Hi everyone! I'm sorry, I know that this chapter is very short compared to my other ones, it's just been so long since I posted anything, I wanted to give you all a little something. Forewarning, this chapter is a filler, not very much goes on, but I think you all may like it nonetheless. I promise, the next one will be longer and will have some more exciting events to look forward to. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: All things that are in, associated with, or based off of Marvel or the MCU in any way are NOT mine!
Languages for dialogue this chapter:
Italics and underlined – Hebrew
Italics and bold - German
Chapter Nine: One Step at A Time
July 4th, 1962
Ocean Beach, San Francisco
"Happy Fourth of July!"
Evie smiled to herself as the cheerful shrieks of children playing with sparklers ran past her, some skipping with others full out bounded into the air as they sprinted down the sidewalk, more than likely on their way to the nearby park where it seemed all of the neighborhood was gathering to set off the fireworks. There was a thick sense of glee and pride in the air, with American flags set up in every shop window, hanging from every post and porch, waved by people young and old with such enthusiastic strength that Evie was surprised it didn't create massive gusts of wind. She could smell the barbeque setups in the park all the way from here, and instead of following the crowds, she continued down the sidewalk until she came upon her apartment, hurrying up the steps with her bag swinging gently from her arm.
Once she was inside, she instantly kicked off her shoes, sighing in relief for her aching heels, before heading to the kitchen to put her groceries away. She had done just a little bit of shopping at the store before they closed early in order to celebrate the holiday, grabbing the few things she needed in order to make dinner, as well as a special treat—an apple pie, which was her usual go-to for Independence Day. After everything was put in their rightful place, Evie went over to open the windows in her living room, letting in the warm mid-summer air as well as the excited voices from outside. Then, she turned on her old radio and smiled as "Roses Are Red (My Love)" came on through the speakers, proceeding to turn the music up a notch or two. With that taken care of, she started making her way back towards the kitchen to get a start on dinner, however no sooner did she put on her apron then did the doorbell ring, causing her to pause, wondering who on earth it could be. Her curiosity soon gave way to surprised delight when she opened up her door to see none other than Elias standing on the threshold, carrying a large wicker basket in one hand, and a bottle of wine in the other.
"Surprise!" he greeted with a smile.
"Elias," Evie said, her face beaming. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to meet up with the fellas after work today?"
"I decided a change in plans were in order," he stated with a shrug. "I'd much rather spend the evening with you, as long as you don't mind."
"Of course not, please come in," Evie said, standing aside to let him pass.
"I know that you don't really like to celebrate the fourth of July," Elias explained to her once he was inside and the door was shut. "So I thought, maybe you and I can just have a nice dinner together, as if it were any other day, and—only if you're up for it—we can watch the fireworks from the roof when they set them off in the park. If not we can just settle in and watch some television. I brought us some steaks that I can whip up for us, and the best bottle of red wine money can buy at the last minute. What do you say?"
Evie couldn't help the smile that graced her lips at Elias' show of thoughtfulness. She had told him just last week that she did not like to celebrate the fourth. Going out to the park for barbeques, setting off the sparklers and fireworks, catching the neighborhood baseball game, watching the town parades…it was hard to get into the fun of it all, when all it seemed to bring her were sad memories. That's why she had suggested that Elias go down to the bar to have some drinks with his friends, and then he could go with them to the park afterwards, since she didn't have any problem at all just staying home. But seeing the effort he took into getting these things to have their own little dinner party for the two of them, showing her how he cares for her enough to respect her wishes and still want to spend the holiday with her…how could possibly say no? She walked over towards him, pretending to think it over and taking the wine bottle from his hands, examining it.
"As long as we can have apple pie after, for dessert," she agreed with a twinkle in her eyes. Elias grinned before leaning down to give her a tender kiss, using his free hand to pull her closer by her hip. The kiss left Evie in a daze, as per usual, and she hummed in content when they withdrew from each other. Within minutes, the entire kitchen smelled like delicious steaks as they sizzled in the pan. Evie went to work with setting the table while Elias cooked, and then proceeded to make a side salad for them both. Soon enough, dinner was done and everything looked so wonderful. The juicy steaks, steaming potatoes, and vibrant vegetables all made Evie's mouth water, and she found herself thankful that Elias decided to surprise her with such a great meal. They had a nice time eating together in the warm atmosphere, talking and laughing at the most ridiculous things.
"Okay, okay," Elias chuckled, after telling Evie about one of the many shenanigans he and Marty got into in the past. "Your turn. What was the most reckless thing you've ever done when you were young?"
"You mean, younger than I am now?" Evie quipped with a smirk.
"Obviously," Elias replied with a snort.
