Second Chances - Book 1

Chapter 21: All Roads Lead to Somewhere

Telling Bruce she and the children were going to be gone for... well, a time frame she couldn't give, wasn't easy. He had many questions, and a lot of them she didn't yet have answers for. Bruce voiced his concern over putting the children in such close vicinity of Bucky, but such things were quickly squashed. Nat had been curt and short with her answers. Given his all-to-recent admission, he didn't quite have a leg to stand on.

9 am rolled around rather quickly. Natasha was busy getting their suitcases out onto the porch so loading them would be 10 times easier. "When do we get chickens, momma?" Vinny asked, pulling his little suitcase out of the front door, Snugs sitting at the top.

"When we get home again," Natasha spoke, placing Nessy's car seat down on the wooden flooring before she turned back to her little brood. "Okay, do we have everything we need?" A small, shared "yes" confirmed such. With that, she locked the door and as if on cue, Steve rolled into sight from the elongated stone driveway. The RV he had rented was certainly fairly big, certainly roomy enough for two adults, two children and a baby. Steve parked up, hopped out and opened up the door to the living quarters. 

"Feel free to check it out." Steve offered a smile to the children, who merely shared a glance before running off to the vehicle.

"You rented a bus," Natasha mentioned with an amused smile, picking up the car seat once more.

"I bought a bus." Steve corrected her as she walked closer with Nessy, watching her smile fade to a look of confusion. "Well, I couldn't give them a timescale, which made renting a little difficult."

"At least now you can go on those old man vacations." Natasha teased, venturing up the few steps and into the living quarters, followed by Steve. "Wow, you really went all out." 

"It would've been a beaten up jeep if it was just us." Steve offered a smile, stepping back out in order to transfer their bags into the main living area.

"Momma! There's the biggest bed, ever!" Vinny bounded out of one of the rooms.

"And a shower, and another bedroom, and a toilet!" Grace finished, just as excited.

"I guess you've hit the jackpot then, huh?" Natasha smiled, retrieving the bags from Steve in a relay-esque fashion. "I think you should get Snugs settled in." She suggested with an easy smile, nodding toward the bedroom before the two children took off again. Steve passed in the folded portable cot, which Natasha set up in the bedroom for when Nessy would need her undisturbed sleep. 

It didn't take long at all for the group to get moved in, Natasha sat up front in the cockpit with Steve. Vinny and Grace sat at the table colouring while Nessy slept off her breakfast. "It's 38 hours worth of travelling, you sure about this?" Steve asked as they entered the freeway. 

"He has to know," Natasha spoke, glancing over her shoulder at the redheaded boy. "They both do."

"How is he Vinny's father?" Steve asked, glancing over to Nat who looked away. "Nat."

"Not now," Natasha spoke, quiet. "Not while he can hear." She added, quieter. Steve considered her for a few moments, before passing a quiet sigh through his nose, undivided attention returning to the road.

The journey remained very much the same. The pair shared driving responsibilities. Steve, with a newfound purpose, took to driving through most of the nights. His mind focused on one thing only. Natasha provided tiny tidbits of information about how, and why, she knew him, but nothing that painted a clear picture. It was only when unpacking Grace's suitcase to find clothes for her to wear that Natasha found an envelope with her name on it:

Natasha and Bruce,

I take full responsibility and am aware of the position I have put you in. Many times you have taken care of Grace for me when I haven't been able, but now I need to give you that responsibility permanently.