Although this may seem like a StevexOC, it was originally meant not to be. Depends on what you guys want or suggest, tbh. This takes place after TWS but before Ultron.

Disclaimer: I own nothing belonging to the MCU, only my OC (:

Chapter 1:

The Past, The Present, The Future

"The past is never where you think you left it." - Katherine Anne Porter

[ brooklyn, june 1940

Steve's worn out dress shoes dragged through the muddy streets, the newspapers he stuffed in them were soaked along with his socks. It was ironic that it rained the day his mother died. He had refused Bucky's company back home but he knew that his friend was walking behind him at a distance. At least he knew Steve needed the space. His black slacks that were far too big and obviously Bucky's, were drenched along with his white shirt and he was glad he didn't ask his best friend for a jacket. Despite it being rather warm, he shivered every few steps and wondered if he'd be joining his mother soon.

"Nah. Too stubborn." Steve mumbled under his breath and chuckled.

"Child, is there a reason why you're in the streets walking without an umbrella?" A feminine voice reached his ears and suddenly the rain stopped hitting him. "Medical bills ain't cheap out here."

He blinked as a warm hand grabbed his wrist and an umbrella was suddenly thrusted into his grip.

"Get home safe now."

He watched a pair of legs clothed in stockings walk away from him and before he could gaze up, she was already gone.

"She gave you an umbrella?" Bucky whistled lowly and joined him. "She was gorgeous."

"I didn't see her face." Steve said dumbly.

"'Cause you were too busy starin' at her legs." Bucky smirked and elbowed him in the side. ]

Steve's eyes snapped open and he lifted his head off the table. He felt a piece of paper stuck to his cheek and grimaced as he pulled it off. He drooled. He rubbed his eyes and took a quick peek at his television to confirm his suspicion: he fell asleep watching a movie. The credits rolled on the screen and he sighed softly. This was the third movie he slept through and Sam was going to kill him for missing out on his recommendations. He vaguely remembered his friend saying that he was going to quiz him on the plot. Steve shrugged to himself after a moment, and decided to just google the movie's information later.

'Back in Black' suddenly started playing from his phone and a soft sigh escaped his lips. He briefly glanced at his digital clock before grabbing the device and answering. He regretted allowing Tony to customize his ringtone.

"Stark, it's two in the morning. The world better be ending."

"I heard S.H.I.E.L.D had been disbanded." Steve could hear Dummy whirring around, and he guessed that Tony was in the lab.

"Disbanded?" He made a face. Stark made it sound like the organization was a band. "More like―"

Tony interrupted him, "destroyed. Annihilated. Gone. No more."

"Thank you, Tony." Steve pinched the bridge of his nose. "But not what I had in mind. It's actually reorganizing."

"Is Fury really dead?" The question caught him off guard.

"I can't say that over the phone. I'll talk to you the next time I'm in New York."

"Which is?" Tony scoffed.

"Soon." Steve admitted. "I think there's a reason for the Avengers to reassemble."

Tony murmured something away from the speaker before sighing loudly, "I feared as much. Gotta get the HYDRA baddies?"

Steve's mouth twitched slightly, "yes, we have to get the HYDRA baddies."

"I'll put extra pillows on your bed, just how you like it." The billionaire dropped a screw and mumbled a small curse.

"Thanks, Stark." Steve said dryly and rolled his eyes. "Say hi to Banner for me."

He heard the sound of shuffling as Tony's voice grew further away from the transmitter. "Grandpa says hi, dear." Tony sniggered.

"Hello, Steve." Banner's amused voice was distant but he heard him clearly enough. "Don't forget to take your medicine."

"Screw you both." Steve scowled and hung up to the sound of Tony cackling. He set his phone down and sighed. He then shut off the television and made his way to the couch.

The new apartment that he relocated to didn't feel like home. Sam had found it for him and it seemed more like a temporary refuge than anything. He was still in D.C. but was only going to stay until he and Sam thoroughly searched for the rest of HYDRA's hideouts within the area. They would continue their personal mission through the east coast before he met up with the rest of the Avengers. Perhaps once he destroyed HYDRA, he could safely search for Bucky without having to constantly look over his own shoulder.

Steve groaned when his phone went off again.

"Do none of you sleep?" He snapped as he answered.

