The electric fan is still softly swooshing in the room, making the mosquito net flutter. Katherine cracks her eyelids open, her bare body wrapped in the ruffled sheet. She turns around with a small grin only to find the spot beside her empty, with nothing but the imprint on the mattress as evidence of his presence all night.
The warm smell of waffle emanating from the lower floor filled up her nostrils. A moment later, Steve appeared through the door, holding a bed tray close to his bare waist. She tilted her head and peeked under it, catching sight of his white boxers. She hell back on her pillow and chuckled.
He carried the tray over to her side and placed it just above her lap. She sat up straight and closely looked at the delights it bore.
"Steve, it looks amazing," she says, mentally drooling over the golden waffles. "You cooked me dinner last night, and now this. You're gonna make a spoiled brat out of me."
"I doubt it," he smiles, watching her fondly as she shoved a piece of waffle she just cut into her mouth. She pours extra syrup.
"Well, be careful. I might get used to it very quickly."
That is a pleasant thought — he pictures himself pampering her for the years to come.
"Anytime."
She grabs a new piece and holds the fork up to his mouth. He takes and smiles, chewing.
"As tempting as it sounds, that will have to wait. There's work to be done."
He groans. "I was hoping we could pretend there is none. Take the day off."
She arches an eyebrow. "What would that day off involve?"
He shrugs. "Plenty of things."
He leans in pecks her lips which taste of syrup. He locks lips with her again a little longer.
"We could have a lie-in for one," he whispers hoarsely, kissing her jawline — her head tilts backward. "Then we could go and have a picnic."
"Sounds nice. But what if some guests turn up?" she manages to object between two soft moans. Her arm locks around his neck.
"I'd rather let all my plans for today rely on the hypothesis that nobody will."
"That's bold," she comments, then lets out a giggle when he intentionally tickles her neck by blowing softly on her skin. He captures the lobe of her ear next and sucks in it.
Her eyes shut and she bites her bottom lip. After a few seconds, she pulls away to make eye contact with it.
"I promised Eliza I would do everything right," she says a bit more gravely. He drops the cocky smirk. She runs her thumb along his lips, parts them slightly. "In her absence, I'm the boss and should act responsibly. We do what needs to be done and then we call it a day earlier than usual." She pauses. "I'll make sure to add 'please the boss' on your list of jobs. How does that sound?"
He cracks a smile. "I am a good employee. That is one job I aim to attend to with close attention."
Her eyes light up in excitement. "And I'll show my gratitude."
She folds her arm over her chest to hold the sheet and steps out of the bed. He stands up and she looks at him with a cocked eyebrow.
"It doesn't mean I don't have time for an extended shower, though." She purrs, pressing herself against him. She then takes his hand and pulling him in, ushers him into the bathroom.
The following night, they are lying face to face beneath the mosquito net, in the dim light of her bedside lamp. His fingers brush through her red hair and she gazes at him with a content grin on her face.
"Can I ask you something?" he whispers eventually, breaking the blissful silence.
She nods. He gathers his words carefully.
"What happened with Jake?" he asks.
Weeks after she had told him the news, the question is still in his mind. Jake was the barrier, the wall standing between him and Kat, standing between him and the happiness he is experiencing tonight. Curiosity kills the cat but he needs to understand, to know what was the flaw in their seemingly happy relationship.
"He asked me to marry him," she answers. Then she grunts and shifts, staring up at the ceiling bemused eyes. "I had this great guy, loving and patient, ready to commit. And I realized I couldn't give back any of it."
He watches her pensive expression with understanding.
"You said he made you happy."
Katherine gulps down. "He did, for a while. Before things started to shift when you…," she trails off. "You came with answers and you stirred emotions I was not familiar with until then."
"What emotions?"
"It's a mix of opposites. It feels unpredictable yet It feels familiar. It's challenging yet it's safe. It's thrilling and it's right. Although I have no memories, I can feel the imprint of them in every interaction of them. Like we were always meant to get along. It was unsettling at first, but when I finally saw through them, it was obvious I was a changed person. I'm no longer Katherine Doe."
His heart races. "Who are you now?"
She turns her head to look at him again. "That's what I'm trying to figure out…with you," she smiles, but her eyes betray an exhilarating fear of the unknown and the unpredictable. It's as thrilling as it is scary. "All I know is that I'm not Doe anymore. I'm Katherine…I'm Kat."
The corner of his mouth curls up as his eyes gleam with the water that her words have summoned. He always thought they had a special connection, one that transcends time and space. And after finding her in Louisiana, one that would overcome outer space magic. To hear from her that she feels it too fills him with joy and with walloping hope. He begins to believe again that Natasha is there somewhere, and that soon, she will find her way back to the surface.
The hand cupping her face travels to the nape of her neck then gently caresses her bust, following the trail down to her navel, around which his fingertips whirl playfully. Then they are forced to halt by the border made by the edge of the cotton sheet. He slowly pulls it down, unveils her hipbones when, unlike the night before they had spent in the dark, the lamp nearby brings to his attention a detail that had gone unnoticed. He frowns slightly and his thumb brushes over the smooth spot on her stomach. The scar Natasha once showed him, the one that The Winter Soldier had inflicted upon her, was gone. There was nothing to be found as a possible trace that it had once existed.
"You seem confused," Katherine remarks with an innocent smile.
Although he cannot find any rational explanation for that mysterious disappearance, he deems it best not to concern her with a gory and now irrelevant detail from the past.
