When Steve began to stir again, he considered that maybe his encounter with the people of the future had been a terrible, fever induced dream. Before he even opened his eyes, he ran through what he remembered. His name. His home. His mother. His best friend. Getting his ass kicked in every back alley of Brooklyn. But whatever he did the night before evaded Steve. He couldn't pinpoint where he was, and how this happened. It was all foggy. That scared Steve more than whatever these crazy people had done to his body and mind- they might be telling the truth.

With a deep breath, Steve opened his eyes, brows already furrowed as he looked around. He slowly lifted his left hand, studying how much larger is was than he remembered. The band on his ring finger reminded him that he had a wife and a child on the way, and he didn't remember them. He didn't remember who he was, or why these people knew or cared about him, and he was scared. He raised his calloused palm to his cheek, feeling a thick beard covering his sharp jaw.

A light knocking drew Steve's gaze to the door, and the blonde doctor from earlier stood there with a calm smile, "Mr. Rogers, my name is Christine Palmer. I'm a brain surgeon at Metro-General Hospital in New York City. I was called in by Tony Stark. You might have known his father, Howard Stark, from the forties."

"I've heard of Howard Stark." Steve told her slowly, watching her wearily as she approached, "Did I know him?"

"Yes." Christine said quietly, "He helped make you Captain America so you could help the Allied forces defeat the Nazis during the second world war. You were the world's first superhero."

Steve swallowed, nodding and forcing a brave smile, "Okay."

"Do you..." Christine trailed off, turning to see Doctor Cho frozen just inside the doorframe. Christine turned back to Steve and asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"If it's really 2017, how am I still alive? I mean, how old am I?"

"You crashed a Hydra plane into the Arctic in 1945 to save millions of Americans. You weren't found in the ice until 2011, and miraculously, because of the serum you were given, you're still alive. So by your body clock, you're thirty-two years old." Doctor Cho told the man, beginning to unhook the tubes from his right hand. "We'll need to monitor your head wound, but if you're feeling better, we'll let you spend some time alone to gather your thoughts. I believe they furnished your old apartment after you moved, but perhaps you can stay there for a few days until we can get you fixed up."

Steve nodded, breathing in slowly and enjoying how easy it felt. Clearly, whatever they'd given him cleared his asthma, "Why don't I remember any of this?"

"You have retrograde amnesia." Doctor Palmer told him as she carefully pried something off of the side of his head. Steve winced, reaching up to touch his scalp, but she pulled his hand away, "You suffered a head injury, and it seems to have affected your hippocampus. We can't pinpoint the reasoning for why you remembered your early life, but we hope it isn't permanent."

"And if it is?" Steve pressed, clenching his fists to flex the muscles in his forearms, "What will happen to me then?"

Doctor Cho and Doctor Palmer shared an anxious look before Doctor Cho addressed him, "Well, that's complicated. But I know they are working on that right now. You'll be given options, I'm sure of that."

Steve's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as the dread settled into his chest at the idea that these strangers were planning out his life for him. His eyes drifted to his left hand and he quickly asked the doctors, "That woman from earlier, she's my wife?"

"Yes." Doctor Cho answered as she typed something on her tablet before shutting it down. "You've been married about a year. We've asked her to give you some space until you are comfortable speaking to her."

He nodded slowly, imagining it was difficult for his wife to be told not to see him. He'd seen how his mother missed his father. He made a decision to check on her sooner rather than later. Doctor Palmer sat a shirt and jeans on the edge of the bed, along with a pair of brown boots, "Take your time getting ready. We'll have someone come and give you a bit of a tour so you know your way around. I'll be staying for the next several days to monitor your progress, but Doctor Cho has to leave for business. Just know these people are your friends. They want to see you taken care of."

"Okay." Steve carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed, seeing how tall he was for the first time. He carefully placed his bare feet on the ground, blowing air out through his lips before trying to stand, only tumble back onto the bed, causing it to crack under the weight of his fall. "Sorry!" He yelped, putting his hands up and blushing profusely, "I'm sorry."

"We'll give you a few minutes to get situated Mr. Rogers." Doctor Cho smirked, looking him up and down before turning and leading Doctor Palmer out of the room.

Steve panted as he leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees as he placed his face in his hands. He let out a guttural groan before sitting straight up and planting his feet on the ground again and standing slower, throwing his arms out to steady himself before straightening up. He looked towards an open door in the back of the room, seeing a mirror in the bathroom and getting a glimpse of his reflection for the first time. He grabbed the clothes they left and locked himself in the bathroom, dropping the clothes on the floor before leaning against the sink, studying his own reflection.

