Steve held Juliana's hand, as she skipped excitedly between him and Brooklyn.

It was the first day of school, and she had been up and running around since about six a.m. She had burst into the bedroom, throwing herself on the bed, accidentally kneeing him in the balls, as she had scrambled to wake her sister up. As soon as Brooklyn had confirmed she was awake, the little girl was off like a shot, running to start the coffee machine. This was followed by her returning, climbing back on the bed, and pulling on her sister's arm, trying to get her out of the bed, physically.

Clearly, Juliana was excited by the idea of going to school.

So, Brooklyn and he had gotten out of bed, tended to their personal needs in the bathroom, and then trudged to the kitchen.

To be fair, they had gotten to sleep rather late, the night before. Steve turned his head to smile softly at Brooklyn, who was watching her sister with a small smile. That was a very different smile from the one she had gone to sleep with. She was also wearing more clothing, but that was neither here nor there.

He had been concerned, after her accidental choking of him during an orgasm, that she would pull away. So he had tried to spend most of the day reassuring her. As soon as he was sure the marks around his neck were fading, he had shown her. Brooklyn had smiled sadly, brushed the marks with her fingers, but not said a word.

So throughout the day, with them getting Juliana ready for school the next day, he had been watching, waiting for her to pull away fully. Instead, she put on a happy smile, and helped her sister get her uniform ready, making sure all the wrinkles were out of it, hanging it up in the bathroom to keep it clean, along with setting out her shoes and tights for the next day.

Next, was sitting down in the living room, and putting all her school supplies together, making sure things were labeled with her name, and also confirming that she knew how to spell her name, and was able to read it. Everything was carefully packed away in her navy blue backpack, where Brooklyn hung a tag with her name, address, and a phone number to call in case of emergencies, from a tag she attached to the handle of the backpack. The backpack was then placed by the door with the warning to leave it alone, as it was for school the next day.

Juliana had been a wound up ball of energy the rest of the day.

A quick discussion between Steve and Brooklyn had resolved the idea that maybe a trip to the park was in order, if only to help the little girl work out her energy, in a productive manner, where the apartment and the downstairs neighbors were not collateral.

A few hours later they picked up some Chinese food, and went back to the apartment, where a much more subdued Juliana sat at the counter, eating her food. Brooklyn had a knowing look on her face, as she watched her sister fondly. Steve had a thought and decided to share it.

"How would you feel about getting a table?" He asked, while forking up some of his rice.

"Table?" Brooklyn blinked, stuffing a bite of her almond chicken in her mouth.

"Yeah, for over there." He pointed to where there was room to fit a table, under the window in what could be a tiny dining area.

She frowned as she chewed. "Okay, maybe I am having a issue, but why do we need a table?"

He raised his eyebrows. "To eat meals at. So that maybe all three of us can sit at the same time."

Brooklyn nodded slowly. "alright. Where do we find this table?"

He shrugged. "We can go to a few local stores, find one I guess. We can even go to that store we went to, when buying school supplies."
"Target." She cocked her head, poking at her food with the fork. "The store was called Target."

"Target. We can go to Target, see what they have." He reached out and touched the back of her hand. "We are just going to look."

"No." She sighed. "You are right. It's stupid to not have a table. That's what NORMAL people have."

He had dropped the subject after that, sensing that maybe, just maybe he had overstepped. Her comment about 'normal' people was a bit concerning. He had started to notice, more and more, that she was frustrated by the concept of what people took as normal. Which he could understand, because he had had the same problem when he first came out of the ice. Things he had been used to, were vastly antiquated. And the things that people considered normal, in this modern age confused him. There were things that still did. For the most part, Brooklyn had a better grasp on certain things, while others just threw her completely.

The grocery shopping had been a great example of this. The money in the safe was another.

"How often does Mrs. Marino shop for you?" He asked, while his brain was on that line.

She blinked again. "When ever she feels like it. She gets bored. And Mr. Marino doesn't like it when she buys a ton of stuff for their house. But she likes to shop. So, she shops for other people. Me, Juliana, Marcus and Merlot, her sons and their families. Its her way of getting around her husband's edict regarding shopping."

"I just noticed that she was shopping at some pretty pricey stores." He speared some broccoli and beef with his fork. "Just seemed like a lot for some gifts."

Brooklyn sighed. "Kitty likes to treat us like family. She never had any girls, and doesn't have any granddaughters. So yes, its a bit excessive. But it makes her happy. And a happy Kitty means a happy Mr. Marino."

Steve nodded, accepting the answer. "And when do I get to see what was in the pink bags?"
"Never, if you keep it up." Brooklyn pointed her fork at him. "Good boys get rewards, remember? Naughty boys have to wait until the outfits come home from work to be washed."

Folding his arms, leaning back on the stool, he raised an eyebrow. "When do you plan to go back to work?"

She shrugged, forking up the last bites of her food. "As soon as the wound on my back is healed enough to not be an issue. So, maybe a few more days?"

He frowned. He had noticed she had stopped wearing a bandage on the wound. And that the stitches were already being pushed out.

"For now, the big hurdle is getting this Little One," She said pointing at Juliana who was now moving food around on her plate, before taking her empty one over to the sink, "To school tomorrow. From there... take it day by day. Do you want some more food?"

So, now, walking along the sidewalk of Carroll Gardens, on their way to St. Francis, Steve had to wonder if any of the three of them were actually ready for this day. The idea that Juliana was going to be spending a great deal of her time away from them, from their protection, was a scary one.

Brooklyn had explained, when asked, why she chose St. Francis. With the added protection of Mr. Marino being one of the biggest donors for the school and the adjoining church, it was also very up to date on security. All visitors needed to be signed in, and checked, before being allowed to enter the school. It was locked down, from the time it started to the time it ended. There was private security that roamed the halls, cameras watching the parking lots, the play areas, and the halls. Children had to be signed out by their legal guardians, or people approved by the legal guardians, before being allowed off the property.

