Surprises, part 3

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: Surprises
Fandoms: the Marvel Universe, specifically the Supervillainess branch
Rating: no one under 18. lots of sex.
Warning: mostly just sex. some language.
Disclaimer: i do not own anyone from the Marvel universe. all recognizable characters and shit belong to Marvel and anyone else who owns them. Kiera belongs to dazzledfirestar . i swear i'm not making any money from this. i just do what the sick voices inside my head tell me to. i write purely for my enjoyment. and possibly the comments. please don't sue, harass or bother me. i have no money to pay you, but i do have a really nasty temper. and i know some good cuss words.

Author's Notes: this is a bunny that's been hopping around in my head for a while now and i just recently got around to writing it. while this is technically part of the Supervillainess, Inc. universe, its meant as more of a What If? type scenario. everything that happens in the universe remains the same up until after Something More. that's where this diverges from the established canon. in this version, Remy doesn't come back for Mystery. instead, she sees him out on the town with Rogue one night and it prompts her to continue seeing Steve even though she's told Kiera she'll give him up. this story picks up about two or three months after the talk Mystery and Kiera had at the end of Something More.
this... um... the bunny got huge. the total word count for the whole thing is just under 35,000 words. i broke it up.

"You don't have to baby sit me, you know. You can leave now," Mystery said, eyes locked on Steve's chest. She couldn't force herself to look at his face, couldn't let herself fall under his spell again. He lounged against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He hadn't moved much in the past few hours, even though she'd drifted in and out of a light doze. She was full on tired, but she wasn't going to allow herself to sleep until he was gone. She didn't want to think too deeply on the reasons why that was. But it was.

"I'll stay. Kiera would never forgive me if I left you alone and something happened to you." Peachy. That meant she'd never get some sleep. Cloth rustled as he shifted positions and pushed himself away from the wall. A total of three steps brought him up next to her bed and he regarded her with serious eyes. "Besides, Mystery, we need to talk."

"Fucking lovely," she grumbled. At that, he actually smiled. "Just what I always wanted. To be held captive by the dork side and tortured with incessant chatter."

One of his hands motioned to the bed and then the IV hooked up to her arm. "You can't get up and walk out on me. I figure this is my best shot." The light teasing of his tone gave way to a heavy sigh. He picked the chair up and moved it closer to the bed, then sat in it and made himself comfortable. "If I wait until your doctor declares you fit to leave, I'll never see you again. Now is the best chance I have if I want to chat with you."

"I didn't think we had anything left to chat about, Steve. You made your opinion of me abundantly clear the last time we spoke," Mystery said softly. Softly, so he wouldn't know that he'd hurt her that day.

"I was upset, Mystery. I'd just found out that the woman I was attracted to was a complete and total lie. That you'd made her up to do a job." He pinned her with a look. "What made it worse was knowing that I'd been spending my time with a villain. One of the villains that was responsible for kidnapping and holding hostage several of my friends and teammates. How did you expect me to react?"

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean shit and I know that you believe me to be the worst kind of liar. But I am sorry. It was never my intention to hurt you or cause you any pain. And now that I've apologized, you can go and leave me in peace."

She was surprised by the feel of his hand on hers. It brought her eyes open to find that his baby blues were regarding her with something akin to tenderness. Which couldn't possibly be what she saw because he didn't like her. He'd made that abundantly clear the last time they'd seen one another. It had to be the blood loss that had her imagining things like that. Frowning, she turned her head and stared at the wall. "There are things we need to get settled between us. Whether you think so or not, we're bound to one another now."

That had her whipping her attention back to him so fast that her head really did spin. Apparently the loss of blood was worse than she'd first thought. Her eyes drifted closed as she tried to quell the sudden sickening swirl that became him and the room around them. "Mystery?"

"I'm okay," she whispered, one hand curling around the bedding to serve as an anchor. The spinning brought a touch of nausea that she worked at pushing back down.

"You just went white. Should I get your doctor?" It sounded like there was concern in his voice. She had to be hearing things. He had no reason to be concerned about her. Did blood loss affect one's hearing?

"No. Just dizzy. I guess I lost more blood than I thought," she told him. When he said nothing, she opened her eyes to find that he was studying her intently. The serious look on his face told her that he was considering something. She'd been in and out of something like sleep all day long, but she thought she recalled waking up at least once to find him caught up in a quiet discussion with her doctor on the other side of the room at one point. "What did she tell you?"

The question drew his attention back to her. "Who?"

"Dr. Morris. You were talking to her earlier. Or I was hallucinating that?"

