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The last couple of days had been spent with nothing but talk of the stones and Rocket's constant babbling about Morag and his constant teasing. Take-out boxes from a little Chinese restaurant nearby were strewn across the dining room. The team had spent so many long hours brainstorming different years in which the stones were present, hoping to find a simple way to retrieve them without compromising the mission. It was exhausting, especially as a pregnant woman with raging hormones constantly screaming for sleep with the addition of a belly full of lo mein. That was just about where things were with Marlena.

The conference area was huge, leaving quite a few teammates spread out. Some had drifted away to their own corners for the night, while others remained conversing in the conference area. Natasha and Tony were laying beside each other on a cluttered desk. Marlena was laying half asleep on top of the adjacent table. Bruce was slouched on the floor below her. Steve and Rhodey were a few feet away conversing in front of the monitors. It was getting late, but none of them seemed to care that much. Apart from Marlena, at least, though she continued to remain active in the conversation.

"Marlena, do you wanna go with Thor and Rocket to get the Aether?" Natasha asked the brunette.

"I was given strict instructions to remain within eyesight of Steve and-or Tony," Marlena responded drowsily.

"I just figured Asgard would be a lot safer for you in the long run," Natasha continued. "Go there, get the Aether, and come back."

"I love Thor and I tolerate Rocket, but the whole point in me actually joining the Time Heist is so I could at least have a chance at being able to protect Steve if he needed protecting," Marlena explained to her best friend. "I have to make sure he's okay."

"Understood."

"Y'know, you two are getting real domestic these days," Tony chimed in.

Marlena laughed quietly and looked over at him. "That's what happens when two people get engaged."

"I still can't believe you burned through that entire candle in just three months," Tony perked up slightly, his eyes meeting Marlena's. "Actually, nevermind, I can believe it."

"You knew about the candle?"

"Not the point."

"Tony—"

"Is it true you guys got engaged in France?" Tony asked her. "If so, it's a bit rude you didn't invite any of us."

Marlena groaned and placed her right hand to her forehead. She was too exhausted to deal with him at the moment. She'd been dealing with him all day—him and Steve and their tension-filled relationship. She wasn't sure if that tension was sexual or otherwise, not that it was her business. "Yes, it happened when we were in France, and I distinctly remember finding out about your engagement to Pepper in the New York Times, so I don't even wanna hear it."

"Touché, Claire."

"Where's your ring at?" Bruce asked as he eyed Marlena's ring finger. Her left arm was hanging off the table, giving his eyes easy access to her hand.

"I left it at home," she answered with a yawn. "I've been a tad bit bloated lately, so my rings don't really fit my hands right now."

"If it's a boy you better name it Anthony," Tony said to her. "I don't make the rules, I only enforce them."

"You got it, Tony." Marlena couldn't help but smile at him, but she was finding it harder and harder to stay awake as the time passed. She couldn't wait for the conversation to be over, but she was also more than prepared to help them through it. If she didn't fall asleep, that was.

"Can we talk about the Time Stone, please?" Natasha asked; she was almost as tired as Marlena sounded, but she was doing a much better job concealing it. At this point, there was no doubt in her mind Marlena wouldn't fall asleep on the table. "Who's the time stone guy?"

"Oh, Doctor Strange," Bruce answered.

"What kind of doctor was he?"

"I think he was a neurosurgeon. I vaguely remember my mom talking about working with a 'strange' doctor in New York years ago, so maybe that was who she was talking about," Marlena answered them quietly. "She said he was an arrogant dickhole."

"Is that verbatim?"

"Yes, Tony."

"I always knew there was a reason I loved that woman," Tony said with a chuckle. "I kinda miss her, y'know?"

"I miss her too."

"Strange had a really nice place in the village, though," Bruce added tiredly.

"Sullivan Street?"

"No, Bleecker."

"Wait," Natasha stopped the exchange between Tony and Bruce. "He lived in New York?"

"Yeah, on Bleecker and Sullivan."

"Are you even listening to a word that we're saying?"

Marlena rolled her eyes at the two men, as did Natasha. They were getting cranky, something of which the two couldn't stand at this point.

"If you pick the right year, there are three stones in New York."

Natasha figured it out, which meant they'd finally put the last few pieces of the puzzle together. The thought thrilled the four of them.

"Shut the front door," Bruce sat up and looked at Natasha. "You figured it out."

"Thank god," Marlena muttered before finally drifting off to sleep.

"Hey, Cap," Tony called and sat up, nudging Natasha with his leg. "We finally picked a place and a year."

"Oh, yeah?" Steve walked over to the group with Rhodey and crossed his arms. He noticed Marlena's figure on the table; she'd fallen asleep, but he'd grab her in a minute. He needed an answer first. "What's that?"

"We're gonna have to say New York in 2012," Natasha answered him. "That way we can get it, the mind stone, and the space stone at the same time."

"Hm, nice work, that's not a bad idea," Steve told Natasha. He walked over to Marlena, but stopped to look at the rest of his teammates. "I think we all deserve a good night's sleep. We'll meet back here in the morning, okay?"