It also had the added bonus of having a smaller student to teacher ratio, then public schools. The after school programs were better funded, due to parents and donors. The library and the computers were updated regularly, as well as the equipment for the after school programs. The parents were active in the school, either through the PTA or various other organizations, helping to raise money for the school.

For all that it cost, Steve couldn't find a flaw with her choice of school for Juliana.

Well, one flaw.

Ms. Crocker.

The woman who Steve was still concerned about. Her conspiracy theories, her insane accusations, were enough for Steve to consider her unfit to teach young children. The fact that she spewed her hatred about Brooklyn on him, assuming correctly that they were together, as if that would change his mind... that was unforgivable, to Steve. Brooklyn had done nothing to the woman, short of paying for a quality education for her sister.

They stopped at a light, waiting for it to turn so they could cross, when Juliana asked, "Will you come get me, when I get done?"

"Of course, Little One." Brooklyn answered, swinging her arm, with her sisters hand in hers. "I couldn't leave you behind."

"That's good." Juliana sighed happily, with a smile on her face. "Because I don't want you to."

"Just remember, you are our father's daughter. And no one can make you less then what you are. And our Papa's daughters deserve good things."

"And school is a very good thing." Steve added, smiling at the exchange. "But you will only get out of it, what you put into it. Work hard, study hard, and you will go far."

Brooklyn shot him a grateful look. It made him feel like he was truly the hero history painted him out to be.

The light changed and they crossed the street. They soon found themselves among other students walking in packs, laughing and talking about their summers, as well as parents escorting their children to school.

It was so normal.

Steve tugged the cap of his hat down a little further, hoping to keep his identity secret a while longer. This day wasn't about him, it was about Juliana. It was about the moment she took her first steps into her childhood. A childhood that would expose her to a world she had never seen before. A childhood that would help shape her adulthood. Those first tiny steps, that moment she left her sister's care for the first time since being given to her, would take her further then anyone could ever imagine, if she did it right.

And Steve was determined that nothing would interfere with those steps.

Shame filled him, coupled with deep sadness, making his eyes misty for a moment. He was stealing a precious moment that could never be recaptured from her father, from Bucky. He wanted nothing more than to have his buddy beside him, watching as his youngest started her first day of school. It should be his hand she was holding. It should be his face she was smiling up into.

Steve was the thief of the moment.

But even with that shame, that guilt, that sadness, and that little bit of self-hate, Steve wouldn't and couldn't make himself give up the opportunity to see his little Sweetheart skipping down the sidewalk in her new school uniform, her shiny shoes catching the morning light, her backpack bouncing on her back, her hair in the twin half french braids that Brooklyn had so carefully put into her hair.

Brooklyn herself had taken time with her own appearance. Dressed in a conservative pair of pants, with sneakers, her usual tank top/oversized shirt combo replaced by a light summer sweater combo in a light pink, her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail. The future PTA look, she called it. She clutched the strap of her messenger bag with her free hand, nervously checking that the folder with all of Juliana's class information was still in it, although he wasn't sure how she could lose it as often as she checked for it.

Juliana asked. "What if they don't like me?"

Steve looked at Brooklyn who bit her lip, before sighing and shaking her head.

He crouched down, so he was able to put his hands on her shoulders, while meeting her worried gaze. "How could they not, Sweetheart. You are a good person. A nice one. Just be as friendly as you can, and they will be friendly back."

"Is that how you and Papa became friends?" She asked, her finger moving towards her mouth.

Pulling her hand down, he nodded. "Yeah. He was just friendly with me. So we ended up becoming friends. He also helped me out, when I was smaller, because he was bigger. So I also want you to remember, stick up for the smaller person. You never know who might become your best friend."

It was really a simplification of how the two men had become friends. Bucky had come across him being bullied by a couple of larger boys, and had stepped in. But he didn't want to encourage Juliana getting in fights. She was still so small. It boggled his mind that someone who was so strong and big like Bucky could father such delicate girls.

Although, what they lacked in size, they made up for in spirit and determination. Bucky's girls were very determined. And strong.

He looked up at Brooklyn, smiling, before rubbing Juliana's shoulders again, ignoring the children passing by them. "Any other worries we should know about, before we get there?"

"what if the bad men come?" She bit her lip.

"I told you. They won't. but if on the very, very off chance that they do, I will be right there, to stop them. I'll even use my shield. Just to protect you, Juliana." He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. "Because I wont let anything happen to my little Sweetheart."

She smiled. "Will Iron Man come, too?"

He wanted to wince. He really did. There was just something a little disheartening to know that there was an actual Avenger she had regular access to, and yet she was an Iron man fan. "I'll make him." He promised, instead. "I'll tell him all about you, and he will want to come, right away."

"But, remember, Jules. We talked about this. You cant tell people who Steve is." Brooklyn reminded her. "He's just my boyfriend, right? He's not Cap'n, not at school. He's just Steve."

"Steve." Juliana repeated. "Just Steve."

He smiled, and pinched her cheek gently. "That's right, Sweetheart. I'm just Steve."

He stood up, and took her hand again. "Okay, ladies. We have a schedule to keep."

They made it to the front of the school without anymore stops or incidents. It was crowded, but there were signs and people directing new students to which entrance they needed to go to. They stood in the line, watching the other students, and the first time students, mill about and enter the building.

The line moved quickly, and they were soon at the security desk, were a harried woman in her mid thirties looked up at them. "Paperwork?"

Brooklyn pulled out the folder she had been constantly checking since they had left the apartment. "Juliana Bianchi."

The woman nodded, and opened the folder. "ID's of the guardians?"

Pulling out her wallet, Brooklyn looked at Steve, and jerked her head. "You too, Steve."

