Cold is the past
By: MysticFantasy
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Disclaimer: (I own no part of this movie or the characters in it.)
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Prologue
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The city was surprisingly quiet. Could be because the sun was setting over the horizon and had a calming affect that seemed to touch everything and everyone.
A lone figure walked through even quieter grounds. His boots barely making a sound as he walked for a certain destination.
Steve Rogers kept his eyes lowered, not needing to see where he was going since he came here as often as he could. In his hand he held a small bundle of lillies.
He stopped when he reached the grave he had come to visit. He frowned reading the name on the old headstone.
Sgt. James 'Bucky' Barnes.
Steve let out a choked sigh as he placed the lillies on the grave before the headstone. Today marked the seventy first anniversary of the day Steve had watched Bucky fall from the train.
Seventy one years.
Steve still couldn't wrap his mind around how long it had been since he fought in the war, since he formed the Howling Commando's, since he lost his best friend. It all seemed like it was just a few weeks ago that he had dropped into the secret Hydra factory location and freed all of the trapped men.
But reality would always catch up to him when he was getting lost in his memories. The fact of it was, everyone he knew was gone. He's the only survivor of that war and the only one to carry on the memories of everyone he had known and cared for.
The Howling Commando's had been given a special place in the military cemetery. They were all together, lined up in a perfect row with a white iron gate around their graves. A plaque was attached to the fence letting all who read it know who the men were and what they had done.
Steve was the only one who had a key to unlock the metal gate and is the only one allowed to step onto the ground where the graves were. Anyone else would be in huge trouble.
The blond soldier looked at the row of graves. All of them had his men except for one.
Bucky's body had never been found so there was no casket underneath the headstone that had his name.
"I'm so sorry Bucky." Steve said softly to the headstone. "I should have been able to get to you faster. I should have...I should have been better. How could I have been your best friend if I let something like this happen to you? None of this is right. What happened to you, me being here...None of it is right."
"No one ever said life was fair Steve."
Steve slowly turned and spotted the famous Black Widow standing on the other side of the fence. One thing the Avengers heavily respected of Steve's past and his wishes was that he truly was the only person who could be this close to the graves of the Howling Commando's.
"It isn't Natasha." Steve said turning back to the grave. "Especially what happened to Bucky."
"I wish I could have met him." she said. "He sounds like he was quite a guy. Almost sounds like he would get along real well with Clint and Tony."
Steve weakly smirked.
"He would have been their best friend." he said before saluting to the graves and leaving the fenced in area. He locked the gate tightly and he and Natasha started to make their way out of the cemetery.
"I know what'll cheer you up." Natasha said. "How about we go home and watch a classic movie marathon with a whole apple pie?"
"That sounds very tempting but I don't think I'm up for it Natasha." Steve said.
"Hey, you can't let yourself be dragged down by the past Steve. You did everything you could. You tried. That's better than saying you never did try."
"You're right. I just wish I could make myself stop feeling so bad." Steve said. "Everything that happened during the war...I wanted to do my part in it and I got my wish. I just never thought it would cost me my longest and closest friend."
"Don't forget that Bucky knew what he was doing when he agreed to be part of the army. He knew that he might run into a chance like that."
"I know. If there was one thing about Bucky, he was aware of what he was doing." Steve said and then added with a smirk. "Except when he was drunk. I never let him live down what happened on his twenty second birthday. Tony would most likely try to out do what Bucky did. Which I don't think might be possible. Even for Tony."
Natasha lightly chuckled as she looped her arm through Steve's.
"Movie offer still good?" Steve asked as they left the cemetery grounds and found his motorcycle.
"Of course." Natasha answered grabbing the helmet Steve handed her. "I already picked up a few apple pies from your favorite bakery."
Steve lightly smiled as they climbed onto the bike. Natasha wrapped her arms around Steve's waist as he started the bike and pulled away from the resting grounds.
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Clint was busy making himself a super easy breakfast the next morning when he spotted someone slowly creeping by.
He was fully awake at this and realized that it was Tony with a camera in hand.
Curious, the expert archer followed Tony. He ended up following the famous Iron Man into the TV room and spotted Tony move toward the front of the couch where he got his camera ready and took three quick pictures.
Now even more curious than before, Clint quietly crept over to stand next to Tony and right away his hands flew to his mouth to try to hold back the laughter that threatened to escape.
Lying there on the couch fast asleep were the famous super soldier and female assassin. Both were wrapped in their own blankets, Natasha's head rested on Steve's lap as the soldier was sitting in a reclined position with one arm drapped over Natasha's waist.
There were four empty pie boxes on the coffee table that had lingering scents of apples and several old classic movie cases were piled all over the coffee table.
Tony and Clint both knew that Steve most likely polished off three of those boxes and between the two of them they had most likely stayed up all night and watched every single one of the movies.
Tony took two more pictures of the two before he and Clint quickly moved back into the kitchen where they laughed safely knowing they wouldn't be heard.
