**A/N: Anyone watch Heroes Reborn? Nashville? Anyone else freaking out?! Watching Hayden Panettiere's characters suffer only makes me want to make Bethany suffer. Hayden's acting really inspires me, making it so easy for me to picture Bethany's reactions to things, which is why I use a lot of her storylines from those two shows.

Oh my god Claire... Oh my god...

Fun fact: I almost did the same thing to Bethany... except... well, she wouldn't have die. (CLAIRE IS IN THE FUTURE WITH PETER AND SYLAR OKAY LEAVE ME ALONE)

Chapter 21- The Strength of Strings

"Hear the strings are bending in harmony, not so far from the breaking on the cosmic range. In my life the piano sings, bring me words that are not the strength of strings."

~Strength of Stings, Gene Clark


She wouldn't admit that she was jealous. No. Bethany Rogers wouldn't be jealous over something like this, and yet, here she was. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for Jen and Theo, she just… Okay, she wasn't happy. But it wasn't for the reasons Steve kept bringing up. There were a million things that Bethany had to worry about, and watching Jen and Theo being together all day, laughing and playing while Bethany was working her ass off trying to fix the mess Jen helped make wasn't helping her at all.

The two had barely spent a moment apart since they had been reunited. Jen had told Theo her story, save for a few details, and somehow everyone just seemed to forget that Jen could have the potential to be dangerous. She was still spending her nights in her jail-like room, but during the day, she was roaming the Tower with very little real worries. Bethany wanted to welcome Jen back with open arms, but there was something that didn't settle well with her.

"We're all dangerous," Steve reminded Bethany as they showered one night.

"It's different, and you know it," Bethany spat, angrily scrubbing her skin. "I know it's wrong to feel as bitter as I am, but I can't help it Steve! I just want all this shit to be over with-"

"So does she," Steve reminded her sternly.

"But what is she doing all day? Nothing to help me. Any of us."

Steve shook his head. "She's helping Theo. And you know that that's important."

"But she's not even working towards what's next. They can't live in the Tower for the rest of their lives. She'll have to go out and get a job, buy groc-"

"Stop," Steve spoke, his voice gentle, but his tone firm. "Let them both have their fun for now. They need this, just like we needed some time just for you, me and Jamie after everything went down last year. And you can't keep Jamie from Jen forever, Beth. And yes, I've noticed that that's what you're doing."

"Can you blame me?" Bethany asked, her voice small. "Steve, we know that HYDRA wants him. What if this is just some big plan to-"

"But what if it's not?" Steve returned, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not willing to take the gamble," Bethany replied. "Theo is her son. I truly believe she has the best intentions with him. But Jamie is ours. And I don't know what she's capable of. None of us do, not really."

"You're paranoid," Steve sighed. "But I understand why. And I don't fully blame you. But you need to start trusting her a little more."

"She already has free range of the Tower," Bethany mumbled. "That wasn't my idea. That was yours."

"No, it was Clint's," Steve corrected. "And I know how much Clint's seal of approval means to you when it comes to trusting people. Doll, just take a moment to relax. You haven't in weeks, and I'm starting to worry about you."

Letting out a deep breath, she nodded, brushing some wet strands of hair away from her face. "I'm really stressed out Steve. I feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders and I don't think I'm strong enough."

"Then let me help you," Steve whispered, resting his forehead on hers. "We can hold it together. But taking your stress and your worries out on Jen isn't going to solve anything. She's just your scapegoat. You know you can tell me anything, right? Even if it's not completely coherent in your mind, you can tell me."

Bethany ran her fingers through her wet hair, knowing that she had to do what he wanted, since she was pushing so hard for him to open up as well. "I guess I'm just…" she trailed off, trying to recollect her thoughts. "I'm afraid that if I trust her, there's a chance that she'll break that trust. I don't want to get my hopes up so high anymore, and then just watch as everything crumbles. I'd rather be on guard than hurt again."

