It makes me smile that you guys get so invested that you're starting to guess things that will happen in future parts. Also, I worry that I'm becoming predictable... :)

Some language

The party was pretty well underway when you and Steve arrived after checking on the babies more times than would ever really be necessary. The bar that Sam had reserved was small and quaint despite its location at the center of Manhattan; it was a welcome change in scenery from the compound, and nice to have a party somewhere other than in its lounge again.

"I'll grab us a drink, if you want to go on in."

"Sure," you nodded, gathering your nerves. It wasn't the people around you that gave you pause, but rather the new wave of guilt that you had left your trio at home to go out and have fun. They had already been without you enough, and the feeling only grew stronger with each passing minutes. With a quick scan of the room, you found Natasha with Sam and made your way straight to them.

"Hey, (Y/N)," Sam greeted eagerly, wrapping his arm heavily over your shoulders to hold you next to him, "you guys made it! I was worried that we wouldn't be able to get you away from those kids of yours."

"It was touch-and-go for a minute, but Steve's stronger than me."

"I find that hard to believe," Nat smiled against the glass that pressed against her lips before she took a drink.

"No, I mean stronger, like throw me over his shoulder and physically drag me away."

"Well that makes more sense," Sam nodded, waving his hand to summon Steve to the group. "Hey, Cap."

"Hey guys. Here," he held out a glass to you and paused for you to take it before taking a drink from his own. You lifted it to your lips as he tried to stop you, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Oh god, Steve, what is this?" you grimaced, handing it back.

"Yeah, I gave you the wrong one. This is yours," he apologized, switching glasses quickly. "Sorry, doll."

"Ugh, you know just because it takes a lot to even get a buzz, it doesn't mean that you have to put the entire bar in one glass. That's terrible, Steve."

"Come on, its not that bad. I haven't even asked Thor to spice it up yet."

"So it's safe to say that I'll be driving home?"

"You will?" he replied eagerly, pulling away to search the room for the Asgardian. "Great! Thanks, I'll be right back!"

All you could do was shake your head and smile, enjoying seeing him relaxed and able to have a good time now that life was beginning to settle into some sense of normalcy again. In fact, looking out over the group, everyone appeared to be their old selves again, and the lines of Team Cap and Team Iron Man were finally dissolved. One partygoer in particular caught your eye, so you excused yourself from the pair and hurried to him.

"Hey! I didn't know you were going to be here!"

"I would never think to turn down an invitation if it meant that I could see you again, (Y/N)," T'Challa smiled widely as he pulled you into a hug. "Your happiness is glowing. Motherhood suits you."

"Thanks, it's been a bumpy road so far, but things are looking up."

"Yes, your father told me about what's been happening, so I knew that I had to see you for myself. I'm grateful that your teammates are finding a way back together and that you've found your family again, (Y/N)."

"So am I." You paused for a moment, looking out over the group again, letting his words sink in and enjoying the relief that they gave you. Each day had brought a glimpse into the version of you that you had known before your depression came, and this moment was one more to add to that. The sounds of laughter filled the bar, from voices that were filled with anger and spite towards each other not all that long ago. You dared to let yourself give into it and just enjoy the night.

"I heard that Clint was going to set up a game of darts," T'Challa broke into your thoughts, "claiming that he can beat everyone with his eyes closed and one hand tied behind his back? It would seem that beating him would be easy."

"He'll still win," you replied with no lack of certainty.

"I don't believe that."

