Washington, D.C.

February, 2014

21 Months After New York

Steve and Freya sit on their couch as they face each other. And Freya is a nervous wreck.

"Steve, I'm scared," she admits.

"Doll, it's gonna be fine," he smiles at her. "You trust me, don't you?"

Her heart flutters at the use of his nickname for her. He had started using it about two months ago. It was random when he had said it and it had surprised the hell out of her. But she played it off and tried not to show it caused her to get flustered. For Steve, the nickname had accidentally slipped. He internally panicked as soon as he had said it. Thinking it would somehow upset her. But she had just smiled and blushed before continuing the conversation. He now calls her "Doll" frequently. Enjoying how it feels when it rolls off his tongue.

"Of course I do," she nods. "What if it hurts, though?"

"Hurts me or hurts you?" he asks. She looks at him like the answer to his question is obvious.

"You," she deadpans.

"You won't hurt me," he chuckles and shakes his head while grabbing her hands. "And you've done this before and everything turned out fine that time."

"Steve, I was sleeping and did it on accident," she scoffs. "Plus, I threw you into a wall!"

He laughs and places her hands on the sides of his head.

"Just breathe and concentrate, okay? I believe in you and trust you completely. Just relax and reach out with your mind. See if you can find a happy memory."

She gives him a weary look and hesitantly nods. The month before, they had discovered a different part of her telepathy. Instead of just simply reading minds, her power has evolved to the point where she can now delve into people's minds completely. It had been in the middle of the night. And due to the fact that he always has trouble sleeping, Steve was awake. He had been looking out the living room window when he started to feel a warm buzz take hold of his mind. It was almost like he was drunk, but at the same, time completely sober. It was oddly comforting and for some reason, it felt so familiar.

~Flashback~

Confused, Steve looks away from the window and around the living room, seeing he's still completely alone. The apartment is silent until he hears a small yelp from down the hall. Panicking, Steve sprints to Freya's room and throws the door open. He sees her tossing and turning in her bed. Rushing to her side, he climbs onto the bed next to her. She momentarily calms down and lays still, but she's muttering something he can't understand. He starts to reach out to her to wake her up until she mutters the name "Dum Dum Dugan". Steve's eyes go wide and he freezes as she continues, now speaking in French.

He catches bits and pieces of it. French is one of the languages she's been teaching him, but he's still not quite fluent just yet. She's saying something about wanting to fight. Then, she switches back to English and mutters something about opening a tab? His head tilts slightly as he continues to watch her curiously. Her face scrunches up in her sleep as she speaks clearly this time.

"Into the jaws of death..." she mumbles.

A memory suddenly begins to form in Steve's head and his breath catches. He refocuses on her when she starts to toss around in her bed again. He reaches out and gently shakes her while he calls out her name. Hoping to wake her up without scaring her. Unfortunately for him, that doesn't happen. She gasps and her eyes shoot open, revealing her silver irises. Raising a hand, she picks him up with her powers and throws him into the wall. He hits it with a grunt as he calls out to her.

"Freya, it's okay! Frey, it's me, Steve!"

When she hears him speak, her eyes instantly go back to normal and her hand falls. Releasing him from the wall. He lands on his feet and is back at her side in an instant. He realizes the warm buzz in his head is gone. Putting the pieces together, he now knows she wasn't dreaming.

"Oh, my God... Steve, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" Freya stares up at him, eyes wide and hands shaking.

"Hey, shh. It's okay," he cups her face with his hands and gently strokes it as he shushes her. "I'm fine."

"I-I-I must've been dreaming," she stutters out. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I panicked."

"I don't think you were dreaming, Doll," he tells her with a gentle smile.

"What do you mean I wasn't dreaming? What was it then?" she asks while her face scrunches up in confusion.

"I wasn't sure at first," he sighs. "Until you said the same thing I said to my best friend back in the 40's."

"Wait, wait, wait... are you saying I accessed your memories???"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Steve nods. He watches her as she silently stares at the wall. "What did you see, Frey?"

"I, uh," she hesitates as she looks up at him, clearly shaken up. "I was in a bar. Sitting at a table with these men, talking about fighting. One guy asked me to open a tab. His name was-"

"Dum Dum Dugan," Steve finishes. Her eyes widen and she nods. "What else happened?" he asks.

