Ten years later

"Wake up, doll."

"No. I don't want to."

Steve rolled over with a lazy smile on his face, turning to face you but the morning sun was coming in through the curtains at just the perfect angle to catch his eyes and make him retreat onto his back with a groan. "I know," he yawned, "neither do I, but vacation can't last forever."

"Says who?" you challenged, finally rolling onto your side and towards his direction.

"Your dad."

"He's not the boss of me."

"Ha!" he scoffed loudly enough to make you jump. "You could've fooled me! I've been around both of you enough years now to know that you just lied right to my face." Steve pushed himself up onto his elbows, letting out a small wince of either pain or disgust at having to move from such a comfortable place. Even with his slower aging process, he was beginning to feel a few of his hundred-plus years, and he hated that you were quick to catch onto it. You aged slower as well, but you just seemed better at hiding it. Either that, or you really were stronger than he was. "Seriously, up. We need to get back for Ant's big day. It's his first trial run without Tony."

"Fine," you finally relented, swinging your legs off the side of the bed with a long stretch, "is Grant or Brooke stopping by? It's been forever since we've had the three of them together at the same time."

Steve shook his head, hanging it down solemnly at the reminiscence of his family as it once was; when they were all together and under the same roof, with the laughter of childhood filling the halls of the compound. Sure, there were other kids doing that very thing right now, but it wasn't the same. The sound of his children completed him like none other could. "I think Grant's out with the Four today. Now that Johnny's retiring, Grant is taking his spot full-time. Wade had a meeting with Brooke and Wanda last week to talk about how training was going with the younger kids, so I think they'll be by with an update for us. Wade seemed a little more stressed out the last time I saw him."

"More than usual?"

"Amazingly, yes. I think his willingness to take this on is fading fast." Steve pushed himself up to stand as you did, but he was purposeful to grab his clothes and head to the bathroom without so much as making eye contact with you, keeping his body turned so that it wouldn't even be an option.

"You're getting yourself ready to take over, aren't you?" you asked pointedly.

"Someone should," he answered plainly. "Tony is busy with Ant enough as it is, Wanda's trying to pass everything she knows to Brooke, and I know that Storm keeps a close watch on Grant even though he's out of the game. So, since everyone else is watching my kids, I'll watch the rest. It probably means that I'll need to spend a few weeks out at the school, though."

"I wonder how Becca is doing at Xavier's? She was only going to stay for a week to try it out and she's been gone a month. Have Sam and Buck decided if they're going to send her? It would probably be best if they kept all the kids together just to make it easier on them."

"No, not yet," Steve sighed. You could see that he was disappointed, but he had no right to push his friends in the care of their own child. The girl was getting stronger in her skills of metal manipulation, but with no one of the same power to help her hone it, Steve worried that his niece would be at risk for getting out of control, and making herself known to those who might be waiting for just the right time to take advantage of it.

"Maybe we should talk to them-"

