"Charlotte," Steve responds, a small smile playing at his lips. He lets out a sigh as he glances down at the list in my hands. "What's that?"
I hold the list up in the air, waving it a little. "My treasure map," I say with a smile that soon falters. "Well…of sorts. Come on, follow me Steve." I stand up from the couch and motion for him to follow me. We walk over to the wall behind my desk. The wall was littered with pictures of my favorite people from history. I lift up my framed picture of Walt Disney, letting it prop up on the hinges hidden behind it. A keyboard pops out letting me type in my password. After that, a panel on the wall opens up below it revealing a combination lock. "Only one you'll find in the building," I say, turning it around and around. "I like to keep things old-schoo-" I glance back and up at Steve, who was just staring at me with an unamused expression. "Never mind, ignore the comment." I turn back to the lock. A moment later a section of the wall releases. I step over to it a push it open. "Alright Captain, after you."
He gives me a wary glance before stepping through the open section of wall. "What is this place?" I step in behind him.
We both gaze upon the rows and rows of shelving. "This place is three hundred square feet of historical artifacts and documents." I step around him and start walking towards the center of the room. "This is the main one. S.H.I.E.L.D. has a few more scattered across the globe and I am in charge of all of them, lucky me, huh? Anyways, there are some artifacts here that museums don't even know exist, only Director Fury and I. Some of these artifacts, last time they were touched or even seen by a human was with their original owners. It is the motherload of the historical timeline of…well, the world." A moment later, we reach a big mahogany desk with a small tiffany lamp perched in the middle of it. "There are also documents, files, and even letters about, pertaining to, and or belonging to important people in history." I watch Steve as he sits down at the table whilst looking around at the shelving surrounding him. "One moment please," I say, disappearing down an aisle. I return a minute later, the artifact I had retrieved tucked behind my back.
"And this is where I'll get my answers?" he asks, giving me a curious stare.
"Well, you have three options," I say, taking a step closer to him. "I could set you in front of a computer, help you look up stuff-"
"I'm sorry…a what?" he cuts me off.
"Exactly," I say with a deadpan stare. "We'll get to that though. Second option is we just sit and talk. I could easily do some research and then be able to answer any question you have." He starts to say something but I stop him. "Again, we'll get to that eventually. And your third option, which, I have a feeling you will go for: let you see it for yourself."
He hangs his head for a moment before looking back up at me. "Yeah, I think option three would be the best." I nod my head as I take a step closer. "So, what's behind your back?"
"Our first subject of discussion," I say. I finally pull the object out, revealing Captain America's very first helmet. "You."
oOoOo
"So Dr. Erskine's formula is what kept me alive," Steve says, less of a question—more of a statement.
"Yes, that is what the doctors found out," I say, nodding my head.
He nods his head, and is quiet for a moment. "What about my team?" he asks. "The Howling Commandos?"
I nod my head, holding up a finger before heading down an isle that was behind him. Returning five minutes later, I set the stack of files on the table in front of him. "These are updated until last month," I say as he opens the top file. "I tried my best to keep up with them. Just for my own curiosity…and for posterity. Of course, I never dreamed you'd actually-" I shake my head as I notice him looking up at me.
"Thank you," he says, a gentleness in his voice.
"You're welcome," I say, smiling back at him.
I watch him as he silently flips through the files. "Dugan is the only one still living?"
I nod my head. "Still cracking jokes like he was thirty," I say with a little smile. Steve raises an eyebrow at me in question. "I started checking up on them, in person, a couple years ago."
"Oh," he says. "Could we go see him?"
"I don't see why not," I say with a shrug. "I'll email Fury and ask him."
Steve nods his head as he pushes the files to the side. "What about Agent Peggy Carter?" I nod my head again before once again heading down an aisle. When I return, I set the file down in front of him. I sit down in the chair across the table from him as he opens the file and reads it. After a few minutes he shuts the file and his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
"You okay?" I ask him quietly.
"Yeah, I just…" he shakes his head. I wait patiently while he sits there, mulling over whatever thoughts were going through his head. "This is a lot to take in."
