Chapter 23- I'll String Along With You

"For every little fault you have, say I've got three or four. The human little faults you do have, just make me love you more. You may not be an angel, but still I'm sure you'll do. So until the day that one comes along, I'll string along with you."

~I'll String Along With You, Louis Armstrong


While walking hand-in-hand, Steve was getting slightly annoyed at Bethany's pestering, although it was in that lovable way. He loved the way she was teasing him, with that beautiful smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. She was happy.

"You just… You make it too easy, Steve," She chuckled as they marched through the snow towards the compound.

"It just slipped!" Steve repeated, unable to hide the smile on his face, watching as she broke out into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, I believe that. And that's why it's so good. 'Language'."

"I don't swear in the bedroom that much," Steve insisted after a moment.

"Uh huh," Bethany replied. "You keep telling yourself that, love."

Steve frowned, trying to think it over. He always noticed when Bethany let a swear word slip. Sometimes, he was certain she did it just to get a reaction out of him. At first, it really bothered him, but now he knew that when she was wrapped in euphoria, she couldn't help what came out of her mouth. But he had to admit, the same thing happened to him. She was a bad influence on him. "It-"

"Just slips," Bethany finished. "Yup. I know. You do it a lot when you go all… what's the word? Feral. When it's romantic and vanilla, you're good."

"There's nothing wrong with vanilla and not swearing," Steve felt compelled to remind her.

"No, I agree," she promised.

A moment of silence overcame them as they made it to the pathway to the compound. "What do you mean feral?" He questioned, brows pulled into a frown.

Bethany stopped walking, Steve following her reaction. She stepped up onto a fallen log and undid the clip of his helmet, pulling it off. "You know I don't mind when you go a little crazy, Steve. I like it when you lose yourself. It's a confidence booster for- are you… wait, are you blushing? Wow, I would have never guessed after last night."

"Bethany-" he started only for her to let out an amused chuckle.

"Ooooh, 'Bethany'. My full name. Gonna throw Elizabeth in there too, for good measure?"

"You're enjoying this."

"Immensely," she confirmed, leaning forward to collect a chaste kiss before hopping off the log, taking his hand and pulling him along again. "I thought I beat the prude out of you. 'Language'. That's…" She finally noticed how her teasing was starting to annoy him a little too much. "Please don't leave me."

"You seem to be in a better mood today," Steve replied with instead. He had no intension of leaving her, and he knew he didn't need to reassure her. She knew.

"Crying and screaming doesn't help me get what I want," Bethany said with a shrug before letting out a deep sigh. "Look, like I said. I'm trying to deal with everything-"

"I talked to Sam," Steve interrupted quickly. While Bethany got the apartment ready for her conversation with Jen, Steve had taken the opportunity to call his friend. If Bethany trusted in the man, Steve was hoping he'd be able to understand what his wife was going through a little more. Sam had a way of understanding people better than they understood themselves.

"Of course you did," Bethany said with a huff.

"I have the right to know that you think something is wrong, Doll. And more importantly, what you think is wrong," Steve reminded her.

"I told you. I'm overwhelmed, Steve. And yeah, maybe it's some kind of depression," Bethany said with a shrug of her shoulders, as if it was nothing, but Steve knew better. "But I felt better after the talk with Sam, a night out on the town and you fucking the brains out of me. I feel more… at ease. I don't want to feel like I'm dealing with everything alone, but I can't help it if I do. And I was pushing you away so I wouldn't yell at you and-"

"Don't do that," Steve interrupted quickly. "Please. I don't mind you yelling at me if it means letting me in. I thought we overcame this obstacle. We were doing so good and then overnight everything changed."

"Something needs to change in our lives, Steve. I can't live like this anymore," Bethany revealed. "I felt really good when we were out. I could let off some steam, but I can't do that every day."

"This week. Do it every day this week. You just spend a week just relaxing, okay?" He pulled her to a stop, cupping her chin. "Hey, okay? That's an order."

"Oh and what if I don't follow orders, Captain?" Bethany questioned, her playful tone making its way back into her voice.

Steve took in a deep breath, thinking that over. "You said you liked feral."

"Oh, you gonna punish me?" She looked excited, but like she doubted Steve would follow through.

"Enough games," was his only response. "Back to work."

"Fine," Bethany mumbled, but she couldn't shake that small smile on her face as they started up the stairs. "I'm thinking Shepard's Pie for dinner, what do you think?"

"Whatever you want," Steve said with a shrug as Natasha's voice broke through the comms.

"We're locked down out here."

"Then get to Banner," Steve replied, raising a hand to his ear to re-establish the connection that he and Bethany had turned off so they could get some privacy. Any communication to them would go through, but no one would hear them. It was Tony's idea after one too many conversations he wished he had missed. "Time for a lullaby."

