Autumn was well and truly here in Rhy'Din, and outside the city itself, on the very edge of the estate known as Maple Grove, the trees were just beginning to turn their leaves to shades of brown and orange. The spot was deserted, a more than fair distance from any of the houses that dotted the Grove, but that was the reason it had been chosen. If the portal had to open on the Grove, then it had to be away from the homes and families that called the place theirs. The Storms were waiting patiently for the Rogers to arrive, each of them eager in their own way to see their family arrive safely. The children hadn't been told exactly what had happened, but they recognized enough to know that their parents were worried about Steve and Lucy's little family.

Liv was pacing with Bess on one hip, speaking to Tony over her cell as he relayed to her the Rogers' progress through the plan they had gone to great pains to set up between them. Fliss had hold of Alexei, hugging him to keep him calm in the face of their mother's racing thoughts, and Maria had wrapped herself around Johnny's leg for precisely the same reason. Quite how long they were going to have to wait was anyone's guess.

Johnny swept Maria up into his arms, touching a too-warm kiss to her cheek. "It's gonna be okay, sweetheart. Mama and Uncle Tony have this all figured out," he told her, even though they'd explained all that already. In truth, he was just as nervous as the rest of them. Steve and Lucy were family, after all.

Maria cuddled into her father's arms, as worried as everyone and not quite understanding why. After all, Uncle Steve and Aunt Lucy visited all the time. Why was today different'

"They're on the plane now?" Liv was saying into the phone, hiking Bess a little more comfortably up on her hip. "All right. Good. Thank you, Tony." She flashed Johnny a reassuring smile, tucking the phone under her chin just long enough to tell him, "Any time now."

"The plane?" Johnny echoed, unsure what Liv meant by that. Weren't they opening a portal somewhere in New York" He wasn't so sure he trusted Tony Stark as far as he could throw him - which wasn't very far, especially if he was wearing his Ironman suit - but Liv had assured him that her half-brother had Steve and Lucy's best interests in mind.

"I'll call you when they're here," Liv said down the phone. "Try not to fly into anything important." She snorted with laughter at her half-brother's response, and hung up, tucking the phone in her pocket. "We filed a flight plan that would make HYDRA think they're going to England, but they're going to open the portal when they're in mid-air on the plane," she explained to Johnny. "That plane will land at Heathrow with no passengers and no clue as to how they got off."

"Clever, but is opening a portal mid-flight a good idea?" Johnny asked, not wanting to worry anyone, even though he was worried himself. He wasn't a Rhy'Din native and didn't know all that much about portals, but then neither did Tony. Still, it was a clever plan.

"It was the best we could come up with on short notice," Liv shrugged, biting her lip.

"It'll be fine," Fliss spoke up from where she was sat on a handy tree stump with Alex between her knees, hugging her little brother calmly. "Uncle Tony wouldn't let anything happen to them."

"I'm being a worry wart, aren't I?" Johnny asked, with a worried frown that answered his own question. "Did he say how long?" he asked further. "I'll feel better when they get here." But then, that kind of went without saying. If they'd just gotten on the plane, and they were going to open a portal in mid-flight, it might be a while yet. Then again, it was Rhy'Din, and time didn't follow the same rules here.

"At most, ten minutes," Liv said, drawing in a low breath. "It's one of his own planes, so the elevation is very nearly illegal." She smiled at Bess, who was happily gurgling away to herself, utterly unconcerned with anything that was happening. "Alex, how are you doing over there?" she then asked, looking down at her son. "A little bit calmer?"

"They're coming," Alex said in response to his mother's question, almost as if he could somehow sense his cousins from the other side of the Nexus. How much time they'd spent at the Arctic research facility was uncertain, but the children had obviously bonded while there. Still, if Alex was able to reach through the Nexus to find them, they may have underestimated the boy's abilities.

Liv caught Fliss' slightly wild-eyed look in response to Alex's announcement, and nodded, stroking her hand against her son's hair. "Try not to strain yourself," she advised softly, glancing over at Johnny with a raised brow. That was quite a feat their son had just demonstrated.

