AN: Not even gonna make excuses at this point. Just gonna bulk upload and finish this one up! I have a few ideas for other stories, namely a semi-sequel to this story including Bucky/Darcy, but it took me almost 4 years to finish this one, so who knows!

I woke up the next morning to an empty bed. Immediately panicked, I shot up, my hands itching slightly as I took in my surroundings. The tower. Steve's suite. His extra bedroom. The events of yesterday came rushing back, along with my memories of last night, of holding each other and finally coming back together. As I had drifted off last night I had finally felt like we had figured it out, like we were going to be okay. Now the bed was empty, and I couldn't stop the small voice of doubt in my mind. Maybe I had dreamed last night. Maybe it had never happened at all.

I rose from the bed, grabbing a robe out of my bag and padding out to the hallway, hoping that maybe Steve was in the gym downstairs. I opened the door and scanned the open concept apartment, finding Steve sitting at his dining table, pouring over papers, a cup of coffee in his left hand. I walked out slowly, heading towards the kitchen. Steve looked up as I entered.

"Charlotte, good, you're up." I sighed and turned to him.

"It's 10:30. I should have been up over an hour ago." I murmured, walking over to the table.

"I felt bad about waking you up. I know that you need your sleep."

"I appreciate that, but once you've gotten 10 hours, you really don't need anymore." I stood on the other side of the table, staring out at the mess of papers. Or should I say careful mess. The table was covered, but everything was organized perfectly.

"How long have you been up?"

"Since six." came his reply. I picked up a picture of a nursery and an article on breastfeeding.

"And you've been doing…?"

"Research. Did you know that the baby is as long as an ear of corn? Last week he was as big as a mango."

"I did know that actually."

"Have you thought about whether we're going to baptize him? About whether you want to go to the hospital or have a home birth? Did you know that you can have a baby in bathtub now? Isn't that dangerous? And for the nursery, should we go with blue or is that forcing gender stereotypes on him-" I took his face in my hands and kissed him soundly, cutting off the rest of his words. Savoring the kiss for a moment, I leaned back, thinking through my answers.

"I'm not sure. Definitely hospital. I do, it's not if done correctly, but I don't want to do that, and I'm not sure about the nursery. I was thinking more pale gray and dark blue, maybe a bit of red." I sat next to him and took his hand.

"We're really doing this, huh?" Steve said. I nodded, smiling.

"We are."

"We're going to have a baby in a few months."

"We are." Steve took a deep breath and met my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to wrap my head around this. We're going to have a baby in 3 months and we have nothing ready."

"We have a few things already set." I said, sitting lightly on his lap, relieved when a big hand came around to grasp my hip and keep me in place. "I ordered some clothes and small things. We'll go shopping together and order the big stuff. I know that I thought I was going to go this alone, but it still felt wrong buying a crib without you. Now we can do this together." I took Steve's hand in mine and smiled.

"We have plenty of time. I promise." Steve smiled hesitantly and rested his head against my shoulder breathing deep.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" I asked.

"My schedule is clear. I wasn't even supposed to be here, but I've been out a lot these past few months." Steve answered, turning his attention back to the papers in his desk.

"Out? Where have you been?"

"Sam and I have been all over looking for Buck. After SHIELD fell, I knew that I needed to find him again. And truth be told I needed a distraction. I couldn't stick around here after you left." I sighed and stroked the hair on the back of his head gently.

"You've spent all this time looking for Bucky? He's still alive?" I asked. Steve had told me about Bucky long ago, a whispered midnight conversation during my first night at the Tower. Steve had said that he had been his closest and dearest friend, the best brother he could have asked for and that he watched him die during the war.

"I saw him in D.C. He's the one that pulled me out of the river. He saved my life. Again."

"And he just ran? Why didn't he stick around?"

"He's not...himself. The first time I saw him in D.C. he tried to kill me. He survived the fall from the train somehow and was captured by Hydra. They made him something else, something horrible."

"The Winter Soldier," I concluded. Steve nodded.

I had heard rumors about the soldier when the SHIELD files were leaked, but hadn't connected the dots yet. There was so much data in that dump, it was impossible to tell at this point which rumors had been proven and which were just speculation.

