Kayla sat beside her best friend as Tiffany stood from the head table, raising her champagne flute and addressing her wedding guests. While Kayla and Steve had a private affair, Tiffany and Sam chose to have a more traditional wedding, including two hundred guests who snapped cell phone photos of the bride and groom, Sam's best man, and Tiffany's maid of honor.

Steve leaned forward to meet his wife's gaze, knowing that there's already been two toasts and Tiffany was several drinks in before that, meaning her speech was about to be a real spectacle, one way or another. Kayla chuckled and shook her head, raising her finger to her lips to tell Steve not to mention anything as Tiffany cleared her throat to speak.

"Sam and I wanted to thank you all so much for coming to our wedding. We know that it's a little unconventional, I mean, who thought that the daughter of a CIA operative would marry an Avenger? I mean, come on!" Tiffany grinned into the microphone as Sam looked up at her lovingly, "Seriously though," Tiffany said, managing to appear sober by some miracle, "Thank you all for your support through our engagement and everything leading up to it. Thank you to Sam's parents, who've taken me in when I had none." Tiffany turned to Sandra and smiled sadly, "Thank you, Sandra, for being my mom for the past ten years. If Matt were still around, he would have walked me down the isle. That's what I always planned anyway."

"Me too." Kayla said under her breath and Wanda smacked her from her place beside her at the long table.

"And," Tiffany droned, turning to look down at Kayla, "I guess I have to thank my best friend, Kayla Rogers, for meeting Sam once and inviting him to go on a date with me. She always knows what's best for me, even if it's an accident, but I'm really thankful you had me set up that double date. I love you."

"I love you too." Kayla answered with a beaming smile as people took their photo. Tiffany turned back to the crowd and raised her glass, "To all of you! May you all be in our lives forever, and may we have many more occasions such as this."

"To the bride and groom!" Kayla yelled as she thrust her glass in the air and everyone repeated her as Tiffany sat down, shaking her head as she smirked at her best friend. Kayla threw her arm around Tiff's shoulders to hug her tightly, then leaned over and winked at Sam before letting Tiffany go and preparing to devour the chocolate cake that was placed in front of her.

"Have fun in Bora Bora." Kayla told Tiffany as she gave her one last hug and handed her a big floppy hat that read Bride and a rolling carry on suitcase. "If you need anything, give us a call, but I'm not expecting to hear from you."

"You shouldn't. I got this." Sam told Kayla before pulling her into a hug, "Keep him out of trouble. Don't know what he'll do without me." Sam pointed at Steve, who put his hands up in defense, "Uh. Uh huh, you act all innocent, but we know your favorite hobby is getting into trouble."

Kayla shook her head and grabbed Steve's hand, "He won't even go on a mission while you're gone, Sam. Trust me. We're having our staycation honeymoon while ya'll are away, so he's not allowed to answer so much as a phone call."

"And I'm looking forward to it." Steve replied with a grin, leaning his lips against Kayla's temple before adding, "Fly safe."

Tiffany blew Kayla a kiss before sliding into the limousine to take them to Stark's jet, which would fly them to Bora Bora for their week long vacation. Steve and Kayla watched them drive away, noting the cans smashing against the road and bumper as they drove, an old fashioned well-wish from the best man that Stark didn't need to know about.

Once they were out of sight, Kayla turned to Steve, "Guess this starts our honeymoon, huh?"

"We could have had a real one. We still could." Steve offered and Kayla just shrugged in response.

"I've been everywhere. I'd rather just spend time in our apartment with you."

Steve's lips broke apart in a massive smile that lit up his whole face as he started leading Kayla towards the car he'd borrowed from Stark, "Speaking of our apartment."

"Oh no. What did you do while I was gone?" Kayla asked worriedly, trying to pull Steve to a stop but he kept plowing forward. She'd spent the past several nights with Tiffany doing last minute preparations. She had faith that Steve wouldn't burn the place down, but now she was clearly starting to have doubts.

"I just moved a few things around." Steve said cryptically, and Kayla glared up at him with cold green eyes. Her pursed lips painted deep maroon popped against her smooth skin, teasing Steve as they reached the car. He gazed at her smoky eyes for a moment before opening her passenger's door and allowing her to slide in first. She continued to stare at him as he closed her door and moved around to the driver's side, smirking when he finally got in. "Don't freak out. It's a surprise."

