Tessa huffed slightly, her breath coming out in misty swirls, as she pulled her jacket tighter around her. The room she was in was cold, probably around 50 degrees and she couldn't help but shiver slightly. As soon as they arrived at one of Shield's headquarters in New York, Tessa changed in to a sweater and jeans before being led to a chill room filled to the brim with doctors and scientists.
The car ride was short in distance but long in time due to the busy New York City traffic. The whole time Tessa fired question after question about the first ever superhero at Nick. Few of them were answered however, and the ones that were, were answered with very little detail. This left a heavy air of mystery hanging around the two as they walked into the room that Rodgers was being held in.
"Isn't he magnificent Tessa? The greatest soldier there ever was." Nick spoke softly as he walked slowly around the metal table.
"To be completely honest Sir, he looks like the firecracker popsicles they sell at the grocery store." Tessa replied and one of the scientists bustling around the room laughed rather loudly. Phil Coulson however, shot her a threatening look. "I'm sorry Phil. Did I insult your little boyfriend?" She wasn't trying to be mean but Tessa couldn't pass up the opportunity to mess with her fellow agent. The two older male agents had teased her enough as she grew up, since each were like her father, so she took any chance she could get to strike back.
"You should show some respect Tessa. Steven Rodgers is the greatest man to have ever walked this earth. The world's first hero. Your Uncle Howard and Dr. Erskine made a huge discovery with their serum, and the Captain was brave and strong enough to withstand the test. He won the war for us. You owe him your life; we all do." Phil looked as though he was about to cry, and Tessa lost it.
"You peed your pants when Fury told you they found him didn't you?" She couldn't help but laugh even as Phil gave her a venomous glare.
"Have I told you about my trading cards?" Agent Coulson asked one of the scientists, turning his back on Tessa. Tessa quickly sobered up, swallowing a few snickers and glanced at the man laying on the table before her.
Captain America in all his spangled glory was partially encased in a block of ice, the only parts of his body not completely frozen over were his face, chest and hands; the rest of him still iced. Tessa couldn't help but stare, studying him. Steve Rodgers had golden blond hair that currently was damp, sticking to his forehead, he had a chiseled face with a long straight nose, high cheek bones and full, light pink lips. His strong brow was furrowed and his expression was tense; it took little imagination to think of the horrors he had seen in war. Tessa longed to see his eyes to see if they too helped depict his tragic story.
Steve was tall, easily surpassing six feet, and Tessa knew he had the serum to thank for that. His breathing was shallow and slow, various tubes and wires were attached to contraptions to help him out. Tessa watched in fascination as his toned, muscled chest rose slowly. She soon came to the conclusion that while Steven Rodgers look every bit like the strong-willed solider that every one thought of him as, he also looked incredibly like the gods that the ancient Romans used to carve out of stone; just as equally strong, and chiseled.
"Admiring the Captain Tess?" Coulson jested as he walked back to Tessa's side. During her observation of the man she had unconsciously moved to stand next to the table. Tessa couldn't help it as a rosy blush spread across her pale cheeks, and she coughed slightly before answering him.
"Uncle Howard used to tell me bed time stories about him. Always told me that if I had gotten the chance to meet him we would have hit it off. We're both old souls, and stubborn; both a little lost in our times." Tessa swallowed thickly, and silence engulfed them for a moment. "And here he is, alive. I just wish Howard could see this, know that he made it out of the war alive." Phil smiled softly, and sadly at the girl standing next to him. Throwing his arm over her shoulders he hugged the young girl to his side.
"Your uncle would be incredibly proud of you who you've come to be." He spoke softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "I am." Tessa smiled wanly at the middle-aged man as a loud yawn escaped her mouth.
"You should get some rest Tessie," Phil said his fondness for her creeping into his normally formal tone. "It's going to a while until he's back in working order." And with that Phil walked away, exiting the room with all most everyone else save for the few doctors that remained in the room to make sure the Captain's vitals stayed in order.
"You're going to wake up in a strange world my friend," Tessa remarked, as she softly brushed some hair out of his eyes. "And you're going to feel very out of place, but don't worry; that'll make two of us." Saying that, Tessa pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, and gave his hand a quick squeeze, before leaving the room to go sleep.
Little did she know, as she blissfully left, that Steve Rodgers' heartbeat spiked for the first time in seventy years.
Loud, fervent knocks woke Tessa from her deep sleep, and she wasn't sure how long she had slept but when she opened the door she was instantly awake.
"Put this on." Nick Fury stated, shoving a hanger full of clothes into her hands.
Tessa's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the garments of clothing. "Nick what is thi-", suddenly things clicked in her mind. "No. No way Nick. I understand that he's going to be confused and upset, but this isn't a solution. Lying is not the way to help him, and I am certainly not going to be the one to do it." She tried to shove the clothes back into his arms, but he didn't budge.
"I do not believe I asked your opinion on this matter Mrs. Emerson. Now go and put those clothes on; that's an order." Nick spoke formally as he shut the door. Never one to disobey an order, Tessa angrily stomped to her bathroom, quickly and jerkily putting on the clothes. She then brushed through her long brown curls, attempting to tame the frizzy mess they were, and applied some eyeliner, mascara, and lastly deep red lipstick.
