Two Weeks Later

Kayla sat at Steve's desk, typing up another report for the UN panel overseeing the Avengers. What was left of the Avengers. She gritted her teeth, fighting the dull ache in her lower stomach that had become all too common since realizing she was pregnant. She powered through the hunger to finish her work, hitting send to fax it over to the panel and Secretary Ross.

Despite his clear disdain for her husband, Secretary Ross hadn't bothered too much with Kayla. He'd requested a statement about the incidents she was privy to, so she wrote him a statement about the fight at the airport. She included every detail she could remember, including the super soldiers Steve had gone after, and his promise to come back to her when he fixed it. So far, he hadn't fixed it.

Tony came back from Siberia broken. He'd spoken to Rhodey about the incident, but wouldn't look Kayla in the eye. It took a week for Rhodey to finally admit what had happened between Tony, Steve, and Bucky. After realizing there were no super soldiers to defeat, and that Steve had just taken Bucky and ran instead of coming home to her, Kayla felt broken, too.

Feeling lonely after Natasha disappeared, Kayla accompanied Tiffany to the Raft to visit Sam, only to scream at the guards for a half hour about releasing Wanda from the straight jacket she was forced to suffer in. Tiffany cried to Sam the entire time Kayla made a scene, until she eventually had to leave after Kayla was escorted away.

On that warm spring evening, Kayla printed out a copy of her statement to be filed away at the compound. The ding on her computer stated she had a new email from Secretary Ross, and Tony Stark was CCed on it. She rolled her eyes and mumbled the email aloud, "Dear Mrs. Rogers, your cooperation has been invaluable to our investigation into the incident involving Captain Rogers and other former members of the Avengers in Germany last month. It has been suggested by Mr. Stark that you would be a great addition to the United Nations panel overseeing the Avengers..." Kayla blinked, rereading the sentence again and grabbing her mouth, "Really?"

She shoved herself away from her desk, grabbing the report she'd typed up and printing out a copy of the email from Ross for her own records. Storming down the hall, she paused when she saw Tony in his office, quickly shoving something into a drawer, "Is this a fucking joke?"

Tony squinted at the page, then looked back to Kayla's face, "Your report for Ross? I don't know, you wrote it."

"No, I mean the the panel thing. Why the hell would they want me? My husband is a fugitive of the Accords. You suggested I'd be an asset? Why?"

Tony leaned back in his chair, looking out the window at the setting sun, "Because you're the only person who understands both sides. You grew up a politician's daughter and you married an Avenger. I think you'd be able to be partial, understand the politics of it, but also see the needs of the team and the panel. There's barely anybody left, and I want to make sure we have one hand on the wheel. Play devil's advocate if you want, but I trust you to be our voice on the panel."

Kayla leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, huffing as she stared out the window past Stark, "Why don't you do it?"

"I'm not a politian, I'm a business man."

"I'm a chemist, why should I do it?"

"I don't know, maybe because I think it'll break Cap's heart." Tony sneered and Kayla rolled her eyes, starting to leave when FRIDAY informed Stark Ross was on the line because there was a breach at the Raft. Tony and Kayla met each other's eyes and Tony pointed accusingly, "What do you know about this?"

"Not a damn thing!" Kayla yelped, but Tony just put his finger to his lips and addressed FRIDAY, "Put him through."

"Stark, we have a problem!"

"Ah, please hold." Stark said before putting Ross on hold and turning to Kayla, "You think it's your hubby?"

She looked from Tony to the report in her hands, shrugging lightly, "I don't know." She murmured quietly before passing the paper over, "Not like I've heard from him."

"You haven't?" Stark asked, surprise lacing his voice. When Kayla shook her head, he stammered, "Well, I'm sure you will. I've seen the lengths that man has gone to in an effort to be with you. I'm sure he'll be back on your doorstep within a few days."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Kayla scoffed as she left, wondering if it really was Steve breaking into the Raft. She hoped so. She didn't want to imagine Wanda with a shock collar and Tiffany crying herself to sleep every night missing her husband. Maybe if Steve broke them out, he'd come collect Kayla and Tiffany. If he was going to live on the run, hopefully he'd at least take her with him.

When she got back to Steve's office, she saw that she had a call already on hold. Kayla hit the button and picked up the receiver slowly, "Hello?"

"Mrs. Rogers, are you aware of the whereabouts of your husband?"

"No." Kayla answered bluntly, sitting in the chair, "Let me guess, you think he broke into the Raft?"

Ross paused, seeming to consider how to respond, "Who else could take out two dozen guards and break out four heavily guarded prisoners without a trace?"

