Steve POV
Steve woke up confused. He smelled bacon and coffee, that meant breakfast. Who was making breakfast? And then he realized he was alone in the bed, which normally would be, well, normal. But after yesterday, his world had taken a tumble with the loss of Peggy. His heart clenched and he took a breath before tossing off the sheets and doing the necessities in the bathroom before padding into the kitchen. He assumed he would find Holly there doing the cooking that was making his stomach growl even though in his heart, he wasn't hungry.

Instead he was met with a strange sight of Holly sitting at the dinette table while Banner was at his stove, whipping something in a pan and Coulson was putting something in the refrigerator. There was a plate of what indeed was bacon on the counter near the stove. When did this happen and how did he sleep through it? He'd been told he was a very light sleeper since the serum. Maybe he'd been so exhausted or so comfortable with Holly there that he actually slept deeply?

"Oh hey. Morning Steve." Bruce saw him first and gave him a nod, both hands engaged at the moment with making scrambled eggs. "We have some coffee if you want it. Bacon too. I'll have this ready in a few."

"Oh uhh, yeah. Thanks. Morning."

Holly gave him a strained smile, still dressed in just his tshirt, a cold bottle of Pepsi in front of her. She'd been so lost in her own head, her fingertips absently wiping at the condensation that even with her skills, she hadn't realized he was there until Banner spoke. "Hey sweetie. I woke up early and didn't want to wake you or just leave you alone, so I called Coulson and he and Bruce did a little shopping so we would have some breakfast." She got up and took out a mug from the cabinet, the shirt riding dangerously high, making Steve force himself to watch her hand. Apparently she had no qualms about being half dressed around either of the older men. Then again, Bruce was essentially her doctor and Coulson had known her since she was a teenager.

"I appreciate that."

She poured his coffee and set it down on the table, waving him over. He could see the strain in her eyes, the way she was holding herself. He reached out and gave her hand a squeeze, making her look up. Their eyes met and he didn't have to say anything and she nodded in understanding.

"Hope you don't mind me taking over your kitchen, Cap. But I wanted to get a break from the Koenigs. They've been following me around like dogs, waiting for me to turn into the Other Guy and wreck Coulson's place." Bruce explained, adding a dash of salt to his pan.

"You didn't go to Stark's hotel?"

"Nah. Figured I could help Leo distract Jemma and look at some of the stuff she's been working on lately. Tony was bugging May about upgrades for the Bus until Pepper dragged him away."

"Probably saving his life." Holly quipped, a vague smile coming to her lips.

"No doubt." Coulson joked.

"I have some scrambled here, do you want some pancakes too?" Banner showed Steve the very ready eggs. The scientist had told him once of how he enjoyed cooking because just as much as there was an art to it, it was a science as well.

"Just the eggs are fine. I'm not hungry, really." He honestly didn't want to eat anything but his mother hadn't raised him to be rude or to waste food.

Holly's hand rested on his arm. "Steve, you have to eat. Especially with your metabolism. At least some toast with your eggs? Maybe a piece or two of bacon? It's the way you like it, barely crispy."

He looked up at her, her eyes concerned. It was amazing how quickly they'd gotten into the rhythm of taking care of each other, the ebb and flow of it. "Only if you do too."
"Sir, yes sir." She saluted with a wink.

Once everyone was seated and had food, Coulson spoke up. "How are you two doing? Get any sleep last night at all?"

Steve looked to Holly. Why would Coulson automatically assume they hadn't been able to sleep? Or was he assuming something else? Wouldn't he be concerned that they had rushed things in their grief? Wouldn't that have Coulson looking at him in disapproval for taking advantage of Holly?

"Oh. That's more me. I have a tendency to not sleep when I'm upset. Usually resulting in someone creatively dosing me with sedatives." She turned her head back to Coulson, sitting across from her with a pursed look.

"It was one time and I wanted to test the new microdarts." The man defended, putting butter on his toast. "I caught you!"

She said nothing and still continued the look.

"That was not me, that was Barton." He put down the knife and dismissed the whole thing with a wave of the hand.

Still the look didn't change.

"Are you still mad about that? Geez." He rolled his eyes and took a bite of his toast.