"Well," Evie said, thinking for a brief moment as she swirled the wine in her glass. "I would have to say, it was when I about twelve, or thirteen years old. My mother was pregnant with my brother, Klause, and at the time, I was resentful and scared. Resentful because it felt like he was already taking all of my parents' attention away from me when he wasn't even born yet, and scared because I thought that since they were going to have a child of their own, they wouldn't want me anymore. One night, I overheard them talking about how it was going to be difficult raising two kids. Papa may have been a scientist, but he wasn't making that much money around that time. Of course, I took it to heart, figuring that they would more than likely want to get rid of me, and I panicked.
"I was so upset that I ran off into the forest close by to our home, and considering it was late at night and pitch black out, I got lost easily. I kept going until I eventually found myself at a gorge. I was scared and felt so alone, that I ended up using my powers."
"Really?" Elias asked.
"Yes," Evie said with a nod. "I just started shooting light up into the sky like fireworks, and I even hit some of the surrounding rocky walls. Up until then, I was always so very careful to keep a lid on my abilities, keeping my emotions in check. But in that moment, I just let it all go, and kept lighting up the sky. I'm not sure how long I did that for, but eventually I tired myself out, and I hunkered down next to the stream. After I had a chance to calm myself down a little, all I could think about was wanting to be found, to go back to my parents. So, I did the only thing I could think of—I started to sing."
"Sing? Why?"
"The gorge enhanced my voice, made it echo. So I was hoping that if there was someone, anyone, close by, they would be able to hear me. To this day, I consider myself very lucky to have had such an amazing father."
"He found you," Elias stated.
"He had searched the forest for hours, and he was able to follow the lights I created all the way to the gorge," Evie recalled with a fond smile. "He was a ways up the stream, but when I started singing, he was able to pinpoint exactly where I was. When he took me home, he and my mother sat me down to have a long talk about how there was nothing they wanted more than for me to stay with them, to continue being part of their family, even though they were expecting their own baby. And needless to say, I was grounded for a very long time afterwards."
"I would assume so," Elias said. "That was pretty reckless, using your powers like that."
"I know that now, but I was upset and I was bound to reach a snapping point at some time, after constantly trying to suppress them," Evie defended. "Luckily, I was pretty far into the forest, and even if someone were to see the lights, my father managed to get me back home before anyone could have a hope of trying to figure out where they came from."
"You must really miss him," Elias murmured softly.
"Very much," Evie admitted.
After they had finished their dinner, Evie cleared the table and then the two of them retired to the living room, where they made themselves comfortable on the sofa to watch some television. Evie snuggled up into Elias' side as they started watching the Dick Van Dyke show, easily entwining her fingers with his, on his lap. She felt content, sitting there and soaking up Elias' warmth, sharing an occasional laugh as they watched the show. However, at some point, the loud sound of fireworks bursting and exploding into the air could be heard from outside, and for Evie, it had an instant effect. Her entire body went stiff, she clutched Elias' hand tighter, and she could practically fell her heart jump into her throat as she took in a sharp intake of breath. Feeling the change in her stature, Elias shifted so he could look at her.
"Evie?" he said in concern. "Are you okay?"
It took Evie a minute to answer, as she was working on controlling her breathing and steadying her heartbeat before she could trust herself to speak.
"The fireworks," she muttered. "They…they sound likes bombs. It makes me think I'm back there, sometimes."
Elias was quiet as she spoke, and she closed her eyes, part in shame and part in trying to ignore the sounds of the festive activities going on less than a mile away. Ever since her time in the wars, Evie had found it difficult to handle being around fireworks sometimes. They reminded her of what it was like, being there on the front lines, hearing the catastrophic sounds ringing in her ears, seeing the fire, and breathing in the smoke. She had found ways to get herself through it, but every once in a while, she found herself still cowering from the traumatic memories that such a joyous occasion could bring. After another moment of sitting with her eyes closed, collecting her thoughts, she suddenly felt an arm wrap protectively around her shoulders, and she was then drawn even closer to Elias' side until she was pressed completely against him. He said nothing as he rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, and Evie could tell by the sudden increase in volume that he had turned the television up, so it could override the fireworks going on outside. She could feel his lips pressing tenderly against the top of her head and she let out another breath, feeling herself relax more in his arms. When she was finally at ease once more, she opened her eyes and stayed there with Elias, feeling completely safe for the first time in a long while.
"I love you," she said .
"I love you too," Elias replied.
=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
August 17th, 1962
Ocean Beach, San Francisco
"Are you still not speaking to me?"
"…"
"I'll take that as a yes, then?"
"…"
"Something tells me this is going to be a long drive home, isn't it?"
"…"
"Come on, Evie, you're overreacting."
"Oh, really?" Evie scoffed, her arms tightening across her chest. "And how exactly am I overreacting?"
"Well look at that, she speaks," Elias noted with the air of surprise.
"Yes, she speaks, and since you're so insistent, you get to hear exactly what is on her mind," Evie added, turning her heated glare over in his direction.
