Kayla heard the shower running when she entered through the front door of their home. Her heart pounded in her chest as she debated telling Steve that they were pregnant. Maybe he'd find the positive test and realize it on his own? As much as she knew the news needed to come from her, she didn't want to tell him he was going to be a father when he was feeling so guilty about causing the deaths of innocent people. As much as Kayla pretended it didn't matter, because he was safe, she knew it did. She knew those lives lost would weight as heavily on her conscience as they did on his, because when the press said Captain America didn't care that people had died, that effected her too.

"Honey?" She called as she climbed the stairs slowly. When she reached the top, she looked to the left into the nursery that Steve had set up before they'd even started trying to conceive. A crib sat by the window, next to a rocking chair and dresser, along with a little suspended playpen to put the baby in once they were old enough. Hanging on the walls were framed sketches that Steve had done at the Retreat. Of Kayla, of the lake, of flowers, and trees. The room was already so full of life, all it needed was an occupant, and Kayla now knew they were on their way. All she had to do was tell her husband.

The sound of the shower turning off drew her attention away from the nursery, and she crossed into the master suite to find Steve's uniform crumpled on the floor. She picked it up and dusted it off a little, rubbing her fingers against the A sewn into the shoulder pad. Despite the carnage, the suit wasn't bloody or torn, calming Kayla as she carefully folded it up so she could send it back to the compound to get cleaned.

"I'm sorry I left you at the compound." Steve said quietly as he appeared in the doorway with a towel around his waist. Kayla swallowed, raking her eyes up his torso until she met his sad blue eyes, "All those people died because of me. I should have taken out Rumlow before he could detonate the bomb, but he-" Steve lowered his head, using the hand not holding his towel in place to roughly rub his face, "I messed up. I got distracted."

His wife nodded, setting the folded uniform on Steve's dresser before taking a seat on their bed, patting the mattress beside her to beckon him, "Accidents happen. You can't blame yourself for that, Wanda was trying to save everyone's lives. It could have taken out you, her, and a bunch of bystanders. I saw the footage, she tried to contain the blast and lost control."

"Kay, I know you're trying to make me feel better, but I fucked up." Steve mumbled when he collapsed beside his wife, looking over to her sadly, "At least we got the biological weapon he was after. I would have rather seen him stand trial for everything he did, but I guess he's one less thing to worry about."

Kayla rubbed Steve's bare back, seeing his mood begin to lighten a little. Perhaps she could salvage her plan after all. "I'm just thankful that you and the team are okay." Kayla whispered. She leaned her chin on Steve's shoulder, watching him as his gaze stayed locked on the far wall, "Do you need to go back to the office?"

Steve drew a sharp breath and sat up straighter, pressing his palms to his thighs before standing, "Yeah. I have paperwork to do. I'll need to give a statement about the incident and check on the others. I'll be okay." He leaned down to kiss Kayla quickly before sliding open his closet to pull out a long-sleeved black shirt. As he pulled it over his head, Kayla's phone dinged, and she stiffened when she looked down at it. Steve noticed how rigid she looked and sighed, "What is it?"

"Tiffany and my mother are on their way. The United States Government wants to indict the Avengers."

Kayla saw her husband shift from Steve Rogers to Captain America before her eyes as he nodded, "Alright. I'll deal with it."

"Want me to come?"

"I'd love it if you did." Steve admitted as he bent down to pick up his shoes, plopping onto the bed beside his wife, "Thank you for trying to make me feel better." Kayla responded by pressing a kiss to Steve's jaw, deciding to keep her news a secret a little longer, at least until the Captain had gotten his team out of hot water.

Arriving at the compound, Steve felt his stomach drop at the sight of Tony Stark's car sitting outside the main doors, with a large black SUV parked right behind it. "Looks like Mom and Tiff didn't come alone." Kayla mumbled as Steve guided her through the front doors, keeping a loose grip on her hand despite how determined he was to get ahead of the problem. He ignored the conference room and led Kayla to his office, closing the door behind her when they saw Sandra and Tiffany standing by the windows.

"What's happening?"

"Have you seen the news?" Tiffany answered Steve's question with one of her own, hitting the remote and causing Steve's screen to come alive, showing a news report of the King of Wakanda blaming the Avengers for killing several of his people in Lagos. Kayla chewed on the side of her finger as she watched, eventually meeting Tiffany's gaze. Steve didn't look away from the screen when the small woman mumbled, "Secretary Ross is here with Stark. They have a proposition for you all."