"That's fair, but you're hurting Jen in the process," Steve reminded her. "When you choose to guard your emotions, you're really good at it. You can still be wary, but show Jen that she's not the enemy. All she wants is her old life back. She can't achieve that if you're putting her on the outs."

"Okay," Bethany said softly, but whether she would listen was another battle on its own. "I can't believe it's been a year. Over a year. And I still feel a little lost."

"SHIELD was your everything for a long time," Steve reminded her. "It's okay that you feel lost because the shadow it casted behind you is gone."

"It's not SHIELD being gone," Bethany explained, gently touching a dark and gruesome looking bruise on Steve's stomach. "It's HYDRA. I kind of thought that we'd be done fighting them by now, but that was foolish thinking, especially considering that we never got rid of them in the first place and let them fester for seventy years."

"As long as HYDRA is out there, I know you'll never be completely happy and at ease," Steve replied. "Which is why it's so important to stop them."

"But what if we can't?" She asked, the worry thick in her tone.

"But what if we can?" He replied, cupping her face. "What I want the most is for Jamie to have a normal childhood. And if I have to die trying-"

"Don't say that," She replied quickly, taking a step away from him, Steve's arms falling to his side.

"It's true," Steve told her, his face showing his determination but also his heartache.

"I know that," Bethany said, twisting her fingers together. "I just don't like hearing it. I don't like having… confirmation of it. I'm trying to be positive," she continued after a quick moment of silence. "I'm just… trying to be happy. I have all the ingredients, but I don't feel like I'm there yet."

"We almost have Loki's sceptre. Everything else falls into place after that. You know that. I know that. It'll change everything, I promise," Steve vowed, pulling her into his arms.

"I don't want promises," Bethany whispered, resting her head against his wet chest. "Promises don't mean anything until they are fulfilled."

"They're supposed to help someone keep hope until they're fulfilled," Steve explained, a hand playing with her soaking wet hair. She didn't offer him a response.


He had never been so alone.

He thought his life as the Winter Soldier was lonely. He thought that he couldn't possibly be worse after leaving Kiley in Switzerland. He thought he would magically find happiness.

He wouldn't.

He couldn't.

So many days he wanted to stop. To slow down. To just be free. But everyday he kept running. He'd get little memories back here and there, but they were mostly painful ones. He dreamt of her now. Her beautiful smile and long, almost white hair. He missed her dove-like voice singing in the shower every morning or how she would always tap her spoon against her cup of tea three times and smile as if it was the best thing to ever happen to her. He missed that she seemed to be his light, so bright and brilliant while he was so dark and dangerous.

Bucky didn't really care anymore if someone was following him. He was tired of running, tired of being afraid. He may have been free from HYDRA's grasps, but he felt so tied down and trapped. This wasn't life. He had no life. He had no purpose. He had no one.

Dragging his tired body down the dark street, he tried to forget everything. To just have a moment of clarity. To not have a million demons holding him back.

Looking down a long, dark alley, he felt helpless. There was no light at the end. There was no flicker of hope waiting for him.

And he couldn't help but feel like it wasn't just the alley.

That was his future.


Bethany had taken what Steve had said to heart. Her animosity towards Jen was highly misplaced. It seemed like everything the woman did bothered Bethany, annoyed her to a new extreme. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. There were just a million little factors about the situation that made her blood boil.

But she was trying. Jackson had pulled Theo away so they could do some English work, and Bethany decided that she and Jen needed to talk. "I just… need to see him, you know?" Jen asked, looking into her coffee mug. No, I don't, Bethany thought bitterly. "I need to talk to him, to express my feelings. To tell him how hurt I am."

"I don't think he cares," Bethany replied honestly. "Last I saw him, he was pretty smug with what he was and what he has done."

"But I know him in a different way," Jen tried to explain. "I know what he did, but I still have this feeling that I need to talk to him. To somehow… get over him."

"You still love him?" Bethany all but growled. Something small inside of her was reminding Bethany that she was just as bad as Jacob once upon a time, but that Steve still loved her. She didn't want to hear it, however. And she was perfectly fine with being unreasonable. She was starting to care very little about everything that wasn't directly about her son.

