It had been two weeks after the Battle of New York as everyone was calling it. The city was recovering rapidly with federal aid and funds provided by Tony Stark. The billionaire had lived up to his self-described genius, billionaire playboy philanthropist personality.
Steve was still staying at the apartment SHIELD had provided him which had thankfully been spared from the destruction caused by the invasion. He was going over some of the files and briefing packets Natasha and Clint had dropped off earlier that day before heading out of town for some well deserved time off. Since he had decided to work with SHIELD and get back in the world Fury thought that it might be best to start teaching him about some of the history and pop culture he missed out on.
Tony had even pitched in by showing him how to use a Stark-phone so he could listen to some of the playlists he had set up for him. Each playlist was for each decade he had missed. There were the jazz songs Steve had heard before going off to war. There was some swing music from fifties, which he enjoyed very much. He could imagine Bucky would have tried teaching him how to dance to the fast paced songs. The sixties are where it all started changing. There were still a lot of jazz and blues but also what he identified as the start of the rock genre. There were some songs from the beach boys and the Who's but it wasn't until one particular song came open that the levy finally broke.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better
This song came up out of nowhere. Nora had never told him where she had heard it from or what its name was but now that he paid attention it should have been obvious. Nora would hum it when she was doing chores around the apartment, she's sing it in the shower, and she'd sing it to him and Bucky when they woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare.
The tears were streaming down his face and for the first time since he had woken up in 2012 Steve mourned everything he had left behind. He cried for his team members who had gone on to live happy lives. He mourned the death of his friends who didn't make it. He mourned Bucky's death. He mourned the fact that he had left his soul mate alone in 1945 who now had never been born.
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah
He lost them all. He could have made it off that plane but he didn't want to. He didn't want to move on without Bucky. He loved Nora to death, he truly did but Bucky had been there from the very beginning, back when he was still the scrawny kid from Brooklyn that couldn't run away from a fight.
Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
He lost her. He pushed her away and now she was gone. He wanted to die and was going to leave her alone but things turned out the opposite. He was alone and there was nothing he could've done to save them.
"I'm so sorry baby." Steve sobbed. "I should've stayed."
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah yeah
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you'll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude