1,231It had been two years since the attack on New York City. And in those two years, he felt the reality of what had happened to him sink in. Sure, when he first woke up, he felt lost, but this felt different - worse. Back then, there was still some sense of hope left, that something was still the same. But nothing was.
As horrible as it was, the attack on New York City was the first time he ever felt like he had a purpose. He was fighting for something again, but once that fight was over...the realization returned: he had nothing.
Steve was miserable. This was not the New York he remembered. Everything was new and shiny and bright, too bright. There were people, places, things he had never even heard of before. And the things he did know were either outdated or gone.
Like people. Like Bucky. Like Peggy. All of them were gone and he was the only one left. The feeling of loss grew bigger inside of him each day, reminding him that he was alone.
This is not to say that he didn't try. He did. He really did. He went to movies, went to bars, went to restaurants and coffee shops, but it just didn't feel right. Awkward, was the word. Steve felt awkward. Like he reverted back to his younger self, before the serum made him into Captain America.
He knew how to be a soldier. But he couldn't figure out how to be a man in this time. There was a disconnect between who he was and where he was.
As the days went by, he started just going through the motions. Wake up, run, shower, eat, work, repeat. There was no emotion behind anything he did; he had accepted that he was set to live out his days alone and without a purpose. The new world didn't seem as appealing when there was no one to share it with.
Yet all of that began to change when Steve woke to the the shrill ringing of the cell phone Fury had given him. It had been years since Fury had contacted him and Steve figured it was just another mission - which he knew he should be grateful for; it would get his mind off of his intense loneliness. After the attack on New York, the Avengers all went their separate ways, leaving each other until the next crisis.
He reached up from his position on the floor to the nightstand by his bed to grab his phone. The bed in his apartment was too soft, he couldn't ever get comfortable enough to sleep. So he had started sleeping on the floor, feeling like he was back in a time where - everything might not have been better per say, but it felt right. Sitting up, he sat against the legs of the table and flipped the phone open - answering it as he did so.
"I'm about to make your morning, Rogers." Fury's voice came over the line. Steve rubbed his free hand over his eyes, wiping the sleep away.
"How so?" He responded.
"We have some intel that you might be interested in." Steve sighed, not in the mood for Fury's games. He just wanted to know why Fury was calling him so early in the morning, "One of our analysts was cross referencing your past against our database and found an old friend of yours…"
Steve sat up straighter at the sound of her name. His heart swelled at the thought of her being alive and well. After the attack on New York, Steve had searched for her, hoping that she was still alive. All his searches turned nothing up, but it seemed that he just didn't search hard enough. He needed to see her again, had to. And once again, after years of not feeling anything, the feeling of hope returned.
"I'm on my way." Steve quickly said before hanging up the phone.
Of course, Steve couldn't just get up and go. Fury had called him back moments after he hung up, mentioning that there was a catch - there was always a catch with Fury and SHIELD. If Steve was coming back to DC, he needed to join SHIELD for real. Work with them to take down threats before they became too big of threats. There were a couple days of negotiating, but Steve agreed to the terms; he convinced himself he was going back for her, not for SHIELD.
It didn't take long for Steve to pack up his things - not like he had much to begin with anyway. There was no reason for him to stay in New York, not when there was something better in DC. SHIELD had set up a plane for him, reminding him that it was because of them that he had found someone from his past. But it didn't matter to him; the small beacon of hope had appeared and slowly, as Steve got closer to DC, it grew bigger and stronger.
Fury met him in the lobby of SHIELD, looking no different than the last time Steve had seen him. They exchanged nods before Fury turned away, indicating that Steve should follow him. As they walked through the lobby, Steve took in his surroundings. He clocked the exits and possible escape routes just in case something were to happen. The people walking around were all SHIELD, either in uniform (agents) or suits (analysts). It was very clear that he was back in SHIELD's territory - one that was still unfamiliar to him. Steve tried keep his face neutral as he stepped into the elevators with Fury.
