Ella rose early the next morning and packed a bag. She put in a lot of the clothes that she and Kate had picked out the day before, as well as the charger to her phone which Ella would have forgotten if Kate hadn't texted her a reminder.

Ella was actually looking forward to going, a chance to take a deep breath after the whirlwind of change that had swept them up. To Ella, it only felt like a few days but in reality, it was a few decades. It was nearly impossible for her to wrap her head around. Perhaps a week away from the rest of the world would help her. She was planning on telling Steve about what really happened to her while with the Russians, so he could have some time to properly adjust. It was the best time.

The siblings left their apartment when Kate and Clint knocked on the door. They were both donning their uniforms, looking like the agents they were. They all grinned and greeted each other.

"God, I forgot how much I hate mornings." Kate grumbled. She had her hair tucked back in a headband, her bangs brushing her brows. She had a bag over her shoulder and a drink carrier in her hands. "Here, I got you guys some coffee."

Ella took the warm drink into her hands, smiling in gratitude. The group made their way into the elevator.

"So," Kate began, shrugging off the bag from her shoulder. "I know you're going to be there for about a week, so you're gonna have a lot of down time. So, I packed some movies." She paused. "I'll show you how to work a movie player when we get there."

Ella took the bag and looked through some of the thin boxes. She opened one, seeing a flat disc. "Wow. There's an entire movie on here? In color?"

Both Kate and Clint laughed. "Yeah." Clint said. "I guess we kinda take that for granted now a days, don't we?"

Kate nodded in agreement. "True." She jerked her head towards the movies. "I packed some of the more famous movies, you know, the ones that are mentioned all the time. You won't miss out on any pop culture. There's Disney, some history… bit of everything."

Ella nodded. "Well, at least I won't be bored."

There were three cars waiting for them. Of course, they wouldn't need three cars to take them. Ella figured that the other two were there for protection. It made Ella nervous in a way. Why would they need so many people trailing them? Who would want to harm Steve? He was a hero, there was no war… it just didn't make sense. Still, Ella should know by now that there were some terrible people out there.

The Rogers siblings rode in the same dark car as Clint and Kate. Kate supplied most of the conversation as well as the music, laughing as she watched the reactions of the two in the back. One time, Ella actually had to undo her seatbelt and slam the off button herself. She couldn't take it.

"Kate," Clint said in a warning tone. "Stop terrorizing the senior citizens."

"Hilarious." Steve murmured in a dry tone, but there was still a smirk on his lips. He enjoyed the banter.

It took a few more hours, the streets turning into dirt roads. They were soon surrounded by trees instead of buildings. It was isolated and quiet, away from the busy city. Already, Ella felt more relaxed.

They bumped around in the car for a few more minutes before they pulled up on a small cabin. There was a pond with a wooden dock outside, surrounded by tall grass and wildflowers. The cabin itself looked old, but still sturdy. It was surrounded by a ring of tall pines and oak trees, completely isolated.

The cars rolled to a stop, clouds of dust surrounding them from the dirt road. Ella got out of the car, squinting in the bright sunlight. She could hear birds chirping, the wind rustling the leaves on the trees. It was relaxing, beautiful… just what they needed. Ella grabbed her bags, hoisting them onto her shoulder and following her brother into the cabin.

In wasn't extravagant, but simple. There was a small kitchen and a living area with a television. On the wall was a bookshelf stuffed to the top, even though the books looked like they had never even been opened. There were two cozy bedrooms each with a twin bed smothered in thick quilts. They had a conjoining bathroom in the middle with two sinks and a large bathtub.

Ella tossed her bag onto her bed before dragging her towards the TV, following through with her word to teach her how to use a DVD player. While Steve was being debriefed by an agent, Kate demonstrated how to put in a DVD and get it to play. She then had Ella do it until she was satisfied.

It wasn't much longer until the agents left. They left a trail of dust behind them, Kate waving as they disappeared into the tree line. The siblings then wandered back into the house, sitting on the musty couch in the living room. The dim yellow light illuminated the room while the two sat in silence.

"Well," Ella said at length. "We finally have a second to breathe."

"Yeah," Steve said with a nod.

Again, they lapsed into silence. Ella took the bag of movies Kate had given her and began to dig through them. The studied the covers and read the backs. Some of them were obviously children's movies, but not all of them.

"Hey," Ella said, smiling at a movie. "Remember when we saw Snow White?"

Steve nodded. "Yeah, we used a month's allowance on snacks and tickets."

"There are so many new Disney movies. Look." Ella tossed him a few of the boxes with animated characters on them. "Should we watch one?"

Steve was examining a box. "Yeah sure. You pick."

The afternoon melted into evening. Ella and Steve watched a couple of light hearted movies, enjoying them. They had several decades of movies to catch up on. Ella especially liked The Lion King. Out of the three movies they had watched, it was her favorite.

