Rosalie took a seat at the foot of her bed, yawning loudly as she looked to the TV screen that was sat on her dresser opposite her. She had her arms hooked around her legs as her eyes remained fixated on the screen, her mind going back to that day in New York. The TV screen was showing the horrors of that day as the news anchors discussed what should be done to protect Earth. No one had thought that aliens existed, but now they all knew the truth. Rosalie listened on as someone demanded for all of the Avengers to be held to account and used as an extension of the army.

She scoffed, wondering exactly what Steve would think of that. Steve saw himself as a soldier, yes, but he did not enjoy being controlled. He always liked to think that he was doing the right thing and, for the most part, he usually did. He would be the first to admit that he had made mistakes, but he always tried to do the right thing.

"Why are you hiding in here?" Steve enquired from Rosalie as he wandered into her apartment and found her in the bedroom. Patting the space on the bed next to her, she watched as Steve took his seat on the bed and looked to the TV screen.

He watched the TV screen and listened in on the news show she was watching. It was only when it went to a commercial did she look at him and Steve chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"Interesting to see what some people think of us," Steve commented.

"It was one person on a panel of five," Rosalie told him, uncurling herself from the ball she had formed and moving to her feet, switching the TV off. "The rest of the country thinks you are all heroes. Don't let one person upset you."

Steve shrugged. "It doesn't bother me," he informed her. "So long as we can protect the earth then we will do just that."

"I know," Rosalie nodded to him. "There are just some people who worry that you may use your powers for…well…something not so good."

Steve shrugged again. "I would never see that happen," he informed her and moved to his feet from her bed. "Anyway, I came here to ask if you wanted to go and get dinner? I'm heading off on a mission tomorrow and I don't know when I will be back."

Rosalie shrugged into a jumper and looked to him, her brow arched. "What kind of mission are we talking about?" she wondered. "The dangerous kind?"

"Perhaps not too dangerous," Steve said to her. "It's part of what I do with S.H.I.E.L.D., you know, keep people safe who struggle to keep themselves safe."

Rosalie felt her lips quirk upwards as she nodded, unable to believe that she was dating someone who was considered a super soldier. Moving towards him, she let her hand move to his forearm, unashamedly feeling the muscle that sat there as Steve looked down to her, his mind whirling as he thought about just how much he adored her.

"Just try to keep yourself safe, okay?" she urged from him and he smiled before bending down to kiss her on the cheek in a very courteous manner. Rosalie felt her cheeks heat up at the motion, knowing full well that she acted like an inexperienced lovestruck teenager whenever she was with Steve.

She always prided herself on being mature and unable to be emotionally vulnerable, but something was different with Steve. Everything was different with Steve. She adored everything about him. How could she not? She only wondered how he could feel the same about someone like her.

"What is the mission?" she asked of him, removing her hand from him as she went to grab her bag from the chair in the corner of her room.

"A lab in Russia has been infiltrated," Steve said to her. "A top secret S.H.I.E.L.D. lab. I'm flying out first thing tomorrow to try and track down who did it and what they stole. At the moment everything has been smashed to bits and it is difficult to tell what is missing."

"Do they have any idea what might have gone missing?"

"There are some theories," Steve nodded at her. "Anyway, I am going with Natasha and some other agents."

"Natasha Romanoff?" she asked from him and Steve nodded. "I knew she was part of the Avengers, but I didn't know she was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. with you."

Steve shrugged as Rosalie flung her bag over her shoulder and picked her keys up from her dresser, holding them in her fingertips as Steve reached out for her hand. She took hold of his fingers in hers, feeling her stomach flip again as the two of them wandered from her flat as Steve spoke to her.

"She's pretty much a free agent," Steve said to her. "She helps out when she needs to help out, but she has been taking some time off since New York."

"Not that I can blame her," Rosalie said, locking her apartment and pocketing her keys in her bag before taking hold of Steve's hand again, wandering towards the stairwell. "You'll let me know how it is going though, right? I mean, I am thinking of how I should really get some more friends because the thought of you leaving for a while is pretty depressing."

"I never knew you cared so much," Steve said jokingly and Rosalie nudged him in the stomach as she kept her hand in his and Steve laughed as they came to the foyer of the apartment block and then stepped outside onto the sidewalk.

"Don't be sarcastic," she mockingly scolded him. "So what do you want to eat?"

"Anything," Steve shrugged. "You know me, I'm not picky."

"And you never put weight on," Rosalie said. "Honestly, I have never seen someone eat so much and still be all muscle and no fat."

Steve's lips quirked. "The perks of being a super soldier," he informed her and they waited to cross the sidewalk. "So how is the job search going?"

"Slow but steady," she responded. "I've applied for a couple of teaching positions so I am hoping that something comes up. You never know."

"That's a more positive attitude than you've had in a while," Steve noted as they began to cross the road and Rosalie glanced over to him.

