After dinner, Mathew and Sandra mingled with the foreign dignitaries that they knew, and Kayla sat with Tiffany alone at their table by the dance floor as a string quartet began to play. Kayla fiddled with her necklace, holding the tags in her palm tightly as she watched couples take to the floor. She smiled weakly, seeing as people from around the world came to celebrate life- and the hope that they could put things back together.

Over the next week, many of the world's nations would come together and pitch ideas for rebuilding the world that existed before Thanos. They needed a cohesive plan to get civilizations back to their former glory. There were border wars. Homelessness was higher than it ever had been, and there wasn't enough food for the several billion living creatures that appeared overnight. Humanity was glad to have their loved ones back, but grief was also high because some of the dusted came back to find their loved ones had died. The world was falling into madness, and this was a good step towards recuperation.

But Kayla found the lavish kick-off party unnecessary. She rolled her eyes at Tiffany as giddy girls flirted with foreign boys and politicians schmoozed and tried to get support for their initiatives. The booze continued to flow, and inhibitions began to drop. It was only a matter of time before Paul or some other tipsy man wanted to talk to the mysterious pregnant blonde.

"Mrs. Rogers- would you like to dance?"

Kayla's head flew up at the familiar voice and tears began to well in her eyes. She scrambled to her feet and embraced the man tightly, but not as tightly as King T'Challa expected."

"Oh, how I've missed you. I've seen you since you came back, but, we didn't really get a chance to talk." Kayla exclaimed breathlessly as the King of Wakanda looked the girl up and down.

"No, no we did not. I didn't expect you to be here this evening. What happened to, as you say, 'laying low'?" T'Challa teased as he offered his arm to the blonde and led her toward the dance floor slowly.

Kayla tried to decide how to answer, holding her mouth open as she collected her thoughts, "There was... a development. After the funeral. I lost my super-soldier serum. I put myself and my daughter in danger... Steve left."

T'Challa stopped at that, turning quickly to the girl with stern eyes, "He left?"

Kayla nodded meekly, "Our daughter... might have brain damage. Because of me. He was really upset. I haven't seen or heard from him in almost four months."

"That's not like the Captain," T'Challa said simply, placing Kayla's hand on his shoulder and he placed his other hand firmly on her side, never straying too low. "He will come around. He's been through a lot. He's seen things no man should have to see. Perhaps this has less to do with you, and more to do with him."

"That makes me feel a little better." Kayla grinned as she stepped to the side, dancing eloquently with her friend, "We'll see."

"It's nice to see you out in the light Kayla. Perhaps you and Shuri can work together now. We are presenting a Wakandan outreach project on Monday morning. General Okoye will be arriving with my sister tomorrow evening. I'm sure Shuri would welcome your help. I'm sure many would." T'Challa said as he looked over her head, seeing Paul sizzling next to Tiffany at their table, "It seems someone wants your attention."

Kayla looked over her shoulder as T'Challa turned, allowing her a view of Paul as Tiffany sat with her cheek in her palm, not enjoying how close the creep was standing. Kayla moaned as she looked back up to T'Challa, "He's the President's son. He keeps snooping. He wants to know where I've been. They all do. But I'm not defined by my past, only how I can shape the future."

"Wise words Mrs. Rogers. I look forward to seeing what you bring to the table at the Summit."

"I think it's Miss Ellis as of now." Kayla corrected sadly, sighing as she rested her head against the collarbone of his black tuxedo jacket. "And I'm not coming to the Summit. Only the gala. I'm a party trick. One night only."

"Perhaps you once were, but not anymore. As you said, you aren't defined by your past," T'Challa told the woman as he kissed her hand and let her go, wandering off to speak with others here for the Summit. He was here for business, not pleasure. Kayla didn't know what she was here for.

Kayla spun around, taking in the couples around her on the dance floor. This would have made her heart swell a decade ago, but not tonight. The quartet began to play a sultry tango and Kayla began to leave the dance floor until she realized Paul was still hovering by her table. Tiffany shook her head a little, warning Kayla not to return. Kayla turned and moved to the side, away from Paul as the tall, lanky man began to approach. Kayla knew Paul from college, a slimy snake who's ambitions rivaled her own. He saw her as a challenge, and she didn't want to play.

