"Steve? Steve!" Sam cried out as Steve stumbled forward, feeling the bullet pierce his shoulder blade. Natasha wrapped her arms around him, but the brawny man was too heavy, and when he allowed his legs to give out beneath his weight, he took her down with him. Sam lunged to the ground, grabbing onto his friend and flipping him onto his back, releasing Natasha, "What the hell Steve? Where have you been? What are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too, Cap." Steve chuckled, but the movement rumbled from his stomach to his chest and caused him to hiss in pain. He grabbed his shoulder with his left hand as Natasha wiped his blonde hair away from his face as he began to sweat. "How have you been?"

"I just shot you! We need to get you to a doctor!" Sam yelped back, but Steve just grabbed his right arm, holding him down with Natasha and himself.

"No. No, I'll be fine. I just- maybe need a ride home." Steve admitted as he allowed Sam to pull him into a sitting position. Natasha ripped off the bottom half of her shirt and pressed the thin material to Steve's bullet wound. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you, Sam. We didn't want to incriminate you."

Sam looked from Steve to Natasha, eyes wide, "What do you mean 'incriminate' me? What kind of trouble are you in, Rogers?"

"I'm raising my family. And trying to keep my friend from getting shot." He groaned, turning to smile at Natasha.

"You shouldn't have dove in front of me. That was a warning shot." Nat continued to push the shirt against Steve's shoulder as she eyed Sam, "Speaking of which, what the hell was that?"

"You went straight for the shield. You wanted me to shoot you. I knew I couldn't if that was your plan." Sam countered, calling Natasha's bluff as he sat on his ass and allowed Steve to lean against him for balance. "Who all knows, man?"

"Natasha and Bucky. That's it." Steve admitted, omitting Tony to keep his own secret safe. He didn't want to lie to Sam, but he had promises he had to keep too.

Sam nodded a little, a sly grin forming across his face, "I'm gonna kill Barnes."

"Please don't," Steve whined to Sam as Natasha fished a bottle of water out of Sam's pack and poured it on his wound. "Please keep this quiet Sam. I'm keeping my family safe. Schmidt is still out there. The more people who think I'm dead, the safer my kids are."

"Kids?" Sam perked up at the plural form of the word, realizing Steve's daughter had survived. "The girl?"

"Sarah. She's with James. A friend is watching them. I have to keep them safe Sam, please..." Steve trailed off, but Sam had already made up his mind. He'd never tell a soul that Steve Rogers was still alive.

"You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you and the kids. I'm just sad I haven't been able to see him all these months. I still have his Christmas present at the apartment that I bought in November." Sam confessed with a sad smile, "Will I ever see him again?"

"Yes. We'll figure something out, I promise." Steve said as Natasha found a pair of pliers from Sam's pack and began to lean toward his shoulder, "Oh, you're not getting the bullet out with those-"

"It's that or you have a bullet in your shoulder for the rest of your life," Natasha grumbled as she went to work, and Sam held Steve's other shoulder as he winced, taking the brunt of the pain as Natasha pried the metal from his skin. Once it was out, she discarded the bullet and poured the rest of the water on Sam's pliers, washing away the blood. "See, all better."

"Thanks, Nat."

"You took a bullet for me, Rogers. I should be thanking you."

"I'm sorry I shot at you." Sam interrupted, but Natasha just waved her hand dismissively.

"As I said, it was a warning shot." Natasha slurred, pushing herself to her feet. Sam followed suit and the two of them helped heave Steve to his feet. The blonde man swayed a little as he clenched his teeth. He may be a super soldier, but he still didn't enjoy getting shot.

Sam pulled out his cell phone, seeing several missed calls from President Mathew Ellis. "It's your father-in-law." He called the number back and Mathew answered on the first ring, asking if everyone was alright. Sam scoffed a little, looking at his friends, "Yeah, we are alright. I, uh, I think we may need to stop chasing Natasha Romanoff though. She doesn't have your grandson-" He began to explain, but stopped abruptly when the man on the other line began talking over him. Sam's eyes darted up to Steve, who tilted his head questioningly. "I understand sir. We'll be there as soon as we can. Goodbye."

"What was that about?" Natasha asked as she leaned into Steve, letting his arm drape over her shoulder to steady himself. He seemed a little dazed, but he wouldn't admit he was just nervous about his wife's reaction to him being shot.

