It had been the longest eight days of their lives and Steve had spent 70 years in the ice while Tony had spent 3 months in a cave. But those eight days had been longer. Tony didn't come to sleep in their room when he bothered to sleep at all. Steve barely spoke to him, only phrases like, 'Pass the jam' and 'You should sleep'. It didn't stop the super soldier from leaving food in places that he knew Tony would find just like it didn't stop Tony from picking up Steve's red towel off the floor and handing it up when the super soldier left it in a heap after showering, just like he always did. But between the two, something was off and it was plain to see that it was the absence of a certain tiny red head.

Seeing their daughter at the trial was harder than they thought it would be. The girl was wearing her purple skirt and black sweater and Coulson had even managed to get the black shoes that clacked when she walked on and she looked utterly miserable when she walked in holding Bucky's metal hand. The two super heroes wanted nothing more than to reach out and scoop her up, take her home, and never let her out of their sight again, but they couldn't and it hurt more than a punch to the spleen. Under the table, Tony hesitantly reached out and gripped Steve's warm fingers, light enough that the super soldier could pull away if he wanted but hard enough that the billionaire had the contact he had been missing for the past eight days.

Steve adjusted his hand as Emmy was questions so he could more firmly hold on to his husband, his blue eyes never leaving the young girl sitting on his long time best friends lap. Tears slipped from his eyes as he watched his daughter sign. He knew most of the signs, had learned a proficient amount in the time she had lived with them in order to understand her, but he wasn't fluent yet and was grateful for Clint interpreting. Tony, who had mastered sign language when he first learned Clint was deaf, understood it all and squeezed Steve's hand tighter in an effort to prevent his own tears from escaping because he was Tony Stark-Rogers and he did not cry in front of anyone.

"No further questions," said Mr. Garcia and he sat back down.

Emmy looked up at the judge next to her and in an impulsive movement, climbed out of Bucky's lap and onto the ledge of the chair, reaching out and tugging on the judge's robe sleeve.

"Yes?" said the judge, brow furrowing in confusion.

Emmy signed quickly before she lost her balance.

"May I say hello to my fathers before I have to go?" said Clint.

He was about to refuse, Clint could see it in the set of the judge's wobbly chins. The man was going to quote some obscure rule with sections and sub-sections and Emmy would have to go home with Bucky and Phil without getting to talk to her fathers. But then Emmy turned the full force of her puppy dog eyes on the judge, her face taking on the saddest look Clint had ever seen, eyes watering just a touch, lower lip quivering, chin tilted down so she was looking up at the judge through her soft red lashes, and the judge caved.

"Quickly," said the judge with a nod.

Emmy nodded, giving the judge one of her glowing smiles, then turned to Clint and held her arms up so he could lift her over the ledge. Clint obliged and set the girl on the ground where she took off running and threw herself at her fathers.

"Hey baby," said Steve with a smile as the girl was sandwiched between the soldier and billionaire. "Missed you too."

"You did so well, Ducky," said Tony. "Are you being good for Agent?"

Emmy nodded and burrowed closer to the men, uninjured hand clutching Tony's suit jacket, wrinkling the expensive material, and injured hand doing it's best to do the same to Steve's but not accomplishing it was well.

"I know, baby girl," cooed Steve. "But we'll get this sorted, okay? You'll get to come home soon."

"Alright, it's time to go, kid," said Bucky when the judge cleared his throat.

"I love you, Emmy," said Steve, kissing the top of Emmy's head. "Be good."

"Don't blow anything up," said Tony, kissing Emmy's wild hair as Bucky reached out to take her away again. "I love you, Ducky."

Emmy began to silently cry and Bucky picked her up and began to walk away. She didn't want to go but she knew she had to be a big girl and stay with Uncle Bucky a little bit longer.

-Winging It-

"Tony?" said Steve quietly, leaning against the door of their daughters room later that evening.

Tony didn't answer, just continued to lay on the ground in the semi darkness, staring up at the ceiling where a projection of hot air balloons was playing. His suit jacket was scrunched into a pillow under his head, his pants were wrinkled and his shirt untucked. It was ruining his clothed but the genius just couldn't bring himself to care.

"Honey, look at me," beseeched Steve, venturing in and settling on his back next to his husband.

Tony didn't answer more than blinking his russet eyes up at the ceiling as JARVIS reformed it into blueprints.

"I'm sorry," whispered Steve brokenly. "I'm so sorry. I've been sorry since I stormed away but I couldn't apologize because I'm an idiot. You didn't deserve anything I said, you didn't deserve to have to be alone during this, you didn't deserve any of it. I was scared and hurt and I took it out on you. I'm still scared, I'm terrified that I'm going to lose Emmy and you. I'm scared I already lost you because I was too afraid to reach out and too self-absorbed to be there for you. Please, say something. Tony, anything, please."

Slowly, Tony turned his head and eyed Steve, as if he was trying to conclude if the man was serious or just trying to save his own ass by apologizing.

"I'm tired," whispered Tony.

And those two words did more to relieve the tension that had built in Steve's chest for the past eight days than any speech would have. It was Tony's code for wanting to be held and cared for but being too stubborn to ask properly. It was his way of saying that he knew Steve was sorry, had known since his favorite guilty pleasure coffee had appeared in his workshop seven days and twelve hours ago.

"Let's go to bed," whispered Steve.

"If you're thinking of taking advantage of me," began Tony with a tiny smirk.

"Mind out of the gutter," said Steve, hoisting Tony up and making their way to their bedroom down the hall.

"Make up sex later," agreed Tony. "After."

"After," agreed Steve, knowing that Tony meant after tomorrow when they would get the verdict, when they would know if Emmy got to come home with them or if they would lose her forever because there was no doubt in his mind that if Tiberius got her then he would make it impossible for them to see her ever again.

*So yeah, next chapter we find out who get's Emmy. Always - Ari