Fic: The Altar of Human Sacrifice Chap. 2, PG

[tresmaxwell.livejournal.com]

Universe: Movie
Rating: PG
Warnings: Um... none, how weird is that?
Beta: None
Summary: No, Thor is not a good babysitter...
Pairings/Characters: Steve/Tony, pre-established
Word Count: About 7,100

Chapter One: LINK


Chapter Two - A Face in the Dark

A/N: So, it's been a hard couple of weeks. I won't go into it here, but thanks for being patient for this chapter. It's not as action-fight-scene oriented, but I promise we'll get to that soon. Like, in the next chapter.

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Steve could feel Tony's agitation. It radiated off the smaller man, manifesting in his tapping foot and the tick on the upper edge of his lip. They were still a few blocks from midtown and it was rush hour. A wall of brake lights separated them from the tower. Ahead of them, three different taxis were honking at the same delivery truck.

A bald driver stuck his head out of a cab window and yelled, "Hey, move your ass!"

Steve would never get used to how aggressive this city had become, and yet how strong and united they were at the same time. Yelling and sirens and car horns were normal, but when tragedy struck, the people of the city rose up to help those who needed it.

They passed one of the memorials for the Loki incident. Though it had been well over a year and construction was going on behind the plywood walls, there were photographs and fresh flowers. Spray painted on the barrier behind the smiling faces the city had lost, was a rendition of Steve's shield. The uneven, white star had bled onto the blue interior and red circles. Steve rotated in his seat to look at it after the light turned green.

Beside him, Tony growled, "I could get there faster on foot."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," Happy said sincerely, as if he was the one who caused the city to gridlock after five.

"Don't apologize, Hogan, it's not your fault," Steve sighed and glanced at Tony. "We'll be there soon."

Tony's phone blared a rock song, startling Steve until he recognized it as Pepper's ringtone. It was by a band called 'Aerosmith' that Steve was only vaguely familiar with. The song always made Steve scowl because he believed pairing Pepper's call with a song named 'Monkey on my Back' was very disrespectful. Scolding Tony for it hadn't helped, though the genius made vague promises to change it later.

Tony slid his thumb over the screen to answer it, "Pepper, darling, this really isn't a good time."

Through the buildings, Steve spotted Stark Tower. They were still in the high thirties, so it looked a lot closer than it really was. The Empire State building had the same effect. Standing on Fifth Avenue, it could be seen over a mile away.

"I don't care what Fox is speculating. You know I think speculation is just guessing dressed up in heels. Let them guess," Tony snapped into the phone, his back coming off the chair when he saw the tower. His CEO said something on the other end of the line and Tony responded, "Yeah, well, it's none of their business. They want to know what I'm working on for the Green Project, fine, but my marriage isn't something that should affect stocks."

Steve looked at Tony, realizing that this call meant something had hit the media. There had to be photos from the courthouse, or one of the people working there had sold the story. So far, they'd managed to fly under the radar, but Steve knew that wouldn't last forever.

Tony rubbed his temples with one hand, his palm stretching to cover his eyes as the thumb and middle finger massaged the area, "Since when does Iron Man have an approval rating? And why should I care? I did this way before anyone considered slapping an approval rating across my work."

Several cars clogged the intersection ahead of them. Horns shouted and hollered as the light changed and no one moved. As the congestion tightened, unpleasant gestures shook from open windows. Drivers cursed at each other in a colorful variety of languages, all of them still speaking some form of English.

"And you honestly think coming out would change that?" Tony paused to listen, cutting into Pepper's rant after a moment, "No… Look, you set it up. Just call me with the details."

He ended the call without any sort of conclusion, no 'goodbye' or 'I'll talk to you another time'. Steve rarely had a phone conversation with Tony, mostly since modern phones intimidated him more than jumping out of a plane, but he'd noticed early on that Tony had terrible phone courtesy. It wasn't bothering him as much as the fact that Tony had just agreed to come out.

"Tony, can we talk about-"

Steve was left arguing with an empty seat when Tony got out of the car. The eccentric billionaire crammed his phone into his pocket as he wove through the still cars and got on the sidewalk.

"Guess he decided to walk after all," Happy offered from the front of the town car.

