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He lands the Quinjet near a cliff, only a thick forest and the ocean surrounding them. Steve doesn’t move from the pilot’s seat for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
He’d just fought the people he thought were his family. Yes, he managed to save Bucky from being locked up, or worse - killed. But the people who trusted him and stood by him payed the price for his actions. The last thing he saw before flying away from the Berlin airport was his friends getting arrested.
“Steve?” Bucky’s voice was small. He couldn’t see Steve’s face, only his stiff shoulders.
Steve shook his head, pulling himself out of his thoughts. “Yeah, Buck?”
“What do we do?”
Steve didn’t say anything. He was still looking for the answer himself. He stands up and frantically walks up and down the small cabin of the jet. A few times he pauses, as if he’s about to speak, but then he shakes his head and keeps on pacing.
“Steve.” Bucky demands his attention after a few minutes. “We should go back.”
The man looks down at his friend, sat in the passenger seat, his safety belts still on. “You’re right.” He takes quick steps towards the cockpit and starts hitting some buttons.
Bucky is frozen. He doesn’t actually want to get locked up again. But it wasn’t fair that the others got captured, either.
A female voice caught his attention. “Rogers?”
“Nat.” Steve sounds breathless, probably because his heart is beating very fast at what he’s about to do.
“Where are you? Are you okay?” Natasha’s voice over the speaker is hushed. She must be in public.
“We’re fine. What about the others?” Steve spoke, an urgency to his voice.
“They’ve been taken to the Raft an hour ago.”
“I’m gonna need your help with something.” Steve sat in the pilot’s seat again, buckling his seatbelt.
“My help?! With what, Steve?” the pitch of her voice raised a bit in frustration. “One wrong move and Tony will send me there as well. Do you even know how pissed he is at me for letting you go?” she finished in a whisper.
“I wanna break them out.”
“What?” Natasha and Bucky’s shocked question was met with the sound of the engine starting.
“They shouldn’t be on the Raft. I need to get them out of there.”
The jet starts lifting off the ground. “Steve-”
“Listen Nat. I can fly over there and do it myself, but I doubt that will end well. I know this is too much to ask for, but can you help me?” Steve is aware this could go very very badly. But he couldn’t just leave them.
Natasha sighs after a few seconds of thought. “I’ll see what I can do.” She ends the call.
The silence between the men is heavy. Bucky clears his throat after a few moments. “Do you have plan?”
“Sort of.”
“Where will we go if this works?”
“When this works, we’ll go somewhere safe.” the Captain set course towards the Atlantic ocean.
_ _ _ _
Only days later, in the middle of the night, Natasha Romanoff hacks into the Raft’s systems. Cameras, audio footage, locks - it’s all in her grasp. She disables the scanners before they are detected. She creates a diversion that brings all the guards to one of the lower levels and loops the camera footage so there is no trace of their presence in the jail.
James Barnes is piloting this time, ready to fly off at any moment.
Steve Rogers quickly finds the room where his friends are held in individual high-tech cells. His heart breaks at the sight of Wanda Maximoff in a collar and handcuffs.
With a click and a whoosh, the cells are open. The sound catches the attention of the prisoners, who worriedly look around for an explanation.
A smile on his face, Sam pushes the glass door open and walks over to his friend, hugs him tightly. He can’t help the bark of laughter that leaves him.
The others follow. Steve removes Wanda’s restraints with a key he managed to steal from the guards room.
They are free. Now all they have to do is run.
_ _ _ _
There was only five of them left now. After a couple of weeks in hiding, Scott and Clint deemed it safe enough to return to their families. Steve hoped they made it and were alright.
When the two decided to leave, he’d asked Wanda and Sam if he should drop them off somewhere. Wanda had said she had nowhere else to go, Sam only shrugged and continued his conversation with Bucky. He’d asked Natasha too, but she decided she didn’t feel like facing Stark’s wrath quite yet.
So they stayed. They stayed and followed Steve around the globe for almost two years. They would use the jet for a short while, until they couldn’t get their hands on any fuel anymore. Trains, boats, stolen cars. Then abandoned buildings and cheap hotels paid with cash he didn’t care to ask where Nat and Bucky got it from.