Johnny returned her gaze, a look of concern on his face. If the wrong people found out what their young son was capable of, it could be dangerous for him. The same went for Fliss and Maria, really.

Alex's expression relaxed a little at his mother's caress, and he seemed to calm a little. "They will be okay, won't they, Mama?" he asked, worriedly.

"I'm sure they will, sweetheart," Liv assured him gently. "Uncle Tony might pretend to be an idiot a lot of the time, but he is a very clever man, and he would never let anything bad happen to any of us."

As she spoke, the familiar rippling shimmer of the portal began to make itself known in the air in front of them. Liv drew in a breath. "Okay ....Alex, Maria, come and stand with me, please."

Fliss released her little brother, moving to stand between her mother and siblings, and the portal that was forming, along with her father. It wasn't ideal, but she had the same sort of abilities as Johnny. They could hold off anyone unwelcome between them, if it was necessary.

Johnny still had a lot of questions that had gone unanswered, but as the air started to shimmer the way it did before a portal opened, he had a feeling all his questions would soon be answered. Johnny set Maria down, so she could scamper over to her mother, while he and Fliss stood by, ready to defend both families, if need be. "You ready?" he asked the firestarter as he took a spot on the other side of the children.

The fifteen-year-old glanced at her father in concern. "I can do it," she promised. "I don't want to, but I can."

Ahead of them, the kids had paused, looking back toward the adults in their lives with no little concern. After all, Johnny didn't raise his voice very often. Liv cleared her throat. "I, um, I think we should probably save this conversation for another time," she suggested, drawing gentle fingertips down Johnny's back.

Lucy nodded. "You're right," she agreed. "The kids are freaked out about this enough as it is without us making it worse."

Johnny's temperature had definitely risen, but not enough to set him to flame just yet. This was something he was passionate about. He hadn't become a firefighter for nothing, and while he might not be an official member of the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D., he was just as capable as they were of helping to defeat HYDRA once and for all. "Sorry," he said, frowning a little guiltily, but only because he didn't want to scare the kids.

"No, I'm sorry," Steve said, mirroring the frown that was almost identical to his. "We can talk about it later."

"Papa!" Lianne yelled from ahead of them, releasing one arm from around Cherie's ragdoll slump in her grasp to point toward the house in front of her. "Fliss says this is for us!"

Lucy smiled, glad that Lianne was enjoying the adventure, anyway. "That is a big house."

Steve would have loved to have scooped his daughter up right that moment and hugged her close, if his arms were not full of luggage. Instead, he merely paused to look over the house. "That can't be ours. It's ....huge," he said, clearly stunned.

Liv laughed. "It won't feel that big when you get everyone inside," she predicted, calling to Fliss. "We left the back door unlocked, why don't you show them their bedrooms?" It was Maria who seized Martin's hand to pull him toward the house in answer, her silent laughter obvious even from here.

Despite everything the children had been through, they were still children, full of fun and innocence, until nightmares crept in during the dark of night. Martin laughed as he got tugged along by Maria.

Alex turned to find his mother. "Mama, is it okay if Jamie comes with us?" he asked, taking hold of the toddler's hand. "I will keep an eye on him. Promise!"

Fliss grinned, crouching so that Jamie could wriggle off her back and take Alex's hand, a little relieved that the children were going away and leaving her to hang around with the adults and Bess.

"So long as you don't let him fall down the stairs, of course he can go with you, sweetheart," Liv told her son. "We'll be there in a little bit."

"Spasibo, Mama," Alex replied, clutching the toddler's hand as Fliss set him on his feet. "Aren't you coming, Fliss?" he asked, looking up at his sister, while the other children started off toward the house.

"I'll follow you," Fliss promised her brother fondly, hiking Bess comfortably on her hip. "You guys can show me around before the adults get there and make it boring again."