Steve closed his eyes and said, "We'll meet you at the tower," before he got out after Tony. He had to jog to catch up with the brunet. Steve fell into step beside him, easily matching his brisk stride. The sidewalk was as crowded as the street, but people made a path for them. It could've been Steve's size keeping other pedestrians away, though Steve suspected it was Tony's dangerous expression. His husband's eyes were dark with fury and concern and his mouth was set in a thin line. When a man as powerful as Tony got angry, people ducked for cover whether or not they knew who he was.

As they crossed the street, Steve noticed a few people on the corner taking pictures of them with phones. No matter where they went, there was always someone who recognized Tony, but it felt like there were more eyes on them than before they left. It made Steve uncomfortable. This kind of attention was why he'd wanted to elope; he'd hoped to escape the prying stares.

When he was shoved into the spotlight as Captain America, Steve got used to being swarmed with fans. Even with all the attention, he had his identity as an unassuming military grunt to fall back on. People didn't know him as Steve. He could change out of his costume after an event and walk down the street with his hands in his pockets without getting mobbed. Having the unknown identity gave him comfort. Tony's life wasn't like that. He was Iron Man and Iron Man was Tony Stark. Everyone knew. There wasn't a moment of peace.

They made the next block, Tony weaving through the scaffolding set up around one of the buildings. Steve veered to the right to avoid the metal poles and said, "Tony, it wouldn't just be you coming out. Can we please talk about-"

"We are out. It's just the matter of making an announcement," Tony turned on him abruptly, both stopping in the walkway. Reminiscent of the road, people complained loudly as they went around the jam. Steve took Tony's arm at the elbow and maneuvered him out of the traffic flow. They found a lull near a newsstand.

Tony pointed at the front page of the New York Times. In two-inch letters, it read 'Billionaire Playboy Marries?' Directly below that, in the muted color of cheap printing ink, was a photo of them at the courthouse. It only happened a few days ago, so Steve knew exactly when the moment was captured. They'd just stepped outside after making their vows. Steve's arm was hooked around Tony's waist and Tony had a wide grin that was part of a laugh the image couldn't capture. Their mouths hovered close, Tony's hand up by Steve's face, part way into the caress and kiss that followed. The ring was obvious in the photo, which was probably why they'd chosen that moment over the kiss.

"Unless you think we can refute that?"

Steve picked up the newspaper to unfold it. Skimming the article, Steve knew they couldn't fight the evidence. "No," he stated simply and flicked a nickel to the newsstand clerk.

Before they could walk off, the clerk shouted, "You still owe me a dollar ninety-five!"

For a breath, Steve didn't know what he was talking about, and then he fumbled for the rest of the money. Sometimes, the twenty-first century caught him off guard. After he'd paid, he tucked the newspaper under his arm and trotted to fall into step with Tony again.

Tony flicked a hand through the air, his eyes trained on the tower, "I can't believe you're worked up over that, you knew it was coming. Raisa is loose. She could be here now, and I'm not so sure the tower's security system can stop her. Even with my upgrades…"

The longer Tony talked, the more his nerves frayed like rope over a sharp edge. They both knew Raisa would come for Annika, but it was as if Tony thought she might harm her daughter, that he'd forgotten Annika belonged to Raisa.

Steve had gotten close to the dark-haired girl. They enjoyed going on outings and spending afternoons in the park while Tony was at meetings. She'd recently started calling him 'Papa', which made him melt every time she said it.

For as close as he was to Annika, Tony was closer. They bonded on a completely different level. To Tony, Annika was his daughter. He'd adopted her and everything was official, but the pair acted as though they'd always been together. She had gone from 'Mr. Robot' to 'Daddy' in just a few months. They would both be devastated if she was taken. It would be like losing flesh and blood for Tony.

They cut across Fifth Avenue, which was essentially a parking lot, and Steve got around in front of Tony once they were on the curb. The genius tried to duck him, but Steve grabbed his shoulders. At the hard scowl the brunet gave him, Steve slid his hands to cup Tony's jaw. When Tony met his eyes, Steve said, "She's with Thor. No place is safer, aside from being with you and me."

"Funny how that works out," Tony mumbled, visibly calming after a moment.

Their pace didn't change much, but Tony seemed a bit less stressed. They covered the last few blocks in silence, coming out on Thirtieth Street with matching shocked expressions. A mob of people milled outside the tower, a mob armed with cameras.

"Shit," Tony mumbled.