Sam hit a button on the sleeve of his suit and suddenly the roof of the compound opened and a quinjet rose into the air and landed just beyond the trio. "We're being summoned by the former President. He wants to see you."

Steve looked from Sam to the quinjet. This wasn't exactly the 'laying low' lifestyle that he was trying to uphold. Kayla would have him dead and buried if her parents found out he was alive.

"They already know, Steve. Barnes told them." Sam explained as the back of the jet opened, allowing them transportation to the Ellis residence. "I'll even drop you off at home after."

"Honestly, I'll take the train," Steve mumbled, but followed Sam into the jet anyway, allowing Nat to be his crutch as he walked. He was lightheaded, but he knew he'd have to face his in-laws if he wanted them to leave Natasha alone. He'd have to explain himself if he wanted to return to his new life.

"Is she alive?"

Steve lifted his head quickly at Sam's question, his brows high, "What?"

"Kayla. Is she alive?" Sam repeated without looking back from the sky ahead as he flew them toward the Ellis ranch. "Did you really let your wife get executed, or did you pull some stunt to keep her alive?"

Steve smiled to himself but didn't say anything. Sam finally spared a look over his shoulder and saw Steve's beaming smile, knowing his answer. "That's fine. Keep your secrets. But you'd better give her a call. I'm sure she's worried sick about you."

Steve pulled out his cell phone and dialed Kayla's number, watching Sam's reaction as the phone began to ring. Kayla answered on the first ring, which surprised Steve because it was about time for her to put James to bed. "Hey, Kay."

"Where the hell are you, Steve? I've been worried sick about you-you could have called me." Kayla snarled over the phone, but Steve could hear the way her voice broke. She was holding back tears, trying to be angry, but he'd caused her to worry again.

"I'm sorry Kay, I'm here now. I'll be home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Kayla hissed quietly as she paced, making sure not to wake up her two sleeping children sharing the bedroom with her in Stark's cabin, "Why tomorrow? Come to the cabin. Tony invited us to stay for a few days. James and Morgan are having a great time. You could use the break. Please, come be with us."

"I can't tonight Kay. I'll be home first thing in the morning, I promise. I'll take the train up, can you meet me at the station?" Steve compromised, but Kayla just huffed on the other end, unhappy that she wasn't getting her way.

There was a beat of silence before she answered, "I'm so mad at you, Steven."

"You'll be madder when you hear what I did," Steve mumbled, knowing full well Kayla would catch it and the sooner he admitted he'd been shot by Sam, the sooner they could move on from it.

Another beat of silence hung in the air as Natasha turned to Steve, hearing Kayla's lack of words through the receiver. Finally, Kayla spoke, "What happened?"

"Sam was going to shoot Natasha-"

"You jumped in front of the gun, didn't you?"

Steve clamped his mouth shut, noticing there wasn't any anger in Kayla's words, but a knowing tone. "Yes."

Another deep sigh emanated from the other end of the phone, "You gonna be okay?" Kayla knew her husband better than anybody. She knew every reckless, noble bone in his body, and she'd expect nothing less from him.

"Yeah, I'll be okay. Sam and Nat took care of me. There's another thing- not my fault..." Steve trailed off, looking out the window at the darkening sky. "Bucky told your parents I was alive. To get them to leave Nat alone. I'm on my way to see them right now."

"You can't tell them I'm alive, Steve. We can't go through this again. I can't- I can't let them hope again." Kayla whimpered into the phone, cradling it close to her face as she held back the sob growing in the back of her throat. She wanted to see her parents so badly. She wanted them to know she was alive. But they couldn't. Because if they knew she was alive, they'd want to see her, and then people would realize she was alive, and that would put everyone in danger. The first time she faked her death, she did it selfishly, to live the life she wanted. This time, she did it out of necessity, to save her family.

Perhaps someday they'd understand.

"I won't Kay. I promise. I'll take care of it." Steve answered. His chest rose and fell as he breathed deeply, feeling a sense of worry and relief at the same time. Worry about what he'd have to do. Relieved to hear his wife's voice. She wasn't angry with him, she just wanted him home safe. It's what he wanted for himself, too.

