This is officially the last chapter of Bruises. I must say, it's been a long ride. It's been over a year since I started writing this story and it is honestly the best I've ever written. It has made me grow as a writer and it has made me love writing even more. You all have been great reviewers and I have laughed, cried and fangirled (or fan-boyed) along with you through this story. Thank you for all the memories.
I do ask one favor, though. I've seen the amount of followers and how many have favorited this story. Since this is the last chapter and it there won't be any more additions or a sequel, *close to bawling* I request that all of you who have been following and reading this story review it, just for me. I want to see how many have been reading and how many have really enjoyed this story. I'll even take some criticism! But please, do this one thing for me. It makes this story all the more worthwhile. Thank you all once again! You guys are the best!
By the way, Cass, you've been screeching at me to write a scene from Thor and Jane's wedding. Here you go! :D
As one side note, please do not be confused at the end when Hannah refers to herself as becoming a daugher and a niece. I put daughter in the sense of her being a daughter to her aunt and uncle who have become her parents, and as a niece to the other Avengers, who I feel are more like her aunts and uncles than friends.
Chapter Forty-Nine
A few months had passed since the HYDRA attack. Steve and my uncle had healed up perfectly, and I am pleased to announce that a baby Stark had come into the world: Nathan Howard Stark. He was just barely two weeks old and one of the cutest babies I had ever laid eyes on. His hair was red like his mother, but his eyes were unmistakably his father's.
"Can I hold him?" Natalia asked me eagerly, her hands outstretched. I sighed. It was at least the fifteenth request I'd gotten from both twins that day to hold baby Nate (our nickname for him). All of us at the Tower had been reluctant to put him into the hands of toddlers, but my patience had finally been worn too thin. I patted the empty space beside me on the couch.
"Come on up." She launched herself up from the floor, snuggling up next to me.
"Me, too!" Barney cried, flinging himself opposite his sister.
"Alright, but Natalia first." I told him.
Carefully, I moved the baby swaddled in a blanket to Natalia's little arms. He was so tiny compared to her. I couldn't help but think back to when both the twins were that small.
"Hold still." I said as I placed Nate in her arms. She held him on her lap, keeping his head up as best she could with her toddler strength. Nate didn't make a fuss as she held him close.
"Me next." Barney reminded me after a moment.
Carefully, I took the babe from her arms and switched him into Barney's.
"He looks funny." Barney remarked and I held on to my laughter. Nate still looked a little wrinkly after two weeks, but he was gradually growing out of it.
"You should have seen you two," I said. I could remember their faces, red from crying and straight out of the delivery room. They looked like poor little dears, but they still made my heart melt.
Nate's eyes looked into his cousin's, contemplating on something that I could not fathom in his baby mind. Suddenly, a bit of baby spit came out of his mouth.
"Ewww!" Both twins stuck out their tongues with disgust as I took the baby back in my arms.
"Just a little spit-up." I said as I dabbed his mouth. Nate grinned at me as I did so and I couldn't help but wonder if he already had his father's sense of humor.
It wouldn't surprise me.
The elevator doors opened and Pepper and Tony stepped out, Pepper's dress for tonight's party stunning. We had decided since HYDRA's last interruption of a baby shower party that we would celebrate after Nate's birth instead.
"There's my boy." Pepper took the baby into her arms and I could see Nate grin wider as his mother held him close, an engagement ring shining in the light on her finger. Tony had proposed shortly after we had returned home from the HYDRA attack, choosing to do it in front of family rather than another big party. Pepper had been ecstatic, their wedding set a few months from the baby party.
"How's my boy?" Tony appeared beside her, tickling the little boy's belly.
"He's doing fine. Just spit up, in fact." I said, pitching the rag in the clothes hamper to be washed later.
"Yep. Perfectly normal." Pepper murmured, lost in the face of her infant son.
It was their last stop before they headed upstairs for the big party-one with heavy security and a few ex-S.H.I.E.L.D agents that had stuck to the good side. If there were any HYDRA agents around, they didn't have a prayer.
"Maybe we should bundle him up a bit more..." Pepper worried as she wrapped Nate a little tighter.
"He's fine." Tony said with a chuckle. "If you wrap him any tighter he won't be able to breathe."
Indeed, he looked like he wasn't able to move in the cocoon they called a blanket. However, it didn't seem to bother him as he started to close his eyes for a little nap.
The elevator dinged again and my date appeared for the night; black tux, slightly spiked hair and a blue boutonniere to match my dress for the night. I had not noticed how handsome he looked in blue until now.
"I thought I'd pick you up properly this time." He joked lightly, seemingly forgetting the reference to the last time he hadn't shown up for a party. I held back a shudder, pushing all thoughts of that night to the back of my mind.
"I'm glad, or else I'd start worrying." I teased.