"But he knew me. He recognized me. He's not with Hydra anymore so he's got to be out there somewhere, hurt and confused."

"And I'm taking you away from looking for him." I finished his thought sadly. Steve looked up at me with wide eyes, pulling me closer to his side.

"No, Charlotte, no. I want to be here with you. I need to be here with you. Sam's going to keep looking and I'll do what I can. The trail was cold anyway. We're pretty sure he's left the country."

"You can keep searching though. I know how important he is to you. I don't want to hold you back. If you get a lead, you should go. He needs to see you. I'll be fine here as long as you come back." Steve sighed.

"Fine. If Sam's got a good lead, I might go back out. But I want to be here with you. I will be here with you for as much as I can. I've already missed too much." he kissed me gently and we broke apart, our foreheads resting on each others for a moment. Everything still felt so tenuous. Our cathartic reunion the night before had done a lot to soothe those open wounds, but there was a vulnerability about him that I had never experienced before. Still raw from last night, everything felt more special, more crucial, more needed.

I leaned back with a sigh.

"I have to go talk to Steph and Stella today. I don't want to, but I should probably do it sooner rather than later. I went totally off the grid and definitely don't have a job anymore, but I feel bad for just disappearing on her." Worry twisted in my gut about leaving Stella in a lurch. I hoped she wouldn't chase me out of the store. "And Steph, I promised her that I'd see her once I came back. It's kind of a long standing tradition for us." Steve nodded.

"That makes sense. Do you think it would be okay if I went with you?" he asked, before jumping right back in with, "I don't have to if you don't want to, I just don't really want to be apart." he finished sheepishly. I smiled back at him.

"Sure. I think that'd be okay. Maybe I could have Steph meet me here. No offense, but I'm going to need to see her alone. Girl talk and all that. But you're welcome to come and see Stella with me. I'm sure she'd enjoy the eye candy." Steve blushed up to his ears and chuckled.

"Probably. She, uh, hit on me pretty hard the last time I saw her. I went over right after you left to see if she had heard anything. Couldn't help myself. I'm pretty sure she pinched my ass as I left." I threw back my head and laughed at that picture. Standing up, he followed me into the bedroom.

"Is it weird to think that she's closer to your age than I am?" He made a face. "You gonna leave me for a woman your own age?" I asked jokingly. Steve chuckled in that soft, low way of his.

"No way doll, I can promise you that will not be happening." I pulled off my nightshirt and turned to grab a dress out of my bag. Suddenly aware of Steve's stillness I looked up to find him staring at me, realizing that this was probably the first time he had seen me naked in months. I blushed heavily and attempted to cover myself with my dress. Pregnancy had only made me more self-conscious and a voice in the back of my head illogically told me that Steve was staring because he was disgusted. That little voice shut up when Steve walked across the room and kissed me soundly. Pulling back, he smiled, placing a hand on the side of my exposed stomach.

"Sorry, you're just, so beautiful. It's kind of hitting me in stages that you're really pregnant." I breathed deep in relief.

"I don't know about beautiful. I've been feeling more and more whale-like as the weeks go by-" Steve took my chin in his hand, pulling my eyes up to his.

"You're gorgeous Charlotte. You always have been. Will you let me draw you? Soon?" he asked. Flabbergasted, I nodded numbly. "Good. I'll let you get dressed." He walked out of the room and let me swoon properly. Damn it was good to be back.

Walking up the steps of the subway I breathed deep, taking in the smells of exhaust and indian food, mingling with the stringent scent of nail polish remover from the shop on the corner. I had missed New York quite a lot in my absence. There was nothing like the city, and though the quiet had been nice after a while nothing could replace the big apple.

Steve grasped my hand in his, firm, but soft as always. We walked down the block and stopped outside the craft shop, pausing for a moment. The shop hadn't changed a bit, still cluttered, still humble.

"It'll be okay doll, Stella's a great gal, she'll understand." Steve reassured me, placing a soothing hand at the small of my back. I sighed and walked in. The bell rang as the door closed behind us, but no one was at the front register.

"Hello?" I asked tentatively.

"Charlotte? Is that you?" came a voice from the back.

