A/N: Here is part 2 to my Steve Rogers story, please do not read until you read part 1 His Southern Belle!

And all I feel in my stomach, is butterflies

The beautiful kind, making up for lost time

Taking flight, making me feel like

I just wanna know you better, know you better, know you better now

'Cause all I know is we said hello

And your eyes look like coming home

All I know is a simple name

And everything has changed

-"Everything Has Changed" by Taylor Swift

November 9, 2011 (STEVE'S POV)

I had gotten back to the apartment given to me by SHIELD after an early morning run. I quietly as I ate some breakfast when I heard a knock at the door. I was instantly confused because I hadn't gotten any visitors since being placed in this apartment. I figured it was probably a SHIELD agent here to update me or give me something. I moved towards the door after placing my dishes in the sink. When I opened the door, I thought I was seeing things or maybe I was dreaming because the woman in front of me was without a doubt my wife, Madeline. She had straight hair instead of the many curls that I always saw her with, but it still held that beautiful red color. She also wore more modern clothing and makeup, but it was still, without a doubt, her. We stood there together frozen in place until she finally spoke simply saying "hi." The moment I heard her voice, I just somehow knew that it had to be real. That was Maddi's voice, even despite hearing it in every dream I had every night, I just knew that this one was actually her.

"Maddi?" I asked with so much hope. I didn't even care it was possible, I just needed it to be her, I needed to have the person I loved most in my entire life to really be standing there in front of me. It would turn this entire crazy nightmare around if it were her.

"Yeah," she said barely above a whisper. "Yeah it's me."

I sighed and replied "but you died. Your file said 1958 you died. And how are you here, still looking like you did the last time I saw you?"

"Yeah," she repeated and then took a deep breath before continuing. "It's a lot, I know. Trust me, seeing you is just as shocking to me because I really didn't believe you were alive until you opened that door. I still don't know if this is real or not actually, but seeing you as freaked out as I feel makes me believe this is it. I did die, legally, in 1958, but I really just went into hiding because a couple years after you-" she cut herself off and paused for in thought. "also legally died, something went wrong as I was working in a lab and years after that I realized that among other things, I didn't age. It's all really weird and I can't explain much about it because I don't even know much about it myself. When I heard you were still alive, you were here after all these year, I almost didn't come find you. But here I am."

"Here you are," I echoed her words.

"Do you wanna go for a walk? Just somewhere not here, somewhere outside because I'm honestly feeling a little suffocated right now."

"Oh yeah. Yes!" I said quickly. "I mean, of course." I fiddled with closing and locking my door and then I rushed to open the door to the stairs for her. She hesitated for a moment and then quietly thanked me as she walked past. We stayed silent until we got outside and to a park a couple blocks away. The entire time I was so close to her and all I wanted to do was hold her in my arms. I knew that wouldn't be a good idea though because to her it hadn't felt like less than a month since we last saw each other. To her it was decades, and the last thing I wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable in any way.

We sat down at a park bench and turned towards each other. "Okay, where to start?" she mumbled to herself but I replied anyway.

"From the beginning, please."

She took a few deep breaths before starting. "After your plane went into the ocean, it was a few more months before the war was finished. I stayed in Europe during that time because it's not like I had anything to go back to here. When we got back I stayed at our apartment until Howard let me stay with him. Losing you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I can't even explain to you the months, honestly years, of denial and anger and guilt. It's what led me to try and research the serum Dr. Erskine developed and I did that on my own without telling anyone. I was being stupid and reckless, which is going to be a rather common trend in this entire story, and one day Howard found me in his lab passed out surrounded by fumes, injected with some of the substances I was working with. I was hospitalized and Howard and Peggy tried to figure out what had happened to me but I couldn't remember anything and all my research was just missing. I don't like to think about what might have happened during that time because really have no idea if someone or something else was in there with me or I did everything myself and somehow got rid of everything I documented from that day." She was clearly distressed by the memory as she fiddled with her hands and her left leg shook a bit to calm her nerves. I wanted to do something, anything, to help but I didn't know what would be an appropriate way to do that. "Well nothing was visibly wrong or different about me until a few years later when I cut my hand with a knife in the kitchen and it healed completely within less than a minute. Years after that it was clear that I also didn't age. We faked my death with the laboratory explosion because I didn't want to be constantly studied by other scientists, I didn't want to be paraded around and used for my ability to heal so quickly. I saw it all with you, I didn't want that."