The press was clearly waiting for them, leaving Steve wondering how they'd discovered they were back in the city. The town car was nowhere in sight, which eliminated Steve's plan to use a distraction to get by them. It could be thirty minutes before Happy arrived. Steve looked down at Tony, his brow knitting. He could handle Nazis and aliens and threats to the human race, but paparazzi were more Tony's territory.

"Tony..." he started, the rest of his question obvious: what do we do?

Tony squared his shoulders and crossed the street, Steve trailing behind with trepidation. The one thing Steve remembered about crowds of reporters was that they were suffocating. He had to smile until it felt like his face would crack, making him feel more like a dancing monkey than a soldier. It was the one thing about his career as Captain America that he detested.

They cleared a third of the courtyard before the first woman with a microphone broke away from the group. She came at them at a brisk walk, speeding up when others realized they were there. Thrusting the microphone into Tony's face, she asked, "Mr. Stark, why is it that you've kept your relationship a secret? Do you have a response to the Gay and Lesbian community for their statement this morning?"

Steve wasn't aware there was a Gay and Lesbian community, let alone that they had some sort of stake in their marriage.

With practiced ease, Tony dismissed her questions with a curt, "I don't have a comment, honey."

They closed in around them like the Red Sea after Moses led his people through. The flashes were blinding and constant. Steve stayed close to Tony, ignoring the muddled swell of voices aimed at them. He couldn't begin to separate individual questions out of the din, so he didn't have any hope of answering them. Ducking his head against the glare, Steve moved into the lead and gently parted the crowd with one muscular arm.

An array of Tony's bodyguards swarmed out of the tower to meet them. As efficiently as a well-oiled machine, they made a path through the press for Steve and Tony. The wall of reporters crowded the glass entry when they strode inside, held back by men in black suits. When the doors were closed and relocked, the ruckus dulled to a hum. Steve thanked the security personnel before he got on the elevator.

"Jarvis, give me a security report," Tony ordered.

In his restored voice, Jarvis replied, "There's nothing to report, sir. There have been no major security events beyond the crowd at the door. I take it you didn't enjoy the Mediterranean?"

Steve didn't get why the computer needed sarcasm. In Jane's voice, it was a lot less scathing than it was once Tony brought the actor over from England to rerecord his vocal databank. It was nice to have Jarvis back to his old self, but Steve almost missed the sweetness Jane gave the AI.

"Can it, Jarvis. There haven't been any strange fluctuations? No access code used at an entrance that it isn't normally used at?" Tony pulled out his phone to go through records for the tower.

Sounding vaguely offended, Jarvis stated, "I am very thorough, sir. There are no major security events to report. At least, nothing you would consider a threat."

"What's that mean?"

Steve was about to tell him to trust his machine, but the elevator door slid open to the penthouse floors. Nothing looked amiss. Tony immediately commented that the maids hadn't been there that day, since Annika's things were strewn across the normally spotless room. There was an incomplete DNA model on the thick rug in the sitting room, a few heavy textbooks on the table beside it. On the bar, Mjölnir sat between a book on quantum physics and a laptop Steve didn't recognize. He assumed it was Jane's, since Thor was about as tech savvy as Steve.

As he walked through the entry, Tony stooped to pick up one of Annika's sweaters and hang it in the closet. Steve set down the newspaper on the table with their car keys, following the sound of a television down to the media room. The Asgardian god was sprawled across the couch wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a scowl. He had a beer balanced on his knee, and an empty Pop-Tart box snuggled against his hip. The TV show blaring on the widescreen was some Discovery Channel special on sharks. A hammerhead glided across the field of blue, its mouth festooned with bits of dead fish, while a narrator calmly talked about feeding frenzies.

Jane was nowhere in sight and, though Annika's graph paper and crayons were on the floor by the couch, she was missing too. Steve assumed they were together in some other part of the tower.

When Thor saw Steve, he surged to his feet, sending the empty box somersaulting to the floor, "My friends! You have returned so soon! Was your trip not to your satisfaction?"

Steve accepted Thor's bear hug, not minding the tight squeeze until his vertebrae popped. With a cringe, Steve pushed him to arm's length and said, "No, our trip was great, but we got the call about Raisa. There haven't been any problems here?"

"No, none at all. Your adopted offspring is a delight."

