A Love Like Ours

THIRTY SEVEN

NYC, Stassie's Sweet Shoppe, 12:16pm

Bucky sips his black coffee as he watches Steve coo lovingly down to Rosie, A sight that makes his chest ache.

Steve and he settled most of their differences yesterday in Doctor Lavigne's office, With Steve even thanking Bucky for taking care of his daughter while he hasn't been in the position too.

The three of them came to an agreement, So long as Steve remains in therapy and stays far far away from Asgardian Ale, He'll be welcomed to see Rosie as often as he likes so long as Bucky and Anastasia are available to supervise.

At least until he learns how to properly care for a baby on his own, And Steve happily accepted their conditions.

Anything is better than not being able to see her all.

So now they sit together in the dark pink booth right by the frost covered window, in the mildly crowded Shoppe which has color coordinated Christmas decorations.

Meanwhile Anastasia rummages for all the paperwork they'll need fill out in the back office.

Her emotions at an all time high because she spent most of the morning with her buried in the toilet, Leaving Bucky to tend to Rosie and pack the car with all the things they would need in order to spend the day away from home.

Finally, After spending thirty minutes shuffling through filing cabinets in her blush pink, rarely used office, She emerges into the heart of the Shoppe to join the men and her little girl.

A wave of relief washes over her when she finds them both smiling at Rosie, Her heart melting for the fifth time today at the sight of her adorable polar bear onesie which was a gift from Sam.

Rosie blows raspberries down to Steve with her little hands grasping a firm hold on his beard as he groans out an 'Ow!' and Bucky chuckles.

"I told you, She's got a good grip on her." Bucky says, Sliding out from the booth.

"Yeah, you weren't kidding." Steve laughs back, his smile fading as he watches Bucky's hand snake around Anastasia's dainty waist.

"I need to talk to Bucky for a second, Will you be be alright with her?" Anastasia asks, her voice cautiously calm.

"Mhm, I've got her." Steve nods, his lips pressed into a tight smile until he looks back at Rosie and his heart softens once more.

Anastasia allows Bucky to guide her through the line of people until they reach the small storage room, Both of his arms wrap around her as she holds the paperwork close to chest in between them, their eyes locked on one another.

"Did you find everything you needed, Doll?"

"I think so..." She nods, feeling the nausea rise in her throat.

"Are you sure you'll be alright being here alone with him?" Bucky asks, Bringing one hand up to cup her face gently, His thumb gliding along her scar.

"I'm not alone, MJ is working and the Shoppe is full of customers... I'll be fine."

He tilts his head, eyeing her suspiciously as her eyes begin to gloss over.

"If you don't want me to go, I won't. Sam can wait." He reassures her.

"It's not that, I just..." She inhales a sharp breath, her eyes falling closed as she exhaled before meeting his gaze to finish,

"It's more difficult than I thought it would be... Signing these papers... Cutting my last tie from my old life... I'm just a little overwhelmed... That's all..." She guiltily confesses.