Author's Note: So I don't know if any of you have noticed but I've changed something about the story. I decided to do the story in different parts because it's ended up being so long. This chapter here is the last chapter of part one. I named part one "Long & Lost" after the Florence+The Machine song even though the song is about her being away or running away from a guy. I just thought the name fit the story. The next part will also be named after a Florence+The Machine song and you'll find out which one then. As you can probably tell I love Florence+The Machine but I didn't plan on naming all the parts and the title of the story after a bunch of the songs. I guess it sort of happened that way. I meant to update this yesterday but I've been so excited to finally get to Age of Ultron that it's been hard to concentrate on this chapter if that makes any sense. So next chapter is part two and we finally get to Age of Ultron. I'm so excited. I'll try and update tomorrow.
I saw Atomic Blonde yesterday and it was incredible! The fight scenes were mind blowing and way beyond anything I've ever seen. There's this one action scene that's literally like five minutes long with no dialogue just pure action. It's brilliant. The music for this movie was also really good. I really recommend watching it. It is kind of slow paced but the action scenes make it worth it. I know I see movies a lot but just keep in mind that I never go on vacation.
I also want to apologize for not thanking my reviewers in the last chapter I was so tired that I completely forgot so thanks to all my reviewers that reviewed the past couple of chapters. Really... thanks. The reviews keep me motivated to continue writing. Thanks to AppropriateLlama for their review and the helpful note because I totally must have missed that when I edited the chapter. I'll get to fixing that eventually but I've been pretty lazy lately. Also thanks to Spawn Hades for their review because the idea about the epilogue was so cute and funny so I'll take that into consideration. I've been thinking about different ways my story could go and it's been really difficult. I've been debating whether or not to pause after Homecoming and then wait until Infinity Wars to continue but I don't think I really want to do that. This story may go into AU after the Homecoming storyline in this story so I can kind of do whatever I want with it. Your other idea I might've already had and have plans for in the future. Also happy birthday to TheUltimateBibliophile since I'm not totally sure if I'll be able to update later on since it's technically Sunday already and I promised to update on your birthday. So thanks to all my reviewers and followers who've been super patient on the road to Peter Parker. But the wait will probably make it all worth it... I promise. So keep reviewing and I'll try to update as fast as I can.
Also I included the movie Brooklyn in the last chapter even though I know it came out in 2015. Let's just pretend that it didn't. I may have been writing that chapter while I was watching the movie for the tenth time and I just had to include it. It's probably my favorite romantic sort of film. If you haven't seen it then you have to watch it. It's one of the most beautiful films you'll ever see. I love Brie Larson but I really thought that Saoirse Ronan should've won the Oscar for that film.
Emma decided in the first few minutes, spent in the facility, that she hated nursing homes. There was a certain smell to it that immensely bothered Emma as the scent invaded her nose. It reeked of death and illness so much that it made Emma feel almost sick. She clenched her fists tightly as she tried to ignore the smell. She stared hard at the linoleum floors as she struggled to focus on anything besides that awful smell.
It had been three months since Emma left Hydra and she could finally say that she might've been improving even if the improvement wasn't significant. There was still a long way to recovery after her past with Hydra or so Sam told her. There was quite a lot of information that she had shared with Steve. They talked over lunch in their apartment sometimes or even when Emma was hanging out in her bedroom and Steve would walk in. It seemed very therapeutic for Emma but that didn't mean that she told Steve everything. There was one thing that Steve still didn't know and it was perhaps the biggest problem that still haunted Emma. She just didn't have the heart to tell him and more specifically she didn't know how to tell him. A part of her was terrified of what he might think of her and another part of her just wanted to forget that the whole thing happened.
So there Emma sat in a cold and empty hallway as she worried about her past that still haunted her. At least she didn't have as many nightmares these days. The place that filled Emma with so much dread, as she waited outside a room, happened to be an ordinary nursing home that sat in the heart of Washington D.C. After spending months settling into her new home at the tower, Steve had decided to take Emma on a road trip to D.C. so that she could reunite with her grandmother. The same grandmother that she barely remembered. Steve was currently breaking the news to her grandmother as Emma waited outside her grandmother's room. Emma assumed that Steve probably didn't want to give her poor grandmother a heart attack which the elderly woman would surely get if she saw Emma with no warning at all.
