NOTES: This is it, folks: the epilogue. I can't believe this story, which is nothing like it was originally supposed to be, is over. It has been a joy growing with it, and a delight that you all take the time to read it. Thank you so much for that.

Just so you know, to celebrate my anniversary of writing Avengers fic, I'm going to post a new story on Thursday called "Wishes and Nightmares: Anniversary Funfest Bonus Scenes" (because I suck at titles). I'll be posting prompts I've collected over the last couple weeks that take place during and after this story. I'll post a prompt a day until I run out. It should last at least two-and-a-half weeks.

There are more stories to come in what I now refer to as the Nadiaverse. The will not always be centered around Natasha, Steve, and Nadia, but they will take place in the same timeline offshot. My next multichapter fic featuring Phil and Clint should get going around October. And there are several more stories to tell after that one, have no fear.

Thank you, again, for spending your time on my words. That means the world to me, as do all of your lovely comments and encouragement.

Thank you to kris_eleven for being my original sounding board on this crazy idea eight months ago (funny how this story almost took nine months to tell), and thanks to the_wordbutler for being the awesome person that she is-editing my words, loving the idea of Steve and Natasha together before I did, and being just a huge support for me and this story.

"That's not what she was wearing when I left," Steve commented softly as he entered their bedroom.

Natasha was lying on her side watching three-week-old Nadia, sprawled as much as her tiny form could be, sleep in the middle of their bed. "She spit up all over her star chart. Maybe we'll have better luck with polka-dots."

"Probably not," Steve chuckled as he leaned in to kiss his daughter, only to be waved off by Natasha.

"You know the rules," she told him while pointing to the bathroom. He huffed and rolled his eyes, but dutifully made his way towards the shower.

One in the hastily-assembled series of rules they'd developed in the three weeks since Nadia was born was that they would never cuddle her if they hadn't showered from a mission or a fight. Natasha didn't want the scent of gunpowder and the feeling of dirt to be tied to their identities.

Steve showered quickly, barely toweled off, and only bothered to put on a pair of boxers before lying down on the other side of the baby. Once Natasha judged him clean, he placed a barely-there kiss on the top of the baby's head. She twitched at the contact, but didn't wake.

"That didn't take very long," Natasha whispered.

He shrugged. "They didn't really know what they were doing, mostly just trying to show off. But it was close to a convention center full of school kids for some science thing, so we got called in."

"Nice publicity."

"I'm sure it will be spun that way." He sighed. "I'm ready for you to come back. It's not the same without you."

Natasha looked down at her daughter. She was warned about desires to remain at home all day with the baby, and she could admit to feeling an inkling of that, but she wasn't cut out for the stay-at-home lifestyle. It would take some adjustment getting back to an active agent's routine, but Natasha was ready for the challenge. Once her body was back to normal, of course.

Despite regaining her pre-pregnancy physical appearance, her body hadn't forgotten what she'd gone through. She'd felt like she'd been hit by a truck during the first week, and her energy levels were still not at all what they used to be. Slowly, she was getting back to normal; she went to the gun range for the first time in months the night before and ran a whole two miles with Clint earlier that morning.

"Tony offered for everyone to come up for dinner and a movie tonight if, and I quote, 'it fit into Tsarina's schedule.'"

Natasha rolled her eyes. "What time?"

"Dinner's at six. He promised to have the movie going by seven-thirty."

"We can give it a shot."

Steve nodded, remembering when they'd tried something similar the week before and had to leave early because Nadia was fussy and distracting people from the movie. Not that anyone really cared—even Tony's attitude was obviously superficial—but Natasha knew that wouldn't last.

As good as the men had been to their little… Family was still a bit of a frightening word, but although their fellow team members took turns bringing food and participating in the schedule for lunchtime cuddles, Natasha didn't want to push her luck. Unless the newborn decided to have another series of explosive diapers, and then the guys could come around all they wanted.

"So, did you just lay here and stare at her while I was out saving the world?" Steve asked.

"I'm not staring, I'm observing."

"She's not a mark."

"You're just jealous you didn't get to hang out with her this afternoon."

"Pretty much," he agreed. "Do you think you'll ever get tired of looking at her?" he asked quietly.

She shrugged. "I keep doing it hoping it will sink that she's mine."

"Hey," he breathed and waited for her to look at him. "She's not going to disappear. She's here, and she's ours."

She could almost believe his words, but not quite. And honestly, she didn't think she ever would, not completely. Parents, apparently, always had a fear that something bad would to happen to their child; Natasha just had a very specific idea of what could fall into the category of "something bad".

They fell back into silence, watching Nadia's chest rise and fall. The peace was enough to start to lull Natasha to sleep, a needed rest after her run with Clint that morning.

"Why this?" Steve asked. Her eyebrows drew together in a silent request for him to elaborate on his question. "I mean, my wish was pretty obvious—back in my old life with those people, getting to have a life with Peggy."

"Sorry you had to settle for me."

He shrugged. "I guess things worked out in the end, if only because you're still here when I wake up."

She smirked. "You know, if there wasn't a sleeping baby between us, I'd slug you."

He smiled easily back at her. "No, but seriously. How did Loki know? Did that antler helmet give him the ability to read our thoughts and we didn't know about it?"

Natasha looked back down at Nadia as she flashed back to that fateful afternoon where she'd extracted the demigod's plans from him while he was incarcerated in the helicarrier's Hulk holding cell. Used to be, she thought those few days comprised the most pivotal week in her life; now, that was no longer the case.

While her life had changed dramatically with the first assembling of the super heroes during the Battle of New York, it was nothing compared the last ten months of her life. The last three weeks alone of being a mother were full of experiences she never saw herself doing. Natasha never thought she would find such an interest in watching a newborn sleep, have such possessiveness over another's life, or feel a bit of peace in holding a tiny person against her chest.

"I told him," she said. "'Love is for children.'"