As the elevator went up, there was silence between him and Fury. He looked out of the windows, realizing how he could see the entire DC Metro area from up in the elevator. Politicians made his stomach roll; they were mostly all about self gain. Looking away from the windows, he turned his gaze to Fury - seeing that he was giving him a once over.
"You look terrible." Fury frankly said, getting an eyebrow raise from Steve. "Didn't like New York too much, eh?" Fury continued, settling back against the railing in the elevator.
"It's not the same as I remember." He simply responded, keeping eye contact with Fury. He nodded, looking away from Steve.
The elevator doors slid open and he let Fury step out before him. As they walked down the hallway, Steve slowed a bit to glance around the adjoining hallways. It was a habit of his - always making sure he was aware of his surroundings.
"Where's Peggy?" He asked out, picking up his pace to fall into step next to Fury. He had figured that Fury would be taking him to Peggy, but he should've known it wasn't going to be as simple as 1, 2, 3.
"She's in a retirement home uptown. Pretty classy place." Fury curtly responded. Steve slowed down a bit, letting Fury get ahead of him. His fists clenched in his jacket pockets as Fury continued to walk away, taking a moment before noticing that Steve was no longer with him. He turned around, eyebrows raising at Steve; he didn't know why he had stopped.
"Was this just a ploy to get me into SHIELD?" Steve asked, feeling his temper flare. If Fury had lied to him about Peggy still being alive, Steve wasn't sure how he would react. But he knew it wouldn't be good.
"No." Fury seriously responded, turning away and starting back down the hall, "As surprising as it may be to you, we actually care about your well being." He glanced back at Steve as they walked down the hallway. Steve let out a scoff, not entirely believing Fury, but continuing after him.
"Clearly, you're not okay." He slowed down, turning to look at Steve head on, "Which is why we brought in some help." Before Steve could ask who or try to deny that he needed help - even though a part of him knew he did, Fury turned away from him. He pushed open his office door, stepping inside.
Steve stepped in after Fury stepped to the side, keeping his hands in the pockets of his jacket. It was then that he saw a young woman get to her feet. His eyes traveled over her, starting at her face and going to her toes. She was dressed like any other SHIELD analyst: in a fitting gray pantsuit and a pressed white blouse with the two top buttons unbuttoned. Half of her dark waves were spilling over her shoulders, the other half pulled back from her face. A bright, welcoming smile broke out across her face at the sight of Steve, but he noticed how it didn't quite reach her eyes - like she was trying to mask her nerves.
There was something familiar about the woman. Steve knew they never met; he would remember her. Yet, she reminded him of someone he had met in his past. He tried to sift through his memories, wanting to figure it out. But before he could put his finger on it, Fury pulled him from his thoughts:
"Rogers, meet Agent Proctor." He gestured to her. Steve's eyes flicked over to him as he spoke before looking back at the young woman.
She took a few quick steps forward, hand extending as she came closer to him. Steve met her halfway, knowing it was the polite thing to do. Their hands met and she shook his hand firmly.
"Captain." She greeted him, nodding once at him, "It's an honor, really." There was a slight twang to her voice - it was almost unnoticeable, like she had worked hard to get rid of it, but it came out on certain words. And it was one that Steve recognized.
"Brooklyn?" He asked, tilting his chin down and raising his eyebrows a bit. She reacted - her smile opening up a bit as a blush began to creep up her neck.
"Uh, yeah, yes." She answered, bobbing her head in a nod. He couldn't help the small smile that broke across his face at her reaction. Her hand suddenly retracted from his and she took a step back, pulling herself up straighter. The same smile returned on her face as she nodded once at him,
"Welcome to SHIELD, Captain."
Thanks for reading! Please let me know any thoughts you have about this chapter/story! This is all X23 Maximoff's fault. (Also please go read her story for some Quality Bucky/OC Content...)
