Willow Manor and Oak Croft were barely more than a lawn's breadth from one another, proving Humphrey's good sense when it came to placing the Rogers family within the bounds of Maple Grove. The children had taken to playing together on the lawn between the two houses, and today, had been quick to rush outside as the first snow flurries of the winter made themselves known. With Lucy, Steve, and Johnny all on Earth, but expected back at any moment, Liv watched from the porch of Willow Manor with Bess cuddled on her lap as the children entertained themselves. Thankfully, she'd been able to borrow the Foster boys to help corral the group, but not even Matt and Lucas could match up to what Fliss was doing with the girls.
Because it was snowing, Lianne and Maria had Disney on their minds, and were performing a rousing rendition of a famous song with slightly adjusted lyrics, thanks to Fliss pretending to be her little sister's voice. Thor and Bella had joined in the singing, and the gardens were ringing with the howling sound of little voices and dogs singing together, with the occasional chirrup from Lir every now and then.
It was in the middle of this crazy scene that the portal opened and Johnny and Lucy and Steve stepped out, all of them relieved to be home, if only for a little while. Plans had been discussed and put into motion, but there wasn't much more they could do until the meeting between CIA Agents Doyle and Miller with Evchenko. Nat had stayed behind to keep an eye on Alyona, and Steve was confident the two women would find plenty of common ground to base a friendship on. As soon as the portal opened, there was a mad dash from the kids to greet their parents and welcome them home. Johnny scooped up Maria in one arm and Alex in the other, kissing them both on the cheek before going to greet the rest of the family. Steve did the same, moving to a crouch and opening his arms to circle his children in his embrace. There were squeals of delight and plenty of kisses and hugs to go around as the families were reunited.
Fliss rose from her knees with a laugh as she was abandoned by her cousin and sister, bending to swing Jamie over to his dad before he got left behind in the rush to say hello. Liv rose, tucking Bess close on her hip as she came down off the porch to join in the hugs, kissing Johnny tenderly by way of hello.
"There now, didn't I say they'd be coming home with me?" Lucy demanded in amusement, grunting as Lianne detached herself from Steve to thump into her mother's legs.
"Are you staying home for good now, Papa?" Alex asked Johnny, having missed his father as much as his siblings and mother.
Johnny frowned at his son's question and met Liv's gaze before looking back to give him an answer. "Not yet, Alex, but soon. I promise," he assured the boy. "But let's not talk about that now, okay' I want to hear about everything that's happened while I was away." He smiled as he looked over at Maria, who was pointing to a new space in between a couple of her teeth. "You lost another tooth! Did the Tooth Fairy leave you anything under your pillow?" he asked, balancing her against his hip as he set Alex back on his feet.
"The Tooth Fairy tried, but Jasper pounced her right out of the room," Fliss told their father cheerfully, watching as Maria raised her hands to finish the story.
"Mama had to ask her nicely to come back, and she gave me five silvers!"
Liv grinned, wrapping her arm about Alex as they turned toward the house. There would be time to catch up with Lucy about what had actually happened on Earth during her short visit, but for now, the children deserved to have their dads all to themselves.
"Wow, five silvers for one tooth. I'm in the wrong business," Johnny said with a laugh, happy to be home with his family. The Avengers might need him from time to time, but this was where he belonged.
In the meantime, Steve was being welcomed home by his own family, even little Jamie wanting to get in on the hugs and kisses. Though the two families were close, they each needed time alone to reconnect with their children and reassure them that they weren't going anywhere. "I missed all of you, too," Steve was heard saying as he took them all into a hug and held them close a long moment.
"We made cakes with Aunty Liv and put them in home for you for after dinner, Papa," Lianne offered from where she was hugging Lucy's bump affectionately. "S'cold out here."
Lucy laughed, stroking her daughter's hair fondly. "Well, we should get in out of the cold then, shouldn't we?"
"Did you get the bad guys, Papa?" Martin interrupted curiously with wide, adoring eyes. As the eldest, he understood what was going on the most and was aware of his father's history and identity.
"Not quite yet, Martin," Steve replied, with a frown, "but we're working on it." He let go of his children, except for Jamie who he swung onto a hip, Lianne grabbing hold of her father's hand to drag him inside.
"We have a plan, Martin," Lucy assured their eldest, knowing he would be able to understand that having a plan was a lot more than they'd had just that morning. "And before any of you ask, yes, Papa will be home for Christmas." She smiled at Steve as she said it, knowing he would move the Earth to ensure that was a promise.
"I wouldn't miss it!" Steve said, assuring them all that he had no intentions of missing the most important day of the year, as far as his children were concerned anyway. It was killing him to be away from them at all, but until he could be sure Hydra was no longer a threat to their safety, he didn't have much choice. "What kind of cakes did you make, Li?" he asked, trying to split his attention as equally as he could between his children.
"Chok'it!" Jamie answered happily, clinging onto his father's shirt as he was borne inside and out of the cold weather.
Lianne giggled, releasing Steve's hand as Thor came bounding over to say hello to the man of the house before turning his attention to Martin fondly. For an old dog, he certainly had a lot more energy these days than he'd had when he first came home with them.
"My favorite!" Steve replied with a grin. No matter what the flavor was, he'd have insisted it was his favorite. He reached down to give the dog a proper greeting. "Hey, boy," he said scritching the dog's fur with his fingers. He wasn't clad in his uniform but in civvies, as befitting a husband and father, his shield and uniform in safe-keeping at Avengers Mansion back home in New York. At least, that's what Tony had started calling the place, since the team's arrival.