Kayla scoffed, "Don't freak out? It's a surprise? What the hell did you do, Steven?"

Steven. She only used his full name when he was in trouble, as if she were his mother. If she included his middle and last name, he would be sleeping on the couch.

"Trust me."

"I don't." She answered, but he could hear the happy lilt to her voice that meant she was smiling, "What have you done?"

He lulled his head to the side as he pulled the gear shift into reverse, "You'll see."

When they arrived at the compound, Kayla was quick to release herself from her spot, unwilling to wait for Steve to collect her. He chuckled as she made a beeline for the entrance, sweetly greeting the few agents she passed. Steve threw his head up in a silent greeting, keeping his hands lodged into the pockets of his trousers while he followed his wife. The click of her heels was music to his ears, and following her allowed him the most sinful view of her curved backside. Steve Rogers couldn't stop gawking at his wife, because she was his. He had somehow managed to lock down one of the most infamous women in the world, and she adored him with every fiber of her being. Even when he set off the smoke alarms in the middle of the night making a post-mission snack, or when he used up all the hot water without inviting her to join him.

She unlocked their apartment and pushed open the door before practically falling back into Steve, "Where the hell is all our stuff, Steve?"

"Surprise?"

"No. No surprise... Steven Grant Rogers, what did you do?" Kayla whipped around and shoved an accusatory finger into his face. When Steve just grinned, she turned back to their empty apartment and whined, "Steve, this isn't funny, where is all our stuff? I wanna change."

He wrapped his arms around her stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder, feeling her growl at the contact, "Come with me."

"Why? You gonna throw me out with all our stuff?"

"Kay..." He whispered in her ear. "Stop being a pill, and come with me."

She groaned loudly and allowed him to lead her back to the car, and he started driving in the opposite direction of town, further into the countryside, "Are you actually taking me to the woods to kill me?"

"Now why would I do that?" Steve asked teasingly, and Kayla raised her brow and smiled, leaning back into her seat in her bridesmaid's dress. She chewed on the side of her finger as she watched the trees fly by until suddenly they reached a clearing. Kayla looked up to see them approaching a two-story white house at the far edge of the clearing. Steve snuck a glance at her, seeing her eyes widen hopefully, "I'm working on the fence. It's actually an old farm, there's a stable out back. I figured, if you wanted, we could get a couple of horses. I remember you saying you liked to ride when you were younger. I don't know the first thing about them but..."

"Is this for us?" Kayla asked as he parked the car in the driveway. She pushed open the car door and walked towards the porch in a daze, "Steve, I-"

"I moved all our stuff while you were with Tiffany. It was a good stress reliever for Sam." Steve chuckled as he shoved his right hand in his pocket and wrapped his left around Kayla's upper arm to pull her close to his side, "Do you like it?"

"It's perfect."

"Just wait until you see the inside." Steve grabbed her hand and took her to the front door, unlocking it and allowing her to walk in ahead of him. An open entryway led to a living space with a massive kitchen off to the side with deep mahogany cabinets lining the walls. Past a sliding glass door was a porch leading to the back yard with big trees lining the back of the property. "Bedrooms are upstairs. I set us up in the master suite. Had a jacuzzi installed." Kayla hummed happily as she leaned against Steve, pressing her head against his collarbone, "Big walk in closet all for you, and a separate little one for me. Two spare bedrooms, so your mom can come visit. And... well, I might have done something a little presumptuous."

"Presumptuous?" Kayla asked as she turned to look up at her husband, "Like buying a house and moving all our stuff into it without consulting me?"

Without saying anything, Steve led Kayla up the stairs to the master bedroom, letting her look around as he leaned against the door frame. Once she turned back to him, he stepped to the side and motioned for her to look across the hall. She peeked into the room across the way, then turned back to Steve with her mouth open in surprised excitement, "You set up a nursery?"

"A little presumptuous." Steve laughed, biting his bottom lip as she studied the room, "Is this okay?"