"I understand, I can just imagine now people calling you Miss America. You would have loved that" I joked and she actually smiled back. I silently counted that victory in my head as she continued her story.

"I lived in Tennessee by myself for about a decade. Only Howard and Peggy knew I was still alive, but I couldn't have any contact with them in that time so that we wouldn't risk my cover. Howard was trying to figure out how to start up my aging again, but it clearly never worked. After a while I just couldn't stay there anymore, I went west on my own to California. I traveled around a lot during that time until I finally made my way back to New York and stayed with Howard for a long time after that."

"Why did you leave Tennessee?" I asked curiously as I followed her story.

She hesitated and then replied "Steve, I don't think you really want to hear everything-"

I cut her off quickly, "no, no I do! I promise I want to hear it all."

"You're not going to like it, I don't like it. I feel like it might be best to keep some things in the past."

"Maddi, whatever happened throughout all those years, I would never judge you. I would never be angry or upset, it was your life and you were allowed to live it however you wanted. I just want to know about the person I care most about in the world."

She gave me an even more pained expression and shook her head. "God, this is crazy! I never thought I would have to actually tell you any of this. Even when I was coming to see you, I don't know why but I just imagine myself seeing you and then leaving because I really didn't want to come in the first place. I mean I wanted to come but I really didn't want to, and now I'm here telling you my life story and can't stop feeling every single emotion all at once. You don't understand how many times I dreamt that I could actually be here with you again."

"Hey, hey, hey," I said softly to try and calm her down. It was clear that she was getting more and more worked up with every word. "I know this is crazy. A few weeks of being here is not nearly enough time for me to figure out all of my emotions either. You don't have to tell me everything right now if you don't want to. I'm glad you didn't leave right after you saw me either, so really anything you tell me is clearly more than I could have ever hoped for. When I found out you had died in your late thirties, I was devastated. The last thing I wanted for you after I was gone was for you to not get to live a full happy life. I tried to find anything I could about you so I could know more and hope that maybe you were happy at least those final years, but I could barely find anything about you at all. Seeing you here, seeing that you did live much longer than I could have imagined, it's the greatest thing I could have hoped for at this point. I just want to know more about you right now, the good and the bad."

"I am happy, right now," she told me. "That's kinda why I was scared to come see you. I'm really happy with my life right now, I haven't been this happy in so long."

I smiled at her and said "I'm really glad." What I didn't say was how much I wished that I could have been there to make her that happy. I wished that I wasn't the cause of so much of her pain for those years after I crashed into the ice. I wished that I could go back in time and do it all over again, live a life with her like I promised her all those years ago.

"Okay, before I tell you anything else I need you to know that I have never loved anyone like I loved you. I'm happy because in 1970 Howard and his wife had a son and named him Anthony, Tony. I helped raise him and I was his godmother growing up. There was about a decade after his parents died that I lived away from him, but I have been back in his life since 2003. A few years later we made a public announcement of my alias as his niece from his father's side. A baby born in the 50s is supposed to be my mother and it has worked as a cover except Nick Fury figured it out. He was the one who told me you were alive."

"Fury knew you were alive? He let me believe you died," I said in frustration. All that time he knew and he didn't tell me.

"Yeah I've noticed he holds lots of secrets. He told me he wanted me to decide how to handle it but it's never too careful to assume he has ulterior motives." She stopped and contemplated her next words before deciding to say them. "Tony is like a son to me. I'm the only family he really has left, and the people in his life have become important people in my life as well. Having him is the reason why I was able to be happy again after my time being alone in the late 1950s to 60s."

"Mads, what happened then? You can tell me anything," I took the risk of taking hold of her hand closest to me. It was the first time I have had any physical contact with her since 1945, and I'm sure it was clear in her mind as well. She didn't let go; she just stared at our hands together and actually smiled.

"You know, I don't think anyone has actually called me that since you last did."

"Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, no! I didn't realized I missed it." She gave me another sad smile and then took a deep breath. "I keep avoiding topic, but you're right. I always was able to tell you anything and everything, I've really never felt like I could do that with anyone else to the extent I did with you. So here it goes, the full truth. I went on some dates in the 50s, most of them were awful. It was a lot of me bringing up my wonderful husband who died saving our country, which isn't a very good conversation starter on a date. Well when I lived in Tennessee, I went by the name of Lucille Montgomery. I spent most of my time alone, I had enough money from being Madeline Rogers to sustain me in a small rural town. Years after being there, however, I think I just got really lonely and bored. I got a job as a waitress and I met someone named Jackson Greene. He was nice, and we got along. We spent a lot of time together and he was very charming and I felt comfortable with him. He was the first and really only man after you that I actually developed a real relationship with. Of course, I had to lie about pretty much everything about me. I tried to keep general things the same, he knew I was a widow but I told him that you died in Vietnam. Well anyway, one day I found an engagement ring and I knew he was planning to propose to me. I freaked out because he didn't really know who I was and I couldn't marry someone while i was still stuck in my twenties forever. I took my most important belongings I had with me and I just left. I never spoke to him again and after that I was just so miserable that I couldn't actually be even somewhat happy with anyone ever again. I knew that I would never find someone I loved as much as I loved you, but it was nice to have something that made me feel like a human being."

I sat there soaking it all in, not really sure how I felt about any of it. Of course it hurt to hear that my wife, the love of my life, had an intimate relationship with someone else. I also knew I had no right to be upset with her, I wasn't upset with her at all actually. I wanted her to be happy, and if another man was able to make her happy while she thought I was dead, then I had to be okay with that. Seeing that the fact she couldn't age brought her so many other forms of sadness and emptiness actually made me feel even more hurt. "I don't blame you, everything you went through is more than anyone else has ever had to handle, and I know you're so strong because you have come out the other side as still such an incredible person."

"You still don't know everything," she whispered.

I squeezed her hand still in mine and replied "I'm still listening."

"Howard and I were able to figure out a lot of ways my body was affected in addition to my aging. Like I said, I healed very quickly and we also found out I couldn't get sick with anything, and I couldn't ever get pregnant." I looked at her shocked at the last part because children were always a dream of ours to have together, I guess it didn't really matter anyway though because of our entire situation now. "There were more details that I didn't find out about until experiencing them later. After leaving Tennessee, I just felt so empty inside that I wanted to fill that void with anything I could find." She looked very upset by what she was trying to tell me and I wanted to reassure her but didn't know how in the moment. She continued with her story. "I drank a lot of alcohol for the first time. Even after you died, I never touched the stuff because you know how I felt about it, but at this point in my life I just didn't care about anything anymore. It didn't matter though because it didn't have any physical or psychological effects on me. The same thing happened when I started trying drugs: marijuana, cocaine, LSD, heroine, ecstasy. None of it actually worked, which I know now is a blessing because that was really stupid of me to try so many different dangerous drugs. Back then was the time of music, drugs and sex. I took part in it all, and while I couldn't catch any diseases from the people I slept with, I thought I was filling a hole but really I was just digging a deeper one. It took me years to move past it all, and I still can't help but hate myself for how I just threw myself away to drugs, alcohol and strangers. I spent a lot of time with people who didn't care about me at all. One day I was with a group of people and some of them were trying to buy drugs in a particularly dangerous area of town and there was a gun that went off. I got shot in the shoulder and they all left me there. That's when I found out that I don't think really anything can kill me."

She was breathing a bit harder than before and I could tell that sharing all this information out loud with me was very hard for her. It was something that she locked away and tried not to think about because it all sounded very traumatic and painful. "Maddi, you shouldn't hate yourself for doing any of those things. You were lost and alone and hurting, and any mistakes you make are just mistakes. You came out the other side stronger and you turned your life around. You could have spent forever like that, but you made the choice not to. I would never hate you for the things you've done either, I'll always love you."

Tears finally started falling from her eyes and she let go of my hand after I tried reassuring her. "You shouldn't say things like that anymore, Steve." She tried to wipe her tears away but they just kept coming. "I'm sorry but we're not married anymore. 'Until death do us part', but we both legally died so our obligations are done."

"It was never an obligation to me, I love you now like I loved you when we were married and before that too. I know that things are different now, but that will never change for me even if it has for you." It hurt so much to realize that while we once held that equal amount of never ending love for each other, it wasn't like that anymore. "Maddi, the fact that both you and I are both here living in 2011 as the same age we were in the 1940s has to mean something. That has to be some miracle or sign that we can't ignore."

She looked at me with exhaustion all over her face and shook her head. Steve, it is not that simple. I need you to know that we can't just start up like we were the last time we saw each other. I can't just act like I haven't lived the last 66 years of my life, so maybe I should just go because this-."

