Chapter one

The chance

Steve Rodgers.

That's all that the strawberry blond jogging down the road can think about. She's moved nearly seven hundred miles to find him, to be able to see his face, to finally be able to /talk/ to him. She's waited damn near all of her life to finally meet him…. And for what reason?

She returns her focus to the run she's having. So far she's ran six miles, an easy feat for her. She begins to feel something akin to homesickness as she thinks of her hometown. There at least she had room to run for twenty miles… provided no one was watching her. Her eyes scanned the buildings, searching for a familiar address; the very one she had pounded into her head.

"Hey there, babay!" A vendor shouted, whistling after her, "I'd like to see those legs sometime without those shorts!"

"Buzz off you egotistic dick humping ass-wad!" The scathing retort spewed from the lips of a women's rights activist before the runner had even a faint chance to respond. That was a plus about New York- if you could get past the whole "fuck off and die" attitude, there was plenty of people willing to stand up for one another. It brought a smile to her lips.

Finally she forced herself to bend over, acting as if she were out of breath. She forced labored breaths from her body, murmuring, "Good run today, Stella, good run…"

She paused as she looked at the gym in front of her. She peered inside and saw some guy wailing on a punching bag but shrugged, thinking nothing of it. As she started back home, hopefully snagging a hotdog on the way, there was a tremble in the ground beneath her feet. She looked up to see smoke billowing out of a company building as screams broke out. "There was an explosion! Fire!" Adrenaline began to pour in the young woman's veins as a smile crossed her lips. Time to start the show.

Stella began to run towards the building, taking opportunity of the distraction of the public to place a mask on her face, shedding her running clothes- a neon blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of black athletic shorts- in the street. As she ran her suit legs came down of their own accord. By the time she made it inside the building she was fully suited up, her identity hidden. "HELP!" Pleas for assistance pulled her thoughts into the moment, allowing her to rush to get the people out. She came across a beam in the way, blocking the exit for a crowd.

"Stand back!" She shouted as she bent to lift the beam. As she did people rushed out. "Be sure that any women with children or the elderly get assistance to the exit!" Her lungs began to protest the smoke that poured into the room, her eyes watering. As soon as they were out of the way, Stella tossed the beam aside, ready to keep going.

"Ma'am!" A voice caught her attention and she turned, coming face to face with a man in red, white and blue. "You need to get out of here! This isn't a job for civilians!"

For some odd reason this pissed Stella off to no end. "I'm not just a civilian! Arguing with me won't save those trapped!"

"I've already checked the top floors! Everyone is out now! Come on!" Before she could speak there was another explosion, causing the building to quake. For a brief moment their eyes met and suddenly Stella found herself being lifted, placed over his shoulder and ran out of the building.

"PUT ME DOWN!" Stella demanded, thrashing in his grip, finding he was stronger than she had anticipated. Instead of going out the front exit, the two slipped out the back, away from the eyes of the authorities. Once he has deemed they were far enough away he set down the struggling woman.

"Who do you think you are?!" Stella demanded, hissing angrily.

"Ma'am, what you did was incredibly risky-"

"I had it under control-What are you doing?!" Stella's hand flashed out to stop him from ripping the mask off of her face like she was some kid trying to play hero.

His voice caught as he stared into her eyes, a single name being whispered from his lips before he snapped out of it. "Ma'am, please try to understand what I'm saying, you could have gotten hurt."

"I WAS FINE!" Stella shouted, "Who are you to tell me what to do?!"

"Ma'am, I'm Captain America…" He started, swallowing as she snapped at him.

"Captain America?" Stella instantly calmed, looking at him with renewed interest. She was silent for a moment before flashing out her own hand and tearing the mask off of his face, his hand clamped around her wrist though it was too late. "YOU!" She hissed, her eyes narrowed.

"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to calm down-"

"No! I've been looking for you!" Stella insisted. "Look, let go of my hand and I'll explain." Despite Steve's better judgment he let her wrist go, watching as it fell back to her side. "Okay, do you promise to hear me out and listen to what I have to say, even if it's weird?"

"Ma'am, there's nothing much that you can tell me that would be 'weird' to me…"

"Okay, here goes nothing. Did you know a woman named Jenny?" Stella asked, digging in her waistband for a photograph. It was old and faded some around the edges but it was easy to see the image. There was a picture of a red haired woman holding a little girl about six years old, sitting on a front porch.

Steve looked at the image, his fingers running gently over her face as he looked at the photograph. "Where did you get this?" He looked up at her, swallowing as he met her all too familiar eyes.

"I'm the little girl in the photograph." Stella explained, looking in Steve's eyes. "Jenny…was my mother."

