Chapter 38

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Steve P.O.V

We drove through a local coffee shop on our way to the playground and Thor ordered us both large americanos and, despite my warning that Tony would say it was too much sugar, a cookie for Callie. But in his defence, who could say no to the tiny voice from the back seat saying, "I like cookies Uncle," on repeat the second we joined the drivethru. After the third time not being acknowledged she says a little louder, "Uncle Thor I loooove cookies!"

He sighs, "okay baby, I'll get you a cookie." She claps her hands and says thank you and he smiles, then looks over at me guiltily. "How can you say no to that?"

"You can't." I reply, laughing hard, clapping a palm to his chest.

He hands her the cookie and she grabs his arm and kisses it before accepting her cookie.

"I hope you brought baby wipes, she's going to be a mess, " I tell him, lifting an eyebrow.

"I keep a package in the glove box, " he says, pressing the button in front of me, the box springs open and a pack of wipes tumbles out into my lap.

"Oh, look at you, so prepared now."

"Well, you're not the only one who takes his Uncle duties seriously," Thor scowls, "you may be the cute snuggly Uncle, but I am the fun Uncle, so I have baby wipes to hide our fun."

"Who says you're the fun Uncle?"

"Callie does," he says, winking an eye at Callie through the rearview mirror and she grins back lovingly.

"I don't mean you can't be fun... but she feels safe and sleepy with you, if she's upset she doesn't want me, she wants you, " he gives me a knowing glance and a warm happiness spreads across my chest.

We arrive at the playground and I slip my black ball cap on my head and throw on some sunglasses. I'd rather not be recognized if I can help it, though Thor tends to be a dead giveaway.

I grab the wipes and proceed to clean up the chocolaty mess coating Callie's face and hands, "okay, show me those sparkly clean fingers, " I say, stepping back. She wiggles her little fingers at me, grinning and scrunching her freckly nose. "Okay, come here little love bug, " I say releasing her clasps, she grabs onto my neck and squishes her face into my cheek.

I carry her to the park, Thor at our side, "a person would have to be blind to be fooled by that underwhelming getup you have on there, " he says, motioning to my hat and glasses.

"You'd be surprised," I shrug, pulling my cap out of Callie's grip and putting it back on my head, "though it's not nearly as effective when you're here, " I roll my eyes at him and he scoffs, flicking the brim of my hat.

We find a bench at the edge of the playground next to a table where two women are sitting and chatting. I sit down and place Callie between my legs. She grips the thigh of my jeans, her head twisting back and forth watching the half a dozen other kids climbing the park.

"What's wrong, Pumpkin? Do you want to play?" I ask, unclenching her hand from my pants and hold it in mine.

She looks up at me and shakes her head, her face displaying how overwhelmed she is.

"Oh yes you do, " Thor says, and scoops her into his arms, "come on, let's build a house in the sand!"

"It's sandcastle, " I correct with a snicker him but he just shrugs me off.

He carries her a few feet into the sand before plopping her down and squatting beside her. He grabs her hands in his, dwarfing them, and guides them in the motion to make a pile.

She grins and shakes his hands off, and proceeds to squish the granules in her fingertips, lifting clumps and watching as they fall. Just then a little boy around Callie's age ambles over, a shovel and a bucket clutched in his small hands. "Can I build a castle with you?"

Thor smiles at him and nudges her arm gently, she narrows her eyes but nods despite her uncertainty.

The little boy sits down cross-legged beside her. "I'm Amos, what's your name?" This boy is clearly adept at meeting new children.

"Callie," she whispers, looking at Thor for reassurance, he nods smiling and she looks back at the little boy. "What dat?" She thrusts her finger at the bucket and shovel. My heart aches, the realization that she's never seen a pale and shovel before a painful reminder of her childhood.

"It's a shovel," he explains, "for building sandcastles! And you put the sand in this bucket," he proceeds to fill the bucket to the top while Callie watches, mesmerized. Once it's full he flips it over, and slips the bucket off the top, leaving a perfect sand pillar, "taa daa," he sings, grinning at her.