"I think she's ready to see you." Steve said as he stepped outside the door of her grandmother's room. Emma looked up at him before getting up from her seat. She felt a bit sick as she did so mostly because she feared how her grandmother would react to her. Her grandmother had thought she was dead for many years after all. It must be quite the shock to be told that Emma had been alive all these years. Emma knew that Steve most likely wasn't going to tell her grandmother where exactly she had been all these years. Probably a very filtered version of the truth that wouldn't cause the elderly woman any discomfort.
Emma followed Steve into the room hesitantly before she surveyed the new environment. It was a rather plain looking room she couldn't help but notice. There was only bed in the entire room and Emma was sure that once you got to a certain age you earned your right to have a room all to yourself. There wasn't much in the room aside from an old looking tv on the wall, a wardrobe, and a door that Emma could only assume led to a bathroom. A nightstand was placed next to the bed and the nightstand was littered with a few picture frames containing pictures of a younger version of Peggy Carter with various other people that Emma didn't recognize. The only picture she did recognize, however, was a picture of her parents.
Emma stared at the picture, a bit stunned by it, as she looked at her mother and father. She hadn't realized how much she had began to forget what they looked like. Her father, whose facial features she didn't remember at all, was grinning at her mother in the picture. Emma's mother was smiling at the camera as she held a two or three year old child in her arms that Emma could only imagine was herself. Even her mother had started to fade from her mind in recent years. Her mother's face becoming a blank space with two emerald green eyes poking out and surrounded by red hair. The red hair and green eyes were the only really distinct features that she could remember. Everything else was blurry but it all came back to her at once as she stared at the picture. Steve could've showed her pictures of her parents but Emma hadn't wanted to see them, afraid of what memories it might bring back.
Emma finally tore her gaze away from the photo and then let her eyes settle on the elderly woman lying in bed. She couldn't really remember her grandmother that well either. Emma mostly just remembered her British accented voice but that didn't stop her from feeling some recognition as she looked at her grandmother. Emma wondered if her grandmother looked much older than she had when Emma had last seen her. Perhaps but it had been a while ago and her grandmother was around ninety three by now. Emma felt her heart melt at the sight of her sickly looking grandmother whose eyes still looked just as kind as they did in the pictures that Steve had shown her. Her face was weathered with many wrinkles and creases but she still managed to smile as the elderly woman rested her eyes on Emma's face.
"Emma? Is that really you?" Peggy Carter called out to her, her voice rather hoarse. Emma gave her grandmother the smallest of smiles. "Steve said that he found you."
"Yes, it is me." Emma confirmed in a gentle voice as she answered her grandmother. Steve looked at her in curiosity as she spoke. The super soldier wasn't sure if he had ever heard his granddaughter's voice so soft and gentle.
"I'm so glad that you're alright, Emma." Her grandmother said, looking very relieved. "Come closer please… so I might be able to see your face in a better light." Emma did as she was told and moved closer to her grandmother's side.
"I thought that you had died." Her grandmother told her, tears in her brown eyes. The display of emotion immediately made Emma feel uncomfortable and guilty that she was the cause of those emotions.
"I'm fine as I'm sure you can see." Emma reassured her in a kind tone.
"Steve told me that it was all a huge misunderstanding." Her grandmother continued to say. "That you had ran away from the house in Oklahoma as it burned down and you were taken in by an orphanage mistakenly." Emma glanced at Steve who only blushed, obviously feeling guilty about his lie. It was a very terrible and far fetched lie but Peggy was in such a weak state that she didn't have any other choice but to accept it.
