Hello Captain (Steve Rogers)

Not an ordinary conversation

Steve's POV

I was certainly attracted to Sarah, and I knew she was attracted to me as well. As a product of this time, she was much bolder than the women I'd known in the 40's, letting me know each time we made out that she wanted more than that, she wanted to explore the physical side of our relationship. I wanted to as well, but I needed to figure out a few things first. I knew there were precautions we would need to take, and given how inexperienced we both were, I would need to talk to Natasha or Clint first and do a little research.

I found myself thinking about Peggy again. There were still moments when my memories of Peggy caused me to feel something so strongly it stopped me in my tracks. I'd always treasure my memories of Peggy, but my time with her was almost over. My time with Sarah was just beginning, and for the first time in my long life, I had the chance to have a real relationship, something I'd always wanted. I didn't know the first thing about them, but with Sarah, it was bound to be an adventure, and I looked forward to it even as I was terrified of it.

I must have drifted off not long after Sarah fell asleep because I woke up before dawn feeling well rested. I looked over at the couch and saw that Chloe was still curled up on her end of the couch. Jace was awake and studying me and Sarah.

"You really do care for her, don't you? She's not just a replacement for Peggy?" Jace said quietly, moving over to the end of the couch closest to the love seat so we could talk and I shifted slightly so I could see him. Sarah's even breathing told me she was still fast asleep. In the pre-dawn light, I could see that this was something he needed an answer to.

"She was never a replacement for Peggy. She may resemble her physically, but she is nothing like Peggy otherwise; her personality is radically different. Peggy was very British and quite...reserved, in more ways than one."

"Sarah's the opposite – she's openly friendly, a little snarky,"Jace said. "She's one of a kind. I would do anything for her, no hesitation."

"She's said the same about you." I smiled wryly. "It's been good for me to get to know you, Jace. You're very similar to Bucky in a lot of ways; I'll be honest, there are moments when I'm not sure who it is that I'm seeing."

"When Sarah said she was bringing you here, I didn't think about how this would affect you. I mean I've heard stories about you and Bucky from my grandpa and his siblings my whole life, but after meeting you, I know there's more to those stories."

"I never thought it would be that hard until today. It's helped, seeing how close you and Sarah are; Peggy and Bucky were never close like that. They worked together because they had to, but they weren't friends, not like you and Sarah are."

"Do you still love Peggy?"

"Yes and no. I do, but in a different way than I did in 1945. When I visit her, we talk like old friends, but that...spark...isn't there anymore. She moved on and married a good man, had a family, founded Shield. We don't have as much in common as we did 70 years ago, I guess. Time changes things, but she's still a treasured friend."

"What are your intentions with Sarah? She said you weren't dating."

"I'd like to date her; you don't find a woman like her every day."

"Steve, I've never seen her look at a guy the way she looks at you. Most of the time she never even sees the guys that try to get her to notice them; she never thinks they're looking at her."

"I am starting to see that, but I don't understand why. She's strikingly beautiful; the first time I met her, it felt like the wind was knocked out of me."

"For the record, that feeling doesn't ever really go away; it still happens to me when she gives me that huge smile and catches me...unprepared...sometimes." He gave me a crooked little grin and it was so like Bucky's that my heart hurt suddenly.