AN: This is going to be set up differently than previously... because Jessica isn't in the chapter. She is only mentioned.

Also, I would like to mention that this books is collaborative with @softpagan96 and I am so excited for this! The books that correlate are called La Douleur Exquise with Chess Stark and Cordolium with Eden LeFaye. Trust me, you all will love them.

✧

Steve Rogers' heart weighed heavy in his chest as his just as heavy eyes opened on September 18th, 2014.

He never truly had a restful night sleep anymore, not since Jessica hadn't been beside him at least.

It had been twenty-five thousand, four hundred and twenty-seven days since he had seen the woman, not that he remembered all of them, and his heart had felt the toll.

It had been three years since he had come out of the ice and not a minute went by without Steve wanting Jessica to be with him, whether it was something he heard that was funny he wanted to tell her, or it was simply just wanting to be in her arms.

Steve grudgingly got out of bed the same way he always did, stretching his arms above his head as he walked to his small bathroom that was in his apartment in Washington D.C..

He couldn't bear to stay in Brooklyn with Jessica or Bucky not with him, prompting him to go to Washington to be closer to SHIELD's offices to be closer; which he only did because Peggy Carter had helped found it after he went under.

Thoughts of wonder whispered to him as he changed out of his pajama pants, sleeping in no shirt like he always did because Jessica loved the warmth from his chest, hastily putting on his running attire for his sunrise run.

Steve quickly finished getting ready before eating a small breakfast, locking the door on his way out of his apartment complex.

He started his run as he always did, running through the park that he knew Jessica would have loved before making his way past the street with early morning traffic that consisted of nurses going to the morning shift at the major hospitals and politicians going to yet another failed day in office.

The rosy purple sky in Washington got brighter as Steve's legs quickly moved under him, arms tucked close to his sides as he closed in towards the Potomac River.

Steve noticed another man in a grey sweatshirt for the chill of the morning air, moving toward the left of him as he gained speed. His breath hadn't changed, as well as his heart beat that once would have been erratic, when he passed by him.

"On your left," Steve quickly said, notifying the man that he was near him so he wouldn't be frightened.

The unknown man didn't say anything as he kept jogging at his usual speed, not having broken a sweat yet.

Steve ran through multiple streets, his head full of thoughts of his wife. Questions always had eaten at him, but the thought of Jessica being dead truly caused his heart to break.

Soon after Steve returned from being at the bottom of the Artic Ocean, he was, reluctantly, allowed to visit the only place he thought Jessica would be after the war.

Her sister, Lydia's house.

However, when he saw the house completely torn down and changed to multi-million dollar apartment complexes? His heart truly sunk to his stomach.

Steve Rogers had no idea what had happened to Jessica Rogers, reports having said that she had gone down with him on the Valkyrie. Which, of course, he knew was wrong.

The thing that ate at Steve however was the fact that they had lied about where she went.

Which meant something terrible had happened.

These were the thoughts that ate at Steve, causing him to run faster as he approached the Lincoln memorial, where he saw the same man from earlier.

"On your left," Steve muttered, thoughts going back to Jessica as the unknown man said, "Uh-huh. On my left. Got it."

Steve then took another detour, running through streets and back corners of Congress buildings before going back on his original route. As he approached the Lincoln Memorial Reflection Pool, he kept a straight face seeing the unknown man lagging from loss of energy.

At the sound of Steve's rapid footsteps, the man quickly started running faster, turning his head slightly toward Captain America.

"Don't say it!" He yelled as Steve got closer, "Don't you say it!"

"On your left!"

Steve turned, his feet rapidly moving under him as the man screamed in annoyance, "Come on!"

Captain America ran up and down the streets of Washington D.C. once more, barely breaking a sweat but somehow being on the verge of tears.

His thoughts were all of Jessica and now much he missed her laugh or smile, he only had one picture of her and that was in his pocket watch she had given him.

He had nothing else of her, yet he felt like she was always with him, her homemade mixture of honeysuckle, lavender and rosemary perfume somehow still lingering in his nose.

After another ten minutes of running, Steve found the unknown man sitting under a tree. The very thought making him smile because he knew Jessica would like him just for sitting with nature, whatever the reason.

