**A/N: To a guest reviewer named 'Kirsten' who reviewed chapter 23… Yeah, I flubbed your name up. Sorry! I didn't even realize until I sat down to right this chapter.

Next chapter will have plot. Promise. Until then, another fluff chapter.

Chapter 25

Two days later, Steve and Bethany were lying naked in bed. It was the first time in their whole relationship that they were able to do this without a war raging on. Bethany was lying on her stomach, Steve's lips dancing across her back. "You think we could go out and get some fresh air?" Steve murmured against her shoulder.

"No," Bethany disagreed. "Let's just stay like just the rest of the day. Tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll go out."

"You said that yesterday," Steve chuckled.

"I'm all warm and fuzzy," she explained. "Kiss up and down my spine again."

Steve did as she asked, a huge smile on his face. "Happy?"

She let out a hum of approval. "So happy."

His lips leisurely traced up and down her spine, occasionally drawing little moans from her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Okay fine, I lied. I'm not getting out of bed tomorrow either."

"No," Steve responded, chuckling. "What were your parents like?"

"Bringing up my parents in bed? Classy, Rogers. Classy."

She shifted, Steve helping her so she could lie in his arms. "It's just last night, I dreamt that it was Christmas and we were surrounded by our family. Then I woke up and realized it's just you and me."

"And Tony," Bethany pointed out, her fingers playing piano on his chest.

"Yeah, right," Steve mumbled.

"Don't say it like that," Bethany scolded. "He's not that bad once you get to know him."

"He doesn't have a filter," Steve explained. "He says things without caring about people's feelings."

"You don't light a fire by a mouth of gasoline," Bethany shrugged. "You'll only get burned. But go on."

He sighed, playing with the ends of her hair. "I just want to know everything about you. I mean, I thought I did before. But I never asked about your parents. And now there's 30 years shy of a century for me to catch up on. I might as well start with what I missed."

"Well," Bethany said, settling her head on the pillow so she could look into his eyes. "I don't really have any memories before the Depression hit. I guess the bad memories stay the most vivid. Dad had to work two jobs to keep us balanced, something he got grief from since a lot of people didn't have one job. But his work wasn't mindless things. He was best qualified for them. I barely saw him, though. Sometimes on weekends, but they were rare, and usually he slept through them."

"And your mom?" He asked, his fingers drawing lines on her stomach. "Was she like you? A spitfire?"

"Not even," Bethany shook her head. "My mother was everything I never want to be. She spent every waking moment making my life hell. She praised Howard, but hated that I wasn't a proper lady. I mean, at age six all I wanted to do was play with my friends. She was trying to form me into the perfect mold of a lady. The harder she pushed, the hard I resisted."

"They died in a car accident, right?"

She nodded, a yawn escaping her lips. "They were going to church. Howard and I both were recovering from diphtheria, so they went without us."

"How old were you?" He spoke softly.

"I don't really know," she replied after a moment. "Eleven maybe? Twelve?"

"You don't remember what year your parents died in?" Steve question, the very idea shocking to him.

"No," Bethany admitted. "For a lot of kids, losing one, let alone two parents is a traumatic thing. And it was for the first little while. But Howard took care of me, and let me be my own person. Everything happens for a reason. If my parents didn't die then, there's no saying what would have become of me. I probably wouldn't have worked for Erskine, which means I would either be dead or really weak and wrinkly by now. And I wouldn't have met you."

"Do you ever feel like you're cheating out life?" Steve asked, driving the conversation off course.

"Every day," Bethany answered. "But I always remember that life has cheated me too."

The cottage they were staying at was generally used as a SHIELD safe house, so was nothing short of amazing. All the electronics were the newest of its kind, with hundreds of books, CDs and movies. After Steve dragged Bethany, quite literally too, out of bed, she agreed that the rest of the house had a lot to offer.

Upon arriving, Steve declared he wanted to cook everything for them. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Bethany was a bit skeptical at first, but it was a nice change to have someone wait on her every beck and call. As Steve would cut vegetables and boil water, Bethany sat down on the floor, playing with a box of gadgets SHIELD had stored there.

"What exactly are you making?" Steve asked over the sizzle of the pan.

"SHIELD is notorious for bugging places, which means they can either see or hear everything that happens here."

"Wait, everything?" Steve asked, thinking back to how they had spent their vacation so far.

