Hello, everyone! Wow, it's been quite awhile since I wrote a fanfic…. I deleted all my old ones XD So a little future reference: I've tried my very hardest to make sure Robin is not a Mary Sue, but if she's becoming boring, please kindly let me know! I appreciate constructive criticism, but I would like a positive environment, so if you have any suggestions, go for it and leave a friendly review
Also, I'm a bit of a music nerd, so occasionally some of my chapters will correspond with a song. I'm not basing the chapter of the song, rather I'm just finding a piece of music that fits the plot.
Another thing you guys should know: I'm a huge Stony fan XD I'm starting on a Stony fic very soon, but I just love Steve so much and I've had the idea for this OC for awhile, so I wrote this.
Ok, I'm done talking! (My other Author's notes won't be nearly this long, I promise!) Please enjoy my fanfic
Black leather and the smell of expensive car freshener were about the only things Steve could comprehend as he blinked his eyes groggily and searched his surroundings. An engine purred beneath him. Yes, he was in a car, he could recollect that much. Details flitted around his mind. It was a SHIELD car, slick black with an ominous driver in a black suit and dark sunglasses. Fury had called at 2AM that morning about an "urgent matter" that required his presence at Avengers Tower (formerly Stark Tower). He was allowed an hour to get dressed and the driver came for him at exactly 3AM. It was now 3:30.
Fury had told him nothing about the problem or why, exactly, Steve was being called in at such a ridiculous hour, but honestly, he was much too tired to care. He and Bruce had just finished a drug bust in the Bronx for the Director not ten hours ago (Bruce doing the tracking of the dealers and Cap doing the, y'know... beating people up and arresting them), and he had been hoping for some rest, but apparently that wasn't in his agenda. And so, there he sat, in his white v-neck tee, jeans, and converse, head lolling against the seatbelt as he stared out the window.
New York was slowly waking up, more and more cars filling the streets and the buildings lighting up like florescent Christmas trees. He shifted in the ultra-cushioned leather seat. Avengers Tower was approaching quickly. The "A" on the building was the centerpiece of the skyline, a beacon of hope in a city that was beautiful on the outside, but, like any large city, hid crime, hate, and pain behind those bright lights. It was a city full of wonders. A city that held secrets. A city that they had to protect because all those people, all those lives, were in the palm of their hand.
Too soon the grand, wide entrance to Avengers Tower was to Steve's left and he forced himself to open the door and leave his comfortable place in the car, standing in the humid summer air. He stumbled over his feet while he was ushered inside, half asleep as his driver and another SHIELD agent forced him into the elevator.
"Easy fellas, I can walk," he mumbled, irritable from his lack of sleep.
"Sorry, Sir," the agent replied flatly.
It was an awkward ride up to the 54th floor, where a conference room full of equally annoyed Avengers was waiting for them. Everyone was there; Fury, Tony, Dr. Banner, Clint, Natasha, even Pepper Potts and Maria Hill. Thor was missing, but Steve reminded himself subconsciously that the God of Thunder probably couldn't just zap down to Earth whenever he felt like it.
"What's this about, Fury?" Tony was demanding, Pepper trying to calm him down, but to avail. "Jesus Christ, this is my tower! You can't just come waltzing in here at 3 in the morning!
"Mr. Stark," Agent Hill cut in, "This is of utmost important. Director Fury wouldn't have called you here if it wasn't."
"I don't care! This is my roof, my rules. Do you know why any of us are here?"
Maria looked annoyed, confirming that she, indeed, did not know why the meeting had been called. Tony snorted and was about to make a snarky comment when Fury cut him off.
"Shut it, Stark. I've recently received intelligence from the Council about a serious rising threat-"
"At 3AM? Couldn't this wait another few hours? Or do you expect us to fight aliens in our jammies?"
"Look, I understand this is important," Steve said, trying to calm the tension in the room, "But we have a right to know what's going on immediately."
"Rogers-" Fury began.
"Cap is right," Clint chimed in as he sat next to a grumpy and utterly silent Natasha.
"Yeah, if you won't listen to me, why don't you listen to Spangles?"
"Tony..." Bruce couldn't help but get involved now. Fury rubbed at his temples.
"Look, the Council-"
"Who gives a damn about the Council?"
"Stark," Fury said in warning, a penetrating glare on his face. The argument was escalating slowly, dangerously, and the volume was beginning to rise. Now Tony, Fury, Maria, and Clint were all talking at once, two against two in a heated debate. Steve watched, throwing in the occasional opinion, getting as worked up as he could be considering his level of energy.
Chaos had seemed to ensue when a clear voice rang out across the room.
"So sorry everyone, my flight was late. Director Fury, you requested audience with me?"
Every head in the room turned to look towards the elevator doors. A woman stood there, a SHIELD agent on each side of her. Steve couldn't help but let his attention be consumed by her. In her late teenage years or early twenties, she was on the shorter, more petite-side, but, like Natasha, wasn't stick thin either. Ebony curls settled on her shoulders, framing a slightly thin face with ivory skin and set with wide, round eyes that were ever so slightly slanted. These eyes, which were a shockingly light shade of baby blue, were framed by dark lashes and they watched every face in the room, searching. For such a strangely pretty girl, she dressed rather modestly, with only black jeans, combat boots, and a blue tank top.
