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“What you got there cap” Clint asked as he and Natasha walked into the communal room of Stark tower, Steve looked up nodded in greeting to the two and answered “Fury finally passed on a few of my stuff they had in storage, well what wasn’t given to the Smithsonian exhibit” He said motioning to the piles of papers and photos laid in front of him. He’d just dug through his old childhood sketchbook laughing at some of the absurd images he’d drawn when he was a sickly child unable to go outside with his friends. “Mind if we take a look” Clint asked his hands itching to dig through them Steve smiled slightly and shook his head and Clint dived in ruffling through almost everything. Natasha followed suit but did so at a sedate pace, sifting through his past gently. “Who-Who’s this Cap” Clint asked holding up an old photo, Steve squinted trying to work out exactly what it was, it could be of him and Bucky as kids or- Clint turned it to face him and he saw her. “Who is she Steve” Natasha asked him when he didn’t speak but drank in her face greedily, remembering every curve and every pore of her skin. “She’s…Her name is Rose, Rose Potter” he said softly taking the photo from Clint; he could remember the day it was taken the same day he had left on the fateful mission when Bucky didn’t come back. “And she is…”
“She is…Was my-my fiancé” He said quietly, stroking the photo’s face
“I-I didn’t know you had one” Clint said awkwardly and Steve nodded sadly
“I did, she worked as a waitress but eventually was drafted into helping out with the war effort, she was a friend of Peggy’s”
“All this time, I thought it was you and Peggy that were-“ Clint made some kind of twirling motion with his forefingers Steve furrowed his brow confused “Peggy was a friend, a good friend we never- I mean there was never any”
“What Steve is trying to say is that they never engaged in sexual intercourse with each other” JARVIS toned from above them, blushing slightly Steve nodded “That” Clint nodded, and Natasha sensing that Steve needed some time alone pulled Clint from the room and asked JARVIS to disallow anyone from entering the room. Steve sighed and looked back at the picture, it was of Rose in their room before they returned to base camp to meet Peggy and the others, he could still remember what happened like it was only yesterday.
He had just snapped the picture, she was mostly undressed and preparing for bed when he’d felt the urge to capture her at her most unput-together look. Her hair was down and lay in black tangles down her back, her face was wiped clean of her make-up, despite the bags under her eyes, a feature nearly everyone had these days, but to Steve she was a beauty he couldn’t capture with pencil and paper. “What are you doing” She asked with a small smile on her lips
“Getting something to remember you by” She laughed and he smiled through his blushes. She stood and kissed him softly “So how are you Captain America” She asked teasingly and he grimaced “Truthfully, my stomach is feeling like it’s doing the foxtrot” he said and she cupped his jaw with her hand, he covered it with his own “Steve, I know that you think you can’t do this but believe me, You’re a good man who will do what’s right”
“Because I’m a lab rat” He said slightly bitterly but she frowned
“You weren’t a lab rat that night at the diner, I didn’t fall in love with Captain America either. I fell in love with Steve Rogers the most honourable man, I have ever known” She said and he smiled at her before kissing her deeply, though not much different from how other nights ended this time, his hand strayed a little lower on her back than usual. When it didn’t move and his other hand began to creep towards her cleavage shyly she broke apart ad looked at him “Steve…What are you doing” when they’d first gotten together he’d told her about his religion, that while was interchangeable ergo his acceptance of her magical ability, something’s such as premarital sex where still a big thing for him, and she respected that. Sure she might have gotten frustrated when he would leave her gasping for that little but extra in some of their more heated encounters but she respected him enough to not push him for more. “I don’t want to be shipped out with any regrets” he said quietly and she smiled softly, “Are you sure” She asked and he nodded slowly but his hands twitched nervously next to her, she smiled softly again moving his hands to where she needed them “Just let go, for tonight, let go” She whispered in his ear and he shivered against her, before taking her mouth in another searing kiss and the night was lost to their passion
Of course after that night, there were scarce moments to themselves with him constantly being shipped out and her trying to persuade the magical population in America, she wouldn’t try to persuade the United Kingdom magical world she wouldn’t specify why but he knew it must be bad, she was gone a lot of the time. The few times they had met were short and some were merely passing glances but each moment with her felt like an eternity, not that the distance apart didn’t affect them because it did. It made it harder sometimes to know that she was there with him, every step of the ay but he knew in his heart that it, they, were worth it.
