**A/N: Okay so… Endgame. I've seen it. I have feelings. They are mixed. Still working everything out. You are all welcomed to message me about it, let me know how you felt about the ending, especially Steve's.

Despite my mixed feelings, it actually works REALLY well with how I've wanted to end this story. And so far there's only one scene I haven't figured out how to work her into, but I already have an idea. You'll see when we get there ;)

Chapter 25- Devotion

/dəˈvōSH(ə)n/ noun. love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person, activity or cause.

As the building blew up in panic, Bethany quickly made her way through the long hallways, Jamie bouncing in Bethany's grip. In reality, she had no idea where she was going. Or exactly where she should go. But Steve said 'run', so she ran. It wasn't a coincidence, all this happening. All signs led to someone unleashing the Winter Soldier, so the safest place for her and Jamie was far away from Bucky.

Using her instincts, she went against the crowd of people. All the agents here were rushing towards the problem. Whether it was to Bucky or to fix the power, it didn't matter. Where they were going was definitely not where she should be going. "Where we going, Mumma?" Jamie asked.

"That's a good question, Munchkin," Bethany replied to him, setting down a flight of stairs carefully, worried about slipping with the toddler in her grasps. Her mind ran through a bunch of scenarios. The best option for them both was to get as far away from the building as possible. The very best way to do that was by finding a vehicle.

"Parking lot," Bethany muttered to herself as she finished down the stairs, rushing towards a directory on the wall. It was all the way on the other side of the building. "Of course it is."

Letting out a long huff, Bethany turned in the direction of the cars. She figured she'd be able to find at least one with a car seat in it that she could hotwire. True, she hadn't hotwired a car in ages, but she was Bethany Stark. She could figure it out, right?

"Aw, shit," she let out when she turned a corner to see an active fight happening between Sharon, Natasha and Bucky. "Okay, long way around kiddo," Bethany decided, quickly spotting a way around the fight opposed to right through it. When she finally made it outside the building, the previous panic of people towards the problem had turned into a panic away from the problem. Everyone was trying as hard as they could to run away from the danger that had just broken out of a cell they thought would keep him in it indefinitely.

"Bethany!" He heard someone call out, her head automatically looking towards the sound. A few yards away, she could see Sam pushing his way through the crowd to find her.

"Steve?" She asked as soon as he was close enough.

"Not sure," Sam admitted. "I was chasing after the dude that set off the Winter Soldier, but I lost him in the panic."

"Okay, well we're looking to steal a ride to get out of here, wanna help?" Bethany asked in a hurry, starting off towards the parking lot. Sam quickly followed her, watching as Bethany peaked into a bunch of windows before choosing a minivan.

"Really? A minivan?" Sam questioned as Bethany shoved Jamie into his arms.

"I need a fucking car seat," Bethany reminded Sam, popping open the hood to the van. She looked at all the wires for a moment, trying to remember her studying before everything clicked in her head. With three fluent movements, she had the doors unlocked and the car engine running. Sam impatiently put Jamie into the car seat and unwillingly climbed into the passenger seat as Bethany pulled out of the parking lot.

"If they're smart, they'll have a perimeter set up, but it's probably not finished ye-" She drifted off, slamming on the breaks and looking out the window and towards the sky. "I found them," she announced to Sam, pointing at a helicopter that had just fallen into the body of water outside the building.

Without even thinking about it, without even remembering that she was supposed to be going away from the danger, Bethany drove the car right up to beside the water, climbing out and immediately moving towards the water's edge.

"I told you to run," Steve reminded her with a grunt as he swam with Bucky's body in his arms.

"I did," Bethany defended herself, reaching out to help Steve take Bucky out of the water. The man was completely unconscious which Bethany took reassurance at seeing.

"He could wake up at any minute," Steve reminded her, pulling his own body out of the water.

"Then we should find someplace to hold him without anyone else getting it the way," Bethany said with urgency in her voice. "Throw him in the trunk. If we work quick enough, he won't wake up while in the car."