"I don't sleep, I wait." Natasha simply stated. "Is that how you talk to the person who gave you information?"

"It's two in the morning. I can talk to you how I want to." Steve clearly had two different personalities depending on what time it was. "I thought you were headed to Sudan."

"Location was correct but info was bogus. I'm waiting for an opportunity."

"Is there a reason why you're calling me?"

"Don't go too far," was all she said before hanging up.

"You could have just texted." He sniffed and then wisely turned off his phone. Her statement held two meanings and he feared she would say that. It seemed that the spy expected him to turn the U.S and then the rest of the world upside down in search for his friend. But he actually hadn't. He and Sam successfully infiltrated two bases but they were deserted. They decided to lay low after Natasha's government inquiry. It wouldn't be long before he'd end up in Europe like Fury.

He sat down on his couch and realized his desire to sleep was gone. The silence of his apartment was eerily calming yet it somehow also set him on edge. He rubbed his temples and leaned back into the cushions. Steve hated being alone with his thoughts. Especially during a time like this. The radio usually served as his background noise but his neighbors wouldn't like his sudden interest in Adele. His eyes briefly looked at his abandoned sketchbook with the piece of paper on top that was stuck to his cheek. He stood up and walked over to the rickety table. The Avenger grabbed the paper and grimaced at the spot of drool that darkened the white sheet. He exhaled softly when he turned it over to look at the drawing on the other side.

"When did I draw you?" Nostalgia crept up like a soft caress but then hit him with a merciless upper cut. He set down the paper and traced the large smile that beamed up at him. Steve couldn't remember when he even placed his pencil on the sheet.

It seemed as if the past decided to haunt him once Bucky reappeared in his life. The sight of Peggy in her old age and struggling to keep her own memories crushed him. Steve was surprised he didn't go visit the graves of Howard or the Colonel yet. The Smithsonian was probably enough of a blast from the past for him. But the exhibit hadn't mentioned her. He didn't expect it to. She was a face that was lost in the crowd and often forgotten because of who she was. He never mentioned her to anyone else, so her existence in connection to him was literally a secret. She didn't participate in the war nor did she even speak with him after he received the serum. She cleaned for the rich and took care of her sister's children. But she meant a lot to him and no exhibit needed to tell him or the world that.

[ brooklyn, november 1940

"Hear about that small bomb at the Edison power plant?" Bucky frowned as he walked beside Steve. They were returning home from art school and the streets were oddly deserted.

"Radio didn't care much about it. Listeners more absorbed with Europe's war." Steve shrugged with one shoulder and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to cut it soon.

Bucky was going to answer him but a female down the street made him stop in his tracks. He quickly fixed his shirt and tried to comb his hair with his hands.

"Your newest fling?" Steve asked dryly but his eyes were filled with mirth. This was a normal day for him.

"She might be my one true love." Bucky winked and patted him on the shoulder before leaving him. "Don't get into any fights!" He yelled over his shoulder before he threw his arm around the beautiful brunette.

"Well if it ain't Pretty Blues." The familiar voice startled Steve and he turned to his right to meet twinkling, brown eyes.

"Ma'am?" He blinked in confusion. He took a step back and looked down to see the stockings he saw months ago. Steve's eyes gazed up past her waist and then to her torso. A simple, baby blue blouse and gray skirt. He looked higher and was taken aback by brightest smile he'd ever seen on her smooth, brown face. She was at least in her late twenties or early thirties; definitely older. However, he ignored the fact that she was taller. It might have been the heels.

"You were wet from head to toe in the rain." She tilted her head as her eyes crinkled. "Glad to see you not sad anymore."

"You have a nice smile." Steve blurted out with lack of self-control and then blushed as red as the girls that Bucky would flirt with.

She threw her head back as she laughed, "I like you, boy." She continued to chuckle as she rummaged through her purse and handed him a small piece of chocolate.

He took it cautiously, "thank you?" Candies were a luxury in this day and age.

"Keep complimenting me like that, Pretty Blues, and I might give you more." She turned and waved over her shoulder before she left.