Kayla sat on the bed, looking to the side where James slept soundly against the pillow of the king-sized bed. She studied the boy, knowing someday he'd be just as reckless as his father, and then she'd be worried twofold. "I love you, Steve. I'll see you in the morning." She whispered, laying down beside her son and staring at the log ceiling as she cradled the phone against her ear, trying to catch every word, every breath, that arrived from the other side.

"I love you too Kay. So much. Give the kids a kiss from me. Tell them Daddy's coming home." Steve's voice dropped as he shifted, hiding the low hiss that erupted from his lips as he turned wrong and sent pain through his healing shoulder. "Goodnight, darling."

"Goodnight."

Kayla hung up first, letting her hand go limp and her phone fall to the floor. She rolled over to face James, her hands tucked up under his pillow as she watched her son sleep. She could hear the gentle wheeze of Sarah's breathing coming from the crib beside her, alerting Kayla that her daughter was fast asleep. She saw Steve Rogers in both her kids. The good, the bad, and the wonderful. Knowing her husband would be with her soon enough, Kayla let her eyes close and drifted off into a happy sleep.

Sam landed the quinjet just before nine o'clock, but the late hour didn't seem to faze Steve's in-laws. As soon as the engine was off, Sandra was sprinting across the field toward the jet, running up the plank to embrace Steve in a hug before he could even step foot on the ramp.

"Steve. Oh- Steve I can't believe you're alive." Sandra breathed as she squeezed the super-soldier fondly, not letting go until her husband was by her side. The moment Sandra let go of the soldier, Mathew wrapped his arms around his son-in-law, patting him on the back as he stifled a cry.

"We're so thankful you're here Steve. You have James, right?" Mathew asked as he pulled away, still holding Steve's upper arms tightly as he stared at the man.

Steve nodded, trying to smile despite the pain in his shoulder, "I do. I have both of them. James and Sarah are back home with a friend. I'm sorry I didn't come forward with the truth sooner. It's just been really hard since..." Steve trailed off, pushing his hand through his messy hair as he looked to the ground in shame. "I'm so sorry."

"She's really gone?" Sandra asked, expecting Steve to tell her that he had their daughter safe at home, but even Captain America couldn't save everybody. She forced back her tears by batting her eyes fiercely, and forged a bittersweet smile on her face, "At least we still have you and the kids. You're keeping them safe, and that's all we can really ask for... do you think we could see them sometime?"

"I'll do my best Mrs. Ellis." Steve admitted formally, raising his head to meet the woman's gaze, "I have to be honest, we need to keep the news of us being alive a secret. Johann Schmidt is responsible for Kayla's death. He's still out there and he's after me. I can't let him know about my children. He'll kill them too. Even being with you right now is putting them in grave danger."

"I just want to meet my granddaughter Steve. Just once if that's all you can risk. We've lost everything." Sandra let the tears fall freely and Natasha stepped up to embrace the woman, apologizing profusely for all the trouble she'd caused.

"No, Miss Romanoff, it's us who owe you an apology. We see now why you took James. He belongs with his father and sister. We are terribly sorry for all the trouble we've caused you, Natasha. Whatever you need, we'll take care of it. It's what Kayla would have wanted." Mathew clasped his hand onto Nat's shoulder as she nodded weakly, but didn't speak. She couldn't bring herself to lie to Kayla's parents.

Bucky stood on the steps of the house, watching the exchange with his hands in his pockets. Steve looked up as Matt and Sandra talked to Natasha, meeting his friend's eyes. The Winter Soldier pounded down the steps and easily crossed the yard to join his friends, only removing his hands from his pockets when he approached Steve to give him a big hug.

"I'm sorry I told them. I just knew it would never end, or it would end badly. They needed to know the boy was safe. Now they do." Bucky said quietly in Steve's ear as Steve patted him strongly on the back.

"You did the right thing Buck. It's good to see you."

"You aren't going to tell them about-"

"No. It would be too hard. We're going to fade away and keep our distance. It's bad enough they know they have two grandchildren growing up without them. I can't let them bear the weight of her, too." Steve whispered, dropping his head after meeting Sandra's gleeful eyes. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had to protect his family first and foremost, even if it meant hurting the people he cared about.

Sandra led Natasha, Sam, and her husband toward Steve and Bucky, knowing this was the extent of reunion she would get. She looked terribly sad as she prepared to say goodbye. "I know you'll take good care of them, Steve. Please find a way for us to see them, I beg of you. They... they are our daughter's legacy. We'd like to be a part of their lives. Even if it's when they are very young. Please."

