Beth could smell the heavy Smokey scent, her entire body ached and her leg especially, she was laying somewhere, something warm under her cheek, it felt nice to her cold body.

There were voices around her whispering and murmuring, then there was one above her, she tried to decipher the words.

"-ered me, woke up in a hole didn't think I was even still alive it was so dark" wait she knew that voice.

"Good thing you're not claustrophobic huh?" a moment of silence "I was for about 5 seconds"

She pulled her eyes open slowly to see, white.

Well mostly white, she was facing a shirt that was stretched over a strong stomach, it was dirty and had what could have been burn marks on it "looks like she's waking up" she felt the hand on her side move and very carefully push at her hair "Beth?" she did know that voice.

With a soft sound she reached up to rub her head and found a bandage there, that explained the headache "ooh what hit me?" she herd sighs of relief then the voice above her spoke again.

"about 30lbs of concrete" she shifted and slowly turned her head following the dirty shirt up to a just as dirty face, one she would knew even in the darkest rooms "Steve?" she murmured and he smiled and nodded.

Her eyes were growing heavy again she she smiled and let her head fall back to his lap "welcome back"

It was three days before she opened her eyes again and this time she was in medical in Bruce's lab...

Again.

She sighed and sat up slowly muscles still tender in places "look who's finally awake" she looked to the side and saw Steve sitting in a chair with a book in his hands.

"Steve? What'd I miss?" she asked leaning back he shifted closing the book "Well apparently the machine worked, I don't know what happened after I shot that guy but I woke up like this buried under several pounds of concrete with you and the shield on top of me" he motioned at his body once again buffed out and standing a very nice six feet and two inches.

Then he motioned at her "apparently a bunker buster hit the place and you covered me, I wasn't injured, I don't think so, but you broke a few ribs and some rebar had gone through your leg"

She shifted and felt the bandages "that would explain the aches" she muttered he smirked a little and she glanced over "what?" she asked and he glanced up "what what?" she smiled a little "don't what what me, your keeping something to yourself, spill"

He glanced down to hide a smile but it didn't work "thank you" she was confused "for what" he rolled his eyes "for saving my life, twice, I'd be dead without you" she smiled just a little "I thought you were already dead"

He looked at her brow furrowing "huh?" she met his eyes "just before the missile hit and the machine went off, you stopped breathing and I couldn't find a pulse, I thought I was too late"

Settling back in his chair he looked at her strange "if you thought I was gone why stay? I bet if you had tried you could have gotten out" she was already shaking her head

"It didn't matter. If you were gone" she sighed and winced when it tweaked healing injuries "I wasn't going to leave you, I couldn't" he reached out and took her hand and she looked down to intertwined their fingers "I love you Steve, I couldn't leave you alone, not unless someone dragged me kicking and screaming"

Steve smiled slowly and bent forward when he kissed her she sighed and relaxed into it, but he pulled away too soon for her liking "I love you to grace" his use of her middle name made her shiver slightly.

It sounded nice rolling off his tongue.

"ok love birds break it up" she glanced up at Bruce and made a face "Were just talking" she complained he made a humming sound "sure" he said he was glancing at Steve and she looked back at him.

His face was red, she tilted her head to look at Bruce "hey you know he blushes every time I open my mouth" Steve swatted at her and she laughed "because you constantly try to make me blush" she shuffled away from the swat but didn't let go of his hand "ahh Bruce help captain Americas amusing a sick person! And it's not my fault you look cute when you go all red"

Bruce sighed and shook his head.

As he went down her list of injuries he pointed out some anomalies "for some reason it looks like your systems has become even stronger and your genetic code also changed" her brows furrowed and she felt Steve's hand tighten on her own "how so"

Bruce looked up saw their expression and held up his hands "whoa take it easy with the scary face, nothing harmful it just seems like you I don't know, it matches Steve's original work up more closely now?"

She tilted her head loosening her grip "I think I was hit by the machine when I was covering him just before the bunker buster, well, busted everything, maybe it copied them since technically we had some of the same DNA"

Bruce hummed to himself tilting his head like a meercat after it jumps out of its hole "maybe, but I don't see anything wrong and you've mostly healed" he held up a hand to silence her when she opened her mouth "so I think it'll be ok to go ahead and let you go to your own room"

She grinned then looked at Steve "what do ya think big guy, Wanna give me a lift?" he rolled his eyes "oh now I know why you missed me" she grinned at him "you love me and you know it"

Steve bent down and silenced her with a kiss "yes I do"

Bruce cleared his throat and they both laughed.

He carried her to her room ever gentle as he set her down on her sheets and crawled in next to her, she immediately tucked her head under his chin, body fitting against his like she was made to be there "I missed this" she sighed.

She smiled when her breath on his throat made him shiver "so did I" he admitted shifting to kiss her hair.

Silence filled the room and she knew Steve started dozing but she felt something strange under her hand, she shifted it so it was over his heart then touched her own chest and couldn't help but smile.

"Steve?"

"Hmm?"

"Our hearts are beating in time with each other"

Steve looked down at her with a soft sleepy smile and covered he hand where it rested on his chest with one of his own "I know, it's because were one"

She smiled and cuddled closer "I shouldn't have let you watch that Disney movie"

He chuckled against her hair but didn't reply and the sound of their echoing heart beats soothed them both to sleep.