The faint confusion cleared and he shook his head. "You weren't hallucinating. She was in and we discussed things." When he fell silent, she made a motion with one hand that suggested he should go on. "It was close, Mystery. She said if you had waited much longer to seek medical aid, you would have died before she could have helped you."

"What a shame I got here when I did, then. If I hadn't, that would have meant one less villain to pollute the world," she remarked casually. She was genuinely surprised when his eyes darkened with anger and a frown pulled the corners of his mouth down.

"Do you really think I would feel that way? After everything we shared?" he asked her. She shrugged a shoulder. Why should he care what happened to her? Wasn't he the one who'd thrown her out of his life? "Do you really have so little faith in me?"

"We didn't share anything, Rogers. You shared something with Sarah." She was careful to keep any hint of emotion from her voice. No need to let him know that she was jealous of Sarah. Even if she herself had been Sarah. Could a person be jealous of herself? Then she let him see cold grey eyes. "I was the one you threw out of your apartment. In case you'd forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten anything, Mystery. I remember each and every night we spent together. Every single thing we did. Every passion filled minute. I remember it all." He leaned closer until he could whisper the next words in her ear. His voice held all the sensuality in the world. Sensuality she remembered so well. "I even remember the throaty, husky voice you used when you called out my name. That was your throaty, husky voice. Your passion."

Damn it. Just hearing that from him, with his voice dripping every ounce of need that she'd ever felt for him, had her tired, worn out body reacting. She had to do something to put a stop to all this. Whatever it was. "I've always been told I'm a damn fine actress."

Steve drew back to recline in the chair, the line of his body so relaxed that she knew he didn't believe her. The snort of laughter confirmed it. "No one can fake passion like that. No one." But the heat that simmered in his eyes was quickly banked. Once again, he was serious and intent. Fuck. He wasn't going to give up. She'd fall asleep just to avoid the conversation, but she couldn't sleep forever and if there was one thing she knew about Steve Rogers, he wouldn't move until he got to have his talk. "You can pretend that there's nothing between us, but I know better. We both know better."

"Fine. Whatever. Can't you just let me sleep in peace? I'm fucking tired and I'm not up to talking at all. In case you missed it, I nearly died today. And I gave birth in the process. I'm afraid I'm all worn out," she snapped at him.

"You gave birth to my son, Mystery. We need to talk about that." His tone suggested that there would be no arguing the matter. She rolled her eyes in frustration. Some people just didn't know when to give the fuck up. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What purpose would it have served? You wanted Sarah. Not me. You wanted nothing to do with me. So I had to be the rational adult and make a decision. I'm not prepared to or capable of taking care of a child. All of the arrangements were in place months ago. I was never going to see the child so there was no reason to let you know there even was a child."

He stared at her for a few moments, then pushed out of the chair. He paced away from the bed, dragging one hand through his hair as he walked. Upon reaching the wall, he turned back and retraced his steps toward the bed. The look on his face suggested that he wasn't happy with the news. "You were going to keep the baby from me and then you were going to just give it up? Your own child means nothing to you?"

She shot him a dirty look that told him he knew nothing at all about her. "That child means everything to me. But that doesn't really matter. What I want doesn't really matter."

"How can it not matter? That's your son. Our son." Steve stared at her, obviously eager for her answer. She sighed softly and tried to find the words. How was she supposed to make him understand what drove her without telling him things he didn't need to know? She didn't know if there was a way to do it. "Why would you just throw him away?"

"Not away, Rogers. I would never throw a child away. If that were the case, we wouldn't be here right now." She leveled a gaze on him to let him know what she meant. The faint look of disgust that crept across his face told her he understood perfectly. "I was doing what I could to give the baby a good home and family. A better life. A stable life. A place where he fit and belonged. Things that I know I can't give him."

"You don't know that, Mystery. How can you know that for sure? Have you been a mother before?'

She sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't want to talk about this. Not with him. She didn't want his pity, didn't want to see it in his gaze when he looked at her. But she knew him. Knew that he'd never let it go without getting every last bit of the truth from her. "No. I've never had a child before. This was my first."

"Then how do you know that you can't give him those things?"

"Because..." she began, only to stop. Because as an answer wasn't going to work. He wouldn't accept because and he wouldn't accept anything less than the truth. No matter if she wanted to give it to him or not. "Have you never wondered why my name is Mystery?"

The change of subject was unexpected and left him floundering for just a moment. But he recovered himself quickly enough and gave her a curious look. "Not really. It isn't a very common name but I figured your parents had a few eccentricities so..."

