Steve stared at his reflection in the mirror as he adjusted his tie. His hands were trembling uncharacteristically, and he took a deep breath to steady himself.
"You ready for this big guy?" Tony clapped him on the shoulder, appearing beside him. Steve blew out the breath he had been holding and dropped his head to his chest.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're not getting cold feet on us, are you?" Tony's brow creased in concern. From across the room, Harry's head shot up.
"Steve, please tell me-" Harry started in, but Steve just held up his hand to stop him.
"I have never been more ready, or scared, to do anything in my life," he admitted. "I've been waiting for this day for decades, and it's finally here. And I've got to admit-- it's intimidating."
Tony and Harry smiled, shooting a quick glance at one another.
"We'll be by your side the whole time, man," Tony reassured.
"Thank you," Steve replied, reaching up and squeezing Tony's shoulder in appreciation.
There was a knock at the door and Peter popped his head inside.
"It's time. They're ready for you Steve."
Steve took a deep breath and a smile slowly blossomed across his face as it sunk in what he was getting ready to do.
"Time to go get married."
*
The ceremony had been beautiful, but Harry and Pepper had outdone themselves on the reception. Despite Steve and Bucky's wishes to keep things simple, the venue was decked out from top to bottom. A fully stocked and tended bar sat in the corner, and Harry had outdone himself on the food.
A dance floor sat in the center of the room, filled with people that were dancing under the influence of a few too many drinks. Steve and Bucky were in the center of it all, permanent smiles on their faces.
"This is absolutely amazing. Congratulations to the both of you," Caroline congratulated as she hugged both Steve and Bucky.
"Thank you," Bucky replied. "Thank you for coming and for celebrating with us. We really appreciate it."
"Everyone has made us feel so loved today," Steve grinned, glancing at Bucky who leaned in for a kiss.
"Alright, alright, I think we've seen enough of that today," Tony joked, making his way over to the two of them. Bucky rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.
"Mind if I steal the two of you for a moment? I've got a wedding present for you," Tony nodded his head towards the door.
"Sure," Steve slipped his hand in Bucky's and they followed Tony out of the room towards the elevator.
At their request, Tony had allowed them to use one of the event spaces in Stark Tower. It had been nice to have access to the space for the days leading up to the wedding to prepare, and there was comfort in knowing they were close to home.
"So what's this wedding present that is so urgent that we're being pulled away from the reception?" Bucky inquired as Tony pressed a button in the elevator.
"And why are we going to the 89th floor? Isn't it under renovation?" Steve added.
"You two need to just relax and have faith in me," Tony replied, blowing off both of their questions. Steve and Bucky shot one another a concerned look.
A moment later, the elevator dinged softly, and the doors opened.
"Welcome to your new home," Tony stepped out of the elevator and opened his arms, revealing a newly remodeled penthouse.
The open floor plan was modern but homey, and ticked all of the boxes that Steve and Bucky had previously talked about having in a home.
"How did.... did you... oh my God, Tony," Steve stammered.
"We can't accept this," Bucky replied immediately, looking around. "It's... this is too much."
"Nope. It's all yours. We love having you live with us, but you two need your own space. Especially now that you're newlyweds. There's only so much that sound proof walls can hide."
"Tony!" Steve and Bucky both scolded.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Seriously, this is all yours. I want you to have it. You'll be close to everyone, and you'll still have access everywhere, but this is all yours. Right now, the three of us are the only ones with access to this floor, but I can program it to allow however many or however few people you want. It's all yours."
"Wow. Tony... thank you," Steve pulled Bucky in close to him as he took in their new home.
"Congratulations to the both of you. I'm happy for you," Tony smiled. "Now, I'm going to head back downstairs, but you two explore and come back down when you're ready. I'll stall for you until you're done."
He stepped into the elevator and let the doors close behind him, leaving Bucky and Steve standing in the foyer of their new home.
"I can't believe that just happened," Bucky spoke, disbelief in his voice.
"Me neither," Steve replied. He paused for a moment before a big grin broke out across his face.
"What?" Bucky questioned. But before he could get any further, Steve swept him off his feet, scooping him into a bridal carry.
"Steve! What are you doing? Put me down!" Bucky laughed as Steve began walking through the penthouse.
"The groom is always supposed to carry his bride across the threshold of their house. And since we've already crossed the threshold, that just means I have to carry you to the bedroom."
"Are you implying that I'm the bride here?" Bucky laughed.
"I'm nothing if not a man of tradition."
Steve stopped, pushing open the door of the bedroom.
"I love you Mr. Barnes Rogers," Bucky smiled.
"And I love you."
*
(Three months later)
*
"We should get a cat. Try to figure out how this whole parenting/caretaking role works, before we move on to a baby."
Bucky's proposal made Steve look up from his sketching, and he quirked an eyebrow inquisitively.
"So you're suggesting that we adopt one of the most independent pets that one could get?"
"Yes," Bucky replied simply.
"I'm allergic to cats, Buck."
"Stevie, you're not allergic to anything anymore," Bucky reminded him with a playful nudge.
"Fine, I'm not. But what if I said I just don't like cats?"
"Then I'd tell you to suck it up, because I found a stray that lives in an alley that I run by. I want to adopt her."
"Is there any chance that this cat is already in the Tower as we speak?" Steve raised his eyebrows at his husband, whose expression instantly grew guilty.
"Clint is checking her for fleas and giving her routine vaccinations now," he admitted.
Steve sighed, knowing that there was no backing out of it now.
"What's her name?"
Bucky lit up, springing to his feet and kissing Steve's cheek, already halfway to the door to fetch their new pet from Clint.
"Her name is Alpine, and you're going to love her!"
"Buuuuuuck," Steve groaned.
Bucky appeared a few minutes later, a white cat cradled in his arms lovingly.
"This is Alpine," he grinned, sitting down next to Steve.
