Thanks for the follows and reviews everyone! I really, really appreciate every single one. You guys are the best! And just a side note, I'm thinking of using a 100 theme challenge as maybe a sequel of oneshots for this story (I'm thinking way ahead for once haha). How would you guys feel about that? Love it, hate it? Let me know :)

So sorry the update is a day late. I'm trying to get them out every Tuesday. I hope its worth it though.

Accio: I'm so glad its something you can actually see Steve doing. I was thinking about it and I felt like even though his teammates are his friends, I think he'd still feel incredibly alone. And you're right, I don't think Steve could ever say anything hurtful to her, or anyone for that matter. Not on purpose anyways. Thanks so much Accio :)

TenebrisSagittarius: Aww thank you! Yes they're very amazing. ^-^

The Red Dove: Thanks! Your approval means a lot. I'm glad you're enjoying it :)

LianaDare8: Aww thank you! I think she's cute too. XD

Beccollie: Thank you. I will definitely continue it!

I also want to thank ANGELnDEVIL for pming me about the next chapter. I honestly wouldn't be so motivated to have gotten this out if they hadn't. Its just amazing knowing that there are people that actually look forward to my chapters and get anxious for them :)

Disclaimer: I don't own The Avengers. Just my characters, sadly.

The jazzy tunes that wafted around the room gave the gym a soothing atmosphere. It was kept cool by the air conditioners, making sure that whether you were working out or not you wouldn't overheat. Adrianna was sitting right under one, giving her chills. But she refused to move from this spot in Steve's gym no matter how many goosebumps the cool air gave her, it was the very bench she'd sat on when she first watched him work out.

She watched Steve as he worked out, as she did during most lunch breaks. Steve always worked out a good thirty minutes before she got here, another thirty while she was here, and the rest of her lunchtime break was used to get lunch with Bruce. Not surprisingly though Tony was hanging with him today and told Adrianna on her way down that he'd get Bruce lunch instead of her and Steve.

Right now though lunch was far from their minds. Adrianna was content to watch her friend exert himself and he was too focused on the punching bag to care. She watched Steve's body flex with every swing, listened to the loud whap that was made every time his fist connected with the bag. It was like a ballet in a way, despite the fact his feet were perfectly grounded. Every motion and swing was rhythmic, deliberate and in tune with the next.

Adrianna, as usual, found herself relaxing after the hectic morning. Mondays were always horrible, but this one was especially stressful. It seemed Steve was just as stressed. All too suddenly his smooth, even punches became faster and harder. The force made the bag sway violently, thrashing about. Adrianna pulled her legs off the bench and set her feet on the ground as she watched him.

Over the smooth jazz and the sound of fists hitting the bag of sand there was a sharp clang, like when the chains of the swings go slack when you jump off it. The punching bag slid and scraped along the ground, sand flying behind it. Adrianna's eyes were wide with surprise. Steve didn't seem surprised, as though he was used to it. He simply walked over to the bag and started to pick it up. The stitching on the side was torn open, the fabric peeling back like an open wound. Adrianna got up and walked over to the soldier.

"Steve, are you okay?" She stood just a few feet behind him, unsure. He was breathing heavily as he hefted the bag over his shoulder.

"I'm fine," He answered as he brushed past her and found his water bottle. Again he drained the plastic container of any liquid.

"Doesn't seem like it," Adrianna followed him and began gathering his gym bag. She took a towel from it and handed it over to him to dry his head at the least. Steve looked at her sternly as he dried his matted hair.

"I'm fine."

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong?" She asked stubbornly. Obviously her friend was bothered by something.

"Because its none of your concern Adrianna." He said sharply. She bit the inside of her lip, inwardly knowing she'd crossed a line they'd set all those weeks ago. Steve sighed slowly not having meant to snap at her.

"Look, Adrianna. I didn't mean to snap at you. I-"

"Its okay Steve. I shouldn't have pried. Let's just go and have lunch okay?" She looked up at Steve and he slowly nodded. "Alright."

They both left the gym and headed to the elevator. Steve still felt bad for having said that to her, of course it concerned her. She was his friend, his best friend in this era if he could admit it. He sighed gently as Adrianna had JARVIS take them up to his apartment. Maybe he should talk about what was bothering him. Impossible, but an idea nonetheless.