"Okay!" Alex said, accepting his sister's answer without question, and leading Jamie toward the house, hand in hand. About halfway there, Alex leaned down to pick Jamie up and carry him the rest of the way, as his little legs couldn't get him there fast enough.

"Boring, huh?" Johnny echoed with a smirk.

Fliss flashed a grin back at her parents, uncle, and aunt. "Well, yeah," she defended herself. "You're gonna make them unpack. That's boring." Her grin deepened when Bess gurgled in apparent agreement, making Liv laugh.

"Well, you had better go and be unboring with them, hadn't you?" she said, waving Fliss toward the house before letting her smile fade as she looked at Lucy. "Just how much pain are you in?" she asked her twin. "You're never this quiet."

Lucy blinked, and shook her head. "I'm fine," she lied. "Just a little tired."

Steve frowned over at Lucy, knowing she wasn't as fine as she claimed and concerned not only for her but for the baby, too. "Luce, you need to rest. I can handle the unpacking," he insisted.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Johnny asked, all too ready to help in any way he could. "Why don't we take the kids tonight?" he suggested, glancing at Liv to see if it was okay, which he probably should have done before he volunteered.

Lucy looked at the three of them with a wry grimace. "I'm not going to be allowed to do anything for ages, am I?" she predicted, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'll rest. I'll unpack, but I'll rest, too."

Liv snorted with laughter at her twin's ungracious response. "We can take the kids tonight if you'd like us to," she agreed with Johnny's offer. "Although they might not want to be away from you. Either way, I'm cooking."

"They're gonna get one look at that house and never want to leave," Steve said, turning his glance once again to the house that Humphrey Granger was so generously offering them, at least for now. "It's gotta have at least, what, four bedrooms?" he asked, just taking a guess. Even the brownstone back in New York wasn't as big as this, and for someone who'd grown up poor, the house was nothing short of a mansion.

"Four and a spare," Liv chuckled, hoisting the one bag she'd been allowed to keep hold of and wrapping her arm gently about Lucy's back. "There's a study and a dining room, too. The Grangers don't build small."

"There are a few small houses at the Grove," Johnny interjected, "but not many." He reached to take the bag from Liv, allowing the sisters to talk without having to worry about the luggage. He tossed a wink at Steve. "Come on, Cap. Let's go get rid of this luggage and see what the kids are up to." It was really just an excuse to give Liv and Lucy a little time to reconnect, but he wasn't about to tell them that. That and he wanted to make sure Jamie fall down the stairs, or something.

The children were certainly enjoying themselves, with the run of the house. Even the appearance of the adults wasn't enough to calm the giggles as they alternated between watching Cherie and Thor explore, and exploring for themselves. Liv was quick to settle Lucy in the kitchen, putting on the kettle so the girls could talk, leaving Steve and Johnny to settle things and keep an eye on the children for the time being. But it wasn't long before hungry little people started realizing they were hungry.

Fliss was the one who took charge, marching into the kitchen to see what was available. "No, you sit down," she informed her mother and aunt. "Dad and Uncle Steve can help me cook. Can't you?" She raised her voice on that point, just to make sure they were paying attention.

Steve understood that well enough, having been forced to grow up sooner than he might have liked, but he believed it had made him a better person because of it. "Should I go talk to her?" he asked, uncertainly, his gaze lingering in the direction Fliss had gone. She'd been through enough already, and he was inwardly kicking himself for making his own worries known in front of her.

Lucy raised her brow, surprised at how eager Steve seemed to be to avoid confronting what was upsetting him head on. "How is dinner coming along, Johnny?" she asked, her eyes on her husband at all times.

"Uh ..." Johnny said, looking between them and wondering why the air had suddenly become so thick you could cut it with a knife. "It's coming, but I think I lost my cooking partner," he observed aloud. "It's my fault," Steve said. "I'll go talk to her."

"It's no one's fault, but be my guest," Liv told him, smiling as she rose to her feet. Her fingertip bounced off the end of Lucy's nose. "Sit, stay. I can cook and chat at the same time."

