Morning,
Steve and I both fell asleep on the couch after dinner, I woke up before he left for work. I kissed him goodbye and took a shower. After changing into some clean clothes I called Fury.
"Agent Stark, I suspect you're still recovering from your little show last night." Fury said as his face appeared on the screen of my TV.
"I'm done recovering, last night an officer was killed while he was helping me and Spiderman take down Dr. Connors. He saved my life, and for that I want his name to be remembered as a hero."
"What do you want Stark?"
"I want SHIELD to honor the man who died in order to save the entire city. Give his name some honor."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you sir,"
Three weeks later,
Fury took a few calls and was able to get Captain Stacy's name to be placed on the Wall of the Fallen, alongside others including Bucky Barnes. Fury held a ceremony and invited Gwen and her family. Then when they finished planning his funeral service I grabbed the bill and payed for everything. And the funeral was finally here.
Steve decided to come with me in support, since Gwen's mother wanted me to say a few words. I put on a mid-length black dress and black leggings while Steve put on a black suit. I walked over to him and helped him with his tie.
"How are you feeling?" He asked
"Nervous"
"Why?"
"I'm just afraid of saying the wrong thing. I haven't been able to look at Gwen ever since her dad died, it just feels like it's my fault."
"Hey….it's not your fault." He pulled me close into a tight hug. "Everything will be fine."
I took a deep breath and kissed him, we grabbed our black umbrellas and got in the car outside. We were able to make it to the church in time and we talked with the police officers. While I sat down near the wall of the room, I looked over and saw Steve with Gwen's younger brothers. He was hugging them and making them laugh. It warmed my heart, seeing him act so sweet to children.
"Ms. Stark…" I looked up and saw one of the officers. "It's time for your speech."
"Alright, thank you."
Everyone sat down while I walked up to the front of the room where his casket and a large picture stood. I walked up to the podium and felt my heart stop.
"Hello, as many of you may know I'm Kida Stark." I could feel my nerves shake as everyone's eyes rested on me. "In my life I have met many heroes, both on Earth and in Asgard. I have met gods willing to risk their life to save the lives of thousands. And to me…Captain Stacy was braver than any god I've met."
I looked over to Gwen and saw a small smile on her lips as her eyes slowly turned red.
"Captain Stacy, a mere man, took on a creature capable of taking down an entire team of SHIELD agents. And because of his strength and bravery, he saved the lives of the hundreds of people living in the city. He died doing his job, he died a hero's death. And he did it for not only his family, but to protect those who can't protect themselves. And for that he will never be forgotten, his name and memory will never fade away. As long as this city still stands, as the people remember his cause, then Captain Stacy will never go away. Thank you."
The people clapped and I walked over to Gwen to give her a tight hug. We hugged for a few moments until the next speaker stepped up and I went to my seat next to Steve.
"You were great…" He whispered and held my hand
"Thank you."
Once the speeches ended we all grabbed our umbrellas and started to walk to the cemetery. I looked around the crowd and couldn't find Peter anywhere.
"Gwen, where's Peter?"
"He's not coming, my dad made him promise he wouldn't see me." She said "To keep me safe."
"Oh Gwen I-"
I looked up above the doorway and saw a familiar face, Gwen followed my gaze and saw Peter in a black suit in the rain.
"Come on Gwen…" Her mother said
We continued onto the cemetery and stood under our umbrellas as the officers shot their rifles into the air. Everyone placed a white rose on the casket before it slowly dropped to the ground. I hugged Gwen one last time and gave my condolences before Steve and I left. While we sat in the car I leaned onto his shoulder.
"I don't know how many more funerals I can take."
"You're strong Kida, you can handle anything."
"But Steve…being there made me think…what if something happened?"
"Kida…" He turned to me and grabbed my hand. "Nothing is going to happen to me, or you, or anyone."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I have faith"
He gave me a warm kiss before the car finally stopped, we both got out and walked inside the little dinner where we first met. We had lunch then walked down the streets back to the tower. When we got to the door he stopped.
"What is it?"
"It's Fury." He replied as he held his phone.
"Another mission?"
"Yeah with Nat and Rumlow, I'm sorry I have to leave." He said
"It's ok, just make sure you come back." I walked down the steps to him and kissed him. "And hurry."
"I will, love you."
"Love you too."
I walked inside and went up to the penthouse, when I got there it was still empty. I walked to my room and changed into yoga pants and a tank top. When I walked out to the living room Pepper returned from work with groceries.
"Hey honey, how was your day?"
"It was ok, just came back from Gwen's dad's funeral with Steve." I followed her to the kitchen and helped her put away the groceries.
"Steve went with you?"
"I had a speech, and he went to give me some support."
"You guys have been very serious about this relationship." She held back a smile.
