Forget Me Not

1: 12

Bucky woke up for a brief moment and noticed Steve and his daughters. As quickly as he was able, he checked their pulses and shook his head. "Amazing."

He shivered and his eyes slowly closed.

---

After Steve, Bucky, Evelyn and Rebecca had been missing for some time, the soldiers awoke in a 1940's hospital, in their room, and heard a baseball game on an old radio. A woman walked into the room.

The Dodgers announcer said over the radio, "Curve ball, high and outside for ball one. So the Dodgers are tied, 4-4. And the crowd well knows that with one swing of his bat, this fellow's capable of making it a brand-new game again. Just an absolutely gorgeous day here at Ebbets Field. The Phillies have managed to tie up at 4-4. But the Dodgers have three men on. Pearson beaned Reiser in Philadelphia last month. Wouldn't the youngster like a hit here to return the favor? Pete leans in. Here's the pitch. Swung on. A line to the right. And it gets past Rizzo. Three runs will score. Reiser heads to third. Durocher's going to wave him in. Here comes the relay, but they won't get him." The door opened and an agent walked in, followed by two little girls who ran up to their father.

"Good morning," the agent greeted as she checked her watch. "Or should I say, afternoon?"

"Where am I?" Steve and Bucky asked.

"You're in a recovery room in New York City."

"The Dodgers take the lead, 8-4. Oh, Dodgers! Everyone is on their feet. What a game we have here today, folks. What a game indeed."

Steve and Bucky looked at her suspiciously as the former asked, "Where are we really?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"This game, it's from May, 1941. We know because we were there." He and Bucky, holding Rebecca, got up from the bed. "Now, I'm gonna ask again. Where are we?"

"Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes..." She secretly pushed an alarm.

"Who are you?" Steve and Bucky demanded.

Evelyn nodded. "Yeah. Who are you?"

Two soldiers in black uniforms entered the room and Steve knocked them through the wall. They realized they were in a made-up set and ran out.

"Captain Rogers, Sergeant Barnes, Evelyn, Rebecca, wait!" the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent said before speaking into a comm. "All agents, code 13! I repeat. All agents, code 13!"

---

Steve, Bucky, Evelyn and Rebecca found themselves in 2011's Time Square. They looked around in shock. Numerous SUVs encircled them and Fury stepped out of one of the vehicles.

"At ease, soldiers, girls!" Fury said. "Look, I'm sorry about that little show back there, but... we thought it best to break it to you four slowly."

"Break what?" Steve and Bucky asked.

"You've been asleep, Cap, Sergeant, girls. For almost seventy years." Steve and Bucky looked around him in shock. "You two gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I just... I had a date," Steve answered, the memories of his last conversation with Peggy playing in his head. He figured she was gone and that he'd never see her again.

Bucky's gaze fell and he sighed. "I don't know." While he was excited to see the future, he never thought he'd do it without Madeleine. And now he had to. At least Evelyn and Rebecca were with him.

---

Steve was pummeling a punching bag in the gym and in anger, knocked his punching bags off its chain, sending it flying across the room when Fury entered. Bucky sat with his girls who were spinning around and doing flips.

"Trouble sleeping?" Fury asked.

"You're here with a mission, sir?" Steve and Bucky questioned.

"I am."

"Trying to get us back in the world?" Steve asked.

"Trying to save it."

Bucky met Fury's eyes. "Count me out. I want to raise my girls."

Fury nodded. "Very well. Someone will find you when we need you."

Bucky shouldered his bag and took Evelyn and Rebecca's hands. "Don't come calling too soon."

He glanced at Steve. "All the best luck."

Steve nodded. "You as well. Wait. There's something I need to give you." He pulled a letter from his bag. "This is from Maddi. I don't know how it survived, but it did."

Bucky took the letter. "Meet me back at the apartment. We can read it together. She was your friend too."

"You should read it first. I'll meet you there later."