One-shot idea I've had in my head since that Black Panther post-credits scene and Infinity War which seemed to match up well and flow flawlessly. Love this idea, hope you guys do too..

Sometime in 2018

It was dawn. He could tell by the golden glow that landed and brightened up most of the outside. He had awoken surrounded, but regretted the moment the children ran away. Although beautiful, the sun's rays left him blind, leaving him staggering outside like a caveman. Eventually, he noticed the young woman staring at him, waiting. He began heading for her, the children running away once again, some in English, some in a dialect he couldn't understand.

"Good morning, Sergeant Barnes." The dame called out. Bucky, dumbfounded by all the new and mysterious sights and people-he had thought this place Cap spoke of would be desolate, responded quickly, not wanting the woman to get the wrong idea.

"Bucky." He glanced around once more.

Desolate?

This seemed a village.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good," he hoped to get his arm back. He missed the feeling of two arms at his side, and it felt strange having only one arm to grab things.

"Come. There's much more for you to learn." She started walking away, before she turned back, distraught. "Did the boy awaken? We mustn't start without him."

"What boy?" She had Barnes confused now.

"The heir of your friends?" When she realized that Bucky had no idea what she was speaking about, she ran back, heading to the same hut Bucky came out of. He was sure no child had been there with him, although he was a bit occupied trying to figure out what was happening with all the other children who had woken him up. Shuri came back outside with a little boy, couldn't be any older than four years old, wrapped around her neck and waist. He was evidently very tired still with his hair in a rut and eyes that he could barely hold open. His head wobbled with each step she took, falling back into her shoulder a couple times more than once.

"Let's go," she said as she approached Barnes, leading him to the field. Bucky couldn't help but stare at the kid who seemed very comfortable in Shuri's arms, too comfortable for it to be the first time.

"Who is-" Shuri smiled at the question and before Bucky could finish it, she answered.

"As I said previously, a friends' heir. More T'Challa's than mine, but a friend all the same. Mutual, actually." That made Bucky all the more confused.

"But the-" He went silent, pointing to his hair. "I thought she was sterile?"

"The serum wears off. Actually, if she does not get another dosage, she will begin aging as normally as any other human being. Her last dosage, as you should know, was in 1984. They only last so long. You were periodically injected as well. Captain America was cryogenically frozen presumed dead, but the reality is that he was preserved, as was the serum inside. You three are in the same boat." Bucky went a bit mad at the thought. No wonder she seemed familiar. She was older than they had both previously thought. It made sense, now. The time period. The connections. But all that time being called a grandpa, when she also needs a walker. This was gold. Of course, there was no way he could one up her for this because Bucky was sure she already had a card up her sleeve that she was prepared to play at all times if somebody ever came at her with this nonsense, but it still felt good knowing about it. Although it stung at the same time.

"Wake up now, James." She said setting the boy on the ground once they reached their destination. The boy proceeded to yawn, stretch so far you could hear his little bones crack, and rub his eyes all while still keeping them shut. He leaned against the small wooden fence, obviously wanting to rest a bit more. "You're all rested." She chastised. "Come, help me in teaching this man the ways of the Wakandan people."

The boy perked up at that, his baby blues shining with excitement. He turned around and faced the man. "Do you know my mom and dad?" Bucky was hesitant in answering to the young boy. He had an idea, but he was afraid of being wrong.

"I t-think so,"

"Their names are St-Ste..eve and N-Na-Nat-as-sha."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. You know them?"

"Oh yeah. Steve was my right-hand man. We were like brothers."

"Really?" He was more excited than before.

"Yes really. My name's Bucky. You could ask your dad all about it when he comes back"

"That's cool!" The boy stood up straight and outstretched his hand. "Nice to meet you, Uncle Bucky. My name is J-James" James took a moment, pausing and puffing his chest out in thought. It hadn't been too long since he last introduced himself, but he still seemed to have problems pronouncing his name (and many other things). He glanced upwards in thought, before refocusing his gaze on his new uncle and the task at hand.