"We should consider trading in the Tower for this place," Bethany expressed, looking at the stone walls as Steve turned off the connection again. "I've always wanted to live in a castle."

"Any particular reason?"

"I'm sorry, what girl doesn't want to be a Princess?" Bethany pointed out.

Steve took in a deep breath, looking at a fork in their path. "I'm gonna head up here and check things out. You go around the back and we'll meet in the middle?"
"You betcha," Bethany agreed, pressing up on her toes for a soft kiss.

Steve watched as she sauntered away, her short ponytail swinging from side-to-side. He didn't move from his place until her figure disappeared around a corner. He was completely consumed by her, and right now that wasn't a good thing. And not necessarily because he was supposed to be completing a mission. He had quite literally completed hundreds of assignments, his mind thinking about her smile, her scent, that cute little way she balled her fingers up when she was stretching in the morning.

No. Right now he was completely consumed with worry about her. Just by watching her, listening to her talk, you couldn't guess that she was struggling emotionally. And sure, she had a breakdown the day before, and wasn't exactly Miss. Optimistic the weeks' prior, but the fact that it all changed within a night… No, something was wrong.

Which is why he had called Sam. Bethany was on her bipolar meds, that Steve knew for sure. But when Sam suggested that it could be something more, a different type of depression, Steve was caught off-guard. It never really occurred to him that she could be struggling with something more.

Sam, being a volunteer for the VA was somewhat of an expert on PTSD. Steve knew that Bethany suffered from nightmares at least three times a week, but then again, so did he. And if Bethany had PTSD, wasn't it fair to say that Steve did too?

But even if she had PTSD, Steve knew that wasn't what was causing her to act out. So when Sam brought up post-partum, Steve had a moment of panic.

"But she had Jamie almost a year ago," Steve found himself justifying. "And she would never hurt Jamie."

"It can take a year to settle in, man," Sam explained to him. Steve had done his reading on the subject while preparing for Jamie's arrival, and he knew, just as Sam did, that there were different levels to post-partum.

"Do you think that's what it is?" Steve asked, his words only coming out as a whisper.

"There's a chance," Sam confirmed. "She says she feels helpless. That's a major red flag, Steve."

"What do I do?" Steve had asked.

He was still asking himself this now.

Therapy seemed to be the only answer for anything in their life, it seemed. And while Bethany had at one point agreed to therapy, Steve wasn't sure how to bring it up now. The only thing he could think about doing was encouraging Bethany to do the things that made her feel in control. Evidentially, partying and sex helped a great deal.

In a way, it made sense. There was a time when that was a huge chunk of Bethany's life, and that's how she stayed in control. Letting her blow some steam and have some fun this way didn't worry him as much as it might have before. He knew how much Bethany loved him and Jamie. It wasn't just the fact that she wouldn't do anything to ruin that, but she physically couldn't. In his opinion, if anyone were to mess up what they had, it would be him. That was becoming more and more clear every day.

Steve hadn't been wandering around the compound for long before he ran into a HYDRA guard with a gun.

He saw Steve, lifted it, only to quickly change his mind and start running. Steve barely had to move to kick him unconscious, stepping through an arch and seeing a familiar face. "Baron von Strucker," he announced. "HYDRA's number one thug."

"Technically, I'm a thug for SHIELD," Strucker replied with as Steve circled him.

"Well then technically, you're unemployed," Steve enlightened him before standing in place and getting down to business. "Where's Loki's sceptre?"

"Don't worry, I know when I'm beat," Strucker said, seemingly surrendering, but Steve knew better. "You'll mention how I co-operated, I hope."

"I'll put it right under illegal human experimentation," Steve was quick to reply. "How many are there?"

Steve didn't get an answer, or any chance to press further, before an invisible force pushed Steve down the stairs, his shield falling from his grip. He got glimpses of red, different from the last enhanced, where it was a blur of blue. Before Steve got to the end of the stairs, his body came in contact with someone else's, Bethany loud protest of surprise revealing who he was rolling over.

Quickly putting out a hand to stop his tumbling, he looked up the stairs to see a dark woman quickly disappear, but unlike the blur, it didn't seem like speed. It seemed like… magic.

Steve quickly made his way up the stairs, listening as Bethany's heeled boot clacked behind him. "We have a second enhanced," Steve quickly told the team as he reached the top of the stairs. "Female. Do not engage."

"Little late for that," he heard Bethany say under her breath, a slight groan in her voice, but Steve knew she wasn't hurt.

He quickly turned his attention back to Strucker. "You'll have to be faster than-" Strucker had no chance to finish as Steve kicked his shield up and then towards Strucker, the man falling with a quiet groan of pain.

"Seriously, why isn't Sam here?" Bethany spoke, not missing the chance to put a speed joke into the conversation.