"I've made more than one of these," She said picking up the little box with wires sticking out of it. "It kills any of the spy systems in the room. Fries them completely. But everytime I make one, I have the need to make a bug system to beat out the new disabler."

"Why?" Steve asked, confused. "Doesn't that just defeat the purpose?"

"A little healthy competition never hurt anyone," Bethany said defensively.

"This competition is with yourself," Steve reminded her.

She just rolled her eyes. "It's like you don't know me at all. But the point is, I want to make this so I can kill all the bugs in this cottage. Fury can get as pissed off at me as he wants, but I just want complete privacy from SHIELD for once."

"Dinners almost ready," Steve told her, removing the pan from heat. "You want to eat at the table?"

"Actually," she said getting up from her spot. "I was thinking we could start educating you on pop culture. You can't hide from it forever. You need to embrace it. Plus, there's some pretty good movies out there."

"Okay, what do you want to start with?" Steve asked, watching as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"I was thinking Disney movies. They basically have the entire collection on the shelf. It's a good place to start, since watching Disney movies while growing up is basically a rite of passage. And I was thinking we could do them in order so you can see how everything has changed and developed over the years."

"Sounds great," Steve told her, holding out a hand for her. She walked over and took it, moving in and taking in that smell that was distinctly his. "What's first?"

"Cinderella," she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Bethany?" Steve called out in the middle of the night. The side of the bed that was always hers was empty, and the sheets were cold, indicating that she had been gone for a while. "Beth?" He called again, getting out of the bed and pulling on a t-shirt.

Wading into the sitting room in just his boxers and t-shirt, he saw her bent over a laptop, the glow of the screen illuminating her features. Her eyes were glued to the screen, her fingers dancing across the keyboard like a ballerina on a stage. A quiet electronic hiss sounded the room and Bethany reached out to what she told him was called a 'printer' and picked up a piece of paper.

"Bethany?" He called out again. When she didn't respond, her eyes glued to the papers coming from the printer, he flicked on the lights.

She visibly squinted, then looked up at him. Pulling out her ear buds, her brows creased. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," He told her, walking to her and sitting beside her. "But I woke up, and you weren't there. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Just doing some research," she told him, gathering all her papers together.

"Research, or work?" Steve asked, looking at the laptop screen which was on the SHIELD database main page.

"I'm busted, aren't I?" She said, with a small, guilty smile.

Steve closed the laptop, taking the papers from her hands. She protested slightly, but he covered her lips with his hand. "You said you wouldn't work, or make any contact with SHIELD while we were here."

She pushed his hand away, sighing. "So I'm a workaholic. And it's not like I was taking on any missions. I was just… Look at the papers."

Steve studied her for a minute before picking up the papers and reading the first one. "Your medical file?"

"Part one of eighty-two," she told him, swallowing hard.

His eyebrows shot up, "That's… excessive. This pile alone is huge."

"I know," she sighed. "I didn't know. I mean, they run tests on me every year, but I didn't think much came from it."

"You understand this… gibberish?" He asked, not making sense of a lot of the points.

Bethany let out a quick chuckle, her face only lighting up slightly. "I may be a SHIELD agent, but I've kept up on my degrees through the years. If I wanted, I could walk into any hospital and get a job."

"Care to enlighten me?" He asked, flipping to the next page.

She sighed, curling up next to him. "I haven't had time to go through it all. And a lot of it is probably confidential."

"But if it's about your health, I think I have the right to know," Steve insisted, letting go of the papers, them hitting the table with a thump.

"Well, there's been over forty doctors on my case since SHIELD was formed. All of them have different theories. Dr. Bolton in 1986 held the belief that if I stopped regenerating from injuries, I would age again. Dr. Ryan in 1992 theorized that the more I heal, the worse my bipolar disorder gets. I don't really know what's true and what isn't, but look at this."

She opened the laptop screen again, typing in some codes and pulling up some more medical files. "I can no longer blame you for getting me pregnant."

"What?" Steve said, leaning in and reading the screen.

"Erskine's formula has always focused on creating human perfection. Humans are genetically engineered to create more humans. We never stood a chance, not with just 1940's latex. My body is just highly hospitable."

"W-what does that mean for us now?" Steve asked. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with what we're doing now, but-"

"It's not the same, I know," Bethany agreed, running her hand through her hair. "But we've got the 21st century on our side. I'll figure something out."

"And if you don't?" He asked, lying down on the couch, pulling her to lie alongside him. "What then?"