Steve gazed into his familiar blue eyes, realizing with certainty that the doctors had told him the truth. He rubbed his thick beard and pushed back his long, shaggy hair, noticing where they'd chopped some away to clean the wound on the side of his head. As long as Steve could remember, he could barely grow scruff, let alone a beard. He scooped up the jeans, pulling them over his legs easily before belting them around his slim waist.

Looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody was around before smirking into the mirror, Steve muttered to himself, "I can't believe this." He pulled the hospital gown over his head and discarded it, studying his reflection in wonder. "How is this possible?" He didn't know what fascinated him more- the cut of his abs or the broadness of his shoulders, or perhaps it was his biceps that seemed unnaturally large. No wonder he managed to make that gorgeous dame his wife.

He pulled the blue t-shirt over his head, smoothing it down and chuckling as his fingers ghosted over his toned stomach. The world's first superhero. He wondered what Bucky thought about it before he passed... He turned away from the mirror and swept back into the room, sitting in the chair and pulling on his boots before striding out into the main hallway. He was starving.

After being forced out of the med bay, Kayla was drowning her sorrows in Rocky Road ice cream on a couch while Wanda and Vision cooked her favorite Sokovian meal. Wanda patted Vision's arm, then moved around him to address Kayla, "You sure you don't want some, Kay? Ice cream isn't exactly a nutritious lunch?"

"What's it matter? My own husband doesn't even remember me. I thought it was bad when I didn't remember myself, but no, this is much worse."

"Well, I suppose now you know how he felt." Vision said, trying to be helpful, but Wanda tilted her head to the side, shaking it to tell him no. "All I'm saying," Vision continued, "is that he was patient with you. Perhaps you need to do the same." He raised his gaze to look beyond Kayla, then quickly changed his form to look human. Kayla sat up a little and looked over her shoulder in time to see Steve walk through the doorway, looking around sheepishly.

"Hi."

Wanda nodded in greeting, and the color of her eyes turned red for a moment before she murmured, "You're hungry."

"Something smells good." Steve replied with a weak smile, eyes flittering to Kayla briefly before addressing the couple at the stove, "I'm sure we've met before, but-"

"I'm Wanda. This is Vision." Wanda cut him off, then dipped a spoon into her pot to taste the food before nodding her approval. "The paprikesh is ready, and there's plenty for thr- four." Wanda corrected, sparing a nervous look at Vision for almost giving away his true nature.

"Well, he and I eat double so I'll take my ice cream back to my place." Kayla grunted as she stood, holding her gallon tub against her chest and meeting Steve's eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but she just gave a curt nod and turned to leave before he could try and talk to her, or, God forbid, ask for her name.

Steve lowered his gaze shamefully, feeling terrible. He slumped his shoulders and pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, then looked up at the other two from beneath his lashes, "Thank you for offering. I- uh," Steve looked back towards the doorway, knowing what he had to do. "I think I need to speak to her. I don't want her to feel like she needs to stay away, but... I don't even know my wife's name."

"Kayla." Wanda told him, "You call her Kay."

"Kay." Steve repeated, noticing how easy the name felt on his lips, "The baby?"

"Is yours?" Wanda chuckled, unsure what he was asking, "She's due any day now. Things have been complicated. Several of us were on the run for a while, and then you went to prison. The mission you were injured on was part of a bargain with the government to earn your freedom." Steve felt the color drain from his cheeks as he registered what she was telling him. He was a wanted man. This was what the doctors were referring to when they said people were figuring things out for him.

"Did I complete the mission?"

"Yes. And then you were shot." Vision replied and Steve's hand flew to his head, realizing why his injury was so bad. He'd been shot in the head. He should be dead. "Captain Rogers, I do believe speaking with your wife is a good idea. I just advise that you tread carefully. She's seen you half a dozen times in the past year, and she isn't handling your situation well."

Steve clasped his hands together and looked at the doorway, wondering if he should sit down and try whatever paprikesh was instead of harassing the woman he didn't remember and who didn't want to talk, let alone be in the same room as him, but he needed to get to know her. She was most likely the one making his life decisions at the moment, and he needed to know what was going to happen to him. "Thank you both for your help. Enjoy your dinner."

As Steve started to leave, he heard the woman's whisper with startling clarity, "It is so odd to see him slump like that. He's not the Captain yet."

Steve winced at her words and picked up his pace, wishing there was some clue to where Kayla went. It was easy to follow the scent of food, but the blonde had disappeared in her efforts to evade him. As he wandered the halls, people stared at him, but didn't speak to him, except for a few lowered voices greeting him as Captain.

Clearly the whole building knew who he was, and most knew of his lack of memories. Either that, or they watched him warily because he'd just come back from prison.

