Chapter 2 is here folks.

CHAPTER TWO: THE ENDING

New York 1939

After one of their dates, Steve drove Tony home on his motorcycle. Tony whooped and hollered the entire ride and he would occasionally squeeze Steve around the middle. When they pulled up to the town home that Tony and his folks were staying in for the summer, they dismounted. They kissed goodbye for a few minutes before Tony pulled away with a coy grin.

"I have to go." Tony whispered.

"No." Steve protested as he grabbed at Tony's hands as the brunette pulled away.

"Yes, I do." Tony laughed and gave Steve one last lingering kiss before he ran up the steps. He heard Steve start his bike before he drove off down the street as Tony made a bee-line for the front door. It was late and if his parents caught him out with Steve…

"Tony." A deep voice called from the foyer. Tony froze for a brief moment before he shut the front door. He turned and faced Howard Stark. He was wearing a silk pajama set under his robe and loafers on his feet. Must have been doing work in the shop.

"Dad!" Tony greeted with surprise. "You scared me."

"Getting a little friendly with that boy, don't you think?" Howard said as he studied his son. Despite what Tony and the world may think, he cared deeply about his son and only wanted what was best for him. If it came across as cold and unyielding, so be it. As long as his baby boy came out on top of the world.

"Dad, come on." Tony rolled his eyes.

"Bring him to the brunch this weekend," Howard offered. "I want to meet this boy."

"Of course," Tony tried to hide the smile from his father. He knew he complained about Howard to anyone that would listen, but he still loved his dad and sought his approval. "Good night, Dad."

It took Tony all week to convince Steve to join his family for brunch in Manhattan. He didn't want to parade around as something he wasn't, but Tony assured him that he expected him to be no one besides Steve. So, on Saturday, Steve pulled on his Sunday best and drove down to the restaurant to meet everyone. There were several cars lining the street out front and he barely had enough room to wedge his bike, Tony was waiting for him by the door and he waited patiently for Steve to put down the kickstand to hold the bike's weight and turn around before he launched himself at his boyfriend. Steve caught him easily before leaning down for a kiss.

"Hello to you, too." Steve laughed when they separated.

"Come inside, everyone is excited to meet you!"

Tony pulled him past the maitre'd and towards the back where several tables had been pushed together to accommodate the large party. Quick introductions were made and they all settled in at the table to order. Tony's dad, Howard, sat at the head of the table with his colleagues and business friends on either side and Tony's mother, Maria, at the other end. Tony sat at his mother's left-hand side and Steve next to Tony with their knees pressed together. The meal went without a hitch and Howard regaled everyone with start-up stories and a few company jokes that had the rest of the table laughing but most went over Steve's head. Once the plates had been cleared, Howard looked at Steve.

"So, Steven," he began, "what is it that you do?"

"I work down at the docks in Brooklyn." Steve responded, a quiet murmur traveled around the table as the business men and their families looked at each other. "I mainly just move boxes and crates all day."

"Interesting." Howard noted with a nod.

"If you don't mind me asking," a young man sitting near Howard leaned over the table to look at Steve, "how much do you make?"

"You're asking what I get paid?" Steve clarified. The man nodded. "Uh, about thirty-five cents an hour." The murmur from before returned, but louder as these folks tried to imagine only making pennies on the hour.

Maria smiled cordially at him. "You two have been spending quite a lot of time together. Is this serious?" She watched them closely as Steve turned to face he, Tony nodded in answer to his mother's question, his mouth full with the remains of his muffin. He was briefly reminded of the time he watched an alley cat kill a mouse in the alley by near his house. He got the distinct impression that he was about to become a mouse to this woman. "Summer is almost over," she stated calmly, "do you know what you're going to do in the fall?"

"Maria, don't interrogate the boy." Howard cut in, leveling a look at his wife.

"I'm merely curious, Howard." She said, never once letting her eyes leave Steve's.

