Eva awoke about an hour later, cold. She didn't see Steve, so she went looking for him. She didn't have to go far. She saw him on the balcony, the door open and the reason she felt the chill.
"Steve?" she asked in a soft but worried tone. "Steve, honey, why are you out here instead of in bed?"
She went to him as he said, "I didn't want to wake you."
Eva knelt next to him. "You don't need to worry about-"
"I should have stayed," he said suddenly, his voice marked with tears.
"What?" That's when she noticed the liquor bottle. "Oh, honey."
"Every time I chose to-" he swallowed the lump choking him, "to be a hero, you got hurt." He sighed. "You deserve better."
"Honey, I love that you chose to save others. You wouldn't be my Steve if you didn't."
He shook his head. "But I left you each time. I couldn't live with myself if you needed me and I wasn't there."
"It's okay, Steve." Her own tears threatened to fall. "It wouldn't be your fault. Besides," she gave him a small, reassuring smile, "you're always with me, Stevie."
It was as if he hadn't heard what she said. "I wasn't there in the forties because I went into the army. Then, the plane crash, and in the present day-" he took a gulp of alcohol before looking at Eva. "I didn't try looking for you."
"I don't blame you for any of that."
He looked at the ground between his feet. "How can you still love me when I keep abandoning you? When I always leave?"
Eva took his face in her hands and made him look at her so he understood what she was saying. "Because you always come back. Now, where is this coming from?"
He leaned back and looked at her as if his world were falling apart in front of him. "Does it matter? Nat's right, isn't she? I always leave."
"No, she isn't."
Eva stood up. Her blood felt like lava in her veins as anger filled her. She turned to walk out of the room. Steve got to his feet, barely able to stand as he went after her.
"Baby, where are you going?" he asked, though he already knew.
She looked at him from the door, her robe fluttering like a dark cape as she replied darkly, "To squash a spider."
YOU ARE READING
Time Unchanging
FanfictionEvelyn "Eva" Richmond is Steve Rogers' fiancee. He thought he had lost her when he woke up in the future. But lucky for him, life had other plans. Eva time-traveled to the future. It seemed like everything was finally working out for the two lovers...