Unbeknownst to Steve, while he was busy walking himself down memory Lane a group in the next room across from him, they too were discussing the two of them. “So Cap had a lady love before the big freeze and you want me to…”Tony said looking at the pair of spies
“We want you to use Jarvis and find out what happened to her after he went under, I know he went and visited Peggy in her nursing home but I figured trying to find her was too painful for him to try, So I want you to do it for him” Natasha instructed the man who nodded and pulled up a tablet, getting to work “That’s it, no need for any more persuasion” Clint said and Tony shrugged slight pulling up birth and death records already “After New york, he came and found me and well-”
Tony hunched over his work table fiddling with his armour once more, he traced the dents and scrapes. His mind flashed him back to when he’d fought in the battle, to him grabbing he nuke to him…dying. He took a deep sigh, that wasn’t the first time he’d brushed with death but for some reason, despite all the others- the poisoning the most prevalent, when he could feel his body shutting down- this felt different. He couldn’t explain why, but he’d woken up in a sweat on more than one occasion. “Stark” A voice behind him said and he turned pulling himself from those memories “Cap, what’s up”
“Jarvis said I could find you here” He said pointing upwards, he snorted slightly at the view
“I usually am, so what do you need” He said pushing his chair closer to the man
“I came to- to apologise” He said looking at Tony directly, the man swallowed hard and looked away from the blue eyes “Nothing to apologise for cap”
“Yeah, there is” He said firmly “Look, I didn’t mean those things I said before new york”
“You said them though” He almost snapped back and he regretted the harshness as they left his mouth, the captain tensed for a second and he nodded “Yeah, I did. But you have to understand something; I went to sleep and woke up to find that seventy years had passed. That everyone I cared about was gone, then there’s you”
“What about me” Tony said finally looking up and meeting the captains eyes
“You’re…well you. You’re confident, self-assured and so unafraid of this world and for a moment I was…jealous, jealous that you could be so confident in this place. I don’t understand this world, or anything in it, I don’t…belong here”
“Have...Have you told anyone this” He asked softly
“These people, look at me like I’m a hero, and hero’s don’t get scared” He said “So, I’m sorry for how I acted back there and I hope…I hope that we can be friends”
“Me- me too…Steve” Tony said around a lump in his throat, he watched as Steve leave, he paused at the door “And tony, if you ever need someone to talk to about what happened in new york…I’m here for you”
“What do you mean, I’m doing fine” he lied, it was good enough for the psych eval at SHIELD but for some reason, Steve shook his head “Tony, you can hide behind that mask of cockiness and it may fool everyone else, but not me. And I mean it, any day, any time. You need me, I’m there. You’re a good man” He nodded once and then left. Tony rubbed his eyes, wiping them clear. He’d been called a lot of things, playboy, ass hole, and jerk amongst them but never…never a good man. He turned back to his armour before sighing and putting his tools down. He needed to sleep.
“So, yeah I’ll help” He said turning back to the screen and typing quickly.
