Chapter two: Oh, Grandpa . . .
Emma spent most of her times with her grandfather, a name she hadn't had the courage to call him to his face but instead, stuck with Steve. He was just as kind as Peggy had told her and was most definitely a man out of his time. He opened doors for her, pulled out chairs, and once he even helped her step over the puddle. Despite the fact she was 20 years old, he took her to parks and amusement park rides. A week had passed since she arrived on his doorstep and it was the best time of her life but eventually she had to go back to work.
They were walking around Coney Island, Steve telling her about the time he spent here with Bucky as they cowed down on amusement park food. They were both smiling and laughing as Steve talked about his past.
"So, I've been talking non-stop about myself. Tell me about you. What do you do? Any boyfriends ol' Gramps here has to threaten?" Steve asked as he ate his cotton candy and Emma couldn't help but laugh at him.
"No, no. I don't have boyfriends. I don't have time for all that, not that I don't want it eventually. Most days, guys like you are hard to come by and the way Gran talked about you, it's something I've wanted. A guy who's sweet and doesn't have any ulterior motives. All guys seem to want these days is sex but all I want is a gentlemen and someone that make me laugh until my sides hurt," Emma said. "I don't think I'm asking for much."
"No, no, you're not," Steve said chuckling at her. "You sure had a lot to say, what happened to that shy little girl who showed up on my doorstep?"
"Hey! I'm not that little!" Emma exclaimed, sending a mock glare his way. "Once you get me talking, you can't get me to shut up!"
Steve laughed and threw up his hands in defense. Once done with the cotton candy, he threw it away in the passing trash can. He tossed his arm around her and began ruffling her hair. She began laughing as she struggled to get away but it was kind of tough considering he was a super soldier.
"Cheater! Cheater! That's not fair!"
"If you worked out more, you might have a bigger chance at fighting back a little bit more," Steve teased her.
"Hey, I work out just fine!" Emma exclaimed and he released her.
"Well, come on, show me your moves," he said laughing as he put his hands up.
"I don't have the same magical juice running through your veins. It would be like a mouse fighting with a lion," Emma said, mustering as much maturity as she could, and stuck her tongue at him.
"Very mature," Steve laughed.
A yawn slipped out of Emma and she tried to hide the yawn by coughing but Steve wasn't fooled.
"Getting tired of me already?"
"No, no, no. Never. It's just, I have to get up early for work," Emma said and paused for a moment.
"Oh, no, that's alright. I'll take you home, then," Steve said smiling gently.
It was silent for most of the cab ride to Emma's apartment and it was silent as they walked to her door.
"Do you want to come in for tea, Steve?" Emma asked her.
"Steve?" he asked.
"What? Do you really want me to call you Gramps?" she asked with a snort.
"Yeah, it would be nice. I mean, probably not outside of our apartments but for some reason, it has a nice ring to it," Steve replied.
"Well, come on, Gramps," she said as she unlocked her apartment door.
Her apartment was even smaller than Steve's but it was homey. Unlike his, her walls were cluttered with photos, diplomas, and awards. She disappeared into the kitchen and he found himself looking at the pictures surrounding the wall. They were mostly of her and Peggy but there were some of her parents. His heart ached as the picture of his son on the wall. He had the best of both of him and Peggy, he noticed.
The picture he was looking at was on their wedding day. They had their arms around each other as they looked into their eyes, lovingly. From the side, it was almost as if he were looking at himself with his blond hair and his jaw line. His heart panged with regret as he looked at the picture. He should have been there; torn between laughing and crying as he watched his son getting married holding Peggy's hand as she struggled not to cry. He was interrupted as he heard his granddaughter enter the room. He hurried to help her carry the tray in and set it on the coffee table.
"So, I have to ask," Steve began as they settled down on her couch. "Did Peggy ever get remarried?"
"Do you really want to know the answer to that?" Emma asked as she fixed him a cup of tea.
"Two sugars," he said. "Yes, I do. I just want to know if she was happy."
"Oh, she was incredibly happy. I mean, she missed you of course. Very terribly but once she had my father, she perked up and then she met Daniel. She married him when my father was two," Emma replied, handing him his cup.
"She didn't have any more kids?" he asked as he sipped his tea.
"She tried but it turns out that Daniel couldn't have kids so they eventually stopped trying and focused on their careers," she replied.
"I should have been there," Steve said sadly. "I've missed so much."
"You saved so much and Gran is so proud of you. She loves you so much for what you did," Emma said softly. "You're in my life now and I promise you won't miss any more."
"Thank you," Steve said and he hugged her tightly.
Smiling, Emma hugged her grandfather tightly but they soon broke the hug and she figured it was a good a time as any to tell Steve where she worked.
"By the way, I work for SHIELD," she replied and he groaned but then he burst into laughter.