"No reason you couldn't go back to it," she mused, trying to seem casual. "Have you ever thought about doing illustrating" For children's books, maybe?" It was as innocent as she could make it, but there wasn't any getting around that she had a point she was trying to ease into.

"I have, actually," Steve replied. Every time he read a book to his children, in fact, and admired the artwork that accompanied the story. "But ..." There was that shrug again. Either he'd never bothered looking into the possibility or he'd never had time, or both.

"You have" That's fantastic!" Enthused suddenly, Elena forgot she was actually talking to a customer. "Here." She planted Michela in his lap. "I'll be right back, just give me a second!"

As her mama whirled away, the little girl blinked up at Steve trustingly. "Dada?"

As with all of Steve's lookalikes, there were slight differences. For one thing, Steve was blonder than most of them and clean-shaven, not to mention taller and broader, but there were more similarities than differences. "I think your Dada might not like me to pretend to be him," he told Mica, though it was unlikely she'd understand. "Not Dada. Steve," he told her. "Babies' Dada," he tried to explain, nodding his head toward the sleeping twins.

Michela wasn't having it, though, and likely wouldn't until she saw him standing next to Michael. Certain he was her father, she cuddled into Steve's chest, a sight that made Elena wince a little as she came back into view.

He sighed, not bothering to fight it. What was it about him that he was such a kid magnet' Most men wanted to be a chick magnet, but it seemed Steve attracted kids. There could be worse things, he supposed. Comfortable with the role of father, he instinctively wrapped his arms around the little girl as he might one of his own. After all, two of their children were not of their own blood.

"Sorry," Elena apologized as she came back to the table. "She does love her daddy." She shrugged, offering him a small square of card - a business card, for her husband. "My husband's an author," she explained, "and he's working on books for children right now. He needs an illustrator, and I think your style would suit his." She leaned down, rescuing him from her own daughter. "Call him?"

"Children's books?" Steve echoed, as if he'd misheard her. He swapped the little girl for the business card, looking over what was printed there. "Michael Donnelly. Didn't he write a best-seller or something?" Steve asked, too busy to keep up very well with popular culture.

"Two, actually," Elena told him, always happy to plug her Michael's achievements. "He's got another book coming out in a couple of months, but right now he's toying with the idea of writing a few childrens' books. Fatherhood has spoiled him for his adult readers for the time being." She chuckled, hefting Michela up onto her hip more comfortably.

Steve looked the card over again before tucking it into his shirt pocket. He wasn't wearing his Captain America uniform today, as he was just another of Rhy'Din's citizens enjoying lunch after a stroll with the twins. He'd never really thought much about doing something with his artistic talents professionally - not since before the war. "I'll call him," he promised. What was the worst that could happen" "I take it we resemble each other," he assumed, considering Mica's reaction to him.

Elena chuckled as she nodded. "Could be twins," she told him warmly. "I mean, you're bigger, obviously, and you aren't wearing two days of stubble, but apart from that' Yeah, it's pretty close. Have you met Miranda Granger yet' She's a sucker for your looks - you should have seen her a couple of years back at one of the family weddings that had Michael and Johnny Storm at it!"

"Um, yes, I have," Steve admitted, looking a little embarrassed again. "She almost fainted," he admitted with a chuckle. "Johnny is my brother-in-law," he added. In a way, it was almost like twins married to twins. "There seem to be a lot of us around. I'm not sure why." None of them were related, as far as Steve knew, but he supposed it was possible. It's said that everyone has a twin in the world, but it seemed that Steve had several.

"It's Rhy'Din," Elena shrugged. "Anything is possible here." She glanced down at his sketchbook once more, trying not to get too excited. Michael was bound to get a babbling phone call within the hour. "I'll leave you to it. Thank you for not minding my grabby daughter."

Steve smiled, warm and friendly. "No problem. She's adorable. You're very lucky to have her." She probably knew that already, but of all people, he knew just how precious children were.

"Well, considering what we went through to get her, I totally agree," Elena chuckled, looking fondly at her daughter, who was completely lost now. Dada wasn't Dada, and Mama was taking her away from Dada, and Dada had babies" "Let me sort out a refill for you back at the counter. Least I can do for disturbing you."