"What kind of proposition?" Kayla asked, but Tiffany stayed tight lipped. Kayla turned to her mother and Sandra sighed, "You really think they told us? When leaving the press conference, Ross would hardly give me the time of day. Whatever he's been working on, you're not going to like it. My guess is this is why he'd been promoted to Secretary of State. He'll most likely be your government point person."

Steve raised his fist to his mouth, furrowing his brows before mumbling absent-mindedly, "The Avengers don't work for the government. When SHIELD fell, we became a private organization."

"Yes, and that's the problem. You're watching the news, you're seeing what they are saying. They want to arrest Wanda, and there's nothing protecting her from that!" Tiffany snapped and Kayla turned quickly, leaving the office to sprint down the hall to Wanda's room, finding her sitting on her bed watching the same news story.

"It's my fault." She told Kayla without looking away, "They are being very specific."

Kayla sat on the bed with Wanda, grabbing her hand tightly, "You know I won't let them take you. I won't let anything bad happen, I swear on my life."

Wanda finally turned and looked at Kayla, then dropped her gaze for a moment before meeting her eyes again, "Huh."

The blonde narrowed her eyes at her friend, shaking her head, "Don't change the subject. And don't bring it up. I haven't talked to Steve about it yet."

"No offense, but I have bigger problems right now." Wanda laughed weakly, and Kayla sighed as the Sokovian leaned against her shoulder, "Now I understand why you thanked me for saving Steve."

"Among other reasons." Kayla scoffed, holding her friend tightly, "We're gonna be okay. We'll figure it out, I promise."

A soft knocking pulled the women from their moment, and they looked up to see Tiffany in the doorway, "Secretary Ross has asked to see the Avengers." When Kayla narrowed her gaze, Tiffany added, "He just wants Wanda."

"Well, he's getting Mrs. Captain America, too." Kayla hissed as she stood and led Wanda towards the conference room as Tiffany scrambled to keep up with the tall, angry blonde.

When she arrived at the door, Secretary Ross lifted his head and smiled, "Miss Ellis, I never thought I'd get to see you again."

"You still haven't, you're looking at Mrs. Rogers now." Kayla answered evenly, crossing the room to stand behind her husband at the back of the long conference. She placed her hands on his shoulders, silently warning the man she had no plans of leaving.

Ross nodded a little, eyeing Wanda as she sat right in front of him, then looking to see Tiffany in the doorway, "Miss Jones, always a pleasure." He turned back to Kayla and Steve, and Steve placed his hand on his wife's, "If you don't mind, Mrs. Rogers, this is official Avengers business. Last I checked you weren't an Avenger, unless you've been using your newfound abilities you gained while under Hydra's control."

"Ha." Kayla spat dryly, looking over to Tiffany, "No, I haven't. But as the former First Daughter, and the Captain's wife, I think this is my business, too. And I do mind. I stay."

"Fine." Ross agreed, raising his hands in surrender before shooting Tiffany a dirty look. She eyed Kayla, then closed the door, seeing herself out to wait with Sandra in Steve's office.

Kayla listened intently as Ross spoke to her friends, stiff as a board as she stayed behind Steve, like a rock to protect him from the incoming storm. He listened quietly as Ross called them vigilantes and dangerous, but when Ross showed footage of a dead woman in Lagos, Steve finally spoke up, "Okay. That's enough." His wife's grip on his shoulders tightened as she watched Wanda turn away shamefully, and Kayla wanted to throw her arms around Wanda and protect her, but the last thing Wanda needed right now was to be treated like a child.

"For the past four years, the Avengers have operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement that the governments of the world can no longer tolerate, but I think we have a solution." Ross set a massive document in front of Wanda, which she looks at briefly before sucking in a sharp breath and passing it to Rhodey.

Kayla tilted her head, causing her hair to spill over her shoulder as she chewed her bottom lip, furrowing her brows as one of Ross's assistants handed a copy to Steve, and he stared at the title as Ross continued to explain, "The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries. It states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. They'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

Steve raised his head, firmly stating his opinion as Kayla glared down Ross, "The Avengers were formed to make the world a safer place, I believe we've done that."