It took Tony the rest of the day and half of the other to finish the job and when he’d put down his tablet, his face looked ashen, the usual exuberance he wore like a cloak had vanished- he sighed and rubbed a hand over his face “Something wrong Tony” Steve asked, looking up from a book in concern at the man “Yeah, I just need Natasha and Clint in here” He said looking up, JARVIS quickly said “I’ve sent word, they are on their way” As he finished, the door to the common room area opened and the two spies walked in “You sent for us” Natasha asked him and he nodded towards the tablet with an empty look “It’s done, but what I found out isn’t the nicest thing” He said and from his place on the chair Steve stood with a frown on his face “Someone mind telling what’s going on” He said and Tony motioned for Natasha to take the lead, she cleared her throat and looked at Steve who was now frowning heavily at the three of them “When you mentioned your partner from before I thought it would be something for you to have, to help you acclimatise”
“Natasha…”Steve trailed off but when his eyes strayed to the tablet in Tony’s hand he nodded for them to go on. Tony sighed and cast a sad look towards Steve that he couldn’t decipher- he’d already lost her what else could there be- and his hands were a blur, “JARVIS bring up the big screen” Once the AI had, Steve was greeted by Rose’s face, taken from the photo he’d had of her. Next to it was a slow list of things “Tony, I don’t…” He said,
“She got the message that you’d…gone down and then according to this she just…left”
“There’s no record of her anywhere” Steve asked desperately, Tony stuttered slightly his hands twitching “T-There’s one thing but I’m-I’m not sure you’ll want to hear it”
“Tony…I need to know” Steve insisted “Please” He said looking directly into Tony’s brown eyes, the man sighed and clicked something. A piece of yellowed paper appeared on screen “About a week before she went missing, according to what Peggy told you, she went to the doctors”
“Why…was she sick” Steve asked, was that why she left. Had she been sick, alone and hurting without him so she’d left to die in peace alone. “No, She was….She was” Tony said unsure until with Steve’s blue eyes continued to bore into him “She was…Pregnant Steve” Steve didn’t say anything just stared at the paper, mouth agape. No-one spoke until, abruptly, Steve stood and walked out, and again no one spoke until JARVIS toned quietly “Captain Rogers has vacated the building”
Steve wasn’t seen in the tower for three weeks since the revelation that his long since dead fiancé was pregnant with his child. Tony had not dug any further in the past, fearing coming across something worse-a death certificate about them both. But still, tony- and the team- worried about Steve.
“Sir, Captain Rogers is in the elevators requesting access to this floor” JARVIS said and Tony nodded, the other members of their team becoming focused “Let him through and give him unlimited access all floors” he said, he trusted Steve ergo- higher clearance for his tower. The lift doors slid open and revealed a sheepish looking Steve who gave a sort of small smile as though unsure of their reactions. “Everything good Cap” Clint broke the silence, Steve nodded at the question and said in a level voice “Yeah, I’m…Better. I’m sorry for taking off for a few days nothing came up did it” He asked and Tony almost snorted, typical. “Nothing we couldn’t handle Steve” He said “You sure you’re okay”
“I’m not…Not okay” He admitted softly “I don’t think I can be all things considered but…I have to believe that whatever happened to them, that they’re happy even…even if it was without me” He said, before tony could add anything a small alarm went off “It’s a call to assemble” Natasha said standing to her feet and fixing her guns to her hip, Steve nodded and walked off, presumably to get ready “Hey Steve” Tony said rushing after the man’s long strides “You sure you’re ready for this?” He asked “No one’s gonna blame you if you need to sit this one out” Steve gave a small smile but shook his head “No, I’m ready…I can’t hide away more Tony. Not while people are getting hurt” He said and Tony nodded before he too ran off calling for his suit as he did.
“Eurgh, remind me to never go after giant bug things” Clint complained as he pulled off his gunk covered boot, flicking one of his arrows- splattering the carpet with it. “Oi! Barton watch where you flick that crap” Tony yelled, “I don’t want mutant spider gunk over my carpets thanks very much” Clint just pulled a face and was about to say something back but whatever it was Steve couldn’t hear it. He’d pulled off his mask and laid his shield next to the kitchen counter, he sat down on one of the stools next to Natasha who was watching Clint and Tony’s bickering with a fond smile. She turned when Steve sat down “You did well” She said “Considering”
“Considering what” Steve played dumb but the look Natasha shot him let him know she was anything but fooled “Considering the woman you loved and your unborn child are still missing, Steve I can see it’s still bothering you”
“Of course it is” He said harshly but quickly added “Sorry”
“No need, I’m surprised an outburst like this hasn’t happened sooner, especially with the circumstances”
“I just…It’s the not knowing” He said watching as Clint and Tony began to play wrestle knocking over a table and sending Tony’s tablet to the floor “If they were…Had they died during the war I would know where they were, how to find them” Natasha laid a hand on his arm “But this? It’s hell. They could be still out there…Somewhere not knowing that I’m here…Waiting for them”
“Steve-” Whatever Natasha was going to say was cut off as Tony’s tablet gave a loud beep and Clint, from his position under tony sofa, groaned “Not another call”
“No, it’s an alert I had JARVIS put one on…On her” He said looking at Steve who stared at the tablet like it could contain the secrets to the universe “what is it”
“Steve…I’m not sure” Tony began but Steve shook his head
“Please Tony…I have to know” The Genius hesitated before clicking it up on the big screen, as he studied the screen he frowned deeply and muttered “What the hell”
“What is it” Steve said desperately
“A-According to this, Rose Potter just withdrew $30 form an ATM downtown” Tony stuttered pulling up the tape form the camera. It showed a young black haired woman with startling green eyes “Rosie” Steve whispered, she was wearing a uniform, Steve recognised it instantly, the diner she’d worked in the day he met her. “She’s alive”
****
1944
Rose sighed as she glanced around the room she was in, the generals and sergeants paid her no attention, they didn’t understand why she was here and that was fine. They didn’t have high enough clearance to be in the know of magic, as far as they knew she was an expert on strategy and she was- just not the Muggle kind. In less than fourty eight hours, Grindlewald would launch an attack using a Nazi air raid as cover to do so. Her objective, defeat him and push him back to England. Once he was there, the famed Dumbledore Vs. grindlewald duel could take place and she could rest easy knowing that she wouldn’t be erasing an entire section of history.
