The Cursed Avenger

Chapter 2

New York Shield Headquarters

As soon as Coulson had given her the assignment to babysit Captain America, Tony decided to get out of there before he could be dragged into this too. Edith knew Tony was going to be getting involved with the Captain soon enough, so she silently had a little victory.

Coulson dragged Edith to Shield's New York headquarters, which really didn't have a formal address, and Edith found herself sitting in a cold, stuffy office. Coulson made her sit in a chair in front of the desk, while he took the seat beside her.

"Coulson, are you stupid? Stars and Stripes isn't going to want to speak to me," Edith begged, hoping that Coulson would see reason, and get her off this assignment.

Coulson knew her better than anyone at Shield, and that meant he knew just how mentally unstable she was. Edith knew that he had seen some of her mental breakdowns which has resolved in the cause of a nation's downfall, thousands of people being injured or killed, and her trying to kill herself.

Edith couldn't really see how she could be best suited to try and talk Captain America down from the ledge of time, while she couldn't even do it for herself.

"Personally, I think you'll do just fine," Coulson threw back, a steady smile playing on his lips.

She raised a sharp eyebrow at his nonchalant answer. "You do realize that the man I'm about to mess up is America's greatest hero? How could you, or Fury for that matter, believe that I would do more good to that man than harm?"

"I believe it, Agent Sterling, because the two of you have a lot in common."

Edith's eyes widened as Director Fury waltzed through the door, and took his seat behind the desk. She immediately knew why this place felt so cold and stuffy, it was Fury's office, so of course it would feel like that. Just like his personality, she thought.

Coulson stood up to acknowledge the Director's presence, but Edith couldn't find it in herself to appraise this man. Even after everything she has done for this agency, she is being humiliated. And she doesn't like it one bit.

"I don't think that's the only reason why you want someone like me watching your prized possession. Is it the Avengers initiative?"

Fury's eye narrowed at Edith as he leaned forward on his elbows, trying to intimidate the woman. "How do you know about that?"

Edith rolled her eyes. "I raised Tony Stark. Anything he knows is passed on to me, so I know just as much as he does."

"It was never going to happen, Edith. What makes you think we're going to try and run it now?" Coulson asked, and she simply smirked in answer.

"A Captain out of time would be the perfect leader for a band of misfit heroes, don't you think?" Edith asked, directing her question to the Director, himself. "If you want me to get him ready to lead a team, I will. If you want me to show him what has happened in the past 70 years he has been on ice, I will. But if you want me to be his friend, or his confidant… I will not."

The sides of Fury's lips turned up, almost as if he were smiling. Edith couldn't help but get the feeling that he was purposefully hiding something from her that would equal up to be trouble.

"It might do you some good to get to know him, Agent Sterling," Fury hinted, and she laughed.

"Sorry, but that's not going to happen, Sir."

Edith was slightly peeved that Fury would even consider her becoming friends with someone for a job. She was smart enough to know that those kinds of friendships will only end up in pain or a third world war.

Neither outcome seemed to be too pleasant.

"Agent Sterling, you will do this job as you need to fulfill your half of our deal. Whether or not you become a friend or a confidant will entirely be up to you. Though, if you are enemies with a man, how can you expect him to be forward with his thoughts?"

Edith smirked. "I don't know, how is it that you are so forward with your thoughts, Director Fury?"

Fury's eyebrows raised. "Agent Sterling, I hope that you are not calling me your enemy. Even so, you have a job to do, so I should stop keeping your from it. Coulson will brief you on the Captain, and then you can go from there."

Edith bit her tongue. He's helping you find a cure, he's helping you find a cure, he's helping you find a cure… "Yes sir."

Fury nodded, seemingly liking the change in Edith's tone. "Good."

He looked to Coulson, who nodded back at him before turning to Edith. She felt as though she was invading in some sort of bromance that was going on. Fury turned to Edith as a smug smile washed over his features. "I need to be somewhere. Coulson, brief Sterling before you bring her to him. And Sterling, don't mess this up."

