As if you were coming back tonight - Sam said once the door was closed. He didn't know Stark's daughter, but something told him Steve would spend the whole night "talking to her."
Steve walked out of the hotel to a pleasant cool breeze. It was a lovely evening. His way to Amelia's complex was paved with small cafes where he could see couples enjoying each other's company with a drink and maybe some pastries.
When was the last time he was able to do that with his "someone special"? It had probably been a while already.
He was two to three blocks away from downtown; now and then, Steve saw groups of tourists walking in the opposite direction. It made sense; she lived close enough to all the city's vibrant energy (she was only twenty-five years old after all), but far enough to enjoy a quiet suburban life.
When he was a block away from her building, Steve saw a dance academy. He would bet all the money he had from the Captain America movies back in the forties she was enrolled there.
Rogers stopped at the corner before the apartment complex; there was a small flower stand.
-Should I get her flowers? – He thought – No, that would be too awkward. We haven't talked in years, and she has a boyfriend. Besides, I do NOT have feelings for her.
He finally reached the street "Via della Pelliccia," looking down the road, Captain Rogers noticed that every window was decorated with flowers and every other porch had a chair or two outside; some of them occupied by senior citizens chatting pleasantly. He smiled, they were younger than him, but he called them senior citizens in his head anyways.
The building in front of him was covered with red brick, and the windows were decorated with white accents. Each apartment had a small balcony. Rogers immediately knew which one was Amelia's. A little cherry tree was decorating it. The cherry blossoms were her favorite flowers; somehow, he managed to get a bouquet of those flowers for her medical school graduation (things are easier when you are Captain America).
Up in her apartment, Amelia Stark watch in horror the news about the attack in Vienna. How could someone be so full of hate to do such a thing? She didn't want to believe the perpetrator was Steve's friend. Rogers had said that Bucky died back in 1945.
-Is it possible? – She wondered. Amelia remembered very clearly when Steve told her that Hydra experimented on Barnes. Maybe, he was a man out of time as well.
Anxiety flooded her body, and if this were truly James Buchanan Barnes, Steve would do everything in his power to protect him, which include starting a civil war with her father, break the Accords and the Avengers in the process. She could foresee all that happening very quickly.
She really hoped Rogers would stay out of it. The last thing Amelia wanted was for her father or Steve to get hurt if worse comes to worst.
After a little hesitation, Stark grabbed her cellphone and dialed Steve's number. Technically, she didn't have it; when they broke up, she deleted it (so she wouldn't call him drunk, as Johnny Storm, one of her best friends from childhood, said). The truth was that the little mind of Amelia's was particularly smart, so she remembered it by memory.
She hung up right after, not even sure if Steve would get a notification for a missed call. It would be better if he didn't; she still had feelings for Rogers. Those feelings were very well buried in the bottom of her heart, and she didn't need to do anything to bring them back up.
At the entrance of the building, the tall, blonde, and handsome man was smiling like an idiot looking at his phone. He had a missed phone call from Amelia. On the contrary to Amelia, Steve never deleted the phone number. Sharon once got jealous after seeing it.
"To begging with, she shouldn't have been checking your phone," Natasha told him when Steve told her what happened. "Also, your last text to her was on her birthday…ten months ago" Steve wanted to ask how she knew that but decided not to.
Rogers and Romanoff had an on and off relationship that consisted of keeping each other company while they were single. Deep down, both knew they were more than friends with benefit, but none of them was ready to let go of the third person (Amelia and Bruce). There were times when they felt like they were falling-in-love, but that feeling never happened at the same time on both of them, and it never lasted more than a few weeks on both of them.
"-It's called infatuation- Tony told him once."
To be honest, Steve could see him falling-in-love with Nat, for real. However, he couldn't see himself having the level of connection with Amelia and he had. He couldn't see himself marrying Nat and adopting kids with her. Maybe in a different life where he and Nat meet first, she would've been the love of his life.
-Did she see me coming? -He thought, still looking at his cellphone, but it was unlikely. He was wearing a hat, and her balcony was closed when he passed by. – Did she want to talk to me?
Back in her apartment, Amelia was lying on the faux leather couch with her dog on her lap. She resolved to turn off the news and watch her favorite rom-com, "Thirteen going thirty." The pizza was on her way, and she had white wine chilling in the fridge.
A bittersweet memory hit her. She watched that movie with Steve tons of times. "That Mark Ruffalo guy looks like Bruce," he used to say. A treacherous tear fell down her cheek while she reached out for a stuffed animal on the ottoman. Steve won it for her in a fair game.
"Come on- He had said at that time- Let me take you to a 40s style date" She totally loved it, mostly because Steve felt home that day.
Standing at the other side of the door, Steve could hear the dialogues of the movie. He smiled and shook his head. He stood there, trying to decide if he should knock or not. Maybe, Sam was right, and this was a stupid idea.
