Full Summary: When Clara Drake met Bucky Barnes, she wasn't expecting him to change her life, but he did. It was like she was seeing the world in color for the first time, but when he died, the world around her faded back to black and white. And then Steve, the one person who truly understood her pain, made the ultimate sacrifice in order to save his home. For the next 67 years, the only thing that kept her going was Peggy, her best friend. But, with Peggy's health slowly declining, Clara is struggling to find the will to keep going. But one phone call will change everything.

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, all I own are my OCs

Prologue

2012

Dawn had always been Clara's favorite time of day. There was something about watching the sun slowly creep into view, bathing the sky with its golden rays, that had always settled something deep within her. It filled her with a sense of wonder and peace, no matter how often she saw it.

So on the days when she stared at the beautiful sunrise and felt nothing... when her insides continued to twist and squirm... when her fingers tapped uncontrollably against her knee...

That's when she knew that it was going to be a bad day. And unfortunately, she had bad days more often than not as the years dragged on. But, even for her, this was a bad spell. She had been in London for almost two weeks now, but she had spent the last eight days in complete isolation. She would have stayed holed up in her hotel room today too if it wasn't for Peggy.

The British woman had an uncanny way of knowing when Clara was at her worst and in need of either an encouraging, sympathetic speech or a strong kick in the rear. Last night, Peggy had called and delivered the latter.

So now, here she was, sitting on the ledge of Tower Bridge, staring at the sun's reflection on the river, and wishing for nothing more than to feel something other than the agitation that had been slowly building inside of her for the past few days.

The sound of a phone ringing brought her out of her daze long enough for her to pull her cellphone out of her jacket pocket and hit 'decline' with slightly shaky fingers. She kept it out though, her hands automatically fidgeting with the small device, knowing that the caller wouldn't stop after one try.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, her screen lit up, and she didn't have to look at it to know who was calling.

She had woken up that morning with six missed calls from Agent Coulson and one voicemail imploring her to call him back immediately. Since she hadn't, Director Fury had taken to calling her. This was his third try, and she simply watched as her phone eventually stopped ringing. When no voicemail appeared, she stuffed it back into her pocket and swung her legs over the railing, already wishing for the day to be over.

Her feet barely brushed the pavement when her phone beeped. Sighing, she pulled it back out to see a text from Fury.

You're needed at HQ, now.

For the first time in days, curiosity stirred inside her. Fury wasn't normally this persistent with her. When she wanted to be left alone, he left her alone, knowing full well that if she didn't want to do something, she wasn't going to do it. So for him to reach out to her like this, it had to be important.

She dialed his number and lifted the phone to her ear, fingers tapping against the railing as she waited for him to pick up. Seconds later, his deep voice filled her ear.

"It's about damn time you called back," he said. The irritation in his voice was clear as day, and she rolled her eyes.

"What was so important that you had to bother me on my time off?" she asked.

"I think it would be better to tell you in person," he said. "Just get back here as quick as you can."

"Wait," she said sharply, stopping him from hanging up. "I am not flying back without a reason. Why do you need me there? What's going on?"

He sighed. "This isn't something that you're going to want to hear over the phone, Drake."

"Just tell me," she snapped, shoving away from the railing and starting to pace. Her gut was twisted so tight, to the point that she felt like she was going to faint. The worst case scenario was going through her mind, and her hands started shaking uncontrollably.

I just talked to her last night, and she sounded fine. But I was so wrapped up in myself... could I have missed something? A sign that she wasn't feeling well? Her condition isn't great, but it isn't that bad. Is it? When was the last time I saw her?

As her mind frantically searched for the answer, she was barely even aware of Fury talking to her.

It was just a few days before I left for England, and she was doing good. How could it have possibly have gone that downhill in just over a week? Oh God, no, no, no-

"Clara!"

She flinched at his shout, and her free hand latched onto the railing with a death grip. She could feel the metal bending under her fingertips but couldn't bring herself to care, not when her whole world was falling apart all over again.

"Just breathe, Sunshine. Focus on my voice, let it ground you."

She inhaled sharply and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing away that voice and the memories that came with it. Now was not the time to go down that road.

"You listening to me, Drake?" Fury asked.

"Yes," she said shortly before she could lose her nerve.

She listened as Fury took a deep breath, and her stomach clenched. But the words that came out of his mouth were not the ones that she had been expecting, and the world came to a crashing halt around her.

"We found Steve Rogers, Clara... and he's alive."

I know I shouldn't have started another story, yet here I am anyway! I just couldn't help myself. Clara and her story have been on my mind for years, and I'm so happy to finally write it! As usual, my updates will be sporadic, so I apologize in advance for that. But I hope you enjoy this fic:)

If you get a chance, check out my Tumblr: dreamerwithapen1

Until next time!