AMERICA'S POV

I've always hated funerals. Maybe it was just because for so long, I knew no one would mourn me. Hydra wouldn't. They'd mark me down as a failed experiment and move on. Others might even rejoice in my death because the end of my life meant the salvation of others. But now, standing here at Tony's funeral with Steve's arm around my shoulder and my siblings at my side, I know that I was wrong.

We were all mourned. Some spent years crying for us, never forgetting, never moving on. I can't believe that even for a minute I believed that my husband forgot about me. I know how much he missed me. In the last two days, he's barely let me out of his sight. It's a bit possessive, but I don't care in the slightest. In his place, I would do the same thing.

Tony and Natasha are gone. Tears slide down my cheeks as the thought crosses my mind. The last time I saw Natasha was in Wakanda, five years ago. I never even got to say goodbye. Then again, none of them did, really, except Clint.

None of them got to say goodbye to us, though. We've all learned how precious life is simply because of its impermanence.

"You okay?" Steve whispers as Pepper places a wreath in the lake. Clint walks forward with another one for Nat.

I lay my head on his shoulder and sigh. "Not really."

"Yeah, me either." He presses a kiss to my forehead. "I'm glad you're here to face it with me, though."

"Me too," I say.

I don't know what's going to happen after today. Steve and I have barely talked since the battle. We've just been content to be together when we can, but the relief effort and funeral planning have taken up the majority of our time. I do know that whatever happens, we'll be together, and the rest really doesn't matter.

After the funeral ends, Steve and I wander away to the water's edge. Our fingers entwine and our hands sway back and forth. He looks over at me every few seconds, just to make sure.

"Steve," I say softly. "I'm here."

He exhales. "I know."

"So much time has been taken away from us," I say, thinking out loud. "I think it's time we finally start our life. Without the Avengers, or SHIELD, or any of that. No more running. Just the two of us. Steve and Mer Rogers. What do you think?"

"That sounds perfect, doll." He smiles and looks at the water. "You know I haven't had peace and quiet since the 1930s?"

"Old man."

"You married me."

"That's right I did." I tap his nose playfully and continue on. "So what has Captain America been up to these last few years?"

"Depressing therapy groups and bachelor nights with Pietro. At least until he got a girlfriend. Then bachelor nights for one."

My eyes nearly bug out of my head. "He's got a girlfriend?"

Steve laughs. I love his laugh. "Yeah. Her name is Maggie. You'll like her. She goes to the same university he takes classes at."

Pride swells in my chest. "He's going to college?"

Steve nods. "He and I wanted to try and do something with our lives after you all disappeared. He sunk into some bad depression for a while, though. It was hard to help him through it. I still remember this one night where we were sitting in a bar not really doing anything, and he looked at me, and something was different, you know? Something in his eyes was sharper than I'd seen in a while. And he told me he wanted to get a degree, try and help people somehow."

"That's amazing." I give him a sad smile. "You were lonely, weren't you?"

"It took me forever to be okay, and I still wasn't. I didn't really know how to go on, Mer, not without you. I helped Nat with what was left of the team, but it all felt so suffocating. I moved out of the compound and started to get my life back together. The therapy sessions I led didn't help me, but I liked that I helped others."

"I bet you did help others." We sit on the bank of the lake. I slip my heels off and let the cool water lap at my toes. After missing five years of my life, I don't want to ever miss a second to appreciate how beautiful everything is. I'm going to take every opportunity that comes my way. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"For leaving you alone." My eyes fill with tears. "You had to go through all of this by yourself."

"Hey, babydoll, don't cry." He wipes a stray tear off of my cheek, an adoring look on his face. "I will never blame you for anything that happens when we're on a mission. It wasn't your fault."

I smile and scoot closer to him. If anything, our connection feels deeper than ever. "I love you."

"I love you, too. And Mer, that never ends, okay?" I nod and he pulls me in for a kiss.

I practically fall into him, just the softness of his lips and the comfort of his touch. It might be inappropriate to be acting like this just after a funeral, but no one stops it, and I don't think Nat would mind in the slightest. Tony might fake gag and pretend to mind, but Steve would just shove him away and kiss me again. Picturing this scene, I smile against his lips, and so does he. We just stay like that, our noses an inch apart, smiling.

"What happens now?" I murmur, looking back at the mass of people milling around the Stark's cabin.

