Who: Steve, Bucky, Peggy What: Runaway wedding Where: Steve's heaven When: Christmas day Status: Closed/Ongoing Rating: Low for now
Steve had woken up early. He wasn't sure why or how, but he had and he remembered the previous year, and decided to go and gather their gifts from the spire before the others woke up. It was barely dawn and the snow was only galling lightly, despite the fact he hadn't needed more than his Christmas sweater to stay comfortable outside. It was still calm near the tree so it was easy to sift through the gifts and find his family's, he found Stevie's first, the biggest of them, wrapped up in Captain America wrapping paper that almost made him blush. Peggy's was next, which was wrapped in beautiful white paper covered in lace with an ornate ribbon and deep red, sweet smelling flowers. Sarah's was smaller with brightly colored paper, little drawn on mice scattered all over it. Then Bucky's, big but pretty flat, wrapped in a paper that looked almost like newspapers and butcher's twine, the same way Steve's mom had wrapped their gifts most years. His had been harder to find, it was small, wrapped in simple brown paper with a red twine bow and a note tied on. He couldn't help peek at the note as he picked it up. He didn't recognize the writing at all.
Heaven is a lovely place to see Christmas morning
At first he didn't understand what it could possibly mean, but then he remembered hearing about the newest door. He debated for a few moments, going back and forth about whether or not he should go home and get the others first, or if he should follow the advice at all. But eventually his curiosity won out. He set the boxes down in a neat pile off to one side and started toward the tower with the doors.
He hesitated a few minutes outside, wondering if he even wanted to see what was on the other side of it. He didn't know who's world this heaven belonged to, what it would be like, if he really wanted to know. And what if he never wanted to leave it. Before now he couldn't imagine anything better than what he had here on the island, at least when the place was behaving, but what if this place was so much better his home didn't feel like heaven anymore.
Eventually he decided that there was no way he'd stop wondering and opened the door slowly.
It...was an empty room. Small and simple, with a full length mirror to one side, a dressing screen and clothing rack. It was a dressing room. He didn't understand how this could be heaven until he noticed another door on the opposite wall. Maybe he had to go through that too. This door he opened even more slowly and peered through before it was even half way.
What he saw brought tears to his eyes and he shut the door again quickly and quietly, bolting back through the city to pick up the gifts and run home. He knew he had to let the kids have their Christmas morning but he had to talk to Peggy and Bucky first. And knew they'd be back at the door sooner rather than later.
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Steve fidgeted, back in that little dressing room. One of three he soon found out. It belonged to a tiny church, just big enough to hold the people there. People he thought he'd never see again; his mother, the Commandos, Erskine and even Peggy's family, though he'd never met them and some of the nicer nuns he remembered from Bucky's home in Brooklyn. This is what it would have been like, if the war hadn't torn them all apart. If the universe hadn't seen fit to remove everyone who meant anything from his life so he could save so many others. He didn't know if this was really the heaven he'd end up in, if he did die. If he could. But if it was, he could see why he wouldn't mind spending eternity there.
He straightened his jacket one more time in the mirror and brushed his hair away from his forehead before he peeked out the door. Seeing his mother hold her granddaughter, Stevie flanking one of her sides in the front pew. He couldn't hide the smile if he wanted to. It was something he'd only dare wish for in the dead of night when there was no one but God to hear him. He wiped gently at one eye as the clock chimed and took a steadying breath before pushing the door the rest of the way open and stepping in to his spot at one side of the altar. He eyed the door that was directly opposite his, waiting for Bucky to join him, knowing Peggy would be the last to enter. Though he was more than eager to see her too.