Possible Trigger Warning- read at your own risk.

When the leaves began to change colors, Kayla told Steve she was ready to go. She knew the world outside of their little retreat was vastly different than the one she remembered, but she was ready to find her new place in the world, and start her life with Steve.

One evening after dinner, Kayla popped open the window by the sink to let the fall breeze inside the cabin as she rinsed the dishes. Steve sat at the table, reading over the training reports Natasha had sent him from the new Avengers Campus. Tony had officially retired. Clint went home to be with his family. Thor had left in search of more Infinity Stones. Banner was yet to show up. Natasha was holding down the fort by herself, and she was chomping at the bit to have Steve return and help her train the new recruits. Over the past two months, Wanda had made some great progress, and apparently bonded with Vision during training. Sam was shaping up to be a valued member of the team, and Rhodey even turned up on occasion to train alongside the new Avengers. Natasha claimed, though, that the team needed their Captain.

"How are they?" Kayla asked over her shoulder while she dried their plates. Steve looked up expectedly and Kayla nodded towards the tablet, "The Avengers, how are they doing? They miss you?"

"Yeah." He said quietly, turning off the screen to give Kayla his full attention, "I don't miss them."

"Well that's rude. I do." Kayla teased as she tossed the rag over her shoulder and walked over to Steve. She draped her hands over his shoulders and leaned against him to rest her chin on the top of his head, "Have you talked to any of them about our plans?"

A low hum sounded from his throat, telling Kayla her answer, but she waited to see if Steve would elaborate on his reasoning for keeping the others in the dark. He reached for her arms to hold her against him, "I wasn't sure if you wanted me to. I didn't want to talk to the team until I was sure you'd made your decision."

Kayla leaned away to look down at Steve and run her fingers through his hair with a gentle smile, "We've talked about this at length. I don't need a big wedding. I just want to marry you. My dad isn't around to walk me down the isle. I was missing for a year. I don't want our day to be a spectacle. Natasha says Stark is ordained, apparently, he could officiate. As long as I have Tiffany and Wanda, and Mom, and your friends, I've got everything I need." He offered her a grim smile and she grabbed onto his cheeks, "I don't even need a white dress and a cake, I just want to marry you."

"I want a cake." Steve argued as he finally broke a smile, "And I want you to have a white dress. I want you to have everything you could dream of."

She lowered her head and sighed and he leaned his head against her chest, "What I wanted once upon a time isn't possible anymore. I'm not that girl. I just want you and our family." He tilted his face up and she noticed how sad he looked, realizing how desperately he wanted to give her more. "How about I get a white dress, and we get a big cake, and have a small party? That way you won't feel so sad about eloping, but we don't get the press of a big wedding?"

"I'd love that." Steve told her, reaching up to kiss her, "I love you."

"I love you, too." She whispered, sitting on Steve's lap to get comfortable as she deepened their kiss. He held the back of her neck to keep her steady, but she was rough with his lips as she moaned into him, causing him to chuckle and pull away, "Easy does it."

"No." She grunted and kissed him again, snaking her hand under his shirt to run the pads of her fingers against his sharp abs, "I know we haven't tried to have sex again, but I've been thinking a lot about it."

"We aren't in any hurry."

"I know," She murmured, then kissed him quickly before starting again, "But I was wondering if you'd be willing to talk through it with me. I don't trust talking to anybody else. I don't want anyone else to know."

Steve pulled away to look in her eyes, but she wanted to keep making out, "I'll do whatever you need."

"I want to talk about it while we have sex."

"What?" Steve finally pulled away to have this conversation seriously, "You want to tell me what they did to you... while I-"

"Yes." Kayla said bluntly, getting off of Steve's lap and tugging his hands to get him to stand. "I keep getting in my head. I need to get past what happened to me, because that's all over. It was over before you came back into my life, it was over when Wanda and Pietro started looking after me. I think if I can let you see my demons, maybe I can move past them."

Steve sighed, letting his tense frame release as he nodded slowly, "I don't love the idea, but if you think it'll help..."

"We could try it right now." Kayla pulled him towards the bedroom with a coy smile, the one he remembered from their time together before everything turned upside down. He'd missed that smile. He'd missed the passionate lovemaking that smile often led to. Steve wondered if they could finally get back to where they'd been before, but he'd have to wait to find out, as he heard a sharp knock on the cabin's door.

Steve froze and turned, his body tensing instantly as Kayla grabbed onto his arm, "Who do you think is here?"

"I don't know. This is a SHIELD safehouse, which means any number of Hydra agents know about it," he grumbled as he took a few steps toward the door when the knocking occurred again. "If it was somebody trying to capture us, they probably wouldn't knock."

"If it was somebody coming to visit, they probably would have called ahead." Kayla hissed, pulling Steve's arm, "Maybe if we don't answer they'll go away?"