"Compromise. Reassurance. That's how the world works. Believe me, this is the middle ground." Ross met Kayla's gaze with an all-too-calm expression, "After New York, your father allowed the Avengers to act without any parameters, because of your confidence in them. For the past two years, the world has mourned, not only your father, but you. That said, while you were brainwashed into helping Hydra with human experimentation, the people of America began to question why the President was murdered on the Avengers' watch." Ross turned to Romanoff, and she met his gaze casually, "You were there, weren't you? When he died?"

"If I had known the pins were armed, I assure you, I wouldn't have pinned one on myself."

"Yet you're still standing here. The President is not." Ross looked from Natasha to Kayla, "Your father's legacy is tied to the Avengers, as is yours, Mrs. Rogers." Kayla's glare faltered into a grimace and Ross nodded, seeming to understand that he'd struck a nerve, "In three days, the UN meets in Vienna to ratify the Accords. They are happening, whether you sign them or not, so what happens next is up to all of you."

"And if we come to a decision you don't like?" Natasha prodded, eyeing Ross as he prepared to leave.

"Then you retire." He answered as his assistant opened the door and he walked through.

Without thinking, Kayla broke away from the group to chase after Ross, passing a bewildered Tiffany who stood outside the door, "Mr. Secretary."

"Mrs. Rogers." He said as he turned, looking Kayla up and down, "How are you feeling?"

"What did you mean by that? That if they don't sign, they retire? How can you enforce it?"

Ross gestured for his assistant to take his briefcase to the car, gesturing towards the lobby chairs for Kayla to sit with him, "The Sokovia Accords will be ratified with or without the Avengers' approval. Those who sign will be under the jurisdiction of the UN panel, and those who don't will not engage in any Avengers activities, or risk legal action."

"So, if they don't sign, they are done. Like, forever. Legally binding, have to retire?" Kayla pressed, needing to remind herself that she didn't want Steve to stop being Captain America. But... if he didn't support the Accords, and he had to stop fighting, they could have a normal life. A normal family. Ross continued explaining but she wasn't listening, instead letting her imagination run away with her, taking her to a place where her husband wasn't globe trotting fighting mercenaries and aliens and evil robots. The Sokovia Accords could ensure that Steve got to see his child grow up, and keep her best friend from being deported or arrested. After a few moments, Kayla blinked rapidly, bringing herself back to reality before scowling towards Ross, "Thank you, for your clarification."

Without another word, she turned and stormed away, hiding the small grin that blossomed across her face.

When Kayla arrived back at the conference room, she noticed her mother was standing just inside the door while Tiffany clung to Sam's arm, glaring bitterly at Rhodey as Steve and Tony bickered, "Tony, if we sign this, we are surrendering our right to choose. We may not be perfect, but the safest hands are still our own."

Tony snapped back, "If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty."

"You're saying they'll come for me." Wanda asked and Kayla met her mother's gaze, and the older blonde motioned towards the door for her daughter to follow.

"What is it?"

"She's right. They're gonna take her." Sandra said slowly, "I'll have the lawyers do a deep dive of the Accords for Steve, but my initial impression is there won't be a good way around them. It's either sign or quit."

"I know." Kayla mumbled, crossing her arms under her breasts and looking into the room in time to see Natasha agree with Tony. The devastated look on Steve's face said everything Kayla needed to known about his feelings about the Accords. She could only imagine how heartbroken Steve would be when he realized she agreed with Natasha, "I think they should sign."

"I do, too. If not, I don't know what's gonna happen to him, Kay." Sandra warned and her daughter blew air out through her lips, "You don't think he'll sign, do you?"

"No. Absolutely not."

Sandra studied Kayla for a brief moment before asking, "Do you want him to retire?"

Kayla sucked in a sharp breath and looked up at her mother, "A little bit, yeah. He's done enough. It's time for him to live the life he deserves."

"I'm surprised."

"I'm surprised in myself." Kayla admitted, noting that Steve's expression fell when he pulled out his cell phone. He stood quickly and darted out the back door towards the stairwell, and Kayla's eyes followed him as he went, "I, uh, I gotta go. Talk soon?"

She was gone before Sandra could answer, because she moved through the room in a daze, ignoring the other Avengers who questioned what was wrong with Cap. Kayla found him at the bottom of the staircase with his head in his hand and soft sniffles coming from his throat, "Steve?" He looked up at Kayla, and she could see his eyes were watery. She took the stairs two at a time until she was standing in front of him and he collapsed into her, holding her tightly as he cried into her shoulder. She rubbed his back, staring behind him in bewilderment, "Baby, what's wrong?"

