A/N: So, my friend and I have had this idea for a few years, now. The concept was of Captain America and Iron Man having daughters, who turn out as friends as their fathers are...more or less so. Sarah Josephine Rogers belongs to me, while Madeline Stark belongs to my friend. I also wrote a one-shot, Alias, but this is the revamped (reboot? lol) version. This spans out with pre-Avengers, the events, and a bit after. If I feel it enough, I may write an origin/Avenger story from Maddy Stark's POV! (I'm not sure yet, though, because she's not my character.) Please, enjoy this! Apologies in advance for any spelling/grammar mistakes, as Google Docs can be frustrating!
Title comes from A Cool Cat in Town by Tape Five.
Sarah Josephine Carter was born in 1946, roughly nine months after V-E Day. She was named after her paternal grandparents, which was also a nod to her father. Her mother would have given Sarah the same surname as them, but Carter was for the best during the time.
Sarah Josephine Carter was born to Margaret Carter; her father unknown. Well, that wasn't exactly true. Sarah's mother and those closest to her knew who Sarah's father was, but it was better that the world did not know who he was. It was to protect Sarah, and the girl knew that from a very young age.
Sarah knew that it was hard for her mother to raise her. After all, a single mother who had a child out of wedlock in the time Sarah was born was not accepted by many in society. Sarah knew that her mother faced much scrutiny in everywhere she went. Sarah, too, had faced much scrutiny. Many mothers forbade their children from playing with Sarah if they had known she was born out of wedlock. Sarah did have some friends, but it had made her sad when she was younger because she really had no one to play with. Looking back, what hurt Sarah the most was when her peers had put it together and had started both, gossip and target Sarah.
The bullying had gotten worse when Sarah was around eleven or twelve, but it wasn't for her parentage, it was for something else entirely. Something she was born with. This is a story for another time.
It wasn't fair, Sarah knew. She couldn't help that she was brought into the world in unique circumstances, and Sarah was positive that her father loved her mother, and would have married her if he could have. It wasn't fair to be targeted for being different, but she couldn't change that.
Anyway, it wasn't like Sarah had a miserable life. She didn't. In fact, she loved her childhood. She had her mother, who was both amazing and a badass both on and off the field. Her stepfather was extraordinary, raising Sarah as her own even when he and her mother started having children of their own. Daniel Sousa never made her feel out of place, and Sarah is proud to say that he was her father, no matter what the relation was.
Sarah had more than just her mother, stepfather, and younger siblings. She had loads of uncles, like Uncle Howard and Uncle Dum Dum. Howard had spoiled her like she was his own child, and Dum Dum with loads of other men (the Commandos) were a lot of fun. They all told her plenty of stories about her father. There was also Aunt Angie, who was her mother's best friend and was very fun to be around. There was also Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis, who doted on Sarah. Sarah could also remember an older man, whose lap she sat on and he would tell her stories as well. He died almost ten years after Sarah was born, but Sarah loved that old man.
The first fourteen years of Sarah's life was not bad at all, even in her time. Yes, she had trouble fitting in but with her loved ones supporting her, she was fine.
However, it did not mean that Sarah found herself in trouble a lot. She didn't mean to, she just stood her ground. The few friends she did have, the underdogs, she defended. Even strangers, she would defend. No one deserved to be picked on, and those with the loud mouths should not be tolerated.
Because of Sarah's zero tolerance policy, she often found herself in trouble. It was rare, but she would come home with a busted lip or bruises. Her parents were never mad with her, but they would caution her, especially after her abilities had kicked in. She needed to be careful, they would tell her. Sarah-who was often called Sarah Jo by friends or Sarah Josephine by a few family members-would only nod and promise she would. She was able to keep her end of the bargain, trying as hard as she could to not expose herself. After all, it was dangerous for her in her time. Sarah didn't know it, but she was special. It was from her father, Sarah assumed, and later it would be confirmed.
Sometimes, Sarah was lonely. She often felt disconnected with the world around her, and that she didn't fit in. Her parents tried to tell her otherwise, but they didn't understand. Sarah appreciated her parents trying to help her, but they didn't know what it was like. They weren't born out of wedlock, they weren't "special" as they called Sarah...they didn't know how she felt.
Out of all the people, it was Mrs. Ana Jarvis that was able to tell Sarah that she was perfect in her own way. Sarah still had her self-image issues, but Ana helped her out a lot.
Mrs. Jarvis was cool, Sarah both thought and knew. Sarah knew that Mrs. Jarvis wasn't from the states, and that it was Mr. Jarvis who had saved her from a terrible fate during the war. The same war her own parents (all three of them), Uncle Howard, the Commandos, and Grandpa Chester were involved in. Sarah knew that Mrs. Jarvis couldn't have children, but Sarah was as good as her own. Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis often looked after Sarah (and later, her siblings) when her parents were busy. In fact, Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis were often the people that Sarah often went to advice first if she couldn't ask her parents (whether if it was for embarrassment, temporary absence, or some other reason). Sarah loved the Jarvises with all her heart, like they were her own family. In fact, they were family.
People say that the only family who mattered were blood relatives. "Blood is thicker than water" people would say, but that was not the case for Sarah. Sarah could not remember even meeting her maternal grandparents, and she knew that her paternal grandparents were deceased. The only blood relative Sarah had growing up was her mother, since her father was long gone. Her mother had married, of course, and her stepfather had actually adopted her! She then would have a few younger siblings, but there was more Sarah's immediate family. It was Stark, the Jarvis duo, Aunt Angie, and the Commandos.
Sarah would like to say that people who say that blood relatives were the only ones who mattered were wrong. Oh, they were so wrong.
When Sarah was fourteen, something extremely terrifying happened to her. Sarah still is not sure how it happened, but she ended up in the year 2012.
Sarah had appeared in a strange room, but somehow she knew where she was at. Her gut feeling was confirmed when she noted what the people in the room were wearing. SHIELD insignia. By this point in her life, Sarah knew what SHIELD was. Her mother was a founder, after all. Same with Uncle Howard.
Sarah could still remember the first thing she said.