Checking herself over in the mirror Tessa realized she looked like she belonged in another era. Dressed in a collared, starch white shirt, with a black tie and a knee length brown skirt that was tied high up on her waist with a belt, she looked so much like the pictures of Peggy that she'd seen, she almost didn't believe it; her dark curled hair, and red lips only adding to the effect. Slipping on some black flats, she headed out into the hallway.
Fury looked at her shocked. He himself couldn't believe how much Tessa looked like Ms. Carter. Over the years that Nick had helped raise Tessa she had grown into a beautiful young women. Both Coulson and himself were starting to realize that her potential was endless. He shook the thoughts from his head and told her his plans.
"I don't approve of this Nick." Tessa said as she followed him to a makeshift room in the middle of the base.
"I know, that's why I'm not giving you an option." Suddenly they reached the only door into the small "room" that they'd placed the Captain in. "Now hurry up and get in there. He's waking up." Suddenly nervous, Tessa wiped her sweating hands on her skirt before walking to the door, turning the knob slowly.
The man she saw when she opened the door took Tessa's breath away; way more than he did frozen in a block of ice. His height seemed even more immense as he sat on the small bed, his long legs dressed in khaki pants, and Tessa was surprised he even managed to fit. His muscles bulged even more than she had imagined they would, straining the white SSR shirt they had put him in. But what shocked her the most was his eyes; his beautiful ocean blue eyes.
The blue eyes that were trained on her shone held curiosity but in their depth she could see pain, and confusion. Tessa knew she was right when she predicted that his eyes would portray the sadness he had experience during his time in the war. However there was also a sense of innocence that stilled Tessa. He was young still, barley legal and he had already seen so much. So much more than Tessa would ever dream of experiencing. Ever since she was little Tessa had dreamed about being a top agent but she hoped to never have to go through what he had.
"Good morning." Tessa spoke softly, the urge to throw-up suddenly overcoming her as she smiled at him. Tessa absolutely loathed lying and Nick knew that. She nervously checked her watch. "Or should I say good afternoon."
"Where am I?" The words were so simple but spoken in Steve Rodgers deep voice they struck Tessa hard. He looked at her with slightly wide eyes and she wondered if he too thought she looked like Peggy. Oh god, I don't think I can do this. Not to him.
"You're in a recovery room in New York City," she replied, trying to sell the lie that Nick had relayed to her. Steve looked her up and down, before turning to look at the radio as it continued to make noise, commentating on what seemed to be a baseball game.
"Where am I really?"
"I'm a-afraid I-I don't understand." The look in his eyes made Tessa want to cry. How could she do this to him?
"The game, it's from May 1941, I know 'cause I was there." Tessa's smile faded as she looked at him in horror, whispering under her breath how stupid Nick and the other agents were to over look that small detail. Please let him not freak out. "Now I'm going to ask you again. Where am I?" The Captain rose of the bed, walking a few steps to stand in front of her. He towered over her and Tessa gulped as he stared hard into her eyes. Wishing she didn't have to, she pressed the small button that she held in her hand, causing a red panic light to flash.
"Captain Rodgers..." Tessa spoke lowly trying to calm him down.
"Who are you?" He demanded his voice rising, causing her to flinch slightly. Suddenly the door opened behind her and several Shield agents entered the room. Steve panicked suddenly, his eyes darting around before he grasped the two agents tightly, throwing them through the wall, revealing the rest of the base.
"Captain Rodgers wait!" Tessa said raising her voice, but it did no good as he dashed out of the room and into the base. "All agents code thirteen. I repeat all agents code thirteen." She spoke into her walkie talkie before throwing it to the ground, and rushing out of the room after him, ignoring the shout of the other agents. He was her responsibility now.
Jogging quickly Tessa ran through the lobby, being careful to avoid the fallen agents that Steve must have knocked down in his attempt to escape. She followed him as he dashed into the street narrowly missing a car.
"Steve! I'm sorry. You've got to calm down and listen to me!" She shouted at him, but her plea fell on deaf ears, and she ran after him as he made his way to the middle of Times Square. Catching up to him she let him have his space as he studied his surroundings. He looked so lost and that's when she broke, and walked up to him laying a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"At ease soldier," Directory Fury's voice sounded as multiple black, Shield SUV's pulled up around them.
"Fury, take it easy." Tessa said as she looked at the agents around her in annoyance, this was partially their fault. By now a crowd had gathered around them and the agents were working to shoo them away.
"I'm sorry about that little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly." Anger seethed through Tessa as he tried to wiggle his way out of this situation scotch free.
"Break what?" Steve asked harshly, barely noticing that Tessa still hand her hand on him.
"You've been asleep Cap' for almost seventy years." Tessa spoke softly before Nick could, and Steve directed his attention to her. Their eyes met, emerald against aqua, and Tessa realized just how sad and broken he looked. His breathing quickened as he looked around and millions of questions seemed to be at the tip of his tongue, just waiting to be asked.
"You going to be okay?" Nick asked.
"Yeah." Steve replied, looking down at Tessa quickly. "Yeah, I just - I just I had a date.