Baby Mine

[Lucy Rogers]

It had been nearly four months since Jamie - as Steve and Lucy had come to call him - had been born. James Steven Rogers, named for his father and his father's closest friend. He was a good baby, for the most part, and the little family had slowly settled into a comfortable routine, but they all knew it wasn't going to last forever. Sooner or later, S.H.I.E.L.D. was going to come calling; sooner or later, Steve and Lucy would be summoned back to work. More than likely, it would be sooner rather than later. Nick Fury wouldn't wait forever. This time with his family was precious to Steve, and he made sure he savored every minute of it. Fatherhood seemed to come easy to him, despite his worries. He had taken to it as quickly as he'd taken to everything else in his life, often taking the night shift, since he didn't need as much sleep as Lucy or Peggy. Tonight was one of those nights where little Jamie Rogers just didn't seem to want to sleep, and Steve had finally taken to the rocking chair to quiet his son's fussing.

He hadn't known much about babies before Jamie had been born. It wasn't something you learned in boot camp, and being an only child growing up, he'd had no younger siblings to help care for. He'd always worried that any child of his might inherit the health problems that had plagued him all his life before he'd submitted to the Super Soldier Serum, but so far, little Jamie seemed healthy and strong. Still, no baby was perfect, and even Jamie had his restless nights. Though Steve had known very little about babies, his instincts rarely steered him wrong, and tonight, the rocking chair seemed to be just the thing for a fussy baby. Moonlight streamed in through the nursery window, casting long shadows against the wall of a big man slowly rocking back and forth with a small whining bundle in his arms. If one listened hard enough, they might even hear him murmuring the words of a lullabye, one he'd heard a long time ago, before the war, before he'd become Captain America. "Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes. Rest your head close to my heart. Never to part, baby of mine..."
   
It wasn't the sound of Jamie whining, or the shuffle of feet against the nursery floor, that woke Lucy from her sleep. No, it was the lack of husband in the bed beside her. She wasn't a light sleeper, but she drifted, falling back to sleep when Steve was there, and waking when he wasn't. Tonight was a little different - for a week or so, her dreams had been growing more and more agitated as the deadline for going back to work reared its ugly head, and tonight, when Steve's presence would have soothed her back to sleep, she woke agitated and anxious, needing to see her baby boy.

Barefoot, she padded to the door of the nursery in the darkness, careful to be quiet and not disturb Peggy who slept below. The sound of Steve's voice met her ears, bringing a gentle smile to her face as she leaned in the doorway. watching her gentle giant of a husband cradling his tiny firstborn son, singing to him softly. There was nothing in the world that could compare to that sight, she was certain, and definitely no one who would dare to disturb it. Not even her.

Despite his enhanced hearing, Steve didn't seem to notice his wife watching in the doorway, his attention focused on the small bundle in his arms. He sang soft and low, his voice slowly lulling the fussy baby back to sleep. Though he was unaware of it, he had what many people call "The Touch" - an innate ability with children that he didn't even know he possessed. Lucy had seen a little of it in New York City a year ago when Steve had tirelessly worked to rescue civilians from the wreckage of Hurricane Sandy. Now, here he was, happily married with a small child of his own. Could it get any better than this? Steve really didn't think so.

As he continued with the song, the little boy in Steve's arms slowly settled and quieted down to sleep, cradled in his father's strong arms, even as his father's voice caught on the words and he quieted, too, lost in a moment that was a mix of wistful memories and hopeful dreams. "Little one when you play, Don't you mind what they say, Let those eyes sparkle and shine, Never a tear, baby of mine."
       
Lucy watched, entranced as much by the sight of her husband and son as she was by the soft cadence of Steve's voice as he sang to Jamie. Whatever agitation had forced her out of sleep was lulled by the gentle lullabye, but she lingered where she was, not wanting to disturb either of them as they rocked together. She didn't know when she had gotten so lucky as to fall in love with this wonderful man, still not quite able to believe that he had married her and given her a beautiful, healthy baby boy to love and share together. It was a dream, one she hoped she never had to wake up from.

Steve quieted, as did the baby's fussing, breaking off and not finishing the song. The only sound that of his breathing and the rhythmic creak of the rocking chair as he pushed it slowly to and fro, reluctant, it seemed, to settle his son back to bed just yet. He lifted a hand to brush a few unexpected tears from his face, unseen in the darkness of night.