"Wh-Where am I?" she had stuttered. "Who are you?"
"I think the better question is, who are you?"
A man, who was tall, dressed in all black, and had an eyepatch on had spoken up. She wasn't sure when he had arrived, because she had certainly not spotted him when she had entered the room.
Sarah took a good look at the man, regarding him. Could she trust him? She wasn't so sure.
"Who are you?" Sarah repeated her question, firmer and a bit braver than before.
The man stared her down with his one good eye. Finally, he decided that he should probably answer her first. Break the ice, you know?
"Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD," the man finally answered.
"Sarah," Sarah answered. "Sarah Josephine Carter-Sousa."
The people in the room gasped. Well, all of them except two people: Sarah herself, and Director Fury.
It turned out, people knew exactly who she was.
Sarah was escorted to a lab, where she would be tested on. It wasn't anything too serious, it was like a physical. That, and they drew blood from Sarah. The woman overseeing her was very nice to her.
"I remember Doctor Martin doing this," Sarah said. Doctor Martin was one of SHIELD's doctors who her parents had trusted in her medical history.
The doctor couldn't help but smile. When Sarah was first introduced to her, the young girl was terrified out of her whits, the doctor knew that even with Sarah's calm demeanor. She was a young teen who had arrived just out of nowhere. Who wouldn't be terrified? However, it seemed that Sarah liked Helen enough to converse with her.
"Was he your doctor?" Helen had asked. Sarah nodded.
"Yeah, my parents trusted him with my health," Sarah explained, but abruptly stopped. It was in good timing too, because someone had popped in the room to tell the doctor that Sarah's lab reports where ready.
"Good," she had said, and finished the rest of Sarah's paperwork and checkup. "Stay here, please. I'll be back shortly."
"Okay," Sarah nodded. The doctor gave her one last smile before exiting the room, heading down to where the nurse had gone. When she had met up with the nurse, she could see some sort of buzz going through their expression. The doctor, however, could not quite place it.
"What is it?" she asked.
"You definitely want to see this," the nurse said, handing her the files. She took them, opening the file and began reading the statistics. As soon as she hit the vital information, her eyes bugged.
"Oh my God."
So, Sarah was kind of scared out her wits right now.
Sarah was currently sitting the doctor's office, her hands resting tensely in her lap as they curled rather tightly. She had so many things running through her mind right now, she had no idea where to even begin in sorting them out.
Sarah didn't have to be so nervous anymore once her doctor returned. Sarah liked the woman, despite not knowing her for long. She was nice.
"We've received your test results, Miss Sousa," the doctor began. It looked like she was having trouble speaking. Was something wrong? Sarah hoped not. "Sarah, do you know who your father is?"
Sarah shook her head. "No. I've heard stories about him, but I d-don't know who he is."
The doctor nodded, taking a deep sigh. "Well, your test results came in. Do you have any idea who Steve Rogers is?"
Sarah cocked her head, thinking. "The name sounds familiar. Why?"
"Well...according to this...he's your father."
When the doctor had told Sarah the news, Sarah had almost fell to the ground. After all those years...Sarah finally knew who her birth father was.
Sarah was born was born in 1946. Her mother was Margaret Carter, while her father was Steve Rogers. Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America. Her father was an American hero and honestly, Sarah should have known sooner. While it was true that no one had explicitly said who her father was, the stories and information she was told should have been enough. Sarah felt like such an idiot, but she couldn't do anything about it now.
Steve Rogers, Captain America, was her father and apparently, and he had passed down his super soldier abilities to her. That explained a lot and once again, Sarah felt like a fool. It also made so much sense in how protective her mother and the rest of their makeshift family were.
It took a minute for Sarah to respond to the doctor, but that response was a panic attack.
Sarah wasn't sure what else happened after that, besides a group of people running in and Sarah was yelling for her mom.
Sarah had woken up in a white, blank room. Sarah groaned, as she felt herself wake up and beginning to sit up, only to stop abruptly as she saw an older man sitting in a chair, watching her. It made Sarah uncomfortable, as she wondered just how long he had been there.
"How long have you been watching me?" Sarah asked, fully up by now. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking at him.
"Not for too long," the man replied. "I think you were out for an hour, at the most."
"Oh...okay," Sarah wavered, not sure what had happened exactly.
"Do you remember what happened?" the man asked. Sarah nodded, feeling almost sick, but she wasn't sure why.
"Y-yeah. I...uh, I found out who my father was," Sarah admitted quietly. "Then I yelled for my ma...I panicked, too. Now, I'm here?"
The man nodded. Sarah continued to eye him.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Agent Phil Coulson," the man introduced himself, getting up from his chair. He walked towards Sarah, extending his hand out to her. "I've been assigned to you by the Director himself."
Sarah looked at him, unsure, before extending her hand to his. She shook his hand.
"I'm Sarah. Sarah Carter-Sousa."
Agent Coulson smiled. "I know."
Phil Coulson was made her legal guardian, courtesy from SHIELD. It turned out that Coulson was a huge fan of Captain America. Sarah wasn't sure how she felt about that, but at least he was learning about her father. Sort of.
At first, Sarah wanted to be angry with him. Her father, that is. He had left her mother and left her...but it was for the greater good. What Steve Rogers had done was something noble. He had saved the world. Sarah couldn't be pissed off about that.
Anyway, as soon as Sarah had entered the twenty-first century, she had decided to change her name. After Sarah had been informed about her parents...she couldn't take the name anymore. With the help of Phil Coulson, Sarah went from Sarah Josephine Carter-Sousa to Josephine Carter Rogers-Sousa. However, most just called her Josephine Rogers. It was a dedication to her parents: Peggy Carter, Daniel Sousa, and Steve Rogers. Phil had started calling the young girl Jo as a nickname, and it had stuck with many people.
For the first few months of her new life, Phil Coulson had tried to make it as normal as it could get for her, which Josephine greatly appreciated. She was enrolled in school and while she did not have many friends (yet), no one judged her like how the kids did back in her time. That was refreshing, even if she still felt out of the loop.