"We… deal," she said, not knowing. "But I think we can both agree on this; I don't want kids out of wedlock."

Steve smiled, kissing the top of her head. "We've never really talked about that before. Like it's going to happen."

"I was under the impression it was," she told him, looking up at him.

"It's just different assuming and having you say it. But I agree," Steve told her. "I love this."

"Lying on a couch?"

Steve chuckled, "Planning our life together. I never… I never really ever thought it would be a reality for me. Finding a gal who loved me, not to mention was the most beautiful woman in the world. Not that you would need to be. I love you for you, but-"

"It doesn't hurt," Bethany finished chuckling. "I know."

"I guess this is just everything I could've ever asked for." Steve concluded.

Steve had left for a jog around town, also with a grocery list from Bethany, promising it would only be two bags worth of stuff. Steve disagreed, and after a quick spat, finally took the list and left the house. If it was more bags, it would be worth seeing her face at being wrong.

Bethany however, gave him the list as reason to solely contact Fury. He had been sending her little encrypted messages, which she had been trying to hide from Steve the best she could. It wasn't easy as he barely left her side, which wasn't exactly a complaint after decades of pining after him. But it was nice to have a quick breather to call her boss.

"How is he?" She asked as soon as he picked up, curious about Coulson's condition.

"The procedure was long, but successful. A lot of stuff happened though, Stark."

"Steve's out of the house, can you send me the file? I've been trying to find it, but with little progress," Bethany said, scrolling through the SHIELD database.

"I've decided to compartmentalize this, but not in the system. When you get back, I'll tell you everything in person. I don't want any evidence of this."

"But if it was a success," Bethany said, leaning back in her seat. "Why not use it? This could do a lot of good."

"I'd rather not say on this line," Fury said slowly. "When should I expect you?"
"I'm not sure," Bethany admitted. "If I suggest we go back, Steve will know something's up. I want him to suggest it."

"You have a month," Fury directed. "And then at such time, you'll be called back. On another note, how are you doing? Any reason for us to worry?"
"Some nightmares, but nothing to worry about. I'm dealing. Did Selvig's secondary tests come back? And what about Clint?"

"Right now, just worry about you. And that's an order, Stark."

"Understood," Bethany stated. "Anything else? I don't know when I'll get time alone again."

"Rogers hovering? Have you two even left the house?"

"I hear that tone of judgement in your voice, and I resent it."

"Just be careful," He warned. "I can't lose my wingman."

Bethany smiled. "Hey Nick? Thanks. I really appreciate this. I was looking over my medical files last night and I realized how much has been kept from me over the years. It means a lot that you trust me with this information."

"Just don't give me reason to regret this. One month."

As the line went dead, Steve opened the door, carrying three bags of groceries. "I told you," he said with a confident smirk.

"No," Bethany fought as he put the groceries on the kitchen table. "They could've fit in two."

"Go ahead and try," Steve suggested, hands on his hips. "But if you're wrong, you get to make dinner tonight."

Bethany crossed her arms, looking at the bags before nodding. "Deal."

Steve sat down and watched with his smirk as she tried to get the contents of the bag into two instead of three. After ten minutes, Steve was trying desperately to hold back his laughter. Finally, throwing her hands in the air frustrated, she gave.

"Fine! FINE! You were right! Happy?!"

Steve's laughter burst from him. "Yes. And how did that feel coming from your mouth?"

"Like vinegar," she muttered, unpacking the bags and stocking the shelves and fridge. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Well after watching Lady and the Tramp last night, I was thinking spaghetti and meatballs?"

"Did you buy any noodle-" she was cut off by the loud shrill of her phone. "I need to get new ringtones," she muttered taking out her phone. "I need to take this."

Despite saying this, she looked to Steve for approval. He sighed, but nodded. "I'll finish un-packing these."

"Thank you," she said leaning down to kiss his cheek. "It's not work, I promise."

"It's fine," he assured before she walked into the sitting room, answering the phone.

Steve finished unpacking the groceries, and then feeling generous, began to fill a pot with water to boil. He tried his best not to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it. "She's mad at me?" Bethany said, a chuckle in her tone. "Oh, well of course then. That makes complete sense… No, that's not it at-will you put her on the phone?... Okay, well when she wakes up can you let her know we're out of the country…. I'm not sure, actually. We haven't talked about that… Well, it's up to Steve, Shar-… Look, just tell her that we'll visit soon. Okay. Take care… bye."

