Hey guys, just wanted to thank you for continuing to read this story and follow and favorite etc, I appreciate it.

Also thanks to BandGeekDrummer for your lovely review, it's reading things like that that keep me motivated.

And acompletenerd thank you for your review too, for noticing how I'm handling their recovery and supporting the story.

Hope you enjoy the chapter!


You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you,
and all you know,
and how you speak


Hayley had been trying her hardest to keep where they were headed a mystery, but it was going to be no use once they got off the bus. Steve looked around at all of the streets and establishments they passed, noting how much things had changed yet still stayed the same. As different as it all was, he was sure that he could still find his way around the streets of his neighborhood without needing a map or any help. That wouldn't change.

It wasn't until they began getting closer to the water and boardwalk that Hayley looked over to Steve, trying to get a read on him. This could either be a good idea or a bad idea, it was a risk she was about to take, but she hoped it was okay with the destination she had picked. They didn't say anything when the bus stopped, Steve just followed Hayley out onto the pavement, stepping back once again to allow all the other passengers to walk by.

That's when Steve looked around, unable to mistake the place, knowing exactly where he was.

''Coney Island,'' he smiled, looking over the big sign on top of the building.

Hayley sighed in relief at the tone of his voice.

''I thought we both haven't been here in a long time, while we're in Brooklyn we might as well check it out,'' she told him.

''You've been here before?'' he turned back to her.

''Yeah, my parents brought us here when I was about seven years old,'' she told him, putting her hands on her hip as she looked up at the colorful words. ''Hasn't changed much,''

''No it hasn't,'' Steve agreed, looking around at the old fashioned decorations and rides. ''Everything looks almost the same as I remember,''

''This place is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, so they like to keep it old fashioned,''

''It used to be busier,'' he noticed. ''The lines used to go down the block,''

''It was probably at it's peak back then, but they don't get the crowds they used to. It's a landmark though, no one doesn't know Coney Island. I only went on three rides here though when I visited, I wasn't tall enough,''

Steve chuckled.

''I understand that struggle. I don't know how they even let me on the Cyclone when I was here with Bucky one day,'' he remembered. ''Not that I had a choice, he dragged me onto the ride by my collar,''

Hayley enjoyed that Steve could speak about Bucky so comfortably with her, probably because she didn't pry into the bad memories, and she liked seeing that smile on his face whenever he would talk about him. It was obvious that Bucky was a brother and he missed him terribly, but being here at Coney Island brought back the good times he had with his friend. Bucky would want to be remembered as the friend that dragged Steve onto the Cyclone and pat him on the back when he threw up because of it, and Steve knew that, it was just hard to let go of what happened.

''Well I won't drag you onto it,'' Hayley nudged him. ''At least not today, it's not running,''

''I think I'd still throw up, serum or not,'' Steve admit.

''That's the fun in it,'' she laughed.

They walked down the road alongside the buildings and arcades, admiring that things were still in the same place, still looked the same and people still liked to visit. Steve always thought that compared to today's society, the one he grew up in was very outdated and probably boring, but it was nice to see that things he enjoyed as a kid were still relevant. He didn't know why it was so important to him to want to see that some things had stayed the same since his time, he knew that after so long everything would change, but it meant something to him.

It showed that what everyone did back then wasn't for nothing, that everything people worked for and fought for were still being appreciated. That's what made today with Hayley mean a lot to him because she appreciated all of those things, but she didn't do it in a way that made him seem old and miserable, she genuinely respected it like he did.

The sun was setting the the city as they made it to the wharf, looking out at the water and the amusement rides that surrounded them. Even though it was a quiet day at Coney Island, Steve was glad they had come here. Even without going on the rides or going to the arcade, it was nice to revisit the area. There had been a lot of memories brought back to him that day and he had seen places he used to go demolished and replaced with something bigger and better, but it had all been balanced out with good times.

Hayley had put a lot of effort into making sure Steve saw the reality of Brooklyn today but also that not everything had changed, that this was still the place he grew up in, his home. After these few months of trying to adjust on his own and thinking he wasn't ready to face certain things, Hayley had shown him everything he had been wanting to see in one day and made it a lot less overwhelming than it could have been. He knew this assignment was based around her having to help him adjust, but it was clear that Hayley wasn't doing this for SHIELD or to get out of those therapy sessions she hated to much. It was because she really cared.

