It's been two months since he last spoke with Sharon. He tried to reach out but her cell had been disconnected. He asked Natasha for her new number, but was met with a glare that turned into a look of pity when she informed him Sharon didn't want him to have her number yet and she was ordered to not give it to him. He tried to tell her he just wanted to drop off her stuff, Nat told him to hold off on that too. He was upset, he thought maybe they could start to move forward. He was clearly too optimistic about the situation.

"Don't give up all hope," Natasha reassured him. "You had the benefit of five years."

Steve was in D.C. with everyone on business. There was going to be an official announcement made by Fury on the status of the Avengers. Steve and Tony were officially retired. Steve was passing the shield to Sam. The Sokovia Accords were being dissolved. A lot of big things happening that required a huge press conference in D.C. surrounded by people who hunted half of them for years. Steve wasn't exactly comfortable, and by the look on some of his friends' faces, he wasn't the only one.

"Where's Wanda?" Natasha asked as she looked around backstage. "I thought she was meeting us here."

"There's a situation with that at the moment," Steve said as he handed over his phone to show her texts he got from Darcy. "Her, Agent Woo, and Captain Rambeau are trying to figure it out, but I told Darcy to call me if it gets really bad."

"What can be worse than imprisoning an entire town in a '50s sitcom?"

"Did you know Vision bought a house for him and Wanda?" Steve asked and Nat shook her head. "It was a new construction in that town. They had plans for a future that got ripped away from them."

"Sound familiar?"

"I didn't buy a house," he mumbled. "I looked at apartments in Hightown. Almost bought one. We all self-destruct in our own ways. I think after this is wrapped up I'll stop in Jersey on the way back upstate."

"That girl deserves all the happiness in the world after what she's been through," Natasha said and Steve hummed in agreement. "There was no way you could have saved Vision?"

"There was no small hint I could try to give," he said with a sigh. "The Mind stone was ripped from his forehead. What was I supposed to do?"

"If you want backup, Clint and I are more than willing to tag along. He's heading back up to the farm after this, I'm thinking about joining. You're also invited to come."

"Thanks," he said. He heard Sam and Bucky laughing and he looked over and saw Sharon standing there, looking as beautiful as ever. She was wearing dark navy wide-legged pants and a white blouse with a deep V that showed a hint of the lace bra she was wearing underneath. Natasha elbowed him in the ribs.

"Staring is still rude, Cap," she said with a smirk as she walked toward Sharon.

"I'm really happy for you, Sam," Sharon said as she hugged him. "You deserve this."

"Thanks," he said, looking proudly at the shield he was holding. "I still can't believe this is real."

"It's a weird world we were thrown back into," Sharon said with a small smile. "A good, weird world. This is huge."

"Sometimes I wonder if it's a little too huge," he said quietly to her. "If the world is ready for something like this."

"The world won't be ready for it until it's faced with it, and you're more than worthy of carrying on the legacy of Captain America. Anyone who has a problem with it has to fight the Avengers, and me," she said, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly. "I bet if you all had me the first time, Thanos wouldn't have won."

"Love the confidence," he laughed with her. "Are you all settled in your new place?" he asked and she nodded. "How's the neighborhood?"

"It's beautiful, a little hipster-y but I can deal. The neighbors seem troublesome though," she said with a smirk as she glanced over at Bucky.

"I'm not so bad," he shot back, smiling at her. "We're also like blocks away from each other."

Steve took that moment to glance over at his friends again and caught the way they were looking at each other. He's seen Bucky use that smile to charm countless girls back in the day, and he felt an ache in his chest when he heard Sharon's laughter. He didn't realize he was crushing his cell phone until he felt something thrown at his head. He looked over and saw Peter standing there with his friends, a sheepish grin on his face as he shrugged.

"Thanks, Queens," he sighed.

"Anytime, Cap," he said before walking away.

"I'll order you a new one," Tony said as he walked over with Morgan in his arms. "Say hi to Uncle Steve."

"Hello," the little girl said brightly as she reached out for Steve to hold her. Steve happily took her from Tony and bounced her a little. "Mommy keeps talking about how important you and Daddy are today. Uncle Happy just keeps mumbling about Uncle Peter being annoying."

"That's because Uncle Peter is annoying, sweetheart," Tony said as he took the broke cell phone from Steve. "Who pissed in your raisin bran?"

"Just stressed about the conference," Steve deflected.

"I had a little heart-to-heart with our friend Agent 13 on the drive in," Tony said and Steve tried to keep his face neutral. "Our families go way back, you know. My dad and her aunt used to, what was the phrase the cool kids were sayin back then, fondue? Anyway, you know I love to meddle. She's not fondue-ing with Barnes if that's why your face - and your phone - looks like that. Maria bought a bunch of property in Brooklyn within a few blocks radius, gave them the friends and family discount."

"What Sharon does is her business."

"Sure it is," Tony smirked as he took Morgan back. "You know why she's here?"

"To play nice with the people who pardoned her?"

