"How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling okay. Head hurts, unsurprisingly." Kayla chuckled quietly as she leaned her head to the side to look at Steve. "He's been out like a light. I've never seen him sleep like this."

"Well, I don't think he slept the two weeks you kept him away at the compound upstate. He'd spend hours in the gym in the middle of the night. Sometimes he'd sign off on projects at three or four in the morning. The place is still under construction, but he practically wore down the new floors with his pacing."

Kayla looked over to her right, seeing how peaceful Steve looked as he snored softly, "You should have seen him when they came in at four to give me my medicine. He was snoring so loudly he about gave the nurse a heart attack," Kayla chuckled as Natasha smirked down at her teammate, "Thanks for bringing his things."

"I drove down last night, thought he'd want a fresh set of clothes from the tower." Natasha said as she studied Kayla's state before landing on her left hand, "He finally got that ring off his neck."

"Yeah. Looks better on my hand, don't you think?" Kayla asked as she looked up at Natasha with a cheeky grin, "I imagined my proposal a lot differently, but the end result is still me and Steve. That's all I need." Kayla paused, then winked, "That, and maybe a few good friends."

"See, I knew you and I would get along." Natasha teased as she walked behind the hospital bed, "How about I take this lazy ass to get some breakfast. I'm sure he'll be starving when he wakes up." Natasha grabbed Steve's shoulders and squeezed, causing the soldier to open his eyes and jump to his feet, whipping around to face Natasha with his fists raised. "Stand down soldier, I'm here to see if you're hungry."

"Romanoff." Steve grunted in greeting as his stance softened. He lowered his hands and turned to Kayla quickly before Natasha addressed him again.

"Yes, we've established that I'm here. I've been keeping your fiancé company while you did your best lawn mower impression. How about we give her a break from you?" Natasha suggested as she looked to Kayla, seeing if the woman would object.

Steve followed Natasha's glance and pouted at Kayla, but she just shrugged and told him, "Go get some food. They're going to bring me some of the Italian ice I like."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive Baby, go eat with Natasha. I'll be okay. Soon you'll have me all to yourself." Kayla purred as she beckoned Steve to come over to her, "Kiss me."

He did as he was told, then followed Natasha down the hall toward the elevator to take them to the main floor for the cafeteria. Nat tapped her foot against the tile for a moment as she looked up, waiting to see if Steve would start the conversation or if she'd have to.

"She seems to be doing well."

"Her doctor is a piece of work." Steve grumbled as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "He seemed cautiously optimistic."

"I think she'll be okay. She seems in good spirits. Just, don't overwhelm her. You seem a little... tense." Natasha gestured all over Steve as the elevator doors opened and they strode toward the cafeteria.

"I'm not tense, I'm just... protective." Steve held open the door and Nat walked past him to look around at their food options. "First I lost her. Then I thought she was dead. Then I realized she was brainwashed. I didn't expect to get back here. It's weird."

"Imagine how she feels."

"I am."

"Are you?" Natasha challenged as she picked up a tray and went to order some waffles. Once her order was placed, she turned to Steve, holding the tray against her hip, "You didn't trade in Katiana for Kayla. You've got both. When you take her to the Retreat, you gotta get to know her again." Natasha smiled sweetly as the worker placed her waffles on her tray before turning to stare down Steve again, "I can't believe you two are engaged this soon."

"It just kinda happened-"

"Make sure you know the woman you're marrying. I'm not suggesting you don't marry her, just make sure you know her."

"I will!" Steve snapped back and Natasha rolled her eyes at his outburst as he lowered his voice, "Her doctor says she should be good to go the day after tomorrow. I'm going to talk to her mother and take her away for a few weeks so we can be alone."

"Good. Be careful. Hydra broke her spirit a bit. Her eyes say she's experienced things she won't openly talk about." Natasha warned as she grabbed a pre-made smoothie from one of the coolers. She realized Steve hadn't ordered anything, "Go get some food! You can't see her again until you eat."

Steve grumbled that he wasn't hungry, but followed Natasha's orders anyway, knowing she wasn't about to let him back into Kayla's hospital room until his stomach stopped growling.

Meanwhile, Kayla was devouring a cup of Italian ice when there was a light knock on her door. It popped open and Doctor Palmer peeked in, meeting her eyes with a gentle smile before opening the door wider to let Sandra and Tiffany enter. Kayla beamed at them and set down her snack to fling her arms out so her mother could reach down and give her a hug.

