Chapter 12- The String Around My Finger

"Got the string around my finger. What a world, what a life, I'm in love."

~I've Got the World on a String, Frank Sinatra


Steve's eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times, frowning softly. Typically, he was the first one awake, but today he could hear a soft suckling sound. Turning his head, he smiled watching as Bethany was feeding Jamie. By the small smile on her face while she cradled Jamie close to her, he knew that nothing had changed overnight. She remembered. He could just tell by the connection, the undying love Bethany was showing Jamie. Jamie had once again managed to wrap Bethany around his itty bitty little finger.

"So beautiful," Steve murmured, half his face pressed into the pillow.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty," Bethany chuckled, looking down at him. "You're adorable with your hair like that."

"Like what?" Steve yawned.

"Standing straight up," Bethany explained, one of her hands moving to run through his hair. "Hey Steve?"

"Yeah, Doll Face?" He mumbled, his eyes falling closed. Her hand was softly massaging him and it was lulling him back to sleep. He understood how Jamie fell asleep in Bethany's embrace so quickly compared to Steve's.

"I love you," she told him.

His eyes opened again, turning his head a little to get a better look at her. "I missed you."

"I didn't go anywhere. Not really," Bethany reminded him, pulling up her knees as Jamie finished. She carefully burped him before laying him to rest across her legs. "I was here the whole time."

"It was different though," Steve whispered. "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm finally comfortable in this body," Bethany replied with a small smile, nodding as she spoke. "But… that other side of me… It was nice to have that back again. Perceptions are different. I have a fresh outlook on life now. I know what's important. Jamie. You. This family. And by default, Theo too. But I also know that staying home and playing house… I can do it all."

"I know you can," Steve replied softly, returning her smile. He hadn't see her this confident and happy in a long time. She looked so comfortable with her life, a life that typically offered no comfort.

"And more importantly, I actually want to," Bethany replied. "Obviously, Jamie's safety comes first. Huh, Munchkin?" She tickled his stomach softly, giggling when Jamie let out a loud squeal of delight, his arms and legs flaring about. Steve couldn't help but laugh. "I'm hoping with the information we collected that we can find out what their plans are for Jamie. Find a way to stop them before they even start. But don't worry. I want to be a mom first. This, right here, it means everything to me."

Steve smiled, feeling proud of his wife. "What was the message you sent to HYDRA?" Steve asked, sitting up and touching Jamie's curls softly. "It didn't look like you were writing a love letter."

"Ha," Bethany replied before shaking her head. "No, I sent out a virus through their system. Any files they try to open from here on out will be sent to us. Should help us build up their file, since most of our information is speculation and seventy years old."

"That's… that's not really a message," Steve pointed out.

"Oh, no. I did. I sent a giant-" She covered Jamie's ears. "FUCK YOU from the Avengers. Every time those files are sent to us? The 'A' logo will appear on their screen before it goes black. I figured that they'd know we'd be coming for them."

Jamie's hands went to Bethany's as he shook his head, trying to free himself. Bethany allowed him to take control of her hands as he threw them away in that baby-like manner. "Hey, look at me?" Steve asked.

She did as he asked, a curious smile on her face. He leaned forward and kissed her softly, but with more passion than they shared the night before. "It's weird," Bethany whispered. "I feel so different from who I was yesterday. I wanted you because… because you're sexy and I love you but now… it's the same reasons but different?"

Steve lifted an eyebrow at her, smirking but kissing her again. "I believe you," he promised.

"It's gotta be all the emotion behind it now," Bethany decided.

"Why didn't you say something earlier? Why did you wait until we were in bed?"

Bethany put her arms under Jamie's armpits and raised him up so she could kiss him and have him lie against her chest. Her hand roamed up and down his back in a soothing way and Steve chuckled as he could tell that Jamie was fighting his desire to sleep.

"After I got hit in the head, everything came rushing back," Bethany explained. "And then I saw you getting attacked… I knew you could take care of them yourself, but an overwhelming desire to protect you overcame me. Then after that, I knew that if I told you, you'd get distracted so…"

Steve chuckled. "Yeah, I probably would have. But then after that?"

"I just wanted to tell you," She admitted softly. "I didn't need everyone to know. Just for the night, it would be for us to know. And this morning, the way that Jamie was looking at me, I could tell he knew too. Our son is… so brilliant, Steve."

