Enemy Lines (Steve Rogers) - 2

3

Steve glanced across at Mo every so often as they drove out of DC and into more rural surroundings. The house was a couple of hours from there, and she'd spent most of the journey staring out of the window or into her lap. Whereas before she'd been outspoken and confident, she was now quiet and anxious. He'd caught her looking through the SHIELD files every so often. They were all there, The Commandos, Howard, right down to her own. 

"They're just...gone..." She'd said as she stared at Howard's file, "They're all gone..."

Steve had never known her to cry as much as she had done since coming back. Sometimes she'd just sit on the window seat, her favourite place, and stare out of the window for hours, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. It was like he was reliving his own trauma all over again, except he'd had some sense of purpose a month or so after coming back. She'd been here for longer and still had nothing in terms of that. 

She only had him. 

His hand reached over and placed itself onto her knee. Mo flinched slightly but then realised that it was just him. Steve didn't really have to say much, but instead gave her a reassuring smile and carried on driving, eventually coming to their destination just less than a couple of hours later. 

"Where are we?" Mo asked quietly as he turned down the private track that led down to the house. 

"Close your eyes." 

"Because that makes me feel so much better." She smirked a little, "What's going on?" 

Steve chuckled. "If you close your eyes then you'll soon know. Oh and don't try and peek, I know what you're like."  

She did as she was told, closing her eyes and feeling the car come to a stop. "Can I open them now?" 

"Nuh uh - I'm gonna get you out and then when I tell you to open them, then you can"

The car door shut and her passenger side one opened, Steve's hands now taking her own and helping her out. It was quiet, and it sounded as though there were a lot of trees around them. Mo wasn't really one for surprised but knew that he was only trying to help and make her feel a little more upbeat. 

Feeling him behind her, his hands covered her eyes and helped her to walk forward until they came to a stop. "Ok sweetheart...open them..." 

Her eyes opened, Mo now seeing a house in front of them, lined with hydrangea bushes and surrounded by trees and some land. "My goodness..." she breathed and looked around. It was incredibly peaceful, calm. 

It reminded her of her home back in Hampstead. The garden had been her mother's pride and joy and in the summer was rife with colour.  It had been big enough to host garden parties as well as Peggy's engagement party (to 'boring Fred' who she and Micheal had dubbed). Her mother had spent weeks on end planning the party apparently. Mo had been stationed at Hatfield, but had managed to get a pass to attend the event. 

It had been the last that all three Carter siblings had spent together, and for the whole evening, her mother had avoided her - still disgruntled that she was flying planes instead of being like 'or Peg' and settling down. 

The very last time she'd seen her parents had been at Micheal's funeral, and now she regretted not trying to make amends with her mother back then. Her father was a quiet man and had chosen not to come between his wife and daughter during their conflict. In truth, Mo and her mother's relationship had always been a strained one, but now she supposed that she was mainly to blame by going against everything. She had come to realise that Amanda had only wanted the best - for all three of her children. 

"Who lives here?" She asked, walking forward and looking at the house. 

"We do..." 

Mo turned and frowned. "We?"