He rounded a corner and barreled into the brunette woman from earlier, smashing into her and causing her to tumble back a step. Without thinking, Steve reached out and grabbed her arm to keep her from falling, and she sighed when it registered what had happened, "Steve."

He responded with a nod, unsure what else to say, and that seemed to be more than enough to tell the woman he still didn't remember her. She smiled sadly and thrust her hand forward in greeting, "I'm Tiffany. Your wife's best friend."

"Kayla?"

Tiffany's brows shot up in surprise, but she quickly composed herself and smiled sweetly, a smile that looked too rehearsed to be genuine, "Yes. Kayla. I live here with my husband Sam. He was with me earlier." Steve nodded, glad to put a name to the face. These were clearly his friends. Tiffany watched him process the information patiently, giving him a few moments before asking, "Is there something I can help you find?"

"I was hoping to speak to Kayla." Steve said, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "I upset her and I want to apologize."

"What did you do?"

Steve grimaced, clenching his fists at how unsurprised the woman's tone sounded. "I forgot about her. I feel bad."

"Well, she's in your apartment. I can show you where it is, but she might not want to stick around and talk. The doctors told her to give you space."

"I would rather be uncomfortable than make her upset." Steve told the tiny woman and she looked impressed by his words, "Would you show me where to go?"

Tiffany nodded and lead him back down the hall she'd come from, taking him to the back end of the wing before stopping and pointing at the door. "Good luck."

"Thank you ma'am." Steve told her and she furrowed her brows, so he corrected, "Tiffany."

She snorted, muttering as she walked away, "Adorable."

Alone again, Steve focused his attention on the door, talking to himself as he tried to steel his courage. "You can do this. She's your dame, she already likes you. Don't make it weirder than it has to be." He ground his fist into his opposite palm, looking at the pad beside the door. If he placed his hand on it, it would probably let him in, but he needed to knock. He needed to give his wife the choice to not answer the door. He took a deep breath, puffing out his strong chest and whispering, "What's not to like? Look at me." He took another deep breath and raised his fist to knock, but the door swung open on its own.

The woman looked up at him sadly, her eyes rimmed red from crying, but she forced a weak smile nonetheless. "Hi." She managed before sniffling and rubbing the edge of her nose roughly, "I, uh, heard you talking. Super hearing, am I right?" She chuckled nervously, holding the door with one shaking hand and her stomach with the other. It drew Steve's attention down and he swallowed nervously before registering what she'd said. She seemed to realize where his thoughts were going, because she quickly explained, "I actually took a version of the serum they gave you."

"Really?" Steve's heart swelled at the idea of having somebody like him, who he could relate to, "When?"

"About two months ago." Kayla answered, and Steve's smile fell. She looked him up and down, lingering on his hunched shoulders, so he stood up a little straighter, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! Nothing is wrong, I just thought... maybe..." he trailed off, not wanting to hurt her feelings anymore than he already had, "I thought maybe you were around- when I was."

She seemed to understand what he was getting at, because she smiled sadly and shook her head, "Unfortunately not. You and I met in 2012. I only just received the serum... for the baby."

"For the baby?" Steve parroted, looking down again, "Why?"

"It's complicated." Kayla answered easily, taking a step back and gesturing inside, "Perhaps we can talk about that later. I'll leave so you can rest."

It was like Tiffany said, she was trying to bolt. Steve wasn't done talking to his wife yet, so he stepped through the doorway and blocked her exit, "I came to speak with you."

"And now you have." Kayla answered sharply, lowering her head to avert her gaze, as if it hurt to look at him. "It's just really hard." She admitted softly.

"I'm sorry." Steve's voice broke, and she looked up to meet his eyes. She had such beautiful green eyes, like his mother's eyes. Steve had gotten his blues from his father.

He dared to take a step forward towards the woman, and she backed up instinctively. He wasn't used to getting such a reaction from anybody, especially a beautiful dame like this one. She wasn't intimidated so much as aware of the space he took up, and it caused a wolfish smile to bloom across his features.

She noticed his change in demeanor and giggled, and Steve realized he'd never made a woman laugh like this before, so flirty and charmed by his actions and his presence. Steve was thankful the part of him he didn't remember had done all the hard work in winning her over so he could just enjoy her affection. Despite not remembering her, her feelings about him were clearly written across her face, even if he didn't realize what was funny. "What?"

"It's sweet. You look so proud of yourself." She pushed a chunk of hair behind her ear and stepped around Steve, "I'm gonna go home. We have a house a few miles away, I'm going to get some rest. Baby is taking a lot out of me."

