Three months later, things were good. Oh, how good they truly were.

The last stages of the upcoming wedding were coming together perfectly, and Tony was as happy as you had ever seen him. Clint and Nat came to the conclusion that Allie's gift really wasn't bad after all, because it did make her so happy, and ultimately it kept Dodger from peeing on the floor in all that time. Sam and Bucky were almost never home anymore unless it was time for a mission, and you didn't care where they were; as long as they always came home happy, you were happy for them. Vision finally learned to cook enough to make an edible, full dinner for the team, thanks to Wanda's guidance, but you had the inkling that he already knew how and was just using the time to be next to her. Even with so many small joys happening around you, the thing that made you the happiest was within your own little family.

Your trio had survived the worst surges of their new hormones, finally finding a balance within themselves that saved the compound thousands of their grandpa's dollars in damages and unnecessary visits by the Fire Marshall. Sure, there were a few random moments when Anthony let an emotion slip and it hit you unexpectedly, but it was nothing like in the beginning. Then there was the time when Brooklyn got distracted by a cute boy crossing her path during a walk in Central Park with her Uncle Thor; that was the day he learned that lifting the hammer didn't require her to touch it, but he also learned the very hard way that her aim was vicious. All in all, they were getting the hang of it, and it hit you that they were beginning to become people of the world in their own right.

But now, on a quiet night when the kids were out with Tony on a run into the city, Steve stumbled upon Anthony's personal tablet lying carelessly on the kitchen table. He paused with a hovering hand to let his conscience guide him to do the right thing, but curiosity won him over; he didn't want to spy on his boy, but after the slap in the face of reality that he had seen in Wakanda, he couldn't help himself.

Steve hummed to himself quietly, his almost empty glass in one hand and his other nudging the device towards him. He glanced through the open door towards where you were waiting for him and then behind himself, still trying to sound as innocent as possible and failing miserably; he couldn't figure out if humming or whistling sounded more believable, so it just came out as a jumbled mess of the two. When he decided that the coast was clear, a quick swipe of his thumb over the glass brought the screen to life, and there it was, plain as day.

"Um, doll?" he coughed out, his voice barely strong enough to carry into the next room to reach you.

"What?" you called back, holding your position on the couch. If you were getting precious quiet time while the kids were away, you weren't about to let him steal a moment. You had been diligently working on the final song list for Tony and Pepper's wedding, and with the bachelor and bachelorette parties only a few days away, you were acutely feeling the pressure.

"I think I screwed up."

"Of course you do," you groaned. You dropped your pen down on your planner with a loud slap, absentmindedly dropping a few business cards and scrap papers with scribbled notes onto the ground next to you. "What the hell did you do now, Steve?" You could tell that he was actually a little concerned, the sound of his steps coming closer to you almost frantic in their rhythm. When he turned the corner and came to face you, he looked apologetic and quite guilty. "That's Ant's tablet..."

"I didn't mean to read it..."

"Steve, you didn't."

"Okay, well...maybe I did, but just a little. I tried to stop myself! I really did!"

"Your self-control is admirable," you huffed, tossing the quilt from atop your legs with a sharp snap of your wrist so that you could stand. Your realized that your free time was clearly over, hearing him wince when you slapped the covers of your book together angrily and threw it onto the table next to you. "Give me that."

"Yes, ma'am."

You closed the screen and waited for it to fade to black, clutching the device to your chest with your arms crossed over it, looking at your husband expectantly for what had to be a remarkable reason for violating his son's privacy. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself? Why?"

"He has a girlfriend."

"Okay?"

"That's it?"

"What did you want me to say? Oh, my GOD!" you exclaimed, slapping a hand to your chest. "No one ever told me that these kids would get older! They're not supposed to become people, Steve! How dare he use his feelings to get close to another person! He didn't even ask us for permission!"

Steve raised an eyebrow slowly, his expression filled with annoyance at your mocking tone and ease of dealing with something that he clearly wasn't ready for. He was trying to decide if he was really upset because this wasn't bothering you, or if he was upset because you became okay with it so much faster than he would. He always tried to be open-minded and supportive of his children, and he wanted to be now, but his gut was churning at the image of Anthony with that girl in Wakanda, and he just couldn't bring himself to get there yet.

"Really? That's your play?"

"Steve, this shouldn't be this big of a shock," you answered, softening your tone. "So, tell me. What did you see?"

"You can't just look for yourself?"

"Why should I when you've already done the crime?" He didn't give in right away, but you knew that he would break eventually; he almost always did. All you had to do was give him a little smirk, take a few slow steps closer, maybe touch his arm over the muscles that had destroyed so many of his shirts, let out a contented hum at the feel of his skin, and sigh as you looked up at those pools of blue with a little pout in your lips. "Come on, just tell me."

