''They must have gone into one of the buildings,'' Natasha said. Her knee didn't bounce up and down yet, but it was close.

Nothing happened for a long time. And all that time, Katya prayed it would be Sam and Bucky getting out alive. Preferably with a knocked-out Karli. It would have been so much better to watch this with a direct line to their comms.

Three minutes passed until the camera snapped to a dark part of one of the buildings. An exit hidden by an overpass. From this aerial view, they could see how three Flag Smashers walked out the side door and jogged North. But before they could get to safety, they were surrounded by a whole squad of heavily armed policemen, with in front, Bucky and Walker.

''Well, there's one,'' Katya muttered. She didn't care about Walker, really, but liked seeing Bucky alive and well. And she was also proud of him. For all the good he had done today. This was exactly what he wanted to do. Save hostages, arrest the criminals. Today was the first day of his new status as hero instead of criminal.

After that, it didn't take long for Sam to appear as well. But Katya's smile fell entirely when a ground camera picked him up.

He flew in from the sky, with a large figure in his arms. It could have been anyone, but Katya knew it was Karli before the lights fell on her hair.

Despite hating her guts because she threatened her family and even visited her at her home, Katya couldn't help but feel sad. Karli didn't deserve to die. She was young and her intentions were good. She just landed on the path of violence and death because of the mess this world was.

Natasha saw her drop her head and reached out to intertwine their hands. ''I'm sorry,'' she whispered. Honestly, she was glad to see Karli stopped, but like her and like Katya, she deserved a second chance. And maybe, with Sam's help, they could have gotten through to her. Now she was just gone, killed in some stupid war.

Medics rushed in with a stretcher, but everyone could see she was gone. Nobody knew who killed her, but it wasn't Sam. He wanted nothing more than to help her.

Reporters, like eagles, dove on top of him, asking all sorts of questions he didn't even want to think about now. With the cameras so close, Katya could see the sadness in his face.

''What happened to the Flag Smashers? When did the government make you Captain America? What do we call you now? Is it still Falcon?''

''Or is it Captain Falcon?''

He marched past all those ridiculous questions that far from mattered right now, towards the group of politicians he and Bucky had rescued. Of course, they were immensely grateful. Who knew what Karli would have done if they left her plan to succeed.

''Sam, thank you so much, from all of us.''

''Sincerely. You did your part in dealing with those terrorists, now we'll do ours.''

Sam contained his anger well. Never one to burst out and start yelling. ''Are you still going forward with resetting the borders?''

Another politician nodded. A woman with grey hair. ''Our peacekeeping troops will begin relocating people soon. The terrorists only set us back a bit.''

''That's also what President Snow called his army. Peacekeepers,'' Maya added without taking her eyes from the screen. Yeah, she also read a lot. And for some reason, she loved that book series more than others.

Katya shared a look with Natasha. Maya had probably found the best way to explain how those 'relocations' were going to go, without having to explain it. They watched those movies with her. They knew it would take an army and not 'peacekeeping troops' to get those refugees back to someplace they didn't want to go.

Sam shook his head. ''You have to stop calling them terrorists.''

''What else would we call them?'' The Senator asked, starting to get frustrated. It was the same Senator that gave Walker his verdict. Not a pleasant man.

''Your peacekeeping troops carrying weapons are forcing millions of people into settlements around the world, right? What do you think those people are gonna call you? These labels, "terrorists," "refugee," "thug," they're often used to get around the question, why?''

''Yes, Sam. Go off,'' Katya muttered, her sadness momentarily pushed to the side as her pride of Sam grew. He was Captain America for one day and already used that power for good. Katya knew some badass speech was coming, because she would never say this out loud, but thought Sam gave better speeches than Cap. At least when it came to persuading people.

''Those settlements that happened five years ago, do you think it is fair for governments to have to support them?'' The woman with the grey hair countered. Why are these things always about governments and money, when it should be about the refugees.

''Yes,'' Sam answered without hesitation.

''And the people who reappeared only to find someone else living in their family home, they just end up homeless?'' The Senator replied. Sam didn't have an answer for that, because nobody really did. ''Look, I get it. But you have no idea how complicated this situation is.''

''You know what? You're right.'' Sam stopped him before he could walk off. ''And that's a good thing. We finally have a common struggle now. For once, all the people who've been begging, and I mean, literally begging for you to feel how hard any given day is... Now if you could remember what it was like to be helpless and face a force so powerful it could erase half the planet, you would know that you're about to have the exact same impact. This isn't about easy decisions, Senator.''

Katya's smile grew more and more, and she knew the people around her were as well. Steve made the right choice, giving Sam the shield. He was meant for this.

''You don't understand.''