"You seem to be feeling better." Sandra said gently as she carefully wrapped her arms around her daughter, "How did you sleep?"

"Like a baby." Kayla sighed as Sandra pulled away and Tiffany took her place to squeeze Kayla's middle tightly as Kayla leaned her cheek into Tiffany's chest. When her best friend took a step farther back, Kayla looked to her mom again and thrust her left hand out, "Steve stayed over. We talked, and he gave me this."

Sandra leaned forward to take her daughter's hand, cooing over the beautiful ring as she studied it, "Honey, it's stunning."

Tiffany snorted and crossed her arms defensively, "Still has a tracker in it?"

"No." Kayla looked up from under her lashes, "I asked him to put it back in, though." When her mother dropped her hand and looked questioningly, Kayla explained, "I don't want to get lost again. I spent the last year away from my family, and I forgot who I was. If I had this ring, Steve would have found me before Bucky even took me overseas."

"Steve messed up." Tiffany argued quietly, and Kayla could see how angry Tiffany was that Steve had hurt Kayla and caused her to lose her best friend all that time.

"Yeah, he did." Kayla agreed, slowly shifting her eyes from Tiffany to her mother, "But he's apologized, and he's done everything I've asked of him. He didn't give up on me. In the heat of the moment, he abandoned me, but I believe him wholeheartedly when he says he'll never do it again."

Tiffany waited for Sandra's reaction, and the former First Lady nodded slowly, "Seems a little fast, doesn't it, Kay? After everything that's happened..."

"We aren't getting married anytime soon." Kayla gasped, as if the idea of marriage was terrifying, "But it's going to be him. I know it." Kayla told her mother and best friend, "I love him. I love him with all my heart and every version of myself rattling around in my head." She chuckled quietly before taking a deep breath and letting it out as a sigh, "I'm sure I sound crazy, but you guys don't understand what I've seen, and what I've done. I can't go back to who I was before, I can't."

"Nobody expects you to." Sandra assured Kayla.

"The press is gonna want to know what happened. I don't want to explain that I was brainwashed to think I was something I wasn't." Kayla said quietly as she shifted to lean farther back into her pillows, "This is something happy to talk about and look forward to. It's a promise that he's gonna put me first, and I'm gonna trust him."

Sandra looked over her shoulder at Tiffany, and the brunette shrugged, "I love Steve, I'm just pissed he let this happen. But he did bring you back when the rest of us accepted you were dead."

"I would have too." Kayla chuckled, grabbing her Italian ice to finish it off. As she shoved the last bit of the frozen treat into her mouth, Kayla mumbled, "I'm not looking forward to having to leave this place."

"I've been told your fiancé has plans to take you away for a little while." Sandra pried with a coy smile, "Part of me doesn't want you to go, but after everything that happened in Sokovia, Steve probably needs a break just as much as you do."

Kayla blushed, and reached up, but she realized she didn't have any hair to move away from her cheek. "To be honest, I just want to get off the grid. I don't want to deal with the world like this." She gestured to her head, blinking slowly as she began to feel sleepy again. "But I don't want to leave you guys."

"We'll still be here." Sandra grabbed Kayla's hand and gave it a squeeze, "We aren't going anywhere, and we'll only be a call away. I trust Steve will take good care of you."

"I promise."

Kayla's smile widened as she slowly turned to the door, seeing her fiancé standing there with Natasha behind him. Tiffany smirked when Kayla's chest rose and fell dramatically, as if his presence still took her breath away, "Hey, Honey. How was breakfast?"

"I didn't realize how hungry I was." Steve admitted quietly as he took another step into the room and waved at Sandra and Tiffany, "How are you guys doing?"

"Great." Sandra told him, "My daughter's back. She's safe, she's going to recover, and she's engaged, so I believe congratulations are in order."

Steve ducked his head shyly, looking at Kayla from under his lashes, "I probably should have asked for permission again-"

"Yes, you should have. I might have said no." Tiffany sneered playfully, looking to Kayla with an open mouthed grin, "You wanna marry this fool?"

Kayla just nodded, and then yawned, "Yeah, he's pretty great. I think I'll keep him."

Tiffany looked to Sandra, "You okay with your only daughter marrying an Avenger?"