"To support you. She knows this is tough for you to let go of. She won't tell you she's here for you, and will vehemently deny it I'm sure," Tony said as he put Morgan down and let her run over to Pepper and Happy. "She still cares, Cap. Make sure you're there for her too."

"I'm trying to be."

"Tony, Steve, you guys are up," Pepper announced and smiled at the two men. "You ready?"

"That went better than expected," Natasha said to Sharon as they stood in the wings while the boys did their thing.

Steve and Tony started off with announcing the Sokovia Accords were no longer in effect, that the two of them were stepping back and retiring from active roles in the Avengers. Tony assured everyone the two of them wouldn't start any brawls in international airports unless he owned it. When asked who would pick up the shield, Steve brought out Sam for the finale.

"Shouldn't you be out there with them?"

"No, I don't owe anyone anything."

"You certainly don't," Sharon said, getting distracted as she watched Steve pose for the press photos with Sam. "That really is America's ass, huh."

"Formerly America's ass, could be your ass again," Natasha said slyly. "He's asking for your number again. He's been cranky at Bucky all day since he saw you guys talking. How long are you planning on torturing him for?"

"I'm not trying to torture him," she groaned. "I was in no state to try to fix this after the party. You saw me."

"I did," Natasha nodded. "You take Hill and Fury's offer yet? Liaison for the Avengers between S.W.O.R.D. and S.H.I.E.L.D. would be a good gig for you."

"I haven't fully decided yet," she sighed. "I mean, I'm sure I'll end up taking it, but art smuggler in Madripoor sounds like a better lifestyle."

"Definitely pays better. If you're not here for the appearance of kissing ass to make your life easier when you take the job, why are you here?"

"I can't support my friends?" Sharon tried and Nat gave her a look. "I am here to support you guys, you all are my friends. I may also be here to support Steve."

"Thought you were still mad at him," Natasha smirked.

"I am. I also know him well enough that he's going to eventually freak out about retirement. Man doesn't know how to sit down and not jump head first into a crisis."

"Speaking of crisis," Natasha muttered as she looked down at her phone.

"What's going on?"

"Steve crushed his phone watching you flirt with Bucky, so now I'm getting texts about the situation with Wanda," she explained, and filled Sharon in on what was going on. "Fury wants one of us there ASAP. S.W.O.R.D. is making a mess of things."

"I was not flirting with Bucky, that's your trauma to deal with. I'll go with Steve," Sharon said. "It makes sense for me to handle this if I'm taking the job,"

"So you've decided?"

"To take the job? Not yet."

"To work on things with Steve."

"Not yet."

Steve was pleasantly surprised to see Sharon waiting outside by his car. He actually felt butterflies as he saw how beautiful she looked standing in the sun, the wind blowing her hair around as she scrolled through her phone.

"Nat told me you were coming to Jersey to check on the Wanda situation," he said as he opened the passenger side door for her.

"I remember Haywood from S.H.I.E.L.D., didn't trust him then and I don't trust him now," she said. "Wanda is a friend, I'm worried about her."

"Me too," he agreed as he pulled out of the parking spot. "So, I'm no longer Captain America."

"You're still Steve Rogers. I liked him better than Cap most of the time," she said with a smile. "That commanding attitude you'd get was pretty hot, though."

"Really," he asked, shocked at the conversation they were having.

"Sometimes," she shrugged, feeling her face heating up. "Anyway. Natasha filled me in and I've been in contact with Agent Woo, told him we were heading up. They lost contact with Darcy when Wanda expanded her borders. Haywood ordered him off the base. Did you know Wanda went to see Vision when he was in S.W.O.R.D.'s lab?"

"Tony hacked into the video surveillance and sent me the clips," he said. "I'd, uh, show you them but I kind of accidentally crushed my phone."

"So I've heard," she smirked.

By the time Steve and Sharon arrived on scene, Wanda had let the townspeople leave and fought some witch named Agatha. Sharon was debriefing with FBI and S.W.O.R.D. agents and Steve went in to find Wanda. He eventually found her sitting in an empty lot that had just the foundation for a house built.

"This is where we were going to live one day," she said, sensing him behind her. Steve went and sat down next to her. She handed him he deed that she received, a giant heart drawn in the middle of it. "I don't think he drew the heart, wasn't exactly Vis's style. I think that was more of a manipulation to get me here. I do think he did buy this for us though. We also talked about a future. He had more leverage to make plans since he wasn't the wanted fugitive in the relationship."

"I'm sorry we weren't there for you. I'm sorry I wasn't there," Steve said sincerely. "It was my job to take care of the team, of you."

"You always did," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "You had your own personal battles to face at the end of it all. From what I can tell, you still do."

"It's a work in progress," he sighed, standing up and holding out his hand to help her up as well. "Do you need more time?"

"Yes, but no," she said sadly.

They walked back to the town square and met with Darcy, Monica, and Sharon. Sharon ran up to Wanda and gave her a hug. It had been a while since they last saw each other. They had become close while everyone was on the run. Wanda would sometimes stop by Sharon's on her own when she was coming back from seeing Vision. Sharon was so happy she had found her person, and it hurt to see how sad Wanda had become.