Maybe it was the fact that Steve was feeling useless here in Rhy'Din or maybe it was the fact that he was just missing home. Maybe it was the fact that HYDRA was still out there ready and waiting for prey on innocents and most likely still looking for him and his family. Maybe it was just the not knowing where he was going from here. He knew he'd have to go back to New York at some point and hunt HYDRA down. He also knew Lucy wasn't going to be happy about that, but he hoped she'd understand the necessity behind it. He couldn't hide forever in hopes that HYDRA would just go away, and he couldn't hope others would fight his battles for him. But he didn't need to upset Liv's little family just because of his own worries. Wordlessly, he went off to apologize to Fliss, leaving the other three to ponder what had just happened.

"Is he okay?" Johnny asked, as soon as Steve had left the room. "He doesn't seem like himself."

Lucy sighed softly, looking over at her brother-in-law. "It's HYDRA," she said simply. "He thought he'd never have to even think of them again, and suddenly here they are, waiting for him to be out of the way before trying to abduct his family. That, and he's not the only one who believes there's a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D. If Fury's agency has been corrupted, then who have we been working for" It's going to play on his mind until he has definitive proof one way or the other, and he's not going to feel himself again until he's done something to put them down. What worries me is ....I don't think it's possible to eradicate HYDRA. And that means taking the Captain out of America, because he'll never allow us to live on Earth so long as there is even a hint of a threat."

Johnny mouthed a silent, "Oh," unsure what to say to all that. He'd known most of what was going on and had even volunteered to help where needed, but he hadn't stopped to consider the implications of it, especially where Steve was concerned. After all, he'd sacrificed his own life once because of HYDRA and had lost everyone he'd ever loved doing it. It had been a high price to pay, but it had been the right thing to do, and Johnny knew Steve Rogers was all about doing the right thing. He was tempted to suggest changing Steve's name to Captain Rhy'Din, but that just didn't seem right.

"Anyway," Lucy sighed. "As it stands, we know perhaps four people in SHIELD who are truly trustworthy, and that doesn't include Nick Fury. That man keeps too many secrets for us to trust him; he didn't even tell us that it was HYDRA running that bloody Arctic facility. I hate to be proved right, but I've never trusted him myself. I'm just glad we managed to keep all mention of Rhy'Din, and Liv, out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files."

Liv blinked. "Wait ....they had a file on me"" she asked, shocked.

Lucy nodded, her expression grim. "Information only, Fury said," she told them. "Personally, I think it was blackmail material for us, including Johnny."

"Blackmail material?" Johnny echoed, his own temper starting to rise. He had never trusted Fury either and didn't need much convincing. "How do you know Fury doesn't have files of his own somewhere?" he asked further, wondering if he should make a few calls of his own. Reed had to know something, and so did Tony Stark.

"Long story short, we don't," Lucy admitted reluctantly. "Nat and Clint will do what they can, but Fury's clearance is miles above their own. He was furious - pardon the pun - that I refused to store any data on the children in the S.H.I.E.L.D. databanks, and thankfully Nat got to the house and trashed the lab before his agents could have a good rummage themselves."

"But what would Fury possibly want ..." Johnny trailed off, already knowing the answer for himself. It was the serum. It had always been about the serum, right from the beginning. HYDRA wanted it and would stop at nothing to get it, and S.H.I.E.L.D. wanted it, too. "Do you know what would happen if they got ahold of that serum?" Johnny asked, lowering his voice on purpose, though there was no one to overhear but them. The question didn't really need answering, as the answer was obvious.

"No one would ever be as careful with their choices as Dr. Erskine was," Lucy nodded in agreement. "It would be a disaster. But the only information on Steve's blood is on a flash drive in my pocket, and the only information on the children is also on that flash drive. Nat was very thorough."

"Okay, good. So, that means, so long as HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. don't know where you are ..." Johnny trailed off again, frowning when he realized there were people on Earth who'd know where they were. Four of them, to be exact - Tony, Nat, Reed, and Sue. He wasn't too sure about Pepper, but it was more than likely she'd know, too. How much would it take to make any of them talk?