"I don't-"

"Steve, just do as I say," Bethany interrupted, knowing that Steve disagreed for a million reasons, and honestly, he was probably right about them. There was this unknown danger and here Bethany was, telling Steve to put the unknown danger in the same car as their son and unborn child. But Bethany also knew that the blow to Bucky's head and the fact that he was unconscious promised a good thing; cognitive recalibration. It had worked for her and Clint when they were under Loki's spell. There was no reason to believe that this wouldn't work also.

They were able to find an abandoned warehouse to hide out in. Steve had found some old mechanics to craft a vice to hold Bucky's metal arm in while he remained unconscious. They weren't sure what would happen with he woke up, but this way, they would have the upper hand while the Winter Soldier tried to break free. Jamie, who had fallen asleep in the van, was still in the car seat, dreaming away. Bethany was looking out the cracks of the walls, watching as helicopter crews circled the skies, no doubt looking for not just Bucky, but Steve and Sam as well.

Bethany had received multiple calls while she was driving and decided the best thing to do would be to toss the phone out of the window and onto the streets. Any numbers she might need, she knew. Everything was backed up. She didn't need it, and it worried her having it on her body. Her phone was supposed to be untraceable, but it was also a Stark Industries phone. If Tony wanted to work around the blocker, he could find a way. It might have been Jamie's only source of entertainment, but she knew she wouldn't be staying there long anyways.

As if reading her mind, Steve came up and told her she should leave. "I know," she agreed, looking up at him. "Being here with you is really stupid, but it feels right."

"I think signing is off the table," Steve added.

"And the option of house arrest," Bethany chuckled before shaking her head. "Oh, god. I shouldn't be laughing right now, but it is what it is."

"I would have signed," Steve told her honestly. "I might not agree with the Accords, but Tony had a point. You've given up so much for me. At least we would have been together. And now…"

"Maybe that's why I don't want to leave," Bethany admitted. "I'm scared that if I leave now, I won't see you again."

They were both quiet, this knowledge seeping in slowly. When Steve saw emotion well up in Bethany's eyes, he pulled her close to him, rubbing her back and softly kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Beth. I didn't want to do this to you."

"You're not doing anything," she mumbled against his chest. "I don't blame you for any of this. I still wouldn't change it. There's obviously something bigger at play here."

"I agree," Steve replied, loosening up his tight grip so that she could look up at him. "Hopefully we'll get some answers when he wakes up."

"And then what?" Bethany asked. "I have to go home, because there's nothing I can do. And even if there was, me being involved would make me subjected to the Accords. I can't just take the punishment knowing full well that Jamie wouldn't have either of his parents. But what will you do?"

"I don't know," Steve sighed. "Whatever I have to do to make this right. All of this. But I don't know. I don't know how this could ever end with everything being exactly the way it was."

"It won't be," Bethany replied. "You can't come home. Not unless you're excused. And you won't be. Not now."

This time, it was emotion that welled up in Steve. "I know you don't blame me, but I ruined our family."

"Shh," she quieted him, wiping away a tear and kissing him softly. "After this is done, and you make all this with Bucky right, do you promise to do whatever you can to come back to us."

"Of course," Steve vowed.

"Okay," Bethany nodded before stating a series of numbers. Of coordinates. "Can you remember that?" Steve repeated the coordinates twice to her before nodding. "I never told you about this place, because I never wanted us to resort to it. It's a house, in the middle of nowhere, that I bought fifteen years before you came out of the ice with the intention of retiring in it. There's a lot of reasons why I never told you about it, and I'll tell you anything you want to know once you get there. And if you happen to get there before Jamie and I do, just know that we're on our way. Okay? Never doubt that. No matter what you do. I would never take Jamie away from you."

Steve repeated the coordinates. "I thought I knew all your secrets."

"This one never seemed relevant before," Bethany shared. "Because I bought that place just for me, to literally wallow in when I was done working. After SHIELD fell, I realized that there was a very good chance that one day, we'd need to go there. But I didn't want it as an active option. I wanted us to fight until we couldn't anymore. And now, we can't. We don't have a choice. If we want to be together, that's where we can be together."

"And you're okay with that?" Steve asked, unsure.

