The weeks and months start to pass by and my life settles into a blissful routine. Well, actually my life was chaotic…but it was still blissful. After all, I was dating a "superhero", I was head of a major division of a large security taskforce, and I was working on the Project Insight. It may have been chaotic, but it was my brand of chaotic. Wednesdays, though, were what I had dubbed "slow-down day".

"So, this Voldemort character is after Harry…all because of a prophecy?" Steve asks as I sit the plate of food down in front of him. "That's just crazy."

"Exactly," I say, sitting my own plate down and sitting in the chair catty-corner from him. "I'm glad you're enjoying it though. Cause I probably would've had to rethink this whole relationship if you didn't."

Steve laughs a little and shakes his head. "I just can't wait to see the movies."

I shake a finger at him. "Not until you read all the books." Steve nods his head as we both start eating. We were closing in on a year since Steve had come out of the ice. I felt like we should celebrate in some way…but I also had a feeling Steve wouldn't be too keen on the idea. "So," I say when I notice Steve was done eating. I wipe my mouth off with my napkin and turn towards him. "Don't shut me down before you hear me out okay? In a couple of weeks is-"

"I know you said to hear you out, but I know what you're going to say," he cuts me off. I make a pouty face at him. "And don't give me that look. But, I just don't think that me coming out of the ice is something to celebrate."

"Well I do," I say. I already knew this was a fight I was not ever in a million years going to win.

"Besides, and I was going to ask you this before you brought this up," Steve lets out a sigh, like he was mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say next. "Tony Stark is having a…get-together. They just finished the repairs to Stark Tower and apparently Tony wants to hold some sort of gathering and fundraiser. Anyways, I was wondering if you'd like to be my date?"

I was not expecting that…at all. Total one-eighty from the conversation. "Yeah," I say. "Yeah, I'll go with you."

"Okay," Steve says, nodding his head once. He seemed awfully pleased with himself. "Good. I'll let Stark know. I'll send you the email that he sent me. It has the dress code and all of that on there."

I nod my head as he gathers up both of our plates. Sitting at the table, I turn and watch him as he deposits both of the dishes into the sink and then starts loading the dishwasher. Sometimes, such as moments like this, I wasn't really sure this was my life…

"This is so not my scene," I murmur under my breath.

"What did you say?" Steve asks.

I glance up at him and see him gazing down at me with a questioning look. "Nothing," I say, shaking my head. Currently, we were standing at the entrance of the Grand Ballroom at the Plaza in New York City. It seemed, Tony had spared no expense and left no one off the guest list. The event was officially coined as a fundraiser for relief efforts after the attack the year before. "I didn't say anything."

Steve lets out a little grunt; he didn't believe me, but he wasn't going to push it. "I guess we should try to find Tony." I nod my head as my hand tightens around the crook of his elbow. As soon as we had stepped out of the car, I had latched myself onto his arm and didn't plan on letting go. I had been to a few "high-society" events with my foster father before he died, but he thankfully let me cut out early every time. I don't know why, but I always got anxiety at events like this. "You look beautiful, by the way."

I mumble a thank you to him as we continue to weave our way through the crowd. One of the perks, well the only perk, of these events was that I loved wearing fancy gowns. Tonight, I was wearing a light blue Elie Saab gown with sleeves that went down to my elbows and little flowers all over it. Finally, towards the middle of the room, we spot Tony. "Ah! The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan made it!" he says loudly once he spotted Steve. "How's it going Cap?" Tony claps Steve on the arm once we reach him.

"I'm good, Tony, thank you." We both see Tony's eyes cut to me. "Oh, let me introduce you. This is-"

"Rhiannon Áine Saggart," Tony cuts Steve off as he takes a step closer. "Yes, I know you. I've been trying to steal you from Fury for a couple of years now."

"Really?" I say, raising my eyebrows.

"I like to have the best of everything." Tony says with a shrug. A cater waiter passes by us, but not before Tony can grab three champagne glasses off the tray. He hands one to Steve and then flashes a grin at me as he hands me a flute. "And you, young one, are the best."

"Well, I can't argue with that," I say, earning a couple chuckles from Tony and Steve. We all lift our glasses for a silent toast before taking drinks.

"Good to see you up and walking though," Tony says. His face held an expression that he was ready to move on and mingle with others. "I think you scared the old man pretty good."

Neither me nor Steve say anything right away. "Yeah," I say with an awkward chuckle. "I think I prefer walking over lying in a hospital bed."