"Well, MIT is only a few hours away, I figure we can make it work." Steve smiled at Tony.

"Tony will be attending Stanford near San Francisco." Maria said excitedly, she smiled proudly at her son before looking at Steve again. "That's in California."

"I didn't know that." Steve glanced at Tony, who was studiously trying to avoid eye contact with anyone at the table.

"I just got the letter," Tony said quietly. "I was going to tell you after brunch."

Maria leaned back in her chair with a satisfied smile on her face. Steve may not be rich or going to a fancy school, but he knew when he was being played and Maria Stark definitely knew how to pull the strings in her son's life. If he was any less of a gentleman that his mom tried to raise, Steve would've taken Tony's hand and declared how long-distance relationships, if it were true love, had a tendency of working out, but at the moment he was stunned that Tony didn't tell him that he'd be going to school across the damn country.

Later, after the brunch party went on their separate ways, Tony cornered Steve at his motorcycle and hugged him tightly. Maria and Howard watched from the window inside the restaurant as Steve smiled and laughed at something their son whispered in his ear. The blonde grabbed the helmet sitting on the handlebar of the bike and pushed it on Tony's head with a grin.

"Look at them, Howard." Maria said in slight disgust. "He's going to throw away his future for that boy."

"They're in love," Howard defended the young couple as they watched their son mount the bike and hugged his boyfriend around the waist.

"They're being reckless."

Maria frown deepened when the couple pulled away from the sidewalk and merged with the Saturday afternoon traffic. She was going to save her son, even if it was the last thing she ever did. That boy is going to break Tony's heart and she will not stand for it.

Tony and Steve rode around the city for a little bit, just enjoying the closeness of each other and the feeling of freedom as the wind whipped around them. Every now and then, Steve would take a turn a little fast or weaved around traffic or gunned it from a full stop just to feel Tony's arms squeeze him tighter and nuzzle closer. It was pathetic and sappy, but it made the blonde smile at the thought of Tony trusting him to keep him safe.

After they rounded a couple of blocks, Steve called out over his shoulder. "Can I show you something?"

He felt Tony nod against his back and he took off down a side street before merging on the road that led out of the city and sped toward a property his dad had shown him when he was younger. He took a deep breath when they left the city and trees began to fly past on either side of them, the sky was a bright blue and the sun beamed down on the couple. Tony leaned back with his face turned towards the sky and closed his eyes, his hands fisted in Steve's shirt and trusting him wholly and completely. This is what true love feels like, he thought with a smile. This is what people wait their entire lives for and Tony is lucky enough to have this man in his life. He cuddled against Steve's back and just enjoyed the ride with his eyes closed in contentment.

It was almost two hours since they left Manhattan and Tony felt the bike slow down and Steve leaned back slightly. Tony opened his eyes and was greeted by tall pines and the smell of hard oak trees, the grass on either side of the small dirt road they had turned on was long and green, the blades bowed as they rode passed before lazily bobbing in the gentle breeze. The branches formed an arch over the road creating the illusion that this place, whatever it was and where ever it was, is theirs alone and no one could touch them here. Steve glanced over his shoulder at Tony and nodded ahead of them, the trees seemingly separated and parted for them as they entered a large clearing and a large farm house sat directly in the center. The wood siding was splintering and the original paint fell in flakes, shingles were missing or waving in the wind and a couple of shutters knocked loudly against the window frames. The porch listed to one side and the roof was sagging in the center most likely due to rotting wood and termites.

It was beautiful.

The motorcycle rolled to a stop and Steve waited for Tony to dismount before swinging his leg over the bike and resting it on it's kickstand. Tony stared in wonder at this house and imagined Steve and himself living here for all their lives, children and grandchildren playing in the grass and running around the surrounding woods.

"So, what do you think?" Steve asked.

The brunette looked at him with an eyebrow raised in skepticism. "Is this condemned?" Tony teased.