He raised his eyebrows in shock, but obediently pulled out his wallet, flipping it open to show the woman his ID.

The woman checked both ID's before tapping Steve's wallet. "You need to get that typo fixed. Nineteen-eighteen, indeed. Alright, here are your visitor's passes, they must be worn at all times while in the building. Anytime someone picks the child up, they are required to show proper ID. No one other then the listed and approved people will be allowed to pick up the child without prior authorization. You will be informed of what door to pick your child up at, by the child's teacher, today. If there is a reason why that door pickup changes, you will receive both a text and an automatic call from the school." She handed them the visitor's passes. "return the passes on your way out. Please sign in, over there." She pointed to a computer. "Your names, and the child's names,and the date. Thank you, and hope you have a good school year."

Her spiel done, she handed the folder back to Brooklyn. "Next child, please!"

Brooklyn tugged on Steve's wrist, clutching the visitor passes, as she moved the three of them to the computer. Slipping the lanyard into his hand, she threw the other one over her neck, before quickly typing at the computer. "Your turn, Steve."

Still a bit in shock, he slipped his wallet back in his pocket, looped the lanyard over his head, and typed in his name, the date, and Juliana's name.

They moved as a unit away from the security, while Brooklyn shuffled through the papers in the folder. "I think we need to go... this way." She pointed to the left. "Mr. Blackwell, room 125."

He followed the two girls, as they began walking down the hall, towards where Juliana's classroom should be. "You put me on her list of approved people."

"Did you not want to be?" Brooklyn tossed over her shoulder, frowning. "I thought you wanted to be involved."

"Yes." He nodded, smiling. "I do. But I didn't expect you to make me an approved person."

"Approved, and secondary emergency contact. If for some reason they cannot get a hold of me, in case of an emergency, they will contact you." Brooklyn corrected, absently, as he watched her look at the door numbers. "This place is a bit of a maze. And crowded."

"First day of school, Babydoll." he soothed, reaching out and putting one hand on Brooklyn's back, and the other on the back of Juliana's head. "It wont be this bad tomorrow."

They finally found the door of the class room, and entered. The desks were all placed in square blocks of four desks, no doubt in an effort to foster friendship and cooperation, early. A older man, with a mostly bald head, and a scruffy gray moustache, dressed in a smart brown suit, with a white shirt and a striped tie, met them at the door, holding out his hand.

"Hello! Welcome to the first day of school!" He greeted with a cheerful, deep voice. "I'm Mr. Emile Blackwell! I am the teacher for the 1A kindergarten class. Who is this?"

He smiled down at Juliana, as first Brooklyn, then Steve shook his hand. He had a firm, but gentle hand.

"Juliana Bianchi." Brooklyn explained, putting her hand on her sister's head.

"Ah! Juliana! And is it Juliana, or is there something shorter she prefers?" Mr. Blackwell asked. "And her paperwork?"

Brooklyn handed over the papers from the folder. "No, just Juliana."

"And you are her... sister." Mr. Blackwell said, looking over the paperwork. "And this is... your boyfriend. Both legal guardians."

Steve almost choked. When had he been made a legal guardian for Juliana. He raised an eyebrow at Brooklyn, who ignored him.

"Mr. Rogers was a friend of my father's, from the military. They served in the same regiment together. While my father is away, getting the treatment for PTSD, he has been kind enough to help me out with my sister. And yes, he is my boyfriend. Juliana cares for him, a great deal." She explained, gesturing to Steve. "In the event that you are not able to get a hold of me, please feel free to contact him."

Mr. Blackwell nodded, looking over the paperwork. "Everything seems in order. It is going to be a good year, let me tell you! We have an almost full class! Okay, so, why don't you go help Juliana find her desk, and settle in. Oh, before I forget, we have pick up at entrance D, this year. It's in the back, by the playground. Pick up follows drop off. Show your ID, get your child. Sound good? We get out today a little early, at about one p.m. But after that, three p.m. is pick up time."

Steve nodded, and put his hand on the small of Brooklyn's back, escorting her away from the teacher. "You have a lot of explaining to do, when we get home, Babydoll."
She snorted at him. "Sure."

It wasn't hard to find Juliana's desk. Her name was taped to the top of it, in big black letters, on blue lined paper. Steve helped her take off her backpack, hanging it on the hook on the desk, while Brooklyn looked around the room.
"I've never..." She shook her head, then smiled. "Well, this is an adventure, isn't it, Jules?"

The little girl looked scared.

"What is it, Jules?" Brooklyn crouched down. "I thought you were excited to go to school?"

"Why can't you and Ca-" She stopped and corrected herself. "Steve, stay with me? Just for today? Please, Lyn?"

Brooklyn smiled, and brushed Juliana's hair off her shoulders. "How will you make any friends, if all you want to do is talk to us? You have to meet new people, to make friends. Remember what Steve said? Just be nice and friendly, and they will do the same. Before you know it, you are going to have lots of friends."

"Besides," Steve also crouched down. "you don't want two old people like us, cramping up your style, do you? We are so old and slow, we would hold you back!"

Juliana nodded, swallowing. "I guess."

"Hey, do you still have that gift I gave you?" He smiled.

She nodded again, reaching for her neck, and hooking out the chain that held the replica dog tags on it.

Steve pointed at them. "See? You wont be alone. You got your Papa with you. He's gonna be with you, all day, until we come to get you, okay? So, I want you to do your Papa proud, and be the strong, brave girl, that I know you are, and make some friends, while you learn from the nice Mr. Blackwell. Can you do that? For me and for Brooklyn?"

Juliana sighed, then nodded. "Okay, Ca- Steve. I can do that."

"That's my Sweetheart." He kissed her cheek. Brooklyn shot him a grateful look. "Now, say goodbye to Brooklyn, so that you can start your first day, and I want you to have fun, alright?"
"Okay." Juliana turned to hug Brooklyn, while he stood up. "I love you, Lyn."

