"Okay, Steve lay back and just relax. Focus on your breathing." Wanda guided him gently.

Steve looked nervous but she knew he trusted her. He laid back on the bed and folded his hands overtop of his ribs.

Wanda turned to walk away. Steve put his hand on her arm and looked up at her. "Wanda... thank you."

"Okay, now Steve, let's start. And if it gets to be too much, I promise we will stop." Her demeanor became more of the teacher than the student. She knew he needed that in order to be comfortable. "This is all between us."

Steve tried relaxing his muscles. His tension was so bad that his shoulders were not touching the bed. He forced them downward.

Wanda stood at the foot of the bed and watched to see if the grimace would leave his face before she started. Steve opened one eye widely like a cartoon character and looked at her. He started laughing. "I'm just kidding, I swear. Go ahead."

"Glad you still have your humor, Steve. That can only help you."

Wanda remained still a moment longer to make sure she was as calm as she thought she should be. She raised her hands to chest level and took a breath. Her delicate fingers weaved around each other, contorting and stiffening. Her face focused on her hands and a glow washed over her features as a red light began encircling her hands.

She took a step backwards and extended her arms out in a larger motion and the orb of red light moved with her reach. She motioned the orb towards Steve as he lay on the bed and quickly, it enveloped him. He remained still and his eyes were closed. Wanda couldn't see anything for a moment and then...

Scenes, faces, fights, fire, kicks and hits to her body, and emotions came flying at her like a tornado of expression. It was so fast and frantic that she almost lost her focus and her balance. She steadied herself and took note of her feet solidly being on the floor so she could remind herself she was not floating, she was really safe in a room. She would have to take her time sorting through the memories and finding what could help Steve. Wanda could not have imagined how much Steve was holding back and she wondered how he had been functioning normally all this time. He had seen terrible things. She felt so much of his pain.

Looking at the whirling faces, she picked the one she saw in the most memories... a friendly looking face, pale with piercing blue eyes, framed with red hair. Wanda was positive it was Steve's mother. The eyes told her everything she needed to know: steel blue eyes that looked lovingly at her. This would be where she would focus first. She was seeing Steve's memories from his point of view.

Organ music played loudly. "Stevie," the Irish voice said gently, "get your coat back on, we are going to see your father." Steve stood up and started getting his ragged coat on, it had seen better days. His mother would make him take it off when they went to church. The other Irish parishioners were already filing out of the church after mass.

At the cemetery, his mother knelt down in front of his father's headstone. "Come down here with me, Steven," she said as she tugged lightly at him.

"Jo... seph... Joseph Rogers," Steve's small voice said, rather surprised at his own newfound reading ability. His mother smiled down at him proudly. He could see her eyes starting to look glossy.

"Mummy, please don't cry," Steve leaned his head into her arm tenderly. "I love you."

Steve's tough Irish mother, who did not like to show her son that kind of emotional scene looked down at her boy. She smiled through her pain and with a broken voice, she replied "I love you too, Stevie."

"It will be okay, Mum," he assured her. It killed him to see his mother so hurt and although he missed his father, he was worried about his mother more than anything. Just a little boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The scene started to fade for Wanda and she waited to see what would come next.

Steve's mother was close to his face. "Now give me a kiss, Steven, I have to get along to the hospital now." He kissed his mother's cheek. She looked like an angel in her nurse's uniform, with her nurse's cap fastened in her hair. "I do not want you outside today because it is getting colder and it's frightfully windy. We would not want an asthma attack today. Be good, Steven." He watched his mother turn and hurry down the stairs of their apartment. She waved from the alley and was on her way. He watched her until he couldn't see her anymore.

Wanda's vision faded and then there was Steve's mother again. This time her eyes were closed and she looked small and frail. Steve laid his hand on her arm and Wanda could feel the burning that rose up in his chest as he looked down at his mother in her casket. He looked across the crowded room and made eye contact with his friend Bucky. Steve turned back to his mother and whispered "I miss you already, Mum. I'll see you again."