"That's exactly right." Emma confirmed, her tone now firm. Her grandmother smile at her with such a brillant and bright smile that Emma felt years younger… she might've felt like she had when she was much younger and used to spend time with her grandmother. Emma wasn't entirely sure since there wasn't a lot that she remembered from her time before Hydra. It had been a very long time ago.
"Well, I'm glad that you're here now." Her grandmother stared at her intensely and Emma felt a bit uncomfortable by her grandmother's close scrutiny. "You're so beautiful, Emma. You look so much like your father… like your grandfather." Peggy told her as she glanced back at Steve.
"Thank you." Emma told her, not knowing what else to say.
"You can't imagine how happy I am that you two found each other." Her grandmother said to the both of them. "I was so worried about Steve being alone and lost in this confusing world but now he has you." The elderly woman said as her eyes rested back on Emma. "It's all that I could ever hope for as a dying woman."
"Don't say that, Peggy." Steve said, almost angry with her grandmother for saying such a thing. Although Emma didn't have the heart to tell her grandfather, she knew that Peggy wasn't wrong. The woman was a ninety three year old woman who was on her death bed. It was apparent to Emma that her grandmother wouldn't last that much longer. It was only the rational part of Emma that thought that way. The irrational, emotional part of her wanted her grandmother to live forever because it was only recently that Emma had been able to start piecing her life back together. She didn't want to think about when her grandmother might die.
"It's true, Steve, I'm an old woman after all." Peggy told him seriously, giving him a stern look. "You two will move on with your lives. That's the way of life."
"I would rather not think about that right now." Emma said quietly as she looked at her grandmother, an unreadable emotion in her blue eyes. "I only just got you back. I'd rather not lose you so soon." Emma admitted because she knew that it needed to be said. It was true that she barely remembered her grandmother when she walked into the room but her grandmother was still a huge part of her life before Hydra.
"Come here, Emma." Peggy said tearfully as she struggled to hold out her arms, motioning to Emma that she wanted a hug. "Would you give an old woman a hug?" Emma stared wide eyed at her grandmother before looking at Steve who only nodded in reassurance. Emma gave her grandmother another smile as she carefully embraced her very fragile and delicate grandmother. Emma noticed that she smelled faintly of lavender and vanilla, the scent smelled familiar and Emma knew that she most likely had been this close to her grandmother in the life she had before Hydra. Intiating a hug felt odd to Emma but she also felt comforted by the affectionate gesture. She pulled away from her grandmother slowly a moment later.
"Tell me about what's going on in your life?" Peggy asked her and Emma just shrugged.
"There's not a lot to be honest. I'm just learning to adjust I guess." Peggy gave Emma a doubtful look.
"There has to be something… Friends? Hobbies? Any boys you like?" Peggy questioned and Emma raised her eyebrow at the last one.
"I'm only thirteen. I don't think I'm very interested in boys at the moment." She answered honestly because it was true. Emma didn't think she would be interested in boys for a long time. The ones that were her age, like the ones she had seen in the city, were overwhelmingly ignorant and incompetent. They were almost as silly as the teenage girls she had previously seen… both of them making Emma shudder in annoyance. No, Emma didn't see herself becoming interested in boys for a very long time.
"Which I'm sure will save some hearts from being broken and me from getting any gray hairs." Steve joked while Emma just rolled her eyes and Peggy laughed. She coughed a little from laughing and Steve quickly helped her as he poured her a glass of water from a pitcher that had been placed on her nightstand. Emma watched in sadness as Steve helped her grandmother.
"You were saying, Emma?" Peggy finally asked when she had calmed down from her coughing fit. Emma gave her a smile although it felt very forced. Deep down she was deeply worried about the ailing woman. She knew that Peggy probably didn't want to hear about Emma's concerns about her health.
"Well, I've taken up drawing. It turns out that it's a lot of fun and I'm pretty good at it." Emma told Peggy, her smile becoming more genuine as she thought about her new passion for sketching. Steve smiled at Emma, looking quite proud of his and Peggy's granddaughter.