"And that, my friend, is why you will fail."

~~~

After about an hour of revelry and celebration, the party shifted to the life-or-death game of darts that Clint had promised, and just as you had defended, Clint was winning against anyone who took him up on the bet. He was drunk enough to barely stand steady, but still hit a bullseye with every throw of his darts. T'Challa himself bowed to the archer after his own defeat, going so far as to throw out a 'your highness' to Clint as he walked away.

"He'll never forget that," you said with a gentle elbow nudge into T'Challa. "He'll want to be called that all the time now, so thank you for that."

"Pardon me, (Y/N), your highness," Vision interrupted, "but might I have a word with you alone, (Y/N)? It will be but a moment of your time."

"Yeah, Viz, sure," you replied. "Excuse me, I'll be back."

"Certainly. Please, don't feel that you have to entertain me, (Y/N). I'll make my way." T'Challa took his nearly empty glass in hand, returning to the bar before disappearing from sight into the group.

When you turned back to Vision, he appeared almost nervous and he was looking anywhere but at you, seeming completely out of character, which put you slightly on edge. "Vision, is something wrong?"

"No, not exactly," he replied, still averting his eyes, "it's just that I'm having unexpected...feelings...regarding our experience during the birth of your children. I was not anticipating being a part of something that has created such a lasting effect."

"In what way?"

"I replay the events over and over in my mind, and as remarkable as they were, I find it difficult to be in your presence without some level of discomfort."

"Okay..." you sighed with an air of confusion. You stood and watched him for a moment as you struggled to understand what he was saying, until it finally came to you like a slap into wakefulness when your mind allowed you to see it. "Oh, Viz, you're embarrassed. Is that right?"

"I suppose that it would be the closest word to explain it...yes. I believe that I'm struggling with a breach of boundaries and am unable to reconcile it in my mind."

"I'm not embarrassed at all," you smiled, with a gentle hand over his arm. "Steve told you that I was okay, didn't he? The only thing that we both feel about what you did is thankfulness, Viz. We can never repay you for how much you helped us."

He paused and finally looked up at you, his expression shifting to the closest thing that you could imagine as being relieved. "Alright, in that case, I shall try to find a way to move beyond it."

"You believe me, don't you?"

"Yes, (Y/N), I believe you," he nodded, "thank you. I also came to tell you that Captain Rogers was looking for you, and that you should meet him at the center of the dance floor...now."

When he paused, the lights darkened and the music shifted to something much slower. As you realized that it was the song from your first dance at your wedding, you shook your head in disbelief and hurried to his side with your friends all watching along.

"Care to dance with me?"

"You're such a sap, Rogers."

"I prefer hopeless romantic, but sap will do," he smiled, wrapping an arm around your waist and spinning you into him. "We haven't done this in far too long. We used to go dancing all the time."

"It's going to be even less now," you sighed as you swayed to the music against him, "so enjoy this while you can."

"It doesn't have to be. I don't ever want you to think that you don't come first, (Y/N). Even with days that are going to be busier and challenging like we've never known before, you're number one." You pushed back slightly to reply, but he continued before you could. "Yes, the kids are beyond important to me, before you say anything. You know that I'd die for any one of them in a second. But I wouldn't even have them without you."

His hand slid down your arm and into yours, taking a firm grip to push you away and give you a gentle spin to the music before pulling you against him again. As you rested your head against his chest, his heartbeat was slow and steady in your ear, and his deep voice echoed within his chest as he spoke.

"I wouldn't have anything without you, (Y/N)."

~~~

Once home, Steve barely had his truck in park before you were out the door and making your way to the elevator, anxious to see your kids so you could finally make the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach gone. If this was how you were going to feel every time that you left them for more than a few minutes, you worried that you would never leave the compound again.

Your heels clicked along the wood floor towards their room, and you realized that you walking heavier than normal in your partially inebriated state. Pausing to throw the uncomfortable footwear carelessly to the ground, you stopped at the nursery door and slowly pushed it open with held breath, scared that any sound could wake them. If they were to wake up now, you wouldn't be able to sleep off your buzz any time soon.

Peeking your head through the small opening that allowed for a little beam of light to enter the room, you looked from one crib to the next and found nothing. They weren't there. Your mind raced with a thousand logical reasons for their absence along with a thousand terrible ones, the latter of which were quickly winning. "Friday, where are they?"