Who could blame Josephine for feeling off track? She was a new girl in a new age. She had to catch up on the last fifty-something years. She had to do some sort of "special training" due to her enhancements. It was so weird, but Josephine found that it was nice.
The hardest thing for Josephine was learning about her parents. Her stepfather had died a few years back. Her siblings were all grown up with families of their own. The Commandos were all dead, and so were Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis and Uncle Howard. (It also turns out that Uncle Howard had eventually married, had a son, and then died in a car crash with his wife in the early '90s.)
What hurt Josephine the most, however, was learning about her mother. Josephine idolized her mother, and to learn that she was now in a caring facility and having Alzheimer's had made Josephine very upset. Josephine wanted to visit her mother, but not yet. She couldn't do it yet, no matter how bad she wanted to. Josephine needed time to really settle in. She also didn't want to disrupt her mother...but not visiting wouldn't be fair to either of them. So, for now, Josephine told herself that she would visit her mother...just not yet.
It was a few months after Josephine arrived when it happened. She didn't know how, but somehow Captain America was found...and he was alive.
Captain America, a man who everyone thought was long gone was still very much alive. He was frozen, still alive thanks to the serum injected in him.
Josephine wasn't sure how she felt about her father becoming...defrosted. On one hand, it was exciting but on the other hand...it was nerve wracking.
Even though Josephine had her stepfather who she loved very much, Josephine had always wanted to meet her birth father. Growing up, she had always heard just how extraordinary he was, and how she reminded people so much of him...she just really wanted to meet the man. Not Captain America, but Steve Rogers himself.
How would her father feel, though? Josephine knew for sure that her father did not know about her, if she did the math correctly (and she did). Would he want to get to know her? Or would he reject her, wanting nothing to do with her? Josephine knew that happened. A lot of people she went to school with now often had single mothers and never see their father, and that happened in her time too, even! It wasn't right, and Josephine didn't know if she could take the rejection.
Josephine had to try, though. She couldn't live in worry and fear. She would not allow that to control her. She had to at least try and if her father rejected her...so what? At least she had her stepfather and all the other men in her life. At least she had Phil Coulson, who looked after her like he was her own.
When Steve Rogers had woken up, he had found out the hard way that he was in a different time period. He had crashed in 1945, and had woken up almost seventy years later in the year of 2012.
Steve had slowly made his way into the modern world. He had woken up, began adjusting, and now he sat at a table, looking at files from people of the past.
It was heart wrenching for Steve to go through the files. Everyone was gone. Howard? Dead. The Commandos? All gone. Peggy, however, was still alive.
Steve was reading her file. She was alive and retired. As he skimmed through, he found something that caught him off guard.
Now, it didn't surprise Steve that Peggy moved on from him. In fact, he would have wanted her to. It turns out that she had children, but one name had caught him off guard. It was the first name on the list, stamped: SARAH CARTER.
Back in his time, it was rather uncommon for a woman to give her child her surname. What really threw Steve off was that the other children had a different surname than the first one.
Steve squinted at the first name, having an inkling feeling of who this girl was. He had the sudden feeling of unsettlement, as if he knew who she was. Steve wasn't a dummy, he could put two and two together.
Then, Steve happened to look down at the table and saw that there were still more files to look at. Tony Stark, the son of Howard, was upfront. He also noted that Tony had a daughter, but didn't pay too much attention as he moved that one aside and…
There was Sarah Carter's file. Carefully, Steve picked it up, and began reading it.
SARAH CARTER
DATE OF BIRTH: January 4, 1946
PARENTS:
-Mother: Margaret "Peggy" Carter
-Father: Daniel Sousa (adoptive); originally unknown
Steve soon realized that the file he was reading was an old one, as a current one was paper clipped to it. As Steve read this file, however, Steve realized his suspicions were prevalent and as soon as he read the girl's updated file, he was in for it.
JOSEPHINE CARTER ROGERS-SOUSA
Birth name: Sarah Josephine Carter
D.O.B.: January 4, 1946
REVAMPED TO: January 4, 1998
PARENTS
Mother: Margaret "Peggy" Carter
Father: Daniel Sousa (adoptive, DECEASED); Steve Rogers (biological)
Steve had stood up abruptly, his chair tipping backwards. This girl was his daughter. He had a daughter. A daughter. No one told him. No one brought up the fact that he had help bring life into the world, and that she was currently living in this time as a teenager.
Who was she? Where was she? How was she? Is she okay? Is she safe? Does she know about him? Does she know that he's here? Does she-
Steve couldn't handle it anymore. He walked out of his apartment, deciding he needed a change of scenery to take it all in.
Christ, he was a father.
Josephine did not meet her father until...well, apparently two weeks after he was officially living in 2012.
It was all coincidental, really. Josephine was stressed out, so she had decided to go to one of the parks in New York. It was a nice to go to. She liked sitting there, watching the people and nature itself. She found it comforting; peaceful.
Josephine was lounging on a park bench, doodling or jotting things down in her special little notebook of hers. She had stopped abruptly, as she felt like someone was watching her.
Josephine had looked up, looking around to see just who was staring at her. She spotted a man immediately and almost instantly Josephine recognized who it was. She had seen photographs of him.
It was Steve Rogers. It was her father. Her father, out of all the possible people...he had found her.
The thought was so overwhelming that Josephine had fallen off the bench and onto the ground. The man had sprinted towards her, helping her up.
"Are you okay?" the man-her father-was asking, as he helped keep her balance. Even if she had the abilities he had thanks to the serum, she seemed to have inherit some of his pre-serum issues. Steve hadn't heard her talk, but apparently she had a stutter. She was also somewhat small, around 5'3 or 5'4. However, she was perfect in his eyes. Her hair was brown, but it also reflected some of Steve's own light coloring. She looked a lot like her mother, but he saw his own physical features in her face as well.
"Yeah," Josephine replied, before looking up at him. "I am."
The two said nothing for almost a minute, but they recognized each other.
"You're him, aren't you?" Josephine asked in almost a whisper. "You're...you're my…"
Steve didn't let her finish, as he pulled her in for a tight hug. Josephine found herself hugging her father just as tight.