It was a long time to be in the run, but he had to be sure. He couldn’t possibly endanger them.
The news had stopped showing their mugshots after some months, Natasha’s intel showed no signs of them still being hunted.
They were safe. They just need to run a bit further.
_ _ _ _
They end up somewhere in north England, in a long abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of a small city.
“There’s something I need to do. Stay here.” Steve tells them about three days into their stay there. They’re confused but they trust him. He hasn’t failed them even once since the day he got them out of the Raft.
He st– borrows a car, drives down the familiar streets. He could probably find his way in that city with his eyes closed. He doesn’t even have to think twice before parking in front of a small coffee shop.
He walks inside, the little place so familiar, it could be his home. There’s only one person in line to the counter and he takes his place them, looking around. It’s not very busy, but the group of teenagers in the far corner sure makes it sound crowded.
There you are, behind the counter, all smiles, chatting away with who Steve thinks must be a regular customer. Your smile sends a wave of warmth straight to his bones, even if it isn’t directed at him. Just looking at you buzzing around like a little bee makes him feel more at ease than he’s felt in years.
_ _ _ _
You finish Aura’s usual latte and hand it to her with a smile. She hums in appreciation when she sips from the cup, handing you the money with her free hand. With a Thanks! , she turns to leave, almost bumping into the man standing in line behind her.
You shake your hade at her and finish the transaction on the register and drop the coins in their designated slots. Without looking up, you ask the next customer, who leans his arm against the counter. “What can I get you?”
“Just a large black coffee to go, please.” A familiar voice tells you.
You recognise it immediately, of course you do. You would recognise it in any crowd. Doing your best to hide the shock that washes over you, you look up.
He looks so different, but still so himself. His hair is so much longer than it was the last time you saw him, beard fluffy. His eyes are tired, the longing he feels obvious in them. Steve.
You worry someone might recognise him, but when you take a peek around the shop, no one is paying any attention to what’s happening at the counter. In his worn jacket, he’s just another passerby looking for his fix of caffeine.
You turn to the coffee machine, grab a large cup and quickly scribble on its bottom. You make his coffee and hand it to him with your best customer service smile, in case someone is watching. He hands you the money and drops a few coins in the tips jar and then leaves without a word.
_ _ _ _
“You went out to grab yourself a coffee?” Sam’s voice is almost a screech, he was beyond pissed. “Where’s our coffees?”
Steve finishes the drink without a word and turns the cup around to show them there’s something written on the bottom.
Back alley
8 pm
“What’s that?” Natasha steps closer in interest.
“Help.” He simply says.
_ _ _ _
It’s your turn to close the shop that night. You’ve already finished cleaning up and went through the usual routine of putting the money in the safe and putting the shutter down at the front.
Policy says you should throw all unsold sandwiches in the trash, but there’s no way that’s happening tonight. He was probably hungry, he’d need the food. You pack some sandwiches and a few muffins in a large paper bag and set it aside by the back door.
In the office, you quickly rewind the security footage. No one ever looked through it, unless something happened. The footage would be deleted at the end of each week anyway, but you couldn’t wait that long. The cameras weren’t connected to any online servers, but there’s no way you could risk anyone finding Steve. You delete a clip of the video, and it’s as if he’s never been there. You pat yourself on the back for bullying him into teaching you a few of his spy tricks. Before you leave the room, you pause the camera in the back alley.
Exactly at 8pm, you open the back door, just as he enters the alley.
When he stands before you, it’s takes all of your self control not to jump in his arms. “Hey.” he says.
And you can’t wait anymore, you jump in his arms and hug him tightly.
“Hey.” you smile at him “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Nobody has been on our trail for almost a year. I figured it’s safe.” He still can’t help glancing up and down the alley, just in case.
“You know, you really took me by surprise today. It took all of my self control not to jump your bones then and there.” You laugh, you’re just so happy that he’s finally there.
His arms around you pull you just a bit closer to him. “Oh yeah? Right there? In front of everyone?” You hum at his warmth. He chuckles and kisses your nose. “Don’t think so.”