"I sure hope not. I plan to buy this place some day." Steve placed his hands on his hips and looked at the exterior with a critical eye. "It just needs some updates here and there and it'll be good as new."

"You want this dump?" Tony asked in complete disbelief. Sure the house could be beautiful, but it's a lot of money and a lot of work to put into such an old place with no meaning.

"Once I can get the money up, yeah." Steve smiled down at the shorter man and offered his hand. "Come inside and I'll show you why I want it."

Tony wrapped his fingers around Steve's and followed him up the front porch steps, laughing when they nearly lost their balance on a rickety board. The front door was hanging on its hinges and creaked loudly when pushed open, the bottom scraping against the hardwood floor. Inside it was dark and dusty, Tony coughed a few times in an effort to remove the particles from his lungs. The air smelled heavily of damp wood and possibly a few dead creatures. Tony's nose wrinkled as he stepped over the body of a dead field mouse in the foyer. Steve pulled him into what seemed to be a parlor and stood him in the middle of the room, he placed a gentle kiss to Tony's forehead before he moved to the windows and pulled open the heavy curtains, exposing the room to some much-needed sunlight.

The brunette smiled as he casted his gaze around the empty room. He could picture a couple of overstuffed chairs by the door that leads further into the house with an antique looking side table in-between, a love seat placed in front of the grand fire place with a soft rug and a coffee table that is perfect for cuddling on during cold winters, he could see the walls filled up with works of art and pictures of their life together. Tony spun slowly as he took in every crevice of the room, from the light wood floors and the decorative crown molding to the peeling wallpaper and the sooty fire place. He was already falling in love and he only saw a part of this house. He turned back to see Steve watching him with a dopey smile on his face and his hands tucked into his pockets.

"What do you think?" Steve asked quietly.

Tony glanced around briefly as if contemplating an answer. "I can see the appeal."

Steve smiled. "What would you do with this place, if it was yours."

The brunette looked up at the taller man and smiled shyly. "Well, for starters I want the house painted white with black trim."

The blonde nodded. "White and black trim. Got it." He smiled at Tony. "Anything else?"

"I want a shop!" Tony said as he took deliberate steps towards his boyfriend. "Some place where I can invent and design and build whatever I want, whenever I want and for as long as I want."

Steve pulled his hands from his pockets, ready to envelop Tony in a hug as he watched the younger man get closer with each word. "And where would this shop be?"

Tony looked out the window and admired the view it framed. A small stream cut through the field on the other side of the house, and Tony could see himself working in a shop with a view just like this one. He raised a finger and pointed out the window.

"Down there." He whispered. "So, I can have this very same view out an enormous window."

Steve's arms wound around Tony's waist and he rested his head on the brunette's shoulder. He hummed in acceptance and pressed his lips to Tony's ear briefly before he whispered, "It's a great view."

From there, Steve's lips traveled down Tony's neck to his collar bone where the blonde nibbled at the skin. Tony leaned his head to the side to expose more of himself to his lover as he reached up and buried a hand in the blonde hair on the back of Steve's head. He heard himself moan when Steve bit down on his pulse point.

"I love you," Tony murmured.

"I love you." Steve whispered.

New York: Present

"Well, you can imagine what happened next…" Captain smiled embarrassingly across the table at Tony who was staring across the lake. They had moved from inside to the table and chairs on the lawn. His brown eyes were distant and it looked to Captain that he was envisioning the story in his mind's eye. He turned to the Captain and smirked.

"What? You're not going to read the good part?" Tony laughed breathily.

Captain shook his head. "No, not this time."

An excited yelp came from the building up the hill, Captain turned his head and smiled at the group of people coming towards them.

"Grandpa!" A young boy of seven called out as he sprinted to the Captain and launched himself into the older man's lap.

"Hey, buddy." Captain said as he placed a delicate kiss to the boy's hair.

"Oh," Tony began to look very uncomfortable. "These are your children?"

Captain nodded and he began to introduce Tony to his family.

