American Kids - Kenny Chesney.

"Family is not an important thing. It's everything." - Michael J. Fox.

People seem to think, that if you live forever, or if you are immortal - whatever bullshit people thought these days - life passes you by in a blur.

This couldn't be more untrue.

Imagine sitting in a car and looking out the window, unfocused. You'd see everything pass you by in a blur of colours, right? Well, that's how normal people see their lives.

Everyone has the same thing on their minds. Make it through high school, get a job, find love, get married, have kids, die. That seems like everyone's big plan in life. And everyone is so caught up on making this happen, they don't realize everything they miss.

Katie, however, is an exception to this case.

Being sixty-five years old and not looking a day over twenty-five could have something to do with it. That, and the fact her life span is basically ten times longer than that of normal humans. Unfortunately Katie doesn't see her life pass by in a blur. Oh no. The opposite actually. She remembers everything. She can tell the years apart. She knows the difference between what happened in 1999 and 2000, while normal people blended years and forget if something happened in 2005, or 2006. She remembered where she had been each year, who she had met, who she had talked to. She remembered everything about her life.

Her life did not pass her by in a blur. Though sometimes, most times, she wished it did. It would be easier to forget the pain and hurt of losing someone that way.

Yes. Katherine Stephanie Rogers' life would be much easier if her years blurred together.

Sighing, Katie watched the world around her zoom by from inside the cab as they drove down one of the many streets in D.C. She wished she was back in Tennessee right now.

She had been enjoying her life there. But no, Nick Fury had ruined that when he called and said he was wake. She had gone to New York with the intention of finally taking to... him after sixty-odd years. But look how well that had turned out. And for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to leave. Not yet. She feels like she has to stay. For a little while longer. And it's bugging her so much. Because she doesn't know why or what is keeping her here.

Ripping her long, blond hair out of its high pony tail, Katie ran her fingers through it, trying to stop her mind from wandering.

But she failed.

It was only about a month or so since she was last at S.H.I.E.L.D, since she walked out on Nick and Phil, before she got a change to talk to him. To Captain America. Her father.

She wasn't some teenager who hated her father for leaving her and her mother. God no. In fact, she didn't hate or blame him at all. She understood why he had done what he did, and if anything, she loved him even more because of it. It's just, over the years, she'd learned that the more you got to know someone, the more it hurt when they left.

Which goes back to how easy Katie's life would be if years blended and she forgot easily.

It was hard not getting old along with the rest of the world. Yes, she aged. But not at the rate of a normal human. That, alone, made it hard for her to get close to anyone these days. It hurt every time she found out one of her friends were gone, never to come back. Or that she was never going to get to talk to someone she'd grown up with back in the 50's again.

It hurt ever more when she found out Howard Stark, who she had grown up with and was basically an uncle to her, and his wife Maria were killed. She couldn't move when she got that phone call. She couldn't breathe, she didn't move out of bed for days. It had hurt too bad.

At the time, it had been a good fifteen years since the last time they had seen each other, but they talked on the phone all the time and he was always there for her. He was the fun, crazy Uncle Howard. And she couldn't even repay the favour and be there for his son, Tony. Not when he was - and is - in the spotlight so much. Someone would be sure to pick up on the fact that she never aged. No, the last time she'd seen Tony was back when he was five, so he probably didn't even remember or know of her now.

She knew how hard Howard had been on him, she'd told him this several times, but he never listened to her. And, a part of her felt like it was her fault Howard had been so hard on Tony. The man had spent most of his time trying to find her father, at least when Tony was a baby and kid. So, he never spent much time with Tony growing up which ruined anything they could have had in the future.

She didn't know why she felt like it was her fault, she'd never told Howard to look for her father, she had even told him several times after Tony was born to stop looking. But he never did, and Katie knew he'd just wanted her to have her dad, and he had wanted to find his friend.

But, of course, she kept up with the times. She knew all about Tony and what he had become. She knew what he was like and that he was Iron Man. And she was sure Howard would be proud of his son. If he was here.

Yes. Katie Carter's life would be way easier if her years blurred together

The building Katie was heading to suddenly came into view, and she quickly got some money ready to pay the cab driver as he pulled over, before stepping out of the car.

