Steve was tucked away in the coffee shop, watching the table where she sat. The minute her green eyes spotted him, she winked.

"I can see you, Rogers," she said into her com.

Logan had just entered the shop, so Steve tucked in, leaving her to it. Loki smirked next to him.

"You've got this?" Steve asked him.

Loki pinned him with a don't be stupid look.

Steve could hear her just fine, but he wouldn't know until Logan settled if they would hear his end of the conversation. The light whisper of his fingers on wood that he heard loudly in his ear let him know Logan was searching under the table for a listening device.

Oh, they were better than that.

"Hello, Emily," Logan said. "Thank you for agreeing to meet me."

Steve huffed out a sigh of relief. At least he wasn't on to them. Yet.

"Hi Logan," she said quietly.

"You look well," Logan said, his tone calm.

There was a pause and then Logan began to speak again.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior," Logan sounded kind, remorseful even. "You… you were right. I was just hurt, Emily. I… should never have said what I did to you. I'm really sorry."

"I appreciate your apology, Logan," she told him, speaking slowly. "It means a lot."

"We're still friends, right?" he asked gently.

"Of course," she said, the smile in her voice. She even managed to sound relieved.

"How have you been feeling?" he asked her.

Steve waited. They'd talked about what she would say.

"Both of us are feeling well," she explained, her tone still upbeat, nice. "When you factor in that someone poisoned me, well, I guess we're lucky to still be here."

Steve wanted more than anything to see the bastard's face right now, to see the guilt there.

"Oh, Emily. What? What happened?" he actually managed to sound as if he cared.

"Right after I left here with you," she said slowly, "I went upstairs to lie down. I felt so tired and just… ill. After a few hours, Steve carried me into medical and they determined that I'd been poisoned. Of course, the baby had been endangered because of the fever. They said it could have… caused early labor or…"

"Wow," he said in response. "I'm so sorry, Emily. Are you well now?"

"I hope so, Logan," she said quietly. "But I'm scared. I don't know who to trust right now."

"Emily," Logan dropped his voice. "I wasn't lying when I told you I feared for you. They may be trying to bring labor on early, to safely get the child and be done with you. Have you ever thought of that?"

Steve shook his head. Curious to see what he'd say next, he just listened.

"I've thought of that," she admitted, the slightest quiver in her voice. "But then I think, why would they take the risk? Marley takes such good care of me, of us. She wants her baby so much, Logan. How could she…?"

"Maybe she's not in on it," Logan explained. "She's not been here long. Maybe she's not aware of their plans."

"Marley's valuable to them, Logan," Emily explained. "With her talents, they rely on her. They need her. Why would they want to harm her baby?"

There was a rustling sound, then she muttered, "Damn!"

"Here I've got you," Logan said, sounding a little winded.

They'd agree she'd feign reaching for something and appear to fall out of the chair. Logan would then help her back into it.

"What's that?" Logan asked.

"This was in your pocket," she said, sounding calm, confident. More like herself now. "Was this the poison you used?"

Silence. Steve and Loki exchanged a look.

"Nothing to say?" she asked.

"Let's talk," Logan said, his voice low, all pretenses gone. "We're here for the child and its mother. They are ours. Those in charge would also like to have the soldier but Marley and her progeny are the primary objectives."

Well, hell.

"We were a bit surprised that a surrogate had been used at first, but our scientists quickly figured out as the lot of you did, why it was necessary. And honestly, the revelation will help us with that particular program as we move forward."

"You can't have Marley or their baby," she said, feigning fear that Steve knew she didn't feel. "Surely you must know that. They aren't yours."

"They aren't yours either, красотка," Logan told her. "I'll admit that I thought Emily would be an easy way to at least get the child if nothing else, but I have to admit she surprised me."

"I surprised you," she tried while Steve's heart leaped in his chest.

"You honestly think I don't recognize the Black Widow when I see her?" Logan's smile was in his voice. "Not your usual technology. It's quite an illusion. How are you doing that?"

Steve peered around the wall, realizing he'd underestimated Logan. He watched Nat draw her weapon, while he motioned to Loki to drop the glamor he'd used to make her look like Emily.

Logan held his hands up, didn't look worried for a moment.

"How are you doing that?" Nat asked. "Logan Michaels is in Faulkirk, Scotland right now."

As they watched, Logan's skin began to alter, blue scaly skin taking him over until he looked like a very large, blue, reptilian man. A shifter? He looked eerily like the notorious Mystique.

Steve knew a beat before he struck, kicking up the table that hit Nat in the face. He then grabbed her by the throat and slammed her down on the floor with enough force to crack the tiles beneath her.

Steve was there in a second, grabbing Logan's shoulder, pulling him off Nat and engaging him to draw him away from her. Nat couldn't take a beating like that. But he could.