"I promise. I'll be in touch. I'll contact you through Sam." Steve nodded to his friend, and Sam smiled as he sidled up next to Bucky, his shield strapped tightly to the back of his suit. Steve embraced Sandra one more time, leaning in to whisper in her ear, "Please be safe."

She just nodded in response, and backed away, allowing Steve to follow Bucky to his black car while Natasha and Sam went into the quinjet together, dividing the lock from the key. The car's wheels spun wildly on the dirt road as Bucky whipped them away from the brick house, just as the jet disappeared into the cloud-filled night sky.

Sarah was awake and crying softly before the morning sun broke the skyline, alerting her mother of her need to be fed. Kayla moaned as she pushed herself out of bed, James still snoring quietly beside her. She grabbed Sarah out of the crib and sat on the bed before being spoken to by the female AI FRIDAY.

"Excuse me, Mrs. Rogers. Mr. Stark believes you would like to see the news story this morning. Shall I turn it on for you?"

"Yes FRIDAY, thank you," Kayla answered absentmindedly as she situated Sarah against her chest, but she was broke out of her focus by her father's voice. Kayla's head shot up to the holographic screen showing Mathew Ellis holding a press conference, dressed in black with his wife weeping beside him. He looked solemn as he looked out into the crowd of reporters, the headline reading "MISSING BOY FOUND DEAD".

"It is with great sadness I must announce the death of my grandson, James. As many of you may know, we've been launching a state-wide manhunt for Natasha Romanoff. Unbeknownst to us, she was launching an investigation of her own. Unfortunately, due to our interference, she wasn't able to save our grandson in time. Miss Romanoff has been cleared of all charges of wrongdoing, as she was simply acting under the will of my late daughter, Kayla Ellis, to find her missing son. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time. No further questions at this time."

Mathew Ellis stepped down from the platform with his wife, surrounded by secret servicemen as the camera's flashed. Kayla bit the side of her index finger as Sarah nursed, watching intently as the news story continued on. To her surprise, Sam Wilson stepped up to the microphone and took the questions, dressed in his Captain America uniform with his shield latched to his back.

"Captain Wilson," A man said tentatively, making sure he called the man before him by the right name, "Do we know who caused the death of Miss Ellis's son?"

Sam nodded firmly, his demeanor cold, "A man by the name of Johann Schmidt is responsible. He's the killer from the gala. He killed James. And he's the reason Kayla Ellis was convicted. He's a Nazi dictator who survived death in 1945 by escaping to an alien planet. Sounds crazy, I know, but trust me, you haven't seen the crazy I've seen."

"Are we safe Captain? Should we be worried about this threat?" Another reporter asked, taking a step closer to the podium as he held his pad in his hand.

"To be honest, we should be very worried about the Red Skull." Loud gasps were heard around the audience as Sam continued, his eyes scanning the crowd. They could see the fire in him as he spoke, as he'd chosen not to wear the cowl. He was letting his identity out to the world. Sam was stepping up, and it made Kayla's breath catch in her throat.

I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing Sam...

"What are the Avengers planning on doing to thwart this threat? Now that Captain Rogers and Kayla Ellis are both dead, who will be his next target?"

Sam shrugged, "I can't answer that. All I know is he's out there, and we need to find him. The Avengers will do everything they can, but we need your help. Keep us posted if you see anything suspicious. We'll be on the hunt as well. Lucky for us, we have powerful friends. And we'll protect the Earth from this threat. I swear on my life."

Kayla hadn't realized she was holding her breath until the hologram disappeared. She felt herself relax and Sarah whack her hand against her chest expectantly, signifying she was done with breakfast.

"Momma?" James asked as he crawled across the bed to Kayla's side. She beamed down at her son and ruffled his hair, asking what he was wondering. His big green eyes stared up at her expectantly, "Dadda come home?"

"Yes sweetheart, Daddy will be home soon. He's going to come here and spend time with us." Kayla promised as she pulled him closer to her side, leaning against him a little until he giggled from the pressure. "How about we get some breakfast, then we'll get Uncle Happy to drive us to the train station to get Daddy?"

"Dadda Dadda Dadda!" James chanted as he shifted himself, sliding off the bed feet first before Kayla could stop him. He landed on his butt but didn't seem too fazed by the three-foot drop, he just pushed himself to his feet and started wandering toward the stairs.