She walked down the sidewalk a little ways, hands in the pockets of her jacket, before she reached the building and walked through the front door, her boots clicking on the tile floor.

"Ms Carter," The receptionist smiled at her. "It's been a while. Almost a year now."

Katie smiled back, coming to a stop at the front desk. "How is she?"

"Your Great-Aunt is doing as good as can be expected," The receptionist, Anna, informed her. "She hasn't gotten worse, but she isn't any better either."

Katie nodded, her smile dropping slightly. "Can I see her?"

"Of course!" Anna walked out from behind the desk. "I'll walk you."

"Thank you." Katie smiled once more before following the women down the hall.

"So," Anna tried to start a conversation. "What brings you back to DC?"

"I decided to take some time off school," Katie lied though her teeth, something that came easily to her after years of practice. "I wanted to visit my Aunt again, so I decided to spend some time in Washington. Besides, LA was getting boring."

"Well, I'll gladly switch places with you," Anna laughed.

Katie let out a forced laugh as they stopped in front of a door, before she turned to Anna, smile on face. "Thank you, Anna."

"No problem," Anna smiled back. "Take as long as you like."

Katie nodded once more before Anna turned and made her way back towards the front desk.

Turning towards the door, Katie slowly turned the doorknob and pushed it open, where she saw the same sight she saw every other time she entered the room.

The curtains to the window on the wall to Katie's left were opened, causing the warm sunlight to shine into the room. There was paintings hanging on the walls, a dresser on the wall to Katie's right next to which a door was situated that lead to the bathroom. It was a simple room. But, Katie's eyes went straight to the bed in the middle of the wall in front of her. A nightstand was standing next to it, with several framed pictures decorating it. And there, laying on the bed, was Peggy Carter, grey haired and wrinkled face, her eyes closed.

Carefully closing the door behind her, Katie slowly walked into the room, smiling a sad smile as she sat in the chair next to the side of the bed, not stopping the warm feeling she suddenly felt from seeing her mother for the first time in a year.

Mother, not Great-Aunt.

Katie now told people Peggy was her Great-Aunt, it was easier that way. People wouldn't question why her mother was ninety-odd years old while Katie looked no older than twenty-five. And she couldn't tell people Peggy was her grandmother, that was too easy to trace back. The only 'Katie Carter' they would find would be Peggy's daughter who had no father listed. They would also find out that 'Katie Carter' has dead.

She sat there for a few moments, watching her mother with a small smile still on her face. Then, Peggy suddenly turned her head, now facing Katie's direction, her eyes opening slowly and unfocused at first, before they lit up at the sight of her daughter.

"Katie." Peggy breathed as she smiled brightly.

"Hi mum." Kate smiled back, her British accent sneaking in like it always did when she talked to her mother.

"It's been so long."

"I'm sorry." Katie gave a light laugh. "I've been busy."

Peggy nodded, her eyes moving all over her daughters face to see what had changed over the past year, though Katie knew nothing had. She still looked exactly the same.

The smile on Peggy's face dropped slightly however, after looking over her daughter. Katie knew her mother knew something was wrong. If there was one person who could read Katie, even after all these years of hiding, it was Peggy Carter.

"What's wrong?" Peggy asked after a few moments as Katie titled her head to the side.

"What do you mean? Nothing's-"

"Katherine."

Katie looked her mother in the eyes for a moment before shifting to look at her lap, biting her bottom lip slightly as she pondered over what to tell her mother.

She debated not telling Peggy about Steve, she really did. But Katie knew her mother had the right to know, and it would be a lot easier to explain her problem if Katie didn't leave out the biggest detail. But, she also knew her mother. She knew that Peggy would tell her to give him a chance, to talk to him.

Right now though, Katie didn't want to. She didn't want to get close to him. She didn't need someone to look out or care for her, she spent the past thirty years or so on her own, and she was getting by just fine.

However, when Katie looked up at her mother once more and looked into her eyes, she sadly remembered that it didn't matter if she told her mother about Steve or not. Because Peggy wasn't going to remember that Katie told her about him in a few minutes.