"What do you think that was?" Steve asked her, looking towards the closed door the enhanced slipped behind.

"The reason why HYDRA is beating our ass when it comes to science," Bethany revealed, Steve looking at her finally. Him landing on her did some serious damage to her face, her skin still stitching itself together, blood running down from her forehead onto her cheek. "Having this one," she continued, gesturing to Strucker. "In our grasps will help us understand what the fuck is going on. Oh. I'm sorry. What the frick."

"Okay, you know what-" Steve began, unable to hide the smile on his face.

Bethany shook her head, laughing. "Let's hurry up so we can go home."

"Why, so you can brainwash Jamie a little more?" Steve asked, watching as Strucker finally lost his battle with consciousness.

"Is it so bad that I want his first word to be 'momma'?" Bethany questioned seriously as Steve held out a gloved hand to wipe a streak of blood off her face. "If I don't push the word now, it'll be something from Tony's mouth. And how will you feel after his first word is a curse word? The teasing will never end, my love. Call it in."

Steve nodded, wiping the blood on the side of his suit. "Guys, I've got Strucker."

"Yeah, I got… something bigger," Tony reported, gaining Bethany's curiosity.

"The sceptre? Please tell me you have it, kid," Bethany pleaded.

There was a moment of silence before Tony replied. "I got eyes on the prize."

Bethany let out a deep breath of air, and Steve could see his wife relaxing, as if the weight that was bothering her for the past three years had finally released her. Steve pulled her into his arms, knowing that the sceptre had a part in so many of her fears and nightmares. There was no promise that those nightmares would disappear, but now she could remind herself that they held the sceptre, and no one could use it against her.

"It's all over, Baby Doll," Steve whispered to her, cupping her head as Bethany gripped him tightly. "How do you feel?"

"Free," she said softly, letting out a breath of relief. "I feel free."


The air in the quinjet was a bubble of mixed emotions. Bethany was expressing happiness, Clint pain and Bruce grief. Steve was still in Captain mode for the most part, Thor occupying himself by studying the sceptre and Natasha hovering by Clint with worry in her eyes. But Tony… there was something about the stiffness of his back that alarmed Bethany. As he made his way to the control panel, Bethany placed a soft hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Hey, kid? You okay?" She asked quietly, burying her own happiness for a moment.

"Huh?" He questioned, not entirely in the present. "Oh, uh yeah. Just… thinking."

Bethany opened her mouth to press further, but Clint began to talk, Tony slipping from her grip to pilot the quinjet. "What's the prognosis Dr. Rogers?"

Bethany moved close to Clint, looking him over before tossing him a sly smile. "No more stealing my chips, and you'll be just fine. Nat, you can give him more pain meds, his system can handle it."

Natasha gave a nod before following instructions, Steve slipping up behind Bethany and pulling her to where they typically sat together in the quinjet. "Hey, you okay?" He asked her, eyeing where the sceptre was resting.

"Yeah. I mean, no one here is going to use it on me, and I'm pretty sure it can't grow legs and come to life, so yeah… I'm good. Like I said earlier, I feel free."

"Good," Steve said before giving her a soft kiss. He took a wipe from the medical kit and started to clean the blood off her face from when he fell on her on the stairs. "Sorry for hurting you."

"Huh?" She asked absently. "Oh, well it's not like it hurt. Or your fault."

"Still," Steve whispered, carefully cleaning up all the dried blood before throwing out the wipe.

"You know," Bethany began, looking up at him with a tinkle of mischief in her eyes, her fingers hooking in his belt and pulling him closer to her. "We could have some real fun later."

"I thought that was already the plan," Steve replied to her, mimicking her hushed voice, a smirk pulling at his lips.

"Well yeah," Bethany allowed, giving her bottom lip a little seductive bite before she continued. "But after the recent turn of events, I was thinking some very particular irresponsible adult fun that could-"

"What was the other enhanced like?" Thor interrupted, seemingly not either seeing or caring about the moment the couple was sharing.

"Red," Bethany replied, not letting go of Steve's belt. "Magical? I-I barely saw her. Or the blur."

"What the A-List?" Thor asked, referring to a statement Bethany had made earlier.

"Oh, uh… Super powers. The best ones," She rushed to explain, trying to find the best words. "Like flight, mind control, invisibility-"

"Immortality?" Thor asked, to which Bethany gave a nod to. "So we qualify? On this list of yours."

"It's not my list," Bethany corrected. "It's just… a list. But you can die. I mean, if Loki is dead… Than can't you die too?"

"It's a bit more challenging to kill a god of Asgard than a mere mortal," Thor pointed out before looking at Clint. "Will Barton be alright?"

"Oh, he's being a big baby," Bethany said, finally letting go of Steve's belt to give a wave of her hand. "So? some of his skin is gone. Been there, done that." She received an alarmed look from Thor, as if he was actually questioning if she was being serious. "I'm kidding," Bethany promised him seriously. "He'll be fine though. We have some very smart friends, Thor."