“Try me, Rogers.” you playfully punch his arm and he laughs. Oh, how you’ve missed that sound. No time for sentiments now though. You two had a routine to go through.
“Are you alone?”
“No, there’s four more with me.” He looks at you, taking in all of your features, as if to make sure you’re just as he remembers you. You’d missed those stupid blue eyes of his, too.
“Okay. Do you have a car?” You feel like you’re interrogating him, but considering the past few years, you are probably still the nicest interrogator he’d come across.
“Yeah, I parked a few blocks down.” He points in the general direction of the street.
You hand him the paper bag you’d prepared. “ Okay. Take this. I figured you’d be hungry.”
He peeks inside, a small smile curling his lips in appreciation. “Thank you.”
“I need to turn the camera back on and close up. Go back to the others and bring the car to the front of the shop in fifteen minutes. I’ll be waiting.” He nods and turns to leave.
You clear your throat and put your arms across your chest when he looks back at you. “Aren’t you forgetting something, mister?”
He shakes his head with a smile, steps closer and gives you a quick kiss on the lips. You can’t help but chase his lips a bit when he pulls away, but you know he really needs to go.
Exactly fifteen minutes later you sit in your car in front of your workplace, you spot Steve behind the wheel of the car passing you. You turn the engine on and start driving, not looking to see if he follows. You know he will.
He keeps some distance between you, to avoid looking like he’s following you. You don’t have to worry about him losing you, he knows the way like the back of his hand.
_ _ _ _
About an hour later they take a turn into a narrow road off the main street, surrounded by trees and bushes, hidden so well, it was easy to miss even in broad daylight. When the cars are engulfed by the darkness of the trees, they stop.
Steve sees you yanking your door open, as if you couldn’t stand it being in your way anymore. No one in the car has spoken since Steve returned from his meeting with you. He offered no explanation when he had told them all to get in the car. He knew he wasn’t being fair to them but it was safer that way.
His knuckles are almost white on the steering wheel from grabbing it so hard. This is the first time his friends would even see you and it was stressing him out. You come closer and lightly tap on his window. He rolls it down, and when you slowly reach a hand inside to softly touch his arm, he relaxes.
You lean down to his eye level and take a look at him passengers curiously.
“Park inside the clearing up ahead and wait till I come get you, okay?” Your voice is soft.
Steve breathes out an Okay and watches you go back to the car and drive off.
“Who the hell is she?!” Sam exclaims the moment Steve’s window is closed again. The situation frustrated him so much, he felt like like he was going to explode any moment.
Steve simply started driving again. “Someone I trust.”
_ _ _ _
You step out of the car, greeted by Luka’s loud barking. The dog follows your every step until you enter the house with a cheery I’m home!
Something small collides with you out of nowhere, knocking your breath out. “Mommy!” your little girl’s squeals, tightly hugging your middle.
You laugh and stroke her hair. “Hey, baby! How was your day?”
“She couldn’t decide on a cakeflavour, so we made three. I’d say it was a good day.” your father interrupts from the kitchen door, wiping his hands on a dish towel.
You wonder if your father ever regrets mentioning that he used to own a bakery. His granddaughter always had him bake something for her whenever he was looking after her.
You know you can’t just kick your father out of the house without an explanation, so you try to end his visit as naturally as possible. You have a coffee, eat a piece of his phenomenal chocolate cake and chat about your day for a bit. You do not mention Steve. By the time he puts on his coat, a bit over half an hour later, you’re close to chasing him out with a broom.
While the adults were chatting, your daughter was sitting at the dining table, doodling in her trusty sketchbook. Once you closed the front door, you walked back to her and gently sat next to her, trying to not to show any of your nervousness.
“Baby, I need you to do me a favour.” You start, turning one of her pencils between your fingers.
“What kind of favour, mommy?” She looks up in interest, halfway through coloring a big pink flower.
“I need you to stay here and finish that drawing for me, while I go outside for five minutes.” You see her furrow her brows in confusion.
“But it’s dark outside!” she squeaks in worry.