Taking a deep breath Katie looked up at the painting above her mother's bed as she spoke.

"They found him."

Katie didn't need to say anything else. She didn't need to explain herself, cause she could tell by the way her mother's eyes lit up and went wide that she knew exactly what her daughter was talking about.

"What?" Peggy breathed.

"They found him, mum." Katie explained, her British accent coming out a tiny bit more. "He was frozen in ice for seventy-years. And… and he's alive." Katie let out a laugh that sounded bitter to her ears. "It's like, he's been asleep for seventy-years. He went to sleep in 1945 and woke up in 2011."

"Katie." Peggy reached across the bed and grabbed her daughter's hand, holding it in her two wrinkled ones.

Katie sighed, looking into her mother's eyes before speaking softly.

"He looks the same as he did the day he went down, mum." She told her. "But, he's lost. He doesn't fit in. Not yet. The last thing he remembers is crashing the plane."

"Katie," Peggy repeated, smiling suddenly. "This… this is wonderful."

Katie titled her head slightly, eyebrows pinched together.

"Mum?"

"You don't have to be alone anymore." Peggy explained. "You'll have someone, someone there with you when I'm gone. Someone who will protect and help you. Someone who will care for you. Katie, you'll have your father."

Katie looked away from her mother's eyes, unable to look to her anymore. Instead, she turned to the pictures that sat on the bed-side table. There were five and they were old pictures. The first picture was of Peggy and Katie's step-father, who passed away a while ago. While the second picture was of seventeen year old Katie with her five year old brother and two year old sister, both of whom she hadn't talked to in forever. Because like the rest of the world, they thought 'Katie Carter' died.

Then, Katie's eyes went straight to the last three. There was one of Katie and Peggy when Katie was first born, one of Steve pre-serum, and one of Howard, Katie and Peggy when Katie was about five and she was holding up a birthday gift from Howard and her mother. A red, blue and white shield with a star in the middle.

A small smile started to form on Katie's face as she looked at the picture, the ghostly laugher of her five-year-old self echoing of the walls, squealing with excitement.

She couldn't tell her mother she hadn't talk to him yet. She couldn't tell her mother that she didn't want to talk to him. That was Peggy's biggest wish, for Katie to know her father and what kind of man he was, is.

Katie couldn't destroy that wish for her.

"You haven't talked to him."

Katie's eyes snapped back to Peggy. It wasn't a question but a statement, and Katie could see her mother's eyes watching her closely as she waited for her daughter to answer.

"No," Katie sighed. "I haven't. But I have seen him."

"Why? How come?" Peggy asked, as if she only heard the 'no'.

"I just…" Katie paused, looking down. "I don't want to get close to him cause then it'll hurt when he leaves."

"Who says he's going to leave?" Peggy questioned. "I know your father, and once he finds out about you, he would never leave."

"But people always leave." Katie said so low, she was sure her mother didn't hear her.

Peggy was silent for a few moments as she studied her daughter for a moment longer.

"Does he know about you?"

"No, he doesn't. And as of right now, I don't know if I want him to." Katie said, shaking her head, her pony tail flying behind her as Peggy sighed, gripping Katie's hands tighter.

"I know you've had a hard life," Peggy said. "But, you don't have to run from everyone in the world, sweetie. Image if everyone lived their life like that, being scared to get close to anyone in case they left. The world would be one lonely place."

Peggy looked over at the pictures on the bedside table, smiling to herself, before turning back to her daughter.

"You were a big daddy's girl, you know." Peggy said suddenly as Katie smiled a little. "Everyone said you were a mum's girl, but I knew better. You looked up to him so much. Howard made you that shield because you wanted to be just like him."

Katie continued to smile as her mother laughed at the memory, before she looked back at Katie with a serious, but soft look on her face.

"Talk to him," Peggy said. "Just for an hour or so. I know how guarded you can be, Katie. Just, tell him about yourself and talk to him. Get to know him a bit. Then, decide if you never want to talk to him again. Besides, I know he'll love you and he would never even dream of leaving."

