Both Sam and Bucky had been through remarkable battles, had faced death, come back from it, and faced it again, but none of that felt quite like the hit to the chest they were taking now as they stared helplessly at their daughter.  They could stand pain to remarkable lengths and never hesitated to face it again at the promise of protecting their loved ones, but when the pain was caused by one of them, they never wanted to feel this way again for any reason. 

"You want to move out?" Bucky asked first, his voice cracking uncontrollably.  "Is it something we did?"

"No!  Dad, no, it's nothing you did, I swear!" Becca answered emphatically.  "You two are the best parents anyone could ever want, I promise!  It's just...I-I think it's best...if I go to Xavier's for a while.  Until things with you and Uncle Steve get figured out.  After what happened in the kitchen this morning...what if it's because of me?"

"How could it be because of you, sweetie?" Sam joined in.  "That's ridiculous."

"Really?  You heard what happened right?"

"Yes, we did.  But Becs, you move metal.  This is something going wrong with the serum in their blood. That's not in your wheelhouse of powers."

Becca grimaced slightly and turned to face away, staring out the large window that overlooked the lake behind the compound.  It was a view that she had grown up with, in a room right next to theirs so that they would always be close by if she needed them.  Her dads were always there for her, and she would miss that too.  Maybe it wouldn't be forever, but maybe it would, and she had already begun to prepare herself for that.  "Uncle Viz and Aunt Wanda talked to Uncle Bruce before you got home.  I overheard them in the conference room."

"And?" Bucky asked immediately, shifting forward in his seat.  He knew exactly what Banner had brought up without needing to ask, but he wanted to hear it for himself.  He also wanted to know why anyone felt it right to talk about it where his daughter could hear, before he had the chance to do it himself.  "What about?"

"He's working with Dr. Cho and Shuri, and they've all come up with the same answer," Becca whispered, still turned away.  She didn't want them to see the tears building up in her eyes with every word spoken. "It's my fault, Dad.  They think I'm pulling the serum apart."

Now Sam was growing just as upset as Bucky was, leaning in closer as well, "what the hell does that mean? How is that even possible?"

"There's Iridium in the serum that Uncle Steve and Dad have, and not in Aunt (Y/N).  That's why she's still okay.  I'm not hurting her."

"And you're not hurting me either, doll," Bucky argued vehemently.  "Don't you believe this until we know for sure, alright?  If that's what's happening, then we'll deal with it, but we know that it's not on purpose.  You don't have to leave your home because of this.  I'm going to make sure of that."

"It's already done," she nodded definitively.  "Brooke is going to take me back this evening-"

"Now hold on just a minute-"

"No, Dad, I'm going," Becca snapped, finally looking at them both.  Her expression was suddenly aging her, looking so much more mature than her gentle ten years of age.  It was their fault, they supposed, making her so strong and determined in how they raised her; it didn't escape their notice that she looked so much like you in her resolve.  They had never once doubted their decision to ask you to give them a child, but for just a second, it gave them pause to know that she was just as stubborn as you were. "The Professor has called Erik to meet with me again once I get there.  He thinks that something might have been awakened in me when I worked with him before I came back home.  The only way for me to know for sure is to go back.  I don't know how long I'll be there, but I'm going to stay as long as I have to so that you and Uncle Steve are safe from me.  It's the only way that I can protect you, and you can't change my mind."

~~~

"Where's Dad?" you asked your husband through clenched teeth.  You had been suffering through the effects of Shuri's version of the serum for nearly an hour now, with no signs of it relenting any time soon.  Your body was growing so fatigued that when you spoke, you couldn't tell for sure if you were making actual sound or if you were just imagining the words in your head.  "Tell me that Ross didn't haul him away for that."

"No," Steve answered with a smirk, "he didn't haul him away.  It's all been taken care of."

"What?  What does that mean?"

"Let's just say that you're not the only one with a guardian angel on the team."

"Okay?" you asked, completely confused.  "So, what does that mean?  You're being really cryptic, Steve."

What Steve wasn't saying was that on the other side of the building, far enough so that he could guarantee that your super hearing didn't pick up on his voice, Wade was having one of his best days in as long as he could remember.  He had been a little bored for the past five years or so, taking on the training of the kids at Chateau de Virgin, and not being out in the world of anti-superhero life.  Once word had gotten out that he was doing time as a good guy, the contract killer work had taken a serious nosedive and he was feeling a bit dried up.

It wasn't so much that he had a dislike for the elderly, because he knew a good many old folks who had cute little cotton-top hair styles and there was nothing he loved more than a game of 'whose dentures are these?' when he visited a nursing home or two just for fun.  But this asshole right here, he wasn't cute or fun, and Wilson was feeling no remorse about scaring him into shitting his adult diaper.

"You're not still riding this Accords bullshit are you?  Seriously, wasn't that like, a hundred years ago?  I figured you'd know, since you look like you're at least a hundred and twenty, give or take."

"Mr. Wilson," Ross tried to interrupt, not realizing that interrupting Wade Wilson never worked out well for anyone.

"No, no, no, Secretary Dusty Muffin, hold your dried-up testicles, I'm running this show now. So, here's what we're gonna do. You're gonna pack up your crusty old self and head back to the land of make-believe where you think you have power and virility, and no one can hear your bones crack.  I'm gonna take Papa Stark to his daughter because how dare you think he needs to be anywhere else.  Have you even read these books?"

"Now see here-"

"If you don't like my plan, we can always switch it up," Wade continued.  "From the looks of it, you're one misstep from a busted hip, which puts you about a year out from a dirt nap from what I can tell by looking at ya. You really wouldn't want to speed up that timeline, right?  I mean, seriously, I can't believe that Marvel has kept you around as long as they have already, since no one likes your character.  At all."

Only a few feet away, Tony had sat remarkably silent, taking in the one-sided conversation with internal glee and a controlled smile, feeling almost proud of the man that he had mistakenly hated for so long.  Wilson really was a good guy, and it had taken the end of the world for him to realize it.  Of all of the people in his life now, Tony never would have anticipated that Wade would be the one to come to his rescue at a time like this, but with you being at the center of Tony's attentions, he should have known right away.

"Nothing to say?" Wade chided Ross further, "that's good.  So, I'm gonna just go so you can try to jog the grey matter for a response. Don't wait too long though, or those joints are gonna stiffen up and I didn't bring my oil can.  Come along, Stark."

