Making My Way to You
Author's Note: My first in a 3 part series focusing on on Steve Rogers! All three parts were inspired by Cole Swindell songs. And, of course, Marvel comics and their characters. There will be cameos from around he MCU in each part.
Now I know why all those/Wrong ones didn't work out/It's easy to see/But hard to believe/That I got my arms around
My forever, I coulda never/Dreamed it up this good/Ain't it funny how/Things work out/Better than you/Thought they would (Making My Way to You)
The moment Steve Rogers walked into that crowded little bar in Hell's Kitchen and saw her, he was finally certain about his life. He'd been searching for her almost as hard as he was searching for Bucky, unsure of which of them was going to be harder to track down. He hadn't that Natasha had been serious when she had asked, "What about Vitaliya?" Not until the woman had disappeared after the collapse of SHIELD. Steve had felt her absence harder than he thought he would; after all, he had told himself he barely knew Vitaliya.
The first time Steve had set eyes on Vitaliya, she was disguised as a nurse (a recurring trend in his life, he mused ruefully) and he had just woken up, completely disoriented. He had regarded her with suspicion and had been proven right – she wasn't a real nurse and he wasn't in Brooklyn any more. It had been 2012 not 1945. When Fury introduced (Name) as one of his top agents, Steve hadn't been very friendly. Once he began to reorient himself to the world, he had felt guilty about it and wanted to apologize, but by then it had been too late. One of the few things Steve Rogers knew for sure was (Name) was good at disappearing.
Pulling his ball cap low to conceal his identity, Steve made his way through the bar towards Vitaliya. Her laughter rang out, drowning out all the other sound of the bar. It made Steve smile to know despite everything that had gone down in the last few years hadn't stripped Vitaliya of her ability to laugh freely. He missed the sound, missed being the one to make her laugh.
"I think your friend here is trying to pull a fast one on me," Vitaliya said, trying to sound affronted. She was standing around a pool table with two men – one heavy set with long blond hair and the other a leaner man with dark hair and stubble.
"How can a blind man pull a fast one on you?" the dark haired man asked, all innocence and charm.
"You tell me, Mr. Murdock," countered Vitaliya.
The blond let out a chuckle. "I think you've met the first woman you can't charm the pants off, Matt."
"I prefer blonds," the young woman replied, winking at the blond she was standing with. The man blushed faintly as (Name) grinned and began to line up her shot.
"The person who hurt you had dark hair," mused the one that Vitaliya had called Murdock. His statement made both (Name) and Steve grimace. (Name) had received a scar on her cheek after she had blown her cover to help Steve. He would never forget that moment.
Steve marched down the hallway that led from Alexander Pierce's office to the elevator. Steve had not slept in hours and he had just watched his boss die on the operating table. For the first time in many years, Steve was both physically and mentally exhausted. The only thing keeping the super soldier on his feet was sheer determination. He was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on if it killed him. His tunnel vision kept him from noticing Vitaliya fall in step with him at first.
"We need to talk," she said quietly, drawing a sideways glance from the man.
She looked so different from the first time Steve had laid eyes on her. Her hair had been dark chestnut and her dress had been military issue that first time; as she marched next to him, she was dressed in the tactical gear issued to SHIELD's STRIKE unit, her hair cut short and adorned with pink and violet streaks. Despite Vitaliya being all business, Steve couldn't help wondering if her hair was as soft as it looked. Stray thoughts like that had plagued him since the incident on the Lemurian Star.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and stopped at the elevator. "Can it wait?" He looked down at her and saw that her carefully crafted poker face was replaced by a look of panic.
"There's no time, Steve!" she hissed, anger replacing panic, as the elevator door opened. Vitaliya slipped in before Steve and flattened herself to the wall as Steve gave the elevator a voice command. "They're coming, Captain Rogers," she warned as the doors slid closed.
Steve leaned against the rail of the glass elevator, his back to the door. He let out a breath, his back arched with visible tension. "Who?" He caught her grim look in the glass. She mouthed something at him as the doors hissed open again, stopped by Brock Rumlow. Steve turned to acknowledge the strike leader, catching a pointed look from Vitaliya before masking her emotions.