“I’m just going down the drive to get something and I’ll be back. I’ll take Luka with me to keep me safe!” you lift your hands in surrender before she starts lecturing you about the dangers of the darkness. She always did and you blamed the weird cartoons she sometimes watched on tv.
She gives you a suspicious look. “What are you getting?”
“Oh! It’s a surprise!” you smirk at her and you know you’ve got her. She was a sucker for surprises.
_ _ _ _
They wait in the clearing for almost an hour, until a car passes by, heading towards the main street. A few moments later, you appear again, a fluffy german shepherd trailing behind you.
From the edge of the clearing, you motion them to get out of the car. When they are close enough, you whisper “Sorry it took so long. Come with me.”
The dog growls at all of them, except for Steve, who pats it casually. You whistle at it and it follows you loyally.
You lead them to your house, warm light seeping through the windows. Luka takes his spot on a large pillow on the wide porch and ignores the strangers.
Not a very good guard dog, Bucky thinks.
When they enter you motion them towards a cozy living room. A large sofa, a comfortable looking armchair, which Bucky claims as his own the moment he steps inside, a fireplace and a fluffy rug. They all take a seat around the room, except Steve, whom you pull in the opposite direction.
They watch as Steve follows to the kitchen, his hand on your lower back. The moment the two of you disappear through the door, a loud gasp is heard, followed with a squeal of Daddy!
The group looks between themselves, startled. Sam mouthing to Nat Did you know about this?, she shakes her head. Wanda sits completely frozen between them. Sam turns to Bucky with a Did you know? look. Bucky stares at him with wide eyes and mouth agape, just as surprised as they were.
Steve was a father?!
_ _ _ _
Steve barely has a chance to walk towards the table, when his little girl runs to him. He swears he could cry, he was so happy to see her again.
“Hey there princess! Look how much you’ve grown!” He pulls back slightly to give her a good look.
“I’m almost as tall as you now, daddy!” She giggles and straightens her back to her full height. You think she might be missing a few inches, seeing as she barely reaches her father’s waist but hey, who are you to argue?
“You sure are, sweetheart! What were you doing back there?” He nods towards the drawing supplies spread on one end of the dining table.
She gasps, as if just now remembering she actually was doing something earlier. “I was drawing you a picture! I have soooo many pictures for you!”
Other than her blue eyes, your daughter also inherited a love for art from Steve. It was a tradition of theirs that whenever he’d come home, they would exchange drawings.
“What?! You have to show me right now!” Steve walks over to the table and sits the girl in her chair, taking his place right next to her.
You make your way to the coffee nook in the corner and set the water to boil. Pulling out a tray, some mugs and a selection of tea bags, you prepare a little something for your guests. Considering the two of you had kept your relationship a secret for years, you guessed his friends only just now found out about your existence. Maybe you’d feel bad about it, but your family still thinks your daughter is the result of a random one night stand.
Hearing your little girl excitedly chat away with her father feels like a warm blanket thrown over your back. He was finally home.
“What’s this, princess?” Steve points to a portrait of a woman with flaming red hair, dressed in a black dress.
“Actually, daddy,” she pushes her unruly hair out of her eyes to give him the most serious look you’ve ever seen on a six-year-old. “I don’t wanna be a princess anymore.”
Steve is taken aback. Ever since she could talk, she always wanted to be a princess. “No? What do you want to be, then?”
She beams up at him and points at the drawing he’s holding. “I wanna be a spy like auntie Nat!”
The group who hears the conversation from the living room, turn to Natasha. She raises her hands in defense and whispers “I have no idea, I swear.”
You turn from the kettle, and look at Steve, who’s giving you a stern look. As if you have any say in the matter. “They showed them a documentary on the Avengers a while ago at school.” He answers with an Ah.
When you hear the kettle click off, you pour the hot water between the cups on the tray and carefully lift it. “I’ll take this to the living room. You got this?”
“Of course. Be there in a moment.” He smiles up at you and you kind of want to drop the tray back on the counter and run your fingers through his beard. Maybe later.
You enter the living room and take in the sight of the four fugitives. They look absolutely ridiculous, like a bunch of deers caught in the headlights. You really have to bite your tongue not to laugh at them.