"Yes, I've noticed," Thor allowed.

"Thor, report on the Hulk?" Natasha called, crouched down in front of Bruce.

"The gates of Hel are filled with the screams of his victims," Thor declared with pride, shaking a fist with purpose, as if this was something to celebrate. The worried glare he received from Natasha and the soft groan from Bruce made him back track. Steve and Bethany were trying their best not to laugh as Thor tried to fix his mistake. "Eh, but not the screams of the dead, of course. No, no. Uh… wounded screams, mainly whimpering, a great deal of complaining and tales of sprained deltoids and uh… and gout."

"Smooth," Bethany chuckled, intertwining her hand with Steve's.

"Hey Banner," Tony began, gathering everyone's attention as he spoke up from the cockpit. "Dr. Cho's on her way in from Seoul, is it okay if she sets up in your lab?"
"Uh, yeah, she knows her way around," Bruce replied immediately.

Bethany heard her phone buzzing from a storage unit on the quinjet, snatching it into her hand and smiling at the photo Jackson had sent her of Jamie sleeping in his playpen, Molly curled up next to him.

"He looks like you when you sleep," Steve whispered in her ear. "Mouth open."

"I don't drool though," Bethany pointed out.

"No, that's true," Steve allowed.

"It feels good, yeah?" Tony asked, finally taking a step away from the cockpit. Bethany and Steve turned their attention to where Thor was standing over Loki's sceptre, seemingly studying it. "I mean, you've been after this thing since SHIELD collapsed. Not that I haven't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but..."

"No, but this… this brings it to a close," Thor enlightened, his tone light.

"As soon as we find out what else this has been used for," Steve spoke up, his hand giving Bethany's a tentative squeeze. "I don't just mean weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?"

"Well, you don't need a magical stick to create human enhancement, I think we all are very aware of that," Bethany reminded them.

"But none like this," Steve disagreed. "It can't be a coincidence that the enhanced were hidden in the same place the sceptre was."

"By definition, two random occurrences is a coincidence," Bethany felt the need to point out.

"There were two of them," Steve argued lightly.

"Really? You're getting into the specifics now?" Bethany asked with a small smile, enjoying their bantering.

"Banner and I'll give it the once before it goes back to Asgard. Is that cool with you?" Tony asked, holding out a hand so that Thor wouldn't get too frustrated or angry too quickly. "I mean, just a few days until the farewell party. You're staying right?"

"Yes, yes, of course. Victory should be honored with revels," Thor announced.

"Yeah. Who doesn't love revels?" Tony agreed softly. "Cap'n?"

Steve didn't answer right away, gathering his thoughts before filling the silence. "Hopefully this puts an end to the Chitauri and Hydra, so. Yes, revels."

"And since Bethany is a Stark, I know she's up for anything," Tony said, looking to his aunt. "Especially after her Bad Reputation party hardy."

"Oh, I'll be there alright," Bethany replied with a large smile before looking up at Steve and tossing him a wink. "Captain's orders." She was rewarded with a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Perfect," Tony continued, electing to ignore the public display of affection. "You're in charge of the music."

Bethany gave Tony a roll of her eyes, but agreed, turning her attention back to Steve, freeing her hand from his grasp and throwing her arms around his neck. "So, just putting this out there, vacation. Fiji. That'll be a fun place to make a baby."

"Beth," Steve said in a shocked tone, clearly warning her to stop.

"What?" She asked, confused about why his panties were in a bunch. "I'm just saying, if Thor is going back to Asgard, then we should, you know… celebrate with style."

"Being an only child does suck," Tony spoke up before cringing. "Although, ew."

"Tony," Bethany said with a heavy sigh. "We've been married for almost two years. Even before that, you knew-"

"I don't like thinking about it, okay? And also," he continued, pointing a finger towards them. "I didn't need to know about what happens in the bedroom. I was perfectly fine in thinking that it was for reproductive purposes only. And that it was boring."

"And yet, I seem to know a lot about you sex life-" Bethany began, only for Steve to interrupt her.

"Can we drop this?" He begged.

"Not yet," Bethany said quickly.

"How do we shut them up now that they've started?" Natasha joked, getting up from her spot by Bruce and joining the rest of them.

"Out of everybody in this place, Steve and I are the only two people who shouldn't be judged," Bethany argued, ignoring Natasha's comments. "Also, if we were to make a baby, that would be for reproductive purposes, and therefore, it's what you've already known."

"Bethany," Steve said strictly, wanting her to stop all together. It sounded like he was scolding a dog, but Bethany only paid attention to one thing.

"There it is again! My full name."

"Please stop," he said seriously, but his tone softer. "I'm begging you."

