June 14, 2014
I sat there, baseball cap and sweater on, watching as the kids and their parents looked around the museum. Everyone would stand in front of the mirror to see if they were as tall as Steve. But no one measured up. But I was here to watch them. I was here every weekend to look at the pictures of Bucky. Captain America had his own section in the Smithsonian. And in that section, Bucky was a small part of it. For the first time, people like Steve more than Bucky, which was rare for us back in our time. I was probably the only person here who came to look at Bucky nowadays. I sat there for a while until a hand grabbed my shoulder. I looked up seeing Steve in a similar baseball cap. He gave me a small smile as we both looked back up at the pictures of Bucky.
The narration for the slideshow restarted, showing its first picture: one of the three of us when we were kids. "Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes, Steven Rogers and Clara Williams were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. Barnes is the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of his country. Williams was a nurse on the battlefield and even helped transform Steven Rogers into Captain America. No one knows where she went to when Barnes died or if she is even still alive. Rumor has it that Barnes and Williams were more than just friends. Though none of our sources can prove it." I chuckled as I drowned out the sound of the narrative, looking back at Steve. Steve was no longer paying attention to Bucky though. He was looking at the video of Peggy that had started playing next. I smiled, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"You should go see her." I tell him. "Spend as much time with her as you can." Steve looks at me and then back at Bucky.
"Do you need a ride home?" I just shook my head.
"No, I think I'll take a walk today." Steve gave me a short hug before he left to see Peggy. I really wasn't sure who was in a worse situation. For me, Bucky was dead. Long gone. But with Steve, Peggy is alive. She's lived life well and now it was winding down. She had been hospitalized because of her Alzheimer's. Every time Steve went to see her, she would be in shock that he was alive. They would talk about the same things every time but I knew Steve was patient with her. He loved her. Loves her. He would never stop loving and caring for her. Just as I would never stop loving Bucky.
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June 15, 2014
Steve and I stood at the door, watching Sam talk at his PTSD group meeting. Sam was the main counselor for the veterans. There was one female war veteran who stood up to speak. "The thing is I think it's getting worse. A cop pulled me over last week, he thought I was drunk. I swerved to miss a plastic bag. I thought it was an IED." I looked at Steve, a sorrowful expression in my eyes.
"Some stuff you leave there, other stuff you bring back. It's our job to figure out how to carry it. Is it gonna be in a big suitcase or in a little man-purse? It's up to you." Sam tells her. He finished up the meeting and began to say goodbye to all of the veterans individually. Steve and I waited as Sam said goodbye to the last of the veterans before waking up to him. "Look who it is. The running man. Hey Clara." I smirk at Steve, before smiling at Sam.
"We were able to catch the last few minutes." I tell him. "It's pretty intense." Sam nods.
"Yeah, we all got the same problems. Guilt, regret." I nod, agreeing with him.
"You lose someone?" Steve asks Sam. Sam sighed, nodding.
"My wingman, Riley. Flying a night mission. Standard PI rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before; till a RPG knocked Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do. It's like I was up there just to watch." I looked at Steve, thinking of Bucky.
"I'm sorry." I tell Sam, placing my hand on his shoulder.
"After that, I had a really hard time finding a reason for being over there, you know?" Steve nods, agreeing with Sam.
"But you're happy now, back in the world?" Steve asks him.
"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell, yeah. You two thinking about getting out?" Steve and I look between each other and I shrug.
"No. I don't know. To be honest, I don't know what I would do with myself if I did." Steve told him, making me nod. This job was my life. Everything I did revolved around it.
"Ultimate fighting?" Steve and I laugh. "It's just a great idea off the top of my head. But seriously, you could do whatever you want to do. What makes you happy?" Steve and I look at each other again. This job made me proud. But I wouldn't say it made me happy.
"I don't know."
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Steve and I made our way down the hallway, making small talk when we see Sharon. Though Steve knew her as Kate. I nudged him, wanting him to go talk to her. He shook his head but we had a stare down and... not to brag but I won. Steve stepped away and walked towards her a little. I turned around and looked at Sharon. The two of us shared a look. Sharon was a SHIELD agent. Not that Steve needed to know that. Just as I neared the apartment, I heard the soft sound of music. I put my hand on the holster of my gun. "Hey Steve, we left the music on." I told him. He took his attention away from the conversation he was having with Sharon and said goodbye to her. He then walked over to me, with a questioning look on his face. I could tell he heard the music as he neared the door. "Go through the window. I'll go through the door." He nodded, leaving the apartment building. I quietly opened the door and pulled out my gun. I saw Steve come in through the window and grab his shield from the corner. As we both round the corner, we see Fury sitting on our couch in the dark.
We both sighed, putting our weapons down. "I don't remember giving you a key." Steve tells him.
"You really think I'd need one? My wife kicked me out." My eyebrows furrowed together as I look at Fury.
"I didn't realize you were married." I remark. There's something not right about this situation.
"A lot of things you don't know about me." Fury replies.
"I know, Nick. That's the problem." Steve turns on the lamp light and we both see Fury's injuries. I look back at Steve. Something is going on. Fury puts his finger to his lips, telling u to be quiet as he turns off the lamp. He starts to type something on his phone, showing it to us: Ears everywhere.
"I'm sorry to have to do this, but I had no place else to crash." Fury explains as he continues writing. SHIELD compromised. I look at Steve, both of us suddenly realizing what's happening. Nick doesn't have a wife. Someone is after him. Someone in SHIELD.
"Who else knows about your wife?" I ask him. Fury shows us another text: The three of us.
"Just... my friends." Fury replies. Steve sighs.
"Is that what we are?" I see Nick shrug at Steve's question.
"That's up to you." Suddenly Fury is shot three times from through the wall and collapses. Steve and I look out the window. Steve drags Fury's body into the other room. Just as Steve stands up, Fury gives him a flash drive. "Don't... trust anyone." Then Fury passed out just as someone breaks down the door. I see Sharon with a gun in her hand.
"Captain Rogers? Agent Williams?" Steve turns around seeing Sharon with a gun in her hand. "Captain, I'm Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service."
"Kate?" Steve drops his shield looking at her.
"Sharon, you need to call 911. I don't think he's going to make it." Sharon nods at me, pulling out her phone. Steve looks at me, his eyebrows furrowed. I shook my head, letting him know that I would tell him everything later.
"Foxtrot is down, he's unresponsive. I need EMTs." Sharon says to the rest of the agents through the com.
"Do you have a twenty on the shooter?" I look at the window where Fury was shot, seeing the shooter.
"Tell him I'm in pursuit." Steve says before smashing through the window. I pull out my gun, running after Steve and the shooter. Steve and I chase him through an office building, smashing through the walls. Just when we catch up, Steve throws his shield at the shooter. But despite having his head turned, the shooter catches the shield with what seems to be a metal arm. He then throws it back at Steve. The shooter looks at me as I shoot at him but only one bullet hits him. He glances at me once more, as if he recognizes me, before jumping off the roof. When I looked down, he was gone. But there was something familiar about his blue eyes.