ONLY YOU » STEVE ROGERS [EDITING]

18 /| old nightmares

e i g h t e e n

*•.*

"GET UP," a voice shouted, startling Geneva awake. Natasha stood over her, gun in hand. "You can't just pass out on me like that in the middle of a fight Geneva."

She groaned, remembering that they were in the middle of a fight. Geneva stood ignoring the pain in her head, quickly shooting at a man behind Nat. "Try not to push me into a fucking pole next time Natasha."

"I saved you from a bullet." Then the redhead smirked. "I missed these moments between us, but you've gotta watch the language. You never know who's listening."

Gen rolled her eyes, kicking a heavily armed man over the rusted railing of the Salvage Yard. Ultron had led them there on his quest for Vibranium, the worlds strongest metal.

"Thor. Status," Steve demanded over the comms. She missed the answer. Geneva looked over into the chaos ensuing below them. Ultron's lackeys, the Maximoffs and more robots, were intent on taking the Avengers out. The arms dealer, Ulysses Klaue, had men all around the ship. They seemed to be failing at their jobs, but that was to be expected.

"I can't tell if we're winning or losing," Geneva said as she turned back, only to find that Natasha was no longer there. "Nat?" She tapped her earpiece but there was only a crackle in response. The noise in the ship fell away and so did the walls, only one thing remained.

Someone tugged at her sleeve. All the breath in her lungs left her as she stared at the little girl; a girl she'd known so long ago. The child's dark eyes held such a deep sadness that Geneva felt pulled to the feeling with just one look.

"Help me find my way," the girl said quietly, attempting to tug Geneva toward a dark room. Gen didn't move, she couldn't. The girl struggled. "Please. Please help me." With tears flowing down her cheeks, the girl looked back at Geneva. Her brown skin was sickly pale as she continued to tug at the frozen woman.

"I can't," Geneva said, her voice barely a whisper. She easily broke away from the girl. "I can't help you." Geneva knew what the girl needed, but she also knew she could not give it to her.

Sobbing, the girl sank down to her knees. "How can you help anyone?" Another voice asked. It was Steve. His eyes weren't the ones she knew so well. Geneva couldn't tear her gaze away from him, even as the girl's sobs grew. Steve grabbed her tightly—painfully—forcing her eyes back to the little girl. His voice was rough and menacing. "When you can't even help yourself?"

Geneva looked at the tiny girl—the young and terrified version of herself. She felt empty. Her younger self had not yet experienced the horrors of the world but she knew that they were approaching. Geneva couldn't save her past self from that: there'd be no point. "It's too late."

Steve shoved her away, and into the darkness. "You were always his."

Always.

STEVE ROGERS HAD LIVED THROUGH enough nightmares to last a lifetime. He was plagued by them even when his eyes were closed. The war had been the reason for many of his sleepless nights and would probably continue to be. He'd also had a recurring nightmare in which he was drowning. Right before the water completely filled his lungs, he always woke in a cold sweat. He couldn't sleep for days after he had nightmares like those. Steve was terrified of the ocean, of any body of water really. He had never admitted that aloud though. How could the world go on if it knew Captain America was afraid to go for a swim?

It couldn't.

He had also dreamt of aliens. Yet none of those compared to the nightmare Wanda Maximoff, a name he'd now never forget, handed him on a silver platter. He'd made it home from the war but everything was wrong. He didn't want to celebrate, not even with Peggy. Yes, they'd won, but how could he celebrate when so much of everything reminded him of the war—of what he'd lost? Still, Steve never dreamed of what ifs because that would kill him long before his heart ever gave out. Then he'd seen Geneva, and it suddenly didn't feel like a nightmare.

But then it did.

Steve had begun running as soon as he'd seen her wobble, but it didn't matter how much he pushed his limbs: he wouldn't make it. She hit the ground and Steve could've sworn his heart stopped. Then he fell to his knees beside her, his fingers snaking to her neck.

Nothing. She didn't have a pulse. That was worse than anything he could've ever imagined. He couldn't bear to lose anyone else in his life especially not her. The feeling was one he hoped he'd never have to experience again. It was like drowning, but there wasn't a drop of water in sight.

He couldn't breathe until she dissolved into nothing, his hands grasping air. He'd then stumbled back into the real world and into the chaos that was his life.

And chaos it was.

In no less than thirty minutes the fall of the world's mightiest heroes had begun. It started with fear and hatred, and it would end with death and destruction.

author's note

anyway, i don't like this chapter :( but that's nothing new. it's short too but that's because i don't want to aou to last forever. we got a little of steve's thoughts here and geneva's vision. it might be a little hard to follow? thanks for reading! don't forget to vote and comment.

-syd