Once they reached the correct floor and made it safely inside the apartment, Steve went right to his bedroom to get showered and dressed afterwards. Adrianna chuckled at the blush that tinted his cheeks every time she stepped foot in here. Her friend's shyness never ceased to amuse her.

Smiling she headed into the kitchen and began making their lunch.

"Thanks Adrianna," Steve said as he washed off their dishes. Whenever they had lunch here together they took turns cooking and cleaning the dishes. It wasn't often but they liked the routine they had going even if it was bordering on domesticity.

"You don't have to thank me for making prepackaged mac and cheese Steve," Adrianna chuckled. Over lunch their slight argument had been forgotten, both willing to forgive the other.

"Then you don't have to thank me for washing the dishes."

"Why not?"

"Because they're my dishes." He smirked, just slightly. Steve's little smirks weren't as cocky or obvious as Stark's but his were still just as playful. Adrianna nevertheless rolled her eyes and listened to him chuckle.

"Point taken," She looked around as she sat on the counter, watching Steve. It seemed to be a past time now. After he finished they both relocated to the couch to enjoy the last of Adrianna's lunch hour.

"Adrianna, I think you should know what was bothering me," Or at least half of it. Steve looked at his friend and saw her shake her head.

"No, Steve I-"

"Adrianna I want you to know. You deserve to know. And... if I admit it I need someone to talk to about it. Please Addi?" Steve's eyes had desperation swimming in them, pooling in his icy blue irises. That desperation and his words pushed Adrianna to slowly nod. She needed him too, later. Today she'd listen, today she'd be the friend that he so desperately wanted.

"Okay Steve." He relaxed a little and allowed a small smile to slit across his lips before they drew into a tight line.

"You already know I was frozen for 70 years. And I'm sure everyone's filled you in on what happened during the war and how I got frozen in the first place. Right?" Adrianna nodded and he continued. "Yeah, okay. Well before I was frozen, there was a woman. Her name's Peggy Carter and she was my first real love. She was the first woman who'd ever treated me like a person, even before I got the serum. And she was the last person I talked to before I crashed."

"Oh Steve..." Adrianna felt her heart ache for him. She couldn't imagine experiencing something so tragic. It hurt that her friend had to suffer through it.

"What happened to Peggy, is she still alive? Have you seen her?"

"She's still alive, she's living with her niece. I haven't gone to visit her though..." Steve's eyes were focused on the floor by now as he fought not to get upset by the emotions swirling in him. His jaw was tight and his hands clasped together.

"Why not? I'm sure she'd love to see you again Steve. I bet she's missed you just as much as you've missed her."

"I-I don't know if I can Adrianna." Steve wasn't sure he could handle knowing if she moved on from him. What if's just kept pouring through his mind. What if she didn't remember him? What if she hated him for leaving her like that? What if he came too late?

"I think you can Steve. You've battled aliens, you've won a war. I know you can handle seeing Peggy Carter again."

Steve looked up at his friend. She looked so confident, so sure he would be able to go see Peggy and not end up weeping on the doormat. It was strange that he was still so uncertain about himself, he was a super soldier afterall. But he was also just a kid from Brooklyn, no one remarkable. To see Adrianna put so much faith in him, just as Peggy had, was a much needed confidence boost. And so he smiled.

From Adrianna's perspective he didn't need to say anything more, the look she saw in his eyes was enough. The former turbulence had abated and Steve seemed a little more sure of himself. Before anything else actually could be spoken her phone began ringing. Both broke eye contact as though someone had just barged in on them, leaving Steve blushing and Adrianna's heart racing, especially when they noticed how close their faces had inched closer. Steve scooted away while Adrianna grabbed her purse from the floor.

"Sorry Steve," She apologized as she dug through her purse. Maybe Tony was reminding her there was work to be done. No doubt he was watching them right now and felt the need to spoil whatever had been happening within this room. But wouldn't he have just spoken through JARVIS? She finally just dumped her purse on the coffee table and grabbed her phone.

"Hello?" She answered on the final ring.