Sandra chuckled as she looked up at Steve, and he felt his cheeks heat up as he waited for her answer, "His life is dangerous, and by marrying him, Kayla's will be too." She said slowly as her smile darkened a little as she turned to Kayla, "It won't be easy to move past what you two have gone through the past year, but if I were you, I wouldn't let him go." Sandra looked back up to Steve and gave a firm nod, "One mistake doesn't erase all the times he saved your life."

The soldier stiffened and forced an uncomfortable smile. "Thank you," he told Sandra before turning to look at Kayla, seeing her bite the inside of her cheek as she watched him. "It wasn't just me though. She saved my life, too."

Kayla smiled at that, and she reached up to Steve with her left hand, which he grabbed to raise to his lips. "I love you, Steve."

"I love you, too." He murmured against her knuckles, closing his eyes to push away the last time he stood beside her in a hospital bed, and the two times before that. "Doctor Strange spoke to me in the hall. He says he'll be in at ten to run a few more tests. If things are looking good, he says you can leave the hospital tomorrow, as long as you're going someplace quiet and safe."

"Will you leave right away?" Tiffany asked sadly and Steve just shrugged.

"Whatever she wants."

"I think so." Kayla told her best friend, "I want a couple weeks to rest before we head to the press with this. If the crowd from yesterday was any indication, I've got one last good story left in me."

"What will you tell them?" Tiffany asked as she pulled out her tablet. "The sooner we get ahead of the story, the faster it'll go away."

"The truth." Kayla said firmly, looking up at Steve, "I want everyone to know that it was Hydra who did this to me."

Tiffany nodded as she typed quickly, "So, after being taken by the Winter Soldier following the fall of SHIELD, you were kidnapped by a secret faction of Hydra in Sokovia. They inserted an experimental chip into your brain to suppress your long term memories and make you forget who you are, then tricked you into helping them conduct human experimentation against your will?"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." Kayla said as she massaged her eyebrows, feeling a headache growing in the back of her skull, "What else you got?"

"You lived in Sokovia until you were found by Captain America and the Avengers, who helped you realize who you were. After the Battle in Sokovia, they brought you home and got the chip removed. You are recovering in private and ask for everyone's patience as you heal." Tiffany drawled on, eventually lifting her dark eyes to her boss and seeing Kayla beginning to doze off, "I like it, I think it'll work, what about you, Mom?"

"You can speak to the press when she's released tomorrow." Sandra said quietly as Steve continued to hold Kayla's hand on the other side of the bed, listening intently now that his girl was asleep. "I think if the three of us speak to the reporters, she should be able to sneak out. Then Steve can take her away for a few weeks."

Steve looked up at Natasha, who was standing quietly by the door. A small smile formed on her lips and she nodded a little, telling Steve to agree, "Alright. Sounds good." He told Sandra slowly, meeting the blonde's gaze, "Are you sure you want me to take her?"

"Yes. She needs rest. I don't want her locked away in a hotel room or apartment somewhere. I trust you." Sandra told Steve firmly. "She's gonna be okay."

They all looked to Kayla, finding her sound asleep as soft snores left her lips. Steve realized that even in her sleep, Kayla had a death grip on his hand, not willing to let him go again.

"You ready to go?"

Kayla looked up at her mother and nodded slowly, swallowing down her fear. Doctor Strange had discharged her after dinner the next day, and there were a slew of reporters waiting for her departure downstairs. Steve had left for a while after breakfast, and returned with Tiffany to address the press while Kayla prepared to leave. She wore her beanie over her head and a soft sweater that made her want to curl back up in bed, despite how ready she was to leave the hospital.

Wanda grabbed Kayla's hand, "I'll be here the whole time. Steve's got a car waiting for you. I hope you don't mind, Tiffany and I bought you some things to wear on your trip since you don't really have any clothes that fit."

"Thank you for thinking about that." Kayla told Wanda as she gripped her hand tightly, "I didn't even consider it."

"We've taken care of everything. Have a great trip, Sweetie." Sandra said as she gave her daughter a tight hug. "Let's get moving."

Wanda led Kayla out of her hospital room, where she thanked Doctor Strange and Doctor Palmer for their hard work before heading to the elevator. Sandra joined them, but before Sandra reached the main level, the younger women got off on the floor above to take the walkway to the parking garage.

