Hi everyone! Thank y'all so much for not getting mad at me over the new update schedule. I feel like this is going to work with my schedule a little better and hopefully I can give y'all high quality to make up for the low quantity. Just as a disclaimer, I am not in PR, I've never worked in PR, and I don't know anyone who's worked in PR, so everything I know comes from Google. I love hearing from y'all so please keep the reviews coming, and I hope you enjoy! - Ali

When I saw Steve my first thought was that he looked exhausted. That surprised me. I hadn't realized a man with superpowers like his could get tired. His shoulders were slightly slumped, his gait was slower and more deliberate, his eyes weary and sad, as if he was reliving a painful memory. Sam patted him on the shoulder encouragingly and said something which sounded like, "Don't worry Steve, we'll have better luck next time."

Steve looked up and saw me approaching, and his body language changed almost instantly. He stood up taller, stepped quicker, held his chin up, and fixed his smile back in place. As soon as we made eye contact I realized he wasn't physically tired, but emotionally drained. Whatever the mission had been, it was personal. I wished he didn't think that he had to be strong all of the time, wished I could tell him that I saw past his mask, wished I could make him trust me, wished I knew what to say to take the pain from his eyes... But I barely knew him. We'd only just met a few weeks ago, and years of being a fan couldn't have prepared me for actually trying to be his friend. So I pretended to believe that everything was ok.

"Hi Y/N, how was your first two weeks?" He asked brightly.

"Stressful, but fun," I replied honestly, "I'm learning a lot. I actually have a few ideas to discuss with you, and you too Mr. Wilson, as soon as y'all are free. How was your mission? Or is that classified?"

"Dead end," Steve replied, "We were following up on a lead in a cold case so it's not exactly surprising. Nothing you need to concern yourself with. What kind of ideas were you talking about?"

"Oh there's no rush, I'm sure you two are tired. If you want to stop by my office after you've rested some...?"

"I'm willing to do it now if you are," Steve said.

"Well I'm not a super soldier so I'm going to go get some shut-eye," Sam said, "But I will look forward to working with you tomorrow, Y/N."

I nod, "Sounds like a plan!"

"You two have fun," Sam called back as he headed towards his suite.

"So," I began nervously, attempting to sound as professional as possible, "I have been doing some research, and I made a few calls, and I've come up with several different things we can do to help improve your public image. Not that you have a bad public image! I mean, America loves you, but after the incident in Sokovia, all enhanced individuals are under fire. I reached out to the Make-A-Wish foundation, some hospitals, veterans associations, and a few other charities. All of them are really great organizations, so you'll be helping make a difference AND getting good publicity. Win-win. Also, you've been requested to film some videos for a high school fitness challenge. If you're interested in any of those, I can give you more detail."

"I've heard of the Make-A-Wish foundation but I'd still like some more information."

"Certainly! It was started in the 1980's, when a little boy with a terminal illness wished to be a police officer. The people in his community made it happen, and it just grew from there. Now it's a huge organization that helps terminally ill children around the world. People donate to them, and they make sure these kids get one last wish. Some kids wish for animals, some wish for trips to places like Disney World, some kids wish to meet their heroes. I know there are probably hundreds of little boys and girls who would wish to meet Captain America. And Steve Rogers can probably understand what they're going through better that most people."

He looked at me quizzically.

"Because you had health issues as a child, right? I'm sorry I really don't mean to seem stalkerish I just... I was a big fan - am a big fan... Also I did a lot of research on you in high school. I had to write a paper on whether or not you were real. A lot of people thought you were a wartime myth but... I always believed in you. I did a lot of digging into your backstory so I could do a good job. Your story turned out to be very inspiring. Anyway my point was, I know that you know what it's like to struggle with pain and sickness as a child. I think you can give these kids strength to keep fighting to survive every day."

He nodded slowly, staring at me with unreadable blue eyes, "Y'know, sometimes my childhood seems like it was just yesterday, and other times... Well, it feels like an eternity ago. Like I've been Captain America so long I've almost forgotten what it was like to be Steve Rogers. Most people seem to act like... I don't know. Like the kid from Brooklyn died and all that's left of him is a shield and a suit, and they somehow think that's a good thing." He paused for a minute before adding thoughtfully, "But you don't."

I shrugged, "Let's just say I know that even a drastic identity change doesn't change who you really are deep down. The kid from Brooklyn didn't die. And you're not worth any more or any less because you're different now. Everything good about Captain America is Steve Rogers. Your heart is what makes you special, not the serum. Anyone else would have just become another Red Skull or worse. You became a symbol of hope and courage and freedom. Only you could have done that."

By then I was a embarrassed and worried I'd overshared so I was grateful to have reached my office, "Here we are!" I announced. It was a completely unnecessary thing to say, but I was desperate to change the subject.

For the next two hours we talked about nothing but work, as I wrote down answers to the questions I'd compiled, sorted through the suggestions of charities and events and television shows, and started working social media platforms. I was worried that I'd make some dreadful mistake, but Steve was incredibly easy to work with, and the whole thing went by smoothly.

When we had finished I expected him to excuse himself and leave, but instead he asked me a question, "When you said you know what it's like to go through a change and still be the same person inside... What did you mean?"

I looked down at my lap and chewed my lip, "My uh... my childhood was rough. I always felt like one person and then when I left home... I had finally gotten away, and I tried to completely reinvent myself. I changed so much, just trying to leave behind everything that reminded me of... of what I'd left behind. I almost felt like a completely different person. Some of my family and friends didn't understand. They wanted me to be this... this perfect girl that they'd created in their own minds and in their attempts to bring her back they never realized they were hurting me. It took me a long time to figure out that I couldn't run from my past, and just because it wasn't perfect didn't mean it was shameful. But I also had to realize that so much of what I thought was me changing was just me being free to really be who I was, after years of trying to live up to impossible expectations. My family still hasn't accepted that. I'm a bit of a black sheep," I said with a laugh, "Going to New York to become a writer... They said it was a fool's errand. I guess that's one reason why I felt like such a failure when I lost my job. I have to prove them wrong and prove I could make a career here. I mean I still won't make them happy until I'm married with 3 kids but at least if I can be successful it proves that I can reach my goals. And if I can do that then it doesn't matter what they think."

"Well I think you're going to do just fine," he said with a smile, "I think you're special. If they can't see it then it's their loss."

I blushed and smiled at his shoes. I didn't really know how to respond to that so I just hopped out of my chair and went with the first thing that popped in my mind.

"Say," I asked, "How would you like for me to bake some pecan pie?

Steve laughed, "Sounds great."

"Meet me downstairs in an hour," I said with a grin, as I slipped out the door.