''I'm a Black man carrying the stars and stripes. What don't I understand?'' He exclaimed, a bit louder but completely in control. ''Every time I pick this thing up, I know there are millions of people out there who are gonna hate me for it. Even now, here... I feel it. The stares, the judgment. And there's nothing I can do to change it. Yet, I'm still here. No super serum, no blond hair, or blue eyes. The only power I have is that I believe we can do better. We can't demand that people step up if we don't meet them halfway.''

Katya's heart raced when he turned to the grey-haired woman. ''Look, you control the banks. Shit, you can move borders! You can knock down a forest with an email, you can feed a million people with a phone call,'' he addressed the man and the other woman respectively.

''But the question is, who's in the room when you make those decisions? Hmm? Is it the people you're gonna impact? Or is it just more people like you? I mean, this girl died trying to stop you, and no one has stopped for one second to ask why. You've gotta do better, Senator. You've gotta step up. Because if you don't, the next Karli will. And you don't wanna see 2.0. People believed in her cause so much that they helped her defy the strongest governments in the world. Why do you think that is? Look, you people have just as much power as an insane god or a misguided teenager. The question you have to ask yourself is, "How are you going to use it?"''

The silence that followed was enough, and Sam walked off with a final nod. The cameras followed him until he disappeared out of sight. That's when the reporters started talking again, brabbling some summary.

''Shit, I might cry,'' Katya chuckled, wiping some tears from her eyes. Of course, she had talked with Sam about racism before, but never had she known how deep his pain actually ran. She could never understand either. Because despite all the sexism and the homophobia, she would simply never feel discriminated based on the color of her skin.

But she was so proud of him for standing up, calling those politicians out on worldwide TV, using his voice. Like Karli wanted Katya to do. But she knew she could have never held a speech like Sam just did. He was a pro. She was just an ex-spy who knew how to manipulate people. It wouldn't have come out of her heart like this.

Natasha muted the TV, everyone lost in their own world as they tried to process what just happened.

''They kinda have to listen now,'' Natasha eventually said, and she was right. After being called out on TV by Captain America, everyone's eyes would be closely following the governments of the world. ''That was one speech.''

''I thought that was amazing,'' Maya added. Full of adrenaline, she sat straight up in her seat. ''Sam is a really good Cap.''

''I agree,'' Natasha said with a soft smile, one hand on Katya's leg for support. ''I know you wanted Sam to talk her around, but I don't think there was any arguing with her anymore, Kat.''

Katya nodded. She knew that, too. But Karli was just a teenager. ''Another victim of the superserum. It's a curse, that's what it is. I hope we won't see it again.''

''Me, too.'' She let herself fall back into the couch cushions, running a hand over her face. ''Well, that was another attack on New York. I don't know what's up with this city, but it's a magnet for terrorists and Asgardian gods.''

After watching for another half hour, they finally shut off the TV because nothing exciting was happening anymore. Katya half expected Sam to call, but her phone stayed silent and she wasn't about to call him either. He must be the busiest man on the planet right now. She'd call him tomorrow when it all died down.

Maya went to bed without any protest, brushing her teeth in silence. Her head buzzed with the events of today, too, and Katya knew she was thinking about all the heavy topics that were addressed. It was good for her to get confronted with them, and the brunette knew she'd form the right opinion.

Katya was absolutely exhausted by the end of the night. Sitting on that couch with so much anxiety for more than an hour had tired her out enough to want to fall asleep right away.

But something came over her when she stood in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, and seeing her wife on top of the blankets, reading her book, waiting.

She looked so calm and so out-of-this-world. Like someone would never picture her in this setting, in this house, in something so normal. 

Katya stole glances via the mirror, an adoring smile curling on her lips. She rinsed her mouth, shut off the light and crawled on top of Natasha, pushing her book away. The redhead looked at her expectantly, surprised by this sudden affection when light kisses were placed all over her face. 

Book long forgotten, she wrapped her arms around the woman on top of her, holding her close and just smiling. Moments like these were her favorite. Sweet, gentle, loving. ''Hi there. This is a nice way to say goodnight.''

Katya pulled back slightly to catch her eyes, the emotion in them startling Natasha. ''I'm just so fucking in love with you,'' she whispered. 

''Babe-''

But Katya kept talking, needing to finish her thoughts. ''And I am sorry I have been sucking so much energy out of the house and that I haven't returned enough of the sweet things you do for me. It feels like all I do is take while all you do is give. I just want you to know how much I appreciate you.''

Natasha's hands softly squeezed her sides, an adoring smile on her lips. ''Babe, it doesn't feel that way at all. You just need some extra love and have a little less energy to give it back.'' She shrugged as best she could while on her back, stuffing some hair behind Katya's ear. ''That's totally understandable. Don't apologize.''

Katya's eyes started to water and she averted them to Natasha's collarbone, pouting slightly. ''Now you're going to make me cry like the mentally unstable person I am right now, and that's exactly the point I was trying to make.''