''Thank you,'' Steve turned to her as they stood on the wharf in the sun. ''For bringing me here. I don't think I would have done it if you hadn't,''

''You would,'' she nodded, sure. ''You're not the type of guy that hides from things, I just thought it'd be easier if you didn't do it alone,''

''It was. I thought I was fine doing this all on my own, but I guess there was a lot of stuff I just wasn't facing,''

''There's no precedent for waking up 67 years into the future and having to just deal with it. I think you were doing just fine on your own,'' she told him, leaning back onto the wooden railing with her elbows. ''Reality is a bitch. It's harsh and there's no way to see it other than for what it is, but that doesn't mean you have to deal with it straight away because it's your life now. Deal with it the way you want to and if there's something you don't want to revisit, then don't. As far as I'm concerned there's no one in the world who has the right to tell you how to handle your own situation,''

Steve thought for a moment, appreciating her words. Hayley didn't lie to Steve about his problems, she was very blunt and to the point about how this was his life now, but at the same time she was so gentle about it. She knew he wasn't made of glass and she didn't underestimate how strong he was in terms of adjusting to the twentieth century, and he liked that.

''You have an inspiring outlook on life,'' Steve told her, leaning against the railing beside her.

Hayley laughed.

''You're probably the only person to think that,''

''Well I'm probably the only person you've told,'' he pointed out.

Hayley looked over to him with a roll of her eyes before letting out a small laugh, not denying the fact. She found it was a lot easier to speak to Steve without hiding anything, just saying what was on her mind and what she thought about things. It was probably because she knew he would be honest with her, and maybe because she knew he felt the same way.

''You know you're right,'' Steve began again when they fell into silence. ''It's a lot easier not doing this alone. Maybe you should take your own advice on that,''

''Let's not get into my problems,'' she shook her head.

''I'm just saying,'' he defended. ''You might surprise yourself if you let someone in and let them help you,''

''I'm working on it,'' she shrugged, looking around the wharf.

Hayley knew that by letting someone in, Steve had meant him. After everything she had done for him, all he wanted to do was help her in the same way, but she was a difficult person to get through to. Yesterday was the biggest breakthrough he had seen from her and he knew that her crying and finally letting something out like that was a good thing, that she was ready to finally try and move on without doing it on her own, but it was going to take time.

Looking over to him again once they stopped talking, Hayley couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her lips as she stared at him. This man who had so much going on in his life, so many other things to be worried about and to be focusing on was prepared to be there for her through her own issues and she found that amazing.

Steve noticed her stare, turning to her with a quizzical look on his face.

''We should get going,'' she stepped away from the railing. ''The subway at night isn't pretty,''


Steve had believed Hayley when she warned him that the subway would be busier in the late afternoon, but he hadn't prepared himself enough for the amount of people that he was met with. Hayley looked up at him worriedly as they shuffled their way inside the carriage among the large crowd, hoping it wasn't too much for him. Steve handled it better than he even thought, focusing his attention of just standing still and getting back to their stop in Manhattan.

Though it was hard to ignore the amount of people pushing and shoving against one another, Steve just looked to Hayley who gave him a reassuring smile and a roll of the eyes, equally annoyed at the rush hour of people.

Ten minutes into their journey back however, Steve noticed a man standing beside Hayley who kept nudging against her, his elbow hitting her side multiple times, but he didn't bother to apologize. Hayley bit back the urge to give the man a piece of her mind, not wanting to cause anything especially with Steve, but when she looked up at him she could see that it was getting to him as well.

''Don't worry about it,'' Hayley shook her head with a huff, brushing it off.

''He's not even apologizing,''

''It's not worth causing an argument over, not in this crowd,'' she told him. ''It's fine,''

Steve sighed, glaring over to the man. It only took a few more nudges to her side until Hayley felt herself being brought forward, a hand on her arm shielding her. Steve had pulled her close to him, away from the man, and put his arm around her shoulder so she wouldn't get pushed by anyone else. Hayley felt like explaining to him that this happened every time she got on the subway, that this was just the norm when you took public transport, but instead she just gave him a light smile and hoped they would arrive at their stop soon.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate what he was doing, but she was worried Steve was going to say something and cause an argument. He was more than capable of handling himself if one broke out, but Hayley knew Steve didn't want or need that right now, but it was hard for him to hold back when someone was being so rude.

''Sorry,'' Steve glanced down at her for a moment. ''I didn't want you getting hurt,''

Hayley nodded in understanding, their bodies extremely close as the subway rocked. However she preferred being pushed against Steve than being near any of the other passengers. It was like they were in their own little cocoon among the crowd. In a way it was nice.


The night had set in by the time they had arrived back on the streets of Manhattan, beginning their walk back to the facility in peace. It was clear that neither of them enjoyed taking the subway, but at least nothing had happened between that man and Steve. Hayley joked that it would be one way of adjusting to the people in the city, Steve giving her a small laugh before telling her it wasn't right for a man to be so rude to a woman.

