Ok so, the first part was pretty well received. And by that I mean I didn’t get a whole lot of negative responses. So thank you. Anyway, now onto the next part
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Part 1- Never Forgotten
Present
An old woman stands alone; looking down at a headstone in Arlington Cemetery. As she looks down at the stone she makes no sound and doesn’t move. A younger woman approaches from behind carrying a pair of coffees. She’s dressed in a long black coat.
“Aunt Peggy?” she says, as she holds out one of the coffees. “I got this for you.”
“Thank you honey.” The older woman says. Taking the coffee held out to her and finally turning her attention from the stone she had been staring at so intently.
As they both sip their drinks, warming themselves in the cold autumn weather of Virginia, the younger woman speaks. “My mother told me you were here and I didn’t want you to be alone.” “Oh Sharon. You’re such a sweet girl. You didn’t have to come all the way out here. I know you’re busy with your new job and----. “
As if knowing what she was going to say, Sharon interrupted her Aunt. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve missed you.” Motioning towards the grave, the younger woman can’t help but ask. “So… did you know him?” reading the name on the headstone. “Steve Rogers…… never heard you mention it but mom said you’ve been coming here for years.”
Peggy stood silently. Nobody said anything. Sharon just waited for her Aunt to respond but eventually, feeling as though she had made a poor choice in bringing it up, tried to change the subject. “Never mind, I’ll just be waiting over here.” Sharon turned to leave but Peggy said. “Yes. I knew him. Probably better than anybody did.
“Tell me about him.”
“What?”
“Tell me about him.” Sharon Repeated.
“Ok. This is the tale of the greatest man I’ve ever known.”
1939
New York City
A skinny young man sits on the steps of his front door. He is sketching the other side of the street. He’s very good and it’s quite detailed. Looking up to admire the beauty of the world around him, he is caught unaware by a pair of men in military uniforms. They are not much older but considerably more muscular, they grab him in a headlock. He struggles for a second before they release him. They help him up and each give him a friendly hug.
“Thomas. Andrew. I didn’t think I’d get the chance to say goodbye.” The skinny man said.
“You really think we’d leave without saying bye to our buddy Steve?” Said one of them. The other continued. “That’s crazy.”
They laugh. As only best friends can do but soon they go silent.
“We wish you were coming with us buddy.”
“And I wish I was going. But my mom…… she needs me here at home and—“
“We understand. We just wanted to come by and tell you were heading out tonight.”
“Thanks guys. And be careful out there.”
“We will. Don’t worry. We’ll just have to manage without little Stevie Rogers watching our back”
They all laughed again and hugged goodbye. As much as they all wanted to pretend this wasn’t a big deal, they’d all seen the news reels. Seen the kinds of things the Nazi’s were doing.
That’s why they had all decided to join up. Fight to protect what they believed in but when Steve’s mother got sick… he could go. He was all she had since his father had passed away and as he watched his best friends walk away; he got the sick feeling that for the first time in his life, he’d let them down.
Several days later Sarah Rogers woke in the middle of the night to a terrible coughing fit. She’d been suffering from a particularly bad case of pneumonia and at this stage; all her son could really do was keep her comfortable. But he tried. Not long after her fit started he was there beside her. He did his best to stop her coughing and eventually the fit ended and she lay back onto the bed.
“You are a good boy Steve.” She said. “Taking care of your mother like this.”
“Thanks mom but after everything you’ve done for me, helping you get over this little cough is the least I could do.”
She tried to laugh but it only brought resurgence to the coughing.
“Stop mom, drink this.” Steve said. Handing her a warm cup of tea.
After finishing her tea, Sarah lay back down. Closing her eyes she repeated “My good boy… good boy.”
The Next morning Steve woke sitting in the chair next to his mother. He tried to wake her. Asking if she wanted anything for breakfast but, as he shook her trying to wake her, he knew the truth. She was dead.
“Mr. Rogers. Could you please take a seat?” the stern Army recruiter pointed to the chair across from his desk. He spoke in such a way that said he wasn’t used to having to ask twice. Steve didn’t disappoint. He sat down. Looking first at the recruiter himself, then at the man standing in the corner smoking a cigar.
“Now Mr. Rogers. I’m sorry to tell you this; but you are just not physically fit for active duty. I’m going to mark you down for 4-F.”
Steve looked down. He could speak. What words could he say to respond to this? He’d just been told he could serve his country. He couldn’t follow his friends into war. He barely heard the recruiter as he explained that there was still plenty he could do on the home front. The man had to ask him 3 times if he understood before he nodded and stood up to leave. But before he did, he turned back to the man who had just told him he wasn’t fit to fight for what he believed in.
“I may not be the biggest or the strongest man you find today willing to go out there and put on a uniform but I will work harder than any one of them. I know the difference between right and wrong. What Hitler and his Nazi’s are doing over there. That’s wrong, and I need to do something to make it right. Please sir. I’m asking you.”
Silence.
As much as the recruiter may have wanted to be able to let Steve do what he felt he needed to; everybody in that room knew the answer he had to give. Steve politely said “thank you for your time” and left. Heading back home. To the house he grew up in; empty and alone.
As he walked Steve thought about his friends. What they must be doing right now. What they would say to him. Tell him it would be ok. It would work out. As long as they were together.
He was thinking about this as he passed an alley and heard a woman scream. There were two men standing behind her. Holding her. She had tried to out run them but apparently hadn’t been able to get far enough away.
Without thinking, Steve charged towards them. “Let her go!” he shouted. They just looked at him and chuckled.
“Look what we got here. Some kind of hero.”
“I said leave her alone.”
There were less than 10 feet from each other. Steve did his best to be intimidating but against two opponents each twice your size; it’s a little hard. Each brandished a knife and as he stared them down, they raised it towards him.
“Why don’t you make us?” they joked. Clearly amused that this scrawny man would even try to challenge them.
For a moment Steve faltered. He had no chance against these men and he knew it. But, as he looked down, he met the eyes of the scared woman and knew he had to try.
Grabbing the lid off a nearby garbage can, and brandishing it as a shield, he charged. He jumped at the nearest attacker, using the shield to block the knife. They both went down to the ground hard. But Steve managed to break his fall with the other guy. However, as he tried to turn to face the other attacker Steve was pulled off of him and thrown to the ground by the other.
Standing over him, holding the knife preparing to strike, the man said “Damn kid. I’ll teach you some respect.”
But, as he went to deliver the knife blow, a gunshot exploded next to him. Afraid for his life, he helped his accomplice to his feet and they both disappeared down the way they had come.
Coughing and trying to regain his breath, he accepted the helping hand from the mysterious stranger. When he finally managed to look his rescuer in the face, he recognized him. The other man from the recruiter’s office.
“You…” was all he could say.
Before he responded to Steve the man checked if the woman was alright and told her to wait on the street for the police. Then, he turned to Steve.
“That was good work Rogers.”
“Thank… Thank you Sir.” Steve mumbled
“Call me Phillips. General Chester Phillips.
“Ok. General. Not that I don’t appreciate the rescue but, I have to ask, what are you doing here?”
“I like you Rogers. You have heart and that’s rare nowadays. After what I just saw, you also have courage. By the butt load.”
“Well thank you but I still don’t really underst—“
“Rogers. I have one question for you. Do you still want to serve your country?”
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So that does it for Part 1 also known as the second part (first part can be found here : http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/news/?a=23963)
Hope you enjoyed it. as before, questions, comments and queries below.
thanks