"Love may be too strong a word," Jen said slowly. "It's hard to shake those memories. I need closure, you know? To say goodbye."

"But you don't always get to say goodbye," Bethany replied quickly. "And nor should you. You shouldn't be anywhere near him. Last time I told you that, you didn't believe me and look what happened. Now you're asking me again? You already know what I think."

Now, she wasn't just annoyed. She was fucking frustrated. And being unreasonable was the only thing keeping her going, keeping her from crashing. She was exhausted, and despite not being able to feel pain, it felt like she was both continually in emotional pain and also completely numb to it and that really frightened her. But right now, she couldn't focus on anything but how idiotic Jen was being for even considering seeing Jacob again. The possibilities of outcomes were endless and many of them could have the potential to be disastrous.

"Do you… hate me?" Jen asked, looking more broken than Bethany wanted to admit. Like the very idea of Bethany's lost friendship was a difficult concept to accept and overcome.

"No," Bethany found herself saying, despite feeling her blood run hot through her veins. "No, I don't hate you. I'm just really tired and stressed and worried all the time, and it's hard to see you so… Carefree. I feel like I barely spend any time with my family anymore, not doing normal family things anyways, and you're only doing that."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Jen offered. "I can help with cooking or cleaning, or take care of the baby."

"That's why we hired Jackson," Bethany snapped. She wasn't letting Jen anywhere near her son, despite what Steve said. It would be on her own terms and only when she felt confident that she could trust Jen with not just her son, but her son's life. She wasn't willing to take the chance.

"The offer still stands," Jen continued. "I know what it's like to feel like you have more things to do than time to do it."

Emotional stability had been something Bethany had been lacking lately. She continually felt as if she was going to snap. She knew her outbreaks and acts of pushing Steve away in whatever subtle manner she could was starting to become more and more frequent, but she felt as though someone was pushing her down. Pushing Steve away was simply so that she couldn't unnecessarily get mad at him when she was feeling this way. She didn't want to hurt him.

She didn't want to deal with everything. She just wanted a magical solution. But magic wasn't a thing. Or at least, the type of magic she needed. The next best thing was science, but there was only so much that could do.

"You have NO idea how I feel," Bethany replied with an angry snarl. "No matter what you've been through, it doesn't compare to what I've been through. It never will. And I'm the one who has to clean up your mess. Theo may have forgiven you for abandoning him, but I haven't. You left him with us when I needed your support. After we warned you about Jacob and you think that you KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH?"

She was panting now, her anger flowing through her with every breath. It had just been the two of them, but Steve had walked in at some point during her rant. "Beth," he tried, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"No, Steve," Bethany growled, knowing that she couldn't deal with any of this right now. The last thing she wanted was to start an argument with Steve. She was trying really hard to keep things good between them, and she could see this turning bad fast unless she had time to get away. Bethany wasted no time pushing past him and making her way down to their floor and locking herself in their bedroom.

She really wanted to throw something, break something, throw her fist into a mirror and let the pain soothe her anger. But instead, she flopped onto the bed and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her contact list, trying to find someone who wouldn't bother her. It took her a really long time before she actually pressed the call button, bringing the phone to her ear.

"Sound like you're dealing with a lot," Sam said after Bethany told him the whole story, patiently letting her talk, carefully listening as Bethany sobbed through some part of the story and yelled through others.

"What's wrong with me?" She found herself whispering. "Why am I doing this?"

"There's nothing wrong with you," Sam promised. "You're dealing with a lot and we all deal with things differently. You feel like if you step back a little from taking care of the house and baby, that you're letting your family down. But you also feel like you can't say no to helping with everything else around you either."

"I thought I had to choose. And then I thought I could do both," Bethany sniffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.

"And now? What do you want now? What would make you happy now?"

"I don't know," Bethany replied honestly.