From the doorway, Tony asked, "Where's Jane? Is Annika with her?"

Thor's face crumbled, his brow shadowing his eyes, "Jane and I have quarreled. She has gone out to breathe the air. Which is something I do not understand, there is air inside the tower or we would not survive here. She could breathe air here."

"She just needs a little time to herself," Steve explained. One thing Steve was familiar with was how many different ways women had to say, 'I'd rather be alone.' Most of the excuses he'd heard were directly related to woman not wanting to go on a date with him pre-serum, but it was the same line of commentary. "What did you argue about?"

"Safeguarding your offspring has brought many emotions forth for her, but I tried to explain I would need time to-"

"Speaking of offspring, where is she?" Tony butted in.

Thor rotated his body to point at the unoccupied graph paper without looking over, "She is solving some of the equations you left behind for-"

Tony was gone before Thor could finish, shouting, "Annika? Where are you, baby?"

"I turned my eyes away from her for only a moment," Thor exclaimed when he finally saw the empty space where Annika had been. There was no telling how long he'd been wrapped up in the Discovery Channel.

Steve walked out after Tony, his chest tightening despite the calm he exuded. He saw no reason to panic when she was undoubtedly in her room looking for something new to work on. Annika got bored very easily, Steve had learned. If she wasn't in her room, she was in reference library going through the books. He wouldn't let himself believe that someone had walked in through the tower's security unnoticed, somehow avoided rousing the attention of a demi-god, and made off with a very intelligent, wary little girl.

"I cannot express to you the depth of my shame for allowing her to wander away," Thor apologized while they searched the tower.

Steve waved him off, "Trust me, she's really good at waiting for the perfect moment to disappear. She's done it to me and Tony both. We lost her at the aquarium once. Tony was convinced someone had snatched her, but she was at the stingray petting pool the whole time."

As they scoured the empty kitchen and the empty living room and the empty playroom, Steve's discontent grew. It grew until his stomach rolled and he searched places that were unconventional hiding spots, like under the couches and inside cabinets. Sometimes, on the rare occasion where she didn't run to one of her fathers when she was scared, she would hide in strange places. Steve thought maybe the shark show had been too intense and had driven her into a small, comforting space. It was doubtful, since the shark tank was one of her favorite exhibits at the aquarium.

Steve nearly ran into Tony on the way out of the dining room, catching his biceps to steady them both, "I've checked most of the lower level, I can't find her."

"She's not in her bedroom or any of the Avengers rooms. Natasha's is still locked, thank god."

Tony pushed his messy hair off his forehead, slicking it back with one hand while his mind cranked. Steve let him think. The tower was a hundred and fifty stories, and that left a lot of places for a five-year-old to hide. Assuming she was still in the tower. Steve knew they were both terrified that she was already gone…

"Sir, if you are searching for Annika, she is in your workshop."

All three of them peered up at the ceiling, Thor saying, "This information would have been more useful if given in a prompt manner. Why were you delayed, computer man?"

"More important question," Tony snarled, "Why did you let her in the workshop, Jarvis?"

"I'm afraid my protocols were overridden. You will need to devise new ones to keep her away from the tools, sir."

Steve bit his lip against his chuckle at Tony's exasperated groan. The girl had a remarkable mind. If he didn't know better, he'd think that Tony had actually sired her. She was just as hardheaded as he was, and just as determined to find a way to get what she wanted. It was the third time she'd hacked Jarvis to get in past security codes. Tony had been talking about designing some sort of complex security matrix (that Steve couldn't even begin to comprehend since he'd zoned out ten seconds into Tony's explanation), but hadn't gotten around to upgrading the system yet.

Tony led the way to the workshop, lifting a crude mechanical device from the keypad and gaping at it. Whatever it was, it was plugged into the security pad by several brightly colored wires. There was a short bench beside the computer counsel, the one they kept in Annika's bathroom so she could reach the sink. A red handled screwdriver peeked out from beneath the stepstool.

"How the hell did she figure this out?" Tony muttered to himself as he turned the green and gold plate over in his hand.

Since Steve had no idea what they were looking at, he went inside. Instead of AC/DC, a group called Wee Sing Silly Songs played on the workshop speakers. It wasn't as loud as Tony normally kept it, but 'Found a Peanut' was certainly a change from 'Back in Black'. Annika sang along, her voice muffled by something. Bright, uneven flashes of light drew Steve's attention to a table by the back wall.