He looked to the open window and carefully pushed Kayla against the wall, "I'm gonna answer it. If I don't, they could potentially gas us out through the window. I'll take care of it, you stay behind the door, okay?" Kayla nodded, pulling her beanie farther down her head over her short blonde hair as she pressed her back against the wall. Steve took a deep breath as he grabbed the door knob, looking to Kayla with a grim smile before pulling open the door. When he saw who was on the other side, he sighed and took a step back, "Mrs. Ellis."

"Mom?" Kayla yelped as she darted under Steve's arm holding the door to tackle her mom with a hug, almost knocking the tall blonde off the porch. "What are you doing here?" Kayla asked as she back away, studying her mother, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I wanted to check on you." Sandra said gently as she grabbed her daughter's cheek, "You look wonderful, Honey."

"Thank you! I'm so happy to see you, but why didn't you call?" Kayla laughed, leading her mother into the cabin as Steve looked around nervously. Kayla gestured for her mother to sit on the couch and looked up at Steve, "Will you start the fire, Darling?"

Steve nodded and went to get some fresh firewood as Sandra pulled off her light jacket and looked her daughter up and down, "Well, being the former First Lady, I have security looking after me. I had to jump a lot of hoops to get out here without them following me or knowing where I was going. I didn't want to give away your location."

"You're such a badass."

"Apparently so are you. Wanda's come over with Tiffany a few times since you've been away. I've heard a lot about your adventures." Sandra said and Kayla blushed as Steve lit a match to start the fire, "How are you feeling? How long do you think you'll stay?"

"Well," Kayla started as Steve pulled up a chair from the kitchen to sit beside his fiancé, "We were actually just talking about that. We're going to be coming back this week. We want to get married sooner, rather than later. Small wedding. Just you, Tiffany, the Avengers... a little party, no press. Would that be okay?" Kayla asked nervously as she held Steve's hand tightly. She wanted her mother's blessing for her plan, because she knew things were tense when she was taken.

Sandra laughed at her daughter's nerves, batting away her worries, "Whatever you want, Kay. I think it sounds nice. Trust me, I don't need to make a production of it if you don't want it. It's cheaper, and it won't make a big deal out of your father being gone in the press."

Kayla swallowed hard at that, lowering her head as her heart sunk. Her mother reached forward to squeeze her thigh, quietly comforting her, "It's a big enough deal to us. The press mourned you and him together. Let's not reopen that wound. Especially on your wedding day."

The younger Ellis nodded her agreement, looking over at Steve, "We were thinking early November."

"You tell me when and where, and I'll be there." Sandra promised. Kayla let go of Steve's hand to snuggle up to her mother in the firelight. It was the first time since she'd returned that she'd been acutely aware of her father's absence, and it tore her apart. She sniffled loudly and her mother shushed her, "I know, Kay. I know."

"I just imagined he'd be here."

"Things would be very different if he was."

Kayla's breath caught in her throat at what her mother was insinuating. She buried her head in her mother's shoulder and felt the couch dip as she was pushed closer to her mom, realizing Steve was now sitting beside her. She looked over at him, then to her mom, "I'd face anything to have him here."

"I know you would. We all would. But there's nothing any of us could have done to save him, we didn't know the pins were armed." Sandra blinked for a moment, then asked slowly, "You had one on."

Kayla unbuttoned the top two buttons of her blouse, feeling Steve's hands still against her thighs as she pulled the fabric to the side to show her mother the scar, "I pinned it to my pocket. I was on the helicarrier when it activated..." Kayla paused, looking back at Steve, "Bucky had me tied up, and I felt it burning, so I leaned over and it singed through my shirt. I didn't realize it could have burned a hole right through me."

"I'm so sorry." Steve murmured into the back of Kayla's neck, and she reached up to cup his cheek behind her as she looked at her mother, studying her reaction.

"It doesn't matter anymore. We're both thankful you're alive, and you're safe, right?" Sandra asked Steve and the man nodded weakly. "We have to move on. You two are going to get married, and you're happy, right?"

"Yes." Kayla murmured, smiling through her tears, "As awful as it sounds, I think I'm happier now than I was before." She looked over her shoulder at Steve, "I've lived a lot more, and I appreciate him and everything he does."

"I'll never take you for granted again. I'll never choose anybody over you, I swear on my life." Steve tightened his grip around her stomach and faced her mother, "I promise."

Sandra sighed, looking between her only daughter and Captain America, "We're all gonna be just fine. I'm sure of it."

After Sandra left for the evening, Steve and Kayla got ready for bed side by side. She would have never imagined three years ago that she'd be brushing her teeth in a remote cabin alongside Captain America, but she was thankful that everything she'd endured led her to this. She hoped Steve understood that she was happy with him. At one point, he hadn't been so certain.

"Steve?"

"Yeah, Honey?"