She cut across his words before he could go any further. Sadly, she couldn't quite keep the anger from her voice when she spoke. "My mother named me Mystery because she said that its a mystery I was ever conceived and born. She felt nothing for me beyond contempt and apathy. How could she love her other children and not love me? What would make a mother treat one child so much differently than the rest? She showered love and affection, or her version of those things, on my siblings. But not on me. Never on me. I always felt like a throw away child. I always wondered what was so wrong with me that made her hate me. I won't put any child I have through that. I refuse to be like my mother."

"And giving your child away to someone else to raise isn't being like your mother?" he asked her softly. Mystery turned to stare at him with the hatred she still had for her mother burning in her eyes.

"You know nothing about my mother. Nothing. So you might want to rethink that question." She shook her head at him. "Better to have someone to love him than to have someone there who ignores him. Or, when not ignoring him, someone who derides and insults and loathes him. I want better for him than I had."

"Why do you think you can't give that to him?" She just glared at him. Did she have to spell it all out? Steve stared back at her for a few minutes, then sighed and, in an act that completely surprised her, he reached out and took her hand in his. "Do you really think you'd be as bad to our son as your mother was to you?"

"Our son? What have you been smoking?"

He ignored her question. "Don't you think being the mother to our baby would be the best way to show your mother that you're better than she is?"

She wanted to tell him that she already had, that she'd stolen everything her mother had ever claimed as her own and then blown the woman into a million tiny pieces in payment for the way the woman had treated her. But she couldn't. Hero and all. So she settled for a small portion of the truth. "I can't. She's dead."

"Mystery..." he began, but she tugged her hand from his so that she could cross her arms over her stomach. It was a purely defensive gesture. She had to protect herself. Because if he went on much more, he was going to have her changing her mind. And she couldn't afford to give in. Not when he was who he was and she was who she was. She couldn't let herself forget that he would never want a life with someone like her.

"No. We're not discussing this. I never wanted to have children. And I don't want to be a mother. Its better for him this way."

"He's my son, too, Mystery. I have a say in this." There was a hard edge to his words that let her know he'd fight her tooth and nail where the baby was concerned. And, given that he was everything she'd never been, he'd get his way. That didn't stop her from trying to remind him that he wasn't a part of this.

"I'm sorry. When did we get married? I seem to recall that you threw me out of your life. That kind of means that I have the right to make this decision. Without consulting you. I don't even understand why you're here at all. Kiera had no right to tell you anything." She glared at him to get her point across.

Steve sighed and rose from the chair he'd been sitting in. Maybe if she was lucky, she'd pissed him off enough to get him the hell out of there. Half way across the room, he stopped and gave her a good once over with a piercing gaze that left her unnerved. Even across the distance, she could see something blossom to life in the depths of his eyes. And when he smiled... Mystery wanted to shiver and it wasn't all because he had a wonderful smile. "I'll be right back." Then he headed for the door without another word.

Fuck! He was planning something. She just knew it. And she was stuck here. Stupid IV. Stupid blood loss. Neither of those things stopped her from trying to figure a way out of whatever he was planning. Her mind raced over possibilities but couldn't seem to come up with anything plausible. As the moments ticked by, desperation grew to such heights that she actually considered trying to unhook the monitors and IVs and run like hell. She didn't know if her legs would hold her up, but she was sure as shit willing to try. In fact, she was so intent on doing just that that she'd thrown off the covers and put her feet over the edge of the bed when the door swung open to admit Steve and a nurse pushing a wheel chair.

He caught sight of her and shot her a look that must have had enemy soldiers pissing in their boots back in the day. That look also promised her that they'd talk about this little bit of stupidity, too. Well shit and double shit. What had she ever done to deserve having Captain Fucking America riding her ass like he was? On second thought, it was probably better that she didn't know.

Whatever he had planned, the nurse must have thought that Mystery was preparing for it because she offered a smile and pulled the wheel chair up to the side of the bed. Mystery had vague memories of the woman checking in on her a time or two over the course of the day. Probably she'd been by more but Mystery had been too out of it to have noticed. After studying the monitors for a moment, she turned her attention to Mystery. "Your color is definitely better after some rest," the nurse proclaimed as she unhooked the wires for the monitor. She reached out to take hold of one of Mystery's arms. Much to her horror, Steve was there to take the other. Together, the two of them helped her down into the chair. Steve pulled one of the blankets from the bed and draped it over Mystery's legs. "A few more days of rest should see you back to your normal self."