"May I have this dance miss?" A Spanish gentleman asked Kayla, offering out his hand as she passed by looking dazed. She smiled up and nodded weakly, grabbing onto his hand as he gently moved her around the dance floor. Kayla looked over her shoulder to see Paul watching her, stalking her through the crowd, determined to get his dance.

As the music began to swell, Paul finally made his move, "May I cut in?" The Spanish officer bowed his head and released Kayla, even though her green eyes begged him not to let her go. Paul grabbed onto her hand tightly and pulled her against his chest as the music continued loud and dark, creating a romantic mood that made Kayla sick.

"Now, where were we?" Paul smirked as Kayla raised her chin defiantly and looked away. He led their dance, and she barely moved as he pushed her around the dance floor. "What happened to you, Kayla? The years have been cruel to you."

"They were cruel as they were kind, I assure you." Kayla snapped back, sparing the man a spiteful glare as he moved them easily across the wooden floor.

He grinned at her answer, looking down, "They couldn't have been all bad... there are only two ways to get a bastard child. By fun or force."

"How dare you?" Kayla growled, trying to push the man away, but he held her tight against him, "Are you insinuating I don't know who the father is?"

"Do you?"

"Of course."

"Do you love him?" Paul asked. The intensity between them growing as the song began to reach its end. "I just can't imagine you happily in love."

Kayla snarled at the man, driving her heel into his foot as her patience reached its end, "I was. It's complicated. He's gone."

Paul bit his lip as his foot stung, but his grip on Kayla stayed tight. He looked at her with dark eyes, "You don't want them to grow up without a father, do you? I'll take care of you, Kayla. Imagine what we could do- together. You are influential and mysterious. Your secrets drive the world mad, I want to know them."

"If I told you, they wouldn't be secrets anymore," Kayla whispered fearfully as the tango faded into a sad, sweeping rendition of I Dreamed a Dream. There couldn't have been a more fitting song for Kayla's defeat. Paul took her lack of answer as a maybe, and pulled her close to his chest, resting his cheek on top of her head.

This isn't how it's meant to end. This isn't how it's meant to be...

She was thankful Paul couldn't see her cry, but she knew he could feel the way her body shook at his touch. He lifted her chin to look up at him, smiling down sweetly at her, "We'll take things slow. I only want to help you, Kayla. Please let me."

Kayla gasped for air, wanting to tell him no, but she felt helpless. Her world was crumbling and all she knew was that she shouldn't have come to this stupid gala. She felt like a tiger in a cage, something once so powerful without any hope of breaking free.

As the music began to swell, Paul loosened his grip and spun Kayla. He loosened it just a little too much though, and she broke free of his grip, spinning right into someone tall and sturdy. Before she even realized what had happened, the stranger had her in his arms, and her legs gave out at his touch. She didn't fall though, because he held her tightly against him, but not with the threatening grip of Paul. He held her like she was the most precious thing his hands had ever touched.

"Excuse me, we were dancing here." Paul snapped when he realized his girl was now in the arms of someone else.

"Not anymore." The stranger answered cooly, holding Kayla possessively against him as he looked down at her lovingly.

Paul studied the man with scraggly hair and beard, seeing he didn't belong in this world, "Who the hell are you? What makes you think you have the right to steal a person's-"

"I'm dancing with her now. Find a different partner." The newcomer's familiar blue eyes were filled with fire as he spun around, taking Kayla with him. She just stared up at him with shocked eyes, unable to speak.

He looked down at her with a sad smile, his demeanor softening with his girl, "Hi Kay."

"Steve." She whimpered, reaching up to touch his face as if she hadn't believed he was real until this moment, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see you. I can't spend another moment without you." He breathed as he leaned down to kiss her, but realized he couldn't, so he pressed his forehead against hers while she ran her fingers through his beard, "I'm so sorry Kay...I love you so much."

"I love you too," Kayla replied, sighing into him as the music slowed down, a sad melody that matched their conversation, "Everyone thinks you are dead."