Steve watched as Jamie's eyes fluttered, a yawn coming from his mouth. "He's beautiful too. Just like his mother. Look at those curls."

"Look at mine," Bethany chuckled. "I need it cut. Today."

In the light, he could tell that she was right. The blonde ends were now black and frayed. In some places it was just the very tips, but the shortest strand was frayed above her ear. "God Beth," he whispered, swallowing hard. "You were trapped in there. You must have been terrified."

"I couldn't feel the pain. It was… it was hot. But comforting. I wanted to fall asleep. That was probably my brain telling my body that I couldn't take this conscious, even if I couldn't feel it. Then I started to lose oxygen. Not being able to breathe… I don't know. It didn't hurt, it was just scary. I could see my skin melting off the bone, but when a wall fell over, the flames and the water mane pipe broke so… That's how I got out. But I wasn't afraid that I wouldn't. Not for a moment. I felt… at peace, actually."

Cupping her face, he kissed her again. "I don't want to leave this bed."

"Neither do I," Bethany chuckled against his lips. "Neither does Jamie. But we have to deal with everything that happened. We need to help Jen, look through those HYDRA files. And I want to go question Jacob and all the scientists that we got."

Steve nodded. "I would like to take a quick shower before all that."

"Okay. I'll go put Jamie down in his crib and make breakfast. Tell Theo that I'm back to my old self. Call a meeting with everyone."

"You may want to tie your hair up," Steve suggested, touching the shortest of the blackened pieces.

"And find a hair salon who can do serious damage control," Bethany said, adding it to her mental list. "I was thinking… I could pull off a pixie cut, right? It would only be for a little while. I figure two months and it'll be shoulder length."

"I never realized that your hair grew that fast," Steve admitted.

"The shorter it is, the faster it grows," Bethany replied. "That's why I kept my brown hair so long. I wouldn't have to do my roots as much. Anyways, go take your shower, Mister. We have a busy day ahead of us."
Steve sighed but did as she said. Before he closed the bathroom door, he watched as she tied her hair up into a bun, some of her burnt hair still noticeable, but solving the majority of her problem. He smiled, his heart soaring, knowing that he had his wife back. He would always love her, no matter who she decided to be, which he knew could very well be his downfall, but she would always be worth it.

He honestly would've been happy if she never remembered. He would have had her, and that would always be enough. But knowing that she remembered… it filled him with an amazing emotion, so similar to the day Jamie was born. When his son, his blond haired wisped baby with a scrunched up face was placed into his arms. That's exactly what he felt like now.

Steve wanted to celebrate. To cry. To make love to his wife to show her just how much she meant to him. But right now, he had orders. And that's why he was taking a shower opposed to doing anything else.

When Bethany stepped out of the bedroom, she saw Theo sitting on the ground, colouring in a colouring book. Her heart broke for a moment, remembering everything the little boy had been through. Part of her wished that she had never agreed to watch over him all those years ago. Then she wouldn't have introduced them to her life and the hell it brought.

"Hey Theo," Bethany voiced, deciding to place the sleeping Jamie into his swing instead of his crib. She didn't want to be away from him unless necessary, especially since she had a feeling that would be a lot very soon.

"Hey," Theo said, picking up a red crayon and scribbling on the paper. Bethany sat across from him, watching him for a few moments. "How was your date?"
"It was good," Bethany replied, smiling. "I had a lot of fun. So did Steve."

"Did he do all the gentleman-y stuff?" Theo asked, dropping his crayon and looking up at her. "Hold open the door, pull out your chair and call you pretty?"
Bethany frowned with a smile on her face for a moment before laughing. "Yeah, he did. Why are you asking?"

"'Cause when Momma would come home from dates, she would complain when guys didn't do that," Theo announced. "And said that they weren't marriage material."
"Yeah, but Steve and I are already married, remember?" Bethany teased, reaching out to tickle his stomach for a second.

Theo swatted her hand away laughing. "Oh yeah. I remember. But you don't."

Their laughter settled for a moment but Bethany reached out and pulled Theo into her lap. "Actually… Last night, Steve and I got called to do a mission. And… I got hit in the head. And… I remember everything."

Theo looked up at her, smiling wide. "Really?"