"I love you too, Little One." Brooklyn held her sister, kissing her cheek. "We will be right at the door, waiting for you, when you are done. And Steve is right, have fun today."

They helped her settle into her seat, then he wrapped his hand around Brooklyn's arm, when it looked like she would remain rooted to the spot she stood in. "C'mon, Babydoll."

She was reluctant, but followed him to the door, where the teacher still stood, having greeted another student. He smiled as they came towards him.

"All settled? Good." He held his hand out again, and this time Steve took it first. "Thank you for your service, Sir. And don't worry, the first day is always the hardest. Soon, she'll be pushing you out the door, just so she can play with her friends." He shook Brooklyn's hand. "And don't forget the door and pickup time."
Steve nodded. "Thank you, and we will see you then."

He escorted Brooklyn out the door, into the hall, and towards the exit of the building, feeling her tension grow with every step. When they were finally outside, just past the entrance gate, she froze, and resisted his encouragement.

"I can't do it, Steve." She said, pulling against him. "I can't leave her. I just can't."

"Brooklyn-" He started.

"No." She cut him off shaking her head. "I thought I could, I really did. But I can't leave her alone. I just cant."

"She'll be fine." He assured, rubbing her arms. Why didn't he consider the fact that Brooklyn might break, leaving her sister in a new place? "You saw the security."

"No. What if HYDRA already found us? What if they infiltrated the school? What if that teacher is HYDRA?" She shook her head. "What if I just handed her over to them, thinking I was doing the right thing. I need to go get her. I need to take her home."

"Baby, it will be fine. I doubt they found you. The teacher has to have been teaching here for years." He tried to reason.

"No. That's what they do. They lay in wait, for years and years." She tried to pull away from him. "Oh, my god. My father will kill me, if I let them take her. What the hell was I thinking. This was an idiot idea. Absolutely fucking stupid. I have to take her out of there."

"Stop!" He ordered, giving her a quick shake. "Listen, she's fine. She will be okay. This is a safe place. You did the research. We saw it with our own eyes."

"No-"

"Yes." he nodded, stroking his hands down her arms, trying to comfort her, make her relax with her choices. "Yes. Do you honestly think that I would allow anything to happen to Juliana? That I would leave her in a place if there was even a hint of something bad going on?"

"Well, no." She shook her head. "I don't think that."

"Okay, then." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, wrapping his arms around her. "She's gonna be fine, Brooklyn. Absolutely fine. She's going to make friends, and learn new things, and grow. That's what you wanted, right? A normal childhood?"

"Yes." She breathed, a longing in her voice that he could hear. "That's what I want for her."

"Well, okay." He kept his lips pressed against her forehead. "Then you have to trust me. There is nothing in that school, that you need to worry about. And if it would make you feel better, I can have the backgrounds of every person who works there checked. But I promise you, nothing bad is going to happen to her, while she's in school."

A couple walked past them, and the man smiled at them. "First time sending a child to school?"
Steve returned the smile, nodding. "Yeah."

"They always think they can handle it, until it actually comes time to leave them there." He replied, nodding towards his wife. "She had an utter breakdown in the car, with our first."
"Josh!" The wife slapped his chest. "Stop it!" She looked over at Steve, smiling. "This is a good school. You just reassure your wife that your child will love it here."

Steve nodded, again. "I'll make sure to do that."

He watched as they walked away, before returning his attention to Brooklyn. "See? Even strangers think this is a safe place. Why don't we go home, relax a bit, and before you know it, the day will have flown by and it will be time to go pick our girl up. Alright?"

Brooklyn sighed, then nodded into his chest. "Alright."
********************************

".....and her name is Caroline, but we all call her Carrie, and she has red hair and freckles, and she has a brother who is older than her, and she has a puppy, and at lunch she asked if she could trade apples with me, because she doesn't like the red ones, so I did, and then during recess we played tag together and now we are friends and she wants to know if I can come over to spend the night sometime but only if you say it's okay and her mother works as a nurse and her father builds computers and then it was time to come home and I said I had to spend time with my sister and my Steve and she said maybe tomorrow we can play again during recess!"

Steve raised his eyebrows as Juliana finally took a breath in the long monologue about her school day. "But did you have fun?"

"Yes!" She cried happily, picking up a french fry. "And our teacher is so nice! He likes to sing songs, and he says his favorite thing to watch is Disney movies!"

They were currently occupying the booth at the diner that they had first eaten at, together, that day that they went school shopping. The waitress had been very happy to see them again, and had rushed to seat them in the same booth.

He looked over at Brooklyn, who was watching her sister with a huge, happy smile on her face, her food on the plate in front of her, all but forgotten. He flashed her a smile, and returned his attention to Juliana. "So, you are going to be okay going again, tomorrow?"

"Uh huh!" the little girl shoved a fry in her mouth, speaking with her mouth full. "It's a lot of fun!"

"I am so glad." He rubbed the top of her head. "But how about we don't talk with our mouth full, okay?"

"Okay." She nodded. "Oh! I have a lot of papers I'm supposed to give you guys."

Juliana tried to climb over Steve, trying to get to her backpack, but he set her back in her booster seat on the bench.
"It can wait until we get home." Brooklyn told her, picking up her burger. "Eat now, then we can go home, and go through the papers together."

"As a family?" Juliana asked, settling back down, reaching for more fries.

Steve shot Brooklyn a look, and she nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "As a family."

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

Steve and Brooklyn were leaning on opposite sides of the kitchen counter, going over the papers that had come home in the folder from Juliana's teacher.

"Okay, so in three weeks they have a field trip, to the children's museum, here in Brooklyn. That's eighty dollars, due on the day of. Then nothing to be worried about, until mid-way through November, where there is the parent-teacher conferences. Which we both should attend. Then we are scot free until the Holiday Show, on the last night before winter break." Brooklyn pointed out, on the bright green paper calender.