Steve didn't bother to ask what it was they'd gone through to have their daughter, as that would be bad manners, but he seemed to understand. "Sorry about confusing her," he found himself apologizing, though it couldn't have been helped. He closed the sketchbook and stowed it in his pack for safekeeping, along with pencils. "You didn't disturb me," he assured her, standing and sliding the pack over his back. He looked even bigger now that he was standing up.

The penny seemed to drop for Michela when he stood up. The little girl's head tipped right back onto Elena's shoulder, big eyes wide. "No Dada," was then declared loudly, and she burst into tears.

Laughing, Elena hugged her little girl close. "Okay, I think I need to call my husband and reassure this little miss," she chuckled, waving a finger at Steve. "No feeling bad, you got that' This is good for her."

Of course Steve felt bad. The last thing he wanted was to make the little girl cry, but the truth was he wasn't her father, and it wasn't right to pretend that he was. "I guess babysitting is out," he murmured, more in jest than anything else, trying to make light of the situation.

Elena chuckled again. "You'd have to arm wrestle my mother for babysitting rights," she told him. "And she bites when she's losing." She backed up a step, still jostling her sobbing baby girl. "You want your refill to go?"

"If you don't mind, thanks," he replied, following her toward the counter, buggy in tow. It was a minor miracle that the twins hadn't woken up yet, and he wanted to get home before they did.

"Easily done." So easily, in fact, that it was waiting for him on the counter when they got there. Not for nothing was Mags continually offered a pay rise - the hobbit was a godsend as far as Elena was concerned.

"Thanks!" Steve said again, probably one of the most polite people in all of Rhy'Din. He stowed the soda in a handy dandy cupholder on the buggy, where it was close at hand for when he needed it. "It was nice meeting you," he told her. "And thanks for lunch. It was delicious." He'd heard a lot of praise for the place, and now he knew why.

Behind her, Lianne squeaked, obviously worried that he would be angry with them for talking about him behind his back.

Caught in the act, even as he was debating on making a quiet exit, Steve frowned up at his adopted niece. "I don't want to intrude," he told her, though he had apparently done that already.

Inside the treehouse, Alexei was hurriedly signing to Maria that their uncle had heard enough to know what they'd been discussing.

"It's not an intrusion if you're invited," Fliss informed him, secure in the knowledge that, as one of the two actual teenagers in the treehouse, her word was law. She gestured to him. "C'mon, there's plenty of space."

Steve was still frowning, but he couldn't very well decline the invitation, especially having overheard what he had. He'd come to the treehouse in hopes of asking if they all wanted to go out for ice cream later, not with the intention of spying on them. He supposed he'd have to face the music sooner or later, so it might as well be sooner, and started to make his way up the ladder.

Martin reached for his sister's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He knew their father adored them and only wanted what was best for them. He had faith in his father and believed in his heart that he'd do the right thing, whatever that was.

With seven people already inside, it felt crowded in the treehouse, but even when Steve was tugged down to sit with the children, it didn't feel cramped. Johnny had wanted something with a lot of space, and he had definitely achieved it. Jamie crawled over the climb into Steve's lap, but apart from the toddler, everyone there was looking guilty.

Maria waved at Steve. "Where are the babies?"

Steve's lap was just the right size for the toddler, and he pulled the little boy into his lap as he climbed over. "They're on the porch with their mother," he replied. And with their aunt and baby Bess. He'd made sure of that before coming here to search the rest of the children out.

Beaming, Maria pulled herself onto her feet, taking hold of Alexei's hand to drag him almost bodily out through the opening and down the steps.

Fliss cast a wry smirk over to Lucas. "Subtle, my sister, isn't she?"

"Ask my Papa where to go for ice cream!" Alexei called over to Steve as he was dragged out of the treehouse, proving he knew why Steve had come to visit them there in the first place.

Lucas chuckled, embarrassed but amused at the same time. "I think we better go," he said, stating the obvious and not beating around the bush about it.

Fliss agreed with a faint grin, pulling herself onto her feet. She eyed her cousins pointedly. "Not a mind-reader," she reminded them. "See you in a bit." Ducking out with Lucas, she swung down via the sturdy rope rather than the steps, leaving Martin and Lianne and Jamie sitting with their father in the suddenly very quiet treehouse.

Steve had never been one to beat around the bush, even before he'd volunteered for the super soldier serum. Honesty had already been one of his strongest traits, and the serum had only enhanced that, as well. "Okay, so, what?s going on?" he asked, allowing his children to tell him what was concerning them, rather than assume.

