Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Okay, I don't really know Chris Evans's quirks, or Captain America's, so I'm going off of my imagination, and a few things I noticed during the film. Thanks, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 10: Complicated Feelings:

It was official: I was developing a serious crush on Cap.

Much as I tried to ignore and suppress it, I couldn't; not when all I had to do was reach up and touch the lovely gift he had given me. No one had ever given me something that was meaningful and significant not only to me, but also to the person who'd gifted it.

Cap's infamous insignia had been with me all my life. Grandma had showed it to me often, and had ingrained in me the moral duty of being good and doing good things for people who needed it most. Those colors and symbols gave me a sense of determination to do what I could, and take pride in not only myself, but of the country I lived in.

For Cap, those same colors held such great pride to him that, to me, it was as though he were honoring me by sharing those same colors and symbols. Having me wear them around my neck, decorating a locket he had designed for me personally, touched something deep inside my very soul that no one else had.

Unfortunately, I didn't know what to do about these feelings, and to be honest, it scared me. Not that these were bad sensations –they were actually quite nice and warm, and it made me happy. But when I really thought about it, I began to wonder if Cap hadn't meant to make me feel this way, and that I was possibly reading too far into his kindly gesture.

I spent all that first night thinking about the locket, and the warm feeling I felt whenever my hand reached up and brushed against it.

'Don't even think about it,' I kept lecturing myself. 'It's just a nice thank-you gift from Cap. He's just being the nice guy he always is.'

But no man had ever given me something like this before. I'd been so busy with my life that I'd never really had a serious boyfriend, and the romantic part of me was quite willing to sigh and smile dreamily over the sweet gesture.

The sensible side was far more argumentative. It reminded me that Cap was, by nature, a very sweet man, as well as thoughtful and sensitive, which would explain why he wanted to give me such a nice present.

'He'd obviously just wanted to thank me for all the hard work I'd been doing with him, that's all. And he knows that I'd grown up idolizing him, so the shield motif was clearly the best choice for a design,' my logical side dictated.

Plus, the Captain America shield was wasn't an intimate or romantically inclined design –it wasn't flowery, and didn't have romantic words or hearts engraved on the interior or exterior, which would have clearly indicated that Cap's feelings were heading in that direction.

Nope, it was a round locket, with a patriotic design, that was it. It was obviously given in thanks and friendship, so I immediately decided to head off any feelings my romantic side chose to indulge in.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

The day after I received my gift, I began noticing things I'd sort of taken for granted when it came to Cap. I already knew that he was handsome, sweet, and shy, but really, it's hard to believe that he doesn't know how great of a guy he is, both on the inside and the out. And yet, that was another part of him that I couldn't help but be fond of.

One of the first things I noticed was the way he held the door open for me. I think I'd never noticed this before because I was so focused on that day's activities that I didn't really pay attention to anything except Cap's lesson for the day. It was a small thing, but I now that I knew about it, I appreciated how considerate he was to me.

The next thing I noticed was that he tended to hover next to, or behind me –not like a lost puppy, but more like a guard dog, or even a bodyguard. It was like he was trying to protect me from harm and make sure that nothing bad happened to me. At first, I thought he might be unconsciously doing this, after what happened with Loki, but given that the streets of New York could be dangerous, it might just be Cap being his usual protective self. I don't know why I hadn't noticed this before, but given that we were so used to walking around the city together, it seemed perfectly logical and natural that we stick close to one another.

Then, two days later, came our trip to the natural history museum, which Cap insisted we visit. As we followed a tour guided group through the building, I saw the way Cap's mouth parted a little whenever he was in awe or admiration of something.

Of course, looking at his mouth led to a closer (but still subtle) examination by me.

It really was strange that a man could have such a nice, full mouth. Rather than make him look feminine, they suited him just fine, because they just seemed to fit his handsome face and his great jaw line.

And with me being me, just thinking about Cap's mouth tended to make me blush, just a bit. Like any female who liked men, my senses of romance tended to take my brain straight into fantasies about kissing him, and that was not cool –at least, it wasn't cool when in my own particular pair of shoes. My sense of morals, which I held in high regard, was in direct conflict with my emotional side, and it was like I was housing a battleground, deep inside myself.

My moral compass clearly indicated that fantasizing about Cap was not a good idea. Oh, it was harmless enough, I suppose, providing it didn't go beyond that, but part of me really did wonder what it would be like to kiss him.

'Well, technically, I already have, but it was only on the cheek,' my romantic side said, right before it dove into fantasies.

Finally, after days of torture, I decided to take Pepper Potts up on one of her offers: I needed some serious help with this problem.

My opportunity came up nearly a week after I'd gotten my locket from Cap.

During that time, I had done my best to hide my rapidly developing crush, and not act as though I were any more interested in him than I'd been before. I couldn't tell if that was going well, but Cap never asked if something was wrong, so I had to be at least somewhat convincing in acting like my usual self.

As always, JT alerted me to an incoming call, and I was never so thankful to have Pepper on the other end of the line! "I need to talk to you," I urgently told her in a soft voice, once I was in my room, alone. "It's some seriously important girl stuff, and if I don't get some help with this, I'll go nuts."

