A/N: Full disclosure--this section has a bit of suggestive (non-detailed) content: includes a brief reference to skinny dipping. Nothing is explicit and it is a very short segment of the chapter. Just wanted to give a heads up and be as upfront as possible.

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I woke up the next morning and smiled. Steve was still fast asleep next to me. Our clothes were in a heap on the floor, so I carefully pulled the comforter off of the bed to wrap myself in before grabbing one of Steve's shirts from his suitcase to wear. I slipped it on in the bathroom before returning the comforter to the bed. Steve snored lightly in his sleep and I smiled before tiptoeing out of the room to make breakfast.

As I went to the kitchen, I found only a few things in the cupboards: a bag of pancake mix, some essential baking ingredients, and plenty of snacks. I really wanted to make eggs—scrambled were my specialty—to return the favor of breakfast that Steve had made me a few days ago.

I went back to the bedroom and changed into a halter top and shorts. I left a note for Steve and took the car to the general store around the corner. At the store, I bought some eggs, cheese, coffee, and a few other essentials we would need to make food for the next few days.

"Anything else I can do for you?" the cashier asked as she rang up my purchases. Her name tag read 'Elle' with a smiley face in purple sharpie.

"Nope, this will be all," I said.

She put my purchases in a bag. "If you're staying around here for a while, there's a beautiful spot a mile south. It has a gorgeous waterfall and it's a perfect spot for more—shall we say, intimate—fun." She winked at me. "If you're into that kind of thing."

I gave her a look. That's a weird thing to say to a customer. Or anyone. "Um, thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

I headed out, trying to shake the feeling that there was something more to that cashier than met the eye. Back at the lake house, I heard the shower running and smiled. Steve was awake. I unpacked my purchases and got busy cooking breakfast, making sure to brew a pot of coffee first.

I had just finished setting the table when Steve walked in. His hair was wet from the shower and he was only wearing a pair of shorts.

"Hey, you," he greeted me, coming over to give me a kiss.

"Surprise!" I said. "I made breakfast."

Steve wrapped his arms around me and put his face in the crook of my neck. "Mm, smells delicious. Although, I've never seen you cook before."

I hit him with a potholder. "I'm cooking now, aren't I?" I turned back to the eggs. "How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty well. You?"

I grinned. "Same. Ready to spend these next three days with you." I instructed Steve to go sit at the table while I served the food. He poured us each a cup of coffee before sitting down.

As we ate, I told him about my strange encounter with the cashier at the store.

"Well, we should check it out," Steve said. "Could be fun."

"Wait, are you serious? You're skipping over the fact that some random person told me where I could go fondue with my boyfriend?"

Steve snorted. "Ok, first of all—it was one time. It's not my fault."

I smirked. "Sure."

"Second of all...she probably meant well. And remember, this used to be Howard's cabin. I'm sure Tony has used it before too."

"Gross."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Not for that. But if the folks around here know the Stark family, then they likely know their...history."

I wrinkled my nose. "You're not making your case very well, Steve."

Steve laughed. "All I'm saying is..." he glanced at me. "I'm not gonna win, am I?"

"Nope," I said, dramatically popping the 'p' sound.

"I do have a confession to make," Steve said.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. This isn't my first time out here." He paused as I gasped dramatically. "A few weeks ago, Sam and I scouted it out. We'd gone to the store around the corner and met Elle—the clerk who told you about the waterfall."

I raised an eyebrow. "You sneaky fox! You planned this?"

Steve put his hands up in surrender. "Guilty as charged."

I leaned across the table. "Now that we've got that cleared up...what do you say to a swim?"

Steve deposited a kiss on my lips. "There is nothing I would rather do."

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

A little while later, we were set up on a nice grassy area on the lake. I kicked off my shoes and took off my shirt and shorts that covered my bikini. Steve shrugged out of his shirt and placed it next to my clothes.

I smirked at him. "Last one in has to strip!" I started toward the lake at a run.

"Wha—" Steve realized what I'd said and chased after me. He caught up to me, picking me up so I couldn't advance further.

"SteveRogersputmedown!" I yelled, laughing.

"Nope!" He playfully put me over his shoulder so I was staring at his back. He ran down to the dock on the water, laughing, before putting me down.

"You sneaky little—" I started to say. Steve gave me a cheesy grin before jumping into the water.

"I win," he said proudly when he came up for air.

"Cheater!" I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

He laughed. "Well, a deal is a deal, so..." He gestured to me.

"Oh no, you are not getting me that easy," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

Steve pouted. "Oh c'mon, Nat. I'm getting lonely."

I dove into the water, surfacing next to Steve and climbing on his back. "Not getting rid of me now."

Steve dunked his head under the water, taking me with him. When we surfaced he brought me around to face him and I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"Now what?" I asked.

He smirked. "Are you gonna keep your end of the deal?"

I smiled mischievously. "Maybe." I tugged at the ties of my suit, tossing it to the dock. "Your turn."

"Wha—me? You said last one in. I won."

I laughed. "You cheated. So by default, I win."

"Fine," he said. "You win." He copied my maneuver.

We swam, splashed, and chased each other around the water for a while until I got cold and my fingers started getting pruney. We decided to call it a day and headed up the hill for lunch. Back in our swimsuits, I made quick sandwiches and we ate outside on the deck that overlooked the lake.