"Wow," she exclaims, hands flapping. "Again!"

She uses her hands to scoop sand into the bucket while he uses the shovel and within a few seconds, they've built a second pillar.

Thor asks if she's good for him to go sit down and she nods, so he joins me, taking his coffee from my hand.

"You're really good with her, " I tell him, taking off my sunglasses.

"Thanks, Stark doesn't seem to agree though," he sighs, sipping his coffee.

"Don't listen to him, he doesn't know what he's doing any more than the rest of us."

"True. You're far more patient than he is," he winks at me, and I laugh nodding.

We watch the kids in silence for a few minutes, the sight of Callie actually playing with another child warms my heart.

One of the women at the table next to us calls out, drawing my attention away from Callie. "Amos honey, who's your new friend?"

The little boy grabs Callie's hand and points at his mom, she stands up and follows him closer to the women, "what's your name again?" He asks her, tugging on her hand.

"Callie Maria Stark." She recites, her eyes looking up as she thinks, it's taken her a couple weeks to learn her new middle and last names. She looks at me smiling with pride and I give her a thumbs up but the women don't notice.

"Nice to meet you miss Callie." Amos' mother says, the kids run off and play and as soon as they're out of earshot she whispers to her friend, "oh my gosh, my kid is playing with Ironman's kid! Do you think Tony Stark is here?" She cranes her neck around making Thor and I chuckle.

Callie and the little boy sit back down in the dirt and she waves her arms in excitement, "make a biggest one!"

"Yes, the biggest ever!" He howls in delight.

I look over to smile at the woman but my lips turn down when I notice her friend giving the kids a menacing scowl.

"I don't know if you should let Amos play with that girl," her friend whispers and I nudge Thor's arm and he frowns.

"What? Why not?"

"Didn't you read about where he got her from? She was a foster child, " The woman gossips in hushed, judgemental tones.

"So?"

"So Cindy," the gossiper enunciates her friend's name like she's speaking to a cave man, "horrible things happened to that child, and though I feel bad for her, she may say or do things to Amos. You never know."

"Really? You think so?" Cindy gasps, her face overcome with concern now.

I'm clenching my teeth, trying to hold back my rage, I feel Thor tense beside me, his hand tightening into a fist.

Cindy stands and calls her son over, "Amos honey we're going to go home now."

He looks at his mother despairingly, "but mommy I'm playing with my new friend!"

The other woman walks over and grabs the little boy's hand, "you can't be friends with that girl sweetheart."

Callie looks up at the woman, her eyes flashing that unearthly blue as her brow furrows.

"Why not?" Amos asks, his face screwed up in confusion as he looks between his new friend and the woman.

"Because Amos, she isn't good for you."

Callie looks down then, her face going blank.

Cindy, the mother, looks apologetically at Callie and takes her son from her friend, "oh, no, we're just going home now," she chuckles, clearly uncomfortable with how the situation is playing out.

"Bye Callie, see you next time!" The boy says, waving.

Callie simply stands and runs to me, her head down, looking at her shoes. I feel a deep loathing for the women building in my gut, how could they look at this sweet face and think she could hurt anyone? I grab the little girl's chin and raise it up but she keeps her eyelids down, refusing to meet mine.

"Do you want to go play with something else?" I ask, holding in the anger bubbling up inside me.

Callie shakes her head no, a slight pout forming on her lips.

"Are you sure? We could do the slide? Or the monkey bars?"

Again she shakes her head no, "home." She whispers, stepping in between my knees and leaning her head against my chest. I pick her up and feel her sniff in my shirt and I clench my jaw in anger.

Suddenly Thor hands me the keys, "take the baby to the car, I'm going to deal with this bullshit," he says, his anger palpable. He strides towards the women and I take Callie to the car, satisfied as I hear Thor's voice carrying through the park.

I wrap a hand around her head, whispering into her ear, "Callie you are so loved, you are so wanted. You're my good girl, you know that right?"

I feel her nodding which satisfies me, but I can't help but notice the tears soaking through my shirt.


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