"I suppose she's pretty cute. But you're the one who's in charge of cleaning her litter box," Steve said, reaching out and letting the cat smell him. She leaned into his hand, rubbing her head against it as if to invite him to pet her.
"I will, I promise. And see? She likes you. Don't you, Alpine?" Bucky cooed at the cat, and Steve couldn't help but laugh. Bucky had the training to be the most dangerous man alive, yet here he was, sitting on their couch wearing sweatpants and cuddling a stray cat that he had rescued.
Bucky's phone pinged, and he let go of Alpine for a moment to stand up and grab it.
Alpine strolled over and plopped down on Steve's lap, right on top of his sketchpad.
"Hey now, don't go smearing charcoal on yourself," Steve lifted her off the top of his work, and she let out a small noise of protest.
"Don't give me that," Steve spoke to her.
"Hey, Tony just texted and said he needs me down in the lab to do some work on my arm. Do you want me to take her with me, or leave her here so she can become familiar with the apartment?" Bucky asked, and Steve knew by the way he phrased the question that Bucky was hoping he would let Alpine stay.
"She can stay here. But if she pees on the rug, I'm calling you."
"Deal," Bucky grinned. "I'll be back in a bit. Love you."
He bent down and kissed the top of Steve's head before heading out.
"Sounds like it's just you and me this afternoon, huh?" Steve spoke after the elevator doors closed. Alpine meowed softly, leaning up and nuzzling Steve's arm affectionately, earning a small smile from him.
"You're not so bad now, are you?" He lifted the sketchpad off of his lap and set it on the end table. Alpine immediately crawled up on his lap and curled up, beginning to purr contently.
Steve propped his feet up and reclined himself, and he turned a movie on TV. His hands found their way into Alpine's fur as he gently stroked her back.
An hour later, that's how Bucky found them. Alpine had migrated to Steve's chest, and Steve was sound asleep with his hand still resting on her back.
Bucky pulled out his phone and snapped a picture as he chuckled to himself.
"Yeah, it sure looks like you don't like cats to me."
*
(Six months later)
*
"I'm ready to be a dad," Bucky blurted one morning, making Steve almost choke on his water.
"Okay," he said, lowering his glass to the counter slowly after he had regained his composure. "I am too, but why so suddenly?"
"I don't know, Stevie, I just feel like it's the right time. I woke up the morning, the sun was shining, and you just looked so perfect that I knew I was ready."
"So, you made this decision because I looked good?" Steve repeated back to his husband, biting back a chuckle when Bucky's signature pout crossed his face.
"It's not like that," Bucky grumbled.
"I know, I know, I'm just messing with ya pal," Steve stood up and made his way behind Bucky, letting his hands find their way to his husband's tense shoulders and begin massaging.
"So, we need to face the fact that it very well could be months or years before we can adopt. There's a lot of legal fees, and I know that everyone is more accepting of same sex couples now than when we were kids, but the process can still be tricky for people like us," Steve began, jaw tightening at the thought of how difficult some things still were for them.
Bucky's shoulders tensed again, so hard that Steve could have compared it a rock.
"What is it, Buck?" He asked, voice soft.
Bucky turned on his stool, looking up at Steve with hurt, slightly angry eyes.
"There's no way an adoption agency is going to give us a baby, not with my history. They'll take one look at our application before tearing it up and throwing it out a window," his frown deepened. "It'll be my fault that we can't have what we want."
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be talkin' nonsense like that. If they know you, even at all, they'll know that that person wasn't you. Nothing is your fault, and nothing will be your fault," Steve's hands braced both of Bucky's arms. "We'll have our opportunity to become parents. I promise you."
"Opportunities don't just fall out of the sky, Stevie."
"No, but we'll figure it out. Together, like we always do."
*
"Sorry we're late everyone," Steve apologized as he and Bucky walked into the S.H.I.E.L.D room where the support group was being held that day.
"You're on time, Steve," Beau pointed out, earning a laugh from everyone.
"Well you know what they say: Early is on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable," Steve shrugged, sinking into a chair beside Bucky.
"Should we go ahead and start then? I'm seeing some new faces today, so how about we go around and introduce ourselves?" Bucky suggested. "If you want to just share your name, that's fine. If you want to tell us your life story, we'd love to hear it-- it's all up to you and whatever you're comfortable with."
They began making their way around the circle until they reached a new member. She was watching everyone intently, her brown eyes alert and scanning the room constantly as if she were unsure of if her attendance were allowed.
"Go ahead hon. Whenever you're ready," Caroline, who was seated next to her, encouraged.
"Hi, I'm Melanie. I'm here because... well, I actually don't really know why I came. I was in the lobby downstairs and I saw the flyer and decided to come. I'm sure my problems are probably really superficial compared to everyone else here."
"Melanie, it's nice to meet you, I'm Steve. We're glad you decided to come, and I just want to say, nobody here is going to judge you for being here. If there is something bothering you, and you think you'd benefit from talking to a group about it, that's why we're here. We're a rag tag bunch, but we're supportive of everyone who walks through those doors."
Melanie smiled, bowing her head before beginning to speak.
"It's been a long time now, so part of the reason I feel so silly talking about it is because I feel like I should be over it. But I grew up as a product of foster care, and I had to deal with being bounced from home to home. There were some good people that couldn't care for me long term, and there were bad people that I stayed with for way too long.
"I stayed in the system until I was a legal adult, and by that point I had experienced every type of abuse in one home or another. Now... I need help. I'm not happy with how I've been living my life, just floating through waiting for the next one. That's why I took the job at S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm just a receptionist, but I needed some change.
"I had been sleeping around a lot, since I had a lot of people tell me when I was younger that that's all I'd ever be good for. After a while, you stop denying it and start trying to make it true. And... well, I want to stop. I have to stop. A few months ago, I found a guy that started out as a one night stand, but turned into a more frequent thing-- I'll spare the details, sorry. And he was really nice, and showed me what a good guy can be like, but then I found out I was pregnant. Neither of us are ready to be parents, and so I'm looking for a set of adoptive parents. But it's hard, finding good people that are okay with an open adoption that live around here."