"Nothing that matters," he answers.
He then slips under her sheet and begins to leave a trail of heated kisses all over her body starting with the immaculate piece of skin right above her hipbone.
The next morning their date plans are interrupted by the impromptu visit of Mr. Donovan. When he calls downstairs, Katherine jumps out of bed, put on the cotton dress lying on the armchair and rushes to the entrance door.
"Oh dear, you look totally disheveled," the old man exclaims, clueless.
"I had a late-night," she explains, patting her hair to make it flat. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, I brought fresh cheese and some tea for Eliza. Where is she?"
"Eliza has gone visiting a friend. She's coming back tomorrow," she says and heads over to the kitchen. "Would you some coffee?"
She switches on the machine. George shakes his head.
"I just came to say hi to Eliza. I'm sure you have better things to do than serve me coffee."
Steve comes down the stairs — he had time to dress and wash his face.
"You know I always have time for you," Katherine answers.
Mr. Donovan turns and greets.
"Ah, Steve!"
"Nice to see you, sir." He shakes his hand.
"You two haven't been too busy, have you?"
Katherine and Steve eye each other.
"Hardly," she exclaims, pouring some coffee into a mug.
"I'm gonna take Riley for a walk," Steve says and she nods approvingly.
George takes a sip and leans on the counter.
"I was sorry to find out you and Jake were broken up," he eventually says.
Katherine frowns. "How do you know?" she asks.
"Well, you two haven't been seen together for a while. And then Jake told me." She hides behind her mug, sipping tastelessly. "It's none of my business of course but the kid really cared about you. But I know you had your reasons."
"I'm sure he'll find a great girl," she comments.
"None as beautiful as you for sure," George answers with a snort.
"Home sweet home!" Eliza exclaims as she steps through the door the next day. Both Steve and Katherine went to pick her up at the coach station.
"It's good to you have you back, Eliza. I'm gonna take your bag to your room." Steve says and heads upstairs.
"Aww, you can always count on him to serve the courteous lie," she says after he's gone.
Katherine rolls her eyes and takes her to the couch. "We did miss you."
"I wonder when you two possibly found the time to foster such a thought. Unless he was an underperforming lover..."
"Liz!"
"That great, huh? Lucky girl," Eliza smiles cheekily, then innocently raises her hands. "Don't worry, I will not ask you for details. That would be inappropriate."
"You've been inappropriate for 40 minutes," Katherine remarks coolly as she returns with a glass of cool lemonade.
Eliza furrows her brows. "I don't see what you're talking about!"
"All those innuendos on the ride back home. You're no so subtle, you know?"
"It's entertaining! I'm a mean old woman who gets satisfaction from teasing people who are still in their youth — sue me."
"As if that would stop you. Besides, I never confirmed we got it on."
"Oh, but you just did," Eliza winks triumphantly.
A couple of days has gone by since Eliza's return. Steve is sitting on the stairs of the porch, holding his phone in a tight and nervous grip. He takes a breath in and presses the dial button.
The dial tone seems to linger on forever, and eventually, somebody picks up.
"Hello," he hears the familiar answer dispassionately.
"Hi, Bruce." He clears his throat awkwardly.
He knows for a fact that Clint has shared the news with the rest of the team. Banner is the only one who abstained to give him a call.
Silence falls on the other end of the line.
"Bruce, I didn't mean to hurt you."
"How could you not tell us? Tell me?" His voice is not angry, not resentful. Only sorrowful. "After everything that happened."
Steve's jaw clench.
"I'm sorry, Bruce. I really am. You too deserved to know the truth."
Bruce sniffles lightly. Steve can hear his nod from across the line.
"I need to know. Can she get her memories back?"
Turning to the genius brain of the team seems to be one of his last resorts.
"I don't know," Banner answers dolefully. "The Stones are the most powerful things in this Universe. I don't think there is a technology, earthly or else, that is strong enough to reverse their magic."
The heavy lump that has just come to his throat is heavy and painful. Hearing aloud what he dreaded in his mind is more unbearable than he had imagined.
"Keep looking, will you? Ask Shuri and Strange," he manages to murmur through his breaking voice.
"Of course," Banner answers benevolently. They tacitly share the same sorrow.
The line goes dead and it takes him a few seconds to lower the phone. He stares at the landscape ahead, his jaw clenched.
He'd hoped that their connection would be strong enough for her memories to emerge but now he fears their earthly bond cannot compete with this otherworldly magic.
He finds it difficult — impossible — to come to terms with it. He is far from acceptance yet and he cannot resign himself to give up on Natasha, all that she was and all that he shared with her. And deep down, although he will never admit it, he is afraid Katherine will not be enough to fill up the space left by the loss of Natasha. Natasha's shoes are too big to fill, even for herself.
Of course, he will cherish every moment with her, and he knows he could even be happy at times. But he will never cease to miss his teammate, his partner with shared-life experience, his best friend and rock from the 21st Century.
The door creaks open behind him and light footsteps come near. Two arms wrap around him as she buries her face in his neck and nuzzles it. He presses one hand on hers.
"What are you doing out here on your own?" Katherine asks.
"Had to make a call," he lies evasively.
The last thing he wants is to burden Kat with something she has no power over.
"Dinner is ready," she whispers and plants a kiss on his cheek.
"I'll be right there."
She stands up and heads back inside the house, completely oblivious and unwary, peaceful.
And he finds himself envious.