"Tony," Steve shouted, ripped cleanly between being amused and mortified.

Their little girl was perched on a high stool, her bare feet swinging to the music while she welded two pieces of metal together. To protect her face, she had gotten the helmet from one of the MARK suits. It was large and ungainly on her tiny body and her waist-length braided pigtails hung out the bottom. The gloves she was wearing were just as oversized, coming nearly to her elbows while the empty fingertips bent at odd angles on the torch handle.

Dummy held the fire extinguisher over her project, hovering around the station like a sheepdog around a wayward lamb. If it was possible for a robot arm to look worried, Dummy had somehow found a way. It never stopped moving, it's gears 'tsk'ing with disapproval as it brought the extinguisher in close to the small box Annika was crafting.

Too lost in her own little world, Annika kept singing and welding, "Found a peanut, found a peanut, found a PEAnuuuut just now! Just now I found a peanut, found a peanut-"

Tony arched a brow, his expression torn in the same way Steve felt. He glanced at Thor, giving him a glare that made the demi-god rub the back of his head, and then pulled out his phone to take a photo of the strange scene. Sticking the cell into his pocket, Tony approached the table and turned off the gas to the torch.

As it sputtered and died, Annika whined and checked the dials at the base, "Aw, what happened? Jarvis?"

Tony lifted the helmet off, exposing a surprised little girl that peered up at them with wide, guilty eyes. Tucking the Iron Man head under his arm, Tony sternly asked, "Why do you think it's okay to do this by yourself?"

"But-" Annika sputtered. "But I'm not by myself. Dummy and Jarvis are here."

"You know I have to be in the room."

"But I was doing everything you taught me, I was careful."

Steve's concern suddenly shifted. He turned his attention from Annika to Tony, his voice incredulous, "You taught her how to use that thing?!"

"With supervision," Tony responded calmly, but with sharpness.

"I believe it is time for me to go search for Jane," Thor bowed out of the room, the tension making him uncomfortable.

They tried not to fight in front of Annika. Instead of yelling, they tended to be calm, but underhanded. Even that was easy for Annika to pick up on. Steve let it go, it was something they could argue about later. He didn't think such a young girl needed to use dangerous equipment, even with Tony looking over her shoulder. The smallest slip could cause irreparable damage to her delicate skin.

"I'm sorry, Daddy and Papa. I just wanted to finish it before you got home," Annika told them softly.

They exchanged a long stare as Tony took off Annika's gloves. Their fight didn't matter, because they had to tell their girl that her mother had vanished into the wind. With a sigh, Tony lifted her from the stool and balanced her on his hip, nodding at her apology. He picked up the two-sided box.

"What are you making?" Tony asked as he thumbed through the electronic parts spread out on the opposite side of the table.

Annika brightened, excitedly explaining each piece and how it would all go together. Tony seemed to follow every word, but Steve got lost.

"What's it going to do?" Steve asked, expecting the 'really?' eyes he got from both of them.

Annika took the cooled casing from Tony, Dummy following the move with the extinguisher, and showed Steve a lens built into the side, "It's going to project pictures as a hologram, like a picture frame, but in high resolution. And it'll change every five minutes to a new one."

"Wow, that's swell, Annika," Steve was genuinely impressed.

There wasn't a lot he knew about technology, but he was aware that Tony's holograms were leaps ahead of anything else on the market. For her to be able to put together something similar without his help was beyond incredible to Steve. It might not have functioned right off the bat, but it was certainly ambitious.

"It was going to be a wedding present, but Daddy never goes to bed, so I couldn't work on it," she grumbled and turned the casing back and forth in her tiny fingers.

Tony put his free hand out to block the opening of the extinguisher, "Seriously, Dummy, you're making me nervous. Point it at the floor."

The robot arm angled the extinguisher like it was hanging its head in shame. An unhappy whirring sound accompanied the movement. Tony was using Butterfingers's rebuild as a learning tool for Annika, so the other arm was still lying disassembled on a counter by Tony's desk. Steve thought that maybe once it was done, he'd paint something on the side to commemorate the machine's efforts to save his life.

Once he wasn't under the threat of being sprayed with fire-retardant foam, Tony said, "Daddy has a lot to get done in a day, so he can't always go to sleep when everyone else does. Sleep is for the uninspired."

