Reb - 6

This is in Steve's POV 

 Steve could see as his best friend tried to distance himself from their hostess and the place they had come to enjoy.

 "Reb." He called.

 She looked up and pulled her earbud out of her ear. "Humm?" She tilted her head.

 "Our friend called. He'll be here in two hours." Steve cut to the chase.

 She looked surprised, "Your friend had better be a magician to pull that off. Another storm is rolling in about that time as well."

 Steve chuckled, "I wouldn't bet against him."

 "Well then if you’re leaving then I must hurry up on presents." Reb decided.

 "That would be overstepping our bounds." Steve protested.

 "Nonsense. If you’re in my house at the time of Christmas you leave with a present." Reb retorted. "Let me finish my letter then I'll get them ready."

 Steve forgot about the presents when she mentioned writing, it gave him an idea. "Do you mind?" He gestured to the paper laying there.

 "Be my guest. I'm writing my foster sister, for Christmas." Reb nodded.

 "What's the story?" Bucky ask quietly. Steve was vaguely surprised since his best friend had barely said ten words in their hostess' presence but she seemed to have that effect on people.

She smiled signing her letter, "My foster sister is actually the groundkeeper’s daughter and my Grandparents treated her as one of their own. But he died when she was 16. After that, she fell off the map. She recently contacted me. His death rocked her and she ended up on the wrong side of the tracks. But family is worth mending for. She's back on her feet now. I thought I'd reach out after she sent me a Christmas card." Reb reached over and opened an overnight package and slid the letter in before opening a package of burner phones and programming it. She dropped both things in before addressing the package and sealing it up.

 "May I use one of those?" Steve asked politely indicating the opened package of phones.

 "Certainly," Reb said, cleaning up everything else.

 Steve grabbed one and an overnight package as well. He wrote to Tony, it seemed appropriate. He was so focused that he didn't notice Reb had left them alone until Bucky stuck a paper in his face. "Punk, turn your ears on."

 "Jerk." Steve shot back instantly. Moving back he took the paper. It was a brochure on a revelatory surgery paired with an equally expensive treatment program.

 "That's the surgery that will could her life," Bucky explained.

 "How do you know that?" Steve ask slightly disturbed.

 Bucky turned to one of her desk drawers and before Steve could say anything came back over with a stack of papers.
Steve flipped through them. Bills for physical therapy and hospital visits, bank statements saying how much was left in her bank, and a letter from a care center urging her to let them help and a quote.

 "She doesn't have the money for it but it is the only thing left or she goes into forced so facility." Bucky laid it out.

 "First of all, not a great social skill going through others' stuff. Second, I might have an idea. Since you already have looked through her paperwork did you by any chance find her bank account number?" Steve re-stacked the papers.

 Bucky smirked, "Of course I did."

 "Write it down." Steve motioned to a sticky note pad that was on the counter.

 Bucky wrote it down and then put away the papers quietly. Steve moved to go to the computer when the bracelet started vibrating. Tapping it the bracelet projected the specs. It was like the internet. Steve quickly opened the account that T'Challa had given him access to before they had disembarked and transferred the max money amount over to Reb's account multiple times. Closing it he finished his letter and sealed it in an envelope. Cleaning up he wrote down a note for Reb as the present. Hearing her coming he cleaned up everything just as she came in.

 She held a camera and was looking nervous, "Do you think we could take a picture?"

Steve looked over at Bucky who shrugged, "Sure. You can't really show anyone but sure."
She grinned. Setting up the stand they stood in front of the tree and smiled. They all actually looked happy and relaxed. Steve was pleasantly surprised.

 Reb was thrilled, "It's great! Now, I know it's a lot to ask but could you two remake your beds with new linens and leave the rooms the way you first had them? I just can't get up there."

 They both agreed and headed up. They brought their suits down before cleaning up. It didn't take long at all but when they got back down Reb had two backpacks in hand. "Merry Christmas!" She held them out.

 Both men seemed a bit taken aback. They took both of theirs appropriately when Steve saw the time. "Our ride is probably here. We better get going."

 Reb nodded seriously, "Of course. Here." She had carefully folded and wrapped their suits in plastic trash bags. They put them into their backpacks and pulled on their ponchos.

 "May I walk you out?" Reb asked hesitantly.

Against his best intentions, Steve agreed and the three of them set out all bundled up. The wind was wicked and cold. The snow wasn't that bad except for the fact it was blowing sideways. They made it to the park and dove into the dense area.

The clearing was taken up by T'Challa's aircraft. It opened and the king stepped out into the calmer winter. "Captain."

 Steve nodded in respect, "Your Highness."

 Bucky hung back next to Reb. Steve looked back at the two of them and felt a pang of guilt. That was all Bucky had ever wanted, a family, security, home. Now Steve had to pull him away. Rebekah had shown them both that they could have a home again.

As they lifted off leaving her standing in the cold looking up as the aircraft took off Steve felt like he was losing something beyond value.

 Home was possible to gain if he could try.

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