Author's Notes: Thank you all for coming back and reading this story! I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted, but I hope you enjoy seeing this branch timeline fall into chaos.

Azuraskye21- Steve in this timeline is unpredictable. He isn't quite the man we know him as, because his journey has changed him, and will continue to change his mindset, but all I can say is this: the only way Steve and Kayla have a happy ending is if their kids can figure out how to stop Thanos from ripping through the very fabric of reality- No pressure, right?

Kyro232- Wouldn't put it past Ross to use Kayla as leverage, but he'll have a hell of a time trying to control her. Even on her deathbed, Kayla Rogers will never turn on her husband.

For the first time in three and a half years, Tiffany had to address the press on behalf of Kayla Ellis. She'd forgotten how blinding the camera flashes were when the press knew she'd be coming, and she forgot how overwhelming it was to have two dozen people scream at her for information Kayla didn't want her to give. She'd said her peace, all Tiffany had to do was ask for her privacy.

"Miss Ellis-" Kayla looked over her shoulder at Tiffany as she leaned against her mother, too proud to use her wheelchair in public. She shot Tiffany a threatening glare until the small woman amended, "Mrs. Rogers requests that you respect her privacy at this time. As stated in her interview this afternoon, she's going through a difficult situation, and needs to rest. If she decides to make another statement, you'll know."

The screaming followed them into the lobby of the Jefferson, but half a dozen Secret Servicemen accompanied the former First Lady and her daughter to ensure their safety as they made their way towards the elevator.

Once the doors of the elevator slide closed, Tiffany collapsed against the wall dramatically, throwing the back of her wrist against her forehead, "I haven't missed that at all! My gosh, you really gave them something to talk about, didn't you?"

Kayla shrugged, rubbing her rumbling stomach as she leaned her own back against the cool glass wall, "That was the point, wasn't it?"

"Not to tell them you were dying!" Tiffany gestured to Kayla, but Sandra just stared at her daughter blankly, having not said a word since they left the studio. Tiffany noticed Sandra's silence and prodded, "You okay, Mom?"

"Why would I be okay? My daughter just told the whole world she was most likely going to die. I already lost my husband. I don't want to lose my only child and grandchild, too."

"I'm not going to die. I'm going to figure it out. I just wanted to get a stir out of em." Kayla grumbled as the elevator doors opened and released them to their floor. As they slowly passed by a couple of young adults, she glared at the woman, noting the way she held her phone low, "If you're going to take my picture, at least make it a good one."

The woman quickly pocketed her phone and Kayla sighed, rubbing the back of her neck as she stretched her back, "I'm exhausted. I think I'm gonna head to bed."

Tiffany, who had been typing feverishly on her phone, stopped to lift her eyes to Kayla, "But you haven't had dinner yet?"

"I'll order up some room service, I kinda just want to be alone." Kayla admitted as she pulled out her room key before dropping her purse on the ground. With a loud groan, she tried to bend over and reach it, but Sandra scooped it up and handed it over before her daughter could collapse on the ground. Kayla smiled weakly, "Thanks."

"Get some rest, Darling." Sandra's voice broke, and Kayla wondered if her mother truly believed she was going to die. She was starting to wonder if she believed it herself.

With a nod, Kayla excused herself into her hotel room. She dropped her purse and phone on the dresser before waddling over to the window. She opened the shades, looking out over D.C. Not so long ago, this had been her home, and she wondered if she should move down here to be closer to her mother. Tiffany had little reason to stay in New York without Sam, so she'd probably join. Now that the news of her pregnancy was out, the best doctors in the world could help her come up with some solution, but Kayla wondered if they'd think like Doctor Strange, and not want to risk their career on a botched surgery of such a high profile patient.

She drew her brows suddenly, realizing that she'd left the curtains open when she left for her interview that morning. She'd requested that the maid service didn't come, meaning somebody else had been in her room.

Her back stiffened, and the hairs on her neck stood up as she slowly turned around, seeing a shadowy figure emerge from the closet near the door, just out of reach of the subtle light filtering through the window. Her heart began to pound when she realized her phone was closer to the intruder than her, and she reached for the steak knife nestled against the plate that had held her dinner the night before. Kayla quickly threw the knife towards the trespasser, but they caught it in their hand, letting it clatter to the ground before stepping into the light.