"What about volunteering to chaperone the trip to the museum?" Steve asked, tapping the date.

"It's an all day thing." She pointed out. "I may be able to do it, if I can get my schedule clear. I should be back to working full time, by then. And you cannot commit to something like that, not with your work. Besides, that would make things awkward if one of the other parents sees through your 'disguise'."

"How do you feel about the security of the field trip?" He asked, reaching out to take her hand. "I know you were worried about things, this morning."

"I had a moment of self-doubt." Brooklyn squeezed his hand. "I know I chose a safe school for her. But there was just this moment, this morning, where I second guessed all my choices, and I had a moment of panic."

"Okay." he nodded. "As long as you are sure."

She gave him a look. One he knew meant, 'don't push it'. "I'm sure, Rogers."

"going back to the schedule." He held up the calender. "Are you sure we cant chaperone the museum trip?"

"If you can get the time off from the Avengers, then you go right ahead. I have no desire to spend my day around sixteen screaming kids, hyper out of their minds with excitement." Brooklyn turned to open the fridge, pulling out the bottle of apple juice. "Besides, I can't smother her. She has to have room to grow. We do have to make sure to have the Parent-Teacher conference dates open, though."

Steve nodded, sighing. "I'm pretty sure that won't be too much of an issue. It's only a few hours, right?"

"That's what the calender says." She poured herself a glass of the juice. "Want some?" she offered.

Steve nodded. "Sure. But the day itself isn't set."

"That's because they schedule them in blocks." She pointed out, pouring him a glass and setting it on the counter, before putting the juice in the fridge. "In the evening, after school. We can indicate what times work best for us."

Steve sighed. "Yeah. I just wish there was a way to do the museum."

"Look, if it's that important, we can take her, together, on a day when we are both free." Brooklyn drained her apple juice. "Then you can have all the kiddie fun you so desperately crave."

He nodded. "Fine. But I want to do the art museum when she's older."

"That's between you and her." Brooklyn moved to put her glass in the sink. "But we still have to sign the permission forms."

He grinned. "Both guardian's signatures are required."
Steve had been thrilled, when they had gotten back to the apartment, and gotten a chance to ask Brooklyn about the guardian remarks at the school and with the teacher. It turned out, Brooklyn had added his information to Juliana's forms, not long after he had told her he wanted to be all in, in regards to Juliana. Even during their ten day separation, she had not removed him. Her reasoning was, even though at the time, she figured their relationship was over, she wasn't going to punish Juliana for her own mistakes. Steve would have been the legal contact, if something happened to Brooklyn. As in, if Brooklyn was taken, or removed from the picture, Juliana would go into Steve's custody. It was her backup plan, on the theory that if for some reason Brooklyn was no longer able to care for Juliana, their father would have liked Steve to step in, and care for the little girl.

For all intents and purposes, Juliana was legally in Steve's custody. At least partially.

"Something you want to say, Rogers?" She raised her eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest.

He went around the edge of the counter, placing his hands on her hips, smiling down at her. "Just that you amaze me."

"Oh, really?" She had that snarky tone in her voice.

"Yes, you do, Babydoll." He leaned down and kissed her. "I'll show you how much, later, after the little ears have gone to bed."

Much later that night, when Juliana was in bed, her lunch box and her backpack prepared for the second day of school, her uniform hung up, the dishes done, Steve sat on the couch, with Brooklyn on his lap.

Well, straddling his lap, actually.

The show that they had put on played softly in the background, low enough that it wasn't a distraction, the wine glasses on the coffee table emptied, and her hands were wrapped around his head, directing him in the way she wanted to be kissed. One of his hands was shoved up the front of her shirt, covering her breast, while the other was trying very hard to not dig into her hip, to pull her down tighter onto his lap.

"What is it about you?" he breathed when she pulled away, flexing his hand on her breast. "What is it, that makes me absolutely crazy about you?"

She smiled, shaking her head, before licking her lips with a small moan. "I don't know."

Brooklyn then cocked her head, and raised in that challenging manner. "Perhaps you better kiss me some more, to figure it out?"

He sucked on his bottom lip, letting it slide out slowly. "I can do that."

Reaching for the bottom of her shirt, he encouraged her to take it off, which she obliged, tossing it to the side as soon as it was over her head. He removed his own shirt, as well, tossing it over to join hers, then wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her down so they were chest to chest, closing his eyes as her breasts and nipples pressed into his skin. Her tongue licked at his bottom lip, before her lips crashed down on his, her arms wrapping around his shoulders.

God damn, but he had been so fucking lucky to find her. So fucking lucky she had taken him back after his major misstep. Even more lucky that she wanted him like this, despite every objection she could come up with, as to why they shouldn't be together, or why they wouldn't work.

But he was more than happy to show to her, to prove to her, that they would and should work together. That there was every reason that he was hers and she was his. That they belonged together. That they could have a future together, as long as they wanted it. Pulling away from the kiss, he raised her up on her knees, running his tongue down her neck, until he found a spot that tasted better then the rest. Setting his teeth into her skin, he closed his lips over the spot, sucking hard, while his hand came up to capture her breast, his fingers pinching her nipple between them, pulling and tugging, as he worried the spot on her neck with is lips and teeth. Her head fell back, a small cry leaving her mouth, as she dug at his scalp with her nails. The salt of her skin burst over his taste buds, causing a low groan to leave him, making him bite down harder for one last deep suck. Steve pulled away, admiring the bloom of her broken capillaries against the already flushed color of her skin. Roses and Ivory. That's what she looked like.