She hung up, looking exhausted from the conversation alone before dragging herself to the kitchen. "Who was that?" Steve asked, pulling her into his arms.

"Peggy's niece," she answered, laying her head on his chest. "Peggy's mad at me since I haven't visited her in a while, and last time I called her, left out the small detail of you being alive."

"Why'd you do that?" Steve asked, brows furrowed.

Bethany sighed. "I wasn't sure if you were ready to face her. It's… it's hard to visit her. Even for me. She's old, Steve. And she hasn't exactly aged the way a woman would want. And she has… some memory issues. I just didn't want you to see her before you were ready."

"Do you have any pictures? Maybe ease me into it?" He asked, reaching over to turn the gas down on the stove top.

"That's my assignment," she said with a wink. "Ease you into the new world."

Soon later, Steve found out just how difficult living with Bethany could be. Sure, he had caught glimpses of her worst side before, but never on a 24/7 loop. His morning jog was tripled just to let Bethany have her space. She wouldn't let him touch her, or even go anywhere near her. He even slept on the couch the night before, afraid that she would randomly start yelling at him again. But he couldn't deny when she said that they had to go to the store. If she said 'they' had to, then he would follow without a second thought.

"What isle?" Steve asked when they walked into the store.

"Over here," Bethany grumbled, walking down the feminine hygiene isle. "I hate being a woman…"

"I know," Steve said with a sigh. "You've said that already. Almost fifty times."

"Stop sassing me, Rogers. You don't understand," she snapped, stopping in front of the colour shelves and looking at the packaging.

"What I don't understand is," he lowered his voice, stepping as close to her as he dared. "Is how you can get shot, have a limb cut off and your head smashed in, but when it comes to menstrual cramps, you act as if it's the worst pain you've ever experienced."

"It's just unfair," Bethany explained, picking up two boxes and comparing the two. "When you're a girl, you can't do anything until you're a woman. And to be a woman includes having your period, but if you miss it, it's just as painful 'cause that means you're pregnant and it's even worse. And then when you reach menopause, you're old. See how unfair that is? And what do guys have to worry about? A little morning wood every once and awhile? Please, I'd trade that for this any day."

"Are you almost done?" Steve asked, looking around nervously.

"You're allowed to be down here, it's not like it's the girls' bathroom. But I think I'm ready."

Steve nodded, grateful as they made their way to the cashier line. "Is there anything else you need?"

"A new uterus…" she grumbled.

"Will you stop it? Please?" Steve begged, whispering under his breath. "I understand that you're in pain, but this can't happen every month."

"Too bad," Bethany snapped again, dropping the box by the cashier.

"Is that all for today, ma'am?" The old man behind the cash asked.

"Unfortunately," Bethany mumbled, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. They were already growing out, and for that she was grateful. He read out the price and Steve reached inside his pocket for his wallet. "I'm gonna be outside."

As Bethany left, Steve let out a sigh, handing the cashier the money. "My wife always used to say," the old man began as he counted out the change. "That you know when a lady loves you based on how much of herself she is around you during her time of the month."

"Personally, I wouldn't mind her being a little less like herself right now," Steve admitted with a small smile, accepting his change.

"'I'm not a smart man, but I know what love is'." The man said as he handed Steve the bag.

Steve chuckled, recognizing the quote from Forrest Gump. Bethany insisted that it was a must see movie, and would help with a lot of pop culture references, but he only added close to two dozen things to his list during it. "Have a good afternoon, sir."

Bethany was already in their rental car, feet on the dash and looking like she hated the world. He got into the car, throwing the bag in the back seat and turned to her. "Feet off the dash. Listen, I love you. That's never going to change. And yeah, I understand that I need to be understanding, and more importantly caring during this time, but Bethany… I'm not going to let you walk over me. Okay?"

She looked shocked at his words, shrinking back in her seat a little. "O-Okay…"

"Now, how about we go back to the house, I draw you a bath and bring you some chocolate? You can listen to your music and just… relax."

She folded her arms, thinking over this idea. "It wouldn't hurt if you threw in a backrub."

Steve allowed her a small smile, "Okay."

"Hey Steve?" She asked as he put the keys in the ignition.

"Yeah?" He asked, stilling as her hand moved to his arm. He turned to face her, confused before she all but attacked him with a soul shattering kiss.

Steve jumped slightly, but didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her body. "What's-" he tried to get out as she kissed him hard. "This for?"

