When Is It Too Late? (October 2002)

Serena felt giddy with happiness around Harry. He was her first boyfriend and she really liked him. He knew what it was like to be rich and so they felt like they could just be themselves around each other. she kept thinking about telling him she was a mutant and showing him her powers, but she held off. She knew her father would not like that.

After buying the food and drinks, they took their seats. They sat in the back row and right in the center. They shared the popcorn and talked about the books and their favorite characters. When the lights dimmed, Serena leaned in towards Harry and rested her head on his shoulder.

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Natalya heard someone and looked back to see James had come out of his room. He had sat down on one of the chairs and was watching them play the game. She gave him a little smile before she went back to concentrating on the game.

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Isabella put on the black dress and put on her heels and then some earrings. He started to put his hands on her again and she laughed and playfully swatted away his hand. "No, we can't. We have dinner reservations and Happy is almost back with the car."

The Modern was one of the most notable restaurants in New York. Located at the museum of modern art, where Tony was a huge benefactor, they had their own private dining room and he had his own private wine cellar there as well. The room was fairly spacious as once in a while Tony and Isabella would dance on the polished wood floor. The room had a rustic look to it with all the wood and the old paintings. Tony owned them all and no one besides he and Isabella could eat there though he did tell Steve he could bring Kate there anytime.

They started with a Tarte Flambee and a Spicy Steak tartar. The wine was a Domaine de le Romanee 96 from France and the music was a soft jazz piped in from the main room but the volume was just right for them. The room had a large fireplace and candles lit all around them to give just enough soft, light for the room to have a warm, homey feel to it.

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Harry leaned his head up against hers and they shared the popcorn and the twizzlers. They held one another’s hand and they had to work together with their opposite hands to get the twizzlers out of the package. No one really noticed them and the theatre wasn’t completely filled besides. There was a lull in the movie when the three heros are in the bathroom and talking about the polyjuice potion. Harry lifted his head from Serena’s and leaned forward slightly. He was pretty nervous about this but he was also pretty confident as well. He turned back to face her to find that she was looking at him. Her lips sparkled in the dim light. Partly do to the lip gloss she wore and party do to the buttery popcorn. He smiled at her and wondered how he hadn’t noticed how big her eyes were right then. Beautiful, dark eyes that regarded his own. He saw her cheeks grow red and then he just leaned in and kissed hers.

Harry only knew one way to kiss, softly. He did feel passion when his lips touched hers but his lips were never overbearing or greedy. His touched hers and he felt her kissing him back just as softly. He felt her fingers tighten on his but then loosen soon after. Her lips did too and he did smell strawberry but she tasted like the twizzlers and the salt from the popcorn. Eventually, reluctantly, it was not easy right then, Harry pulled back and looked into her eyes.

“I really like you to Serena,” he said sweetly and then turned back toward the movie screen. He wanted to kiss her more. In fact, the movie now didn’t really interest him but he didn’t want to come off as brash so he leaned back again.

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Natalya and Theo had gotten pretty far though they had died a few times but Theo suddenly felt something from her and from James who sat behind them. He felt as if he should leave them alone and the feeling irritated him. He liked Natalya...alot and thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She spent time with him and talked to him and he liked how she smelled. He also noticed her curves as well. Theo was not really focused on girls. Kissing and going out and such but looking at Natalya sometimes...he noticed he thought about kissing her and what that might feel like.

Tony had become a huge benefactor to the museum after she had told him how much she loved the museum when they first started dating. She had not been expecting him to do that, nor to donate so much money that they were given their own private dining room and wine cellar in the restaurant. They had even held their wedding reception in the museum. The restaurant was their favorite in the city and they dined there once a month. Isabella enjoyed the fact that they could be in the restaurant while also being alone. She and Tony were very rarely alone. Between the media, their children, the business, and the Avengers they were nearly constantly surrounded by people. This gave them an opportunity to just be with each other.

They were currently dancing slowly together and Isabella looked deeply into her husband's eyes. "I love you Tony."

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Serena was having a difficult time concentrating on the movie when she knew that Harry was sitting right beside her and was holding her hand. She could smell the cologne he was wearing and it made her head spin. She had never felt this way about another guy before. She had never even really noticed guys in this way before Harry. It was strange to think that they had known each other for most of their lives. Serena was glad that Harry had chosen her over Jackie.

