𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍━︎━︎P. Carter ✓︎

𝐓𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR:
TO BE WHOLE AGAIN

THE PLAN WAS QUICK AND simple. And a lot of it involved Evelyn being a distraction. The world hadn't lost captain America all that long ago, and of course everyone knew who his twin sister was. She got stopped on the street more than she'd like to admit, either that or people avoided her at all costs and stood back, staring at her with pity dancing in their eyes because even though the entire world had lost such an amazing and inspiring hero, it had been Evelyn who had lost her twin brother, the last member of her immediate family.

Half the time she couldn't stand going into public. The only place she dared to step foot in was the café that wasn't too far from her and Peggy's shared apartment and that was because she was good friends with the waitress who went by the name of Dottie, the curly blonde having demanded that Evelyn visit her more than once a week so that she could just check in on her. Even if Dottie had to slip her in through the back door so that she could avoid everyone, the waitress was concerned about her friend and she was the only one that didn't throw pity her way twenty-four-seven.

With that being said, she was hesitant on going through with this plan, but it wasn't about her. Her main goal was to get Howard Stark out of town and keep him away from the police. The blonde stood in one of the many bathrooms inside of the giant Stark mansion. Her hands were pressed against the sink, her eyes closed as she took deep breaths, trying to calm the headache that she could feel forming in the back of her head. They had to do this tonight, because if they didn't, Stark might not be able to escape.

A knock came on the bathroom door, causing Evelyn to look up, spotting Peggy standing in the doorway. She was leaned against the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Evelyn. The blonde turned her gaze away from her, turning on the sink and allowing water to fill her hands before splashing her face with it. Peggy carefully took a few steps forwards, an arm falling to her side whilst the other reached towards Evelyn. She placed a hand on Evelyn's shoulder, pushing the hair off of her shoulder as it fell down her back.

     "Are you sure that you're prepared for this?" Peggy gently asked her. Peggy care about Evelyn more than she'd like to admit. Ever since they'd met at that training camp, she couldn't help but feel protective of her. And since Steve had died, she felt like it was her responsibility to make sure that she was there when Evelyn fell so that she could hold out her hand and pull her up again. She didn't want Evelyn to do anything she was uncomfortable, and one thing she knew for sure was that she absolutely despised being out in public.

Evelyn stared down at the sink, closing her eyes tightly for a moment as she took a deep breath, looking up and meeting Peggy's eyes once more. The brunette grabbed a towel, holding it out for Evelyn to take. She took it, drying her face before managing a small smile in thanks. Peggy closed the lid of the toilet before sitting down on it, watching as Evelyn turned so that her back was facing the sink and she was facing the door. She turned her head to look at Peggy, pursing her lips for a moment before forcing herself to nod.

     "Does it matter?" Evelyn asked, shrugging her shoulders. "I came here to help my friend, and I will continue to do that until I know that he is safe and out of the grasp of people that want to hurt him. I will do whatever it takes to know that he makes it out without being forced to face jail time for something that he didn't do." She pushed a blonde strand out of her face. "I don't care if it makes me uncomfortable, if I can be a distraction to the police long enough to get him out, then I'll do it."

     Peggy looked at her and a small smile started to pull at her lips. Admiration started seeping through her veins as she shook her head slightly. "You really are your brothers sister." She watched as Evelyn bowed her head slightly. "He would be so proud of you, you know." She stood up again, slowly walking to stand in front of Evelyn. "Steve was always so proud of you. He always looked up to you. Even when he was Captain America he was still looking up to you." She placed a hand under Evelyn's chin, lifting her head so that their eyes met. "You meant everything to him, Eve."

     "Then why did he leave?"

     It was a question that made her heart shatter in her chest. She knew that Evelyn understood why he did what he did, but she also knew that her thoughts just twisted sometimes and she couldn't help but be mad at her brother for leaving her alone in this cruel world. She watched the tears fill Evelyn's eyes. "Because he had too. You know that." She placed a hand on her cheek, watching as she nodded.

     "I know." She smiled a sad smile. "It still hurts."

     "And it always will. You lost him so suddenly, he was ripped from your grasp and that's going to leave a hole for a little while. But you will heal, and you'll be okay."

     She found herself leaning into Peggy's touch, finding comfort in it as she closed her eyes. She opened her eyes, looking at Peggy before whispering, "I just want to be whole again."

     "The stages of grief will eventually lead to healing," Peggy promised. Evelyn couldn't help but believe her. The brunette offered the Rogers twin a small smile. "Now, I think that a friend of ours could use our help."

     Evelyn sighed, "And I guess I should go to the police station and demand an interview."

     "You got this."

     And Evelyn believed her.