Over the years, Katie had gotten used to cutting herself off from the world. Mainly because she never stayed in one place for too long. She didn't like to get close to people, it was just who she was. Because they always left. Sometimes they were killed or died, sometimes not. Either way, Katie didn't get close to people at all.

But, maybe it was time to change that. Maybe, she should talk to her father, at least for a while. Just to see what he was like. After all, what was the worst that could happen. He was her father after all. And as much as Katie wanted to deny it, she was a big daddy's girl, she really did want to talk to him, and she was beyond happy that he was actually alive.

"Okay, I'll think about it." Katie sighed, glancing back over at the picture of her five-year-old self holding a shield, smiling slightly. "But I was a mummy's girl too… Mum?"

Katie watched as her mother's eyes went unfocused for a moment as she stared off at the wall in front of her. Taking a deep breath, Katie looked down at their holding hands before looking back up at her mother's face, watching as her eyes came back to focus and she slowly turned to Katie, her eyes lighting up.

"Katie?"

Katie nodded, a slightly sad smile on her face. "Hi Mum."

"It's been so long."

"I know, I'm sorry." Katie squeezed her mother's hand. "I've been busy…"

May 4th, 1951.

"Okay, squirt. Are you ready for your last gift?"

The little five-year-old in question looked up at her dark-haired uncle. A smile of excitement broke out on her face as she nodded her head, her two long, blonde french braids flying behind her.

They were now sitting in the middle of S.H.I.E.L.D., which was basically Katie's home. They, being Katie, her mother, Uncle Howard, Ches (only Katie was able to call Chester Phillips that), and a few members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Howling Commandos. There were a few chairs around for people to sit on, alone with a small cake on one of the desks and a small pile of already opened gifts next to it.

As Howard turned around and walked out of the room, Peggy walked up to her daughter and knelt in front of her.

"This one's from me and your Uncle Howard, okay?" Peggy told Katie, who was basically bouncing in her seat with excitement, her blue eyes shining in the dim light of the building.

Peggy smiled at her daughter before standing back up as Howard walked back into the room, his hands behind his back as a smirk formed on his lips.

"You ready?"

"Yes, Uncle Howard!" Katie laughed, kneeling up in the chair.

Slowly, Howard removed his hands from behind his back, revealing the gift.

Katie's eyes grew wide as they landed on a small circle. It wasn't too big, big enough for an five-year-old. It had a red circle outline, then a white one, then red again, and finally, the middle colored in blue along with a big, white star in the very centre.

Katie squealed with excitement as she took the mini, kid friendly version of her father's shield out of Howard's hand. She held it in front of her with a big smile on her face before holding it to her chest.

"I think she likes it," Timothy, 'Dum-Dum', chuckled.

"Ready to go fright some bad guys now, Katie?" Jim smiled at the little girl, who started to nod her head before her mother cut her off.

"Not likely." Peggy glared slightly at Jim, but she couldn't stop the smile from tugging at her lips.

"But mummy," Katie whined, jumping off the chair. "I want to fight bad guys just like daddy did!"

"How about we eat some cake first," Howard laughed, jumping in before Peggy answered. Glancing up, Howard watched as Peggy shook her head before she walked over the cake to cut some pieces.

"Hey kid," Chester Phillips spoke up and Katie turned around to look at him. "How 'bout you try on that shield?"

Katie face lit up at the idea as she nodded her head as fast as she could, before placing the blue, red and white shield on her arm - with the help of Howard - and holding it up in front of her.

"Looks good on ya," Phillips smiled, sitting back in his chair with crossed arms.

"Mummy!" Katie squealed. "Look!"

Turning around, Peggy looked at her daughter, a smile - somewhat sad - breaking out on her face at the sight of her five-year-old standing there with the shield on her arm.

"Come here," Peggy placed the knife down, walking over to her daughter and kneeling down beside her. "Let's take a picture."

Katie smiled and nodded at her mother. Peggy stepped back and handed the camera off to Phillips, who rolled his eyes before taking it out of Peggy's hands.

Peggy walked over and knelt back down next to Katie, the two of them smiling up at the camera as Phillips took the picture.

