Steve had no ill will toward escalators. They were a perfectly acceptable invention that helped move people between floors quickly, often more efficiently than elevators. That being said, Steve didn't have patience for Kayla's insistence of riding the escalator up to his exhibit in the Air and Space Museum today.

He stood at the top of the escalator with his hands on his hips, looking down as Kayla tapped away on her cell phone, a bright red baseball cap pulled low over her face as her wavy hair popped out through the hole in the back. Although nobody stood in front of her, Kayla made no effort to hurry, even though she only had four minutes to make it to her meeting on time.

"You're going to be late." Steve deadpanned as Kayla reached the upper level. She looked up at him, then down to her phone, then back up to Steve expectantly, a shit eating grin growing on her face as she took a few steps to the right and hopped on the escalator going back down to the main floor.

"I've got four minutes to kill." She called as she started moving away from him, seeing the vein in Steve's neck bulging before quickly going back to her texting.

Steve pulled his own baseball cap farther down and moved into the exhibit, leaving his girlfriend to amuse herself. He didn't realize she was texting Tiffany about the grant she was giving to the VA, and she needed a few more minutes to finish up. Kayla knew Steve hated when she walked around with her eyes glued to her phone screen, so if she needed to work, she'd find some way to stand in one place and finish what she'd started. If the opportunity to annoy Steve while working presented itself, Kayla always chose that option.

Captain America kept his head down as he walked past a massive mural of his own face, feeling self conscious as he looked around at all the people gawking at the story of his life. He noticed a family playing next to a changing display, showing a life-sized simulation of him before the serum, and then it shifted to show him after it. The dad lifted up his son, dressed in a Captain America costume, and he showed how he was taller than Captain America.

The scene made Steve smile softly, a quick image of him and Kayla with a child of their own flashing through his mind. He was about to continue on when he noticed a young boy in a Captain America shirt staring up at him in wonder. Steve smiled at the boy and lifted his finger to his lips, asking the child to keep his presence a secret, and the boy just nodded with his jaw open in a daze.

Steve moved farther into the exhibit, studying a replica of his motorcycle from 1944 beside footage of him storming the beach in front of Allied troops. He had never gotten the chance to really look at his own exhibit, having spent his last several visits doing photo shoots and interviews. His presence always drew a crowd, and it had been too busy for him to really enjoy, so Steve always requested to leave as soon as he was able to.

Today though, nobody seemed to realize they were in the company of the 'Living Legend' himself, so Steve was finally allowed to see what the world really knew about him.

Faceless mannequins wore the Howling Commandos' uniforms in a massive display, with Captain America in the center as their leader. A mural of the team in front of an American flag loomed behind the exhibit, taking up the whole wall and making Steve feel incredibly small and insignificant. Captain America was larger than life, but Steve Rogers was just a man. Without the moniker, Steve was just a man who didn't belong anymore. Maybe he never did.

Looking around the crowded room, Steve noticed a glass display about Bucky, and he was drawn to it like a moth to flame. He scanned the information, but he stared at the photo, getting lost in the detail and hating how it was almost fuzzy. There would never be a clear photo of his best friend for him to keep.

"I'll have them change the year at the top. Not sure how they managed to mess that up." Kayla said softly from behind Steve, and he looked closer to see what she was talking about, chuckling to himself when he realized they'd put two different birth dates for Bucky.

"Mistakes happen."

"That's not good enough." Kayla grumbled, crossing her arms as she sidled up next to Steve, "Especially for him."

Steve looked over his shoulder at his girl, seeing how determined she looked, "It's made of glass. I'm sure it took a long time. Maybe they had conflicting information-"

"I don't care, they'll do it again." Kayla looked up, meeting his gaze. He smiled at her, but she kept her frustrated scowl as she looked at the display again, "The rest is good."

"It is. I think it's really nice." Steve said quietly as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "Is your meeting already done?"

"Yeah. You've been here for almost an hour." Kayla answered, not looking away from the glass, "I finished a while ago, but you looked really focused."

"We can go if you want?"

"We have nowhere to go." Kayla answered, finally looking back at Steve. She smiled weakly, "It's kind of nice to be... undercover." She teased, lowering her neck so her shoulders rose tensely.

Steve pulled out his right hand and rested it against Kayla's hip. He watched the film clips of Bucky and him during the war, rubbing his thumb against her side. "I really miss him."

Kayla leaned her head against his side, watching his sad expression as he watched the silent videos, "I know." She looked over her shoulder to the small theater that showed interviews with those who had worked with Steve, "You want to go watch the video?"

Steve chuckled and Kayla lowered her head, as if to ask him what was funny, "I'm not sure." He told her softly, but she tugged him gently, pulling him toward the theater. Steve went rigid as the movie played, feeling the air in his chest leave him as he saw Howard Stark speaking on the screen. Kayla led him to the bench in the back, so they could be alone, and gazed at him as he watched the movie, swallowing hard every once in a while as everyone spoke about him.

