The Night We Met | Steve / Bucky

fifty-eight - home

4 YEARS LATER

The evening sun slowly descended behind the distant hills. Pepper stood in the kitchen, dipping pots into a soapy sink. Tony stood by her side, taking them from the draining board and drying them off with a towel and slowly putting them in their rightful place in the kitchen. 

The pair watched on as Katherine and Morgan's giggles could be heard from the living room. Katherine held Morgan in the air, swooshing her through the air and gently throwing her on the couch. Morgan erupted into laughter, "The tickle monster -" Katherine smiled wiggling her fingers toward the young child, " -  is coming to get you!" 

"No!" Morgan screamed, scrambling from the couch and beginning to run. Katherine ran after her, keeping on her tail. Morgan screamed while laughing, trying to outrun Katherine. Morgan ran laps around the couch, interweaving with the coffee table and eventually ran to the kitchen, screaming as she did so. "Daddy!" She squealed running between Tony's legs, clutching onto his calf. 

Tony chuckled at the toddler at his feet. Katherine crouched down, slowly approaching her, wiggling her fingers in the air toward Morgan, "Daddy can't help you." Tony spoke, wiping a towel along the rim of a pot. 

As Katherine crept closer, Morgan's fear began to fade. She pointed to Katherine, "Do the fire." She spoke - commanded. 

Katherine smiled to herself, holding out her gloved palm. Instantly, Katherine formed a small flame in her hands - no bigger than what would ignite a candle. The light from the fire reflected against Morgan's dark brown eyes - her gaze enraptured by the flames. It almost put her in a trance. "And then -" Katherine spoke softly, twisting her wrist and extinguishing the flame, "- the wind blows it away." Katherine held her palm toward Morgan, pulsating a small dose of air against her face. 

She closed her eyes, letting the breeze brush against her cheeks and through her hair. As the wind passed, Morgan opened her eyes with a smile, "Again!" She squealed. 

"It's almost bed time, little missy." Tony spoke from above the pair. "Go brush your teeth, I'll be up in a minute." Morgan looked disheartened, sulking. 

She looked between her father and Katherine, "Can Kat tell me a bedtime story?" Morgan asked. That was usually Tony's tradition, but Tony looked to Katherine with a shrug and a nod. Katherine scooped Morgan into her arms, holding her on her hip and began making her way upstairs. 

Katherine occupied the first guest room full time - the room eventually becoming her own while the second guest room became Morgans. Katherine entered Morgan's room, her bedside lamp illuminating the room. Katherine placed Morgan's feet on her bed, standing her up, "What jammies do we want?" Katherine asked, approaching Morgan's chest of drawers opposite her bed. She opened the second drawer, "We've got princesses, we've got birds, unicorns, Mickey Mouse or -" Katherine turned around, holding up a tiny pajama shirt, "- monkeys?" 

Morgan smiled with a nod, "Monkeys." She answered.

"Excellent choice." 

Katherine removed Morgan's shirt and jeans and replaced them with soft, cotton pajamas, dancing monkeys printed along the pajamas. Katherine helped Morgan from her bed, prompting her to go to the bathroom. Morgan ran to the en-suite bathroom to brush her teeth before bed. While Morgan brushed her teeth, Katherine threw her clothes into the wash basket in the corner of the room and picked up toys that had strayed from her toy box and returned them to their rightful place - in the toy box at the end of her bed. 

Morgan soon returned, "All done?" Katherine questioned as Morgan walked past her and climbed into her bed. Katherine walked to the other side of her bed, beside the window. She sat in a small armchair beside her bed, "Show me."