"You too, Uncle Howard!" Katie ran over to Howard and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the photo too before he could say anything.

Shaking his head, Howard chuckled at the blonde girl before kneeling down next to her too. The three of them smiled up at the camera, Katie holding the shield in front of her, as a white flash went off…

Katie's eyes snapped opened as the running water that was beating off her back suddenly started to turn from hot to cold. She didn't know how long she had stood there, under the running water of the shower, but it was obviously long enough for the water to start feeling like ice when hitting her.

Sighing, Katie shut off the water before stepping out into the equally cold bathroom, trying to shake the memory from her head.

She didn't want to think about the past right now.

What she wanted was a drink. A strong one. A really strong one seeing that she couldn't get drunk anyways.

Damn side effects.

Quickly drying herself off and running a towel through her hair so it was only slightly damp, Katie walked out of the bathroom. The hallway of her apartment was dark and shadowy, only to be lit up from the now opened bathroom door.

She didn't have tons of different houses and apartments all over the world. That was another thing normal people thought about people who lived 'forever' - they had thousands of homes and millions of dollars. Not true. Katie wasn't rich. Yes, she had money saved up after all these years, but she worked hard for it. Also, she only had two homes. Her home in Tennessee and this apartment. And the only reason she had this apartment was because of her mother being here, in DC.

Turning off the bathroom light, Katie navigated in the dark to her bedroom across the hall.

It was dark in there too, with the only light in the room coming from the small clock on her bedside table that read 11:27pm in bright, red letters.

After flicking on the lights, Katie quickly pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a tank-top before making her way out into the kitchen through the dark apartment.

Now let's get me this damn drink. Katie thought to herself as she flicked on the lights in the living room and kitchen.

However, the moment the lights came on, Katie froze in her spot when she saw a tall, dark figure sitting on her living room couch.

Her heart and mind only worked overtime for a moment however, before she realized who it was. She relaxed once again before making her way over to the kitchen as she snorted.

"Security breach."

"If the biggest security breach you're going to get is me breaking in," Nick Fury spoke up as Katie walked up to one of the cupboards and opened it, "You'll lead an easy life, Ms Rogers."

Katie froze as she reached in the cupboard for a glass. That was the second time he called her 'Rogers', and she didn't know how she felt about that. Part of her liked the sound of it, the other part wasn't used to it, and the name even sounded foreign to her.

"You know," Katie spoke as she came out of her shock, taking two glasses out of the cupboard. "Just because… he's suddenly alive doesn't mean I'm changing my last name."

"I'm just calling you by your name." Nick pointed out plainly.

Katie rolled her eyes, walking over to the corner cupboard and bending over, pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

"No. You're calling me by his last name," Katie countered, turning back around and walked over to the island to pour the drinks. "On my birth certificate it says-"

"On the birth certificate that was planted by your mother so no one would find out about you, it says Carter." Nick cut her off, standing up from the couch and walking over to stand on the other side on the island. "On your real birth certificate it says Rogers."

Katie stared up at Nick for a few moments, her eyes hard, eyebrows pinched together as she studied his equally hard face. Then, she let out a dry laugh before putting the cover back on the bottle and placing it back in the cupboard.

"I forgot," Katie walked back over to the island, picking up her drink and pushing the other towards Nick. "You're the Director. You know everything."

"I don't know everything, Ms Rogers." Nick said. "I just know most things."

"What do you want Nick?" Katie sighed, running a hand through her hair as she walked over to the small, round kitchen table, sitting down. "It's late. I'm tired. And I just want to drink."

Nick studied her for a few moments with an unreadable look on his face, before he pushed off the island and walked over to the table, joining Katie by sitting down.

"You walked away."

"That I did." Katie nodded, taking a sip of her drink.

She knew what he was getting at. Yes, she walked out. She walked out on him, Phil and her father when she was supposed to talk to him. But, her father didn't know that. As of right now, Steve Rogers didn't even know he had a daughter.

And she really doubted Nick was butt-hurt over the fact she walked out on him. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time she walked out on the Director.

Nick sighed, obviously frustrated with Katie now.

