The moment your eyes adjust to the light coming in from the hallway and you see your daughter standing in front of your side of the bed, your heart breaks a little. Your inner alarm bells go off immediately and you lift your upper body up, propping yourself up with your elbow on your pillow. The heavy weight lazily swung across your waist does not move a single bit when you do so.

"Hey, hey, Grace-y, darling. What's up sweetie?", you ask her worried and reach your hand out to her, your eyes heavy despite the sudden rush of adrenaline due to seeing your babygirl wide awake in the middle of the night.

Her bottom lip trembles even more now that she tries to answer, trying to hold back her tears like the strong girl she is.

"Shh, don't cry. Come here, sweetheart", you prompt, grabbing her hand and pulling her closer in order to pick her up and sit her on the mattress next to you. Smoothing back her hair, you fondly smile at her. God, when did she grow up so fast?

"Grace, do you want to tell Mommy what's wrong?", you ask her again, your voice in a whisper and your heart aching at seeing your precious daughter this distraught.

"H-Had a bad dream", she responds quietly, adjusting her tone to yours as she quickly noticed that her father is peacefully sleeping next to you, unaware of what is going on.

"Oh baby, I'm sorry about that. But everything is fine now, okay? You don't have to be scared of anything anymore, we are here to protect you", you reassure her with a smile, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear while she is still clutching her stuffed animal to her chest. A single tear rolls down her puffy cheek as she nods and you quickly pull her into a hug, running your hand over her back soothingly.

"You can sleep here tonight, is that alright?", you whisper in her ear and, again, get a nod in response. "Okay, but try to not wake up Daddy."

In fact, it is proving quite difficult not to wake Steve up since his muscular arm is still splayed across your middle. Steve just returned from a mission yesterday and you can't even describe how much you have missed him. Even if it was not for long, you keep realizing that you can't live without him anymore. And his children missed him even more.

Every time he returns home, whether it is after a normal day's work or after a longer mission, he is so exhausted that you feel sorry when James and Grace immediately jump onto him. But he tells you that it makes him happy and, obviously, you believe him. Still, you do not want to disturb his well-deserved sleep which is why you try to move as little as possible.

Carefully, you set Grace down in the middle and lift Steve's arm so that your daughter can quickly squeeze in-between. Sniffling, she looks at you with her big eyes as you adjust the covers over her and place a gentle kiss on her forehead. Before you can settle back into your previous sleeping position, however, Steve stirs in his sleep, seemingly noticing that something changed as he wants to pull you closer to him. In doing so, he is not only pulling you closer to him now but also your daughter, who can't help but giggle at her father unintentionally cuddling her. While you barely move, hoping your husband will stay asleep, he takes one deep breath. After that, silence spreads throughout your bedroom.

"Do we have a visitor tonight?", Steve's deep, sleep-drunk voice suddenly asks into the dark and you startle a little.

"She had a nightmare, but don't worry. You can go back to sleep", you say, feeling his arm retract from you as he hugs Grace tightly instead, placing kisses all over her which makes her giggle even more.

"These bad dreams can't harm you, sweetheart. You know Mommy and Daddy will always be there to protect you", he whispers to your daughter, who is now cuddling into him, his chin on top of her head. Your heart beats faster upon seeing their interaction and you once again realize how lucky you are to have him. And you are so incredibly grateful that he gave you such wonderful children like James and Grace.

"Try to sleep again, alright? Daddy won't let the bad dreams disturb you any longer", Steve explains softly, running his hand over her hair to soothe her into dreamland. Gently, he kisses her cheek and motions for you to come closer in order to give you a kiss as well while not having to leave his position with your daughter in his arms. Smiling, you peck his lips and fall back into your pillow, the exhaustion hitting you at once. But when Steve's fingers graze your upper arm, you manage to still intertwine your hands before falling asleep again.

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Scattered rays of sunshine tickling your nose, you move and slowly wake up. You do not even have to open your eyes and you know that you clearly have not had enough sleep to be fully rested. But you have to get two children ready for school and daycare and simultaneously make yourself presentable for work as well.

A quick glance at your alarm clock shows you that you woke up before the alarm, which is only supposed to go off in half an hour.

