Thick and thin is a lot harder than I imagined. Not only is HYDRA still alive and fully operational, but it turns out my kidnapping isn't an accident. Although I persisted that I stay near Steve during this entire ordeal, the good captain refused to allow it. Steve, literally, made Sam (his new friend) drive me to Union Station and board a train to New York City. Not only did Sam learn, the hard way, that I'm not your typical twenty-eight year old, but that my strength, speed, and stamina can match that of Steve's. Impressive for a human and a female.
"Skylar I know you're mad, but you've got to stay put until we carry out this mission. I love you, honey." Steve says on the phone, sighing deeply into the receiver.
"I love you too. Okay, I understand. Call me if you need me." I say, already waiting at the station in Philly to return to D.C.
"I will. Love you." Steve assures me, lying through his teeth, and hangs up.
Sighing deeply, I terminate the call on my end, waiting for the slowest train in the world to show. I know the dangers that's going on in SHIELD, especially now since Steve, Natasha, Sam, Fury and Hill are all moving targets, but I don't care. I'm not one to wait on the sidelines and I plan to be there for my future husband, whether he likes it or not.
By the time I board the next train south to the Capitol, I receive an unnerving call from Sam. Steve's been hospitalized. The mission was successful, but at a cost. The three new helicarriers that carry HYDRA's special weapon is not destroyed. The cost, Steve is in the hospital with serious injuries and Bucky got away.
I don't know how long it takes, but somehow I'm by Steve's side before he wakes from unconsciousness. Sam's in the room as well, reading something and playing some old music. I rush into the room, ignoring the nurses who try to stop me. I merely point my gun at them and keep walking.
"You got here fast. Almost as if you weren't in New York when I called you." Sam says in a knowing tone that annoys me.
"Did you honestly think I was going to leave my future husband with a Russian assassin? You must be out of your damn mind." I reply, half in a pissed of tone and half in a joking tone.
Getting the message loud and clear, Sam backs off, knowing better than to mess with a Cobra.
I sit down by Steve's side, grasping his hand and kissing his motionless cheek. "How long has he been out?"
"A day. He nearly drowned. The search party found him lying on the banks of the river. He had been dragged out." Sam replies, scratching his hand tiredly.
"Bucky." I whisper, knowing there's only two people in the world who could survive the destruction of a helicarrier.
"That's what I assumed too. Steve hasn't been conscious long enough to give more details." Sam says, giving me a knowing look.
"On your left." A scratchy voice says, turning both of our attentions toward the man of the hour.
"Steve! You stupid liar! You swore you'd call if you got in deep shit." I cry, my rage, hurt, and worry bubbling up in me.
"Skylar. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you baby." Steve says, turning his attention towards me and giving me a small smile.
"You stubborn man." I say smiling, leaning over him to kiss his chapped lips.
There's a large bruise on his face, cuts all over his body, and a particularly nasty black eye. Overall he's okay though. For nearly drowning and getting the crap beat out of him, he's okay. I can't keep thanking every god, deity, spirit, or any good luck charm I've ever known or had for keeping Steve safe.
Steve drives Sam and me quietly to the cemetery to meet with the ex-director Fury of SHIELD. Standing before a headstone marked as Fury's grave sight, Steve and I stare quietly down at the sign. One of the few people to know the man is alive.
"You can't keep running Fury. Sooner or later you're going to have to tell the truth." I say, sensing the director's presence before he makes it known.
"Maybe, Skylar. But until then I plan to stay very low on the radar." Fury says, looking better for a man who was shot, killed, and came back from the dead.
"I'm guessing you're not going to tell us where you're going." I say, knowing my boss too well.
"No, I don't want to burden you with the knowledge. But I will tell you I am reachable if you know the right questions." Fury says in a cryptic tone, giving me a knowing look.
"I definitely won't miss getting yelled at by you." I say jokingly, giving the black man a small smile.
"I'm sure you won't, but I'll miss barking at people." Fury jokes, giving me a weak smile.
"Be careful." I say, looking at a man who's protected me and treated me like a daughter since I began working for SHIELD.
"You too, Agent Rogers." Fury replies, giving me a nod and Steve a stern look. "Keep her safe. She's a rare beauty."
"Yes sir. Be careful out there." Steve says, standing stuff and keeping a tight lip.
Nodding his goodbye, Fury leaves, not bothering to look back. Natasha approaches us once he leaves.
"That's the closest thing I've ever heard him say to a 'goodbye'." Natasha says, holding a file in her hand as she stares at Steve, Sam and me.