Steve reached out and grabbed her wrist, and she stilled as he choked out, "Please don't! Stay."

"Don't you understand how hard this is for me? You're the love of my life, and you don't even remember my name."

"Kay." He said firmly, scrambling around her to slam the door closed with more force than he realized he had. He winced at the noise, but she didn't seem alarmed. A mix of amusement and annoyance plagued her features as she crossed her arms, and Steve realized they were strong and toned from the serum. "Kayla, that's your name, right?"

"Do you remember or did someone tell you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes." She answered, beginning to fidget anxiously. "Get some rest, Steve."

"I don't want to rest, I want to understand. And I want some company. I want that to be you."

Kayla groaned a little and gestured towards the small kitchen, "Fine. Sit."

He did as he was told, leaving his post by the door to sit at the small wooden table near the kitchenette. Steve looked up at Kayla as she leaned against the fridge, studying her fully for the first time. She allowed him to rake his eyes over her body without complaint, and Steve caught himself and cleared his throat, "I'm sorry. That was rude."

"It's okay." She murmured until a deep rumble was heard from Steve's stomach. She giggled as he blushed, and she asked, "You hungry? I guess you didn't stay for paprikesh."

"I wanted to see you."

"And now you expect your pregnant little housewife to cook you dinner, right?" She challenged, and Steve shook his head rapidly, clearly seeing it was a trap.

"No, ma'am. I can make my own dinner. I'm used to going hungry." A breath caught in her throat and Steve amended his statement, "I mean, my mother has been gone for several years. I can take care of myself. I don't expect you to do anything."

"Well, I'm hungry too, so you're in luck." She turned on the stove and opened the pantry to pull out some pasta before opening the fridge, "Don't tell Wanda she was right. Ice cream wasn't a good lunch."

The corner of Steve's mouth curved up into a smile, and he decided not to argue with his wife. His beautiful, spunky, curvaceous wife. As far as Steve remembered, he'd never held a woman romantically. He'd kissed a few girls in school, including Bucky's little sister on a dare, but the idea of getting a handful of this woman's ass stirred feelings in Steve that he'd long kept at bay.

"Enjoying the view?"

Steve turned tomato red as he looked up in horror, seeing Kayla smirking down at him, "I'm sorry?"

"Mhhmm." Kayla hummed, slicing up some chicken before dumping it into a pan. "I'm just teasing you. I'm flattered you think I'm pretty. You should see me when I'm not nine months pregnant."

"Is it a boy or girl?" Steve asked, considering for the first time that he might have a son or daughter with this woman. Even if he didn't regain his memories, he'd still be their father. He needed to mentally prepare for that possibility.

"We're letting it be a surprise." Kayla answered easily as she flipped the chicken in the pan before stirring the pasta. She expertly ignored the loud whine of Steve's stomach, but Steve jumped to his feet and surged forward, "What can I do to help?"

She looked up at him, and Steve wondered how she'd react if he touched her. Kayla turned back to her cooking and shrugged, "I got it. Just relax. Ask your questions. I'm an open book."

"Why was I in prison?"

"My God, who did you talk to?" Kayla gasped as she stared at him in shock. She shifted uncomfortably for a moment, then looked back to the stove, "The United Nations created a set of laws for enhanced individuals, and you opposed them. One thing led to another and you went on the run. When you came back, you took the blame for our friends coming with you and went to prison." Kayla paused as she stirred the pot, then added, "They offered you freedom in exchange for killing a man running a sex trafficking ring. You killed him and minutes later you were shot in the head."

"How did I survive?"

"Your helmet was reenforced and the serum protects you. That said you're lucky all you lost was your memories." She looked over her shoulder and sighed, "I'm so thankful you're alive, I'm just so frustrated this happened. We've been apart for so long and now we're finally together and it's weird and it sucks."

Steve carefully placed his hand on the small of Kayla's back, feeling her relax for a brief moment before stiffening again. He pulled his hand away, but everything in him wanted to touch her again, "They said my memories should come back. Until then, I'll be whatever you need. I'll do whatever I have to to make this right."

"Thank you." Kayla sniffled, reaching down quickly to grab her stomach, "I just don't want to make this harder for you."

"Honestly, I'm overwhelmed, but at least I have food to eat and a roof over my head. Last I remember I barely had that." Steve chuckled, sitting back down before asking, "If we're married, I'm sure I told you about Bucky right?"

"Yes." She said curtly, "I know Bucky."

"You know of him?"

"No." She paused but didn't turn around, "I know him. He's still alive."

Steve placed his fist to his mouth, breathing heavily, "Really? Can I- can I see him? Please?"