"Is it too late to revoke my request?" Elias sighed.
"Elias, how could you just say that to Marty and Jenny?" Evie said.
"They asked us about it! What was I supposed to do, lie to them?" he asked.
"You could have said it better, at least! Not make me out to be some sort of dragon lady who despises the very thought of the idea!"
"I never meant for it to come out as anything! I mean, we didn't even discuss this together yet—"
"So why would you talk about it with someone else?!" Evie exclaimed. Elias swore loudly before he suddenly made a sharp right turn and then swiftly pulled the ruck alongside the sidewalk, right outside of the laundry shop, on the corner of Cadbury Avenue. Throwing it into park, Elias leaned his elbow against the open window while running a hand through his hair. There was a slightly tense, uncomfortable silence that settled between the two of them, and the more time that passed, the more fidgety Evie became. The soft music playing from the radio did little to calm her nerves, and after a while, she sighed, finally uncrossing her arms. Looking over at Elias, she hesitated before speaking.
"We really do need to talk about this," she pointed out.
"Your feelings seem to be pretty clear on the subject," he stated.
"That's not fair," Evie said, her voice coming out quietly, redirecting her gaze over to a couple of ladies making their way past the truck, talking adamantly with each other, cigarettes in their hands and giggles laced in their tones. "I never said that I didn't want children."
"Then why did you…"
"I'm scared to have children, Elias. Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you satisfied?"
Another period of silence passed between them, and Evie could feel her eyes begin to water as her emotions got the best of her. She hastily wiped away at them, avoiding Elias's gaze. After a few more minutes, she felt her boyfriend take her hand into his, tracing his thumb over her knuckles. His gentle touch was enough to make her turn her head back around to face him, and he stared back, the frustration previously in his eyes and in his face gone, replaced by a soft yearning to understand.
"My love," he murmured in Hebrew. "Talk to me, please."
Evie took in a breath through her nose and slowly exhaled, trying to put her feelings into words as best she could.
"I've wanted to have children ever since I was young," she said, a hint of a smile adorning her face. "The idea always made me very happy. But after a while, the hope of it ever being a possibility faded, for many reasons."
"Such as?"
"HYDRA for one, when it was still alive," Evie explained. "For a long time I was living in fear of them, constantly looking over my shoulder. The thought of a normal life that involved a family of my own seemed so far out of reach I eventually gave it up. And even though they're gone now, there's still the main problem—me."
"What do you mean, darling?"
"Elias, I can't age," Evie said, bringing her eyes back up to his. "I would end up outliving the life of my son or daughter, eventually having to watch them die. And I don't think that I would be able to survive that. Even worse, what if they inherit this damn condition? What if they live out their entire lives having to move from place to place, never truly settling or being scared to trust people? It took me years to learn how to control my abilities, and there's still a small part of me that's worried of just how dangerous they actually are. I don't want my children to have that kind of fear looming over them, and I…I don't even believe that I would make a good mother, anyway."
"Evie," Elias murmured, raising his hand to cup her cheek tenderly. "I'm afraid I have to disagree on you with that last one. I happen to think that you would make an extraordinary mother. I may not remember everything about what happened when I was seven, but I remember how safe I felt with you, and the care that you gave to me, Raoul, and Emma. You have such a big heart, and you give a piece of it out to everyone who is lucky enough to have your love, the moment they earn it. I will be honest with you dear, I've always wanted to have a family of my own, with a wife and as many children as possible."
"Elias—"
"But I understand that it may not be an option," he continued.
"What?" Evie asked, not hiding her surprise at his statement.
"As much as may not like it, I do understand your reasoning for not wanting to have any kids," he explained, a bit of sadness in his smile. "Either way you look at it, you feel as though it is a lose-lose scenario for you. I can't even begin to imagine the losses that you've been through, and still have yet to go through. If our places had been reversed, it's very likely that my feelings about the matter would be the same. Although it would make me beyond happy to have kids, I would never push you into it if that's not what you want. You are most certainly enough for me, darling."
"Are you sure about that?" Evie asked. Instead of answering, Elias simply kept smiling at her and then leaned in to place a sweet kiss against her lips, pouring as much love as he could into it. Evie soon returned the kiss, and when he gently pried her lips open to deepen it, she felt breathless. When they separated, her head was spinning a little, and savored his touch as he leaned his forehead against hers.
"You will always be enough for me," Elias whispered. "Always."