"He's a complicated man." Steve says, not trying to be polite.
"I've got something for you. I pulled it from SHIELD before it, you know, went under." Natasha says, handing the file to Steve.
"Where are you going from here, Nat?" I ask.
"I don't know. Maybe lay low for awhile." The redhead assassin replies.
"We'll see you at the wedding?" I ask, knowing Steve would appreciate her coming.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Sky." Natasha answers, giving me a smile.
"Thanks, Natasha. See you around." Steve says, dismissing the assassin.
Nodding her goodbye, Natasha leaves, sending us a half-smile.
After her departure, I look over Steve's shoulder to view the file Natasha handed him. Bucky Barnes' picture stares back at me as I read the few details known about the solider post his fall from the train.
"You're going after him, aren't you?" Sam says from Steve's other side.
"Got to." Steve says simple, looking down at me with a hopeful look.
"I'm in." Sam says, looking toward me too.
"I'm with you till the end, you know that." I say, relieving Steve of whatever negative answer he was fearing.
We return to our apparat meant to rest up before our big manhunt. I cook Steve, Sam, and myself some grill cheese sandwiches and a few cans of tomato soup. Steve types busily on the computer, searching through any leftover SHIELD files. Sam just watches TV while sipping on a Corona, glancing occasionally at the hunched over super solider.
"Dinner boys." I say, placing the plates and bowls on the set table.
"Thank you, Mrs. Rogers." Sam says, leaping from the sofa to his chair, tipping an invisible hat toward me.
"Don't get used to it, Falcon. I'm no housewife." I say, giving him a half-hearted glare.
Sam bows respectfully, knowing, although, my tone is playful, my words are serious. I am not, will not, and have never been a 'housewife' and I do not plan to start a career now. With SHIELD disbanded, temporarily, I plan to return to New York, going to get reacquainted with my family that I've cut ties with since I was eighteen.
"Steve please come eat, before the food gets cold." I say toward the hunched over soldier.
"In a minute, hon. I think I'm onto a lead."
"I don't care. Eat. You're no good without food." I say, walking in front of Steve and shutting the laptop forcefully. Not particularly caring if his fingers suffer a crunch.
Steve just stares at the space the screen once covered, his gaze landing on my left ring finger. I notice his gaze and follow it to my engagement ring, shinning brightly underneath the lights of the apartment.
Reaching forward, Steve takes my left hand and fingers the ring, running his thumb over the diamond planted in the center. Kissing the back of my hand, Steve looks up at me, a sad look in his eyes.
"Don't even start with your bullshit excuses. You're eating then sleeping then showering before you even think about opening that laptop again. End of discussion." I say in a firm voice, not leaving any room for argument in my tone.
"Yes ma'am." Steve replies obediently, giving me a knowing look.
"And you two aren't having sex until I leave. I don't need to see or hear any of that." Sam says from his place at the table, making Steve and me turn our attention to him.
"Then I suggest you eat quickly." I shot back, making the ex-soldier eat extra fast.
We're just lounging in bed, the glow from the street lamps outside casting shadows over the furniture in our small room. Tangled in the sheets, my legs intertwine with his.
"We should just elope." Steve says quietly, almost in a whisper that I miss.
"Elope?" I say, lifting my head from his chest to see his face. "Why?"
He doesn't reply right away, merely looks past me toward the wall. I know he doesn't want to say his real reason, that the real reason is a reason I won't like, but he also won't lie. Especially not to me.
"This whole thing, with Bucky. I feel like life's too short to wait. I mean, seventy years ago he was alive and himself. I was just a kid from Brooklyn, now I'm Captain America." Steve sighs, pausing in his rant. "I just don't want anything to happen between now and September. I want you to be my wife already."
"I understand. I know what it's like to have everything you love be taken away from you in a blink of an eye." I say, sitting up to be eye level with my fiancée.
"I know you do. That's why I'm hoping you understand my reason for wanting to elope instead of having a big, drawn out wedding."
"I understand. So let's do it. Let's get married, right now." I say, smiling a mischievous smile.
Sitting upright, Steve looks down at me, almost unsure if he heard me right. "You're sure? You won't regret not having a big wedding? Cause I can wait if that's what you want. I mean, I just wanted to pitch the idea to you."
"Steve it's okay, I don't mind. I'm not one for weddings, dressing up, and pretending to be a 'blushing bride' anyways. Let's get married."