You set the tray on the coffee table, and sit on the floor next to the armchair. You wonder if Steve will grumble when he sees his friend made himself at home on his favourite spot.
You take a deep breath, mentally preparing yourself to introduce your guests to this situation they’ve been thrown into.
Better rip off that band-aid in one go. “I’m Y/N. I’ve been with Steve for years, but we’ve kept our relationship secret. Nobody knows, not even my family. Not even Fury, or so I hope.” It looks like Natasha is about to say something, so you give her the chance. When she decides to keep it to herself, you continue. “Her name is Rebecca.” You turn to Bucky with a knowing smile.
His face goes pale like a sheet of paper. “Like my…. sister?” You’re glad he remembered. Steve had told you a bit about his memory issues.
You shrug. “Steve insisted.” You turn to the trio on the couch. “I know we’ve never met before, but Steve considers you all family, and therefore you are all welcome here. I have a couple extra rooms upstairs, so if you want to stay here for a bit, it’s fine with me.”
You see Wanda tear up at your words and it makes you wonder. How brutal has life been to this young girl that a simple kind gesture made her tear up immediately?
In an attempt to lighten the mood, you smile at them and grab yourself a mug and throw a tea bag inside to let it steep. “Now, you better prepare yourselves.”
You stand up and walk back to the kitchen, where Becca is telling Steve all about her recent school trip to the nature museum. You lean against to door frame and look at Steve, who sits with his head leaning in his hand, completely focused on his daughter. What a complete sap. “Hey, little spy, wanna let daddy have his tea now?”
The girl giggles and starts putting the pencils back in their case. “Speaking of spies…” Steve lifts the drawing of Natasha again. “I brought some friends with me this time, sweetheart. They’re gonna stay with us for a bit. Is that okay with you?”
You loved how he always asked for her opinion on everything. He’d always treated her as a decision maker equal to the two of you and it completely melted your heart.
“Friends?! Can I meet them?” she perks up in excitement and lifts her arms towards Steve, who immediately scoops her up in his arms. Now that was a sight you’d never get tired of.
“Of course, baby.” He gives her the drawing. “Hold on to this, okay? I think there’s someone in the living room who will like it a lot.”
When he passes you, he bends down to kiss your cheek with a loud smooch sound that always made Becca giggle.
You trail behind Steve towards the other room, making faces at your daughter over his shoulder. She sticks her tongue out at you and you make a fake offended noise. Your antics are not enough to break the heavy silence in the room, though. Until Becca turns around and spots a familiar redhead.
“Auntie Nat is here?!” She tries to wriggle her way out of Steve’s arms and he sets her down. She runs straight to Natasha the moment her feet touch the ground. “Aunty Nat! I’m Becca! You’re so cool! I saw you on telly and mommy said you are Dad’s friend! I’m so happy you’re here! Look, I drew you a picture!” She displays her masterpiece for her new friend to see.
Natasha was positively overwhelmed. She looks at the drawing, then at the girl, then at Steve who crouched in front of them, a fond smile on his face. She notices, Becca’s eyes are almost identical to Steve’s.
“Do you like it, auntie?”
“I do, baby, it’s so pretty. Thank you.” Natasha hugs her tight and Steve grins at the sight.
You walk over to where you were sitting earlier next to Bucky. You can see his hands are shaking a bit, and you pat his knee in reassurance. He looks at you, but you can’t make out what emotion exactly is in his eyes.
“Now, Becca, come here.” Steve motions the child back to him and she all but jumps in his arms. “I’ll introduce you the others, yeah?”
He softly sways her back and forth, as if to calm her down. She wasn’t used to this many strangers in the house and he didn’t want to overwhelm her.
He steps closer to Wanda, who stiffly stands up to be at Becca’s eye level.
“This is Wanda. She’s a good friend of mine and she’s very sweet.” You see Wanda blush the tiniest bit, but she shoots Becca a smile.
“Hello, Rebecca, it’s nice to meet you!” She says softly. Rebecca eyes her curiously for a few seconds, before he leans away from Steve to give Wanda a tiny hug. You see the woman release a breath of relief before she sits down and Steve moves on to the next person.
