Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing associated with Marvel, Captain America, the Avengers, etc. Only original characters and ideas are mine.

AN: Sorry for not posting earlier; I was busy prepping for a Comic Con in my state, so this sort of got pushed aside until it was over.

Anyway, here's the epilogue for the story. I'll be posting some one-shots later on, including some holiday chapters as the year draws to a close, so keep an eye out for those. Meanwhile, enjoy the chapter, and please don't forget to review. Thanks!

Epilogue: Wakanda:

Starting over from scratch was hard, which was something Steve knew from experience.

The first time was when he was in his late teens. His mother had died, and he'd been forced to live on his own for the first time. He'd had Bucky to lean on for help, but it'd been difficult, struggling to find work and earn enough to house and feed himself, all on his own.

He'd been forced to start over a second time, after waking up from his imprisonment in the Artic. By then, Bucky was gone, but Fury had brought Adena into his life, to help ease the burden and the pain. Having her there had made things so much better, he never wanted to imagine what life would be like without her.

Now here he was again, only this time, his primary concern was Adena. His wife missed her family very much, and was constantly worried what might happen to them once Secretary Ross decided to officially brand the Rogers' as traitors. She feared that the US government would arrest and imprison them, in an attempt to get their hands on Steve through her and her family, and the strain of it all was starting to take its toll.

And when it came down to it, it was all Steve's fault.

Pretending to be reading his newspaper, Steve subtly glanced out of the corner of his eye and watched his wife cook breakfast, trying not to let the guilt overpower him. There were so many things he could or should have said, or done, that could have prevented this drastic change in their lives, and now it was too late.

Like she always did, Adena did her best to take it in stride. They'd been unable to return to their apartment to pack their things, but once Director Coulson had gotten word about it, he'd sent his best teams to take care of everything for them.

In less than a day, the Rogers' apartment had been discreetly emptied of everything they possessed, with no hint of where they were going. Steve had no idea how they managed to get into a building owned by Stark Industries without raising any suspicions, but he decided not to ask.

Somehow, their belongings had been sent to Wakanda, specifically to the rather nice house on the extensive area that was loosely called the 'palace grounds.'

Homes like this were supposed to be assigned to visiting ambassadors or members of the royal family, but King T'Challa had decided to give it to the Rogers' instead. It wasn't a mansion or anything grand, but it was spacious, with several bedrooms and bathrooms, a living room, dining area, kitchen, and laundry room. The inside was elegantly furnished, and given how advanced Wakanda was, everything was state-of-the-art.

In spite of all that, though, his main focus was his wife, who was looking rather pale. He knew it had to be because she had spent the past few weeks working frantically with Coulson, Maria Hill, and the Wakandan techs to find a secure means of communication with her family, all of whom were frantic about her safety. So far, Adena had been able to e-mail them once or twice, letting them know she was alright, but their replies were full of pleas for her to stay safe, and to return home soon.

Unfortunately, that last one was going to be impossible, at least for a while. That was what made it so hard on Adena, who counted family as one of the most important things in her life.

At least Tony had finally gotten his act together, and was now trying to work things out with the rest of the world, as well as with his friends.

It had taken a month or two, but out of the blue, Adena had gotten a call from Pepper, who had been working on getting Tony to see Steve's side on the whole Accords matter. From what Pepper had said, Tony was slowly realizing that Adena and Steve weren't the bad guys, and that he's been a complete jackass about a lot of things. He had presently set his team of high-priced lawyers to see if the world governments would adjust the Accords, and fashion a new agreement that would satisfy the nations of the world and the Avengers.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury had swiftly and silently come out of the shadows. Steve guessed that the former head of SHIELD had been away doing a few things under the radar, but had returned in order to work quietly with Tony to resolve the whole Accord issue.

Personally, Steve had a sneaking suspicion that Fury was providing a few select pieces of information to get politicians on the side of the Avengers. It wasn't ethical, but then, most politicians weren't.

'Some politicians and organizations were already on our side, but they needed a lot more help to get a better version of the Accords made and passed.'