There was something almost pornographic, watching his mark settle into her skin even if he knew it wouldn't last long, while she knelt topless over his lap, causing his cock to grow harder and wetter. He wanted nothing more than to rip her loose shorts off her, and pull her right down onto his cock, spearing up into her, until the head of his cock kissed her womb. He wanted to repeat the action, over and over, until she was writhing on him, on that razor edge of pleasure and pain, until she shattered over him, sucking and milking at him with those hidden muscles, deep in her pussy. Fucking her until her eyes rolled back in her head, and screams left those beautiful lips, her hands and fingers grabbing at him, as if he was the only thing keeping her held to the earth, keeping her from flying away into the sky. Until she dragged him over the edge with her, causing him to buck up into her as far as he could, over and over, until he shot, oozed, planted, fucking flooded her with his cum. Until her birth control failed, his semen did it's job, and she became pregnant.

God, what he wouldn't do to have her come to him and tell him she was in a fix. To know that she was carrying his child? The fucking stuff of dreams, as far as he was concerned.

But he knew, she knew, they were not ready for that step. She was no where near being ready. She still had misgivings about motherhood completely, he knew.

And god fucking dammit, they hadn't even had actual penetrative sex yet. He had yet to even fully breach her. Just the tip of his cock, and a full ejaculation, but he had yet to pull her down the full length and girth of him, filling her completely.

Maybe in another life, another time, he would have felt guilty for wanting to fuck her without putting his ring on her finger first, but her views on marriage were clear. It was a commitment to a God she didn't believe in. He wasn't sure if she was an atheist, or an agnostic, or just fallen from faith. And he had a hard time believing that with the strict Irish Catholic upbringing Bucky had, that his daughter had not been exposed to his leanings in regards to the All Mighty. But in the end, that left very few paths for him to forge the future he wanted with her.

He could hope to try to get her pregnant, hoping to push her towards marriage. But that was a dirty trick, as far as he was concerned. He had seen too many marriages start off with an unplanned child, and both parties rarely ended up happy. Plus trapping her using a biological function that scared her was not something he would or could ever be proud of.

Or he could seduce her body and mind, until her heart followed. If he could keep her sexually interested in him, feed that inner sensuality that had been emerging, making his body and touch the only ones she ever craved, maybe, just maybe, her heart would soon be involved as well. If he could get her to fall in love with him, then maybe she would be willing to marry him, settle down with him.

Be his fully.

He had her attention. He had her affection. He had her attraction. What he needed now, was her love. Her undivided heart, given to him, freely. Only then would he ever be certain that she would never leave or abandon him.

Fucking Christ, he had yet to even take her out on a proper date, yet.

His thoughts scattered as she crashed her lips down on his, her teeth biting at his lips, her tongue thrusting against his. His Babydoll was getting impatient, it seemed.

Well, far be it for him to keep a lady waiting.

Reaching for her baggy shorts, he pushed them down off her hips, down to her thighs, one hand palming her bare cheek, while the other plunged between her spread thighs, delving into her wet split,fingers finding her full clit, rubbing at it without delay. She whined as he rolled that hard erect flesh between his fingers, gasping and rolling her hips with his movements.

No, he wouldn't be plucking that particular fruit from the tree, just yet. But there were other things that he could and would do for her, to ensure that he was the only man that she wanted.

Helping her guide her movements, he slicked a finger into her from behind, feeling the muscles deep inside tense and release with the shock, then acceptance of his invasion.

"There's my Babydoll." he praised, as she rocked along. "Feel that? Hmm? That your man making you feel that way, Brooklyn."

She nodded, her head dropping to his shoulder, her fingers and hands grasping at his shoulders. Lowering his own, he watched his hands touch her into pleasure.

"Fucking gorgeous, Babydoll." He licked his lips, remembering the taste of her on his tongue, the feel of her pussy trying to suck it in. "The feel of you in my hands... God fucking dammit, there aren't words for how perfect it feels. And how fucking intense it's going to be when we finally work my cock into you."

She shuddered slightly against him, her breaths coming in breathy gasps.

"If you were ready to take me, Darlin', I would pull you right down on my cock, right now. Keep those thighs spread wide, and slide right into you, until you feel me in your chest." He grit his teeth, the pounding of his cock gaining more and more of his attention. "You want to reach down, help me out? Huh? Cause I don't want to take my hands off you for a second, if I can help it. But your hands feels so good, when they are wrapped around my cock, Babydoll."

She nodded against his shoulder, her hands trailing down his chest, until they reached the waistband of the shorts he was wearing. Basketball shorts, as they were called. Loose, tied with a draw string, they were one of the more comfortable items of clothing he had come across in this new age. She plucked at the tie, until it came loose, then with a brief hesitation, delved her hands under the waistband, seeking out and finding his leaking cock. She grasped it, and he hissed at the feel of her small hands trying to grasp him fully. The other morning he had given her a crash course on how to stroke him, now it was time to see what she had learned. Pulling his finger out of her, he helped her be able to move her hands more freely by pushing the front of his shorts down. As soon as he was fully exposed, she gasped, and he jostled her head with his shoulder until she raised it enough to allow him to press his lips to hers.

Stroking his tongue with hers, he slid his hand still between her legs forward a bit, sliding a new finger into her, while the hand that had been in her now plucked at first one nipple, then the other. He pushed and pulled the finger in and out of her, mimicking the movement he wanted to do with his cock, before crooking it, seeking out that soft spongy bit of flesh inside her, the one that had made her pop off the night before last like an illegal Chinese firecracker.

Breaking the connection between their lips, he pressed her backwards with his hand on her breast, curving her back, until she strained to stroke his cock, the movement of her hands focused on his loose foreskin, sliding it back and forth over his leaking head, stimulating the sensitive head even more. She gave a choking gasping cry as the movement of her body allowed him to find that spot inside her, her thighs tightening, even as her hips began to stutter and her head fell back.