"Anna left the building with the children forty-five minutes ago."

"Where the hell did she go?"

"They reached the limits of the compound grounds and I can no longer track them, miss."

Your heart was so loud now that you couldn't think straight, practically stumbling your way to the stairs to find Steve on the level below, tripping on a few on your way down. "Friday, tell Steve to meet me at the main entrance." When you reached the final step and burst through the door, Steve was waiting there for you, looking like Friday had already filled him in on the situation.

"Try to stay calm, (Y/N), she might just be taking a walk."

"A walk? Steve, it's 1am." You could feel the panic building in your stomach and your chest felt like someone was standing on it as you tried to breathe. You had seen so many terrible things in your career as an Avenger, and had been through your fair share of pain, but this was unlike any of that. "Steve, what if she took them? Where do we even start-"

"Ma'am," Friday interrupted, "she's approaching the front door, and the children are with her."

When the door opened, she was greeted by both you and Steve, freezing her in place as it closed behind her. The looks on your faces scared her, but she was more concerned with what you were going to say or do beyond anything that the Captain could bring.

"Where the hell did you go, Anna? It's after midnight, and they should be in bed where I can find them, not off to who the fuck knows where with someone that I barely know!"

"I couldn't get them to sleep," she replied calmly and in direct contrast to your tone, "so I thought a walk would help. I saw that you were home so I hurried back."

"You knew that we would be home at 1. You should've texted or left a goddamn note or something so I didn't come home and find my children gone. Do you know how scared I was? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Okay, (Y/N), calm down," she replied much more sternly this time. She reached down to the stroller to cover the kids and shield them from the sound, but you reached out and yanked it away from her. "I don't know how Tony raised you, but you're being very disrespectful."

"Oh, fuck off, mother."

The collective audible gasp from Anna and Steve would have been entertaining had the situation not been so volatile. Tony had now appeared at your side after Friday alerted him that she had taken the kids from the compound, but immediately felt relived at the sight of them with you. Steve was almost statuesque, his mouth agape at the sudden revelation that he never could have seen coming.

"Yeah, I know it's you," you continued, "don't act so surprised, it's insulting."

"When did you know?" she whispered, her eyes wide.

"When you told me that you were happy about Tony loving me so much. Then when you put your hand over mine, I saw that we have the same hands." You took the handle of the stroller and turned it away from her so that she couldn't see inside, holding it steady behind you as you protected it. "Now if you don't mind, please step away from my children and get the fuck out of my home."

"Sweetheart, I think you're overreacting-"

"Feel free to go with her, Tony," you spat, turning angrily towards him. "Did you know?"

"(Y/N)-"

"No, don't try to bullshit your way out of this, Dad. Did you know?"

Tony took a small step back, his eyes darting to Anna and Steve before finally resting his gaze on you again. His eyes were sad and tired, either from the moment or the fact that he had just come home from a night of partying, but either way, you didn't fall prey to them.

"Yes," he sighed, "but not right away. Not until I started talking to her after that night in the café, I swear. She took a job there just in the hopes of getting a glimpse of you one day. I thought that this might be a way for the two of you to get to know each other and maybe for her to help you. She wants to know you and her grandchildren, (Y/N). How could I say no to that?"

"By saying no, Tony. I can't fucking believe this." You groaned and pinched the bridge of your nose, trying to put your feelings into words but your mind was slowed by the effects of alcohol and medications that were meant to keep you level. "I thought that I would give you a chance, that maybe you were different, and that maybe you were someone that I could learn to forgive, but I can't see that ever happening."

"(Y/N), I only took them for a walk, I didn't leave."

"That's not the point anymore. It's only made me realize that I don't think that I can make this work. I'm sorry, but I know myself enough to know that I'll never be able to trust you." Turning away from her for the last time, you took your children and made your way to the elevator, vowing to never let them out of your sight again. "How could I expect you to be a grandmother to them when you were never even a mother to me?"