Fight For Freedom |4| The Ascension

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Miracle of Life

The thing about Steve Rogers was that he had fought many wars. Not just the ones he was known for, but the smaller ones, the ones where it was him vs a 200-pound jock in a backstreet alleyway. The wars against hatred. He'd been fighting all his life, and he and Zosia had come to terms with the fact that they would never be able to just settle down and have a simple life. They were okay with that. Both of them had been born into war, and both were prepared to die in it.

So really, that blue plus sign on the pregnancy test had thrown a bit of a curveball at them. Within the space of four months, they had been engaged and married, and now the baby was coming. While Zosia had grown used to carrying a child to term over the months she had known of its existence, Steve was still finding it difficult to adjust to the idea of having a tiny human being--well, mostly human--depending on him.

It was for this reason that McKenzie was sat next to him outside the delivery room, holding his hand in an attempt to soothe him. She was receiving regular updates from the Doctor as he helped with the birth, and it was all she could do to reassure her son when his wife's screams emanated from the walls.

"It's okay," she murmured, stroking the skin of his hand with her thumb. "It's okay, I promise." But really, how could she know what was normal? She had never witnessed a birth before--all her children were either adopted or progenated--and her degree in medicine hadn't covered the birth of the hybrid child of an enhanced human being and a woman from a species practically unheard of before. There wasn't really a defined 'normal' for this situation, and this only added to Steve's worries.

So he sat against the wall, and he tensed, and he shook, and he gritted his teeth against the sound of Zosia's pain, and he squeezed McKenzie's hand so hard he thought it would break, and so it continued until he heard his mother gasp. "Sorry," he mumbled, thinking he had hurt her but frowned when he saw a smile on her face, tears in her eyes. "What?"

She didn't have time to answer before the answer presented itself to him: the sound of a crying child. His eyes welled up immediately, and he hugged her tight. "Congratulations, Steve," she whispered. "You're a dad." Then she froze, and he tensed, feeling her confusion. "I don't..."

He pulled back, concern lining his features again. "What is it, what's wrong? What's happened?"

Her brow creased as she concentrated, sifting through the Doctor's frantic thoughts until they heard the baby cry again, and the Time Lord's mind cleared to reveal one clear thought. Her eyes welled up, tears spilling over as she raised a hand to her mouth. She could only manage one word, but it was enough to send Steve to tears again.

"Twins."

***

When Zosia woke up, it was to the sound of her husband singing. This in itself was admittedly not unusual, but the song was. Usually, she found him singing some power ballad from the forties, or something from the Troubleman soundtrack Sam had introduced him to. She frequently came across him bursting out into Star Spangled Banner only for the singing to dissolve into cursing because "that stupid damn song won't get out of my head!" This time, however, Steve Rogers was singing a lullaby.

She blinked her eyes open blearily to find him sitting in the chair by her bed, holding one sleeping infant in each arm and staring at them both lovingly as he continued the soft song. Her heart swelled at the sight, and her eyes welled up accordingly as she smiled gently. She waited until he finished the lullaby to speak. "That was beautiful."

He looked up, surprised, only to beam when he saw her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," she assured him, nodding a little. "You?"

He nodded, glancing down at the babies before meeting her eyes again. "Zosie, look what we made."

She smiled. "I know. They're so beautiful." She held out her arms towards him, making room for him on the bed. Careful not to jolt the children, he came and laid next to her, both of them just watching the babies sleep.

Steve frowned slightly as he felt a wetness on his shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she told him, the tears rolling freely down her cheeks as she kissed his temple. "I'm just so happy. I love you so much. All three of you."

***

"Oh, thank God," Wanda sighed, her eyes flashing red. "They've had the children."

Pietro sighed happily, then frowned. "Hold on. Children? Not child?"

Wanda nodded, beaming. "Two children. A boy and a girl."

Zoë covered her mouth with her hand, grinning widely. "I'm an auntie!"

"I wonder what they will grow up to be," Vision said contemplatively. "The children of two great soldiers, neither of them entirely human. In fact, the twin children of a twin." He nodded. "I think we can expect great things from those children. Incredible things."

Zoë and Pietro shared a look. "We can't miss this."

***

"You okay, baby?" McKenzie asked, sensing her husband was exhausted nearby.

"Yeah," he assured her, hugging her from behind. "Just... shock, I suppose. Zosie and Steve, with kids?"

She chuckled. "I know. I guess this means you're a grandpa again."

He snickered. "You know what that means, don't you?"

She blinked. "What?" He smirked and she narrowed her eyes. "I can hear you smirking, just tell me!"

He grinned. "Ты -- бабушка!"

~~~

BABIESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

HOO, BOY, THERE IS GONNA BE SOME FLUFF SURROUNDING THIS LIL FAMILY, JUST YOU WAIT!!!