She shrugged, picking up a framed photo of her and Steve. She ran her thumb over his shield, missing her Captain America, "Nobody really. I hope he comes home."

"If he does, will I hear from you?"

"Perhaps, if it suits me." Kayla answered casually, picking up her cell to text Tiffany, "How about this, if he comes back, I'll work with your panel if you give him probation. A chance to redeem himself. If he doesn't agree, you can arrest him."

Once again, Ross didn't answer, and Kayla bit her lip as she imagined giving Steve the ultimatum, knocking some sense into his thick head, and getting their lives back on track. Finally, Ross answered, "I'll toss the idea around."

"That's all I ask. Have a nice day." She sing songed as she hung up the phone. Gazing at the photo, Kayla sighed, "Come home, darling. I can fix this."

Two Months Later

Kayla blew air out her lips as she pulled her hair up into a high pony tail. Everything hurt. Her feet. Her legs. Her arms. Her back. Oh, her back hurt like a bitch. She smoothed down the flowy blouse over her stomach, looking a little bigger than she'd been last time she'd seen Stark. She'd done well hiding her growing belly beneath her baggy clothes, but it was too hot for sweaters in mid-July. She turned to look at her profile, thankful her boobs had grown enough to push out the shirt, so her stomach was hidden as well as it could be. Maybe Tony would just think she'd gained weight. She'd been living with her best friend for two months while their husbands went AWOL. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that Kayla ate herself into a stupor in her sorrow.

She painted her lips cherry red and fluffed out her thick blonde hair, pausing when she pulled her hand away with a chunk of strands. Kayla studied the broken hairs, finding them brittle. She threw them away, then grabbed her keys from the hook near the front door. Before leaving, Kayla paused, looking down at the pair of Steve's boots still sitting by the front door. She'd considered putting them away a thousand times, but she kept hoping he'd show up at their door. If he showed up now, he'd take one look at Kayla and realize he was going to be a father, and he'd do anything and everything in his power to be a free man. Kayla knew this in her heart, believed it more than anything. Any day now, Steve would come home.

Tony's orange car sat in front of the compound, warning Kayla that she was running late. She picked up her pace, her thick heels clicking as she moved through the empty lobby of the compound up to the kitchen. The staff had been let go. The halls were empty. Only Vision and Rhodey remained full time, with Tony and Kayla checking in occasionally. For all intents and purposes, the Avengers were dead.

When Kayla peeked around the corner, she saw Tony pouring himself a cup of coffee. He smiled weakly at her, then did a double take as his eyes widened, "Are you... okay?"

"Nice to see you, too." Kayla chuckled, running her fingers through her ponytail and inadvertently pulling out more strands. She quickly shook her hand and let them fall to the floor before turning to Tony with a smile, "How are you? How's Pepper?"

"Still not with me."

"Well, that makes two of us single." She spat, passing him to open the fridge and peruse what little food Rhodey kept around, "Is Rhodey even eating? There's no food in here."

"Are you eating?" Tony asked, placing his hand on Kayla's shoulder. She stood, shooting him a piercing stare with dull green eyes. Tony patted her arm awkwardly, then backed up, "You look thin."

"Really?" Kayla asked sincerely, patting her stomach before throwing open the pantry, trying to multitask avoiding Tony while looking for a snack, "I feel like I've gained some weight."

"FRIDAY, do a vitals scan on Kayla."

"Excuse you!" Kayla hissed as she stood up straight, whipping around to face Tony as his bracelet scanned her quickly. She huffed and crossed her arms, causing her breasts to push up as she glared at the man. "I'm fine."

Tony's face paled as he threw up a holographic screen in front of him, "You're pregnant."

Kayla nodded slowly, trying to regain control of the situation, "Yes," she stated simply, "I'm aware."

The billionaire collapsed into a seat, staring wide-eyed at Kayla as she stood before him with her hands on her hips, "Does Cap know?"

"Nope. He was too busy evading you." Kayla took a seat across from Tony, "I never thought he'd be gone this long. I found out while they were away at Lagos." Tony closed his mouth and swallowed and Kayla continued, "I tried, you know, to tell him. But it was just one thing after another. And now he's gone. But I'm here, and I'm fine, and everything is going to be okay."

Tony leaned against his knees, looking over Kayla again, "You don't look great, Kay."

"That's rude."

"Have you been to the doctor?" Tony asked seriously and Kayla shook her head, "Why not?"

"I don't want anybody to know. I wanted to wait until Steve knew."