"Absolutely," Bethany promised quietly, cupping his face. "You keep talking about everything I've given up for you, but I've exchanged it for so much more. I was miserable without you, and now I know love and happiness. I'm a wife and a mother. Two things I didn't think I'd ever get to be. Everything I gave up, it was all I had when I didn't have you. But now that I have you, I don't need it. I just need you. So promise me that'll you'll make your way back to us. To a new home. To our family."

"I promise."

"I don't care if it takes years," Bethany continued. "I'll wait for you. For however long I need to, just like I did before. But… I'd appreciate it if you didn't make me wait as long this time."

Her humour broke the tension and Steve chuckled, leaning down and kissing her deeply. "I love you so much," Steve whispered against her lips.

"Hey, Cap!" Sam called out, catching their attention. The couple quickly ran over to Sam who had been watching over Bucky's unconscious body. Now, however, Bucky was awake and visibly uncomfortable.

"Steve," Bucky spoke, recognizing the man without hesitation.

"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve questioned quickly before getting his hopes up.

There was a pregnant pause before Bucky offered some shared information. "Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shows," he revealed with a laugh.

"Can't read that in a museum," Steve announced.

"Just like that, we're supposed to be cool?" Sam asked, skeptical.

"Sam," Bethany whispered, indicating him to back off slightly. Steve needed this win, no matter how small it was. It warmed her heart to have Bucky, the real Bucky, in her presence. The man who used to tease her endlessly about absolutely everything. The man that she had actually kissed before she did her own husband. It was bizarre to think of, that there was this long history between the three of them that was so fresh for them but so blurry for her.

"What did I do?" Bucky asked softly, knowing that it couldn't be good.

"Broke out of a cell, beat up some top agents, crashed a helicopter," Bethany listed off. "Basically make yourself an even bigger target than you already were."

"Oh, God. I knew this would happen," Bucky whispered before speaking up. "Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there. All he had to do was say the goddam words."

"Who was he?" Steve pressed on, knowing that they were short for time.

"I don't know," Bucky admitted.

"People are dead," Steve spoke harshly. "The bombing, the setup. The doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you. I need you to do better than 'I don't know.'"

Bucky was silent for a moment while he thought, his eyes narrowing at a realization. "He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where."

"Why would he need to know that?" Steve continued with urgency.

"Because I'm not the only Winter Soldier," Bucky revealed to the room.

"Dun dun dun," Bethany said under her breath, sensing the tension in the room.

"Tell me what exactly you told him," Steve pressed on, Bucky never failing to answer.

"He wanted to know about December 16th, 1991."

The date took Bethany by surprise, catching herself as her body almost gave out. "What happened then?" Sam asked the room, the only one not in the know.

"Howard and Maria Stark's death," Steve told his friend, his voice containing a lot more patience and sympathy now as he put a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Maybe you should step out, Beth."

"No," she said, attempting to be strong but her voice betraying her. "No, I want to hear." Bethany's eyes met Bucky's. She could see the pain and guilt behind them. On any given day, she could forget about the Shakespearian tragedy that was her life; her husband's brainwashed childhood best friend killing her brother and sister-in-law. In fact, she preferred to forget about it. She couldn't very well blame Bucky for his actions. How could see when she herself knew what it was like to be under someone else's control? To feel a fraction of your old self looking out through those brainwashed eyes and scream because you were dedicated to the person who was controlling you.

"I want to hear," Bethany repeated, more assurance in her voice.

Bucky bit his lip, looking up towards Steve who nodded. "I told him about the crash. That my mission was to retrieve a briefcase from the car. And leave no causalities."

"What was in the briefcase?" Bethany asked, ignoring the last part.

"What I can only imagine was Howard's attempt at the super solider serum," Bucky replied. "HYDRA gave it to a bunch of candidates who then turned into Winter Soldiers."

"That bastard," Bethany muttered, referring to her brother. "I told him not to make another serum."

"Ever think he thought you were just being sensitive?" Sam asked.

"Probably," Bethany allowed. "But I reminded him what happened with Steve. As soon as it was successful, Steve not out of the pod for more than two minutes, HYDRA tried to steal the serum to recreate it. That's all HYDRA has ever been after. It started with Schmidt, and apparently ends in Siberia."