Leaning there in the doorway, Lucy didn't need a moment to decide whether or not she was going to disturb them. Fingertips playing at her wedding ring, she smiled and pushed away, backtracking to the bedroom as quietly as she could. No matter how antsy she might get, she was in the enviable position of knowing that their little family was watched over by none other than Captain America. She made her way to the bathroom to get a glass of water, wondering if Steve was going to manage to put Jamie down at all. He seemed very in the zone with his firstborn son tonight.

Steve did finally get up, once he was sure the baby boy was asleep and he had his own emotions in check, and stepped quietly to the crib to settle his small son back down, tucking the blankets very carefully around him, as yet unaware that he'd woken Lucy. He leaned over and brushed a kiss against the baby's forehead before quietly creeping back across the room toward the hallway, leaving the door a little ajar so that he could hear if his son started fussing again. It was then he heard the water running in the bathroom and realized he was not the only one awake in the house.

[Lucy Rogers]

Despite having her glass of water in her hand, Lucy lingered in the bathroom, looking herself in the eye with the helpful assistance of the mirror. She was doing this, on average, three or four times a day at the moment, certain it was going to get a lot more frequent as the days ticked down to her first day back at work. "You can do this," she was telling herself quietly, as firm with herself as she was with Steve or Peggy or anyone who needed telling what they already knew. "You work eight hours a day. Eight hours isn't very long to be away from Jamie. Peggy can handle him. You can't turn into a hermit and hide him and you away from the whole world - you have a job."

Steve paused in the hallway, debating between the bathroom and the bedroom. A little light spilled out into the hallway, and he could hear Lucy quietly lecturing herself. A small frown touched his face, knowing the peace and serenity of their idyllic family life couldn't last forever. One or both of them had to return to work at some point. They had made an agreement with S.H.I.E.L.D. long before Lucy had become pregnant, and Steve had a certain responsibility to uphold. Like Lucy, he couldn't turn into a hermit and hide away forever, even if he wanted to. He had become who he was for a reason, and even if the war was over, there was always something else to fight for. After a moment, he made his decision, turning in the direction of the bathroom and pausing in the doorway. "You can, you know," he remarked quietly. "You don't have to go back to work."

She jumped as he came into view in her reflection, turning to look at him with a wry, apologetic smile. "I do," she argued gently, shrugging one shoulder. "At least until I definitively shut down that line of research into the serum. I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D. not to try and create another version of the serum, and if they run into a dead end, what is to stop them from trying to use you, or our son? I have to prove to them that it's pointless. And I can't do that from home."

His frown deepened at her mention of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the serum that had made him what he was. As far as he knew, there was only one of him in the entire world - presuming Red Skull was dead - and they both knew there were those who'd stop at very little to get their hands on the serum, if they could. "I don't trust them either, but at least this way, we can keep an eye on what they're up to." Somewhat, anyway. There was no saying what was going on behind the scenes, but Steve thought it was better to keep to keep an eye on things from the inside, rather than the outside.

"Exactly," she nodded. She didn't want to be in the position of killing a promising line of research, but she knew why she was doing it. Leaving the glass by the sink, she moved to him, curling her arms about his waist. "I won't let them hurt you, or Jamie," she promised softly. "If they try, I'll rip Fury's other eye out and feed it to him."

He wrapped her in his embrace as she pushed herself into his arms, brushing his nose against her hair for a moment and breathing her in, his voice quiet and hopefully comforting. "They're not gonna hurt me, Luce," he reassured her, though he could never be too sure when it came to S.H.I.E.L.D. They had their own agenda, after all, and he knew Nick Fury would give anything to have an entire army of Steve Rogers at his fingertips. Jamie was another matter all together. "If anyone so much as tries to hurt you or Jamie, they'll have to answer to me."

She smiled at the gentle reassurance, as susceptible to Steve's embrace as their son was. Just having him close was enough to ease her worries and concerns, knowing that somehow Steve would make it all right. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, hands stroking lovingly against his back. "You know, you weren't supposed to hear me giving me a pep talk," she said in a gently playful tone. "You shouldn't have to deal with my separation anxiety."

