#sharon 1

Steve wasn't sure how to balance a personal and professional life, but he had promised to take Peggy on a date. Talking to her about the details of that was probably a good first step. But when he rounded the corner on the way to her office, it wasn't Peggy he ran into. "Agent Carter," he said, stopping short. "Sharon. Hi," he said, feeling suddenly awkward. "I was just -- how are you doing?"

Carol spent a lot of time coordinating with S.H.I.E.L.D. They were the main hub of information for the Panel in this city, and Enforcers had to work with their agents all the time. There was some tension, obviously, because not everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D. was Pro-Registration. But Carol was hoping to change that for at least one person.

Sharon Carter. 

Daughter of the legendary Peggy Carter. Every woman who had ever joined the armed forces had heard of her, and once you heard of her, you wanted to be her. (Though Carol wanted to be her without the lipstick and in the air.) Rumor was, Sharon was every bit Peggy’s niece and more. Carol would have wanted to meet her even if she didn’t need her. 

So, when she saw Sharon walk by during a briefing, she feigned an emergency and slipped out. She followed the agent until she saw her dip into a side room. Perfect. Carol walked in after her, and shut the door. “You probably hear this all the time,” she said. “But your personnel file is incredibly hot,” she quipped. “And you’re not bad yourself.” 

She laughed and held out her hand. “Sorry, had to say it. I’m Carol, Carol Danvers,” she introduced herself. “And you’re Sharon, right? This is also probably something you hear a lot, but your aunt was a big hero of mine growing up. I don’t remember a whole lot, because of a long complicate space story, but --” She paused, biting her lip for a moment. “I remember having this argument with my dad, just after I enlisted. He was telling me I couldn’t do it, and I just opened my history book and pointed at a picture of her, and he was quiet for so long. It was pretty incredible actually.” 

“ feel free to say hi whenever you like ”

He hated not being able to hear. It made him feel like he was a freaking kid all over again. Small. Afraid. Helpless. The aids he’d gone into the river with were Stark-tech, but apparently not waterproof. He could’ve gone to some kind of doctor, but they came with their own slew of bad memories too. He sighed heavily, staring up at the Tower. His one real option, and a ghost of a prayer at that. 

Clint didn’t hear what she said, and it was clear when she stepped in front of him that she was saying it for the second time. “Hi,” he said, cringing a little. He gestured vaguely to his ears and offered Sharon an apologetic half-smile. “They’re not working,” he explained. “I kinda... jumped in the river.” On another universe. Woke up in this one. “I’m guessing it’s been a while since you last saw me?”

@dutysoverlove​

He was back on American soil. And even if he wasn’t happy about why, he was glad to be back. The air just felt right in his lungs, and he knew a thing or two about breathing easy. The smell of summer was still thick in the air, and a bright sun shone over the bronze monument, making it look like it was glowing. 

That was appropriate. She had been shining in life, she deserved to shine in memory too. Agent Margaret Carter, the plaque read. Founder and director of S.H.I.E.L.D. A beacon of inspiration and strength in trying times. And under that the dates. April 9, 1921 to June 18, 2016. 

It was still so fresh, even some time later. It still hurt. But loss was a part of life, and Steve had gotten used to losing people. That’s why he was back in the city. Well, that was only half true. He was also here to reconnect. Before he lost the chance. 

He just hadn’t expected to reconnect so soon. There was a crunch of footsteps behind him, and when Steve glanced back, he found his mouth falling open. Sharon. Striding up to the monument with flowers in hand. Steve stayed where he was -- after all, she wouldn’t turn him in, even if she had been forced to sign herself. “Is this something you do?” he asked softly. “Or did you know I’d be here?”

“Jesus Stark, what kind of bender did you go on?” Jessica muttered, pulling out another bottle from the cupboard. Empty, like the last four she’d found before that. Either he’d had one of his stupid parties and had someone to entertain down here (a thought she wasn’t going to linger on), or he’d had a bad night (and she didn’t want to linger on that either). She’d be out this way for a case, and the fancy goddamn bars in this part of town wouldn’t even let her in the damn door, and her flask had run out an hour ago. She was getting a little desperate. “Goddammit, where the hell is the booze?”