"You sound like your husband," Sam offered lightly. "I once asked him what made him happy and he said he didn't know. He knew that you did and so did that boy of yours, but it wasn't the kind of happy he thought it should be."
"He thought there should be more," Bethany finished, no hostility towards what Steve had said.

"Yeah… Or less," Sam explained. "Sometimes you think you need more, but really, you just need simplicity. And it sounds to me that you don't want to fight anymore. You just want to wash your hands of the entire situation, but you know you can't. That's what's holding you back. That's what's making you feel so helpless. But that rush you get during battle? It gives you something of a time when you weren't so helpless. But after it's done, you feel worse."

It was scary how spot on Sam was in describing her. A lot of the things he was saying Bethany hadn't even understood about her own feelings until he laid them out so simply. It wasn't just about Jen. There was so much more. But then again, when was anything simple when it came to her own emotions? She thought after all her years she had a handle on her emotions a little bit better.

"I'm scared Sam," Bethany admitted, her voice shaking.

"Of what?" He prompted, his caring and gentle voice lulling the words right out of her.

"I'm scared that I'm going to lose it all together," she admitted.

"Lose your family? Lose your friends? Or lose yourself?" Sam asked, showing Bethany it was more complicated than she realized.

"All three," she whispered, trying to keep herself from falling apart. Bethany wasn't even sure Sam had heard her until he replied.

"What scares you the most?"

"Losing myself," Bethany replied without a moment's hesitation. "If I lose the other things, I lose myself. If I lose myself, I lose them. And I feel like that'll be that. That I'll lose myself first. This isn't new to me. This feeling I'm facing. But it's the first time that I actually care. I know what I'm capable of doing."

"Do you think it's your bipolar disorder?" Sam asked casually. It was so easy to talk to him. There was no judgement in his tone, and he wasn't overbearing. Not like Steve would be. Or Tony. Any of them, to be honest.

"No?" Bethany tried. "I don't think so. It's not completely the same."

"You've been through a lot Bethany," Sam reminded her. "It could be a lot of things. The important thing is to reach for help. Whether it's bouts of post-traumatic or post-partum, you need to remember that you're not alone, and you're not a failure. Okay? You're strong girl. You just need to remember that."

"Thanks Sam," Bethany said, letting out a breath of air. "You know, I do feel a little better. I´m not completely where I should be, but… I just need to get through this. I may not know what it'll take to make me happy, but I know what makes me un-happy."

"And that's the perfect place to start," Sam agreed, a smile clear through his tone.


Everything about the dream seemed real. The details his imagination conjured up gave him no time to doubt the realness. There were memories within the dream, thoughts that never really existed within reality, but within his slumber, them being completely natural. There was a subtle breeze keeping the heat from the sunrays feeling pleasant opposed to overbearingly warm. The grass was green with little white and yellow dandelions scattered here and there and the soft chirp of birds singing. Steve was at complete ease. There were no worries or doubts running through his thoughts. He couldn't remember the last time he had been at such ease. There was no notion of danger lingering through his mind. There was nothing but the calm silence.

"Daddy! Daddy!" A little girl's voice called out. Steve turned his head, a playground coming into sight. A jungle gym structure had been built of wood and rope, sand surrounding it like an ocean. There was no one else around except for the little girl, barely seven years old with long, thick blonde curly hair. She had a gap in her smile from missing teeth and her eyes a familiar shade of green. She wore a sundress with pink and yellow flowers, her feet bare, but dirty from the sand, and her little toe nails painted blue.

Steve opened his arms for her without question, pulling the girl up so he could cradle her close. There was no doubt in his mind who the little girl was; it was his daughter. She squealed with delight as Steve spun her around.

"Daddy! Daddy! I'm dizzy!" She exclaimed through her laughter, an absolutely beautiful sound. He could see his wife in this beautiful girl, but free from any terrors and demons the older woman's features held. This little girl was completely innocent. He had never seen anything so beautiful, and he took pride knowing that something like her could come from something like him and Bethany, two individuals who had long lost their innocence.

