Not Without You: Book 1 (Canon-Divergence Stucky Fix-it-Fic)

Twenty

Having changed into some fatigues, so he'd blend in made Steve want to fidget, but didn't. Instead, he walked fast. Meanwhile, Tony beside him -- newly dressed in a 70s era suit -- decided to talk to stop himself from fidgeting.

"Clearly, you weren't actually born here, right?" Tony attempted to keep his pace up with Steve's despite having shorter legs.

Steve rolled his eyes and clarified, "The idea of me was."

"Right," Tony nodded, looking around, scanning the grounds, and peeking in windows, "Well, imagine you're S.H.I.E.L.D., running a quasi-fascistic intelligence organization. Where do you hide?"

Subtly, Steve gestured towards the building he was looking at, the one where he had found Zola with Nat. The one that had been blown up to kill them, Steve reasoned, "In plain sight."

So, the pair headed for the building. Managing unnoticed for the most part, even if Steve was nervous that he'd be recognized. Especially in the elevator where a woman looking over a file glanced up at Steve one too many times to make him comfortable. Even making Tony cautious as he took a step forward to block her line of sight.

However, with their different objects, the pair were set for two different floors. Tony happened to get off first, making Steve's palms itch when the woman asked, "You're new here?"

Steve shifted uncomfortably, "Not exactly."

Once Steve's floor came, he exited with a sigh of relief. He briskly walked down the semi-crowded hallway and looked for a phone. Finding one, he dialed the correct number and waited while it rang. Hiding out of sight as he hoped that no one was watching him.

When the phone answered, Steve greeted, "Hello. Dr. Pym?"

"That would be the number that you called, yes."

Rolling his eyes, Steve tried to remind himself to stay focused, "This is Captain Stevens from shipping. We have a package for you."

Dismissively, Dr. Hank Pym said, "Bring it up."

"Well, that's the thing, sir --" I need you out of the lab "-- We can't."

"I'm confused. I thought that was your job."

God, he's even more of a prick than Tony. Didn't know that was possible!

"Well, it's just -- Sir, the box is glowing," Steve easily lied, "And, to be honest, some of our mail guys aren't feeling that great."

"They didn't open it, did they?" He sounded nervous, bingo.

"Yeah, they did," Steve bit back his grin, "You better get down here."

Bursting from his lab, Pym ran down the hallway, yelling at people to get out of his way as he weaved through them. Steve hung up the phone and took one glance around himself to make sure the coast was clear before entering the lab. There was a lot of stuff that Steve didn't have a clue about, but he didn't have enough time to casually peruse his inventions. He had a mission. Small vials of red liquid.

Eyes scanning into glass observatory boxes, Steve walked further into the lab. Then, he found them. Grinning, Steve carefully grabbed four vials and paused for a moment. Wondering if he should take more. After assuming that once they brought everyone back, Pym could just create more if they needed them in the future, Steve left.

Speed walking on his way to meet up with Tony. Praying that he found the Tesseract and didn't fu--

"And you've never seen these two men before?"

Steve spotted the woman from the elevator talking to a guard, and felt his skin prickle. As they got closer, Steve ducked into a dark office. Hiding off to the side once inside as he waited for the woman and guard to pass him. As he turned his head, he did a double take when he noticed the pictures on the desk.

Or rather, recognized the beautiful brunette in them.

Glancing at the door, Steve found:

Margaret Carter
Director

A small, nostalgic smile stretched Steve's lips as he looked over the portrait of Peggy in a white short-sleeve lace gown along with a handsome brunet in a wide black suit. Peggy's hair was pinned back, away from her face, while his hair was slicked back the same way Bucky used to wear it for special occasions. His left hand was grasping onto a wooden cane while his other was playfully shoving a piece of wedding cake into Peggy's face. Not that she wasn't doing the same with smearing the piece along his mouth.

Beside it, there was a picture of a little girl, no older than three, with bouncy, wild brown curls and Peggy's smile. In her chubby hands was a small frog. Clearly, she had caught it herself considering the mud covering her pastel pink dress and clumping in her hair.

Scanning to another picture, that one of a little boy, no older than six. His brown hair was just as wild as the girls as he flashed a missing-tooth grin. The right half of his white shirt was tucked into his brown shorts while the left side hung over. Normal kid bruises dotted his legs the same way they had in Steve's youth from climbing trees -- even against Bucky's pleas.

For half a second, Steve thought about how he was written to have that life with Peggy. How history books claimed they were lovers and how she was set to marry him, and isn't it such a shame that he sacrificed himself, so she, and everyone else could live? How heartbroken she must be. Now she has to settle for someone else instead of the Great Captain America.

Steve never really liked what history books claimed about him, but over the years, he had grown to hate it. How dare they see Director Margaret Carter and think that she was nothing more than a woman that Steve might have married? She was intelligent and determined and more courageous than Steve had Ever been. And definitely more than just an almost love interest! Peggy deserved everything that she had because she worked her ass off for it and made it possible for women to follow in her lead.

Even if Steve had been found, he knew, deep in his bones, that he wouldn't have married Peggy. His heart belonged to Bucky. Had belonged to him long before he realized it at the age of sixteen. And Steve knew that loving Peggy with a heart that was broken and scarred wasn't a good enough way to love her.

Looking over the pictures of Peggy and her husband and their children, Steve hoped --

A door opened in the room connected to Peggy's office. Steve startled, watching as Peggy walked into the room and threw her head back in annoyance at whatever the man who followed her in said. Steve's heart twitched in his chest, knowing that expression very well and missing the way she used to call him dramatic.

Throat tightening with emotion, Steve stepped closer to the window. On his side, the blinds were down, but open. He didn't step too close, just enough to really look at her. Wrinkles were visible around her eyes and mouth, and tears started building in his eyes. She might not have been the love of his life, but she was one the best friends a man could ask for.

After he came out of the ice to find that she was still alive, it had been a weight lifted off his chest. Even after finding out that she dealt with Alzheimer's and watching the sad unraveling of her linear line of time, it was still a relief. And when he got the text that she had passed, it hurt. He didn't get to say goodbye. Not really. At the time he had been busy trying to keep autonomy over himself and protect his teammates while still looking for Bucky.

With a sad smile and a tear rolling over his cheek, Steve softly said, "Goodbye, Pegs."

Wiping the tear from his face, Steve turned and peeked his head out of the office. Once he found the coast was clear, he left the building, looking for Tony. Finding him talking to Howard, Steve paused, not wanting to interrupt that. After all, he didn't get his moment with him either.

Eventually, Tony spotted him and Howard left. Steve hoped that Tony felt as light as he did in that moment. If nothing else, Steve was glad for this detour.