She slowly looked over at Harry and found that he was looking at her. Their eyes met and she saw him glance down at her lips. She felt her heartbeat quicken as she realized what was about to happen. She closed her eyes as Harry's lips touched her own. She had never been kissed before like this and wasn't quite sure what to do, but she did kiss him back. The kiss was soft and gentle and did not last very long, but Serena was ok with that. She had a feeling that more kisses were in their future.

She felt her cheeks flush as he pulled back and looked at her again. "I really like you too Harry."

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Natalya continued to play the game with Theo. The Super Soldier Serum made her reflexes quicker than most people and therefore she was able to react to things in the game more quickly than Theo. However, she did still die a few times. She was too focused on the game to realize that Theo's mood had changed since James had come into the room to watch them. However, she did pause the game when she heard the elevator and looked over to see Kate. She gave Kate a little grin. "Steve's missed you."

James was a very observant person and he knew, in part at least, what powers Theo possessed. He also knew that the boy looked at Natalya often as they played. And more importantly, ‘how’ he looked at her. He had been a boy once. And as a boy he had been a bit more into the girls than some of his friends at the time who were more interested in baseball and going to a movie.

After Theo died once again do to his lack of attention on the game he decided to call it quits. That and James being there made him feel...awkward. “Ok, I am willing to admit defeat,” he said as he shifted and switched the game off. “Thanks for taking some time with me Natalya,” he said with a smile as he stood up.

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Kate winked at them and waved at them as she passed. Steve nearly bounded from his apartment when he heard her voice and he moved quickly up to her to take her up into his arms. He spun her around once as he hugged her tightly to him and kissed her over and over. “God I missed you,” he told her. And he did. “I got us chinese takeout and made up the coffee table in my apartment,” he said. “We could...watch a show while we eat, if you’re hungry,” he said as they stepped arm in arm toward his room. It was clear he would be more than fine with ‘skipping’ eating and making love but he’d let her decide that. He just wanted to be close to her tonight.

Natalya watched Theo as he got up. She could sense a change in his demeanor, but she decided not to question him about it. It was possible that he was just tired. She let him go, but she didn't feel like retiring to her room herself. She looked back at James who was still there. "Feel like playing? Or rather losing to me?" she said with a grin. Natalya and James could each get rather competitive.

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Kate smiled and returned Steve's hug and kisses. She had been gone for nearly two weeks and she had missed him. "I missed you too," she said as she followed him to his apartment. The smell of the chinese takeout caused her mouth to water. She had a small overnight bag with her indicating that she was planning on staying the night. "I am hungry. That sounds great."

She put down her bag and then went to go change into some more comfortable lounging clothes while Steve got the food out. She came back out and found he had also gotten a bottle of wine and two glasses. She smiled at him as she took her glass and they clinked glasses before she took a sip. "So, what ended up happening with that shapeshifter?"

James smiled. He actually liked video games but he preferred the more adversarial types, his favorite was Mortal Combat. He put in the different game cartridge and then started the game set up. “Pick your poison, I’ll beat ya with whomever you choose!” He taunted. He always played the same guy, Scorpion he was called. As their characters squared off James shifted so that his left hip touched her right.

“You know, Theo has quite the crush on you Natalya. Apparently, you’ve made an impression on him,” He said and snickered as that information appeared to have thrown her off her game. He pulled her in with his scorpion attack and killed her character. He chuckled as he felt her looking at him.

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Steve got out several sets of chopsticks and he handed her what he knew she liked the most first while he settled on the pork fried rice for now.

“In my defense, I thought she was you,” He said for clarification. “We only kissed…” he said quickly after. “I noticed something off too about that,” he said. Mystique did not kiss like Kate did. But that could go both ways, he liked the way she kissed but it wasn’t Kate and that made all the difference to him.

“SHIELD came and got them. Didn’t you know about that?” he asked as he looked at her. For a moment his look grew suspicious and he eyed her chopsticks as if they could be used as a weapon. Then he chuckled and shook his head when her eyes took on a more serious look. He chuckled again as she shoved him playfully.

Natalya ate another handful of popcorn while James changed out the game cartridge. She smiled a little when he chose Mortal Kombat. It didn't surprise her that he had chosen that one. She chose Sonya as her character and as the game got ready to start she felt James shift and felt his hip touch hers. She glanced at him slightly, but then mentally prepared herself to start playing the game. However, right as the game started James told her that Theo had a crush on her. She was so shocked by this that she lost her concentration and James' character immediately killed her.