They didn't let go for a very long time.
After meeting for the first time, Josephine soon found herself hanging out with her father, beginning to live with him. They lived in a flat together in Brooklyn, with technology that Steve would be comfortable with for the time.
Steve and Josephine learned about practically everything about the other. It was really nice, and Josephine was ecstatic to see that her father wanted to get to know her, and make up for the lost time they had together. It was nice, and Steve had started to call her Josie now; sometimes Joey or Jo, but mostly Josie. Josephine liked it a lot.
The Rogers found themselves going out a lot. They went to cafes and the gym mostly. They learned a lot about the world together, and the extent of Josephine's abilities. They did know that she did not have a complete control over them quite yet, but that was okay. She was learning.
One day, Josephine left the gym early. She wanted to give her father some alone time, knowing he was still having trouble connecting to the modern era. (Josephine knew she still was.) Josephine had walked into her home, just to find a girl standing in the middle of it. Um…
"Wh-Who in the hell are you?" Josephine asked, studying the girl. She had long ginger hair (or was it blonde? Josephine wasn't too sure.), and when she finally turned around Josephine knew that the girl was young, and that she looked oddly familiar.
"I'm Madeline Stark. You must be Sarah!"
"It's Josephine," Josephine shot immediately, giving the girl a look. "Why are you in here?"
"Oh, I heard that Captain America had a daughter and I wanted to meet her!"
"Well, you're in luck. That's me," Josephine extended her hand out for the girl to shake. Madeline accepted it.
"I'm Maddy," the girl repeated.
"I heard," said Josephine with a little sarcasm oozing. Then she thought about Madeline's last name. "Wait…did you say that your last name is Stark?"
"Yup. Iron Man is my dad," Madeline answered.
Josephine's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Iron who?"
"Wow. You really are from the fifties!" Madeline cried out, not answering Josephine's question.
"I was born in 1946. I came from 1960," Josephine corrected.
Madeline grinned. "Cool!"
Josephine made a face. "Mmm. Not really. Most of my family is dead now."
"Oh, that's sad. I'm sorry Jo," Madeline said. "But still, it's so cool to meet you! Did you know that your apartment is really outdated?"
Josephine couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Yes. My old man is slowly getting into the time. I am too, actually."
Madeline grinned. It was a grin that reminded Josephine of her younger siblings and she knew in almost an instant that she was going to be stuck with this child.
So, Uncle Howard had a family. He had a son named Tony and Tony had a daughter—Madeline.
Josephine missed Howard. He had died almost twenty years ago. Then she thought about her—no, she didn't want to think about her. She didn't want to think about her mother. It hurt too much still.
"Why do you look so sad?"
Josephine blinked. "Excuse me?"
Josephine found herself often hanging out with Madeline, who was a few years younger than her. Josephine really did not want to admit it, but Madeline was her only friend at this point.
"Do you miss someone?" Madeline continued. "Did you have a boyfriend? Were you frozen—"
"Maddy. Shut up."
That girl was going to be a pain, but it was a pain that Josephine would have to get used to.
Josephine found that Maddy Stark was a rather lonely child. She was the only child to this Tony man she had yet to meet, and to a woman who was called Pepper. Howard had died almost a decade before Maddy was born, along with his wife. Josephine thought that was really tragic. She couldn't speak for Maria, but Howard was cool. To hear of his demise saddened Josephine.
"My dad hated him, though," Maddy told Josephine one day, while they were out in public. The two girls received stares, and Josephine wondered if it was because of A) they were young girls or B) people recognized that one of them was a Stark. It could have been a combination of both, but Josephine really wasn't paying attention.
"Oh," was all Josephine could really say. After all, Howard could have gone through a major personality change after she...disappeared. Also, according to the stories she heard growing up, Howard had blamed himself for Josephine's father going MIA. That must have weighed heavy on Howard's shoulders, and Josephine's existence probably made a huge impact as well. "Well, children always hate their parents, don't they?"
Maddy shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Dad and I don't always get along...but I love him. My mom too, even if they're not always around much."
"I can kind of relate to that. After all, my father decided to take a long period of rest," Josephine joked, which made Maddy chuckle a little. "But really, my parents weren't always there. They were there as much as they could, don't get me wrong but...my mom was kind of the big cheese in her time, you know?"
"What does that mean?" Maddy asked.
"What?"
"Big cheese?"
"Oh. It's like, the big boss," Josephine clarified, before taking a sip of her frappe. "I guess people don't say that any more?"
"Not really," Maddy agreed with her, as she looked around. "So...what do you like to do for fun?"
Josephine thought about it as she placed her frappe down on the table.
"I don't know...my dad has been teaching me how to box and stuff, I guess. I think it's fun. I like to draw and...I really don't know. I read a lot, too."
Maddy's nose crinkled at Josephine's answer.
"That sounds bland. You know what I like to do?"
"What?" Josephine asked, playing along with the girl.
"Invent stuff!" Maddy exclaimed. "I want to be like my dad too, a superhero."
Josephine felt her lips stretch thin, not sure how to respond to that piece of information.
"So like...his superhero persona? You want a suit like his?"
Maddy nodded rather eagerly. "Yeah!"
"Um...how would that work?" Josephine asked. "Actually, don't tell me. I don't think I want to know."
Maddy ignored what Josephine had said, and had decided to explain how a suit like that would work. Josephine was actually impressed with how much Maddy knew. It was astounding.
"Wow...you really do know your stuff, huh?" Josephine asked. Truth be told, she had no idea what the girl was talking about.
Maddy was beaming. "Yeah. No one usually listens to me, but I'm glad you did."
"Well, you can talk to me about anything," Josephine told Maddy. Maddy beamed once more.
"I will."
It wasn't too long until Nick Fury came to recruit her father.
Josephine wasn't too sure on the details, but it involved something about a god (not God, but a god like in mythology.) and something called a Tesseract. The god wanted to take over earth, and Fury wanted her father's aide. Josephine's father wasn't too pleased with the fact that the Tesseract was located ("they should have kept it in the ocean," her father had told her) but he was going to help them, anyway.