"Did you hear that, Rogers? My normal self." She shot him a look that involved a smirk and a raised eyebrow. He only smiled back, as if he wasn't afraid of her at all. If the nurse found her words odd, she didn't let it show. Instead, she busied herself by disconnecting from her arm the tubes that fed whatever was in the IV bag and the blood directly into her veins. The ends were left laying on top of the machine that regulated how fast the IV flowed, forgotten in the nurse's obvious and puzzling excitement.

Mystery might have asked where they were going, but to do so would indicate that her companion was making decisions without consulting her. The nurse might find that odd and the last thing she wanted to be was the topic of gossip at the nursing station or desk or whatever the hell it was. So she settled into the chair and wondered if she could get away with blowing up something small. To let Rogers know she wasn't happy with him. No doubt he knew what she was capable of. No doubt he'd been debriefed about her and her fellow villainesses when Tony and Clint had been returned to the ranks of the Avengers. And no doubt he'd be pissed as hell if she blew up some part of the hospital. Balls.

The nurse pushed the chair with Steve tagging along beside them. He opened the door when they reached it and held it for the woman. Once out in the hallway, the two of them chattered aimlessly. On the occasions when either of them directed a comment or question Mystery's way, she gave them an appropriate answer. But for the most part, she was lost in thought. This whole day had been very surreal and she didn't know what the hell was going to happen before it was over with.

It wasn't until she was faced with a broad bank of windows set into a long wall that she had an idea just where they were going. When she turned a glare Steve's way, he only smiled down at her. This was so not fair. She didn't want to go into that room. She didn't want to see the child. Their child. She didn't want to look at him because she knew if she did, she wouldn't want to let him go. She was sure that was exactly what Rogers had in mind by this little trip.

The door to the NICU was an automatic sliding door that allowed them into a room where sterile clothes were kept. The nurse smiled at them happily. "You'll need to observe a few safety rules but you're welcome to stay and visit your son as long as you want." She motioned to the sink against the wall. "Wash your hands thoroughly. And you'll need to wear gowns inside."

The nurse handed them both a blue paper gown that tied in the back. Mystery couldn't help snickering when Steve had his on. It just wasn't him. She had to climb from the chair to slip into her own gown and doing so proved more difficult than she'd imagined. Much against her will, Steve helped her stand and then helped her into the gown. Fortunately, the sink wasn't so far away that she couldn't make it on her own and she spent several minutes washing her hands under the watchful gaze of her nurse. When she was done, she leaned against the edge of the sink and tried to keep on her feet.

It was amazing how weak she felt. She hadn't thought she'd lost quite that much blood.

"I'm going to leave the chair here. When you're ready to go back to your room, you can do so. I'll come in and help hook everything back up. Take your time. There's no rush. And don't forget to talk to him. Sing to him. Let him know you're there. I don't know if you'll be able to touch him yet, but that'll come in time." The woman slapped the button that opened the door into the NICU proper. Mystery stared through the opening as if it would lead to her death.

His arm wrapped around her shoulders, Steve urged her forward and helped her into the large, sterile room. There were a handful of nurses wearing the same paper gowns, moving through the different beds to check on their charges. They'd obviously been expecting her and Steve because one of the nurses came to their side and smiled. "Hi. I'm Nurse Cindy. You're here to see your little boy. Let me show you to him."

"Thank you," Rogers said, then propelled Mystery along beside him as he followed the woman across the room to one of the glass encased beds. There were chairs beside the thing and he silently, thoughtfully, helped her into it. The seat was up high enough that she could look into the incubator without having to strain her neck. Not that she really wanted to look because what she saw damn near broke her heart.

There were tubes everywhere. Tubes and wires that were connected to the tiny body all over the place. It was hard to see him through it all. There was a knit cap in blue on his head, but she thought she saw little wisps of blondish colored hair peeking out from under it. Matching blue booties and mitts covered his little hands and feet and he practically swam in his diaper. He appeared to be sleeping, his little chest rising and falling rapidly with his every breath. Nurse Cindy smiled at him. "He's a fighter. His vitals have already started to climb and stabilize."

"That's a good thing, right?" Mystery heard herself ask, voice hoarse with emotion.

"Its a very good thing. You can't touch him yet. His skin is too sensitive. But he knows your voice. Talk to him. Sing to him. Let him know you're here. It'll help him fight," Cindy told her. "Have you picked a name out for him yet?"

