I awoke to an empty bed the next morning. It was so quiet. Steve must've gone to the gym this morning.

I roll over and look at the alarm clock. That's strange. It's almost ten in the morning. He would be home by now.

I stretch before I walk into the living room. It's was quiet. Too quiet. Normally I can hear the TV from our bedroom. This time, it's not even turned on. There were no dirty dishes in the sink. The coffee pot hadn't even been touched.

Something's not right. Where's Steve?

I walk back into the bedroom. I check everywhere. But Steve is nowhere to be found. That is, until I notice a piece of paper on his night stand. It was a letter.

Alice,
I received an urgent call this morning. I'm sorry to leave you alone, but Fury wants me to go out on a mission. Had to go to a quick meeting about it. I'll be home this afternoon.
Love you,
Steve

Great. Another mission. It seems that's all Fury ever wants us to do anymore. Especially Steve. Sometimes I wonder if I would be better off leaving SHIELD.  I've been through a lot since the New York battle. I would like to have a family. Moving away from SHEILD seems like the only way to raise a family. But then again, I guess that depends on whether or not Steve would want a family.

As the day goes by, I continue to question leaving SHEILD behind. It's not until four o'clock in the afternoon that my mind is drawn away from that. Steve had returned from the meeting.

"How was the meeting?" I ask.

Steve slowly sits down in the reclining chair.

"Same as every other. Long and boring." He replies.

"You know, I've been thinking." I start.

"About what?" Steve rests his head on the back of the chair and closes his eyes.

"Leaving SHEILD. That way we could settle down after we're married and start a family." I say.

Steve's eyes shoot open. Oh great. I knew I brought it up too early.

"Why would you want to leave SHEILD?" Steve asks. That surprised me. I thought he would be more upset about me wanting a family.

"Because, if we're ever going to raise a family, I want to give them a normal life. I don't want them to get caught up in our crazy jobs." I explain.

"Look, I understand that. But are we both normal people, Alice? No, we're not. And I don't think our kids will be normal either. All I'm trying to say is, we belong at SHEILD. Our kids will grow up knowing that what we do for a living is not normal. There might be some bumps along the way, but everything will work out."

"So you're saying, you would want to raise a family with me?" I ask.

"Alice, I would love to raise a family with you." He finished, making me smile.