Emily stretched as she made her way down the hall to the food court, stopping at the coffee shop and standing behind Tony who didn't realize she was there at first.

For the longest time, Emily avoided the coffee shop that had been pretty much destroyed not long ago on her behalf. Memories of Nox had kept her away until recently. Lately cravings for coffee, hell, cravings for everything, made her let go of some of it. Over the last month, she'd been in there at least once a day to get her coffee.

When Tony made it to the front of the line, one of the ladies behind the counter held up Emily's order. They knew she was coming and had her order memorized. Tony spun around to face her, pinning her with a grin.

"Morning," he said. "How are you feeling?"

Emily nodded, smiled back. "I'm feeling pretty good these days."

Tony gave his order to the ladies at the counter.

"How was your date last night with Pepper?" she had to ask.

Tony colored slightly beneath his glasses and she had to laugh.

"That good, huh?"

"How did you know I had a date with Pepper last night?" Tony cocked a brow at her.

"Marley is my best friend and she's where you get your dating advice," Emily explained.

"This is Romanoff's fault," Tony said with a mock frown. "Black Widow's influence. She's corrupted you both."

Emily wished she were as cool as Nat. Emily's shield, or force field some called it, was still there and maybe one day Steve would let her back on the team. It wasn't that he refused to talk about it. She was four months pregnant. It wasn't the time for that request.

As it was, Emily was pretty content. She was taking online classes, learning online security in her job for Stark Industries, and taking care of James when the team had to go out on missions. Like they were right now.

Only this time, Wanda had turned her ankle and stayed out the last mission. James right now was with her and Wanda spoiled him terribly.

Tony paid for his order and turned back to her before leaving. "Have a good day, Mrs. America."

Emily shook her head and laughed. Tony's love of nicknames knew no limits.

After a little shopping, Emily returned to the apartment she shared with Steve and started making decisions on dinner. She had the day off and the team was supposed to be home in a few hours. She wanted to have a nice meal waiting for Steve when he got in. They'd been gone over three weeks this time and from what Tony told her, it hadn't gone well for the most part. Steve deserved to relax when he got in.

Proud of the dinner she came up with, she'd taught herself a lot in the last several months, she decided to dress up too, putting on a new dress she'd found that allowed room for her baby bump, even kind of minimized it. It looked nice too. When her hair and makeup were just so, dinner just needed to be heated through when he got home, she decided to catch up on the novel she'd been reading.

Of course she fell asleep. The sound of heavy footsteps pulled her out of her dreams, and she meant to jump up and find him, but a large hand dropped onto her shoulder as he took a seat on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Sweetheart?" Steve's voice was gentle. He smelled like smoke. His suit was torn at his chest and right bicep dried blood gluing it to his skin. "You okay?"

It took her a moment to banish the cobwebs of sleep from her head and she nodded, struggling to sit up.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep." Emily felt heat flood her face. "I'm okay. How are you? Are you hurt?"

Her finger traced the wound at his chest, and he caught her hand in his. "I'm fine. Just tired."

Steve looked tired. There were deep shadows beneath his eyes and his face had a bit of a hollowed out look, like he hadn't eaten the entire time he was gone either.

And there was something else. Something was off. Why did he look so sad?

Gently he slid a large hand over her tummy, covering the bump that was noticeably bigger since he'd gone on the mission. He almost looked relieved to feel it there.

Wrapping a hand around his neck, she pulled him down to gently kiss him. To comfort him. Well, he's interested in that. Steve took her breath away, deepening the kiss while her heart hammered in her chest.

"You look really beautiful," he said shyly when he eased back, his gaze moving over her.

"Are you going to medical?" she tried.

"Not for a couple of scratches."

"Can I take care of them?"

"Sweetheart, they'll be gone in the morning," he told her though his tone was still kind.

Emily blew out an exhale. "Go shower then. I've got dinner all ready. Then maybe we can turn in early so you can catch up on some rest."

The corners of his mouth turned up at that. "You going to turn in early with me? Or are you going to stay up working late?"

"I have the day off," she told him, smiling. Work when he'd just gotten home? Not a chance. "I'll go to bed with you."

Leaning down, he claimed her mouth with a kiss that promised he had more than just sleep on his mind and that was just fine with her.

Steve rose from the bed, his movements lacking their normal grace and she shook her head. He'd taken a beating, not that he'd ever admit to that.

"Is the rest of the team okay?" she called as he walked into the bathroom.

"Yes, they're fine."

Once she heard the shower start, she headed for the kitchen to get to work.