"She's being modest, Peggy, Emma's actually really good." Steve told Peggy. "She's taken to drawing the others. She drew this stunning picture of our friend Natasha that's incredibly beautiful and transfixing." Peggy seemed delighted by this news as she smiled at Emma.
"I'm so glad to hear that. Emma, you must have inherited your grandfather's artistic talent." Peggy's smile brightened as she tried to recollect Steve's artwork. It was becoming increasingly more and more difficult for Peggy to remember certain things but she had her good days and today happened to be one of them. "Steve would always draw the most beautiful pictures. His pictures were always so lovely and pleasing to the eye. Do you still draw, Steve?" Peggy asked Steve, turning her attention to him. Steve looked a bit bashful but shook his head anyways.
"I'm afraid not. It's been a long time since I last drew anything." Steve admitted.
"Maybe Emma can help you get back into the swing of things." Steve smiled but didn't look like he was about object to anything Peggy said.
"I might just take her up on that." Steve replied as he glanced back at Emma. "I'm sure Emma probably has a lot more talent than I ever did."
"I don't think that's true, Steve." Emma told him and she was sure that it wasn't true at all. Stark had shown her some old sketches that her grandfather drew from before he crashed into the ice. Apparently Howard Stark had held onto some keepsakes of Steve's while her grandfather had been in the ice. From what she could see in the old drawings, she knew that her grandfather was a very skilled artist.
"Do you have any drawings with you, Emma? I'd very much like to see one." Peggy asked. Emma drew her attention away from Steve and gave Peggy a genuine smile as she nodded before digging through the bag she had brought with her. Emma took out the same sketchbook that Stark had given to her. Peggy patted the spot on the bed next to her, indicating that she wanted Emma to sit down next to her. She glanced at Steve unsure of what to do but Steve only nodded at her, letting her know that it was okay. Emma carefully sat next to Peggy on the bed and Emma began to show her the sketchbook. She opened up the book and began to flip through the pages, showing her grandmother everything that she had drawn so far.
The book was nearly completely filled with sketches. Most of the drawings were of the other Avengers as well as any of the others who occupied the tower or even the people she had met at the VA with Sam. They showed each individual, that Emma had crossed paths with, doing a mundane task or something similar while being locked in a moment of ignorant bliss as a certain emotion or look crossed their face. There were other drawings that depicted the view Emma had from her window. There were even some very detailed drawings of different areas of Central Park. Steve took her there every so often. It wasn't any of those drawings that had caught her attention but instead a much different one. Emma watched as Peggy's eyes focused on the drawing in fascination. It was the one she had drawn of Steve when he had been reading a book on the couch in the living room. His eyebrows were furrowed as he read the book, concentrating on whatever page had been reading. It took Emma a while to get the expression on his face right but she finally managed it.
"Do you like it?" She asked and Peggy nodded furiously.
"He looks happy." Peggy said. Emma glanced at Steve who just looked confused as to what they were talking about. He couldn't see the contents of Emma's sketchbook from where he was standing.
"He is." Emma told her truthfully and Peggy seemed happy to hear that.
"Good." Peggy then continued to look at the drawing, analyzing the little details and something occurred to Emma as she saw how much her grandmother loved the drawing.
"Would you like to keep it?" Emma asked her. Peggy looked up at her with a hopeful and excited look in her eyes. Emma didn't know that someone so close to death could look that excited about anything.
"Could I?" Emma nodded.
"Of course. I already see enough of him as it is." Emma then carefully began to tear the drawing out of the sketchbook before handing it off to her grandmother. Peggy's eyes lit up with happiness as she stared at the drawing that Emma had given her. The elderly woman held the drawing up so that Steve could see it.
"Look at the lovely drawing that Emma drew of you, Steve." Steve glanced at the picture that Peggy had in her hands and was surprised to see that it was a drawing of him. He glanced at Emma curiously but the young girl only shrugged in a nonchalant manner.
"It's really nice." Steve said quietly to both Peggy and Emma. "I didn't even know that you were drawing me."