"I don't," she started, her breath heavy. "Know. Just. Mmm, go with it."

He softly pushed her away, his hands wrapped around her arms. "Okay, well we're in a parking lot, for one. And secondly, Beth this can't… go anywhere…"

He almost regretted telling her this as she slunk back into her seat, pulling on her seatbelt and putting her feet back on the dash. "I hate being a woman. Or better yet, I hate being fertile."

"Don't say that," Steve said as he started the car and made his way out of the parking lot. "Just remember. Bath, music, chocolate and back rub."

"How come I've never seen this freckle before?" Steve asked, pointing at a freckle on her back.

"It's always been there," Bethany smirked.

Steve leaned down and kissed it. "I guess I've never seen it before. Are you sure? 'Cause I spent the majority of 1944 trying to memorize everything about you."

"Well, I remember it being 1940 and Howard suggesting we go to Florida to celebrate how well Stark Industries was doing. We spent the entire week on the beach. I was as red as red can be, but I didn't care. The burns healed, we went home and all that was left was a couple freckles."

"I've always loved the ones on your nose," Steve said lying down beside her. He tapped her nose, her swatting his hand away, chuckling. "You have a perfect nose. And I'm not just trying to flatter you. It's the truth. Just like the rest of you. Perfect lips, perfect eyes. Even perfect ears. How is that possible?"
"I could be taller," Bethany said with a shrug. "And you shouldn't be talking about perfection. You are aware that your shoulder to hip ratio is actually one of myth, right?"

"I'm not perfect," Steve said, kissing her temple.

"Yes you are," Bethany said, looking at him, tapping his nose. "Even your nose. I love this little bump. How'd you get it?"

"1939," Steve said, brushing his hair off his shoulder. "Bucky had a cold, so I was picking him up some things to help, since he always helped take care of me. Ran into some guy harassing a girl, tried to stop him and ended up with a broken nose. Got back to Bucky's and he took care of me instead of me taking care of him."

Bethany was quiet after that, thinking about Steve before the muscles. Steve in his too-big clothes, but with the most innocent face anyone would have ever seen. It would be like a grown up beating up a kid. It made her sick, and she was sorry she asked.

"You okay?" Steve asked after another minute of silence.

"The real question is, are you?" She asked, fingers playing with the edge of his shirt. "I mean, I know we've talked about it before, but you never really seemed to stress your childhood."

"'Cause it's in the past," Steve explained. "Focusing on it now isn't going to do any difference."

"You're too righteous," Bethany told him with a smirk. "How does that happen? How does a righteous man fall in love with a girl like me?"

"Opposites attract?" Steve tried, winking smugly and kissing her. "You're righteous. You stand up for what you believe in. Can you stop trying to make yourself seem like the devil advocate? Please?"

"Can you get me another glass of chocolate milk?" She tried, biting her lip.

Shaking his head amused, he agreed. Molly instantly took Steve's place. "Hey, when were you thinking about heading back to the States?" Steve asked from the kitchen.

"I was going to leave it up to you," She told him, pulling Molly onto her stomach and scratching her back.

"Yeah but we're here because of what happened with Loki," Steve reminded her, making his way back with a tall glass of chocolate milk. "I mean, personally I think you're doing well."

"I get nightmares," Bethany admitted. "Sometimes I go to do something and I hear whispers of Loki, but I've been able to push them all away. Just like all my other ghosts. I'm fine to go back whenever."

"It's been two weeks," Steve began. "And it's been great, but I feel…"

"Useless?" Bethany tried, taking her glass and sipping it. "We're one and the same. We can't remain idle. All I want is to jump back into work."

"Which is something I'd actually like to talk to you about," Steve said, sitting beside her on the bed. "How would you feel about me joining SHIELD?"

Bethany almost chocked on her milk, but carefully swallowed it and wiped her mouth. "You-you want to join SHIELD?"
"I need to do something with my life," Steve explained. "I need to help make the world a better place. I can't just sit back and watch chaos ensue."

Bethany reached over and put her glass on the bedside table. "I-I have no objections… I guess I'm just surprised. SHIELD isn't really the… most… honor-ous company. That's not a word, is it? But you get what I mean."

"It can't be that bad if you, Howard and Peggy created it," Steve explained.

"It's changed a lot since then," Bethany sighed. "Look, it's up to you. SHIELD could use someone with your skills. You'd be an amazing asset. I just want you to know that there's not a high honor of being a SHIELD agent like there is with enlisting."