When she’d first arrived in the past, purely accidental, she’d been depressed. She could still remember the warning Hermione had recited from McGonagall Bad things happen to witches who mess with time so as much as everything in her body was telling her to find Tom Riddle and rid the world of another dark lord, she knew she couldn’t. The only thing she could do was waiting for her friends in 2012 to find their way back to 1940. Until then, all she had to do was live, and she had.
She’d gotten a job as a waitress at a small diner in downtown Brooklyn. She made a meagre living and had etched out a nice life herself. But as much as she enjoyed her life here, she was still bored. Life with Voldemort had granted her a set of skills that no matter how hard, she couldn’t just ignore. And so when she met Peggy Carter and subsequently S.H.I.E.L.D, who had heard from another of their magical users that a powerful Witch had arrived in the past-, they had quickly offered her a job fighting back against Grindlewald’s influence. She agreed, but had made them promise that she wouldn’t be sent to England. At first they’d disagreed, but she stood her ground and told them in no uncertain terms that she’d make them pay if they tried to force her. From that simple act of defiance in the face of men, who’d previously only encountered meek women who would bow to any pressure, she’d become firm friends with Peggy.
So, that was how she spent her first year- kicking ass against Grindlewald’s faux confident army and working in the diner. It was an easy existence, an existence that was soon shook up when she caught the eye of a blonde man with a smart mouth and a habit of getting into fights. His friend, Bucky, had flirted with her heavily but she’d snorted- years of dealing with Seamus’s flirting attempts had built up a resistance against his flirtatious attitude. All was going well, she flirted with Steve a little- she figured a little fun wouldn’t hurt - but he had simply blushed and mumbled something. She guessed he wasn’t exactly used to women taking an interest in him. She’d smiled and taken their orders, a set of apple pies- definitely not the ones she was used to with rationing taking its toll. All in all, she viewed the night she met Steve as a positive until it happened.
Besides Steve and Bucky, there was a table of rowdy men. The type of men that talked big and believed that the world would fall at their feet. Including waitresses; all night she’d been dodging wandering hands and stories of what she’d expect if she’d go home with them tonight. She’d shot them dark looks and slapped more hands away reminding herself that she couldn’t curse them to oblivion when one of the men had decided to take it further. She was stood at the counter, the owner had long since left so it was her and the chef, an elderly Italian man named Stefan, wiping down the stained surface wishing she could just wave her wand and have the ground in brown stains vanish when one of the men in the corner stood up and made their way to her.
“Can I help you” She asked in a forced polite tone, after all she worked for tips
“Why Ma’am, I was just wondering if you’d like to take a little walk with me and my boys” He said pointing a dirtied thumb at the rowdy men in the corner who when she looked over cast leering looks at her. “Tell me, what exactly you expected me to say” She asked groaning in her head when one them raised a coffee cup and waved it in the air. She grabbed the coffee pot and made her way over and filled it, when the man that had approached the counter stood directly behind her, his front pressing into her back. She was about to snap at him to back off when he leant down and whispered in her ear “How ‘bout a little kiss” She gagged and pushed him off, leaving the pot on the men’s table. When she felt his hand grope her breast she snapped and smacked his face.
