This is the first chapter of a new story I have been trying to write out this past year. I cannot say when I will update with more chapters. I only wanted to start this story off in hopes to motivate me but to also see the type of feedback and interest I get back from readers. This story does start off with the first Avengers film and I do have plans to continue it through to, at least, Civil War.

Manhattan, New York - April 2012

Clicking her pen, Leah opened her notebook to the first page. "What's the last thing you remember, Steve," she asked him.

Steve blew out a thoughtful breath as he ran his fingers over his hair, pushing it back into place. "Um...some of our men landed in Iwo Jima."

Leah nodded, her features contracting into a hard expression. She scribbled into her notebook, her lips set in a line. "Do you remember why?"

Steve pressed his lips together as he thought. His knee began bouncing, softly tapping the heel of his boot against the tiled floors. "W-we wanted to secure the island. To attack Japan. We won..." He looked back over at her, his brows curved upwards in questioning. "Didn't we?"

Leah nodded again. "Yeah, we won, Steve," she told him as she wrote another note in her journal, "but at a cost," she added absently. "That was one of the bloodiest battles to come out of World War Two."

Looking down at his boots, Steve nodded. "Yeah. Now I...now I remember. The island was used as a Japanese Naval base, to anticipate our attacks." Steve's shoulders were hunched as he leaned his elbows against his knees. He fiddled with his hands, getting lost in his thoughts.

"Do you remember anything about your plane crash?"

Steve's hands clenched together at her question. "Yes," he replied. His jaw tensed. "I remember all that."

Leah frowned at the sudden softness of his voice. "I'm sorry to bring all of this up, Steve. I don't want to upset you." She placed her hand on his shoulder, innocently trying to make a connection with him. She only succeeded in making him tense more.

Steve shyed away from her touch. "Just doing your job, ma'am. I can't have you apologize for that," he said.

Leah opened her mouth to say something but the hiss of the automatic doors interrupted her. Agent Williams stepped into the room. His sunglasses were perched on his nose and his hands were clasped behind his back. He notified that Steve's new apartment was ready for him and a car was waiting to take him there. Steve stood to his feet and picked up his - no, SHIELD's - duffel bag.

"Right." Leah said as she stood. "I'm sure you want to settle in. I'll, um, I'll outline a plan and we can meet again tomorrow and see how it works. I can come by around ten, so we can spend the majority of the day catching you up. Does that sound alright?"

Steve huffed out a breath then nodded. He looked uncomfortable. But whether it was because of her plan or because of shock, she wasn't exactly sure. Maybe a mixture of both... "Have a nice day, Ma'am." All Leah was able to do was smile in return as the Captain turned on his heels and followed Williams through the door.

Stepping onto the landing of Captain Rogers' floor, Leah smoothed out her clothes with her free hand. Her eyes scanned the doors looking for apartment number four. Spotting it down the hall, Leah picked up her gait, knocking on the black-painted door. With a twist of the lock, Steve opened the door and sent the woman a polite, if forced, smile. "Morning." Leah said, her tone sounding forcefully chipper. "I brought warm coffee and donuts." The super soldier quickly took the load of food from her arms and ushered her inside.

Stepping into his living room, Leah took a moment to take in his apartment. It was quite modern. From the appliances to the furniture. There were no pictures on the wall or knick-knacks on the lone bookshelf, but that was to be expected. Luckily, though, Leah noticed, there was a television mounted to a wall, with a dvd player sitting on the console table beneath it. Turning back around to face the kitchen, Leah found Steve silently digging in to a powdered donut. Her lips quirked into a smile, her attention going unnoticed.

After a silent moment Steve's eyes shifted over, now noticing the agent's amused stare. He straightened up and made to swallow his current bite. Leah's smile widened at his obvious embarrassment. Quirking an eyebrow, she waved her fingers over her lips. Steve's eyes widened, taking the hint, and wiped at his lips cleaning off the leftover powdered sugar. He let out a groan as he rinsed his hands in the sink.

"Sorry." He said, wiping his hands on a towel. "SHIELD didn't give me more than steak, potatoes, and ham sandwiches during my stay."

Leah shook her head with a laugh. "You don't have to apologize." She told him, taking a seat at a barstool on the other side of his kitchen counter. She took off her large messenger bag and placed it on the chair beside her. Opening it up she took out her journal. "So..." She began, drawing out the word. She reached over the counter and grabbed her coffee. "Shall we get into this?" Steve waved his hand in a gesture to go on. "Obviously we're going to start with the end of World War Two." She then pulled out a folded piece of loose-leaf paper. "I wrote down all of the events that happened in 1945. I thought maybe you could glance over them and get a bigger picture. Then from there you can see where you'd like to go more indepth."