I nod my head. Obviously I had no clue what he was going through, but I was trying to understand. "I'll see if we can go see Agent Carter too," I say. "If you'd like."
He nods his head slowly. "Do you think we could take a break?" he asks quietly.
"Of course," I say. I stand up from the table and wave a hand for him to follow me. "I know just where to go."
oOoOo
"He's fine, sir" I say into the phone. I poke my head around the corner to see Steve still sitting at the booth, eating his burger.
"When I said help him I didn't mean for you to-"
"You told me to help him, however I saw fit," I say into the phone. "He needed a break, it was getting a little overwhelming. So this is how I'm helping him...sir."
Fury let's out an exasperated sigh. "Very well, Dr. Litz," he says, admitting defeat. "Also, I will see into setting up some transport for the trips you requested."
"Yes sir, thank you," I say. The line disconnects without another word said. It was a trait at S.H.I.E.L.D. that got on my nerves. I pocket my cell phone before making my way through the restaurant back to Steve. "Sorry about that," I say to him as I slide back into my side of the booth.
"Is everything okay?" He asks.
I nod my head. "Oh yeah," I answer. "Fury was just a little...on edge about us coming here."
"Oh," he says, looking down for a moment. "Do we have to go back?"
"Not if you're not ready," I say.
Steve stares at me for a moment, as if deciding something. "We're not in any trouble?"
I shake my head. "No Steve, we're not," I say. "Director Fury told me to help you...however I see fit. If this is what you need...then this is what we'll do. Okay? This is all about getting you comfortable and up to speed."
He just stares at me again before a small smile breaks across his face. "I appreciate that." I return his smile before starting to eat again.
oOoOo
"So I'm curious," I say, capturing Steve's attention. "I know the city definitely looks different...but what about Central Park?"
He looks around the park before answering. "In ways," he says, nodding his head.
"Oh, okay," I say. "I'm sorry, I'll try to keep my questions to a minimum."
He lets out a small chuckle, the sound pleasing to my ears. "Don't worry about it," he says. "I don't mind."
"Oh, you'll start to mind," I say. "When it comes to history I can get a bit...obnoxious. Or, so I've been told."
"Who said that?" Steve asks, a small downturn of his mouth.
"Co-workers, friends," I say. "Ex-boyfriends."
"Really?"
"Yeah," I say with a humorless chuckle. "Those relationships didn't last long."
"How did you start working for S.H.I.E.L.D.?" He asks unexpectedly.
"Family history," I tell him. "Grandparents worked for the SSR then my parents worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., now here I am."
"Were they all historical specialists?" He asks.
I shake my head as I sneak a glance at him. "They were all field agents. My grandparents and parents both were actually pretty good friends with Agent Carter."
"Really?" He says. "Do you know her?"
"No, unfortunately," I say. "My parents said I met her once when I was a baby...but I'm not able to remember it."
He simply nods his head. "So, did the field just not appeal to you?"
"In a way," I say with a shrug. I let out a sigh. "Okay, I guess I better tell you...before you start hearing rumors."
"Rumors?" He asks warily.
"I'm not necessarily...normal? I guess that would be the word," I say. "Okay, so the human brain only has so much room for memory. But I have double that. It's like the mental version of what you have basically."
"You were injected with-"
"No, no, no, no way," I say, shaking my head quickly. "There was…um, an accident…when I was younger."
A silence settles around us. "Not want to talk about it?" he asks.
"Not particularly- hey now, wait a minute," I say, placing a hand on the crook of his elbow and pulling him to a stop. Steve turns to look at me, slightly alarmed. "When did this turn to questions about me? You're the one who just came out of the ice after seventy years."
"Well, you said this was all about me getting comfortable, right?" I nod my head at him as he leans in just ever so slightly, enough that a normal person probably wouldn't even notice. "If I'm going to be comfortable around you, I got to get to know you a little bit, right?"
I drop the hand I hadn't noticed I left on his elbow. "You certainly do Captain Rogers," I say as I turn and start walking again. A smile creeps onto my face as he falls into gait beside me. "You most certainly do."
oOoOo
Review Responses:
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