"No, no James. We talked about the stairs. No stairs without Mommy or Daddy, remember?" She scolded before scooping up the boy and carrying a child in each arm, still wearing her short purple nightgown that barely reached her thighs, but Kayla wasn't too worried about Pepper and Tony.

"Auntie Kay, Auntie Kay!" Morgan yelped as she came running down the stairs after her, pulling on the hem of her nightgown. "Can James and I play?"

"Sure. But don't go too far, I'm making breakfast." Kayla called as she set James onto the floor and he went running after his friend, hands flailing forward as he tried to grab her. Kayla placed Sarah in her highchair and began raiding the fridge for fruit to give the kids for breakfast. She began chopping up small pieces of banana for James when a black car she didn't recognize pulled up into the driveway. She watched it for a minute, realizing the windows were tinted out black, "Tony!" She called nervously, knowing the billionaire was already awake.

He came tromping down the stairs slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he yawned, "You called?"

"Who's that?" Kayla stammered, never taking her eyes off of the car as she continued to slice the banana. Her grip on the knife tightened, knowing she could kill a man with the butter knife if it meant protecting her children.

After a moment of silence and impatience, the passenger door opened and Steve climbed out of the car, looking wistfully at the cabin as he stood. Kayla dropped the knife onto the counter and sprinted out the front door, leaping off all of the steps and flinging herself into her husband's arms. James caught his mother's quick movement and turned away from Morgan to see where she went. Once he saw his father he began to shriek, "Dadda Dadda!" The boy went toddling out the front door as Morgan followed, making sure he didn't trip as he sat on his butt and slid down the steps onto the ground.

Sarah clapped her hands happily, but Tony raised his brow, sure the infant didn't understand what was happening, but she seemed cheerful nonetheless.

Steve caught Kayla midair in his right arm and held her tight against his chest as she kissed him passionately. After a moment he put her down and she turned her attention to his injured shoulder, pulling aside the fabric of the black shirt he'd borrowed from Bucky to see the bullet hole beginning to heal. "I was so worried about you Steve." Kayla breathed as she placed both hands on his cheeks, "I'm so glad you're here."

"Dadda Dadda!" James continued to shriek as he toddled over to his father, reaching up to be held.

"Hey, little man!" Steve whooped happily as he hoisted the boy into his arms. "Have you been taking good care of Mommy?"

"Momma." He pointed to Kayla, then poked Steve on the cheek, "Dadda."

"I've missed you all so much." Steve murmured as Kayla leaned against his arm, smiling at her son.

Tony snorted as Pepper appeared behind him, watching Morgan approach slowly, "You've been gone two days Rogers. Calm down already."

Steve didn't put James down but shifted him to one arm to greet Tony Stark with a hug. "It's great to see you again Tony. Better circumstances this time." Steve said as Kayla sidled up next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Right. Now, your wife said something about breakfast, and I for one am starving, aren't you kids?" Tony asked Morgan, who jumped up and down exclaiming that she was hungry as her father gave Kayla a coy look. The woman rolled her eyes and playfully pushed Tony out of the way to make herself at home in the kitchen as Steve sat down to enjoy breakfast with his family and friends.

Author's Note: Well, here's the end of Part 2. Part 3 starts next chapter. Lots of drama, intrigue, and betrayal. GET EXCITED. As always thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and of course REVIEWED. I have twenty more chapters already written and I usually post after I get a few reviews so just know that by reviewing you are getting chapters faster because it reminds me to post!

Siobhan- I love writing Tony Stark. As I've said, he's a pretty constant figure for the next two parts of the story. Red Skull is becoming more and more of a threat and Hyrda is getting more and more powerful. Obviously Natasha ended up safe, but the Ellis family is having a very hard time, especially knowing Steve and the kids are alive but not being able to see them grow up.

Nikkita Starr- ALL THE TONY. Also, you've now seen what's happened to Nat, but that doesn't mean her adventures are done. I mean, she's Natasha Romanoff, and she'll do anything to keep her family safe.

amberhardy- I've missed you! Welcome back! I'm glad you like their friendship! Honestly, I shipped them pretty hard in the MCU, but if he can't be with Natasha, I'm glad he ended up with his Peggy.