INDY

I breathed slowly in and out through my nose, then my mouth. The jet flew smoothly, with no discernible turbulence. But it was enough for my sensitive stomach to know that we were in motion, miles up in the sky. It clenched and rolled, making me feel pale despite the surprising tan I’d gotten myself while hiding out in the south.

“So,” Bucky said, pulling his concerned stare from me to Sam in the cockpit a short distance away. “Where is this new base?”

Sam held a folded piece of paper up over his shoulder and Bucky stood to take it from him before sitting back down next to me and unfolding it so I could see. A set of numbers occupied the page. Presumably our landing coordinates.

41.791792, -101.538880

“Is that… Nebraska?”

Sam nodded his head, turning to grin at me. “Technically, it’s on a ranch a dozen or so miles north of Calora. The owners are in with Fury, so there’ll be no property disputes. They’ve agreed to keep us hidden until we’re ready to take the fight to John and whatever Hydra string-pullers are working with him.”

“Ugh. Great. Cattle.”

Bucky chuckled and nudged me. “It’ll be like Texas again.”

“There were no steer where we stayed,” I grumbled. I could already imagine the smell.

“Don’t worry,” Sam called over his shoulder. “We’re stationed a good distance out from the main ranch. Not many of the animals stray that far.”

“How long have y’all been set up there?” I asked.

“About a week. Kate and Yelena will be excited to see you; they didn’t even know I’d gotten the okay from Fury to come get you.”

Nerves wrapped around the nausea in my stomach as I settled into our jet ride. We had a lot of news to deliver to the team. I was uncertain I even wanted to announce the baby. I would begin showing soon, surely, but security was an ever-present source of anxiety.

One of our own team had already turned on us. And while it had been the teammate I least trusted, the experience was sobering. The thought nearly broke my hormone-softened heart, but what if one of the other three flipped on us, too? There was a time I trusted Kate, Yelena, and Sam with my life. With Bucky’s life. Could I trust them with our child’s life, too?

So much had changed in the last 9 months. It felt less like a return to ‘normal’ and more like plunging briskly into someone else’s life. I’d left a shaky, uncertain mess and was returning as a pregnant wife to my teammate. Talk about a conflict of interest.

Thank God we’re too under-the-radar for an HR department, or they’d have a field day with me.

My thoughts jumped from predictions over the team’s reactions to our updates, to idle musings on how our work dynamic would have shifted, to whether I would be able to handle the workload I’d operated under before. Pestering worries grew more and more erratic in my head until Bucky put his hand on the back of my neck, squeezing gently.

“Calm down,” he murmured gently. “You’re going to make yourself bleed.”

I glanced down at my hands in my lap, one thumb’s cuticle scraped raw by my restless fingers, and frowned.

“Here.” He took both my hands between his and tangled all of our fingers together, gazing at me with level blue eyes. How was he so calm about this? Usually, he was the one wound tight. “You scared?”

I gave a tiny, hesitant nod, my fingers tensing between his.

He nodded back understandingly. “Everything will be okay. I’m not leaving your side. Not until this is all taken care of.”

I swallowed every rational argument I could think up against that and leaned sideways against him. It felt nice to just let him comfort me. Besides, the doubts and fears in my head were beginning to annoy me.

O o 0 o O

A handful of hours later, after nightfall, we began our descent into a wide open field in the middle of Nebraska. Sam clearly had better eyesight than I did, being able to maneuver the jet into the unlit little bay that opened in the ground. I watched through the tempered glass panels in the roof of the jet as the turf-covered mechanical doors slid back into place over us.

We sat in the dark for a moment, Bucky’s hand hard around mine, before lights flared to life around us.

“Bucky,” I whispered frantically as Sam unbuckled in the cockpit and began releasing airlocks. “Don’t tell anyone about the baby yet.”

I could only hope the surprise on his face didn’t contain any hurt. “Why?”

“Just… Let me talk to Fury first. I need to deal with him before anything else.”

Our eyes locked, and I sensed him gauging my intent, my honesty. Part of me wanted to feel indignant at that. I’m your wife, you idiot! But, given our jobs, his history… I couldn’t fault him for any suspicions. Luckily, I wasn’t hiding anything. He eventually gave me a slow nod.

“Trust me,” I said with an encouraging smile that felt shakier than I meant it to be.

“I do,” he responded easily. This was one of those times I wished he didn’t have such a good poker face.

“Alright,” Sam boomed, clapping his hands together eagerly. “Let’s go see the others and get you two settled in.”

Bucky helped me extricate myself from the dozen or so seat belts wrapped around me and we grabbed our things, helped along by Sam, who provided a running commentary as we exited the jet.

“We’ve got no view, but we do have wi-Fi and enough rooms for everyone. Even a few extra. Though I guess you two will be sharing now.”

We both rolled our eyes at his sly teasing.