A mischievous smile and glint appeared on her face, and Steve could tell she was dying to say something more, but she said nothing, just moving over to Clint and looking him over as if nothing happened. Steve watched her carefully, letting out a ragged breath.

"Relax Steve, this is more like herself than I think you remember," Natasha pointed out. "Isn't that kind of like the girl you first fell in love with?"

She was right, but that terrified him. "I hope it's fleeting," he whispered.

"It might be," Natasha agreed with a casual shrug. "You know how she is, changing every single day. You did tell her that you'd talk about making babies after we found the sceptre."

"I didn't think we'd find it so quickly," Steve admitted.

"Well, I wish you luck Rogers," Natasha said with her usual tone and a smirk.

"What do you think?" Steve asked honestly. "It's too soon, right?"

"It's not really up to me, Steve," Natasha reminded him. "But she's dead set on having another baby. She's a smart cookie. She'll find a way to get what she wants if you're not careful."

With that, Natasha walked away to check on Clint leaving Steve to think that over. He knew that Bethany was capable of getting pretty much whatever she wanted. He was painfully aware of that. If Bethany got desperate enough, she'd stop all birth control on her end and they both knew that just a condom wasn't enough. It may prove effective once every few tries, but the odds were stacked against them.

And not having sex was not an option. It was such a vital part of their relationship. The pillow talk afterwards was so relaxed and intimate. And he continually craved to be so close to her. She was so beautiful and intoxicating, and he couldn't resist her even if he tried.

Letting out a deep breath, he admitted that she was driving him more and more crazy with each passing second, but it was all worth it. "Beth," he spoke up, gathering her attention. Her head snapped into his direction, a brow raised in curiosity. Gesturing with his head for her to meet him in a corner, she followed instructions.

"Yes?" She asked innocently.

"I promise we'll talk about it," Steve began with, earning a heavy sigh from Bethany. "When we have some privacy. Okay? They don't need to know every little detail of our lives. You used to like privacy, remember?
Bethany rolled her eyes like a teenaged girl. Steve placed his hands on her shoulders, Bethany tilting her head up to look at him. He lowered his lips, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before Bethany wrapped her arms around his waist and let her weight fall onto him. He responded by wrapping her tightly in his grasp. They stayed like that the rest of the ride home, neither one of them saying a word to the other.


Bruce and Natasha had left with Clint as soon as they arrived at the Tower, Thor trailing not too far behind with the sceptre in tote. Steve and Bethany stayed behind to repack the medical kit as Tony finished up in the cockpit.

"Lab's all set up boss," Maria announced as she strutted into the quinjet, a tablet in her hand.

"Uh, actually, he's the boss," Tony corrected, pointing to Steve as Bethany closed the medical kit, securing it in its spot. "I just pay for everything and design everything and make everyone look cooler."

"What's the word on Strucker?" Steve asked as the two of them started towards the elevator.

"NATO's got him," Maria answered.

"The two enhanced?"

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff," Hill continued, handing the tablet to Steve. Bethany craning her head, looking at all the information that was collected from the compound. The screen showed two young adults in what looked like a riot. "Twins. Orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special but it's on the way to everywhere special."

"Their abilities?" Steve pressed on, Bethany trying not to feel sympathy for the Maximoff twins. They were the enemies. But somehow, she related to them in some way. She was orphaned around the same age, with only her brother there for her. It may not have been a traumatic experience like a shell destroying their home and almost taking their own lives, but Bethany and Howard had to work for their success during the Great Depression.

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neural electric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation," Maria replied, completely serious. Bethany hit the elevator button as Steve looked to Maria with confusion on his face. "He's fast and she's weird," she offered as explanation, which Steve took with a slight nod. Bethany offered a light chuckle, stepping into the elevator when it arrived.

"Well, they're going to show up again," Steve replied, handing Maria the tablet and stepping in after Bethany.

"Agree," Maria said with a slight nod. "File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments. It's nuts."

Bethany frowned for a moment, trying to find the right words. She had been uncharacteristically quiet during the entire conversation, but really only wanted to talk about one thing, and Steve had asked for it to be done in privacy. Steve spoke up, saying a similar thing to what she was thinking.

"Right," Steve began, reaching towards the control panel and hitting their floor. What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"

There was a very small moment of silence while Bethany let out a sigh with a quiet chuckle in it, leaning against the elevator wall, crossing her arms. "We're not at war, Captain," Maria offered.

"They are," Steve replied just as the door closed, getting the last word, as he typically did in situations like this.

"Beautifully done," Bethany offered, speaking up for the first time. He turned around to look at her, an awkward moment of silence settling in the elevator. Bethany sighed, reaching around him to press the halt button of the elevator, the lift coming to a stop. "Did I embarrass you?"