Mystery forced herself to look up and away, swallowing hard against the emotion lodged in her throat. "No. Not yet. I haven't..." she trailed off. Cindy smiled at her, then reached out and patted Mystery's hand with her own.

"I understand. Take all the time you want. I'm going to leave you alone with your son so you can get to know him. If you need anything, please let us know." She flashed them another brilliant smile, then turned and drifted over to the other side of the room. Mystery gave her attention back to the bed and its tiny inhabitant to find that Steve was staring down at the boy intently. She couldn't read the look on his face, but she was sure there would be some worry there. And some fatherly pride. She hated him for doing this.

"You're a bastard," she hissed at him, struggling against the urge to cry. Rogers turned to look at her, nothing on his face to suggest her words had ruffled him. "You had no right to do this. I didn't want to see him. This is something that one of the bad guys would do. Why did you bring me here?"

"Because I thought you should see the child we made. A child we made out of love."

She cut him off with a snort. "A child we made out of lust is more like it."

Steve gave her a quizzical look at that, but said nothing about her outburst. He pushed on as if she hadn't spoken at all. "I thought you should see him and understand that your decisions don't just affect you. They affect me. And him." He laid a hand gently against the plastic wall that separated them from their child.

"I didn't want to come here. I didn't want to see him. I didn't want to..." she stopped and swallowed, unwilling to admit to him that this was harder for her than she let on. She should have known that he'd see right through her pitiful attempts. He turned to stare at her, expectation on his face. Mystery stubbornly pressed her lips together.

One brow lifted in silent query. "You didn't want to what?"

"I didn't want to love him, damn it!" she spat at him and glanced away. "This is a low blow. Even for you, this is low. Why couldn't you have just left me alone? Why did you have to come here and butt into my life? I was content with things the way they were."

"You were content to let someone else raise our baby?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. I was. And it isn't our baby. There is no us. You're fucking delusional if you think there is." She pushed up out of the chair until she stood unsteadily on her feet. "I'm going back to my fucking room. I don't want to see you again. Don't come back. Don't visit me. Just stay away and leave me what little dignity and pride I have left to me."

"You've suffered major blood loss. You shouldn't be walking. Sit down and..." he began, his tone patient and even. That was worse than anything. How dare he think he could handle her? How dare he think he knew her so well?

"Fuck you. I'll leave here, even if I have to crawl back to my room." She had to get away from him. Before the damage was done. Before she lost her will and let herself believe that there was a them. That the baby was theirs. Before she did it yet again. But doing and saying were two different things. She'd barely managed to lift her foot when the dizziness hit with a vengeance. Her hands reached out for him without her knowledge and, like the hero he was, he was there to take hold of her and help her back down into the chair.

She kept her eyes closed. She didn't want to see the concern she was sure was on his face. She didn't want to look at him and think that he felt anything for her. She didn't want to hope that she could have something she didn't deserve. Exhaustion washed over her. She was so damned tired. Emotionally. Physically. The pillows on her bed were calling her so loudly that she could hear them even so far away. She was going to fucking kill Kiera for this.

"Mystery? Are you okay?" Steve's voice was soft and gentle. filled with tenderness that she didn't deserve. One of his hands touched her face, his fingers moving lightly across her temple and down her cheek to her chin. "Mystery, look at me." She shook her head once, just enough to let him know she didn't want to. "Please."

It was the please that did her in. She found her eyes opening so that he could stare into them. She wasn't prepared for the worry in his, nor was she prepared for the mask of concern he wore so boldly on his face. "Why did you have to come here?" she whispered. "Why couldn't you have left me alone? I could have pretended then..."

"Pretended what, Mystery?" he asked quietly.

She didn't want to tell him. She wanted to keep it all to herself, but she was so damned tired of fighting. And he was so determined to have the truth from her, all of it, that he would persist. He'd ask and beg and cajole and chip away at her defenses until she was stripped bare and there was nothing left to protect her. "I could have pretended that it was all a beautiful dream."

Her answer seemed to surprise him. "Why would you want to pretend that?"

Of course he wouldn't know. He was every man's man. Hero of heroes. He was Captain Fucking America and she was nothing. Not a fucking thing. When she finally answered him, she knew that her eyes were dark with anger. "Because reality fucking sucks! Okay? Are you happy now? It all fucking sucks and when I had that dream, it didn't seem so bad."

Slowly, as if he was afraid he would frighten her, Steve crouched down until he was more or less at eye level with her. His hands slid into her lap and took hold of hers, his fingers holding tight when she tried to tug her hands out of his grasp. The look on his face said he wasn't going to let go. Not until they had all of this, whatever 'this' was, sorted out. So she gave up and let her hands go limp in his hold. "What was the dream?"

