Here it is, an epilogue to wrap it up. I have separation anxiety with this story but alas, I must finish it.

However, I've started a new fic which I will be uploading soon. BUT, I'm taking a different tone and making it as heart-wrenching as I possibly can. (oh how we fangirls/boys love to suffer). Keep an eye out for my new fic Red (if you'd like). Thanks again for all the support. Hope you enjoy!

Natasha stretched lazily as the thin sheets that were tangled around her calves tightened their hold. The rays of the morning sun were barely making their appearance - the window of their room open, welcoming the summery breeze.

Her bare body ached deliciously when she moved, bringing back vivid memories of the night before. A shiver ran down her spine as the ghost feeling of Steve's hands at her thighs shook through her. She really should be ashamed at the minuscule amount of time they've spent out of this very room with an entire city to explore at their fingertips.

But, she thought, smiling seductively to no one but herself, she preferred Steve's fingertips on her rather than a city. Natasha sat up gracefully, trying unsuccessfully to adjust the mess of pillows around them. Steve was asleep behind her - the sinful sheets covering just the right amount of his body, exposing to her the hard planes of his abdomen and the strong v-shaped dip of his hips. The sleepy part of her woke up almost instantly as she took in all of Steve; something inside her tightened.

His face was peaceful and beautiful - Natasha usually wondered how he managed to look a different type of godly-handsome every time she looked at him. His arm was extended and had cradled her head in sleep. And the tousled hair - Christ - the tightening in her was unbearable now. She ran her finger along the curve of his bicep, hoping to rouse him from his sleep.

That, however, required far too much patience and she had none of it at the moment. Dropping all pretense (and sheets) she pressed herself against the man she loved - it felt damn good whenever she whispered those words to him - and pecked his neck with playful kisses. And well, it didn't hurt that, both being in the nude, their bodies rubbed in all the right places.

"Steve…" she called softly, and felt his arm wind around her waist. She hummed in appreciation, "Wake up."

"Still sleeping," he mumbled, but the smirk, half-hidden by the pillows, didn't escape Nat's gaze. She smiled, very willing to play this game. And they had all day. Something both were enjoying to its greatest extent.

"Oh really?"

"Mm-hmm," Steve hummed, burying his head in the hollow of her neck and hair; lips leaving behind a trail of almost-there kisses, moist and languid. Oh, he was teasing her just right.

"But sleeping isn't as much fun..." Nat mumbled in a carefully planned out moan against his ear, "as other things."

"You're not wrong…" he chuckled, amused by the soft circles she was tracing along his back. And, oh how wonderful to not be in a hurry. Natasha savored each of Steve's kisses along her neck and jaw. They were taking their time.

8 months into their vacation and still they were taking advantage of every second away from missions. Clearly, it suited them well.

Natasha pressed closer when Steve's arms hugged her waist, making her arch slightly and exposed her neck a little more to his kissing assault.

"Five more minutes?" she teased, making him laugh softly. It turned into a deep moan when it was her lips that kissed the line of his jaw and took to marking him as her own. They worked on each other slowly, mapping out each and every inch of skin. It had been so for the majority of those 8 months - neither were complaining.

They were also making up for all those moments robbed from them when they couldn't quite make it to home base - all those stunted attempts at making love. All of Stark's incessant interruptions and having to hide their relationship. All those near-death experiences (mostly on his part). No more having to worry about Ultron or Hydra or Rumlow until they made it back to the Avenger's Facility.

The Avengers could hold off without their leaders for a few months more.

Steve smiled against her collarbone when Natasha wrapped her legs around him.

"Not very subtle, huh?" She said, capturing his lips, "Not one of my strong points, I suppose."

"That's your strongest point," he teased, playfully. Determined to please, Steve pressed into her slowly, "We should at least try to get out of bed today…"

"You want to do it in the shower?" Nat teased, her soft laugh resonating in his ear.

"That's not what I meant."

"Just...one more hour…"

It was 2:17 in the afternoon when they made it out to the gazebo balcony of their room, looking out into the lapping waves and white-soft sand.

Steve was sitting on the lounge chair, jeans and a faded Black Widow t-shirt, legs stretched out and tangled with Nat's. She was quite comfortable, nibbling on a slice of cantaloupe, cotton shorts and her very own Captain America t-shirt.

"Done?" He said, looking down at her head, resting over his chest.

"Okay, turn the page."

He did, noticing they were reaching the end of the book they'd taken almost the entire vacation to read. Steve didn't mind it one bit - they'd been engaged in better activities anyways.

"What a mess," she muttered, reacting to the character's actions, "And there's only 10 pages left!"

Steve chuckled, pressing a soft kiss on her head. Of course, they both missed the action of their occupation - it was a part of them, but no one was going to convince them otherwise of extended vacations being the best part of their job.

Steve took about three months after she'd said it the first time to convince himself it wasn't a dream when Natasha presented him with whispered I love yous - rare and precious and heartfelt. But how could he not believe her when Natasha's eyes glowed every time her words were reciprocated. Whispered in the middle of the night, when they ought to have been sleeping and finding, instead, pleasurable comfort in tangling themselves to the other and talking about everything and nothing, Steve couldn't ask for a better way to love her.