Suddenly Kayla's breath hitched and she cleared her throat, "I'm gonna run to the bathroom." She patted Steve's hand and stood, sliding out of the back row to the exit the theater. Steve smiled as he watched her go, until a familiar voice ripped his attention back to the screen.

His eyes widened at the sight of her. Her familiar voice made the hairs on the back of Steve's neck stand up, and he leaned forward to get a better look at her features as she spoke about how Steve had changed her life.

Peggy.

Kayla peaked into the theater, seeing how entranced Steve looked. She knew what she was doing when she chose to leave. She'd seen the video before. She'd watched it several times, and she knew when Steve actually sat and watched it through, that it would take him back to the life he was meant to have. A life before, and without, Kayla.

She lowered her head and pulled away from the theater, adjusting the baseball cap on her head as she started walking toward the restrooms. She tilted her head to the right when she heard loud whispering, sniffling as she scanned the three teenage girls gossiping.

"Are you... Kayla Ellis?" One of them finally asked and Kayla sighed, nodding and raising her head bravely before giving a perfect smile.

"In the flesh."

The other two girls gasped and the first girl reached out and grabbed one of their arms, "Is Captain America here?"

Kayla felt her eye twitch as she tried to hold back her tears, shaking her head, "No, he's away." She gestured around, sniffling again, "That's why I'm here. I miss him."

"Ohhhh!" The girls cooed in unison, looking at Kayla dreamily, "That is so sweet!"

Kayla's mouth curved into a gentle smile and one of the girls asked if they could take a picture. Kayla nodded, "Yeah, of course!" She squeaked out, knowing her insecurities appeared as loneliness to the girls, only making her more interesting in their eyes. The first girl pulled out her phone and the three leaned around Kayla as she tilted up her hat and beamed at the camera. They pulled away and she hugged each of them before bidding them goodbye, but by this point other visitors had realized who was here.

When Steve emerged from the theater, he realized the crowd had subsided significantly and camera flashes were erupting from near the entrance to the exhibit. He looked around, realizing Kayla was nowhere to be found, which told him exactly who the crowd was gathered around. Steve pulled out his phone to find a text from Kayla.

I told everyone you're out of town on a mission. Meet you at the bike?

He pulled his hat farther down over his face and quickly pushed through the crowd, sneaking a glance to the left to see Kayla posing with people in front of the Captain America mural. She caught a glimpse of him and smiled, tossing her head toward the escalator to tell him to leave, saving him from the same fate as her. Both Steve and Kayla knew that was her world, he'd done his time in the spotlight in the forties, she'd take the bullet for him now.

About twenty minutes later, Kayla wandered out of the museum to the parking deck, finding Steve leaning against his bike with his phone in his hand. Kayla wouldn't have recognized him with his face glued to the screen, and she knew that's why he did it. She couldn't put it past Steve to not actually be looking at anything, just using it as a distraction to keep his identity a secret.

"Hey stranger." Kayla called softly as she approached.

Steve looked up from his phone and slid it into his pocket, "Wait, are you Kayla Ellis?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Kayla mumbled as she walked straight into his arms, rubbing his back with unbridled affection in the parking lot. "You ready to go home?"

"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could go get dinner first?" Steve suggested, swinging his leg over his bike and waiting for Kayla to hop on behind him. She leaned against his back as he unhooked her helmet, humming over his shoulder.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well," Steve started as she hooked the helmet over her face and pushed up the visor to hear him, "Since we're doing such a great job of staying incognito, maybe we could go somewhere casual."

"I can't tell if you're mocking me or being serious." Kayla deadpanned and Steve just smirked, grabbing her hands against his stomach and holding her tightly as he tore out of the parking garage.

He drove them a few blocks away and parked outside of a boring looking office building. Kayla narrowed her eyes, unsure where her boyfriend was taking her for dinner. He carefully pulled her hands apart and pat her leg. "Alright, just have to walk to the entrance."

"I don't see any food here." Kayla snapped and Steve laughed as he took her helmet and secured it to his handle bars.

"Come on. Keep your cap low."

Kayla scowled and did as she was told, pulling the bill of her hat farther over her face to hide her identity. She looked at the ground as they walked hand in hand until Steve stopped. She lifted her head and gasped when she realized where Steve had brought her, "Really?"

"Anything for my best girl." Steve said as he pressed a kiss to Kayla's cheek. He laughed loudly as her jaw hung open in amazement, "You gonna be okay? We can go somewhere else-"

"No. No, I've waited years for this. We're going in." Kayla barked back, never taking her eyes off of the golden arches adorning the doorway to the McDonald's.

Once inside, Kayla's wonder and joy illuminated her hidden features so brightly she could have been a neon light. Steve watched her, not really caring what he ate, because he'd eat again at home. But he'd seen how despondent she looked taking photos with everyone. Bathed in attention, she looked forlorn and rejected, but fast food made her light up like a Christmas tree.

"I'd like a ten piece chicken McNugget with a Coke and large fries. Could I also get a Bic Mac?" Kayla rattled, eyes saucers as she stared at the menu. The worker behind the counter looked at her curiously and Steve put his finger to his lips, as he had done with the child, pleading the woman not to draw any attention to the happy woman. She nodded with a knowing smile, putting in their order and handing Steve a paper slip after he paid with cash.