The scene washed away and Bucky's face appeared again. "I'm with you til the end of the line" he said. He was in the same suit as he was in the funeral home. His face faded quickly. Steve's memories were getting faster. Suddenly Steve's hand was reaching out for Bucky, the wind blew, the air grew cold, his heart beat fast. There were sounds of a train on tracks, it was white everywhere. Everything was moving around him. "Bucky! Hang on! Grab my hand!" and then Bucky was free falling into a canyon. Wanda grew anxious and clammy. This was only a small portion of Steve's memories. She wasn't sure if she could handle any more.

Steve's memory was now out of her control. She could see Tony now. He was trying to destroy Steve. Steve's chest pounded as he drew back his arms and struck Tony with his shield. Tony's eyes showed hate for Steve. Steve drew back again and repeatedly struck the middle of Tony's chest with his shield until Tony made no movements. Steve dropped the shield and walked away with Bucky.

An explosion rang out. It assaulted all of Wanda's senses. Debris began falling on Steve as he clutched Natasha close and held his shield over them. It seemed there was an endless stream of rubble falling on top of them. Natasha's body went limp and he squeezed her harder to keep her near him. Finally heavy chunks of cement stopped falling on them. Steve began picking them up and chucking them away so he could free Natasha and himself. The air was thick with dirt as he stood up, Natasha draped across his arms. He started walking quickly to get her to safety. He looked down at her momentarily but could not stop to check for vital signs. Getting her to a secure location was more important. Just hours earlier, she was kissing him and teasing him at the mall. He didn't want to see the life fade from her body. Natasha stirred briefly but did not open her eyes. He continued to carry her under the tree line so they would not be seen.

Wanda was about to end their connection. She feared for Steve's wellbeing and possibly her own. Then the vision turned... and the images were flying fast but also felt painstakingly slow at the same time. She saw Natasha fighting alongside Steve in a street, getting shot. She saw Steve helping her out of a van, her shoulder soaked with blood. She saw Natasha giving Steve a kiss on the cheek and turning to walk away. She felt the tightness in his chest. She saw Natasha leaving T'Challa's palace with bags, walking away quickly and not turning back.

Wanda could feel his quiet despair and she could put him through no more of this, at least for the time being. She wove her fingers in a different pattern and ended their connection slowly and calmly, not wanting to bring Steve out of it all too quickly.

Wanda stood still, watching Steve. He didn't move. Finally, his eyes opened but his body remained the same. She made no sound, she didn't want to interrupt him as it looked like he might still be asleep. Steve was trying to determine where he was.

It felt like forever until he figured out he was actually safe and laying on the bed in his temporary room, his body still stiff and numb from being in a dreamlike state. His eyes moved slowly over to Wanda. She smiled gently and said "You're okay, Steve."

He sat upright and eased one of his feet onto the floor.

"I'm sorry, Wanda. Some of that stuff was nothing compared to what you've seen in your lifetime." He looked sorry. Truly sorry.

"You don't worry about that, okay?" She said gently. "Your mother was very beautiful," she said. "I can see why you turned out to be such a good man."

Steve held back a proud smile when Wanda said that. That's all his mother ever wanted him to be, that's all he'd ever wanted to be. "Thank you," he said. "I miss her so much lately. I know it's been years but it doesn't feel like it at all."

"She would be proud, Steve." She paused. "Why do you think you are having more troubles with nightmares lately? There is something on your mind?"

He thought about it before answering. "Something hasn't felt right for a while."

"You're missing Natasha?" She asked, but it was less of a question than a straight up statement. "You are afraid of losing her."

Steve froze in place.

"Steve, this is not just from your nightmares that I suggest this..." she looked to see his reaction, trying to tell if she was overstepping. But he sat very still and looked at her, eyes slightly wide in amazement. She thought he looked like a little boy. "The way you look at her, it tells me what I need to know. I have noticed this for quite some time. And she's been gone for a while now. Your mind is wandering, you need to know if she's okay."

"It's not easy to talk about," he stopped himself... "not that it's not easy to talk to you about. I mean, if you don't mind?"

Wanda nodded in approval. "Steve, you are a friend. You talk, I listen. I will be completely honest with you. You and Natasha saved me from that horrible jail cell and I've never been so happy to see two people in my life. You can talk about anything you want."