"Almost there, Babydoll. I can tell." He hissed, working that spot inside her. "I know how close you are. And you are going to cum for me, aren't you? Such a dirty, perfect girl."
She made a confirming, agreeing sound, back in her throat, as she tried to match his movements.

"Don't you want to cum for me, like a good girl? Show me how much you love what I do to you?" He pressed down harder at the spot that was making her lose control. "Be my good Babydoll, and cum for me. Cum all over my finger."

He leaned forward, trying to not lose the tension in her position, sucking and nipping at a jiggling nipple, her breathing ragged. "You are so close, Babydoll. I can feel it. That beautiful pussy is getting wetter and wetter. Fucking dripping for me, Brooklyn."
"Steve, please....!" She pleaded, her voice high and breathy.

"I'll please you, Babydoll." He sucked hard at the nipple, pulling it as deep as he could, before letting it slip from his lips. The rosy hue was fucking erotic against her pale skin. He punched his finger harder inside her and pressed the heel of his hand against her burning clit. "I'll please you until you gush for me, all over me. But you need to let go, you need to let it all go. Stop fighting it. Let it take you."

Her cries were breaking out of her, higher and sharper, as he worked her wet, welcoming flesh.

Brooklyn let go of his cock, her fingers moving to claw at his chest, as she started to break. "Steve...I'm...I'm going...Oh, my god...!" She cried, her nails setting into his skin, causing him to hiss from the pleasurable pain. "Fuck! Oh....FUCK!"

Her pussy clamped down on his finger, milking along it, pulsing, releasing. She shuddered, her eyes snapping shut. "Good girl." he praised, rocking the heel of his hand against her clit. "Such a good girl, fucking cumming all over my hand. That's my Babydoll."

Pure, masculine pride filled him, settling deep in his chest, causing him to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning. He was responsible for her orgasm. He had fingered her to it. He had pushed her body into pleasure. He, Steve Rogers, the once skinny guy who could barely get a kiss goodnight after a taking a dame out, had made this beautiful woman, who looked like she had been sculpted into life by God himself, had made her lose control.

His own arousal, which he had pushed down to focus on hers, throbbed back to life, begging for his attention. Reaching down with the hand not busy working her through the after shocks, wrapping it around his cock, pulling and rubbing, ready to cum himself.

Brooklyn flinched, leaning forward, her hands braced on his chest, as she opened her eyes. Eyes which should be languorous with pleasure, hazy with it, but were sharp with hunger. "More, Steve. I want more."

"Can you go again?" he asked, breathlessly, his hand working hard on his cock. "You ready for another go, Babydoll?"

"Yeah." She moaned, rocking her hips against his hand. "I want to go again."

"Okay." He sighed, then grinned when an idea came to mind. "Let's try something new."

He let go of his cock, and pulled his hand out from between her legs. Her thighs, still captured by her shorts, were easy to maneuver, as he helped her lift one leg to brace it foot first near his thigh, leaving the other leg on her knee. This added the ease for what he wanted to do. Reaching back down between her legs, he slowly eased two fingers into her sopping pussy. God, but this woman could soak his hand, so easily. And sweet Christ, the sounds of her wetness as he moved his fingers, working them slowly into her, as she whined at the stretch.

"Yeah, Brooklyn. That's two." He groaned as he felt how tight that made her feel, trying to go slow, trying to go easy. "So fucking tight, Babydoll. Why are you so tight?"

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before she bounced her hips down, forcing his fingers into her.

Grunting, he grinned, and nodded. "Yeah, that's the idea. Fuck my fingers, Brooklyn. Fuck them, and cum on them. Use them like you want to use my cock, Babydoll. Show me how beautiful you are going to look, riding my cock."

And then she was off to the races. Her hips bounced up and down on his hand, lifting up and down his fingers, her pussy so hot and malleable, as he began carving out the path his cock would one day soon take. Her muscles were still fluttering, alerting him to the fact that this time around, she would go off quickly.

He grabbed his cock, his eyes trying to stay focused on one spot, but finding it difficult to decide if he should watch her perfect bouncing tits, topped so prettily with her rosy nipples, her face which was screwed up in concentration as she worked herself towards her orgasm, or her fucking pussy which had the additional impact of the physical sensation of his fingers sloshing though the wetness.

Steve pulled at his cock, with a weathered practiced hand, not really having to pay attention to his own pleasure. He knew all about his own cock, how to work it, how to do it quickly, or how to hold back his orgasm, depending on the situation. The tingle in the back of his balls, letting him know he was close, as well as the tightening in his abdomen, as well as the urge to rock his hips into his strokes, all were signs he wasn't far away from jettisoning his cum all over his hand.

But his goal wasn't his own euphoria. It was Brooklyn's. Always Brooklyn's.

"Fucking beautiful, Babydoll." he hissed, watching her. "Like my own personal erotic movie, watching you fuck yourself on my fingers. Give your nipples a tweak, see how that feels."

She did as instructed, gasping and curving her body a little, obviously feeling the pleasure from it.

"Yeah, I thought you might like that. Like fire is running through your veins, right? Little sparks of pleasurable fire... burning you hotter and hotter... until you don't know if the flame will ever burn out, right?"

She nodded, moaning, her hips bouncing faster, the sound of her wet flesh slapping against his palm.

The pressure behind his balls was building, but he pushed it down, trying to focus, trying to hold off until she fell under for him again. He needed to make sure, every time, that he waited for her. He never wanted her to leave his bed, his body, his hands, unfulfilled. If he ever did that... well, then he wasn't half the man he tried to be, for her. She once accused him of always having a plan, and he had denied it. But in this case, with her, with how he needed her, he did have a plan.

Binding her to him with pleasure, with sex, that had to be the key to keeping her. If he failed at that... she would slip through is fingers again. And that was not an option, not now. Not now that he knew what she tasted like, what she sounded like, what she felt like under his hands. How it felt, deep in his chest, when she came for him, when she reached for him to bring her to climax. As if he was the only thing that mattered in her world.