Tony nods his head. "Good observation. Well, I have got to mingle, so if you two kids need anything…let Pepper know." With a small salute, he melts into the crowd.

"I survived my first encounter with Tony Stark," I say. Steve shakes his head with a little chuckle as I down the last of my champagne in my flute. I grab other to replace the empty one as a waiter passes by.

"Does that warrant a drink?" Steve asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

I start to answer him, but stop when I see a figure approaching us. "No, but this might," I murmur so that only Steve could hear.

"Well if it isn't Little Techie!" The figure says way too loudly as he reaches us. General Colin Darby yanks me in for an awkward hug; thankfully Steve had grabbed my drink to save it from spilling. "How are you doing girl? I haven't seen you in forever!"

"General Darby," I say as he finally releases me. "It's good to see you. You're looking as handsome as ever."

"Oh, now don't flatter an old man," he says with a loud laugh. Suddenly, he looks over at Steve. "And you got Captain America as your date? Your old man would be proud of you."

I hold back a groan. "Thank you, sir."

"You better take care of her son," Darby says, pointing a finger at Steve. I could feel the bile rising in the back of my throat. I knew what was coming next. "She may not look it, but this little one has some fight in her."

I let out a nervous laugh. "I don't think Steve wants to hear about this, General."

"Of course he does," Darby says. It was obvious to me now that he had been drinking a little too much. "This girl right here," Darby says, pointing a fat finger towards me. "When ole Saggart was killed, this little one right here- you had to only be eighteen at the time- grabbed the pistol Saggart had tried to use against the bastard that shot him and shot at the guy herself!" Darby laughs loudly as I start to feel sick. I could feel Steve looking down at me. "Can you imagine? This little one shooting-"

I don't wait to hear anymore of Darby. I walk away, picking up speed as I make my way through the crowd. I could hear Steve yelling after me, but I keep walking and eventually break out in a run once I'm free from the crowd.

Steve's Point of View

I let out a sigh of relief when I spot Rhiannon standing out on a balcony. When she had run away from the conversation earlier, I had lost track of her. The clueless General Darby didn't seem fazed by the fact that his story had obviously upset her. I was pretty sure as I was walking away from him that some security guards were escorting him out. "There you are," I say to Rhiannon as I walk out on the balcony. She doesn't turn to look at me, just continues to look down at the street below. When I'm standing next to her, I look down at her face and see her eyes are red-rimmed. I let out a sigh as I rest my hand on the middle of her back.

"They never caught the guy," Rhiannon finally says after a few minutes of silence. She sniffles once before continuing. "I don't know if Darby told you that or not, since he was in the mood to share my life story."

Obviously, Rhiannon had never told me this about her foster father. She had only ever told me that he had died when she was nineteen. "He didn't tell me that." I say. "But, Rhiannon, you know I got to ask why you never told me this-"

"I don't know Steve," she says, a new shake in her voice. "I just…I've never told anyone about it. I don't like to talk about it." I remove my hand from her back as she turns and walks back a couple steps and sits down on a small bench. I sit down next to her. "I came home for a visit one day, it was a surprise visit. Anyways, I walked into his study and there he was, on the ground, dead." She pauses her a moment to wipe away some tears. "The guy who did it was still in the room; he was doing something on his computer. I don't know what came over me, but I grabbed the gun that was in Daniel's hand and shot at the guy. It didn't faze him though, it just hit his shoulder and then he jumped out of a window. No one's ever figured out who he was. I swear I saw a glint of metal on his arm- it doesn't matter though." I don't speak yet, telling she still had more to say. "I always knew that Daniel wasn't my real dad…he always made that very clear when I was growing up. I'd call him Daniel, General, Sir…every now and then I'd call him Pops…but I always knew he wasn't my dad. Regardless, I still loved him. He took me in. How can I not love him for that?" I don't say anything; I couldn't form the words that would comfort her. "I guess, I just thought that if I never talked about this stuff, the stuff that's happened to me in the past, that no one would ever leave me again. Everyone…they're always taken from me…"

"Do you remember what I said to you, on that jet all those months ago?" I say to her. I grab one of her hands into mine as she looks at me. She nods her head weakly. "You've got me…I'm right here. People will leave…that's just part of life. And with what I do…" The words are left unspoken, but I knew that she knew what I was implying. "But right now…I'm here. And that's all that matters."

As she blinks rapidly, a few more tears fall from her eyes. "Steve Rogers," she whispers, reaching a hand up and letting it come to rest on my cheek. I always loved the feel of her hand on the side of my face. It was a comforted I had long forgotten. "I love you."