AN: Jessica's outfit is up top.

✧

Jessica sat beside Steve and the other Howling Commando's in the bunker they had been in two years ago, staring at the wall Colonel Phillips was at.

The red headed woman's hand was on Steve's knee as Colonel Phillips said, "Johann Schmidt belongs in the bughouse. He thinks he's a god and he's willing to blow up half the world to prove it. Starting with the U.S.A."

"Schmidt's working with powers beyond our capabilities," A voice told, Jessica turning to see Howard Stark sit beside her, "He gets across the Atlantic, he will wipe out the entire Eastern Seaboard in an hour."

"How much time we got?" Gabe questioned Colonel Phillips. The man shrugged, "According to my new best friend, under twenty-four hours."

Another solider asked, "Where is he now?"

"Hydra's last base is here," He held up a black and white picture, making Jessica narrow her eyes, "In the Alps. Five hundred feet below the surface."

He threw the picture on the table and Mortia, who was closest to it picked it up.

Mortia observed it for a moment before she said, "So what are we supposed to do? I mean, it's not like we can just knock on the front door."

"Why not?" Steve questioned, earning everyone's attention. Jessica smirked as his tone changed and she said, "What're you thinking, hero?"

"That's exactly what we're going to do."

"Sounds fun, I'd like to knock a few men off their asses while we're at it. Anyone else?"

✧

Jessica sighed as the hot water from her shower scolded her back, wrapping her arms around her body.

After hours of preparation and figuring out a plan for the following day, Jessica was mentally exhausted.

The sound of the curtain being pulled back brought her from her thoughts, Jessica looking up to see Steve peaking his head through.

He smiled lightly, "Do you mind if I join you?"

"I'll never stop you, hero," Jessica couldn't help her lips tugging upwards. Steve stepped into the small shower and Jessica moved, allowing him to take in the hot water making him say, "This feels amazing."

"That it does."

Jessica wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing her chest to his back, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Steve turned around, looking down at her as the water sprayed his back. Jessica sighed, "When this is all over... what're we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

Jessica licked her lips, shivering a bit as the water from her hair dripped down her back, "When the war is over... when Schmidt is dead? Are we just going to go back to normal?"

"Is that what you want?" Steve questioned as he twisted them around, pressing his back against the cold tile so the water could hit them both.

Jessica shrugged, "That depends on what you want, Steve. Do you want to stay in the Army and always fight?"

"Maybe we've done enough fighting," Steve whispered, watching as the water moved Jessica's hair across her chest. She tilted her head a bit, "Maybe. I have a feeling this is just the start though. We're always going to be fighting for something."

"As long as it's together, I don't think I would mind."

Jessica gave him a smile at that before whispering, "We could always get a house with a white-picket fence... have a couple kids, maybe?"

"Do you want that?" Steve's eyes brightened as he gripped onto her waist, "You want to have kids?"

Jessica chuckled before she grabbed the shampoo, lathering it in her hair while saying, "Of course I do, hero. We've had this conversation before."

"But that was right after we got married," Steve shook his head, moving her hands and washing her hair for her, "We never discussed it after that."

"Because we started taking down Hydra bases," Jessica sighed, "That's not really a place for a pregnant woman."

Steve grabbed her shoulders, pushing her into the water and running his hands through her hair to wash out the soap, "I guess you're right."

He continued for a moment before Jessica took over, making sure that it was all out.

After she was done, she looked back to him, wiping the water from her eyes, "When this is over, I wouldn't mind having a few children with you Steve Rogers. Getting a house and settling down. Only helping the Army when it was absolutely necessary."

"I don't think I would mind that either, Jessica Rogers."

Jessica smiled at the name and grabbed the small shampoo bottle once more, pouring it in her hands before she reached up to wash Steve's hair. The man sighed at the feeling of her fingers lightly pulling on his hair, her fingers massaging against his scalp.

Her grin turned into a smirk, "I do think it's funny how Steve Rogers likes his hair played with."

"Yeah, so did Bucky. Remember that time you braided his hair? He..." Steve trailed off, eyes dulling after a moment.