Bucky's hand tightened around Steve's, and Steve knew that they'd had the same thought.
"I don't know... I guess that's why I'm here. I just need a place to talk it out while I try to get my life in order. The decision to put this baby up for adoption hasn't been easy, but I know that's what I want to do. It's what's best for them. I just know that I need to find a set of parents before he or she is born, because I can't stomach putting her into the foster care system like I was. I'm starting to get desperate-- I just want to get this sorted out before too much longer."
She glanced up, looking around the group.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was just going to spill my guts like that. I apologize," she blushed.
"Hey, that's totally fine. We appreciate you being here today. If you need anything, anything at all, you let us know and we'd all be happy to help you out. Isn't that right?" Steve responded, and his question was met with a chorus of emphatic 'yes' and 'absolutely' replies.
They continued through the rest of the group session, Bucky's hand gripping Steve's the whole time. The second that the group portion of the meeting was over, Bucky practically dragged Steve over to the corner.
"Steve, an opportunity literally just fell from the sky," he whispered, glancing towards Melanie.
"I know, I know," Steve agreed. "But we just met her. Don't you think we should get to know her a bit more first? Instead of just going 'hi, we're married and looking to adopt. Would you give us your baby?'"
"Well she did say she was desperate, so maybe she wouldn't think we were insane," Bucky responded.
"I'm not so sure I don't think we're insane," Steve hissed.
"Look pal, all I'm sayin' is that I'm all in if you are. If you want to wait, that's fine, but there's no guarantee that she's not going to walk out these doors and find someone else. If you want to do this today, I'm 100% with you."
Steve pondered this for a second. Bucky was right. There were no guarantees that Melanie would even come back to the group, or that she wouldn't find someone else. This was the opportunity, the once in a lifetime chance, that they had talked about just this morning.
"Are we crazy for doing this?"
Bucky grinned. "When have either of us ever been sane?"
Steve rolled his eyes.
"Does this mean you're in?" Bucky asked, voice still quiet but now tinged with an air of excitement.
"Yeah. I'm in."
*
"Melanie," Steve spoke, hand intertwined with Bucky's as they approached the newcomer.
She smiled at them, and extended her hand.
"Hi. Thank you two for hosting this group. It's really great, and it's already giving me the opportunity to meet some really great people."
"Oh, it's no problem at all. This group has helped us beyond words as well," Steve smiled, glancing to Bucky for support.
"Actually, we had something we'd like to discuss with you, and we were wondering if you'd be open to grabbing lunch after this? Our treat, of course" Steve continued.
"Well that certainly seems a bit ominous," Melanie commented, "but I'm free all afternoon. And I certainly won't turn down a free lunch."
Bucky and Steve laughed. "We'll have to clean up a bit, but we can meet you by the front doors around 1, if that would work for you?"
"That'll be just fine, thank you."
Someone came up to her and began chatting, and Steve glanced at his watch. That gave them 45 minutes to come up with a game plan and clean up. He could tell that the reality of the situation had just hit Bucky, though, as his husband was wearing a slight look of panic on his face.
"Hey, it's gonna be fine Buck," he whispered, grabbing Bucky's hand and giving it a small squeeze. "The worst she can do is tell us no."
"Technically, there are a multitude of other things that she could do that would be worse than that," Bucky replied back, and Steve rolled his eyes.
"Just be yourself and she'll love you. I promise," Steve reassured, and Bucky gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
The next 45 minutes flew by, and before they knew it, Steve and Bucky were hand-in-hand walking towards the front doors of the building, practically vibrating with excitement and nerves.
"Hey," Melanie greeted them with a smile, and her hand rested on her stomach where only the smallest bump was visible.
"Hi, how are you doing? Did the rest of the meeting go alright?" Steve asked, returning the smile.
"Oh yeah, everyone was so nice and welcoming. It's really is a great group of people," she replied. "I did want to ask if it was alright if we just took a walk though? Morning sickness is still kicking my butt, and I don't know that I could stomach food right now."
"Absolutely, that's fine," Steve nodded, almost too enthusiastically, and Bucky had to squeeze his hand to remind him to dial it down a bit.
"Would you like any water or anything before we go? There's a vending machine just around the corner," Bucky offered, but Melanie shook her head.
"I'm alright, thank you though. You two have been so sweet."
As they exited the building, they began making some small talk. Asking her where she was from and how she found herself in New York City. Melanie asked them about when the group had started and if it was a regular group of people, or if people just dropped by when they were struggling. By the time they had made it a few blocks to Central Park, the conversation was comfortable and Steve decided it was a good time to bring up the issue at hand.
"So Melanie, Bucky and I always try to make it a priority to get to know the new group members, but we really wanted to get to know you, especially after hearing you talk today. Buck and I have recently made the decision to adopt and, please excuse my bluntness here, but we were wondering if you would possibly consider allowing us to adopt your baby? Sorry if that was too forward, I've never asked anyone that before and-"
Bucky's hand squeezed Steve's once more in an attempt to get him to stop his nervous rambling.
"We know this is sudden and that we just met, but we would be willing to take care of all of the legal mumbo jumbo that comes with it, and pay for all of the medical bills during and after your pregnancy, and would absolutely be willing to have an open adoption that would allow you visitations and involvement in this baby's life," Bucky continued on, finding himself rambling.
"This is so sudden that you don't have to give us an answer right now. Hell, we'd be shocked if you did. Just, after hearing you talk today about wanting to find a couple, and soon, we knew we needed to talk with you. And again, we're sorry if this is too forward or inappropriate-- I'm not entirely sure how to go about any of this," Steve apologized once more. Melanie remained silent as she walked alongside them.