"You and Sarah. That was the dream. Memories of you and Sarah." He was going to think she was the worst kind of freak. Why that mattered, she didn't know. Everyone else thought her a huge freak. What did it matter if he thought the same of her?

"You mean you and I."

"No. I mean you and Sarah. That wasn't me you were in bed with, Rogers. That was someone else."

He blinked at that and studied her face with intense blue eyes. It seemed to her that he was considering something. Absently, she thought that he had to be uncomfortable in that continual crouch. But if he was, he didn't show it. Instead, he gave her hands a squeeze in encouragement. "I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me. Truthfully. Can you do that?"

"Anything if it'll get this hell over with," she promised. She wasn't good with such things as emotions and the touchy feely shit. She was better at expressing herself with explosions and expletives.

He eyed her speculatively for a few moments, then nodded and spoke. "Why did you agree to go out with me that first time?"

"It wasn't me. It was Sarah." The reply was automatic. And it brought a frown to his face.

"You may have been wearing Sarah's face, but it was you who agreed to go out with me. Tell me why."

How did she explain that one? How did she tell him why without really telling him why? She wasn't always as eloquent with her words as she wanted to be and she was sure this would be one of those times. "Because it was something mundane and normal. And I wanted to feel normal just once in my life."

The statement seemed to genuinely puzzle him. "You don't think you're normal?"

"I can blow people up, Rogers. Does that strike you as normal? Or my hair? What about my hair is normal? I've been the freak for as long as I can remember. The day you asked me out, I was tired of it." She paused for a breath and watched as he made ready to say something else about normal. Shooting him a look, she pressed on. "Once, when I was a teenager, I was among a crowd of classmates. I had a few friends, but none like Kiera. I don't remember where I was. A party. The mall. Where ever. But there I was, standing with these other girls, and one of them turned to look at me. She told me, to my face and in the bitchiest voice she could manage, that I exuded an aura of weird and I should just quit trying to be normal."

"You're still a human being, Mystery." She just looked at him. She'd spent her entire life knowing what one human being could do to another. It wasn't much of an argument. She shrugged one shoulder absently. At that, he frowned. "You don't believe that you deserve the same things everyone else deserves? Someone to love and care for you? Someone to wrap you in their arms and hold you close? Someone who wants to be with you because they can't imagine living without you?"

"I'm a villain. Villains don't deserve to love. Villains don't deserve to have someone care about them or hold them. Villains don't deserve to be happy. Villains don't deserve those things. That means I don't deserve those things." She shook her head and looked away from him. Away from the tiny baby that fought for life in the incubator beside them. If she stared at him, she'd want to keep him. She'd want to play mommy and she'd want to do it with Steve. She couldn't let herself think about it.

"Mystery, look at me." There was so much tenderness in his voice. So much that she felt tears well up in her eyes, felt them roll down her cheeks to drip off her chin. One of his fingers lifted and caught a tear, wiped it from her cheek so gently. She couldn't help it. She looked at him. There was a smile on his face, one that was sweet and understanding. "When Sarah and I were dating..." He paused and frowned, then shook his head and started again. "When you and I were dating, what did you feel? What emotions were running through your heart and your head?"

"I told you. That wasn't me. That was Sarah."

"Sweetheart, you may have been Sarah's face and body, but it was still all you. Body, mind, and soul. Every smile, every laugh, every moan and sigh. It was you who enjoyed our dates. You who threw yourself so willingly into my bed. It was you who called my name in such breathy, throaty tones. You who pleaded for more and begged for it to end. And it was you who moaned so prettily when you came for me. Not Sarah." He smiled up at her, reached up to wipe away another tear. "Maybe the exterior looked like Sarah. But everything on the inside was all you, Mystery. All of it. So tell me why you went out with me. Tell me the emotions involved. Because there wouldn't have been more than one date if you hadn't felt anything for me.."

"I don't know why I said yes that first time. Maybe it was the head injury. Maybe I thought you were a wonderful guy. That was something I wanted. I really needed to be around someone who was male and who wasn't going to just..." She stopped and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just needed to prove to myself that I could be around a man who wanted to talk instead of fuck."

"But that night, after dinner. What changed?"