Jessica continued washing his hair as she whispered, "It's okay if we talk about him. I think we should. To honor him."

"He always did want to be an uncle," Steve murmured, voice broken, "He asked me about it a few weeks ago."

Jessica furrowed her brow, moving to allow Steve to step under the stream of water, "You didn't tell me that."

"I was going to, I guess I just forgot," Steve sighed, washing the soap out of his hair.

After a moment he looked back down, water splashing against the back of his neck making it get in Jessica's eyes, "I remembered just now."

Jessica's face scrunched up as she rubbed her eyes harshly, "First, ow. I know it's just water but it still hurts."

"Sorry," Steve chuckled softly. Jessica blinked as she took her hands from her eyes, "That's better. Now, what I was going to say is that he told me that, too. It was just before we were together."

"Really?" Steve questioned, watching as she lathered the bar of soap on her hands.

She brought it around her body, smiling a bit and saying, "Yeah. He was teasing me of my crush on you and told me I could always seduce you and make him an uncle."

Steve laughed, shaking his head, "That sounds like him. What'd you do to him afterwards?"

"What makes you think I did something to him?"

Steve rose a brow and said, "Because I know he didn't leave that conversation without being scolded with saying something like that to you."

"Well, don't you know me well," Jessica smirked, trading places to wash the soap from her body, "He got smacked in the gut. It's why he was hunched over when we got to the movies that one day you were waiting for us."

Steve hummed as the steam from the shower caused his body to warm significantly, a thickness in the air, "It makes sense now."

Jessica smiled before she switched places with her husband, watching the water roll down his chest, "I don't think he appreciated it."

"But he wouldn't have had it any other way," Steve smiled before turning the water off.

Jessica nodded and reached out of the shower, grabbing a towel and handing it to Steve, "Neither would I."

Steve dried himself off as Jessica grabbed her towel, wrapping it around his waist before he stopped her. Jessica only rose a brow as he took it, placing it on her head before drying her hair.

She laughed as he roughly shook her head, hair going in her face from his force. Steve pulled the towel back to reveal her tangled hair on top of her head, laughing.

"Somehow you're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Steve moved her hair with one hand and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

Jessica rolled her eyes playfully, taking the towel from his hands to dry her body off, "Kiss ass."

The couple stepped out of the shower and into the small bathroom in their room in the bunker, quickly getting ready for bed.

Jessica dressed in a long, dark green slip, pulling her hairbrush out of her small bag as Steve walked over to her now in his olive drab Army boxer shorts. He softly took the brush from her hand, making her smile.

"I'll do that for you," He kissed the side of her neck, grabbing her hand and taking her to their small bed.

Jessica sat in front of him, legs off the bed as he brushed through her hair. She sighed at the feeling, Steve being careful not to pull her hair with every knot.

She chuckled, "Steve, you know I'm not tender-headed. You can pull it and I'll be okay."

"Oh, I know, I'm just trying to be gentle."

"You weren't last time."

Steve blushed at her comment and Jessica laughed, saying, "I can tell you're blushing from here, hero. It's quite funny."

He softly hit the side of her neck playfully with the hairbrush and they laughed in unison, Jessica turning to him. There was a red ring around their eyes from the previous nights of crying, causing Jessica to move and lay back on his chest.

Steve held the woman close and kissed her wet hair as she wrapped her arms around his that were on her waist, "I love you, Jess. Promise me no matter what happens tomorrow... you'll remember that."

"Why do you sound like you're saying goodbye," Jessica gulped, biting her bottom lip, "You say that every time we go on a mission, but this one sounds more real."

"Part of me was ignorant on the idea of the fact that any of us could die," Steve whispered, closing his eyes, "It's real now."

Jessica sighed, understanding, "I love you, too, Steve. More than you will ever realize."

"I feel your love for me through everything you do," Steve told, smiling against her ear fondly. Jessica turned back to him, shifting in his arms, "Can you?"

Steve nodded, "Jess, you let me see a side of you no one else gets to. You're completely yourself with me and carefree. I love that."