Banner looked between the two before looking to Steve. "Are you as lost as I am, Cap?"
He nodded, scooping some of the eggs onto his toast. "Yeah, but you get used to it after a while. Thanks for making breakfast."
"Not a problem. It's a nice place you have here. Very retro."
"Compared to the Tower, yeah."

"I like it. Much better than the apartment I had when I was at Julliard." Holly spoke up after taking a long drink of orange juice. "Remember that hole in the wall?"

Coulson nodded with a grimace. "It was about half the size of this place and in a very nasty neighborhood." He took a drink of coffee. "Your dad had me stopping by nearly every week to make sure it hadn't collapsed or worse."

Holly nodded. "Yeah. One of my neighbors thought you were my overprotective father."

The elder man sighed. "I would have been 15 when you were born."

"I know. 1965 was a good year. You, then 2 months later Tony and two weeks after that, Eddie." She looked to Banner. "And then 3 weeks later, little bouncing baby Bruce."

Banner gave her a half smile. "Well 1980 had it's moment."

"Thank you sir."

They ate quietly for a few minutes before Coulson spoke up. Steve was able to imagine for just a little that they were just friends sharing breakfast like any other day. He didn't want to admit it but the food was really hitting the spot. He didn't even protest when Holly nonchalantly slid two more pieces of bacon onto his plate with her fork. "What's on your agenda for today?"

Holly looked to Steve and he shrugged. He had no idea. "I don't know. How are the arrangements coming?

"
"Today's Tuesday, it looks like everything will be Friday. There are going to be a lot of people coming in. Security will have to be pretty tight, even for Arlington."

"Because of us?" Banner asked, sheepishly. What he really meant was would it be because of him.

Holly spoke up before Coulson could. "Peggy founded SHIELD, Bruce. Alot of people out there didn't appreciate it. And with SHIELD files public and her connection to Steve, well, there's potential for trouble. Especially with her being the last surviving founder."

Steve clenched his jaw. "Hydra."

"Potentially. She had a long career and you have to consider the careers of the people in attendance. I'm sure there are people out there who wouldn't think twice about trying to take me out there." Holly spoke up, like it was nothing to theorize that someone might be plotting her death.

"They are not going to touch you." Steve almost growled. The idea that someone would use a funeral to assassinate someone for something they did years earlier infuriated him. But to think of someone trying to hurt Holly, let alone at her adopted mother's funeral just was too much. His mind flashed to Bavaria, her scream of pain, the blood on his shirt after she ripped her sutures on the plane. He barely registered that he was bending the fork in his fist. No one was going to even look at her wrong. He'd make sure of it.

"Hey, hey." Her voice was soft and understanding. "That's why there's going to be extra security, Steve. It'll be fine. Okay?" She touched his arm. "Besides, I've been in a scrap or two. I think I can handle myself."

"I know you can, just the idea of it." Then a thought came to him that was like a bucket of ice water on his anger. "Do...do you think there's a chance...could Bucky be there?"

Holly's eyes widened and she looked to Coulson who shrugged. "I guess it would depend on if he's in the neighborhood, where his thinking is at." Her hand squeezed his arm. "Sweetheart, we don't know if he knows who he is or what year it is. Maybe if he hears her name or hears about her connection to you, there's a chance." She paused. "Please don't get your hopes up though."

He nodded. He'd done that too many times in the last year only to be bitterly disappointed.

"Just the same, we'll make sure no one approaches or harasses him if he does show, Cap." Coulsen spoke up. "I'll see to it that his photo is shown around so they know what to look for."

"Thank you, Director." He looked down at his half finished plate. "I just...Peggy helped me get to Bucky when...when he was taken by Hydra to start with. It would just be ironic if she somehow helped me get him back again."

Holly's hand silently squeezed his arm.

"Holly? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, blinking rapidly. "Huh? Oh, nothing. I'm fine."

"Bull." He touched her chin to make her keep eye contact. "No fibs."