Concerned, she kindly offered to send a car over to pick me up ASAP, but I refused. "I can't leave to meet you alone without Cap knowing that something's up. I'll have to bring him along with me."

Pepper's solution was simple: she and Tony had just gotten back from their business trip to Washington DC, and were ready to relax with some friends. "Come over for food and drinks again, and we'll talk. That way, you don't have to worry about Steve finding out."

Once we'd hung up, I had a quick chat with Cap, and it was a done deal. To my surprise, Cap even seemed a bit happy that we were going; a fact that might have made me suspicious, if I did have my own problems on my mind.

On the ride over to Stark Tower, Steve couldn't help but look over at Adena and wonder what she was thinking. She had been rather distracted lately, and he knew that he had something to do with it.

Over the past week or so, he had noticed her mind wandering at the oddest times, and occasionally, he would see her eyes darting away, as though she were afraid he would catch her looking at him. She also seemed a bit sad, and he hated seeing her that way.

If he wanted to be quite honest with himself, Steve would freely admit that he hated seeing Adena look anything less than happy and content. He knew that seeing him happy tended to make her feel that way, but it also worked in reverse: whenever Adena was happy, so was he.

But as concerned as he was, Steve just couldn't seem to find the courage to ask her what was wrong.

Holding back a sigh, he looked out the window at the passing traffic. Just once, he wished that he had Bucky's or Tony's charm when it came to with talking to women, if only so he could ask Adena what was wrong. Normally, he wouldn't have a problem talking with her, but he was worried about possibly insulting, or worse, angering her, so simply asking her directly didn't seem the right way to do it.

Of course, that was why he had been glad at Pepper's invitation to dinner. He really could use an evening where he actually recognized the food on his plate, especially since Adena had decided to focus on Asian cuisine for a while. That meant that, at least for tonight, he wouldn't have to use chopsticks, which would give his fingers a nice rest.

But he had another reason for wanting this evening to occur: against his wishes, he needed help from Tony Stark.

Biting back a sigh, Steve leaned back in his seat and gave Adena a discreet glance. Normally, Tony's help was the last thing Steve wanted, but given the circumstances, desperate times call for desperate measures –especially when the topic of conversation was what he was feeling for Adena.

It was almost funny, how he could be willing to charge head-first into a battlefield, shield shining and guns blazing, but talking to a pretty girl froze him with fear. Peggy had been the first woman who had seen past his shyness and cared about him, but it had taken ages. It still hurt, that they hadn't even gone on a single date, and that Steve had only been able to show how he felt with a single kiss. When it came to Adena, he hoped to do better.

However, that was where he felt conflicted.

He liked Adena, probably more than he should, and part of him was angry about it. That particular part still clung to the memory of Peggy, and to be honest with himself, he still felt as though she still existed as the young woman he had grown to care for. In reality, he knew that she was now an old woman, and might even have moved on, but that fact still didn't ring true in his entire brain.

And here was Adena, a woman who had left everything behind so that she could help him fit into the modern world. She was an open, caring person with a good heart and positive attitude that he found warm and comforting in this new world he'd woken up in. In a way, she had taken him under her wing, and begun teaching him all about the world events that he'd missed while frozen in ice. Out of consideration for him, she had shown him just enough of today's technology, a little at a time, so that it didn't overwhelm him.

Steve bit back a smile as he thought about how patient she was with what she felt he could handle, like a real teacher ought to. Adena did her best to keep herself composed no matter how many questions he asked, and was always willing to answer him, even if his question might seem silly to other people. She never insulted him, and it was rare for her to get angry at him, for one reason or another, which he much appreciated.

But best of all, she didn't try and force him into doing anything he didn't really want to. Oh, she would do her best to pressure and persuade him to, say, try one type of food or another, but she would never hold him down and force him to eat something he didn't want to try. Others might lecture or get angry at his reluctance about trying new foods, or gaining new experiences, but never Adena.

'Well, not so far, anyway,' Steve reasoned to himself. There might be a day when that happened, but Steve was willing to bet that Adena would have to be pushed to her limits before she lost her temper with him.

Looking over, he studied her profile as she fiddled with something on JT. Though she wasn't stunningly beautiful, Adena had a prettiness to her that would last a lot further into life.

'She'll still be an attractive woman even when she's seventy,' he thought with a smile.

She wasn't 'fashionable,' like most women were, either. In all the months they had spent together, she had only made two shopping trips, and the second one had been for Steve's benefit, rather than hers. She didn't spend hours changing outfits, or putting on makeup; she didn't try and change her hair color, or put it up in styles that didn't suit her. Adena might gush over Pepper Potts's clothes, and how they were from Europe and incredibly expensive, but that's all she would do –she'd never try to go out and buy them, because she knew she didn't need them.

He smiled fondly at her as she tapped something into JT, and quickly put the device away. When she caught him looking at her, she gave him a puzzled look. "What's so funny?" she asked, not an ounce of anger or annoyance in her voice –just curiosity.