"You think I'm not gonna have separation anxiety of my own?" he countered, lifting his head to meet her gaze. "I don't wanna leave you and Jamie either, but I can't stay holed up here forever. Sooner or later, Fury's gonna come calling, and I have a responsibility." Of course, she knew all this already. It was almost as if he was trying to talk himself into it as much as she was. He had thoroughly enjoyed the last few months and had felt more at peace with himself and the world than ever before, but he couldn't live like an ostrich with his head in the ground forever, and they both knew it. He had a different set of priorities now though, and a wife and son were at the top of his list.

"No, I know you have the same worries as I do, love," she promised him, understand that it might actually be worse for him than it was for her. "I just don't want to lay my anxiety on you as well." She rose onto her toes to kiss him fondly as another thought occurred to her. "And I have to wear that awful catsuit on my post-baby flobbelly bits. It's going to be so embarrassing."

"That's what I'm here for, Luce," he reminded her gently. Even if he didn't always share his worries with her right away, they almost always ended up talking about their shared problems eventually. There were in this thing together, after all, and he saw no point in keeping anything from her. Besides, he was Steve Rogers - he couldn't really lie even if he wanted to. He had to chuckle a little at her other concern, seeing nothing wrong with her post-baby body. "I wish that's all I had to worry about." He leaned in to brush a protective kiss against her forehead and reached for her hand to draw her back to the bedroom before the baby declared it was time to be fed again. "Back to bed, Mrs. Rogers. I don't want Junior waking up again until morning."

Reassured and drawn out of the bathroom, she cuddled in close to his side as they walked together. Steve might never know just how good he was for his wife; certainly he knew all about her past. She'd told him everything that first night they'd met, sparing no detail, and he had been witness to some of her bad behavior when it came to her reluctant brother. But she wondered if he knew just how badly behaved she would have been if he hadn't been in her life to hold her back from making some truly dreadful mistakes. "Are you going to sleep this time?" she asked him softly, knowing he needed less sleep than she did. But even knowing that, she still wasn't comfortable with how much of the night he spent awake and alone.

"I can try," he replied, turning a warm smile on her as together they headed back to the bedroom. "Would you hold it against me if I just laid there and watched you all night?" he asked, teasing but serious. He had done just that countless nights, and now that he was nearing the time to return to duty, those sleepless nights were happening more often.

[Lucy Rogers]

Lucy laughed softly, bumping her cheek against his shoulder. "And how would I know if you did, right?" she smiled, rolling her eyes. "Just don't count how many times my snoring changes note this time. That was embarrassing."

He smirked at her remark, having enjoyed teasing her about that. The teasing had been harmless enough, though he'd been unaware someone else had been listening at the time. "I was only teasing," he pointed out. "It's not my fault Peggy overheard me." He pushing open the door to their room, pausing for a brief moment to listen for any telltale sounds from the nursery before leading her inside.

"She snores like a freight train, anyway," Lucy muttered, almost to herself. She loved having her great-aunt around, especially now they had put what differences they had had to one side. But there was a distinct lack of privacy, too, which was even worse when Liv and Johnny were staying. As that thought crossed her mind, she smiled once again. "When do you think we're going to get a niece or nephew to play with?"

He chuckled at her remark. He'd never actually heard Peggy snore and wasn't sure he wanted to. It was sometimes awkward enough knowing her former girlfriend was living in the same house with you and your wife and child and had become a Grandma of sorts. Steve let go of her hand so that he could turn and close the door. Little Jamie had only just recently started making use of the nursery, and it was no secret that Steve was still a little nervous about having him so far away from them, though the baby's room was only a few steps away. "No idea," he replied, leaving that door open a crack, as well. Apparently, Steve was a little suspicious of baby monitors. "Have they been trying?"

"I don't know," Lucy admitted, making no mention of her husband's slightly obsessive habit of leaving every door open a crack just in case Jamie cried. "I know they both want children, they want to start a family. Liv hasn't mentioned that they might be trying, but then why would she? If I know my sister, she'll keep it to herself until they have something to tell." She shrugged, reluctantly releasing Steve's hand to crawl into bed.