"Is everything okay Emma?" Adrianna frowned softly. Emma babysat for her on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays thanks to her homeschooling schedule. Adrianna listened a she began putting her purse's contents back inside her bag. Steve helped in the effort, his eyes were trained on her though, watching her facial expressions. The young mother nodded occasionally and her face became etched with concern. Her stomach felt sick and her heart felt tight.

"Okay, I'll be over as soon as I can. I have some medicine in the cabinet, its purple and you should give her a spoonful of it. And can you try giving her some cold water to drink?" She swallowed dryly, her mouth felt like cotton had been stuffed in it.

"Thank you Emma. I promise I'll be there soon." With that she hung up and slowly put her phone back in her purse.

"What's wrong?"

"Sadie's running a fever, its probably just a bug..." Adrianna wrung her hands and stood up. Steve frowned gently and stood up too, taking her hands as he looked down at her.

"Hey, she's gonna be fine Adrianna."

"I know, I know. I just... I can't help it." She couldn't help but let her thoughts wander like that. Sadie was her daughter, she was supposed to keep her safe and healthy.

"I know how that feels. But you can't do that, you can't blame yourself Adrianna. You need to just focus on how you can help her. Want me to go tell Tony what's up while you leave?" Adrianna looked up at Steve and found herself surprised at how easily their roles had been reversed. He was helping her now, not the other way around. She nodded gently.

"That'd be a great help Steve, thank you."

"Don't mention it. Just go to Sadie, she needs her mom."

Adrianna watched Sadie as she napped on the cushion beside her. She didn't have the heart to move her and risk disrupting her daughter's nap, nor did she like the idea of not watching over her right now. The baby's face was flushed a hot pink as she lay sprawled on the cushion. Adrianna left the apartment cool while her daughter lay only in her diaper in an attempt to cool her off.

Adrianna wondered how she'd missed this. She'd noticed this morning her baby was warm but still she'd gone off to work. She felt horrible for doing that to her daughter. Sadie was young but still she'd want her mom there to make her feel better and Adrianna felt like she failed her.

She looked down at Sadie again and rubbed her back, touching her smooth but hot skin. Hopefully this was just a bug and it'd pass. If it didn't go away tomorrow she'd take her to the doctor. Tony had said she could take tomorrow off and of course any other days off she may need afterwards if Sadie wasn't better by then. He never ceased to surprise her with his kindness, whoever thought Tony was selfish probably hadn't ever seen this side of him. He and Pepper were both saddened that the baby was sick and were both eager to help in any ways possible, as were the other Avengers. In all Adrianna was touched by all them. She'd even shed some tears after that phone call.

Adrianna smiled gently at how easily their lives had become entangled with each other. Imagining how life would've gone if she hadn't met Steve, Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha was hard, in fact she couldn't even do it. She didn't know what it would be like, but it certainly wouldn't have been this enjoyable.

Sadie began to stir, whimpering as she realized she still didn't feel well and was uncomfortably hot. Before she could begin to cry Adrianna swooped her into her arms and cradled her close. Automatically she began swaying and rocking her. Maybe a nice bath would help her daughter out.

Adrianna filled the bathtub only to the point Sadie's hips would be swallowed up by the lukewarm water. She had brought her phone in case her dad called back and left it on the counter. Sadie sat in the water and sniffled as she began playing with her rubber ducky. She wasn't very pleased about getting in the tub but now she seemed complacent. Adrianna gently washed her daughter's hair, carefully keeping the soap out of her baby girl's eyes. Gingerly she rinsed the shampoo out and let her daughter play with the bubbles and duck. Her phone started ringing and Adrianna blindly reached for it, her eyes trained on her daughter.

"Hello?" She answered once she grabbed her phone.

"Hey kiddo. How's Sadie, is she alright? What happened?"

"She's okay, I think. Better now at least, she had a bad temperature."

"Poor girl. I'm sorry I didn't answer earlier. My phone wasn't charged." Adrianna smiled, that sounded like her dad. He wasn't very technology savvy and didn't particularly like his cellphone.

