Collide (Steve Rogers)

Chapter 42 - Epilogue

- 10 years later -

"Aunt Liv, when will he be back??"

"Morgan, be patient sweetheart, Uncle Steve will be back soon." Pepper said, shaking her head at her impatient daughter. "Why does he have to go on a run every morning? It's his birthday. He should be sleeping in. It's not like missing one run will make him lose his figure." I laughed quietly and glanced over at her. "He'll be back soon. He leaves every morning at 7am and gets back at 10am."

"Literally who does that?? He's not normal." Morgan groaned and fell back onto the couch. "Well he's a super soldier so, yes, he's not normal." I laughed.

"Uncle Bucky is a super soldier and he doesn't run every morning." She mumbled.

"Because I'm more normal than Uncle Steve, obviously." Bucky smiled as he walked into the living room.

"Morgan, why don't you go wake up EJ and Maggie and then Uncle Sam?" Pepper said, referring to Steve and I's two kids Edward James Rogers, 10, and Margeret Sarah Rogers, 7. Morgan groaned but pushed herself off the couch and towards their rooms. "God she's moody at this age." I mumbled. "Oh I wonder where she gets it from..." Pepper looked at me with narrowed eyes. "ME??"

"You and Tony were so dramatic as teenagers, of course it's from you!" Pepper laughed. "Fair enough." I laughed. Bucky ended up sitting down on the chair with a plum and a cup of coffee. "So, what did you get him for his birthday because it's definitely not better than my gift?" Bucky smirked. I rolled my eyes at him and looked up from my phone. "I already gave him part one of his gift this morning and I gotta say, he really loved it..."

"Okay, that's unfair. I can't do that." He mumbled. "You could...but I don't think either of you are into that..." I joked. Bucky threw a pillow at me as I laughed. "What did you get him, Buck?" I asked. "Wait here." He smiled and handed me his cup of coffee and plum before running out of the house and to his guest house. He came back a few minutes later with something large covered with a sheet. He set the item down on the couch and pulled off the sheet quickly.

"Oh my god, Bucky! Where did you get that??" I gasped, looking at the vintage looking painting of Joseph and Sarah Rogers. "Long story short...I found this picture in the old shield archives while I was looking for something completely unrelated..." He passed me a really old and small photograph. "So, I took it, and found someone who could paint it on a larger scale."

"Bucky it's beautiful..." Pepper said.

"I hate to admit this...but I think this does trump my gifts...including the one this morning." I laughed. I knew that Steve had no photos of his parents. Not because he didn't want to, but after he disappeared, all of his stuff got seized by the government. The only other photos of his parents are in the Smithsonian. "He'll love it, Bucky." I smiled. Bucky covered the framed painting back up and placed it against the wall. "I'm sure he'll love whatever lame thing you got him too." He jokingly patted my head and I rolled my eyes.

The sound of children got louder and soon Morgan, EJ, and Maggie were in the living room laughing about how they woke up Sam. "I hate your kids." He mumbled as he passed us to go into the kitchen. "You don't hate us!!" Maggie yelled, chasing after him. I heard a short scream followed by laughter and knew he probably picked her up and held her upside down.

"Aunt Liv, it's almost 10 am. Is he almost back?" I look at my phone and check Steve's location. "He's almost here." I said. Morgan smiled and we all decided to stand up and wait by the front door under a homemade banner the kids made that said 'Happy Birthday!'

"I hear him. He's walking up the steps." Bucky whispered. I smiled and stood with Maggie in front of me while EJ stood with Bucky. Pepper, Morgan, and Sam stood around us as well. We watched the front door open slowly and soon Steve stepped through the threshold with our dog, Marley, who became a part of our family after I made him watch Marley and Me.