"You looked at me with such gorgeous blue eyes. And I could tell you wanted Sarah. Me. Whoever. It was the ultimate aphrodisiac and power trip all rolled up into one. I wanted you, too. I wanted you more than I was willing to admit." At that, Mystery laughed mirthlessly. "How could I not want you? You're like the perfect guy. So handsome. Sensitive. Gentle and tender. Sexy as hell. Buff. Amazing in bed. That night was probably one of the most intense nights of my life. It still gives me shivers."

"You didn't keep seeing me for the sex, Mystery." There was such a knowing tone in his voice. It sent panic racing through her. Dear gods above, he couldn't know. How could he know? She'd never breathed a word to him, never let him know what was going on. She hadn't even said anything to Kiera and she told Kiera damn near everything.

"No," she whispered.

"Tell me." His tone was coaxing and cajoling. Soft and pleasant. She wanted to look away, look at anything else but his face. But she couldn't make herself. She didn't want to stare at their baby, didn't want to see his tiny little body buried in tubes behind the plastic barrier. She didn't want to look at the other beds, either. Didn't want to stare at the staff. Didn't want to answer him. "Tell me, Mystery. When did it happen?"

"What does it matter? It would never work between us. You're the ultimate boy scout. The biggest hero on the face of the earth. And I'm a villain." He said nothing to that. In fact, he gave all appearances of not having heard it. Instead, he stared at her knowingly and simply waited for her to answer his question. Patiently. "Why, Steve? What does it matter? Why is this so important?"

He raised a hand toward her. It cupped her face gently, his thumb stroking the upper curve of her cheek in a slow, almost hypnotic rhythm. She sighed and closed her eyes, allowed herself to sink into his touch for just a little while. "Please tell me, Mystery."

"That first night. When you were on your knees before me. I think it happened then." She sighed and pulled back from his touch. When her eyes opened, he was frowning at her. "I don't know why this is so important to you, Steve. It was nothing more than sex."

At that, he gave a chuckle. "Sweetheart, if you think that what happened between us was just sex, you don't know me at all." He took her hands again and pressed a kiss to each one, his lips barely grazing her knuckles. "While I might have adapted to modern times, I am still a product of the era in which I was born. Some of my beliefs are very old fashioned. Back in the Forties, men were taught to respect women. You didn't just climb into bed with them. You got to know them. Dated them. Fell in love with them and married them. Then you made love to them. Now, granted, I've let go of some of those ideas, but not all of them. I still have to care very deeply about a woman before I'll climb into bed and make love with her."

Mystery could only stare at him. This wasn't what she'd been expecting from him. Not that she knew what she'd expected, but certainly not this. Was he professing to love her? Or did he just have feelings? His hand lifted again, fingers grazing her cheek before reaching up to push her hair back. "When Kiera slapped her palm against my shirt and I saw the blood she left behind, I couldn't imagine what she thought she'd accomplish. But then she said that it was your blood, that you were pregnant and could die. I didn't think. I didn't stop to consider that it might be a trick. I just climbed into her car with her because I realized that I would never forgive myself if something happened to you and I never got the chance to tell you."

She had to swallow before she could find her voice. "Tell me what?"

"I was a fool to throw you out the way I did. But I was mad that day. And hurt. I didn't think. I only reacted."

"You had every right to throw me out. I'd lied to you."

He nodded at that. "Yes. You'd lied to me. But once I calmed down and I had time to think everything over, I realized that you'd lied because you knew that I'd never have accepted the truth. I'd have never believed that you were there with me because it was something you wanted. I'd have just seen one of the women responsible for kidnapping my friends, thought that she was trying to do it again. I didn't realize until much later that you'd been just as emotionally invested in our relationship as I had. And I should have given you the chance to explain yourself."

"You wouldn't have believed me then."

He ignored that even though they both knew the truth of her words. It didn't really matter anymore, did it? "I am so sorry I hurt you. And I'm sorry it took me this long to realize it. Do you think you can give me another chance, Mystery?"

"But... Why? Why would you want a chance? Why want me?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" he gave her a half smile. That tiny bit of expression lifted some of the fear off her shoulders. "I can't say for certain what it is I feel right now. Other than the fact that it runs deep, whatever it is. I want a chance to explore it with you. I want a chance to find out exactly what it is. I want to be a part of our son's life. Your life. I just want a chance, Mystery. Is that too much to ask?"

"It wouldn't work, Steve. I'm..." she began, but he lifted his hand to press his fingers against her lips. Of all the things he could have said to her, never had she thought that it would be all of this.

"You're a villain. I know. But I've seen good in you. When you were playing at being Sarah, it was there. It shone on you like an aura or a halo. Now, when you're staring at our son. I see it in your eyes. You're capable of being something more than you are. You can be good. You just have to want it." His glance slid from her face to the incubator and his voice came quiet. "I want to try and build a life with you and our son. Together. The three of us."

