Venus | James B. Barnes✔️

lxxii. 𝚊 𝚏𝚎𝚠 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚎𝚜

FIVE

YEARS

LATER

QUIET. PEACE. It was something she once needed. All she yearned for was peace with her husband and herself. Wakanda gave it to them. It was blissful. It was too short. Now, the quiet, the peace mocked her. Life mocked her. It gave her the peace she wished for so many years, yet it gave her loneliness. Anger. Resentment. Churning and churning until she exploded.

She had not seen Steve in two years.

The first year, Evelyn tried to keep going. She helped out in the Compound with Natasha and Rhodey—working with other countries to figure out what the hell they could do to help. She even went back to Wakanda to help clean up the beautiful country from the gruesome attacks. Everyone thought she would be okay. She was a Stark. She had to be, right?

In the second year, she focused on her family. Pepper and Tony were married. It was a private ceremony, very beautiful. It was exactly what they needed. Pepper had gotten pregnant that year. It seemed as though everything was going okay. Evelyn had not lost it. She and Steve moved in together in her apartment in Brooklyn. They took care of each other. Steve took over Sam's support group at the VA. Evelyn continued her work at the Compound.

In the third year, everyone noticed it. She became fidgety. She became too quiet, always lost in thoughts. Evelyn slowly began to shut down after Natasha let slip what she had found Clint Barton to be up to. Clint lost his whole family, and he was on the run—killing those who survived and were horrible people. Something sparked in her. She realized other people lost things too, and they took time to grieve. Evelyn did not. Evelyn moved on as if nothing was wrong. No matter how much she cried at night, she pushed herself to move on.

Until she didn't.

Steve woke up one morning to find Evelyn's bed empty and a bag gone with some of her things—including the photos of Howard, Bucky, and himself she kept anywhere she was living. Steve immediately called Tony, no matter how rocky the pair were. Between tending to Morgan, Tony tried to find her. She was just gone. Natasha and Rhodey did not find anything on her until almost six months later when they caught a surveillance camera footage of her in Bucharest, one of their homes on the run before. Steve went to find her, only to see she was gone after burning the building down. No one was hurt, but Steve was worried out of his mind.

Unlike Clint, Evelyn did not hurt anyone. She just kept running. Burning things that reminded her of Bucky. She almost burned his photo during one of her mass breakdowns.

At one point, she had gone to Malibu where Tony had lived so long ago. She sat on the cliff of his mansion that never got rebuilt, debating whether or not she should just fall. Allow herself to be taken away so she could see Bucky again. Would she see him again?

After two years, Steve finally caught her. She was in the home of the elderly couple who let Bucky and Evelyn rent their place in California. The elderly couple was either dead or Blipped. She did not know nor care as she had been living there with memories of her husband weighing her down. She could not burn that place. It was one of their first homes.

She was not paying attention when Steve managed to sneak in through the door. She was sitting on the roof when he climbed out of the window to sit next to her. He expected her to run, but she did not. Her hands shook, just like they had when Bucky's grip disappeared from hers.

"Do you remember how Howard and I would sit on the roof of our home when the skies were clear like this?" Evelyn asked softly. Steve made sure Natasha or Rhodey did not come in. She was not running, so he decided backup was not needed. He hummed in agreement, remembering that well. Howard could list every constellation. Evelyn couldn't, but she would listen to her big brother speak like it was a symphony she could listen to any moment of the day. "I-I can't remember the names of the constellations, Stevie. It's like I'm forgetting him. What if I forget James?"

Steve let out a shaky breath, knowing Evelyn was never really okay despite her words when they shared the home in Brooklyn. She lied so many times, and he was so stuck in his own head that he did not notice it.

"You won't forget him, Eve," Steve murmured. "It's impossible."

"Sometimes I hear him talking to me," she whispered, "but then his voice will fade as if I'm forgetting what he sounded like. I-I can't forget him."

"And you won't," Steve stated firmly. "Come home, Evelyn, please."

"After all this time, I still think I'll wake up from this nightmare," she told him softly, her shaking hand reaching up to brush her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry for running."

"Two years, Evelyn. Two years of being scared out of my mind. Did you even think about that? How I would feel?" he snapped without meaning to. She flinched slightly. He sighed, reaching over to grab her hand. "Come home."

"There's no home without him."

"Well, you can't run for the rest of your life. You have to try and move on. Come back to work at the Compound. Just be around us. It'll make things easier if you're not carrying the world on your shoulders," he whispered to her. He thought of Bucky. "I have to fulfill my promise, Eve. Buck would hate me if I don't."

Evelyn rose a brow. "What promise?"

"The day he was drafted. He told me to look after you. I've done a shitty job of it. Let me take care of you. I'm not him. I know that. But, I'm still your best friend. We need each other," he sighed, eyes falling. "I need you."

Evelyn rested her head on Steve's shoulder, squeezing his hand to show she was there. "I'm not running anymore. He's not coming back. I just have to accept it. I think I finally have."

Steve leaned over, kissing her head. "Nat and Rhodey have a jet. Come on."

Evelyn leaned back on the roof, tugging Steve with her. "A few more minutes, Stevie. Just a few more."

Steve relaxed a bit, deciding a few more minutes would not hurt. She was here. Safe. He would make sure of it. He had to, for Bucky. Everything he did was for Evelyn and Bucky. They were his best friends. They were all he had.

**

A/N

Wow... uh, sorry for disappearing!!!!!! I had a lot going on (still do, hehe), but I'm trying to get back into doing what I love so much. School starts soon, and I have some family stuff to deal with--so don't expect regular updates. However, I plan to finish this book no matter how much writer block I just went through. Thanks for sticking with me guys. You make everything I do worth it.