The nameless man only chuckled as he noticed Steve, who said, "Need a medic?"

"I need a new set of lungs," He corrected the soldier, "Dude, you just ran, like, thirteen miles in thirty minutes."

"I guess I got a late start," Steve joked, placing his hands on his hips.

The man that had darker skin with cool, jewel undertones chuckled again, "Really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap."

He pointed toward the sidewalk and turned his head slightly, looking back after a moment sarcastically.

"Did you take it? I assume you just took it."

Steve only laughed, eyes trailing down to see his sweater making him say, "What unit you with?"

"Fifty-eighth Pararescue," He told, "But now I'm working down at the VA. Sam Wilson."

Sam rose his arm, gesturing for help up and Steve quickly pulled him up, introducing himself as well, "Steve Rogers."

"I kind of put that together," Sam panted, putting his hands on his slightly bent knees, "Must have freaked you out, coming home after the whole defrosting thing."

"More than people realize," Steve's lips pursed together, letting out a long sigh, "It takes some getting used to. It's good to meet you, Sam."

Steve turned on his heel, his shoulders slumped before Sam spoke again, causing him to look back.

"It's your bed, right?" Sam questioned. Steve furrowed a brow, "What's that?"

"Your bed, it's too soft," He walked toward Steve, "When I was over there, I'd sleep on the ground, use rock for pillows, like a caveman. Now I'm home, lying in my bed and it's like..."

Sam Wilson trailed off, shaking his head and Steve nodded, finishing for him, "Lying on a marshmallow Feel like I'm gonna to sink right to the floor."

"God damn," Jessica practically moaned, flopping onto the small cot that she and Steve had to share, "I know it's basically just some fabric and springs, but I will never take a bed for granted again I feel like I'm gonna sink right to the floor."

Steve laughed, kicking off his shoes before he jumped onto the cot as well, causing Jessica to fly into the air slightly. The woman laughed as Steve caught her mid-air, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his side.

Jessica smiled up at him, resting her chin on his chest, "Well, hello there, hero."

"Hello, Mrs. Rogers," Steve smirked, kissing her nose. Jessica playfully rolled her eyes, "It's been five months since we've been married and yet you still get off on that."

She pushed off his chest and sat on the edge of the bed, kicking her shoes off before she stood. Steve turned to his side, resting his head in his hand as he watched Jessica undress.

"I can't help it, Brooklyn baby," He winked as she turned her head toward him. Jessica rose a brow, "You just want something."

"I have what I want," He smiled lovingly, his head flopping to the side a bit.

Jessica laughed, unpinning her hair and placing them on their nightstand. She shook her hair out, head toward the ceiling as she felt two arms wrap around her waist, making her look down.

"Can I help you, hero?" She smirked, seeing Steve strain his neck as his chin was pressed against her chest.

Steve nodded, hands moving against her back, "You can get into the bed."

"I can arrange that."

Jessica quickly dressed into her long, dark green slip she slept in before jumping back into bed beside her husband. She pushed on his chest, a smile gracing her lips.

"Your turn, Captain. Strip."

She placed her arms under her head as she watched Steve stand, rolling his eyes.

"Are you really going to make me do this?"

Jessica only smirked and said, "Hell yeah."

Steve did of asked of him and began getting ready for bed, all while Jessica watched.

"Slower," Jessica teased, chest vibrating with laugher. Steve only deadpanned, throwing his shirt in her face making Jessica say, "Wow. You are one rude rooster, Steven."

Jessica threw it back at him and Steve placed it on the small chair in their tent before joining his wife back in bed. She smiled and moved under his arm, wrapping her own around his waist.

The redheaded woman's legs tangled with Steve's and she sighed happily, "Like lying on a marshmallow."

"Are you taking about the cot or me?"

Jessica pressed a kiss to his chest, "Both. Always both with you, hero."

Steve shook his head from the memory, sadness weighing down his chest once more.

He let out a small sigh before he continued his conversation with Sam, "How long?"

"Two tours," Sam answered, Steve noting his pained look as he spoke.

There was a moment of silence before Sam filled it once more, saying, "You must miss the gold old days, huh?"