And well, this vacation had been a dream all the way through. Even if it had a delayed start.

By the time Steve and Coulson had gone through all of the details, after all of the tests and assessments were over, after assuring Bucky he was okay, convincing Wanda he was fine, proving it to Sam he was fully functional, showing Tony he was still able to think straight, telling both Clint and Laura he remembered everything and asked about their kids well-being - after all of it, he and Natasha escaped with a ticket out of the states.

Of course, they didn't shut out completely. Barton would call every now and then with Laura in the background asking for pictures of the beaches and plazas. Tony would text him rather lewd suggestions about how they should spend their time.

Wanda called Natasha sometimes; they'd talk about her missions and Nat would give her tips here and there; every now and then Steve had to reassure Wanda he was fine (it was like he had a little sister now). Sam and Bucky called rarely and when they did it was to embarrass Steve with innuendos - apparently they got along extremely well and spent too much time around Tony.

He still wasn't sure if Natasha made it better or worse when she'd yell into the phone that they were jealous 'cause they weren't getting any.

And, being the responsible team leaders that they inevitably were, they had talked to Coulson and Hill. They were kept updated on the Hydra bases the new Avengers were now raiding (Bucky along with them) and all of what the two Hydra agents told Natasha at the hospital were true - little by little all of the raids were turning out successful.

Tony, who was busy researching, kept them updated on the technology Ultron had used when he regenerated; working with Fury and Coulson to figure out exactly what Hydra wanted all along. In the end, it turned out to be a messy plan for revenge.

Hydra wanted power back, Ultron needed a body that couldn't be shut down by Vision again, something more like a human but better.

Because Hydra had Bucky on the loose, they bargained him. If Ultron could catch him, he could keep him. When the Avengers destroyed Ultron again; Hydra was left with an empty plan. It was then that Rumlow stepped up to the plate, angry and frustrated at having been bested by Barnes and Rogers before.

He proposed having 4 soldiers instead of one; cut off the triggers and you have soldiers that don't question.

The rest, well, was a complicated success for the Avengers.

"Turn the page, Rogers," Natasha said, taking him out of his thoughts. Steve did as she said and adjusted himself when she stretched over to grab another slice of fruit from the table next to them.

All the while, Natasha reminded him of just how great the Avengers could do without them, if in case they ever wanted to take another vacation. Steve couldn't do anything but agree. He was pretty much done with his death-dance.

And he was enjoying his time with Natasha - the incandescent happiness they were wrapped in was exquisite. Their lazy mornings were spent with hour-long breakfasts in the balcony. Steve would steal Natasha's image onto his sketch as she read, or worked on her hair, or tried to sketch him back. He caught her when she teased him, when she smiled, when her nose scrunched up at food she didn't quite like.

Then the sky would turn golden as the sun set and they spent their evenings doing nonsensical things down at the beach, or (those few instances they actually ventured outside) they explored the area, shopped, walked around like tourists admiring antique buildings.

The time between their daily excursions was inevitably spent in each other's arms, not always in the ridiculously comfortable bed. When it was in bed, just like that morning, time was the last thing on their mind.

Sated and limbs tangled, they'd talk, finding their lips once more; he'd always play with the tendrils of her red hair and she'd tease him about being too fond of it.

They talked about her fear of him not remembering her once - the days she spent in that hospital room talking to his sleeping form, and while it led to passionate lovemaking afterwards, it was cemented in Steve never to hurt her that way again.

"Next page," Nat said, looking up at him with glimmering green eyes, "Are you falling asleep on me?"

"Not at all," he said, resting his chin on her head, "Just thinking…"

"About?" She said, turning her lithe body to face him. Nat settled herself over his lap, book on the center-table now forgotten.

"Us."

"Always an interesting subject."

He chuckled, running his hands down the softness of her shoulders. Natasha smiled at him, hands playing with the hem of his shirt.

"Nothing in particular really," he said, meeting her eyes, "Just...how we got here...how much I'm enjoying this trip...and how I never want to hurt you like I did ever again."

"There wasn't much you could do about it, Steve. You didn't hurt me on purpose. Besides, when you woke up and looked at me….I was what you remembered. And until much later did I really feel the impact of what you did for me. You forgot everything except me and you trusted me right off and you kept fighting for me. Steve, I don't know if you understand how much that means to me...you put me first….that….I wasn't used to that."

"Hmm," he said, taking her delicate hands, "You know I won't let it go so easily. And to top it off you thought I'd said I love you to Peggy. Even while I woke up…"

"Is that why every time you say you love me, you emphasize you?"

"Yes," he admitted solemnly but after a few seconds Nat found him smirking, "Just making sure you know I'm talking about you."

Natasha laughed, leaning forward to rest her head on his shoulder. They adjusted their position once more, his arms around her.

"We just have to make sure it doesn't happen again. That's all."

"I promise you it will."

"Tony called me last night," she said, "Told me he and Pepper made our floors into one big condo. Can you believe it?"

"And here I was thinking we'd be free of that ugly place," Steve teased, earning a playful pinch from Nat.