Sighing, you let your hand dangle over the edge of the bed before lifting yourself up completely, unable to get any more sleep anyway. Yawning, you sit on the edge and a smile creeps onto your lips as you turn around and are met with the cutest sight the world has ever seen.

Steve's entire bulky body is spread out like a starfish across his side as well as yours, his huge frame taking up most of the space. Meanwhile, Grace is sprawled across his torso, her stuffed animal in one of her hands, and they both snore away peacefully. You genuinely wonder how you survived a night with this little space.

As carefully and slowly as possible, you stand up and reluctantly tear yourself away from the sight which is going to make your heart fill with a lot of joy for a few more days. You tiptoe to the chair next to your closet, throw the clothes you have already laid out yesterday evening over your arm and disappear into the adjoining bathroom, but not without turning off the alarm clock first.

The built-in clock on the mirror reminds you once again how early in the morning it is, but you choose to ignore it and splash cold water on your face to wake up. After that, you take a quick shower and put on some make-up, styling your hair while enjoying the quiet that early mornings usually bring.

With two children, a family dog - a German Shepard named Sarge -, and a husband who saves the world almost every day, there is often not much time for rest. And you often lose sight of the fact that you also have a job and a life outside of your role as a mother and wife.

But you love this role, even if it drives you crazy at times.

Slipping into your clothes - today more formal than usual as you have an important meeting - you take one last look at yourself, and the clock, and then exit the bathroom. Grace and Steve have hardly moved in the meantime and it is not easy for you to destroy this moment. At least the shrill sound of the alarm does not do it.

Gently, you crawl back onto the bed and kiss your daughter's forehead several times, softly urging her to wake up. Steve receives the same treatment and while Grace wakes up pretty quickly, he remains fast asleep.

"Go wake up your brother, okay? I will be right there", you say to Grace, who looks at you sleepily but rested and she sets off immediately, the thought of waking up her brother exciting her.

"Babe, it's time to get up", you whisper, kissing his cheek, but he still has not moved. His hair is tousled and his beard is more than three days old. If you told anyone how difficult it is to get Captain America out of bed in the morning, they would probably never believe you.

But here you are, trying to shake the big man in front of you awake.

"Why, already?", he finally murmurs, waking up but clearly not wanting to as he reaches for you, pulling you on top of him. "I didn't even get a proper chance to hold you last night. I'm cuddle deprived."

At this, you let out a laugh and try to free yourself from his grip, but he does not let go of you and his strength exceeds yours by far. Super Soldier Serum and such.

Still, you do not even think about giving up and pull on his arm again, which is wrapped tightly around your waist.

"Steve, please. I need to help Grace brush her teeth and get dressed", you mention, but your husband clearly does not seem to care, as you can see from his expression.

"She's grown up. Besides, wasn't she supposed to wake James? He can help her", he winks at you and you let out a humourless chuckle, not believing his words.

"So you were awake, you-"

"I just can't get enough of your kisses, you know? And I gladly admit it, after all you are my wife and I do not have to hide anything from you", he smiles proudly, kissing you on the lips. "Otherwise, what was the point of marrying you if I can't kiss you whenever and wherever I want?"

"Oh my god, Steve. What's gotten into you?", you giggle, pushing him away from you as much as he lets you. Meeting his eyes, you feel a blush creep onto your cheeks because he looks at you like you hung the moon.

"Is that a blush? Did I actually make my wife blush right now?", he grins from ear to ear and you just roll your eyes as an answer, biting back another giggle.

"Shut up. You are an idiot, but you can be glad that I missed you so much", you smile and kiss him again, using his unwariness in that moment to finally free yourself from his grip, which is only accompanied by Steve's grumble. "Now get America's ass up or our whole house will be flooded if I let your children alone in the bathroom for one second longer."

"Yes, ma'am", he salutes you, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth as he tries to suppress a laugh. Rolling your eyes with a giggle, you set off to stop Grace from turning the bathroom into her own little water park.

It does not take long for you to get everything back under control and escort your children, and Sarge, who was woken up by all the turmoil, downstairs, into the open kitchen and living area, where they both sit on the huge sofa and watch their favourite kids show. This distraction allows you to prepare their lunch boxes while simultaneously getting some breakfast ready for Steve and you. Of course you also take care of Sarge by filling up his food and water bowls.