Tables upended, chairs flew, and people beyond the coffee shop watched in terror as another attack happened inside the Avengers' own compound. The fight was epic with Steve trading blows with the creature who kept up with him easily.

Jesus. Was he one of HYDRA's monsters? Why was he helping them?

The creature got his hands around Steve's neck. Steve lowered his chin, tightened his muscles to preserve the ability to breathe. It backed Steve into the counter, the edge digging into his back.

Then the creature screamed, releasing Steve, holding its side and slumping to the floor, screaming. Loki stood behind him wielding what looked like a knife made of black glass.

"I need backup at the coffee shop," Steve announced into his com. "I need medical."

Nat shook her head as she rose from the floor, holding her throat and shaking. Loki helped her to stand while Steve stood over whatever the hell was groaning at his feet and had pretended to be Logan Michaels.

"You okay?" Bucky answered in his ear.

"Yeah," Steve told him. "You and Marley stay with Emily."

"Not going anywhere," Bucky told him. "Be careful, pal."

Nick Fury was the first to march into what was left of the shop, scowling down at the creature on the floor.

"Who are you?" Nick demanded.

"That's for me to know," the creature muttered in a deeper voice than Logan's, "and for you to dot dot dot…"

They turned to see medical personnel rush into the shop, immediately seeing to Nat while Loki explained what had gone on.

Steve hauled their perpetrator up from the floor, struggling to get him under control as he watched Sam and Clint run in.

"What the hell is that, Rogers?" Sam asked with wide eyes.

"Don't know yet," Steve told him. "But damned if Bucky wasn't right. He wasn't who he wanted us to think he was."

Loki made his way over to them as Steve glanced at Nat as they rolled her out. She gave him a thumbs up. Still, he'd check on her later.

Sam looked Loki up and down, shaking his head. "Oh, I see how it is now. You're running plans with him?"

"He made this particular plan work," Steve told him, fighting to get the creature into cuffs, even with Clint's help.

"It didn't work," Sam pointed out. "Looks like he beat the shit out of Nat and I'm shit out of luck on getting my morning latte tomorrow."

Steve rolled his eyes as the archer helped him hold the creature as the security guards drove up with a containment unit.

"Sam, you'll live," Steve told him.

It was sometime later when Emily jolted awake on her sofa, the lights were all dimmed in her apartment and the television was on, but the volume was low just as Marley had left it. Steve peeked into the living room and watched, she guessed he was trying to see if she was awake.

Waving, Emily sat up on the couch, yawning and stretching. He closed and locked her door behind him, slowly walked in to sit next to her on the couch. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently against him.

"How are you feeling?" Steve pressed a kiss into her hair.

"I'm okay," she told him. "It's been an interesting day."

Emily didn't mean for her voice to sound as sad as it did. After seeing the video of the creature she knew as Logan, she found she wasn't sure what she believed anymore.

"I'm so sorry, Emily," he told her, his other arm coming around to wrap around her gently.

"Me too," she whispered. "It's hard to know what to think."

"I understand that," he told her.

"Is Nat okay?"

"She is, I just came from her place. Want to go to bed? You need to get some sleep."

Emily nodded, already in her pajamas.

"Ready?"

Her world spun as he scooped her up, carrying her into her bedroom. He pulled a pair of his sweats from the drawer and changed into them to join her. He kept glancing over at her the entire time.

"You're quiet," he said gently. "Is everything okay?"

Emily nodded, at war with herself over whether or not to ask him if any of what Logan said had been true.

"Sure?"

"I'm fine. Just tired."

Steve pulled back the covers and climbed into bed next to her, pulling her against him and getting her settled in his arms.

"You feel okay aside from being tired?"

Emily chuckled a little, realizing he wasn't going to let this go. "Steve, I'm okay. I just…"

"You just? If there's something on your mind, you can tell me."

"Because you don't carry enough on those broad shoulders," she said lightly.

"I'm serious."

He was nothing if not tenacious. Pulling her head off his chest, she gazed up at him. "Just thinking about the things he said, you know? Whoever he really is."

His expression was grim. "Bucky said it was bad. That's why he stepped in. What did he say, Emily?"

It was uncomfortable to bring it up. So far he didn't seem angry that she'd met the other man in the first place.

"I only agreed to coffee so I could tell him about… this. Us, if that's okay," she blurted nervously. Emily pushed up to sit up on the bed, feeling more comfortable being able to see his face and expressions. She hated that she'd started to tremble. Old habits died hard.

"Emily, you're shaking," Steve told her, running his hand up and down her back. "Did you think I'd be angry with you for talking to him?"

"I didn't know," she admitted. "I just wanted to let him know about you and cut off any misunderstandings from there. I also didn't think he would tell anyone."

"I don't care if he did," Steve assured her. "You're my girl, aren't you?"