Steve tried to tell himself that if she hadn't turned around and marched the other way yet that they hadn't sounded too crazy. He pictured himself and Bucky telling the team what they had done later, and the shocked looks on their faces. He knew Tony was going to never let them hear the end of how they had handled the situation.
"Do you mind if I give it some more thought? You two seem amazing, but I think I need to get to know you better first, and it's all so sudden," Melanie spoke for the first time since the proposition had been made.
"Absolutely," Steve replied quickly, "and if you do decide that you want to go in a different direction, there will be no hard feelings at all. You'd still be welcomed with open arms at the meetings, and we'd love to be friends regardless of your decision."
Melanie smiled at him, and Bucky could see a glimmer of relief in her expression.
"Thank you."
The three continued walking through the park, enjoying the May weather.
"So how long have you two been together?" Melanie asked, and both Steve and Bucky laughed which caused her to smile.
"I assume there's a story here?"
She listened as the two of them explained knowing each other back in the 1920s and 30s, and how they were separated for years until Steve rescued Bucky and helped him recover from Hydra's reign.
"Wow," she spoke, struggling to come up with words. "That's... quite the story. Bucky, I'm really sorry that you had to go through that. And Steve, I can't imagine how hard it must have been, waking up 70 years in the future and then having to watch Bucky go through everything."
"It wasn't easy, by any means, but I think it only made our love stronger," Steve spoke.
"You're such a sap," Bucky scoffed, but he was blushing.
"I think-" Melanie began after a moment of silence, but as soon as she began speaking, her hand flew to her mouth. She bolted for the nearby trashcan, only barely making it in time before beginning to get sick.
Steve hurried over to where she was bent over the metal bin and gathered her hair in one hand, and tracing soothing circles on her back with the other.
Bucky stood on her other side, blocking the view of her from on-lookers. His posture looked like that of someone who was standing guard, but he gave a few concerned glances over his shoulder to make sure Melanie was alright.
With one final spit into the trashcan, she stood up. Her face was flushed and sweating, and she let out a deep sigh. Wordlessly, Bucky reached into his pocket and pulled out a container of Altoids, holding it out to her.
"Thank you," she murmured, accepting it and taking a few of the mints out of the tin and popping them in her mouth. As Bucky pocketed the container, she couldn't help but laugh.
"You know, my granddad always used to carry Altoids with him," she smiled. Bucky blushed, and Steve began chuckling.
"Usually it's me that gets compared to a grandfather," he laughed, wrapping his arm around Bucky. He turned his attention back to Melanie.
"Are you alright?" There was an expression of true concern, and one of such deep caring on his face that she couldn't help but tear up.
"I'm fine. I... I really want you two to adopt this baby. I can just feel it. This is right."
Steve beamed, hardly able to contain his giddiness. Beside him, Bucky was doing a slightly better job at remaining calm, but only barely.
"I still think I'll need to get to know you two and think on it for a bit more before I make any final decisions, but... I can just tell that you two are going to be amazing parents. What you just did for me... that alone was more than anyone has done for me in a long time. And I know that you did it because you're good people, not just because you were trying to suck up."
"Thank you, Melanie. Seriously. You have no idea what even your consideration means to us. If you need anything-- and I mean anything-- let us know, and we'll help you," Steve told her, voice sounding a bit wobbly as if he were on the verge of tears.
She smiled before letting out a small laugh.
"I should probably get your phone numbers," she giggled. "I don't typically make a habit of adopting my baby out to strangers before I have their phone numbers."
Quickly, Steve and Bucky exchanged their phone numbers with her.
"There," Bucky said as a matter of factly, giving her a kind smile. "Now we're not strangers. We're friends."
*
"You just asked if you could adopt her kid, and she actually said yes?" Tony cried, pacing back and forth across the living room rug. Steve and Bucky were sitting on the couch, feeling much like teenagers that had just gotten in trouble with their parents.
"I know that it sounds crazy, Tony, but-" Steve began, but Tony just laughed.
"Sounds crazy? Steve, it IS crazy. Do you even hear how crazy that sounds? You just said 'hi, we're hoping to adopt a kid'- which you never told us about, by the way- 'and we were hoping that you'd let us adopt yours since you're looking for someone to do it.' That's insane! You have to realize that!"
"There was an opportunity, and maybe we jumped the gun just a little bit, but we're ready and it felt right," Bucky replied.
"Do you even know this girl? What does she want from you?" Tony questioned.
"Enough, Tony. We're not teenagers who got a random girl pregnant. We're adults who know what they're doing and are pretty good judges of good people. And Melanie is good people. Maybe a little confused with life right now, but she's doing the responsible thing and she's trying," Steve rebutted.
Tony sighed, running his hand down his face.
"I'll have Friday run a background check and I'll get in touch with my lawyer. He can help you figure out the legal process that's going to go along with this."
"Thank you Tony," Bucky spoke, relief evident in his voice.
"You're welcome," Tony paused.
"Man, I can't believe you just asked to adopt her baby."
*
(Three Weeks Later)
"Buck!" Steve burst into the bathroom excitedly.
"Um, hi?" Bucky replied from inside the shower, confused about the intrusion. "Everything okay?"
"Melanie just texted us. She said she's got an ultrasound appointment on Monday morning and she wants us to come. She's going to find out the sex of the baby and she wants us to be there!"
Bucky opened the shower door, revealing a look of pure giddiness on his face. Steve moved over to him and kissed him hard, not caring if he ended up in the shower in the process.
"I think this is happening. For real. I haven't wanted to get my hopes up, but..."
"It's happening pal. It finally happening," Bucky grinned.
The next few days seemed to drag on as they anticipated the upcoming appointment, and on Monday morning, both Steve and Bucky sprung out of bed at the first sound of their alarm. Thankfully Melanie's appointment was at 8 am, before she went to work, so they didn't have to wait all day, counting down the minutes.