"Who were they?" Steve asked. "These other soldiers?"

"Their most elite death squad," Bucky explained. "More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum."

"They all turn out like you?" Sam questioned.

"Worse," Bucky admitted.

"The doctor," Steve continued. "Could he control them?"
"Enough."

"Said he wanted to see an empire fall," Steve explained, looking at Bethany and Sam.

"With these guys, he could do it," Bucky promised. "They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night. You'd never see them coming."

Sam pushed off from his place by the wall, moving to stand in front of Steve and Bethany. "This would have been a lot easier a week ago."

"If we call Tony-" Steve began, his eyes never leaving Bucky.

"No, he won't believe us," Sam interrupted.

"He might believe Bethany," Steve said, finally moving his eyes away from Bucky and to his wife.

"Tony and I aren't on any better terms right now," Bethany reminded Steve. "Even if he did-"

"Who knows if the Accords would let him help," Sam finished.

"So we're on our own," Steve concluded.

"Maybe not," Sam spoke, causing both Bethany and Steve to look at Sam in confusion. I know a guy."

"And he'll help us?" Bethany asked.

"Possibly," Sam allowed.

"That still leaves us down in numbers," Steve reminded the group. "That's four, at best."

"Not five?" Sam looked towards Bethany. "Can't call a babysitter?"

"Not five," Steve confirmed before looking to Bethany. "What about Clint?"
"You're telling her to sit out, but ask Clint to risk his family?" Sam asked confused.

"Clint's not pregnant," Bethany explained, accepting the fact that she needed to tell Sam.

"Hey, congratulations," Sam smiled. "Okay, so not five."

"I think if you asked, he would," Bethany replied to Steve. "Clint knows you wouldn't ask unless it was important. Get to him first, explain the situation. Without the Accords and without Tony telling his side of the story, Clint will follow you. But it's still not enough."

"Wanda," Sam suggested.

"You'd have to get her out of the Facility," Steve replied. "And get her to agree."

"Again, she'd agree if you got to her first," Bethany promised.

"I'm asking a lot," Steve mumbled, this time only to Bethany. "I'm asking these people-"

"To save the world," Bethany finished, knowing that's not what he was going to say, but knowing that it was the proper end to the sentence. "Fuck the Accords."

"Hell yeah," Sam agreed.

"If Bucky is right, and this doctor is heading up to Siberia to unleash these Winter Soldiers, then it doesn't matter. We might not be able to stop them. But getting ahead of them-"

"We have a chance," Steve concluded. "We'll need our gear."

"Well, I can think of one person who has access to it and would be willing to bring it to you," Bethany teased.

"I guess we have a lot of phone calls to make," Steve sighed. "If Sharon agrees, you leave with her."

"Absolutely," Bethany agreed. "Now go. I'll keep him occupied."

The group broke apart, Steve and Sam moving to make their respective calls to recruit a team that could possibly stop a team of Winter Soldiers from taking over the world. Bethany found a white bucket and pulled it over to Bucky where she sat down. "You know I don't blame you, right?" Bethany began with. "I get it. I know it wasn't you. It was a part of you that belongs to someone else."

"You've changed," Bucky spoke quietly. "From who you were. Loud and outspoken, and so carefree."

"You calling me boring, Barnes?" Bethany frowned.

"No," Bucky said letting out a weak chuckle. "You just used to be very…"

"Selfish?" Bethany offered.

"Your word, not mine," Bucky replied sheepishly.

"I had to change," Bethany explained. "I didn't realize how badly I fucked up when it came to Steve until I didn't have him anymore. And I didn't think I'd ever get him back. So when I did, I changed. I mean, time changed me too. How could it not? But when he came back, I knew I had to change so I wouldn't lose him again."
"I always thought he was better than you," Bucky admitted.

"I always thought that too," she chuckled.

"Yeah, but now, he's not better than you," Bucky allowed. "You still have your flaws, but he does too. You deserve him and he deserves you. You're equals."