Steve Rogers had one problem, however. He didn't want Josephine to join the crusade, which Josephine was fine with. His problem was that he didn't want Josephine to stay in their flat all by herself. Josephine couldn't help but groan at the thought. She knew she could take care of herself and she could definitely stay by herself, but she did see where her father was coming from. They both were relatively new to the century. Steve knew that he needed to stop this Loki god, but he had no idea what to do with Josephine. Jesus, how did Peggy and her husband do it?
Josephine had an idea, however. She knew there was a chance that Maddy's father would be in on the job, and her mother was going to be busy. Also, Maddy has been begging Josephine to hang out at the Stark Tower for some time now. Why not knock out two birds with one stone?
When Josephine had brought it up with her father, he seemed hesitant to the idea. He had never met the Starks of today's world. He was sure that Maddy was a nice young girl, but he didn't know anything about her. However, Steve was easily convinced by his daughter, who seemed to inherit her mother's good speech.
"Alright," Steve caved in. "But keep your phone on. If anything happens, call me."
"If anything happens, call me," Josephine retorted. Steve couldn't help but smile at his daughter. He's sure he has said it, but—
"I love you. You know that, right?"
Josephine nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'll be careful here. I promise. Maddy's not a bad girl, really."
The Stark Tower was very big. The outside of the building did not do it justice. Personally, she thought the exterior was ugly, and maybe the interior was to a certain extent, but it was rather grand.
Maddy had a slew of activities to do. To sum it up, it was what girls did a modern sleepover. There weren't much changes to sleepovers, albeit differences with Maddy. There was tons of more technology and resources than Josephine had in her time. They ordered pizza (by the way, J.A.R.V.I.S. the AI scared the hell out of Josephine for a short while), watched movies, taught each other how to do makeup/gave makeovers, and talked. A lot. Josephine doesn't think that she met someone who talked as much as Madeline Stark did.
Those few days spending time together created a strong bond between the two girls. They, Maddy especially, had shared practically everything with each other. Josephine was able to talk about her mom, something she had trouble with when it came to her father. Maddy had suggested that Josephine should talk to her father after he returned, but Josephine wasn't too sure if she could do it.
Her father had called her. Josephine picked up immediately.
"Hello?"
"Josie, I need you to listen to me very carefully. You and Madeline need to leave Stark Tower."
"Why?"
"Loki is going there. There's going to be a war."
Josephine told Maddy they should go out. Maddy took them to that cafe that the two went to once or twice before. Josephine was also pretty sure that her father had been to the very same one, as she recalled that he mentioned of a really ugly building, which was Stark Tower as it turned out, being in his viewpoint. Josephine wanted to tell Maddy about her father's opinion, but thought against it. She didn't want to accidentally hurt the girl's feelings.
Josephine could remember clearly on what happened. She had gotten a caramel frappe (she really loved those), and Maddy had gotten a frappucino with one too many shots of caffeine in it. The girls were quiet in their time, nothing bad was happening.
Then Josephine saw someone falling out of Stark tower. Her mouth was gaping wide open at the sight, as she realized just who it was. It easy to identify person, especially if their suit was latching on to them.
"Um...Maddy, I think your dad just fell out of Stark Tower," Josephine said, not tearing her eyes away from the sight.
Maddy gave her a confused look, before turning around. She was unable to see it, but she saw that Iron Man was beginning to fly up and away. She turned back to Josephine, who shared an equally confused look with her.
What was going on?
Neither girl had the chance to say anything, because the next thing that Josephine, and practically everyone, saw and heard was...well, it was weird.
There was a big wormhole that opened up in the sky. Some weird like figures, Josephine guessed from outer space as it reminded her of the media she saw back in the 1950s, began to fly out and shoot beams at people. It was easy to spy the destruction, and Josephine easily guessed that they were under attacked. Fellow customers and the waitresses began running inside the building.
"Maddy," Josephine began as she shot up from her seat, not caring that it had tipped back, and grasped the table. "We gotta go."
Maddy nodded, getting up quick too as the girls began to run towards the building. Just as Josephine was about to hope over a ledge, she felt Maddy pull her back.
Josephine quickly turned her head towards the girl, giving her a look. "What?"
"My dog!" Maddy cried. She pointed to Stark Tower. "My dog is up there! We have to get her!"
"What the—" Josephine began, but she stopped short of her sentence. Maddy had gave her a serious case of the puppy eyes. No, she can't do that to me-
"Please, Jo," Maddy begged. "She's been there for me all my life! She's the only constant thing in it! Please."
Josephine could feel her face morph, as she looked back and forth between the building and to Maddy. Josephine closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. Damn it.
"Okay," Josephine said. "Okay, okay. We'll go get Sadie. But we got to be careful."
Maddy's face brightened up as she wrapped her arms around Josephine tightly. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you! You won't regret it! I-"
Josephine shoved Maddy away. Not too harsh though. From similar experiences, Josephine knew that she could really hurt people if she wasn't too careful. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. But we really need to get going if we want to get her. Now."
The two girls quickly got out of cafe and entered a street of demolition. Josephine, running on instinct, had tom dodge quickly as bright blue beams were fired at her. She had to pull Maddy with her along the way. Honestly, Josephine should have just left Maddy behind, because she was sure that she could have gotten to Stark Tower quicker without the...how old was she again? Eleven? Twelve? Josephine sighed. She was doing all of this for a dog, who she was sure that it would be fine. Who wanted to hurt dogs, anyway?
It was a long trek to Stark Tower, especially since there was a battle going on. Josephine wanted to yell. How the hell did she get into this mess?
At one point, Josephine wasn't looking the right way and was suddenly grabbed by one of those gray alien things. She let out a sound of surprise as the thing picked her up by the neck. Josephine couldn't hear Maddy's yells in the background as she was basically being choked. Eventually, with quick thinking, Josephine sent a strong kick into the alien's chest and her rival went down, with Josephine falling on the ground. In quick timing she was able to pick up the alien's weapon, a staff of sorts, and stabbed it in the neck.