"I know. I'm not sure if I should correct them or not." Steve chuckled, hitting his nose against the bridge of hers. He shifted so she could rest against his shoulder and placed his face against her head lovingly. "I heard about what you did for that little boy at the hospital. You saved his life."

"I had to-" Kayla started, staring off into the crowd of people, but they weren't real. It was just her and Steve, and the rest of the world didn't matter. Nothing else mattered as long as he held her. Her mind wandered from the child to her conversation with Tiffany earlier, "Tiffany said you were going out with someone tonight."

"I am. I'm out to see my best girl." Steve informed Kayla as he shifted his head to see her eyes, "I'm here to ask if she'll still have me."

Kayla met his sad blue eyes and saw there was hopefulness in them. He was asking her to forgive him. She grabbed at the chain around her neck and pulled its contents out of her dress, holding them in her hand for him to see. Steve looked down and smiled thankfully at his dog tags and her wedding ring. She looked back up to the man she loved. He looked terrible. He looked disheveled and tired, even in his fancy suit. But she loved him no less, "I'll always have you, darling. You're the love of my life."

Steve grabbed at her jaw with both hands, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. It took everything in him not to kiss his wife, but he knew if he took her with his lips he'd never let her go, and she'd have to explain to the entire world who this stranger was who held her so lovingly. "Let me take you away?"

Kayla nodded vigorously, "Yes. Please. Take me home." Steve picked her up easily and spun her around, her gold dress falling around her as her feet left the ground. As soon as her thick heels hit the ground though, their light-filled world turned to darkness.

Gunshots rang out in the ballroom, and Steve pulled Kayla into him as people began screaming. Kayla pushed against Steve, looking up to his face as he looked around for the source of gunfire, "I have to find Tiffany and my parents."

"No. I'm not letting you out of my sight," Steve informed her, but she began to argue until a clear accented voice cut through the screaming.

"The night has just begun! Play!" The German man ordered the quartet who were shaking on the stage beyond the barrel of his small gun. A small woman with a violin placed the instrument to her chin and began to play something snappy as the man in a black trenchcoat turned to face the crowd.

Kayla gasped as Steve pulled her farther into the panicking crowd. She held her hand to her mouth to keep from screaming out loud as she shook. Steve just stared in disbelief. He'd found them. "Schmidt," Steve muttered in Kayla's ear, holding her on the stomach and just below the chest, keeping her as close as he could from behind.

Kayla looked over her shoulder at Steve, seeing the determination in his eyes. He was going to fight his old enemy. "No. You can't. He has the Soul Stone. He'll kill you. And me, and my family."

"Where's James?"

"He's home with Nat." Kayla replied, watching as the Red Skull's eyes scanned the crowd. As a human he was terrifying, knowing it was a facade for the devil underneath made it so much worse. "Steve, you need to get out of here."

"What about you?" Steve asked sadly, knowing she was right. He could sneak out now, but if he waited much longer he'd be a sitting duck.

Kayla leaned into Steve, pressing her body against him to feel him, "He's less likely to find you if I stay behind."

"If anything happens to you-"

"I love you too, Steve." Kayla placed her hand behind her back and pushed against Steve's stomach, telling him to go. She felt his presence fade and knew he was gone.

Everyone in the room made a semi-circle around the dancefloor where Johann Schmidt took the stage, looking around with his gun pointed at the guests. His dark eyes glowed amber for a few moments and suddenly Kayla realized she was walking toward him, out of the crowd against her will. When she got to him, he grabbed onto her jaw harshly as the crowd gasped, "We meet again."

"You-took everything from me." Kayla hissed as he held her tight, smiling at her. "But you're too late. He's dead."

Schmidt stared at her, then pressed his bony hand against her chest as his power invaded her soul, "You're lying. He's here." Schmidt turned to the crowd, still holding Kayla by the jaw. He grabbed her by the neck instead, lifting her a foot off the ground as she grabbed his arm, holding herself up. Everyone screamed and backed farther away as he looked around the room. "Captain America! Will you hide in the shadows while the woman you love dies?"