"Really, really," Bethany confirmed as the boy threw his arms around her neck. "Theo, I'm so sorry for everything that's happened. Steve and I are trying to help you the best we can. We know that you may never be the same, but I just want you to love life again, okay? I want to dance to music with you, and have you drag Steve around museums excitedly. We love you. And we want you to be happy. What can we do?"

"I want my Momma," Theo said softly, looking up at her. "I know that she did something bad, but she's still my Momma and I love her."

"I know, little one," Bethany sighed, cradling his head to her chest. "And I promise you, we'll get her back. No matter how hard it is or how long it takes. We'll get her back."

"I believe you," he said softly. "Jackson FaceTimed me this morning. He's coming back today."

"Oh, that's convenient," Bethany nodded. "But I want to spend as much time as I can with you and Jamie. My boys."

Jamie smiled at her, a real smile and part of Bethany didn't want to deal with all the hell on her to do list today, because so far, it was perfect.


Steve had watched Bethany dote and fawn over Jamie and Theo all morning. She was emotional and happy, and took on the appearance of a true mother. Watching her then was like she had never done anything else but be a mother in her life, her actions and words so natural. She had changed into a pair of dark skinny jeans and a blue plaid flannel shirt, and then a thick scarf wrapped around her neck. Clint had made a comment about her looking very suburban and while Steve wasn't quite sure what that meant, he had an idea and couldn't agree more.

But the second they stepped into Bruce's lab, leaving the boys under Jackson's care, everything changed. She was still wearing the same things but she seemed to become a different person. He could see the hard-headed agent that he had returned to two years ago, the one he had worked with at SHIELD for almost a year, running missions side by side. This was a business side of Bethany and the switch from mother to that had been instant.

Everyone had agreed to meet in Bruce's lab at two. There was a lot of work to catch up on, and the sooner they knew the whole story, the sooner they could get started on the next step. "So I came up with some ideas of how to find out what they did to Jen," Tony began, waltzing into the room with a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos in his hand.

"Well, we have HYDRA's files, so once we go through them, we should be able to find something," Clint supplied.

"That's not necessary," Bethany added, everyone looking over to her. "I know what's wrong with her. So does Banner."

"Bruce?" Natasha asked softly, her brows furrowed as she looked at the scientist.

Bruce looked like a deer in headlights for a moment, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his lab coat. "I had an idea, but I wasn't sure if I was right."

"Beth? What's wrong with her?" Steve asked, leaning against a lab table, Tony's crunching seemingly echoing through the room.

"JARVIS, you have all the HYDRA files we've collected, correct?"

"That is correct, Mrs. Rogers. Shall I pull them up?"

"No," Bethany replied. "Only the files with Jen's name, or the keyword Project Paracelsus."

"As you wish," JARVIS spoke before holographic images of files started to flash throughout the room.

"Project Paracelsus?" Clint asked. "What is that?"

"Wasn't he a scientist?" Tony questioned, his eyes following the holographic screens.

"Amongst other things," Bethany confirmed. "There was a theory that he supported called Aristotelian, which is the belief of the four elements. Fire, water, air and earth. At the time, there was some sort of mythical story circulating through SHIELD about four fairies who had these four powers and conquered evil. I've looked for it on the web as recent as eight years ago, but I couldn't find anything on it. That's beside the point, however."

"So this was SHIELD's?" Steve asked, disapproval clear in his voice.

"It was," Bethany confirmed. "The project started in the sixties, I think. It was to give ordinary people the same powers as these mythological creatures. The formula was consistent. The way they processed them wasn't. The element they were given had part of the element within them."

"Did it work?" Thor questioned, mirroring Steve's disappointment.

"Yes, actually. It worked even better than anyone assumed it would," Bethany continued. "The powers weren't the problem. Or maybe they were… The entire experiment altered their brains. They became so psychologically impaired that they ended up using their powers to kill themselves."
"Jesus," Clint breathed.

"I tried to shut it down. But scientists… if you can't get it the first time, you can't just give up, right? I knew that altering the formula in anyway… that wasn't going to change anything. It was the stress on the brain that was causing the suicides. We tried to stop them, but the voices they heard, the things they started to do… They just used their powers to end their suffering when we wouldn't. When we couldn't."

"And now that stuff is running through Jen's blood," Steve said softly with an annoyed sigh and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Yeah," Bethany agreed softly, reaching out and zooming in on a holographic screen. "The thing is… she didn't know who we are. And according to these records, they injected her weeks ago… She shouldn't have lasted this long."