Edith rolled her eyes at the man as he walked out. "I swear he thinks I'm twelve years old."

Coulson snorted at her accusation and smiled. "He has a habit of coming across like that from time to time."

"I can see that."

Wordlessly, Coulson handed her a file that she hadn't noticed was in his possession. "Here, you're going to want to read up a bit before you meet him."

"When am I going to meet him?"

"As soon as you're done with this, I'd say."

"How long has he been awake for, exactly?" Edith asked, looking through the papers that she had in front of her. None of them said anything she didn't already know, which was unfortunate.

"He's been up for about three weeks," Coulson replied, and his voice softened as he continued. "It was hard for him, initially. It took a few days for him to get acquainted with the surroundings, but now he usually just goes to our gym to blow off steam."

"So he's basically been alienated and alone for three weeks? You do realize that for him it was as if he fell asleep and the next thing he knows is that he has been asleep for seventy years. I, at least, have been able to see everything happen. This is a huge culture shock for him."

Coulson nodded in agreement. "Fury wanted to wait for you to get back from your mission before we started anything. He wants you to be close to him, to gain his trust."

Edith raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you're not telling me, Agent Coulson?"

He chuckled, but didn't answer the question. A frown crossed Edith's face at his response, or lack thereof, but she quickly put up a wall of indifference. In this world there was no one to trust, and Edith knew that. But some part of her had hoped that Coulson would be different.

"He seems to be the perfect soldier," Edith commented as she read the information laid out in front of her. "But no one is perfect."

"It's not fair to judge people before you meet them, you know," Coulson smartly pointed out.

Edith paused at the hesitation in his voice, and quickly shut the files on the super soldier. She knew that Coulson was hiding something from her, and it was starting to really tick away at her nerves. "I know all of this stuff already. I knew Howard Stark, and he gave me better information on America's Hero than this file has."

"Then I guess you're ready to meet Captain America. Please, come with me."

Coulson quickly walked out the door like a track sprinter would out of the blocks. Edith had to hurry out of the chair to catch up and see him holding an elevator door open for her. "What? Have to use the restroom or something?"

"I want to make sure we make it there one time. It's a courtesy to not be late to a meeting, or have you forgotten that?"

"Welcome back, Mr. Sassy Pants. Glad to know Fury hasn't completely ruined you yet."

Her ex-partner smirked at her. "Good to know."

As the elevator quickly came to a stop, Coulson continued to walk her down to wherever she would be meeting the Captain, and quickly realized he was leading her to the infirmary ward, and her brow creased in concern. "Has Captain America gotten hurt or something?"

Coulson shook his head. "The doctors are just running their tests to make sure his body is still doing fine after being submerged in ice for seventy years. I believe that today is the last check up, and the day he gets to move out of here."

Edith paused, groaning when she came to a realization. "Oh God, please tell me that I am not going to have to share my apartment with him. I don't think I could do it."

Coulson looked at her, and rolled his eyes at the stubbornness that was flowing through the youthful woman. She crossed her arms, and glared at the fellow agent at his (once again) refusal to answer.

"Coulson, don't tell me that I have to live with him," Edith begged, her eyes pleading. She liked her space, and space wasn't something she was going to get if Captain America stayed in the same apartment as her.

The agent sighed for before answering, "You don't have to room with Captain America. Now, please, come with me, Sterling."

They walked through the infirmary to room 15, and stopped. Coulson pressed his thumb on a scanner, unlocking the door. Edith took a deep breath, readying herself for what was about to happen. She wasn't dumb, she knew this assignment was going to last a long time.

God knows what messed up innuendos Tony was going to say about this.

Edith followed Coulson's lead, walking into the tight room that held America's lost hero. The very man she was going to have to look after… the very thought made a small shiver go up her spine.

She walked in slowly, and couldn't help but let her eyes widen as she took in the man in front of her. His blonde hair shined in the light that illuminated the room above him, seeming to circle him in some sort of God-like aura.

