The sound of the television echoed throughout the quiet apartment. Marlena could hear the shower running down the hall and she sighed as her mind flooded with those beautiful blue eyes she fell in love with. She subconsciously tinkered with the fabric sitting on her belly and brushed her fingers across the soft skin of her abdomen. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to love someone as deeply as she loved Steve and her little one. She'd first felt that with Bucky and the twins, and she never thought she'd feel that again. Then Steve happened, and now, as she sat on the couch holding herself protectively, she could feel it again, and she was absolutely terrified of losing that.

Marlena kept thinking about everything that'd been happening since Scott came back. He'd presented another chance in bringing everyone back, and while Marlena was more than thrilled with the possibility, she couldn't help but fear everything would go wrong. The post traumatic stress she endured because of their past losses tormented her daily, and the situation that now presented itself sent her mind spiraling. If something went wrong, she could lose Steve or even her unborn child, and that was something she could not let happen.

Steve then walked into the living room with nothing on but a pair of black sweatpants. Marlena looked over at the sound of his footfalls, but she wasn't aware she had begun to cry.

"Did you wanna order Chinese or—" He stopped when he noticed her crying and walked over to sit next to her. He brought his hand to her face and swiped away her tears. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Looking at him only made Marlena cry harder, and she wrapped her arms around him as tightly as possible. She practically climbed into his lap, but Steve didn't mind. He held her closely and let her cry, despite how much he hated when she cried.

"I'm scared," Marlena spoke through her tears.

"Why are you scared, Mar?"

"I'm scared to lose you."

Even before the two got together, Steve was among the few people she believed she couldn't live without. Bucky was another one of those people, and losing him, along with everyone else she loved, made her feel as if she was on death's doorstep. The emotional pain she endured after losing someone like that was a pain she didn't want to endure again, and that was exactly what she was afraid of happening.

"What makes you think you're going to lose me?" Steve asked softly as he urged her to look up at him.

"The thought of losing again torments me every day," Marlena told Steve. "What if this doesn't work and I lose you because of it?"

"I have a very compelling reason to make sure nothing happens to me," Steve smiled down at her.

"I can't lose you, too," Marlena shook her head and placed her hand on his cheek. "We can't lose you."

Steve furrowed his brows at her words. "W-what do you mean by that?"

Marlena let out a breath and nestled herself to his chest. "It wasn't carsickness, Steve..."

Steve's breath caught in his throat and his grip on Marlena loosened slightly. He'd had it in his mind it was never been carsickness, but he never truly convinced himself it was what he actually believed was going on with her. That aspect of life had only ever been a dream to Steve, and while he knew Marlena desired a family, he just wasn't aware that would be happening so soon, especially with everything that had just been dropped on the team. He was happy, nonetheless, and absolutely thrilled. Steve had Marlena to fight for and protect, but now he had more. He had a family to fight for, a family that Marlena had given him, and he found in that very moment that he had never felt so much love for her.

"You're..." Steve wanted to say it, but he couldn't exactly get the word out.

"I'm pregnant."

"When did you find out?"

"This morning," Marlena frowned as she took in the expression on his face. She couldn't tell whether he was thrilled or disappointed, and that was something she found she hated over the years of not having access to her abilities. "You know, I can't tell how you feel anymore, Steve, so I need you to say something about this before I throw up."

"I'm so happy, Marlena," Steve reassured her. "I am so incredibly happy that I get to start a family with you. I figured you weren't carsick, but I just couldn't let myself believe that dream of mine could ever be true."

Marlena smiled and pressed her forehead to his. "I did tell you I was going to give you the life you deserved, didn't I?"

"You're doing that and so much more, and I cannot even begin to express how deeply I appreciate you," Steve cupped the back of her head and met her eyes, an automatic smile pulling onto his face at the sight of her. "I will do whatever it takes to make sure I come back to you—to both of you. You're my life now, and there is nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you, Marlena Claire."

"You have to promise me you'll make it back," she spoke quietly, her voice breaking with emotion. "I cannot let this life take you away from me, too."

"Whatever it takes, doll."

"Tony got his family, and now you're getting yours, so if you have to do this, please be careful about it," Marlena practically begged him. Her fear was evident, but she didn't care at all. She needed him to know how she felt about the situation, especially after what she just told him. She needed him to know there was more on the line for him than anyone else, just as Tony said for himself.

Steve smiled and pressed a kiss to Marlena's lips. "I'm always careful, I think you're thinking of you."

"Please," Marlena scoffed. "You forget I'm the one who saved you in Wakanda five years ago."

"Don't even get me started on who's saved who more," Steve chuckled, "But you have my word; I promise I'll be careful."

"And I'll be right by your side to make sure of it," Marlena grinned.

"No you won't."

"You're aware I can still be active, right?"

"Yeah, on a treadmill, not an alien battleground."

"Steve—"

Steve shook his head and grabbed her in a protective notion, something of which she was very quick to pick up on. "If anything happens to you I will never forgive myself. I've spent years trying to keep you safe, and now it's not just you, so if things get dangerous, I need you to stay out of it."

