The next morning I wake up to the missed feeling of someone's warm body pressed close to mine. Turning slightly, I come face to face with a sleeping Captain America, a rare sight to those who don't know better. Cuddled to his chest, my back pressed firmly against his front, Steve's arm acts like a band of steel wrapped around my waist. Snuggling in closer to his chiseled chest, I sigh contently as I feel him tighten his arm around me, pulling me closer in his sleep.

"I love you." I whisper, kissing his cheek softly. Moaning slightly, Steve moves in his sleep, putting his nose in the crock of my neck and inhaling deeply. His exhales sends cool hair on my sensitive skin, making goosebumps pop up on my skin and sending shivers down my spin.

"Good morning, beautiful." Steve says in a hoarse voice, his slightly scruffy stubble scrapping sensuously across my upper arm.

"Good morning to you too. I'd think after last night you'd be worn-out." I reply, feeling the telltale signs of Steve's growing arousal.

"I would be, except I haven't been laid in nearly a year. All this energy's gotta go somewhere." Steve replies, giving me an unapologetic look making me giggle.

"You've been spending too much time with Stark and Barton." I say between fits of chuckles, making the bed shake.

"You're right. I have. What I need to do is spend more time with you." Steve agrees, moving to hover above me to begin kissing my neck.

"Steve I can't. You wore me out." I sigh, loving the feel of Steve's unshaven face rubbing against my bare skin.

"C'mon Sky. I've got about a year's worth of pent up sexual frustrations." Steve whines, kissing me lovingly.

"I would think after last night all that frustration would be released." I admit, kissing my husband's forehead as he rests his entire body on mine, the Hydra serum running through me allowing me to handle the extra weight.

"I still got a few tricks up my sleeve." Steve counters, kissing my lips slowly.

"As appealing as the offer sounds, I'll have to turn it down. I've got things I've got to do and so do you, mister." I say, pushing Steve off of me as I try to wiggle out from under him. "Starting with a shower." I smell the leftover scent of our lovemaking and sweat on my husband's skin, an interesting combination.

"Only if you join me." Steve pleas moving off the bed to scope me in his arms.

"Fine you big oaf." I agree, laughing as Steve moves us toward the bathroom.

An hour later we're both showered, changed, and preparing breakfast. Sitting on one of the barstools reading the paper, I watch as Steve sips his coffee, not paying much attention to me.

"Steve, I have something to tell you." I say, getting my husband's attention quickly.

"What?" Steve asks, worry being the first emotion to flash across his handsome face.

"I applied to medical school while I was in California and I got in. My classes start tomorrow." I confess, surprising Steve.

"Congratulations." Steve replies, pulling my close to kiss my lips. "Which school?"

"The New York University School of Medicine. It's right here in Manhattan." I answer, moving to stand between Steve's open legs.

"That's wonderful, Sky. What kind of medicine are you majoring in?"

"Emergency medicine. I figure it will benefit the team the most." I reply, looking sheepishly toward my husband.

"That's brilliant, I'm so proud of you." Steve says, standing up and encircling my small body with his larger one.

"Thanks. I need to run to Staples and get some supplies. I haven't been to school for awhile so I don't know exactly what to get." I say, feeling unsure for the first time in a long time.

"Don't worry you'll get through it, I know you will. And I'll help you as much as I can." Steve assures me, kissing my forehead lovingly.

"Thanks I know you will." I say, leaning into his warmth.

"Do you want me to go shopping with you?"

"If you want. I didn't want to ruin your plans if you had any."

"Don't worry about me. You spent the better part of our marriage worrying about me when I should be worried about you." Steve says, kissing my lips this time and giving me all the assurance I need to know I'll succeed.

"Okay. Let's go now. I want to get back in time to invite my father to dinner." I say, Steve nodding his head against mine.

We return from shopping over two hours later, large bags of supplies as well as new clothes for school. We eat lunch out at Rockefeller Center, enjoying the summer weather of New York. When we return it's mid afternoon and I'm exhausted. Keeping good on my word to myself, I call my father and ask him to meet for dinner, half-hoping he won't agree. Of course, being my father, he does and invites Dante along too, because both men want to talk to me since I've returned to New York. I agree to host both of them for dinner, asking JARVIS to pull up recipes on how to make chicken.

After about an hour and a half in the kitchen, I feel that my plans for dinner will be excellent. I'm making a Dominican style chicken as well as having salad and beer and for dessert cupcakes, my father's favorite chocolate and peanut butter frosting ones. I finish the preparation for the meal in time to shower and change into nicer dinner clothes, asking Steve to set the table while I finish getting ready. Obeying without question, Steve sets the table to perfection, knowing how much this dinner means to my family's rough relationship and me.