"Don't tell her that," Steve groaned.

They went out into the main part of the house, Tony talking over dinner and about cleaning the living room while Steve waited for him to bring up Raisa. Steve believed that bad news was like ripping off a band-aid, it had to be done quickly. Though, it was a mentality developed since he'd joined the new century. There were no band-aids in World War Two.

"Tony, you have to tell her."

Annika swiveled her head between them, her Russian accent more prevalent with her nervousness, "What? Tell me what?" The 'wh' of her 'what's melded into the hard sound of a 'v' as worry filled her gold-green eyes. "Is it why you came home early?"

Tony glowered at Steve, the look vanishing the moment Annika turned to him. His reassuring smile wasn't convincing to his husband, but Annika returned it slowly, "We can talk about it after dinner, it's okay."

"Tony," Steve stated firmly. "It can't wait."

Tony fidgeted for a moment, possibly considering how else to delay the discussion, but eventually knelt in front of Annika. There was no good way to say it, Steve could see Tony having trouble coming up with the words. His husband tenderly brushed the girl's bangs away from her eyes and adjusted one of her braids. Before he could speak, Jane and Thor came in from the elevator.

"My work is here, I can't just pick up and move to another world!"

"It is not possible for me to make Midgard my permanent home. I must ascend to my father's throne when the time is-"

Their argument puttered out when they felt the weight hanging over the room. Jane pulled at the sleeves of her sweatshirt, her eyes flicking around. The couple was oddly normal without Thor's armor and a plethora of computer equipment surrounding Jane. If they walked down the street together, no one would ever know them. Steve knew it would never be like that with him and Tony.

Without thinking about it, Steve crossed his arms over his chest defensively. He wanted them to go, but he was never one to be rude.

Shifting his mass from one foot to the other, Thor cleared his throat, "Jane and I have decided to travel back to Newer Mexico, since you have arrived to care for your daughter. We do not wish to be an inconvenience."

"You know you're always welcome, but we could use a little space right now," Steve said, trying not to be too curt. "But we might need you, so don't go all the way to Asgard."

"Of course," was the answer as Thor hugged first Steve, then Tony.

Never really one for excessive physical contact, Tony pat the demi-god's shoulder awkwardly, "Take care, Shakespeare."

Jane crouched to say goodbye to Annika, "We'll see you soon, okay? Be good. I'm going to leave the wormhole books for you." They embraced and Annika politely thanked her for the books after Steve reminded her. Jane looked at her for a long moment, something wistful, then sad, flickering over her features. "I'm so sorry about your mom, sweetie. I'm sure she'll-"

"What about my mom?"

A hand flew to Jane's mouth to cover the comment after the damage was already done. She whispered, "I didn't realize you hadn't said anything, I'm so sorry," as she looked apologetically at Steve.

Steve's stomach clenched in a fist when Annika panicked.

"What happened to my mom? Did she get hurt?" There were tears in the girl's voice, but they hadn't quite made it to her eyes. When Tony leaned down to her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and sniffled. "Is she okay?"

"Hush, baby, your mom is fine. She's not hurt," Tony cooed against her hair.

"I am so sorry," Jane reiterated and got to her feet. Thor put his hand in the small of her back to steady her, worry etched into the lines of his face.

When Tony glared at her, Steve came over to smooth things. He couldn't blame Jane when the news of Raisa's escape was days old. There was no way for her to know that they hadn't told Annika yet. "It's alright… but, why don't you get your things together?"

It was dismissive, but they needed to go. Steve had the powerful urge to gather his family up in his arms and give them as much comfort as he could. Tony could use it and Steve knew Annika had to have it. Jane apologized all the way to the door, Thor guiding her to the rooms upstairs so they could pack their clothing.

"I don't understand, I thought mama said she'd stay in prison so she could see me. Doesn't she want to see me anymore?" Annika asked, pleading for answers neither of them had. The line of child and brilliant mind blurred as she started drawing conclusions. Steve didn't want her doing that, because there were a lot of unpleasant results of thinking it through logically. "If she left prison, she'd have to start over and pretend to be somebody else. She won't come here, she would just get caught… She doesn't want me."

"You don't have enough evidence to draw that kind of conclusion," Tony told her.

