Skulls and Bones ° STEVE ROGERS

( chapter thirteen )

So, she sat down, wrote the letter, and made sure to send a picture of herself with it. She even made sure to leave a lipstick stain over the Your Darling she had written. And if she had apologized for taking a little longer than she should have to reply, it was really only her and Steve's business. Steve was still her Steve and it seemed that women trying to seduce him wouldn't change that. He was still the man she had fallen in love with when he was short and sickly, who probably cared too much for a world that had ignored him before he was the symbol.

The letter she had received from him after that one had a drawing. She cried when she had examined it, depicting her as she laughed at something, her hair in curls and the dress clearly the emerald one Steve loved so much. Her nose was scrunched up cutely, her eyes screwed shut, laughter lines clear on her face. It was obviously from after the World Exposition of Tomorrow, when Steve had convinced her to go to one of those diners that were open late to celebrate the fact that he had gotten into the Army. It was beautiful, made her feel beautiful in a way that only Steve could. She'd pretty sure that she fell in love with him all over again but deeper this time.

It almost felt like she was drowning but she never wanted to come up for air because it didn't hurt. It was the best feeling in the world. Edith really hoped that that was how Steve felt about her. Because she'd gladly live her life gasping for air if it meant he would always be by her side.

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There was a knock on the door. Edith furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if Mrs. Finch was having a problem with anything. Ever since Rupert had died, she's been having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that it was 1944 and the war was still going on. And when you mentioned the war, she always thought it was either the American Civil War or World War I. It was really quite sad to see and Edith was trying her best to help the older woman in anyway she could.

Putting down the clothes she was working on, Edith got up after securing her needle into her pin cushion, wiping her clammy hands off on her skirt. Another knock sounded, this time more impatient, so Edith quickly walked over to the door and swung it open, only to freeze. "Gordon?"

"Little sister!" He cheered, wide smile on his face as he dropped his duffle in the hallway, moving forward to scoop Edith into his arms. The girl found herself shrieking, tears falling down her face as she hugged him tightly, Gordon carrying her into the living room. Gordon was digging his face into her neck and she could feel his smile, Edith holding the back of his head as she clutched at him.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time, the war keeping Gordon away. But they wrote every chance they got, Gordon hating that he hadn't been able to walk her down the aisle and Edith taking every chance to poke fun about the French woman who always gave him the best coffee.

They hugged for a while, clutching tightly to each other. Edith was crying, the tears just spilling over her cheeks, her one hand petting Gordon's hair, the other one holding him tightly to her. Gordon placed her back on the ground a however long later, pulling back but keeping his hands on her shoulders, staring at her. Taking everything, from the curls in her hair and everything about her face, before smiling widely at her and moving to wipe the tears off of her cheeks. "Should I be expecting a niece or nephew soon? You're usually never crying, Edith."

She smacked his shoulder, before shaking her head and laughing, "No, not yet. Steve doesn't get a lot a leave." He was Captain America and was doing wonders for the war effort, whether it was from motivating soldiers to going on missions that meant he wouldn't be writing for awhile. The last time he got leave was around New Year's Eve, a couple months ago. They had spent the days no more than five feet apart, always close. At night, the were basically laying on each other, touching as much as they could be. And sometimes in the sexual sense, but mostly it was just them trying to get as much skin on skin intimacy as they could before Steve went back to war.