"I'll never worry you like that again." He gave me a light kiss on the forehead, causing a second cry of disgust from the twins that night. He laughed.
"Are you two ready to go?"
The twins were decked out head-to-toe like last time, only this time they were wearing blue in honor of their newest cousin. Barney had on his little blue bow-tie and Natalia had on a sparkly baby-blue dress. However, the one thing she had insisted on was her wearing her glittery red shoes. She was her mother, no doubt about it.
"Are we going to dance the night away, Uncle Stevie?" Natalia asked as we stepped into the elevator.
"You bet." He promised, giving her a wink that made her giggle.
The thought of dancing with Steve was both exciting and nerve-wracking. I may have been training with the greatest soldier in history, but dancing was far beyond my skill set.
He shifted close beside me in the elevator, his arm lightly wrapped around me. I rested my head on his chest, the smell of his boutonniere wafting into my nose.
"You look gorgeous" He whispered in my ear, making my cheeks flush. His fingered the charm around my neck, the Captain America shield holding a small diamond on it. I grinned as I remembered the night he gave it to me.
It was Steve's third night in the hospital, the last night before we could officially take him home. Barney and Natalia had just left with their parents, leaving us in the room alone. I had been sleeping in a chair beside him the past few nights, the idea of leaving him unfathomable.
"Just make sure he keeps his hands to himself." My aunt whispered with a sly grin before taking her husband and children home for the night.
Steve had been taking another short nap, a magazine lying across his chest as he started to snore. I had to stifle my giggles as I started to see him shift in his bed.
"How's he doing?" Bucky whispered, slipping in the room.
"Just tired." I said as he sat beside me. "Our little life-and-death adventure seems to have sapped the strength right out of him."
"He still snores like he did back in the War." Bucky commented, a devilish grin forming as he listened to the noises from his friend get a little louder. "You should have seen him; I had to hit him a couple of times for fear he would attract the enemy."
I had to stifle another laugh as I thought of Steve's snores echoing through the forests of Germany.
Bucky grew suddenly quiet, fingering something small in his right hand.
"I've...decided to stay for the Tower for a bit, if you don't mind me rooming with your boyfriend for a while."
"As long as you don't tear up the furniture, I think we'll keep you," I replied cheekily.
"Ha ha," He replied flatly, but he was sure to give his own witty comeback. "And as long as you don't make out on the couch in front of me, I'm sure that I'll let you in."
"Oh, but I let you in plenty of times to make out with your girlfriends." Steve replied softly, a joking grin on his face as he looked to the two of us.
"Good to see you're up." Bucky lifted himself from his chair, placing the small object in his friend's hand. "I thought I'd give you something that belonged to you, now that you're better."
Steve looked at the object in his hand before replying, "Thanks, Buck."
"No problem. See you tomorrow morning." He flashed a wink at me before exiting, leaving us alone.
"How are you feeling?" I asked, pouring him a fresh cup of water.
"Better now that you're here." I flushed, turning my face slightly so that he wouldn't see my red cheeks. He had been giving those comments for the past few days and I couldn't help but wonder why he doted on me like he did. But every time he looked at me, I could see my answer, although it was one I couldn't quite form into words.
"Here." I handed him a glass of water, one that he gulped down quickly before setting it aside. I tenderly placed my hand on his forehead.
"You still feel a little warm. I'll go..."
"Don't leave." He grabbed my wrist gently pulling me back to him. "I...I want to give you something."
"Steve, you don't..."
"Yes, I do." He replied, the little object now dangling from his fingers. A necklace? "I want...I want to give you something to show that you're my girl."
"I'm already you're girl." I gave him a small smile and he chuckled.
"But I've got something extra special for you." He motioned for me to turn around and I felt a chain wrap around my neck. I took the little emblem in my fingers. It was a Captain America shield and...was that a diamond on the star?
"Steve?" He looked at me nervously.
"Do you like it?"
"It's beautiful."
One short kiss later and he looked back at me, saying, "Now I really am warm."
Steve
I felt silly standing with my bow-tie in the mirror for the second time in months. It still made me feel like the awkward-looking kid that was a third wheel to his best friend's dates.
"Are you ready for tonight?" Bucky asked, stepping out of his bedroom with a crisp, black tux matching mine. He had been living with me for the past few months and it had been like getting a brother back. He had fit right into our little family at the Tower. The twins especially loved pouncing him when he fell asleep on the couch.
"I'm fine." I pulled an object out of my pocket, looking at it with nervous excitement.
"It'll be great." He assured me, clapping his hand on my shoulder. "Just don't step on her feet and you'll do fine."
The idea of stepping on Hannah's feet while dancing only set me more on edge.
"Now I'm really nervous." Bucky chuckled as he stepped towards the elevator.