"Hope I'm not interrupting something," Rumlow said as he looked from Steve over to Vitaliya.
"Just telling Captain Rogers about those fibers," Vitaliya replied nonchalantly.
Two more men joined them and the elevator began its descent. Steve could barely focus on what was happening around him, Rumlow's words going in one ear and out the other. What he did notice was Vitaliya making herself as small as possible in the corner of the elevator when they stopped twice on the way down and more men crowded in. Steve was in the middle of them by that point and knew with certainty something was wrong. He met Vitaliya's gaze once more, noting how apologetic the woman looked, before all hell broke loose in the elevator.
"Got the scar in a brawl. Other guy got it worse."
Vitaliya's voice pulled Steve back to his senses. The scar in question ran from her temple to her chin. She'd gotten it in that elevator, breaking her cover in an attempt to subdue Rumlow. She'd drawn a knife that the STRIKE leader had in turn used on her. Steve had been confused, angry even, when he leapt from that elevator. If he'd known then that Vitaliya had been acting under Fury's orders, he'd have taken her with him. Instead, she had vanished without a trace.
"So you're a complete bad ass who lets blind men hustle you at pool," mused the blond man as Vitaliya finally took her shot.
"I knew you were hustling me! For shame!" Vitaliya laughed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Guilty as charged," the blind man replied with a faint smile. "Is the man who hurt you who you're running from?"
Vitaliya shook her head, her red hair bouncing. "I hurt someone I care about, so I set him free. I figure if he manages to make his way back to me, then maybe it'll be okay to be happy."
"You never hurt me." The pool playing trio looked up as Steve came closer. "I thought I got you hurt."
Vitaliya just smiled – a real smile – and let out a soft, nervous giggle. "As if. Grabbed a couple of those batons Rumlow was fond of and fought my way out."
"I should have brought you with me."
"If you had, I wouldn't have found Josie's. You did me a favour. I just love being conned by lawyers," the young woman countered. "How'd you find me?"
"Natasha."
Vitaliya looked contemplative for a moment before nodding. "She's been trying to hook us up since New York."
"Vitaliya, I… I missed you. I haven't been the kindest person towards you and I… well, I… I'm…" Steve stammered, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. After seven decades, Steve Rogers sill didn't know the first thing about dealing with women he was attracted to. If Peggy could see him stumbling over his words, she'd probably shoot him again. She wanted him to live his life and be happy like she had done while he was in the ice. "You know, I've done a lot of cray things and letting you slip away was one of them. You didn't make it easy, though."
"Steve?"
"Yeah?"
"You suck at this," Vitaliya pointed out. Steve chuckled as he saw the sparkle in her emerald eyes. "But you're right. I was scared, you know?"
Steve nodded. "I know. I don't think I'd change a thing, though. Everything that happened led me here, to you. Vitaliya, I don't want to lose you again." He watched anxiously as Vitaliya's expression softened considerably.
"Let's give these two some privacy Foggy," the blind man spoke up suddenly.
"I'll win next time, Matt Murdock!" Vitaliya stated as the two men began to walk away. She and Steve both chuckled when they heard Foggy whisper, "Did you see him Matt? I think that's Captain America!" Vitaliya knew the other man would have some sort of quip about asking a blind man if he could see but she didn't hear it.
"I see you made some new friends."
"Better than my old 'friends', huh?" Vitaliya answered. "They're opening their law firm around here. Murdock and Nelson, I have a good feeling about them. They're going to make a difference here."
Noting the fondness in her voice, Steve asked, "Is this your home?"
The young woman nodded. "My home before SHIELD. If a boy from Brooklyn can save the world, I figure so can a girl from the Kitchen."
Steve nodded, understanding what she meant. She was an underdog, same as him, who was given the tools to be more. They were both more than what their jobs made them, though, and Steve knew he wanted to know more about the girl from Hell's Kitchen, wanted Vitaliya to know more about the boy from Brooklyn. Nervously, he shifted his weight and cleared his throat. "Would you… do you think we… Dinner sometime?"
"How about now? I'm done waiting."
Steve grinned widely and nodded. They definitely waited far too long making their way to each other and he agreed with Vitaliya. He was done waiting.