Steve hadn't really thought much about whether Johnny and Liv were trying to have a family. He just figured it would happen when the time was right, as it had for him and Lucy. "I'm sure when the time is right, it'll happen," Steve reassured her, though he remembered his own fears about having a family. "Johnny's sister has a son, doesn't she?" he mused.

"Yes, Sue has a little boy," she nodded in agreement, wriggling down under the covers and patting the bed beside her in an invitation that was hard to mistake for anything else. There was one concern there, however, that she doubted had actually occurred to her sister yet. "But Sue and Reed were both touched with the same radiation. Liv's just a normal human being at the biological level. They might not be able to conceive."

Steve winced, obviously not having considered that. He just assumed Johnny and Liv wanted to wait a while. They hadn't been married that long, after all, but the other couple seemed to be settling into married life nicely, as far as Steve could tell. "If that's the case, is there anything that could be done to help them? Medically speaking, I mean?" he asked, as he slipped beneath the covers beside her. She was a doctor, and though that might not be her specialty, they had all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s labs at their disposal.

Lucy rolled to curl herself around him as he slipped under the covers with her, a faint frown on her brow as she thought this over. "I can't do anything without knowing about Johnny's biological make up," she admitted ruefully. "And I doubt he'd let me take his blood just to satisfy my curiosity. But having children naturally isn't their only option. I think they'd be awesome foster parents, personally."

"There are a lot of orphans in Rhy'Din," Steve said, remembering the short time he'd spent there. "Whatever happens, I'm sure they'll make great parents someday," he said, turning to face her and reaching over to smooth that frown from her brow with a brush of his lips. "Don't worry, Luce. It will all work itself out one way or another."

"I know it will," she sighed softly, unable to keep frowning with him kissing the crease from her brow. "They'll find a way. No one is ever going to be as determined as Johnny Storm when it comes to something he really wants, deep in his soul, and Liv's not much different." She smiled, cuddling into her husband's arms with a contented groan. "I love you, Steve."

He smiled a little at her remark, not disagreeing with her but not in complete agreement either. "Oh, I don't know. I know someone else who is pretty determined at getting what she wants," he said, wrapping her back up in his protective embrace, content for the moment to just be close. These quiet peaceful moments between them were few and far between these days and deeply cherished by both.

She giggled softly, more than content to be wrapped up in his arms, as appreciative as he was for the tender quiet they shared. "Lucky you for marrying her, then," was grinned affectionately against his chest as she settled in, her body relaxing easily against the contour of his. "Do you think Fury's busy changing all the codes on the doors so I can't embarrass him during his high level briefings anymore?"

Her declaration of love made his heart swell, as it always did when she said it, only making him love her all the more. "Luck had nothing to do with it," he said, holding her close, though he still wasn't quite sure what force it was that had brought him to Rhy'Din in the first place. "Are you changing the subject, Mrs. Rogers?" he asked, a teasing gleam in his blue eyes.

She met his gaze as innocently as she could, which was, admittedly, not very innocent, given how cheeky her smile was. "That is a distinct possibility, Captain Rogers," she conceded in a playful tone, brown eyes sparkling with affectionate amusement. "Why, can't you imagine Director Cyclops hiding behind his desk as soon as I get into work?"

He chuckled again, amused by her obvious distaste of Nick Fury. Though Steve wasn't a big fan, he did owe Fury a certain amount of allegiance. If it wasn't for S.H.I.E.L.D.,  he'd more than likely still be in a state of suspended animation beneath a thick layer of ice and water. "You talk like he's actually afraid of you."

[Lucy Rogers]

"If I didn't convince myself he's afraid of me, I wouldn't be able to stand up to him so much," she confessed with a lopsided smile. "It's a weird bit of psychology that works on me, that's all. Besides, who else is going to stand up to him, apart from you? Every other agent I've meant is already in the air before they remember to ask him how high he wants them to jump."

"Somebody has to keep him on his toes," Steve admitted. He and Nick Fury weren't always in agreement. He had a feeling they certainly wouldn't be in agreement when it came to research on the serum, but as of yet, Fury had yet to mention it. Ironically, it had been Tony Stark who'd opened Steve's eyes to the truth behind S.H.I.E.L.D., and though Steve remained a loyal soldier, his first loyalty was to his family and friends, then his nation. S.H.I.E.L.D. figured in somewhere after that. "Has he said anything to you about the serum recently?"