"What? What are you talking about?"

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Kate playfully shoved Steve as he teased her. She could tell he was in a wonderful mood and she smiled and laughed. They eventually settled down and began to eat and she told him a bit about the mission, at least what she could tell him. "I'm really glad to be back. I missed you quite a bit."

James paused the game to look at her. “You mean you didn’t know?” he asked in mild surprise. He assumed that she knew something was up with Theo but her stunned look was not something he had seen before in her expressions.

“He’s a healthy boy Natalya. With a better grip on his hormones than I had at his age. Sometimes, and this is speaking from memory mind, a young boy his age that looks up to an older woman. It could be a teacher or even a family member like a cousin or family friend or older babysitter and he begins to see her in a different light. I can’t be certain about the actual age, I think it probably differs depending on the boy. But they begin to wonder why they have these ‘feelings’ and ‘urges’,” he said and was actually loving how uncomfortable all of this appeared to make Natalya. Relentlessly he continued.

“Theo might have...sexual thoughts and dream about them,” he said as Natalya stood up. He continued as he stood up as she did. “It could lead to ‘wet dreams’, him wanting to be close to you physically. Daydreams about you and him,” James said with a very wide grin.

“Obviously he regards you as a close friend and looks up to you. The rest is just him becoming a teenager,” James said.

Natalya’s training meant that she was usually very observant, but somehow she had completely missed Theo’s feelings towards her. What James told her made her uncomfortable, but he was clearly enjoying that fact and continued on. She liked Theo. He was nice to her and been one of the few that wanted to help her. However, this revelation made her uncomfortable and she didn’t want to lead him on and think that something might happen between them.

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Well, what am I supposed to do? I don’t want things to get weird between us.”

James half expected the question but he didn’t really have an answer. Everything he was saying was based on fuzzy memories of long ago. He knew that any overreaction on her part would not be good and he thought she liked to spend time with the boy. “Well, maybe just let things go for now. If he does something then you can ‘gently’ set him straight. Ceasing to be his friend seems like an overreaction and making yourself unavailable to him too,” James said and tilted his head.

“Maybe its time that you became more of a mentor to those kids. Train them, have them set aside one or two days a week for an hour after their supper and homework. Being a mentor could break the fantasy for him. In that way, you keep the friendship whole and he moves on from seeing you as an object of his affections,” James said as he tried to hold back his grin. “Be hard and strict with them but not too hard,” James said with a wink. Oh he was loving this alright. Seeing Natalya in a different light was endearing to James. She looked and felt...more human when she was off kilter like this.

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After they had their fill of the food, Steve had Kate up into his lap. They watched the shows he had taped for her and her arms covered his that held her from around the waist. Whenever she went off on mission he noticed she lost weight. He doubted rations or MREs were a very good food source out in the field. She certainly made up for it tonight though. He noticed she ate quite a bit. For himself, he always ate alot. He had to to support his crazy metabolism. She was leaned back against him and he made certain to keep his hands in respectful places. He knew she liked these shows and was content to just be here with her. He thought about sex, ofcourse, but he could hold out for a while longer tonight.

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In the elevator, when they could once again be alone, Harry enveloped her in his arms and kissed her properly. She was so warm and there was some redness in his cheeks as well. Especially when his hands moved to her lower back. His kiss this time was a bit more passionate but still gentle. His lips were very warm and soft on hers. As the elevator stopped though, time just seemed to move so fast! Harry pulled back and wiped the lip gloss from his lips as the doors opened. Isabella asked Natalya to watch over Serena and Harry when they came back from their movie. That and to make certain that nothing happened between them.

Natalya had never trained anyone before. However, she was confident she could do it. She would need to talk to Tony and Isabella about it first. She was still treading lightly when it came to Tony and she didn't want to do anything to mess up the progress she had made. "I suppose I could do that. I really don't want to hurt Theo or upset him. Besides you, he was the only one here who really wanted to help me. I'll talk to Tony and Isabella about seeing if I could train them. I do think having some training would be good for them, particularly Theo. He is lacking a little confidence and I think it might help him."