"Well, isn't that a good thing?" Clint asked, looking confused. "Why do you look like this is a bad thing?"

"They wiped her," Bethany said, her gaze still on the screen. "They took away all her memories, started her new. They took away the stress."

"But wiping a memory… doesn't that create more stress?" Bruce asked. "The mind can only handle so much. Wiping her doesn't necessarily take away-"

"No, but it takes away the mental illness that always accompanied the transformation," Bethany interrupted. "The real question is what'll happen when she gets her memories back."

"They were turning her into a weapon," Steve reminded her, opening his eyes. "HYDRA planned to use her, turn her into..."

The room got quiet, Tony slowly guiding a chip to his mouth before a loud crunch sounded. "She didn't attack," Bethany pointed out. "It was too early for them to fully condition her. It could take months, years even."

"I've found something that would be of interest to you," JARVIS spoke out suddenly. "Shall I play it?"

"Go for it J," Tony replied. They all watched as all the holographic screens disappeared and were replaced by a giant video feed.

"Jacob," Bethany growled, taking a step forward towards the screen. It was security footage from inside the lab, Jacob and one of the scientist they took into custody overlooking Jen as she slept.

"It works," Jacob spoke with happiness in his voice. "The experiment was successful. It's been two weeks and she's been stable. It's time that we sent her out into the field."

"You're getting way ahead of yourself," the scientist said with a sigh. "We may not get another chance like this again. We need to make sure that she's perfect. That nothing can ruin her. That nothing can help her remember. Any little thing right now could change everything. We can't send her out to people she knows, her son in particular."

"They're vulnerable right now."

"So is she!" The scientist exclaimed. "Look, you went against HYDRA's wants. You placed a bomb in a civilian apartment. You knew that Bethany Rogers would return. We're trying to rebuild our image. You almost killed Jen's son."

Steve's jaw clenched. He had been placing all his pain and anger onto HYDRA and now hearing that it was Jacob solely, the man who was supposed to be Theo's step-father… it was infuriating. "We don't know how much longer we'll have this opportunity. To get the baby. And then get to them. Finally crush them all!"

Everyone in the room was fuming. Tony had abandoned his Doritos and followed everyone else's position in the room, which was arms crossed tightly. "How many…" the scientist sighed, looking like he was ready to kill Jacob for his impatience.

"That's not the plan. How many times do we need to tell you?! Yes, we're planning on using Jennifer to get the child, but not now. When we had the upper hand, when we could have snatched him straight from his mother's womb, that was one thing. But now… what are we going to do with a baby? A baby that's already made connections? No. We're waiting. Until we get the executive order. And from what I can tell, that won't be until the kid is older. Much older. When we can turn him against his parents, his friends. When we can brainwash him like we've done so many others, and turn him into the ultimate weapon. Jennifer will be ready by then. She'll be so far gone, that they won't be able to get her back."

"We lost someone before," Jacob reminded him. "We brainwashed and used him for years, and we don't even know where he is now."

"We've learned from our mistakes," the scientist pointed out. "We know what we did wrong and what we did right."

"So, we're not doing anything for years?" Jacob asked, his annoyance clear in his stance and tone.

"Unless we get an order from HQ, no," the scientist said, his voice fading as they left the room.

The screen faded out and the room was silent. They could all hear the steady rise and fall of Jen's chest as she laid unconscious and unaware of everything she had gone through.

"Well, shit," Clint provided, breaking the silence.

Steve reached out to grab Bethany's hand. At first, it laid limp in his, her face hard. He could see the gears turning in her head. Slowly, her fingers closed around his hand, giving it a squeeze before she looked at him. The only emotion he could see was anger.

"I'm going to kill him," she told him.

"He's worth more to us alive than dead," Natasha reminded her.

Bethany shook her head, jaw set. "No," she snapped furiously. "He's worth nothing. The scientist, yes. But Jacob? What can he tell us? That he wanted to kill Theo? That he wants to take a child from his-"

"HYDRA wants Jamie," Clint reminded her.

"It matters not," Thor intervened. "We need to focus on the matter at hand, not meaningless drabble. We must retrieve Loki's sceptre before-"

"Wait, I'm sorry," Bethany began, her anger now turning to him. "Are you saying that Theo's life and my son's life means nothing?"