At the same time, Steve said, "Of course she wants you. Your mother loves you."

With only a subtle touch to Tony's arm, they agreed to move to the couch in the sitting room. Tony tucked one leg underneath him and settled with Annika in his lap while he listened to the girl's reasoning. Steve took the spot on the left side so he could see Annika's face. He slipped his arm around Tony's shoulders and gave him a light squeeze.

"But she had to stay in prison because she did bad things. Now everyone will be chasing her. Why would she leave if everyone was going to chase her?" Annika hiccupped, her hands gripping Tony's shirt into bunches. She hovered on the verge of waterworks, never quite passing over into actual tears.

Steve couldn't explain it to her. Raisa was not a career criminal. She didn't kill because it was instinct, she did it to save her daughter. When she had things set up in the best way she could after all terror she'd wrought, Steve had no idea why she would break out. The only possibility was that Raisa wanted to get her daughter and go underground with her. She couldn't have been particularly pleased that her enemies were raising Annika.

It was her method of escape that had Steve curious. All Fury had mentioned was a man called Magneto, who was the leader of a group SHIELD referred to as The Brotherhood. Steve needed more information. He had to know what they were up against since he doubted this man set Raisa free because it was the right thing to do. Fury would brief them, but Steve was impatient. If The Brotherhood was a threat to national security, they would be even more so with a scientist like Raisa in their fold.

Tony rubbed his hand up and down Annika's back, saying, "You're mother doesn't always make a lot of sense."

"Tony!"

"But," the billionaire gave Steve a sidelong look for interrupting, "The one thing we know is that she would move worlds to get to you. She loves you."

Annika considered his words, her face scrunching up as she mulled over it, "If… if she comes to get me, will I still see you?"

"No, baby," Steve admitted softly. Tony tensed under his arm, his dark eyes narrowing with the prospect. Continuing, Steve offered, "I'm sure your mother will take you somewhere sa-"

"We would come get you."

Steve wasn't sure that was the right thing to say, but he knew it was true. A young child didn't need to get dragged around by a fugitive, always on the run from SHIELD. It wasn't a good way for a young girl to grow up, especially a girl like Annika. Her life had been so strange and uncertain early on. In a stable home, she'd really started to flourish. As much as he wanted to argue, Steve knew Tony was right. Annika needed to stay with them. Her mother had proven she wasn't mentally sound by killing hundreds of innocent people to get her way. Steve couldn't imagine what that kind of influence that would have on a young girl.

Surprising Steve, Annika curled up with her head on Tony's shoulder and said, "I want to stay with you." As she spoke, she wrapped her chubby hand around one of Steve's fingers, holding his hand close as though it was a cherished stuffed animal.

Warmth spread through Steve's chest and his throat felt tight when he told her, "We want you to stay too."

Outside the big, bay windows, the sun dipped into the New York skyline. The sky burned in reds and golds, fading to gentler blues and purples once the disk disappeared behind the buildings. Steve watched the color melt into black before he told Jarvis to tint the windows. His arm went numb at some point, but since Annika wasslipping in and out of sleep, Steve didn't complain.

Eventually, Tony whispered, "She hasn't had any dinner. We should make her something simple."

Steve cooked Annika a Nutella and banana pan-fried sandwich, much to Tony's horror. The genius tutted around complaining about calories and Annika's strict diet, but went silent when he saw the smile she wore while she ate it. Her eyes drifted shut as she chewed. The struggle to stay awake ended two bites into the second half of the sandwich. Annika folded the unoccupied arm on the table and put her head on it. The food fell out of her slack grasp, dropping onto the floor.

With a fond sigh, Tony reached for the mess, but Steve immediately said, "No, I'll get it. Put her to bed."

Tony lifted the girl's sleeping form easily, soothing her with whispered nonsense when she stirred. As Tony's footsteps faded, Steve picked up the forgotten sandwich and scooped the crumbs off the table. He piled everything beside the sink. While he waited for the water to heat, he considered their new enemy. Steve didn't like going into battle blind, but he would if the situation called for it.

By the time Tony came downstairs, Steve was putting the last of the clean dishes in the respective cabinets, "Well, Shakespeare and Jane are gone, must've snuck out at some point."

