A/N: Last chapter of continuous story. Some light angst, and then more fluff :)
So Amanda adjusted to living in Avengers tower with some of the most famous people on the planet. It got her more famous, as well, and some of her pieces were selling for ridiculous prices. She didn't mind, much. As long as she had Steve.
It was a few days after she officially moved into the tower that Steve knocked on the open door of her studio. "Amanda?"
"Hmm," she said, putting the most delicate of carving marks on the wood figurine. She finished the square inch of detail and turned to look at him. He was in full uniform. Her heart sank. "You're going on a mission?"
"We all are," Steve said. "The Avengers have been called out."
"Is it bad?" she asked.
"It's not as bad as New York," he said frankly.
She nodded. "When will you be back?"
"Two or three days," he replied. "I'll try and call you."
"Don't worry about me," she said hastily.
He gave her a soft smile. "I always care about you."
She stood up and pulled him into a tight hug. "Be careful," she said quietly, kissing his neck, then his ear, then his cheek.
"I promise," he said, turning to kiss her on the lips. "I have to go. See you in a few days."
"I love you."
"I love you too." He kissed her again and reluctantly stepped back.
She watched him walk away, and tried to swallow the lump in her throat. Two or three days never seemed so long.
-A-a-A-
The mission was relatively simple. HYDRA stronghold, break and bust. They were not expecting the soldiers in metal exoskeletons. That made the fight harder but it didn't change the expected outcome. They chased a group of soldiers into the surrounding mountains, and that extended the mission into the third day. It was a weary group of superheroes that reassembled on the quinjet.
"Let's go home," Steve said, closing the entry ramp.
Clint smirked at him. "Anxious, much?"
"Maybe."
Clint gestured to his broken arm with his other arm. "Well, I can't drive." He flopped into a seat.
Natasha rolled her eyes and slipped into the pilot's chair. "I'll drive."
"No!" all the others chorused.
"I will drive," JARVIS said firmly, locking out all the pilot controls and remotely operating the jet.
"Wimps," Natasha muttered, gingerly stretching out.
"Just because you like to push 7 G's when you drive, it doesn't mean the rest of us are wimps," Tony told her.
"Wimps," she said again.
-A-a-A-
They finally got back to the tower around midnight, and as Steve exited the jet, his eyes were drawn to a small figure wrapped in a blanket and staring at him anxiously. He grinned, and if by magic all the aches in his body went away. Was this what it was like, having someone to come home to? He moved forward and swept Amanda into a hug. "Hey," he whispered, kissing her lightly. "You didn't have to wait up."
"Yes, I did," she said, tracing a bruise on his cheek lightly. "Are you hurt?"
"Only bruised."
She wrapped an arm around his waist. "Come inside, we kept some food heated up for you."
"What are we, chopped liver?" Tony asked plaintively, as the rest of the superheroes followed them. His question went unanswered. "Yep, chopped liver. JARVIS, get Pepper back from Malibu. I need some cuddles."
If JARVIS had eyes, he would have rolled them.
Amanda had soup, sandwiches, freshly baked cookies, and two pies waiting, as well as decaf coffee and tea.
"Wow," Clint said, accepting a bowl of soup gratefully. "You didn't have to do this, Amanda."
"I kind of had to," she said, sitting next to Steve. "When I get anxious I cook."
"I would think you'd go all tunnel vision artist," Tony said.
"Nah. I can't concentrate when I'm anxious. Only a serene heart can produce serene art."
"Poetic," Natasha murmured, through a mouthful of warm chocolate chip cookie.
Steve let out a massive yawn, nearly inhaling his grilled cheese sandwich as he did so. "Well, I'm going to bed."
"Good night," everyone chorused.
Amanda walked him to his room and kissed him gently outside the door. "Do you need anything?"
"No, I think I'm good. See you tomorrow?"
"Definitely."
She was halfway down the hallway when Steve's voice called back to her. "Uh, Amanda?"
"What's wrong?" she asked, turning back.
He was red-faced. "I can't take off my shirt."
She helped him ease the long sleeve uniform shirt and short-sleeved undershirt off, and gasped when she saw his torso - it was covered in deep purple bruises, and his shoulder was sliced up with what looked like glass cuts. "Oh, Steve," she said sorrowfully.
"It doesn't hurt much," he said.
"Liar." She pressed a gentle kiss to his other shoulder. "Just sit still and I'll get the first aid kit, all right?"
"All right."
She got the kit and came back to do the slow and painful job of pulling glass shards out of his shoulder, and cleaning his cuts. She watched, amazed, as all the superficial cuts healed themselves before her eyes. "How could you sit there and eat like that?" she wondered quietly.