"Should we stop and grab her a coffee?" Steve asked, nervously pacing in the kitchen.
"She's pregnant, dummy, she can't have coffee," Bucky replied, entering the kitchen.
"We could get her decaf," Steve suggested.
"Nobody likes decaf, Steve. It defeats the point of drinking coffee."
Bucky took a step closer to his husband and grabbed his hands, speaking softly.
"It's going to be okay. Take a deep breath, and enjoy it."
"I haven't been this nervous about something since our wedding day," Steve chuckled to himself.
"A good nervous, I hope?" Bucky laughed.
"Yeah, Buck. It was a great nervous."
*
"Steve! Bucky! I'm so glad you could make it!" Melanie greeted, standing up to give them a hug as they entered the doctor's office.
"Thank you for inviting us," Bucky smiled, hugging her.
"Of course," she grinned. "They should be calling me back any time now. The plus side to being one of the first appointments of the day is that they're usually still on time."
As if on cue, an ultrasound tech announced her name, smiling as she welcomed the three of them back.
"Who have we got today?" The tech asked as she got Melanie's height, weight and blood pressure, before leading them back to an exam room.
"These are the baby's adoptive parents," Melanie explained, and Steve's hand flew to Bucky's and he squeezed tightly. It was the first time she had confirmed to them that she was completely on board.
"Oh how exciting," the ultrasound tech smiled. "I'm sure you're all very excited for this appointment, so let's go ahead and get started."
She instructed Melanie to roll up her shirt and applied some gel to her abdomen before placing the doppler on her skin. Steve grabbed her hand, and she shot him a smile before all three of them turned their eyes to the screen.
"And there's your baby," the technician pointed to the grey blob on the screen.
"Oh my God," Melanie whispered, tears in her eyes. She turned to Steve and Bucky, surprised to see tears in both of their eyes as well.
"Here's the heartbeat," the technician announced, and a fast-paced whooshing filled the room.
Steve turned to Bucky and placed a kiss on his forehead before turning back to the screen, completely transfixed on the image.
"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard," Steve spoke, and Melanie squeezed his hand, nodding in agreeance.
"I never get tired of hearing it," the ultrasound tech smiled. "Were you three wanting to find out the baby's sex today?"
"Yes," all three of them answered in unison, earning a laugh from the tech.
"Alrighty then," she moved the doppler a little bit and smiled. "Then say hi to your daughter."
"It's a girl?" Bucky asked, completely shocked.
"It's a girl," the tech confirmed.
"That's your daughter," Melanie turned to them, smiling with tears in her eyes.
"Thank you," Bucky wrapped her in a hug.
A tear tracked it's way down Steve's face as he stared at the ultrasound. Bucky stood back up and look at Steve, pure joy in his expression.
"We're going to have a daughter," Bucky whispered, pulling him in close.
"We're going to have a daughter," Steve confirmed.
"This baby girl is going to have you wrapped around her little finger from the second she's born," Melanie teased, wiping away her own tears. Bucky laughed, shaking his head.
"Damn straight."
*
(Six months later)
*
"A little more to the left... little more... okay a lot more. No, too far," Bucky directed, causing Steve to glare at him. Melanie, who was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room laughed, causing her 39 week belly to bounce slightly.
"I can't tell if it's straight or not from here, but I can tell you that it's awkward to hold, so if you could figure out what I need to do with it, that'd be great," Steve commented, adjusting the frame that he was holding so that the weight was a bit more evenly distributed.
"It needs to go up just a little bit more, but drop the right corner a bit," Bucky resumed giving instructions.
"It looks good just like that, Steve," Melanie piped in as she saw the mischievous look on Bucky's face. She wouldn't put it past him to make Steve move the frame around for a while longer, just for the sake of it.
"Thank you," Steve finished hanging up the frame and stepped back to look at it with a satisfied look on his face.
"And thanks for being here and helping us with all of these baby clothes. I really don't know how we've accumulated this many," Bucky laughed, picking up bag and pulling out several outfits in varying shades of pink.
"Blame Pepper. I think she and Harry have gone a bit overboard with the baby shopping. They're going to spoil her rotten, that's for sure," Steve chuckled.
"It's no problem. Thanks for letting me hang around. I really just want to be around people right now. I don't really want to go into labor when I'm by myself, and the doctor said that it could be any day now," Melanie replied, laying a hand across her stomach.
"It's kind of sad. I'm going to miss being pregnant and having her inside of me all the time, and it's surreal to think that I'm not going to be taking her home with me, but I know that she'll be coming home with you and it makes me happy again. And I know that you two will keep me updated on every big thing that happens in her life, the good and the bad," she swiped some tears from her eyes. "Just... thank you."
Steve knelt down beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, it's you we should be thanking. You're giving us the best thing that either of us could ever ask for, and you're doing it graciously. If you're ever feeling sad, just text or call us and we can send you a picture or let you talk to her on the phone."
"Even at 3 am, because I guarantee that there will be nights that we're still up at that time," Bucky added, making the three of them laugh.
Melanie swiped tears from her cheeks and smiled. "I should probably head home, though. It's getting late and I've already intruded for long enough."
"Hey, you're not intruding at all. In fact, it's late. If you want to stay, the guest bedroom is all yours," Steve assured.
"It would make us feel better to know that you're not trying to make your way home in the dark," Bucky added, stepping up beside Steve and wrapping his arm around his waist.
Melanie sighed, looking at her watch, seeing that it was almost 10:30 pm.
"Just for tonight," she conceded. "And mostly because I really do not want to walk right now, even if it is just downstairs to get into a cab."
"We wouldn't let you get into a cab," Bucky laughed, helping her to her feet. Melanie opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off as a pain lanced through her abdomen. She doubled over slightly as the pain took her by surprise.