"Eugh," Josephine commented, as the alien's blood (was it blood? Josephine was sure it was some kind of alien body fluid.) spilled out. Josephine dropped the weapon, as she looked at Maddy. Maddy was giving her a wide eyed look.
"Are you okay?" Josephine asked, breathing heavily.
"Yeah," Maddy nodded. She sounded out of breath, too. "Let's go!"
The girls continued their journey to Stark Tower. On the way there, they still had to continue to dodge possible hits, Josephine's quick timing and instincts hit almost perfectly as potential opponents dropped by, and they were even able to help civilians along the way! ("So you can stop and help strangers, but you grumble about going back for Sadie?" "Pipe down.")
After what felt like hours, the girls quickly ran into the Stark building. Josephine, even though she was similar to her father in many ways, had to stop and take a breather. She could see herself in the floor's shiny reflection. She was sweaty and covered in grime. She took a quick glance at Maddy who, somehow, still looked the same way she did back at the cafe. How?
Once Josephine was able to steady her breathing, she pointed onwards and said "Okay, let's go!"
Maddy led Josephine to the closest elevator. Maddy hopped in first, with Josephine right on her heels. As soon as Josephine had entered the elevator shaft, Maddy had hit the button that would take them straight to the top.
The journey felt forever, as Maddy stood in the center and Josephine was leaning back against the wall.
"I swear to God, Maddy. If that dog isn't th-"
Josephine's words ceased as the elevator came to an abrupt stop. Both girls let out sounds of surprise as they stumbled. The emergency lights flashed on. Josephine swore.
"Oh, damn it!"
"Miss Stark? Miss Rogers?"
"...J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Maddy said.
"Were you aware of us this entire time?" Josephine asked. Over the past few days, she had eventually warmed up to the AI system, especially after she realized it was named after Mr. Jarvis, another friendly face long gone.
"...Yes."
Josephine couldn't help but just shoot a dirty look to no one in particular. Think about how the characters in The Office looked in the camera. That was what Josephine was doing.
"Is Sadie here?" Maddy asked.
"Yes, Miss Stark. In fact, you halfway reached the top floor."
"Really?" both girls asked.
"Really," J.A.R.V.I.S. confirmed.
Out of curiosity, Josephine pried upon the elevator doors and it turns out that the AI system was right. The girls were able to see that the elevator was halfway up to the floor.
"Can we get out?" Maddy asked in a hopeful manner.
Josephine hummed. "Not this way," she answered, as she let the elevator doors close and looked up to the ceiling. "But we can get out that way."
Maddy looked up to where Josephine was looking. She paled before looking at Josephine.
"Nuh uh!" Maddy said.
"Maddy, that's the safest way. I can't hold these elevator doors for too long."
"Miss Rogers is correct, Miss Stark. The safest way is going through the emergency exit."
"Uh…" Maddy trailed off, looking scared.
"Relax, I'll boost you up," Josephine offered. Maddy looked wary.
"Okay…" the young girl said as she met Josephine halfway in the elevator. She looked up, seeing that they were right underneath the emergency exit.
Josephine got down into a stance that will help boost the young girl up. Maddy, still unsure, placed one foot in Josephine's hands as one of Maddy's own hands were on the older girl's shoulder as she kept herself balanced.
"Are you ready?" Josephine asked. Maddy nodded. "Okay, on the count to three. One, two…"
"Wait," Maddy stopped Josephine. "Is it 'one, two…' and three is when you push me up? Or is it 'one, two, three' and then you push me up?"
Josephine gave her a hard stare. "Maddy, just on three.'
Maddy nodded. "Okay."
"Okay? One, two…three!"
Josephine pushed Maddy up as the young girl jumped up, quickly unlatching the exit. She opened the door and was able to climb out. Josephine could hear Maddy's footsteps on the roof of the elevator as the young girl finally reached the top floor.
"Okay! I'm up!" Maddy yelled. Josephine was about to respond when she felt the elevator begin to shake.
"Uh oh…" Josephine trailed off, not liking what was going to happen.
"Jo! I think the cables are snapping! Hurry!"
Quickly, Josephine was able to propel herself up to the exit, hanging on to the edge as she climbed up. Steadily but swiftly, Josephine stood on the roof. She could feel the elevator wobble and the cables vibrating. Oh no, this thing was going to crumble any minute!
Quickly, Josephine hopped up to the floor, just as the elevator began to plummet. For a hot second Josephine thought she was about to go down with it, but something was stopping her from falling.
Maddy had grabbed Josephine's arm. Josephine was dangling in the shaft, but she was able to pull herself up with the help of Maddy.
Josephine just sat on the floor for a moment, registering what had just happened.
"You saved me."
Maddy shrugged, as she blushed slightly pink. "That's what friends are for, right?"
Slowly, Josephine nodded, as a grin slowly appeared on her face. "Yeah, that's what friends are for."
The moment didn't last long, however.
"Well, hello there."
Both girls had stiffened, as the quickly jumped up from where they were sitting. The girls took a good look at the man. He seemed young but...it looked like he came out of mythology of some kind. He had long black hair, wore green, and had an ugly looking golden helmet on but most importantly: it looked like he was on crack.
"Who are-?" Maddy began, but Josephine slightly pushed the young girl back, signaling her to be quiet.
"Who the hell are you?" Josephine asked.
"I am Loki. You must be the Captain's daughter," the strange man named Loki said.
"No I'm not," Josephine denied.
"There's no point in lying to me," Loki said. He looked deranged, and Josephine was ready to knock him out at any minute. "You both have the same stature. That same gleam in your eyes...you have a very interesting history, Miss Rogers. Or is it Miss Carter?"
"It's none of your concern. We just came here for one thing and that's it."
"Oh, really? What is it that you inquire?"
"My dog!" Maddy bursted in the conversation. Josephine almost rolled her eyes in an annoyed manner.
Loki looked intrigued by Maddy's outburst. "Your dog?"
"Yes, my dog! She's a furry animal with golden fur and her name is Sadie!"
Josephine had to fight the urge to not choke Maddy at that moment. Jesus Christ, Madeline!