Steve only nodded at the news. He grabbed the towel to dry the frying pan and hung it on the rack over the island. Pots and pans rattled softly as the rack swayed with the new weight. Steve reached up to steady it while Tony took a seat at one of the three barstools. Their eyes met and lingered across the counter.

"We need a meeting with Fury. Need to know what he knows," Steve said and draped the towel across the lip of the sink.

"There are other ways."

Tony didn't have to elaborate, Steve understood what he was insinuating. Hacking. As much as Steve despised it, he was desperate for information and he couldn't find it the old-fashioned way without knowing where The Brotherhood was hiding. Tony's method was the only one they had until Fury agreed to see them. Bracing his hands on the counter, Steve absently stared at the marble surface and debated.

Before he could make a decision, Tony suggested, "I could at least get the footage from her escape. It might give us some idea about this Magneto guy. Which, I want to know who the hell calls themselves Magneto."

"Probably a codename."

"Still… That's like being Mr. Pink."

Steve glanced up, the question obvious on his face. Assuming it was from some kind of movie or television show, Steve wasn't bothered when Tony waved his hand and told him to forget it. When Tony pulled up the holographic screen built into the island, Steve came around to stand behind him. SHIELD's logo flared to life in turquoise and a pass code box popped up over the eagle's chest. Tony flicked two fingers over the box to dismiss it, opening a clear window so he could type lines of code. It looked like another language to Steve, but he let Tony work in silence.

"Daddy, there's a monster in my closet," Annika's groggy voice filtered from the upper floors.

Tony glanced over his shoulder, the cursor blinking in the dead space above their counter, "Would you-"

"I got it," Steve told him and pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck. "Get into those files."

Steve's foot touched the bottom stair and Jarvis said, "Security breach. Intruder alert." Adrenaline hitting his bloodstream, Steve pounded up the carpeted stairs. He heard Tony knock the barstool over in the kitchen and then his husband was running up the staircase behind him.

As they reached the upper landing, Annika screeched, "Daddy!"

Steve stretched out to his full speed in the open hallway, barreling through the door without slowing, hoisting one arm to protect his face from splinters. Shards of wood crunched underfoot when Steve frantically preformed a visual sweep. The closet was hanging open, the interior so dark it was like looking into an abyss.

Tony darted into the room after him, "Where is she? Annika?"

The room was empty. Only the soft, pink glow from a jellyfish nightlight illuminated the lumps of comforter and sheet, shoved back in haste. Steve went to the closest and threw the door out of the way. It banged loudly against the wall. As the overhead fluorescent blinked on, Steve shoved aside prim dresses and the expensive boutique clothes Tony had been buying for the girl. Aside from carefully arranged party shoes and racks of outfits, there was nothing in the closet.

"Steve, come here," Tony barked and Steve immediately stepped out. Pointing at the bed, Tony said, "Here."

Steve lifted the heavy, white bed frame so it was balanced on two legs. The sheets slithered off the far side. Curled and trembling between an unopened chemistry kit and gigantic stuffed panda was their daughter. Tony grabbed her up, gently squeezing her shaking frame against his chest.

"It's okay, baby. It's okay. You're safe."

Still on high alert, Steve dropped the bed and paced around the room, his eyes never stopping, "Jarvis, show me the feed ten seconds before Annika screamed."

An image of Annika's room projected on the wall to his left and Steve tightened his hands into fists while he watched. In the corner of the feed, Annika stirred in bed, but Steve's attention was fixed solely on the partially open closet. Tony stepped up beside him, holding the terrified girl so her face was turned away from the screen.

A pair of reflective eyes appeared in the slit of shadow, hints of a humanoid form separating from the darkness to glide into the room. Tony took in a sharp breath through his nose and he looked over at the closet with apprehension. Not for the first time since he'd stepped up to take the serum, Steve wondered what the hell he was facing. As Annika in the video sat up and screamed, the thing reached for her.

"Enough," Steve growled.

Jarvis froze the video when Annika was a blur of motion rolling off the bed. Steve would've bet he'd seen it all when swarms of enemies dropped out of the sky like rain, but he thought that he should stop taking that bet.

Sounding angry and agitated, Tony said, "We're calling Fury. Now."

"Agreed."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

TBC…

I said I wouldn't stay up super late to finish chapters anymore, but what's the first thing I did? Oh well. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll try not to keep you waiting too long for the next installment.

Chapter Three - LINK