"I'm pretty sneaky that way." Emma told him, a smug smirk on her face and Steve knew that was her trying to make a joke. Her humor seemed to be of the dark sort, Steve observed, because he was sure that she was referring to her past. It showed progress that she was beginning to move on if she was already starting to make jokes about her past.
"I have your parent's wedding picture." Peggy said suddenly which drew Emma and Steve's attention away from each other. Emma gave her grandmother a bewildered look as the elderly woman gazed at her. "It's behind all the other ones. Go on… take a look at it." Emma cautiously did as her grandmother requested and reached for the mysterious picture that was hidden behind all the others. She had to move to sit on the edge of the bed as she did so but it didn't take her long to find the picture. The picture frame was rather old, it was probably the same one that Peggy had bought after having the picture developed. Emma's eyes glanced over the picture in wonder as she spotted her parents on their wedding day. It didn't look to be a fancy wedding or anything. Her father was wearing a nice button up shirt and a pair of jeans, his hair looking very neat. Her mother looked beautiful in a simple white sundress with her hair worn down, her red tresses standing out against the whiteness of her dress. The one thing that stood out the most to Emma was just how happy her parents looked. They looked postively thrilled as they posed in front of the camera. So many emotions bubbled up inside Emma but she didn't know to how to express them.
"Your parents didn't have a big, extravagant wedding like your aunt and uncle." Peggy told her, probably referring to the kids that Peggy had after she got married. "No, they just went over to the courthouse to make it official. They invited me and my husband along with a couple of friends."
"Were they happy?" Emma asked quietly and Peggy smiled.
"Yes… incredibly happy." Peggy said before pausing as she thought something over. "Keep it." Her grandmother told her. Emma broke her gaze away from the picture and looked at her grandmother in surprise. She immediately shook her head.
"No, I couldn't...this is yours. My father was your son, he was very important to you… I barely remember him or my mother." Emma told her but Peggy already looked like she had made up her mind.
"That is exactly why you should have it… something to remember them by. I already have the picture of the three of you." Peggy replied. "I'm a dying woman, it's not like I'm going to have it for much longer. Besides… you gave me this lovely drawing of Steve. It's the least I can do after missing so many birthdays." Emma just looked at her. It was Steve, however, that ended the small debate.
"I would take the picture if I were you, Emma. Peggy's not one to back down from an argument. Trust me… I know firsthand." Steve said jokingly and the elderly woman tried to give him an annoyed look but immensely failed.
"Oh, shut it, you bloody idiot." Peggy quipped before their conversation was interupted by an unexpected person entering the room. Emma's old habits immediately kicked in as she stiffened and observed the new person in the room. A woman stood in the doorway of Peggy's room with a surprised look on her face. It was obvious that the woman wasn't a nurse seeing as how she was wearing a green colored sundress rather than the usual nursing scrubs. The woman was quite short, probably only a couple of inches shorter than Emma. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties, around Darcy's age most likely. She was very petite looking with her small frame and slenderness. Her skin was pale, about as pale as Emma's own skin. The small woman's hair was raven black which contrasted against her pale skin and freckles as well as her oak green eyes. Emma wasn't really sure what a real life Snow White might look like but she was almost certain that this women could fill that description. The small looking woman looked immensely fragile and innocent but Emma knew better than to let someone's looks fool her.
"I'm sorry, Peggy, I didn't know you were expecting any company." The woman said apologetically, her voice soft and obviously American. "I can come back later if you want."
"You'll do no such thing." Peggy told the woman. "I'm sure Steve and Emma won't mind sharing me." The woman hesitantly began to enter the room after Peggy made her request clear. Emma only took a moment to glance back at Steve who seemed to be staring at the woman with an unreadable expression on his face whilst a blush quickly spread across his face. Emma raised an eyebrow as she looked at him. She might've been pretty ignorant to the complexities of romantic relationships but she did know what attraction looked like thanks to Darcy.
"Steve… Emma, this is Susan Winters." Peggy introduced them. "Susan, this is Steve and Emma. Susan's grandfather was a very good friend of mine."