He was shirtless, and she noticed that he was getting a shot in his lower back. His back muscles seemed to tighten at the needle, but Edith couldn't help but realize it was almost as if he had been sculpted by God. She was impressed by his physique, and she hadn't even seen his face yet.

This man was going to be the death of her.

As soon as the nurse finished giving him the shot, the Captain immediately pulled a shirt over his head before turning around to meet the new company.

Edith was immediately drowned in pools of blue, the deepest blue that she had seen in all of her years. His face was exactly how she remembered it to be… only better.

"Captain Rogers, I'd like to introduce you to your new escort," Coulson spoke, his voice sounding slightly muffled to Edith's ears. "This is Edith Sterling, an agent here at Shield."

Edith immediately snapped out of her stupor at the sound of her name, and threw a quick smile at the soldier, who did not wear the happy look she had expected. He was obviously irritated at the news. And for some reason, that didn't fly too well with her.

"I was not expecting to have a babysitter, sir."

Edith quickly bit her tongue and turned to Coulson, begging for him to say something before she did. Coulson quickly acknowledged the situation, and nodded to the Captain. "It has come to Fury's knowledge that you are experiencing something of a culture shock, and we would like to help you get accustomed into this time. So, we have Agent Sterling here to help you."

The Captain looked at her painfully before quickly turning his expression into a stone wall. "That is very hospitable of him, but I don't think anyone could understand where I am coming from," he paused, before quickly tripping over himself to continue. "Not to mean any offense to you, Ma'am, but I don't think that I need someone to help me."

Edith nodded, accepting his answer. She understood where he was coming from, had just been feeling the same mere minutes ago. But there was something about the Captain in front of her- the loneliness, the pain that she saw in his eyes, which changed her mind.

She saw the same look in her eyes when she looked in the mirror.

"But you are going to need someone to help you adjust to society, Captain," Edith insisted. "I'll give you some space, but trust me, you're going to need help with the twenty first century."

The super soldier nodded, and a small smile crossed his face. "Okay, but please call me Steve. I'm not just a Soldier."

"Sounds good, Steve." Steve and Edith shared a smile before Edith quickly turned to Coulson. "Where are you going to put him?"

Coulson was smiling like a cheeky little bastard which made Edith want to punch it right off of him. But because America's finest was watching her, she figured she could wait for another time.

"You know the place very well, actually. I've given Jarvis the address already so you can drive right there," Coulson explained. "Just grab his things and go. The apartment is furnished and contains all the things he needs."

Edith nodded at Coulson, and he handed her the keys to her car and her lucky bag that had been confiscated when she was threatening to leave earlier today. She quickly strapped the bag across her shoulder and snatched the keys from his hold.

"I'll be seeing you later, Coulson. C'mon, Steve." Edith waltzed out of the room with a confidence that only Tony Stark could match.

Steve's eyes widened at the authority, turning to look at Coulson in question. Coulson smiled slightly at the super soldier before turning his gaze to the door where Edith had just walked out of. "You'll get used to it."

Steve nodded, then looked to where the woman had just went, somewhat in a daze. "I hope so."

"Coulson! Don't hold Captain America hostage! I know you have a crush on him, but he's my assignment!"

Coulson cringed at Edith's irritated exclamation from the hallway before turning back to look at Steve, who wore a look of dread that looked like he was about to march to his death. "Trust me," he told the Captain. "The two of you have a lot more in common than you realize."

Edith walked back into the room with an icy glare pointed directly at the senior agent. "Coulson, leave him alone." She turned to her new assignment with a lighter gaze. "Rogers, we should probably get moving before we hit rush hour. That would suck."

He nodded to her, and quickly followed her out of the room, obviously not wanting to test her. Edith couldn't help but be pleased at how well he complied after his fit earlier. Even though he did have a valid point, but she couldn't help but imagine he would be more opinionated.

She walked with him to his living quarters, which was really just a small room that had a lofted bed and a trunk of things that she figured was Steve's. He swiftly grabbed the trunk before turning to her, an expectant look on his face.

