𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚞𝚜𝚎 𝙸'𝚖 𝚒𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Your POV

I was waiting for the scrubbed out stain to dry when Steve waltzed into my room, a cup in hand.

"So much for knocking." I mumbled with a smirk as I played tug of war with Maggie.

Steve greeted me with a kiss on the lips and he sat down on the floor next to me.

"I got you something." Steve spoke an I looked at the cup strangely.

I took the cup from him and took a sip, never breaking eye contact, and my eyes widened once I realized that it was a (milkshake or smoothie) in the cup. I took another sip as I watched Steve play with Maggie.

"Thank you." I smiled at him and he returned it.

We sat there in the floor for quite while, and then Friday's voice came in from overhead.

"Mr Rogers, your presence is needed in the conference room." We both audibly groaned at this.

Steve pecked me on the lips snd then got up and walked out of the room, Maggie following behind him. I smiled as I watched them both walk down the hallway, Maggie bouncing around.

I took this little time I had alone to read some of my book. I was currently reading The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene. I never thought that I'd have an interest in any book besides fiction, but I was really enjoying this book so far. I had already read the introduction, and I was staring in the first section, on the Law of Irrationality. The book was about how to understand yourself and others, by breaking down how to read people and their character, along with why people react differently to certain emotions. The book was meant to open ones eyes to the different perspectives and personalities that people have.

     I was deep in the book when out of the corner of my eye, I saw my door crack open.

"Come in?" I spoke confused, not knowing if anyone was there, but Steve entered.

"Hey....." he spoke almost sadly as he came in, and Maggie wasn't with him.

"Why the long face? And where's Maggie?" I was staring to get concerned, he never looked glum.

"Maggie's with Pietro and Wanda....I was called to the conference room for a mission debriefing." Steve spoke with his shoulders slumped.

"Okay, when do you leave?" I spoke to Steve, setting my book down and going over to comfort him.

"In an hour.......I won't be gone too long though, I should be back early tomorrow morning." Steve spoke with a frown.

"Stevie, it's a short mission, what are you not telling me?" I held his face in my hands as I looked for an answer in his eyes.

"I don't wanna leave you and Maggie." He pouted and my frown turned into an smile.

"You won't be gone that long, we'll be just fine while you're gone." I kissed his nose to try and brighten up his mood, which it did.

"I know.....I just don't want to leave you here alone to take care of our kid." He frowned again.

"Our kid? Do you mean Maggie?" My eyes widened and I chuckled.

"Well, yeah....I mean I plan to raise her with you. So yeah, she's our kid." Steve smiled at me honestly for the first time since he got into the room.

"I'll be able to handle a night without you....I suppose... Maggie might miss her daddy though." I smiled up at him.

     He chuckled at me and hugged me tight. We stayed like that for a minute or so, when Steve spoke up from where his head was on top of mine.

"I'll tel you what, I'll take you dancing tomorrow night to make up for lost time, sound like a deal?" Steve held me at arms length so that he could see my reaction.

"Oh Steve, I don't know how to dance." I looked at him shyly.

"Then I'll teach you." Steve pulled me in for a passionate kiss, before we said our goodbyes, and he had to go change into his combat suit.

      I picked my book up and headed out to the common room, not wanting to be alone in my room any longer. When I walked in, I saw Wanda and Pietro playing with Maggie on the floor beside the couch. As I approached them, Maggie ran towards me when she spotted me. I bent down to pet her, then went over to one of the armchairs to read.

     I loved moments like this, where the team was so docile. It felt strange to see these people doing such mundane things, like Bucky messing with Sam, Tony fiddling with a contraption of some sort on the dinner table, and Wanda and Pietro playing their cares away with little Maggie.

     I was still reading my book when I felt hands on my shoulders, and a kiss to my head.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart." It was Steve, and after me and everyone said our goodbyes to him, he headed to the elevator.

     I blew a kiss at him and he pretended to catch it and put it in his pocket as the elevator doors shut.

      I read all the way up to dinner, and finally put my book down as the team ate the food that Wanda and Vision had prepared for us. I thanked them for the meal as I called for Maggie to follow me, and we went to the elevator to go down to the ground floor.

     As soon as the elevator doors opened, Maggie ran out into the open, and sprinted to the window. Before I could stop her, Maggie had hit the glass head on. I ran over to her to cradle her, that's when I noticed it.

     There was a crack where she had run into the window.

     I looked at it strangely and quickly called for Friday to inform Bruce and Tony to come down to the ground level, than that it was an emergency. They both came rushing down the stairs and ran over to me.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Tony checked me over for injuries, and I shook my head, and pointed at the large crack in the glass.

"Maggie ran into the window and did that." I explained as Tony went up and ran his finger gently over the crack.

"How in the.......this glass is meant to withstand helicopter blades. Are you sure that it wasn't already cracked?" Tony looked at me, and by now, Bruce was holding a happy Maggie, looking her over.

"I'm positive it wasn't like this before." I spoke confidently and Bruce and Tony shared a look.

******

     I waited outside the door of the lab patiently as Bruce took samples of Maggie's blood. I was pushed outside by Tony a little earlier when Maggie wouldn't stay still, her trying to get to me. After about an hour and a half, Tony told me that he needed to ask me some questions. When I walked in, Maggie ran over to me and jumped at my legs, causing me to wobble a bit. Tony watched the exchange, and shared a few words with Bruce.

"Do you have her adoption papers?" Tony spoke as he watched Maggie.

"No, I don't. Steve probably has them but he's......not here." I sighed.

"Found it!" Bruce shouted from the other side of the lab and I looked at him strangely, and Tony ran over to him.

"Y/n, you've got to see this."