“What’s the security situation like?” I asked as he led us through the small room that clearly only housed the jet and three four-door vehicles with tinted windows.

“We’re not quite as off-grid as that little island I picked you up from, but I think we’ll be locked down tighter now that we’ve got our computer nerd back.”

Sam’s proud grin made me straighten my shoulders a bit. He was right. This was my element. I was good at this.

All of my bravado seemed to melt the second he opened a doorway off the hall we’d been walking down. Kate and Yelena stood in a cramped little space that looked more like a break room than a kitchen. For a while, the four of us stood staring at each other in disbelief. Kate had cut her hair. It fell a few inches below her shoulders now. Yelena, while physically the same as always, seemed older. More tired.

Happy tears stung in my eyes as the two women rushed forward, enveloping us in a group hug that Kate had to drag Sam into by his shirtfront.

“You’re both okay, right?” Kate asked after a moment, stepping back with her hands on my upper arms as she scanned us with worried eyes. “I mean… no more attacks, or anything?”

I shook my head, feeling light-hearted with my team around me again. “We’re fine. Really.”

“Actually,” Bucky said slowly, sliding his hand into mine. “We kind of have some news.”

I gripped his hand tightly, watching with a growing smile as Kate and Yelena glanced at each other in confusion, then at Sam’s knowing grin, then at us. I’d thought the sight of us holding hands in front of them would be enough, but-

“Well, spit it out already,” Yelena said, leaning back against the wall.

“W-I, uh…” I stuttered.

Bucky, too, looked caught off-guard, smiling confusedly. “We, um… kind of got married.”

I’d expected surprise. Huge shouts of “WHAT?!” and a long, drawn-out interrogation of how our union had come to be. Instead, Yelena shrugged with a nod like we’d told her something commonplace and incontestable, like “the sky is blue”. Kate’s eyes widened with glee, and while that was closer to the reaction I’d anticipated, she let out a high-pitched, “Awwwwww!”

“Congratulations,” Yelena said with a small smile.

I glanced up at Bucky uncertainly, but he shrugged back at me. “So no one is… shocked at all about this?”

Sam chuckled below his breath and shook his head as he moved toward the skinny fridge behind the other two. “The tension between the two of you has been giving me an ulcer for nearly two years now.”

“I had a bet going with one of the compound janitors,” Kate volunteered, raising a hand. “As a matter of fact, he owes me 20 bucks, wherever he is.”

I turned to look at Bucky, but he wore the same nonplussed expression I did. Yelena started laughing at us, which invited the chuckles of the other two. And suddenly, it was like we’d never left.

BUCKY

We had dinner with the team (minus John) and it felt somewhat… surreal. I’d shared how many meals with this exact assortment of people? Too many to count. I’d never sat quite so close to Indy in front of them, though. Never felt so self-conscious about small signs of affection in front of other people.

But every time I looked down at her next to me, I would catch one of the others hiding a smile and glancing away. I didn’t think I was so obvious, but apparently my eyes betrayed more than I wanted when they settled on Indy.

For most of the meal, we just talked, chatting about our time apart. Everyone was careful to avoid mentioning John. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between us all to wait for business until tomorrow. Tonight was for personal regrouping.

There were some crafty little questions from the others, like who had made the first move between us (which was hard to answer as I wasn’t entirely sure anymore). Before, their questions would have irritated me to no end and probably made me snippy and defensive. My time away with Indy had settled me.

Despite all the challenges facing us, I felt so much less uncertainty. There was no more tip-toeing around my feelings, and in that, I felt more stable. So their questions were surprisingly welcome. It showed their care.

During a conversation about Yelena’s recent escapades in recon work on the west side of the country, both Indy’s phone and mine started buzzing in our pockets. My eyes flitted to hers. It was time for her to take her medications and check her blood pressure.

She stood slowly beside me, turning her eyes to Sam. “Bathroom?”

Sam nodded and stood to show her the way.

“I’ll carry your bag,” I said, standing as well.

“I’m sure she can pee on her own, hubby,” Kate teased, rolling her eyes.

I rolled my eyes right back at her and grabbed the small case Indy kept her meds in from where we’d piled our bags near the kitchen. Sam led us down another hallway off the back end of the kitchen. This hallway was a bit more homely, but it was hard to shake the knowledge that we were underground.

Sam chatted idly about the structure and its expedited construction, throwing subtle looks at the case in my hands.

“Here it is,” Sam said, waving at a nondescript white door capping the end of the hall.

Indy turned and took the case from me, tiptoeing to press a quick kiss to my mouth before disappearing into the bathroom. “Thank you.”

I waited in the hall outside, a few feet away, and Sam waited with me.

“She doing okay?” Sam asked after a moment.

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. “She’s been a little… quieter than I remember her. Happy. But quieter.”

