Infatuation One Shots | Bucky Barnes

A Letter to Me

A/N: I can't remember who requested this, but someone wanted to know what Catherine's reaction to the letter she gave Steve before he left. I'm not 100% positive what the timeline is since Steve went back to be with Peggy. So, this is going to be an alternative timeline. Tony and Catherine's parents still died, but Bucky didn't take her. Please enjoy! This one was fun to write.

California, 2007

It was suppose to be Catherine's graduation party, but Tony saw it as another opportunity to throw an extravagant party. There had to be at least a hundred people, if not more. Most of the people were Tony's friends and a good mix of models. No one she went to school with attended. She never really had friends growing up. It was hard when you were known as the girl who's parents died in a car accident with her in the backseat.

Those who did want to be friends with her only wanted the opportunity to get famous or rich off her. That was what led to her sitting at the bar sipping on a coke. She could have snuck the bartender a hundred dollar bill in exchange for alcohol, but there were far too many wondering eyes in the Malibu mansion. The only people that seemed to be there for her was Tony's assistant, Pepper, their bodyguard/driver, Happy and Tony's best friend, Rhodey.

It was suppose to be an exciting time in her life. She was done with high school and potentially school as a whole. However, she was lost. Very, very lost. No matter how much Tony pushed her, she didn't want to go to college. It just wasn't her. She could live off her inheritance, but she wanted to make a difference. She didn't want to just sit on her butt all day doing nothing.

"Miss Stark." Happy spoke, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" She asked.

"There's someone at the door for you." He told her.

Catherine stood up and smoothed out her blush colored dress before making her way to the front door. Taking his coat off was someone who she hadn't been expecting. Steve Rogers. Captain America. Her father's best friend. Someone she was extremely close to. At 89 years old, the man shouldn't have been traveling. However, the super soldier serum in his veins made life a little easier for him.

She had always been close to him as well as his wife, Peggy Carter. Especially after her parents died. Peggy and Steve always had the best stories. Tony wasn't as close to Steve as she was. Every conversation they had seemed to end an argument. It pained Catherine that they didn't have the same relationship as Steve and her, but she would never utter that out loud.

"Steve!" she said excitedly as he finally looked at her with kind, blue eyes.

It was an odd thing to watch Catherine grow up. This wasn't the Catherine he knew though. She was different. When he went back in time, he swore he wouldn't prevent anything from happening. Bucky's death. Howard's death. He wouldn't tell anyone about Hydra. He wouldn't tell Catherine about her life and what happened to the two of them. It was incredibly difficult at times. Especially, the older Tony and Catherine got.

Steve tried his best to guide them down the right path, but he had his limits. This was what he wanted though. A life with Peggy. And that was what he got.

Catherine was only eighteen. She had just graduated from high school that morning. While she had some similarities to the Catherine he knew, this Catherine was lost. Slightly immature. She was still kind. Still smart and witty. Mostly, she wanted to help people.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it to your graduation." Steve apologized.

She shook her head and looked up at him with a smile. "It's alright. It was quite boring actually. Peggy couldn't come?"