"I do, very much. But things aren't so bad," Steve shrugged, partially telling the truth, "Food's a lot better. We used to boil everything. No polio is good. Internet, so helpful. I've been reading that a lot, trying to catch up."

Sam chuckled, nodding before he said, "Marvin Gaye, 1972, "Trouble Man" soundtrack. Everything you missed jammed into one."

Steve nodded, pulling the small notebook and pen he kept in his pocket which included a list of everything he had wanted to look up.

"I'll put it on the list."

Steve's phone began ringing and he put his notebook away, pulling out the phone to see he had a text message.

Mission alert. Extraction imminent. Meet at the curb. :)

He smiled at the message, knowing it had been his friend and fellow Avenger, Natasha Romanoff.

The redhead had quickly become his friend as well as her girlfriend, if you could call her that, Marchessa, who went by Chess, Stark. The two had meant many years ago when Natasha was sent to Tony by Nick Fury, hitting it off with his daughter.

The raven-haired woman was soft, unlike Natasha, and Steve found himself being able to confide in her. He didn't know whether it was because he saw a bit of his wife in her, noting her headstrong, sarcastic attitude or her being able to listen, but he was forever grateful for the Stark woman.

"All right, Sam, duty calls," Steve put his phone away before stretching out his hand to shake with his new friends," Thanks for the run. If that's what you want to call running."

"Oh, that's how it is?"

"Oh, that's how it is."

The men laughed before Steve began walking back toward the road, listening to Sam speak, "Any time you want to stop by the VA and make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know."

"I'll keep it in mind."

A roar of an engine took them from their conversation, a rough yet silky voice saying, "Hey, fellas. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil."

"That's hilarious," Steve simply rolled his eyes, voice monotone as he walked toward the black Corvette Stingray.

Steve quickly got into the compact car, looking back toward Sam, who was bent slightly to see inside the car.

"How you doing?" He asked Natasha, a charming smile on his face. Nat simply smirked, "Hey."

"Can't run everywhere," Steve rose his brows slightly. Sam laughed, "No, you can't."

Natasha only chuckled before she pressed her foot against the gas, rolling up the window as she sped off down the road.

✧

Six hours and several time zones later, Steve was walking beside Natasha on their way to the Triskelion, also known as SHIELD Headquarters.

The mission hadn't gone directly as planned, but Steve was ready to rid himself of SHIELD by the time he stepped off the jet with his friend.

Natasha and Steve were making small talk when the redhead suddenly grunted, two slim arms wrapping around her neck causing her to be caught off balance for a moment.

Steve smiled at the pair, seeing Chess visibly relax at the feeling of Natasha being back in her arms. He stepped back slightly and let the couple of sorts have a moment, furrowing his brow when another agent came up to them.

"See? I told you I'd be okay," Nat chuckled, patting Chess' head before turning back to the agent and starting a conversation.

Chess paused and slowly let go of the woman she loved, Steve noticing how she seemed to shy away as she clasped her hands behind her back.

After a few moments, Chess's raspy voice interrupted the Avenger and the agent, saying, "Sorry to interrupt, but, um, I figured I could maybe take you to debriefing? I took the day off and I was hoping-"

Natasha cut the woman off, giving her a slight smile, "That's okay. I actually need to go talk to the Strike team and Fury. See you at home."

The redhead flashed Chess a small smile before she walked away with the agent, Steve softening at the hurt look on Chess' face as she could only nod.

He waited for a moment before he silently approached his friend, placing a hand on her shoulder causing her to gasp and jump in the air.

Steve chuckled, "Woah there. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Marchessa visibly relaxed at the sight of the blond man, offering him a smirk.

He thought for a moment before he furrowed his brows, saying, "Actually, I could use your help with something if that's okay?"

"Sure, do you need help calling someone again?" Chess snickered, causing Steve to huff and roll his eyes.

He shook his head, "No, Marchessa, I don't need help calling someone again. I need help finding someone on the internet."

Chess pursed her lips, humor flashing in her eyes making Steve look at her questionably.

"So like, right hand help?" She questioned, "Dating help? Or finding someone for a mission help?"