"Katherine." Nick pinched the bridge of his nose with his figures. "You need to talk to him."

Katie's eyebrows narrowed together. Her mother had said those same words to her earlier, but it didn't sound half as nice coming out of Nick's mouth.

"Why do you care so much? It's my life."

"Is it so hard to believe I want you to be happy."

"Well, you aren't the most caring person I've met, to be honest."

Nick watched Katie for a moment, as if he was prying into her mind. Katie looked back with a confused look on her face. She could tell Nick was waiting for a reaction of some kind. The only problem was, Katie didn't know what he was waiting for her to react to. Suddenly, Katie started to feel uncomfortable under the Director's intense glare and looked down at her drink. Picking up the glass, Katie took a slow sip with her eyes closed before placing the glass down again. This time, however, when she opened her eyes, she found Nick watching her with pinched eyebrows.

"I assumed you knew everything that happens within S.H.I.E.L.D.."

"You mean you assumed I hacked the system." Katie let out an airy laugh, but she was confused where this conversation was going. "I don't know what you all think of me over there, but I don't look into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s personal files. That's Stark."

"How do you know Stark hacks S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Nick raised an eyebrow, causing Katie to roll her eyes.

"I may not hack the system, but I'm not deaf," Katie told him. "I heard you grumbling about him the last few times I've visited. And besides, it's Tony."

It was almost as if Nick didn't hear Katie, or he probably just didn't care, because he suddenly turned to the briefcase that was beside him. Honestly, Katie didn't even know there had been a briefcase standing there as she watched Fury pull out a file before sliding it across the table.

Katie took a sip of her drink as she glazed down at the file that was now in front of her. Her eyebrows started to pinch together as she placed down her glass and picked up the file.

"Avengers Initiative?" She read the front of the file, looking up at Nick for a brief moment.

"It's an idea," Nick explained, almost as if he just came up with this idea right there on the spot. "To bring together a group of the most remarkable people. People who could be something more. People, who can work together when we need them and fight the battles that S.H.I.E.L.D. can't."

As Nick explained this, Katie looked though the different pages of information that were in the file. The first few pages was information about what Nick basically just said. However, it was the last couple of pages that Katie stopped on to really look at.

The list of the Avengers.

Katie didn't even read the full pages, she just looked at each name that was on the list.

Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow.

Clinton Barton, Hawkeye.

Anthony Stark, Iron Man.

Bruce Banner, the Hulk.

Thor Odinson.

Steven Rogers, Captain America.

Katherine Rogers.

Katie knew the names, some more than other. She knew Tony. Clint and Natasha she knew because she trained with both a while back, and they were good friends of hers. Natasha actually taught her how to really fight well. Thor she knew of, but she never met him. She did, however, hear all about New Mexico because of Phil and the news. She always knew of Bruce Banner, but never met him before.

And Steve Rogers. Her father, obviously she knew about him. She knew everything about him, more than anyone really. Well, besides her mother. Also, Phil was a pretty big fangirl and never really shut up about him.

"So," Katie finally spoke up, glancing up at Nick. "It's basically a group of superheroes?"

"More or less."

"Why am I in here?" Katie cut right to the chase, closing the file. "I'm not a superhero. I haven't done anything remarkable with my life."

"To be honest," Nick grabbed the file and placed it back in the case. "You weren't on there until a few days ago."

"Then why add me?"

"You, Katherine, are one of the only two people on Earth who can be considered super-humans." Nick explained. "You and your father. You two are the only ones with the super-solider blood running in your veins."

"Yeah, sure, I'm perfect." Katie leaned forward in her chair. "But, the most remarkable thing about me is that I was born in the 40's and can pass as a twenty-five year old."

"You're strong." Nick also leaned forward. "And fast. You're a fighter. Remember, I know mostly everything, Katherine. You've trained with a number of people, including Ms Romanoff, and I know your mother taught you how to shot a gun."

"Okay, yeah. I grew up at S.H.I.E.L.D. and now how to fight," Katie sighed, running a hand through her hair. "But, I mean, Tony has his suit, Banner turns green, Thor is a god, while Natasha and Clint are master assassins. Compared to them, I'm nothing."