"It's nice to meet the both of you." Susan said kindly with a warm, welcoming smile on her face. Emma thought she seemed okay enough but she was still suspicious of her. It wasn't anything new. Emma was cautious around any sort of new person in her life.
"The feeling's mutual." Steve told Susan but Emma remained silent. "You from around here?"
"I'm from San Francisco actually." Susan told them, casually responding to Steve's small talk.
"Susan keeps pretty busy over there for work so I barely see her even though I wish she would come see me more." Peggy said as she teased Susan lightly. Susan blushed in response.
"I'm sorry, Peggy, but you know how work is. I've only been able to come all the way out here because of the expo." Peggy just shook her head at the young girl but Steve and Emma could tell it was more out of amusement than anger.
"You shouldn't work yourself so hard, Susan. Sometimes you really remind me of your grandfather only he would be quite upset if he knew you were working for Pym Technologies rather than Stark Industries." This caused Steve to raise a brow as he gave Susan a questioning look.
"Your grandfather worked for Stark Industries?" Steve asked and Susan shrugged.
"My grandfather worked for Howard Stark more specifically. He wasn't a scientist or anything like I am but rather part of the help. He was the Stark family butler for many years… until his death actually." Susan informed them honestly. "Peggy likes to think that my grandfather would be very annoyed at me for being a traitor and going to work for Pym Technologies." Susan added on after giving Peggy a pointed look. Steve only smiled at the pair while noticing how close Peggy and Susan seemed to be. He imagined that Susan must have spent quite some time with Peggy growing up.
"Your grandfather would've been very proud… I'm sure of it." Steve told her kindly and Emma glanced at him curiously. Was he… Was that flirting? Peggy shared a look with Emma as the elderly woman watched both Steve and Susan interact. Emma didn't know how her grandmother would react to something like that. Watching the former love of your life showing interest in someone else had to be rough but Peggy didn't seem to mind it. She smirked at Emma before watching Steve and Susan with interest. "If your grandfather worked for the Starks for so long then you must know Tony." Steve said and Susan laughed.
"Unfortunately, yes… I do know Tony although I haven't seen him since I was a teenager. My father was very close with Tony… Tony was like the son he never had in many ways." Susan said, smiling at the memory as she most likely recalled something about her grandfather. "I don't have anything bad to say about Tony Stark. He kindly paid for my grandfather's funeral actually… he's a good man."
"Yes, he is." Steve replied and this further confused Emma. She knew that Steve and Stark were somewhat friends but Steve still rarely said anything nice about Stark. He usually complained about how Tony was being more infuriating than usual. It's not like Emma disagreed with that either because Stark had the tendency to make Emma try with all her might not to strangle him. He was quite possibly the most annoying man she had ever encountered. "If you're ever in New York you're welcomed at the tower. I'm sure Tony would love to see you after all these years."
"I might take you up on that." Susan said as she and Steve then proceeded to stare at each other. Both Emma and Peggy exchanged looks with each other again before Emma cleared her throat, capturing Steve and Susan's attention. Susan's blush could easily be seen against her pale skin. Steve then broke their intense gaze with each other and feigned a casual, nonchalant look.
"Well, I think Emma and I better get going. We have to grab lunch before we head back." Steve told Peggy before looking at Susan. "It was nice meeting you, Susan." Susan nodded.
"It was nice meeting you too, Steve." Susan told him before glancing at Emma with a kind smile. "You too, Emma." Emma nodded and returned Susan's smile. It was obvious that the raven haired woman wasn't paying much attention to her. The woman's attention was almost entirely focused on Steve but Emma wasn't offended. She could tell that the woman was quite taken with Steve and that amused Emma more than anything. She wasn't about to let her grandfather forget it anytime soon. Steve and Emma both said their goodbyes to Peggy before they decided to leave Susan and Peggy alone. Emma could've sworn Steve's gaze had remained locked onto Susan until they finally disappeared behind the door. Yes, Emma would definitely be telling everyone at the tower about this.