"Which is why, if we're going to set up here permanently, I'm going to need to talk to those R'n'D people you use for security around here," Lucy pointed out, glancing at her sister.

Liv nodded, dropping a couple of handfuls of slice pepper and onion into the pan Johnny was playing with. "That's easily done," she assured Lucy. "GrangerGuild is very accommodating when it comes to me. I think their techies find me sweet."

"I was thinking more along the lines of magic, or even techno-mancy," Lucy suggested, but she could see the concern on Johnny's face. "Johnny, relax a little. Yes, HYDRA might try to find out where we are, but everyone who knows has their own ways of protecting themselves."

Johnny nodded, but he was still frowning. There was a lot more at stake here than he'd originally considered. He'd just been excited about Steve and Lucy visiting. "Well, I hate to sound selfish, but I think it's great having you here. We miss you when you're away, and I know the kids are happy to see you. I always felt a little bad about splitting them up, to be honest. They bonded in the Arctic. They're like family. They should be together. We should all be together."

"The way things are going, Johnny, I think we're staying put," Lucy told him. "So start thinking of things Steve can do to fill his time. I can get a job at any of the clinics or the research facilities around here, and I have a reference from Rhy'Din General I can call on. He doesn't know this place."

"Good question," Johnny said, a thoughtful expression on his face, as he cut up and added strips of steak to the onion and pepper that was frying in the pan. "He could join the Rhy'Din Avengers, but I think they're kind of inactive right now. He'd be welcome at the Fire Station, but I have a feeling that's not his gig."

"Really?" he asked, more interested in the how of it than anything else. That and the fact that he was having a daughter, which made his smile brighten further. No matter how out of place he felt in Rhy'Din, what was most important to him was the safety of his family. "So, I guess the question is should I tell Lucy or let her find out on her own?"

"Either you tell her, or Alex announces it over dinner," Fliss snorted with laughter, moving to set the table now she'd laid everything they'd need out to get it done. "I love my peanut, but he's got a mouth like the Brooklyn Bridge."

"Takes after his father, does he?" Steve teased in return, chuckling a little at her analogy. Even though Johnny and Alex weren't related by blood, they both seemed to have rubbed off on each other. "You should have seen him when we first found him," Steve said with a small frown. "He attached himself to Johnny and wouldn't let go. Maria followed suit."

Fliss' smile dampened a little at his frown. "I can imagine that," she nodded. "Hell, Mo wouldn't even look anyone in the eye until she worked out that we didn't want to hurt her." She paused, looking down at the knives in her hand. "They still have nightmares," she said quietly. "Most nights, they do. But Mo doesn't like upsetting Mom and Dad, and Alex is trying to be a big boy about it. I don't know if I should tell on them, or see how it goes. It's got better since Lir moved in with Alex and Mo got Jasper, but every now and then, they get in with me."

"What about you?" Steve asked with sympathetic concern. "How are you doing?" he asked further, knowing she'd been through some nightmares of her own. "Tell you something, Fliss ....Those nightmares" They might never go away completely. There's nothing you can do to take away what happened to them, but being there for them' That means everything. They're safe and happy here, and that's all that's important. And that's why we're here, too. No matter what it takes, I'm never gonna let anyone hurt my family again."

"So what are you going to do if what it takes means that your children never see you again?" she asked, with the sharpness that only she could get away with. "You don't think that would do more harm' You can't solve this problem, Uncle Steve. You can make it smaller, but it won't ever go away completely. So what are you going to do' They've been hurt enough. One family abandoned them, no matter whether they were forced to; they were experimented on by the people who promised to look after them. Are you really going to abandon your family to "make them safer?"" The air quotes probably didn't need to be performed, but she did it anyway.