Nick sat back in his chair, a slightly smug look on his face.

"What about your father?"

"Sorry?"

"You didn't mention your father, Captain America." Nick explained, and continued on when Katie remained silent. "And you know why. Because he's just like you, and you know it. You both didn't make a suit or are gods Katherine, but you are both remarkable people. You both have that blood in you, you were both born to be fighters."

"You're wrong," Katie said softly, shaking her head as she took a sip of her drink. "He was made to be a fighter. I was made by mistake."

Silence fell around the room for a few moments after Katie said these words.

She didn't normally get like this. She didn't even think of herself as a mistake. Sometimes. Though, really, she knew she was one. But, after everything that had happened today, she was starting to feel... weak. She didn't know what to do, what to say, or what to think anymore.

"Talk to your father." Nick said suddenly, causing Katie to look up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You want me to talk to him so he'll join your secret group." It wasn't a question, more so a statement.

"No," Nick shook his head. "I want you to talk to him for your sake." He told her before standing up, Katie following his lead. "However, I know the Avengers could really use the both of you."

"Sense a world threat coming, Nick." Katie joked as they both walked to the front door.

"What I sense, is that you've been alone for so long, you're scared to let anyone, even your father, into your life."

Katie snorted, crossing her arms. "Says the guy with more trust issues than someone suffering from the Truman Show disorder."

"I have my reasons."

"And so do I."

"I'll be calling you tomorrow to let you know when you'll be talking to your father." Nick told her, turning to Katie just as they reached the door.

"Do I not have a say in this?"

"You do, I just hope you pick the right thing to do." Nick told her. "Now, I think you have a lot to think about so I'll leave you to it."

Katie rolled her eyes as Nick turned to the door. She spun around and walked back into the apartment as she called, "Goodnight, Nick" over her shoulder.

"And Katherine," Nick spoke up, causing Katie to turn around. "You may think you're a mistake, but I'll let you know you are far from it."

And with that, Nick was gone.

Katie let out a frustrating sigh as she grabbed her hair in her hands. Her mind was working overtime with everything that had happened today that she didn't even want to think about anything. She just wanted her mind to shut off.

But sadly, it wouldn't.

The big question from today was if she was going to talk to her father. A big part of her wanted to. This was her dad, someone who she wanted to meet her whole life. And she knew she told her mother she would, but she was still on the fence about it.

But the other part didn't want to get hurt anymore. Everyone said he wasn't going to leave her, but how did they know that? Besides, what if he decided that he didn't want a kid, that he didn't want anything to do with her. That would hurt more than him getting killed or dying.

Still, Katie thought of her mother and how much she didn't want Katie to be alone when she was finally gone. And she thought of Nick, who said he wanted Katie to talk to her father for her own sake. And then she thought of Howard, and how much time he spent trying to find her father. And then she thought of herself, who looked up to her father so much growing up.

So, Katie just stood there, in the middle of her apartment. She didn't know how long she stood there, but she finally came to a conclusion. The only problem was, she didn't know if it was the right one yet.

Nick would be pleased at least.

Thinking of Nick brought back the memories of their talk. Of the Avengers.

The Avengers, a group of superheroes fighting the threats that no one else could deal with.

Did she want to do that? Did she want to fight threats? Yes, she'd been training her whole life and was a really good fighter. And yes, she could shoot a gun like no one else - Peggy Carter had been her trainer and mother after all - but did that mean she wanted to fight supervillians and protect the world?

This was too much for one night.

Calling it quits, Katie walked up to the front door and locked it before turning back around and started to head towards the hall and her bedroom. Then, something caught her eye.

Glancing over at the island as she started to turn off the lights, Katie saw Nick's forgotten drink sitting there.

Sighing, she walked over and grabbed the drink. She took a big sip before turning off the lights and heading to bed, her mind still reeling.

Please note that this use to be chapters 1 and 2 before I decided to combine them together. And I also added a few extra details that will come up in future chapters.

Thank you to my beta for working her magic on this chapter, and also, feel free to follow me on tumblr and twitter (links in my profile).