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Kate had eaten quite a bit. She had been very hungry and after two weeks of eating MRE's she had been ready for something different. She sat on Steve's lap as they watched some episodes of the shows they watched together. She was thankful that Steve had taped them for her. He hadn't watched them either so they could watch them for the first time together. She appreciated the little things like that that Steve did for her.

"So, I heard that Natalya has moved out of the locked room. Is she going to be joining the team?"

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Natalya heard the elevator and she looked over as the doors opened. She glanced at the time and saw it was 10 til 9. Harry had gotten Serena back on time. That was one check in his favor. She eyed them both a little and could tell they had been kissing, but they were teenagers so that was bound to happen.

"How was the movie?"

Steve had forgotten that Kate had not been in the tower in a while. And he had not been forthcoming on current events like he should be. “She’s been given more privileges. She still can not leave the tower but she can go wherever and whenever she wants, anywhere within,” he said. Tony is devising new security measures involving checking ones eyes and infrared scans in the elevators. It sounds promising. And we all know its necessary. I wish it wasn’t but it is,” Steve said.

“Theo appears to be doing better, and Serena is ‘going steady’ with Harry Osborn,” Steve said as if he thought that was a bad idea. “I think she’s too young to be dating,” he said but didn't clarify what he meant by that either. He leaned in and shifted her hair just enough so he could kiss her neck. Just a small kiss then straightened again.

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“It was...pretty good,” Harry said as they stopped at Natalya’s approach. “I find the Harry Potter movies to move pretty slow but the books were too though the books were much better,” he added. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back.He hoped that Serena would invite him...well, for anything really. He very much liked the kissing and wanted to do that some more but he’d take just spending a little more time near her tonight before his driver came to pick him up which was in about half an hour.

Kate was glad that Natalya wasn't being held prisoner anymore in that room. She still had not forgotten what Natalya had done to her, but she knew that that hadn't really been her and she had forgiven her. She felt that Natalya would make an excellent member for the team with her skill set and maybe, eventually, Tony would realize that. For now, though, at least letting her stretch her legs more in the Tower was a start.

Kate grinned a little when Steve told her about Serena and Harry Osborn. She leaned over and grabbed her glass of wine and took a sip. "Are you sure you're not just feeling protective of her?"

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Natalya had not read the books or seen the movies, but from what she had heard it seemed to be a big thing. Serena looked over at Harry. "We can hang out for a little while until your driver gets here..." She was about to suggest going to her room, but Natalya quickly spoke up. "In the living room...with James and me."

“No...not really...I just think 12 years old is too young. I bet, considering where you grew up, you never kissed a boy before you were 17 or 18,” Steve said with a grin. “I know I didn’t,” he said. ‘I think I’d be just as protective of my own daughter. And watchful for a son. Too many diseases and unwed pregnancies going on for my taste,” he said. He hadn’t realized that he had basically said that he was going to have children. He and Kate hadn’t discussed that at all. Not even in a ‘what if’ situation.

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Harry grinned politely as He saw Serena’s disappointment at what Natalya said but there was better than no where. They moved to the living area in the middle of the floor. Harry waited until Serena sat and then he sat next to her, a decently respectful distance from her. “So, The Black Widow and The Winter Soldier. Father says…” Harry began but his voice quickly died away when he realized in horror what he was about to say. They were no longer the people they used to be. James looked at him oddly but didn’t say anything. Harry looked away from his gaze and cleared his throat. Harry knew very little about who they had become so he decided not to say anything.

Kate listened to what Steve said and she suddenly felt her face flush as she realized exactly what he had said. They had not yet discussed marriage or children. She wasn’t sure if he meant that he wanted to have children with her, but it was clear that he wanted to have children.

“How many children do you want?”

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Natalya sat down with James and Serena and Harry. She did not know Harry, but she knew he was an Osborn. His father was much like Tony Stark, rich and smart. He owned Oscorp Labs, but that was about all she knew.

As Harry began to speak Serena tensed up beside him when she heard him use their assassin names. Natalya glanced at James, but he remained calm. Natalya was curious as to what his father had said about them, but she didn’t want to interrogate the boy.

“We don’t use those names anymore.”

Steve really didn’t think that talking about something like this was out of place. They were a couple and he was comfortable talking about almost anything around Kate. he shrugged. “I always kind of thought 3 was a good number. A boy and 2 girls or the reverse, I don’t really mind. “What about you? I know you are a career SHIELD agent but I could see you as a mother, a good one,” Steve said.