She didn’t see the smack back but she sure as hell felt it, she fell backwards hitting her head on one of the tables and raised a hand to the stinging feeling on her cheek. “Hey! The lady said she wasn’t interested” A voice piped up behind them and when the man moved she could see Steve standing in front of them his hands balled up into fists. “Yeah and what’s a pip squeak like you gonna do” The men guffawed when another voice said “He ain’t exactly alone pal” She looked and Bucky stood behind Steve with a look that said he’d done this countless times. Shakily, she got to her feet she could feel something slip on her forehead and she knew without looking that blood was there “No, these fine gentlemen just wanted a kiss” She said and Steve looked at her and Bucky almost moved to stop her as he neared the man who’d smacked her. She watched him bend his head closer and she smiled at him.
She reared back and punched him square in the jaw. She watched satisfied as he fell to the floor, she ignored the pain in her hand as she looked at the other men who were shocked as their leader lay in a groaning lump “Now, if you fine gentlemen don’t mind. We’re closed for the evening” She said and they scattered. She sighed and cradled her right hand in her left “Ow” She said, she could already see it swelling. A soft cough broke her thoughts and she saw Steve standing uncertain in front of her, Bucky wasn’t there and she guessed that he was seeing that the men outside didn’t get any bright ideas. “You need any help Ma’am” He asked her
“It’s Rose, I figure since you helped me out we should be on first name bases” She said smiling at him and he gave a small smile back “I-I’m Steve Rogers, do-do you need any help” He asked her again and she looked down and nodded “Yeah, come on there’s a few stuff in the back” She said and she walked, Steve following her like a lost puppy.
When Bucky came back it was to find Rose with her hand cradled in Steve’s as he tended to her split knuckles, her head had already been tended to judging by the bandage poking out from under her black hair. “Everything all right here” He asked Steve and he nodded. Bucky took a seat next to her and took a look at her cheek which he expected to be bruising up something fierce “You’re cheek alright” He asked her and she brushed a hand over it and he watched her eyes flash with something he couldn’t identify “I don’t bruise easily” She answered easily and Bucky smirked at her; hopping up to rest arm to arm with on the counter “Bet he’s gonna get some mighty fine bruises from your little punch up” She blushed and took her hand back from Steve putting it back in her lap and Steve said “Guess that’s not the first time you’ve thrown a punch at someone like him” She thought to the duels she’d had recently and her years at Hogwarts she shook her head “He’s not the first” Bucky laughed and Steve smiled at her and she knew, she may have just found a reason to stay.
****
Present day 2012-
But now, she was back, in her own time. Without Steve. When she’d first gone hurtling through time, a by-product of crashing into a box of defective time turners- she‘d been overly anxious to make it back to her own time; But people she’d met along the way: Peggy, Howard, Bucky…Steve had slowly shown her that life in the 40’s wasn’t so bad after all. With Steve she could be free, to have a future free of the wars that plagued. She already knew they won the Great War, she felt no shame in planning a life once it was over. So when Peggy had come into the board room, her face ashen and her eyes red rimmed she knew. “It’s Steve” Was all she said and Peggy’s look confirmed it.
She’d stayed in the past for a few months, until that fateful doctor’s trip. In her mind, she had selfishly hoped that she was dying- at least then she could be with Steve. She knew Peggy and Howard worried for her but she couldn’t bring herself to care that much. When Steve had gone down, she’d lost a part of herself. It wasn’t until the Doctor had told her something entirely unexpected. “You’re pregnant Miss Potter” He’d said with a sad look on his face, she imagined he must have told a lot of people this news, people who had no-one else “But…I can’t be….I can’t” She said clutching her stomach, but in her heart she knew the truth. Her magic had been playing up, at first she had put it down to grief but this was something she hadn’t anticipated.
She had gone home, to the apartment she and Steve had shared, and sat in their old bed. She had gotten the necklace Hermione had left behind, the last time she had seen her old friend.
