Natasha was livid by the time they got to the penthouse. Pepper was already on the phone trying to call off the hounds, while Tony was busy chewing out a caterer.

"I don't care if she is your sister-in-law. You'll fire her or we'll take our business elsewhere. You signed the confidentiality agreement. You are responsible for this debacle," Tony shouted. When he finally noticed Steve, Natasha, and Nicole in the room, he sighed. "Someone on the catering staff decided to make a quick buck. Apparently proof Romangers is real is worth a lot of money. I'm sorry I didn't catch this before you arrived."

"Not your fault, Tony," Steve replied. He looked at Natasha. "We knew we couldn't keep this secret forever."

"I know. We need to get ahead of this. Tony, I guess you're going to have to call that press conference after all," Natasha agreed.

Tony nodded, but Steve put his arms around Natasha. "Not today. Tomorrow is our wedding. Call the press conference for the following day, but ask them to leave us alone until then or they get nothing."

"I'll have Happy tighten security," Tony promised. "Tomorrow is your big day. Don't worry about any of this mess." He paused. "You might want to avoid the internet and the news for now. I don't think stress is good for babies."

"What do you know about babies, Tony?" Pepper asked as she hung up the phone.

"Oh, I've done my research. If you'd just say yes, I'd give you a practical demonstration."

Pepper shook her head. "Not going to happen as long as our child would have to share you with Ironman."

"Share me with Ironman? I am Ironman. He'll love it. I can build him a little suit. It'd be great."

"No," Pepper said firmly, but Natasha caught the hint of a smile. She knew it wouldn't be much longer before Tony convinced Pepper to have a baby.

Steve cleared his throat. "We better get Nicole settled. She needs a nap before the fun starts. You ready, Nat?"

Natasha nodded and the three of them went to their rooms. Nicole was excited about being at the tower. She just had to look out the window. "Daddy, the cars are so small. Look at the little people!" she exclaimed.

"Well, actually, the people aren't little, we are just really high," Steve explained.

"The people took my picture, Daddy. Why they take picture?"

"Because Daddy and Mommy are Avengers, and that makes people think it is okay to follow us and take pictures. It wasn't a very nice thing for them to do. I'm sorry if it bothered you or made you feel scared."

"It not bother me. You keep me safe," Nicole replied, trust evident in her features.

"That's right, Nicole," Natasha added. "We will always do our best to keep you safe."

Steve put Nicole down for her nap, and Natasha pulled out her phone. Images of the three of them were already everywhere. Speculation was running rampant. Some of the reporters were especially cruel. A headline read Black Widow casts her Web, Traps Captain America. Another read Captain America's Soviet Love Child.

There were some nicer articles, too. A few talked about how nice it was that the Captain and the Widow had found love. Some even speculated Natasha was already pregnant when the Battle of New York took place. Natasha decided that was probably the best thing people could assume. No one needed to know how their daughter came into existence. It was better for people to just believe they'd been together since shortly after Steve woke up.

Steve came back into the room to find Natasha still scrolling through articles. "You really think reading those are a good idea?"

"I do. We need to decide what we are going to tell the press. The truth is completely out of the question. If I can get a gauge of what they think happened and just confirm a popular theory, we can at least protect some of our secrets. I know you don't like to lie-"

"I'll make an exception in this case. Nobody needs to know the whole story. You come up with our cover story and I'll go with it. I trust you, Nat. You asked me once whether I would trust you to save my life. Well, I do and, more than that, I trust you to save our children."

"Thank you, Steve. That almost means more than I love you, but I still like to hear those words, too."

"Good, because you are going to hear them a lot over the next fifty years. I love you.

But, I have to admit, Clint had the right idea. Keeping his family out of the public eye has given them a real chance at a normal life. I think we should take him up on his offer. Let's build the house. We can divide our time for awhile between the farm and the compound, but the kids need a safe place."

Natasha smile. "Are you sure?"

"Completely," Steve replied before Natasha pulled him into a kiss.

"Thank you."

Tony successfully put a halt to the reporters standing outside by promising the press conference, and the wedding day went off without a hitch. During the reception, Bruce handed them an envelope.

"This seemed like the most appropriate gift. Steve will understand," Bruce said shyly before walking away to talk to someone else.