Steve deadpanned, his blue eyes locking onto her golden brown as her laugh echoed throughout the room.

"For a mission," He grumbled, only making Chess laugh more.

She waved him along down a long hallway, questioning him, "Who are you looking for, Cap? Don't you guys have a scepter mission you're working on? Did I forget someone on the list?"

Chess pulled a simple silver key from her purse, unlocking the door in her makeshift office at SHEILD before letting them inside. The Stark Industries CEO immediately found herself at her two large monitors, powering them on as a laptop sat atop the desks that were pushed together.

"No, you didn't," Steve assured, sitting opposite of Chess, "This is for a different mission. You were very thorough."

A mechanical whirring echoed throughout the room as Chess nodded, saying, "Okay, good.

She grabbed a hard-drive that was on top of a stack of files and plugged it into the laptop, turning back to Steve, who looked in awe of the machinery.

"Now, while the cocktail works to hack into SHIELD. Who do you need to find?"

"I need you to pull up any files there are on Jessica," He paused, going to say his last name before he corrected himself, "Martin."

Chess smirked, raising a brow, "Oh, a girl huh?"

Steve shifted his gaze to his hands, his thumb unconsciously playing with the gold hand that still was on his left ring finger.

He never took it off and no one ever questioned him even though he quickly found out no one had known that he and Jessica were ever married.

"My wife," He finally whispered, meeting Chess' now wide eyes, "We were married in 1943, but apparently no one ever found out in the files for some reason."

"Oh," Chess murmured, hands hovering over the keys to the laptop.

Steve felt his chest constrict as well as his throat, clearing it before he spoke, "She had powers, was a Commando. But I never got an answer as to what happened to her."

Chess softened, giving her friend a small smile as she grabbed his hand and said, "We'll figure it out. I'll get everything I can find and in a file before your meeting with Fury."

Steve nodded, eyes glossing over without his control as he squeezed her hand and said, "Thank you, Chess. I'll be forever undebated to you."

"Hell yeah, you will be," She joked, trying to bring up the mood in the room. Steve laughed, "You're too much like Howard."

Chess rolled her eyes playfully, "Whatever. Just let me get to work. You play some old person game on your phone so you don't get Alzheimer's."

Fifteen minutes later, Chess' nose was practically pressed into her screen, the printer on the other side of the room whirring violently as she printed everything she had on Jessica.

Steve looked up from his phone when she whispered his name, waving him over, "Yeah?"

"I think you're going to want to see this," She murmured, gulping softly as she read over the top secret report on Jessica.

The man furrowed his brow and stood, walking over to her before crouching over her and looking at the computer. His eyes dulled as he took in the words, heart clenching in his chest.

"Disappeared over enemy grounds."

"What the hell did she do?" Steve felt his breathing grow more rapidly, eyes glossing over.

Chess looked up at him, "It says that the only one who knew what happened was Peggy Carter and my grandfather."

Steve bit his lip, "It makes sense. Jessica considered them really good friends. I did too."

The printer stopped and Chess moved to grab the stack of papers, sifting through them as she walked back over to her friend. She smiled at him as she produced a paper with an address on it, handing it to him first.

Steve took it and his eyes widened, saying, "Wait. Peggy is still alive?"

"And so is Jessica's sister," Chess' words made Steve's mouth bubble, "Her address is the second one. I might visit her first if I were you."

Steve smiled softly, hope filling his veins at the thought of Lydia being able to give him answers. He looked down to his friend and cautiously wrapped an arm around her.

"I went to Lydia's house when I first got back... it was torn down. Her and Stiles must have moved," Steve shook his head in thought before returning to the women's brown eyes, "Thank you, Chess. I don't know what to say."

Chess chuckled lightly before pushing him off and saying, "Don't be all mushy on me now, Cap."

Steve smiled and Chess sighed, biting her lip before asking something she had wanted to this entire time.

"Why didn't it say that you two were married? The history books only say that she was your best friend."

"Because she was," Steve nodded, gripping onto the file, "Until she kissed me under the tree at my training camp."

Chess smirked, "I like this girl."

"Yeah, I think I do, too."

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AN: You guys, I'm excited for the next chapter.