Hello all! Thank you so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows! They make me smile each time I see them :D So just a quick note, I don't have any idea how the military works so I'm writing on what little information I know. If I do something really wrong, please let me know and I'll fix it :) Thank you again for reading and I hope you enjoy! :)
Steve opened his eyes blearily and sighed. Another nightmare-free night. That was nice. But why was he up? It was still dark outside. Something buzzed on the nightstand beside him and Steve jumped. His phone was lit up and buzzing angrily on the nightstand. Steve reached and fumbled to press the accept call button.
"Hello?" Steve asked, groggily.
"Captain?" a gruff voice answered.
"Director Fury? Is there a problem?" Steve tried to wake himself up but it was 2am for Pete's sake!
"Yes there is. Where are you?"
"Wyoming."
"You're still on your trip? You were scheduled to be back by today." Steve sighed and sat up in bed.
"My motorcycle broke down and I'm waiting for a part so I can fix it," Steve explained. Something was gnawing at his chest, a thought or a feeling. Steve didn't recognize it.
"And you didn't think to call me and have someone pick you up?" Fury questioned angrily.
"I can handle a broken bike, sir."
"I need you to handle Washington Captain, not your bike. I need you at Washington D.C."
"The part should be here any day now," Steve replied, the feeling growing stronger. What was it?
"It will be, I'll make sure of it."
"Sir, there's really no need-"
"I need you back here Captain, as soon as possible." Steve let that statement hang for a moment. Captain. That's right, he was still a soldier. He needed to go back.
"Yes sir," Steve said mechanically. The phone clicked and Steve took the phone away from his ear. The screen stayed bright for a few more seconds then went black. The feeling was growing and crawling inside of him. What was it? I don't want to go.
Steve sighed at the realization and slumped in bed. I don't want to leave yet, Steve thought. It had been the first time, in a long long time that he had felt accepted. He had felt loved for who he was, not what he was. It was weird to think of this small family as people who loved him. It had only been-what? A week plus a few days? Steve placed his arm over his eyes. He was a soldier. He had to go back. I need you back here Captain, Fury's words echoed in his mind. He was needed. And that was a good thing right? Wasn't he needed here? Not really, he thought, I already fixed everything I could. I'm sure Betty and Nathan could find me something else to do but I'm not needed here. I'm needed elsewhere. Steve let that fact sink in and he accepted it. He was a soldier and he would do his duty for his country.
A couple hours later, Steve finally got out of bed. He hadn't been able to fall back asleep so he'd just lain there, watching memories like movies. They came in short clips, sometimes in long clips. Steve washed and dressed, rubbing the tired from his eyes. He closed his bedroom door quietly and walked to the kitchen.
"Good morning," Charlie sang, "So I was thinking that today-" she cut off when she saw Steve's face.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Charlie asked, her eyebrows coming together in concern. Steve blinked, surprised she saw a diference in his face. He thought he could hide it.
"My superior called and he said they need me in Washington D.C," Steve sighed. Charlie's mouth made an "o" and she went back to the eggs on the stove. They didn't say anything for a moment and Steve walked over to start the coffee.
"Do you know how to cook Steve?" Charlie asked, turning to him. Steve blinked again, caught off guard. Charlie looked at him with curious eyes and a hand on her hip.
"I know how to cook a little but not a lot," Steve admitted sheepishly. Charlie nodded her head.
"I thought so. Before you leave, I'm giving you a crash course on how to make eggs and bacon," Charlie announced. Steve turned the coffee pot on and leaned against the counter.
"Okay," he said hesitantly. Steve was still trying to catch up with Charlie's reaction. It wasn't that he expected her to cry or anything like that but her switch from surprise to cooking was confusing. Charlie saw his confusion and chuckled.
"Each time my brother's go back on duty, I teach them how to make something new. First I teach them how to make eggs and bacon because it's pretty simple and you can live off it if you have to. Each time they leave, I teach them something different but useful," Charlie explained. She turned off the stove and placed the eggs she'd finished onto a plate. She grabbed another pan and some bacon, setting the pan on the stove and the bacon on the counter.
"You wanna turn on the radio and then we can get started," Charlie smiled. Steve couldn't help but smile back. He flicked the radio on and it started playing an old song. Steve and Charlie looked at each other, almost in challenge.
"Danny Boy by Bing Crosby," they said in unison. Steve smiled and Charlie laughed.
"Well done. You just keep surprising me," Steve chuckled.
"That's what I do best," Charlie smiled. Steve shook his head in amusement.
"Alright, so first we start with the eggs," Charlie said, handing him three eggs. She then proceeded to instruct Steve on how to make scrambled eggs while making bacon at the same time. Steve did pretty well to begin with, mixing eggs, cheese, and milk wasn't too hard. The hard part came when he was watching the eggs and the bacon at the same time. At one point, Steve was trying to flip the bacon over and half of it landed on the stove.
"Um-hold on-I-what do I do?" Steve floundered. Charlie just started to laugh.
"Charlie seriously! What do I do? It's burning!" Steve cried. He desperately tried to get the bacon back into the pan but the spatula didn't want to work with him. Charlie's laughter echoed in the kitchen and Steve couldn't help but smile. Smile at Charlie's laugh and his own scrambling.
"Charlie!" Steve laughed and pleaded.
"Alright, alright," she giggled, expertly reaching in, grabbing the piece of bacon, and flinging it on the pan.
"Don't get your panties in a twist old man," Charlie teased, her eyes shining. Steve chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't offended when she called him an old man. That surprised him. Charlie surprises me once again, Steve thought, shaking his head.
"You may have saved the bacon but your eggs might be next," Charlie smiled. Steve jumped and went back to his cooking. By the end of her cooking lesson, Steve had made scrambled eggs and slightly burnt bacon.
"The burned part adds a neat flavor," Charlie said as she took another piece of bacon.
"That's what I was going for," Steve chuckled. Charlie smiled. Steve and Charlie sat, eating the breakfast each of them had made, forgetting for the moment that Steve would be gone in a few days.