By ValerieRichards
Author's note: I wanted the last part of the first chapter to take place a year before Steve is found and thawed. I want to thank my friend, NCISRookie33, for all of her support.
POV: Stephanie.
Chapter 2
Tony was very patient with me as I learned what was called a laptop and what had become a cell phone. It took half a year with JARVIS, Tony, and Tony's girlfriend, Pepper, helping me out, but I finally caught up to date on most things.
"We found Captain America" I heard someone announce when I went to check up on SHIELD, which I had helped found with Howard, Peggy, and one of the guys that Steve knew. Peggy was still at Tony's house learning the tablet. I nearly choked. Steve had been frozen?
"Where is he" I asked. Being one of the founders, there had been a huge buzz when I came back. I was made the second head of SHIELD besides the grandson of the other founder, Phillips, I think his name was, who'd been ten at the time I disappeared. Director Fury attempted to stop me, but I gave him a look to overrule him.
"Ugh, where...? Stephanie? What are you doing here" Steve groaned. I managed to prevent myself from tackling him in a hug. I had my brother back! I smiled sadly at him; he hadn't aged since I last saw him.
"Steve, you've been frozen for sixty-seven years. Look at me" I commanded softly. He shook his head disbelievingly until he got a good look at me. Steve cupped my cheek and I leaned into it. I waited for him to get settled into an apartment before explaining things to him.
"YOU WHAT" Steve yelled once he heard I had taken an attempted reproduction of the Super Solider Serum. I rolled my eyes as he inspected me for anything wrong. I huffed and glared at him.
"Jeez Steve, will you chill" I sighed earning a confused look "Relax". I hugged him tightly; I kind of missed his protectiveness. Back in the 1940's, I had three 'older brothers'. Bucky Barnes, Steve's best friend, Steve, and Howard. Bucky died in the war and Howard from a car accident.
"What's that" my brother asked when he spotted my StarkPhone Tony had given me. I laughed and told him about Tony; him groaning playfully at the mention of son being like father. My phone buzzed and I jumped slightly, still not used to the vibration.
Come to the tower ASAP. There's something you need to see.
Tony
"I got to go, Tony needs to see me. Think you won't hurt/kill yourself with all this new technology" I asked him. Steve gave me an annoyed look and I laughed. I gave him a peck on the cheek and a quick squeeze before rushing out to a car I'd borrowed from SHIELD.
"Tony's in the lab. Says it's important" Pepper said hoping I knew what it was. Pepper was a sweet girl; she had walked in on Tony and I chatting in the kitchen a few days after my defrosting and thought something was going on between us.
"Hi! You're Pepper? I've heard all about you" I had said when I spotted her in the doorway. I saw her stiffen and instantly knew Tony hadn't told her about me. I smacked him upside the head and gave him a look Maria had always given him when he was doing something wrong.
"Pep, this is Stephanie" Tony explained; I gave him another look "Aunt Nene". I sighed. That was probably the best I was going to get from him.
"I'm his godmother, but I was frozen in ice for a long time. I just woke up and the two of us were catching up. Tony's dad and I were best friends growing up" I clarified. Recognition dawned in her eyes and she reached to shake hands.
"I'm sorry. I thought...he's told me a lot about you too...I should've realized..." she said turning red. I waved it off and motioned for her to join us. After a while of talking, I really liked her. She wasn't afraid to put Tony in line. Maria would've approved.
"Tony, what's wrong" I asked stepping into the lab carefully. Tony was like Howard, he blew things up at least once every few days on a good project. Instead of the 'look what I built' moment I was expecting, I got a folder.
"Dad had apparently started this either a little before or after you disappeared. Hard to tell, no date on it" he explained. I looked at the papers inside it and nearly collapsed. It was a highly classified op looking into a Hydra creation called The Winter Soldier. It had a picture of who they used as well.
"Bucky" I whispered. Tony sat me down on a chair and told me that apparently only a handful of people knew about this. Thankfully, he'd been only sent on a few missions and 'killed' operatives were read in.
"It's a lot to take in, I know. I was told to give it to you by some guy from SHIELD. Said something about his grandfather and you and they're still working on it" he said skeptically. Still working on it? That means Bucky's alive!
