Six

Today was the day. I was going to meet up with Marina and Luc. Steve had taken control of the situation; he had called Dan and asked to meet with him privately. I wasn't sure what was said at the meeting, but Dan had been very surprised to learn that I wasn't dead. He had obviously kept the DGSE in the dark, and arranged for Marina and Luc, and only Marina and Luc, to be at the Hilton in Paris on the fourth of the month. At this point, Marina and Luc were all that mattered. Marina could decide if I would ever meet her children. Luc would decide if I would ever meet his wife. They needed to know I existed before they could figure out whether I could ever fit into their lives. But Tony had been right; I couldn't live with them thinking I had left and never looked back.

We drove to Paris the day before. It had been a really nice few days with Steve. A really normal few days. We had ordered room service and watched television shows that neither of us were familiar with. He really liked a show called “Friends” and I really liked a show called “Blindspot.” We stayed in bed all of the second, talking, napping, and making love. We had nothing to do for a change and we were content. I was beginning to think that just maybe, I could build a life with this man. We did the same thing as out line of “work”, though we went about it very differently. We were both dedicated to taking down Hydra. Only thing was, I wanted them dead and Steve wanted them in jail.

So now we were on the drive up to Paris. We took turns driving, but no matter which of us was behind the wheel, Steve had my hand firmly grasped in his. We didn't want to let go of each other or be far apart; we both had known extreme loss and we didn't want to do it again.

Halfway there, Steve turned to me. His eyes were bright behind his aviators, his expression pensive. “How come you haven't asked me to help you with any Hydra bases, Six?”

I was quiet a moment, going over what I was going to say in my head. In reality, I would love for him to help me. But what I was doing wasn't something I could ever ask Steve to be complicit in. It wasn't his way.

“Because I can't ask you to take part in a massacre.” I finally admitted. “I can't ask you to do something that would jeopardize every single moral you have.”

“I've killed people before.” He stated, but he looked uncomfortable even admitting as much. Steve wasn't a killer, that's all there was to it. He upheld freedom and justice and would fight til the death for the disadvantaged, but he tried not to take any lives. He'd done it when he had to and it never sat well with him.

“I know. But you don't like to do it, and my whole mission is to shut them down without being seen. I go in knowing I'm the only one who's going to walk out. I want your help, Steve. I really do. But I care enough about you not to ask. Just like you care enough about me not to ask me to stop.”

“I kind of like the dark side of you, to be honest. It's something I don't have, maybe that's why.” Steve shrugged. “But seriously, if there's ever a base too big to take out alone, please call us. Let the Avengers take it down. Or let me bring Wanda and she can memory wipe everyone.”

“Okay.”

He peered at me out of the corner of his eye, and squeezed my hand. “No, I mean it. Please. Do it for me. We can help you.”

I smiled at him. “I promise. If it's something I can't handle, I'll call you.” I paused. “You seem awfully okay with my going into Hydra bases, guns blazing.”

Steve shrugged. “Well I don't like it, but my first love was the same way. And she could handle herself. I've gotten used to it.” He smiled. “It's the life we lead. I don't like it but I have to accept it. Plus I think you're smart enough not to get in over your head.”

I nodded. “Thank you. I have had a bit of training.” I smiled slyly.

“Understatement of the century.” Steve laughed, and we kept driving.

That night we stayed at a small motel on the outskirts of the city. We went to dinner, and saw a movie. We were almost like normal people.

“I could get used to this.” Steve said, taking my hand as we walked back to the inn.

“So could I. Weirdly enough.” I agreed. “I can't believe I've been gone from this kind of thing for so long.” I snaked my arm around his waist, and he grinned and set his around my shoulders. “So when I come to New York, we can do this kind of stuff more often?”

He bent and kissed the side of my forehead. “We can do this all the time.”

We walked another block. He stopped under a streetlight and turned to face me. “When you come to New York, do you want to stay with me?”

“I do.” I nodded. “But do you think that's smart?”

He shrugged. “Probably not, but absolutely nothing we've done so far has been intelligent.”

