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screwyoumarvelSteve was sound asleep. With his concussion mostly healed and his ribs on the mend, he could do that now. But the phone ringing woke him right up. Someone might need him, after all. Or it might be Bucky. It usually was. "Hello?" He didn't want to sound hopeful, but he probably did.
"...Hello?"
He froze. "Bernie?"
"Who the hell is this? Is this Barnes' sick idea of a joke? Because it's not funny."
"Bernie, did Bucky give you this number?"
"...yes."
He was terrified to ask this question, but it had to be asked. "Why?"
"No, first you're gonna tell me where you get off talking to me like him, mister."
"Bernie, it's me. It's Steve."
"Steve Rogers," Bernie said in a choked voice, "is dead."
"Bernie," Steve said patiently, gently. "Bucky gave you this number."
She was quiet for a long moment. Processing that. Then she said, "Oh, my God, Steve. How?"
"Nick Fury. I'm in another dimension. Long story."
"Another dimension with phone service?"
"Yeah. Long story...Bernie, why did Bucky give you my number?"
"Oh. I was supposed to call it if the verdict came back before he got back from his thing. He's chasing down a lead on Sharon Carter."
And if there was one thing Steve was not about to discuss with his former fiancee, it was the woman he'd dated both before and after he'd been with her. "Verdict? It's the middle of the night--wait, time zones."
"Plus you're in another dimension, you goof. Anyway, the point is, we won, horrible perversion of civil liberties blah blah the streets are now safe for costumed folk. You can read my briefs later. And if you pop up tomorrow and make this look like a conspiracy I'm going to have to slap you twice."
"Twice?" He could feel a grin slowly spreading across his face. She'd won. The system had worked.
"The first time is for letting me think you were dead and don't think you're getting out of it. Now I've gotta get Barnes legally alive. It'll be good practice. I have to go. Press conference. I'm not done with you." And on that somewhat ominous note, she hung up on him. But that was okay.
She'd won. He couldn't stop smiling if he tried.
"...Hello?"
He froze. "Bernie?"
"Who the hell is this? Is this Barnes' sick idea of a joke? Because it's not funny."
"Bernie, did Bucky give you this number?"
"...yes."
He was terrified to ask this question, but it had to be asked. "Why?"
"No, first you're gonna tell me where you get off talking to me like him, mister."
"Bernie, it's me. It's Steve."
"Steve Rogers," Bernie said in a choked voice, "is dead."
"Bernie," Steve said patiently, gently. "Bucky gave you this number."
She was quiet for a long moment. Processing that. Then she said, "Oh, my God, Steve. How?"
"Nick Fury. I'm in another dimension. Long story."
"Another dimension with phone service?"
"Yeah. Long story...Bernie, why did Bucky give you my number?"
"Oh. I was supposed to call it if the verdict came back before he got back from his thing. He's chasing down a lead on Sharon Carter."
And if there was one thing Steve was not about to discuss with his former fiancee, it was the woman he'd dated both before and after he'd been with her. "Verdict? It's the middle of the night--wait, time zones."
"Plus you're in another dimension, you goof. Anyway, the point is, we won, horrible perversion of civil liberties blah blah the streets are now safe for costumed folk. You can read my briefs later. And if you pop up tomorrow and make this look like a conspiracy I'm going to have to slap you twice."
"Twice?" He could feel a grin slowly spreading across his face. She'd won. The system had worked.
"The first time is for letting me think you were dead and don't think you're getting out of it. Now I've gotta get Barnes legally alive. It'll be good practice. I have to go. Press conference. I'm not done with you." And on that somewhat ominous note, she hung up on him. But that was okay.
She'd won. He couldn't stop smiling if he tried.