"No Maddi," I said quickly because I was terrified that she was deciding the best option was to part ways now. "I don't expect you be like it was the last time we saw each other." I couldn't just turn off those feelings, but I knew I needed to give her space if I ever thought that this would work out between us now. I thought carefully for the next few moments before continuing. "I know that I can't compare to living decades without you, I can't compare to the things you've had to go through, but I did have to go through the last couple of weeks believing that you had died. I thought you never got to live the life we wanted, the life I wanted for you. Maddi, I've mourned you every day since I found out and now I see that you're alive. I know you have a whole new life now, and I'm so happy that you're happy. I understand that we aren't married anymore, but Maddi we've always been friends. Throughout our marriage, our relationship and before, you were always my best friend. Please don't make me lose my friend in addition to my wife. I've just felt so lost and alone since waking up, I don't know anyone or anything about this century. Now you show up and I can't just let you walk away."

"I lost my best friend when I lost my husband," she said softly while looking at her hands while she fiddled with them again.

"I know, and I'm so sorry I did that to you. I'm so sorry I left you like that," I hated that I did that to her. I knew that it was important to save all those lives but part of me then wanted to take it all back.

"Don't be," she said quickly as her head shot up and she looked at me with a new determination in her eyes. "There was a time, in the midst of all the grieving, that I was really angry with you. I felt abandoned and a little unloved. I felt like you chose your country over me when you sacrificed yourself like that so suddenly." I tried to hide how much pain I was feeling from her words but I knew that I wasn't doing a very good job.. "But I know that's not true. Even when I thought those things, I knew they weren't true. I never truly blamed you, and I certainly don't blame you now. So there isn't anything to be sorry for. I know what it's like to feel like you've lost everything, and that is the very last thing I want for you. I just don't know how we can go on this way without one of us getting hurt."

November 9, 2011 (Continuation at the same spot, just switched to Maddi's POV)

We sat in silence after I spoke and I knew that he realized how complicated it all was. Being here with Steve was all kinds of overwhelming. I felt on edge but I also felt safe at the same time. I had told him things that I never told anyone else about my life, and as hard as it was, I knew it was the right thing for both of us.

"Then let's start over," Steve said, and it pulled me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I looked at him confused.

"From the beginning, like we just met. It's like you said, you're different now and I want to get to know who you are now. I'm different too, I'm not the same guy who crashed into the water over 65 years ago."

"I've spent less than 2 hours with you and I can already say that's not true," I playfully rolled my eyes at him as I spoke.

"You don't really know that," he turned to face me more directly, and he had so much hope in his eyes. "Come on, let's just try. We don't have to acknowledge any of our time together before. We can spend time together and get to know each other, and that way we can maybe develop a real friendship again that isn't based in the past but on who we are now."

I gave him a skeptical glance as I thought over his proposal. He wanted us to ignore the fact that we were friends before, that we were together for years, married and almost had a child together so that we could comfortable get to know each other now. I had a feeling that it wouldn't be as easy as he made it seem, but I knew I was willing to give it a try because he seemed as desperate as I knew I felt deep inside for this to work. "Okay, but you have to promise me that you won't be upset if I don't act like I used to, and you can't talk to me like your wife anymore. We're not married, we're just getting to know each other to be friends."

:I promise, trust me I really need a friend through all this."

"Alright, then let's start over." I paused though because I wasn't sure how to go about it, but Steve seemed to know exactly what to do as he cleared his throat and stood up. I stood up next to him and gave him a nervous smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Steven Rogers but you can call me Steve." He held out his hand.

I hesitated because of how ridiculous it felt. I knew that this might be good for wherever our relationship could go, but it just felt weird to act like a stranger to someone who used to hold the other half of my heart. "I'm Jennifer. Jennifer O'Neill." I said taking his hand to shake. I saw his smile falter just slightly when he heard me use my fake name as an introduction. He hid it quickly however because he knew that if we were going to pretend we just met, then he was going to have to get acquainted with my fake persona. However, I did feel slightly bad at the thought of making him call me by a completely different name so I added "but my friends call me Maddi."

He smiled even wider. "Well Maddi, I hope I can live up to those friends."

A/N: I really hope you liked this one, it was so hard for me to figure out how to portray Maddi's feelings in this chapter but I think I got it to a point that I really liked! The Taylor Swift song that I think matches perfectly with this part of their relationship is "Everything Has Changed" by her and Ed Sheeran. Thank you so much for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! Keep letting me know your thoughts, and check out the short video from the link in my bio if you haven't yet!