"Are you okay," she whispered and felt Wanda shake her head no against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I wish I could have been there."

"I'm glad to see you two are still together," Wanda said when the two pulled away and Sharon went correct her, but Wanda just continued. "Grief is all-consuming, clearly. I didn't mean to do what I did, I had no idea what was happening until recently. I didn't want to give him up, the life we built, our children together. What wouldn't you give to keep that dream if it was taken away from you?"

"I-," Steve tried but had no words. He'd give anything to have that life with Sharon.

"I think if I had your powers, my grief and anger would end up doing the same thing," Sharon admitted quietly, taking the chance to glance up at Steve. "What can we do to help you?"

"I'm going to learn how to control this," Wanda said with a smile as she waved at her new appearance. "I'm apparently the Scarlet Witch. This is chaos magic, and I've caused a lot of pain."

"Do you have somewhere to go?" Steve asked.

"I'll find somewhere. I'll be in touch," she said, leaning in to hug Steve. "Find your happiness, Cap."

"Whatever you need, we're here," he said firmly as he let her go.

Steve and Sharon were quiet on the drive back into the city. They both couldn't stop thinking about what Wanda said. Her question lingered with them - what wouldn't you give to keep that dream if it was taken away from you? Sharon had that dream ripped from her, when she disappeared in the Snap and when she found out Steve almost stayed in the past. Steve, while he would truly to do anything to have a future with Sharon, almost threw it away out of fear and dealing with his own grief.

"Are you hungry?" he asked and glanced over at her. "There's that diner coming up we used to eat in."

She was about to tell him no and that she just wanted to get home, but then realized he was probably starving and would skip eating if she didn't want to stop because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"I could go for a milkshake," she said and saw how happy he was at her answer. "You're buying."

It was still very awkward between the two of them, but definitely could have been worse in Sharon's opinion. He remembered her usual order when he ordered for the two of them. She twirled her straw in her milkshake and watched the whipped cream melt as he twiddled his thumbs and tried to not look as anxious as he felt on the inside.

"Everyone stayed back in D.C. to celebrate," she said when she glanced down at the texts from Nat. She showed him the video of Morgan on Thor's shoulders as he ran around the National Mall.

"I thought she was heading back up to the cabin with Clint?"

"And miss an opportunity to seduce the Winter Solider, I don't think you know our Black Widow that well at all," Sharon smirked as she texted her back a picture of Steve's dumbfounded face. "Oh come on. You had to have seen that coming."

"I can't say that I did," he said, feeling slightly relieved that Sharon wasn't interested in Bucky. "Did you want to go back?"

"No, I'm exhausted," she said. "I'm ready for bed. Beside, Hill stuck around and I'm nervous she'd get me drunk and get me to agree the job offer."

"You're not going to take it?"

"I haven't decided yet," she said. "I'd like my old life back, but a lot has happened I don't know if I'm the same girl who joined S.H.I.E.L.D. all those years ago. I don't know if I can just go back into it just yet."

"I get that," he nodded. "You'd be great at it though."

"What are your retirement plans? Moving to an old people community down in Florida to live out the rest of your days," she asked and smirked when she saw him roll his eyes. "You are, what, 105?"

"106," he muttered, clearly trying not to laugh. "Florida might not be so bad, at least it'll be warm."

"And filled with Jurassic Park creatures," she said and he looked at her with confusion. "You never crossed Jurassic Park off your list?"

"I kind of stopped working on the list when you disappeared since it became a thing we did together," he said with a small shrug. "It wasn't the same."

"Oh," she said quietly and took a large sip of her milkshake to collect herself. "Well, um, maybe we can start working on that list again. Eventually."

"I'd like that," he smiled. "But what kind of creature are you talking about?"

"This," she said excitedly as she pulled up the video of this giant alligator walking around.

"Shar, you're home," Steve said as he pulled up in front of her place and gently shook her to wake her up.

"Thanks for the ride, Cap. Sorry I was a shitty travel buddy," she said, stretch slightly.

"You were the best travel buddy, always have been," he said and she blushed.

"While you're here, let me grab your sweatshirt," she said and got out of the car and was already running up her front steps before he could protest. She came back quickly and handed it to him through the window. "Thanks again for the ride home."

"Any time," he said, resting his hand on top of hers that was still holding the sweatshirt. "I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you will."

Steve was too tired to drive back upstate, so he parked in the garage near Bucky's place and let himself in. He made his way up to the guest room he's stayed at a few times. Steve couldn't believe Bucky lived this close to Sharon and didn't mention anything to him.

Steve changed into pajamas and grabbed the sweatshirt he got back to put on. Immediately his sense were overwhelmed with the smell of Sharon's shampoo and lotion that she loved to use. He sighed, putting his hands in his pocket when he felt something crinkle. He pulled out the piece of paper and grinned when he read it:

So you can stop annoying everyone for my number: 959-884-0022. - Sharon.

thoughts, comments, concerns, questions? :)