Weeks later
I ran through SHIELD's helicarrier after a brainwashed Agent Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, took out the third engine. I had to get Dr. Bruce Banner, who had transformed into the Hulk, away from Agent Natasha Romanoff so she could go after Barton.
"Dr. Banner! You need to remember who you are" I yelled getting the Hulk's attention. I saw a large fist coming at me and grabbed my shield/stick Tony had made me. It was made up of the same metal, Tony said, my brother's shield was and reinforced for extra precautions.
"Go! Go" the others in the room shouted as they evacuated. I was glad the super soldier serum Peggy and I took gave me similar strength and speed Steve had. I knocked the Hulk through a plane, nearly getting hit by a wing and the cockpit glass. Before either of us could do anything else, a fighter jet interrupted and the Hulk turned his attention on it.
"Where's Agent Romanoff? What level" I yelled through my earpiece to whoever would listen. As soon as I got the info, I took off to help. I found her struggling and aimed my metal stick at Barton's legs, which threw him to the ground. Agent Romanoff promptly knocked him out.
"Thanks" she told me. I nodded and told her to go help the others while I took Barton to his room and strapped him to the bed. She was back by the time he woke up.
"Do you know what it's like having someone inside your head" he asked Agent Romanoff. She looked at me, not too really wanting to share in front of me, thinking I'd judge her.
"I do. Hydra got to me" I volunteered getting a surprised look from both of them. Agent Barton shook off Loki's control and I explained what happened. The two of them relaxed in front of me. I began to think back on the days after I got news that Steve had 'died'; how painful it was as the other two talked.
"Can you fly one of those jets" Steve asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. Agent Barton offered to do so and my brother told the two to suit up. I went to go follow suit, only to have Steve stop me.
"Like hell I'm staying back! Peggy will probably join you and I will too, even if I have to go as a part of SHIELD" I snapped. The two of us squared off briefly before I pushed past him. We took off in one of SHIELD's jets right behind Tony.
"Stephanie, you stick by me, you hear me" Steve ordered. I glared at him. I lived thirty years longer than he did and was an agent for SHIELD until my 'death'. He might be my brother, but he had no control over me.
"I hear you, but I'm not going to listen. I'm your sister, not your subordinate. If it's going to be as bad as I think it is, then it won't matter" I snapped. He narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean it won't matter? It's going to be a battle! You've never been in war before" he shot back. Nice Steve, bring sex into the equation I thought, The only reason women couldn't fight was because we were thought to be 'delicate' and supposed to be focused on having kids.
"I was an agent for thirty years after you crashed the plane! I wasn't exactly short and defenseless" I yelled. He brought up a sore issue for me.
"I wasn't defenseless! My punches never really hurt them! This has nothing to do with the topic at hand! You're going to stay by me" he exclaimed. I smacked him as hard as I could; we were both super soldiers, he could handle it.
"Both of you! Enough! Cap, she's right. She's not a kid anymore, she can handle herself. Ms...Stephanie, he's your brother, he'll always be protective of you" Agent Romanoff, Natasha as she wanted to be called, barked. She was standing in front of Steve while Agent Barton, Hawkeye, put the jet on auto pilot.
"If we're done with this argument, we've got some aliens to worry about" he reminded us. We looked at each other and nodded. It wasn't the time to do this. Natasha and Hawkeye went to go continue flying while we just stared at each other.
"I'm sorry Steph, I just wanted to do what I was never really able to. We can finally be a family without the war or being poor hanging over us. It's hard to remember you've grown" Steve apologized. I felt bad now.
"I'm sorry too. I'm so used to doing things on my own. I'm glad you're back, I really missed you" I told him as I gave him a hug. I saw Natasha smiling happily at us, especially when Steve kissed my forehead.
"What happened? You guys stop for drive thru" Tony asked as we caught up to him again. I rolled my eyes, but smirked. He was so much like Maria when he was snarky. I didn't have too much time to think about Howard and Maria as Loki, the Norse god Thor's brother, shot our jet down.
"Come on! We've got to get back up there" Steve said referring to Stark Tower where the portal letting the aliens through was above. Hydra's technological cube was really an alien artifact being used to allow hostiles to take our world.
"Well, this is going to be fun" I commented dryly as the aliens came by the dozen. I saw one of them headed towards where Hawkeye and I were standing and noticed that he hadn't seen it.
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