"Nothing," he said hurriedly. "I was just thinking about something I'd read in a book I borrowed from the library."

To his relief, she seemed to believe him, and even smiled in understanding. "That happens to me, too, sometimes. I'm glad you managed to find a book that you like."

That was another thing he liked about her: she was a woman who was fond of books and learning. If there was one thing Steve had to have in a woman, it was intelligence and a love of reading. Maybe he could get her to talk to him about something other than what she was teaching him, and find out what kinds of books she liked to read. He really would like to talk to her about things outside of their daily lessons.

Finally, the car pulled up to the front of Stark Tower, and the two of them got out to head up towards to their destination.

From the moment she stepped into the apartment, Pepper could instantly tell that something was bothering Adena.

The young woman who was usually so open, carefree, and friendly had a strained and troubled look on her face that Pepper did not like seeing. Immediately, Pepper felt the need to press a cup of hot chocolate into the younger woman's hands, then sit them both down on the couch so that she could find out what was bothering her.

Fortunately, Pepper had decided to serve a simple meal tonight, consisting mostly of both hot and cold appetizers that could be eaten whenever a person was hungry. Tony had some of the same set up down below, where he had set up shop so the men could sit and talk without the 'ladies' overhearing.

After directing Steve downstairs to Tony's workshop, Pepper did exactly what her first instinct had told her to when dealing with Adena, with one minor adjustment: instead of hot cocoa, she served up a strawberry daiquiri that Tony had made and set in the fridge, specifically for Adena's consumption. Once Adena was settled on the couch, drink in hand, Pepper then filled up a couple plates with a little of each appetizer, and put them on the coffee table near the couch, so they could eat and talk.

"Okay, so spill," Pepper said, sitting down next to her friend. "I know something's going on."

Adena simply sat there, sipping, for a good long minute, not saying one word, and clearly thinking hard about what she was going to say. Still, even after her sipping had slowed, she stayed quiet.

Pepper sighed. "Does it have to do with Steve?" She saw Adena frown a little, so she knew she'd guessed right. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No," Adena muttered, eyes focused on the contents of her glass. "Nothing like that."

Sighing again, Pepper didn't know whether to be frustrated or not. "So, what is it?"

Adena took another sip of her drink, the rum clearly starting to relax her, just a bit. "I…think I'm getting a crush on him."

Pepper had to blink in surprise. "A crush?" she asked, hoping she'd heard right.

She probably shouldn't be as surprised as she was. It was clear that Adena and Steve fit well together: they were both good, kind-hearted people who were willing to help each other without expecting anything in return. True, Adena was being paid to help Steve fit into the world, but Pepper had a feeling that she'd have helped him even without the money. Without a doubt, Steve would do the same, if the roles were reversed.

And the chemistry between them was unmistakable –after having them over a few times, Pepper had to admire how cute and comfortable the two were in each other's company. They were always talking and teasing each other as though they'd known each other their whole lives, instead of months. The teacher-student boundary that ought to exist didn't seem to be there –or if there was one, it was very faint, at least to Pepper's eye. The two were obviously friends, and in a lot of instances, things could easily go from friendship into something more.

But what was the problem? "So, you like him," Pepper said, trying to get a clear picture of what was wrong. Adena nodded. "And the problem is…?"

"It's not ethical!" Adena replied, clutching her glass with both hands as though it were a life preserver and she were a person lost at sea. "I'm supposed to be teaching him how to live in today's world, not developing feelings for him!"

She took a long sip of her drink, the liquid's level dipping down significantly as she drank. "What if Cap finds out and he doesn't feel the same?" Her eyes widened. "Or worse: what if Director Fury finds out? I work for SHIELD now, and he's my boss, so he can reassign me if he thinks I'm acting out of bounds. And I can't do that to Cap; he's got enough to worry about as it is! Getting a new tutor would just upset things further, and I just can't do that to him."

By now, Adena's words were starting to get a bit rushed, and Pepper could see that she was close to tears. "Okay, Adena, calm down and eat something," she said, handing the other woman a plate of food. "The lamb sandwich is great, and so are the tiny pizzas. I think you'll like the chicken skewers, too."

To her relief, Adena did as she asked. Pepper hated seeing her friend upset, so she was glad when Adena praised the food and ate every bite on her plate, which was a bit more like her old self –if there was ever a girl who enjoyed good food, it was Adena!

When her friend's plate was empty, Pepper put the empty plates aside and settled back on the couch. "Now, what do you intend to do about your crush? Are you going to act on it and ask him out?"

"No!" Adena cried, jumping in her seat. "No, I can't do that."

"So are you just going to sit around and wait for your feelings to disappear?" Pepper said, only slightly joking. "Because I don't think that's going to work."

"I don't know…it might," Adena murmured, finishing off her drink. "Can I have another one of these? I think I need it."

Pepper sighed. "I don't think drinking's the answer to your problem," she gently told her.

Adena simply gave her a sad smile. "You never know." She offered her nearly empty glass. "Please?"

Against her better judgment, Pepper did as she was asked. Maybe, if she was drunk enough, Adena would listen to whatever advice Pepper could offer her.

AN: Review?