"Daddy, come watch me!" She begged, her smile making his heart ache. Every time she said 'Daddy', he wanted to cry. He was a daddy. He was her daddy. "I'm big enough to do the monkey bars now!"

"Only if you're careful," Steve instructed, memories of her falling coming to mind from all the times she had fallen before.

"I'm a big girl now, Daddy," she exclaimed proudly. Steve didn't miss how she continually said 'Daddy', but not minding one bit.

"No, you're my little girl," Steve corrected, kissing her forehead.

"I'll always be your little girl, Daddy," she promised, as if this was a conversation they had had often.

Something falling onto his feet woke him up. As Steve jolted up, he felt a feeling of emptiness fill him. That perfect moment was over. It was gone. And it was just a dream.

"Oh, sorry babe, I didn't mean to wake you," Bethany promised. Steve looked to where Bethany had let some laundry fall by his feet. He had laid down on the couch to look over some files from their latest HYDRA raid, but the mumbo jumbo of the report had lulled him to sleep instead.

"S'okay," Steve mumbled while sitting up, but he knew he didn't sound convincing. It really wasn't okay. He was missing that perfect little girl more than he should have, as if she really did exist within his life.

"What? Was it a nightmare? A new one?" Bethany asked, taking a seat beside him, mistaking his lying for fear. When Steve last saw Bethany, he thought she was mad at him. Honestly, he thought they were fighting. But whether they were or not, Bethany seemed uncaring about that now.

"It was a new one," Steve reported, a smile tugging at his lips. He let a soft chuckle slip out before he continued. "It was a good dream. I've never felt that sense of calm and stillness before. And the stillness was… beautiful. I wasn't itching to move. I was comfortable as is. And I felt like I could stay comfortable in that state forever."

"What happened?" Bethany asked, taking his hand and offering him an encouraging smile. She looked excited to hear about it, excited to possibly grab a little bit of that calm and stillness.

He almost lied to her, but knew that she would see right through his lie. But for some reason, Steve wanted to keep this moment to himself. Ultimately, he knew that it wasn't fair to either one of them. "I was at this park," he began. "And there was this girl-"

"A girl?" Bethany asked, clearly agitated. That was happening a lot lately. Her temper was very short, and her emotions would change within a blink of an eye. With everything she was dealing with though, Steve knew he had to support her as best he could.

"No, a little girl," he rushed to explain. "Our daughter, Beth."

"Oh," she replied, all anger flying from her.

"She was so beautiful," Steve continued, his previous smile pulling at his lips again. "So innocent and carefree. I've never felt as light as I did the second I held her in my arms."

Bethany offered a genuine smile and squeeze of his hand. "Your subconscious is trying to tell you something Steve."

"Maybe," Steve agreed. He knew how badly Bethany wanted to be pregnant again, and more importantly, wanted a little girl to join their family. She had nothing against a little boy, but her entire family consisted of males. She wanted a little girl, and after that dream, so did Steve.

But the timing wasn't right. And maybe the timing would never be right, but Steve refused to bring another innocent child into this hell they were living in. He refused to welcome another child to this world and endanger its life just so he could get another moment of that calm and stillness. It wasn't fair to the child. And he knew Bethany knew and felt the same things, but that she was having a hard time accepting this.

"Doll, are we okay?" He found himself asking, seeing something different about her. "Are you?"

"Don't change the subject Steve," she said strictly.

"That's not what I was doing," Steve replied honestly. "I'm actually worried about you. What happened with Jen-"

"I've already talked about it," She interrupted, pulling her hand from his and going to gather the laundry she dropped.

Steve furrowed his brows, trying to remember that conversation. She had immediately returned to their apartment and locked herself in their bedroom for privacy. At no point had she talked to him, or to anyone to his knowledge. But then again, he had fallen asleep.

"When-" he began, but Jamie's loud babbling for attention interrupted him.