"I'll meet you upstairs. Try not to sweat too much before you go down and get her."
Great. Now I'd have to worry about that, too.
Hannah
The ballroom of Stark Tower was stunning, baby blue decorations everywhere in sight. The twins quickly spotted their parents, their feet clip-clapping against the floor until they met them, grasping them tightly with hugs.
The ballroom was crowded with people, many of whom I had never met in my life. The dresses of the women shimmered in the light, the men hanging tightly to their dates for the evening, much like Steve held me to him, his face shining as he walked arm-and-arm with me to my aunt and uncle.
"Thanks for bringing the kids. Mommy and Daddy needed a little alone time," Uncle Clint said, looking at his wife lovingly, Aunt Nat quickly returning his expression.
Sheesh. And they called Steve and I love birds.
"Auntie Hannie, will you dance with me?" Barney looked at me eagerly, clapping his little dancing shoes on the floor and spinning around merrily.
I couldn't resist.
"I think someone beat you to the punch." Uncle Clint laughed as Barney led me out on the dance floor. I had to hunch over to accommodate the little boy's size, but it was hilarious as he tried to dance with the beat of the music, his shoes often meeting my toes.
"You look real pretty," he said as he tried to imitate his father's favorite phases for his mother. "Now, I have to twirl you." He tried to spin me around, me smiling as I turned to face him again.
"Son," Uncle Clint stepped in, "there's chocolate covered strawberries at the table." The boy suddenly let go of me, rushing towards the table at full speed to Bruce who held one on a plate for the expectant child.
"May I cut in?" He offered, pulling me towards him. It was odd as we moved, his feet leading mine as we danced. I had never seen him dance before, but so far, he was very good.
"Not bad." He commented as he twirled me around and pulled me back in. "Much better than Steve." We glanced over in Steve's direction where he was dancing with Aunt Nat, his stiff body very awkward next to her flexible form.
"You look beautiful tonight," He told me, a warm expression on his face.
"If I remember correctly, good looks run in the Barton family."
"You have guessed correctly." He moved us swiftly to the left then back again, the moves incomprehensible to me, yet felt easy as if I'd done them a million times before.
"You're father would be proud of you."
Dad's face appeared in my mind. It almost made me sad to think of him and how he couldn't be here with me.
But you've got a dad.
As I looked into the man's face in front of me, I remembered my other father, the one that loved me as much as Dad: my uncle.
"He'd be proud of you, too, Dad."
My uncle had stepped up when his brother had died. He had not only taken care of me, but had been the father that I no longer had. We had hurt together and fought together, becoming a family through every circumstance.
"I think it's my turn." I had been so lost in conversation with my uncle that I hadn't even noticed Steve and Aunt Nat beside us, both ready to exchange partners.
"She's all yours, Cap." He gave me a peck on the cheek, resting my hand in Steve's.
There was a glance between the two men, my uncle nodding to him as he took his wife by the arm and started dancing, casting me one last smile.
"I didn't think I'd ever get to dance with you." Steve pulled me to himself, the smell of him drawing me even closer.
At first, our moves were awkward against each other, neither one of us knowing how to dance. Eventually, our dancing slowed, our steps small and even, keeping us comfortable as we rocked to-and-fro.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Steve asked.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"Thor and Jane's wedding."
I flashed back to the event that had happened a little more than a year ago. It had been a small ceremony; Jane's astrophysicist partner, Dr. Selvig, giving her away at the wedding, her friend Darcy the maid of honor. Steve had stood in line opposite me, both of us casting glances at each other and at the beaming couple in front of us. Jane's ivory dress looked beautiful next to Thor's traditional Asgardian wear, his red cape as long as the train on her dress.
As the minister pronounced them married, Thor swooped her up in his arms, kissing her gently. Cheers erupted as he ran down the aisle with her stillin his arms, their faces shining with joy as they exited.
The reception was just like the wedding: simple, but elegant. After both of them had been properly smeared with wedding cake, the dancing had begun, Steve immediately taking me in his arms. We hadn't known our feelings for each other then. But, as I think back, the signs had always been there. We had just never recognized them.
The funny part was that I had caught Jane's bouquet and Steve had, quite by accident, caught the garter Thor had thrown into the crowd of single men, the garment landing on the top of his head. We had blushed at each other then, neither of us realizing that somehow fate would bring us together in just a few short months.
"Do you remember?" Steve asked and I nodded.
"How could I forget?" I asked, letting my lips perk into a grin. "You were so graceful in catching the garter, remember?" He blushed with embarrassment at the memory.
He grew suddenly quiet, his eyes looking in Bucky's direction, who was dancing with some lady I had seen at the bar earlier. She was lovely, her purple dress accentuating her hips and deep brown hair. Bucky gave Steve a look as he danced with the lady, one that I couldn't read.