"I think I have nothing to be sad about anymore," she informed him and Steve wondered if he had anything to do with the way she was feeling. He only hoped that it might be.

…

Sitting next to Natasha on the jet, Steve was wearing his suit already. He was prepared for whatever they might find, but his mind was also elsewhere. His mind was on Rosalie as he did his best not to long to be back in D.C. He wondered what she was doing, but he quickly turned his attention back to the mission as Natasha handed him a tablet. But there was nothing about the mission on it, only a news article about him and Rosalie.

"I mean, she's cute," Natasha commented as Steve rolled his eyes and swiped the article from the screen, unable to speak about host distasteful he found the title. "She's clearly got a bit of a reputation."

"Only because of what he did," Steve said to Natasha who arched her lips.

"Tony said you were protective of her."

"Stark?" he checked from her. "Tony's told you all about her?"

"He said that you and her had dinner with him and Pepper," Natasha nodded. "He also said that she was pretty spritely. Mind you, after reading the articles on her I am not shocked. So what was it, huh? He told her that he was leaving his wife for her?"

"Pretty much."

"And he lied?"

"Yeah," Steve said with a nod of his head.

"Well, he is a man," Natasha responded, folding one leg over the other. "Most of them are known to be compulsive liars. Seems to me that she's the one who has suffered, but her name is still splashed everywhere in the news at the moment."

"Because of me," Steve said with a nod of his head. "If she was dating someone normal then it wouldn't matter."

"But she isn't," Natasha said. "So go on, what is she like? I mean, really, not what the papers say."

Steve shrugged his shoulders. "She's…well…" Steve struggled to think of words, but he soon found them as he ran a hand through his hair. "She's nice, Nat. She's really nice and nothing like they say. She's smart and not afraid to go after what she wants. She's just different to all of the girls I met in the '40s."

Natasha chuckled. "Well, times have changed."

"You can say that again," Steve said with a nod of his head.

"Well, I'm glad you found someone," Natasha said honestly. "I'd always thought that you would have ended up with someone like Bryony in research development."

"Bryony?" Steve questioned.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "You know," she said, "the girl with the blonde hair and blue eyes. She basically looks like you in female version. Skinny…tall…pretends to be shy whenever you're around her and giggles far too much for her own good."

Steve nodded. "I remember," he nodded before thinking to Rosalie. "Yeah, Rose is nothing like that. She doesn't really do the whole shy thing very well."

"Weird," Natasha said. "Anyway, I'm shocked you haven't flown back to London, talking about love."

Steve's brow arched as he looked to Natasha and she watched him back, seeing the confused glance on his face. Did he not know? Had Fury not told him? Judging by the expression on his face, he knew nothing about what had happened. It took a moment before she swallowed, her mouth dry before she spoke in a soft tone.

"Peggy is still alive, Steve," she informed him. "She is in London, but she is still alive."

Steve shook his head. "How? I…I didn't know…I thought that she had died."

"No," Natasha said. "She left S.H.I.E.L.D. a long time ago and no one kept notes on her. She is living in London, but she isn't very well. She's suffering from memory loss and is…she's just old, Steve."

"But alive?"

"But alive," Natasha confirmed, echoing him. "I assumed that you would have known."

Steve nodded, hands holding his thighs. "I do now."

…

Rosalie waited for Steve to return from his trip, wondering what news he would bring to her. She had expected him to talk about the mission, but instead he had broken another bit of news to her. He had told her that he had found out that Peggy Carter was still alive. She was alive and ill. He was sat on the sofa, his hand covering his chin as his mind clearly wandered to her.

Perching next to him, Rosalie moved a hand to his back, letting her palm rest there as Steve looked to her, a sad smile on his face.

"Go to her," she urged him, her voice a whisper. "Go and see her."

"In London?"

"Yes," Rosalie nodded her head. "You want to, Steve. I know that you want to. You are conflicted."

"I...I just don't know what to think," Steve whispered. "Peggy is still alive. She…I know that she won't look anything like the Peggy I knew. She will have changed and I will still be the same. I mean, it must be weird for her if she were to see me. What if it upsets her?"

"Or what if it makes her happy to know that you are alive and well?" Rosalie responded, her smile trying to cheer him up. "Steve, you can try to think of all the reasons why not to see her and convince yourself of those, but deep down, you will never forgive yourself if you do not go."

"And you're okay with me going?" he asked.

"Of course I am," she said to him, rubbing his back before taking his hand. "Steve, you need to go to London."

"Then come with me," Steve urged of her. "Come with me to London."

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Rosalie wondered.

"I think that I might need you, Rose," Steve admitted to her. "I…I just want you to come with me."

Rosalie didn't push him for more details. Instead she just accepted the fact that he wanted her with him. He wanted her with him and she was more than happy to oblige if she could offer him some form of comfort. It was the least she could do after what he had done for her.

…

A/N: Do let me know what you think!