"Franc-is Rog-ers." He finished, his smile proud. Bucky put on a sly smile and shook the boy's hand. It was obvious Cap hadn't left without teaching his boy some manners.

"That's a nice name you have there. I'll have you know, my first name is James too."

"Cool!" He turned around. "Shuri, we go chase animals? I want show Uncle Bucky the mini goats!" He whipped back around to face Bucky. "They're the coolest! And they do this thing" he looked back. "What's it called, Shuri?" He made two little figures with his hands, his pointer and middle finger folded back as he aggressively hit both together. "Like that but nicer?

"Bucking?"

"Yes! They duck at you! But softly like they're playing."

"Really?" Bucky asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir. They're very cool. Come! Come, Shuri! Let's show him!" He grabbed Bucky by the hand and wrapped his fingers softly around Shuri's. Shuri smiled.

"Of course, brother." He wasn't actually, but it felt right. Shuri had always wanted a little brother that could join her in the pestering of her elder one, and boy did they play pranks on T'Challa. It was almost like James was always meant to be in Wakanda. She hoped she could say the same for his namesake.

Around 1-2 Months before the battle in Wakanda, 2019

Every other month Steve and Natasha would come to visit their child. They were disappointed in Shuri telling Bucky or anyone about their son, as he was a well kept secret, but it was ok because it was a one time thing, at least as promised by the royal family. It was made clear with Natasha's warning, Steve having to back Natasha up, fearing their alliance with Wakanda. Ramonda understood the concern, having kept her own two children sheltered for so long. T'Challa made it clear to the tribes of the special circumstances of the boy. With that, Nat was a bit calmer, but it was still a sore subject for the two, mainly Natasha.

The happiest visit was the penultimate one. Everything was going well, and it was the longest visit by far. Even Sam, their most trusted and practically only friend who could just come with them, had joined in on the family fun. T'Challa had greeted them at the border with open arms along with Bucky and Shuri. They later found James playing with the mini goats.

"Долгожданная," Natasha had called out. James whipped around at the familiar sound, and tears of joy had filled his eyes.

"Mama!" he exclaimed. "Papa!" He immediately took off, running straight in their direction. Wobbling his way over the fence, they met each other on the outside.

"Hi bubba" Steve said, relaxing into his family's embrace, James' tiny hands squeezing them both.

"I can't believe you're here! I thought you weren't sapposed to come for another month!"

"Sapposed? We're supposed to come whenever we want to see our little Долгожданная." Natasha stole him from Steve's grasp, giving James a breathing exercise of how much she tickled him.

"Stop!" He heaved, barely able to breath. "Stop! Mama, I beg you!"

"Alright, alright," Steve said, picking James up from Natasha's arms. "It's done. You're ok."

Natasha gave Steve a playful death glare before smiling at James. "So, T'Challa tells us you have a surprise for us?" James' eyes widened.

"He betrayed me?!" He tapped his dad for him to let him go. Steve raised an eyebrow but he did as asked. James ran past them towards the treeline where Shuri, Bucky, and Sam watched from afar. He continued running until he stopped in front of Shuri. He motioned for her to bend down and he cupped his hand behind her ear and whispered "T'Chacha has betrayed my trust. We must retaliate."

She had heard it for years, yet it still took some will to not laugh at James' mispronunciation of her elder brother's name. "Of course, my brother. We will make sure T'Challa pays for his crimes."

James backed away and nodded once. Shuri did the same. James crossed his arms across his chest and nodded once again. "For Wakanda." He said, in his best wakandan accent he could concoct. Bucky was used to this. In fact, he had gotten so used to it, that he knew what it meant.

T'Challa will soon be pranked.

Sam, however, was new to this Wakandan chant. And he didn't know whether it was joke or culture, and he didn't know why, but it took every ounce of his being to not burst out laughing at his friends' son's full integration into a culture he knew (and heck, probably they knew) nothing about. He didn't mean any disrespect, but the irony of the situation is what got to him. Bucky cracked a smile as well, not only for what is to come, but also of Sam's red face.

Man, he was really holding in that laughter, wasn't he?

"For Wakanda!" Shuri repeated, smiling.