As the credits ran, Ella reached into the bag and pulled out another movie. She tilted her head to the side as she read what it was about. "Hey, this is a World War Two movie."

"What's it called?"

"Saving Private Ryan." Ella read. She turned towards her brother, eyebrow raised. "It looks a bit more serious than the others. Do you want to watch it, or do you think it's too much?"

Steve grabbed the box from his sister, eyes roaming over the back. In the end, he nodded and tossed it back towards Ella. "Well, I looks like a good movie. It won a few awards. I don't see why we shouldn't watch it."

"Alright." Ella said. "But if it gets too much or anything… just say something. I'll turn it off."

Steve smiled fondly at his sister. Still looking out for him. Some things never change.

Ella tucked her legs under herself as the movie began. She figured she should be okay watching it. She went overseas, she fought in a battle. Ella thought she would be okay. However, that feeling didn't last long. In the first few minutes, the battle started and the screaming echoed from the TV. Ella visibly flinched back as bombs went off and people were blown to pieces. There was a lump in her throat as people covered in blood and missing limbs screamed out. This scene wouldn't end.

Ella sprung up from her seat and scampered away from the TV, hand covering her mouth. She burst through the door outside.

"Ella?" Steve called after his sister, watching as she rushed through the door. He quickly stood and took a few long strides out the door. He peered around in the dark, eyes roaming for his sister. He spotted her hunched over on the small dock, shoulders shaking softly. Her legs dangled over the edge, toes nearly touching the dark water.

Steve swiftly made his way towards the end of the dock, footsteps echoing in the dark. He lowered himself beside her, moving away the curtain of hair from her face. Pearls of tears hung in her lashes, eyes red rimmed.

"Hey," Steve said softly, rubbing her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. "I thought you were worried about me with that movie."

Ella let out a short laughed before sniffing and rubbing her eyes. "I was… I just didn't think it would be that bad."

"It was very bloody." Steve murmured.

"No," Ella said, shaking her head. "It's not just that…"

He raised a brow. "Then what is it?"

Ella was quiet for a moment. She leaned back, tilting her face towards the moon hanging above. She took a wobbly breath before continuing. "It's just… you were in situations like that. You chose to do that… Bucky too. You guys had to suffer through that. It's awful. I hate thinking about Bucky there, before you were with him. He must have been terrified."

Steve sighed and leaned back on his hands. "Yeah… it is awful. It's a war… but we had to do it."

Ella shook her head. "No one made you do that, Steve."

"You're right. It was my choice." Steve said. "But there was a reason. I wanted to keep you away from a world like that. I wanted you to live a wonderfully ordinary life, you know? Get married, have a family… I wanted you to have that."

Ella looked at the inky water, seeing the moon reflecting its yellow light across the surface. She figured she should tell him now; tell him about what those men did to her… what she can do now.

"As much as I hate thinking that you didn't get any of that," Steve continued. "I'm glad that you're here. You're just so… steady. A piece of everyday life that we knew was going to be waiting when we got home. I'm pretty sure that helped keep me and Buck sane."

Ella's eye fluttered shut at the mention of Bucky. She missed him so much it hurt.

"Even now," Steve said. "My entire world changed… except for you."

Ella felt like her lips were glued shut. How could she tell him that she wasn't normal? He just said how thankful he was that she was the same. How could she take away that comfort from him? In the end, Ella decided to keep it to herself. After all that Steve had done, why take away something so simple? Perhaps simply ignoring it would make her forget about it. She didn't want another thing weighing down so heavily upon herself. She hated keeping things from Steve.

"You know…" Ella began. "I thought you had died. That hurt… I thought you weren't coming for me. It was like reliving that time you went after Bucky. I thought I was alone." She left out the part about trying to end herself, not wanting to add that on his conscience. "I'm glad you're here."

Steve slung an arm around Ella's shoulder and pulled her close. He rested his chin on top of her golden head. "I'm glad you're here too. Maybe we'll get through this."

"We always have."

They sat quietly for a few minute, listening to the crickets and the soft wind.

"Let's go back in." Steve said, nodding towards the cabin. "We should just go to bed."

Ella nodded. "Yeah, I'm tired."

They stood and made their way back towards the cabin.

"Next time," Steve said as they made their way inside. "Don't just run out. There's a laser fence around the property."

"Really?" Ella asked, shutting the door behind them. "The future is insane."

"No kidding."

They shut off the TV, the house falling into a comfortable silence. They dimmed the lights as they retired to bed, saying a quick goodnight. That night, Ella fell into an uneasy sleep, scenes of war flashing on her eyelids. She just hoped that not every night would be like this.

Authors note:

New chapter. Hope you guys are enjoying all of this. Again, super surprised by the amount of followers I have. Thank you guys!

Don't forget to review!