Falcon & The Winter Soldier Series | FanFiction

Episode 4.1: The Return

A/N: Just a reminder again that Emma Furhman is my Cassie Lang still.

M A D R I P O O R
J U N E 2 0 2 8

   It was night.  It always seemed night in this hive of scum and villainy.  The streets were slick with rain, reflecting the bright and colorful lights from clubs and restaurants surrounding them.  The streets were being further sprinkled with residual drizzle, but it began to act unusual.  The rain began to swirl in a small spot where the fabric of space and time seemed to bend and warp.  It ripped.  It cracked.  A surge of energy spit out, creating an explosive the rattled the street, scaring off the many people walking around.  The explosion was massive enough to send whatever came from it, flying into the side of brick building and tumbling into the wet garbage. 

The man groaned and winced on the wet concrete as he struggled to get up. The stench of the garbage was enough to motivate him however. He stood up, brushed himself off and looked at his surroundings as if he were searching for someone. The man squinted his eyes at the lights in confusion, then noticing a woman stare at him. He walked towards her, careful and analytically, to see if she were a threat. She wasn't, he hoped. All she did was smirk and give him a quick up-down look. "Where am I?" He asked the young woman.

"Madripoor, hot stuff," she answered. "Hey, cute Cap cosplay," she mentioned.

"Huh?"

"Your Captain America cosplay. It's very realistic."

He was still out of it. His eyes began to wander the streetscape. "Where are you from? You just blasted outta nowhere," she questioned.

He didn't answer. He couldn't, really. His gaze wandered again, this time landing on a magazine cover on a rack outside. It was Sharon on the front cover. His heart skipped a few beats and his throat tightened. "You alright? You're looking a little pale."

"Sorry," he muttered and walked past her, making a beeline for the magazine.

It was Sharon in her white suit with her brown trench coat standing and facing the camera with a stern look, crossing her arms. And to him, she looked utterly beautiful. As his eyes started to sting with the urge to cry, he glossed over the mention of the article on her; how she became SHIELD's latest Director. He laughed into a smile. The woman walked slowly towards him, curious what had made him so adamant to rush over to the magazine. "You like her?" She asked.

"Oh, you could say more than that...I..." he muttered, continuing to look down at the cover, studying her every feature. "I need to find a way to the U.S," he said, hoping Sharon would maybe be there.

The woman grinned. "I could hook you up."

"I don't wanna cause too much unwanted attention. I just...I wanna find her."

"Then I'd lose the suit," she smirked.

U P S T A T E N E W Y O R K

   Inside a pizza restaurant, you could hear the faint sound of Italian music that was mostly flooded out by people talking, the sounds of the kitchen, and utensils clinking.  Seated at a booth near a window was RJ and Kate as they were celebrating her 28th birthday, it doubled as a date.  While RJ was on his eight pizza slice and fourth beer, Kate was just finishing up her first couple slices.  No matter what, she was always baffled by how much he could consume and barely gain any weight.   

   The pair had been dating for well over a year now and they were very happy together.  Between missions and training, they would do nearly everything together.  They felt as if they were teenagers, and RJ cherished that since he had no adolescence.  During that time, RJ became a published writer of his first fiction novel and an autobiography.  He felt that it was time to accept who he was and who he became.  He wanted to own his past, despite hating it.  After taking a sip of her beer, Kate rested her head on the palm of her hand, staring fondly at him.  "Doesn't feel like I'm almost 30.  The years have flown by, and many of those were full of angst and sadness."