"I think they're getting ganged up on by everyone else enough already. The other three kids are already a team in their own right, and I'm almost afraid of what they'll become when they really put their minds to it. If we add Becca to the mix, they could make Earth's Mightiest Heroes look like a retirement home gang of has-beens."

~~~

In the ten years since Thanos had changed everything, the lives of the Avengers morphed and changed into something completely different. Some members of the retired team had come back, while others remained committed to staying clear of the life once and for all. Too much time had passed; they had done their service and were ready to live a life out of that spotlight.

Clint and Nat left to focus on being a married couple while trying to survive their own enhanced children, Tony and Rhodey decided that they were just too damned old for this anymore, Wanda stopped so that she could focus on her son while Vision returned to the team, Sam left so that Bucky could stay, and both Scott and Bruce were just done and didn't need any other reason beyond just not wanting to anymore. Everyone still kept their homes away from the compound, but more and more they found themselves back there almost without even realizing it.

When Steve decided to return, you joined him, of course; your children were grown now, and with Tony on the sidelines you felt a greater responsibility to stay. Of course, Pete returned, as did Thor with each of his visits to Midgard, but the surprise in it all was Wade, who joined up without hesitation, taking on this new group of enhanced kids who wanted to be superheroes; they wanted to be exactly everything that he thought he wasn't and it became a fun challenge for him to try to break them of it. That is, until his plan completely failed and he found himself making a team that wasn't half bad at all.

"Alright, you mongrels, let's wrap this up for the day," Wade grumbled, dropping himself into one of the benches outside of the massive, dark mansion that housed Xavier's school. He had taken up part-time residence there while he ran the training sessions, but it was more about a descent bed and all-you-can-eat groceries that really kept him there for this long. He couldn't let on that he maybe, kind of, almost felt like he could admit to somewhat liking them, even after almost five years training them for a life he would never have wished on them; even when they were being bad, bad children.

"Hey, author, say it like it is," Wilson snapped, "they're annoying little shits. You know it better than anyone. They came from your head, so I'll just speak for everyone when I say thanks a lot, you sick bastard. Try some reality once in a while, alright? Go outside and be with the three-dimensional people."

The group of Nik, Allie, Becca, and William let out their collective arguments both aloud and under their breath, as they wanted to keep working even though the sun was beginning to set in the horizon. They had the power of youth over any other ability they carried, and all it did was spurn Wade on more to get the day over with.

He looked back with a glance over his shoulder, only to let out a long whine with a petulant stomp of his feet at the sight of who was rolling on in. "Everyone behave, Captain Picard is here to check up on you."

"Mr. Wilson," Charles greeted with a tense smile, "I wanted to be sure to catch you before you turned in for the evening."

"Turned in? It's like...seven o'clock, grandpa."

"Yes, well, what I came to say is that with the remarkable work that you and the children have done here, it's time to allow them to return home. I believe that they've met their potential with us."

Allie quickly stepped forward from the group with a hand raised, looking at Charles in both awe and a touch of fear as he met her gaze. "Sir, if I may, I'm not a child. I'm eighteen years old. Thank you...s-sorry to interrupt."

"Yeah, she's right," her brother joined in, "I'm fourteen next week. William and Becca are ten. We're hardly children anymore, sir. With what we've learned here with Uncle Wade and with you, it seems like we're way beyond being children. We know that when we get home, we need to prove ourselves to be a part of the team, and yeah, William and Becca are too young now, but their skills put them way past being ten years old."

"You're very wise for someone of your age," Charles smiled, "and I believe that your family will be proud of what you've done here. Perhaps you are all too young to take on the burden of the fight, but I'm not the one be the judge of it. If your training is to continue beyond our walls, that will be up to Captain Rogers to decide."

"Woah, hold the shit, Stewart," Wade jumped in with annoyance, "what the hell does that make me? I've been with these kid...people...for five years. I've done my time, man. Besides, history has made it known how much I looooove to play sloppy seconds to Steve Rogers."

~~~

Before the two of you could head back to your home in Brooklyn, you and Steve made a stop at the compound when you heard that the kids were on their way back. There was a chance that your trio would be stopping by as well, wanting to know about how training went, and also to test them just a little for future spots on the newest version of the Avengers. Anthony had been working with his grandfather to customize a nanotech suit, preparing himself to take over the role of Iron Man now that Tony had decided that his day had passed. Brooke had quickly taken over for Wanda, and Grant...he was happy where he was with the Fantastic Four, but when you spoke to him you could tell that he longed to be home just as much as you wanted him there.

Everyone gathered on the lawn to watch the jet come in to land, their parental nerves at their peak to see their kids after such a long time apart. There were quick visits to the school, and they came back for holidays, but for the most part, there was nearly no contact as a rule. You empathized with each of them now; Anthony and Brooke had moved into the compound years ago, and Grant moved himself to Manhattan shortly after he turned eighteen. At twenty-five years old now, they were living their lives and you and Steve were no longer needed as much. They loved you immensely, of course, but they were ready for their own paths, so the best you could do was take pride in preparing them for it.

"Mr. Pool," you smirked knowingly as he walked down the jet door, "did you get them kicked out? They were there for only five years."

"Hey, your spawn were at Chateau Cumberbatch for only one if I remember correctly. I think that proves that I'm a much better instructor with that kind of commitment."

"Or that you're worse because it took so long," Steve snorted, laughing at the returned gasp of shock.

"I swear to Lucifer, if you weren't so fucking gorgeous I would bitch slap that grin right off your Adonis face, Rogers."

Steve tried to look offended, he really did, but he just couldn't make the play. "Hey, Wade," he smiled, stepping forward and offering a friendly welcome hug, "it's good to see ya."

"Mmmmmm, you too, Cap," Wade hummed softly into his shoulder as he held on. "So firm, yet so soft."

"Hey, I'm here too," you scoffed, looking at your friend and husband expectantly.

"Calm your tits, woman, give me a minute! You'll get your turn. There's plenty of Wade Wilson in this package for everyone."