𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐨|| 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 [𝟏]

Chapter Forty-One

"I'm sorry about your father, Elizabeth. He's-" Cassie's mother said, as she poured tea for herself, Peggy, Cassie and Bucky.

"Not changed one bit." Cassie finished, not looking up at her mothers scolding look.

"I was going to say, overwhelmed with emotions. But I guess you could say that as well." Amanda Carter said with a sigh as she sat down in the armchair.

"But Dad has always been kind to me," Peggy said confused,

"Yes, but you see your father always wanted a son for the first child. So he was always harder on poor Elizabeth growing up. But when she went missing in America, your father calmed down." the older woman said,

"Is that why you were so nervous to come here?" The brunette man asked as he sat beside his fiancé on the couch.

"Yes, I didn't know if he'd change around me," Cassie said before she placed the rim of the mug to her lips, "I guess he hasn't." She added as she placed her cup back on the table,

"Tea coster." Her mother smiled at her,

"Sorry." Cassie laughed placing the mug on the coster,

"Okay, enough with the sad talk. Elizabeth, tell me how did you meet this fine gentleman like yourself." The grey-haired woman said with a grin, and a blush started to make its way on the redheads face,

"Mum," Cassie whined as she places her head in her hands embarrassed,

she heard Bucky laugh as he placed a hand on his dolls knee, "I first saw Cassie when I was 16, and she was 15. It was a few days I think before school started back again. And my best friend and I went to Queens to see the circus. It was actually the circus Cassie was performing at. She was doing trapeze, and she was amazing at it may I say. But a few days later she came to our school after running from the circus. And that's how we became best friends."

"Wow, that's an impressive story." The older woman said,

"Yeah, it was definitely fun growing up in Brooklyn with Bucky and Steve." Cassie laughed thinking of all the time the three got in trouble,

"Steve? Is he the other boy?" Amanda asked and Cassie nodded her head,

"Yeah, but he's. He's changed quickly a bit. Growing up he was small and scranny. But now he's big and tall." Bucky replied with a chuckle,

"Yes? Did he work out a lot?" She questioned and the three young adults laughed,

"No mum. He was experimented on. Captain America?" Peggy questioned with a laugh,

"Yes, I know who Captain America is, everyone does. But I asked did your friend work out to get bigger?" She asked again and Cassie laughed,

"No, Mum. Steve, my best friend. Is Captain America." The redhead explained, before taking another sip of her tea,

"Wait, you know the Captain?" Her mother asked shocked, and Cassie and Bucky nodded their heads.

"Yup," Bucky said taking a sip of the tea, "Is this the tea you make?" He asked the girl beside him,

she hummed in response with a smile on her face, "The new shop beside Ms Robins boutique. It sells sweets you can get here in England." She explained with a smile.

"Sweets?" Bucky questioned with a raised eyebrow

"Candy." Cassie put on her American accent to say it,

"Oh right." The brunette laugh shaking his head,

"Darling, if I may ask. What are you actually doing back in England? Not that I'm complaining, I'm just confused." Amanda asked, facing the two

"Well, Peggy gave me the offer to become an agent for the SSR. And then we came to England to the base here." Cassie explained, leaving out the bit about her joining the war with the howling commandos,

"Well, I have two daughters that are agents and a son in law that a Sargent in the American army." The woman laughs as does everyone else,

"Technically I'm an archer, trapeze woman and tight rope walker as well." Cassie quietly added, and bucky rolled his eyes,

"You know how many heart attacks you gave me you claimed to goddam fucking trees?" He scolds the redhead beside him,

"Come on, they were fun to climb. I loved hanging upside down on them, that was the best." She laughed,

"Wait did you mention you're an archer as well?" Her mother asked and the redhead nodded her head,

"When I grew up in the circus I always loved the thrill of archery. So I asked the guy that did archery there if he could teach me a few things." Cassie smiled,

*****

"Wait, so why do we have to do this?" Cassie asked as the iconic trio stood behind a stone wall in their uniforms,

"It's a video for the future," Howard explain excitedly,

"A video for the future- and what's that?" Steve asked confused pointing to the big camera,

"Oh, it's my own video camera I made," Howard said with a proud grin,

"A video camera?" Cassie asked "Howard, we grew up in Brooklyn, not Manhattan." Cassie laughed,

"Right, yes. You see it's like a camera. But instead of just taking a picture, it takes a longer picture with movement." He explained, "But I still hadn't figured out how to get sound on it though." He sheepishly said,

"Okay... and we do what?" Bucky slowly asked looking at the Camra like it was an alien from outer space.

"Just act natural," Peggy informed the three from beside Howard,

"Okay, now this is where my performing skills will come in," Cassie muttered with a grin,

"What?" Steve and Bucky said in unison looking at the redhead confused,

"Oh, nothing." She smirked and sending bucky a wink,

"So, how do you act natural?" Steve asked as Cassie gave him a 'real' look, "Well, I'm sorry but I wasn't in the circus for nearly ten years. I'm not used to performing for that long."

"Whatever you say, star-spangled man with a plan." Cassie jokes with a grin, "Wait, let me ask you this, what shoes size are you now? Because when I last check you used to stuff newspaper in your shoes to make you taller. You go from a size 6 to 12.5?" She teases,

"Puberty hit him like a bus." Bucky laughed from beside Cassie,

"So true." Cassie laughed with Bucky,

"Can we stop making fun of me?" Steve asked as the couple calmed down,

"It's teasing. Learn the difference." Cassie wiped a tear that came out of her eye, "Oh, that was funny."

"Yeah, pal. Listen to Cassie." Bucky said as he wrapped his arm around Cassie's waist,

"See, this is it. Just act like you three are friends." Howard said with a grin from behind the camera,

"But we are friends," Bucky laughed glancing at his two best friends,