Steve had never seen her before, not on missions or at any of the SHIELD headquarters, but when the Director finally spoke again, he sounded slightly relieved.
"Agent Delerov. You made it."
The woman walked forward to stand in front of Fury, heels of her boots clicking rhythmically against the floor. She smiled sadistically and responded in a voice smooth as cream.
"Couldn't really say no, could I?"
"Nope."
She rolled her eyes. "I'd like to know why I'm here, Director."
"Delevov, please, why don't you-"
"Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen boss. That was an important mission you pulled me out of. I want to know why I was brought here and I wanna know now."
Fury narrowed his eyes and spoke only one word.
"Balentine."
Agent Delerov's eyes widened and her face went pale.
"H-He's alive? That shouldn't be possible. You said so!"
"Pull it together, Delerov. We need to fill in the others. We have orders from the Council."
"Yes. Of course, Director."
Everyone else in the room was watching the exchange with curious eyes, their faces confused. Steve was suspicious of the woman. If she was so close to Fury that they could have a conversation over one word, or name rather, then how come Steve had never seen her before? The only ones in the room who weren't totally befuddled were Natasha and Tony, so he guessed that they had some idea who she was. But why only them?
Some of the many questions flying around in Steve's head were answered when Fury turned to face the rest of the people in the room. Gesturing to the woman, he introduced her.
"This is Robin Delerov. Elite SHIELD agent, skilled assassin and spy, and a master strategist. She's been working for us since she was eighteen and has recently been on a select mission in Russia."
The stranger deemed as Robin grinned. "Top secret stuff, which is why you guys haven't seen me around lately."
Fury continued. "She has an idea of the new threat we're dealing with and she may become a valued teammate to you all."
"And this threat is what, exactly?" Steve pressed.
"I'm afraid explaining that to you all will require consulting with Agent Delerov first. We'll meet here again tomorrow, well, today actually, at 1 PM."
Tony threw his arms up in the air. "Then why the hell are we here now?"
The Director sighed, exasperated. "Because we have no idea how powerful this threat is yet. Until we do, Avengers Tower has been fully taken over by SHIELD and all of you will be required to reside here for awhile."
"All of you being all the Avengers," Robin added.
"Exactly. Each of you will be assigned a floor for residence. Your possessions are being moved here as we speak."
Tony's mouth was hanging open.
"T-This… No. No, no, no, no. You can't. This is mine and Pepper's property and ours alone."
"Not anymore," Maria snapped.
SHIELD agents began leading the Avengers to the elevators, one by one, and down to their floors while Tony and Nick Fury argued. Before an agent came for him, Steve approached Robin, who still remained. She looked up as he came closer, fixing those strange eyes on his face. He held out a hand to her.
"Steve Rogers, Miss."
She shook it with a knowing smile.
"Ah yes, Captain America, isn't it? Living legend? I heard reports about you from Agent Coulson before I left for Russia. It's good to meet you."
Her skin was cold despite the warm weather, but her grip was firm. She looked him straight in the eye, unflinching, as she spoke. Close-up she was quite beautiful, with young features but a mature expression. Little details became clear to Steve, like the fading pink scar across the right side of her face, partially hidden by dark hair, and the multiple piercings – two or three maybe – in each ear. Her lips reminded him painfully of Peggy – full and a natural shade of pink that, paired with her small, upturned nose, seemed old-fashioned: as if she belonged in an old, black-and-white photo. Scanning her intently, he almost didn't hear her when she spoke again.
"Where is Phil, anyways?"
She didn't know about his death, then. Steve hesitated. "He's… He passed away. During the battle with Thor's brother, Loki."
He wasn't sure whether she knew what he was talking about, but she seemed to get the picture. She frowned and a poorly hidden look of pain crept into the depths of her eyes.
"I-I see… That's…" She didn't seem to be able to find the right words. That, or she didn't even want to. Her expression was one of uneasiness and she looked like she was going to be sick. "That's horrible," she got out in a barely audible whisper.
"Ma'am?" Steve looked at her, concerned.
"I'll be all right. Agent Coulson was a very dear friend of mine. One of the very few I could trust."
"I'm so sorry."
She put on an obviously forced smile. "Don't apologize. I'll… I'm just going to go to my room. Goodnight, Captain Rogers."
"Goodnight, Miss Delerov."
He watched her as she walked towards the elevator, a SHIELD agent immediately at her side to show her to her floor. He kept his eyes fixed on the elevator doors long after she had left.
She had come from out of nowhere and left a presence that rang clear in the room. All ready Steve knew that she would be unforgettable and that, at least for the next few months, he hoped he would be working with her as Director Fury had said. Though she acted different, she was like Peggy. Through her confident exterior, lying dormant, was a certain mystery, a certain aspect of her that made him curious to know what it was she hid.