“She’s been stressed lately. More than normal.” I frowned. Her blood pressure was still too high and when we’d left the island, Bruce had done one last round of blood and urine testing. He had a feeling preeclampsia was imminent. It was hugely possible the baby would be born prematurely. She was worried and uncomfortable and was suddenly returning to the world of superheroes and worldwide security. Stressed probably wasn’t a big enough word for what she felt.

“So what happens in six months?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” Just the birth of my son.

“Fine,” he said, clearly used to me withholding information. “Keep your secrets. Indy’ll tell me.”

I chuckled. She was the one who wouldn’t let me tell. I doubted Sam could get much out of her. But let him try.

She re-emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, the square case tucked beneath her arm. Her face was neutral, but her eyes were tight. Not a good BP reading, then.

“Were you two just standing out here the whole time?” she asked with a humorous twist of her mouth. Then she shook her head and started walking past us back down the hall. “Weirdos.”

Sam and I shared a look before turning to follow her.

“Just like old times,” he chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

INDY

Before we made it back to the kitchen, a door off the hallway opened up. And out stepped the very person I needed to speak with. The three of us stopped short, Bucky and Sam just behind me.

“Strathos, Barnes,” Nick Fury said in his low, ominous voice. “Good to see you both alive.”

I nodded jerkily, my unfortunately high blood pressure making my pregnancy all-too present in my mind. Just like with Bruce, I felt an odd sensation most women must feel when telling their fathers they’re pregnant. Only, this was my boss. Who was governmentally charged with the task of keeping my husband both safe and law-abiding. This was awkward.

“Thank you,” Bucky said smoothly, stepping forward.

“We have some reports, sir,” I said once Bucky’s voice had broken me out of my anxious thoughts.

Fury nodded his head at me, one unobscured eye shooting over to Sam. “Wilson, let the others know we’ll be having a full debrief in the morning.”

Sam nodded respectfully to Fury and gave Bucky and I quick goodbye smiles as he finished the trek to the kitchen. Bucky caught my eye as we slipped inside Fury’s office. He was wary, the way he usually was when meeting with Fury. But this time we were sitting on a bomb. One I had insisted I be the one to drop. God, I hated being responsible.

Fury closed the door behind us and gestured to two armchairs across a low table from a short sofa that didn’t sink in an inch as he sat down. “Tell me everything.”

I took in a deep breath and tried to slip back into my old role of intermediary. “Most of our time away was uneventful. Up until Hydra caught up to us in Texas.”

“McKay’s attack,” Fury nodded, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and watching us pensively. “Walker infiltrated our intelligence software and surmised your location from it. Given what we know now, we assume he’s the one who passed that information on.”

“After that, we moved on to hiding with Dr. Banner,” I continued. “There have been no more incidents, but…”

Fury’s one eye held a seed of curiosity and suspicion. “Barnes. Out.”

Bucky stiffened in the chair next to me. “Sir-”

“Out, Barnes,” he said in the same tone, glancing sharply at him.

“It’s alright,” I murmured below my breath, unable to turn and look at his face. “I’ll be fine.”

He hesitated a moment longer before reluctantly standing and moving to the door with a tightness in his shoulders I hadn’t seen in a long time. When the door shut behind him, I let out a slow breath.

“If you’re about to tell me you married him,” Fury started before I could. “Save your breath. Banner wanted it to be legit in the eyes of the government, so he took all the necessary steps to ensure it was as legal as possible given the circumstances.”

Affection warmed my chest. Bruce was too good for this world. “But, how did he do it without giving away our-”

My question trailed off when Fury gave me an exasperated look. He had covered it up for us. Of course he had.

“I don’t care if Barnes is in love with you,” he stated clinically. “That’s actually an advantage for us. Means he’ll fight harder to keep you safe. But you loving him…”

I waited, ramrod straight in my seat with a pounding heart as he searched for the right words.

“I need to know that if this team needs you to make a decision with your head… you won’t let your heart get in the way.”

“I’m a professional, sir. Have I ever failed you before?” It was a risky question. I’d come close many times, flirted with disaster. I’d disappointed him a few times, but no. I hadn’t ever outright failed him before.

He sighed and shook his head, standing. “I’m putting my trust in you again, Agent Strath- Barnes.”

I blinked in shock. That was my name now, wasn’t it? It felt more real coming from Nick Fury himself. I tried to quell the excitable smile that tried to come to my face; I still had news for him. As he turned to face away, I spoke.

“Sir, there is one other thing you should know.” God, my palms were creating waterfalls right now.

He turned and fixed his good eye on me again. I almost lost my nerve. But I was on a deadline. And it was better now than later.

“I’m pregnant.” There. It was done. Out in the open and hanging like an awkward request for lenience.

His eyelid slipped slowly closed and he let out a slow, controlled breath through his nose before muttering quietly, “Motherf-”