Author's Note: Hi all, so new Fanfic! Hope you all enjoy. This chapter is the prolog to give back ground and weight to the story coming ahead hopefully! Apologies for the time skips, want to get this chapter done and background set up so I can move on with the story (If you've any questions do mail me!). So enjoy and review!
Chapter one: Prolog
July - 1989
The clouds cleared below the jet, there is was. It was the perfect city for this mission. The sun was creeping across the sea to the east sending a rays of light up The river wound that it's way down through the centre dividing it north and South. Ships left the port laden with people and goods. The docklands gave way to a city, it sprawled outwards, growing every day, the economy fuelling the expansion. Bridges cris-crossed the river below and traffic was beginning to pick up as the morning wore on. It was on the edge of Europe, and it was never on anyone's radar. Ireland, a country that had a list of achievements as long as the Nile and yet no one ever suspected it of anything, they retained their neutral status ever since World War II. It was perfect, Nicolas Fury smiled to himself as he felt the jet making it's final approach into a private air field.
The jet touched down and taxied to the end of the run way. Fury saw a small party of people waiting for him. He stood up and put on his black trench coat, a small noise pulled his focus for a second. He looked down at the basket, his expression softened.
"Well kid, you've been through enough already. These folks are gonna look after you," He said gently to the baby in the basket on the seat beside him. He saw her open her eyes, bright blue already. He smiled again. He was doing the right thing for the kid, he reminded himself. He picked up the basket, carefully as to not wake the dozing baby. The pilot had already opened the doors, fresh air greeted Fury as he walked down the steps of the plane to the small group waiting for him. The woman rushed forward, she was in her late fifties, her small frame weighted down by far too much Irish cooking.
"Is this her?" She asked looking up at Fury.
He looked down at the woman and nodded, "Yes ma'am." He held out the basket for her to take.
He saw tears brimming in her eyes, "Séamus, come look at her." She beckoned her husband forward.
The man who was about to Fury's shoulder walked forward and peered into the basket, "Ah god, would you look at that. She looks just like my aunt she does, god rest her soul."
"That she does," She smiled.
Fury coughed, "Well I better be heading back State side."
Séamus looked up at him, "Thank you Mr. Fury, we'll love her with all our hearts."
Fury looked down at the little baby, "I have no doubt sir. And remember I'm just a phone call away." He turned on his heel and walked back to the jet, it was the right thing to do, no matter what SHIELD said, he would not allow a kid to die or to be used. He did the right thing.
Ten Years Later:
Mary jumped out of her skin and almost dropped the cup she was drying as the front door opened and slammed shut. She heard a bag being dropped and shoes thrown off, hitting the wall in the hallway. Then before Mary could do anything a golden headed missile exploded into the kitchen.
"Rhea Sarah Rogers! You are about as subtle as a flying brick! Slow down!" She turned to the girl. At ten she was already tall, unusually so for their family, bright blue eyes pierced through and her golden hair fell in waves past her shoulders.
"I'm sorry Mum, but they were chasing me again," The ten year old slumped her long frame down on the chair.
"And why were you running?" Séamus came into the room.
Rhea looked up at her Dad, "I'm sorry Dad but at first there was only a few of them, but then more came and no matter what me and Jesse did they wouldn't back off so we split up and ran in different directions." Rhea hung her head, she had been taught never to run, but she didn't want her arm broken again.
"And why were they chasing ye love?" Mary asked, putting a cup of tea down in front of Séamus.
Rhea looked up at them, her hair draped over half her face, "They were calling me names at the start, I told them to stop. And I went to walk away, but then one of the boys tackled me, Jesse tried to help, but they had him too. We managed to punch our way out and then we ran."
Séamus looked over at her, he could tell she was upset with herself, "What were they calling you?"
Rhea gulped, "Lanky, giant, worm, scarecrow…." She trailed off.
Mary went over to her and put her hand on Rhea's shoulder, "Ah now love, you know that there is nothing wrong with who you are."
Rhea looked at her, at ten she was taller then her mother, "It's just hard Mum, being like this, why can't I be like you or Dad?"
Mary rubbed Rhea's back, "Darling what you are is something special, and no matter what people tell you, you are never to forget that understand?"
Rhea sniffed and wiped her hand sternly across her face, "Yeah, I know." She stood up,"I'm going to do my homework." Rhea walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs to her room.
Mary listened for the door to close and then turned to Séamus, "My heart breaks every time she comes home like that. Can we not tell her?"
"No, Mary. You know what Fury said, she can't know, it's too dangerous," Séamus said to his wife, "We just have to help her the best we can."
Five years later
Rhea opened her eyes, light flooded into her bedroom. She pulled her feet up under the duvet, her long legs stuck out the end of her bed. She rolled over and reached for her phone on the bedside locker and saw a text from her best friend Jesse. They had been friends ever since they were kids, it started when some of her class mates were making fun of her and Jesse stood up for her, and the rest as they say was history. She brought the phone to her and looked at it through sleepy eyes, he wanted to know if she was going to come to his house and then head into the city centre. She groaned and sat up in bed. Her dirty blond hair was in a nest above her head and she wiped the sleep from her eyes. Reaching with her feet she found a pair of jeans and a jumper on the floor and pulled them on, then went on the hunt for a hair brush.