Laughter fills the air whenever the cartoon character says something funny on screen, and your heart fills with love at the sight of your two little bundles of joy. Leaning against the counter behind you, you wait for your coffee to be ready, tracking what is currently happening on screen.

All of your children's concentration is on the screen. That is until footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs and they both rush to stand up, jumping into Steve's arms before he even gets the chance to properly enter the room.

"Woah! Careful you two", Steve warns them immediately, but in such a playful tone that they do not even take him seriously. He lifts them both up with ease and bids them good morning with a kiss to the forehead. Sarge is also standing directly at his feet now, his tail wagging in glee.

"Daddy, Daddy! I didn't have any more nightmares", Grace declares proudly while, at the same time, James shares his super-cool, action-packed dream of being the superhero who saved the world.

Steve listens to both of them intently, as best as he can when they are talking to him at the same time, and sits them down on the stools by the kitchen island. The two only stop talking when they drink their orange juice, which you have put there beforehand. Drinking their juice, James starts explaining his dream to his little sister, babbling away.

"Good morning to you too, my beautiful wife", Steve greets you as he slowly approaches you and you can't help but check him out. Today, for your pleasure, he decided to put on a compression shirt, which emphasizes his muscular upper body and especially his upper arms, and combined it with a simple pair of cargo pants. His hair is perfectly styled the way you love it and he has kept his stubble.

He looks so incredibly handsome right now that you just can't keep your hands to yourself and touch his chest the moment he softly kisses you.

"I saw that", he whispers against your lips, flexing the muscles under your hand before leaving a little more space between your bodies. "How did you sleep?"

Since your senses are currently fully consumed by him - his fresh just-left-the-shower scent, his raspy voice, his body in front of you, his entire aura -, you have to swallow before being able to answer. Steve watches all of this with a slight grin on his lips that he is trying to hide, perfectly knowing what he does to you right now.

"Good. Fine. I mean for the sleep I got it was fine", you shrug, being used to not ever feeling completely rested. "I will survive."

"I never doubted that", Steve replies, placing both hands on the counter next to your hips, catching you between them. "But next time you can wake me up when the kids come over at night."

"I know, it's just- You were so exhausted last night and I just couldn't bring myself to steal your well-deserved sleep", you sigh with a sad smile, and, lost in thought, run your hand along his chest and over his shoulder, avoiding eye contact.

"That's why I love you. But", he starts, suddenly holding a cup in front of you. "What was this invented for, then?"

In disbelief, you quickly take a glance next to you, to where the coffee machine is, to where your coffee was just made.

"You are a thief", you say, offended when he actually takes a sip from it with a grin on his perfectly sculpted face.

"It doesn't even work for you", you remind him with your eyebrow raised.

"Hm, the thought counts", he winks at you playfully before placing the cup in your hands, pecking your cheek before filling himself a glass of orange juice as well. "By the way, you look beautiful."

"I tried my best", you snicker, sipping your coffee as you try to hide what is turning out to be yet another blush. "You don't look too bad yourself either, Mr. Rogers."

"Daddy, do you like my pigtails today?", Grace interrupts your conversation all of a sudden, apparently having enough of her brother's talk about superheroes.

"Of course! I love them!", Steve answers, leaning on the kitchen island to be able to reach out to her on the other side, twirling one of her pigtails around his finger. "It looks stunning. And would you take a look at these butterfly hairclips! Amazing!"

The big smile that then appears on her face mirrors that of her father and you can't help but smile too. It is moments like these that really make you realize how lucky you are.

Finishing up their lunch boxes, you ask your children to get their backpacks so you can put them in. The colorful boxes disappear into their bags and a glance at the clock tells you that you will have to get ready to leave soon.

"Do you think I can be a superhero one day, Daddy?", James asks, apparently still caught up in his dream. Steve smiles at him with so much adoration in his eyes as he takes his backpack and smoothes down his hair that you feel your heart beating faster.

"Of course you will, what a question!", Steve answers enthusiastically and takes Grace's backpack as well after checking the time.