Kayla turned around and placed her hands on Steve's chest, "You wanna have a baby?"

"I'm not getting any younger."

"That you know of, I mean, it's up for debate." Kayla teased while she reached up to brush out his gelled hair. "So you're ready to be a dad?"

He nodded eagerly with a cute little grin on his face that melted Kayla's heart. "I mean, it's totally up to you." He said quickly, pulling her back towards the master bedroom. "I'm not in any hurry. Whenever you're ready."

Kayla turned around and pulled up her hair, presenting the zipper of her dress to Steve, "It could be fun. We've got a whole week to ourselves..."

Steve pulled the zipper with a little too much force and the dress ripped all the way to the floor, falling from her shoulders in a heap. He unsnapped her strapless bra and spun her around so she'd face him while he gazed up and down her body hungrily, "You sure you want this?"

"I am." She said quietly as she unbuttoned his tux so she could slide it off his broad shoulders. She made quick work to unbutton his white button up in nothing but her thong, relishing in the way Steve couldn't take his lusty blue eyes off of her breasts. Once he was down to his boxers, he snaked his arms around her back and pulled her close so he could feel her skin against his. She raised her hands to his cheeks to hold Steve's face still, keeping Steve at bay a moment longer before letting him have his way with her. "Ready when you are, Captain."

Three Months Later

It was seven am, but Kayla couldn't sleep. Her stomach was churning and her legs felt shaky as she leaned against her counter, gazing into her mirror while she waited for the little white stick to deliver its answer. She tapped her fingers against the ceramic counter, twisting her lips as she took long, deep breaths. She hadn't felt sick when Steve and Sam had taken off on their mission, but three days later, her nausea was unbearable. If she wasn't pregnant, she'd be crawling into bed to spend the foreseeable future fighting off whatever illness was plaguing her.

The timer on her cell phone went off and she swallowed hard, closing her eyes and reaching for the stick to her left. She knew what she wanted it to say, but it scared her. If Steve had been there, it would have been different. His excitement over being parents washed away any doubts she had, and he faced every negative test with a brave indifference that broke Kayla's heart.

When she opened her eyes, they began to water as she held her gaping mouth with her free hand. She grabbed her phone and sent a quick test telling Steve to call her when he could as she hid the positive test away where Steve wouldn't find it until she was ready to show him. She washed her hands and waited a few minutes before running into the bedroom to change so she could go to the compound and be there when Steve arrived home.

By the time she pulled her car into the parking lot of the Avengers Headquarters, Kayla was quaking with excitement. Steve was often exhausted after missions, especially if they took a couple of days, but Kayla couldn't wait. Steve would lose his damn mind.

"Hey Vision!" Kayla called as she ran into the kitchen, finding it quiet except for the purple man, "Do you know when Steve will be back from Lagos?"

The android looked up at her, then tilted his head thoughtfully as he raised his eyes to the ceiling, "As far as I know, they are still there."

"Oh." Kayla deadpanned, twisting her hands together. That meant they wouldn't be back before late afternoon at the earliest, which meant Kayla had to sit on her secret a little bit longer, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Would you like me to alert you when they are on their way back?"

"I'm sure Steve will call me, but I really appreciate the offer." Kayla told him sweetly as she pushed back her shoulder length hair behind her ear. She sulked out of the kitchen into the living area and pulled out her phone, considering calling her mom or Tiffany, but knowing that Steve needed to learn her news before anybody else.

She laid down on the couch and closed her eyes, feeling tired from hardly sleeping. When Steve was away, she never slept well, but waking up nauseous in the middle of the night didn't help either.

After a while, her phone began to buzz in her pocket, and Kayla groaned as she batted her eyes open to see Tiffany calling her. "Hello?"

"Where the hell are you, Kay? I've been calling you for the past twenty minutes. Have you seen the news?"

"No." Kayla said as she pulled up the WHiH news site and scanned the page, reading the top news story about the Avengers causing a bombing in a hospital before whimpering, "Are they-"

"They're okay. From what I can tell. I've been digging through everything I could find and I've seen all four of them in photos from the locals after the explosion. Looks like Steve and Sam went in to help the survivors while Nat and Wanda ran for the hills. Which is... understandable." Tiffany coughed, then cleared her throat and explained under her breath, "Wanda caused the explosion."

