Ninety-four days after he had checked in to Green Valley Center for Mental Wellness, Steve boarded a plane flying to New York. The court appointed psychologist had given approval for his release on Monday, and he had been waiting on all the necessary paperwork to go through. His things had been gathered and packed since speaking to the psychologist. He was grateful for the support of the staff and many of the residents – a handful seemed not to trust him, which he took in stride – but he was more than ready to leave. All of this calm drove him around the bend. Peace and quiet made for a nice change sometimes, but three months (four counting his stay in the isolated holding facility prior to Green Valley) was more than enough. He spent half of his days in the gym and, once his damaged heel could hold his weight, running around the backyard just to get out his pent up energy.

There had been some good Steve felt he'd accomplished at Green Valley. Dr. Verne, the shrink he'd been assigned, was as helpful and patient as Dr. Delgado had been in sorting through the memories that continued to come to him. It took him about half his stay to be able to admit to a few of the harder memories. Not all, but some. He couldn't talk about the darkest ones – the squelch and snap of General Alexander's neck as he cleaved it in two, Becca writhing against him as he attempted to smother her. Honestly, he didn't plan on continuing therapy after leaving. Though he figured that a couple of sessions had been necessary, he didn't think it was for him.

However, what he was most grateful for when it came to Dr. Verne was her guidance in rebuilding his relationship with Becca. Although Becca was real busy between her two jobs and volunteering with Narcotics Anonymous, she made a little time to see a shrink of her own and both she and Steve had given written consent for their shrinks to confer.

Dr. Verne had set forth three goals for them. One, he needed to learn how to manage his guilt about Becca. Two, Becca needed to learn to trust him again. Three, they both needed to work on their communication and accepting support from their partner. Steve had thought having clear cut goals and exercises to work on would pave a smooth road for him to follow, but his and Becca's relationship had been damaged in ways that only time and effort would fix, not to mention they had to fight through issues which had previously existed unaddressed.

On occasion they could laugh about it.

Dr. Verne had suggested that they should be honest about how they were feeling, and Becca had been told the same. When Becca had called him to Skype after a group therapy session that had left him particularly tense and asked how he was, Steve had responded, "All right. How are you?"

"Fine," Becca had responded immediately. There had been a pause, and then she started to giggle, at which he had to grin. "God, it's really a reflex, isn't it?"

Mostly going through an exercise wasn't so simple. Becca visited once a month – due to cost of travel and her schedule – and the first time she had come, Dr. Verne had them sit facing each other and holding hands. She told them to maintain eye contact but not speak for ten minutes, and left them alone. Steve expected one or both of them to crack a smile, and he nearly made a remark just to ease the tension in Becca's shoulders. But after a minute, Becca's hands began to tremble. Panic rose in her eyes. She bit down hard on her bottom lip like she was holding back a gasp. Guilt crushed down on him and he made to pull his hands away, but Becca tightened her grip. He had felt so undeserving of her persistence. If he got up and left, she would have nothing to be afraid of anymore. When Dr. Verne came back in the room, she gave them a box of tissue because by the end of those ten minutes they had been crying and he wasn't sure who had started first.

But although it was no picnic at times, Steve knew their relationship was improving, for which he was glad because between finding himself again and finding Becca, he would have picked her. She was the most important part of his life and the single good aspect of his stint as a Hydra assassin was that he finally had the chance to prove it.

The plane touched down in John F. Kennedy International Airport. Steve pulled his baseball cap and sunglasses down from an overhead compartment and put them on to avoid recognition. He picked up his bag from the baggage claim before making his way through security. He nudged down his sunglasses so the customs agent could get a look at him as she glanced over his passport.

The agent did a double-take, and he tensed, unsure of her reaction. But as she handed him back his passport, she whispered, "Welcome back, Cap."

Steve nodded with relief. "Thanks. You have a good day, ma'am."

He walked out to where people waited for their friends and families. Becca caught his attention at once by waving frantically. He could tell she had put extra effort into her appearance today, doing up her hair and wearing brilliant red lipstick. He strode over to her. Though it was difficult, he tried to make a conscious effort not to touch Becca unless she did so first, but she wrapped him right up in a hug.

"How's it feel to be home?"

Returning her hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Steve felt home, though Becca would've teased him about being sappy if he said so.

"Well, you know," he replied instead. "I don't think I'll feel quite home until I have twenty people knocking into me on the sidewalk and nearly get run over by a taxi."

Becca let go of him, laughing. "That comes next. Oh." She dug through her purse and pulled out a manila envelope folded in two. "My parents came for a surprise visit on Wednesday, and my mom gave me this for you."