I quickly forgot the look as the night continued, pairing off with Thor and Bruce later on, Tony even managing a small dance with me.
"Is lover boy keeping his hands to himself?" Tony asked with a wry grin.
"I don't think he has time to when he's got everyone watching him." I noted and he laughed.
"Well, he knows who he's facing if he does." He referred to my uncle as he leaned across the wall, along with his wife, both of them talking to Steve.
The night went by quickly after that, the people starting to leave and head home.
"Can I take walk you home?" Steve asked, offering his arm to me in gentleman fashion.
"I'd be honored." I told him, giving his hand a tight squeeze as we took the elevator to my floor.
"Now that was a party," I told him and he chuckled.
"One of the best I've been to.
The doors opened, my floor appearing behind them.
"I...ummm...I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked and his lips flattened, as if I had said something wrong.
"Is something wrong?"
"No," He immediately smiled, warding off my worry. "Sorry. I think I'm a bit tired from tonight."
I grinned at him.
"Did I wear you out?" He rolled his eyes.
"Sure you did." He replied, giving me a quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Good night," He said, but I couldn't deny how strange he looked as the doors shut behind him, me catching a bit of a frown before they closed all the way.
Later That Night...
"Hannah," A voice said in the darkness. "Hannah, wake up!"
"Wha...?" I looked around in the darkness, trying to find the voice. Was this a dream?
The light suddenly turned on and I cried as the light burned my eyes.
"Come on." The voice said, my body being hoisted out of bed. I tried shoving, but a pair of strong arms held me fast.
"What are you...? I dared to open my eyes, squinting as they met Steve's face.
"Steve, what's going on?"
"I've got a surprise for you." He said, flashing a smile at me as he pressed the button on the elevator, refusing to let go of me.
"This early in the morning?" I asked, wanting to fall back to sleep against his chest. My eyes closed, but I was quickly shaken awake.
"Don't fall asleep." He told me softly, the elevator suddenly opening and I was confused as we entered Steve's floor.
"What are we doing here?" I asked blearily and he set me down on the couch.
"You'll see," He replied as he walked over to something in the corner of the room. The curiosity inside me grew exponentially as I watched him fiddle with the object in the corner. The sound of big band music suddenly reached my ears, the song unfamiliar.
"Hannah Barton, would you have this dance with me?"
The sleep wearing off, I hoisted myself off the couch with his assistance, him pulling me closely to him just like the evening before. We were both in our pajamas; both of us wearing sweatpants and t-shirts, my necklace from him still on. I always wore it.
"Hannah, you look beautiful." He said, his eyes staring down at me with all the love that his heart contained. I leaned against him, our fingers interlocking as we held each other tightly, our bare feet moving slowly along the cold, wooden floor. I could feel the vibration of his chest as he hummed to the music around us.
"Kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again. It's been a long, long time."
The words to the song were old and beautiful, reminding me of Steve. Without thinking, I kissed him on the cheek. He looked at me tenderly, his thumb rubbing across my cheek.
"I love you." I whispered, him kissing my hair in response.
"And I, you." He responded softly.
As the song came to a close, he suddenly pulled apart from me.
"Hannah, I love you. Even when I didn't know it, I loved you." He fiddled with something in his fingers. "I can't imagine my life for one moment without you. You're my best girl, my only girl. And I..."
He bowed to one knee and my heart stopped. Was he?
"Hannah Barton, will you marry me?"
He held a ring in his hand, his other warm, strong hand holding mine, eyes shining brightly.
"Yes." I breathed, tears of joy falling down my cheeks as he slipped the ring on my finger.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it's done!" Tony's voice erupted before there was a barrage of clapping behind us. I turned to see my family behind us, smiling and clapping as they celebrated our engagment. I didn't have time to see them all as Steve bent me down for a kiss.
And that is the story of how I became a daughter, a niece, an aunt and Mrs. Captain Steven Grant Rogers.
THE END
ALERT: There will be one last chapter for this story: the epilogue. Just so you all know!
Seriously one of my dream dates with Captain America. When I thought of "It's Been a Long Long Time," I thought of dancing barefoot on the cold, wooden floor. Pure bliss!
Also, if you didn't catch this statement at the top because you were so excited to read this last chapter, I know Hannah was already a daughter, but I meant daughter in the sense of her aunt and uncle and how they became her parents throughout the story. I also want to say she's a niece to the other Avengers, since I see them as more as her aunts and uncles than friends.
I've seriously been dreading this moment all week long. I want to cry as I post this chapter because it's truly this story's ending. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself after this!
Be sure to pop in a review, big or small! I'll take them all! Again, thank you everyone who has been with me through this story. It has truly been a blast! I can't believe how much this story had grown and developed and I can't imagine any better way of having this story end than this. THANK YOU!