"That's Clint and his wife Laura they have two kids, Lila and Cooper." Captain pointed over to the small family standing back from them, the two children shifted nervously. "And this is Mary with her husband Richard." Mary sat next to the Captain and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. The older man jostled the young boy in his arms and said, "The little one here is their son, Peter."

Tony smiled and said hello to them all. "You have a beautiful family." Peter stepped out of his grandpa's arms, walked over to Tony and gave him a big hug. Confused, Tony gently hugged the boy and looked around. "Oh, goodness. Okay." Captain could see that it was becoming overwhelming and nodded at the nurse that accompanied his family down to the lakeside. "I must meet them often."

Captain nodded. "At least once a week."

"I think I should go back inside now." Tony said shakily. "You need some time alone with your family. You can read more to me later."

The nurse walked over and helped Tony out of his seat and together they walked back up the hill. Clint flopped down in the vacant chair and leveled a stair at his father.

"What are you doing, dad?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Captain responded, his head tilted.

"You know what I mean." Clint sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Pop isn't coming back."

Mary sighed and squeezed her father's shoulders. "It's time for you to come home. Pop doesn't remember us, he doesn't remember you."

"Kids, I know you mean well but up in that building is my home." Captain took a deep breath as water began to fill his eyes. "Your pop is still in there and I belong here with the love of my life."

Mary and Clint looked at each other with grief as Captain mentally closed himself off. It had been the same thing for years, ever since Tony was admitted with dementia. He knew his kids just want what's best for him, but right now that means spending as much time with his beloved before it was too late. Come what may.

New York: 1939

It was two weeks later that the couple said their farewells in the driveway of the Stark estate. Tony's parents waited in the car as the brunette and Steve stood there kissing repeatedly for several minutes. The Stark's driver honked the horn constantly, which the two love birds ignored. Tony had his arms wrapped tightly around the blonde's neck and he held on for dear life, likewise Steve's hand gripped his hips so tightly he was sure there were bruises. He didn't mind though, as long as he got to feel Steve near him for a little while longer, he could put up with almost anything. They pulled apart and Steve rested his forehead against Tony's and he stared deeply in the dark chocolate brown eyes.

"Promise me you'll write." Tony whispered, afraid that if he spoke too loudly the moment would be over. "Every day. You have my address, right?"

"I have it memorized." Steve closed his eyes and soaked in the feeling of Tony in his arms. "I'll write you every single day, and possibly twice on Sunday."

Tony gave a watery chuckle before he placed a quick kiss to Steve's cheek and darted away to the car. Before the blonde could blink, the younger man was in the car and it was already disappearing around the corner. Steve stood there long after Tony left, still in disbelief that he was here just a while ago, standing in Steve's arms and tasting his lips. After standing there for half an hour, he straddled his motorcycle took off down the road and headed home to start his first letter. He kissed his mother on her cheek in greeting before he shut himself in his room. He sat at his desk and pulled out a paper and pen and began to write.

"Dear Tony,

I know you just left and you haven't reached California yet, but I couldn't help myself, I miss you already. The days are going to drag on until I get the chance to see or hear from you again. I don't think I have told you yet, but I read poetry to my mother every night. She says it's because it kept me out of trouble when I was younger and sick. I just think she wanted me to become more rounded than just some dock boy. But I recall a poem of hers that she absolutely loved and I make sure to read it every night.

Love is more thicker than forget

More thinner than recall

More seldom than a wave is wet

More frequent than to fail

It is most mad and moody

And less is shall unbe

Than all the sea which only

Is deeper than the sea

Love is less always than to win

Less never than alive

Less bigger than the least begin

Less littler than forgive

It is most sane and sunly

And more it cannot die

Than all the sky which only

Is higher than the sky

It's a poem by E.E. Cummings and recently it has become my favorite as well. I hope you're doing okay on the west coast. I love you, Tony.