"I couldn't leave any of you there, not when you backed me up the way you did. It means a lot to me." Steve leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. "Yes," he started, "I have ....feelings for Natasha. And you're right, it's been for some time now. I haven't heard from her and I don't want to pressure her. I assume that not getting back to me since she left means she needs space. It feels like ages since I talked to her... and what if she never wants to talk to me again?"

"You're not going to lose her," Wanda stated firmly giving him a "mom look". She may need some normal in her life." Wanda wondered out loud.

"I want to see her... or at least talk to her," he said.

"Are you still figuring all of your feelings out?" Wanda asked.

"I don't know what there is to figure out," he stared off a little before bringing his focus back onto Wanda. "Natasha doesn't see me that way. She sees me as a friend and that's it. I value our friendship, I wouldn't want to risk that in any way."

"I understand what you're saying. Are you sure she feels the way you think she does? How could you be sure?"

"Well, I guess I can't be sure... She used to always try to set me up with other ladies. But we've spent a lot of time together over the years and I feel like I would notice something." As soon as he heard himself say it, he laughed and added, "I may not be the best judge there."

Wanda smiled. "I don't think she hates you, Steve."

"Wanda, are you telling me to go for it?" he smiled.

"No, Steve, I'm telling you to think about how you really feel. Analyze it. And also, I think it's time to talk to someone about your war flashbacks. I may not be the best person... but maybe Sam would be a good sounding board? You worry about everyone else, Steve. It's time we worry about you."

"I hate to burden him," sighed Steve. Then he looked directly at Wanda with a half smile. "But I need to learn to let people in. I'm working on it."

A knock came from the door and Steve called out "Come in."

Sam poked his head around the door. "Oh good, you're both here. No rest for the weary... we have a phone call."

Steve and Wanda looked at each other and got up from their chairs to follow Sam. Walking through the hallway, Sam said "Fury's on the line. He wants to talk to all of us."

***

Nick Fury's video conference to Wakanda was short and sweet. Or maybe not so sweet. He'd called to tell the team it was time to get back to work.

"We've got a big problem," he said as he stared them down in a conference room. "And we don't have much time to deal with it."

Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Scott waited for the rest of the story.

"I don't know if you know this but we're kind of stuck here," Sam looked at him impatiently.

Fury held his hand up and sighed. "I realize that. I wouldn't be calling right now if I had a choice." He paused for a second. "There's a very serious threat on Washington D.C. - very serious. Our intel is saying the terrorists about to carry out this act are already in in the area."

They looked at each other uneasily. "And what about General Ross?" Steve asked.

"Ross isn't in on this particular project. Your presence is being requested by the President himself. He had me tracked down... to go through me to get to you. Ross will not be involved. The President doesn't want any less than the best." Fury sat back in his chair.

"We're still in danger though, aren't we?" Scott asked.

"Ross will not be told about you coming back into the United States. He's been told Homeland Security is taking care of it..."

"But?" Steve asked.

"But they can't guarantee he won't find out." Fury looked straight at them without blinking. "Which means you will have to get in and get out without getting caught."

There was a collective sigh from around the conference table as Steve sat forward, Scott slumped over, Sam flopped back into his chair, and Wanda remembered in horrifying detail what Ross had ordered done to her while he had her locked up.

"Homeland Security is all over this. But the threat is big. They're talking about blowing up every monument in D.C. they can get to."

"When is this supposed to happen?" Wanda asked.

"Day after tomorrow," Fury sighed. "I would have given you more notice if I had it. I need you to get on a jet and get here. The rest of the team, and as far as I am concerned, you're still a team, will meet you there. T'Challa already told me he would make sure you all get home. Romanoff and Barton will be arriving there shortly to get started."

***

Given no choice, the team returned to their rooms to pack up the small amount of belongings they had. Steve was sure he would have agreed either way but he didn't feel ready to leave. He stood facing the cryogenic chamber where Bucky was resting, duffle bag in hand and a backpack over his shoulder. He caught his own reflection momentarily and had to think twice at the man staring back with a beard. He wasn't getting used to the beard and the hiding.

"Buck..." he sighed, "I have to go now, pal." He gave the glass on the cryogenic chamber a little pat and turned to walk out of the room.

Steve, Sam, Wanda, and Scott boarded T'Challa's jet uneasily and began the flight home. It was a long flight and they tried to catch up on the terrorists' intel and get some sleep.