"I could get so used to this," I said when we moved over to the hot tub after lunch. Steve sat behind me attempting to braid my hair.

"Me too," he said, reaching around to kiss my cheek. "This is everything I've ever wanted."

I looked down at the water, knowing that Steve couldn't see my face. I knew he was lying—or at least partly. Steve wanted a family, children. He always had. And I...I wished with all my heart I could fulfill that for him.

"Steve, can I ask you a question?" I moved to the other side of the hot tub so we were facing each other.

He nodded, a look of concern on his face. "Of course."

"What do you see for us—for our future?"

"Well," he said. "I see you and me. Maybe in a house like this, on a lake, secluded and away from everyone but still close enough that we could visit the team. We'd get a dog and we would just be...happy."

Tears welled in my eyes. I wanted all of that, everything he described. "What about kids? I know we haven't really talked about this, but I need to know." It felt maybe too early in the relationship to be asking him this, considering we'd only been dating for two months, but it was really important to me.

Steve reached across the water and took my hand. "If you want kids, there is always adoption or surrogacy."

I smiled through my tears. "You'd make a pretty great father."

"And you'd make a fantastic mother." He brushed my hair away from my face. "Whatever happens, I'll be happy. Because it'll mean that I get to spend my life with you."

"How did I get so lucky?" I leaned over and kissed him.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

That evening, Steve wanted to take me out to a fancy dinner. I changed into a simple black dress and curled my hair, adding a bit of makeup before meeting Steve in the living room. He was wearing another suit and made his eyes bluer.

"You ready to go?" he asked when I walked in.

I nodded. "Yes. Are you gonna tell me where we're going?"

He smirked. "It's a surprise."

I laughed and took his arm. "You and your surprises." We walked out to the car and drove to a very nice restaurant nearby.

"Reservation for Stark," Steve said at the hostess stand.

I gave him a look. "Did Tony put you up to that?"

Steve laughed. "Yeah. He said it's easier to get into places under his name. He did that when you and Bucky went to dinner, right?"

I nodded, tensing at the mention of the night with Bucky. "Yeah. I didn't know you knew that."

"Bucky told me. After he found out about us last week, he apologized about going out with you and everything that had happened," he said. Seeing my expression, he squeezed my hand. "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's ok." I gave him a soft smile. "I still can't believe Tony knows that you used his name to get our reservation."

"Well, Tony likes to help out his friends. As much as he'd never admit it," Steve said. He turned to the waitress who'd just stopped by our table and ordered a bottle of wine.

When she returned, we ordered dinner: chicken parmesan for me and veal marsala for Steve. We made some small talk during dinner and I resisted the urge to bring up work. I really wanted to talk to him about what Thor said. And what he didn't know was that I'd brought the book Thor had told us about on the trip. It was currently hidden in my suitcase.

For dessert, we split a chocolate raspberry tart before paying the check and heading back to the lake house.

I changed into one of Steve's shirts and a pair of shorts. He put in a movie and made some popcorn while the previews played.

"I had a lot of fun today," Steve said.

I snuggled into his side. "Me too. And we get two more days together."

"Mm, that we do." He kissed my cheek. "But you wanna tell me what Thor's book is doing in your suitcase?"

I sat up straighter on the sofa. "Damn, you saw that?"

"Yes. Nat, I thought we were leaving it with Tony."

I sighed. "I'm really sorry, Steve. I was thinking if I had any trouble sleeping, I could use it to do some light reading."

Steve's mouth twitched up into a smile. "Light reading? Nat, have you seen how thick that book is?"

I laughed. "Yes. Don't judge me."

"Well, if you do get to read any of it, let me know what you find."

"I will." I stood up. "I'll be right back."

Steve paused the movie and I went into the bedroom, closing the door. I fished out my phone and turned it off of silent. I pressed Emery's contact for video chat. She immediately answered.

"Hey, Nat!" She greeted me. "How's your trip?"

I smiled. "Absolutely wonderful." I saw Sam in the background of Emery's screen. He turned when he heard my voice.

"Nat, what are you doing on here? I thought you were going radio silent for three days?" 

"I couldn't resist checking up on the team," I said. "But, do me a favor, and please don't tell Steve."

"Well, that's gonna be kinda hard," Bucky piped up in the background. He turned his phone so I could see it. "Caught red-handed."

I laughed as I saw Steve's face on Bucky's screen.

"Will you two do us all a favor and please enjoy your vacation?" Sam asked.

"We are enjoying!" I protested.

Bucky tsked at us. "Look, you two crazy lovebirds. We don't want to hear from you until the car pulls back into the compound grounds in two days, understand?"

Steve and I nodded, mumbling mutual "sorry"s to our friends before hanging up with Bucky and Emery, respectively. 

I returned to the living room of the lake house and promptly threw a pillow playfully at Steve. He tackled me on the sofa, eventually wrapping his arms around me to avoid getting kicked.

"Great minds think alike, huh?" he said.

You sneaky goofball," I teased.

"Well, I'm your sneaky goofball." He kissed me.

I smiled, settling back into his chest. "Yes, you're my sneaky goofball. And I wouldn't want it any other way."

Steve clicked the remote and we returned to the movie, tossing popcorn into each other's mouths and drinking more wine to end the night.

I had never been happier.