"All I meant was that once we have the sceptre, everything will be solved," Thor explained.

Steve shook his head, disagreeing with his friend. "No. I don't think it'll be that simple. Look what they did to Jen. This was science. They don't need the sceptre to do this. They could just do this to someone else."

"I get that getting the sceptre is important," Bethany added. "But it comes second in my book." She shook her head, obviously not okay with the direction the conversation was going. "Look, I have to get my hair cut. It would be nice if we could start thinking up ideas on how to help Jen, and find out what else is going on within HYDRA."

"Will do," Clint nodded.

"I'll come with you," Natasha volunteered. "That is, if you boys can promise to work." Her single raised brow and smug smirk said enough.

Steve wanted to laugh, but after everything he had just heard, he didn't have it in him. Every time he got a little win, something had to come out of nowhere and tear him down. "Hey," Bethany said lightly, giving his hand a squeeze. He forgot that they were intertwined. "I'll meet you in the lobby, Natasha. I'll be quick."

The redhead gave her a single nod before leaving, Bethany pulling Steve out the lab and away from prying eyes. "Listen," she began, her voice light. "We knew they wanted Jamie. We've known this for a long time. But now we know that they don't want him now."

"You heard the scientist. They may change their minds," Steve protested, but Bethany pushed up on her tip toes and kissed him silent for a moment. She didn't smile, but he understood what she wanted; him to listen.

"Honey, we have so much on them now," Bethany continued. "If they change their minds, there's a chance we'll know. Even more, we'll be ready. But… I like the idea of being able to enjoy Jamie's childhood without being overprotective."

"I doubt you'll stop," Steve said seriously, placing his hands on her hips lightly. "Beth…"

"Steve, I'm worried," she admitted. "Okay? He's my little boy. I can't… I won't lose him. And I won't let someone else you love be taken by HYDRA, you have my word. But… they're stupid. I mean, what do they expect? That a teenage Jamie will be easy to capture? It'll be like getting us both."

"We'll have time to prepare him," Steve summarized.

"He's just a baby now," Bethany continued. "He can't sit up. Nor feed himself. But when he's older… I don't know Steve. But if they plan on only taking him years from now…"

"They have long term plans," Steve concluded.

Bethany sighed, shaking her head and forcing herself to smile. "Promise me something?"

"Yeah, anything," he agreed instantly.

"Next time, when I'm dead or dying or missing or whatever… Make me second on your to-do list, Steve," Bethany told him, her hands moving to rest on his biceps. "I don't need protection. I can take care of myself. Steve, Theo and Jamie needed you, and you stayed at my bedside for a week…"

"Beth, I… I couldn't leave you," he whispered, ashamed of himself. "I felt that if I walked away, I'd never get you back."

"Jamie should always be our number one priority," Bethany stressed. "And while Theo is in our care, in our hearts, our number one as well. When you were hurt, I stayed with the kids because they needed me. No matter how much I wanted to be with you. I didn't need you when I was in the coma. I don't remember anything from then."

"Beth, you don't understand-"

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Really Steve? I don't understa-" She trailed off, taking a step back from him. "Steve, I waited seventy years for you. I thought you were gone."

"And how long did you spend mourning me before you started to live your life again?" Steve asked cautiously, knowing it was a time she wasn't proud of.

"The difference is…" Bethany began, swallowing hard and sighing. "Jamie needs someone to take care of him. And if I'm gone, and you willingly let someone else take care of him, I swear to God Steve, I will come back to haunt you."

He pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead. "I'm sorry," he offered. "I'm not proud of it."

"Repeat after me," Bethany started, looking up at him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Jamie comes first."

"Jamie comes first," Steve repeated. "I do love him. And Theo. But I love you so much, Doll. I can't lose you. I've lost everything else."

"But if you lose me, at least you'll still have him," Bethany reminded him, laying her head against his chest. He held her for a moment, cherishing how good she felt in his arms. How natural this was.

"Are you mad?" Steve whispered.

"No," she mumbled against his chest. "I'm irritated, yes. But I know where you're coming from. I get it. You're right. I was useless for months. Howard and Peggy forced me back into the real world. But I didn't have a baby to take care of. And yes, that's my fault. I know but…"

"That's not the point," Steve replied. "We've both made mistakes."