"I'm sure it was an accident."

"I'm sure it was too, but a lot of people are dead, Kay. And Steve's name is getting thrown around to blame-"

"It doesn't matter." Kayla spat, massaging the bridge of her nose as she stood to go home, "Where are you now?"

"Well, I was planning on accompanying your mom to President Johnson's press conference nominating Thaddeus Ross as Secretary of State. Now though... sounds like the President is going to be working with Ross to form an alliance with the Avengers." Tiffany explained slowly as Kayla reached the doorway, clenching it tightly as she waited for the other shoe to drop. Tiffany paused, hearing that Kayla was holding her breath, and added, "Kay... something is coming down the pipe, and it's not great. Your mom's been trying to figure out what's happening, but they are keeping tight lipped around her in the political circles."

"Which means they don't want her to know. Meaning it's going to affect us." Kayla finished, seeing where this was going. "Alright. I- uh- I'll see you when you get here. I'm assuming you'll be here in the next day or two?"

"Considering my husband was right there with yours, I think it's best I keep my ears to the ground for anything interesting." Tiffany answered quietly, and Kayla thought she sounded like her mother for a moment. "I'll let you know if I find anything out."

"Thanks, Tiff. Take care."

"You too."

Kayla hung up and put her phone away, swearing under her breath. She fiddled with her wedding ring and looked out the massive windows at the lake beyond the compound. Even her news about being pregnant wouldn't make this disaster go away.

When Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Natasha finally returned, they were burnt out and broken. Kayla greeted her family on the tarmac, but Steve could barely muster a weak hug for his wife. "It's been a bad day, Kay."

"I've seen." She raised her phone with the latest news disaster plastered on the screen. "Are you okay?"

"Not really."

"Are you hurt?" Kayla reiterated and Steve sighed as he pulled off his gloves, "Steve?"

"I'm not hurt. I just... it's my fault." He grumbled before storming away, leaving his wife in favor of getting cleaned up alone.

Kayla nodded as she stood alone, unsurprised by her husband's behavior, but wishing he'd understand where her head and where her heart was at. She looked over at Wanda, seeing her milling about the back of the quinjet alone since Nat and Sam had already left, "Hey you."

The Sokovian looked up with a blank expression before looking back down at whatever she was organizing. Kayla stepped up into the jet, watching her friend cautiously, "What happened?"

"Rumlow had a bomb. Tried to take out himself and Steve, but I was able to contain it." Wanda lowered her head but looked back at Kayla to meet her gaze, "I lost control. I killed a bunch of people."

Kayla surged into the jet and grabbed Wanda by the shoulder to pull her in for a tight hug, "If you hadn't, people still would have died. Including my husband. And you- were you close enough to-"

"I mean, yeah, but-"

"No buts." Kayla argued, pushing Wanda away from her chest to hold her upper arms tightly, "Self defense. Right? If anyone asks."

"But it wasn't-"

"Fuck, Wanda..." Kayla groaned, throwing her head back and walking away, "You meant well. You were trying to save people. Accidents happen."

Wanda scoffed as she jogged after Kayla and hissed, "You're only saying that because I saved Steve."

Kayla steeled her jaw and reminded herself that Wanda didn't understand how Kayla felt about Steve and how of course she would sacrifice any random stranger to save her husband and father of her future child, but she couldn't explain that right now. One thing at a time. "You're right. I'm sorry." Kayla smiled weakly, but Wanda didn't return the sentiment, "You don't have to do this, you know. Be an Avenger."

The Scarlet Witch danced red magic between her fingers while she walked slowly back into the main building, "If I don't do this, then what am I? I have nobody else."

"You don't need to be an Avenger to have us in your life. You're family, no matter what you decide to do." Kayla pulled her hair over her shoulder and sighed, "I should get home. Make sure he's okay... thank you though. For saving him."

"I didn't just do it for him. I meant to do it for everyone." Wanda called over her shoulder, but Kayla didn't care. Steve was okay, and in the end, that's all that mattered. At least that's what Kayla told herself to sleep better at night.