"Are you okay? What's wrong?" Steve asked, rushing to her other side to help ease her back down into the chair. He glanced up at Bucky who was wearing the same expression of concern.
"Braxton Hicks contractions," Melanie assured, blowing off the remainder of the breath she had been holding through the pain. "I've been having them off and on for the past couple of weeks. That one was pretty intense though."
"Let's prop your feet up and I'll get you a glass of water," Bucky dragged an ottoman over to the chair and disappeared to fetch some water.
"Any chance this could be the real thing?" Steve questioned when Bucky returned.
"I mean... It could be. The doctor said it could happen any day now," Melanie replied. "Now I really do think it's a good idea that I stay here for the night."
Steve smiled, eyes kind but worried.
They sat for a few more minutes as she sipped her water and waited to see if another contraction followed up the first one.
Sure enough, 14 minutes later she sat up straight and grabbed at her stomach. Steve grabbed her hand and began rubbing circles on her back, and she gave his hand a grateful squeeze.
"I'm timing them," Bucky announced, pulling out his phone after the contraction had passed. "We can head down to the med bay when the contractions reach 5 minutes apart."
Melanie had made the decision to deliver at the med bay in the tower. She thought it would provide all three of them with more privacy, and it would be a more inviting environment than any other hospital as she said her goodbyes.
"I'll go ahead and call your OB and let her know that you're having contractions, just to let her know that she might want to be ready to come over any time," Steve told her.
"You two are really diving headfirst into this dad role," Melanie laughed.
"We just want to make sure that you two are taken care of," Bucky responded.
"You already have, don't worry."
*
Seven hours later, the calm and collected composure that the three of them had previously had was long gone.
"How do some women do this for over 24 hours? Fuck," Melanie groaned after a particularly strong contraction. Steve smiled at her sympathetically, giving her hand a small squeeze.
"I know, I'm sorry. You're doing amazing though. The doctor says not much longer now," he soothed.
"Do you need anything? I can go get a popsicle from down the hall?" Bucky offered, unsure of what else he could do to help. He had been providing back rubs until Melanie had gotten her epidural, and now he wasn't sure what to do.
"That would be amazing, thank you," Melanie replied with a tired smile.
"I'll be right back then," he ducked out of the room, leaving Steve and Melanie together as another contraction began.
There was a knock at the door that caused Steve to look up as Melanie's OB walked entered. As the contraction finished, Melanie fell back against the pillows, exhausted.
"Alright, let's go ahead and check how dilated you are," the doctor told them, pulling on a pair of gloves.
Bucky entered the room, averting his eyes as he made his way around the side of the bed with a popsicle in hand.
"There's a waiting room of people out there, ready to meet this little girl," Bucky grinned, and Melanie grasped at his hand.
"Okay Melanie, you're dilated to a 10, which means it's time to push. I'm going to let your team know and then let's have a baby!"
The next several minutes were a whirlwind of medical professionals, supplies, contractions and encouraging words.
"You're doing great, Mel. I'm so proud of you," Steve encouraged.
"Great work, she's almost here. You've got this," Bucky offered his metal hand, letting her squeeze as hard as she possibly wanted.
A cry rang out through the room.
"It's a girl!" The doctor announced.
Steve, Bucky and Melanie all had tears running down their faces as they watched the doctor hold up the one they had been waiting on for months.
"You did so good," Steve whispered, bending down and kissing the top of Melanie's head, tears streaming steadily down his face.
"Would you like to hold her?" The doctor asked, and Melanie looked up at Steve and Bucky who nodded at her encouragingly. Melanie couldn't manage words as she nodded 'yes' at the doctor, who placed the baby on her chest.
"Oh my God," she whispered, cradling the baby girl against her.
"Would one of you like to cut the cord?" A nurse asked Steve and Bucky. Bucky nodded and followed the nurse's instructions to cut the umbilical cord. Steve stood back and took in the moment that he knew he would remember forever.
Melanie gently passed the baby to a nurse who carried her across the room to a bassinet.
"Go meet your daughter," Melanie nodded towards where the nurses had taken her.
Bucky rounded the bed and the two of them made their way over to the heated bassinet where the nurses were performing measurements and the Apgar test.
Steve hugged Bucky to his chest tightly as they watched their daughter squirm and breathe her first breaths in this world.
"Alright dads, who wants to hold her first?" A nurse asked, and Bucky nudged Steve.
"I cut the cord. You should hold her first," his voice was choked up, and Steve knew that the was experiencing so much joy and happiness in that moment. He reached into the bassinet and carefully picked up their daughter.
"Do you two have a name picked out?"
She was so tiny as Steve cradled her in his arms. His hands were almost half her size, and yet he had never felt as though he was holding something that securely in his life.
Bucky reached over and placed his hand on her head, stroking his thumb along her forehead.
"Sarah Margaret Barnes-Rogers," Steve whispered.
"Such a strong name for such a little person," Bucky murmured. Steve nodded, but he knew that she would grow into someone that both of the women she was named after would be proud of.
"Hi Sarah. We're your dads."
*
(Three months later)
*
Steve placed his keys on the kitchen counter, looking around at the disarray that the apartment was in.
Sarah had been sick for the past few days, and between the two of them, they were only running on a few hours of sleep from the past week. There had been no time for tidying up the penthouse. Today had been the first time in almost a full week that Steve had left the building, and it was because Fury had insisted that he be present for a meeting.
Steve followed the sound of Sarah's crying down the hall and to the master bedroom, but the room was empty. He could hear the sound of the running shower on the other side of the door, and it sounded like Sarah's crying was coming from inside the bathroom.
He pushed open the door carefully to find Bucky sitting shirtless on the bathroom floor, Sarah cradled to his chest as they did skin-to-skin. Steam billowed out of the bathroom through the open door, and quickly Steve closed it behind him.
Bucky gave him a half-lidded smile, looking exhausted.