"I don't know if I can."

"Of course you can. It'll take work. But I'll be there to help." He stopped and offered her a sheepish grin. "I know more about you than you think I do. Tony, Clint, and Thor filled in some. Tony's computer filled in the rest. I know what you've done in the past, so I know what you're capable of. You can do anything you set your mind to, Mystery."

She turned away from him to stare at the tiny baby boy. They'd made him, she and Steve. And he deserved to have better than she had. She'd thought that better was a family that would love him. But how could anyone love him more than she could? And she knew she loved him. She'd never admitted to Kiera during her all too short pregnancy, but she'd loved him almost from the very first moment. The idea that she might have lost him had left her filled with fear. He was her son. And she wanted him with her.

Could she be the mother he deserved? Could she be the woman Steve wanted? Could she give her villainous ways up for a life with the ultimate boy scout? She didn't know. She wanted to. But she honestly didn't know if she could. She'd been a villain all of her life. And she'd done horrible things. There was no way she could erase the past. And there were no doubt people who would never forgive her. What would happen if they came after her? If they tried to hurt her family?

That thought gave her pause. Her family? She was thinking about them as if they were already hers. Gods, the temptation was strong. Did she really dare? Would it all be so simple as saying she was done being bad?

There were so many questions. Questions to which she had no answers. In the end, it all came down to what she really wanted and what she was willing to do to earn it. To keep it. Did she want to be a mother? Yes. Now that the baby was here and she could see his little face, she wanted him. She wanted to be his mother so desperately. Did she want to build a real relationship with Steve? Yes. She wanted that, too. She wasn't willing to admit just what it was she felt for him, even though it seemed he already knew. But the feelings were there. And she might be able to tell him one day. Some day...

It would take work. So much work. She'd enjoyed being a villain. Reveled in it. Together, she and Kiera had been a force to be reckoned with. Oh, gods. Kiera! What would Kiera think about all of this? She'd absolutely kill her. She'd never understand this. Neither would her old contacts and the people she contracted to. No one would understand her sudden withdrawal from the villainy game. Would she be able to put that life fully behind her? Or would it come back to bite her in the ass? Would anyone other than herself understand? So many questions. So many concerns. So many worries and fears.

In the end, though, it didn't matter. None of that mattered in the face of the life she'd just brought into the world. As she sat there and stared at the baby in his incubator, one tiny hand, covered by a soft blue mitt, reached for her as his arm stretched in her direction. As if to say that he wanted her. That one movement, tiny and unintentional as it was, was all it took to break her. She reached out to press the palm of her hand against the plastic.

Decision made, some of the tightness around her heart eased and tears slid down over her cheeks. Tears of joy. Tears of mourning. It wasn't important. Nothing was as important as the brightness that the future offered her. Steve's voice was soft and tentative, as if he didn't know how she would react to hearing her name. "Mystery?" His hands lifted and cupped her cheeks, gently turning her head so that she once more faced him. The question he hadn't asked shone in his eyes.

She offered him a watery smile. "I like the name Alexander."

Slowly, so very slowly, a look of wonder and joy spread across his face. It was so beautiful to see. "Alexander is a good name. Its a strong name."

"Alexander Patrick," she offered. His smile grew.

"Alexander Patrick Rogers. Its a good name."

Mystery lifted a brow at him and managed to give him a cool look. "Rogers? Keep dreaming, stud. Jennings for now. Maybe in time, if you're lucky, we'll change his last name to Rogers." The look of disbelief he shot her way left her unable to play the game any longer and she found herself laughing at it.

"Is that a hint, Mystery?" The look on his face was such that she couldn't tell if he was serious or joking.

"I'm not ready for the white dress and the diamond ring, stud." She shook her head at him. "I've only just decided to give up my evil ways and go over to the dork side. But that doesn't mean you can't ask me later."

He said nothing to that, simply regarded her with clear blue eyes. Eyes that he eventually turned toward the incubator and their son. "Do you sing, Mystery?"

"I have a passing fair voice," she admitted, her own gaze shifting back to the boy... To Alexander.

"Sing for him," he prompted. "Sing for our son."

She searched her mind for a song that would be appropriate for such an occasion. No one had ever really sang lullabies to her. But she knew of a few songs that might work to soothe the babe. She pushed everything from her mind, until she was aware of only herself, Steve, and the baby.

And she sang.