"So, there's really a little Stevie in there?" You laughed out loud as Bucky poked at your stomach like he was scared to touch you. "That's kinda gross." Despite his words to his displeasure, he just kept on poking at you.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or scared that you know something about Steve that I don't. What exactly are you thinking that I have growing in here?"

Bucky's face turned several different shades of red, realizing that sometimes the words in his head are better left in there. "Oh, shit! No, that came out wrong...I meant it's weird...no, that's not right...it's just that a part of that punk is growing...in there..." You put up your hand to stop him, embarrassed for him now. "I guess I just don't have any experience with this sort of thing. I sure as hell never thought he would be having kids one day."

Steve pulled you towards him by your waist, bringing you close so you could sit on his lap. "Believe me, I never thought I'd see the day either." He really had never been happier, and the way he looked at you since you gave him the news that he was going to be a father completely melted your heart. You leaned in to rest your head on his shoulder and hummed in contentment as he rested his hand over the tiny bump in your belly.

"So," Bucky said quietly as he cleared his throat a bit, "what are the top contenders for names. Any thoughts?" He looked to Steve then to you, smiling and with a glimmer of hope in his eyes that his would be in there somewhere, if not at the top of the list. "I have a few."

"We haven't really had time to talk about it," Steve said, "but we'll keep you in mind."

"Yeah, sure you will."

"Aw, Buck, don't feel bad. We don't even know what we're having yet." You gave him a small grin and a wink, laughing quietly, "but your chances are pretty good either way."

Tony walked up to your small group with a serious look on his face that changed the tone of the conversation immediately. "Suit up, kids. Time to go."

Steve lifted you off his lap as he stood to face Tony, "go where?"

"I'll tell you on the way, we gotta move."

You began to head off to grab your gear when Steve pulled you back, "where do you think you're going?" Bucky moved to stand next to him, supporting the Captain's resolve to keep you from going with the team. "You can't be serious?"

"Steve, don't start this already." You glanced back over your shoulder to see Tony pause and turn back towards you. "I thought we talked about this," you moved closer and lowered your voice to a whisper, "let's not do this right now, in front of everyone, okay?"

"We aren't gonna do anything, (Y/N)." His posture had completely changed from the caring and loving Steve that you were with just moments ago. He had fully transformed into the Captain, using his height and muscular build to stand over you authoritatively with his arms crossed over his chest. "I won't allow you to go."

"You won't allow me to go? You scoffed, your tone clearly angering him now. "Marriage doesn't mean ownership, Captain."

"I'm well aware of that, (Y/N), but you don't seem to understand-"

"Alright, knock it off," Tony interjected, "we need her on this. Sorry, Cap, it's my call this time."

~~~

"(Y/N)! I've got you! Just hang on to me, I've got you!"

Your hand was starting to slip from his. He couldn't squeeze any harder, and his other hand was gripping the jet with all of his strength to keep you both from falling.

"Don't look down! Sweetheart, just look at me!"

When he looked into your eyes he didn't see fear; he saw both love and sorrow. He saw all of the things you both wanted but would never have. He saw you silently slip from his hand and fall back into the clouds below.

Steve woke in a cold sweat, panting, and yelling your name. As he regained his senses, he looked around the darkened room with only the city lights allowing enough light to orient him. He reached over to feel the cold sheets on your side of the bed and curled himself towards them, clutching your pillow to his chest and breathing you in. He had barely slept in the two weeks that you had been gone. He couldn't move past the blame he put on himself, which was even stronger than the blame he had placed on Tony for bringing you on that mission in the first place.

He couldn't lie in this bed anymore; it still held your scent and only made the suffering worse. Steve sat on the edge, resting his arms on his legs and his head in his hands. He slowly held his hands in front of him, studying their lines and curves; studying them to find their weakness and to try to understand how they lost their grip on you. When no answers came, he knew what he had to do.

~~~

When you woke, at first you were relieved that you had survived the fall; when you realized where you were it had you second-guessing your initial relief. Hydra was very well known for its human experimentations and methods of torture, and it had you wondering which approach they had chosen for you. Either way, you had to resolve yourself to survive and get the two of you back to Steve. He must believe you to be dead, and knowing how much that would destroy him made your chest ache.

"You should be thankful to us that we saved you. It's good to see you awake."

You were studying the layout and contents of the room when you were interrupted by a man in a black lab coat, standing at a workstation only a few feet away. The words and images on the screen were too small for you to make out any details, but you recognized one image clearly. It matched an image that you and Steve had looked at excitedly only a few days ago, an image that had your heart racing and full of fear now. It was your baby.

"Do you realize the value of what you carry inside of you? If we could isolate the DNA of Captain Rogers from his own son, we could begin to replicate the work that made him who he is. We could rebuild an army stronger than any the world has ever seen."

"I won't let you." You pulled at the restraints that held you to the exam table, but they wouldn't give. "They won't let you."

The man laughed, loudly enough to fill the room, "your team thinks you're dead, my dear. No one is coming for you."

"Well then," you sighed, "I'll give you a moment to prepare yourself."