As Steve popped the chocolate into his mouth, he wondered if he found his one true love too. A woman who gave him candy was a woman who possessed his heart. ]

Maxine took him by surprise both literally and figuratively. He often tripped over the words that flew out of his mouth, and the rocks beneath his feet whenever he was in her presence. He thought about trying to find her like he did with Peggy. But a part of him was afraid and he decided that she was left best inside his memories where no one could taint his image of her and her kindness. What was he afraid of exactly? He feared to see her body six feet under while he was above the surface without having aged a day. He never even got the chance to tell her goodbye before he successfully enlisted after five times.

She probably would have refused to let him go anyway.

[ brooklyn, december 1941

"Why the long face, Pretty Blues?" Normally, her voice would cheer him up but the gray cloud above his head didn't seem to disappear.

"I didn't get in." Steve sighed and kicked a stray box. His first attempt to enlist was a failure but that wasn't going to stop him from going to other cities.

"Didn't get into what?" She furrowed her brows.

Steve pulled at the collar of his shirt and gulped, "I tried to enlist and I couldn't."

"Enlist?!" Maxine cried out. "Small thang like you want to join the war?"

"I want to protect my country. Pearl Harbor―"

"Was a tragedy and it's a shame those lives were lost." Her voice sounded pained. "But I don't want you joining, Pretty Blues."

"Why not? Cause I'm small and weak?" He scowled as he kicked a garbage can this time. "Bucky got in and―"

His eyes widened when she suddenly brought him into a hug. His head reached her neck and her hand rested on the back of his scalp. This was probably the most intimate they've ever been in the past two years and he was ashamed to admit that he felt like he was in his mother's arms.

"I don't want to lose you, baby. The art you showed me, you got a future in that. War is a scary place." She murmured and ran her fingers through his hair. "Promise me you won't try to enlist no more. I ain't want Bucky to enlist either but it seems that boy is as stubborn as you are."

The warmth she gave Steve made him want to agree with everything she said.

"Promise." ]

There was a fear of war in her eyes and he understood why. She didn't have to say a single word to tell him that she lost family to the first World War. Which was why Bucky never mentioned anything about enlisting around her. But of course, Steve had to go and run his mouth the minute he saw her. He still had a bad taste in his mouth seventy years later because he broke his promise. Maxine was probably devastated the minute she found out he was in Germany. He silently hoped she never did. Steve wanted to bury Maxine in the shadows of the back of his mind but felt that it was disrespectful to do so. She was his best friend as much as Bucky was, although he barely knew enough to write a paragraph about her. Maxine never told him her last name or where she lived, but he guessed she lived in the same neighborhood as he did since they often saw each other. He could recall the texture of her hair and the twitch her hand did whenever she did a loud, genuine laugh. He knew who the woman was that she cleaned for and her nephew's name. But he didn't know her favorite color or her goals in life. Not even her worst fear or favorite book.

[ brooklyn, january 1941

"I'm sick of the snow." Steve groaned and kicked the slush with his worn out boot. "This is the fourth snowfall."

"Sometimes you got to appreciate the stuff you hate." A woman spoke and Steve immediately slipped and fell.

"Ouch." He groaned as he sat in a wet puddle.

"Sorry, Pretty Blues. Didn't mean to startle you!" Her loud yet soothing laugh made him forgive her on the spot. She was wearing a black skirt with white stockings this time but he couldn't see her blouse. A thick coat covered her frame but the patches up and down the sleeves told Steve it was probably a hand-me-down or she had it for many years.

"Steve." He coughed and stood up. "My name is Steve."

"Nice to meet you, Steve. The name's Maxine." She winked and her brown hand had a strong grip as she grabbed his small, paler one to pull him up. "I prefer Pretty Blues though."

"You can still call me that," he released her hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean if you want." He almost face palmed. Of course she wanted to.

"Adorable." She shook her head and handed him a piece of chocolate. "Seems I got a soft spot for you."

Steve ignored how wet the back of his pants were and he chewed thoughtfully as she left him with a small wave. When he entered through his front door, he realized that they were often given strange stares whenever they spoke. He didn't know why though.

Steve saw her again a week later as he came home from another one of his odd jobs to pay for rent. It was he who saw her first this time, and she was mumbling to herself while fixing her messy hair.

"Evening, ma'am!" He called out and watched smugly as she jumped.

"Nearly gave me a heart attack, Pretty Blues." She scolded him but the smile on her face told him she wasn't angry. "But seeing your face made my day better."

"Job got you beat?" He frowned as he walked beside her.

