"How- how are you here?" Steve asked, holding Ella at arm's length. He studied her face, checking for injuries. There was nothing visual. "They said you were gone, you disappeared."

Ella adverted her eyes, looking sheepish. "You won't like it."

"I got to know Ella."

She shifted in her spot, wringing her hands. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off before she got a word out, another voice stopped her.

"Cap, we have to go." The agent said, nodding towards a black van that pulled up. "Fury wants to talk to you two."

Ella's head snapped towards her brother, eyes in a panic. "Fury? Who's Fury?"

Steve put his hands out, trying to calm his sister. "It's alright. He works with SHEILD… SHEILD came from the SSR."

Ella's fingers clenched, but she nodded. "Don't leave me, okay?"

"Alright. Just tell me what happened on the way there." Steve said as he began to follow the agent. "Start now."

Ella nodded. "Well, like I said… you won't like it." She bit her lip before continuing. "But I… followed you when you went to fight at the HYDRA base."

"What?!" Steve cried, swiveling towards his sister. Ella flinched backwards from the tone of his voice. Steve dragged a hand down his face. "You... you said you were sick. You lied to me Ella."

She looked down in shame. "I know… I'm sorry, Steve I really am." They fell into an awkward silence for a few moments before Ella began to speak again. "Two HYDRA agents recognized me. They shot me with something… I went down."

"HYDRA got you?" Steve asked. "That doesn't make any sense. We shut it down."

"I know… I went down with HYDRA and woke up somewhere else."

"Where?"

Ella shrugged, sliding into the back of the van. "I don't know. I wish I did, but I don't."

Steve leaned his head back, lips pulled tight into a line. "Can you tell me anything? Anything at all? What do you remember?"

"They were Russian… that's all."

"What did they want you for?"

"I don't know… I don't have the answers."

They were quiet for a few moment, the car quiet. The agent shifted in his seat. "I like music, do you like music? How about some Bieber. Have you guys heard Bieber yet? I bet not." He jabbed a button and music played from the speakers.

"How are you still alive? You should be dead, or a hundred."

Ella fidgeted as she tried to find words to describe it. Her face was contorted in concentration. "They put me in some… capsule. It froze me, but kept me alive for this long." Ella hesitated. She didn't want to tell him about what they did to her, not with the agent in the car. "Next thing I knew, I woke up in the back of a totaled truck in New Jersey. I was asleep for… almost 70 years I think."

Steve looked at his sister, her eyes not meeting his own. She gazed down at her hands, rubbing her palm with her thumb. He couldn't believe how she could look so familiar and yet so different at the same time. If he didn't see her face, he never would have guessed it was Ella. With her hair pulled back and the modern clothes, she could have been from this time.

"You know," Steve said, picking at a lock of her damp hair. "I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair not curled."

Ella laughed, turning to her brother. "They don't sell curlers at gas stations apparently."

Steve chuckled at her dry humor. "Well, I don't think ladies wear their hair like that anymore."

It wasn't long until they reached a large building not far from Times Square. Steve knew it and assured his sister that nothing bad would happen and that he would be with her. Ella trusted him, but she didn't know about the rest of them.

Ella was quickly ushered through the halls; she didn't have time to even observe it all. Next thing she knew, she was standing outside a room with a man sitting inside. Ella looked through the glass, head tilted to the side. He was a colored man, shaven head and dressed in all black. What really got Ella's attention was the eye-patch.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"That's Fury."

"What does he do?"

"He runs SHEILD."

Ella made a face, confused for a moment. Back in her time, they would never have put a colored man in charge of an entire organization. Of course, Ella wasn't prejudiced against other races, neither was Steve. He had fought side by side with them as brothers. Still, Ella had never seen anything like this before. She guessed that times have changed even more than she thought.

"He wants you in there." The agent that brought them in said to Ella.

She nodded and headed towards the door, Steve on her tail. However, the agent stopped him. "Not you Cap. Only her. Fury's orders."

Ella froze, looking at her brother, wondering what to do.

"Just go." He said. "I'll be right out here."

Ella gave a single nod and went into the room, shutting the door behind her. The man, Fury, looked up at her as she entered. She stood straight as a pole for a few moments, not daring to move. Then, the man nodded to the chair before him. "Have a seat."

Ella moved slowly, throwing a glance over her shoulder at where Steve should be. She couldn't see him past the one-way glass.