"Ok," He motioned for her to bend down again and cupped his hand behind her ear once more. "Can you please get my surprise for my mama and papa?" Shuri nodded.

"Of course, brother. Go to them. I'll bring you your gift as soon as you give me the command. Remember the signal?" The boy nodded, pulling a big handkerchief-like object out of his front pocket and waving it around his head. He struggled a bit, his arm wobbling a little on each turn, but he managed either way. "Good. I shall go now. You go to your parents." James nodded, stuffing the small blanket back into his pocket before running back to his parents as he was told. As he arrived, Steve held out his arms, which James proceeded to jump into.

"Easy bubba, easy." James was smiling from ear to ear.

"I just can't believe you and mama are here." Natasha's smile faulted. She hated not being there for their son. If it were up to them, they both would stay the longest time ever. But they couldn't take him out without it being obvious of whom he is from and they definitely can't be seen together without putting their son's life in danger. It was a tough position but it was one they had to make. Even if it broke their hearts.

"Well, you better believe it!" She replied, excitedly, for James' sake. "In fact, you'll have more than enough time to believe it, because we're staying for a whole month!" James' eyes lit up, throwing his hands up in the air in excitement. Steve dodged the movement easily but shot a warning glance at Natasha. She knew they couldn't promise that. Even if they had some downtime now, the universe was always trying to threaten them into extinction. It wasn't very fun at all.

"Really, Mama? You mean it?" Steve wanted it to be true. He did. All they could do was hope.

"Of course, Долгожданная. We'll stay with you 'til the end of time. You know we just have to get to the beginning of it first." Instead of stealing James from Natasha's arms again, he just brought them both close, wrapping James inbetween them.

"We love you bubba. We always have, and we always will."

"Я тоже люблю тебя, мама и папа." Another big hug. It lasted until James saw Shuri in the background with the surprise. He got really excited. "Stay here," He said, hopping down from his mother's grasp. He reached into his pocket and pulled the cloth out, waving it as high as he could above his head. When he saw that Shuri began emerging from the treeline, he dropped the cloth and turned around. Pulling his parents by the arms, he turned them away from the treeline and took out his pocket instruments. "Look at what Shuri and Uncle Buck taught me!" He exclaimed, starting shaking the instruments and began dancing. Steve and Natasha shared a look as James began singing.

Their kid was spending way too much time in Wakanda.

In fact, Natasha had an idea. One that she knew Steve wouldn't like. It wasn't like she really liked it either, but she really needed to take her baby out to see the real world. James had been guarded for so long, she was worried he didn't know anything besides Wakanda and the little minimum Russian she taught him. She hated where she came from, but not her roots. Her Russian culture was still very dear to her heart even if her history wasn't the best with it. And that was even if she couldn't remember the first half of her childhood. But that was decades behind her. And she was sure Steve had some of his own traditions that he would like to share with their son. She was glad they had gone the Barton route, but at the same time she hated it. It worked great for Clint, yes. But she hadn't the slightest idea why it won't work for them. When the song was finished, James turned them back around to see three rhinos fit in riding gear, one a baby.

"Hiru and Saka finally had their baby so now I can officially ride with you!" James announced, pulling his parents by their hands and leading them to the rhinos. "Come on," he said finally dropping their hands upon arrival and hopping onto the baby Rhino. "This is T'Juri. Or just Juri sometimes. I wanted to combine me and Shuri and T'Chacha's names together since we all helped Saka through her labor. Uncle Buck was too grossed out. Said he'd stick to goats." That made Steve chuckle as he helped Natasha mount Saka. Once she did, he helped James onto Juri, James scrambling on before getting settled down. Then, he mounted his own rhino with the help of Shuri.

"Ok!" James said excitedly. "ngoku!" He yelled in Xhosa, commanding the rhinos who then started walking. It was slow at first, but then James gave another command which made them start going a lot faster. So much faster, in fact, that if Natasha wasn't holding on, she would have surely fall off.