Clint had bought one of those inflatable pools for Jamie so he could crawl on his own terms without getting into trouble. They had moved a lot of furniture to fit the giant play pen in their apartment, but it was worth the trouble to allow the boy to explore in a safe haven. They had placed all his favourite toys and wooden books into the pen, along with some cogitative learning games. They even put Molly's favourite pillow in there so the feline could keep him company. Jackson had been spending a lot of time tutoring Theo, or keeping his eye on Theo when he was with Jen, so this was the perfect solution to keep everyone happy.

Despite having a large circumference, the edge of the pool wasn't too high. Jamie could pull himself up to stand and just peek his eyes over the edge of the rim. Everyone was speculating if he would start to walk before talk based on how steady he was becoming on his own two feet.

"What's up little man?" Bethany asked, immediately pulling him from the safe haven and kissing his chubby cheek. "Someone needs a diaper change I see…"

Steve watched as Bethany moved to Jamie's room to change his diaper, the conversation falling apart all together. Earlier that day, Tony had suggested that they all go out to a club that night to let off some steam. Steve had originally thought that it wasn't a good idea, but after seeing Bethany today, he felt like it was the best thing for her. She needed to be reminded that her life wasn't all work. When he first met her, she loved to party. Sure, there was going to be a party at the Tower later on that week, but Bethany needed to let go of some of that anger before she completely destroyed Jen.


It took about twenty minutes for Bethany to actually start enjoying herself. Steve had to credit that to good music, her friends talking about things other than work for the first time in a while and the booze. Tony had ordered a bottle of some really strong alcohol that was basically guaranteed to make anyone drunk just by a single shot. Bethany drank the entire bottle.

She wasn't hammered. The booze was heavy enough on her system that it would take some time to filter out, but as Tony ordered another bottle, it was evident that Bethany would be a little tipsy all night. And Steve was fine with that. Her eyes were sparkling and her laughter hadn't been that sincere in a long time. She wasn't worrying like she had been.

It had taken a lot of work to even get her to agree to leave the Tower and go out for a night, but Steve was glad he insisted on her coming. This was not only good for her, but it was good for all of them. The club had a DJ that did a fair mix between songs and karaoke, and after two bottles of booze, Bethany confidently took the stage, an absolutely trashed Tony Stark following her for their own rendition of 'Bad Reputation'.

It was around two when they all decided to head back to the Tower. Bethany and Steve had thanked Jackson for staying up to watch the boys, and they both dutifully checked to make sure that they were both sleeping soundlessly.

When they made it to their room, Bethany laughed at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair had grown since they left the Tower, a slight frizz taking on the curls as well as some of her eyeliner being smudged. "I look like I just took a walk of shame," she explained, Steve closing their door and securing the lock in place.

"You look absolutely beautiful," Steve said, moving to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You had a good time?"

"Yes," She admitted with a bright smile, their eyes meeting in the mirror. "I'm sorry I was a bitch earlier. I'll apologize to Jen later on. I've just been really stressed, and I haven't really been able to understand my own emotions lately. Really, it's just been this week that I've been… bitchy."

"If you tell me not to be worried about you, then I won't be," Steve told her softly. "But when you act like you have been and you haven't opened up to me, it's a little hard to believe you."

"I talked to Sam," Bethany finally explained. "I needed to talk to someone who would treat me differently than you do. And it helped a lot. I'm still angry about some things, and scared about others, but he helped me a lot. And I'll tell you everything, but not tonight, okay? I have other ideas of what to do tonight."

"Mmm, I was hoping you'd say that," Steve admitted with a satisfied smirk. As much as he wanted her to open up to him, he wasn't going to push her. Tonight was about getting her to relax. And while sex couldn't solve everything, it couldn't hurt in this situation either. "Is tonight the night you get revenge for the whole Disney torture thing?"

"No," Bethany said with a heavy sigh. "I'm still working on that. And we'll need both more time and more privacy. No, tonight is up to you. Whatever you want, babe. I just want you, in me, making me forget my own name."