"I'm sorry that I made you think you weren't enough." She said quietly through her toothpaste, then leaned over to spit out out before facing Steve fully, "I'm sorry that I tried to overdose, and I know that really hurt you. I was selfish, and I was immature. I didn't have a clue, and I've never thanked you for not giving up on me. I put you through a lot more than you signed up for, and I hope you know that I appreciated it then, and I'm admitting now that I took you for granted."

She saw his jaw tremble as his mind began to churn. He spit out his toothpaste and stared at her with his mouth open, "I... I don't know what to say."

"I'm sorry." Kayla repeated, grabbing his wrist with one hand, while she used to the other to reach up and run her fingers along his slight stubble, "I am so happy with you, and I'm gonna spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me. I just want to make sure you know that I love you, and despite everything, I'm a better version of myself because of you."

His blue eyes were watery as he pulled her to his chest. He kissed her temple and held her, not saying anything for a long moment until she squirmed a little in his grip. "That means so much to me, you don't even know."

Kayla leaned back to look up at Steve before pulling up the hem of his shirt, "One last night."

"Yeah?" Steve slowly began to unbutton her blouse, watching his fingers until he reached the top button. He looked her in the eyes as he pulled it open and down her shoulders, "What do you want to do?"

"I want you to make love to me," Kayla mewled, causing Steve's whole body to vibrate with anticipation before he ripped his shirt over his head and hoisted Kayla up by the ass to carry her back to the bedroom.

He dropped her onto the bed and quickly unbuckled his pants before making quick work of ridding hers. "I know we've got to work through some things, but I need you..."

"It's okay." She told him quickly while pulling off her bra, "I'm ready."

"You sure?"

"Just stay with me." Kayla whispered as Steve crawled over her, making the decision to skip the foreplay and position his aching cock at her entrance. He paused, waiting for Kayla to give him the go ahead. She leaned up to kiss him, and he slid into her, causing her to gasp into his throat as he deepened their kiss.

He slowly pulled out of Kayla as he kept his lips latched to hers, feeling her tense and whimper as he began to thrust slowly. When he finally pulled away, he asked, "Talk to me."

"They were always so rough. They'd tie me up, and they'd pull me apart. I let them."

"I'll never be rough with you." Steve promised as a shudder shook her body, "I'll never hold you down or force you to do anything you don't want to." As he slowly thrust into her, he began to gently kiss her neck, "What else do you need?"

Kayla dug her nails into the smooth skin of Steve's back, feeling her core tighten in preparation to snap, "They called me a whore." She moaned, and Steve's hips bucked instinctively, causing her to whimper as he apologized quickly, "It's okay... it's okay..." She laughed, realizing he was on autopilot because she was killing the mood. "You know why they said that?" Steve didn't respond, so Kayla said quietly, "They always complained that I wasn't tight."

Steve moaned as he sunk his cock into her, feeling her clench around him as Kayla panted, "I think I fit just fine." He told her gruffly, trailing kisses along her shoulder, "Nobody else will ever touch you again. You're mine, and mine alone." Steve felt Kayla's breath hitch beneath him and he smiled proudly, "Were any of them as good as me?"

"No." She gasped as Steve held himself deep inside her, waiting for her to elaborate, "Not even close."

"Then forget about them." Steve whispered in her ear, "I know it isn't that simple, but you'll never have to do anything you don't want. I promise." He studied her, seeing how undone she looked writhing beneath him, "May I finish you off?"

Kayla laughed and nodded, and he could see her relax, "It's so precious of you to ask."

Steve skillfully slid his hand between them to massage her clit as he slid in and out of her slowly. He watched her eyes roll back as she arched her hips up to him, letting out a moan of ecstasy as her orgasm shook her very soul.

When she opened her eyes, she was crying, but her smile eased Steve's worries as she reached up to his hair with a shaky hand, "I've missed you."

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, knowing he hadn't checked on her as much as he should have. "What do you need?"

"Nothing." She answered, her whole body relaxing as he slowly pulled out of her, "I forgot how great it was being with you. I'm sorry- I'm not- I can't go any longer tonight."

"It's okay." Steve said quietly. He reached down and grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed to pull over them, "I love you so much."

"The feeling is mutual." Kayla sighed as she snuggled up to Steve, rubbing her thigh against his cock, "Give me a few days, and I'll make up for lost time. I promise."

He chuckled as he closed his eyes, draping his arm over her shoulders, "I'll hold you to that."

They were only two hours from the new Avengers Campus when Steve began to feel his stomach rumbling. He grimaced and sucked in a sharp breath as he tried to focus on the road, "We're still a ways out..." He looked at the GPS, then at the road sign to the right as he hissed inward, "There's a Burger King up ahead. You still a fan of fast food?"

"Mmhmm." Kayla hummed and Steve moaned as he clenched the steering wheel a little tighter.

