Wouldn't Leave You (A Captain America Fan fiction)

Smithsonian and Shots

Chapter 27 - Rachel Stark

Steve takes off from the car park, tearing down the street. We drive around the National Mall first, looking over at all of the monuments. I tell him to pull into a parking spot on the side of a street and he obliges. 

"Let's go," I say, waving him off the bike. 

"Where are we going?" he asks, turning off the bike. I smile over at him. 

"It's a surprise, but I think you'll like it." We walk down the sidewalk side by side as people pass us. We make our way to the Washington Monument, taking a moment so that Steve can take it all in. I snap some pictures, looking over at him as he looks at it in shock. "You can go to the top you know," I say, making my way back over to him. He looks at me in surprise. 

"Is that what we are doing?" I shake my head quickly. 

"It may surprise you, but heights aren't really my thing," I say with a shrug of my shoulders. I point past the monument. "Your surprise is over there." His gaze follows my arm. We make our way down the path, over to the World War II monument. "This is a commemorative site for those who fought in the second world war," I say, searching his face for any emotion. He looks stunned, moved by the gesture. He looks at me with a small smile. 

"This is... something special," he says, his gaze sweeping over the space. After a few minutes of touring the monument, we make our way back to the bike. We ride around the city again, looking at all of the buildings. 

As we turn down a street, I spot a sign. 

"Steve, that's you," I say, removing one of my arms from his midsection slowly, pointing to the banner. He parks the bike again, grabbing two ball caps from one of the bike's saddlebags, handing one to me as we make our way to the steps of the Air and Space Smithsonian. I begin to walk up, heading inside when I notice Steve isn't behind me. I look back, seeing him still standing at the bottom of the steps. I make my way back over to him, confusion taking hold of my mind. I stop on the last step in front of him, scanning his face.

"All I wanted to do was serve," he says, his eyes still glued to the banner. I place my hand gently on his shoulder. "I never wanted all of this." I slide my hand from his shoulder and down his arm, placing my hand into his. 

"We don't have to go in..." 

"No, let's go," he says, squeezing my hand. I drop his hand, feeling the heat come into my cheeks. I link my arm through his, trying to step out of his eye line. We make our way up the steps and through security. As we walk to the escalators, Steve's eyes roam the main floor. 

"Kind of ironic, don't you think?" he asks, smirking over to me. I look up at him in confusion, his joke going over my head for a second. My eyes widen in recognition, my cheeks turning red as Steve chuckles. We follow the signs upstairs and make our way into the exhibit. A light voiceover is playing in different sections of the room. 

A symbol to the nation. A hero of the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery, and sacrifice.

We make our way over to the first wall entitled "Project Rebirth". I watch as a small version of the man I know transforms, the graphic flipping between the two sizes. 

Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique to the annals of American warfare. One that would transform him into the world's first Super-Soldier.

He looks over to me and raises an eyebrow and scoffs a little. I shoot him a confused look. He pulls me closer to him so that he can keep a low profile.