Chapter 2

The drive was mostly silent, with Rogers' eyes fixed out the window 90% of the time. The other 10% he spent staring at the gadgets Stark had decided to install in her car. As they neared her flat, Rogers suddenly asked,

"What does that one do?"

Liv glanced down to make sure he wasn't pointing at one that would do something dramatic (Stark did have quite a taste for the theatrical).

"Why don't you find out?"

He glanced at her, then leaned forward and pushed it. Immediately the sound of Train's Drops of Jupiter filled the air. Rogers, she noticed, looked frankly amazed, but as she pulled into the parking garage his mood turned pensive.

Tell me did you sail across the sun

Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights are faded

And that heaven is overrated?

"Strangely appropriate, isn't it?"

"You could say that." He replied.

She stopped the car. "Ready for the grand tour?"

"Of?"

"My apartment." She said, mentally crossing her fingers and hoping he wouldn't take it badly.

Rogers gave her a look, a look that said And this is appropriate because..?

Liv sighed. "I've got a second unused bedroom. And if you think I'm going to put you somewhere where Fury has easy access to you, you're wrong. This building we're in is Stark tower. My friend Tony owns it and he's not particularly fond of Fury, which translates into you having the peace you need to adjust while being close to someone who can help you. Deal?"

Rogers held her eyes a moment, searching for something, then nodded, satisfied.

"Come on in, then."

He was silent as they sped up to her rooms in the elevator. Actually, silence was something she was starting to associate with him. The elevator dinged and opened on her (rather spacious) flat. Stepping out of the elevator, Rogers raised an eyebrow. Liv's lips twitched into a hint of a grin

"Explore all you want. I don't mind." She invited.

So he did. In front of them was a wall of floor to ceiling windows that offered an incredible view of the city. To his right was a small kitchen, tastefully decorated to look like a coffeehouse, and to the left was a sitting area with a fireplace and a TV that faced away from the windows. A hallway leading away from the windows had a door on either side and opened at the end into a studio of sorts. Paintings, sketches, and sheets of music were scattered everywhere. A paint-splattered upright piano sat in a corner and a huge wooden desk took up the back of the room. Leaning against this desk was a half-covered framed painting that caught his eye. He glanced at Liv, who had followed him, for permission and gently lifted the cloth obscuring the painting. He stood gazing at it for a moment, taking in the image of a B-17 flying away from a blood-red sunset.

"Did you do this?"

"Yes. My grandfather flew a B-17. I painted it for him, and he got to see it just before he died."

"It's very good."

Liv smiled her thanks and nodded at the painting. "You can have it if you'd like. I don't have anywhere to put it, and out of anyone…well, I think he'd like you to have it."

A little shocked, Rogers shifted to look at her. "Are you sure?"

She snorted and gestured at the room. "Does it look like I need another painting?"

He glanced around, noting with curiosity that some of the easels were covered in black cloth, and filed that observation away to ask about later.

"Thank you."

She smiled in response. "You missed your room. For whatever reason, Tony gave me two master bedrooms, so you have your own bathroom and all that jazz." She opened a door to a simple and attractively furnished room, a striking blue complimented with dark leather and wood accents. He wandered for a moment, and then paused, looking at a wall.

"This will be great."

"I'm glad you think so."

He looked up at her, a spark of amusement dancing in his eyes – the first Liv had seen.

"That's not quite what I meant. A soldier's not going to be very picky about where he sleeps, Miss Jackson. I meant…" he stepped out briefly, leaving Liv standing uncertainly by the door. When he returned, he had her painting in his hands. "...it would be a great place for this. Do you have a nail?"

"Yeah, give me a sec."

Liv quickly located her tool kit and returned to find him staring at the painting again.

"Steve?" she asked gently.

He startled and ruefully rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry. Got lost in…in memory lane. What was your grandfather's name?"

She handed him the kit. "Benjamin Paul Jackson. He was 21 when the war started."

Rogers nearly dropped the painting – it was lucky Liv caught the edge. "Benny? I knew him – ran several missions with him. He was a good soldier, a good man. I…I never thought…"

"That you'd meet his granddaughter? I'd bet money he never thought it either."

He found himself smiling at that. "No, I'm sure he didn't. Hand me the hammer, would you?"

Liv passed it to him, then rubbed her hands on her jeans. She really did need to dust in the studio every once and awhile. "Have you got everything you need? SHIELD is sending some clothes over tomorrow but if you need anything else – "

"I'm set. Thanks for all this." He nodded at the room.

"I think I'll go wrangle up some food. Got a preference?"

"Not really. Just…well, my enhancement makes me – "

"Eat a lot, I know. Fury texted me about that."

Rogers blinked, confused.

"I'm so sorry, I completely forgot." Liv pulled something out of her pocket. "This," she said, handing him the device, "is a cell phone. This particular kind of cell phone is called an iPhone. Cell phones do all the same things as regular phones except," she moved next to him so she could reach the screen. " Cell phones can send typed messages to each other." She tapped the messages button and showed him the message Fury sent her earlier.

"That's pretty nifty." Rogers remarked.

"It's quite convenient." Liv agreed. "This kind of cell phone – "

"The iPhone."

"Yup. It does a bunch of other things too, but that gets into a really long discussion that's best left for after dinner because I'm hungry and I bet you are too, after being frozen for such a long time."

He handed the phone back and nodded. "You sure got that right."

Liv smiled at him and left, leaving him alone with a hammer, some nails, a painting, and his thoughts.