It's Forbidden

Suit Up

Steve needed to hear Aspen's voice. It may be the last time. He didn't want to think that way, but, it very well, may be the last time, he got to hear his sisters voice, and he had to, Bucky had already talked to her and they didn't know how much longer she could be on the phone. They knew nothing.

Steve was impatient, and he was hurting, and he was scared. And he just needed to hear Aspen's voice. He needed to talk to her. He needed to tell her everything was going to be okay, even if he didn't know whether or not it would, even if he didn't know what would happen, even if he didn't mean it, because he didn't want her to be scared.

She was always scared. Rightfully so. Because of everything that had happened. But he didn't want her to be scared anymore. He wanted to tell her it was going to be okay and try to make her feel at least a little bit better if he could. She shouldn't be scared the way she always was. It wasn't right or fair. He wanted to help her whatever way he could.

He walked over to Bucky and he took the phone, talking to Aspen. "Aspen?" He asked, making sure it was her. He knew Bucky was talking to her before, but he wanted to hear it for himself, he needed to hear it for himself.

As Aspen heard her brothers voice over the phone, she tried to pull herself together, stay calm, she tried to do that with Bucky too, but it was no use, she couldn't hide her emotions from him, same with Steve, but she still wanted to at least try to put a brave face on for him. She smiled as she heard his voice, trying to make her voice not waver when she spoke. "Stevie?"

Steve's eyes flooded with tears. There was no hiding it. He was worried for his sister. He wanted to stay strong, but how could he? He still wanted to tell her everything was going to be okay. He wanted to make her believe it. He wanted to try and ease her mind. "You're going to be okay." He tells her. "We're gonna find you." He says.

Aspen tried her best not to cry, she played it off with a little chuckle and shook her head, even though he couldn't see her, and she couldn't even see. Her eyes were still covered. She pulled herself together and thought about it again. This may be the last time she spoke to her brother. She needed him to know that despite all their fighting, she loved him.

"I love you Stevie." She whispers to him through the phone. She wasn't crying anymore. She figured she cried all of her tears, and crying wouldn't help anyone in the situation she was in anyway. Her tear ducts were dry and she decided that was best. There was no point.

Steve knew what she was doing. And he told her what she wanted to hear, because as much as he wanted to tell her, like Bucky did, that she could just tell him when they got back, he knew there was a chance she wouldn't be able to, they would find her, but he knew they may not find her alive.

"I love you too sis." Steve tells her. He wiped his tears from his cheeks and looked at Bucky who was losing it beside him. He was fighting the urge to snatch the phone back from Steve. "You're gonna be okay." Steve tells Aspen again. He still wanted her to fight like hell.

There was no telling what could happen, so he still wanted her to fight as hard as she could to stay alive. And he wanted her to fight as long as she possibly could. And she would fight. She would fight for Steve. She would fight for Bucky. But she needed to hear it from Bucky, because she knew if he didn't say I love you back, and something happened, he would never forgive himself.

"I need Bucky, Stevie." Aspen tells Steve. He knew what she was talking about even if she hadn't explained it yet. "I need him to say it." She tells him. "If I-he'll regret not saying it. I need to hear it." Aspen tells him.

Steve needed Aspen to stay positive. And he didn't know if Bucky would change his mind and tell Aspen so he had to chose his words wisely. "He loves you." Steve tells her. She knew this. Of course he loved her. And she loved him. But that wasn't the point.

"More than anything." Steve adds. "Just like I do." Je tells her, trying to lighten the mood a little bit and get her to shift her focus in case Bucky didn't change his mind and tell her. Bucky shook his head, not at Steve, or Aspen, he was overwhelmed with emotion and he tried to shake it off, but couldn't.

"He'll tell you when we find you. Alive." Steve tells her. Aspen takes a deep breath and she feels a hand on her shoulder. She chokes back a sob and clears her throat, trying to pull herself together. "My times up." Aspen tells Steve.

Bucky heads this, and he takes the phone away from Steve. He changed his mind, he needed to tell her, just in case. He needed to hear her voice, one last time. "Baby I love you. More than anything." Bucky tells her. Fighting back tears. He was sad and angry and scared and he wanted Aspen.

"I love you Jamie." Aspen whispers to him. Smiling. She heard it. And he said it. And now, if anything did happen, he wouldn't feel guilty about not saying it, because he said it. "Now you don't get to give up Because you heard me say it." Bucky tells her. "Do you hear me?" He asks.

"I won't." Aspen tells him. She had no intention of giving up. But she knew the reality of the situation. "I wouldn't give up on you. I just..I needed to hear it." Aspen tells him. And then the phone is taken from her, and it's hung up.

They had been on the phone long enough for Tony to track the call. "I got her location off the call." Tony tells the team. "It's most likely a trap so we have to be carful." He says. Because it was so easy to find her location, it was too easy. "Everyone suit up."