Steve took the envelope. He had been expecting it, and when Molly had called to let him know everything was all set, he had promised to take everyone out to dinner next time they came to town, which would likely be soon. "Thank you."

"She was being very vague about what's inside," Becca noted, peering curiously at the envelope as he tucked it into his bag.

"Mmm."

Her eyebrow lifted. "Aren't we not supposed to be keeping secrets?"

"We're allowed to keep secrets so long as we know they're not hurting anyone," he countered. "But this isn't a secret exactly."

"Tch. A suspiciously plain envelope that I had to pass from my mom to you without knowing the contents isn't a secret."

Since there was an undercurrent of irritation in her comment, Steve allowed, "It's a surprise."

The irritation became an astonished look. "An adventure?" Becca guessed.

He shrugged a shoulder. "Sort of."

They left the airport and headed down to an AirTrain and then to the subway. Becca kept glancing at his bag as though she might be able to read through the fabric and envelope, but she didn't probe him for clues. Steve asked her about work and the latest friend she had been staying with to keep her mind off the envelope as much as possible.

When she got up to leave the subway car for the hotel he had mentioned over text, Steve beckoned her to sit back down. They were heading right to the surprise. An exchange of subway cars later, they got off in Greenwich Village. He had never been to where they were headed, but had looked over a map and Molly described the street to be safe. And so had Becca.

Steve stopped them in the middle of a sidewalk. "Close your eyes." Becca surveyed him uncertainly, making him realize it was a lot to ask. "Only if you want."

He could see the resolve tighten in her gaze. "I trust you," she said and closed her eyes.

His heart swelled. It meant a lot to hear that from her. "I'm gonna put my arm around you, all right?"

"Okie dokes."

Gingerly, Steve put his arm around Becca's waist. She didn't so much as flinch. He led her down another block, going slow so she wouldn't trip, and turned onto a side street. Two blocks later he pulled out the envelope. Inside were photocopied pages and originals, some of which he had already seen. There were also two sets of keys. He talked Becca up a series of steps and unlocked and opened the door for her. They rode up an elevator to the sixth floor of the building and made their way down a hallway where he used a second key to unlock the door.

"All right. You can open your eyes," he allowed.

Becca's eyes blinked open. She glanced around, momentarily confused, but Steve could see the exact second she recognized where she was.

A month back, Becca had brought up to him that she would still like to get a shared apartment if he wanted. And Steve did want to. Their plan was that he could move in first and Becca would join when she was ready, but they decided to start looking immediately because finding a decent place in New York could be real tough. It had taken Ally and her boyfriend over two months to find somewhere. Becca had tagged along on some of their apartment viewings and gone to others on her own as well. She sent him the listings and took pictures so they could discuss their options.

When they first started, their price range had been low since Becca was catching up on her debt and he was currently unemployed. Then he glanced at his bank account one day and saw that Tony had deposited money into it. He called up to politely, but firmly say that he didn't need a hand out for no good reason, but Tony informed him it was a paycheck in advance. Being an Avenger was about to become a full time job between doing press events and tracking down Hydra. With the certainty of actual work to be done, Steve had accepted the money and bumped up the price range.

Becca had been glowing when she talked about this apartment. The asking price was towards the top of their price range, but surprisingly fair for the location. He had told her to go ahead and put down the money; he would transfer his part to her bank account. She had called glumly two days later. The asking price and rent had gone up because the laundry room and top deck were being renovated. They kept looking, but nothing fell into place and Becca had never lit up over a prospective buy like the apartment in Greenwich.

With that in mind, Steve had contacted his new press agent and asked to be sent offers for paid appearances that he had turned down or Devika hadn't told him about, and considered getting a second job as Becca had. As it happened, there were a number of offers that might still be good, and to his surprise, new ones as well. So he called up Molly for help and got the apartment.

"But…" Becca said, the excited gleam in her eyes fading. "We can't afford this place."

"Well, I've got some extra money coming in," Steve confided as he, being inside, dropped his hat and sunglasses on top of his bag.

"Really?" She frowned at him. "From what?"

"The History Channel is doing a series on the War that I'll be interviewed on. I'm meeting with a few people to talk about possibly sponsoring their products. Mostly kids' stuff, but the hospital where they did surgery on my heel asked if I'd be on a billboard or two."

Becca nibbled pensively on her lip. "I don't want you to feel like you're selling out or something."

"I don't. I'm not agreeing to anything I can't stand behind. And besides, there was one offer I knew I couldn't pass up."