"Yes," Steve replied immediately.

"I'm sorry," Bethany offered sincerely, looking down at her feet. In the moment, she hadn't realized that anything she was doing was wrong. She felt happy and needed to express everything she was thinking. But as Steve held her and she let her thoughts consume her, she realized that while she may not have done anything wrong she so had embarrassed Steve.

"I just… it bothers me. It's not like I was being explicit. I just…" She tried to continue, but knowing that the reason she was trying to give him wasn't the real reason. She had been on Cloud Nine and couldn't help herself. But now she felt like she was ten feet under.

"We've talked about this. Multiple times," Steve whispered to her, taking her hands in his. "It's not the right time to have another baby. Jamie isn't even one yet."

"I'm sorry," Bethany apologized again, but deciding to focus on the baby situation. "But I'm failing to see why this isn't a good time. You said after we get the scepter. Explain to me how it isn't a good time now."

"It just isn't."

"So that's it? That's Steve Rogers' final word on the situation?" Bethany asked fiercely. "It's not even open for debate?"

"Bethany…" Steve said, letting out a soft sigh. "I just want to be sure this time. And I don't think that getting pregnant when you're feeling so helpless and confused is going to help the situation. You were happy and carefree about an hour ago, and now you seem… deflated. Don't you want to make sure that you're the strongest that you can be before we bring another baby into this world?"

Bethany swallowed hard, looking down at her feet for a moment. He continually made sense, but she couldn't hide the desire for a little baby girl. "I guess that's fair," she finally agreed.

"I'm happy that you want more kids," Steve told her, squeezing her hands.

"I don't think I believe you," she replied stubbornly. He sighed, saying her name, only for her to cut him off. "I did something Steve."

"Did-did what?" Steve asked in a panic. Bethany reached her hand out to let the elevator continue on its route. "Bethany?"

She said nothing, waiting for the elevator doors to open on their floor, and leading him inside. Jackson was sitting on the couch reading a book, casting a glance at them, but minding his own business. Steve followed Bethany into their bedroom and sat on the bed while Bethany looked for something in their closet. She finally re-emerged handing him a pink onesie.

"I bought this a few weeks ago. I was just looking for new booties for Jamie and I saw this and just…" She let out a sigh as Steve held the tiny onesie in his big hands, one finger tracing the third 'L' in 'Daddy's Little Lady'. "I'm scared that something will happen before I get to see you with a little girl. Our little girl. But that's not it. And I'm… not rational and you're right. I shouldn't have another baby with the headspace I'm in right now."

"That's just one reason in an ocean of millions," Steve promised. "It's not just about you." He was quiet before he let out a small chuckle. "It's so small."

"Jamie was never that small," Bethany replied with, resting her head on his shoulder. "But I hope she will be."

"Sam was supposed to pop by for the party," Steve spoke up. "But I'm going to ask him to come earlier. I'm really worried about you. And it can very well be normal, hormonal and emotional mood swings, but wouldn't you rather know for sure?"

"Sam isn't a professional," Bethany reminded him.

"No, but Dr. F was and he didn't seem to help Theo very much, now did he? Look, a ten-minute phone call with Sam helped you a lot. Imagine a ten-minute conversation face-to-face."

Bethany nodded, admitting that it was a good idea. "I love you, Steve," she whispered, laying a hand on his thigh.

"And you know I love you," Steve replied, cupping her chin and giving her a deep kiss. She let out a surprised moan as Steve pulled her up to straddle him. "I'm glad you want more kids. I'll give you another baby. But not today. Not this month. What's the rush? We have time."

"Do we?" Bethany asked, a crease in between her eyebrows. She shifted unintentionally, the caress against his crotch making Steve muffle a groan.

"Can we just have sex?" Steve whispered, his hands roaming up and down her back. "Protected sex? Normal sex? Just you and me and absolutely no surprises?"

"Sounds boring," Bethany teased lightly. "It's more fun when we're irresponsible."

"It won't be boring," Steve promised, a hand moving to the back of her neck, controlling her head's motion. He forced her down and quickly captured her lips, carefully pulling at her lower lip. He deepened the kiss, keeping it slow and sensual, and Bethany could quickly feel her nerves coming to life. He was trying to sell her on 'boring' and it was working.

"In order for it to be really boring," Bethany said, pulling away breathless. "You'll need to ask Jackson to leave."

"Hmmm, you're right," Steve allowed, quickly moving his hands to her hips and holding them tight as he abruptly stood up. Bethany let out a surprised squeal followed by laughter as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, that certainly wasn't boring. Already breaking your own rules, soldier," Bethany flirted, biting her bottom lip for good measure.

"Let me have my fun before I surrender myself to you completely tonight," Steve replied before stealing a quick kiss.

"Sex twice in one day? Three times if you count this morning! We're on a roll," Bethany said with a chuckle.

