Chapter 1

Liv tensed in cold fury. She could handle not being informed of many things but THIS, this had crossed the line. The phone shook in her hand.

"Agent Jackson, respond."

"I'll clean up your mess, Fury, but next time you inform me or I promise, there will be hell to pay." She snapped in that frighteningly controlled voice that made the man on the line flinch.

"ETA ten minutes." He hung up.

Liv clenched her jaw, then moved with military precision to the coffeepot. If she knew anything about the boys back in WWII, it was that a cup of joe was one of their dearest commodities. As she worked on the brew, she forced herself to relax. Breathe in. Out. Be calm, soothing, informative. Lord only knows what sort of shock the man's been through. The pot finished just as she heard a commotion from the hall outside and – of course. That would be Fury. Already not-so-subtly trying to get Rogers into the field. She silently thanked Stark for taking the all of seven minutes he needed to make the coffeepot brew faster (and better) and filled two travel mugs. Heels clicking on the floor, she strode outside and inserted herself deftly into the parade of people streaming down the hall. She ended up next to Fury, who was walking beside Rogers and well into a determined monologue.

"…technology, especially in warfare, is –"

"Captain Rogers!" Liv interrupted, deliberately letting her voice ring out in a command, knowing that the soldier would respond with a somewhat clear head to that tone.

He stopped immediately and turned, looking at her with such a bewildered and lost expression that Liv mentally cursed Fury….for the fifth time that day.

"Yes ma'am?"

Liv slipped between an irritated Fury and the Captain and placed the travel mug in his hands.

"Coffee. Black. I thought you might need it."

Fury obviously felt the need to regain control over the situation.

"Captain, this is Liv Jackson. She is one of out most valuable agents – "

"CIA." She snapped.

Fury clenched his jaw and continued.

"Admittedly a transfer, but she had proved time and time again to be one of our, if not the, best."

Rogers' expression had now taken a turn to overwhelmed as Fury continued monologuing. Liv gently touched behind his elbow, and he flinched slightly, then relaxed and allowed the touch. He seemed to regain focus and looked at Liv, inhaling slightly as if he were about to speak, but she silenced him with a brief shake of her head. Fury finished.

"What he means to say is, they trust me enough that it's become my job to help you adjust. Which begins with getting you somewhere quiet." She said gently, not moving her hand from his arm. Fury, much to her satisfaction, didn't protest. He knew that when he gave Liv a job she would do it her own way.

"I have to say that'd be welcome, ma'am."

"Come on then." She led him out of the mob of people, glaring at Shield agents that tried to follow until they went away (she had a hunch Fury called them off over the radio). Planning on taking him the back way to her car, she brought him down a relatively unused corridor. Rogers faltered slightly, and she turned, concerned.

"Are you alright?"

He looked down and chuckled slightly.

"It's a lot to process. But I really don't think you need to shepherd me like an errant child, Ms. Jackson."

Liv pulled back her hand quickly.

"I'm sorry, I – "

"It's fine." He interrupted. "We'll do it this way, so I don't get lost."

And he offered his arm to her. A little startled, she took it. They continued down the labyrinth of halls until Rogers spoke.

"Where are we, anyway?"

Liv glanced at him, startled.

"You mean to say that in all that time Fury was monologing he never told you?

Rogers shrugged. "Guess he had other things on his mind."

Liv rolled her eyes and a crooked smile appeared on his face. "Well, Captain, we're currently at Shield headquarters in New York."

"Steve, please. And Shield is?"

Now Liv was really surprised. "He failed to mention that, too?"

"I suppose he did, yes."

"SHIELD is an acronym. It originally stood for Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division. It was changed in 1991 to Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate, and then more recently to Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "And that all means what, exactly?"

Liv chuckled. "Good question. No single person is absolutely sure. As far as I know, officially, it's a UN chartered intelligence agency. In actuality, it's a US based operation founded and run by Nick Fury with the purpose of locating and recruiting exceptional people."

Rogers' brow furrowed. "I could see that being potentially hazardous."

"It is."

As they spoke, they turned the corner into the small parking garage where she, Stark, and a handful of other agents kept their cars.

"Here we are."

Rogers' eyes became as big as saucers as he gazed at the cars. Liv stifled the urge to giggle.

"Bit different, huh?"

"These are…well, they're…they're…"

"Flashy?"

"That would be the word."

"Maybe someday I'll let you drive. Hop in." she gestured to her small, forest green car.