"Nothing concrete," Lucy mused. "I mean, he keeps asking after Jamie's health, but I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt on that one. Babies make even the weirdest people a little bit gooey. That, and he knows that if he sanctions anything to do with our son, he'll have a whole load of trouble on his hands."

"I wonder if I should officially draw that line in the sand," Steve mused again. He'd thought it had gone without saying, but one could never be too sure where S.H.I.E.L.D. was involved. "You know, he'll make it seem like he's trying to be helpful."

"I know," she agreed softly. "I hate that you and Jamie are in this position, sweetheart. It's so wrong of them to want this. What happens if they get what they want, and then use it? All it would take would be for one member of that oh-so-secret council to become dominant, and there's a country with an army of unstoppable soldiers that no one knows about. It's frightening."

"It's not going to happen because we're not going to let it. If I have to, I'll call in every favor owed me by everyone I know to prevent it. Fury knows if he tries anything, he'll be starting something he won't be able to finish." If he had to, he'd call on the Avengers for help, and then Fury really would have a war on his hands.

Not to mention the fact that the Fantastic Four would probably pile in as well. Steve's influence stretched wider than he probably thought. "No, it's not going to happen," she agreed with a slow nod. "To either of you, no matter what we're threatened with. So no being the hero to protect our son in this situation, all right?"

"You know I can't promise that, Luce," Steve said with a small frown. "Our son's safety is the most important thing." He wasn't trying to be difficult, only honest. He would do anything and everything in his power to keep those he loved safe. He'd already proven that time and again. It was who he was; he couldn't be any other way.

"Not in this instance," she told him, though she knew what he was talking about. "If the danger is to both of you, because of your blood, promise me you'll find another way to deal with it. Promise me. Protecting the millions of innocent people out there is bigger than our family, and I know that sounds cold and not something a mother should say, but it's the truth. Harsh, but the truth."

"Nothing is bigger than our family, Lucy," he disagreed. There might have been a time when he wouldn't have felt that way, when he wouldn't have agreed with his own statement, but that time was past. "If I can't protect my own family, what good am I? You and Jamie mean more to me than anything. I'm nothing without you." That wasn't quite true, but to him, it was. Life without them was meaningless to him now. He had already lost so much; he didn't want to lose anyone else.

"Let's stop talking about it," she suggested, not wanting to get into a fight they were never going to resolve while they were in bed together. Her fingers traced his lips tenderly as she shook her head. "Now isn't the time or place for this conversation, sweetheart."

"Lucy," he started, needing her to know one very important thing, which already mostly went without saying. "I love you, and I love Jamie, and I'm not gonna let anything happen to either of you." He looked almost desperate for her to understand this, though he was hoping they were both worrying for nothing.

"Steve, I know that," she promised him, meeting and hold his gaze with the same intensity. As amazing as he was, he was only human, a state she shared. "Don't you think it goes both ways, too? I won't let anything happen to you or Jamie, either. You're my world, I'd be nothing without you."

Steve held her gaze with a watery gaze of his own. "I know. I know, Luce, but we're in this together, right? We're not gonna let anything happen to Jamie. So long as we stick together, everything will be fine." He had to believe that. They were stronger together than apart. "I just love you so much..." He broke off, drawing her closer. He had never said that to anyone before meeting her, not even his closest friend.

Wrapping her arms around him, Lucy held on tight as he drew her close, her heart beating the same rhythm as his, understanding the soft desperation in loving someone so deeply that you couldn't imagine life without them. They'd been together just one year, and Steve was already an indelible part of her heart and soul. "Nothing is going to happen," she told him in a gentle whisper. "Nothing."

"Right," he agreed, hoping to God she was right. "Because we aren't going to let it," he told her, holding tightly to her, not only because he loved her, but because he wanted to hold on tightly forever, afraid he might lose her the way he'd lost Bucky and Peggy and everyone else he'd ever cared about. But he wasn't going to let that happen again. Whether Nick Fury was friend or foe, he wasn't going to let the man control his life or put his family in any harm, no matter what.

[size=9]((Sweet, simple, and awesome as always - thanks to Steve's player!))[/size]