Please forgive any medical mistakes. I'm not a doctor or nurse! :)

Chapter Three

Steve poured the hot chocolate into the Captain America mug, after having washed it first. He kinda liked seeing his shield on the cup. He pushed a plain red mug toward Wanda. She smiled and wrapped her hands around it. Her ring clinked against the mug before she tentatively took a sip of the steaming liquid. He realized she was still dressed in the clothing she'd worn that day; Wanda hadn't even gone to sleep, other than long enough for a nightmare. They both were tired.

"That's delicious. How did Captain America learn to make hot chocolate from scratch? Most people just use the powder packages." Wanda stirred it with the spoon. She smiled at Steve before using her powers to open up the cabinet above the stove and motioned for the bag of marshmallows to fly over to them. They landed with a plop on the counter.

"Nice." He took a few and dropped them into his mug. "You might find this a bit… funny, but after I woke up and things were so different, I realized that I was lacking a few skills." Steve hid his smile behind the mug before he said the next words. "I took a cooking class."

Wanda laughed. "A cooking class?"

Steve stirred his hot chocolate, dunking each of the marshmallows. "I learned a lot. After class one night, I stayed and asked the teacher if she could teach me to make hot chocolate. My mom made it for me a few times when I was a kid. The powder stuff just didn't taste right to me."

"Well, I'm glad you learned." She tossed a few more marshmallows into her mug. "Can I ask a personal question?" Wanda gauged his expression.

"Sure." Steve took another sip from his mug. "What do you want to know?"

"What was the best thing about your mom? I don't remember a lot about my mom. I was ten when she died and we weren't very close."

There was a long pause. Steve let out a deep breath and turned his mug around until he could see the entire shield. "The best thing about my mom was how much she loved me. Even when I was sick, she'd give everything of herself to make me feel better. She was a perfect mom, loving and kind. I'm just glad I had the years with her that I did. I wish I had more time, but she died when I was still young."

"I can see it. I've never met your mom, but I can see how wonderful she was by the way she raised you and the man you turned out to be. Captain America."

"I feel like if she were alive now, she'd have one of those bumper stickers that instead of saying 'my son is an honor student', hers would say 'my son is Captain America.' It'd be great!" Steve laughed, throwing his head back.

"I do not understand the point of bumper stickers." Vision's voice carried into the kitchen.

Wanda gasped softly, turning around. "I'm sorry, Vis. Were we bothering you?"

"No. I was simply coming to see why you were both awake at this hour. I did not mean to startle you."

Wanda shrugged, adjusting the blanket on her shoulders. "It's alright. We couldn't sleep."

"Does ingesting this warm chocolatey liquid and cubes made from spongy confection sugar and gelatin help you sleep?"

They both laughed. Steve tried to cover his laughter with a fake cough, but it didn't matter. It was a bit funny.

Wanda pulled a marshmallow from the package and tossed it at Vision. It bounced off his forehead, leaving him with a surprised look. "They are called marshmallows and they taste very good in hot chocolate."

Vision picked up the marshmallow and set it on the table. "I will take your word for it. I do not sleep either."

"Well, since we're all awake, maybe we could watch a movie," Steve said. "I still haven't seen Titanic. Tony told me I had to add it to the list and I'd like to quickly take it off the list."

"I haven't seen that movie in a long time." Wanda hoped down from her stool. "Let's do it."

"I am acquainted with very few films, but I believe this could be interesting." Vision headed into the living room first and went to the shelf of movies. He picked out Titanic and put it into the Blu-ray player.

Wanda helped him when he couldn't figure out how the disc went in. Steve stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes, cleaning up the hot chocolate mess. Tony had a tendency to call them a biker gang if they left a mess in the pristine, top of the line kitchen. Whatever those fancy words meant. He had just finished when he heard a familiar sound on the roof. Sam Wilson was back. Steve finished with the dishes and headed toward the garage area.

Sam stepped down from the ramp. He'd started removing his wings and put them into the lock-up. He turned around and smiled. "Hey Steve. You're awake at an odd time. How's your knee?"

"Did Wanda tell you?" he asked, limping into the room.

"She texted me to tell me that you were okay, but being a bit stubborn. I asked her what was new." Sam took off his jacket and tossed it in the laundry hamper. "So, how is your knee?"

"It's alright." Steve ran a hand over his chin. "Did you find anything?" he lowered his voice.

Sam nodded. "He was there. For at least a few weeks, but of course, by the time that I got there, Bucky was gone."

Steve turned away, running his hand through his hair. Why couldn't they catch a break? "We'll keep trying."

"I did find something, but I have no idea what it means. I suppose it will mean something to you." He pulled a paper bag out of his backpack. "I'm gonna go shower."

"We're gonna watch Titanic if you want to join us."

"Hell, yes. You can start it without me." Sam patted him on the shoulder before heading toward his room. "I'll be in when I'm done." He paused. "We'll find him. I'm not giving up."

Steve opened the bag. The memories ran over him like water cascading over Niagara Falls as he realized what it was. He pulled out a lime green dinosaur with yellow feet. It was close, but it wasn't the same to the one that Bucky had given him when he was really sick once. He used to love that dinosaur. He tucked it back into the bag. It wasn't time to dwell on the past and he had plans he intended to keep. Steve went back inside, seeing Vision and Wanda waiting on the couch.

"There you are! Sam said he'll join us in a little bit." Wanda picked up the remote and pressed play. "We texted Tony to tell him we were watching his movie choice. Not surprisingly, he was awake. He said we might need to cover your eyes at the love-making scene."