It was a rare thing for Steve to throw on his sleep pants and a t-shirt for dinner and it spoke volumes about how things really were. It made her grateful that she'd made Tuscan chicken, one of his favorites along with several sides he liked with it. He took a seat at the table and she served him, her heart clenching at how hard he was looking at everything on the table.

Did he tell her about what went wrong with the mission? No.

Steve talked about the scenery in New Zealand, the drawings he'd been able to put together that he wanted to show her. He asked how she'd been since he'd been gone. And all the while, he was eating as if he really hadn't eaten anything the entire mission.

Emily had no luck getting him to just go to bed so she could clean up. When he started helping her clear the table, she tried to shoo him out of the kitchen. He thought about that for about three seconds before he came up behind her at the sink, grabbed the plate out of her hand and just physically picked her up.

She didn't know what was in his head, but she decided to be patient, let him tell her when he was ready.

He carried her into their bedroom and eased her down on their bed, staring down at her with so much emotion behind those blue eyes as he climbed on with her, holding himself above her. Pain. Something had happened, something that had really shook him.

Emily had to fight down her urge to ask him. She waited, let him slide his hand over her cheek as he stared down at her. His eyes were glassy with tears, one fell onto the bodice of her dress.

"Steve," she soothed, swiping away the next tear with the pad of her thumb. "Everything is okay."

It was like she'd unleashed a storm.

Steve claimed her mouth for a kiss that startled her at first in its intensity. His forearms pressed into the bed on either side of her head, caging her with his body. She slid her hands up under his shirt, the familiar patterns of his scars beneath her fingertips. His hands furiously worked at her dress, stitches and buttons popping in his haste to pull it off her. Emily returned his kiss, held him. She'd give him what he needed.

As soon as one shoulder was revealed, he teased the flesh there with open-mouthed kisses, chaining them down her chest and yanking back one side of her bra so he could take a nipple into his mouth, teasing it at turns with his teeth and tongue. With a yank, the bra ripped open at the front and he flung back the other cup, teasing that breast as he did the first one. He pressed a hard, muscular thigh high between hers, letting her grind against him.

"Need you," his whisper was harsh, moaning as she worked herself on him.

"I'm here," she answered him, hanging on and letting him take what he wanted.

And oh, he did. Her libido was growing fangs after that, his hands impatiently pulling at the lower part of the dress. When he got frustrated, she thought he'd rip that too, but he just impatiently pushed up the skirt.

When he growled, she knew he'd discovered the lace-topped stockings she wore with matching panties. The panties he ripped off easily, pressing her thighs open and diving for her with his mouth.

Emily cried out as he went to town on her most intimate flesh, teasing her clit with his tongue before running it down to her entrance and thrusting it into her. Over and over he made the circuit and her hands were clutched in his hair as she struggled to breathe.

He slid two fingers into her channel, pressing a gentle thumb over her clit and her back arched off the bed. He knew her body better than she did and when he found that sensitive place at her front wall inside her, she tried to clamp her thighs around his hand, but he kept her pinned in place, devastating her with the expert touch of his fingers.

Emily was a writhing, needy mess but even in that state, when that lusty grin formed on his beautiful face, she knew a moment's relief.

"That's it, Sweetheart," he whispered. "I want you to come for me. I want you to come so hard…"

In a matter of seconds, her release nearly had her losing consciousness and he kept working her, knowing just how to prolong it, to keep her aching and throbbing. His hand was soaked with her juices when he finally pulled it away, sucking the fingers that had been inside her into his mouth.

Emily's heart pounded away as he pulled off his t-shirt, but her desire was brought to a pause as her gaze moved over his normally magnificent upper body.

"Steve?"

He was covered in bruises and cuts, huge black and blue blooms of pain and long red gashes and streaks that had to have hurt littered his skin. Her hands slid up over his chest as that pain returned to his eyes.

Then he shook his head. "No."

Grabbing her wrists firmly, he gathered them in one hand and pressed them over her head. She wasn't really fighting him, but she found she couldn't move them at all. She could only watch as he pushed down his sleep pants, revealing his hard cock that was throbbing and ready for her.

"Steve, are you –"

"No. Not right now." Dropping himself over her, not all his weight but it still felt so good. He held onto her wrists while his powerful thighs pushed hers open wide. His free hand lined him up with her entrance and before she could take another breath, he was pushing into her, filling her as she'd been dreaming about since he'd been gone.

Above her, his eyes slid closed and his face relaxed. His expression was one of bliss as he easily thrust in until he'd bottomed out. While she wasn't happy with his injuries, she let it go, for now, wanting to give him the release he seemed so desperate for.