He had already threatened violence on a man for disrespecting her, and had been rewarded with being allowed to bring her pleasure. He would tear down the world, just to continue to be allowed to make her cum.

And the things he could teach her! Oh, the possibilities!

She was gasping, rocking harder and harder, one of her hands finding it's way to his neck, and he let go of his cock, briefly, to move it to his shoulder, where her grip and nails wouldn't cause as much damage. Not that he hadn't enjoyed her accidental choking of him, when it happened, and might even be willing to explore it again, another time. But the fall out from it, how she had shrank from him, how she had tried to pull away, tried to push him away, using it as an excuse for why they wouldn't work... Well, that just wasn't worth it.

Maybe another time. Maybe he could show her just how much choking could be fun, during an orgasm.

He returned to stroking his cock, as her breathing began to stutter. She was going to cum hard, this time. He began flexing his fingers as she rode them, twitching them, this way and that, almost scissoring them inside her channel when he could. The added stimulation seemed to push her over the edge.

Her nails dug into the skin of his shoulders, causing him to hiss, as she snapped her hips still, a deep rolling groan coming up through her, as her pussy snapped closed over his fingers, with a strength that took even him by surprise.

Brooklyn seemed to hold her breath after the groan left her, her head falling back, her eyes rolling into her head, her neck muscles going rigid. He squeezed the base of his cock, trying to push his own orgasm down, until he knew she was fully finished. And then she went limp, falling into his chest.

And that was it for him.

He helped her down on the couch, shuffling his hips out of the way, pulling her shorts down her legs fully. Spreading her thighs, and propping them on his, he resumed a punishing speed and stroke on his cock, no longer trying to hold back.

Reaching down with his free hand, he spread the lips to her pussy, looking down at her, at her orgasm which wet the flesh, at her clit which still stood proudly outside of it's protective hood. And then he looked up into her flushed and sweaty face. The satiated smile on her lips, the half lidded look of her eyes. The feel of her fingers lazily brushing up and down his chest and arm. He knew he was speaking, hissing, grunting, the words not fully making sense, or really fully formed, he thought. A repetitive ringing sounded in the background. One that made him feel like he should be paying attention. But he ignored it.

But it didn't matter.

He had brought his woman, his Babydoll, his Brooklyn.... His Queen, to such a pleasurable orgasm that she was now so satisfied that if he had wanted to, he could have pressed his cock into her, and she probably wouldn't have batted an eye.

The measure of a real man, he always felt, was how pleasured a woman was, when she rose from that man's bed.

The pain in his testitcals became sharp, then melded into pleasure as he felt it rising, rising, until it was spilling over. Leaning up on his knees a bit, he let it shoot out of him, painting her pussy, her belly, her thighs with his spend. Pulling, pulling, until it left him empty, but still feeling full.

With a shaking hand, he reached out, his heart pounding in his chest, his lungs filling to capacity trying to catch up his breathing, and rubbed his cum into her skin.

"Oh, Babydoll..." He breathed, amazed. "You look so fucking gorgeous, wearing me on you."

She giggled lazily. "Maybe that is all I should ever wear."

"Don't tempt me." He tried not to make his tone sharp. But the temptation was there. To lock her away from the world. To keep her naked, ready for the pleasure only he could give her.

She giggled again.

Steve rubbed his sweaty hair, a repetitive ringing sounding through the living room of the apartment. Frowning, feeling like his brain was mush, he looked over the back of the couch.

Brooklyn sighed. "that's your phone. I think that's the fourth time it's gone off."

"God fucking dammit." He growled, standing up, pulling up his shorts. "I'll break the fingers of who ever thinks calling at this time of night is a good idea. If it's one of those telemarketers again, asking me about my phone plan..."

He walked on legs that felt like jelly to the kitchen counter where his phone was laying. He got there just as the phone stopped ringing. Picking it up, he checked the missed calls, sighing harshly, rubbing the back of his head. "Shit. Nat's been calling."
Brooklyn popped her head over the back of the couch, her eyes wide and shocked. "Oh, dear."

"Yeah. Hold on, Babydoll. Let me get this out of the way, and we can go to bed, maybe go another round?" he suggested over his shoulder, trying to be alluring, tempting, while hitting the recall button.

Nat picked up on the first ring. "What the hell, Steve? Were you busy?"

"well, yes." He responded, blinking at her tone. She sounded harried. "What's wrong?"
"Stark and Clint are on their way back. We think we found another HYDRA facility." She sighed. "You need to get back here, before they do, if you don't want any awkward questions."

"Fuck." He groaned, hearing Brooklyn remind him in the background to watch his language. Which was funny, if you considered it. It hadn't been that long ago where she had been cussing a blue streak while cumming all over his hand. "Give me a bit, and I can be there within the hour."

"Hurry it up, Rogers." Nat ordered, as she hung up.

He sighed, and put the phone down, turning to face Brooklyn.

"Let me guess, the Avengers called, and they want their Captain back?" Brooklyn joked, weakly.

"I hate to leave you like this, Babydoll." he started.

"Stop!" She held up her hand. "We knew this might happen. We did."

"I can probably be back before Juliana has to go to school." He offered.

She shook her head, sighing and standing up from the couch, naked. Walking around it, she took his hand in hers. "Don't' make us promises, that you can't keep. Try to make it, yes. Do not promise to make it. I'll deal with her, if you can't. Just... come back to us. Make us that promise."

He kissed her, softly. "I promise. I will always come back to you."

A/N: I wanted to get this posted, before i went to work tonight. On a that note, i have three shows this coming weekend, two of them in one night, back to back. so i will try to get the usual two chapters out before i leave on Saturday. 

Other then that, anyone have a few concerns? vote, comment, tell me i need help!