"I remember when I had to drag you into the bathroom back in Brooklyn, and do this same thing with you," Bucky spoke softly, bouncing Sarah lightly as her crying finally died down. His prosthetic was gently cradling her against him, and he was using his other hand to pat her back soothingly.
"I remember those days. Can't say I miss that too much," Steve chuckled. "How's Miss Sarah Margaret doing?"
He leaned down to kiss the top of her tiny head before sitting up a bit more to greet Bucky with a kiss.
"Still pretty congested and coughing. I'm sure that between her pediatrician and Bruce, my phone privileges are about to be taken away. I've been calling them all day with questions."
"You look tired, love," Steve commented, taking off his shirt and extending his arms, gesturing for him to hand over Sarah. "Why don't you go take a nap? I'll sit in here with her."
"Nah, that's alright," Bucky handed him Sarah and waved off the suggestion. But Steve noticed that as soon as she was out of his arms, his eyes began to flutter closed.
"Daddy's falling asleep," Steve whispered to his daughter as he rocked her gently. At three months old, she was growing quickly but she was still small enough that Steve could practically hold her in one of his hands.
"Am not. I can stay 'wake," Bucky mumbled, shifting his weight around. "Hydra made me stay awake for 288 hours once. If I could stay awake for that long, I can stay awake now."
Bucky didn't even have to open his eyes to see the deep frown that settled on to Steve's face.
"Buck, that's 12 days," Steve spoke, voice low but dangerous. Bucky was getting better about disclosing information about what Hydra had done to him, and it was both a blessing and a curse. The fact that he would mention this so freely indicated to Steve that Bucky was either exhausted enough to let his filter slip, or that he considered this to be a minor thing that Hydra had done.
He feared it was the latter.
"C'mon Stevie, I'm alright. I'm safe now, and I know that you'd let me go take a nap right now if I really needed it," Bucky replied lazily, eyes still closed.
"You should go take a nap. I've got her, you go rest for a bit."
"We've got five more minutes in here, and then I'll get up and head to bed. If you can get her to fall asleep in the bassinet in our room, you should take a quick nap with me."
"Remind me to apologize to Tony later for racking up the water bill," Steve winced, realizing how much water they were wasting just by creating a make-shift steam room.
This caused Bucky to open his eyes, giving Steve a blood-shot stare. "You really think he even looks at the breakdown of the bills for the building? Or cares?"
"Fair point."
They sat in silence for the next few minutes, and Steve glanced down at their daughter who was beginning to fall asleep, and he prayed that as he stood up, it wouldn't be too much movement that would cause her to wake up.
"Here, pass her to me," Bucky spoke, standing up and stretching his arms out to take her. Slowly, Steve transferred Sarah from his arms to Bucky's, careful not to jostle her too much.
As he stood up, he reached over and turned off the running water. Bucky opened the door to the bathroom, and cool air edged it's way into the room. Steve hadn't realized how warm it had gotten until he was hit with the air conditioned air that was being circulated through the rest of the penthouse.
Bucky managed to place Sarah in her bassinet with no issues, and he let out a quiet sigh of relief.
He flopped down on the bed, and without even getting under the covers or putting his shirt back on, he was asleep. Smiling, Steve lowered himself on the bed beside his husband and quickly found himself dosing off as well.
*
(Four years later)
*
"Come on Stevie, we're going to be late," Bucky called.
"Daddy, we're going to be late to my graduation!" Sarah called, racing down the hallway, pulling Steve along with her.
"Preschool graduation is a big deal, Steve," Bucky stated very seriously, though he had been laughing only a few weeks earlier when the note about the ceremony had come home.
"We never had anything like this, did we? Besides, they don't even remember it!" He had said as he showed Steve, but Steve had insisted that it was more for the parents than the kids.
"Is Rebecca ready yet?" Steve nodded towards the play pen where their year old daughter was standing, leaning heavily on the wall of the structure.
She had taken her first steps only a week ago, and Steve had been holding back tears. He knew that she was the last kid that he and Bucky would adopt, and so he was savoring the "firsts" because they were the last firsts.
"Yeah, I just changed her diaper and I just fed her while you were getting Sarah ready," Bucky replied, picking her up out of the play pen and passed her to Steve.
Steve smiled as he took his daughter out of Bucky's hands.
"Hi Rikki," he cooed. "You look so pretty. Both my girls look beautiful today."
Sarah gave a little twirl, spinning her dress around and making both of her dads laugh.
"Thank God Natasha ordered some dresses with built in shorts for her," Bucky whispered to Steve, "otherwise the other preschool parents might have been seeing more than they bargained for."
Steve laughed. "She loves to dress up, but she sure doesn't have any issue getting down and dirty."
"She's been around Natasha too much," Bucky laughed.
"Is Auntie Nat going to be at my graduation too? And Uncle Tony and Aunt Pepper? And Harry and Peter? And Uncle Bruce and Aunt Caroline? And Melanie? And-"
"Yes bug, everyone is going to be there," Bucky laughed as Sarah continued to list off names. "This preschool graduation isn't going to know what hit 'em."
"Hitting isn't nice, daddy," Sarah reminded him.
"You're right. Hitting isn't nice," Steve reaffirmed, causing Bucky to let out a snort. He shot his husband a look that told him to hold his tongue.
"I hit Tyler the other day," Sarah admitted as they were leaving the penthouse. "But it was because he was making fun of Tess."
"She's your kid, that's for sure," Bucky muttered, and Steve glared at him.
"She's our kid. You weren't innocent in all of it either, in case you're forgetting," Steve quipped back before turning back to the four year old.
"Sarah, while it's very good that you stood up for your friend, you can't hit other people, okay?"
"Even if they're being big stupid meanie heads?" Sarah's face mirrored one of disappointment and slight disgust.
"Even if they're being big stupid meanie heads," Steve agreed. Apparently he wouldn't be able to explain his job to her any time soon.