After a few more minutes just basking in one another, Elias moved back and withdrew his hand from Evie's cheek, although he did keep hold of her hand while he moved the truck away from the sidewalk and started driving down the street, a much more comfortable silence falling in between them. Evie couldn't help but feel relieved—she was angry with Elias for the conversation that had passed while they were out with Marty and his girlfriend Jenny, and on the way home, she couldn't help but feel worried. She conjured a situation in her mind where Elias would end things between them once he found out that she did not have any intentions to have children in the future, and that he wouldn't understand her reasoning. But now, knowing that he would accept it, even if he wasn't pleased with it, it showed how much he respected her wishes. It meant more to her than she could ever express into words. She smiled to herself as they made their way back to her apartment, enjoying the feeling of the warm summer night air on her skin, how soothing Elias' hand felt clasped in hers, and listening to the sweet sound of the radio. Too soon for her liking, Evie soon found herself out of the truck, and standing outside of her front door with Elias, wrapped up in his arms.
"I wish the night didn't have to end," she admitted to him with a sigh.
"It doesn't," Elias offered, gesturing with his head back to the truck. "There's a spiffy jazz club that's open late."
"We both have work tomorrow," Evie reminded him. "And you have to get up much earlier than I do, and if you're late, Whale is going to cuck you into the Bay and then not hesitate to call me and nag me over the phone."
"It would be worth it for another couple hours with you," Elias said with a wink.
"You think you are such a charmer, don't you?"
"I managed to charm you, didn't I?"
"I wouldn't say 'charm' as much as 'pester.'"
"Come on, you know you couldn't resist."
"Elias Ackerman, you are so—"
Evie was effectively shushed by Elias capturing her lips with his, and she grunted in annoyance when she felt him smirk into the kiss. However, eventually she just gave in to the feeling, wrapping her hands around his neck as she parted to lips to allow him access, humming softly. The kiss, which started so sweet and loving, soon became more eager and passionate. Feeling a bit bold, Evie pressed herself against Elias so that there was no space at all between their upper halves, and a pleasurable haze drifted over her when he moved his lips from her mouth to her neck, nearly causing her to shudder. She felt his hands caress her sides, and one of them fell over her rear, squeezing lightly. She heard Elias moan her name quietly against her neck, and it was then that Evie came back to her senses, the haze quickly clearing up in her mind. With great reluctance, she unwrapped her arms and gently pushed herself away from Elias, her eyes apologetic as she looked at him.
"I would love nothing more then to invite you inside," Evie said. "But if I do, I think we know where this will end up going."
"I think you're right," Elias agreed, breathing a little heavier than normal. "I'm sorry, my love, I know you want to wait until you're married. Guess I just got a bit carried away."
"Hey, I wasn't much better," Evie pointed out with a slight giggle. "But it's best if we say goodnight for now."
"All right, if you insist on torturing me and kicking me to the curb," Elias chuckled, before giving Evie another quick peck. "I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."
"I love you too," Evie said. Then, she unlocked her door to step inside, waving at Elias as she shut it behind her, the smile never leaving her face. The thought of seeing her love again in less than twenty-four hours was enough to make her giggle again with glee, and do a little twirl down the hallway to the living room. It was hard to believe that they had been arguing less than an hour ago, and now she was so entranced she felt as though she could begin dancing among the clouds. The sound of music started floating around in her head as she placed her purse down on the sofa with graceful and elegant move of her hand, and she slid out of her shoes so she could glide around the hardwood floor, singing under her breath and appearing much like a lovesick schoolgirl. Seeing as tomorrow would mark six months since they started dating, Evie certainly felt happier than she had been in a long time.
Suddenly, her happy, joyful thoughts were cut short due to the shrill sound of her telephone ringing, and unfortunately Evie was brought crashing back down to Earth. Still, her smile was still intact as she crossed the room to pick up the phone on the third ring.
"Hello?" she said.
"Hi Evie," came a very familiar voice over the other end. "It's me."
"Howard!" Evie exclaimed excitedly. "God, I haven't heard from you in ages! How are you? How's Maria? Has she come to her senses and left you for Stane?"
"I should rinse your mouth out with soap for suggesting such an atrocity," Howard replied with a half-hearted chuckle, before he took on a more serious, grave tone. "Evie, look I—I don't know how to say this, but something's happened."
All at once, the smile that had been lighting up Evie's face for the ending portion of her night was easily wiped away, and a dreadful weight immediately dropped unpleasantly in her stomach. It took a moment before Evie could form the question she did not want to ask.
"Howard," she said slowly, apprehensively. "What happened?"
"It's Peggy," he answered. "There was an accident and…she's hurt. Real bad."
+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+.+
Hello everyone. I know this chapter was really just a filler (and one of the more boring ones at that), but I wanted to have some time to explore and develop Evie and Elias' relationship, instead of having major time skips that will make the story shorter than I intend it to be. There should be some exciting and action-based events coming up in the next chapter, so hopefully that will make up for what was lacking in this one.
Anyway, I hope that you guys found this chapter to be a nice one, nonetheless. Please leave me a review to tell me your thoughts! I will get the next chapter posted as soon as I can and thank you all so much for your continued support!