Kayla saw a beard in the crowd and shot him a pleading glance. As he approached, another bearded man turned around and looked back at Kayla desperately before turning and running out the door reluctantly. The dark sheen of vibranium was lost on Johann Schmidt, but it was Kayla's saving grace.

Suddenly Sam swooped in through the open doors and landed right in front of Schmidt and Kayla, folding in his wings as he held the shield before the Red Skull. "She doesn't die today."

Schmidt's eyes narrowed in suspicion of the newcomer. "You are not Captain America-"

"See that's where you're wrong. With Steve Rogers' dying breath he gave me the shield and asked me to take his place. He died fighting Thanos. And you will die fighting me." Sam told the Red Skull confidently, and Kayla couldn't help but give him a proud smile as she hung by the neck. "Let her go. This is between you and me."

Schmidt threw Kayla to the side and swung his gun around the musicians, threatening them to keep playing during his duel. Kayla gasped, trying to get air back into her lungs as she sat on the floor, looking up as Sam stared down the Red Skull menacingly. While he was distracted, a round of rifle shots penetrated Schmidt from the crowd. The gala guests screamed and hit the floor as the Winter Soldier stepped forward, his gun at the ready to shoot again. Schmidt wavered a little, then used the Soul Stone to pull the bullets from his chest and discard them on the floor. "You're going to have to do better than that, Barnes!"

Schmidt blasted at the soldier as Bucky dove out of the way. Everyone was flooding toward the exit now, no longer afraid of being targeted but afraid of being killed by accident. It was clear what this man wanted, and it had to do with the Avengers. Schmidt discarded his gun and shot his hands out at Sam, who held up the shield and sent the rays flying elsewhere.

Kayla watched from the ground, unsure if retreating would just bring more fire into the crowd. Suddenly she felt a covered hand on her shoulder and looked up to see The Black Panther hovering over her. "Come. They can handle this." Kayla scrambled to her feet and T'Challa stood between her and the firefight as she made her way out of the ballroom and into the foyer. "Stay here," T'Challa ordered as he jumped back into the battle.

Finally, Schmidt grew tired of fighting and blasted Captain America, the Winter Soldier, and the Black Panther away. "I came here for a soul, and I'm not leaving without one." He bellowed, and his voice sounded inhuman to Kayla's ears as she quivered behind a pillar near the doors as people continued to run out of the ballroom. Schmidt created a wisp of gold, then swung his hand to the side, ripping it through the retreating crowd. Kayla looked around the pillar and saw everyone who the smoke touched fall to the ground. She breathed heavily, praying he would leave and never come back, even if that was hoping against hope. Suddenly, he was behind her.

"Your soul is broken. Perhaps he really is dead. Either way, you'll live knowing these deaths are on you and your precious Captain America. You can raise your bastard children never knowing who their father is." Schmidt growled before vanishing in front of Kayla's eyes. She panted now that she was alone, then looked over her shoulder at the now empty ballroom. The only people still remaining were T'Challa, Sam, Bucky, and the bodies. Even the string quartet had scrambled to safety.

Bucky and T'Challa stood amongst the bodies. T'Challa looked horrified and Bucky looked melancholy as his rifle hung loosely at his side. He'd seen such carnage before. Kayla stood among them, shaking as she looked around. But it wasn't until she heard Sam weeping that she really looked.

"No. No no no." Kayla flung herself beside Sam and grabbed Tiffany's lifeless body from where she laid on the ground. "Come back. Please... please come back" She looked up at Sam, who had discarded his cowl and he took Tiffany from Kayla, cradling her against his chest as he wept loudly. Kayla looked up at Bucky, tears flowing freely from her eyes, "What have we done?"

Author's Notes:

Guest- I'm so glad you like the story! Thank you for reading!

amberhardy- Alright, alright, I'll admit, I was more ominous than I should have been, but I didn't want to give it away- but it wasn't Sharon Carter. I loved writing this reunion for Steve and Kayla. I also didn't realize I kept writing Steve leaving Kayla when she was pregnant, that was definitely a 'My Bad' so thank you for bringing it to my attention. I think about it a lot now haha. It's more circumstances and timing, but yeah, Steve can't do that anymore. If they have more kids that is.