Kayla's knees buckled and she started to fall, but before she hit the ground she was lifted off of it and placed on the bed. Her head was spinning, and her heart was thudding so loud she couldn't tell if the person was talking to her. She blinked slowly, trying to focus her vision, but she was moments away from passing out when two strong hands grabbed either side of her jaw and held her steady.

"Kay?"

She lifted one shaky hand to touch the left hand holding her face, feeling the cool metal of his wedding ring as he repeated worriedly, "Kay, it's me. It's Steve."

"Steve?" She bleat, leaning forward to collapse against his shoulders, holding him tightly as she began to sob, "I thought you were dead."

His massive, calloused hand ran up and down the back of her velvet dress, soothing his wife as she cried into his dirty uniform. His blonde hair had grown shaggy, and he sported a thick beard that hid his features, but Kayla knew it was her husband beneath the dirt and the caked blood. She grabbed his shoulders and pushed away, looking him in the eye as he knelt at the foot of the bed, gazing up at her with dull blue eyes that looked broken. She imagined she looked similar, "Where have you been?" He stood, towering over Kayla. She'd forgotten how big Steve was. She'd forgotten what it was like to be held by him and loved by him. For half a year, Kayla was alone, and now Steve had to explain himself for abandoning her, "You promised you'd come back."

"I'm late." Steve choked out, locking his eyes onto Kayla's stomach, "I didn't know."

"You left Tony a phone, but I didn't even get so much as a letter."

"I didn't want you to get dragged into it. I wanted to protect you."

"My husband is a wanted criminal, I'm pretty into it." Kayla bit back, feeling her shock turn into fiery anger, "Are you going to leave again?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" Kayla wobbled a little, feeling the room begin to spin, "If you aren't here to stay, then get the fuck out. I'm not waiting for you any longer. I've waited enough. We've waited enough."

Steve loosened the neckline of his suit, then ripped off his gloves and tossed them on the floor. Kayla huffed as she stood, feeling the room spin wildly as she grabbed onto the dresser to steady herself, "I'm going to pee. If you disappear by the time I get out, I'll pretend I never saw you. Keep an eye on the news to figure out what happens to your kid." She slammed the bathroom door and locked it, turning on the sink so she couldn't hear him leave.

She looked in the mirror, wondering what the great Captain America thought of his wife now, with her pale, taut skin and her brittle hair and her sunken features. Part of Kayla wished he had been dead, because it was easier to forgive a dead man than the greasy, disheveled criminal who was outside the door. He had no right to show up here, worried about her, wanting to take care of her. He didn't deserve to know the child he abandoned, and he sure as hell didn't have the right to lay by her side if he was going to leave again. But the little, weak voice in the back of Kayla's mind reminded her that she loved him despite all his flaws, just as he did with her.

Am I really just going to let him walk away?

Kayla thrust open the door, looking around in fear that Steve had actually left. She stumbled into the hotel room, finding Steve sitting on the edge of the bed in his undershirt and pants. His boots had been discarded, along with the outer layer of his top. Kayla shook her head as she approached, smiling when she reached for his bearded cheeks, "You getting comfortable?"

"Will you let me stay?" He quietly asked as he grabbed her wrists, keeping her hands on his face. Kayla nodded, so he added, "Then I'm not going anywhere." He leaned his cheek into her palm, gazing up at Kayla lovingly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

Kayla released his face and grabbed both of his hands, moving them down to her stomach. She watched as he stroked her, as if the baby inside her was as fragile as she was. He looked dumbstruck, and Kayla's voice broke as she said, "Daddy's home."

At her words, Steve began to cry, and he leaned forward to press a kiss to Kayla's belly as she carded her fingers through his messy hair, "Shhh, you're okay. You're here now. For the moment." When he looked up at her sadly, Kayla forced a weak smile, seeing clearly how badly Steve wanted to be there, but he couldn't. "If you stay, you'll be arrested."

