Roommates

Please, just hear me out

The sound of the door opening a few minutes later had her head coming up from where it was resting on her knees to see Steve walk inside. He looked a little sad but she could see excitement dancing in those ocean blue eyes of his. Normally he would have known she was there, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. Not moving from her spot on the floor she quietly spoke, startling him. "Were you really going to leave without saying goodbye?"

"Jesus, Jamie! You scared the crap out of me. What are you doing there on the floor?" Spinning around Steve held his hand over his racing heart as he tried to think of how she knew he was leaving.

Keeping her voice soft, she just didn't have the energy to yell because she was trying hard to choke back her tears. "You know, I get it. I really do, Steve. You're angry and hurt over the life you think was stolen from you. But let me be real with you here for a minute." As she ripped off the truth band-aid Jamie's voice hardened. "I feel like I can just say this straight out because if you follow through with your little plan you'll be gone tomorrow and it won't matter if you don't like it." He silently stood there letting her talk. Steve hoped she'd understand where he was coming from once he explained himself. It didn't look like that was to be the case.

Standing up but still having to use the wall to hold herself up Jamie looked up at her friend with pain filled eyes. "The life you were meant to have had, happened. You sacrificed it for the sake of others, but you didn't die like you thought you would. Here. Now. This is your second chance. Not the one you're about to steal from the dozens of people Peggy loved. She got married. She had kids. Grandkids and great grandkids, Steve."

"If I go back before she ever meets her husband then I'll-"

"Kill them." He shakes his head in complete denial of what his actions would be doing to all of those people. "Yes, you will. Because they're alive today, Steve. They are alive and have lives and families. People who count on them. If you go back to do what you want you'll be killing them. Erasing them all from existence. Can you tell me you'd really be okay with doing that?"

Harshly running her hands through her hair she tried to get him to see that what he was wanting to do was wrong. While he might not feel like he belonged here, he did. That if Steve Rogers hadn't been here then so many people wouldn't be alive today and that the people who still needed his help could die without him here. "What about the lives of all of the people you've saved? Were all of their lives worthless? What about mine?" She asks with tear filled eyes and a trembling lower lip remembering that painful day five years ago like it was yesterday.

"Jamie, you gotta understand–" Shaking her head again when he tries to argue back a traitorous tear slips down her cheek stilling anything he might have said.

"No, it's cool. Based on your little chat with your friend there it's nice to know where we all really stand with you." Making her way over to the door Jamie stopped just before she opened it. Turning to the side to look at him she told him, "You know I might not have known you as long as some of the others, but I love and care about you the same. It's gonna kill them that you won't be back tomorrow. I know because it's breaking my heart and you haven't even left yet." Laughing sardonically she shook her head one more time.

"You know, there's having a selfish moment, Steve and then there's this." Jamie threw his words to Bucky back in his face as she gripped the door knob. Not able to look at him anymore, she speaks to the still closed door. "What you're really doing is stealing that woman's full and happy life and the lives of people she loved. Deep down you know this is wrong. Can you really be happy knowing that you're killing every one of these people she loved to be with her? Can you live with the fact that you're going to make your friends and loved ones mourn you because you'll be dead and gone by the end of tomorrow because you'll have grown old and died without us."