"Yes?" Stella came around the corner at light speed, way faster than a woman her age should be allowed to move, catching me in a hug.

"Honey, where have you been? We've been worried sick about you!"

"I'm sorry Stella. I just had to get away. Did Steph let you know that I was gone?"

"Yes, yes, but still we worried." she leaned back. Her eyes widened as her eyes focused on my stomach, moving back and forth between Steve and I suspiciously.

"Surprise! I'm pregnant!" I said weakly, trying to smile.

"When did this happen? Why didn't the two of you use protection? You know we have such a thing as nice, working condoms nowadays." she finished, looking at Steve pointedly. Steve blushed and stared at his feet.

"We know that Stella, honestly, we're aware. We were using protection, it just, didn't work all that well." I shrugged helplessly. Stella shook her head, but I could see amusement playing in her eyes. She motioned to the counter.

"Sit, sit, tell me about what happened."

"It happened about 6 months ago."

"But everything is alright? What happened?"

"It's complicated. We really can't share that much. All you need to know is that I'm alright, really. But I can't really work here anymore."

"Oh honey, I didn't think you were coming back. It's been six months."

"I figured. I hope I didn't leave you too much in a lurch."

"It's alright honey. Once the holidays were over we didn't need too much help. But we sure did miss you while you were gone."

"I know, and I missed you too. I'd like to come back, but I've only got three months left before the baby comes and I just don't know how soon I'll want to come back after he shows up."

"That's understandable hun. You'll always have a place here."

"Thanks Stella. I can't tell you how much I appreciated my time here, and I'm so sorry that it had to end this way." I reached out and placed my hand on her lap. She smiled softly and placed her hand on mine, patting it gently.

"It's alright dear. Things happen. I once went off the grid for a solid two years up by Eagle Bay. Joined a commune and stuck around until it got a little too crazy for my taste. Once they switched from mary jane to coke, I knew it was time to head home." I saw Steve's eye twitch in my peripheral vision and tried valiantly to keep a straight face. I loved this woman.

"I have to go meet Steph soon or she'll bite my head off. Thank you Stella. Have a good one okay?" I pulled her into another hug and she held me firmly. For such a small woman she had a hell of a grip.

"You too toots. Let me know if you ever need anything. And don't let soldier boy boss you around too much." I chuckled and pulled back.

"Never." she patted my cheek affectionately before turning to Steve.

"And you!" she said pointing at him abruptly. His eyes widened comically. "You take good care of my girl you hear? And that baby!" Steve nodded quickly and we turned to leave. Stella followed behind us.

"And make sure to use a condom next time!" She finished loudly as the door opened. I heard a firm 'smack' and Steve jumped about a foot. Unable to contain myself I burst into laughter. We continued down the street, Steve beet red, and rubbing his ass tenderly.

"For such a tiny dame, she's sure got an arm." he muttered as we headed back to the tower.

We got back to the Tower quickly, and after a reluctant Steph agreed to meet me there, Steve went do to the gym for some training.

I bustled around the apartment, cooking up some lunch to refocus my nerves about seeing Steph again. Of all people, she was one of the few who actually got why I needed to leave every once in awhile, but this break had been by far the longest and most drastic. I tried to keep in touch with her as much as possible while I was gone, but hadn't wanted to spring my mom-to-be status on her over text.

I had come home with some drastic changes in the past, chopping off most of my hair, new piercings, dropping 20 pounds, but this was definitely the most significant. I finished plating the sandwiches as JARVIS cut in.

"Miss Samuels, Miss Cabot is downstairs. Shall I bring her up to your floor?" I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Sure J," I fidgeted with the sandwiches again, knowing logically that them being perfectly plated wasn't going to be the deciding factor in whether or not my best friend forgave me for keeping this secret, but it did its part to calm my nerves.

The elevator doors opened and Steph stepped out looking around in wonder.

"Holy shit, this place is out of a Bond movie. Why didn't you tell me the Steve's apartment was a like page from GQ? Char-" she stopped in her tracks as her gaze finally landed on me.

"Holy shit. Holy shit." She grabbed me in a quick hug, shock still on her face, pulling me back quickly to look at my stomach, her wide eyes switching back and forth like she was watching a tennis match.

"Holy shit."