"Oh, so what we're doing tonight qualifies as sex," Steve said, only a little bit of teasing in his voice. She could tell he was apprehensive about what she had in store, but she had a feeling he would like it. Maybe not during but as an afterthought, probably.

Maybe.

"I'm gonna go check on Jamie," Bethany announced with a shake of her head. "You excuse Jackson and start taking that suit off."

"Yes ma'am," He replied in his best soldier voice, letting her slip down, planting her feet back on the ground.

Tossing a quick 'hello' to Jackson she made her way to Jamie's nursery. She smiled down at him as he slept in his crib, his fingers mere inches from his mouth, as if he had been sucking on them earlier. His curls were a matted mess, in definite need of a hair cut. Bethany just hadn't had the heart to cut them again. He had already had two haircuts since he was born, and each time a little part of her heart sank. His curls only became waves when the length was shortened and Bethany adored his curls. She knew Steve did too. They were her curls, that they both knew for certain.

"Hey Munchkin," Bethany whispered, lowering herself so she could be level with his sleeping face through the bars of the crib. She was more than grateful that his speedy growth and metabolism hadn't robbed him of baby fat. His cheeks were full and his fingers and feet dimpled. He was utterly perfect and everything to her.

Steve was right. Jamie wasn't even a year old. She should be spending all the time she had with him, not splitting it between him and another baby. There was the chance that Bethany really wanted another baby because she, in a lot of ways, wasn't allowed. You always want what you can't have, and Bethany was not unfamiliar with that concept. She flip-flopped her decisions time and time again. It was just who she was.

"Just because I want a little girl doesn't mean I love you any less," Bethany whispered to Jamie, hearing Steve doing something in the living room but not paying any attention to it. "You'll still be my special little boy, Jamie. My little blessing."

She let out a sigh, reaching a finger through the crib bars to touch his little hand softly. His skin was so soft, no sign of dry skin or eczema like a lot of babies got. She knew it was because of his altered genes and once again felt herself wondering if that was a good or a bad thing.

"You coming?" Bethany heard Steve speak from the door. He had slipped out of most of his uniform like she had requested, standing there in the tight Under Armour shirt and his pants, but he had also slipped out of his boots and taken off his gloves.

Catching one more glimpse of her sleeping son, she stood up and made her way out, closing the door behind her. She frowned when she saw that there was a bed sheet draped over the couch. "What's this for? I thought we were doing boring."

Steve let out a fake laugh at the way she stressed the word boring. "Beth, we do interesting things in the bed, so why are we defining the bed as boring?"

"You really want to have sex on the couch?" Bethany asked, almost not believing him. He replied by pulling a condom out of his pant's pocket and holding it between two fingers. "Really?"

"Why do you sound so surprised? We've done things on the couch before," Steve reminded her, tossing the condom onto the couch, it landing on one of the cushions.

"Remember when sex was spontaneous?" Bethany asked walking over to the couch and touching the sheet. "When we just couldn't wait to get our hands on each other? And now we're laying out sheets and planning what we'll do."

"What happened early this morning was spontaneous," Steve pointed out. "And who cares how it starts? Doesn't it only matter how it ends?"

Bethany let out a soft chuckle, nodding her head. "Yeah, and the way we get to the end."

"Exactly," Steve replied, walking up to her. "Now, take this suit off and let's have some fun."

"It's supposed to be boring," Bethany said in a sing-song voice, doing as he asked. She hated how form-fitting the suit was, but it had its purpose. It wasn't just too look good, it actually made fighting a lot easier, which she knew from experience that new SHIELD agents had never understood until they pulled on their first jumpsuit.

"Let me rephrase this then," Steve offered. "We'll do it old school."

"Missionary on the couch?" Bethany asked with a slight frown, kicking her boots off.

"Hey, we had some fun without it being missionary," Steve reminded her, pulling the elastic out from her ponytail as Bethany worked on getting the tight material off her body. Her hair fell around her face as she finally stood before him in just her undergarments.

"That's true," Bethany agreed with a nod. "But-" She had no time to continue as Steve pulled her into his arms and quickly kissed her.

"Stop talking," he mumbled against her lips, starting a long and sensual kiss. They stood there, Bethany's legs against the couch, for minutes, just slowly kissing. Steve's hands slowly moved down her body, tickling her sides before grabbing her hips. The way he held onto her, with such ferocity and passion, as if unaware of his strength and believing it was the softest of touches made Bethany turn weak.

Her hands grabbed his biceps, but only with what little strength she still possessed and more to help keep herself upright than anything else. Bethany was forced to pull away from the kiss to catch her breath, but Steve's lung capacity was much better than hers and he slowly pulled kisses down her chin and towards the curve of her neck.