He looked around amused, waving his hand around the room. "There's no one here to save you, and you're not exactly in a position to do anything. What are you expecting to happen?"

You slowly closed your eyes and cleared your mind of everything but the man standing in front of you. You could feel his anxiety begin to build, but when your mind entered his you took control and calmed him. Opening your eyes, you saw him looking back at you with a blank expression, and you knew he was ready.

"Come to me and untie my restraints."

The man moved quickly to release you, then stood silently and awaited further instructions.

"Now, you're going to put these handcuffs on me, and take me to one of your jets. Use the shortest and most private route there. You will tell anyone who asks that I'm being transferred to another facility. If they argue, you kill them."

He applied the handcuffs and turned to lead you away, but you stopped him. "Wait. Take all of the information that you have on me and the baby from the system and give it to me. Leave no trace of any of it. Make sure that Hydra forgets all about us, do you understand?"

"I understand."

There was a small part of you that felt bad for controlling another person like this. Your power of mental manipulation was one that you never shared with anyone, not even with Steve. You didn't want it to become a part of your abilities on the team and you didn't want to become a target for people like Hydra. Your cover was nearly lost when Wanda joined the Avengers; she felt it and she knew right away what you were hiding. Understanding that you felt this power was a burden, she agreed to maintain your secret, and you had promised yourself that you would never use it.

But then they unleashed your maternal instinct and all bets were off.

~~~

The next time that Steve looked down at the hands that had betrayed your safety, they were decimated; the skin across his knuckles was torn and bloody. He welcomed the pain with each punch, feeling something more than the pain in his chest and the fear of the terrible sights that his mind kept replaying over and over. He had been at this for hours, but the fatigue growing in his muscles was nothing compared to the fatigue caused by his broken heart.

"Steve! I can't hold on!"

"(Y/N)! I've got you! Just hang on to me, I've got you!"

The hits became more and more furious with each flash of memory, and his punches were getting sloppy and uneven. The bag swayed in front of him as he struggled to keep his control.

"Don't look down! Sweetheart, just look at me!"

"Captain?"

Steve stopped and closed his eyes, reaching out to hold the bag steady. His breathing was loud and ragged as he rested his head against it, not turning to look at the person who had interrupted him and brought him back to reality.

"Maximoff."

"Captain, I can feel her. She is alive."

He spun quickly and rushed up the stairs towards her. He grabbed Wanda by the arms, with almost a painful grip, and demanded to know what she had meant. "When? Where is she? How do you know for sure?"

She grimaced a bit at his touch but didn't try to pull away. She wouldn't betray your trust, and hoped to convince him without having to. "Steve, please. Just trust me. I am certain of this. She's out there somewhere."

~~~

The Captain had gathered the team hours ago, working on a plan to find you. Thor had returned from Asgard to assist in the search as soon as they were able to contact him. Steve had called on anyone he could think of, and was determined that no one would stop until you were back with him.

"Okay, these are the coordinates of where she...fell." Steve struggled with the sight of you again, but pressed forward. "So, Tony you should head there first, ahead of us to get a zone clear for our arrival. There is one reported facility about 50 miles from that location. When we arrive, we'll move in."

"I could probably do this on my own, Cap. I'm the one who made the call to bring her."

"But I'm the one who...let her go, Tony. She's my wife and it's my responsibility to find her and bring her home."

Pietro stepped forward to offer his own advice, "You know, if she's in there I could be in and out before anyone would know we were there. You should let me-"

"Damn, you guys are so good at this. Maybe you should look about 20 feet to your left." You stood at the door to the conference room, leaning against it with your arms crossed and a smirk on your lips.

"Son of a bitch."

"Hello to you too, Tony."

Steve spun around in his chair so quickly that it nearly tipped over, his mouth agape and tears immediately filling his vision at the sound of your voice; realizing that this time you were really there, and not just in his mind. He jumped up and ran to you, lifting you into a tight hug that took your breath away.

"Steve, you're choking me."

He quickly set you down, holding your face in his hands, "I'm sorry," he murmured between kisses, "I'm so sorry."

"I wasn't your fault, Steve. We're okay." Your arms wrapped around him when he dropped to his knees and held you, his head resting against your belly. You slowly ran your fingers through his hair as he closed his eyes and finally smiled for the first time in weeks. "You know that I wasn't going to let anything happen to him."

"Him?" The entire team was now surrounding you both, Bucky directly at your side with his hand on your arm; he was looking at you like he still couldn't believe that you were there. "I thought you guys didn't know what you were having?"

You paused, considering how much you wanted to reveal about your experience. "A mother has certain instincts about these things."

Tony looked relieved at the sight of you and rubbed his hand across his chin as he took a few steps closer. "So, how'd you manage it on your own, kid? I mean I'm thrilled that you're okay, obviously, but spill it."

Steve stood up to pull you in close again, and it wouldn't be any time soon before he let you go. You smiled at him and then looked at Tony, surprised that he would question your ability. "Come on guys, I'm just pregnant, I'm not incapacitated."