Come Back With Me

It's All My Fault

Lizzie estimates that she is about three months pregnant which means she got pregnant basically right after they decided to start trying. He never said it, but she knows that he worried that what Hydra did to him could have prevented them for having a baby but obviously his worries were for naught.

It took Steve and Peggy only a week to figure it out. Lizzie could tell Steve knew something was up. She was never good at keeping stuff from him and their twin bond made it easier to tell when the other was hiding something.

Peggy figured it out soon after when Lizzie began being picky about what she was eating. Lizzie usually eats whatever is for dinner but she noticed that she has been eating hardly anything. There's been a few times where Lizzie will eat something and look like she's going to be sick. She could understand being sick when Barnes cooked but Lizzie always likes what Steve cooks.

She also notices that Barnes is fussing over her far more than usual. He's always been attentive but it was beginning to get ridiculous. She could tell that Lizzie was getting really close to snapping at him.

Peggy decides to confront Lizzie because she knows that Lizzie is either pregnant or sick. Peggy prays that it is the former because she doesn't know how any of them will hold it together if they lose Lizzie.

The girls were enjoying an afternoon together without the boys when she decides to bring it up. Peggy was never one to mince words so she comes right out with it.

"Are you pregnant?" Peggy asks bluntly.

Lizzie is blindsided by the question because she thought she was being discreet.

"How'd you know?" Lizzie asks.

"Well, the first thing that tipped me off is you look like you want to puke every time someone offers you food. What really sold me on the idea is the fact that Barnes has barely taken a step away from you and refuses to let you do anything on your own. I'm actually surprised you got him to stay away this afternoon," Peggy notes.

"I actually threatened bodily harm last night if he didn't give me some space. I love the man more than anything but he was beginning to suffocate me. The only time I get to myself anymore is work and going to the bathroom. He wanted me to step back from work during my pregnancy but I fought him on that. The baby is my priority so if work gets too stressful, I'll take a leave of absence but until then, I'm going to work," Lizzie says.

"I'm sorry but you know it's coming from a loving place," Peggy says.

Lizzie pauses because she needs to tell someone, but if she tells Peggy, she feels like she would be betraying Bucky's trust. However, she desperately needs a confidant.

"He's been having more panic attacks recently and I think he may be getting nightmares. He won't tell me what they are about but it's safe to say it's centered around the baby," Lizzie says.

Peggy can't say she's all too surprised. Barnes has been through a lot of trauma and she'd be shocked if that didn't cause any lasting issues.

"Have you confronted him about it?" Peggy asks.

"Yes, I confronted him about the nightmares and he actually snapped at me. He said that talking about them wasn't going to help. He apologize later but he still wouldn't tell me what they were about," she says.

"Do you think it's about Hydra?" Peggy says.

"Probably, when he does have nightmares, it's usually about what Hydra did to him or what Hydra made him do to other people. I think that these nightmares are new though because I can tell he's scared," Lizzie says.

Lizzie can always tell when he's having a nightmare. She always wants to wake him up to spare him, like when he wakes her up from her nightmares. However, he told her to never wake him up if he's having a nightmare. He didn't explain why but he was very serious and made her promise that she wouldn't. She didn't know why he was being so masochistic by dealing with them alone.