Emily nodded, embarrassed when tears she couldn't stop came on.

"If you want me to be," she whispered.

Steve sat up, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey," he whispered into her hair. "I'm not Billy, sweetheart. I trust you."

Steve tipped her chin up, making her meet his gaze. "I'm glad you let him know you're mine. Okay? Was that it?"

Emily shook her head. "In part."

Lowered himself to be propped on one elbow, he waited patiently for her to continue.

"He was hurt. Accused me of just being interested in you because you're Captain America. I expected that. I know that's not true. But then the other things he said were… awful. I was only here because… I was a surrogate. Once I have the baby, you'd all get rid of me…"

"Yeah, that's what Buck heard," he told her, smoothing a hand over her hair. "You know that's not true right? I think you're incredible for what you're doing for Marley and Bucky. Maybe that's why I got to know you. But the baby has nothing to do with my feelings for you. I like you for you. You're enough all on your own."

Then she did start to cry which had him panicking, sitting up to pull her so tightly against him.

"Emily? Sweetheart, I—"

She shook her head. "Happy tears now. Sorry. My emotions are… a little crazy right now."

He literally sagged in relief in her arms. "Okay… You're okay."

"Steve?"

Pulling back, he glanced down at her.

"Who is he?"

"We don't know yet. We'll figure it out."

"He's with them, right? With HYDRA?"

Steve paused a moment and then nodded.

"He came for him," her hands smoothed over her middle, "didn't he?"

"Him and Marley and Bucky." Steve's expression grew grim. "I hate to ask this on top of everything you're already doing, Emily. But under the circumstance, I'm not going on any more missions until he's born. Okay? Neither or Marley and Bucky. We just can't risk it. I'm going to need to know where you are at all times – for your safety as much as his. Tony's creating a tracker for us. He said it will look like a bracelet that you can wear around the compound. There's no reason for you to be anywhere else until after the birth."

Emily was comforted by the fact that he'd be there until the baby was born. That Marley and Bucky would be there too.

"Well, now none of you will miss the birth," she said, trying to smile through her tears. "That's a good thing, right?"

He did smile, trying to be strong.

"That's right." Steve was trying to read her. "You're not worried about being confined to the premises?"

"Where would I go?" she answered honestly. "And then…"

All the uncertainty was wearing on her. She had a handsome man who she loved and who said he loved her. But she wasn't good enough for him and she was having a baby for his closest friends. Another handsome man courted her, but it turned out he wasn't what she thought, and he'd been a real threat to her and the child she carried. Billy still tried to threaten her, Tony and likely the others wanted her gone once she was no longer of use. And her future stretched out in front of her like an image in that soap bubble Logan taunted her with.

Had he been right? Would it burst at any moment?

"Emily?"

Worried clouded those beautiful blue eyes. "It's your choice," he said slowly. "If you want to go with your brother, wherever he goes, you can. I know he's all of the family you've had until now…"

Was it wrong that her heart swelled with hope at how carefully he worded that?

"But it seems that he's just starting his life and just maybe, you could start yours too. A new life. With me."

Emily was so afraid to hope. To hear him say the words felt solid and strong but that strength diminished in her mind, during the times when she was alone.

"Tony won't let me stay here," she assured him. "I'm of no use here once he's born."

"Then we can get a place somewhere else like Clint has with his family," he told her. "It could be nearby. It wouldn't disrupt anything. That is if you wanted to… live together. I know people do that now and we kind of do anyway."

She laughed at that. "You're not wrong."

"What do you think?" he asked, the hope in his face was easy to read.

"You'd do that? For me?"

"Why do you sound so surprised, Emily?" Steve was smiling, but he shook his head.

"Because you're you and I'm… me," she told him.

"Emily, please stop doing that. I know things are different because of the baby and how we even met but… I think you're beautiful and you're the only woman I've found since I came out of the ice that put me at ease, that I felt truly comfortable around. I can be myself with you. The only other person I have that with is Bucky. You see who I am. Who I really am."

When she shook her head again, he caught her chin in his fingers.

"I know how you feel," he admitted.

"You do?" She couldn't believe that.

"Emily, before the serum I was the same height as you and maybe ten pounds heavier."

She quirked a brow at him.

"When you're not pregnant," he said with a laugh. "It's true. You wouldn't have looked twice at me."

"Maybe you're wrong about that," she told him, even as hope for the future made her smile. "You're serious, aren't you?"

He nodded, his gaze never leaving hers.

He pulled her face up to his for a kiss, it started out sweet as most of his kisses had been but quickly warmed with desire. Still, he held back with her so when she slid her tongue along his, he let her, moaning so deeply she felt it everywhere.

Her hands smoothed over his chest, his shoulders, before dropping to grab the hem of his t-shirt.

"I want to see you," she whispered.