"Tiffany and Steve are ready to speak to the press. They'll cause enough of a distraction for you two to sneak out to the garage." Sandra explained slowly while she held the elevator open. "Get in the backseat, that way the tinted windows will hide you. Stay with Kay until Steve arrives to make sure she's safe." Sandra told Wanda and the Sokovian sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. Sandra gave her daughter a long, melancholy look, "I love you."

"Love you, too." Kayla answered as Sandra let the doors close to take her downstairs while Kayla and Wanda snuck into the parking garage.

Sandra pulled out her cell and sent a pre-typed message to Tiffany, warning the girl they were on their way.

Tiffany got the message and looked to Steve, "They're on the move. Time to face the music."

A huff left Steve's lips as he looked towards the reporters swarming the lobby of the hospital, "Let's get this over with."

Tiffany, always ready to speak with the press, took the lead and approached the hoard, causing them to erupt with questions when she smiled sweetly, "It's good to see me, isn't it?" She teased as they waited with bated breath for a statement. Steve sidled up next to her and hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. While Tiffany greeted the photographers with a mega-watt smile, Steve stayed tight lipped and stoic, showing his displeasure at the media circus that was following his girl around.

"Was the surgery on Kayla Ellis successful?" Someone finally cried out and Tiffany beamed and nodded.

"It was. We were able to remove the experimental chip that had been suppressing her memories. She not only remembers everything from before, but she isn't showing any memory loss from the time she was captive either."

"What happened to her?" One of the senior-most reporters asked cautiously.

Tiffany took a slow breath, then looked to Steve, "She was taken by the Winter Soldier to the country of Sokovia. The Avengers were able to find her there, and bring her home after the battle a few weeks ago. The terrorist organization Hydra was forcing her to help them perform human experimentation when the Avengers wiped them out. Steve Rogers was able to get through to her and convince her of her true identity. He brought her home."

Steve cracked a smile at the way Tiffany's voice broke, and he could see on her face how thankful she was that he'd made things right.

"Captain America, are you and Kayla Ellis still dating?"

It was the question Steve anticipated and dreaded. He cleared his throat and took a step forward as the elevator doors opened behind him and allowed Sandra Ellis to join them. "I don't think it's that simple. We aren't broken up, by any means, but we plan to spend time together and work on our relationship. Hydra turned her against the Avengers, and they worked hard to turn her against me. All of their lies are there with her memories, and we want to take time together to sort through them."

Sandra stood beside Steve and placed her hand on his forearm to take over, addressing the reporters before any more questions could be asked, "Steve's being cautiously optimistic, but I spoke with my daughter yesterday about their relationship at length." Steve looked to her in panic, unsure of what she was about to drop on him and the world, but Sandra just smiled, "Steve saved her life and brought her home, all while managing to lead the Avengers in a fight to save Earth. She told me that he's the one."

A proud smile formed on Steve's lips as he turned to the crowd, allowing the photographers to capture his elation at the news. Tiffany wiggled her way in front of the Avenger and First Lady to ask, "We have time for one more question."

"Where is Kayla Ellis now? We were told by the hospital's media team that she should be released today."

Steve looked to his left to see Sam appear, a sign that Kayla was situated in the car and they were ready to leave. Tiffany beamed at her fiancé before addressing the reporters, "She's en route to a secondary recovery location. She requests her privacy at this time as she heals from surgery and thanks you for your patience. Once she's feeling up to it, she'll release a personal statement, but for now, just know she's recovering well and plans to spend some quiet time before making her return to the public eye."

That answer wasn't good enough for the rabid press who yelled after Tiffany when she walked off to take Sam's arm and let him lead her to their vehicle in the garage. Sandra followed behind them with Steve bringing up the rear to occasionally look over his shoulder and make sure they weren't being followed.

By this point, the press had realized where they were going and were scrambling outside to try and get the first photo of Kayla Ellis after surgery as she drove away.

"I think that went well." Tiffany told the group as they entered the garage. Sam led them to a large black van with blacked out windows and opened the door to the backseat to allow Sandra entry while Tiffany hopped into the passenger's seat. She looked back at Steve when Sam passed him a set of keys, "Red mini van. Spot 12E. She's in the very back and the windows are dark so nobody should see her. Wanda's with her, tell her we'll wait for her outside the elevator."

