I do not own anything Marvel. All mentioned properties belong to their respective owners.

SuperFamily: A New Addition

Chapter 24

"Looks like young Peter is the one!" A menacing German voice echoed through a dark room as Steve struggled to free himself from ropes that tightened each time his muscles flexed.

"No! Peter!" The words escaped his dry mouth; the moisture of his body leaving through the beads of sweat flowing from his forehead and neck, "Leave him alone!" The super soldier begged to no avail.

The Red Skull's laugh rang through the darkness and pierced Steve's ears. A sharp chill shot through his spine forcing every muscle in his body to squeeze; his body nearly doubling in size causing his combat suit to tighten. The ropes tightened even more and dug into the folds of his limbs.

Steve let out a loud scream and pulled his arms upwards; the rope snapped and the chair he was sitting on fell apart.

The man was on his hands and knees, his sweaty hair covered his eyes. As he looked up and brushed the golden locks from his face, he saw a crib; his blue eyes widened in fear. The only sound he could hear was a baby crying.

"Peter!" Steve rushed to scoop the baby into his arms and began to rock him back and forth, "Shh- I got you… I got you." He shut his eyes as he desperately swayed with Peter but the crying wouldn't stop.

It was as if the infant was in pain; it broke the captain's heart.

A menacing laugh ripped through the room; sending another chill through Steve and stopping the baby from crying. The man opened his eyes and looked down at the baby, a scream of horror flooded out of his mouth.

Peter was still, his face had gone and his little chest failed to rise.

The baby was dead.

oooOOOooo

Steve gasped in fear as his blue eyes burst open; he shivered when he realized he was asleep in his bed. His forehead was damp with sweat and his hands were shaking under the duvet the covered his bare body.

The room was still dim as the shaders on the windows prevented the sunlight from entering the room. The air was cool and a soft hum filled the room.

Turning his head slightly, away from the window, he saw the silhouette of his sleeping husband; Tony's back facing him. Steve slid closer to Tony and wrapped his arms around him. He tightened his grip, pressing his naked hips onto the lower back of the man in his arms; the warmth radiating off of Tony calmed Steve's nerves. Steve nestled his head into the space between Tony's head and shoulder and closed his eyes again.

"You're up." Tony groaned as he held the hands of the man behind him, "Another bad dream?"

Steve nodded; gently rubbing Tony's shoulder with his chin.

A week had passed since Steve and his team had arrived home from his trip to Wakanda, and although his body was healed, his mind was not. Every night since the mission, the super soldier had been plagued with nightmares about Peter. They all started the same: with Steve being tied up again in a dark room, and ended with him desperately trying to save a dying baby. He almost always woke up crying and shaken.

Throughout the week that he had been home, Steve made sure to bond with Peter as much as he could; the time off he was given allowed him to spend countless hours with the infant. It was a welcome change from the violence of his mission in the jungle. But, no matter how much he told himself that Peter is safe in his home, Steve could never shake the idea that Schmidt has the capability to harm the baby and everyone that he loved. He used to dream about having a child with Tony, but now, all he can think about is how dangerous it is for a superhero to raise a child.

"Wanna talk about it?" Tony asked; his eyes still closed.

Steve lay silently for a moment, "Not really. It was the same dream as last night." His voice was shaking slightly.

Tony sighed and then nestled himself deeper into his husband's arms, feeling Steve's smooth skin wrapped around his own. He turned his head, and with his eyes still closed, Tony puckered his lips for a kiss.

Steve chuckled before turning his head, too. He placed a hand around Tony's chin and pressed their lips together; a soft moan came out of Tony's mouth as they kissed deeply.

"How 'bout I make breakfast today?" Tony said; pulling his face away from Steve's, "You can go check on junior, maybe give him a bath before we eat?"

"Sure," Steve said as soft smile formed on his lips, "sounds good." He loosened his grip on Tony; silently wishing that he didn't leave.

But he did.

Tony gently pushed Steve's arm off and sat up straight at the edge of the bed. The bed cover rolled off of his shoulders as shadows formed at each curve around his muscles. Steve watched silently as Tony rubbed his eyes and stood up to walk to the bathroom; his husband's naked silhouette walking sluggishly towards the open ensuite.