"Please say something other than 'holy shit'. If only so I can make sure you haven't had a stroke."

"You're pregnant! How the hell are you pregnant? I told you to put a reminder to take your birth control on your phone. You know that shit only works when you take it at the same time every damn day. You should've gotten the implant, like me. Five years of committed, great sex and zero babies! Is this Steve's fault? Did his super soldier sperm blast through your BC? Is that why you disappeared for six months? I know you said none of this was his fault, but I swear if he's not being a good guy about this, I'll fuck him up. I don't care if I'm in Tony Stark's shrine to overcompensation, I'll do it." With a sigh, I sat slowly, letting her run through her tirade. She finally finished and looked at me with wild eyes.

"None of this is Steve's fault. Well, maybe a little bit, but it's the same level of my fault, it takes two to tango and all that, and no, this isn't why I left. Why I left-" I stopped myself, realizing that now I was the one why was rambling. "Just sit, and I'll explain everything, I promise."

Steph looked at me, concern written all over her face. She stared me down for a moment, obviously wondering the logistics of finding Steve and beating him up. Abandoning her internal argument she sighed and sat.

"Okay, so you know how I got those migraines during my PhD and my first tech job out of school? Well, it turns out there was a good reason for those."

"Holy shit."

"Please don't go back to that." I begged as Steph sat back in her seat flabbergasted.

"I won't, I just- Damn Charlotte, that's some pretty heavy stuff."

"I know. But everything makes so much more sense now. I finally feel like things fit, you know? I'm still trying to recover my memories, but it's complicated, and not fun at all." I reached for another sandwich and nibbled absentmindedly.

"I can imagine."

"You have no clue."

"So are you sure that you're ready for all of this?" She gestured to my rounded stomach.

"Maybe? I feel more ready than I was 6 months ago. I don't know if anyone is really ready to be a parent. To be honest, I'm self-aware enough to know that I should be freaking out about being a parent when I barely remember my own, but I don't know, the panic hasn't hit me yet."

"You shouldn't worry about that. You're going to be a great mother." She squeezed my hand reassuringly.

"Thanks Steph."

"And I'm going to be the cool aunt who spoils the kid rotten." she grinned and motioned to my stomach, and I nodded, so she placed her hand on it.

"You know what it is yet?"

"A boy"

"A boy?! That's no fun." she wrinkled her nose and I laughed.

"I think it'll be plenty of fun. We'll raise him to respect women and screw gender norms."

"Are you sure Steve's going to be okay with that? He's basically the poster boy for masculine gender-normativity."

"You'd be surprised by how progressive he is, especially for someone who was born before the great depression."

"How's he doing with all of this? If it's been sudden for you, it must've been quite the shock."

"It was, but I think we've moved past some of it. He's always wanted to be a father, and he seems to be happy about it. It's weird, we've just picked up where we left off. We just kind of work, I don't know how."

"Tim and I hit a point like that in our relationship. I mean, it was a year in, but there's a point where you realize that this person is so perfect for you, you can't imagine them not being a part of your future. With that kind of foundation you can work through any of the little," she paused and rubbed my stomach. "Or big things.

But if he hurts you, I swear to Christ-"

"You'll what?" Steve answered as the doors swung open. Steph turned and stood instantly. Steve walked into the apartment, a white towel around his neck. Steph marched over to him and poked him hard in the chest, stopping him up short.

"I will hurt you, that's what. I don't care about the shield or the federal laws I'd break. You hurt her, I hurt you." Steve's brows rose.

"And I'd deserve it. I promise I'll take care of her"

"Take care of her does not mean knock her up, you know." Steve looked down sheepishly, a reddish tint on the tips of his ears.

"I'm aware, believe me, that was not part of the plan."

"Uh-huh." Steph looked unimpressed and turned away, coming back to the table to help me up. Penny snaked through her legs, almost tripping her up.

"Well, looks like you managed to take care of the hell cat, so I suppose that's something in your favor." As if to illustrate her point, Penny twined between Steve's legs, nuzzling and purring loudly. Steph sighed and shook her head.

"I should get going. Tim will want the down low on all of this. Mind if I share?"

"Of course not." Steph wrapped me up in one of her tight hugs.