He stifled a wince. "I'm a super soldier, Amanda, I can stand a bit of pain. It'll heal by tomorrow anyways."
"Still. You know that with me you don't have to be all stoic, okay?" She finished covering the lacerations and picked up a small bottle of oil. "Lavender oil for the bruises. Do you mind?"
"No, it's fine." He closed his eyes as she started to smooth the oil over his bruises. "Smells like you..." he said drowsily.
"My body wash is lavender."
"Mm."
She put the lid back on the bottle. "All done." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Go to sleep, Steve."
"Good night," he said, watching her leave. "And, thank you."
She smiled at him. "You're very welcome."
"I love you."
"Love you too." She closed the door behind her.
Steve got in bed, still sore, but ridiculously happy.
-A-a-A-
It was time for their weekly movie night. Everyone was actually there, this time, except for Amanda. "Where's your girl?" Clint asked.
The super-soldier frowned. "I don't know. She was going to meet us up here. JARVIS, where's Amanda?"
"Miss Hale is in her room," JARVIS replied.
"I'll go get her," Natasha said. She went to Amanda's room and knocked. "Amanda?"
"Come in," Amanda said absently.
Natasha entered and found the sculptor sitting on the bed, twisting a tiny statue around in her hands. "Aren't you going to watch the movie?" she asked.
"No, I'm okay."
"What's that?"
Amanda held it out. "My very first miniature statue."
It was a figure of a man in uniform, holding a book in his hands. "Who is it?" Natasha asked, noting the care taken in molding the features.
"My dad." Amanda smiled briefly. "He died five years ago, in Iran. Today is the anniversary of his death."
"I'm sorry," Natasha said, handing the statue back with a sympathetic frown.
Amanda shook her head. "He died doing his duty to his country. He didn't want us to be sad about it. I just," she sighed. "I don't want to be around people."
"I'll tell the others," Natasha said, nodding.
"Thanks."
Natasha returned to the living room and sat down gracefully next to Clint. "She's not in a movie mood," she said briefly.
"Is she okay?" Steve asked.
"She's fine."
"Don't even think about it," Tony warned, tugging him down.
Steve waited impatiently till the end of the movie and as soon as the credits rolled he jumped up to go to Amanda's room. "Amanda?" he asked gently.
She was laying on her bed staring at the ceiling this time. "Hey Steve," she said, smiling at him. "Come look for ceiling animals with me."
He sat next to her and craned his neck up. "What are we looking for?" he asked.
She took his hand and pointed out a shape on the ceiling. "That's a bear, see?" she asked.
"No..." He looked over at her, smiling. "Why are you looking for bears?"
"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my," she said wryly. "Just because. I got bored of staring at my statue of my dad."
His eyes widened. "Oh. It's..." he trailed off. "I'm sorry, Amanda."
She shrugged. "I'm okay. I just needed some time to think, you know?"
"Yeah." He kissed her forehead lightly. "All the time you need, doll."
She curled into his side and pressed her face to his shoulder.
"Tell me about him?" he requested, after a few minutes cuddling.
"He was great," she said, smiling faintly. "Even when he wasn't home he was always there, you know? He'd call us whenever he could and he'd send me letters and he'd always bring me something. We never celebrated birthdays, so he'd never miss them. Instead we'd do welcome home parties. And since they were his parties, he never missed a one."
Steve smiled. "That sounds like a great custom."
"It was. And when mom died, he took a sabbatical. It was nice. He would make me breakfast and take me to school, and then make me a snack, and help me with my homework. And when I got older he'd check into all my prospective boyfriends and threaten to make them vanish if they hurt me. It was so embarrassing, but it worked. I didn't have any boyfriends, because they were all too scared of my dad, and so I didn't want them."
Steve chuckled. "I bet your father was relieved."
"Oh, definitely." She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "He would've liked you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She smiled at him. "You know he really loved Captain America. Thought you were, what's the phrase, the bee's knees?" She giggled. "Read all your comic books when he was a kid."
He groaned. "Those stupid comic books."
"All joking aside though, he really would have liked you. Strong, loyal, protective, and you obviously adore me, so... he probably wouldn't kill you." She gave him a teasing grin. "And even if he wanted to, I wouldn't let him."
"Oh yeah?" Steve asked, grinning. "And why's that?"
"Well, I obviously adore you, too." She kissed him.
He pulled her close. "Amanda?"
"Hmm?" she asked drowsily.
"Marry me?"
"Yeah."