~~~

The effect of the new serum was beginning to wane, and you thought that you might chance getting a few minutes of sleep.  Your veins had cooled of the fire that had been coursing through them for the last several hours, and your muscles could finally release from their constriction to let you lie still and comfortable for the first time.  Steve's hand was resting lazily in yours, his head lowered onto your stomach as he began to drift into sleep with you, comforted by the sounds of your breaths to lull him away and the gentle rub of your fingers over his scalp to keep him relaxed.  He was already beginning to feel more exhausted each day as his own body was failing him, but he paid that no attention; he only wanted you.  The connection he was feeling to you could be his final moments, and he couldn't ask for a better way to go.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Steve."

"If this doesn't work, it's okay," he whispered.  "I can't watch you do this again just for me."

"There is no 'just for you'. If this doesn't work, I'll deal with it and find another way."

Steve took a long breath and held it, unsure if he had the bravery to say what he had brought himself to believe, even if only just barely.  "Maybe...maybe it's time."

"Steve-"

"I've lived a wonderful life, a lot of it because it's been with you.  Never in a million years would I have thought that I could have everything that I do now, and believe me, I don't want to leave.  But I have to be realistic, doll, and if this doesn't work, then I want the rest of my time with you and the kids to be the best it can be. I don't want it to be filled with experiments and last-ditch efforts to stop the inevitable.  Nothing lasts forever."

"My love for you does."

"Oh, wow," he smiled widely, the signs of sleep immediately gone as he sat up, "that was good.  That was really good.  Wow, (Y/N), I'm impressed."

"Well, I am very impressive."

"That you are, sweetheart, that you are."  Steve was about to stand so that he could kiss you in this nearly perfect moment, but a small knock on the door halted him before he could connect.  "Of course," he grumbled, lowering his head in defeat, "privacy doesn't last forever either."   

"On this team, no way," you agreed, taking his face in your hands to get the kiss anyway.  He offered you a hand to help you sit up to greet whoever it was who had come to visit, but the door opened before he could let your hand go.  "Hey, Ant," you smiled to your boy, "I thought you went home?"

Anthony pushed the door open enough to step through, leading Esihle in behind him, "yeah, I did, but I needed to talk to you guys and over the phone didn't feel right."

The tone in his son's voice left Steve on edge, and he assumed his usual stance with his arms crossed tightly over his chest and ready to hear anything that come his way.  Good or bad, he did his best to be ready, in true Cap fashion.  "Why not over the phone?  Are you okay? Brooke and Grant?"

"We're all fine, Dad, don't worry.  It's nothing like that."

"Okay, good," he sighed, "then what's up?"

"Well..." Anthony began quietly, glancing back to Esihle for strength, "we wanted to tell you in person...that we're getting married."

Steve took a small stumble back, taking your hand again as if he needed you to hold him up from falling over.  You could feel the tremor in it and gave a small squeeze to let him know that you would keep him steady.  "Ant...that's..." he stopped, shaking his head in disbelief, "that's wonderful.  I'm so proud of you, son."  He released you and stepped forward, pulling Anthony into a tight hug, but even facing away, you could hear the quiet sniffle and subtle crack in his voice as his emotions overtook him.

"Dad, there's one more thing.  I know that it's not exactly tradition and all, and Grant might set me on fire when he finds out, but it would mean everything to me if you would stand with me...as my best man."

"Are you sure?" Steve asked softly, pushing back from the embrace to see his boy.  "I'm going to stand with you no matter where I am in line-"

"I'm positive.  I want you next to me, Dad."

"Then Anthony, it would be my honor."

"Great," your son smiled, the relief visible in him, "okay, that's great, Dad, thanks.  Alright, that wasn't so tough.  Do you guys happen to know where Grandpa is?  I should probably tell him before he hears it from someone else."

"I think I do," you hurried to say before Steve could, "but the answer comes at a price, young man." You had been congratulating and talking with your soon-to-be new daughter-in-law as the two men were talking, and when you released her from your arms to talk to your son, she was just as readily accepted by Steve to welcome her and show his approval.

"A price?  What price?"

"You need to get over here and give me a hug before I knock you down to get one.  I'm still in peak shape, and you don't have your suit." You stood from your bed, arms open to receive him; he willingly and quickly crossed the room to oblige, embarrassed in his error that he hadn't done this on his own.

"Sorry, Mom, I was just nervous to tell you guys," he whispered as you held him.  "I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, you know that."

"I need you to keep Dad safe.  He needs to be there, because I don't think I could do this without him."