"That's no fun."

"Neither is the thought of losing the two of you," Steve said, his tone serious. "I just wanna protect you the way you wanna protect me...please, Marlena."

"You know I will be," she replied quietly. "I just need you to make this work."

"We'll get 'em back."

Marlena shifted herself off of his lap and back onto the couch, where she grabbed her blanket before laying back against him. His body was warm, and Marlena welcomed it very much.

"Are you going to put a shirt on?" Marlena giggled and laid her head on his bare chest.

"I don't think I will."

Marlena smiled as she felt his fingers gently stroking the skin beneath her t-shirt. Steve was one of the strongest people on the planet, yet he was also the most gentle and most delicate, and Marlena adored that about him. "I think I'm okay with it," she spoke quietly. Marlena began drifting away into the confines of her mind, leaving a comfortable silence looming over the two of them. The only sound to be heard was that from the television, at least until Steve found more words to say.

"Do you think it'll work?" Steve asked Marlena quietly.

Marlena looked up at him, curiosity in her hazel eyes. "I want to believe it can, and I want to believe it will if Bruce wants this as much as everyone else does."

"What do you think you'll do when you see everyone again?" he asked.

"I see an endless amount of hugs in that particular future," she answered. "I don't think I even have the words to tell you what would happen if I got to see everyone again. I'd cry, I'd cry a lot. Five years has felt like a lifetime, but I haven't for a moment stopped missing a single one of them."

"I know what you mean," Steve replied. "I think about Bucky and Sam all the time. I think about what our lives would be if they were still here—if we had won the first time."

"We would all be married."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Oh, yes," Marlena chuckled and looked over at the television screen. "Sam would be married to some girl he met at the VA in DC, and you'd be married to that cute little cashier we met at Rite Aid about two years ago."

Steve shook his head at her and pulled her closer. "At least now I know why you were so glib with her," he muttered.

"I was so in love with you yet still in that emotional place where I was fighting it, but when she started hitting on you I wanted to hit her." Marlena rolled her eyes as the memory played inside her head, but she couldn't help the playful smirk pulling from at the corner of her lips. "I didn't exactly have a place to, so I'm sorry if I ruined the potential of a relationship between the two of you. I'd happily do it again, though."

"I was very much in love with you as well, so there was no potential there at all," Steve laughed quietly. "Come to think of it, I still am very much in love with you."

"I know you are."

"Which is why I have to ask what you're going to say to Bucky..."

Marlena frowned at the thought and practically sunk down in her seat. That wasn't a topic she wanted to think about, but she knew she needed to just in case. If things didn't go to plan, she simply wouldn't have anything to say, but if they did go to plan, she needed to be prepared for Bucky to return home to a completely different life. Marlena knew if things between her and Steve hadn't happened the way they did, the moment Bucky returned home she'd be in his arms ready to finish off life with him, but that wasn't quite the way things turned out. Marlena had fallen in love with Steve by complete accident, and together the two of them were building the life they promised themselves years ago. Marlena wouldn't leave Steve. Nonetheless, she knew being with him—being with anyone—would absolutely break Bucky's heart, and she didn't want to think about what she had to say in order to do it either, but she had to.

"All I can give him is the truth," Marlena said sadly. "It's gonna break him, Steve."

"I know."

"I just have to keep trying to convince myself it isn't my fault," Marlena nestled into the warmth of his body, desperate for any kind of comfort given the conversation topic. She was ready to begin crying again, and she hated it. Her hormones were driving her crazy, but she knew her cataclysmic mess of a mind had a hell of a lot to do with her emotional state as well.

"We thought we lost, Mar," Steve said. "Five years later we're still grieving over what we lost, but through it all we found a way to move on, and we don't deserve to feel guilty because of it. I can admit how different things would be if everyone was still here, but they're not, and we did what we could to go on with our lives the way we thought they would've wanted us to."

"I just don't want to imagine how everyone is going to feel when they come back to a world that fell through their fingers five years ago," Marlena replied.

Steve gave her side a gentle squeeze and smiled down at her. He could tell she was getting exceptionally emotional, but that was the last thing he wanted for her, especially now when she wasn't the only one effected by her emotional state. "You know, we may just need another vacation after this," he chuckled.

"My wallet says otherwise," Marlena chuckled, "But I would not, however, be opposed to that Chinese food you mentioned earlier."

"Of course you wouldn't be," Steve gently moved Marlena and stood up to retrieve his phone. "I know you need to eat, but are you feeling okay? Do you need to eat something a little bit lighter than Chinese?"

"I want fried rice."

"That does nothing to answer my question."

"I'm fine and I want fried rice."

"Right."

Steve put the phone to his ear and walked out of the room, leaving Marlena in a heap of smiles on the couch. She wrapped her blanket around her once more and laid down on the couch, her mind wandering to Steve, her little one, Bucky, her twins, and just about anyone else she loved. She was ready to fight for them and wished nothing more than to physically be able to, but she would do what she could for them, and that was enough for her. They were enough for her and always would be.