-Just grow a pair and knock – He reprimanded himself – You just flew all the way from London for this.
What if her boyfriend was there? That be awkward – he thought – Well, I could only ask her about the Accords. She'll have both sides of the story, so her opinion would be neutral.
The thought of a man being with her at the other side of the door made his blood boil in jealousy. He took a deep breath and tried to let it go.
-She has a boyfriend, and you and Natasha have whatever it is that we have – he told himself. At times, he would feel guilty for loving Amelia while sleeping with Natasha, but then the later one would say Bruce's name while sleeping, and the guilt would go away.
That is how Rogers and Romanoff knew they weren't in-love (yet, as Sam pointed out once). Steve didn't feel jealous at all every time he would hear her saying his name.
-What if Amelia was busy? With him…- He thought, and the idea of Mia in bed with someone else made him nauseous. "I'm sorry, buddy. She's not yours to love anymore," he remembered Tony saying once. Rogers knew he was right, but it didn't prevent him from being jealous- The TV is on; if he is here, they are just watching tv.
-Right, because you turned off the TV before every single time you took her to your bed – That annoying voice in his head told him.
He knocked on the door and felt like his heart was having a couple of heart attacks per second while he waited.
The door opened, revealing a girl that would visit Steve on his best dream, those that would make him call her name in his sleep. She looked at him with her mouth slightly open in shock. They looked at each other for a few seconds, but Steve felt like it was an eternity.
-I guess you're not my pizza guy. Are you? -She asked with a warm smile. Steve's stomach filled with butterflies, and the tension he was feeling went away. Her smile was his weakness. Steve noticed that Amelia was terribly nervous; seeing him probably made old feelings come right out of where she hid them.
-Sorry, no- Steve smiled back at her, leaning against the doorframe. She couldn't help but admired his body for a second. Was he wearing that outfit on purpose? She totally loved when he had jeans and a nice shirt with the sleeve role up, and a few unbutton buttons at the top. Wait a minute, did she know that cologne?. It was her favorite.
-So, Captain America is still trying to impress me? – she thought to herself after noticing that on top of everything, he had a five o'clock shadow (which would turn her on instantly). She was grateful that the hair a makeup she did for work was still good enough, and she was sure the off-shoulder shirt and (very short) shorts didn't go unnoticed.
-So, is it that bad? - she asked him to try to cool her thoughts. She gestured for him to come in. That comment hurt Steve, but he knew she was right. He would only visit her if the things were so bad, he didn't know what to do.
-Maybe, I just came to visit a friend – Steve teased her.
-A friend that lives on the other side of the ocean and you haven't talk to in years – She teased him back, sticking her tongue at him. He just shook his head, smiling.
Being there with her made him feel at home. He looked around the apartment, and he recognized a few things. Several of the presents he gave her were still there. He saw a photo from her graduation on the coffee table; she was in the middle and Tony and Steve on each of her sides. He didn't feel out of place. He felt like he still belonged to Amelia's life.
-Why did I break up with her?" He questioned himself - I've been here two minutes, and I already want to marry her." A sad veil covered his eyes, thinking about the engagement ring back in his apartment.
They met in 2012, almost a year after he woke up from the ice. Tony and he remained friends after The Battle of New York (this doesn't mean that they weren't arguing all the time anyway); hence the first one invited him over for a "simple" get together at his place (200 people were invited) that day he met Amelia. The connection was instantaneous, but both held back to respect Tony.
Ironman had to tell Steve in a very blunt way that he could date his daughter "Are you planning to ask her out this century? Or I need to see her dating another jerk until you get the guts to do so" It took Steve three weeks to get the courage to ask (he really didn't want to jeopardize his friendship with Tony and Amelia), and when he finally did Amelia took a whole twenty-four-hour to answer (She waited to ask her father about it "Well, I'd rather have you be a num, BUT Rogers is a decently good guy…so go ahead. I want you home at 7 pm, and I don't care you don't live with me anymore" That was Tony's answer.
Amelia was 22 years old at that time, and she was in her last year of medical school at that time. Being a Stark, she graduated from high school and pre-med at a very young age. Two years later, they were living together in Washington, where she was doing her residency in Internal Medicine, and he was working for SHIELD. Rogers was planning to propose next year (2015), but when he took down Hydra/SHIELD, her contact information got liked on the internet, and a faction of Hydra tried to kidnap her to take revenge.
Luckily, she was with Tony and Rhodes (Steve made her go back home before going on that mission), so nothing happened to her. After this, he decided to break up with her. Rogers couldn't afford to have her hurt because of him.
She understood, but that didn't make it any less painful. Two years had passed, and now in 2016, he just showed up on her door again, feeling like a teenager.