"Sweetheart, I missed you," he whispered, his eyes slitting open to stare down at her before he buried his face in her hair and neck. "I missed this."

"Me too," she panted as his thrusts became a steady, lusty cadence that her body curling around him in pleasure.

Steve had always been a very gentle lover, sometimes maybe even too careful with her. But now with his thrusts gaining in speed and strength, Emily wrapped her legs around him, wanting more. Needing more. He never released her wrists, pressing them firmly into the mattress as he began to thrust harder, faster.

The chorus of their moans had her heart pounding in exhilaration and when he began to thrust harder, flexing into her with greater strength, she knew he was close. His free hand slid between them, and he began teasing her clit with devastating feather-light touches that were slowly chipping away at her sanity. Emily began to cry out, to struggle in his hold.

"Steve," she panted. "I need… to… I need to come… so bad…"

"I need you to come, baby." He bit her earlobe. "I need you to come for me. Right now."

And as if her body was his to command, Emily came hard. Her vision faded out as her walls fluttered around him, squeezing him until he reached his own end and shouted it into the room. The last couple of thrusts were hard but nothing she couldn't handle.

When Steve collapsed next to her, she expected him to pull her in to be his little spoon or to gather her in his arms to lay her head on his chest. That was what he normally liked after loving her.

Her heart broke to see he was in tears, wrapping himself around her and burying his face in her neck, his tears slick against her skin. His shoulders shook and he didn't make a sound aside from his harsh breathing, but she held him close, rolling onto her side so she could cradle him against her heart.

She didn't know what had happened out there, but she'd let him tell her when he was ready. All Emily knew to do was to deliberately slow her breathing. Deep, slow breaths she took, and she exaggerated them, wanting him to fall in with her pattern and after a few moments, he did.

After several long moments, she realized he'd dozed off and she held him, smoothing her hands through his hair and over his back and shoulders as he slept.

"I love you," she whispered before leaning in to press a kiss on his forehead.

He mumbled back in his sleep, but she couldn't make out what he'd said. Emily just let him rest. She didn't know what had happened out there, but at that moment, in her arms, he was safe.

He was hers.

Emily made breakfast the next morning, happy that Wanda had limped up to her apartment with James to visit with her while the team slept in. When Wanda suggested they make a bigger breakfast for when people started waking up, she thought it was a good idea. She was sore this morning, in the best ways. The morning sickness was all gone, and Wanda was eager to help. Once she'd fed James his breakfast, they put him into his playpen to play or nap while they got to work.

Bucky was the first one up. Emily wondered if the man ever slept. He simply walked in and greeted them with his usual "morning". The sadness around his blue eyes, even when he happily spotted his son, was telling. Something had gone very wrong on the mission.

Scooping James up, he carried him to the kitchen table and had a seat. His gaze met Emily's, then Wanda's.

"The kid do okay for you?" He sounded tired.

Wanda nodded happily. "He really sleeps well now. I enjoyed watching him."

Bucky smiled. "Thank you. We really appreciate it."

Emily must have stared for a beat too long.

"Go ahead and ask. I know you want to."

"Steve was pretty upset last night," Emily said carefully. "How bad was it?"

Bucky dropped his gaze, blowing out a sigh. "It was awful."

"Viz said a lot of the hostages were lost." Concern edged Wanda's pretty face. "He said they were mostly civilians."

"Mostly innocent women and children," Bucky explained. "One was a pregnant lady with a small son. Steve just about killed himself trying to save them."

Emily's heart dropped. "Did they…"

"He saved the boy," Bucky told her. "It was the mother's choice but it just… it tore him apart."

Tears stung the backs of her eyes. She couldn't imagine being placed in that situation.

And she knew Steve would blame himself. Was blaming himself.

"It was a rough night for the team. My Marley was a wreck coming in last night. I didn't get her to sleep until well after 4."

"Bucky, I'm so sorry," Emily meant it. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"We can watch James," Wanda offered. "You guys can rest."

"Thank you but I think getting her hands on James is what she needs most right now," he told her.

Emily served up a plate for him and placed it in front of him, laughing as James was reaching his chubby little hands out for his bacon.

"I'll bet you've had breakfast already, pal," Bucky teased his infant son.

"He has," Wanda told him.

Marley came in next, looking sadder than Emily had ever seen her. She greeted her friend but didn't think Marley even heard her. She watched Marley pick up her son and cuddle him close, her eyes filling with tears.

Steve was still sleeping in which he never did.

The three of them did their best to comfort Marley and after a somewhat somber breakfast, Wanda headed back for her apartment and Bucky herded his family back to theirs.

