The third pitch made contact, and Dannie swung with all her might. The ball flew over Bucky's head, and as Bucky rushed to grab it, Wanda made a run for home.
Bucky reached the ball and threw hard, and Tasha caught it neatly, aiming for Wanda but missing, officially putting the lost girls in the lead. Tasha grumbled and threw to Scott, who stomped on third base two seconds too late. Scott then threw the ball to Steve, who was covering second base, but Loki was already halfway to third. Steve threw the ball to Scott who just missed Loki, again, as Loki was nearing home plate. Loki smacked onto home before the ball made it to Tasha, and The Lost girls were officially three points ahead. Dannie was rounding second base and heading for third when Steve grabbed her around the waist and flung her over his shoulder.
"No!" Dannie screeched, and Steve held up his glove, the ball smacking into it a moment later.
"And…you're out!" Steve grinned and Dannie went limp in his arms.
"Game over." Steve finished.
"Jerk." Dannie muttered. "I'm glad you lost." She brightened. "Which means we won!" She looked up towards her team, raising her hands. "We won!"
The Lost girls screeched and thundered out of their dugout, headed towards their team captain. Steve's eyes widened and he tried to put Dannie down and get out of the way, but he was too slow. The Lost Girls rammed into Steve and Dannie and they fell to the ground, a large dog pile of young women forming, Steve and Dannie somewhere at the bottom.
Loki stood nearby and laughed, but then one of the Lost Girls grabbed him and he stumbled, falling onto the pile himself.
After a while the Lost Girls picked themselves up off the ground, revealing Dannie laying on top of Steve, her arms around his neck and his wrapped around her waist, their mouths connected.
"Whoa!" Bucky burst out, and the two lovebirds jumped.
"Ah!" Dannie screeched, scrambling backwards.
"Well!" Bucky crossed his arms. "It's about time!"
Dannie's eyebrows furrowed. "You're okay with this?" She asked, pointing between Steve and herself.
Bucky shrugged. "Duh. You guys are perfect together."
"And it only took you," Loki looked down at his wrist, "72 years to get together?"
Dannie grinned and shrugged, poking Steve in the side.
"What can I say?" Steve turned to Dannie, "I was worth the wait."
"Oh please!" Dannie shoved Steve, but he pulled her back into his side, and Dannie let it happen, chuckling.
Neither the other Avengers nor the Lost Girls were surprised.
The Lost Girls had actually planned for this, and The Avengers were just happy if Steve was happy, and Steve was obviously happy.
Steve and Dannie WERE perfect for each other, and even more?
It was almost like they were meant to be.
The end of the story where Dannie goes LEFT. Check out what happens when she makes a different choice in RIGHT
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~CLC~