Thankfully, Jamie was too small to truly understand what was going on, but the other two were fully in on it. Lianne squirmed guiltily where she sat, glancing at Martin. The words were right there on the tip of her tongue, bursting to come out, and finally she just blurted, "We miss you!"

Steve knew there was more to it than just a matter of missing him, but he was glad Lianne had the courage to tell him what was at the heart of the matter, at least for her. "I miss you, too!" he told her, honestly and without hesitation. "It's not just that though, is it?" he asked, looking to them both for an answer.

Unlike his sister, Martin didn't look guilty so much as unsure how to say what he wanted to say without making their father feel even more guilty than he already did. "We all miss you, Papa." Adding, perhaps more importantly, "We need you."

"Don't you like us anymore?" Lianne asked plaintively, cutting right to the heart of her feeling about the entire situation, anyway. "You were here lots before, and now you are not, and even when you are here, you are not here, and we miss our Papa. I do not like Captain America. I want my Papa back."

Steve frowned, feeling more guilty than ever. "It's complicated, peanut," he told her, unsure just how to explain. He was doing what he felt he needed to do, and yet, the war had been over for a long time. He'd made his fair share of sacrifices, and he didn't owe anyone a damned thing anymore. Wasn't he entitled to a little happiness, too'

"What if ..." Martin started, having thought about this a lot the last few weeks. "What if you took some time off, just until the twins are bigger?" he asked. "Couldn't Uncle Tony and Aunt Natasha run things and just ask for your help when they need it?" he ventured. He knew what his father did on Earth was important, but did he really need to be there more than here"

"There are lots of people there to do things, and there is only one you," Lianne added pointedly.

That was true, and that was part of the problem. How was Steve supposed to lead the fight against Hydra from Rhy'Din" How was he supposed to protect the world from here" And yet, he and Lucy had decided to move their family here because they'd deemed Rhy'Din safer, and now that he was a husband and father, wasn't his first responsibility to them'

"Yes, I know," he admitted, with a sigh. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately, too, but I need a little time to sort things out. Do you think you can give me just a little time to figure it out?" he asked them, because it wasn't just his decision to make. He needed to talk to Lucy and Nat and figure out how to make things work for all of them. "There was a time before I met your mom when I didn't really have anyone," he tried to explain, hoping they'd try to understand. "All I had was my job," he said, trying to explain as simply as possible. "But now, I have all of you, and you are more important to me than anything else. But I have a responsibility to the world, too. I promise you this, though ....I'm not going anywhere, unless I absolutely have to. Promise."

Satisfied that he was at least going to think about it, Lianne nodded, shuffling close to wrap her arms around his neck. "Je t'aime, Papa," she promised, hugging tightly to him.

"Je t'aime, petit," he whispered back, hugging her close, before Martin came forward to do the same. Not to be outdone, Jamie joined in, too, all three children hugging each other and their father around the neck.

"We believe in you, Papa," Martin added. "You are our hero."

Lianne nodded fiercely in agreement, jostling Jamie as she snuggled closer. She deeply missed Steve when he was away, afraid of asking for anything when Mama was so tired and so busy. They'd promised a family for her and for Martin; it was time they followed through on that promise, in her eyes.

By the time the hugfest was done, Steve had to wipe the tears from his eyes. All his life he'd tried to do the right thing, whatever that was, but in his heart of hearts, this was all he'd ever really wanted. "What do you say we all go out for ice cream later?" he asked. Together, as a family, obviously.

"What?" Groping for the sick cloth on her shoulder to wipe her eyes, Lucy stared at him in surprise. "Did she ambush you? Oh, love, I told them not to do that. They've been missing you so much, and I'm a very poor substitute for their father."

He reached over to brush the tears from her face with surprisingly gentle fingers, a soft smile on his face that was full of love and affection. "It's not their fault. I overheard them talking. Honestly, I hadn't realized how hard it was for them ....or for you. You should have told me, Luce," he admonished her gently.

"I know how hard it is for you to leave," she shook her head, smiling through her tears as he wiped her cheeks dry. "I didn't want to make it harder for you. Besides, I'm stubbornly, stupidly independent, you know that. Couldn't ask for help, even when I needed it."

"Luce, when we got married, we promised to love and honor each other for the rest of our lives. What kind of man would I be if I abandoned my family when they needed me" There are other people who can fight Hydra. My place is here with you and the kids," he told her, stating it as simply as that for the very first time.