"I'm glad you came back home again." she whispered, I squeezed a bit tighter and tried to blink away growing tears.

"Always." I answered, finishing our traditional exchange whenever I came back home. Steph left, throwing Steve a dark and foreboding look before leaving.

"I don't think she likes me." Steve concluded. I grinned, walking over to him and pulling him in for a kiss.

"She'll warm up to you. It's just her way of getting to know you." Steve nodded disbelievingly. I pulled him in for another kiss, inhaling his fresh from the gym scent, his lips warm against mine. My hormones went off in response and my hands worked through his hair. Shocked by the intensity, Steve answered with his own heat, clutching at my hip desperately.

"Doll, we can't do this," he managed to pull back, "not in your condition." I shifted to his neck instead, placing hot open mouthed kisses to his pulse points. He shuddered underneath me but remained adamant.

"Steve, it's perfectly fine to have sex while pregnant. My hormones are all out of whack and I swear if you don't kiss me-" Steve cut me off by taking my mouth with his. We staggered closer and closer to the bedroom as the kiss got more intense.

"Captain Rogers, Miss Samuels?" JARVIS interrupted. Steve looked up in exasperation.

"What JARVIS?

"Dr. Banner requests both of your presences on the Med floor. Miss Potts is quite adamant that you see the doctor immediately." I groaned in frustration.

"We should go. Pepper'll be pissed if we don't show up."

"Why?"

"I may have mentioned to her last night that I don't have an OB/GYN around here and might need a specialist because of the whole you having the serum and me having the x-gene and she might have gone straight into CEO mode." I rambled out, "I think she might be more worried about the baby than you are." Steve chuckled in exasperation.

"Not possible. C'mon, let's go and get this over with."

We rode down to the medical floor in silence, our hands clasped and shoulders touching the entire way. The doors opened to the med floor and a little claw of panic worked its way into my throat, sending me to flashbacks of that horrible day. Steve squeezed my hand firmly, and I looked up at him, seeing open and careful concern on his face, and absolutely no fear. I took a breath and stepped out of the elevator definitively, trying to push that day to the back of my mind. We headed over to Bruce's private lab, because even though he insisted that he wasn't 'that kind' of doctor, Tony kept space for him in the med floor for support on medical research. Bruce looked up from a chart when we entered and smiled hesitantly. I smiled back timidly, and his smile grew warmer. We'd have to work on that.

"Hi Charlotte."

"Hi Bruce. It's good to see you again."

"You as well. So I guess congratulations are in order?" he asked.

"I guess they are." I shrugged.

"If you wouldn't mind hopping up onto this table, we can get this done and over with. I'm sorry about dragging you two in here. Pepper was just very insistent. She can get a little scary sometimes."

"Oh I'm aware. She gave me the guilt treatment last night. Apparently moving 3 hours away while six months pregnant without a contingency plan isn't her idea of smart move." Bruce chuckled.

"Xavier's sent over all of your files and I looked them over quickly. Everything looks pretty straightforward, but we will have to find you some kind of specialist. I may be a doctor-"

"But you're not that kind of doctor." I finished and Bruce nodded, taking the blood pressure cuff off of my arm and motioning for me to lean back.

"It looked like you didn't really have a specialist in Westchester either. I know Dr. Grey, and I thought her speciality was more focused on genetics."

"It is, which is why she felt pretty confident that the baby would have some unusual traits. Since the serum changed Steve's DNA, and I've got the X gene running around, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that our baby will be a little bit different." I explained as Bruce set up the sonogram machine. Steve squeezed my hand a bit at my explanation.

"Will he be alright?" Steve asked.

"He should be just fine. The x-gene won't really present itself until he's older, though we're not sure how the serum will interact with it. From all of Dr. Grey's reports though, he's developing well." Steve let out a short puff of air. I rubbed his hand reassuringly as Bruce squirted the gel onto my stomach. Flipping the machine on, our son's heartbeat filled the room, dancing with my own. I grinned, feeling relief in that small space in the back of my mind, soothing the near constant worry. Steve's jaw went slack.

"That's him?" he said, pointing at the shape on the monitor.