"Jesus Christ, Madeline!" Josephine hissed at the girl, who immediately shrunk back and stopped talking. Loki began to chuckle.
"Oh, this is great," he said. "You two remind me of your fathers; always in a bit of a squabble."
Josephine and Maddy shared a look with each other that basically read: oh shit.
Before either girl could say something, the glass window behind Loki had shattered from an explosion, knocking the god down, sending him into a wall near the girls. Josephine and Maddy shield themselves from the blast, only being grazed by a few shards but no injury that was grave. As the girls recovered, another set of glass windows were shattered. The girls flinched back into their protective mode but soon recovered.
Josephine's eyes widen as she saw what stood before them. A tall green monster with gray-colored pants stood before them, breathing heavily. As the green monster charged towards the Loki, the god had jumped up from his fetal position. He had cuts around his temple.
"Enough!" the god yelled. "You are, all of you, beneath me!"
Josephine and Maddy shared nervous looks with each other.
"I am a god, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by-"
Loki was not able to finish, because the green monster had yanked him up by his ankle and began to smash the young god into the floor several times. Josephine and Maddy could only watch, both out of surprise and amazement.
When the green monster was done, he promptly dropped Loki back onto the floor. There were dents in the ground, where Loki had met the hard floor.
"Puny god," the green monster commented, as he turned away. It was then that the green monster had noticed the two girls.
"Who are you?" Maddy asked.
"Hulk," the green monster, now identified, answered. "You?"
"I'm Maddy, and this is Jo!" Maddy pointed the two out. Josephine smiled at Hulk.
"Thank you for saving us," Josephine told him.
"Welcome," Hulk replied, as he walked away. "Must go. I fight."
And with that, the Hulk jumped out of Stark Tower, leaving the two girls alone with Loki.
Carefully, the two girls walked over to Loki's figure, still stuck to the ground. Each girl stood on one side of the god, looking at him curiously, their heads cocked to the side.
"Is he...dead?" Maddy asked, sounding nervous.
"I...I don't know," Josephine grimaced. "Should we check for a pulse?"
"I'm not!" Maddy shot down the idea. "What if he tries to kill us?"
"I don't think he...oh wait, he's breathing. He's fine."
Maddy was about to reply, but something else caught her attention.
"Sadie!"
Maddy knelt down to the ground and held her arms out for the dog, who happily ran into her owner's arms.
"Sadie, oh I knew you were okay!" the young girl cried, as she played with her dog. Josephine huffed, rolling her eyes in a playful, friendly manner. She went to say something, but something else caught her eye.
There they were: her father, Maddy's father, Hulk, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff (Josephine was able to recognize the two agents due to Agent Coulson knowing them), and a blond man who wore similar clothing to Loki. They held signs of a long battle fought, and Josephine had no doubt that they came to collect their enemy. Her father, as well as Maddy's, looked alarmed as they saw their daughters towering over Loki, but with a simple hand gesture Josephine assured the two men that they were okay.
Silently, the team of adults gathered around the two girls and Sadie. Clint Barton, knelt right at Loki's feet, his bow and arrow ready. Josephine, Natasha, and Thor stood on one side while Stark, Josephine's father, and Hulk stood on the other. Maddy was still knelt down, off to Clint's side, with her arms wrapped around Sadie.
In a tense manner, the group watched as Loki got himself up. He paused, as if sensed the others in the room, before looking up at the group, who were not happy.
There was a brief silence between friend and foe.
"If it's all the same to you...I'll have that drink now."
In the end, Loki was captured and Thor took him to Asgard to face punishment. Thor also took the Tesseract with him, which both Rogers were glad to see go. There was just something about that bright blue space magic-thing that neither were quite fond of.
The Avengers went on their separate ways. Thor, Loki, and the Tesseract away from earth, Agent Barton and Agent Romanoff went of in a SHIELD vehicle. Earlier, they had informed Josephine on Agent Coulson's death, which Josephine felt a deep remorse for. The older man had helped her get into the twenty-first century. She would miss him and his hospitality.
Josephine and Maddy were saying their goodbyes to each other, as their fathers were shaking hands.
"Bye, Jo. I'll see you later?" Maddy sounded hopeful about her last remark. Josephine gave a small, soft smile as she nodded.
"Of course. Who else is going to teach me about the modern world?" Josephine joked, as her eyes flickered over to their fathers. "It looks like they're getting along, so maybe I'll be back sooner than you think."
Maddy grinned. "I hope so!"
Josephine didn't voice it, but she hoped so too.
However, Josephine had one more thing to do.
Josephine took a train route from Brooklyn to DC. Her father was going to be gone all day, as he had to fill out paperwork for their move to DC, ironically enough.
Josephine kept to herself the entire time. She had earbuds in, listening to all sorts of different music from the past forty-something years. Her eyes were glued to the window, watching the scenery change and pass by.
Right now, Josephine was on a mission. A very scary mission. She was going to visit someone that she had not seen in a very long time. She was very afraid, but Josephine knew that she had to do it sooner or later.
The ride was long, but much quicker than what a bus ride would be. Josephine had gotten on the train at around 7:15 AM and it was around 10:30 that same morning when Josephine reached Washington, DC. As Josephine stepped off the train, she looked around. Where to begin?
It didn't take Josephine long to get above ground and out into the sunny weather. The young girl couldn't help but look around in awe. DC had changed a lot since the last time she was there.
Josephine found a rest stop. She found a map and settled down at the nearby diner, which wasn't too busy. She sat down at the bar, sitting on one of the comfortable stools. Josephine noticed that the dinner must have not been updated on style because if the girl had known better, she would have thought that she was still in the late 1950s or early 1960s. It made Josephine feel more comfortable, as if she was at home.
Josephine had ordered a cup of coffee, along with pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. She had to order a few plates to fulfill her appetite, and her cup ratio wasn't much different. The teen was lurching forward, as she studied her map. It wasn't much help. Josephine almost sighed in frustration.
"Are you looking for somewhere, hon'?" the waitress who had been serving her asked. She was an older middle aged woman. She had a mole above the left side of her lip, wore cateye glasses, and the name on her tag told Josephine that her name was Hallie.