"He's made a lot of mistakes," Bethany agreed. "He's making mistakes right now. I think the difference is that when one of us makes a mistake, we work on fixing it together. Make it a team effort, that way it's us against the problem, not one another."

"I heard what you said," Bucky pressed on. "Congratulations."

Bethany put a hand on her still-flat stomach and smiled. "It's not exactly the circumstances I was hoping to tell people," Bethany joked. "And I don't know what's going to happen now, but I do know that I'm happy to have another baby with Steve."

"You didn't once-upon-a-time," Bucky reminded her. "You were terrified at the very idea."

"If I was to go back," Bethany began to reveal. "I would probably make the same decision, but I would have told him. I don't know if it would have made a difference, but gaining his trust back was difficult."

"What about me gaining your trust back?" Bucky asked.

"I trust you," Bethany admitted. "Not quite yet with my son's life, since you just disclosed that a few words turn you into a killing machine, but I trust you. I mean it, Barnes. I don't blame you for Howard and Maria."

Silence settled upon them before Bucky asked about their mutual blonde friend. "How's Kiley?"

Bethany smiled slightly. "She's doing better," she promised. "You did her right. She needed help and you gave it to her. She's not exactly back to her old self, but some things just change people. I think she's happy, though."

"Good," Bucky nodded. "She deserves to be happy."

"She's, uh…" Bethany began, scratching the back of her head. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but she was going to tell him anyways, in order not to blindside him later down the road. "She's dating Sam."

Bucky was still, looking past Bethany towards where Sam was standing, talking on a pay phone inside the building. "That's… that's good. He's a good guy?"

"Yeah," Bethany whispered, noting slight heartbreak in Bucky's eyes. "He treats her really well. Not sure what'll happen now since he, like you, is a wanted criminal, but if Steve and I can make it work, anyone can."

Bucky couldn't hold back a laugh at the joke in her words. "You two have really been tested, haven't you?"

"I'm not sure what else the world could throw at us at this point," Bethany chuckled.

"He's changed too," Bucky promised. "It doesn't matter that it could be the end of the world. He's happy. I can see it, whenever he looks at you. He always looked at you in a way I could never understand, but now? There's so much more than there was before."

Bethany turned her head to look at her husband, who was trying to rally as much support from their friends as possible. If she thought back to Bucky's memories of the couple, back when they first began dating, she remembered the way Steve looked at her. She hadn't always been comfortable by the way he looked at her; it was as if she was perfect. She wasn't. Far from it. But now, Steve didn't look at her like that. Like he only loved her because she was perfect. No. Now, he loved her despite her imperfections. And Bucky was right; that was a whole different kind of look of love in someone's eyes. A whole different kind of devotion.

Tony refrained from throwing his phone across the room. He had been trying to get a hold of Bethany for hours and her phone just kept going to voicemail. FRIDAY couldn't even get a reach of the phone's signal. Bethany was completely off the grid.

While there was a small part of him that knew it could be because something bad happened, he knew that it was more likely because she was with Steve. His fist clenched, his short nails digging into his palm. He couldn't understand what Bethany was doing. She was making so many choices that were all wrong. All Tony was trying to do was create a better world. If Steve had just retired the way he was supposed to, then everything would be fine. But of course, he couldn't just keep his nose out of it. So Tony offered him the opportunity to make it right. And Tony knew that Steve would sign. As soon as he brought up Bethany and Jamie, he could see the decision flip in Steve's mind. But it was too late now. No matter how hard Tony begged and negotiated, that offer was off the table now. Steve was gone. Sam was gone. Barnes was gone. And Bethany was MIA.

What worried Tony the most was what Bethany might do. If she was with Steve, like he was pretty sure she was, then she was harbouring a fugitive. She was in violation of the Accords. Which jeopardized Jamie. Tony knew that at the end of the day, he would lie to Ross' face to save Bethany's skin, but he wasn't happy that she was forcing him into this situation. Bethany was so blatantly against Tony right now, supporting Steve with every breath in her body despite the fact that Steve was risking their family.

"Maybe she went home," Natasha whispered to Tony. "She can't do much anyways."

"She could fight with him," Tony reminded her.