Steve searched through his bag for e-mails he had printed out at Green Valley. He found what he was looking for – fifteen pages total paper clipped together – and handed them over to Becca, who flipped through them gradually at first, but soon faster, devouring the words with her mouth hanging open.

One of the offers Steve had come across had given him pause. Not because Devika had never forwarded it, but because a name had jumped out of the page at him. He remembered Becca pulling up Netflix and saying, "Now, you know I don't normally like violent movies, but Quentin Tarantino is a master." He asked his press agent to reach out and see if he could get a look at the script for Inglorious Bastards, whether they were even still filming, and finally whether Becca might be an extra if he agreed to shoot two short scenes as Captain America. The answer to all three had been yes.

"We'd have to be on set next Thursday," Steve informed her as she flipped back to the first page, reading it again. "They'll fly us out to Germany and then to France. It'll be four days. I didn't commit you to anything in case you can't get off work, but mphmf."

Becca had yanked him down and pressed her lips against his. She hadn't kissed him like this since before Hydra. A quick peck on the cheek was as much as he had gotten. Steve didn't mind. He understood she needed time. But hell if he didn't feel like the luckiest guy in the world when she kissed him. He was so glad to have her back.

She was going to be in a Quentin Tarantino movie! Becca couldn't even believe it. She nearly pinched herself.

Steve had done this for her. No way would he have picked out Inglorious Bastards for his own amusement. And he had got the apartment she wanted, the one she had held every other apartment she'd toured up to and found them lacking. And he had been trying so hard to be a better boyfriend and be patient about her nerves.

Those nerves had gotten better. Slowly, she was learning to trust Steve again. Dr. Rice had been a big help. Becca liked her a lot and planned to keep seeing her for awhile yet, maybe bringing Steve along for a check in if he was okay with it. She had already asked Dr. Rice, and she said that would be fine; she was used to seeing couples.

Giving up Oxy again had been tough, but she checked in with Malena and volunteered once a week with NA to remind her why she had quit in the first place. Couch surfing for months hadn't been much of a walk in the park either, but apartment hunting had given her the promise of relief in the near future. Once they had found a place, she had planned on taking it gradually, spending one night after a week or so, but she was pretty sure Steve wouldn't be offended if she absolutely couldn't stand another night crashing on someone's couch and slept on the couch in their apartment instead. If anything, it would be a fight over who slept in the bed and who slept on the couch.

And the freedom of having her own place was so much closer than she had thought. Ugh, she was so happy not to have to worry about apartment hunting. Plus, Steve was back. Plus, she was going to be in a Taran-fucking-tino movie.

The kiss came spontaneously. She had been avoiding one, initially because she had been too nervous to get that physically close, but after because it felt like a complete commitment and she had been afraid they'd hit an insurmountable wall that neither therapy or their own stubbornness could knock down. But she knew for certain now that they were stuck together, for better and worse. They weren't all fixed, but they were happy together most of the time and they wanted what was best for each other.

And that was enough.

Becca poured all her gratitude and happiness into the kiss and felt Steve return it twofold. His arms wrapped around her waist. Something fluttered nervously in her chest like a startled bird. She acknowledged that part of her was afraid, but the rest was content and so overwhelmed her nerves.

She pulled back, smiling at Steve's soft look, and kissed him quickly again as excitement fizzed back up. "Come on," she beckoned, taking his hand. "Let me show you around."

They went from room to room. With only four rooms including the bathroom, it shouldn't have taken that long, but Becca animatedly explained her imaginings about what the rooms would look like furnished – his things, her things, and the things they would still need to buy (when they had the money, of course.) Steve let her ramble on, offering up his own opinion once and a while, but looking content for the most part to let her lay out her plans until something struck her.

"Oh my god, I totally forgot!" Becca exclaimed in the middle of her thoughts on which of his art pieces were bedroom-worthy. She tugged the tablet out of her purse and pulled up the internet. "I have a surprise for you, too. I was going to show you at the hotel, but then… Okay… I hope this is still… Yes." She put the tablet into Steve's hands.

When they had Skyped on Wednesday morning, Steve had mentioned a press conference he would he holding this upcoming Monday during which he planned to make a public apology. She got the sense as he talked about it that he thought a lot of people were still mad at him, and rightly so. She didn't like that he thought the world would be pissed about something that was not his fault at all and had been a terribly awful experience. As she pondered what to do about it, an idea had come to her.