Natasha opened the envelope. "It's a subscription to the New York Times," she said, giving Steve a puzzled look.

Steve grinned. "Before I knew Nicole was mine, I told Bruce I had always envisioned My kids climbing in bed with my wife and I on Sunday mornings to listen to me read the Sunday comics."

"That sounds nice," Natasha replied, looking over at Bruce. He was deep in conversation with Sharon. "I hope he finds what we have someday."

"If he does, we're getting him a subscription to Popular Science."

Tony insisted on taking Nicole for the night, claiming she'd be an asset in getting Pepper on board for a baby, so Steve and Natasha were able to enjoy their wedding night. They got up early enough the next morning for Natasha to fully prep Steve on what to say about Nicole. She knew lying didn't come naturally to him, so she drilled him until it was time to meet the press.

Tony stood with them at the podium, while Pepper kept Nicole out of sight. They decided he should make a statement before they answered any questions.

"I know there's been a lot of buzz about who the cute little red head in the pictures actually is, and we are going to give you the full scoop as promised. As most of you have already speculated and rushed into print, she is the daughter of our very own Captain America and his wife the Black Widow."

The press began shouting question after question, so Steve took Natasha's hand and stepped up to the microphone. "Was the Black Widow pregnant during the battle with the Chitari?" a reporter asked.

"My wife would not willingly endanger our child. We didn't know Nicole was on the way until later," Steve replied.

"You hadn't been awake long, exactly how did you fall in love with the Black Widow?"

"Shield assigned Natasha to watch over me while I was waking up. Her eyes were the first I'd seen in over 70 years, and they were the most beautiful eyes I'd ever seen. Once I came to terms with the truth about my time in the ice, she became my lifeline. I guess you could say, I had to take a really long nap to find my perfect partner."

Steve looked at Natasha and smiled. They hadn't really addressed how they fell in love when they were preparing for the interview. His smile made her heart flutter.

"Aren't you concerned about your public image, Captain? She's a deadly Russian assassin. Doesn't that concern you? Is that why you kept the secret for so long?"

"Absolutely not. We made the decision to keep our private life private, because we want our children to have a normal life. Natasha has more than proven herself. Most of you would probably be dead or enslaved if it weren't for her bravery. There's no one on the planet I trust more. She's not just an incredible Avenger. She's also an incredible mother, and I am extremely proud she is also my wife."

"Are either of you considering retirement?"

"No," Natasha said firmly. "If the world needs the Avengers, we will be there. We do request that our family be off limits to the press, so our children can be protected. We know we have enemies. Our children don't need a target on their backs."

"You said children. Can we expect more children in the future?"

Steve looked at Natasha. She nodded. "We are expecting a son. For now, Natasha is setting on the sidelines and staying out of danger. She'll take some time off after our son is born then she'll be back. I personally don't want to think about a world where I go into battle without my partner by my side."

Tony stepped back up to the microphone. "I think that's enough questions for these two. Just remember Romangers is now officially canon. Call off the paparazzi and leave this little family alone."

Once they were alone, Natasha wrapped her arms around Steve's neck. "You did good, soldier. Way to think on your feet. You even came up with a plausible story for falling in love with me. We might make a liar out of you, yet."

Steve kissed her gently. "Who said I was lying? Nothing I said out there was anything short of the truth. I just didn't give them all the details about Nicole. As for falling for you, it happened exactly as I said. It just took a little longer for me to tell you."

Natasha didn't bother replying with words. She just pulled Steve into a deep kiss. This was the happily ever after she never expected, and she was going to enjoy every single minute.

And, that's the end, folks. Thanks for reading. I'm not completely sure what I'm going to write next. I wish my muse would let me get back to a Captain's Future, but it doesn't seem to be in the mood just yet.

I do have a few ideas running through my mind. I'm considering a time travel piece that would connect to James Rogers of The Next Avengers. That animated movie made me a Steve/Nat shipper before the MCU even existed. I've read a few of those, but none were finished. (I know, I have no room to talk.) I'm also considering writing my own post Infinity War fic or a Natasha travels back to the past fic, but those have been done and done really well. I won't write one unless I feel like I can bring something new to the table.

If you have a preference, let me know in the comments. Maybe it'll jumpstart my muse.