The look on Steve's face couldn't have been more serious as he contemplated her words. He didn't get angry or even defensive. He knew she was only being honest and maybe he needed to hear it. There was only one problem. "It isn't that easy, Fliss. You ever hear the saying that with great power comes great responsibility' I've spent my whole life trying to do the right thing. I agreed to taking the serum so I could make a difference in the world, so I could help make it safe. It wasn't just about HYDRA. It was about helping people and keeping them safe. Sometimes I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle, but I have a responsibility, and if I don't do it, who will?"

The teenager considered him for a long moment. "Uh-huh," she agreed finally. "But doing the right thing starts at home. You're not just Captain America. You're a husband, and you're a dad, and those are just as important. What's the point of saving complete strangers if you become a stranger at home?" She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, I get that this HYDRA stuff needs to be handled. I do. But don't get so caught up in it that you forget to be there for the people who need you most. Okay?"

"Captain America is just a name. It doesn't mean anything. It was created for propaganda purposes during the war," he explained, telling her a lot more than he'd planned. "Cut off one head, another takes its place," Steve murmured, repeating something someone had told him once. He felt conflicted. What was the point of fighting a losing battle, and yet, he couldn't turn his back completely on the place he called home. "My family is what?s most important to me, Fliss. That's why we're here."

"Then don't forget it," she told him quietly. "I don't doubt that Lucy can handle being a single parents and she'd never tell you otherwise, but you don't want her resenting you. You don't want Mom losing her temper, and you definitely don't want your children to start seeing you as a stranger. They rely on you more than you think. Martin's always talking about you, about the things you do together, and Lianne's in love with you. Jamie wouldn't know what to do if he only saw his dad every couple of months." She drew in a deep breath, showing him amber eyes that were wet with unshed tears, sharing something she hadn't yet shown her own parents. "I know what it feels like to be abandoned, over and over again. I grew up never knowing if the person who put me to bed would be the person at the breakfast table. I know what it's like to feel as though I'm a burden on the people I trust to look after me. You don't deserve that, none of you do. Everyone who fostered me, who took me in ....they were doing the right thing. But it did more harm than good."

Steve frowned in sympathy and guilt as Fliss admitted to him what she'd gone through before Johnny and Liv had taken her in. He, too, knew what it felt like to lose his parents and to become an orphan, and he didn't want that for his children. "You're asking me to choose," he told her. But choose between what? Duty and family' There was really no choice to be made there. Family would always come first.

"No, I'm not," she shook her head. "I'm telling you not to get so caught up in eliminating the threat that you lose sight of why you're doing it. You wouldn't be you if you don't do something about it, but you'll stop being you if you let being angry about it get in the way."

"From the mouths of babes," Steve murmured, with a faint smile at the irony. "What made you so wise for one so young, Miss Storm?" he asked as he helped her set out the plates and glasses and cutlery. He hadn't really told her what he was going to do, but she could be sure he would take her words into serious consideration.

She raised her eyes, her amber-hued gaze finding his with quiet confidence. "My family did, Captain Rogers," she told him quietly. "All of you."

He winced as she addressed him by his military title, rather than his name. "I'd prefer it if you called me Uncle Steve," he told her, but she'd made her point. "Maybe you can help show me around Rhy'Din. Figure out where I fit in," he suggested. "Since you're so old and wise," he added with a wink.

She reverted almost instantly, sticking her tongue out at him for the tease. "You're old," was her comeback. "I'm not sixteen until next month. I'm a youthful blossom." She grinned, nudging him playfully. "Who, you know, spontaneously combusts from time to time."

"Yeah, well ....I might be old, but I'm not always so wise," he countered, nudging her gently back so he didn't knock her on her rear. "Like father, like daughter," he teased further, a rare grin on his face.

A gale of laughter dragged her attention from setting the table to the kitchen, and curiosity just couldn't be denied. Giving her uncle a tug to follow her, Fliss moved to the door to peer out, and nearly swallowed her tongue laughing at what she saw. Liv had let the three Storm pets into the house, and while Bella was lying on the floor, her distended belly moving of its own accord as it always did these days, Lir and Jasper were firmly attached to Lucy's midriff, making cooing noises at the little baby bump.