"Yeah I-what are you thinking about?"
"Well what if you guys take things more serious?" She smiled and I realized what she was hinting at.
"What me and Steve?" I laughed in nervousness. "No"
"You two already act like a married couple, and I see the way he looks at you when you're not looking."
"And how does he see me?"
"He looks at you like you're a goddess, then you can see him realize how lucky he is. He loves you a lot and I know you feel the same way."
"Mom, I don't want to pressure him into marriage and I don't think a wedding is a good idea. With everything going on."
"Honey make sure you don't put important things off to the side, yes the world may need you. But you're entitled to live a happy life." She closed the fridge and hugged me. "Dinner will be ready at eight."
When she walked away I tried getting the thought out of my head. The thought of me marrying Steve never came up until now. It would change everything and seemed out of place with all the crazy thing going on outside my door. I walked to my room and watched TV but the though still stayed in the back of my head.
"Kida Rogers…." I thought "Maybe"
The Next Day,
I drove down to Washington to stay with Steve for a few days, and since he was coming back from his mission we could spend more time together. I parked in front of Steve's building and walked upstairs to his apartment. When he opened the door I noticed he looked concerned.
"Steve what's wrong?" I closed the door behind me and set my bags down.
"Nothing it's just….I think something strange is going on."
"Strange how?" I walked to his room with my bags and started to unpack.
"Natasha was on a second mission when I was with her and Rumlow. She kept it a secret."
"Nat has a lot of secrets Steve."
"I know but she had a mission that was kept secret from me and the team. And now Fury is building more weapons than ever. It's like they're preparing for war."
"Steve, Fury has kept a lot of secrets and I know it's bad, but he is an ally. And these days there isn't a lot to go around." I held his face and kissed him quickly. "I'll make us some dinner."
"I was thinking maybe we can go out tonight and see a movie." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close.
"Alright dinner, then a movie."
"Perfect." He smiled, he quickly dipped me before kissing me like the WW2 photo.
I laughed and pulled myself back onto my feet, I grabbed the ingredients and started cooking when Steve turned on his old radio. It was only the music from his generation, as it played on it started to grow on me and I started to hum to it. When I was finally finished I noticed Steve sitting on a large chair reading a newspaper. The song changed to a slower tune and I thought it was a good song to dance to. I washed my hands and walked over to him, I pulled the newspaper out of his hands and reached my hand out to him.
"Wanna dance?"
"I'd love to"
We stood in the middle of the living room, he held my hand and placed the other on my waist. I smiled and pulled myself close enough to rest my head on his shoulder. It was the first time I felt relaxed in months, and I never wanted it to end.
"Kida…"
"Yes?"
"You know I love you right?" I raised my head up when he said this.
"Of course I do, and I love you too."
"Well, what if we took things more…seriously." I felt my stomach do a backflip.
"Like what?"
"What if we move in together?" He asked "With me in D.C.?"
"Steve…" I said "Yes, I would love to."
"Really?"
"Yeah I'm always alone at the tower since everyone is busy. And there's no better place than being here with you."
He smiled and pulled me up for a kiss, the clock above the fireplace started to chime.
"Oh, we should get going the movie will start soon."
"Lead the way Cap."
Night,
We returned to the apartment after the three hour long movie, it was already one in the morning when we walked through the door.
"I'm exhausted" I mumbled "Are you going to shower?"
"No I do it in the mornings, but you're welcome to use it." Steve said
I grabbed a towel and closed the bathroom door, the steam filled the air quickly after only a few minutes. When I was done I dried my hair but realized I forgot to grab my pajamas. I wrapped the towel around myself and walked into the bedroom. Steve was lying on the bed, on the verge of falling asleep when he noticed me. He grabbed a pillow and covered his eyes.
"Sorry Kida, I didn't see anything."
"Steve it's ok if you look." I said as I grabbed my pj's. "We've been dating for a long time and I trust you."
"I don't know."
"It's alright you don't have to look."
I grabbed my towel and tossed it onto his face before walking back to the bathroom. I quickly put them on and returned to find Steve already passed out. I laughed when I heard his loud snoring. I slowly crawled under the covers and placed a warm kiss on his cheek.
"Goodnight Steve"
Morning,
I woke up when a felt an empty space next to me, I heard the shower running and realized Steve was already awake. I rubbed my eyes and could see Steve through the reflection in the bathroom mirror. Blood ran up to my cheeks when I realized what I was seeing. My eyes grew into saucers as my head fell onto the pillow.
"Oh…my…god." I mumbled
Chapter Song
A love so deep, nothing else like it
Scars go deep, but they can't find it
Flames so bright make the daylight look dark
Cross my heart that'll die for you
-Kingdom Come by Demi Lovato