Steve"

And true to his word, Steve wrote a letter every day. He'd write about Bucky and Natasha, he'd write about his work, he'd write about the poems he read to his mother. Anything he could think of, he put on paper. He also sent sketches he'd done of locals, landscapes and few of Tony done by memory. A year went on with constant scribbles and numerous crumpled papers littered around his room but Steve never received a letter. He told himself if he didn't receive a reply on his final letter, he would let Tony go and live his life. Steve would always love him, and some times you had to let go of the things you love, no matter how much it hurt.

Weeks went by and Steve's mood took a turn for the worse. Bucky tried pulling him to go do something with friends or just the two of them with little success. On the rare occasions that he did manage to drag Steve out of the house, he was solemn and kept his head down. He didn't get into any fights or banter with Bucky like he used to.

Then, the war came. Bucky noticed Steve's demeanor begin to change. He stood a little straighter and his head was raised a little higher, the look in his eyes held fierce determination. Bucky had already signed up for the war a few months back, not wanting his friend to have any more reason to be upset he never told Steve, but his orders came in yesterday and he was due to ship out in two days. It was after work one day when Bucky broke the news.

"Hey, Stevie," he caught his friends shoulder on the sidewalk just outside the gates to the dock. "I got something I need to tell you."

"You got your orders?" Steve asked.

"Well—yeah, how'd…?"

"You ain't good at keeping secrets, Buck." Steve smiled. "That's great. You'll be over there fighting for the country."

"You make it sound glamorous." Bucky laughed as they continued down the sidewalk again.

"Anything beats sitting here and doing nothing." Steve kicked a rock a few feet ahead and shoved his hands in his pockets. A sure sign of a down mood if Bucky ever saw one.

"Who says you have to stay over here?" Bucky asked, and he knew he will later kick himself for convincing his best friend to join the army. "They're drafting everybody these days."

Steve glanced up. "You really think I should sign up?"

"I just want you to do something besides work and sleep." Bucky sighed and looked at the sky. "Who knows, you may even just get to travel on the government's dime. Get to see the world."

A week later found Steve at a recruitment office waiting for his physical. He had thought about what Bucky had told him and he knew that he couldn't live with himself if he stayed stateside while men are overseas dying for freedom. His name was finally called and he stepped back where they weighed and measured him before sending him into a curtained off chair and table. He sat down and waited for a physician to enter. He looked around the small area and noticed pamphlets about certain diseases and how to maintain a better weight for men sitting on the table to his left. He began to read through a few that caught his attention just as the curtain opened. The physician was looking at his clipboard and never once looked up.

"Mr. Rogers." The doctor drawled.

"That's me."

"Alright. We're just going to do a few basic tests and I'll ask you a few questions and then we'll go from there."

The doctor stepped up close to him and began the series of tests. It started out simple enough, blood pressure, eyesight, hearing, heart rhythm and his breathing. Afterwards the doctor shuffled him out of the curtained off examination room to the only x-ray in the building to get a better look at his lungs and then his reflexes were tested back in his seat. After thirty minutes, the doctor began to fire off quick questions about past familial health conditions, current risks and his daily habits. At the end of the examination the doctor ripped off a sheet of paper from his clipboard and handed it to Steve.

"Take this to the front table and give it to one of the girls there. She'll give you more information."

Steve nodded his thanks and pulled his clothes back on before he left the makeshift exam rooms. He handed his paper to a beautiful blonde in a nurse's uniform. She smiled brightly at him, their fingers brushed as she took his form and scanned through it quickly. She grabbed a stamp to her right, dabbed it on the ink pad and slammed it on the paper. She handed it back to him with a sweet smile.

"Congratulations, Steve Rogers. You're now in the army. You'll receive a letter within seven days with your ship-out orders." She quickly wrote on a spare bit of paper and handed it to him as well. "Give me a call before then, okay soldier?"

