Chapter 28:

After a long month of recovery Sharon was back to work on desk duty only. She was still meeting regularly with her therapist to work through her occasional nightmares and bouts of PTSD. Richards was fully back to work and also back to his usual sarcastic self. He had taken over Sharon's team and was clearing up loose ends. Their boss finally ordered for all their known Hydra agents to be brought in immediately.

Things with Steve were going great again. The pair had spent a long time talking through their break up, Bucky, and moving forward with their relationship. This time they were making a point to stay open and honest. Steve was back to Avenging and spending lots of time at the Avengers Facility now that Bucky was released and staying on the compound. Steve kept offering for Sharon to move in with him, but she wasn't quite ready to leave her apartment yet.

Sharon visited the compound often. She visited Bucky first chance she could after he was released in order to thank him. He smiled at her and let her hug him awkwardly. He was slowly learning to adjust to his new home and all the new people. Wanda and Vision made a point to give Bucky his space while Natasha seemed to do the opposite. Sharon caught her and Bucky speaking in Russian one day and teased her endlessly.

"No meddling." Natasha warned Sharon as they lightly sparred at the compound.

"Oh I'm meddling. You meddled in my life, I'm going to meddle in yours."

When Sharon finally got cleared to go back into the field after another month of therapy, Steve insisted on celebrating. He surprised her with a long weekend in North Carolina at a small beach house he rented. He knew her recovery had been long and taken more of an emotional toll than the last time. She had doubted if she would ever be cleared to go back to work. She was offered multiple times to work with the Avengers, but she always politely declined.

"So damn humble." Clint would say with a smile with every refusal. Steve always seemed confused as to why she would decline working with the Avengers when he knew she wasn't happy at the CIA. It wasn't until they reached the beach house that Sharon surprised him. "I quit the CIA." She blurted before Steve had set their bags down.

"What? But you just got cleared for duty."

"I know." She had a large smile on her face.

"I don't understand. Did you finally accept an offer to join the Avengers?"

"Not quite." He dumped the bags on the floor as his hands came to his hips.

"I'm not following."

"Coulson called. S.H.I.E.L.D. is rebuilding. He has been secretly working with Fury to build a job for me. I'll be working for S.H.I.E.L.D. as their Avenger Consultant and Liaison."

"I don't know what that means."

"Basically, I'll be moving into the Avengers compound and working as a liaison between S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. So if anything comes up that we think is too small for the Avengers, I'll head a S.H.I.E.L.D. team and if anything comes along that is bigger than S.H.I. . I'll bring it to the Avengers to take care of."

"Why didn't you tell me this was happening?"

"Well it all happened so fast and you surprised me with this vacation, I didn't want to say anything until it was set in stone. Coulson called early this morning before you picked me up."

"That's fantastic Sharon!" He hugged her tightly. "Does this mean you are finally going to take me up on my offer of moving in together?"

She rolled her eyes, "I suppose it does."

They spent the rest of the day exploring the local town and enjoying the beautiful weather. The following day they spent mostly on the beach before grabbing dinner at a local seafood restaurant. They ended the evening on the porch as they looked out over the ocean.

"Steve?"

"Hmm?" His eyes were closed.

"I need to tell you something." She suddenly felt nervous.

"Oh great, more surprises." He smirked as he peeked an eye to look at her. His smirk slowly slipped from his lips at the nervous look in Sharon's eye. She was rarely nervous, she was always cool and confident.

"I don't know if it was a dream or something else, but some time after I fell from the helicopter and before I woke up in the hospital, I saw something. Something I can't quite explain."

"What did you see?"

"I've wanted to tell you about it for some time now, but I was nervous since we had just gotten back together. But I saw us." He shifted to look at her fully. "I saw our life together. You proposed and we got married." Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the details. They had been fading from her memory for some time now. "We had a little girl and then a little boy. We were so happy."

"It sounds beautiful."

"It was. Working as a spy, I always doubted that my future would involve a family, but after what I saw, I have no more doubts. I know we haven't talked much about the future yet, but I saw our future and I want that life with you. You said that day at the Bartons that you didn't think you could have that life anymore, but I saw it. And it was perfect. We were perfect. I know we joked about raising chickens together, but I just need to know that you actually want that life someday. Otherwise… I don't think I can be with you anymore. Not after seeing what we can be." She searched his eyes desperately as she bared her feelings to him.

He sat up and before Sharon could doubt herself he was on one knee before her. "Marry me."

"Steve." He held his hand out to her. She turned his hand downward and covered it with hers. "I'm not asking for a proposal. I don't want you to propose because you feel obligated with what I said."

Steve gave a small smile. "Sharon, I don't feel obligated. I want to." He reached into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a ring. He turned their joined hands back over and pressed it into her palm. "Marry me."

She stared at the simple diamond ring in her palm. "I love you Sharon. I was stupid to let you go the first time. And when I thought I had lost you for good in Ireland, all I could think about was how I never got to tell you how I felt. I love you and if you'll have me, I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy whether chickens are involved or not." Sharon laughed. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes. Yes!" He slipped the ring delicately on her finger before lifting her into his arms. "Were you planning on proposing this whole time?" She asked breathlessly.

"Not at all." He smiled wider.

"What?"

He kissed her confused lips. "I bought the ring shortly after Ireland. I wanted to have it ready for when the time was right."

"Steve." Her hands came to cup his face.

"After everything you said, it just felt right to do it now." He kissed her softly.

"I love you."

"I love you more."

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