"Doesn't surprise me at all," Steve said. He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed a fresh ice pack before he took a seat on the unoccupied couch. "I'm ready."

Tony hadn't warned them how long the movie was. Steve remembered hearing his mom tell him about the supposedly unsinkable ship that sank and how no one knew where it had gone. She'd been fascinated by the idea of a ship missing beneath the surface. They hadn't found it until many years later. The movie had some… gaps in historical accuracy. As the movie continued, Sam joined them, taking a seat in an empty chair. Wanda resituated herself on the couch, leaning against Vision and using a pillow to soften his side. He tensed up a little, but after a little while Steve saw him relax and pull a blanket over her. She grinned at him. Wanda was asleep before the ship broke in half. Vision ran a hand through her hair and left his arm around her as she slept. It was… very kind. Steve continued watching the movie.

Once it was finished, Sam sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," Steve replied, trying to keep from smiling.

"It is entirely possible that both of them should have been able to occupy space on the door and survive," Vision stated. "I find this movie to be highly unrealistic."

"It was missing some facts. Who would keep going below deck if they knew the ship was sinking?" Steve removed the warm ice pack from his knee and stretched it a little.

"Neither of you have a romantic bone in your body!" Sam protested. "I'll tell Tony know you didn't like it." He tried to look nonchalant as he blew his nose. "I'm headed to bed. See you in the morning."

The sun had already started to rise outside, casting a pink and orange glow on the sky. Steve bid Sam good-night. Vision carried Wanda to her room, not waking her as he stood. She snuggled against him. Steve hid his smile. It was like something Bucky would do for him. Actually, it was something Bucky DID do it for him, many times. He really missed him, but the dinosaur showed that Bucky remembered something. It was a start.

Bucky stayed by the bed. Steve remained silent, dozing occasionally. He began to get restless, his respirations increasing.

"Take a few deep breaths," Bucky said soothingly, adjusting the cool cloth on Steve's flushed face.

He irritably batted it away. "I am… breathing."

"No, you're not breathing right." Bucky replaced the cloth.

"Hurts," Steve whimpered.

"I know it hurts, but you gotta keep fighting."

Steve swallowed as a tear ran down his cheek. His gaze locked with Bucky's. "What if… what if someday I can't fight anymore?"

Bucky let out a heartless laugh. "You're Steve Rogers. You can't give up. Ever."

"I'm always… gonna be sick."

It physically pained Bucky that Steve knew he'd be sick. He knew he wouldn't live a healthy and carefree life. "And I'm always gonna be your best friend, taking care of you and making sure that you stay who you are. You can't give up." Two tears ran down his cheeks simultaneously. He didn't bother to wipe them away. "Steve."

"I know."

"You have to promise me that you'll always fight. Please."

Steve's eyes closed and he took a shaky breath. "I promise, Bucky." He let out a sigh and seemingly fell asleep. But really, he'd fallen unconscious. His breathing continued unevenly and short.

"Steve?" He shook his shoulder a little.

There was a jingle of keys. Bucky scrambled off the floor and ran to the apartment door. Sarah opened the door with a cloth bag in her hand, still dressed in her scrubs with a little blood splattered on one sleeve. Stray pieces of blond hair had fallen from her bun and clung to her face from the rain. Bucky took the bag and helped her inside.

"How's Steve?" she asked, quickly dropping her shoes from her feet.

"He's… bad."

"Okay. I'm gonna shower as quick as possible so I don't have any other germs on me that could make him worse. I have his asthma medicine. Can you administer it?" She spoke quickly as she pulled a box out of the bag and pressed it into his hand.

Bucky's voice trembled. "Yes."

"Okay. I'll be five minutes." Sarah rushed through the bedroom, keeping her eyes from Steve's prone form. Bucky guessed that if she took a look at him, she'd not be able to keep herself from comforting him and exposing him to possibly more sickness.

He found the atomizer and started putting in the medicine. The sound of Steve coughing resounded in the bedroom as the shower water turned off. Bucky heard a sick, sucking sound that made his heart almost stop. Steve was having an asthma attack! He ran into the room, almost tripping on a towel. The kid's blue eyes were wide open and glossy. Panic etched into his features. Bucky rushed back into the kitchen and grabbed the atomizer. He pressed the small mask to Steve's face and squeezed the trigger to release the medicine. At first, it didn't seem to help, but after a few moments, and another puff of medicine, Steve's body relaxed. His breathing changed as his heavy eyes closed. The door to the bathroom flew open and Sarah Rogers hurried to the bedside.

"Steve, sweetie?" Her hands went to his hair and his face.

Steve turned toward her touch and opened his eyes. "Mom?"

"I'm right here. I'm so sorry."

Bucky felt a small warm hand in his and Steve squeezed tightly. "… okay. I'm… with my two favorite people," he whispered.

"I'm gonna help you feel better. Let me get my bag." Sarah left the room for a moment and returned with the bag.

Steve released his hand as Sarah starting checking his temperature and blood pressure. Bucky just needed a minute. He stumbled into the living room and sat down on the couch. The cold in the room pressed in on him. Tears ran down his cheeks as everything sunk in. Steve could've died. As much as he cared for him, there was a chance that they wouldn't be able to help him. He rested his head on his knees and covered his head.

Bucky just needed a minute.

There's more coming! I couldn't resist writing a fun scene with Vision, Wanda, and Sam. We needed a little humor between the hurt/comfort. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Emma