"I can do that," Steve said in a deep tone, lowering his lips to her neck. Tilting her head to the side and moving her arms up so she could wrap them around his head, he worked a slow and tentative pace on her. Steve wanted to elicit wanton moans from her before they took a step further, and Bethany was willing to comply.

She first let out small little breaths of air, satisfied little sounds that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Then her soft breaths turned into whimpers, almost soundless begging for more, his name slipping from between her red-stained lips. Her hips rolled back to press against his crotch, his own desire making its appearance known before the first moan tumbled from her. Steve moved one hand down her body, sliding it in between her legs and cupping her sex. Her dress that night had been thin and short, leaving Steve breathless all night, while also weary of other men lusting after her. But now, he was glad she was wearing it. He could feel how wet she was through both her thong and her dress.

"Yes," Bethany moaned heavily. Curling his fingers up against her, he pulled the sound from her which he was waiting for before quickly turning her around and kissing her hard. Bethany's hands immediately found his belt, pulling it off of him in record time before pushing his leather jacket off his shoulders and grabbing the material of his shirt tightly in her hands.

Instead of tearing her clothes of off her, Steve's hands roamed her body, trying to touch everything at once. It was sloppy, but immediate. There wasn't soft exploring touches. They needed each other now and they weren't going to pretend like they didn't.

Steve's shirt was quickly pulled over his head, and Bethany had already pushed his jeans off his hips. Their eyes met as their chests heaved, both of their eyes clouded over with intense love and lust. Red was smeared around both their lips from Bethany's lipstick, both of them sharing flirtatious smiles.

"How are you going to take me?" Bethany asked, her fingers playing with the elastic band of his boxers before trailing up the valleys of his muscles.

"I'm going to make love to you," Steve corrected, taking her hands in his, kissing one of them.

"But how?" Bethany asked, seductively biting her lip as the excitement built in her eyes.

"Well," Steve thought, looking at their reflection in the mirror. Her dress framed her ass perfectly. She had this habit of popping her hips while walking in heels, and combined with that dress, that thin and short black dress, it didn't take him long to know he wanted to watch that beautiful round as they both reached the ultimate level of pleasure.

"Let's start by taking this off," Steve instructed, pushing the thin straps of the flapper-styled dress off her shoulders and then watching as it slipped down her body. Her bra wasn't anything fancy, just black to match her thong. Bethany slowly undid the front clasp of the bra, exposing herself to him with a sly smile.

"And now we're even," She whispered cheekily.

"Get over here," Steve replied softly, pulling her into his arms. They quickly wrapped themselves together, their lips pulling and nipping, tongue intertwining. Bethany's breasts were pushed up against him, every little movement raking her nipples against his taut body. As for Steve, he pressed his hips up against her stomach, his cock straining in his boxers.

Steve lead Bethany towards the bed, slowly pushing her down against the duvet. One hand blindly went to his bedside table, searching for a condom. Besides his sketchbook and pencil set, the only thing inside his table was condoms. It was a little embarrassing how many condoms they had stashed away in their bedroom and bathroom, almost all of Bethany's bags containing a few, and one tucked away in Steve's wallet in case of emergencies, but they both knew that having to stop because a condom was too far away or they didn't have any at all was not an option.

"Panties off, on your stomach," Steve panted, giving her one last smooch before taking a step back to slip out of his boxers and roll the condom on. When he looked back at his wife, she had followed his orders perfectly, lying on her stomach at the edge of the bed, her ass up ready in the air and her head resting against the bed.

Steve kneeled onto his knees, spreading her cheeks apart and looking at her wet and swollen hole. Bethany wiggled her hips a little, just the soft pulse of Steve's breath causing sensations to run up and down her spine. Moving his fingers down to separate her pink lips, he let his thumb softly run over her clit. Both Bethany and the little nub flinched under his touch. Steve moved his mouth down to taste the beating pearl, pulling it between his teeth carefully.