"Alright, is everyone ready?" Bucky asked, taking Rikki back into his arms.
After Sarah's second birthday, Bucky and Steve decided that they wanted to adopt again. They had gone the more traditional route of adoption this time, and a year later, Rebecca "Rikki" Carter Barnes-Roger was officially made a member of the family.
"We're ready, right Sarah?"
"Right!" Sarah agreed excitedly.
"Then lets get this show on the road!"
Miraculously, the family of four managed to make it to Sarah's preschool with a few minutes to spare. Gone were the days of arriving 15 minutes early to everything; now, Steve was just glad to be a minute or two early, but settled for on-time, most days.
"Hey, there's a big girl!" Harry exclaimed as he saw Sarah running through the doors of the building.
"We were all starting to think you guys got lost," Tony teased, and Bucky rolled his eyes in response.
"There was almost a shoe crisis, but it was averted," Steve explained, placing a hand on top of Sarah's head.
"Alright Sarah, your teacher is ready for you over there. We'll see you in a few minutes," Bucky knelt down next to his daughter and pointed to where her teacher was waving her over.
"Love you daddy!" She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug before moving over to Steve.
"Love you papa!" She hugged his legs before running over to where the rest of her class was waiting.
"She's a little ball of sunshine," Melanie spoke, causing Steve and Bucky to turn around.
"Hey, we're so glad you could make it. Sarah was so excited to hear that you were able to come," Steve gave her a hug.
"Miss preschool graduation? No way. It's a very big deal," Melanie teased, glancing at Bucky who threw his hands up in a defenseless way. The three laughed as Tony whistled them over to where the rest of the team was waiting.
"Let's go find seats so we can all actually see her," Tony remarked, proudly leading the way inside the classroom. He had taken the role of uncle very seriously, and was always a big supporter to Sarah and Rikki.
As they filed in and took their seats, music began playing and a teacher began reading off names. One by one, each preschooler made their way across the room to their teacher who presented them with a certificate. Some kids smiled, some were distracted easily by everyone in the room, waving the whole time. Some were shy and didn't want to look up, and some cried the whole time they walked, earning some sympathetic "aww's" from the crowd.
"Sarah Barnes-Rogers," the teacher announced, and Steve watched as their daughter skipped her way across the room to where her teacher was. He smiled as Sarah accepted her certificate and waved excitedly to the crowd of people who had come to watch her.
He looked over at Bucky and was surprised to see tears streaming down his face.
"Still think it's silly?" Steve whispered, nudging his husband who shot him a look that could mean nothing else other than 'shut up'.
After the ceremony had ended and Bucky had composed himself once more, the team met up in the hallway where there were cookies and punch being served.
"Bucky, maybe my eyes are going bad, but did I see tears in your eyes?" Natasha teased, handing Rikki, who had been sitting on her lap the whole graduation, over to Bucky.
"I hate all of you," Bucky muttered, causing everyone to laugh.
"Hey, it's okay. There's always Rikki's graduation to redeem yourself," Peter chimed in.
"Don't even say that, that's too far away," Steve groaned.
"It's only three years, Cap. Time flies," Tony slapped him on the back.
Before Steve could respond, Sarah came running towards them and Steve scooped her up.
"Did you see me?" Sarah exclaimed, earning a laugh from the team.
"We sure did, squirt. I loved the curtsy at the end, it was a nice touch," Tony smiled, giving her a high-five.
"We're so proud of you sweetie, you did great today," Bucky told her. He had been worried, knowing that while she was okay around strangers, she had never been in front of an audience before. He hated being in front of a lot of people, so he wasn't sure how she would handle it.
"What do you say we stop and get ice cream on the way home?" Steve suggested, looking Bucky who nodded in agreeance.
"Last one there buys!" Tony exclaimed, ushering the team out the door. Steve laughed, knowing full well that with two kids to buckle into car seats that they were guaranteed to be last. He also knew that there was no way Tony would let anyone else buy, but just wanted to get in line first to explain that to the store employees.
Steve set Sarah down and he and Bucky followed her out of the preschool, watching as she skipped to the car. In Bucky's arms, Rikki had somehow fallen asleep through all of the commotion, her head nestled between Bucky's shoulder and neck.
Bucky's hand found it's way to Steve's, and he pulled his husband in close.
"We've got such a beautiful family," Bucky spoke. "For years, I didn't think it was ever going to be possible to be happy again. But then there was you, and the team, and you saved me. And you didn't save me from Hydra. You saved me from myself. You gave me the life that I was scared of dreaming of at night because I didn't want to think about the things that I couldn't have. Thank you Stevie."
Steve wrapped his arm around Bucky's waist, looking from his husband to his two daughters, to the team of supporters in their lives that were running across the parking lot in a mad dash to get to their cars. He could feel the love pouring out of each and every person in his life, and it made him feel so full of pure joy and love that he could burst.
"I love you pal."
"I love you too, punk," Bucky replied, voice choked up. "'Til the end of the line."
"'Til the end of the line."
*
(A/N: HI, OH MY GOSH! So sorry I just disappeared for MONTHS, but at least I came back and delivered with a 9760 word chapter! School has been insane the past couple of months, so I haven't had much time to do anything other than eat, sleep and study. I've been working on this epilogue since about halfway through It Only Takes A Second, and I'm so glad that I finally get to deliver it to you, since it was so much fun to write!
I know that a lot of it is semi-OOC and noncanonical, but it gave me an opportunity to write pure fluff on my favorite characters, so I jumped at the opportunity! Unfortunately, I think this will be the only chapter that will be released for a while, so I'll probably appear in a few more months with another epilogue chapter. But by golly I will be finishing all of these, no matter how long it take!
I really hope that you all enjoy this! Thank you so much for all of your support and continued reading-- it means the world to me! As always, stay safe and healthy!)