"Thanks Sam." Steve pulled the man into a hug before patting his arm. He looked into the backseat to find Sandra grinning up at him, "I promise to take good care of her."

"I know you will. Just be patient, okay? I meant what I said, she told us she was sure about marrying you, but she isn't the same person you knew a year ago." Sandra warned, looking past Steve as someone entered the garage, "We better get going. Keep in touch."

Steve slid the door closed and Sam backed the van out of the spot to follow Steve over to the elevator. He moved quickly up the stairwell to reach the second floor, finding the mini van Sam had brought with ease. He unlocked it and slid open the back door to find Wanda just inside, "I can take it from here."

Wanda reached back and gave Kayla's hand one last squeeze before climbing out. "They are waiting for you by the elevator downstairs." Steve told her as she tucked her hair up under the beanie matching Kayla's. "Take care."

"You too." Wanda told him, but her tone was dark and warning, a threat to Steve that if Kayla was unhappy, he'd pay dearly for it.

Steve climbed into the driver's seat and adjusted the mirrors to look up at his fiancé, "You ready for your great escape?"

Kayla nodded, "I was born ready."

"I wish you could ride up here."

"I can switch in an hour or so. It's cozy back here!" Kayla called from two rows back, "Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

A text informed Steve the other van had left the garage, meaning Steve was clear to follow in a minute or so, but a thought hit him before he turned the key in the ignition, "We could give it a little while. What's the rush, it'll already be almost midnight when we get there."

He heard her seatbelt unbuckle before she asked, "What did you have in mind?"

Steve moved from the driver's seat to the back of the van, locking it from the inside as he climbed into the back with Kayla. She laughed when he hit his head, normally more aware of his surroundings. Seeing how desperate he was to get close to her made her heart swell, "Steve."

"Yes?" He asked as he bent his knees to get in closer, cornering Kayla against the window so nobody could see them through the windshield. He looked down at her, taking in her yoga pants and baggy sweater that hid her figure from his prying eyes. She'd been down to her underwear as Katiana, but Kayla seemed much more self conscious about her thicker form, and especially traumatized about her lack of hair.

Steve leaned down to bump his nose against hers, leaning his forehead against Kayla's as she reached up to clasp onto his neck. Her breath hitched and she shuddered when she whispered, "I can't believe I forgot about you."

"You remember now. That's what matters." Steve shifted to tentatively kiss her lips, moving slow to not overwhelm her. They hadn't truly been alone since she'd woken up, and Steve wanted to jump her bones so badly, but her mother's words rung in his ears.

Be patient, okay? She isn't the same person you knew a year ago.

He was surprised how tender she was, not wanting to even break apart her lips to let him in. Steve wasn't sure where this was coming from, but he didn't mind how quiet and demure she was acting.

Finally, she broke away and looked up into Steve's blue eyes. She could see the surprise they held and she chuckled lowly, "My brain is a jumbled mess of memories and feelings. I remember feeling coy and confident and sexy, and I remember feeling helpless, lonely and afraid." She confessed, running her thumb along Steve's jaw as he watched her intently, "I have this overwhelming sense of wanting to be with you in every intimate way I remember, but I'm also so thankful to be back in your arms that I want to savor it."

"I'm not in any hurry, Kay. You know that." Steve kissed her slowly to prove his point before dotting a line of soft pecks against her cheek to her ear, "Your mom told the press that you said I was the one."

"You already know that. We're engaged-"

"It's different when she tells the press. I was gonna give you an out, in case..." He trailed off, knowing he needed to give her the option to leave despite how badly he wanted her to stay, "In case your feelings change."

"They won't."

"You won't know that, Kay." Steve warned and she leaned away to glare at him. "Everything is going to change, and I don't want you to feel trapped."

She huffed, "Well, the same goes for you then."

"I'll never leave you." Steve assured Kayla and she laughed at him, "What?"

"Baby, the girl who was scared of commitment got brainwashed and kidnapped. Trust me, if I say if you're the one, you're the one. You even won me over when I didn't remember you. Unless you leave me, we're not breaking up, don't you understand?"

At that, he dove in to kiss her greedily, forcing her lips apart to give him entrance as he carefully cradled the back of her neck with both of his massive hands. She responded by cupping his cheeks to keep him close, smiling into the kiss until he broke apart. "I understand." He panted, then slid towards the door, "Let's go somewhere I actually fit."