If someone had told Rogers and Romanoff way back when they first went to Wakanda that almost four years later they would be best friends with the King and his sister and would visit them, Bucky and their now three and a half year old son on the regular, they wouldn't believe it. Hell, four years ago Natasha thought she was still sterile. Of course she knew her serum was running out but she expected to be sterile without it. And the way she found out she was pregnant with James? She wouldn't wish it on anyone.

It was the only thing that kept her at bay without seeing him for so long at times throughout the years. And that awkward spy thing with Banner which was a failure. I mean, she got Rogers unintentionally in it and even Sam.

But it was all for nothing. Lullaby Protocol didn't work. They didn't even know where Banner was now. The Secret Avengers was working just fine so far. Wanda and Vision have relocated off site, Vision finally being able to fit in. Rhodey chose to stay on base while Sam just sticks with them. Sam had been incredible helpful, doing nothing but help with the new initiative since it began. When Steve and Natasha announced they were going on vacation, it was rare the times that Sam would join. This visit was one of those rare times. Plus, Sam was just very eager to spend some time with Bucky. Which, in all honesty, could be anything but good for the two parents.

Parents.

Ha.

And to believe how this all started.

Natasha's POV, 2015

It was the first time she had interacted with Wanda, and it was the worst first impression ever. Without a second to spare, the visions came. It started when she went down the stairs, her surroundings becoming one of the oldest red rooms she could remember. The one that was hidden in plain sight.

Their mentor screaming and the ones being mentored doing the same from the inside. The process they all went through. And the process the little ones looked onto, in precognition of the abuse they were soon to uphold, besides all of the abuse they already had. One their sisters were currently upholding. Natasha remembered the pain clearly. Being a ballerina was stressful enough, adding doing it to be graceful and save your own life. Only a select few would make it out of there, as was constantly taught to them just as young as the young ones on the side who looked on. Only the most graceful, the most daring, the most cunning, and the most menacing would make it out alive. She remembered the cold process.

"You'll break them." She stated, trying to stop it. Madame B stood behind her. She was the one that had praised Natasha the most and listened to her the most. For some reason, she held Natasha up as a prized jewel. She wasn't sure if it was for something she had done in her youth, but she was always more tough on her. Expected more of Natasha than she believed she could even handle. Even if she knew it was all for the end game, she still hoped that Madame B would listen to her. But it was all in vain, because that hope is exactly what she broke from Natasha. She had forcefully ripped hope from Natasha's arms, leaving her the stone cold, expressionless spy she was then.

"Only the breakable ones" She replied. "You're made of marble." That was pride. Pride at the graceful monster she had created. "We'll celebrate after the graduation ceremony." The vision shattered briefly, showing the first time she had the serum injected before returning to it's original state. So, Natasha figured. The more I interact with it, the more it crumbles.

"What if I fail?" The vision faded to one of her first solo exams. Back when she was Natalia. They had begun easy. Target practice. Get too many off, and get shot yourself. The twist? The person who had practice after you had to shoot you after completing their own rounds. Natalia went first, succeeding the first round. For the first round, they had a line of KGB traitors. The scenes interchanged briefly once more as Madame B reminds her.

"You'll never fail."

And it was true. Because she never did. In fact, when the vision switched back, it was more of a memory. The memory of how she didn't hesitate. A memory so distasteful that her mind had repressed it completely among side many others. It reminded her of the monster they had created within her. A monster that they had instilled so far into her, that she was worried she'd never be able to shake it, never get rid of it. She hated the fact that they were proud of that. Proud of the many tortures they subjected these orphans to, proud of killing them off if they did not satisfy. It was disgusting. Yet no matter how much she had worked to get rid of their disgusting grip, no matter how much pain she went through, no matter how many years went by, she was never able to shake that

Once the vision ended, it continued into another. The sparring sessions with members from the Winter Soldier Trial. She had failed that one.

"Sloppy." She hears Madame B criticize in the background as she's put into a choke hold. "Pretending to fail. The ceremony is necessary for you to take your place in the world."

That was a trick. A series of brief moments flashed past Natasha's eyes.

"I have no place in the world." There was so much emotion behind that statement yet Natalia let none of them show through. She knew what would happen if she did.