“I think it might be okay.” I tilted my head to the side, thinking. “I mean, I'll come stay for a bit a couple of times before I'm there permanently. We'll get to see if we are compatible. And then when I'm back, I'll be gone a lot anyway. We'll both have our space.”

“That's true, we're used to being alone.” Steve sighed. “Very alone.” He snapped out of it. “I've never lived with anyone before. Well, that's not true. I lived with a lot of people at the tower. But specifically, never with a woman. It just wasn't done back in my day. But I'm looking forward to it.”

I raised my eyebrows. “To living with a murderous amnesiac who has a lot of baggage?”

“I've been dealing with Bucky for over a year now, and I haven't thrown him off a bridge yet. I'm pretty sure I can deal with another murderous amnesiac.” Steve smiled and kissed me.

And for a moment, under that streetlight in Paris, things were perfect.

* * *

I rapped on the door to room 107 at the Hilton the next morning sharply at 11am. It was a ground floor room. I'd cased the place earlier. It had a sliding door that opened onto a courtyard at the back. I glanced at Steve. He was dressed in a suit; I wore black slacks and a black blazer, with a white silk blouse.

“Are you ready?” Steve asked me.

“No.” I replied, as the door opened. A familiar face stared back at me. It was almost my face. Her complexion was darker, and she was older than me. I drew in a breath. “Marina?” I asked.

She nodded. “Mom?” Her eyes had gone wide. They had known we were coming, it hadn't been a surprise. But still; if it was a shock for me to see her, it must be more so for her. She probably had no memories of me.

I nodded. I wasn't sure what to do, or how to proceed. But she took care of that for me. She took one step forward; I had to consciously keep my defenses from going up with how quickly she moved towards me. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. “I knew you wouldn't leave us on purpose.” She whispered.

I tentatively put my arms around her and returned the embrace. I had my baby in my arms again; it didn't matter how old she was, she was by child. “I'd never leave you. I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay, mom. Steve and Dan told us what happened. It wasn't your fault.” She stepped back and bit her lip. “And you came back.” She seemed to suddenly notice Steve was standing there, and held out her hand. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Barnes... er... Rogers.”

I eyed him. “You told her your name was Steve Barnes?”

He nodded.

“I knew that would be your go-to name.” I shook my head. “Amateur.”

Steve smiled. “Hey, not all of us were spies!”

A voice carried over from behind us.

“Y/N?”

We all turned to find an elderly man with graying black hair standing behind us. He was holding two cans of soda.

“Luc.” My eyes traveled over his face. He was an old man now. I had always thought we would grow old together, or, with my line of work, I wouldn't be around to see him get old at all. This situation had never been in the equation.

He looked down at the soda cans in his hand, and gave one to Marina. “I... I guess I should have bought four, in hindsight.”

* * *

Six and Luc were out walking in the courtyard after a long conversation with everyone in the main room. Steve and Marina sat awkwardly at the small table, every once in a while glancing out at the companions in the garden. Steve noticed that they were keeping their distance from each other, but you could tell that they cared deeply for one another and had a history. One that Six didn't remember most of, but it was there. Steve's heart hurt. He had to be honest, he was glad he had Six. But he was sad that time and space had pulled this family apart.

“Do you think she'll want to meet my kids?” Marina finally asked Steve.

Steve tore his gaze away from Luc and Six, and looked at Marina. “I'm not sure. Probably. She's just really afraid she'll make your lives difficult.”

Marina nodded. “I don't know when I'll tell them. They'll need to be older. Need to know not to tell anyone.” She went silent for a while. She looked out the window. “I don't think dad ever got over her, to be honest. I know he loves mom.. my other mom. He's over the moon for her. But he never recovered from what happened. Not all the way.”

“Neither did she. If we're being honest.” Steve looked down into his coffee cup. “That stuff stays with you. And there are certain people we never stop loving, no matter what happens.”

“This doesn't bother you?” Marina asked him, tucking a strand of long curly hair out of her way and gesturing to the two people outside.

“No. Why would it?” Steve asked innocently.

“Because you're in love with her too.”

