Something was wrong.

Vivian could feel it all around her, she just couldn't figure out exactly what it was. So she pushed the warning bells to the back of her mind, turning her attention back to the chaos around her. Her tiny apartment was a wreck. Everything she owned, which sadly wasn't that much was now in the boxes that took up nearly inch of available space she had. In a few short days, she would be leaving Europe forever to start her new life in America; an America that would be completely foreign to her. And while she looked forward to it, she wished she didn't have to leave the place that she now considered her home. It was hard enough seeing her friends go out for missions when she was at the base. But at least she got news about their exploits fairly quickly. God knows when she'll hear anything thousands of miles away. She sighed, plopping down on her bed. Her mind drifted to Bucky.

He left three weeks ago after that wonderful night they spent together. No one could, or would, tell her anything about the mission. She didn't have the clearance for it. Even Peggy didn't know anything, although she was quietly reaching out to her MI6 connections. Captain America and the Howling Commandos had been gone for too long with no real word and everyone was starting to get a little antsy. Even Vivian was feeling the strain. Her nerves were so wound up that it was making her sick. She hoped that she heard something before she left or she would be a wreck the entire trip.

A heavy handed knock came from the front door, breaking Vivian out of her thoughts. "Come in." Much to her surprise, Steve Rogers stood in her doorway. One glance at his broken face, and his fresh pressed uniform and Vivian felt the world drop out from beneath her feet. In the back of her mind, she heard someone screaming. It took her a moment to recognize her own voice crying out as she fell to her knees. Steve took a few quick steps into her apartment but stopped when Vivian lifted her head to give him the most angst ridden gaze he had ever seen.

"How?" she croaked out.

Steve could not meet her gaze. Vivian knew that the anguish on his face mirrored her own. Possibly even more since he and Bucky had been together since childhood. Her heart went out to him. "He fell. I couldn't save him." His massive shoulders, shoulders that carried the weight of a nation, the weight of the world, began to shake.

She didn't know where she found the strength but Vivian reached out for the great, hulking man crying in her door way. She held him tightly as he fell to his knees beside her. "I'm sorry." He said over and over again. "It's ok," she told him and maybe someday it would be, but for now, she had to keep her torment locked away. There would be time to grieve later.

Neither one slept that night. One by one, the other Howling Commandos stopped by Vivian's apartment to offer their condolences before heading off to drown their sorrows in the bottom of a bottle. Peggy also stopped by. She pressed her lips so tightly together that they turned white. She would put on a brave face for Steve. She would be his rock and grieve for Bucky in private. Steve left with her, leaving Vivian all alone in her apartment feeling small and lost. What was she going to do now?

Vivian was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she didn't hear the soft tapping at her door. She didn't hear it open or was aware of the man who now strode into her apartment.

"Hey", said a gentle voice.

Startled, Vivian spun around to see Howard Stark standing awkwardly of her holding a battered leather case in front of him. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you didn't answer." He swallowed, fiddling with the handle of the case. "Bucky was one of the greatest men I ever had the pleasure of knowing." Vivian's throat tightened. "I know you were planning on staying and making a life with him…" Howard had to stop to swallow back his emotions. "But now…given the circumstances, we might…"

Vivian eyes fell to the battered case in Howard's hand. She felt her entire existence zero in on that little insignificant case and what lay inside it. She knew what Howard was offering her. She knew what he thought would happen. But she knew more. There could still be hope for her if she played her cards right. A small flicker of hope flared to life in the hole in her heart.

"Howard, I know what you want to do," Vivian said getting off the bed. "Thank you. I have a few things that I need to take care of before I go back." Howard nodded. "I need to talk to Peggy too."

Peggy and Vivian sat in the darkest corner of the darkest bar they could find. Two bottles sat on the bar space in front of the two women. One was empty, the other nearly so. Despite them being without any male escorts, they were left unmolested by the rough men around them. Perhaps they didn't want to mingle with the darkness and despair that surrounded the two women. Peggy's usual stalwart nature was gone, showing a more vulnerable side to the indomitable woman. Vivian had taken on the supportive role for her friend. She knew what she was going through but so much more depended on how the other woman reacted to the information Vivian was about to drop on her.

"Don't even think about it," Peggy ground out when Vivian took a deep breath to fortify herself. "I don't want to know."

"Are you sure?"

Tears lined the bottom of Peggy's eyes. "Yes."

"Alright," Vivian said. "But there's something that I need you to do." Peggy tilted her head, clearly pissed. Vivian took another fortifying breath and told Peggy her plan. Not once did Peggy interrupt her. The only change that she saw took place in the other woman's eyes. A small light came to life in the depths of the despair. The rest of the second bottle was gone by the time Vivian finished explaining what she needed her friend to do. The message she must carry with her through the ages until it reached the appropriate people in a distant future. "I know this is a lot to ask of anyone." Peggy cut her off.

