Marlena threw her comforter off her body and sat up in bed. Her face was glistening beneath the perspiration on her skin. Her breath was ragged as she tried to regain proper control of her lungs. Her heart was pounding, and her hands trembled as the memory of her nightmare replayed over and over again inside her head. The images left her feeling sick to her stomach, and when the nausea became too much, Marlena hopped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She fell to her knees in front of the toilet and tried desperately to think of something other than what was about to happen. She longed for the day morning sickness was merely a thing of the past, though she felt much the same about her nightmares.

The recent situation concerning Charlie's growing capacity for power terrified Marlena. She feared for her daughter's future. Charlie was smart, but Marlena wondered if she'd ever become too strong to learn control. What would Charlie do if she couldn't control herself? Who would she hurt? The questions drove Marlena insane. Marlena wanted nothing more than to protect Charlie, but she wasn't sure how to, and she absolutely despised it.

Footsteps could be heard entering the bathroom behind Marlena, though she didn't turn to see who it was. She didn't need to, as Steve and Jay were the only two in the apartment.

"You don't need to watch this," Marlena said quietly. She wiped her mouth clean with the sleeve of her shirt and glanced over at Steve, who knelt down at her side. "It's really gross."

"Maybe, but I'm not gonna let you go through this alone and you know it." His voice was raspier than usual; he'd just woken up, and Marlena could see it in his eyes. "Are you okay? You look like hell, Mar."

"Thanks," Marlena muttered and turned back to the toilet once she felt her stomach lurch again. She was sick and tired of being sick and tired, but Steve's comforting hand on her back made things a little easier.

"When does the morning sickness end?" Steve asked once Marlena finished. There was a frown on his face as he watched her; women were such incredible creatures, and that was something Steve had thought since he was young. They gave life to the world, and Steve was witnessing firsthand just how difficult that could be. He hated knowing the toll pregnancy took on Marlena, and he wanted nothing more than to figure out a way to make it easier on her, but he wasn't aware being there was enough for her.

"Everyone's different," Marlena told him. She flushed the toilet and sat down on the bathroom floor, crossing her legs beneath her; she couldn't find the energy to get up. "I've probably got a month or so left of it. My worst pregnancy symptom is usually my mood."

"I've noticed." Steve teased her in an attempt to lighten the mood and was happy to know it worked.

"I really don't mean to be a grouch," Marlena chuckled. "It's just that for five and a half years it's only been the two of us, and with everybody back everything's a bit overwhelming."

"You know I understand, and that's why it's okay," Steve assured her and sat down beside her, crossing his legs beneath him as well. "Adjusting has been hard on everyone. It's almost not fair."

"It's not," Marlena said, her face contorting slightly as she thought about the amount of stress she'd been under for that last couple of weeks. It made her sick, both literally and figuratively. "But the answer to your first question is no, I'm not okay."

"What's goin' on?"

"I had a nightmare," she told Steve. She fixed her gaze on the floor; she didn't want to think about what she'd just seen inside her head, but she knew she needed to tell Steve. There was a strong possibility he'd help her feel better about the situation. He always did. "It was about Charlie. I don't wanna get into too much detail, but I just...I don't know what to do to help her, Steve."

"I know you're scared." Marlena looked over at Steve as he began speaking. "I'm scared too, but we're gonna figure this out together."

"Tony would know what to do." Marlena frowned; she hated the thought of dialing his number and not receiving an answer. "He's probably the one person aside from Bruce who understands my powers better than I do."

"You have a master's degree in biochemistry and you're about to become a doctor," Steve reminded her with a soft smile on his face. "I think you can do just about anything, Marlena. None of us know what Charlie's future holds, but as long as she has you for a mother, I know it'll be a bright one."

Marlena let out a breath and wiped her eyes; she was too emotional for her own good, and it didn't help to have a fiancé who always knew exactly what to say. "I don't deserve you at all," she said to him, her voice breaking through the emotion. "I don't deserve what you've done for me or the way you've loved me."

Steve couldn't stand how serious she was; he couldn't stand that she actually believed she wasn't deserving of the love he'd given her. In his eyes, she deserved every last bit of it. "You have no idea how wrong you are, Marlena."

Marlena laughed quietly and looked down at her hands in her lap. She didn't believe she was wrong, and she wouldn't change her mind. Steve had given up everything to help her through the pain. After everything they'd been through together, he loved her through it all. He'd seen her at her absolute lowest and not once looked the other way.
He'd never asked for anything in return. Steve's heart was so pure to Marlena. She believed he deserved better than her mess of a heart, but what she often failed to realize was that the two of them were one in the same.

"You have given me everything and expected nothing in return." Marlena sighed. "I'm just afraid I don't deserve it."

"What's making you think like that, Marlena?" Steve questioned her seriously. He was genuinely curious, yet also very upset with her words. She was selling herself way too short.

"I dunno," Marlena shrugged and leaned against the counter. "Maybe it has to do with what I haven't yet told you about."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, his brows furrowing.

"Remember the night everyone was here? The night Mason told everyone he wanted to join the Army?"

Steve nodded.