"I'm working on it." Kayla answered, turning to give Steve the same rehearsed smile her friend had given earlier, "Be patient, but know I'm working on it. Once he hears what happened to you, he'll definitely want to see you. He's overseas, a little hard to get a hold of."

"Oh. Okay." Steve answered, happy to know Bucky was still alive, "Thank you for doing that."

"I know how much he means to you." Kayla scooped up the biggest plate of pasta Steve had ever seen and poured sauce over it before setting it in front of him. She grabbed a knife and a fork and handed them to her husband before gesturing to the food, "Eat. Then you need to rest. Doctor's orders."

Steve didn't need to be told twice, and he scarfed down the food like he'd never eaten before. It soothed his empty stomach while Kayla ate slowly, still standing by the fridge. Once Steve's food was gone, he realized she hadn't joined him, "Don't you want to sit?"

"It's difficult to get back up."

He sighed, patting his stomach, "Thank you. It was delicious." He stood and grabbed his plate to put in the sink, holding it a little too tight and causing it to break, "Damn it! I'm sorry!" He swore, unsure how she'd react to his foul language and damage of their home, "I can- uh I'll get a new one- clean this up-"

"I'll do it." Kayla answered, setting her plate to the side and looking to Steve's hand, "You're bleeding."

"Oh." Steve looked down to see a trickle of blood coming from his hand. Kayla turned on the water and grabbed Steve's fingers to carefully run his hand under the lukewarm water. It didn't even sting, but he flinched instinctively anyway. "Sorry!"

"Stop apologizing, you're fine. You have no idea how many glasses I accidentally broke when I first took the serum. I could make a stained glass window with all the shards I've collected." Steve smiled at her attempt at a joke and she turned off the water and ran her thumb over his cut, "See, already healing."

Steve stared at his palm, realizing she was right. "How is that possible?"

"The serum stimulates your muscles and your cells. When something is wrong, your body works overdrive to fix it. For instance," Kayla brushed aside Steve's hacked up hair, causing him to shiver at the contact, "you're already healing here. Soon you'll be good as new."

"And I'll remember?"

"Hopefully." Kayla sighed, pulling her hand away to grab her plate. "The bedroom is back there. Make yourself at home. I'll give you your space."

"Don't leave." Steve ordered, realizing his voice was more commanding than he initially meant for it to be. "Please don't go."

She looked up at him and blinked a couple of times, but didn't say anything. Steve wasn't sure what he wanted from her, but he wanted her around. He wanted to be there for her.

The beard on Steve's face itched, and his hair was too shaggy for his liking. Kayla wanted him to rest but he wasn't tired. His body buzzed with pent up energy, and he wondered if that was from this magical serum running through his veins or his beautiful wife who he couldn't put his hands on. He looked out the window, seeing the sun bright and the air crips around the lake. He wondered if running was as easy as breathing now. "Can we go for a run?"

She looked down at her swollen stomach, then up to Steve with an unimpressed expression. He blushed, realizing the absurdity of his request. "Can I go for a run?"

"I'd rather you rest, you were shot in the head. Unless you forgot," she teased, and Steve scowled at her words. He wondered if she was always this cruel or if she was just trying to keep him at arms length to protect herself. Or, perhaps it was the human inside her that was making her cranky. Either way, Steve realized he couldn't blame her.

"Okay." Steve deflated, slumping his shoulders a little. Kayla's soft hand raised to stroke his cheek, and Steve leaned into her touch as she rubbed her thumb against his beard. He was surprised she'd touched him at all and was annoyed at the rough little hairs keeping her skin from his. "Would you be upset if I shaved?"

"No. The beard is nice but I miss seeing your face." Kayla admitted. She moved her hand higher, brushing back a chunk of his greasy hair, "Would you let me cut your hair? So you don't look like a fugitive?"

"I'd love that." Steve dared to move his own hands to her hips so he could anchor her against him. When her stomach bumped against him, he looked down, remembering the responsibility he was days away from inheriting. It felt like he was about to become a father to someone else's child, but that didn't feel nearly as terrible as Steve being unable to remember conceiving them.

The idea ran away with Steve, and he imagined kissing this woman and touching her and making love to her. She was a stranger to him now but clearly all those things had occurred for them to be in this position now. A small part of Steve wished she didn't know he'd forgotten, because then she'd let him kiss her and touch her without pause.

But his daydream was ripped away when she backed up to go to the bathroom, leaving Steve alone. He was thankful for the space, because he needed to calm his body, which reacted to his wife with an instinct his mind couldn't keep up with. Steve let out a long, slow breath before looking at his palm, realizing the cut had already disappeared without leaving the slightest scar.