He was right. This was definitely fun and not boring. But it was definitely like they used to be, keeping it simple, but none of it disappointing in the slightest. Bethany's weightless fingers moved down his body, slipping into the waist of his pants, teasing his upper thigh for a moment before his own hands left her hips and expertly pushed them down, along with his boxers, his lips still attached to her neck.

His teeth scraped across her neck softly when Bethany took him in her hand, stroking him softly. Steve pulled a few inches away, letting a hot breath of air out of his mouth before pressing a soft kiss on the red spot. While one hand moved down to touch his swollen sack, the other slipped up the skin tight shirt, her fingers tracing the crevices of his muscles.

Bethany twisted her body to the side, Steve's following as if they were doing a dance and she was the lead. Slowly, she pushed him down onto the couch, reaching behind her body and unclasping her bra. Steve took a hold of her hips, trying to get her to straddle him, but she only got down on her knees instead.

Giving Steve the same treatment on his thighs that he did on her neck, softly and slowly dragging her lips up his muscled limb, she looked up at him when her lips got as far up his leg as they could. Parting her lips, she let out a gentle blow against his testicles, flicking her tongue out against it in a tauntingly slow manner before her tongue moved up his straining member and sucked against the tight skin.

Steve's head fell back against the couch for a moment, only looking back up when Bethany pulled away. His fingers quickly worked to hook in her thong. The cool air against her throbbing and wet center made her let out a soft sigh of delight. She could feel a long strain of arousal trailing down as Steve pulled the thong down her legs, it pooling by her feet. Bethany and Steve's eyes met, Bethany's bottom lip in between her teeth. He reached a hand out to cup her mound, the feeling sending tingles through her. One of his thick fingers curled up, finding itself in her warmth.

A strangled moan fell from her lips as she arched her back slightly. Steve used this to his advantage, pulling her to straddle his lap. His finger slipped out of her, pulling up across her clit before he held his wet digit out for her. Their eyes locked, Bethany closed her lips around the entirety of his finger, giving it a long and hard suck before Steve pulled it from her mouth, a subtle pop sounding. Easing back a little, Bethany picked up the condom and handed it to Steve, hopefully showing him that if he wanted to wait for children, she was going to respect that.

It didn't take long for Steve to roll it onto himself, Bethany first working to take the tight shirt off of Steve's body before lifting her hips, teasing herself with his tip before leisurely lowering herself onto him. As she sunk all the way down, they both wrapped the other in their arms, needing to be impossibly close. Bethany's breath already started to pick up as he stretched her, penetrating deep and making her walls contract. The feeling of being whole was overwhelming.

Their foreheads met, eyes still locked as Bethany began to circle her hips, letting out the softest of whimpers when her clit met friction. Their lips joined together, Bethany's already feeling desperate beyond belief. She pulled her hips up a little, starting a pattern.

She could feel the intimacy pulsing through her veins. Steve's hands held her hips, helping her keep the pace as she began to lose herself. It was too quick, that she knew, and she wanted to cry. She was completely overwhelmed. But Steve helped her through it, keeping her close in his arms, his strength keeping her safe.

"Shh, it's okay Doll," Steve whispered to her.

"It's too much," she panted, just trying to edge herself over.

"Just relax," Steve replied, kissing her sweet spot. "Come on, Doll Face. Just relax and let it wash over you."

One of his hands moved in between their bodies, finding her clit through her swollen lips and applying the softest of touches to it. From the need to come Bethany was feeling, it was like there had been hours of foreplay when it had only been minutes. She could feel herself getting closer and closer, but it seemed to grow and never take over her.

Steve could sense that she was becoming desperate, needing that release and reciprocated by picking up the pattern a little bit, lowering his lips to one of her breasts, laying soft and long kisses all around her peaked nipple, only letting his tongue dance over it when Bethany would let out a distressed whimper.

It had been a while since they had made love like this. Bethany had convinced herself that this was boring in comparison to the new waters they had explored, but the quick desperation that attacked her reminded her why she loved sex with Steve so much.

She could feel the love pouring from him to her.


**A/N: Felt like we needed some good ol' smut to balance everything out. Also, they'll be two more smut scenes before Ultron emerges since there will be a lot of chapters with none.

Question about Bucky...: How do you think he should be written? Like I'm writing him now, or should there be some changes? Just asking for reference :)

FeliciaFelicis: I'm excited too! I've been planning things out for over a year now, so I'm so excited to let people finally see what's been brewing!

Jo: Thank you kindly :)

annoymouscsifan: Get something new in the next chapter, but she good ol' classic smut here to even it all out :)

BerMH: I thought that it was about time! It's been over 50 chapters since the Winter Soldier plot, which is CRAZY when you think about it, but it's true! Finding a place for Jamie was a little bit of a struggle, but that's really why I introduced Jackson, and Jen will have a role in this too as well.