Kayla practically floated over to a table near the play area, and Steve drew his brows as she shrugged, "I like to watch them have fun. I was never allowed in one of these."

"I'd say you could go in this one, but I'm going to draw the line here. That looks more dangerous than Nazi Germany." Steve muttered and Kayla chuckled into the palm of her hand as she leaned against the table, watching a couple of kids go down the slide. "You want some?"

Kayla looked up at Steve in surprise, "Kids?" She asked, considering this for a moment. They'd talked about marriage and their future, but they hadn't breached the subject of having a family yet. "I- I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. We haven't talked about it."

"Well, we're talking about it now." Steve told her softly and she shifted in her plastic seat. "I mean, we don't have to-"

"No, no we should! I mean," Kayla looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully and the worker brought their tray of food out to them. "Thank you so much!" Kayla chirped, popped open her chicken nuggets and began to stuff her face, humming happily before continuing her thought, "We should probably talk about it, right?"

Steve smiled weakly, unwrapping his own burger, "I'd like kids. One or two. I never knew my father, and I want to know what it's like."

"We could get a dog?" Kayla suggested through a mouthful of french fries, "We could start with a dog, and see how we feel from there."

"Dogs are good. We could get a dog." Steve agreed, seeing Kayla was uncomfortable with the topic, "Kay, you can be honest with me, if you don't want kids-"

"It's not that I don't want them, I'm just not ready to be a mom yet." Kayla rambled, grabbing her drink and sipping it quickly, "I mean, I don't think I'm in a place to be a good mom. And you're gone a lot. I don't want to do it alone."

"You wouldn't have to." Steve promised, grabbing her free hand, "I swear, if we do get to that point, I'll make sure I'm around as much as possible."

"Would you give it up?" Kayla whispered, looking up at his blue eyes hidden beneath the brim of his cap, "Would you give up Cap for us to have a family?"

"In a heartbeat." Steve told her without hesitation and she quivered a little. He stroked her knuckles softly and she used her other hand to shove another two chicken nuggets into her mouth so she couldn't respond to him. He chuckled, seeing her ploy, "We aren't anywhere near that, Kay. You can take all the time you need. It's not like I'll be a century old within the next five years or anything..."

"Shut up!" Kayla mumbled loudly, swatting his arm, "Don't remind me, old man! Cradle robber." Kayla hissed teasingly and Steve tossed a French fry into his mouth. "Isn't it a little early to talk about kids? We've barely talked about marriage."

"But we have talked about it." Steve corrected and Kayla blushed, her lips twisting to the side in a coy smile. "Would you marry me?"

"Are you proposing to me in a McDonald's?" Kayla laughed and Steve paled, shaking his head violently which only made her laugh louder, causing a couple of patrons to look their way. Steve shushed her and she ducked her head, but her smile didn't fall, "Perhaps. If I feel like it." She said tauntingly and Steve knew that was as close of a yes as he'd get until he got down on one knee. Kayla would never promise herself to him until he had a ring for her finger.

"Well, we'll see if I feel like marrying you." Steve answered as Kayla unwrapped her burger, looking up at him from under her lashes with a knowing smile. Steve remembered her quick departure from the movie earlier and his demeanor turned serious, "Did you leave because of Peggy?"

"Hmmm?" Kayla hummed through her burger, playing dumb in an attempt to avoid the conversation.

"Kay..." Steve trailed off, clasping his hands together in front of him as he leaned on the table, "Talk to me."

Kayla groaned, grinding her molars together after swallowing her bite. "Honey, I don't know what to tell you. I knew you'd get that look... the Peggy Carter look. It's the look you get when you imagine what your life could have been had you not crashed into the ice, when you imagine what happened to all your friends and wish you could have been there. I don't blame you. I'm not upset with you. But I can't compete with the past... So it's easier to try and stay out of it. I can be your present, and she can be your past and we can just call it what it is, two separate lives."

Steve tilted his head and smiled sadly, "Then what's my future?"

"Whatever you want it to be." Kayla answered quickly, wadding up her garbage from her burger and putting it in her empty chicken nuggets container. "Maybe it's me. Maybe it's somebody else. Maybe it's just being Captain America, the only thing that hasn't changed between your lifetimes."

"I know what my future holds. I'm looking right at it." Steve said confidently, but Kayla didn't look too convinced, "I love you. I brought you to McDonald's."

At that, Kayla burst into giggles, which pushed the watery tears from her eyes as she gestured around the restaurant, "If this isn't true love, I don't know what is."

"Be patient with me. I'll make it worth your while." Steve promised as he took her hand, then grabbed the try of trash with the other. "Do you want to go home?"

"Let's go for a walk. It's beautiful out tonight. We can walk around the National Mall." Kayla suggested, leaning up to press a kiss to Steve's jaw. "A slow walk."

"If we go too slow, I'll just carry you." Steve teased after dumping the garbage, quickly scooping Kayla up and pushing open the door with his back.