"What are you going to have?" Steve asked as Emma looked over the menu. They were seated at a diner a ways away from the nursing home. It was a retro looking diner with black and white tile flooring as well as pictures of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis littered around the walls of the place. An old looking jukebox sat in one corner of the diner, playing old Beach Boys songs. Emma and Steve sat in a booth towards the back. The diner was relatively empty and quiet which seemed to be a result of timing. It was well past lunch, around two in the afternoon.
"I don't really know." Emma responded as she debated over what to get.
"What about a good ole' greasy burger? Those always seem to be a safe option." Steve told her jokingly but Emma shrugged.
"I wouldn't know." She said and Steve furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Emma looked back up at him from over the menu.
"I mean that I've never had a hamburger." Emma didn't think she had seen Steve looked so shocked or horrified in her life which was saying something. Steve knew quite a bit about what happened to her at the Hydra base but he had never seemed horrified with her like he did right at that moment.
"You've never had a hamburger before?" He asked in shock and Emma just looked at him.
"That's what I just said." She replied.
"But you've had Chinese food, Indian food, Italian food, and you've even had sushi but you've never had a hamburger before? How have you've eaten all of that but never a burger." Emma shrugged.
"It just never happened. I didn't really have many options of cuisine when I was with Hydra. I think hamburgers were a little above my pay grade." She said sarcastically. Steve frowned a bit when he heard that. She was spending way too much time with Stark because that sounded a little too sarcastic. Steve tried to ignore the reminder of Hydra since they were trying to move on from that part of Emma's life. She talked about it with him whenever she felt the moment was right but Steve didn't know how he felt about her joking about her past.
"This is my fault, isn't it?" Steve said as he gave her a sad look. Emma just rolled her eyes at Steve as he gave her that look.
"Has anyone ever told you how dramatic you are?" She said and Steve just had to smile at that. Truthfully there was someone who had once told him how dramatic he was… on several occasions actually.
"Yes, actually." He admitted.
"Well, they were right."
"You have to have a hamburger." Steve told her in a serious tone after changing the subject. "It's an American tradition."
"Really? Because hamburger sounds awfully German to me." Emma teased and Steve playfully glared at her but before he could respond their waitress came back. The bored looking woman stood before them with a pad of paper and a pencil as she chewed her gum.
"Are you ready to order?" She asked and they both nodded but Emma didn't even have a chance to order as Steve stepped in to place their order.
"Yes, we'll both have the same thing. A chocolate milkshake, cheeseburger, and a side of fries." Steve told her, avoiding Emma's glare.
"Is that all?" The waitress asked after she wrote all of that down.
"Yes. Thank you." The waitress gave them a quick nod before she walked away and Emma was left to give Steve a dirty look.
"I can order for myself." She told him but he just smiled that infuriating smile at her.
"You'll thank me… trust me." Emma only shook her head and Steve decided to change the subject to a more pressing matter. "I actually wanted to talk about something more serious with you."
"Like what?" Emma replied. She was now extremely curious as to what had made Steve so serious that his teasing smile had now vanished from his face.
"You know how we've been looking for Hydra bases?" Steve said, his voice quiet and hesitant. Emma nodded.
"Yes, I do. You know I'd be happy to help you find those bases too. You only need to ask." Emma told him, completely serious.
"I know but we've already located a couple of bases. I think we're good for now." Emma raised an eyebrow when he told her that.
"You've already found some bases?" She asked and Steve nodded.
"Yes, when Bucky sent us the flashdrive about you he also managed to send us the location of a couple of other Hydra bases. The locations were encrypted within your file." He told her and Emma was a bit surprised by that. Her father had been overwhelmingly brainwashed but somehow he had managed to overcome his forced loyalty to Hydra and help out Steve. Emma only wondered why he still hadn't come back for her. Hadn't he promised her that much all those years ago?
"That was incredibly helpful of him." She retorted, not having anything else to say. "When do you leave?"
"Friday." He said and Emma nodded.
"I could come with you." She said quietly but Steve didn't look pleased by that comment.