Steve rolled over onto his back as Tony closed the door. He placed both hands over his face before rubbing the sleep out of his eyes; he needed to brush his teeth.

Sitting up, Steve let the duvet fall around him and then quickly pulled himself off of the bed. He slowly walked over to his pair of boxer shorts that lay on the floor and pulled them up around his waist. Time to get Peter, Steve thought to himself as he walked over to the crib in the corner of the room.

Looking up at him was little Peter, his eyes wide and flashing a toothless smile at the familiar face.

"Hey little guy." Steve smiled back, "I didn't know you were awake," he reached down and plucked the infant from his sheets, "let's go give you a bath!"

Peter cooed as Steve walked to the guest bathroom down the hallway. The lights were still off and the blinds were shut, but there was a faint glow coming from the living room.

"How do I do this again?" Steve mumbled to himself as he fumbled while undressing the baby by the large bathroom sink. Peter giggled as the hands around him tickled when they pulled off his onesie.

Steve covered the drain with a plug and began to run warm water to bathe the child. He pulled Peter close to his bare chest and grabbed the baby-safe soap and a soft washcloth while waiting for the sink to fill. Once the sink was filled, the captain gently placed Peter into the water; the baby made a face when his body was slowly submerged. Steve began to wash the baby, the soft and smooth skin felt like silk as the soap created suds. He smiled at the baby and made soft sounds in an attempt to make Peter laugh, all he could get was smile back.

Looking into Peter's big brown eyes, Steve reflected on the week he had spent with the child since he had gotten home: the walks at Central Park, napping on the couch, getting to meet Aunt May, spending time with the other Avengers and even learning to change his diaper. Within that short week, Steve felt like his connection with Peter was stronger than before and he longed that connection to continue to grow. He frowned when he remembered that his time with the baby was going to be shorter than he had hoped.

Steve brushed his hair over with his forearm and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror above the sink. He could see his eyes were watering a bit, but he couldn't tell if it was because he was feeling sad or if he had touched them with soapy hands.

Peter sneezed; immediately recapturing the attention of the man bathing him.

"Bless you." Steve chuckled at the baby's almost shocked expression, "I think that's enough bath time for now."

He pulled Peter out of the water and immediately wrapped him in a clean towel. Steve proceeded to pat the infant's body dry with a warm smile on his face, making sure he hid his frown from him. He dried Peter's torso and arms and continued the process to the tiny hands that reached to touch the super-soldier's sculpted face. Peter giggled as the soft fabric rubbed in between his little fingers; Steve's smile widened at the sound of the child's amusement.

"You almost done in there?" Tony's voice came through the opened bathroom door, followed by the sweet fragrance of French toast, "Breakfast is almost ready!"

"Yeah, just about!" Steve shouted back; turning his head to the door, "Just about." He repeated as he pulled the towel away from Peter's fingers. There was some noticeable resistance, though the child was not holding it.

Peter giggled some more once the towel came off.

That was weird. Steve lifted the stubby legs that hung from the edge of the vanity and slid a fresh diaper under the baby's bottom. With ease, it was soon snug around Peter's waist. In the seconds that followed, a clean onesie was on him, too.

"You can thank Auntie Nat for teaching me." Steve grinned before kissing Peter on the cheek, "Time for breakfast!"

The pair made their way to the kitchen.

"Morning, Pete!" Tony said when he heard the infants giggle behind him. He was cooking the last two slices of toast on the griddle.

"Say hi!" Steve wagged Peter's hand with his thumb and then placed him in the baby carrier which rested on the island counter. "Smells good!" He kissed his husband's cheek before grabbing a bottle of formula from the fridge and taking a seat at the stool next to Peter.

"How was bath time?" Tony winked as he handed a plate to Steve.

"It was good!" Steve responded; reaching over the counter to feed Peter, "He's all clean n-"

He stopped abruptly when a little hand stuck out from the carrier and swatted the bottle with a force strong enough to surprise the enhanced soldier and catch the attention of Tony.

"Woah there buddy!" Steve exclaimed, "Did you see that, Tony?"

The man tensed up.

"Tony?" Steve repeated; his eyes wide open.