"It's because I trust you," She whispered, "Out of everyone in this world, I trust you the most."

"Then can I ask you something?" Steve looked down at his hands, a frown on his lips.

Jessica furrowed her brow, taking his hands in hers and placing them in her lab, "Of course, hero."

Steve's mouth opened only to close again, sighing after a moment before he softly said, "Please don't come tomorrow. I can't lose you, too."

"Steve," Jessica softened, moving their hands and shifting to sit in his lap.

Her legs were on either side of him, her slip slightly pooling at the top of them as she cupped his jaw. Steve met her eyes, making Jessica's heart clench in her chest when she placed her forehead on his.

Steve let out a small cry, gripping onto her hips, "I can't lose you, Jessica. You're my entire life. My whole heart and soul. I, myself, would die if something happened to you."

Jessica softly quieted him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Steve held onto her tighter and the married couple embraced one another for minutes- or even hours, they would never know.

The red head pulled back and gave Steve a smile, eyes glossed over as she wiped his tears, "You're not going to lose me, Steve Rogers. I am yours and you are mine. I made you a promise the day we got married. Till the end of the line, right?"

"Till the end of the line," Steve sniffed, his eyes red. Jessica softly kissed the dried tears on his cheeks, "We have so much more for our story, hero. I feel that in my heart. I'm not leaving you."

"I need you to be careful, Brooklyn baby," Steve whispered, his nose against hers. Jessica nodded, her smile faltering a bit, "Of course, hero. I wont do anything that I think is unsafe."

Steve let out a choked out cry, shoulders shaking with sobs as he gripped onto her tighter. Jessica gently ran her fingers through his hair, calming Steve down quietly as she whispered how much she loved him in his ear.

"I love you, Jessica Rogers," Steve pulled back, trailing his fingers up her spine and tangling themselves in her now semi-wet hair. Jessica smiled at him admiringly, "I love you, Steve Rogers."

Jessica pressed forward and gave Steve a tender kiss, pouring her love for him through it. Steve kissed back and sighed against her, a warmth washing over him when Jessica pulled back.

She smiled and pressed her forehead against his, "You're not losing me. Not today, tomorrow, or ever."

Jessica grasped onto the Malachite necklace and brought to her lips, kissing if softly. She laid it back on his chest, the gemstone falling right above his heart.

"There's a reason why I made that necklace that length, hero," She whispered, fingers grazing over it, "It sits right above your heart because I wanted it to be a sign that I'm always near."

Steve's grin grew bright, "I like that."

"Do you know why your wedding ring goes on this finger?" Jessica questioned him, earning a furrowed brow, "Well, in Ancient Egypt, they believed that there was a vein that trailed from this finger to your heart."

She traced up his arm and to his chest with her own finger, continuing, "It was called the vena amoris, also known as the vein of love. Of course, it's since been proven that there are veins coming from every finger to your heart, but the romantic notion stayed."

"There's my genius," Steve kissed her nose. Jessica laughed, "I just read, Steve."

"You're still the smartest woman I know. Not to mention the strongest," He murmured, "I don't know how I got so lucky."

Jessica ran her hands back into his hair, saying, "You were cute."

Steve laughed, his chest moving as he did so, "Oh, is that right?"

"Oh, yes," Jessica joined him, "Even when you were the same height as me."

"I sometimes miss being that height, you know? All I had to do was look directly into your eyes, not tilt your head up to me," Steve expression turned into one of reminiscing.

Jessica smiled softly before she got off Steve's lap, moving to lay on her pillow, "Come on."

Steve followed with a confused look, Jessica shifting her body so when they laid down they were eye-to-eye.

"Better?"

Steve nodded and scooted his body closer to her, wrapping an arm around her waist as he said, "I could do this all day."

"You can do it for the five hours we have to sleep until tomorrow," Jessica whispered, shifting her leg over his waist and closing her eyes.

"I'll take every moment I can get."

✧

AN: Okay, you guys... get ready. The next chapter is the chapter.