𝗀 𝗁 𝗈 𝗌 𝗍 | | 𝗌 𝗍 𝖾 𝗏 𝖾 𝗋 𝗈 𝗀 𝖾 𝗋 𝗌

𝗍 𝗐 𝖾 𝗇 𝗍 𝗒 － 𝖾 𝗂 𝗀 𝗁 𝗍

༅ 𝟤𝟢𝟣𝟦, 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗒𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝖼𝗂𝗍𝗒 ༅

STEVE AND MARTA WALKED THROUGH a Brooklyn cemetery, looking for Marta's family. It was all over the news that Stark Industries had found the missing Marta Barnes, and both Marta and Steve wanted to visit their families with no distractions. Marta's blonde hair was braided simply over her shoulder with a navy blue hat over her head. Steve wore a pair of faux glasses, a black hat over his blonde hair.

        They found Sarah and Joseph Rogers first, Steve's headstone beside them. It was Peggy who decided to place both Steve and Marta with their families in their childhood town, knowing that they would've wanted that. Both Marta and Steve took in all the memories of Steve's parents. Marta placed a white daisy on each gravestone, almost laughing at Steve's. Daisies were Winnifred's favorite flower. "Do you remember when Sarah knitted a winter scarf for me and tried to get you to give it to me?" Marta asked quietly.

        Steve smiled. "Yeah. It was blue with a little white flower on the end. I was too scared to give it to you." He said, recalling the winter that George Barnes had been laid off from work and Winnifred had to cut Marta's scarf to give to toddler Rebecca.

        "I know, she told me," Marta said, placing her hands on both graves, before she and Steve ventured off to find her family. "Are they by Dad?" She asked, looping her arm through Steve's casually as they walked. Nothing had romantically happened between Marta and Steve since Marta woke up, but Steve was hoping for it every day. He didn't want to overwhelm her.

        Steve nodded. The two had memorized the path between his family and hers, since both of their fathers died during their youth. "Right here." Steve whispered, pointing to the five gravestones with the Barnes name on it.

        Marta sighed, squatting in front of the headstones. She twisted four daisies in her hand, wiping her eyes. "At least Ma and Beck got to live a long time. And Bucky was happy when he died." She muttered, placing a daisy before her mother's headstone. Her eyes trailed to her own grave. Steve, Bucky and Marta's were all decorated with the honor soldiers recieved when they died during war. She liked that.

        Steve nodded, lowering himself to her level. "Becca really looked up to you. Do you remember the organization that Nick used to be the head of?" Steve asked, watching Marta gently trace her father's name on his headstone. The second daisy landed before it.

        "Yeah. S.H.I.E.L.D., right?" Marta wiped her nose, her eyes falling to Bucky's grave. She placed a daisy on the grass in front of it.

        "It was founded in your honor by. Phillips, Howard, Peggy, and Rebecca. There was a memorial for you in the headquarters." Steve explained, his hand falling to Marta's shoulder.

        Marta smiled. "That sounds like Beck," She placed her final daisy on Rebecca's stone, kissing her hand before lowering it to Bucky and Rebecca's graves. "Off to D.C.?" Marta asked, taking Steve's hand and standing up.

        Steve dusted himself off, leading Marta away from the cemetery and to the car they had taken. "Yeah. We'll go to Peggy's nursing home, and then visit Andy." He said, and Marta nodded. They avoided civilizans as they walked to the car, Steve getting into the drivers seat.

        They began driving towards Maryland, Marta placing her head on the window, toying with hers and Bucky's dog tags. It was a miracle that they had survived almost seventy years. "Did anything happen between you and the red-head while I was gone?" Marta asked suddenly, surprising both herself and Steve with her question.

        Steve glanced over at her, before looking back at the road. "We kissed once," Marta's eyes widened and she turned to him before he even continued. "Just once, and it was when were on the run from Hydra. We had to hide our faces. Her idea." Steve smiled at Marta's alarm. She cared.

        "I was just curious." Marta shrugged off, turning back to look out the window.

        "Sure you were," Steve chuckled, his gaze landing on the blonde woman beside him once more. "Her name is Natasha, but 'the red-head' works as well.

        Marta smiled to herself. "I'm not jealous. I hope that you moved on and didn't pine for me." She said, peering down at the tags in her hand.

        "No, you don't." Steve smiled, lifting his right hand of the wheel to hover near Marta's lap. She took it and held it in her own.

        "No, I don't." Marta agreed. She hated to admit that she was jealous of Natasha. The spy was beautiful, and she had helped Steve adapt into the modern world. Natasha and Steve were close, and they had kissed. The feeling of jealousy was new for Marta, and she wasn't even sure if she was truly feeling it. In the last century, it was always Steve who was jealous of the guys Marta was with. Neither knew what to expect.

        Steve squeezed Marta's hand gently. "You don't have to worry about anything like that. You're the only one for me." The Captain promised. He smiled at the fact that Marta was jealous.

        Marta sighed. "I broke your heart, Steve." She said, toying with Steve's fingers. Their hands fit perfectly together.

        "Why did you, Mar? Why did you say no? Everyone could see how in love you were. Then you just walked away." Steve said as he focused on the room. He had waited far too long for her answer.

        It was quiet for a few seconds, because Marta didn't know what to say. She had to say the truth. "I was afraid. I was scared to end my career and become your wife, even though I knew that wouldn't have happened. I'm not a committment person, okay? Committment scares me, even though you're the guy I've been wanting my whole life. It's just the way I'm wired." Marta explained, focusing on the highway outside of the car.

        Steve knew all of this about Marta. He had always known she was scared of marriage, and stability. He knew being a pilot meant everything to her, and he knew how much the new world they lived in was hurting her. But Steve also knew that there was something Marta wasn't telling him. "Why else? Tell me everything. Please."

        Marta breathed in, closing her eyes briefly. "We were sixteen. I was dating that guy from school, Henry, I think. We broke up, and I stole vodka and whiskey from my mother's room. You came by to spend time with me, because Bucky was off doing Bucky things, and my mom and Beck were with your mom. I don't even remember anything after I started drinking, and I woke up in my bed with you covering me with a blanket." She said, recalling the day her alcoholism had reached new heights.

        Steve nodded. "You were on the floor of the living room, bottles all around. I remember thinking that you were dead. I was so scared. Why are you reliving this now?" He asked, turning to find Marta's gaze already on him.

        "Because I don't want to make you feel like that ever again. I can't stop myself from drinking like I do, but I can keep you out of it. You shouldn't have to take care of me. It's my responsibility. I already lost our baby, and I can't hurt you even more than I already have." Marta explained quickly. She had been in a bad place during that month that she and Steve didn't speak, and Marta was afraid that she was heading down another dark path. She couldn't involve Steve. She wouldn't.

        Steve softly brushed his thumb across the back of Marta's hand. "Mar, I love you. I don't care that you struggle, or that you want to shelter me from it. I love you, which means I love every part of you, including the bad stuff. I'd wait another seventy years to marry you, or to just be with you. I can't move on, not from you. I know how hard this new world is for you, and I promise that if you need me, I'll be there." Steve spoke, his voice airy and gentle, like it always was when he spoke to Marta.

        She smiled softly. "Can we just be us, for right now? No complications. Just us." Marta asked, wiping a tear from her eye.

        "Whatever you want." Steve promised with a smile, bringing Marta's hand to his lips to carefully kiss the back of it, letting her drop their intertwined fingers on her leg.

        "I love you, just as much, because you're the one who actually gets me. I'm sorry I never said it enough." Marta said before she turned her attention out the window again, watching their car drive closer and closer to their past lives.

༅