"Yes," Bethany agreed. "But let's stop. Help the guys. Try to find some answers. I'll look over the notes later tonight. But don't spend all afternoon in that lab. Jackson may be back, but-"

"You don't want Jackson raising our children," Steve finished.

"I love you," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders. "You infuriate me sometimes though, you know that?"

Steve chuckled, kissing her softly.


Natasha ran her hand through her shorter locks, smiling at the reflection before thanking her hairstylist and moving over to Bethany's chair. The hairdresser was still chopping away, trying to get all the burnt pieces and have it still look nice.

"Looking good," she offered. As of now, Bethany's hair was cut into a short bob, but it was clear that it would have to be shorter.

"You too," Bethany replied with a yawn.

"Baby wake you up this morning?" Natasha asked with a chuckle. "Or was it Steve?"

The hairstylist tried to hide her amused smile, but Bethany didn't hold back her laughter. "No, I didn't sleep much. Thinking too much. When Jamie woke up, Steve was still fast asleep."

"Thinking about..?" Natasha asked.

"My wedding. Jamie's birth. SHIELD. Everything since New York," Bethany replied. Natasha nodded. After Steve and Bethany had left the lab that morning, leaving her and Bruce to watch over Jen, they quickly realized that Bethany was talking like she had before. After the recent visit to the lab, it was clear that the Old Bethany was back.

There was a difference though. She had seen the SHIELD agent in Bethany, same as the mother. She only ever saw one or the other, but now she could see both. It was a nice balance. "Any plans for Christmas?" Bethany questioned suddenly.

"Not that I know of," Natasha shrugged. "Thinking about heading off with Clint. I know he'll go home for Christmas."

Bethany nodded, lifting her phone up to her gaze to read a message briefly. "Steve and I had talked about going to Disney World for Christmas this year. Or at least, right after Christmas. Time has certainly crept up on us."

"A lot of shit has happened," Natasha nodded.

"I miss Kiley," Bethany sighed. "She would plan the entire trip without me having to even get dressed. And she wouldn't do it as an employee. She'd do it because she was a good person."

"Yeah, but she's off being an even better person," Natasha pointed out.

Bethany's eyes met Natasha's for a brief moment. They spoke no words, but they understood the hidden concern. Kiley being with Bucky was a risk. If he acted out, she would be so close that she could get hurt. Then there was the fact that HYDRA was looking for him. When he got his apartment, Natasha and Bethany had worked so that all his information would remain hidden.

"She'll be fine," Bethany said suddenly, but there was a good chance that she was trying to convince herself opposed to Natasha. Her phone buzzed again and Bethany looked at the screen. This time, Natasha looked as well, smiling at the picture Steve had sent her. Jamie was in his swing, clutching his Hulk toy to him, with a huge smile on his face. His lips were wet with drool, but he didn't have a care in the world.

"It's not just me, right?" Bethany asked with a chuckle. "He's the cutest baby in the world, right?"

Natasha chuckled lightly. "Yeah, he's pretty darn cute. You're lucky."

"Yeah," Bethany breathed softly, smiling as she continued to look at the photo. Natasha's eyes drifted to the Hulk toy. She was slightly sleep deprived, having spent the entire night and morning talking to Bruce. She hadn't told him much of her life, but she had wanted to. She wanted to share her life stories with him so that he would tell her in turn.

"I want another one," Bethany admitted after a moment. "I mean, not now. Definitely not now. But… I do."

"Bethany, you hated being pregnant," Natasha reminded her. "You were bloated, and uncomfortable. You had to go to the bathroom every five seconds and were always hungry. You'd wake up in the middle of the night with leg pain and your emotions were… uncontrollable."

"Yeah, but look what all that got me," Bethany said, lifting her phone up slightly. "I feel like I got a pretty good deal."

"It's too soon," Natasha pointed out. "You don't need two babies crying in the middle of the night."

"No, I do not," Bethany nodded with a chuckle. "I'm not saying now. But one day. When we can focus solely on our family."

"At least you have a life planned out for afterwards," Natasha replied, watching as Bethany's hair turned into a full pixie cut, the hairstylist focusing hard on making it look chic and clean. "No one else really knows what to do next. How do you settle down after everything we've been through?"

"It's not easy," Bethany sighed, looking up at her reflection. "Well, at least I can pull off a pixie."