"Tony's exact words were: That way I never have to catch you guys ruining my marble with your sex fantasies. I think he's never gonna let that go."

"Lesson learned on his part then," Steve said, "So, we get to go back to a new home, so to speak?"

"Yeah, Pepper decorated. The upper floor is now full of bedrooms, your studio, the mini-theater you had that I was jealous of. The lower floor has the rest; and I know we'll see Sam, Bucky, Clint and Wanda raiding the fridge and situating themselves at our dining table even before we wake up."

"Oh, count on that."

"And then of course, Tony dragging Pepper in for brunch and letting J.A.R.V.I.S. know he's there and the food's getting cold."

"I guess that's Tony's way of showing he cares," he said, resting his head back on the lounge chair, "He's never been very good with words."

"Not everyone has almost-perfect motivational speeches ready on command, Captain," Natasha said, indulging in Steve's chuckle.

"I swear it's all just improvised," he said, their laughter subsiding into low giggles and satisfied hums. They were silent then, un-moving and content as the salty-sea breeze lulled them peacefully. Natasha breathed in his scent, her eyes closing in long blinks, finding the crook of his neck very comfortable.

"This is very domestic of us, Rogers," Nat said, barely audible, "I like it."

"Captain America and Black Widow domestic?" Steve said, "Impossible."

"Steve…"

"Hmm"

"I want to tell you something but I'm not sure how."

"Strange," he said, "I didn't know you had a filter."

"Jerk," Natasha muttered, as she laughed under her breath. Steve hugged her a bit tighter, securing her waist.

"That should have come out as 'Nat, you can tell me just about anything' which is true."

"I know," she sighed, "Okay, well...you know I love you."

"And I love you," Steve whispered, emphasizing just enough for her to smile against his neck.

"I am very glad you do. And now, even though Tony didn't ask at all, we're living together."

"I'm sure he did it with the best intentions," Steve said, rubbing his eyes as he thought his friendship with the eccentric billionaire, "But you're right. He didn't ask. Are you okay with it?"

"Me?" Nat said, almost in a laugh, "Hell yeah, I'm okay with it. I practically lived on your floor anyways. How about you?"

"The closer you are the better," he said, prompting her to press against him tighter than before. He chuckled in delight, enjoying the addictive care-free attitude she had sported all of their vacation - the pleasures of being closer to her.

"That isn't my question, though."

"Nat, just tell me."

"You're right," she said, sitting up from his embrace and looking at him, dead on, "Steve Rogers, I want you to listen to me very clearly because I'll only said this once. I give you my whole-hearted permission to take this relationship as serious an extent as you want it to be...because I'm all in. This is serious to me. Never in my life did I imagine being this comfortable. This happy. Never before did I think I deserved it. But now, I want to fight for it just like I fight everything else. That being said, I'm not afraid anymore. Not afraid of what we can mean for each other and what...we can get to be...together. I...I...can't offer you a family, but I can offer you me. All of me."

He smiled at her - one of those perfect ones that melted her entire soul - and leaned forward to kiss her. It was soft and tender, the type that make you fall in love. His hands cradled her face and she wondered how on Earth - with hands as strong as his - Steve could manage feather light touches. They delved in deeper into the kiss; finding their tongues with excitement and their bodies slowly coming to life as the buzz in their skin heightened with the touch of the other. Their lips were still grazing each other when Steve spoke, low and devotion evident.

"All of you is perfect, Nat. I'm glad you're not afraid or thinking you don't deserve to be happy because if you weren't fighting for this like I am," he said, "I don't know what I'd do...what I'd do without you."

"You'd be lost without me," she teased, in a loving whisper and in that instant she understood, without a doubt she'd be lost without him, too, "Would you ever consider marrying me?"

"I consider marrying you every day," he said, over a breathy chuckle, raising an eyebrow at her question, "Can't really see myself with anyone else in my life."

"Maybe that can be a possibility for us one day?"

Her voice was so small, so unlike her that all Steve could do was look at her with amused curiosity and alleviated understanding; it was a strange mixture of feelings - all at once and all for her. But all he did was nod, hiding his elation from the world.

"I'm sure it can."

Her lips twitched into a contained smile as they looked at each other without saying anything. Natasha leaned her forehead against his, closing her eyes and taking a deep, deep breath.

"Good."

She kissed him, it was quick and routinely - like a quick fix to go on with her day, otherwise that's all she'd think about...his lips.

"Are you hungry? We can go have dinner somewhere outside of this room," he said, his right eyebrow raising slightly, heavy with implication. Natasha laughed and nodded.

"That sounds great, Rogers. It's about time you let me leave this room," she said, picking up the forgotten book and plate of fruit, "Really, I was starting to think we'd never get out of this room."

She heard him chuckle and heard the muted ruffling of him standing to follow her. Natasha looked back at him, realizing their life was just getting started. Together in all of it; battles, messes, friends, family, and love. And boy was she lucky. Natasha loved him; dear lord, she loved him.

"You coming, Captain?"

"Right beside you."

Natasha looked at him from the corner of her eye. Yes, she'd always have him beside her.