"Um, then, I was sitting next to this other guy. He was younger than the others. Handsome. Looked like he'd been through hell. I asked if he wanted to follow me 'into the jaws of death'," she tells him.

"That was my best friend, Bucky..." Steve's voice trails off. He smiles sadly as he recalls the memory.

"The only Howling Commando to lose his life..." Freya finishes as she watches him. He nods again in confirmation. "Steve, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring up any old memories."

"Doll, hey. No, no, no, don't be sorry," his eyebrows furrow at her apology. "It's a good memory." He smiles at her and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Thank you for reminding me of it."

~End Flashback~

Since that night, Steve has been trying to get Freya to try again. To practice so she can get this part of her newest power under control. Taking a deep breath, Freya closes her eyes and extends her mind out toward Steve's. He feels that same familiar warm buzz as before and watches her intently. He's trying to stay as still and as silent as possible. Freya's face scrunches up briefly before relaxing and breaking into a small smile. He continues to watch her, his gaze full of adoration. Marveling at how beautiful she looks when she smiles. Suddenly, her eyes open and the warm buzz fades. She sighs, the smile still on her face. He fights a frown when her hands fall away from his face and return to her lap.

"So..." Steve ask as waits for her to say something.

"It was the first time we met," she tells him. "At the café."

Steve instantly smiles at the memory. Recalling how he had offered her a seat at his table. Remembering how quickly he realized she's just as beautiful on the inside as she is physically. They had briefly talked over coffee before she had to leave. Only to see each other again the next morning on the helicarrier.

"That would definitely be a happy a one. See? I told you it would be okay," he beams. He pulls her in for a brief hug as she sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. You were right, Spangles," she admits with a chuckle. She pulls out of the hug and glances over at the clock on the wall. When she sees the time she stands and stretches. "It's starting to get late. I'll be right back. I'm gonna go change into my jammies and then we can turn on that one movie we've been itching to watch. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect," Steve nods while getting to his feet as well. "I guess I'll go change too."

Three hours later, the movie had eventually ended. Freya had fallen asleep not long after. She's now stretched out on the couch with her head on his lap. Steve is absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair while he reads a book. Completely content with the current situation. All of the sudden, he feels that familiar warm buzz. His gaze snaps down to Freya and he sees her face scrunch up. He watches her intently, wondering what memory she's seeing. She suddenly gasps and clenches her hands into fists. Her head is beginning to shake back and forth.

"No, no, no, no, no..." she mutters. Steve tosses his book onto the coffee table. Both of his hands begin to stroke her hair as he attempts to wake her up.

"Freya... Doll, I need you to wake up for me. Cmon, Frey. You need to wake up."

Tears are starting to stream down her face at this point. Her voice is getting louder as she begins to violently shake her head and kick her legs.

"No! No, no, no! Please, no!" she yells. Steve is in a state of panic. Afraid he won't be able to wake her up. He's shaking her now, not caring what happens to him when she wakes up. "No! Grab my hand! NO! BUCKY!" she screams and shoots up into a half sitting position. Finally jolting awake.

The apartment shakes from her outburst before stilling once more. She's now sobbing as she fully sits up. Her whole body is trembling. Steve had froze as soon as she had screamed out Bucky's name. Knowing exactly which memory she had seen. Slowly looking over at Steve, she sees his wide eyes with tears that are threatening to spill. He's completely still as he stares at her in shock.

"Steve, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't m-"

Before Freya can finish, he pulls her to him. Wrapping her up in a hug as he comforts her.

"Shh, it's okay, Doll," he shushes her. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault."

Freya snuggles into him as her body continues to tremble. Steve rocks her back and forth and presses a gentle kiss to her head. After a while, her body stills and her cries stop. She slowly pulls away and looks up at Steve. Her eyes are red and puffy from all of the crying. She feels horrible knowing she just made him relive his best friend's death.

"I'm so sorry, Steve."

Steve knows she not apologizing for seeing the memory. She's giving him her condolences. Knowing Bucky's death was hard for him and still is. He nods at her as a sad smile forms on his lips. Sitting back into the couch, he pulls Freya with him. He lets her snuggle up to him and get comfortable before putting his arm around her to pull her closer. They just sit there in silence. Letting each other's company be all the comfort they need.