"Exactly." The operative attacked her from behind, the vision smoothly transitioning from that memory to the next. One of her being strapped down to a table, and run down halls. Ceremonies meant experimentation, two of the results stood by the beginning of the process, mouthless, as she was carted away. She remembered the two girls. Constantly chastised for their bickering, when they went through the first ceremony, the one for the young kids, their mouths were sewn together. Nobody knew how but everybody knew why. They were constantly used as a warning or a fear prop. And they certainly inspired fear in whoever crossed them. Before the ceremony began, however, the vision cut and showed me a familiar scene. One that was off. It was the children recruits. They were going through their beginning ballet trials but in the background I heard a...

A woman. And she was singing.

It was a lullaby. In russian.

She sounded familiar yet there was no indication Natasha knew who this woman was. There were cooing noises over her own voice, like a baby's, but the lullaby was still there. Like it was taken straight from a memory, but she had no recollection of what was in front of her. This must be where the "fear" in worst memories/fears part of Wanda's powers came in. But she had no understanding of it. It was normal KGB Red Room training and brainwashing. She didn't know what to expect or what to look for.

That's when she saw it. It was any entire room full of children, yes. But children she knew. There were seven. There was Cooper, Lila and four other children that looked just like them. And then she saw him. It was a boy. He was completely different from the crowd of children. Instead of having the bronze hair, he had her auburn type. Instead of having brown, grey, or hazel eyes, he had baby blues, kind of like Steve's.

It was impossible, she had thought at the time. She was sterile and it only happened once.

Or twice.

The point being that the KGB's off brand super-soldier serum had made her sterile and there was no possible way she could be pregnant.

Madame B strolled up to her familiar position behind her. Natasha would look back, but she was stuck eyeing the child.

"Your fear was that he'd fail? Well, fear not. He's excelling."

No.

That was the worst news ever. She'd rather a child of hers die than have them fall into her childhood. The lullaby grew increasingly in volume.

She wouldn't have her offspring hate themselves as much as she did herself.

That's why she was partially glad she couldn't have children.

"I'm afraid that was my fear" She answered softly.

"Why? He would be terminated from the program, otherwise."

"I'd rather him killed then subjected to your torture."

"Torture?" She heard a knife being unsheathed and Madame B took two steps up to her, wrapping her left arm around Natasha's neck in a choke hold and holding the knife threateningly up to Natasha's stomach. "I'm afraid you don't know much about that, dear."

She slowly passed the blade over her abdomen, teasing what would come next. The tears dropped by themselves as she felt the pain, brutally shattering any hope once again. She watched as her fake son, nephews and nieces were subjected to the same treatment she got, over and over again as the scene burned away in her eyeballs, the lullaby all that remained.

All she saw was darkness for a while, before her eyes opened at the ending of the song. She was being held, couldn't have been more than two years old. She saw her mother's face. One that she thought she'd never see again.

"You're still awake? One more song?" She asked in Russian to a baby Natasha. She remembered nodding slowly, half-dazed, and her mother went on singing another song. Her baby self continued staring at her, her little eyes fluttering shut. Her current self wanting to absorb as many features as she could, because all she could remember was what happened next. Her father burst into the nursery, looking very disheveled and her mother set her down in her crib. They talked and talked. It was so frantic and scared that she remembers her baby self begin crying. Her mother had run over to pick her up. There were lots of screams and yelling and thuds and it was increasingly getting warmer. She remembered her father screaming at her mother about "the children" in Russian and about how they were surrounded and about how there were soldiers outside and how they needed to get the rest of the children. She also remembered her mother and father kissing her goodbye before they threw her down to the soldiers down below. All she saw next was fires. And the fire grew to overtake her vision once again before she could finally blink it all away. Blink all the nightmares away.

She was sitting in the quinjet. They all were. She looked down at her belly before glancing around some more than fixating herself on it.

There was no way? Was there?

No.

There was no way.

She knew it was against her secret mission protocol aka rule number one: Don't get close/flirt with anyone else except for Banner especially in front of Banner, as this might raise some questions, but she just couldn't help it. She needed to be closer to him. She needed to tell him.