Steve bounced Jamie lightly, trying to get him to stop crying. He had been fine, smiling happily and playing with Steve. Jackson had recruited Theo to help him unpack his stuff, and Steve was grateful. He had noticed how Jamie's crying seemed to affect Theo in a negative way, and right now, Jamie would not stop howling.

He had changed his diaper, tried to feed him. He sang to him and played a recording of Bethany doing the same thing. He had turned on Frozen, hoping that Olaf would calm his tears as he had done early that week, but he continued to cry.

"What's wrong?" He heard Bethany's voice. She was kicking off her boots, rushing over to them, still wearing her winter hat and jacket.

"He just won't stop crying," Steve explained as she took the baby into her arms.

"Hey, Munchkin, it's okay," Bethany promised, kissing his forehead and bouncing him softly. One of her hands went to his lips, looking at his gums for a moment. "Can you get one of the cold teething rings, please?"

Steve nodded, immediately setting forth. He felt like a failure for not thinking about doing this. Jamie had been crying for almost twenty minutes. Quickly getting the teething ring, he handed it to Bethany and she placed it between Jamie's lips. The boy's cry continued, but softened a little as his own chubby hand moved to grab the ring and steady it by his mouth.

"There, that's better, isn't it?" Bethany asked as Jamie's crying stopped. He was still making sounds of discomfort and hiccupping lightly, gnawing on the ring. His face was red and swollen from his tears, but Bethany kissed his head lightly, whispering soft words to him and rubbing his back.

She lowered herself onto the couch, holding Jamie in a sitting position as he greedily sucked and gnawed on the ring. "Where's Theo?"

"He and Jackson are unpacking his bags," Steve explained, sitting beside her. "And I heard something about a sleepover. I think it's Jackson's attempt to give us some alone time."

Bethany let out a soft chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Duty before desire. We have homework tonight."

Steve pulled the collar of her jacket to the side, lowering his lips to her neck and kissing it softly. "After the homework. To reward ourselves. Plus, in a way, sex is a duty."

Bethany rolled her eyes again, but he knew she was amused. "Oh, okay. Whatever you say, husband."

Steve's hand moved up her back, to her neck and to the bottom of her hat. Steve pulled it off her head, looking at her new hair cut. It was extremely short, but she was so beautiful that she didn't need long hair. Without the thick curls surrounding her face, he could see it all. "You look beautiful," he whispered, running his hand through the short locks.

"Thanks," Bethany replied, mimicking his whisper. "It'll do for now. It's nice to have something different."

"Still feel like it's your body?" Steve asked, knowing that she had only felt like herself recently, and he didn't want her to lose that self-assuredness that she had recently achieved.

She nodded, yawning. "I feel older," she admitted.

"You look older," Steve nodded. "More twenty-five opposed to twenty-three."

Bethany scoffed and laughed at him. "I'll grow it out, but I like it for now."

"Me too," Steve assured, kissing her lips softly.


Somehow, Steve ended up on the couch close to ten at night, waiting for Bethany to finish with her laptop. He had watched her for almost an hour, studying the information that they got from HYDRA. Steve had read what he understood, but Bethany had plans to read it all. It helped that she understood.

Steve's hand brushed against the floor. Molly had curled up on the floor, his hands carefully running up and down the feline's back. His hand brushed against something hard under the couch, making him frown. He took a hold of the object, realizing it was a book. Molly got up and moved when Steve gave her a slight push so he could get the book out. As he brought it to his eye view, he realized it was that sex positions book that he got before he and Bethany got married.

He sighed, remembering how embarrassed he was then. He wasn't as embarrassed anymore though. He didn't see the purpose of being embarrassed anymore. Steve opened the book, looking at it with interest. He studied the pictures and the descriptions, letting out soft 'hmms' every once in a while. Steve could feel himself hardening, but it wasn't to the point where he needed relief.

"What are you doing?" Bethany asked with an amused tone, hovering over him.

"Nothing," Steve replied softly, opening his arms. Bethany laid on top of him, back to his chest, taking the book from his hand and raising it above them.

Bethany opened to a random page, reading the directions to the Waterfall position. "Interesting," she mused.

Steve moved a hand onto her stomach, moving his thumb up and down her soft skin as she read the description to him. "'The blood will rush to your other head too'. That's hilarious. I love that."