An hour later we're dressed, Steve wearing his green Army military uniform and me in a white sundress. We drive to the courthouse, getting a meeting with a judge quickly because of Steve. Steve calls Sam to be our witness, Sam gladly arriving on a short notice to attend the ceremony.
"Do you Captain Steven Rogers take Skylar Anderson to be your wife? To have and to hold? In sickness and in health? For rich or poor? For as long as you both shall live?" The judge asks, looking at Steve, who doesn't take his eyes off of me.
"I do." Steve replies simply, smiling down on me with a boyish smile.
"Do you Skylar Anderson take Captain Steven Rogers to be your husband? To have and to hold? In sickness and in health? For rich or poor? For as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." I say, smiling a dazzling smile that I can lights up my face.
"By the power invested in me by the District of Columbia, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Time seems to slow when the words leave the judge's mouth. Steve leans down slowly and I stand up taller as our lips meet in the middle for a sweet, passionate kiss. Our first of many kisses as man and wife. When we pull away we're both smiling like idiots. Sam signs the marriage license after Steve and myself, and the judge congratulates us both, his secretary saying her congratulation as well and handing me flowers from her desk.
We leave the courthouse in a blissful state, Steve carrying me down the steps as Sam walks slightly behind us, taking a picture on the steps of the Lincoln with the Washington and Capitol in the background. We go out to dinner at a small pub, ordering beers and pizza for our wedding dinner. Clinking our glasses together in a toast, we end the day with a round of free booze, thanks to the owner.
"I can't believe we're married." I say, feeling my skin heat up at just saying the word, 'married'.
"Me neither. It's a wonderful feeling." Steve says, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close, nearly onto his lap.
"Okay you two save some of it for the honeymoon." Sam says jokingly.
"Aww what's the matter? Falcon feeling a little uncomfortable?" I tease.
"Just slightly." Sam confesses, making me laugh at his honesty.
We finish our meal in peace, the drive home going quiet as well. When we enter our apartment, Steve carries me in bridal style, acting like it's a room at the Ritz instead of a dingy D.C. apartment.
"So Mrs. Roger would you care for a glass of champagne?" Steve asks me in a seductive voice.
"Indeed I would, Mr. Rogers." I reply, giggling at Steve's antics.
I sit down on the couch as Steve pops the glass bottle, the contents dripping onto the floor, as he fills two glasses to the brim. Walking back into the living room, Steve hands me my glass. I clink my glass against his before taking a long sip of the bubbly liquid. The drink is sweet, just the way I like it, and the bubbles leave a tingly feeling in my belly. I set my glass down on the coffee table as I look up at Steve, noticing the captain's eyes never leaving mine.
"We're married." I say, mostly to myself for reassurance it's not a dream.
"We're married." Steve echoes my words, also seeming to not believe it.
"When do you want to tell the team?" I ask, feeling slightly guilty for not having a party or a proper wedding like they had hoped for. My father, brother, and Dante are going to kill me.
"Maybe tomorrow? When it's not so late? I was thinking of driving to New York to tell them."
"Okay, sounds like a plan." I reply quietly, knowing my father will be beyond disappointed he wasn't there to see his only daughter get married.
"You're thinking of your family." Steve says, stating a fact not a question.
I nod my head 'yes', unable to hide my thoughts from my husband. Husband. That sounds nice.
"I feel bad they didn't get to see me get married. I know it was always a dream of my father's to see his little girl get married." I say, bitterness in my tone.
"Stop this nonsense Skylar! He abandoned you! He wasn't there at Diana's funeral, why does he deserve to be at your wedding?"
"Because he's my father. Although he screwed up big time, he still deserves my love and respect."
"No he doesn't. He's a coward. You owe him nothing."
"Sky I know what you're thinking." Steve says, sitting his drink down and sitting down beside me on the couch, pulling me into his lap.
"What am I thinking?" I challenge, knowing Steve will guess right.
"He doesn't deserve your love. But, it's good of you to give it to him anyways." Steve says, looking me directly in the eye.
I bow my head, unable to get the sinking feeling in my stomach to subside. He is my father, but he abandoned me. I know he has his 'reasons', but I don't care. I needed my dad.
"I just wish I could talk to him more easily, you know? I can't connect with him like I could with my mom."
Pulling me closer toward him, Steve lets me rest my head on his chest, inhaling his scent as he cradles me in his strong arms.
"I love you, Skylar. I love you. Please don't worry about anything else for tonight, okay honey?" Steve says in a husky voice.
"I love you too." I respond, kissing the skin at the base of Steve's throat as he gives a hearty moan. Oh yeah, I will definitely think about it later.