"I got fired because the mistress found a prettier, younger thang." She scowled as she wrapped her coat tightly around her. "I scrubbed that woman's floor for years and the minute I get one wrinkle, I'm useless."

"Was she rich?" Steve felt for her, he really did. And he didn't see a single wrinkle by the way.

"Almost as if the Great Depression ain't ever touch her feet."

"You'll find another job. I know you will." He inclined his head and gave her a small smile.

"I'll hold you to that." Maxine smiled back and patted his head. "I don't got candy for you this time but when I see you, I'll give you two pieces."

Steve felt his heart fill with warmth after they parted ways. She was definitely spoiling him. He couldn't keep his smile off his face no matter how much Bucky teased him. ]

Steve found himself dozing off the more he thought about Maxine. His eyes squinted at the red numbers on his clock. 3:00 a.m. He sighed and then laid horizontally on the couch. He needed to get at least an hour of sleep before going on his morning run with Sam. However, his eyes refused to close. His mind wouldn't stop going back and forth between Maxine and Bucky. Bucky seemed to be remembering him but Steve wondered if he could recognize their old friend. Bucky's relationship with Maxine was oddly amusing and consisted of Bucky being shot down at any attempts of flirting. Their playful banter kept him content after his mother's death and it felt like he had a family again.

[ "Boy, get off the ground. Are you proposing?" Maxine snorted loudly and quickly grabbed Bucky to get him off his knees. "You don't look a day over fifteen."

"Fifteen?" Bucky look offended and held a hand to his chest. "Doll face, I'm purely legal here." ]

There was never a moment he didn't see a smile on her face. She always seemed to have an easy going air around her, even when she was fired or the awful encounter on the street with the group of teenagers. Steve often wondered if perhaps she learned how to hide her pain well. He knew back in his time that African Americans had a hard time no matter where they lived in the country. He remembered that she mentioned in passing that she came from the south and moved to Brooklyn with her sister. He sighed as he tossed and turned on the uncomfortable couch. Maybe putting Maxine back in his vault of old memories was a good idea. He had no idea where his thoughts of her came from but he enjoyed the small period of nostalgia. She was a short chapter in his life that he was thankful for. He grinned when he thought about buying a Tootsie Roll for himself in her honor. She never gave him those two pieces that she promised but he never complained. Steve peeked at the clock and then decided to turn off his alarm and sleep in for the day. Sam wasn't going to mind.

Except he did.

"Wake your ass up!" Sam's pounding on his door three hours later made Steve come this close to buying a hidden bunker somewhere in the country and disappearing for a year.

"What?" Steve barely had both his eyes open as he opened the door.

"I got a lead on the next HYDRA base." Sam said as he walked into the apartment and brushed past Steve. "But first, take a damn shower. You stink and you didn't do your early run. Get a hold of yourself, Steve. You're falling apart."

"Ha ha, very funny." Steve rubbed his eyes and headed for the bathroom after closing the door. "Where is it?"

"Near Scranton, PA." Sam sat on his couch and stretched his legs. "Source says it's probably abandoned but it might hold key information."

"About Bucky?" Steve took off his shirt and threw it into the hamper.

"He didn't say." He crossed his arms and frowned. "Fury sounded pretty confident that there was something there."

"Sounds fair." Steve hopped into the shower and that promptly ended the conversation. He didn't scold Sam for mentioning Fury's name because he doubted that his apartment was bugged (Natasha made sure of it). He grabbed the soap and began lathering his shoulders and chest. The warm water hit his face and he smiled softly.

[ "Do you have hot water in your home, Pretty Blues?" Maxine asked as they walked together one early morning.

"Most of the time, yeah." Steve shrugged.

"Cherish it." She laughed. ]

Oh, he certainly cherished it. His heart beat steadily in his chest and he realized that his sudden memories soothed him. Almost as if Maxine was physically here to make him smile again.

Sam ruined the moment as he called out, "Cap, you're not doing what I think you're doing in there, are you?"

"Get lost." He grumbled and hopped out of the shower. As he changed into clean clothing, he pushed Maxine to the back of his mind for now.

"Who's this?" Sam held up her portrait when Steve walked into the living room.

His lips twitched slightly.

"Just a Pip."

"I have no idea what you just said, so I'm going to let it go." Sam shook his head and set down the paper.

"Wise choice."

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