“How... how would you know that?”

“I don't know. I could just tell, last time I saw you. You know her too well. So did that other man. But you... you knew her better than he did.”

“You're perceptive.” Steve sighed. This was an awkward conversation. He'd heard of “meeting the parents” but he'd never thought he'd have to explain his intentions to his girlfriends grown daughter. It was just weird. “Yeah, your mom and I, we're... together.” He said it like the realization was still catching up with him. Together. “But no, the situation with Luc doesn't bother me.”

“Can I ask why? I mean obviously whatever they had is over. She's young and he's old and happily married. But most people would be.. jealous.”

“Because I have the same situation.”

“How is that possible?”

“You don't know who I am.”

“Who are you?”

“Steve Rogers... as in Captain America Steve Rogers.”

Marina drew in a breath. “Oh my God. I thought you looked familiar.”

“I'm old. And when I came out of the ice, the love of my life was still alive. She still is. She's in her nineties.” Steve was careful with his words. “She told me I need to move on. And she's right. But I get it. Things happen that you can't change, and you have to hang on to what you can, and move on for the rest.”

“You're wise, Steve.”

“I'm 98 years old. I should hope I learned a few things along the way.”

“Thanks for taking care of my mom.” Marina looked pointedly at him.

“Of course.” Steve smiled.

* * *

“I knew you hadn't run off.” Luc told me. We had been walking around the garden of the Hilton. He had stopped to face me. “I always told Marina that her mom wouldn't abandon her on purpose. That you must have died. I was sure of it. I was wrong. I'd have kept looking for you if I had known.”

I shook my head. “You'd never have found me. I just found myself. And you weren't wrong. I would never have left. I was happy. With you. With Marina. Things were perfect. As soon as I remembered I had to make sure you were safe.”

“This situation is impossible.” Luc stated. He looked at the ground and back up at me. “I've built a great life.”

“You and your wife did a wonderful job with Marina. She's beautiful and kind. Please... thank Adele for me.” I was stumbling on my words.

“We would have been a great pair, Y/N.”

“Yeah, we would have. But God or fate had other plans for us.” I looked up at the cloudless sky.

“Steve seems like a nice man.” Luc finally said.

“He is.” I affirmed. “He's a lot like you in some ways.”

We regarded each other with a look of uncertainty. Some people you love forever, no matter the circumstances. Luc was that person for me, Peggy was that person for Steve. It was weird though; it didn't feel like Steve and I were each others second choices at all. We were just each others alternate choice. It was hard to explain, but the best way to sum it up was that we were each others second chances.

* * *

Steve spent another three days with me. After Paris, we left and went to London. We saw the sights. We stayed at a quaint hotel and went to bed late and woke up even later. We ordered breakfast in bed. He showed me several places he had visited back during World War 2, including a bar that had been destroyed in the Blitzkrieg and rebuilt.

“The Howling Commandos used to drink here.” Steve told me, pulling two menus and sliding into a booth in the back of the place. He looked around. “I came here after Bucky died. It looked a lot different back then. They almost got it right. Almost.”

“I remember learning about the Howling Commandos in school. About you. And about Bucky.” I said, looking over the appetizer selection.

“You did?” Steve looked surprised. “So is it weird that you're, you know, dating one of them now?”

I shrugged. “With everything that's happened to me, that's the least strange to be honest.” I set the menu down. “I always found you fascinating. You were always going to change the world, even if you never got that Serum. And I always felt like I was more like 'Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes' who took out the trash by any means necessary. Kind of ironic, considering how my life has played out so far.”

“Well, you are a lot like Bucky.” Steve admitted. “So was I your favorite?”he asked playfully.

I winked and shot him a sly grin. “Actually, neither you or Bucky were. I liked Morita.”

“I feel like I should be offended that I wasn't your favorite, but Morita was a really great guy. Good choice.”

“Well you're my favorite now.” I pointed out.