She slowly got up and repositioned herself even closer to Rogers. She was already pretty close. About two seats away, but she made the space smaller. Small enough to feel comfortable, but big enough to make everyone else feel comfortable as well.

"Hey, Steve." She knew she was probably the last person he wanted to speak to. He had gotten attacked as well, and only God knows what he saw.

"Hi," he lazily glanced over. "Do you... what do you see? Can you see me? Or are you still..." he trailed off. They were both lost in thought, but Natasha knew what he meant.

"No, no. I'm here." She responded. "Are you?"

"Yes." She looked down at the floor, sneaking glances at her stomach. She had felt a bit fatter but doesn't every woman think that when they think they're pregnant? And she was sterile! That certainly had to put a wrench in that idea, doesn't it?

"That's good," she kind of reassured. To who? She wasn't sure. Maybe if they stayed in the spell they could learn about the witch. But they couldn't. Only she could learn about them. They didn't talk much after that brief exchange. It was a consolation, at least-the vision. At least she had gotten to see her parents one last time.

At Barton's farm, she spoke half-truths to Banner. Though she reassured herself through her own lies trying to make sure that 1) she believed it and 2) Banner wouldn't leave alone. Fury had asked that of her; that, and only that, as his last parting mission.

And she failed. Project Lullaby miserably.

"What'cha thinking?"

"My hair." She said turning around to face him, without skipping a beat. "Blonde. What do you think?" He chuckled.

"What are you actually thinking?" He asked, getting closer to her.

"See, I was thinking about dying it a strawberry blonde, kind of like your color. Then I thought... a light, Platinum blonde. Now that would look good. Cut my hair short, boom" Steve chuckled some more before wrapping himself around her.

"You know that's not what I mean."

"James." She turned into his grasp, searching his face. The mood in the room changed entirely. "I'm worried about him. He hasn't seen much outside of Wakanda. Maybe we could take him somewhere. Preferably somewhere with Clint and his cousins."

"You know why we can't do that."

"I know but we could take him out sometimes. At least to Clint's."

"Natasha,"

"I know, I know."

"It's for the best,"

"I know!" She twisted away from him. "I'm just saying! We aren't in pressing or imminent danger all the time now! In fact, we haven't been so in such a long time. We've been looking for it, actually. And I know these missions are important, but our son is too, and James has been far too long in Wakanda. I just think we should be able to take him with us, and nobody can fault us for that. Especially to a place like Clint's. He's never even met his Uncles properly outside of Bucky and now Sam. He can't possibly even remember any of the Bartons of how long it's been." Steve sighed.

"I know Natasha, but remember? Both of us promised to contradict the other when one of us has feelings to take James with us. You remember that?"

"But what happens if both of us want to take him with us? You know you want to too." She had backed him into a corner. Steve wanted this just as much as her and she knew it. The excessive use of pet names, the excessive hugging and holding. They both missed their little boy. And they both knew it. Even if Steve wanted to stick to that ignorant and naïve promise they made when they first let James go.

"I don't want to be the bad guy, Nat," he said turning her back around to face him.

"Then don't be!" She snapped, whisper-shouting, minding the small red head who was asleep, limbs sprawled out as far as they could reach. Steve stared at her intensely before finally caving in.

"Where would we even take him? Barton's farm has been compromised." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you really believe that? Before the whole Ultron scandal, the number of people who knew that farm existed was six. And that's including Laura, Lila, and Cooper. The number increased to ten. Two went missing, meaning the number decreased to eight. The only one who could compromise that location is Tony, and Tony knows he'll only know hell if he does that, because I would personally come after him. And it wouldn't be in hand-to-hand combat." Steve pondered it for a second.

"Yeah. You can be quite deadly when you want to," He said smiling. That made Natasha smile.

"So," Natasha said playfully. "Platinum, then?"

Долгожданная means "My Long Awaited".

Я тоже люблю тебя, мама и папа. translates to "YA tozhe lyublyu tebya, mama i papa." which means "I love you too, Mom and Dad. (Mama and papa)"