Steve tilted his head to kiss her neck softly, watching as she turned the page. "Doggy Style," she announced, moving her head to the side so that Steve had more skin to kiss. Without her hair on her neck, it made it a whole lot easier. She flipped the page again. "Squat Thrusters. I can't tell you why I like this one, but I do."

"Hmmm," Steve hummed, his lips busy on her neck, his hand moving down her stomach a little more and touching the band of her pajama pants.

"Oh, Wheelbarrow could be fun," She announced. Now he was getting hard. Hearing how excited she was getting over positions they had never tried, obviously opened to doing something new. They didn't need to spice up their sex life, but it wouldn't hurt.

"This one," she said excitedly. "The Face Sitter. I like this one."

"Of course you do," Steve murmured against her neck, his hand slipping into the band of her pajama pants.

"The X-Rated," Bethany continued, letting out a soft moan when Steve slipped his hand further into her pants. She opened her legs a little, Steve taking advantage of the extra room. His fingers started to run up and down her folds lightly, barely touching them. "I'm not entirely sure how you manage the Ape without hurting yourself."

Her hips shifted up, pressing against his fingers firmly. He felt a build up of arousal by her entrance and he swirled the tip of his middle finger in it softly before moving it up to her clit. "Balancing Act is even worse," Bethany chuckled. "Mmmm, although what you're doing right now is pretty amazing."

His lips latched on her neck again, sucking her skin softly, his tongue licking her before he lightly dug his teeth in. Bethany moaned softly, her mouth falling open. "The Bridge," she breathed. "Or the Doub-Double Decker."

Her breathing was getting strained as his finger moved faster against her. "Yes?" Steve teased lightly, his breath hot on her neck before moving to suck at it again.

"The Crouching Tiger…" Bethany continued. "The Cross…"

Steve's free hand moved up her top and grabbed her bare breast, pulling at her nipple. "Shit," Bethany whispered, the book slipping out of her hand and into the side of the couch. Both of her hands moved up, resting them on his shoulders. She started moving her hips against his hand, also creating friction against his growing erection.

"What if we tried a new position every month?" Bethany asked, swallowing hard. "Pick a random page and try it."

Steve hummed his approval against her neck, sitting up. Bethany's body followed what Steve's did, her turning her head so she could kiss him as continued to massage her folds. Her shifting against his cock was making him needy. He moved his hand faster against her, listening to the slick sounds and her labored breathing. Her hips were moving erratically and he could feel her body tense up suddenly. She was on the edge. All he needed now was to bury himself deep within her, thrusting in and out, watching as her eyes glazed over when she finally reached her peak.

A soft cry from Jamie's room had them both stilling for a moment, both of them panting lightly. Bethany threw her head over Steve's shoulder, her lips against his neck. "So close," she moaned, clearly disappointed. She tilted Steve's head while she raised her own, pecking him softly, and pulling his hand out of her pants. "Duty calls," she spoke with a light chuckle.


**A/N:

ReKon13: I got the e-mail of your comment when you posted it, but when I looked up the reviews on the site, it was gone! I thought you deleted it, until I saw it recently. Fanfiction doing fanfiction things. But haha, yes. Steve doesn't exactly have a saintly wife, going around and shaking her stuff ;)

FeliciaFelicis: I actually wrote that before the trailer come on, as God as my witness! LOL. Jen has a journey to go through while in Avengers Tower, that much I know for certain! Don't worry, I always understand your thoughts ;) See, here in Canada, we get things when the States does. Which is basically first. And you know, awesome health care ;) My parents got it for me in Vegas. They bought me that one and one that says "Once Upon A Time" in beautiful script.

IrelandLover: Yes, she does!

JAllen1447: Oh my god, do NOT apologize at ALL. I love knowing that people think about my story and Steve and Bethany during their everyday life. Nothing makes me feel like all my hard work is for a good reason like that. I can almost listen to any song and relate it to them, their story is so complicated and... detailed. LOL. My imagination is just... wild. And I take inspiration from it :)

sarahmichellegellarfan1: Haha, yes. "Finally".

Jo: You'll find out soon enough ;)

BerMH: I'm trying to achieve "normal", but normal for them will never actually be normal for everyone. But hopefully the next few months will be easier for them, but still entertaining for readers :)