oh captain, my captain |STEVE ROGERS 1|

23

"I need to look for Steve." I ripped myself from Sam's grip and staggered towards the water. "He's gotta be here somewhere."

"Maeve--"

"He's out there, Sam!" I yelled, pushing myself towards the water's edge. "We have to find--" That's when I saw him, washed up on the bay. I sprinted to him without a second thought.

"Steve!" I skid on my knees next to him and I felt my stomach twist in the most painful way. His face was beaten, there were multiple gunshot wounds on him, the one that caught my eye was the stomach shot. When I touched him, he was ice cold. "Oh god, Steve."

My hands shook as I tried to find a pulse. I pressed my fingers to his throat, and I felt nothing. My throat closed and I let out a strangled gasp. I grabbed his face and shook him slightly.

"Steve, don't do this to me." My voice was breaking, and felt tears just cascading down my face. "Hill, I need an emergency unit to the east side of the fountain, Rogers is down."

"Maeve, I don't think..." Sam trailed off as I pulled Steve in my lap, trying not to lose my mind.

"You're fine, Steve. You're fine. You're fine." I repeated over and over again, clutching onto him and putting my forehead on his.

"EMTs on the way, Stirling." Hill said over the comms, but her voice was sad. "Maybe 30 minutes."

I squeezed my eyes shut as I brushed back Steve's hair. I gave him a shaky smile. "You've got help coming, my love. You just have to stay strong." I couldn't deal with the scene that was in front of me, so I just placed my head lightly on his chest.

"I don't know if you remember," I laughed softly. "but when you walked into Pattie's eight months ago, I just about fainted. You had the most beautiful smile I think I've ever seen." I just kept running my hand through his hair as Sam paced around.

I felt my face crumple and I let out a sob. "You said we were going to get through this together. You and me." I shook my head rapidly. "You can't leave me like this. I knew I was going to lose you to the job, but not like this. Please not like this."

"Maeve, he's gone." Sam said gently as he crouched next to me. "There wasn't anything either of us could do."

"He can't go like this!" I yelled, pushing a hand towards Sam, making him fly back a good couple of yards. "You're not dead, Steve, you--you--" A cry of pain escaped my lips as I clutched onto his uniform. My fingernails were probably bleeding. "You're not going to die."

I let my hands hover his chest and gold tendrils flowed out of my hands, into his body. "Just say with me, Steve."

✪ ✪ ✪ 

Steve walked through a large dimly lit ball room with a huge chandelier in the middle. He was wearing a nice suit with a tie and shiny black shoes. He didn't know why he was there, standing in the middle of ballroom under the chandelier.

He tried to remember how he got here, but Maeve's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Hey there, handsome." Steve's jaw dropped when he saw her. Her long brown curls cascaded down her shoulders, framing her gorgeous face. She had that rosy-cheeked smile on her face that he loved so much. She was also wearing a white wedding dress, her hands clutching a bouquet of daisies. "You clean up nice."

"Maeve," he smiled and cupped the side of her face. "You look stunning."

"You're not too bad yourself, Rogers." She grinned up at him. "Are you ready?"

He pulled her closer while raising his eyebrows. "For what?"

She laughed. "Don't tell me you forgot we're getting married, Steven." Before he could even react, she took his hands and rubbed her thumbs over the backs of his hands, making him forget any sense of urgency he had.

"Hey, Stevie." Bucky was suddenly standing next to them, Sam and Natasha right next to him. He was wearing his old military uniform, his hair short again. He looked healthy again. Bucky clapped his shoulder. "Can't believe you managed to snag the girl."

"Buck," Maeve chided, smiling sweetly.

"Good luck, Cap." Sam chuckled, sending Maeve a playful glare.

Natasha hugged Maeve while handing her a velvet box as Bucky handed him an identical box. Steve could feel his heart rapidly beating in his chest as Maeve opened the box and took out a gold band. He copied her motion, but the ring in his hand was delicate wedding ring, the diamond tangled in thin vines of gold.

"I don't know if you remember," She said, taking his left hand. "but when you walked into Patties eight months go, I just about fainted. You had the most beautiful smile I think I've ever seen. You said we're going to do this together."

"We are, Mae." Steve said, taking her delicate hand. "I'm going to love you forever. I can't wait to spend my life with the girl that willingly jumps out of a plane for me." Maeve was crying as she slipped the band onto his finger and he did the same to her. 

"You said we were going to get through this together. You and me." Steve felt his features scrunch in confusion as Maeve's face turned into sorrow. "You can't leave me like this. I knew I was going to lose you to the job, but not like this. Please not like this." She gripped his suit jacket.

"Mae, I'm not leaving you." Steve cupped her face, which was wet with tears. "I love you. All my eggs are in your basket, remember? Are you alright?"

"You're not dead, Steve, you--you--" She let out a strangled cry, falling against him. Surprise flooded his features as he held her up.

"Mae, I'm right here, I'm--" Her face changed in front of his his eyes. In a flash, her hair was up, face dirty and bloody with tear tracks flowing down her face and she was in her Countessa suit. When he blinked, she was back in her wedding dress, smiling pleasantly.

"Steve, you have to wake up." Golden light flooded out of Maeve's hands and into Steve's chest. "You have to wake up for me." Her face flickered again and Steve felt pain in his stomach.

"Mae?" He asked, gasping for breath. "Mae, I can't breathe."

"You're okay, my love, just open your eyes. Look at me." The perfect world around him rotted away, leaving Steve cold and terrified. He clutched onto Maeve and she held onto him just as tightly. "Look at me, Steve."

His eyes snapped open, his lungs taking in a gulp of cold air.