"That's him," Bruce concluded. "He looks good. Developing well, a little bigger than I'd expect given your due date. It's possible that could be a result of the serum." I nodded.

"I'm pretty certain on the due date honestly, I don't think there's any room for doubt when he was conceived." Steve blushed. Bruce finished his exam and I wiped the gunk off of me, sitting up with Steve's help.

"So, he's healthy? Bigger than usual, but that's good right?" Steve asked, concern written all over his face.

"As far as we can tell he's doing well. You've been sticking to your prenatals and taking care of yourself?" he asked me. I nodded.

"Of course. Everything's been normal so far. Morning sickness is done, cravings are in full swing, I'm losing sight of my toes, according to all of my books, we're on track." I shrugged.

"But, I had so many problems as a baby. My asthma, everything, I don't want to pass that on," Steve murmured worriedly.

"Like Charlotte said, the serum changed your DNA. Those genes, the predisposition to illness, was the result of your environment and being born early. The serum repaired those genes, so you wouldn't be passing that down to a child. Don't worry Steve. The baby's doing well." Steve sighed heavily, obviously relieved. I rubbed his back soothingly, wondering how much time he had spent worrying about what he'd unwittingly pass down.

"I still think getting a specialist in would be good. But until we can, I'd like to see you weekly, Charlotte. Just to make sure that everything looks good." I nodded.

"Will you be, staying here, in the Tower?" Bruce asked hesitantly. Steve looked over at me, obviously interested in my answer.

"I think so. At this point it's probably the safest choice. But, we haven't exactly gotten to that point yet." I looked over at Steve, whose expression was unreadable. Bruce looked a little embarrassed, obviously regretting the question. "It's alright Bruce. We're just trying to figure this whole thing out."

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just-" the doctor paused, staring intently at the cloth in his hands. "Charlotte, I'm so sorry about everything that happened the day you left. It wasn't smart for me to reach out when you were in distress. I must've scared you and-"

"Bruce," I reached out and interrupted, placing my hand on his reassuringly. "You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm sorry for setting you off like that. I know better, even as panicked as I was, I should've been more careful. And you probably didn't scare me anymore than I scared you. I'm sorry about that." Bruce looked up at me, his warm brown eyes full of guilt. "I'd just gotten so comfortable with you. I completely forgot about the other guy."

"It's alright Charlotte. Let's just say that it was a bad day for everybody?" I nodded firmly, scooting off the table.

"Thank you Bruce. For being okay with all of this." I gave into my instinct and wrapped my arms around him in a quick hug. After an initial stiffening, Bruce softened, rubbing my back soothingly. Bruce was a surprisingly good hugger.

"Of course." he answered.

Steve and I went back upstairs and I busied myself with dinner, Steve snacking absently on the leftover sandwiches from that afternoon.

"Were you serious about moving in?" he asked quietly. I turned from the pot of stir fry.

"Yeah, I think so. If that would be okay with you?" Steve nodded, looking down at his sandwich.

"We could move into my apartment. But between the two of us and a baby, we'd barely have any space to breathe. I could go back and we could figure something out after the baby is born." I twiddled with the tongs in my hand, my voice growing smaller and smaller as I continued talking. "Maybe we could switch up on weekends, I could stay here some days, at the apartment other days. That worked well before-" Steve rose and gathered my hands in his, placing the tongs on the kitchen counter.

"Charlotte, it doesn't matter to me where we are, as long as we're together. I'm not leaving you again." I looked up at him meekly from beneath my lashes.

"But what if you get sick of me?" I asked. Steve took my chin in his hand, tipping my face up to meet his.

"I'm not going to get sick of you. And if I do, we'll just work through it." a smile quirked at the corner of his lips. "And if you get sick of me, you can just kick me out to the communal area and I'll leave you alone for a bit." I smiled hesitantly.

"This is important, Charlotte. I love you and we're having a baby together. The more we're together, the better we'll be able to handle whatever life throws at us. Stay here. Move in with me." Tears welled in the corner of my eyes at his sincerity. His forgiveness had been sudden and complete. He was ready to take me however I came, and willing to work for this little family we had cobbled together. It was beautiful. I nodded and smiled wetly.

"Okay."

AN: Awwww. So cute. Onward!