"I think we finally go home, Mrs. Rogers." Smiling, he stands and offers me a hand, which I take, but I don't drop it.

"And after that?"

He chuckles. "Who cares?"

We begin to walk back to our friends when I feel something tug on my dress. Rather, someone. I glance down to see a brunette girl with a set of brown eyes I'd recognize everywhere. Tony's daughter.

"Hey there," I say, kneeling down to be eye level with her. "What's your name?"

"Morgan," she says in a bashful little voice. My heart melts. "Mommy told me you were my Auntie Mer."

My grin widens. "That's me. I'm so happy to finally meet you."

"Daddy told me about you once," she says, swaying back and forth with clasped hands.

"Really?" I sneak a glance up at Steve, who can't stop smiling at the two of us. "What did he tell you?"

"He said that he missed you. He said that you're really fast and pretty and smart. He said you like to sing but you're not good at it. And you're really brave. Like really brave. He said instead of being like a princess, I should be like my Auntie Mer."

Aw, Tony. After Germany, I thought he hated me. "I don't know. Princesses are pretty cool, too."

"There's a picture of you inside. Want to see?" Without waiting for my response, she grabs my hand and begins to pull me towards the house. I can't help laughing at her enthusiasm. Steve waves and goes to join Sam, Anna, and Bucky.

"Hey, hey, wait a second. Do you want to see how fast I am?" It's the day of her dad's funeral. I just want to make her happy. The little girl nods, so I bend down and let her climb onto my back before taking off.

"Woah!" She giggles as I set her on the porch. "You're so fast!"

"Yeah, I am," I say, smiling. "Now let's see that picture."

Morgan runs up to a shelf under the TV and points to a wooden frame. I pick it up and examine the photo.

We look so young. It's from years ago, in his lab at Stark Tower. I'm wearing the original Miss Momentum suit for the first time, smiling shyly at the camera, and he's photobombing in the background. I didn't even know this existed.

"Wow," I say, setting the frame down. I kneel down again. "Thank you for showing me that."

"You're welcome. What happened to your hand?"

She points to my metal one, and I hesitate with my answer. I don't really want to say your dad practically blasted it off. That's not what you tell a grieving child.

"I was standing up for what I believed in. I was being brave. Sometimes bad things happen to you when you do that."

"Like what happened to my daddy?"

I reach for her hands, and to my surprise, she doesn't shirk away from my metal hand. She just stares at me with her big brown eyes that look just like Tony's.

"Your daddy," I say softly, "was one of the best men I've ever known. He helped me become a superhero and find out who I am. He made me laugh so hard when I thought I couldn't smile. He also was a really wonderful friend. I'm so glad I ended up as part of his life. And he's never really gone, Morgan. As long as you keep thinking of him and smiling, he's still here."

I give her a hug, and she snuggles close to me. "Thanks, Auntie Mer."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"Mer?" Steve leans on the open doorway, watching us with a smile on his face. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." I give Morgan one extra hug. "Go find your mom. It was amazing meeting you."

"You too!"

She runs off, ducking under Steve's arm as she goes. I giggle and go to stand next to him.

"What?" I ask.

"You look happy."

"I want one," I say wistfully as Morgan envelopes Pepper in a hug.

"We can work on that, if you want." He kisses the tip of my nose before we start walking. "This time, I'll be there for you."

"Can I ask you something? And I want you to be honest, really honest, not just because you're my husband." He nods, waiting for me to continue. "Do you think I'd be a good mom?"

He looks surprised. "Of course I do. Why do you think you wouldn't?"

I sigh. "I don't know. I have such a twisted up past and I have almost no experience with kids. What if I'm not good enough?"

"America," Steve says, "none of that matters. You care so much about everyone you love. You protect all of us. Morgan met you five minutes ago and already loves you. You're already a mother. You're a mother without a child, Mer, and that's a temporary situation. I promise."

Apparently I haven't cried enough today, because more tears leak from my eyes, but these aren't sad tears. They're grateful. I can't believe I found someone like him.

I get on the back of Steve's motorcycle and wrap my arms around his waist.

"Let's go home," I whisper. I don't know where home is, but as he revs the engine, I rest my head on his back and just enjoy being with him.

I love this chapter.

Currently stuck in my home due to the coronavirus. It's almost nice getting time to write more, but I miss school at the same time. Health is what matters, though. Stay safe, guys!

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