"That's okay dad. I'm giving her a bath and I think it's helping." There was a knocking on her door as she spoke. "Dad I have to go, someone just knocked on the door. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Of course honey, I'll answer I promise. Give Sadie a hug and kiss for me. She'll be better soon sweetheart I promise."

"Thanks dad, I love you."

"I love you too."And with that they both hung up. Adrianna put her phone in her pocket and pulled the stopped out of the tub. She grabbed her towel and as she lifted Sadie she expertly wrapped her in the fuzzy towel. Sadie yawned as her mom cuddled her and walked out of the bathroom. The knocking sounded again and Adrianna sighed gently.

"Just a minute!" She called out before setting Sadie on the couch. She managed to diaper her as quick as she could and dry her hair. Sadie curled up right away but didn't fall asleep. Instead her eyes curiously followed her mom's figure to the door. Adrianna opened the door was surprised to see Steve was standing just outside of it.

"Uh, hey. I uh, didn't interrupt anything did I?"

"Oh no, I just finished giving Sadie a bath. Steve how did you-"

"I drove my motorcycle. I'm surprised you didn't hear it." As they spoke Steve noted Adrianna was wearing what must be her pajamas. Her sleeves were rolled up and her clothes slightly damp which confirmed the bath, not to mention the strong smell of soap wafting around. And her hair was piled lazily upon her head with tendrils of hair framing her face. He thought she looked... cute, for lack of a better word. Adrianna had come to much the same conclusion for him when she saw his button up shirt, his jeans, and his brown leather jacket.

"The walls here are unbelievably thick." Adrianna smiled slightly. "Did you wanna visit Sadie?"

"I just wanted to drop this off for her." Steve shyly produced a gift bag containing whatever he'd bought. "Its from everyone back at the tower."

"I think you should come give it to her. Come on in." Adrianna stepped aside. She watched as Steve hesitated but he slowly stepped inside and walked over to the couch. Sadie brightened when she saw the soldier, smiling up at him as though nothing was amiss. Her flushed cheeks said otherwise but Steve tried not to focus on the worry he and everyone else had felt for her.

"Hey Sadie," He crouched down in front of the couch. Adrianna wandered over and sat net to her daughter. Steve sat on his knees to be more comfortable as he pulled something brown from his bag.

"This is for you," He handed it to the child who immediately began investigating the soft blanket. On one end was a teddy bear head and each of the corners had paws on the end with little pockets underneath where her hands could go. Adrianna smiled when she realized what this was.

"Look at that Sadie. What is it?"

"Bar," She beamed up at her mom and Steve then returned her attention to her blanket. Adrianna wound the blanket around her, putting her daughter's hands into the pockets with ease. Sadie giggled in glee and smiled for the third time that day.

"Thank you Steve. And tell everyone else thank you too?"

He smiled to his friend. "I will, but really it was no problem. I'm just glad to see she's feeling better."

Steve looked back at Sadie, "Goodnight little miss." Automatically he leaned forward and kissed the little girl's forehead. She giggled again, her hands which were still in her blanket wound up on his cheeks. Sadie gave a sloppy kiss to his nose in return and Adrianna laughed.

"Sorry."

"No its alright." Steve chuckled as he grimaced and blushed from the inordinate amount of attention he was receiving from both girls. Adrianna got Sadie to let him go and he stood up. They both walked to the door, Adrianna opening it for him.

"Thanks again Steve. You've made her very happy." Adrianna hugged the taller man who stiffened at the contact but awkwardly returned the hug. "Both of us actually."

"No problem Addi." He smiled down to her and once they parted he went down the halls and she closed her door once he was out of sight. She locked the many locks on the door and hurried to her window. She felt giddy as she found his form through the dark night. He glanced up at the window and waved to her and she waved back. With a smile he got on his bike, revved it up and was down the street. Adrianna smiled to herself and looked back at Sadie.

"C'mon sweetgirl. Its bedtime." She walked over and gathered Sadie in her arms. Sadie yawned and snuggled with her mom and new blanket. Adrianna shut off lights as she walked to their room and put her daughter in the crib. Sadie settled and was soon snoring away. Adrianna climed into her own bed and sighed gently.

Yes Steve Rogers had made them both very happy.