Steve looked at her in shock, swallowing hard. She was Jenny's daughter? He had hoped that she would move on without him…

"My name is Stella… Stella Rodgers," she watched as his head snapped up, his eyes widening, "and I… am your daughter." There was an uncomfortable silence between the two, as father and daughter stared into one another's eyes. Finally Steve broke the still.

"That's impossible."

"I promise you that I am." Stella insisted. "I'm 22 years old, the right age," she began as Steve shook his head.

"Jenny could have found a good man and gotten married…"

"And he was a super solider who passed on his abilities to his only kid?" Stella asked. "Look, I can run for miles and barely break a sweat, run faster than that guy in the Olympics, and bench a couple of grown men stacked together… It's safe to say I'm yours…"

Steve shook his head, looking down at the photograph before whispering, "I am so sorry… I had no idea…" He looked back at her. "Where is she now?" He had to see her again, talk to her one more time-

"Johnson's Cemetery… She died when I was eight." It was like a sucker punch to Steve's gut. He couldn't imagine Jenny lifeless yet as he looked into Stella's eyes he knew it to be true. He looked at her helplessly, unsure what to do. An hour ago he was confident in who he was and what he was doing with his life and now… suddenly he was a father to a grown woman.

"Look," Stella started if you don't want to be in my life that's fine. I just thought you should know I exist. Mom always wanted me to meet you …" She turned her head to look sideways, swallowing. She had always dreamed this moment would be different. Deep down she had hoped he would hug her and she would finally get the father she had always wanted… always needed.

"Hey," Steve started, smiling an uncertain smile, "why don't we get you some different clothes and head to a diner? I'm sure you're hungry and… we can talk, get to know each other."

"Listen, you don't have to do this." Stella told him.

"I know… but I want to." Steve smiled a bit more.

"So Stella… tell me about yourself," Steve spoke, looking over his food at her, sipping on a Coca-Cola. As if a dam burst, Steve listened as Stella spoke of her whole life. He smiled at some parts, like when Jenny threw Stella a huge birthday party, and grew furious at others, like when he learned what people called Jenny and Stella because he wasn't around. The thought of his girls having to keep their heads high amidst being called things like slt, whre, and bstrd…. When she finally finished he looked down at his cup before murmuring, "Stella, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay. I'm a tough girl, I learned to go with what life gives you." She took a fry and swirled it in ketchup.

"Steve!" A voice called, echoing in the quiet diner. Stella watched as a dark haired man walked in with surprising confidence and swagger, "somehow I knew I'd find you here. This place just screams-" He paused, dipping his sunglasses as he noticed Stella. A slow smirk spread across his face, "Why, hello there. Cap, I didn't know you knew how to date!" He moved to sit down across from her, right beside Steve as he extended his hand. "Tony Stark, genius billionaire playboy philanthropist. And you are?" He brought her hand to his mouth despite Steve's glower.

"Extremely off limits." Stella told him, watching the two.

"Oh?" He looked at Steve, "where did you find her and can I get two more?"

"She isn't my date, Stark," Steve said, frustration seeping into his voice. "She's-"

"No longer off limits!" Stark grinned, "Which, in that case why don't I take you to dinner at eight next Saturday? What'd you say your name was again?"

"Stella Rodgers." Stella replied nonchalantly as she watched Tony choke on a fry he had gotten from Steve's plate.

"Rodgers? As in-"

"She's my daughter." Steve sighed, pulling Tony up out of the way, moving to speak with him. "Look, I didn't know when I briefly woke up twenty three years ago that I would get Jenny pregnant… I just met Stella today… I had no idea I had managed to…"

"Well, thank God or whatever the hell it is you believe in that you did. She's definitely a looker, Stevie." Tony grinned, checking her out.

"Cut it out Stark. She's still my kid and right now I could kick your backside from here clear to Brooklyn."

"One day, Captain Cupcake," Tony lifted a finger, "I'll get you to say ass yet." He slid back over to Stella, "so, how about that date, Ms. Rodgers?"

"I get the feeling that even if I said no I would find you had followed me home and would stand outside my door, serenading me."

"Yeah, I've been told that I've got the golden voice." Tony grinned.

"Of a parrot." Steve muttered. "Stella, are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Eh, what's the worst thing that could happen? I mean, if he touches me without my permission I could rip off his manhood and force him to eat it." Stella smiled sweetly, sipping her coke as she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

Tony grimaced for a moment before recovering, smiling, "Excellent, I'll give you my number and we can discuss this more later." He took her hand once more, kissing it as he murmured, "until next Saturday, my dear …unless you can't wait until then."

"Saturday will suffice." Stella said flatly.

"Goodbye, Stella, Stevie-poo."

"Get out Stark."

"Love ya too!" And with that Tony waltzed out of the diner, and Stella looked into her cup. Today she gained a father and a date….

Things could be worse.