Hermione stood in front of Rose, “Rose, we’ve come so far back to rescue you” She said with a small smile. But it had been almost two years since she’d been sent back, and she had a life now. A life she had no intention of leaving “I’m not coming back” She said and her friend looked at her, behind her Ron had spluttered “What do you mean you’re not coming back! You have to”
“I don’t have to do anything Ron, I did my job” She snapped angrily “Now, I want to live and here…I can and I am”
“You’ve met someone” Hermione guessed and Rose nodded
“I have, and he’s a good man” Rose said ignoring Ron’s mutterings “I’m not coming back, not ever”
“But Rose…People need you” Hermione said
“No one needs me Hermione, you have Ron, Teddy has Remus and Tonks why can’t I just live the way I choose” She said and Hermione swallowed heavily before pulling out something, a necklace and handing it to Rose “Take this, just in case. Press the centre and it’ll bring you right back” Rose nodded and watched as Hermione took Ron’s hand and vanished in a swirl and flash of light. She glanced down at the necklace and opened the nearest drawer and tossed it inside.
Said Necklace was now in her hand, she took one last look around her apartment and pressed it, she felt a tug on her legs and then she was gone.
****
But now she was back where she had been before, back in New York. She had briefly toyed with going back to England but she knew that the entire Wizarding word would be immediately latching onto her pregnancy. She was certain she wanted to raise her child away from the English Wizarding society if she could help it. So she’d stuck with what she knew, she’d gotten a job at the same Diner she met Steve at. It was familiar, it was…safe. No aliens, no dark lords, no Nazis. She was slowly slipping into a routine, something safe.
The Diner had changed since she had left, the Italian chef had died and been replaced by a Spanish man who would happily talk anyone’s ear off about his children but she was still the only wait staff. Not that she minded, it was a small diner and they rarely got rush hour diners. She had just begun to show when her regulars had begun to ask questions, one in particular a lovely old woman named Ethel, had become more grandmotherly towards her. On one particularly slow day, Ethel had called her over for a refill of her tea when she asked her to join her in the booth. “Um, I’m not sure if”
“Go for it Rosie, if anyone else comes just see to them” The Chef and part owner called from the back, she smiled and slid into Ethel’s booth with a relieved sigh. “So, how far along are you” Ethel asked and Rose smiled, rubbing a hand over her swollen belly “Just gone seven months” She said and Ethel grinned back and asked the one question Rose thought she’d never have to be asked “And is the daddy looking forward to it”
“Oh, he’s- he’s not around anymore” She admitted quietly and Ethel’s mouth tightened as though she’d swallowed lemon “Run off did he?” She asked bluntly and Rose laughed quietly and shook her head “No, Steve would never ever leave” She said “but he was- Was in the army” Ethel smiled again, a sad sort of smile at her “He was…the bravest man I ever knew, kind and caring. He couldn’t stand the thought of someone somewhere suffering and him not doing anything about it. But one day he went out and…didn’t come home” She said wiping a tear away
“I’m sorry lovely, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories” Ethel apologised softly but Rose smiled and shook her head “No, no it’s fine Steve was- is the best man I ever knew” She said “I’ll leave you to finish your tea off” She smiled and walked back to the counter and began to wipe it down bidding another regular, Mr Duhamel, goodbye as wiping his place setting clean, she heard the bell behind as someone walk through the door “Hold on, I’ll be there in a second” She called out, once she put down the plate into the bucket behind the counter and then grabbed the coffee pot and turned, she looked up and almost screamed.
Stood in the door way wearing a jacket was Steve. She felt the coffee jar slip form her grasp and shatter onto the floor. Faintly she was aware of the other people behind Steve but she couldn’t focus on anything but the man who was making his way slowly to her. It felt as though she had entered a tunnel, her vision had zeroed in onto Steve’s form leaving her unaware of anything else. “Steve” She said softly as he stood in front of her. “It’s me” He said, in his voice and Rose could feel a prickle of tears in the corner of her eyes “H-How a-are you here” She asked and he gave a soft smile
“Kind of a long story” He replied “You?”
“Long story” She said and she raised a softly shaking hand to his face and gasped when her hand stayed where it was, so often she’d wake in the night with her hand still reaching out for Steve as he faded away. “It’s me” He said and she felt his arms slowly wrap around her waist, she slowly looked at him and then she pulled him down for a deep kiss. She broke it and grinned, pulling him across to Ethel’s table, said woman had stood since then “Ethel, this is Steve” she said “and he’s not going anywhere”