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“Oh, well, Natalya and James then. And you don’t leave this tower because all sorts of people want you?” Harry asked curiously. Something like that is unprecedented and he had never thought it could happen in this country. “You should be allowed to go where you want...since…” he began but once again he was about to touch on something that might not make very good conversation. ‘Since you’ve been pardoned for murdering so many people,’ He was going to say. He wasn’t used to having to censor himself so much but he had so many questions and he felt nervous besides. Being nervous made him a chatterbox. Now that he thought about it though he wasn’t certain if they had been pardoned. So that meant that the Starks were getting special dispensation? He didn’t know.

Just then the chime on the intercom came on. “Harry Osborn’s driver is here,” Richard said. Harry got up quickly, fairly eager to be gone from there and Natalya’s dark, searching eyes. He did take Serena’s hand though so she’d walk him to the door. He turned to face her though he felt the others watching them.

“I really did enjoy tonight. Maybe you’ll let me take you out again?” he asked with a smile.

Kate actually felt herself becoming rather nervous as Steve talked about children. Clearly, he had thought and this a lot. Steve was comfortable talking about this with her which meant he may be picturing her as being the mother of those children. Kate felt a bit of anxiety start to build up inside of her as she thought about carrying, giving birth to, and raising three children.

“I...I really haven’t thought about it...” she said honestly as she stood up.

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The evening was coming to a close too quickly for Serena. She walked with Harry to the elevator but felt Natalya and James watching them. “I would love that. I had a great time too. I’ll see you at school on Monday.”

Harry leaned in and gave Serena a hug and a peck on the cheek though his cheeks were on fire for it due to being watched. “Yes, you certainly will,” He whispered softly into her ear. He smiled at her one last time and then departed into the elevator.

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Steve looked up as Kate stood and his eyebrows rose in surprise and then he smiled. "Why Miss Kate Blackwell, does this talk of children surprise you? I figured we get to it eventually, now is as good a time as any," Steve said as he looked at her.

Kate felt her entire face grow hot and flush as she began to pace a little. Everything about their relationship had just gotten very real very fast. She forced herself to breathe. Of course she was in love with Steve and could see a future with him, but they hadn't been dating thatlong and the thought of children had never even entered her mind before. She was always completely focused on her work.

"This is very serious stuff you and I are suddenly talking about. I mean we're not even engaged and haven't been dating that long...not that I am thinking we're going to break up but..." Kate knew she was babbling and talking quickly, but this had really caught her off guard.

Steve remained seated but stretched out his legs. He was still smiling at her and he leaned back against the couch. "Kate, I'm not trying to rush things. I'm only broaching the topic of babies. Three of them, can you just imagine it? Two beautiful girls and one boy causing all sorts of trouble," Steve said as he thought about it. His smile widen when he did.

Kate was trying to imagine how all of this would even work. Steve's smile though started to put her more at ease. She was glad that he wasn't upset about her freaking out. "You do realize that we can't decide the gender of the babies, right? And how would all of this work with me? I don't want to give up what I do."

Steve didn't move and he watched her as she moved about the room. "Kate, you'll hardly be the first woman to have a career and a family. There are ways for us to do it. We can do anything if we want it bad enough. I want a family. I want to leave something more behind than just my deeds, don't you? Without parents, i'll use yours as an example, that wanted something more than just their careers, there would be no you," Steve said.

Kate still wasn't entirely convinced. She stopped pacing and looked over at Steve. "You're not talking about wanting us to start a family right now, right?" When he smiled and shook his head she breathed out and visibly relaxed. She suddenly felt a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry for freaking out," she said as she walked over and slid back into his lap. She felt his arms snake back around her. "I've just never thought about having kids. You've clearly thought way more about this than I have."

"Well, family is important to me, I left it all behind when I was frozen. I'd like us to have family Kate. We won't be in fighting shape forever and I want more out of this life than just to fight. I know it isnt what you want now, but someday, I hope you will think about it...will you? For me?" he asked sweetly.

Kate looked over at Steve and shifted so she was facing him a little bit better. She lightly ran her fingertips down the sides of his face as she looked into his eyes. "Of course I will think about it." Then, a sexy grin tugged at the corner of her lips. "But right now I'm thinking about something else."