"Steve could be dead for all we know, you need to take care yourself! For God's sake, Kayla, are you out of your damn mind? I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

"No." She spat, standing and gripping a knife threateningly. She shook her head a little, then set it down, "Sorry, that was intense, but no, I'm not going. I don't want this to get out. Not yet."

Tony stood too to face the blonde, grabbing her arms to hold her still, "Can I at least bring someone here? Doctor Cho? That asshole who did your brain surgery? Let me help you."

She narrowed her eyes, shaking her head a little as she whispered, "Why? Why are you helping me?"

He pulled her into a rough hug, something Kayla had never experienced from Tony Stark. She pat his back awkwardly, stiff as a board. "It's my fault Cap isn't here. But I can try to find him."

Kayla cocked her head, pulling away to eye the man warily, "How?"

Tony swept out of the kitchen and Kayla struggled to keep up with him as he entered his office, throwing himself into his chair and pulling open a drawer to reveal an old flip phone, "He sent me this. After Siberia."

Kayla stared at the phone for a moment as a thousand thoughts raced through her head, but the predominant one was simple and she blurted, "Why didn't he leave me any way to get a hold of him?"

Stark realized his grave error when she turned and stormed away, wiping the tears from her eyes as she began to run. She made it halfway down the empty hallway before twisting her ankle and going down hard on her ass, sobbing louder as she wrapped her arms around her knees. She wished she could find the part of her that was still Katiana, cold, heartless, and level-headed, but her mind was clearly a pile of mush because her husband didn't want her to find him.

"Mrs. Rogers?" Vision appeared through the wall, quickly kneeling beside the woman, "What's wrong?"

"I- Ste- he... oh." She stammered, dropping her head into her arms as Tony appeared, holding his cell in his hand. Vision looked to Stark for some sort of answer, but the man just held his fist to his mouth, looking over his shoulder nervously until the sound of squeaky tennis shoes alerted them to somebody else's presence.

It was Tiffany Wilson who slowed to a stop before throwing herself on the ground beside Kayla and cradling her in her arms, "Shhh, what's wrong? What happened?" She looked up at Tony with so much fury he actually cowered, "What did you do?"

"I realized she was pregnant. She's not doing well, look at her!" Tony yelled, gesturing to Kayla as she leaned her head into the crook of Tiffany's neck, "Steve left me a way to call him. I assumed you two knew where they were and were keeping tight lipped about it."

"Give me the phone, Stark!" Tiffany reached up, making a grabbing motion with her hand as Tony looked at the flip phone in his palm, "Now!"

"No."

They all looked to Kayla in surprise as she sniffled and wiped snot on the back of her hand. She shook a little, still hungry and tired, but more angry than anything. She allowed Vision to pull her to her feet, then shook her head down at Tiffany, "Don't call him. He doesn't deserve to be here."

"Kayla... he's your husband. You don't mean that." Tiffany tried to reason with her, but she just turned away, biting her lip until she felt blood against her tongue, "Kay, look at me, this is his child, too. I get that they abandoned us, but we both know it wasn't that simple. We've talked about this." Tiffany grabbed Kayla's hand, realizing it was more bony than usual, "Stark's right, though. You aren't doing well. You're sick."

"I don't want him here."

"Kayla, he didn't leave you because he didn't want to be with you, he left because Stark forced his hand." Tiffany argued, glaring up at Stark from under her lashes, "I bet you anything that if he had a pardon, he'd come home. He doesn't want to drag you down with him."

"How do you know?" Kayla asked quietly, studying Tiffany as her hands began to shake, "Have you heard from them?"

"I heard from Sam. He wrote me a letter. Didn't even sign it, but know it's from him." She replied weakly, looking to Stark, "He didn't say where they were. Just that they were out, and that he hoped by staying away I'd be safe." She wiped her own tears before grabbing Kayla's hands, "It's shitty. I know, because I'm right here with you, but you have to take care of yourself. Steve doesn't know. I'm sure he thinks that you're here and that you're laying low and that you're strong enough to take care of yourself for a little while. Can you prove him right, or not?"

With a loud huff, Kayla nodded, "Fine. I'll see the doctor, but they have to come here. I don't want this to get out yet."

Tiffany nodded, looking to Stark to find him staring at the flip phone, "You okay?"

"Barnes killed my parents. Rogers almost killed me. I'm fucking pissed, but I don't want to see her get hurt anymore than he's already hurt her." Tony looked to Kayla, finding her eyes as cold and bitter as he felt. "You're right, we're both alone, and its all my fault, but I'm not gonna call that bastard. He doesn't deserve you."

"That's not your call to make." Tiffany said evenly, but Tony responded by sliding the phone into his pocket and throwing his arms to the side, "I kinda think it is."