''Well, I hate to break it to you but if that sort of behavior bothers you, you haven't seen the half of it yet,'' she explained, folding her arms and pulling her jacket around her tighter.

''I don't know if I can stand by when that sort of thing happens,''

''Most people do,'' she shrugged. ''But it's because they're scared. The streets are different these days. There was always fights and bad people around, that's never gonna change, but these days people are a lot more paranoid and with good reason. Guns and knives could be in anyone's pocket and you never know what's going to make them snap. So people put their head down when someone is getting mugged, they close their mouth when someone is being abused and they pretend they don't see a thing,''

''It's not right,'' Steve shook his head. ''Someone has to stand up and say something,''

''It's not people being cowards or weak, they're scared,'' Hayley reminded. ''The world is an ugly place and it's just getting worse,''

They continued walking down the streets, watching as the lights in the city lit up and illuminated the others that roamed around. Steve thought about what Hayley said and he understood that the people these days were a lot different to those he remembered. There was always going to be bad people in the world, but it had gotten worse. Weapons were more advanced, technology made everything more dangerous and accessible, bad people were getting worse.

Hayley yawned as they reached the street of their facility, glad that she was close to her apartment. Her feet were starting to ache from their constant walking, but she knew that no matter how tired she felt she wasn't going to get a peaceful night's sleep, but that had become normal to her now. Steve too was feeling exhausted, not only from walking around the city but also processing everything that had changed. However neither of them regret their day.

Steve had walked Hayley to her apartment when they made it to her floor, thanking her again for taking him back to Brooklyn for the day. He was being honest earlier when she said he didn't know if he would have done it without her encouragement and company, but he was glad they went. It put a lot of his questions to rest and gave him a sense on closure on some issues, and she had helped him with that.

"I just hope you had a good day. I know going back to those memories wouldn't have been easy," she told him as they stood outside her door.

"I had to do it sometime," he shrugged. "And I'm glad I finally did,"

"It'll get easier to go back, it won't always be that overwhelming. Today was ripping the bandaid off, now you have to let it heal,"

Steve smiled at her words, finally realizing that after all this time he was making progress and moving forward. But it didn't feel too victorious when he thought about the fact that the person who helped him make such a milestone was dealing with her own problems and he didn't know how to help. He wished he did.

"Well, thanks for helping me rip it off,"

"No problem," she smiled up at him. "I actually had a good day, it's been a long time since I've done anything like that, we should visit more places,"

"I'd like that," he nodded, his hands slipping into his pockets.

Even with dark circles under her eyes and her hair in a slight mess, Steve could still imagine the sun shining down on her like it was that afternoon on the wharf.

"I guess I'll see you around," she sighed tiredly.

"Yeah," Steve nodded, taking a step away. "Goodnight Hayley,"

Looking over to him with a content grin, Hayley paused as she pushed her door open.

"Goodnight Steve,"


Steve was surprised by how much sleep he managed to get when he got home to his apartment that night. It had been a long time since he had slept for a relatively normal number of hours. However it was still only 7.00 am when he decided to go for a run.

His dreams the night before had changed from memories of the war and those he had lost to memories of Brooklyn and his childhood. Most of which contained Bucky who was part of every stage of Steve's life, but when he thought about them growing up together, he only remembered the happy times. Either way though, it always came back to the fact everyone and everything he remembered was gone. But like Hayley had told him, reality was harsh and he had to see it for what it was, but he could choose to deal with it any way he wanted, at his own pace.

Hayley had woken up the next morning refreshed after actually sleeping through the night without any interruptions. It may have been because she was so tired and busy all day that she managed to have a somewhat peaceful sleep, but when she rolled over to look at her clock she seen it was only 6.00 am. It was still progress.

It was only an hour later that she heard her phone ringing on the kitchen counter, rushing out to expect a call from Blake, but instead it was from the same people who had been calling every week for the past three months. Her parents.

She stared at the phone as it rang out, letting the call go to voice mail all the while knowing they wouldn't be leaving a message. They knew she wouldn't have answered, in fact if she did Hayley was sure she would give them a heart attack. But parents never gave up on their children and so they kept calling and calling every week on a different day, hoping Hayley would see that they wanted to hear from her.

Hayley knew that moving on and getting past all of this meant she had to face these things, but she just couldn't. Seeing her parents only brought back memories she was trying so hard to let go of, hearing their voice made her feel so guilty she couldn't even speak. They had lost their son the day Hayley lost her brother, but she couldn't look at them without feeling like it was all her fault. She wasn't as experienced as Nick, she didn't have anything waiting for her back at home like he did. All these months she had been ignoring their calls because through no fault of their own it only reminded her of one thing; it should have been her.


*Use Somebody - Kings Of Leon