"Nope," he answered flatly, taking a step back.

"Nope?"

"I know what you're doing," he pointed at you skeptically, "you think you just have to play to my ego and I'll give. Well, doll, those days are over. I'm on to you."

"Oh...okay..." you whispered, lowering your tone sadly and dropping your gaze to your feet, "that's...that's fine. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem like that's what I was doing."

Now you had Steve completely befuddled; he stood silently and watched you, no clue at all if you were being genuine or not. If he had really hurt your feelings, he would go to the ends of the earth to atone for it. If you really were playing him, you certainly were a master and a force to be reckoned with. But, dammit if you didn't look like he had torn your heart in half and crushed your soul beneath his feet.

"He's been talking to the girl from Wakanda," he buckled, his words quickly spilled forth. "But, babe...they used the "L" word."

"Love?"

"Like!" he answered, wide eyed with fear, "they said that they really like each other. Like...they like like each other."

"Please don't say like ever again. It's lost all meaning."

"Why are you not freaking out?!"

"Why are you?!"

"Because I like liked you for a long time before we got together, and look at us now! He's too young for this!"

"Yes," you snickered, "Anthony is too young to get married and have triplets. I definitely agree."

Steve threw up his hands in defeat and reached out for the tablet, taking it from your hands with a quick snap and a sarcastic laugh. "You're impossible. I'm freaking out because I know how boys think at this age, doll. We've got a hormonally charged boy on our hands, and I'm just not ready to become a grandpa yet."

"I'll never figure out how your mind works, Steve. How in the hell did you make the leap from them liking each other to us becoming grandparents? I thought that Dad broke speed records, but my god, you just crushed them. Honey, listen to me, if Ant could pick any girl, anywhere, he just chose to date the most heavily guarded one on the planet. T'Challa would never-"

"Miss?" FRIDAY broke in. "Pardon the interruption, but you have a guest at the main door asking for you."

A quick exchanged glance of questioning passed between the two of you, with Steve shrugging his shoulders curiously. "You expecting anyone?"

"No? FRIDAY, who is it?"

"It's Mr. Fury. He's brought a guest that he's very anxious for you to see, and asks that you 'move your ass down there'."

~~~

You hadn't seen Nick since Tony had kicked him out of the building three months ago; you hadn't heard a single word from him or had any messages sent your way in all that time. You had begun to think that maybe he really had just given in and left this life behind, but hearing that he was back now left you realizing that the two of you still had much in common. Nick wasn't a man to give up, and when such a large part of his life was about this team, you laughed at the idea that you could have considered anything else.

"I'm glad that Tony's not here," Steve said softly, walking at your side as you hurried your way across the building and towards the main entrance. "Although, one wrong word and I'll toss him on his ass for everyone."

"It's been three months, Steve."

"So? How many years did he screw with your head? Three months to think about what he did isn't nearly enough."

"I wonder who he brought with him?" you deflected. Steve was just being his usual overprotective self, and you knew that if you really wanted to give Nick another chance, he would go along with it without argument. You had gone through the discussion of how people could change so many times that you could practically recite his lines, and he knew better than to open those up again.

The two of you reached the door to the stairwell at the same time, but Steve paused, pushing it open and holding it for you to make your way down first. You ducked under his arm and ran your hand over his abdomen as you passed by, just purely out of habit, but it left him shuddering at the sensation; he would have normally found this sensation a pleasing one, but this time he only felt his anxiety building for you.

"Hey, I'm good," you reassured, taking his hand, "no matter who he brought, It can't be any worse than good old Mom and Hydra Dad, right?"

"That's not funny."

"It's a little funny," you smirked, deciding that the words you had said to soothe him actually were true and no matter who you were about to meet, you weren't about to let them ruin the streak of happiness that you were finally enjoying. After a quick rise up on your toes to kiss his cheek, you hurried down the rest of the stairs and opened the door into the entry foyer. "Holy mother of God..." you gasped, slapping your hand over your mouth in pure shock at the sight before you.

"Hey, (Y/N). Cap," Phil smiled softly, giving you an uncertain and shaky wave before nervously shoving his hands in his pockets. "I didn't get my invitation, and not even death is gonna keep me from Tony Stark's funeral...I mean...wedding..."

"You're...y-you're..." you stammered, feeling the room begin to spin as you fought to breathe slower, "Phil...you're..."

"Not dead," Steve added, grabbing your arm, though his eyes never left your visitor. "I don't understand..."

"I didn't mean to hide this from you all for so long, I swear," Nick stepped forward, holding his hands up as if to ask you to not run away, but also to not come at him again. "At the time, it was the best decision for everyone. But now," he sighed, "it's time for me to show you that not everything I do is bad."