Tangled Paths | Bucky Barnes

Chapter 21: Farewell... And Hello

21
Farewell...
and Hello.

Saint Luke's Cathedral, London England

Sam and Darla sat together in the front row of the church pews during Peggy's funeral while Steve and some other men carried her casket as the choir sang. She watched as his lip trembled and his eyes burned red from his tears. The building was full of people who knew her and had come to pay their respects to her.
When Steve took his seat on the other side of Sam the funeral commenced. The service was beautiful. It was long, but every second was full of love and inclusivity. Just before the end of the service, a woman named Sharon Carter who was Peggy's niece stood up in front of everyone to say a few words. Darla noticed Sam hitting Steve with his elbow and looked over to see Steve double-take in confusion as he looked at her.
She said a few words and after everything was said and done in the lobby of the church Steve Sam and Darla approached Sharon who was speaking with some heavily decorated men. Just as the three were about to bridge the gap to her Sam grabbed Darla's arm and held her back while Steve continued to walk.
Darla stopped in confusion as she looked at Sam who was staring at the back of Steve's head then followed his gaze. When Sharon had noticed him approaching she had kindly told the men to excuse her and turned to Steve. With a shared look, the two pulled each other into a caring, almost loving embrace and Darla could have sworn she saw Steve choke back a tear as she watched the beautiful blonde woman hold onto him tightly. The two pulled away from each other and stared into each other's eyes, the tension between them could be cut with a knife.

"You okay?" He asked her softly with his sad puppy dog look.
"At the moment? No. But I will be." She assured him as she held onto his arms and shared the look with him. Sam cleared his throat and the two looked over in his and Darla's direction.
"Sharon, I'm sure you remember Sam Wilson and this is Darla Grant. Born in the 20s, former S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent, Now Avenger." He explained as he smiled at her still holding onto Sharon. Darla feigned a grin and stepped forward to shake Sharon's hand.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I never had the privilege of meeting your Aunt but judging by the stories I've been told she was a remarkable woman. I'm so sorry for your loss." She told Sharon honestly. Sharon stepped away from Steve and shook her hand while she gave Darla a kind grin. 
"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too." She replied genuinely.

"Hey, listen we were gonna go back to the room and have a drink or two then later when they set up we were gonna watch the accords. If you're not doing anything better you should come." Sam offered.
"Any excuse to get out of here," Sharon replied honestly as she pulled away from Darla and moved to hug Sam. Darla saw Steve looking at her out of the corner of his eye so she looked back at him and gave him a small reassuring smile. 
"Why don't you three head back, I'm gonna hang back here a little longer. I'll meet you up in the room in a bit." He instructed before clearing his throat and shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah sure man. Whatever you want." Sam replied.

The three then headed up to the room and sat down on the couches then spent a little bit of time getting to know each other better over a glass of scotch. Darla and Sharon shared stories about their time at S.H.I.E.L.D. while Sam flipped through TV channels.
Sometime later Steve joined them and they chatted and reminisced about some good times. Sam's channel flipping ceased and landed him on a news channel that was covering the UN meeting in Vienna. The man explained that they'd be going live in a half hour to cover. Darla checked her phone. 

"Nat just landed." She said out loud to the room as she read a text off her screen.
"Alright, I should get back," Sharon said to everyone as she checked her watch.
"I'll walk you down," Steve said as he stood up and re-buttoned his jacket. Darla and Sam shared a look. A small devilish smile hid in their grins.
"It was nice getting to know you, Sharon. Next time hopefully it's under better circumstances." Darla said as Steve got the door for her. 
"You too, bye Sam." She said with a small smile as she brushed her blonde hair behind her ear and left while Sam gave a small wave. Steve looked back at the two before closing the door as Sam and Darla grinned at him with their thumbs up. Steve rolled his eyes and closed the door.