-Are you ok? - Amelia asked, putting a hand on his forearm. This gave him chills but brought him back to reality.
-Yeah. I'm sorry- Steve said quickly- jet lag.
-Lier- Mia said, kissing his cheek and pulled his arm so they would sit on the couch. She had seen his this concerned just a few times before- What is going on, Steve?
Steve explained the whole situation. The accords, Bucky, the growing tension between him and Tony. She knew her father was extremely mad at Steve.
She listened quietly. She asked a few questions every now and then to fully understand the situation better.
-Steve- she said, putting her hand over his which was resting on his knee - you are a good man, but you too make mistakes. The accords are a way to reduce them. They are a break for your mind. You wouldn't need to decide what is the right next thing to do. Also, the Accords can be amended. Dad already has the lawyers working on them so Wanda can be in America safely.
Rogers nodded, but he stayed quiet for a few minutes. Slowly, he moved his hand from under Amelia's hand and grabbed hers.
-Shield was infiltrated by Hydra. Hydra had access to all my personal life. I almost lose you because of that- he whispered with his eyes fixed on the floor. Amelia knew this had something to do with his hesitance to sign the Accords. He wasn't the same man since he felt into the Potomac.
-Sweety, you didn't lose me. You know the only way I'll be out of your life is if you ask me to - She said as gently as she could. It still hurt that he broke up with her after being released from the hospital -I know it hurts you, but you have to let go, Steve.
-You know why I did it – Rogers whispered very softly. His heart shrank when she referred to them breaking up.
-I know, Steve- Amelia squeezed his hand – You know I do. You won't be young forever, neither dad nor Professor Banner or Mr. Barton or Agent Romanoff. At some point, someone will have to take over the Avengers. It'd be safer for everyone if that decision is taken carefully by all these countries.
-I'm not young - Steve said softly with half a smile, making Amelia laugh. He felt better every time she laughed.
-Please, tell me your skincare routine. I want to look like you at your age – She joked, taking a closer look at his face.
Steve laughed with her. - Am I falling in love even more with her? – he wondered.
They laughed after a few minutes; both needed to release the stress of the week.
-Steve- Stark finally said when she was able to stop laughing after a pause - Why are you really here?
-What do you mean? - he asked, getting nervous. Amelia's green eyes were piercing his.
-You know the Accords are the best option. You are a smart man, and your moral compass is usually very sharp. You're just scared about the SHIELD/Hydra situation repeating itself- Amelia told him in the best Stark bluntness she could- Why are you really here?
Steve sighed. She was very good at reading him. Rogers supposed that happens after you spend so much time with the same person.
-I'm here to see a friend – Captain repeated himself. Amelia rolled her eyes a little bit – I'm going to Bucharest tomorrow. – he added when he noticed her annoyance.
-Barnes is there – Stark didn't ask, she made a statement -Are you trying to bring him in?
How did she know he was there? It wasn't on the news.
-My dad…- She explained - He figured it out a few days ago, I don't know who he hacked – She added smiling before Steve could ask her- He's furious at you, so he didn't want to call you. However, he said he would understand if I "accidentally" tell you IF I happen to see you.
How in heaven Tony knew he would go see Mia? I mean, Steve knew The Starks were smart (From Howard to Amelia), but this was too much.
-He knows you, Steve, and he cares about you – Amelia said, guessing his thoughts – Steve, Bucharest is a little far from Rome – she added, smiling. He smiled too
-All right, fine – Steve said laughing – I wanted to eat good Italian food, and you happened to be on my way.
-I knew it! – She laughed with him.
-I don't know how to bring him, Mia – Steve said after a moment of silence – Even if I can make him snap out of it, they have orders to shoot on sight.
-What scares me the most, Steve- Amelia told him – it's the fact that no matter what happens, you are going to get…hurt.
-I know – Steve replied, grabbing her hand again.
-So, you are here to say goodbye, just in case? – Amelia said more to herself than to Steve
-I guess so – Rogers agreed
The room was in silence. Amelia had a million thoughts spinning around her mind. How many more times would he break her heart? How many more times will she see him almost die? When will she be able to stop loving him and hence don't care anymore about what he does?
She took some deep breath, trying to keep her tears at bay. With his free hand, Steve cupped her right cheek.
-I'm sorry – He said, full of regret. Steve was almost 100% sure what her thoughts were. She shook her head
-Promise me, Steve – She whispered – Please, promise me you'll be careful.
Rogers opened his mouth several times, trying to find the right words, but he couldn't. He just nodded.
Before he could answer, the door knocked, announcing that dinner was here. Both jumped on their chairs and then laughed.
-You're staying for dinner - She said – I got apple pie for dessert.
-Did you bake it? - Steve asked, blushing a little. Her apple pie was almost like his mother.
-Yep- she said.