"Because my friends don't believe me when I tell them that you are a superhero and that I will one day also be one", James continues, looking at his feet as he tells you this. Steve seems to be at a loss for words for a second and you also do not know what to say. It is not about what he said but about the way your son said it. With so much defeat in his voice.

Quickly, Steve and you exchange a sympathetic gace before he bends down to be on one level with James.

"Don't listen to them, buddy. We all know that you will be a superhero one day and that is what counts", Steve encourages him, rubbing over his shoulder in an attempt to lighten him up. "Am I right, Grace?"

"YES!"

Grace answers with so much enthusiasm in her voice that it makes you giggle. Grace has always been her older brother's biggest fan and when she goes over and hugs him now, telling him that he will be great, but that he definitely needs to get her a cool superhero costume as well, your heart skips a beat and you feel warm inside.

This is your family and they are the best thing that has ever happened to you.

Steve pulls both of them to his chest, hugging them as well before picking them up, one on each side. Apparently they wrap their hands around his neck a bit too tightly, because he is fighting to get some air. "Alright, alright, I may be a superhero but I still need to breathe. Who is ready to leave?", he announces and your kids giggle, loosening their grip on their dad. Sarge barks softly as a response, apparently also ready to go out.

Steve maneuvers both of them to the entryway, putting them down and helping Grace to tie her shoes. James, on the other hand, puts on his jacket and shoes in record time, visibly proud. You join them in the hallway, stuffing your lunchbox into your handbag and handing Steve his own.

"Thank you, my love", he kisses your cheek, patting down on his body to see if he's got his keys and wallet. "Let me bring them today."

"W-What? I was supposed to-"

"I know. But I want to. It's not long until my next mission and I just want to spend as much time with them as possible", Steve interrupts you, smiling while opening the door so the kids can already go outside. "I also need to proof to James' friends that his father is, in fact, Captain America. And you drive them every day, after waking up earlier, after helping them get ready, after making breakfast. Don't think that I haven't noticed that you are barely getting any sleep. I can practically see how exhausted you are, honey."

His words are spot on. Recently, when he was gone on more and longer missions, you indeed found it increasingly difficult to take care of two - three if you count Sarge - children on your own. Even with the help of your parents, and Bucky and Sam from time to time, you were still quite overwhelmed with everything. It actually makes you feel better, even if you do not want to admit it, that Steve is now taking this task off your shoulders. On the other hand, you love your children and can't bare to be seperated from them for too long.

Steve notices that you fall silent at his words and he steps closer, grabbing your hands tightly.

"You're the best mother on this planet and we can consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have you", Steve whispers, softly cupping your face before kissing your forehead. "You are the true superhero here."

"I sometimes really don't feel like it", you answer with a bit of despair in your voice, your two babys laughing in the background as they are already getting into the car on their own. Using the last few minutes you have before running late, you pull him into a tight hug, your arms wrapping around his waist while his are around your neck.

"I love you so much", he whispers into your hair, planting a few kisses there. "You're doing amazing. You've got this. Sometimes you just need to let the sidekick take over."

"Thank yo-"

"Mommy! Daddy!", James' voice interrupts your cute little moment, but before the two of you seperate, Steve steals a quick kiss from you.

"Alright, you need to get going or otherwise you'll be late", you giggle, following Steve out of the house after turning off all the lights and grabbing your bag, Sarge following your every step. You step to the back of the car and check if James and Grace are securely buckled in and then give both of them a kiss to the cheek.

"Have fun today and remember who's going to pick you up after?", you say, smiling as you watch both of them realize which day it is today.

"Uncle Bucky! Uncle Bucky!", both of them yell in unison, giggling. Waving goodbye, you close the door of the car and turn to Steve, who is ready to jump into the car.

"Take care and good luck for your meeting", Steve smiles at you, softly sneaking his hands around your waist to pull you closer and to give you a kiss one last time. However, he doesn't seem to want to stop anymore so you have to gently push him back.

"Mr. Rogers, I fear you're going to be late if you continue like this", you chuckle, caressing his cheek. "See you later. Take care. Love you."

"Love you, too. My superheroine", Steve winks, finally getting into the car and starting the engine. You watch as the car leaves and disappears around the next corner. Sighing, you do not even realize that you are not moving until Sarge begs for your attention. Smiling, you bend down and pat him.