Emily thought she could hear Steve stirring in their bedroom. She got his breakfast together, putting it on a tray so she could serve him breakfast in bed.

Steve looked wrecked as he watched her carry the tray into their room.

"Sweetheart, what's this?" Steve rubbed at his eyes. He looked exhausted.

"Breakfast in bed," she told him with a smile, walking around to his side of the bed and placing it in front of him. "I've fed Bucky's crew and Wanda too."

"Did you eat?" Steve asked meaningfully.

"I'm going to get mine right now." She hadn't eaten and she wasn't giving him anything else to fret over either. She was back quickly with a plate for herself, joining him on the bed.

"How do you feel?"

"Steve, I'm fine." Emily watched as he worked on his plate. At least he was eating. "How are you?"

"If Buck was here, you know about the mission." Steve looked so tired.

"I do."

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart." His smile didn't reach his eyes. "I just… It was a hard situation."

"I know it was. Steve, I'm so sorry."

He nodded but didn't say anything else as they ate breakfast on the bed. The silence wasn't comfortable for Emily, so she decided a distraction was in order.

"Tony and Pepper are doing well," Emily started, working on her bacon. "Wanda's ankle is still iffy but she's got a great sense of humor about all of it. And she loved being able to watch James. I think she'll be a good mother one day."

A small smile formed on his face as he ate.

"I don't know if I told you, but I've been able to go back to the coffee shop," she said happily. "Actually, I'm there a couple of times a day and I probably shouldn't be but…"

That got his attention. His blue eyes were brighter as his gaze shifted up to her. "That's great. I knew in time you'd move past all of that."

Emily nodded, pleased. "It all seems like a lifetime ago now. It really does. Even with Mila and Nadia here, and I've been visiting them each day, I can almost write off some of those memories."

"How are the girls doing?" Steve asked gently.

"Mila loves school and she's missed Marley a lot," Emily explained. "Marley said her powers are pretty strong. Stronger than even Nox anticipated."

Steve nodded. "She's not on the same level as Marley but one day, she might be. Bruce is convinced Marley's powers strengthened when puberty hit."

"Nadia? Well, she still hates me."

"No one could hate you, sweetheart." Steve's expression was so kind.

"Oh, I don't think she's a threat," Emily explained. "I don't think she's going to warm up to me anytime soon."

"Nor anyone. She hates the rest of us."

"She's not as strong as Mila, is she?"

Steve shook his head. "That's a good thing."

"Mila…" Emily felt her face heat and shook her head, deciding not to go there.

"Mila what?" Steve had his full attention on her now.

Emily shrugged. "She asked… She asked if we were going to get married because of the baby."

Her hand immediately went to her little bump and she shrugged.

Steve's smile melted her heart. "What did you tell her?"

Her face felt like it went up in flames now.

"I told her we might one day," Emily was honest though now she wished she hadn't walked into that awkward little subject. "It was sweet."

"We might one day, huh?"

He was teasing her. She knew that but still…

"Sorry, I probably shouldn't have answered that." Nervous now, she gathered her plate and utensils, she'd made a dent in breakfast anyway. It was a good time to clean up the kitchen.

When she went to reach for the butter knife that had slid off his tray, Steve gently caught her wrist in his hand.

"You want to know part of what hit me so hard last night?" Steve asked her sadly. "Is realizing how fast things can happen. I was able to save that woman's son, the cord was going to snap any second and I'm lucky I didn't lose the boy too. She made the decision in a split second… and she was pregnant, just like you. She… When the cord broke and that platform fell… all I could see was you."

"Steve, I—" Tears were coming on.

"Emily," he rushed on. "It made me so ashamed of myself. I bought a ring for you weeks ago, Bucky helped me pick it out. And I just… I love you so much. So much, sweetheart. I should have already asked you if you'd marry me. I should have asked you every single day until you said yes and pushed every day after that to get you in front of a minister so you could be mine."

Emily was a mess of tears, she was swiping them back with her hand as he held on to the other.

"Yes," she whispered.

Steve manhandled her across the bed and into his arms at that point, but she didn't care. Her heart hammered against him as his lips caught hers in a kiss that sealed a promise, bound them together. It was the happiest moment of her life.

"You're going to let me do this right," he told her, his own eyes shiny. "We're going out to dinner tonight so I can ask you properly. So be thinking about where you'd like to go."

Steve wasn't letting go of her. And she was pretty sure she was sitting in scrambled eggs.

It was just fine.

"Okay," she whispered before he resumed their kiss.