"Ah...yeah, but I-I don't know where," Josephine stammered, her stutter becoming prominent as she became flustered.
"Well, where are you goin'?" Hallie asked.
This time, Josephine looked up. Her embarrassment was evident on her face.
"I...uh, I'm going to a nursing home?" Josephine began. She pointed to a region on her map. "I know it's somewhere over here, but I don't know where to go…"
"Oh! I know where you're going," Hallie said. She wrote down the address on a sticky note, giving it Josephine. Hallie explained to Josephine where the teen needed to go.
"Wow...thank you so much. Really," Josephine felt grateful for the older woman.
"It's no issue, sweetheart," Hallie waved it off. "I'm glad I could help you."
Josephine gave the older woman a huge tip before she left the dinner.
That was also around the time where Hallie realized that Josephine was all alone.
Josephine felt like she had arrived to her final resting place when she finally got to where she needed to be. As she stood in front of the building, the teen felt like she was going to both, combust and vomit.
Taking a deep breath and a slow walk forward, Josephine made her way to the front door, opening it and entering the retirement home. One look and Josephine could tell that this was a really nice place. On one side, Josephine could see some of the residents of the home in the common room, each doing something different. To the front of her, Josephine saw the welcome/sign in. That's where she needed to go.
Josephine took another deep breath and marched forward. Here it goes, here it goes, here it goes….
"Welcome. How may I help you?" the woman at the desk at. She seemed to be in her thirties or forties and had a low beehive style to her hair. It appeared she was wearing scrubs as well.
"I'm, uh...I'm here to visit Margaret Carter?" Josephine said.
The receptionist went to work on her computer before turning back and asking Josephine's name was, and what her relation was to Margaret Carter.
"I'm Sarah. Sarah Sousa. I'm her granddaughter."
The receptionist cleared access, and soon one of Peggy's caregivers came to pick up Josephine. The caregiver led the way to Peggy's room. Josephine could feel her anxiety build up as they got closer. She was terrified to see her mother. The last time Josephine saw her was 1960, and the teen knew that her mother would have changed drastically. Josephine wasn't sure if she was ready, but she had to be. Now.
Josephine watched her mother's caregiver open the door slightly, knocking.
"Ms. Carter? There's a visitor here for you," the caregiver said gently. Then all of a sudden the caregiver turned back to Josephine, giving her a smile.
"She's ready for you," the caregiver said, before walking away from the teenager. Josephine took one good look at the door, taking in yet another deep breath.
"Here it goes…"
Josephine pushed open the door, taking a step inside. She couldn't believe what she saw.
Peggy Carter, now in her early nineties, was laying down, propped up in bed. Her once beautiful, deep brown hair was now a beautiful silvery-gray color. She was very wrinkly, and her lips seemed to be much thinner. In fact, she seemed much thinner than Josephine remembered.
But she was still beautiful. Peggy Carter would always be beautiful.
For the first time since entering the room, Josephine finally noticed that her mother was staring at her. Her brown eyes—the same shade as Josephine's—were wide and a burst of emotion was evident.
"Sarah?" Peggy asked, her voice hoarse, yet it echoed throughout the room.
"It's—It's me, mom," Josephine was crouching at her mother's bedside in an instant. "It's me and I'm here, mom. I'm here now."
Peggy Carter wanted to know every single thing that had happened to Josephine since she had arrived in the twenty-first century. Josephine complied, giving as much detail as she could.
"I met this girl named Madeline, and she's Uncle Howard's granddaughter! I can't believe it, ma!" Josephine told her mother about her new friend.
Peggy laughed. "He did eventually settle down, Sarah," her mother explained on how Howard had met Maria and how they had Tony.
"I met dad too," Josephine added. "I..he wants to see you. He really does, but…"
"Your father will come when he's ready, just like when you needed some time before visiting me." Peggy gave her daughter a knowing look, who looked rather bashful at just how well Peggy knew her. "Besides, I don't think he'll find me quite lovely like this…"
"That's nonsense, mom! You're still beautiful. You always have, and you always will."
Peggy couldn't help but smile at her daughter's claims. "You're too kind, Sarah."
"But it's true," Josephine said, smiling at her mother. Her eyes flickered to the bedside table, where she saw the various medication bottles, her mother's glasses, pictures….
Tentatively, Josephine picked up one of the photo frames. She had picked up the one that had herself and her younger siblings in it. God, that seemed like a lifetime ago.
"How are they?" Josephine asked. She already knew about the passings of the Starks, Jarvises, Commandos, and her stepfather. Josephine had cried, especially hearing about her stepfather passing away only a few years ago.
"They're doing well, but they can't visit me much anymore," Peggy answered, trailing off sadly.
This made Josephine frown. How come they weren't visiting?
Josephine suddenly remembered: her siblings were at least in their fifties, perhaps sixties, and with families of their own….
"It's a shame," Josephine finally said, as she carefully placed the photo frame back down. She checked her watch, studying the time. "Mom, I'm so sorry, but visiting hours are almost over. I don't want to leave, but…I'm sorry. I'll be back soon. I love you."
Josephine rose from her seat, planting a kiss on her mother's forehead.
"I love you—" Peggy began to respond, but then a violent cough came over her. Josephine was terrified, thinking her mother might be in the process of dying. Swiftly yet carefully, Josephine reached for the pitcher of water that was brought in long ago, pouring it into a cup. Carefully, Josephine assisted her mother in drinking.
Peggy's coughing fit had seized. Her eyes scrunched up for a brief moment. When she was ready, Peggy opened her eyes and stared at Josephine. She looked confused, scared even, but then her eyes began to shine again, just like the did hours before.
"Sarah?" Peggy looked mesmerized. "You're...you're alive. I thought you were gone…"
Peggy began to cry. Carefully, Josephine bent back down to her mother's side, her hands clasping onto one of Peggy's. Josephine gave her mother a warm smile, even as her heart shattered in pieces.
"I'm here, mom. Don't cry, please, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere ever again. I promise."