"Thank god," Natasha breathed out in relief. She climbed off the table and onto the floor, turning back to Steve as she pulled her hood back over her head. "All I'm saying is you better keep both your asses safe tomorrow," she told Steve, referencing to him and Marlena, who was now laying sound asleep in Steve's arms. Natasha absolutely hated that Marlena was going, and she knew Steve and Tony felt the same, but they also knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if something were to happen and she hadn't been around to have the chance to fix it. The mission better suited her this way.

"You know I won't let anything happen to her," Steve said. By now, Tony and Bruce had run away, both too excited to climb into their beds for the night, so the only audience around to hear the two's conversation was Marlena, but she'd fallen asleep.

"I just wish she would stay here and stay put where she's safe," Natasha said worriedly, and Steve only agreed with her.

"Believe me, she wouldn't be going anywhere if Tony hadn't updated her suit," Steve sighed and held Marlena's sleeping body closer to him. All he wanted to do was take her back to her room and hold her. He just wanted to feel her wrapped protectively and securely in his arms where nothing could harm her. It brought him a significant amount of comfort, especially not knowing what the team would be expecting the next day. "But she's a lot tougher than she looks. I trust her and I trust she'll do whatever it takes to protect them both."

Natasha smiled softly and started towards the kitchen to put up her mug, "I'm really glad she has you, Steve."

"I'm glad she has you, too, Nat."

"Just promise me you'll keep her safe," Natasha stopped at the door, her serious green eyes boring into Steve's blue ones. She needed Marlena to be okay when it was all said and done, and she felt the same about Clint. They had their families to get back to, and the thought of that second chance being ripped away from them pained Natasha. She didn't want that for them.

"I promise."

Natasha smiled in response. Steve bid his goodbye and his goodnights, which left him heading out of the conference area and down the hall to Marlena's room. He nudged the door open with his foot and stepped inside the room. The only light was that of the floor lamp in the opposite corner of the room, but Steve worked with it. He placed Marlena into bed and climbed in next to her, his eyes taking in the seemingly-flawless features of her face. He was optimistic about tomorrow, regardless of whether or not he knew what was going to happen, but he needed this time with Marlena. He needed to look at her, he needed to run his fingers gently over the soft skin of her face, as well as trace the small shape of her growing abdomen. He needed her.

Marlena stirred in her sleep as Steve caressed the skin of her arm, and she woke slowly, a soft smile pulling at the edges of her lips at the sight of him. He was always such a wonder to wake up to. "Hey," she spoke drowsily.

"Hey, we figured it out."

"I know, which means we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Marlena pulled the comforter over her body and Steve's. He kicked his shoes off before settling in with her, wrapping his arms around her petite body. She nestled into the warmth of his body and found herself content. If she could stay in his arms forever, away from the fighting, away from the trauma, she would, but unfortunately that wasn't their life.

"Can I tell you something?" Steve asked her quietly.

Marlena only nodded her head; she was slowly falling back into the realm of sleep.

"I'm afraid."

"I know you are," Marlena replied softly, her voice barely a whisper. "You have been for five years—we all have been—and that's perfectly okay."

"I just don't wanna mess this up, because if I do, I risk losing you, I risk losing everything..." Steve sighed and placed his chin on top of Marlena's head. Her soft breath and the warmth of her body were lulling him closer to sleep, but he still had a bit to go.

"You're not gonna lose us, baby."

"I know, but if I did I don't know what I'd do."

"We're all afraid," Marlena reminded him. "We'll be afraid until all this is over, and maybe even after, who knows? We're only human; it's okay to be human, Steve."

"Tell me what it's like..."

"What do you mean?"

"Being a parent...tell me what it's like."

Marlena, who was a bit more awake than she had been several minutes ago, leaned her head up to look at him. "It's one of the most humbling opportunities on the planet; being a parent is the most physically and mentally taxing job on the planet, but it's also a job I never would've quit or never wanted to quit. Being a parent tests your capability for love; you can love someone so much, but the love for your children blindsides you. I never knew I could love another human being so much," she explained to him.

"I want that," Steve told her.

"Then we better make tomorrow worth it," Marlena let out a breath and laid her head on Steve's chest, draping an arm over his abdomen. "Just remember that after this is all over, it's not gonna be just you and me anymore. You've got a little Rogers to fight for."

"And a soon-to-be Rogers to fight for as well." Steve yawned and closed his eyes, the mental exhaustion covering him like a blanket. "Go to sleep, Mar."

"You too, Cap," Marlena hummed in content and pulled the blanket tighter over her body. She was ready to finally head to sleep, but she still had a few things left to say to Steve, a few things she needed him to hear before tomorrow. "I want you to know I believe in you, and I know you're scared, but you've always been so much more than just Captain America to me. You're Steve Rogers, and that's why I know you can do anything. This planet—this universe—is so lucky to have you, and so am I."

Steve smiled softly at the sound of her words and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. No matter what happened, she would always be there to build him up, just as he'd done for her over the last five years. Marlena was his safe haven and the person he found himself drawn to when he needed help picking himself off the ground. She'd done just that for him, and he prayed on everything that tomorrow wouldn't change that for him. Steve needed her, just as she needed him.

"I love you...so much."

"And I love you."

Moments of silence passed between the two, and eventually they were drifting into a much needed slumber. The day ahead was bound to be a long one, as well as a dangerous one, but they were prepared to fight through whatever means necessary. Their family was at stake, as well as their universe. They wouldn't stop until the job was finished.