"You hungry?"

Kayla popped her head up and snarled, "You want me to finish or you want me to gab?"

"Sorry." Steve mumbled bashfully as he passed the exit and continued down the highway. Kayla was putting his ability to multitask to the test, and pushing his focus to the limit, but Steve would be damned if he asked her to stop. "Kay..." He practically howled as she swallowed, zipping up his jeans and popping back up into the passenger's seat before Steve could even catch his breath. "Damn, Baby... that was- that was dangerous."

"That's why it's fun." Kayla teased, wiping her lower lip before pulling down the mirror to check her lipstick, "You're Captain America. I knew you'd be able to handle it."

He snorted at that, looking over to her quickly before turning back to the road, "I'm still hungry."

"Well, now I'm full."

Steve turned scarlet at her words, causing Kayla to laugh loudly, "I'm kidding! I just like to see you blush." She leaned her cheek against the headrest to watch him drive, noting how his breath was already back to normal, as if she hadn't just given him road head for the past twenty minutes, "I could eat."

Steve flicked the blinker to pull off at the next exit, taking a quick look at the sign as Kayla fixed her seatbelt, "We got Arby's, Dairy Queen, and McDonald's."

"So, like, I don't think I've been to McDonald's since we went, but I'm not sure."

"You want McDonald's?"

"Yes, please." Kayla chirped. She adjusted the blonde pixie wig she wore, not ready to face all of Steve's friends with her little inch worth of hair that had grown. She was more comfortable with her figure, and her mind wasn't so foggy, but she was nervous to hear the Avengers' opinions of her, and her plans with their Captain America. "What do you think they'll say when we tell them we're ready to get married?"

Steve shrugged as he pulled into the McDonald's parking lot, "I'm sure they'll be happy for us. Why wouldn't they be?"

"Because I tried to kill you? Because I forgot who I was and lived as a Hydra agent for almost a year? Maybe because I'm two months out of brain surgery and have a new personality?"

"Well," Steve started as he pulled into the drive thru behind a pickup truck, "that's why we spent the past two months out at the Retreat. So we could talk through what happened, how you're feeling, and who you are now. I like who you are, and I want to marry you. Now what do you want?"

Kayla leaned forward to look at the screen ahead of them, squinting a little, even though her vision was perfect after Hydra gave her ocular implants, "Big Mac? Make it a meal with a large Diet Coke."

"A large?"

"Yeah, a large, what's it to you?" She snapped playfully as he pulled up to the screen. He ordered what she asked for, shooting her a coy look after ordering her large drink. When he pulled forward and fenagled his wallet from his jeans, Kayla sighed, "Is this what marriage is gonna be like? You and me in the drive thru, teasing each other about the size of our sodas?"

"God, I hope so." Steve murmured before he slid up to the window to pay. He lowered his window and held out a twenty dollar bill between his middle and pointer finger for the woman to take.

She took the money and got his change, narrowing her eyes a little bit as she handed it back, "You- you're Captain America." Steve smiled gently and raised his hand in a wave as Kayla leaned forward to grin up at the woman. The cashier's smile reached all the way to her wide eyes as she gasped, "Kayla Ellis?"

"That's me." Kayla answered. She latched her hands to Steve's shoulders and he smiled a little brighter, waiting for the woman to let them leave.

"Well, uh, enjoy your meal." She stammered before Steve drove forward to collect their food.

"Looks like you still have fans. She was much more excited to see you than me." Steve teased as he parked the van and received their food, and another round of 'You're Captain America!' before waving and driving away. "Since when did I become so recognizable?"

Kayla shrugged, pulling her Big Mac out of the bag and a straw for her drink. She pierced it violently and brought the Diet Coke to her lips to sip while Steve steered them back onto the highway, "You always were. Now that I'm back, we're a package deal again I guess. It's easy to deduce who you are based on me and vise versa."

She unwrapped his burger and sat it on his thigh, pulling out a couple of napkins to set next to it so he had them if he needed them. He was struck by her actions, and how natural it felt for the socialite to act like a real person. "I prefer when nobody recognizes us."

"Well, that ship has sailed." Kayla grumbled through a mouthful of French Fries. She shrugged before swallowing down her food, "Listen, we'll get our own little place somewhere. I'll stay out of the public eye, and you'll keep doing your Captain America thing. I'll just play the doting wife." Kayla cooed as she leaned over to place a swift kiss to his cheek, "Mrs. Captain America has such a nice ring to it."

"Mrs. Steve Rogers sounds better."

Kayla inhaled the rest of her burger, then took a long sip of her drink before sighing loudly, "I'll be both. Whatever you need." She studied the blonde soldier, feeling her chest swell with adoration for the man beside her, "I love you so much. I can't wait to be your wife."

"November 1st." Steve said quietly, staring ahead as he munched on his burger, "We're getting married."