"I'm not going to leave you two. I'll do whatever it takes to be here for you both." He rubbed her stomach through her dress, keeping his eyes locked on hers, "I'm not going anywhere. Never again."

He stood abruptly and pulled Kayla's mouth to his, kissing her hungrily as he reached behind her and unzipped her dress. Steve shoved it down her shoulders before carefully sliding it over her bump to the floor. "Sit down." He ordered, and Kayla dropped onto the bed, allowing Steve to kneel and rip off her flats before tugging his undershirt over his head.

"When was the last time you showered?"

"Last week. In a river." Steve grunted, unzipping his pants and shoving them over his hips, "Why? You wanna shower with me?"

"I'm six months pregnant, and your super spawn is literally draining everything I have." Kayla answered, pressing her fingers against Steve's bare ribcage to keep him at bay, "You broke the law in over one hundred countries, broke Wanda and Sam out of prison, and tried to kill Tony. We aren't having sexy time. I'm dying, and my husband has been on the run half the year, so I think you should calm the fuck down."

Despite her attempts to keep him away, Steve leaned forward, caging in Kayla with his arms as he kissed her. He leaned his head against hers, feeling her clammy, cold skin against his forehead, "I just want to be close to you. I messed up again."

"Did you stop the super soldiers?"

"They were already dead when we got there?"

"Is Bucky somewhere safe?"

"Yes, in Wakanda. King T'Challa granted him asylum. They believe they can remove the Winter Soldier programming."

Kayla nodded a little as she leaned back on her arms, shaking from trying to hold her own weight, "Then why were you gone so long?"

Steve's response was to swallow hard and try to kiss her again, but Kayla turned her head, denying him her affection until he gave her his answer. "I didn't want you to look at me like a criminal. I did what was right, but I heard they got you on the panel for the UN. I wasn't sure you'd forgive me."

"If you did what was right, you should have known I'd forgive you." Kayla countered, finally moving her arms to collapse onto the bed as Steve hovered over her, "You didn't give me enough credit, and I took that job in hopes of helping you. But you didn't come back. There are no more Avengers to govern. You just left me- and them- because you were scared. Now you come back expecting everything to be fine?"

"I don't expect it to be fine, I expect it to be hard, but worth it." He leaned all his weight on his right hand so he could stroke her stomach with his left. "What do you need?"

"Super Soldier Serum."

Steve pushed away from Kayla, backing away to lean against the dresser across from the bed. Kayla stared up at the ceiling, wondering how long it would take for Steve to disagree with her.

"No."

Six seconds. One for every month Kay spent without her husband. She sat up, shrugging and letting out a dry laugh, "No? Really? You're gonna tell me no after abandoning me for half a year and leaving me to die?"

Steve crossed his arms and puffed out his chest, looking defensive as he stared out the window in time to see the city lights begin to illuminate the world outside, "That's not fair-"

"It's not?" Kayla interrupted, "You could have sent me a phone. You could have shot me a text or left me a letter. Hell, you could have had me meet you anywhere in the world, but you decided to just... not. You don't get any say in what happens to us now. If we die, it's because of your inaction."

"The serum isn't the answer, you know how dangerous it is. We've talked about this a thousand times, it rarely works!" Steve met Kayla's green eyes, hating how sad and lifeless they looked. "There has to be another way-"

"Doctor Cho suggested three months ago that I stimulate early birth and basically abort them, because their metabolism is too fast for me to keep up with. I, obviously, said no. So Stark and I have been working on a serum. No dice. Let me study you. A blood sample should be enough for me to figure out what I'm missing."

"You've already figured out the formula. If you want it so bad, do it without me."

Kayla rolled her eyes dramatically and let out a loud groan, "You think I want it? You think I haven't thought about the effects on my body and mind? I'm doing this to save our child, Steve, because the half of them that is you is killing me. This isn't a gift, it's a sacrifice, and if you don't help me, you're choosing to let us die..." Kayla twisted her mouth and sighed, standing to open up her briefcase and grabbing a piece of paper that she shoved at Steve before needing to sit again, "Last will and testament. My mom doesn't even know I had our family lawyer validate it."