"Is that all?" She couldn't help but ask.

"I have only been awake for about a month now, and haven't been allowed outside of headquarters for very long. So yeah, this is it."

Edith couldn't help but laugh. "Nice to see you have some back bone to ya, Rogers."

He sighed. "I guess being a gentleman is a thing of the past?"

Edith smiled slightly at his realization. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Huh."

"Yeah. What a world to wake up to."

Steve quickly shook his head in denial. "No, there are things that have improved. Some agents showed me the methods of communication. That has greatly improved."

"Yeah, now people forget how to speak to each other face to face. We have our technology to do that for us."

His expression soured and quickly sobered. "Yeah, I guess this isn't the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."

Edith couldn't help but frown at the hidden sadness in his tone, something that she figured he has gotten really well at hiding. But for a woman who has been alive for over 600 years, there aren't a lot of things that can get past her anymore.

"I can only imagine."

The memory of being burnt a the stake after being cursed by the witch, feeling everything as the flames licked her unscarred body wasn't the greatest thing that's ever happened to her, either. The thought of living forever made her stomach churn.

"Are you okay?"

Edith was quickly snapped back to reality at the sound of Steve's voice. It was as if everything just clicked back into focus and she focused in on him to see a worried look plastered on his face. Her eyes widened at how he had dropped the trunk and was now standing closer to her. I wonder how long I was out for.

"Edith?"

"Yeah, I'm good. We should probably get going."

Steve didn't drop his look of worry but he picked up the trunk anyway and followed Edith's lead out the door. She had to hand it to him, he wasn't some naïve boy that people had him out to be.

Edith led him to her brand new black custom BMW that Tony got her for her last birthday, which was nice because he had made his own modifications to it to accommodate her lifestyle.

She looked at Steve's shocked expression from the corner of her eye and couldn't stop the smug smile that crossed her face as a result. He's definitely missed a lot the past 70 years, and the modeling of cars for sure is one of them.

"Nice… car?"

Edith let out a loose laugh before opening the door to the back seat of her vehicle. "Thanks. You can put the trunk on the seats. Don't worry if it makes them dirty, I have a guy who can fix it right up."

He nodded and slid the trunk into the back seat of her BMW. "Why is your car so different from the others?"

She shrugged before sliding into the driver's seat, and strapped herself in. She answered as Steve did the same, "It's different because it costs a lot more than any other Shield agent can afford to buy."

Steve nodded at her words, and his eyebrows furrowed as though he was trying to figure something out. "Pardon me by saying this, but you don't seem like the rich type."

Edith laughed. "Jarvis, bring us to Captain Roger's apartment."

"Of course, Miss Sterling," The AI's voice came over the speakers before driving the car out into the city. "Would you like me to play some music for you, Miss Sterling?"

"No thanks, Jarvis."

The car stayed silent for a second before Edith turned to look at the man out of time with a hesitant smile. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw that Steve was looking around the car, in search of the source before he looked directly at her and blushed.

"Things have very much changed since I landed in the ice, haven't they?" Steve asked. This was probably one of the harshest environments she could have put him in right from the get-go, but she had to start somewhere, right?

"Yeah. That's why Fury wants me to help you out. I kind of understand where you're coming from a little bit, so he thought it would be best if I'd help you. And on another note, I didn't know that being rich was a type."

Steve's hands went up in a surrendering positon. "The only rich guy I knew was Howard Stark."

Edith laughed. "He wasn't all that bad. Just a tad eccentric. Trust me, his son is a whole lot more trouble than Howard ever was."

Steve's smile immediately dropped from its place as he took in Edith's words. "You speak as though you knew him?"

Edith smiled softly, turning to look out the front dashboard window. "You're not the only one who has been around for a while, Rogers."

"But-"

"The destination is now reached, Miss Sterling."

Edith looked out the window, and saw herself in a familiar parking lot that had Stark Security, and was more like a fortress than an apartment complex. All it took was one look out the window and she was immediately seething with anger.

"Go to hell, Coulson."