"You realize you're going to be worshiped by our children," she warned in amusement, but there was no hiding the naked relief at knowing that he wouldn't be rushing headlong into danger every other day, and that she wasn't going to be single-parenting a five-child family anymore.

He chuckled. "They're going to worship me more when they find out I'm thinking about taking them to the Wonderplex this week," he told her. No, he hadn't consulted with her on that yet, either, but it was something he'd been wanting to do for a while now, before summer was over. "What do you think" Think we can handle five kids at an amusement park all day?"

"We can imprison three of them in the weird multi-stroller thing, so yes," she countered almost immediately. "We managed Coney Island with three, we can do the Wonderplex with five." She laughed softly, leaning over to kiss him. "I love you."

"I know," he teased, with a one-shouldered shrug, grinning back at her, happy to have made her and their children happy. "I have to call Michael later about the book. I might have to meet with him sometime to see what he has in mind."

"Well, of course you'll have to meet him," she pointed out. "I doubt he makes every decision about his career based on the man his wife met in the coffee shop and had a conversation with theory." She grinned at him, gently lowering the now sleeping Sarah back into the stroller.

Steve gently took the bottle from Natalia and propped her on his shoulder for burping. This parenting thing was hard, but not so hard when they worked as a team. "Are you sure you won't get sick of having me around?" he asked, uncertainly.

"We'll argue from time to time," she predicted, "but no, I will never get sick of having you around. I need you here, Steve, no matter how much I want to be Wonder Woman and do it all while you're out saving the world. The truth is, I can't do this on my own."

"And you won't have to. Not anymore," he told her, leaning close to touch a kiss to her lips, his expression turning serious. "I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner, Luce."

She touched her forehead to his, stroking her fingers down his cheek. "Maybe the reason you didn't see it was because we weren't ready for you to see it," she pointed out gently. "We thought, I thought, I could handle it, and I pretended everything was fine. I won't do it again, I promise you. "

"We just need to be honest with each other, that's all, even if we don't think the other wants to hear what we have to say," he reasoned. And honest with themselves, too. For the first time in years, Steve felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Yes, he'd still have to talk to Nat and Tony about his decision, but he doubted either of them would disagree or argue with him about it.

She nodded in agreement. "We do," she confirmed. "No dancing around the issue, or expecting each other to catch the hints we're dropping. And we should ask the kids to be that honest with us, too. I know they've felt all this a lot more deeply than they've been willing to tell me."

"I think they were planning a ....what do they call it' An intervention?" he asked with a chuckle. If Steve could be accused of anything, it was of being a workaholic. It wasn't so much that he was addicted to it, as that he'd always felt it was his duty.

"What?" Lucy laughed, leaning back to let him deal with Natalia. "Is that what they were doing in the treehouse" Liv thought they might be planning some kind of mass cook-out."

"They didn't mean for me to overhear them," he admitted, and he'd only done so because he'd been in the right place at the right time. "You know, I think Alexei read my mind," he told her, with more concern in his voice than amusement. All of the children had demonstrated some ability or other, but it was Alex's telepathic abilities that usually made themselves known the most.

"He can't help it," Lucy reminded him gently. "He's getting better at not reacting to what he reads from people, though. Still, maybe we should think about finding someone who can teach him how not to listen to other people's thoughts. I would have suggested Alyona, but she can't turn it off, either."

"He needs to learn how to shield himself, I think. That ability can work both ways," he pointed out, worried about the wrong kind of people finding their way inside the boy's head. "I wonder if Fliss would know of someone at Bristle Crios," he suggested, though in the end, it was Johnny and Liv's decision to make.

"It's not really our decision to make," Lucy mused, echoing his thoughts. "Did I hear something about ice cream, yelled at the top of a very small boy's lungs from the treehouse, by the way?"

Steve laughed. "Yeah, I may be guilty of promising a field trip to an ice cream parlor later," he admitted, without much guilt. It was likely the Storms would be included in that little outing, if Johnny had anything to say about it.

She laughed fondly with him, leaning back on the swing with one hand rubbing through her short hair. "I think we can live with that," she conceded teasingly. "I guess that means I have to find some clean underwear from somewhere, right?"

"Unless you want to go commando," he teased, having picked that phrase up from someone else - probably Johnny Storm. "Why don't you go take a nap" I can handle things here for a little while," he told her, knowing how exhausted she'd been lately.