“Now this is Sam. He’s really nice and guess what, Bec.” Steve’s voice takes on a playful conspiratory tone.
“What?”
“He can fly!”
“No way!!!” She turns to Sam with a wide eyes, sparkling with excitement. Sam laughs and lightly pinches her cheek. She giggles and shimmies away.
“Yes way, girlie. I’ll show you tomorrow morning!” He laughs when she gets all giddy.
The Steve sets her down on the floor and she runs to you, sitting in you lap, curious eyes only for Bucky. Silence settles around the room again, as Steve sits down on the floor and reaches for a teabag and a mug.
“Who’s that, mommy?” She sounds a bit worried, probably because of the glinting metal palm that Bucky was trying to hide from her. He didn’t know yet that it was literally impossible to hide anything from her.
You rub a hand up and down her back, to soothe her. “That, sweetheart, is daddy’s best friend, Bucky.”
“Uncle Bucky?!” The girl gasps, all worry gone. Bucky thinks he might have a heart attack. He’s sure he hasn’t blinked since she first heard her voice from the kitchen.
The little girl stands up suddenly, smile from ear to ear and she runs off to the kitchen with a giggle, everyone’s eyes following her in question. Both Steve and you turn to Bucky, grinning at him, as you can already guess what’s the kid is up to.
Little feet run back in the living room, a stack of papers in the girl’s hands and Steve looks at her in interest. He’s seen a few of them, but she’s obviously produced more since the his last visit.
Becca stands in front of Bucky, who’s still frozen. She hands him the pages. “These are for you!” She gives him a grin identical to Steve’s.
“For…me..?” He reaches for them unsurely. He finally tears his eyes from the tiny child and looks at the drawings. Drawing of himself. They were obviously based off old pictures from before the war, which explains why she didn’t recognise him at first. He looks up at her, eyes teary. “Thank you.”
She doesn’t hesitate even for a second and jumps in his lap, hugging him tightly. Steve and the others tense up for a second, waiting to see Bucky’s reaction. You only watch the two with a fond smile.
Steve had once brought a stack of old photographs, you’re not sure where he got them from. Becca was delighted, asking him to tell her everything about them. And he did, her collection of story books forgotten on the bookshelf whenever Steve was home. He would tell her about his family, Bucky and his family, their adventures in the army - only the child-friendly ones of course. When Steve came home one day, tears in his eyes, mumbling how he might know where Bucky was, you were shocked but Becca wanted nothing but to meet her favourite uncle. She adored him long before she even met him.
And as scary as Bucky could look, you knew he’d never harm her. She had him wrapped around her little finger the moment Steve brought her through that door.
Bucky wraps his flesh arm around the child, gently returning her hug and resting his cheek on her head. He looks between you and Steve, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks.
When Becca gets bored of sitting still, she makes herself comfortable on Bucky’s knees and starts telling him about every single drawing she’d brought him. He leans back in the arm chair, holding a hand on the girl’s shoulder so she doesn’t lose balance and fall off. He listens to her like she was the only person in the world and you know for sure that he will not be leaving any time soon.
_ _ _ _
Less than an hour later, amidst the group’s easy chatting about nothing in particular, Becca starts yawning a dozing off in Bucky’s arms. You stand up from where you were cuddled up to Steve’s side and lift her up. “I think it’s bedtime, huh lil bug?” You wink at Bucky, who pouts up at you. Yes, how dare you take away the little spy away from her cool spy uncle. Bad, Y/N.
“ ‘M sleepy, mommy.” Becca mumbles, barely awake.
“Say goodnight to daddy’s friends, baby.” You move some hair away from her eyes.
“Night.” She waves at them all, rubbing her eyes tiredly. They all wave back at her, smiles on all their faces, soft ‘Goodnight’s coming from the group. You crouch down so Steve can kiss her cheek.
When you disappear up the stairs, everyone turns to Steve, who was still sat on the floor, sappy little smile on his lips.
“You’ve got so much explaining to do, dude.” Sam huffed.
Sam is right, he does, but at least they don’t have to run anymore.
Unless Becca busts out her trust sharpies, in which case running is advised.