Steve looked concerned but did as she wanted, grabbing the back collar and pulling it off with one hand. The minute he was free of it, she claimed his mouth, kissing him deeply. He let her push him onto his back, his hands in her long curling hair as she curled around him as much as she could.

As he did last time, he let her do what she wanted. Her mouth skimmed down the hard line of his jaw to his neck, finding a soft spot just under his ear that had him bucking up under her. One of her legs, her middle rested against him. He was a hard, hot brand pressed to the inside of her thigh.

When her hand slid down to cup him, he immediately caught her hand in his.

"Sweetheart, after what we just went through with the poison and that scare," his words tried to reason with her even as his expression showed her his battle with lust, "let's wait a couple of days. I don't want… I don't want to do anything that would hurt you… or him."

Emily smirked above him, loving how he was gazing up at her with wide dark pupils and parted lips. He truly was that good. But she had other plans.

"What I want won't hurt him or me," she explained, stroking him over the sweats he wore while his grip on her hand grew weaker.

When he let her hand go she couldn't help but feel a little triumphant. Steve groaned as she kept her touch light, dropping his head back. When his eyes closed, she knew she'd won.

"That feels so good," he whispered.

Emily hummed happily, stroking him easily until he relaxed. Slowly she eased herself up on her knees beside him. His eyes flew open then, making sure she was okay.

She used his distraction to tug at his sweats. It was adorable how his face darkened in a blush.

"Can I see you, Steve?" she whispered, looking him in the eye. "I didn't get to last time. That doesn't seem fair."

She knew the moment he figured out where she was going with it. Even while the hope in his eyes hadn't faded a bit, he shook his head. "You don't have to, Sweetheart. You don't have to –"

"I want to," she told him firmly. "I want you. I want to see you."

"You're sure?"

Her answer was another tug on the sweats.

After that, he pushed them down, along with his boxers, all the way to his ankles before pulling them off and tossing them off the side of the bed.

Of course her eyes went straight to his cock and she wasn't surprised at the size of him, truly she wasn't. It was a little intimidating, but she'd keep that to herself because she knew Steve couldn't live with himself at the thought of her being the slightest bit uncomfortable and there was no need to worry about that now.

Instead, she pressed kisses over his body, his shoulders, his chest. She paid special attention to his nipples and was rewarded when he really liked it when she swirled her tongue over them. Her hands had their own paths, smoothing over all of that pale, firm skin littered with scars from decades of battle. They made him who he was and she tried to find and kiss each one.

He giggled – giggled – when she got to his tummy and she laughed with him for just a moment, just before she shut that down in moving her hand from his inner thigh to that swollen part of him that begged for her touch.

"You are beautiful." She told him, wrapping her hand around his impressive member. She could worry about how it would fit later. For now, there was more about him to learn and explore.

"Emily." He nearly came off the bed when she swirled her tongue around the head which was swollen red and leaking. His blue eyes were riveted on her as she eased the head gently into her mouth, humming contentedly as she did, his mouth slack as he watched.

Encouraged by his response, Emily elegantly – for her – climbed between his legs, loving the view from there and not surprised she easily fit. She'd never been with someone so well endowed before, but she made it work, using her mouth, her hands to turn him into a trembling mess. She was pretty sure the sheets to his left ripped in his grip as she took him as far back as she could, impressed at how far she managed actually.

Finally, once he was close, one of his hands clutched in her hair, the slightest pain tingling in her scalp as he held on. She could tell he fighting hard, so hard, to keep his hips still though she wouldn't have minded if he'd thrusted a little. She'd gagged herself a couple of times, her eyes locked with his as she loved him.

"I'm close," he warned, his eyes sliding shut.

"Hey, eyes on me," she taunted him.

Steve smirked at her until she went back at him, feeling his entire body tense. He was close.

"Sweetheart, I'm –" He was trying to pull her back, Emily held on, mostly because he was that close and he stopped, seeming afraid that he would hurt her.

He came with a shout and she swallowed him down, as much as she could anyway. Emily stayed with him, worked him through it until he was a panting mess left on the bed. She thought maybe he'd blacked out a little which gave her time to get a washcloth from the bathroom and she came back to clean him up. She was almost done before he even seemed to notice.

"Are you okay?" she asked, laughing.

Steve still hadn't opened his eyes, but he smiled. "That… that was amazing."

"Mmm-hmmm." Emily pulled the covers over him as he was and climbed in next to him. She'd never known him to sleep naked, but he wasn't fighting her. "Sleepy now?"

Steve hummed, surprising her by rolling in her direction and pulling in to be his little spoon.

Emily chuckled to herself. "He's asleep already."

He buried his face in the back of her neck, her hair. "I love you," he muttered.

Emily grinned. Yes, she knew men said a lot of things post-orgasm. But she'd take it.

"I love you too, Steve."