"What the heck happened to them last night?" Clint asked.
"No clue but now there's blackmail to be used." Tony said looking at the pictures he took. "This is probably the closest Steve has ever been to a woman."
"Just to let you know, Natasha is probably gonna kill you if she finds out you took those pictures." Clint said returning to his breakfast.
"She probably will." Tony agreed before his cell phone started to ring. Checking who it was, the genius groaned and answered the call. "Hello?"
Clint popped in two pieces of bread into the toaster as Tony continued to speak to whoever was on the phone. The call ended and Tony sighed heavily.
"What's up?" Clint asked checking his eggs.
"That was Hill. Fury wants us at the helicarrier at noon." Tony answered putting his phone away and going back to the pictures.
"She say what for?" Clint asked.
"Said it was important and all that good stuff. Said Steve would probably be the most interested in it." Tony answered wondering how long it would take for Steve and Natasha to figure out that it was him who took the pictures if they somehow ended up all over the tower.
"If it has anything to do with history, the old man will love it." Clint said grabbing a plate.
"You know Uncle Sam. If it'll please his superiors then he'll put a smile on and say the subject is his favorite." Tony said.
Clint chuckled knowing that Tony was right. When it came to pleasing someone who outranked him, Steve did anything and everything he could do go beyond expectations.
Tony claimed that it was one of Steve's many annoying traits.
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Tony looked around the helicarrier bridge.
Everyone was busy like always, working one something that didn't make any sense to the Avengers.
The present five heroes took their usual seats at the glass table as they waited for Fury to show up.
"What do you think this is about?" Bruce asked.
"Something that he thinks will cause the Earth to be in danger again." Tony remarked.
"Something along those lines Stark." Fury stated walking over to the table. "There's trouble and it's causing us concern."
"What is it?" Clint asked.
"A rogue assassin." Fury answered and pressed a button on the table that brought up a holographic screen for them to see. It showed a masked man wearing all black and the only visible parts of his face to be seen were his chin and mouth.
"This is why you needed us to come here?" Tony asked. "Red could take this guy with one hand."
"The reason that I needed all of you here is because this is no regular assassin." Fury explained. "We have no record of this man but from what information we've gathered we've seen that he's an expert marksman and hand to hand fighter. Yet most of the methods he uses are dated back to world war two. Rogers, since you're from that era, we need you to confirm the fighting style."
The screen then showed the masked fighter taking out several guards single handedly. Steve paid close attention to the man as he fought.
His eyes narrowed with suspicion as he continued to watch the screen. The moves the man used...they were familiar. Not just in the style of the era they were used in but Steve felt like he had seen this kind of fighting before.
Personally.
Then the face of man. Although most of his facial appearance was covered, Steve couldn't help but feel that he had seen this man before.
"Are you sure there isn't anything on this guy?" he asked.
"Nothing." Fury answered. "Do you see something we don't captain?"
"This guy...He seems familiar." Steve answered before the clip ended.
"Familiar?" Tony repeated.
"I feel like I've seen that fighting style before. In person." Steve said. "This is going to sound weird but I think I've met this guy before. That fighting style though. It's definate from my time."
"You mean this guy is using old fashioned fighting?" Tony lightly exclaimed. "No offence Cap."
"That style was definatly used during the war." Steve said ignoring Tony's remarks. "I used it at times fighting against Hydra."
"Think someone could have stolen your moves?" Clint asked.
"The only ones who had ever been close enough to learn the styles I used were the Howling Commando's and a small group of soldiers that were sent with us but they weren't around enough to learn anything. Especially not at the level this guy was at."
"Any idea what this guy is after?" Natasha asked.
"So far he just seems to be taking out high ranking men in the militaries of every country. Good or bad." Fury answered.
"Is there a pattern?" Bruce asked.
"There is actually." Fury answered. "All of the men recorded to have been killed by this man have all been captain's."
"Were there any connections besides their rankings?" Bruce asked.
"Nothing from what we've gathered. Records show that none of these men came within one hndred miles of each other."
"There has to be a reason that he's just knocking off captain's." Tony said. "Not to mention using a fight style that hasn't been used that much in seventy years."
"Which is why I need the five of you to figure this out." Fury said. "We're hoping that maybe Steve would be willing to attend a public even that has been set up in hopes of drawing this man's attention. Everyone knows Captain America. Something this tempting would be hard to ignore. Think you'd be up for it Steve?"
"Yes sir." Steve answered.
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"You still thinking about the meeting?"
Steve looked up and saw Natasha walk over and sit next to him on his bed.
"I can't help but think that I've seen that fighter before." he answered.
"Maybe he was a bad guy you took down recently." Natasha suggested.
"Could be."
"Anyway, you're coming with me. We're going shopping. You need a suit and I need a new dress."
"Why?" Steve asked cusiously.
"I get to be your date for the event." Natasha answered with a smile as she pulled Steve up from the bed.
"D-date?" Steve stammered.