"Papa, can we have a puppy?" Martin blurted, the other question that was primarily on his mind these days. Thor had clearly proved to be Steve's dog, and the boy was dying to have a puppy of his own.
Because it was snowing, Lianne and Maria had Disney on their minds, and were performing a rousing rendition of a famous song with slightly adjusted lyrics, thanks to Fliss pretending to be her little sister's voice. Thor and Bella had joined in the singing, and the gardens were ringing with the howling sound of little voices and dogs singing together, with the occasional chirrup from Lir every now and then.
It was in the middle of this crazy scene that the portal opened and Johnny and Lucy and Steve stepped out, all of them relieved to be home, if only for a little while. Plans had been discussed and put into motion, but there wasn't much more they could do until the meeting between CIA Agents Doyle and Miller with Evchenko. Nat had stayed behind to keep an eye on Alyona, and Steve was confident the two women would find plenty of common ground to base a friendship on. As soon as the portal opened, there was a mad dash from the kids to greet their parents and welcome them home. Johnny scooped up Maria in one arm and Alex in the other, kissing them both on the cheek before going to greet the rest of the family. Steve did the same, moving to a crouch and opening his arms to circle his children in his embrace. There were squeals of delight and plenty of kisses and hugs to go around as the families were reunited.
Fliss rose from her knees with a laugh as she was abandoned by her cousin and sister, bending to swing Jamie over to his dad before he got left behind in the rush to say hello. Liv rose, tucking Bess close on her hip as she came down off the porch to join in the hugs, kissing Johnny tenderly by way of hello.
"There now, didn't I say they'd be coming home with me?" Lucy demanded in amusement, grunting as Lianne detached herself from Steve to thump into her mother's legs.
"Are you staying home for good now, Papa?" Alex asked Johnny, having missed his father as much as his siblings and mother.
Johnny frowned at his son's question and met Liv's gaze before looking back to give him an answer. "Not yet, Alex, but soon. I promise," he assured the boy. "But let's not talk about that now, okay' I want to hear about everything that's happened while I was away." He smiled as he looked over at Maria, who was pointing to a new space in between a couple of her teeth. "You lost another tooth! Did the Tooth Fairy leave you anything under your pillow?" he asked, balancing her against his hip as he set Alex back on his feet.
"The Tooth Fairy tried, but Jasper pounced her right out of the room," Fliss told their father cheerfully, watching as Maria raised her hands to finish the story.
"Mama had to ask her nicely to come back, and she gave me five silvers!"
Liv grinned, wrapping her arm about Alex as they turned toward the house. There would be time to catch up with Lucy about what had actually happened on Earth during her short visit, but for now, the children deserved to have their dads all to themselves.
"Wow, five silvers for one tooth. I'm in the wrong business," Johnny said with a laugh, happy to be home with his family. The Avengers might need him from time to time, but this was where he belonged.
In the meantime, Steve was being welcomed home by his own family, even little Jamie wanting to get in on the hugs and kisses. Though the two families were close, they each needed time alone to reconnect with their children and reassure them that they weren't going anywhere. "I missed all of you, too," Steve was heard saying as he took them all into a hug and held them close a long moment.
"We made cakes with Aunty Liv and put them in home for you for after dinner, Papa," Lianne offered from where she was hugging Lucy's bump affectionately. "S'cold out here."
Lucy laughed, stroking her daughter's hair fondly. "Well, we should get in out of the cold then, shouldn't we?"
"Did you get the bad guys, Papa?" Martin interrupted curiously with wide, adoring eyes. As the eldest, he understood what was going on the most and was aware of his father's history and identity.
"Not quite yet, Martin," Steve replied, with a frown, "but we're working on it." He let go of his children, except for Jamie who he swung onto a hip, Lianne grabbing hold of her father's hand to drag him inside.
"We have a plan, Martin," Lucy assured their eldest, knowing he would be able to understand that having a plan was a lot more than they'd had just that morning. "And before any of you ask, yes, Papa will be home for Christmas." She smiled at Steve as she said it, knowing he would move the Earth to ensure that was a promise.
"I wouldn't miss it!" Steve said, assuring them all that he had no intentions of missing the most important day of the year, as far as his children were concerned anyway. It was killing him to be away from them at all, but until he could be sure Hydra was no longer a threat to their safety, he didn't have much choice. "What kind of cakes did you make, Li?" he asked, trying to split his attention as equally as he could between his children.
"Chok'it!" Jamie answered happily, clinging onto his father's shirt as he was borne inside and out of the cold weather.
Lianne giggled, releasing Steve's hand as Thor came bounding over to say hello to the man of the house before turning his attention to Martin fondly. For an old dog, he certainly had a lot more energy these days than he'd had when he first came home with them.
"My favorite!" Steve replied with a grin. No matter what the flavor was, he'd have insisted it was his favorite. He reached down to give the dog a proper greeting. "Hey, boy," he said scritching the dog's fur with his fingers. He wasn't clad in his uniform but in civvies, as befitting a husband and father, his shield and uniform in safe-keeping at Avengers Mansion back home in New York. At least, that's what Tony had started calling the place, since the team's arrival.
"Papa, can we have a puppy?" Martin blurted, the other question that was primarily on his mind these days. Thor had clearly proved to be Steve's dog, and the boy was dying to have a puppy of his own.