"Both jobs have downsides, things that weigh heavy on our conscience. But," Steve said, pushing her bangs out of her eyes. "In the end, they're both fighting for peace. For a better future. That's something I respect, and would like to be a part of."

"One more week," Bethany decided. "And then we'll leave. It'll work well too, since Tony's birthday is next week and he'll never let me forget it if I don't stop by."

"One week," Steve agreed with a smile. "And tomorrow… we're going out on a date."

"You know, my parents were from Ireland," Steve said as they laid out a picnic blanket. "It's nice to see where they came from."

"Why do you think I chose this place?" Bethany asked, sitting down. Steve, still standing, watched her carefully. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He shook his head, sitting down across from her. "You realize that you do things for me all the time, right?"

"What do you mean?" Bethany asked, taking out some cookies.

"You-you just always do things that I want before I even know it." Steve explained.

"That's what love is," Bethany said with a shrug. "You do the same. Making me pasta for breakfast this morning? Massaging my feet while we watched E.T. And always putting the seat down on the toilet. I really appreciate that."

As they talked and ate, the sun beat down on their back hard. Within twenty minutes, Bethany had taken off her sweater, and Steve his plaid shirt, leaving him in just his white wife beater. It was just the two of them, overlooking a beach. "It's beautiful," Steve said, gesturing to the water.

"It's hot," Bethany countered. "Can we go swimming later?"

"Twenty minutes after we eat," Steve said, in his usual tone.

Bethany couldn't help but chuckle. "You're too adorable. And you have humus on your face."

She reached over and wiped it off, then brought it to her lips and sucked her finger. "And you're a vixen."

"My official title," Bethany said with a smirk. "Do you remember back in '44, having that picnic where Bucky kept making me eat bananas?"

Steve gave a smile in fond memory. "Yeah. And you are Howard fought. A lot."

"Not more than him and Peggy," Bethany added.

"I remember sketching you," Steve said, taking her hand in his. "And you singing… what was it?"

"I think it was Somewhere Over the Rainbow?" Bethany tried. "Remember Bucky climbing the tree?"

He nodded solemnly and Bethany's face dropped a little. "I'm sorry… it's been years for me, but I guess it's still too soon for you."

"Nah, it's… it's nice to talk about them," Steve explained. "It's nice to remember that time. And if you don't keep people alive in your hearts and memories, they die all together. I just… I remember that day all too well. And I said something that just… doesn't rub me right."

"What do you mean?" Bethany said, moving closer to him, pushing his hair back into its wave.

"I said 'I would catch her if she fell. I'm not catching you.' I said that to Bucky, and he died because I… I didn't-"

"Hey," Bethany said, putting a hand on his cheek. "That wasn't your fault. Okay? Bucky followed you into war, not because he was obligated to, but because he respected you. He wanted to. His sacrifice hasn't been forgotten. Okay?"

His look of a broken puppy pained her. "It's still hard to deal with. He was always there, no matter what. And the one time he needed me-"

"He always needed you," Bethany interrupted. "Okay? Bucky and I didn't talk about much outside of you, and I could always tell that you changed his life." She pulled him into his embrace, holding him tightly. "I'm just sorry I wasn't there for you when it happened. I should've been there."

"You're here now," he whispered. "And I love you for that."

"I promise to be there for you from now on," Bethany pledged. "Okay? And I love you too."

He gave her a small smile before kissing her lightly, the two of them falling onto the blanket, tangled in each other.

**A/N: I saw Winter Soldier again, and this time focused exactly where I want Bethany. I'm thinking it'll play out nicely.

forevermore21: Glad you think so! Means I'm doing my job.

FeliciaFelicis: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! As soon as I read that, I hustled to get this out for today. Who needs to study for an english exam? Psh, not me. Very happy that you enjoy my filler chapters since they'll be a lot of them. I could write forever about fluff.

Springowl13: I always cry during movies and books, but it's better when it's for happy moments over sad.

Kadienewberg: No offense taken. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and preferences. I personally feel like Bethany would transform our innocent Steve in the bedroom, if only a little. Steve will always be sweet, but this is a couple whose first romantic encounter was full blown sex. They're gonna be a little hot and heavy.

BellaDamonLover: I'm doing great, thank you. And I agree about Howard. And If I could get Cap, I'd keep him for myself. I don't think I'd ever let him out of my sight.