Even if it involved a bunch of underhanded dealings, Steve wouldn't care, as long as it meant Adena could someday reunite with her family and friends back home.

But the two of them weren't the only ones in exile. The Avengers who had sided with Steve had been forced to go into hiding.

Last he had heard, Natasha was somewhere in Russia, or Eastern Europe. Adena still got text messages and emails from her, with the occasional photo, to let her know how she was doing.

Sam and the Twins had decided to come to Wakanda as well, along with Cyan. All of them spent most of their days studying the history and cultures of their new nation-home, while still practicing and training in the palace gymnasium, which rivaled the one at the Avengers' base. They each had their own house, too, for privacy, which they appreciated.

Clint was probably the only one who hadn't been forced to flee. His family's existence was still secret, so he'd gone back to his wife and kids, with Pepper's quiet promise that she and Tony would do everything possible to protect the anonymity of the Barton clan.

Bucky and Anna were in the same situation that Steve and Adena were. They had a house about a block away, and like their friends, their stuff had been packed up and shipped to Wakanda, all under the radar. There were undoubtedly a number of government spy organizations that were scratching their heads over this, but Steve couldn't care less about them.

"Breakfast is ready!" Adena called, scraping eggs onto a platter.

Steve pasted on a smile, so as not to worry her. She hadn't been feeling well lately, so he always tried his best to stay positive, just like she did.

As he sat down to his spiced scrambled eggs and toast, Steve watched as his wife picked at her own meal, not eating more than a tiny bite at a time. When she saw him watching, Adena gave him a smile that somewhat put his worries at ease.

"I had a call from Pepper," she said. "The UN is starting to pay attention to Tony's lawyers and their arguments for a newer, modified Accord agreement."

"I'm glad that the nations are starting to ease up a little," Steve said, giving her a genuine smile as he scooped up some eggs. "We could use a bit of good news."

Adena shifted nervously in her chair. "Well, I have some more good news," she said. "Steve…I'm pregnant."

In theory, Steve was supposed to be immune to shock and fainting. Now, he looked like he was caught between doing both.

To give him credit, the pregnancy was a complete shock for me, too. What I'd thought to be a case of the flu was clearly something much different. Of course, Steve and I had been married for over three years now, and I'd always thought that Steve's special serum would have guaranteed us some kids by now.

It hadn't happened, of course, but now it was.

Presently, my husband's fork hovered in midair as he stared at me. It was funny, watching him sit there with his mouth hanging open in surprise, but I managed to keep myself from laughing as I went over and gently closed his mouth.

After a few more seconds, Steve slowly lowered his fork. "Are you sure?" he whispered, eyes darting between my face and my stomach as he reached to take my hand. "I mean, really sure?"

Smiling, I took his hand and stepped closer. "I'm sure. I went and saw T'Challa's personal doctors, at his insistence, and they confirmed it. You're going to be a daddy."

With a dazed look still on his face, Steve rose from his chair and pulled me close, one hand coming to rest on my belly. "I can't believe it," he breathed, pressing his cheek against mine so that he could whisper in my ear. "Oh, Adena, you're going to be a fantastic mother."

Then he wrapped his arms around me and whirled us both around, causing me to squeal in laughter. "Steve, be careful!" I chuckled, slapping him gently on the shoulder. "Put me down!"

He did, but never stopped smiling. "We need to tell someone! Everyone! Bucky and Anna need to know, too."

"We will, but we don't have to rush," I said, laughing. "Let's take things slowly. We have to handle their wedding first, remember?"

Yes, my cousin was finally going to marry Bucky Barnes. The two had been planning a very small ceremony for a select few friends, but Anna wanted my help with putting the whole thing together.

But first things first: I needed to make a run to the bathroom to be sick.

Yup, this was going to be a whole new adventure for me and Steve.

AN: Yay, Steve's going to be a dad!

I'll probably post the first of my one-shots in a couple weeks, give or take, so keep a sharp eye out! Thanks so much for reading this story, and please don't forget to review. Thanks again!