“That works for me.” He laughed. Then he caught a glimpse of something on the wall. I turned around. It was a small portrait. It was of the Howling Commandos, all of them. Steve's face stared out at the room, smiling and laughing with is friends. Before Bucky had fallen from the train, before he'd gone into the ice, before old age had taken every single man in that photo. A woman was beside him. I knew who she was. We'd learned about her too. Peggy Carter. The woman to inspire all women. The smile fell from his face. It was replaced with a far away look.

“Are you okay Steve?” I asked. The waitress was approaching. I shook my head “no” to her and she nodded and retreated.

He looked at me. “Yeah, everything is fine. I just didn't expect a photo of all of us here. I have a lot of memories of this place.”

“Understandable.”

“Listen, Six, I leave tomorrow. And I know you have missions to do and... that kind of thing. But Tony is throwing a party on the 30^th of this month. At the tower. A big Gala. For something or another, I can't keep track, maybe it's another Iron Man suit.” He looked into my eyes. “I'd like you to go with me. Be my date.”

“That's a lot of people... a Gala.” I replied, feeling a little anxious.

“It is. But I'll be there. If you think you can handle it, I really want you with me.”

“I'll try to make it. I can't promise. But I'll try my hardest.” I looked down at the cell phone he had brought me. It was a Stark Industries model; untrackable, untraceable, with unlimited everything and a sleek black Otterbox case. I could keep in contact with him now. That made me extremely happy.

“All right.” He smiled.

“Does that photo make you sad?” I asked, seeing him look at it again.

He shook his head. “Not entirely. Most of those guys lived good lives. And even though things didn't turn out how I planned... Bucky is still alive. And Peggy... we settled things. And I'm in a good place. It's not the place I thought I'd ever be in, but it's good.” He reached across the table for my hand. “What're you going to order?”

The conversation about the past now over, I once again looked at the menu. I wasn't sure if I liked Calamari, so I figured I'd try that.

Halfway through lunch Steve peered at me. He looked like he was pondering something. “Okay.” He finally said. “A lot has happened in the last few weeks but there's one thing that I can't figure out.”

“And that would be?” I asked, kind of worried of what he was going to ask. I had a lot of dark past that I didn't want to talk about. A lot of killing, a lot of espionage, and I especially hoped he didn't bring up Bucky because that might always be a touchy subject.

He did none of those. Steve had said he was fine with my past and over everything that had happened, and judging by what came out of his mouth next, he obviously was.

“How did you get away from the farmhouse after you blew up your getaway vehicle? You couldn't have gotten far on foot and there was nothing for miles.” He arched a brow at me. “You're fast but not that fast.”

“Why do you think I blew up Deadpool's motorcycle?”

Steve nodded in understanding. “Because you didn't actually blow up Deadpool's motorcycle.”

“That reminds me... I owe Wade a new bike. And probably an explanation as to why I'm not dead.”

* * *

I took Steve to the airport the next day, and went with him to the security lines. He didn't want to leave; I finally had to force him to go or he would miss his flight. Airplanes were a lot bigger now than I remembered them in 1979; so were the airports themselves.

“I'll miss you.” He said, his suitcase on the ground and his arms around me.

“I'll miss you too.”

“You'll call?”

“Of course.”

“You know how texting works too, right?”

I nodded. “I figured it out. It seems... impersonal.”

“That's what I thought at first. Almost like a telegram. But it's really convenient.”

“Be careful Steve. I know you go on missions and do dangerous things.”

“Hey, I'm not the one singlehandedly trying to remove Hydra from the picture.” He raised his eyebrows. “But I'll be careful. You too. I can't go through that again.”

“I promise I will.” I looked at the time. “You need to go. You'll miss your plane.”

“I know.” He sighed. “Maybe I'll see you in a month?”

“Yes. I'll try.” I leaned up and kissed him. The kiss lasted a while before we finally tore ourselves away from each other. “What will you do in the meantime?” I asked him.

“I'll be waiting for you to come home.”

* * *

I left the airport. I'd watched Steve's plane soar into the sky and it hurt to watch him leave, but I would see him soon. I was going to try to make it to that party. I let myself into my car, and got on the road. I had Hydra bases to clean out.

Continued in the FINALE, “Six” part 15: Electric Love