''Sorry,'' Natasha chuckled, kissing her cheek. ''You can always go back to kissing my face and telling me how much you love me and I'll shut up,'' she suggested teasingly.

A smile broke out on Katya's face, her tears slowly disappearing from her eyes. ''I do love you. Wife.'' She placed a kiss on her lips, ignoring how her heart swelled at the love in Natasha's eyes. ''Life was pretty shitty at some points, but I got so fucking lucky in the love department.''

''That wasn't luck, honey. You did that all yourself,'' was Natasha's answer, spoken barely above a whisper. Her green eyes jumped all over Katya's face, a warm and content feeling spreading through her body. It was unbelievable how easily Katya still made her feel this way after so many years. So immensely happy and giddy.

''Thought you were gonna shut up,'' Katya teased quietly, but that chuckle turned into a shriek when Natasha promptly flipped them over, smiling down at her now instead of up. 

''I am not so easily silenced,'' she said slyly, earning another chuckle, almost a giggle, from her wife. She kissed Katya deeply before rolling off her and pulling her close, covering them with the blanket. ''And I love you more.''

''Impossible,'' Katya whispered, draping her arm over Natasha's stomach and cuddling into her side as best she could. Taking a deep breath in and out, she let the exhaustion fall over her while she bathed in the warmth of her wife.

Natasha closed her eyes and let her head lean on Katya's, the brunette's breath tickling her neck. ''Try me.''

''Maybe tomorrow,'' Katya answered sleepily, kissing her shoulder before the bedroom turned silent. 

On Sundays, the alarm didn't go off at six. No, instead they let the sun or their internal clock wake them up. In the winter, that meant a bit later than in the summer, when the birds would start singing incredibly early. 

This Sunday morning, it was an acceptable eight o'clock. Maya didn't like sleeping in either, and came down only ten minutes after Katya did, leaving Natasha to shower. They didn't always do that together.

Katya lazily checked her phone with a cup of coffee in her hand. There were no messages or missed calls, which was a bit weird. She expected at least one Avenger to text her about New York. But no, nothing.

''Morning, mom,'' Maya yawned when she came down in her pajamas, moving through the kitchen to get her milk and her cereal, Katya helping her get a glass from the cabins above the sink which she couldn't reach.

''Did you sleep well after the events of last night? I didn't hear anything from you at least. No nightmares or anything?''

Surprisingly, the night had also been kind to Katya and Natasha. They slept the whole nine hours, bodies tangled together, peacefully. Despite Katya expecting some sort of dramatic reaction from her brain after watching the fight on the TV. It made her all the more nervous for what was still coming.

Maya shook her head, pouring her milk into her glass carefully with both hands. ''No nightmares. I did lay awake thinking about it for a while.''

''What did you think about?''

''Everything.'' Maya put the milk back in the fridge, placing her glass next to her bowl of cereal on the kitchen island. ''How Sam is the new Captain America. That girl who died. And mostly the speech.''

Katya smiled, leaning on the kitchen island top with her underarms, coffee clasped between her hands. ''You liked the speech too, huh?'' When Maya nodded, she chuckled. ''Yeah, me too. It was spoken right from the heart. Hopefully they'll listen to it, like Nat said.''

Maya took a couple bites from her cereal and emptied half her glass before speaking up again. She had been watching Katya closely for a while, so the brunette knew something was coming. The metal spoon clanked against the bowl when Maya put it down, starting carefully. ''Can I ask you a question? It's kind of personal.''

''Okay,'' Katya said hesitantly at the sudden seriousness. She had no clue what to prepare for.

''Do you only like girls?'' Maya threw out. Katya's eyes widened in surprise. Out of everything Maya could have asked, she picked this, right now. Quickly, she rambled some excuse why, as if she needed it for asking that. ''It's just that yesterday when Sam talked about racism, I had to think about how you get judged for who you like. It's not the same of course, but I wondered if you have only been with women.''

Katya blinked and thought of the right answer for it. ''I do. Only like girls, I mean. I have... done things with other people, but I'm just not attracted to anyone else but women.'' Hopefully, that was clear enough.

Maya nodded, picking up her spoon again and taking a bite. ''When did you figure that out?'' Her green eyes stayed on Katya's face the whole time.

Katya hummed and leaned against the counter again, taking another sip of her coffee to give her time to think. When did she figure that out? ''I have never given my sexuality that much thought. I just like who I like and let it come over me, I guess. I never went on a quest of such. I just never felt anything while kissing men or people who identify as anything other than a woman.'' Or anyone who isn't Natasha, really.

''So you're a lesbian.''

Katya choked on her coffee. 

And exactly at that moment, Natasha walked in, already ready for the day. ''Who's a lesbian?'' she asked casually and innocently, quickly kissing Katya good morning after she had recovered from her scare. 

