"Hawkie!" A little girl cries, "Barney!"
A little six year old ran around in an unknown location, she is looking for her brothers. Tears ran down her face, her hair a knotted mess, eyes puffy, clothes dirty and her toy hawk covered in dirt. She doesn't know what to do, her parents haven't come for them and now her brothers are gone.
"Hawkie!" she cries again running around.
"Daddy? What is that?" Another girl's voice asks.
Suddenly an older man and a young girl find the crying girl near a clearing. The man goes up to her and kneels down to her level.
"Are you lost?" the man asks.
"Y-yes," the girl sniffles.
"Where are your parents?"
"I...I don't know...they left me three years ago."
"Do you have any other family?"
"M-my brothers...I..I don't know where they are," she says as sobs wracked her body.
"What's your name?"
"G-Gabrielle B-Barton.."
"Gabrielle," the other girl says, "I'm Maria and this is my daddy Nick Fury."
"Would you like to come with us?" Fury asks.
"...O-ok," Gabrielle sniffles.
Fury lifts up the dirty girl and takes his daughter's hand before heading to his car. He drives from the clearing in Iowa and heads back to Washington DC, once they are back they head to his work so he can give the girl to someone who can help her while he looks up her information.
"Sir," 19 year old Maria Hill says, "welcome back."
"Agent Hill," Fury says, "Can you take this girl and clean her up, then get Coulson."
"Yes sir," she says taking the girl, "it's ok, I am going to take care of you."
"O-ok."
"What's your name?"
"Gabrielle," she answers.
"Well Gabrielle let's clean you and clean your toy."
Hill takes Gabrielle to the only bathroom and gives her a bath, as she dries her off Maria runs in with clean clothes that are her's.
"Here!" Maria smiles, "you can wear my clothes."
"Thank you Maria," Gabi smiles changing into the clothes, "where's Mimi?"
"Mimi?" Hill asks.
"My hawk toy!" Gabrielle panics.
"Shh don't worry, Mimi is just being cleaned. Once she's done we will give her back."
"Ok."
Hill takes Maria and Gabrielle to Fury's office to wait to see what to do with the little girl. Fury found out that Gabrielle's parents died three years before in a car accident and that her brothers are still missing. Gabrielle sat in front of Fury's desk holding her hawk stuffed animal close to her body after Hill gave it back to her.
"W-where am I going to go?" Gabrielle asks getting worried, "Do I have to go back to foster care?"
"No, one of our agents will be raising you," Fury says.
"Really?"
"Yes," Fury says as there is a knock at the door, "Enter."
Soon a 34 year old walks into the room, Gabrielle looks at him to see the serious look on his face but other then that he looked friendly.
"You asked more me sir," he says.
"Agent Coulson, this is Gabrielle Barton, I want you to take care of her," Fury orders.
Coulson looks down at Gabrielle and she hides behind her stuffed toy, she has always been shy towards others.
"Hello there little one," Coulson says kneeling in front of her, "I'm going to take care of you ok?"
"O-ok," Gabrielle says.
Coulson picks her up and Fury gives him the next two months off so the two of them can connect and get used to being together. Coulson takes Gabrielle down to his car Lola and heads for his home, once there he makes them lunch.
"Here you are," Coulson says handing her a sandwich, "I hope you like turkey."
"Yum!" Gabrielle smiles eating the sandwich.
"We will have to go shopping to get you what you will need," Coulson says when he notices that Gabrielle ran off, "Gabrielle?"
"Who's strong and brave, here to save the American Way? Who vows to fight like a man for what's right night and day? Who will campaign door-to-door for America, Carry the flag shore to shore for America, From Hoboken to Spokane, The Star Spangled Man with a Plan! We can't ignore there's a threat and a war we must win, Who'll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin? Who will redeem, head the call for America, Who'll rise or fall, give his all for America, Who's here to prove that we can? The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!"
Coulson enters the living room to see Gabrielle in front of the TV watching the Star Spangled Man With A Plan, he smiles and goes to sit next to her.
"Stalwart and steady and true, (see how this guy can shoot, we tell ya, there's no substitute!) Forceful and ready to defend the Red, White, and Blue! Who'll give the Axis the sack, and is smart as a fox? (far as an eagle will soar) Who's making Adolph afraid to step out of his box? (He knows what we're fighting for!) Who waked the giant that napped in America? We know it's no-one but Captain America, Who'll finish what they began? Who'll kick the Krauts to Japan? The Star Spangled Man with a Plan! (Who's strong and brave, here to save the American way?!)"
"That was awesome!" Gabrielle smiles when the show was over.
"Captain America was amazing."
"Who is Captain America?"
Coulson looks at her shocked, but then remembers that she has been living alone with just her older brothers for three years. After they finish lunch Coulson takes her out to get clothes, school supplies, toys, and furniture, as they go around Coulson tells Gabrielle all about Captain America and what an amazing hero he was during the war. Gabrielle was listening with amazement to his story, never had she thought there was a guy like Captain America in the world.
"Daddy?"
"Y-yes?" Coulson asks in shock that she called him Daddy.
"Can I become a fighter like you and Captain America?"
"When you are older, yes you can."
Gabrielle smiles at him, happy to have somewhere she can call home. The next day Gabrielle was going to school for the first time ever, Gabrielle was nervous but excited at the same time.
"Gabi!" Maria calls out seeing her friend.
"Maria!" Gabi says running up to her friend.
"I will pick you up after school!" Coulson calls to her.
"Bye Daddy!"
Maria and Gabrielle stay together pretty much the entire day, with Maria's help Gabrielle is able to make a lot of friends. Like he said Coulson returned after classes ended to pick Gabrielle up, Gabrielle smiles at him and runs to him.
"Daddy! Daddy look!" Gabi shows him the drawing she did of him in Captain America's costume and her next to him, "I drew this in class."
"This is amazing honey, come on it's time to go home."
Coulson lifts her up and places her in her car seat, even though she is six Gabrielle has the body of a four year old so Coulson wants to be careful with her. She had been ignored after she went into foster care and when found she was extremely thin and weak so Coulson wanted to make sure she will be ok. As the time passes Coulson began to love having a daughter, having someone to watch after, comfort, and everything you cannot get not having a child. But it does take a while to get rid of her nightmares, but there's one thing he cannot get rid of is the hole left by her older brothers.
"Have you found them Director?" Coulson asks three months later.
"No I haven't, they are keeping out of sight very well," Fury says, "it will take longer than I first thought to find her older brothers."
"But you will keep looking?"
"For a few more months but I cannot promise anything after that."
"Yes sir."