"She's gone." Steve finally gasped out, squeezing Kayla a little tighter, "She's gone, Kay."

Kayla swallowed, knowing the she her husband was referring to. Clearly, after all the blows he'd taken, she wasn't going to tell Steve they were pregnant today.

That night, Steve finally broke. The moment he tossed his clothes in the hamper, his whole body slumped and he curled up in bed, pulled the covers over himself and stared at the wall until he felt Kayla's arm snake around his side. She pressed herself against his back and kissed his neck, and he could feel her own shaky breath against his pale skin, "I'm so sorry, Steve."

Guilt sunk into his bones at her heartbroken tone. She was his wife, she shouldn't have to comfort him over the death of another woman, but she did without complaint or jealously. Steve had been cold and distant since the moment he returned from Lagos, and Kayla had stood by his side through everything. Even now, when he ignored her, she held him tightly, gripping his ribcage with her left hand as she stroked his blonde hair with the other. Steve carefully rolled over to face Kayla, seeing an expression he could only call resignation. "I can't thank you enough for everything you did for me today. I'm sorry I haven't been very attentive to you, it's all just happening so fast."

She nodded her head, and her eyes lowered to stare at his bare chest for a moment. They sat in a comfortable silence that had become normal for them since she returned from Sokovia. The Katiana in her didn't need to fill the space with words. The Kayla in her always knew the right thing to say, "What you do- it's so important to so many people. You give people hope in the darkest of hours, but you are allowed to take a break sometimes. You're just one man, Steve. It's okay to feel overwhelmed, and defeated even. You aren't."

"It just feels like I am." He sighed, leaning his forehead against hers, "If I sign the Accords, I become a government puppet. Hydra was using me to get closer to their goal, I can't in good conscience sign away my responsibilities as an Avenger. If I make a mistake, like I did in Lagos, that is my mistake to make. If we sign these Accords, we go and do what we're told. We're just big hired guns."

"I get it, Honey. I really do, but nothing you say or do is going to stop the Accords." Kayla said gently, and Steve's eyes widened at her words. She released a deep breath and rubbed her eye with the palm of her hand, "It's an avalanche. You can stand against them, but that won't stop them from overtaking everything you've worked for."

Steve's mind began to race through the day, the way Kayla had spat at Ross and the way Ross had taunted her about her father, all leading up to her chasing after the Secretary. Had he gotten through to her? Had Secretary Ross convinced Steve's wife to get him to sign somehow?

"Kay..." Steve's voice was low and he saw her quiver ever so slightly in fear, "Where is this coming from?"

Her eyes darted away from Steve for a moment, as if the wheels in her head were turning. The hint of a smile on her face faded and her chest rose as she pulled in a deep breath before answering, "Mom's having her lawyer look at the Accords, but she's worried they'll take Wanda."

"You know I won't let them take her."

"I know you won't, but if they come from her, and you stop them, how much trouble will you get into? Are you going to get arrested? If you don't' sign, you won't be an Avenger anymore."

"It doesn't mean I'm not Captain America anymore."

Kayla's mouth slammed closed at that, and Steve knew he'd said something wrong. He rolled over to stare at the wall, needing some time to sift through the millions of thoughts rushing through his mind. He wasn't prepared for Kayla's sad, longing voice to whisper, "You'll always be Captain America to me."

He looked over his shoulder at her as she crawled out of bed, heading to the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Steve slammed his eyes closed, huffing as he imagined laying Peggy to rest in just a couple of days.

Meanwhile, Kayla leaned against the bathroom counter with the pregnancy stick in her hand. Part of her wanted Steve to burst through the door and apologize, even though he didn't do anything wrong. He'd see the test, he'd realize what was happening, and he'd understand why she supported the Accords. He'd either sign as Captain America or give it up to raise a family with her, but he couldn't just wave away the idea of the Accords.

What he said about being Captain America was true, but it struck fear into Kayla's heart. She didn't know what the Accords would lead to. She didn't know what would happen if Steve didn't sign and continued to be the First Avenger. For him, it was a no brainer. Of course he'd still be Captain America. He'd never let anyone hurt his team, and he sure as hell would never get caught, but he wasn't thinking about his civilian wife at home. Steve couldn't just run away from his problems if things got bad.

She'd come to find out she was wrong.