"Yeah. Yeah. That sounds good." Steve nodded along to her words, taking the offered piece of paper. Glancing at the bullet points his brow creased as he went on.

"I also brought a few documentaries about the holocaust and our fight with Japan. If you'd prefer reading I have books on them, too. And I was able to find the movie Going my Way. It won the Academy Award that year..." Leah found herself stopping as she looked over at Steve. His head was still bowed over the papers. His eyes still narrowed and focused. "Steve." She called out.

The young man gulped down a lump in his throat. "The Tigers and the Cubs, huh." He said, almost breathless. "Must have been some game."

"I suppose."

A long silence fell over them as Steve's attention went back to the papers. Leah sat patiently, Waiting for whenever he was ready to continue.

"The 'documentaries'," Steve began, clearing his throat. "They're movies, right?" Leah nodded. "Yeah, I remember those. I want to start with the holocaust."

Nodding once again, Leah jumped up from her seat and took the film out of her bag.

The tension was thick after the credits rolled. The two people stiff in their seats as they sat in silence. Steve's eyes darted along the floor, thoughts running through his head, processing the facts he had just been handed. Leah was slouched in her seat, her legs crossed in front of her and her knuckles resting against her lips. She waited in silence with her eyes cast to the floor, not sure when to speak.

Leah brought her hands down to her lap. Fiddling with her fingers she looked tentatively in Steve's direction. "Do you have any questions?"

Steve shook his head. "No." He muttered. "No..."

"We can stop for today, if you'd like." Leah suggested. The film was a lot to process, especially for someone who had been so close to the situation. She did not want to overwhelm him.

Wiping his hands over his hair, Steve leaned back against the couch. "I don't know." He told her.

"We're gonna stop." She decided. Standing to her feet, Leah walked over to her bag. She pulled out a load of books then sat back on the couch. "I brought some books. I thought they might provide more insight." Steve sat up again, giving her his attention. "A Scrap of Time and Other Stories. The author, Ida Fink, is an amazing writer." She took a well-worn paperback book and placed it in his hands. "It's all short stories from survivors and victims and witnesses of the Holocaust. It's one of my favorites." Nodding at her words, Steve placed the book on his coffee table. "This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski." Leah started again, putting another worn book in his hands. "More short stories. The writer used humor to describe life in a concentration camp. Night by Eli Weisel. Quick read but still important memoir." Leah placed the other books on the coffee table for him. "Last one." She began again, holding a black, hardcover book. "This is The Diary of Anne Frank. It's the journal a young girl kept during the holocaust. Everyone reads this book. It's standard in schools."

Steve turned the book over in his hands, examining the cover. He then placed it besides the others on the table. He was silent for a moment, his eyes scanning over the books as if he were nervous.

"There's no rush." The sound of Leah's voice caused Steve's attention to break. He turned his head towards her. She smiled at him. "All in your own time, Steve." She told him. "You don't have to finish these books over night. Or even by next week."

The two sat at a metal table in the park near Steve's apartment. They sipped at their coffees in silence, listening to the passing cars and playful screams of kids. Leah placed her cup on the table and tapped her fingers against it. "What was the last Disney movie you saw?" She suddenly asked.

Steve's eyes flicked in her direction. "Pardon?" He said.

"What was the last Disney movie you've seen?"

The soldiers lips were set in a line as he thought. "The one with the elephant...I think. Yeah. The elephant with the big ears."

Leah's features lit up at his answer, her mouth opening wide in excitement. "Dumbo!" She yelled. "I love that movie. What about Bambi? The one about the baby deer?"

Frowning, Steve shook his head. "I know which one you're talking about but I don't remember ever seeing it."

"What about Pinocchio? Fantasia?"

Steve smiled against himself at her excitement, the way she shot her questions. "Pinocchio I've seen. And Fantasia. That's the one with the music, yeah?" Leah eagerly nodded. "Nope. Never saw that one. A friend of mine who had said it wasn't worth it."

A half smile spread on the woman's lips and she sat in thought for a moment. "What do you say to having a bit of a lighter day tomorrow? We can just hang out at your apartment and watch some Disney movies?"

Steve chuckled lightly and nodded at her. "Sure."