"Aahhh," Bethany let out, mumbling her cries within the duvet. One of Steve's hands found his own throbbing member, feeling his hard veins through the condom. His own touch was enough to make him groan from the amazing feeling it gave him.

Getting back onto his feet, he took a hold of Bethany's hips pulling them up so she was more leveled with him. She immediately pulled her knees up onto the bed, letting out an excited whimper. He looked at how perfect her ass was, something he often forgot when her brilliant smile, piercing green eyes or full breasts were distracting him. With her face turned away from him and her breast pressed up against the bed, the only thing he could see was the curve of her back and her perfectly shaped behind.

Taking his erection in his hand, he guided it towards her, pushing his head into her. She let out a strangled cry as his member fought the tightness of her walls. She was so hot and slick, so welcoming and perfect. "Shit," Steve found himself muttering, pushing deep into her, so deep that jolted against the bed and let out a "oof".

Gripping her hips tightly, he set their pace, letting the excitement of the night overtake him. With every second hard, fast thrust, Bethany gurgled a cry into the bedspread, one of her hands clutching the bedspread tightly in her grasps, the other twisting and pulling one of her erect nipples.

He wasted no time picking up the pace, Bethany's moans tangling into a long one at the continual pleasure. He knew how much she loved it when his balls hit her clit. He was finally willing to be rough with her, understanding that she wasn't as fragile as she looked.

Steve's thrusting had him panting hard as sweat started to cover them both. Bethany's cries were more than just ones of pleasure now; she was begging him to let her cum. Pushing her so she was farther on the bed, Steve crawled up on top of her, keeping his pace, but also digging his teeth into her sweet spot. Her mouth fell open as her moans became soundless. Steve wrapped his arms around her torso tightly as she began to convulse, tears of bliss falling from her eyes. Her walls were clenching around him so tightly that Steve's own orgasm hit him within a blink of an eye. He couldn't even hold back his loud "FUCK!" as he fell apart.

Steve's thrusts grew erratic as he fell from his high, feeling his limbs grow tired. Carefully, he laid his body on top of Bethany, carefully kissing her shoulder and arm as she continued to ride out her orgasm. Her smile was wide and eyes hazed over with bliss and satisfaction. Steve couldn't help but smile at her, never understanding how even after the most exhausting love making where she looked and acted like a sex-crazed vixen, she always looked adorable when falling from her high.

"I love you," were her first coherent words, them coming up lazy but with a chuckle in her tone. He repeated his words to her, but she had fallen asleep before she heard them. Steve carefully pulled out of her, getting a wet cloth from the bathroom and cleaning her thighs before tucking her under their sheets and kissing her forehead softly, bidding her good night.

Everything in that moment was perfect, but little did they both know that the next week would change everything.


**A/N: Who's excited for the next chapter? I AM! I'm working on it right now (with sponge rollers in my hair, trying to achieve some major 1940's waves).

sarahmichellegellarfan1: =)

BerMH: Haha, it's okay, I totally understood :) Yes, I'm trying to make time go by faster without specifically mentioning the time passing... which I know sounds weird, but it was just easier than planning on a specific timeline.

Jo: More arguing between the two of them, but some making up :)

ACBD: I like that Steve and Bethany are so different, because I honestly wasn't sure who was right. It allowed me to write how I felt about both sides of the argument. Well, there's sex here. And possibly the next chapter. If not the next, then the one after? There'll be a lot of sex between the group finding the sceptre and the rise of Ultron just because there will be a long break where there won't be.

annoymouscsifan: Everyone is all hoping for makeup sex it seems! LOL. Hey, if people want more smut, I will provide!

sailorraven34: Yay! I had a really hard time writing it :)

FeliciaFelicis: Yes, of course! People were allowed to either side with Steve or Bethany, and neither one where wrong nor right. It's all about perception. That's kinda how all their fights are. Most times, they're both right in their own ways. Nothing will go wrong for a while, and even then, I can promise that Jen will not conform to HYDRA. Later on though, Jen is going to have some struggles of her own managing her new life. Your reviews are never lousy :)