Steve's brows furrowed as his eyes scanned the paper, and his gaze shot up, "You're giving the doctors permission to let you die if they can save the baby?"

"It's not their fault that I'm not... strong enough." Kayla cringed, hating her own words. She looked down and rubbed her stomach, smiling sadly, "Steve, we can have everything we've ever dreamed of. We can even run away once the baby is born, but I need the serum. There is no other way. If you'd been here earlier, maybe we would have done something different, but it's too late now."

He sat beside Kayla, grabbing her hands in his and looking down as he played with her wedding ring between his fingers, "I'm just scared that it'll be wrong."

"It won't be. I'm not wrong. I'm just missing something. That's why I need you. Just one little blood sample, and I can have a working serum that rivals Erskine's."

"What if it effects the baby?"

"Does what? Makes them more super soldiery? Honey, that ship has sailed." Kayla chuckled. She winced before shifting Steve's hands to sit on her stomach, "Do you feel them kicking? I'm surprised they haven't summersaulted right out."

She saw the corner of Steve's mouth turn up beneath his thick beard, and he laughed lightly, "They're excited."

"Wonder why." Kayla deadpanned, but she smiled nonetheless. "Come on baby, just a teeny bit of serum. Just enough to get me through the next three months. I can even make an anti-serum to remove it if it would make you feel better."

"No." Steven replied quietly as he rubbed Kayla's stomach with one hand and raked his fingers through her delicate hair with the other, "If you're gonna take it, I don't wanna risk something going wrong twice. If it works, and you're okay, then that's all that matters."

She sighed as she rested her head on Steve's shoulder, feeling whole for the first time in months, "So, what now?"

"You get your blood sample. You make your serum. We get you fixed up."

"And you?"

"Doesn't matter." Steve said easily. He tipped Kayla's chin up so he could kiss her quickly, "If I get arrested, you'll visit me, right?"

Kayla managed to wiggle herself up to her pillow before gesturing for Steve to cover her with the blanket. Once she was comfortable, she shrugged, "Maybe. Maybe after six months."

The large man climbed up beside Kayla, snuggling under the covers as she scrunched up her nose, "Do I stink? Just wait till I've been in prison."

"If you want to sleep with us, you better shower." Kayla teased, grabbing his cheek to stroke his beard, "You're not gonna run away in the night, are you?"

He answered by kissing Kay deeply, holding the back of her neck to keep her close, "I'll be here in the morning."

"Good. Then you can shower now and we'll sleep in." Kayla winked and pushed Steve away by the face. "I love you."

"I love you more than anything, and I'm so sorry. I'll make this right. I swear on my life, Kay-"

"Shower and then tell me how you'll make it up to me." Kayla yawned, nuzzling her face against her pillow. She was too pregnant to be so angry, sad, and frustrated. Maybe after a decent night's sleep, she'd be ready to harass Steve about his absence some more. He rolled off the bed, and Kayla watched Steve walk away, studying the slope of his shoulders and the curve of his slim waist as he walked toward the bathroom. The idea that Steve might actually stay took Kayla's breath away.

After a few minutes, Steve emerged from the steamy bathroom while shoving his long hair away from his face, "I haven't had a hot shower in months."

"Could have come home." Kayla retorted as he climbed back into bed. She buried his face against his collarbone and sighed loudly, "Much better."

Steve danced his fingertips along Kayla's shoulder blades before trailing the length of her spine, feeling how bony and weak she felt. He'd do anything to help her tomorrow, but for tonight, Steve just wanted to enjoy her company. He closed his eyes and kissed her brow, "Goodnight, Kay." A moment went by, and she didn't respond, and Steve slung his arm over her and pulled her close enough to feel her weak breath on his chest to make sure she was breathing. He closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep.

An hour later, a loud thunk was heard against the hotel wall, and Steve bolted upright, turning towards the sound as Kayla groaned, "What is it?"

Steve narrowed his gaze, hearing another loud thud before smirking, "You don't happen to know who's staying next door?"

"It's Tiffany."

He nodded, crawling back under the covers and snuggling up to Kayla again, "Makes sense. Sam tagged along."