Steve blushed. He glanced down and saw a phone number written underneath the name Rachel in elegant cursive. He shoved it in his front pocket, nodded at Rachel and walked out the front door. He knew he was being ridiculous, it's been a year since he last saw Tony and he hadn't heard from him since the day he left so there is nothing wrong with enjoying another's company before he ships out. Right?

Steve's mind was onboard with the plan, but his heart was dead set against it. He tossed the note in the nearest trash can and continued his way home to give his mother the news. Steve knew she would worry about him but she will also be very proud of him. Of course, a few tears left her eyes when he told her that he'd been accepted into the draft, she pulled him in tight for a hug and told him that he was to come home in one piece or he'll have to deal with her. Steve laughed and placed a placating kiss to her cheek.

"I'll be careful, ma." He hugged her again. "You can be sure of that."

His mother pulled away from him and dabbed her eyes. "Now, you go write that good for nothing friend of yours that you'll be seeing him over there soon. Can't believe he talked you into joining the army. What was that boy thinking?!"

Steve knew his mother was teasing, she always called Bucky a scoundrel and he preened at her words. He left her mumbling in the kitchen and quickly wrote out a letter to Bucky. After he placed the stamp on the envelope, he debated about writing another letter. He wondered if Tony had received any of his previous letters or if the address was just a fake. There was no telling which he wanted to believe, the part where Tony decided he was done with him and ignored his letters or the part where Tony never wanted anything more than a summer romance and gave him a fraud mailing address. Either one seemed to depress him even more. He pushed away from his desk with Bucky's letter clenched in his hand and jogged down the street to put it in the mail. Just seven more days, and he was going to be serving his country…

Meanwhile, in California, Tony sat in his room tinkering with his machines when his mother knocked on his door. He deliberately ignored her as he mourned a love that was never meant to happen. Maria pushed open the door and watched as her son's cheeks glistened with shed tears, it broke her heart to see him like this but she had no choice. Her boy deserved far more than that Brooklynn kid could ever give him and she had to make sure that he went on with his life, so she hid the letters that boy sent her son. She kept them in a box in the back of her closet for the day when Tony finally got over this affair.

Maria knelt beside his chair and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm very sorry, honey." She said quietly. "It's been months, you should go out and live your life and find someone who will be everything you ever needed and wanted."

Tony just closed his eyes and let the tears pour out. He didn't tell her that Steve was just that, he didn't say that he thought Steve was going to be his forever. It would be so much easier if he could just hate the man and get over it, but he couldn't. He couldn't find the nerve in him to hate a man who saw just him. Not a company. Not money. Not his genius. Just him. His mother left a couple of moments later and Tony looked himself in the mirror. He promised himself never to let his parents see him grieve over a man that never really loved him and let them think he had moved on. It would be for the better, not just for them but for himself.

He attended Stanford and during his Sophomore year he was contacted by the government to put his genius to the test with the new world war designing weapons and armor for the American troops abroad. He would be based in Great Britain and away from the front lines and he wouldn't hardly see any battles. His mom was understandably upset but his father had a proud smile as he boasted to anyone that would listen.

Overseas, Tony met and interacted with different people from different countries and he learned new languages and new ways on how to do things and he found he made some new friends. While he was over there he met an office aide by the name of Virginia "Pepper" Pots. She was a firecracker and she instantly caught his attention and his affection. They had "work dates" where Tony would tinker with new weaponry and Pepper would stitch him up afterwards, she kept him from hurting himself and he was grateful. She helped him forget about his past summer romance and he took her home. They were engaged a year after the war was over and his parents couldn't be any happier.

Alright, so I like to put up two chapters at once when I start just because it helps reign in interest. So, if you haven't seen the Notebook and would like me to continue bug me if I haven't updated in a long while. And I'm serious. I can whip out a chapter in like a week so if it's been a month bug me. Or if you have seen the Notebook and want to see how I twist and turn this into my little demon, you may also bug me. I'm openly inviting you to bug the crap out of me. Seriously.

Remain awesome!