"Well, something happened that night when Bucky and I went downstairs," Marlena started, letting out a trembling breath. "He kissed me. And I didn't tell you about it."

Steve was silent for a moment as he processed her words, and he exhaled quietly. He was not mad. He was not upset. In fact, the reveal did not surprise him at all. He was just finally glad she'd told him.

"Can you say something before I throw up again?" Marlena asked. "I understand if you're upset with me for not telling you and upset that it happened, but—"

"I'm not upset with you, Mar," Steve cut her off, a soft smile on his face. "And I'm not upset with Buck either. I mean, I really can't be. I did the same thing several years ago. The circumstances now are just a bit different than they were back then."

"I still should've told you sooner," Marlena responded quietly. "I don't want you to think that changes things for you and I."

"And why would it?"

Marlena shrugged her shoulders. "I know you've been worried about what would happen between the two of us when we got him back. I know you've been wondering whether or not I'd choose him. You've been doing an excellent job concealing it, but I can sense it, Steve."

"I won't lie," Steve replied. "I know better than most how much you loved him—how much you still love him. Feelings like that don't just go away. I knew there was a chance your love for him would bring you back to him. And when Alena showed up, I thought it had. But you're here now, and I know if you wanted to leave, you would."

"What if I did? Leave?"

"It'd hurt," Steve answered, grabbing Marlena's hands. He helped her off the floor and pulled her close, meeting her eyes. "But I'd respect your choice. All I want is for you to be happy, Marlena."

"I am happy." Marlena hugged Steve tightly. The soft beat of his heart was enough to calm her emotions, and she smiled softly as she held him. She'd been so focused on everything else going on that she'd more or less neglected her relationship with Steve, and she hated that it'd taken her so long to realize it.

"I'm just really sorry for the way I've been acting the last couple of weeks," Marlena apologized to him. She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. "I've been taking everything out on you when all you've done is try to help me."

"You apologize too much," Steve said, wrapping his arms gently around her waist.

"I'm sorry," Marlena whispered. Her eyes flashed to his lips and she hummed quietly. She wasn't sure why she was so desperate to kiss him or so desperate to hold him. She felt like she hadn't in weeks and it was killing her inside.

"Like I said—too much," Steve replied softly. He moved to close the distance between the two, but Marlena was just a bit hesitant. He knew why, of course—she'd just gotten sick—but he didn't care. All he cared about was her. The two hadn't been so close in weeks, and now that the opportunity presented itself, he wasn't going to let it pass by.

Steve grabbed either side of her face gently in his hands and closed the distance between them. He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle motion, though the moment they met, Marlena was desperate for more. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to kiss him, what it felt like to hold him so intimately. She missed him, and she was ready to show him how much.

"You understand it's about six in the morning, right?" Marlena spoke breathlessly against his lips. Her fingers found the warm skin beneath his white shirt, and he sighed in content. He simply loved the feeling of her skin on his. There was nothing better.

"Yes," Steve replied, his hands moving from her face to her waist again. "But the only thing I can think about right now is you."

Marlena didn't respond. She simply pressed her lips to his again and began pushing him back towards their bedroom. She released her tight hold on the fabric of his shirt once he sat down on the bed, and she climbed into his lap, wrapping her legs around him and pulling him close.

"I've missed this—I've missed you," Marlena told him quietly. She smiled softly and placed a hand on the side of his face. His growing beard was course, but soft beneath the skin of her hand; it was a look she was never going to get tired of.

"I've missed you too, Claire."

Marlena shook her head slightly at the sound of her last name, and she bit her lip, her hazel eyes bright with happiness as she looked at Steve. "I wanna be yours, Steve. I wanna marry you. I want this family with you. And I want the rest of this life with you."

"Then you'll get it." Steve maneuvered the two of them so that he was now above Marlena, who was laying on the mattress looking up at him. "I'm not going anywhere."

Marlena smiled and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him back to her. "I know you're not," she said as she removed his shirt from his body. "And neither am I."

Steve pressed his lips to hers once more. He grabbed her shirt and gently pulled it over her head before snaking a large arm around her waist and pulling her as close as possible. All he wanted was her. He hadn't had much time to think about how much he missed having her so close, not with everything going on, but in that moment it was the only thing he could think about. She was all he could think about. He missed the way her fingertips traced his warm skin, or the way her soft lips connected so effortlessly with his own. He missed how perfectly their hands fit together. He missed the feeling of her body pressed flush against his own, as the two expressed their love for one another through actions rather than their words.

Being with Marlena was something Steve never saw coming. She'd always been so out of reach, emotionally or otherwise, and at one point in time there'd been nothing for him to do but accept that, but things had since changed. Marlena was a complicated mess of emotions 96% of the time, but Steve didn't want her any other way. Through everything Marlena had been through, through all the devastation and tragedy that seemed to plague her young life, she still remained true to who she was. Marlena Claire was someone Steve didn't want to let go of and someone he refused to let go of. The two had found themselves in an otherwise complicated situation since the resurrection of those lost five years prior, but there was nothing at all complicated about the way he felt for her, and he was prepared to show her just that. There was nothing else to it.