"Guess he's not hungry?" Tony turned away quickly.

Steve covered the bottle with a shrug, "Yeah, but that was quite the hit, and his reflexes!"

Tony also shrugged; his back was still to Steve. He knew his husband was right, "Must've had a good night's sleep?" His voice was a little higher than usual.

"Huh." Steve grunted quizzically, "Anyways, anything new?"

Thank you. Tony mouthed before turning to face the two, "Not really?" He forked half a slice of the sweet toast into his face.

"What about that thing with OsCorp?" Steve asked with a warm smile, "With that Norman guy. Have you made a decision yet?"

"Shi-" Tony stopped himself; Steve glared at him playfully, "No, I haven't. I'll get Pepper to push my meeting with him again." He said as if the topic didn't matter.

"Tony." Steve said firmly, "You can't keep pushing back your meeting with him." He began to lecture. "It's-"

"Rude." Tony interjected, "I know."

"Unprofessional." Steve said sternly.

"God! You sound like Pepper." Tony grumbled.

"It's true! The man's been waiting almost two weeks now."

"'More like a week and half, and he did say to take my time."

"You shouldn't keep him waiting too long." Steve scooped more toast into his mouth; closing his eyes in delight as the sweet syrupy bread touched his tongue, "This is amazing, by the way."

Tony smiled before taking another bite and swatting at the air, dismissing his husband's remark.

"What did he want again?" Steve asked.

"Some partnership thing." Tony responded without a care, "He wants to use the Stark nano tech for some biomedical research, or something like that. I don't know if I'm gonna go through with it, though."

"Why not?"

There was brief pause before Tony answered, "The guy gives me the creeps."

"Tony! That's-"

"Unprofessional. I got it."

"No." Steve was firm, "That's rude." He smirked when he got the 'are you kidding me?' look from the inventor.

"He also seems pretty sketchy." Tony added.

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno, there's just something about him that feels off."

Steve shrugged and then reached for the baby bottle to try and feed Peter again. He held the baby's hand down this time, to make sure the bottle wasn't hit again, "Any plans for today?" He asked Tony.

"Not really." Tony's mouth was full, "Some SHIELD agents are coming over in a bit."

"Oh?" Steve looked up from the carrier, "What for?"

"Uh.." Tony was kicking himself mentally, "They wanted to see the new tech Banner and I are working on." His heart rate elevated as he prayed that Steve wouldn't get suspicious.

"I see." He seemed to buy it.

Tony let out a sigh of relief, "How 'bout you?"

"It's a beautiful day." Steve said, prompting Tony to look out the window, "I'm thinking of taking Peter out for a walk at Central Park."

"Again?"

"Why not?" Steve sounded slightly offended, "There's no such thing as too much sunshine!"

"Actually…" Tony began to speak.

"Whatever Tony." Steve chuckled before taking Peter out of the carrier, "I'll put a hat on him!" He kissed the baby on the cheek, stood up and walked away with the child in his arms.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked, failing to see that Steve had already finished eating his breakfast.

Steve looked over his shoulder, still walking, "Gonna get ready for our walk!"

"What?" Tony was surprised, "Already? It's so early."

"No, it's not." The super-soldier continued walking away; Peter's little head peeking over his round shoulder, "We had brunch, right JARVIS?"

"Wha- No!" Tony was flustered.

"Yes you did, sir." The AI's voice spoke from a hidden speaker in the kitchen.

"Damnit, JARVIS!" The man grumbled in the kitchen, thinking that Steve was out of range to hear him.

"Language!" Steve shouted from down the hallway, "And you should be getting ready, the agents will be here soon!"

Tony chuckled lightly to himself, "Right. The agents."

Hey everyone! It's been a while since the last one hasn't it? I hope you enjoyed reading this new chapter; I really took my time with it! I just wanted to thank you all for sticking around since the first chapter came out almost 2 years ago. And I gotta say, all of the kind reviews and notifications I've been getting from the site have been so amazing! I think having the new Spiderman movie come out this summer sparked some new interest in stories about the character, so I've been getting messages about new followers and I mean it's crazy how it's still happening; even when I'm not writing.

Thanks again for reading! Until next time,

-B