Maya giggled. ''Kat.''

Natasha hummed, pouring herself some coffee, completely ignoring the warning look Katya sent her. ''Oh, yeah, Kat is a hopeless lesbian. She cringes at the thought of men,'' she smirked. As if on cue, Katya scrunched up her nose. ''See?''

Maya laughed loudly at Katya's scowl, the woman moving around the kitchen to make herself some cereal as well. ''Why do you always have the worst timing? It's like you're lurking outside, waiting for the right moment to make a dramatic entrance.''

''Who knows, maybe I am.'' Natasha shrugged, which earned another glare as Katya sat down to eat. She just chuckled at that. ''So why are we talking about lesbians?''

''Maya wanted to know if I only liked women, which I answered with an honest yes. It's a bit of a weird subject on a Sunday morning, but I'm not one to complain,'' Katya said from her stool, scooping up the cereal. She hummed in the middle of another bite and pointed at Maya with her spoon. ''On that note, if you were about to tell us that you're crushing on a girl, we're obviously totally cool with that.''

Maya's ears turned red and she averted her eyes to the kitchen counter. Katya hadn't meant it as a suggestion to tell them who she was indeed crushing on, but Maya eventually muttered, ''Not on a girl.''

''I knew it!'' Katya exclaimed, causing Natasha to chuckle at her enthusiasm. They weren't going to tell her that they had known for weeks. ''Who is it? If you want to tell us of course,'' she quickly added, stuffing more cereal in her mouth to shut herself up.

Maya stirred her breakfast, embarrassingly red cheeks hiding behind her hair. ''Don't act like you don't know already. Nat totally figured it out on my birthday.''

''No clue what you're talking about,'' she replied innocently, sipping her coffee and hiding her smirk behind her mug.

Maya narrowed her eyes at her exactly like Katya always did, silently studying her face. But Natasha could hold this facade for hours, so Maya eventually sighed and admitted it, knowing she was probably going to regret it. ''Fine. It's Mason.''

''Oh, that cute boy with the brown curls?'' Katya perked up.

''And the cute dad,'' Natasha muttered, filling her cup with coffee again. But it almost spilled when Katya threw the towel that hang at the side of the island at her head. ''The married dad,'' she quickly defended herself, Maya chuckling at the whole thing.

Katya sighed at the teasing, deciding to ignore it for now and not wander off the topic. ''Are you planning on telling him how you feel?'' she genuinely asked Maya, who had never wanted to sink through a hole in the ground as much as right now.

''Don't know,'' she answered, her gaze locked on the countertop. ''We are probably going to different Middle Schools next schoolyear, and this year is almost over. So it would be useless if we won't see each other again.'' Quickly, she stuffed some more cereal in her mouth.

''Well, it's up to you.'' Katya shrugged. ''And what you're saying makes sense, but sometimes you shouldn't let a chance slip away. From what I've seen, you really like him. You can always try. And if you decide not to, someone else will come along eventually. You're kind, beautiful, smart, you'll have them falling for you left and right.''

Maya giggled. ''That sounds exhausting.''

''I wouldn't know,'' Katya laughed, jabbing her thumb into Natasha's direction. ''Ask Nat. She always has people drooling over her everywhere she goes.''

Natasha frowned, almost offended. ''That's not true.'' Katya raised her eyebrows at her. ''Okay, it is true, but I can't help it. And I can confirm it is exhausting.'' She shook her hair over her shoulders. ''But anyway, Kat is right. You should tell him if you want to. Or just date him for a couple months and then dump him. That sounds like a powermove.''

''Nat,'' Katya warned, shaking her head in disapproval, but she had trouble hiding her laugh. 

''What? That's what I would do,'' she shrugged, and Katya couldn't tell if she was serious or not. 

She sighed and turned her twinkling eyes to a laughing Maya. ''Definitely don't do that and definitely don't listen to her,'' she advised, glaring at Natasha again, who enjoyed this too much to be bothered by it. ''Just a warning: there will be a lot of teasing from now on.''

Maya's eyes widened, her smile swiftly dissolving. ''No,'' she whined.

Katya nodded. ''Oh, yes. You are teasing me a lot, too. So now you can finally get it back.''

~~~~~~~~

A/N: I am going to be honest with you and say that I haven't been doing really well. Both mentally and physically. It's combined really. My stomach is still acting up (went to the doctor's again and they might finally know what's going on) and I am lacking a bit of motivation to write at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love writing this book and their little family. I've just been struggling a bit. 

Anyways, for now, nothing will change and I have some chapters lined up and ready to go, but I might have to change some things around if I keep feeling like this. Don't worry too much about me. I'll be fine. I just wanted to let you guys know because I hate saying that everything is okay when it's in fact not :)