"One thing at a time." Kayla mumbled, leaning against Vision as her stomach rumbled, "Right now I could go for some dinner."

Three days later, Kayla was set up in the medical bay with Doctor Cho taking blood samples. Kayla had briefly met Cho in the past, but didn't know her well enough to gauge just how worried she was. Sandra sat beside Kayla while Tiffany leaned against the wall behind, watching intently as the doctor tapped away on her tablet.

Finally, Cho looked up to Kayla and smiled sadly, "The baby looks fine. They seem to be developing quickly, which could be a result of Captain Rogers' serum. That said..." She paused, looking over to Sandra and Tiffany before delivering the blow, "the baby needs more from you than you can naturally give."

Kayla tilted her head, shaking a little as she blinked slowly, "I don't- I don't understand."

"Steve's metabolism burned four times faster than the average human's, it stands to reason that his child's will be at least half that, but potentially as much as him. You're constantly hungry, right?"

"Always."

"Because they are devouring everything you give them, and it's still not enough. They are sucking the nutrients out of your body, it's why your hair and nails are so brittle." Cho turned the tablet around so Kayla could see her own vitals, noting how several of the bars were in the red.

She took a deep breath, holding her stomach tightly, "What do I need to do? If they need more than I can give them... what can I even do?"

"I don't know." Doctor Cho answered softly, picking up a remote and causing a hologram to appear in front of Kayla. It was an ultrasound, the first she'd seen. Her heart fluttered, but Cho's words broke her away from her happiness, "The baby is healthy now, but I'm not sure how long that'll last. For now, eat as much as you can, conserve your energy. We'll figure something out. It might be a case of stimulating birth early to get them out."

Kayla furrowed her brows, tilting her head curiously, "Will they survive that? It's only been three months."

"I'm not sure you'll survive if we don't." Cho answered cautiously, then handed Kayla the remote. "I'll give you guys some time to discuss. I'm going to go over my findings with Mr. Stark."

Nodding back the tears just long enough to wait for Cho to leave the room, Kayla broke down sobbing shortly after. Sandra crawled onto the bed and rocked her daughter back and forth while Tiffany appeared on the other side to stroke her head, "It's okay, Baby. We're gonna figure something out."

"I don't want them to die." Kayla sobbed into Sandra's chest, feeling her whole world shatter around her, "I wish Steve were here. But Stark won't call him, and- and I don't know how to get a hold of him."

"We'll find him, Kay, I swear, we'll find him, and we'll bring him home." Tiffany promised, looking over to see Sandra crying softly against her daughter's head, "He's got the serum, he knows it better than anybody, maybe he'll have some ideas."

The serum.

Kayla froze for a moment, then carefully pried her way out of her mother's arms. "The serum. That's what they need, or, that's what I need." She looked to Tiffany, "Nobody knows the serum like I do. I have Erskine's book. I can recreate it, and then I can take it. And then I'll be able to keep the baby until it's full term. Nobody dies."

"Uh, Kay." Tiffany started, tapping her black nails against the metal table beside the bed, "You've been working on that serum for as long as I've known you. If you were able to recreate it, pretty sure you'd have done it by now."

"I mean, I did. I figured out the formula, I just never tested it. A little tweaking, a little research with Stark's resources, I can do it. I know I can." Kayla looked to her mother, seeing that Sandra was unimpressed with the plan, "I have to. What choice do I have?"

"The doctor had options. I'm not saying you should go with them, but, I think you should consider potential side effects. Who knows what taking an experimental serum will do to you, and to them. It's an idea, but, are you willing to take that risk?" Sandra questioned, leaning away to get a good look at her only daughter, "I already lost your father. I don't wanna lose you, too."

Kayla stood, grabbing onto the side of the bed for balance, "You won't. Because I'm going to succeed. I have everything I need. I created a serum, and an anti-serum for Hydra, I can do it again."

"Did they ever test it?" Tiffany asked as she fiddled with her wedding ring. When she realized Kayla was staring blankly, she asked, "What? That serum is a crap shoot. Sometimes you get Captain Sexy Ass and sometimes you get the Hulk. You sure you wanna roll that dice?"

"If that's what it takes, then yeah." Kayla answered easily, placing her hand on her stomach, "Order me a pizza or something, I'm heading to the lab to get set up. You know where my briefcase is Tiff? Under my bedstand?"

Tiffany groaned, "Yeah, I'll go get it, so you can have your stupid book. I think it could be easier to just steal the phone and call Steve. I stand by that. I'm gonna work on that."

"And I'm going to work on saving my child, all by myself."