She sighed and held up a jar of something called Nutella. They'd both decided it would be good to get out of his apartment so a rental car was dropped off and they'd driven around before deciding to get a few groceries for the next few days in Washington. He was still kind of shocked at how matter of fact and without any discussion, they'd decided to just stay at his apartment together. And the fact that no one else seemed to think it strange or unusual. Natasha had even stopped by with a bag of clothes for Holly, realizing no one had thought to pack anything for her before leaving from New York. Other than the occasional call or message, they were being given their space. And he was incredibly thankful that she was willing to stay with him. He'd be losing his mind otherwise.

"Peggy loved this stuff. Couldn't get enough of it."

He took the jar and looked at it. It was some kind of chocolate and hazelnut spread. "Must be good. Do you like it?"

She nodded. "It's great with graham crackers. I'm surprised I didn't leave crumbs and marks on my student's papers constantly. It's good grading food."

It was funny how he had to remind himself that just a couple months ago she'd been a professor and still technically was. "Alright, why don't we pick some of those up too? I wouldn't mind trying it, if you both liked it that much."

She gave him a weak smile as he dropped the jar in the cart. How long would it be for her to not be reminded of Peggy in every little thing around her? "Were you shocked the first time you went food shopping in a modern grocery store?"

He nodded. "Oh yeah. Just the produce section had me in fits. So many different kinds of vegetables and fruits from all over the world. The selection and quality were amazing. I nearly filled an entire cart that first trip. Did Natasha ever tell you about one of the first times I got her to laugh without trying?"

"Oh, when you asked her if she'd ever had a Kumquat?"

He grinned. "Yeah. I guess I didn't pronounce it right. She's never let me live it down."

"That's cute. I guess people today don't realize just how lucky they are."

"That's for sure. I mean, look at all the meat you can have and you don't have to ration it or anything. And different kinds of milk? It baffles me."

"I wonder if the pre-serum you would have been able to eat a lot of this stuff, since you were allergic to so much."

He shook his head. "I don't know. I do like not having allergies anymore, that's for sure."

"And microwaves are better than boiling everything."

"Except when you don't time it right and a potato explodes inside." He sighed and hung his head. "I've gone through a few appliances during the learning process."

She let out a soft chuckle that was music to his ears and wrapped her arms around one of his as he guided the cart, resting her head against him. "I've heard a few stories. Something about a toaster being nailed to the wall with your shield?"

"Oh come on, that happened once! It was right after New York, I hadn't slept. When it popped up, it was...it was instinct!"

"I get that. When I was in that crappy apartment when I was at Julliard, one of my neighbors had gotten this really obnoxious alarm clock. Loud enough that it woke up half the building and he could sleep right through it, for as long as it would go off. There was one morning, I'd just gotten back from a fight over in Hell's Kitchen and just passed out on my bed in the wee hours."

Steve cringed. "I think I see where this is going."

"I might have been asleep for maybe an hour? And that damn alarm clock went off. Not at the normal time either. I guess my body was still in battle mode because I might have accidentally pushed out with my ability against the wall and I guess it was hard enough to knock his bed with him in it to the other side of his apartment."

His eyebrows rose. "Oh wow."

"Yeah. Cracked the wall and everything. Daddy was very impressed, Fury not as much. Managed to cover it up by saying there'd been a burst pipe or something. Some bullshit that the idiot and the landlord fell for."

Steve chuckled. "Okay, note to self, don't surprise wake up Holly."

She laughed. "It was a one time thing."

"I've noticed you don't use your ability much. Can I ask why?" He spoke softly, no doubt not wanting the other shoppers to overhear. One never knew who might be an anti-mutant whack job. Not that he'd let them get within a foot of Holly or spew one word of bigotry at her.

"Mostly to keep from being outed. I'm not ashamed of who I am, but you don't know how people will react. I've been disappointed more than once finding out about someone's anti-mutant bigotry. I also don't want to rely on it and then be at a loss when I can't use it or worse, accidentally use it in full few of civilians or students." She shrugged as they moved down another aisle filled with dried pasta and canned goods. "I do practice with it but since I'm not exceptionally strong, it's not something I have to worry about losing control over like many other...gifted people."

Steve nodded, his eyes scanning all the tomato sauces. He wondered if any of them could be as good as Mrs. Piscadelli's when he was a kid. She was an old Italian widow who lived down the block and had no issue with feeding just about any kid who came to her door. "Unless you are rudely awakened."

"Yep. Then watch out world!"