A/N - Welcome to the final full-length fic in my Madison Barton series. I can't believe we've finally made it! There will be more one-shots to follow in a separate book. I haven't decided on a title yet.

*Five Years Later*

"This channel's always active. So, if anything goes sideways anyone's making trouble where they shouldn't, comes through me," Natasha told the others.

Nebula, Rocket, and Okoye stepped off the call.

Carol turned to Rhodey. "Good luck."

She stepped off the call and Rhodey turned to Natasha.

Natasha sighed and then looked up, realizing Rhodey was still there. "Where are you?" she asked.

"Mexico. The Federales found a room full of bodies. Looks like a bunch of cartel guys never even had a chance to get their guns off."

"It's probably a rival gang."

"Except it isn't. It's definitely Barton. What he's done here, what he's been doing for the last few years...I mean, the scene that he left...I gotta tell you there's a part of me that doesn't even wanna find him."

"Will you find out where he's going next?" Natasha took a bite of her peanut butter sandwich.

"Nat?"

"Please?"

Rhodey nodded. "Okay." He stepped off the call and Natasha started to cry.

How could she tell her Baby Bird what her father had been doing? The father who hadn't even bothered to check and see if his eldest daughter was still alive. Keeping this secret was eating her alive, but she kept it nonetheless.

Madison needed to focus on raising her daughter.

"You know, I'd offer to cook you dinner, but you seem pretty miserable already," Steve said.

"You here to do your laundry?" Natasha asked.

"And to see a friend."

"Clearly, your friend is fine."

"You know, I saw a pod of whales when I was coming over the bridge."

"In the Hudson?"

"There's fewer ships, cleaner water."

"You know, if you're about to tell me to look on the bright side...um...I'm about to hit you in the head with a peanut butter sandwich."

"Sorry. Force of habit." Steve dropped his jacket and sat down across from Natasha.

"You should take Piper for a drive across the bridge next time. I'm sure she'd love to see the whales. Madison's been trying to teach her to swim, you know?"

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"How is she?"

Natasha shrugged. "She seems fine, but I know she misses him. She puts all her attention into Piper."

"You know, I keep telling everyone they should move on and grow. Some do. But not us."

"If I move on, who does this?"

"Maybe it doesn't need to be done."

"I used to have nothing. And then I got this. This job. This family. My daughter. My granddaughter. And I was better because of it. And even though they're gone, I'm still trying to be better."

"I think we both need to get a life."

"You first."

They heard little footsteps running into the meeting room.

"Steve!" Piper yelled, seeing him.

Steve stood up and caught her. "Look at you! I swear you get bigger every time I see you!" he said, kissing her head.

Natasha smiled.

"What?" Steve asked her.

"Nothing. Like mother like daughter."

Madison came into the room. "There you are. Oh hey Steve". Madison took her daughter from him.

"Oh! I brought you something", Steve told Piper. He pulled something out of his pocket and put it around her neck.

Madison looked down and saw it was her necklace.

The one that Steve had gifted her before he left for DC. The same one she had returned to him following the Battle of Sokovia.

"You kept it all these years?" she asked him.

"It's yours Madison. I couldn't give it to anyone else."

A screen popped up in front of Natasha and she swiped at it with her finger.

"Oh, hi, hi! Uh, is anyone home? This is, uh, Scott Lang. We met a few years ago at the airport in Germany? I was the guy that got really big. I had a mask on. You wouldn't recognize me."

"Is this an old message?" Steve asked.

"Ant-Man? I know you know that."

"It's the front gate," Natasha said.

"I really need to talk to you guys!"

"Okay, it's time for bedtime, Chickadee. It's already way past your bedtime", Madison told Piper.

"But mama!"

"Nope. Upstairs."

Piper pouted and looked up at her mother.

"Nice try Chickadee, but not gonna work. I'll be up to tuck you in in a bit", she told her.

"Can Steve tuck me in?"

It was clear that Piper saw Steve as a father figure in the absence of Pietro. Steve had been there throughout her whole pregnancy and afterwards.

"Yeah", Steve told her, "I'll meet you in your room."

Piper ran out of the room and Madison turned to Steve.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know. Something's off. I just...I don't wanna fight anymore. I just wanna raise my daughter, Steve."

"And you will," Steve promised her.