Author's Note: I do not own anything from Marvel. Only the OC Characters.
Also, slight changes have been made in Chapter 1. A brief background on Anthea and Erica's friendship. Also, some grammatical changes have been made to each chapter.
Chapter 4
Anthea felt as if blood had turned to ice. She stared at the man in front of her. She could make out the resemblance between the man in front of her, and the man from the invasion. They both had these bright blue eyes, with the slightest tinge of green. The man towered over her by at least a foot, putting him around 6'2". The man had wide shoulders, and looked as if he was made of muscles. The man in front of her was Captain America, and she felt herself begin to panic and tried to move away. "I'm sorry sir, I'm not sure how you know me but I would appreciate if you let me go. I need to go. Please, let me go." She pleaded as she attempted to break free from his grip.
The man immediate let her go, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Anthea, we need to talk though, please don't walk away. I spent weeks trying to find you, I search every hospital around looking for you. It wasn't until I saw an interview with the little boy that you were with that I was able to even learn your name. A name I've been waiting for too many years to learn. I've dreamt many time of hearing your name pass your lips." The man was standing in front of her, watching her with an intense look. He looked as if he was holding himself back from placing his hands on her. "When I saw you, during the invasion, I've never felt so much relief and joy. Only to be immediately turn to terror thinking of the danger you were in, and how close I came to losing you before I even got a chance to meet you, to introduce myself." The man looked in pain as his finished his last sentence. "Please, all I'm asking is for a moment of your time. I just want to talk to you, I've been planning this meeting for the past two weeks and it's feels as if everything I've planned is spinning out of my control. I've finally found you, like I promised."
Anthea felt as if her throat was constricting. She couldn't form and words, and felt herself struggling to breath properly. Despite this, she felt herself reaching out to his right arm. She needed to know, she had to know if he really was her match. Needed to see it with her own two eyes. He immediately understood what she wanted, and he rolled up his sleeve. Anthea stared in shock at the identical tattoo that this man shared with her. She felt herself tracing over the constellations, the Taurus that stood her birthdate.
The captain watched her intently as she gazed at his mark. She felt him tense slightly as she traced her mark. "It was the your constellation that helped me find you. When I was unable to find you at the hospital, I tried having Tony search for you. Everyone in the city with a Taurus for a zodiac sign and fit your description. I was determined to find you even if I had to go through each name. Luckily the interview help narrow it down. I always wondered about the flowers. Your name though, it means flower." He smiled at her as he finished.
She took in everything he said, but stopped when she realized something. "How did you know the Taurus was my zodiac? Wait how long have you known about me?"
"I've known for about two weeks now, I've tried to approach you multiple times. It's just never felt right, never a good enough time. Finally today I just couldn't take it anymore, I had to speak with you."
"I've felt as if I've been being watched for the past two weeks, have you been spying on me?" Her voice began to sharpen, as the uncomfortable feeling she's had recently began to make sense.
"Spying isn't the word I would use." He tried to reason, while rubbing the back of his neck. "Look you have to understand, the last time I saw you, you were about to be shot. We were in the middle of an alien invasion. You were hurt as well. At first I needed to make sure you were alright, that you had been treated. I tried to approach you the first night, but I couldn't. Days passed and every opportunity never seemed right." He continued, trying to talking her down from the anger he could see in her eyes. "As for the zodiac, I already know the last member of our triad. He was my best friend, our soulbond was platonic." His eyes had fallen downcast, "He um, unfortunately, didn't make it through the war. He always wanted to meet you, use to say that it's what helped him through the war. Knowing that one day he would get to meet you."
Anthea immediately took a step back and dropped his arm as if it had burned her. Although she was never truly open to the idea of the universe deciding her perfect match, it still was a shock to know that one said match was dead. That she never would meet the other with the same mark bared on their arm. Anthea looked at him then, "I'm sorry to hear that, I'm sorry your loss. I may never be able to understand how hard that must have been for you, but I've seen first-hand what the loss of a match can do to someone." She did reach out for him them. Placed a hand on his arm.
Anthea was aware how devastating it could be to lose a match. While her parents relationship could never be classified as healthy, it devastated her father when her mother died. Her father became a shell of the man he used to be, and relied on alcohol to fill the hole her mother left. Anthea lost both of her parents the day her mother died.
Anthea felt as the Captain placed his hand under her chin. "Hey now, I'm sorry I brought this up so suddenly. I shouldn't have brought it up so soon. It was stupid of me. I am sorry though, that Bucky never had a chance to meet you, and that you never had a chance to meet him. He was an amazing man, and he would have loved you. I know he already loved the thought of you, of having a dame who was his perfect match." He smiled at her as he finished.
The last comment brought Anthea back to the reality of the situation. She had gone so long trying to avoid the possibility of ever meeting her match. She dedicated herself to her studies and friends, and enjoyed her life to the fullest. She watched her mother's life be dictated by her father growing up. They were great for each other at first, they were perfect for one another. But things changed, after the death of her baby brother, her father changed. He became a man who abused the ones he used to love. He began dictating her mother's life. He made her quit her job, prevented her from being with her friends, and turned her life into a mockery of what it once was. Anthea saw the appeal of finding your matched, but she saw firsthand how it could go wrong. She was terrified of losing who she was, becoming a shell of who she once was. She was afraid to give someone the power that her father had over her mother. She was afraid to place her trust into someone who could just throw it away. She was afraid to be hurt.
"Darling, are you still with me? Where did you go?" He smiled when she focused back on him.
"You said you wanted to talk, I agree. We need to talk. I don't want this to be more than a platonic soulbond." She said as she stepped away from him.
"Wait, darling, what are you saying? I've waiting so long to meet you, and you don't want to even give this a shot."
"Stop! Please, stop calling me 'darling' Captain. You don't know me, and I don't know you." Anthea began backing away farther away.
"Steve, my name is Steve Rogers. Anthea, I want to know you. I want to know everything there is to know about you, and I want you to know me. All I want is a chance, a chance to know you." He pleaded at the end, reaching one arm out for her.
"I'm sorry Steve, I can't be the person you want me to be. You deserve more than what I can give you. I can't give you what you want. The most I can give you is a platonic soulbond." Anthea looked up into Steve's eyes. For weeks she has felt so exhausted, both mentally and physically. Meeting her matched, and the emotional rollercoaster it brought on were becoming too much. She could see that Steve wanted to fight her on this.
Steve finally sighed, "I'll respect you wishes, if all you can offer me is a platonic soulbond, then I will take it and I will be the best friend you could ever ask for. I will take whatever you are willing to give me, I've waited too long to have you in my life. I will be whatever you want me to be, just let me stay part of your life, that's all I ask."
Anthea stared at Steve in shock. She didn't expect such a response from him. She expected anger, for him to yell and/or argue. However, that's not what he did. He respected her choice, and agreed to be her friend. Despite knowing that they were meant for more. "I... Yes, Steve, I would like that very much. I'd like for you to be a part of my life, but all I want is a friend."
"Then a friend is what I shall be." Steve smiled, but there was still a sad look in his eyes. "Now, as your friend I believe it is my duty to walk you home. And before you say no, just know that my mother taught me how to respect a lady. So it's physically impossible for me to allow you to walk home alone." He smirked at her as he approached. "So, lead the way?"
Anthea laughed, "Fine Steve, heaven forbid you go against your mothers lessons. No matter how old fashion they are. Better be careful, your age is showing."