He froze and looked down at her. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"Amanda-"
"Shhhh," she said, pressing her fingers to his lips. "You're ruining the quiet, nonchalant moment that will define the rest of our lives."
He held still and pressed a kiss to her fingers. "Heaven forbid I do that," he said.
She fell asleep a few minutes later, and he wondered if she'd remember their conversation in the morning. He held her for a few more precious moments before tucking her under the covers and going to his own floor.
-A-a-A-
He was the first one up in the morning, so he went into the kitchen and turned on the coffeepot and picked up the newspaper. Tony laughed at him for wanting a paper edition when he could have it instantly on the screen, but there was something comforting about the black and white pages.
"Good morning!" Amanda's voice called out as she waltzed into the kitchen. She pressed a kiss to his lips and stole a sip of coffee from his mug. "Isn't it a beautiful day?"
Steve glanced outside, at the rain and the slush, and raised an eyebrow. "If you say so," he said wryly.
"Absolutely," she said, smiling at him. "I'm with the man I love, drinking coffee, in a beautiful tower, in the greatest city in the world."
He smiled at her enthusiasm and kissed her lightly. "Amanda, about last night..." he started hesitantly, not wanting to break the mood.
Her smile dropped and she frowned at him uncertainly. "What about it?"
"Do you remember what happened?"
"Yes... don't you?"
"Yes, of course."
Her smile came back. "There we are then." She kissed him again.
"So we really did get engaged last night," Steve said, wanting to be absolutely clear.
"Yes, we really did get engaged last night," Amanda said, squeezing his hand lightly. "I said yes and you are stuck with me, soldier."
He smiled then, and leaned down to kiss her. "Just the way I like it," he muttered quietly.
"Guys, it's too early for that stuff," Tony groaned, dragging himself into the kitchen. "Where's the coffee?"
The couple shared a glance, silently communicating. Want to tell them? Yeah, later.
They waited until everyone was sitting down eating breakfast, and then Steve cleared his throat. "Ahem."
"What's up?" Clint asked.
"Amanda and I are engaged."
The quiet announcement made everybody freeze. Then, "Congratulations!" Pepper cried, jumping up to give Amanda a hug.
They all joined in with their congratulations, and Tony tapped Clint on the shoulder. "Pay up."
Clint groaned. "Oh, come on..." He handed Tony a twenty-dollar bill.
Natasha was more reserved. "You do know you can't tell anyone about this, right?" she asked the pair.
Steve sighed. "We know. It's a security risk."
"That's okay," Amanda said lightly. "You know, we know, that's all that matters." She smirked. "And the papers already think we've been married for months, anyways."
"You disappoint me, Cap," Tony said. "An old-fashioned man like you, I thought you'd do it in a sweeping gesture, a romantic date..."
"How do you know he didn't?" Amanda asked, wrapping an arm around Steve's waist.
"You two are positively glowing. You couldn't have hidden that look from any of us. The only time he could've proposed was last night before you went to sleep, and neither of you went out of the Tower. Ergo, it was a lame stuttering question while you were in your pajamas."
"He did not stutter," Amanda said archly. "It was sweet, and low-key and perfect. You can keep the flashy gestures, Mr. Billionaire."
Pepper gushed over them for a couple more minutes before leaving to work, and eventually everyone dispersed. Natasha was one of the last ones to leave. "I really am happy for you," she said. "I just don't want anyone to use your happiness against you."
"Thank you," Amanda said, taking a chance and giving her a brief hug.
Natasha looked surprised but smiled. Her grin turned mischievous. "And, you've made me a hundred bucks richer at the expense of Fury. So thanks for that." And she walked off.
Amanda and Steve shared a glance and she giggled. "I suppose it's a good thing?" she asked.
He nodded. "Of course."
They spent the morning in Amanda's studio (Stark had given her an extra room and turned it into a professional art studio, ignoring her protests that it was too much), and in the afternoon walked around looking for the best ice cream in town.
It wasn't until that evening that Steve asked the important question. "When, uh, when do you want to get married?"
She paused the movie and turned to look at him. "When do you want to get married?"
"I don't know." He gave her a small smile. "If we could get married tonight, I would do it."
She grinned. "And whisk me away for a secret honeymoon?"
"Absolutely," he vowed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "But I don't think either of us would like to do things without some sort of planning."
She sighed in mock disappointment. "Too true." She frowned into her mug of hot cocoa. "What about three months?"
"Sounds good to me."
A/N 2: So, this is as far as I got in the actual story, but I will be posting a one-shot I wrote for Civil War when the trailers were first barely coming out. So, let's assume they got married and were blissfully happy and then the whole thing in Lagos went down.