When she was riding the subway towards the airport, she had sent out a tweet.

cptrgs is coming home today! Let's show him some love #welcomehomecap

Becca had forced herself not to look at her phone again until she was in the airport. To her delight, her tweet already had a ton of likes and reblogs as well as a number of people who had picked up the hashtag. She had checked right before the plane had landed and the hashtag was trending. When she handed her tablet over to him, it was still trending worldwide.

She glanced up at Steve as he scrolled through some of the posts. She didn't think this was quite as good as a new apartment and a Tarantino movie, but Steve might have disagreed because he seemed touched. Ten bonus girlfriend points for her. Becca leaned against his arm and read some of the tweets. Ah, there was one from Tony. Oooo, Lady Gaga. The White House? She lifted an eyebrow. That was impressive.

Steve let out a shaky breath and looked at her. "You did this."

Becca shrugged. "I got the ball rolling. Everyone else picked it up. The world's happy to have you back."

He leaned down and placed a kiss on her temple. "As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." She flushed, pleased. "But this is nice. I'll send out a thank you later."

"It'll give you something to do at the hotel tonight."

Steve shook his head. "I'm gonna be staying here."

"What?" Becca said. Was he sleeping on the floor without a pillow or anything? "Don't you want to wait until we go get your bed? Or I'm sure Sam wouldn't mind meeting us halfway. I can probably borrow a car off someone."

"He's coming by tomorrow. I'll be all right until then."

So he was going to be sleeping on the floor. Becca rubbed her foot on the hardwood. She was sure he had slept on the ground during the war, but still. They had made a pillow fort once and he hadn't seemed too comfortable then. She had a pillow, sleeping bag, and blanket she had been bringing around. It wouldn't be much of a sacrifice to give them up for a night. Or maybe…

"I have some stuff, and – and I could stay tonight," Becca offered.

Steve eyed her, his brown knit with uncertainty. "You don't have to."

"I want to." She wanted to try in any case. "I have a sleeping bag. If we lay it out flat, and then use the blanket. I do only have one pillow, but I think I could borrow a second one."

"It's gonna be real uncomfortable."

"So maybe we don't sleep. Maybe… we could give something else a try."

Steve looked even less certain, but managed a grin as he joked, "Well, I've always wanted to learn how to juggle."

Becca jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow and let out a huff of amusement. "That's not exactly what I had in mind."

"Right." He sobered up. "Getting this place, I wasn't trying to push you. If you need more time –"

"Then I'll take more time. But I've missed you."

It had been too long since they'd been together. Becca had no problem taking care of herself, but she had very rarely been in the mood and when she had, she would close her eyes and her hands dragging across her breasts and in between her thighs would become his hands and she felt too sad to do anything except curl up in a ball. But with him back, those touches would no longer be a memory.

She took her tablet from him and set it aside with her purse. Then, she took his hand, the one that had nearly smothered her. Steve was standing very still, barely moving, barely breathing. Becca lifted that hand to her lips and pressed it there. Her ribs seemed to squeeze together like a protective door slamming shut as her brain jangled alarm bells. Steve's hand twitched, like he wanted to jerk it back, but she didn't shift her grip and he relaxed. Gradually, she did too, the alarm bells fading to a dying foghorn that slipped into silence. She kissed his fingers which had spread to allow her breath to pass through and kissed his palm, and let his hand slid over her cheek. Steve looked like he might start crying, and she couldn't have that because then she'd start.

Rocking up on her toes, Becca kissed him, slowly, deeply. She curled her fingers into his shirt, sweeping her other arm around the back of his neck to pull him closer. Steve brushed her cheek lightly with his thumb as his other hand touched her back.

They kissed to make up for every day they'd been apart over the months, and then over the years. They tugged each other close, making up all that distance. Their hands traced the lines and curves they'd forgotten, so they could never forget again.

Becca took a step forward and another until, with a soft thud, Steve's back hit the wall. She broke their kiss, panting for air. Steve looked down at her, his eyes electric blue around pupils blown wide with arousal. Her lipstick had smeared on his lips and she wanted nothing more than to leave red patches all over him so that he would look in the mirror and know he was hers, just as she was his.

"Welcome home, Steve," she murmured.

Steve brushed her lips with his. "Welcome home, Becca."

And they were.

Author's Note:

Wow. It's hard to believe when I first started outlining this series, I had an idea for a character with a drug addiction and no clue which Avengers character I wanted to pair her with. And here we are at the end - or middle, depending on whether you're reading this in publication or story order. Thanks so much to my beta anselm0 for her endless advice. Special thanks to all of my readers throughout the series for accompanying Steve and Becca on this journey. It's been a great ride.