Venus | James B. Barnes✔️

xxii. 𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚊𝚗

EVELYN HATED Secretary Alexander Pierce.

He was blatantly rude to her, sending paperwork he did not feel like doing. He would ignore her in conversations with the World Security Council, and he had been eyeing her with a smirk as if he knew something she did not. She hated him and his stupid face. There was no denying it, and even Nick Fury had done his best to keep the two separated. He believed the hostility was because Pierce felt his position was threatened by the Stark, but Evelyn felt it was something completely different.

After a very rough day of avoiding Pierce in the office, Evelyn had made the decision to go see the Smithsonian Museum exhibit. She decided she would feel better if she could see Bucky—even if it was a photo or two. Driving to the museum, she jumped in fright at the sound of her cell phone going off. A part of her wanted to throw it into the street.

She let her scowl fall as she saw it was Pepper. "Hey, Pep," she greeted as she put it to her ear.

"Hey! Are you driving?" she asked when she heard the wind from the convertible car's top being down.

"Yeah. I have somewhere I have to be," she said, not wanting anyone to know where she was going. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "Tony's been acting a bit weird. I was hoping you could maybe invite him out to eat? Coax him out of the tower? Ever since he got the arc reactor and shrapnel removed, he's been gripping his chest in fear at times—I'm just worried."

Evelyn bit her lip. "Yeah. I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you so much."

Evelyn parked as she stared at the museum in fright more than anything. She did not know if she was ready for this. How could she be? She was about to see what the world truly thought about her. She gulped as she closed the top of lucky the car and sat there in fear for about five minutes.

She was lucky to close the top. Without realizing it, someone had a gun aimed at her head.

Evelyn grabbed the rings on her necklace, going through the pros and cons of visiting the museum before she realized she really needed to see him. Grabbing his jacket, she put it on and pulled the hood over her brunette waves. Stepping out of the car, her eyes moved around the people walking on the street, once again unconsciously, turning her head to look in the direction of the gun. The person who stared through the scope felt a whirlpool of emotions course through him as he saw her eyes meet his unknowingly. He dropped the gun, removing all contact with the trigger as he tried to recall why his brain began to scream at him to not shoot.

He would be punished, but that part of his brain told him it did not matter. No harm could come to her.

Evelyn walked inside, trying not to slip on the marble floor with her high heels. She smiled timidly at the guards as she went through the metal detector. When it beeped, she quickly showed them her necklace—something she forgot to take off. They tried to get her to, but she denied it quickly. It was only her luck that someone recognized her. She was able to slip away after grabbing her clutch from the guard.

Walking at a brisk pace, she followed the signs that led her right to the large Captain America exhibit. Evelyn smiled at the words as she walked inside from the narrator. "A symbol to the nation. A hero to the world. The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery, and sacrifice."

Evelyn made it to a wall that had photos of Steve before the serum. She let her hand brush his cheek with a smile. He never needed to become the large man for the world to love him. His kindness and heart already made him a great man. "Denied enlistment due to poor health, Steven Rogers was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare. One that would transform him into the world's second super-soldier."

Evelyn then grinned at the photo of Evelyn and Steve hugging when he had walked inside of the secret lab. Dr. Erskine did not want any pictures taken, but she was glad to see the one photo. "The first super-soldier may not have changed much in appearance, but Evelyn Stark was the first American to ever create a serum that reflected the brilliant mind of Dr. Abraham Erskine. Not only was Evelyn Stark a genius, but she was also the best friend to Captain America. The pair would go on to creating the Howling Commandos—the group to defeat Hydra for good. Evelyn Stark would become an icon to women everywhere for her sheer bravery and courage she showed during those hard times."

Evelyn moved on, seeing mannequins of all of the Howling Commandos and their outfits. Her breath caught in her lungs at the sight of Evelyn and Bucky's outfits standing on either side of Steve. Her eyes narrowed at the dog tags that rested around Buck's mannequin's neck. Her hand twitched.

"Battle tested, Captain America and his Howling Commandos quickly earned their stripes. Their mission, taking down Hydra, the Nazi rogue science division."

Evelyn looked around, seeing no one looking directly at her. The guards were talking to other people. She felt herself move at lightning speed. Reaching up, she ripped the dog tags from the mannequin's neck, stuffing them in her pocket with a triumphant sigh. Those did not belong to the museum. They belonged to Bucky.

Finally, Evelyn made it to the large memorial of herself and Buck that rested in the center of the room. On one side was a large photo of Evelyn while Bucky's side had a large one of him. On the left of the memorial, she could see every letter she and Bucky had written to each other during the war. She laughed at them, seeing his messy scrawl. She only wished she could open the case and grab them herself.

On the right of the memorial, a television was playing the old videos that were taken during the war. She smiled as a tear left her eye at the sight of Bucky keeping a tight hold on Evelyn while Steve went over battle plans. "Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield. After meeting Evelyn Stark, Barnes's feelings turned romantic. The pair were set to marry once the war had ended. Barnes was the only Howling Commando to give his life in service of their country."

Evelyn touched Bucky's face as she whispered, "I wish you were here, James."

Walking into the next room, she saw a large screen showing a video of Peggy Carter being interviewed.
"That was a difficult winter," the beautiful woman revealed. "A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve and Evelyn..." she hesitated. "Captain Rogers and Venus, they fought their way through a Hydra blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. They saved over a thousand men, including the man who would... who would become my husband as it turned out. Even after they died, Steve and Evelyn were still changing my life."

Evelyn's heart dropped as the next video rolled. Howard Stark sat there with a glass in his hand as he smiled fondly at the ground. "Lynnie," he paused before he let out a laugh. "Lynnie never was one to follow directions—especially if she thought she was right. After her fiancé—Sergeant Barnes—fell from the train, she was certain he had survived the fall. I'll never forget the look on her face when I told her we could not go looking for him."

He paused. "So, she went alone, the idiot. I love her, God I do, but grief was clouding her mind. She took a bogus jet that, no doubt, did not even make it to the mountain where Barnes fell. I only wish I could have gone with her. After the war ended, I went to search for the trio—Rogers, Barnes, and Evelyn. When I made it to where Barnes had fallen, I saw the blood that seemed as though he had been there. Maybe if I had gone with her, we would have found him and she could have been here right now.

"But I know my sister. She did not regret anything she had done for this country or the war. She loved the work she did. She loved the people she worked with. Even Colonel Phillips—the hard-ass." He laughed loudly, wiping at his eye to hide the tear. "Evelyn Stark was something the world needed... and to this day, she's still making changes the world needs with her notes she left behind. I only wish you all could have met her."

Evelyn wiped under her eye in a similar manner, smiling as the video of Peggy repeated. She stood quickly, leaving the museum as her hand gripped the dog tags in her pocket.