When I reemerge from our bedroom I'm dressed in a nice cocktail dress with a necklace my grandfather gave me when I graduated college. I decide to go barefoot, hating high heels. I also pull my hair back in a messy bun, keeping my, now grown out, bangs pinned to the side with a sparkly clip. Everything looks wonderful in the apartment, the chicken making the room smell delicious, the candles keeping a warm, friendly glow to the evening's sunset, and the wonderfully decorated table set for four.

"Everything looks wonderful, thank you so much for helping." I tell Steve, wrapping myself in his arms as he sways me slightly to the light jazz music playing on the speakers.

"It's my pleasure. I know how much your family means to you and I want this to be special." Steve replies, nestling his chin into my neck fondly.

A knock at the door signals my family's arrival, I'm internally groaning at the thought of my father and husband in the same room after a tense Thanksgiving two years before.

Putting a smile on my face, I open the door and greet my father and grandfather as warmly as I can, knowing this night can only go one of two very bipolar ways. Entering the modest apartment, Dante instantly kisses my cheeks and hugs me tightly, greeting me in formal Italian, as is his favorite custom. As for my father, well he kisses my cheek and hands me a glass of wine, a gift that warms me to my center for his thoughtfulness despite not knowing anything about gifts.

"Thank you for coming. It means a lot to us." I say, moving to open the bottle and pour both men a glass of wine.

"It's my honor, Lizzie. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Dante says, taking a seat at the bar and accepting the offered glass.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you call her 'Lizzie'?" Steve asks, speaking for the first time that evening.

Surprising me is Dante's calm response; usually he's defensive about revealing the history to his favorite nickname for me. "Elizabeth is her middle name. Elizabeth is also the name of her grandmother, my wife, who went by Lizzie and looks quite a bit like her, just like your mother." Dante says, looking at me though answering Steve's question.

"He's called me Lizzie ever since I was a kid. My grandmother called me 'Little Liz' when I had first learned we shared the same name, though it's my middle name and her first." I elaborate, happy to share a piece of fond childhood memories with my husband.

"That's a lovely name." Steve says towards my grandfather, trying desperately to earn his approval.

"Thank you. She died several years ago from breast cancer." Dante says in his usual deep, raspy voice, almost as if it didn't faze him, which I knew was a lie.

For Dante to reveal to Steve that his wife passed away was a huge deal for him, though Steve may not know the significance of it. Dante never reveals any personal information about himself to strangers and certainly not to people he doesn't trust. For him to openly tell Steve about my nickname and my grandmother is a huge step in a positive direction, something I can tell upsets my father by the way he tenses at the mentioning of my mother.

"Shall we move on to dinner? Who's hungry?" I say, trying to defuse my father's growing irritation.

"That's an excellent idea, Lizzie. What is for dinner?" Dante asks, sitting his glass down in front of a place at the table.

"I made chicken like mom used to as well as a salad and cupcakes for dessert, your favorite dad." I reply, putting out the salad while Steve places the large plate of meat on the table.

"Wonderful, your mother was an excellent cook." Dante says, helping me into my seat before taking his own.

My father sits quietly at his seat, accepting the offered food and eating his fair share. Slowly nursing a beer, Xander hasn't said much of anything since arriving at the party, something that makes me feel uneasy. Usually the life of the party and a showoff on the dance floor, my dad's quiet demeanor is not comforting.

"How do you like the chicken? I made it myself with some help from JARVIS." I ask, looking around at the three men's reactions.

"It's delicious, honey." Steve says, not lying since he's a terrible liar, especially to me.

"Marvelous, couldn't make it better myself." Dante compliments, finishing off his piece and reaching for a second.

"What do you think, dad?" I ask, looking toward my silent father.

"It's good." Xander replies, taking a sip of beer and finishing off his second helping.

"You know, Xander, you could say some more. Your daughter went through a lot of effort to make you a wonderful dinner." Dante scolds my father, something that's always gotten under my dad's skin.

"You know, Dante, you could shut your mouth when your opinion isn't asked for." Xander retorts, his deep voice calm, but an undertone of anger is evident.

Frowning at my father, Dante doesn't respond, instead taking another bit of food and giving Xander a cold stare.

"Please don't fight. I want you two to get along." I say, looking between both men praying to whoever will listen that they don't start World War III.

"I get along with your father just fine, it's him that doesn't get along with me." Dante says, watching my father's reaction carefully.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dante. I don't have any issues with you at all." Xander says, leaning back and folding his hands in front of him, looking quite relaxed under Dante's hateful look.