"Not with Jamie on her hip," the redheaded pointed out. "And…"

"'And'?" Tony prompted, waiting patiently.

"She's pregnant," Natasha finished.

Tony sighed, shaking his head. "Damn you, Rogers. Why, why would he do all this right now? Is this why she's supporting him? Because she feels like she doesn't have a choice with another kid in the picture?"
"No, I think it's because she's really just supporting him," Natasha voiced. "She knows what she wants isn't an option, so she'd rather make sure Steve can live with himself than get a fraction of what she wants. Tony, Steve must feel strongly about this if he's willing to give up everything. And Bethany must agree if she's willing to let him."

"Or maybe she's just blindly devoted to him," Tony mumbled.

"Maybe," Natasha allowed, the two thinking about the Bethany they used to know versus who she was now. Bethany's personality change had been a slow one, but it was a complete one. Before Steve returned, Bethany would have laughed at the idea of what she was doing now. But Steve and marriage and babies changed everything. Her priorities were different.

"I don't want to be the reason why she's unhappy," Natasha admitted. "But she's making these decisions and has to live with whatever consequences come her way."

Natasha's voice dropped to a whisper as she noticed Ross walk into the room. "I don't suppose you have any idea where they are?"

"We will," Tony promised. "GSG-9's got the borders covered. Recon's flying 24/7. They'll get a hit. We'll handle it."

"You don't get it, Stark. It's not yours to handle," Ross enlightened. "It's clear you can't be objective. I'm putting Special Ops on this."

"What happens when the shooting starts?" Natasha questioned. "What, do you kill Steve Rogers?"

"If we're provoked," Ross answered. "Barnes would've been eliminated in Romania if it wasn't for Rogers. There are dead people who would be alive now. Feel free to check my math."

"All due respect," Tony began after lowering himself into a chair. "You're not going to solve this with boys and bullets, Ross. You gotta let us bring them in."

"How would that end any differently from the last time?"

"Because this time I won't be wearing loafers and a silk shirt," Tony countered. "Seventy-two hours, guaranteed."

"Thirty-six hours," Ross corrected before moving to leave the glass conference room. "Barnes. Rogers. Wilson."

"Thank you, sir," Tony called out before slumping over onto the table and placing a hand on his chest in an effort to calm his heart. "My left arm is numb, is that normal?"

Natasha got up from her seat, moving to Tony's side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You alright?"

"Always," Tony lied. He had signed the Accords because he felt like it was the best option for a safer tomorrow. But now those Accords could very well lead him to killing a friend, his aunt's husband. Bethany would never forgive him then. He knew that he had to do everything in his power to bring the three men without causalities and find a way for them to co-operate. "Thirty-six hours, jeez."

"We're seriously understaffed," Natasha noted.

"Oh, yeah. It'd be great is we had a Hulk right about now. Any shot?"

"No," Natasha whispered with a pained smile. "You really think he'd be on our side?"

"No," Tony agreed.

"I have an idea," Natasha added.

"Me too," Tony replied, thinking towards a particular viral video he had seen recently. "Where's yours?"

"Downstairs. Where's yours?"

Tony offered a short smile, getting out of his chair. "I'm gonna have to make a trip back home."

"Be quick about it. And Stark?" Natasha called out, stopping Tony from leaving the room. "If Bethany is with them, then she's subjected to the same punishment under the Accords."

"I know," Tony nodded.

"Tony, I know she's family, but we made a vow-"

"Romanoff," he interrupted. "I know."

**A/N: Like I said, flood my inbox with Endgame feelings!

Cleo9427: Well, if I made a chapter an entire movie, it would literally never get posted since I like to have feedback haha.

Purplestan: Yes, it's quite the predicament. There's no right or wrong, which is why it's such a hard decision. What really changes the story up a bit is the fact that Steve has reason to sign when Tony offers it. To Steve, he would have signed too because he understands what Tony is saying. Steve doesn't want to give up his family, but the universe keeps throwing him curveballs.

Liyith: Not going to reveal my plans for our darling Steve Rogers quite yet ;) But after you see the movie, I think you'll get a good idea of what I'm planning on doing.