"No, you're not." He told her firmly.
"I can. I know how Hydra operates… I know all their tactics and strategies, I would be a very useful asset to you." She almost pleaded but Steve didn't look convinced. Emma wasn't so sure why she was so set on wanting go with the Avengers to infilitrate a Hydra base. She was quite liking this new life of doing nothing even though it was a bit boring. Maybe it was because she was dying of boredom and wanted to see some action again. Something deep down told Emma that wasn't true. Maybe it was because she was afraid that she could lose Steve… that she didn't want to let Steve out of her sight for fear of him getting hurt or worse.
"You're no one's asset, Emma. Not anymore and never again… as long as I'm alive I'll make sure of that." He told her, his eyes dead serious. "That's the end of the discussion." He said in his Captain tone and Emma knew that she would never win this argument. There was no point in arguing at this point so Emma decided to drop it… for now. She knew that she had to lose some to win some so she'd save it for another day.
"I'll probably go for two days at the most… Darcy will keep you company in the meantime." Emma nodded and before she could respond the waitress came back with their food. Steve thanked the woman before she walked off and Emma knew that the conversation was over. This was what was going to happen and there was nothing she could do about it. It was going to be so odd sitting back out of the action but Steve had made it clear that she was the child in their relationship and he was the parent. Emma was trying to respect Steve's authority even though sometimes it was entirely hard for her to do so. Trying to avoid talking anymore about the mission Steve was about to go on, Emma picked up the hamburger and took a big bite. Emma's eyes immediately shot open in surprise as she was taken back by the taste. She looked back at Steve who gave her a knowing look as he snacked on his own fries.
"This is delicious." Emma said in surprise.
"I told you so." Steve said and Emma could only roll her eyes at him.
"No, but I mean it's really good. Like it's… Well, it's… I don't seem to know the word for it." Emma finally said, stumped as to know how to describe the food.
"Like pure heaven in your mouth?" Steve suggested and Emma grinned at him. Steve's heart warmed at the image of Emma actually grinning at him, showing off her pearly white teeth.
"Yes! Exactly!" Emma exclaimed as she took another bite. Steve laughed at her obvious new love for hamburgers. His laughter died out as he remembered a time from long ago when he was inside a diner that looked very similar to this one. It almost felt like it had back then too.
"This reminds me of when Bucky and I used to hang out." Steve told her, his eyes looking suddenly more sad than they had before. "We used to go to the cheapest place in Brooklyn and order the biggest burger on the menu. We'd stuff our faces and goof around… sometimes Bucky would even manage to snag a date with a pretty dame." Emma smiled sadly at Steve and wondered if it was possible that he might've missed her father more than she did. She knew in that moment that Steve needed to be comforted. It wasn't something that she was all too familiar with so Emma had to think before she found the right thing to do in a situation like this one. She then gently put down her burger before she reached across the table, placing her hand on top of his.
"I miss him too, Steve." Emma told him seriously. Steve nodded but he didn't say anything and Emma desperately felt that had to move the conversation away from her father. It was only going to continue to make the both of them miserable if they spent the rest of lunch talking about him. So, with a little bit of effort, Emma forced a smile onto her face as she pulled her hand back.
"My father couldn't be the only one that was able to get dates." Steve's sad look morphed into one of confusion as he glanced back at her.
"What are you talking about?" Emma smirked at him.
"I saw you flirting with that girl named Susan back at the nursing home." She told him smugly. "And in front of grandma… Have you no shame? I'm just surprised you didn't manage to get her number." Steve blushed bright red at Emma's teasing comments and Emma knew that she had immediately gotten Steve's mind off of her father. Natasha had informed her that Steve got awfully bashful around women and the former spy was right. They both immediately returned their attention to their meals and Emma wondered if it would always be like this between them. If she could have this much fun with Steve in a small diner on a Tuesday afternoon. If it could be this much fun then she didn't think she could ever truly part from him. Emma thought that she would be entirely okay with never parting from him. She realized that she truly cared about him right then.