"Okay enough, both of you. I wanted to invite you both here so we could have a nice family dinner, but since you both want to act like children have at it." I snap, standing up abruptly and storming off to my room, hating the outcome of the evening.

Pacing the floor of my room, I wait, biting my nails hoping they'll leave so I can clean up in private. Of course being two of the most stubborn men I know, neither will leave, back down, or apologize to the other. What surprises me most is what Steve does. Instead of staying out of two old dog's fight, which he has no dog in, Steve snaps at both of them, I can hear from inside my room as his anger boils over.

"Can't you see how much you're hurting Skylar by acting like this?" Steve shouts at the two men, loud enough that I can hear from inside our room. "You two men the world to her and she only invited you here to tell you we got married."

There's silence on their end as Steve's words sink in. I hold my breath, moment of truth. Knowing my father he probably already knew and isn't happy about being told last, as well as not by me. As for Dante, he's probably infuriated that a younger man, though not really, is speaking with such disrespect towards an elder, again they're really about the same age. Their responses are quiet, mumbled by the door and walls that separate the bedroom from the dinning room. All I can tell is that whatever is said, the three have come to an agreement, something that surprises me as well as satisfies me.

The knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. I open it to find Steve looking at me with hopeful eyes to return to the party, the evening not a total disaster his silent words say. I agree instantly, throwing myself into his arms and kissing him senseless, almost forgetting that my watchful father and grandfather are present. Pulling away, I blush at my display of affections, usually something we keep minimal.

"Your father and have something to say." Dante begins, looking toward my father to continue.

"We wanted to tell you we're sorry for acting like this and that we support the marriage." Xander says, a little more forced than Dante, but still genuine.

"We also want to congratulate you on getting into medical school. If you need any help with tuition don't hesitate to ask." Dante adds, pulling me into a warm hug.

"Thank you, grandpa. And thank you dad. You don't know how much it means to me to hear you two say that." I say, hugging each man and kissing his cheeks.

"Well c'mon, the night is still young and we've got cupcakes." Steve says, bringing back the light-hearted element and beginning to serve the dessert.

The following day is my first day at medical school, a new journey with new trials and triumphs, but worth all the struggles. I spend four long years at NYU medical school, earning my doctorate in emergency medicine. During that time, Steve and I strengthened our relationship and bond as well as solidified our trust and love for one another. Also while I was at school, my brother was released from the hospital, returning home to New York. At Thanksgiving that year, Tony celebrated with a huge party and dinner, inviting all our friends, old and new. As for me, I couldn't ask for a better family. Though it was a rocky start and an even more uncertain middle, I feel like the journey to becoming Mrs. Skylar Rogers was totally worth it. I wouldn't trade the ups and downs for anything in the world. That's what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving: Steve, my family, my friends, my teammates. The people who love me, shape me, and protect and support me in everything I do without hesitation.

"Skylar, can I ask you something." Steve says, bringing my attention from my musing to my husband, standing handsomely before me in a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms just the way I like it.

"Sure, what is it?" I ask, turning to face Steve fully.

Bending down on one knee, something that shocks me more than his next statement, Steve reveals the wedding band that I still haven't put back on. "Skylar Elizabeth Rogers-Anderson, it has been a hectic and crazy five years. We've had so many ups and downs, good times and bad, but all I know is that I wouldn't trade a minute of it, because through it all I got to be with you. You're my best friend, my wife, and the love of my life. I don't know where I'll be without you or who'd I be without your constant light. I love you, since the first day I laid eyes on you till the last day of my life. Will you do me the honors of becoming my wife again and renewing our vows?" Steve asks, the room growing silent as his question.

"Yes, yes!" I say, putting down my glass to hug my husband as he stands, lifting me off the ground and kissing me passionately on the lips.

This time, we have a proper wedding ceremony, my father, grandfather, brother, and all my teammates witnessing the grand event. Of course, Tony marries us, taking the class and earning his license to marry in the state of New York. We're married at sunset at Avengers tower up on the rough overlooking the entire city. I wear a modest white dress that hugs my curves and my hair is pulled up delicately into bun. Steve wears his army suit, his hair neatly gelled and Bucky as his best man, standing proudly behind him as he says his vows. I say my own vows, surrounded by family and friends.

"I, Skylar, take you Steve to be my husband. In sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse as long as we both shall live. I love you with all my heart; you're my best friend, my teammate, and the love of my life. I don't know where I'd be without you, but I do know is I want my future to be with you. I'm with you till the end."