"Damn," She swore to herself when she realised that it was down stairs. She grabbed her jacket and headed down. She heard voices as she made her way down the corridor, and there was a voice she recognised. Rhea opened the door to the kitchen, "Well long time no see!"
Nick Fury, and old friend of her parents looked over at her and smiled, "Well hi to you to kid," He stood up and gave her a hug, then put his hand on her head, "You gotta stop growing. What are you feeding?" He turned to Mary and Séamus.
Rhea grinned, "Yeah, I'm burning through clothes." She looked up at Nick, to others, especially Jesse, he was rather scary. Always dressed in black with an eye patch and his deep American accent, he sort of looked like a high tech pirate, but she didn't tell him that. "Well it's great to see you, but I'm going to Jesse's and then we're going into town. So I'll see you later." She turned on her heel before anyone could say anything and bolted for the door.
It was a short walk to Jesse's house and he was waiting for her by his gate, "Hi Bilbo!" Thea teased.
Jesse fell into step with her and elbowed her in the side, "Leave it out!" Thea laughed.
"So where to?" Jesse asked.
"I have no clue, we are free for the summer!" Thea grinned. They reached the bus stop and waited, chatting about what fourth year in school was going to be like. But something caught Rhea's eye, she stopped hearing Jesse speaking. There was a man, a man standing on the mound across the field. She couldn't look away from him. His longish hair whipped in the wind, he was dressed in some sort of uniform and what caught Rhea's eye was his arm, it was silver and shining in the summer sun light.
"Rhea? Rhea!" Jesse nudged her, "You listening?"
"Hmmm? Yeah? Sorry Jesse, zoned out." Rhea apologised to him, just as the bus pulled up. As Rhea got on to the bus, she looked for the man again, but he was gone.
Five Years Later
The rain poured down on the grass, jumping off the pathway that led back to the church. People began to walk back to the cars slowly, the black umbrellas dipping as they walked. But Rhea didn't move, she couldn't, it didn't matter to her that she was getting wetter by the second standing in the rain. She looked down at her feet, the earth on the graves was freshly moved and set down. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"You alright kid?" Nick Fury stood behind her.
Rhea sniffed and cleared her throat, "It seems like I was only here with Mum yesterday after Dad died. Now her. I just can't believe they're gone Nick."
"I know kid, me either," Fury said and began to steer her towards a car. Rhea looked up and saw a man about her height standing waiting for them, he was balding and gave Rhea a nod of understanding then opened the door. Rhea ducked her head and got into the black saloon car.
Fury sat in next to her, "Thanks Colson, we'll head back to Rhea's and collect her things." Then he turned to Rhea, "That is, if you're still planning on going to Georgetown?"
Rhea looked over at him, she had gotten an offer to transfer from Trinity College in Dublin to Georgetown in Washington DC, she was so excited to go but the funeral had taken all the excitement out of her, "There's nothing really for me here anyways." She sighed, then looked back out of the window.
Fury nodded and didn't say anything else. He looked over at Rhea, she'd grown into a beautiful and intelligent young woman in the twenty years that he had known her. Nothing seemed to be haunting her from her past, but he wanted to make sure that she was safe, he swore that to her on the jet when he picked her up from the mission in 1989.
Rhea got out of the car and walked up the pathway to her house, the 'for sale' sign on the gate swinging in the wind. She opened the door and the house felt empty, like it was dead inside, all the joy had left it. Her bags were at the foot of the stairs, she reached for them and pulled her green backpack on her back. She took one last look at the place she'd grown up in and been loved in then turned to the door, with out a word and walked back to the black saloon car. Colson helped her put her bags in the trunk of the car then she sat back in next to Nick. She turned to look at him, "So this is it?"
Fury looked over at her, her bright blue eyes full of concern and worry, "Yeah this is it. Look I'm not the one for emotional support," Colson snorted from the front, earning him a glare, but Fury continued, "But I'll be there for you as much as I can. My job is…. well it can get busy and I'll be away a lot, but trust me, you'll be fine. You'll slot into life in DC like you've always been there. Have a little faith."
"Sir," Colson spoke, "Some things is going on at Culver University in Virginia." He sounded concerned. "And it appears that Stark has reappeared."
"Call Romanoff, get her to check it out whats going in in Virginia," Nick said. "I'll head over to see Stark once we have feet on the ground back at DC."
Rhea barely listened to what they were saying then sighed and stared back out the window, Nick's right, she thought, I have to soldier on, that's what Dad always said, and that's what I'm going to do.
PS Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed, it's gonna be a bumpy ride for Rhea once she hits the States so follow and you will see where it goes!