"No I understand. I would do the same if I was in your place." The women shared a small, sad smile. Peggy seemed to wrestle with something for a few moments. "Will I ever see him again?"

"Yes, but there will be nothing either of you can do about it. You have to let him go and live your life. And he will have to do the same when his time comes. But you will still be the one that he turns to for guidance and support."

Peggy closed her eyes, lips quivering. Two tears ran down her face. Vivian remained silent and let her friend mourn what could have been. When Peggy opened her eyes again, all the pain and suffering had vanished. Vivian knew that it wasn't gone, just buried deep down where no one would ever see it.

In the months that followed, Vivian maintained a low profile. She let everyone believe that she had gone on to America when in all actuality; she lived in the ruined buildings of London. At least she wasn't the only one. She did was she could for the countless orphans and displaced civilians that she could. Peggy and Howard smuggled as much as they could to her, anything to help those who needed it.

Finally, it was time to for the first stage of Vivian's plan. Peggy smuggled Vivian into the science department of the bunker. The war may have been over, but there was still so much about Hydra that the Allied forces were trying to understand. Peggy opened a small, nondescript door and motioned for Vivian to walk through. The room was empty but for a circular machine in the middle and a small control panel.

"Something this small made that huge crater?" Vivian asked mouth dry.

"God no," Howard scoffed. "The original was a big as a warehouse. I was able to improve upon Hydra's original plans. More power, more control, smaller archway, less likelihood of explosion."

"Good for you," Peggy said blandly. However, the corner of her mouth had risen ever so slightly. Howard smirked back.

"Are we all clear on what has to happen?" Vivian asked.

"Howard will destroy this machine as soon as you have gone through. He will bury the blueprints and notes until I ask for them back which won't happen until a man name Nicholas Fury as reached his appointed role. Until then, I will work to change the SSR into a new organization called SHIELD. Nicholas will be the one I have to convince to build another machine so that you can re-enter your time without taking out three city blocks."

"That sounds about right," Vivian said. "So I guess there's nothing left to do but fire up this puppy and get this party started."

Peggy and Howard took up their stations behind the control panel, leaving Vivian standing in front of the machine that was her only way to the ones she loved the most. She rubbed her palms against the legs of her pants and sent a quick prayer up to whoever would listen that everything would work out the way she planed. So many things could go wrong between now and then. She ran the risk of altering the future by giving Peggy and Howard the information that she did. She hadn't told them everything and they, mercifully, hadn't asked. It seemed like they had more sense than the Colonel.

"Ready whenever you are," Howard informed her.

Vivian gave him a tense nod and the machine sparked to life. It was terrifying. Sparks and electrical arcs lashed out, leaving scorch marks wherever they struck. A blinding blue light appeared at the center of the machine. It quickly turned into a swirling vortex of electrical energy that did not look all that inviting. The vortex spun faster and faster, sucking in air and stray bits of paper. A roar drowned out all other sounds.

"Go now!" Howard shouted over the din. "The doorway is collapsing."

Vivian closed her eyes one more time in silent prayer before hurling herself at the swirling vortex of death before her. As she made the final leap, her thoughts returned to everything that she had experienced in the many months before.

All the friends that she had made.

All the help she had been able to give.

All the people whose names she now carried in her heart. One name repeated over and over to the tempo of her heart. One person that she hoped to one day see again.

Steve could hardly believe the sights around him. Everything he had ever known, all the people he had ever loved were gone and had been for a while. Where was his place in this new world of glittering images and fast paced movement? He was only mildly aware of the crowd that was beginning to form around him. He didn't care. Suddenly, six black vehicles circled around him. The logo from the fake room was on their doors. If these people thought that he would go down easy, they had another thing coming. A tall, black man with an eye patch got out of one of the vehicles.

"At ease, soldier!" the man with the eye patch told Steve. "Look, I'm sorry about the little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly."

"Break what?" Steve asked, feeling sick to his stomach. He had an idea, but he just needed this man to confirm it.

The man looked a little uncomfortable. "You've been asleep Cap for almost seventy years." Steve heard a roaring in his ears. His knees wobbled beneath him and the world around him spun. "You gonna be ok?"

"Of course he is," a familiar voice answered.

Steve spun around to face another person getting out of one of the black vehicles. She looked exactly the way she did the last time he saw her. Her whiskey colored hair pulled back into a simple braid. Her emerald eyes alight with laughter. The only difference was the clothing she wore, although they were very similar to what she wore when he first saw her.

"Hello, Vivian," Steve muttered in a daze.

"Hey there big fella," Vivian said. "We have a lot of talk about.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will be the end of this story. As always please remember to review. Until next time.