She lowered herself into the hard seat, looking at the man in front of her, waiting until he spoke.

"Miss Rogers," he began, leading back into his seat. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, hungry… a little worried."

"Why worried?"

Ella shrugged. "I don't know… I woke up in a new century a few days ago, find out my brother was also somehow alive, find him, and then get separated… and now I'm speaking with a man who runs an organization that I've never heard about." Ella sighed heavily. "So, I'm a little worried."

Fury nodded. "Well, I see your point. In that case, I'm a little worried as well. Do you know why?"

Ella shook her head.

"We just woke your brother up," he began, lacing his fingers together. "And then you show up a few days later after apparently disappearing in 1945… it's quite the coincidence isn't it?"

"It's a miracle." Ella said. "A blessing from God."

"It's a bit fishy." He said. "It just doesn't add up. Please, try to enlighten me as to why we should trust you? Explain how you are sitting before me today."

Ella began to tell the man exactly what she had told Steve, nearly word for word. She still left out the bit about what the Russians did to her. The man listened, his one eye squinting at her as she spoke. He had his hands folded in front of his mouth, listening intently. When she finished, he looked at her in silence for a few moments.

"It's missing something."

"I'm sorry?" Ella said, raising a brow.

Fury shook his head. "What would be the point of keeping you? Why not simply… I don't know… kill you? Sorry for the bluntness."

Ella met his eyes evenly, trying to make sure her face was masked. She didn't want him to know she was lying. "I wish I knew. Trust me, I tried to do what they should have. Obviously, it didn't work."

Fury met her gaze, just as blank as her own. He seemed to be thinking hard, a line between his brows. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"I want to see my brother."

"He's right out there with Agent Barton, whom you have already met." Fury said. "We are going to send him away to an isolated cabin in a few days, which I'm sure you want to go with him to. We think we'll let him adjust in a comfortable environment while he catches up."

"It sounds like a good idea."

Fury looked at Ella for a few more moments before pressing a button on the table.

"What was that?" Ella asked.

"Now, we can't be heard outside of this room, so I'm just going to say this once." He said, leaning in closer to Ella. "I don't trust you. It's nothing personal-"

"It sounds kinda personal."

"But your story doesn't make sense. It sounds impossible, it's too convenient… I worry that you work for someone… perhaps even you don't know it."

"That's absurd." Ella said. "I love my brother I would never do anything to hurt him."

His dark eyes held hers for a few more tense moments before nodding towards the door. "You may go, Miss Rogers. Agent Barton will be keeping an eye on the both of you. We have a room set up for you two."

Ella stood up and quickly scampered out of the room. Steve was already waiting for her, brows raised.

"What happened to the sound?"

She was about to answer with the truth, but another voice cut her off.

"Power surge, reset the system." A girl with dark hair pulled back with a headband said. She held a tablet in her hands, tapping away. She had dark brown eyes, a delicately pointed nose. She looked at Ella, warning written on her face. She got the message.

"I'm Kate Bishop," she said, holding out a hand for Ella to shake. "I'm an agent here."

"An eventual agent." Another voice joined in. It was the Agent who had brought them there. Barton, Ella thought his name was. He walked to Kate's side, amusement on his face. "Don't forget, you're still an intern. Did you finish ordering the pizza?"

Kate tapped a few more buttons on her tablet. "One half cheese for me, the other half meat lovers for you… and a side of breadsticks."

"Man," Barton said. "You're the best intern in this whole damn organization."

Kate beamed at his comments.

Barton turned to the Rogers sibling before introducing himself. "I'm Clint. Please to meet you."

"Like wise." Ella said.

"Sorry about holding a gun at your head."

She shrugged. "It's fine… believe it or not… not the first time it's happened. I'll get over it."

Kate giggled. "You're pretty funny for an older lady. Wanna come with us for pizza? It's probably something you should get caught up on."

Clint nodded in agreement.

Ella turned towards her brother, waiting for his approval. He nodded, not seeing why it would be a bad idea. So, she turned back towards Clint and Kate and sent them a smile. "Sounds like fun."

Kate looked back on her tablet. "I'll order more pizzas."

…

They decided to head back to the rooms that had been set up for Steve and Ella. It was large and open. Two rooms, two bathrooms, a clean kitchen with a fully stocked fridge, and a spacious living room. Ella looked around in wonder. She had never been in a room this nice. She had never felt more unqualified, wearing cheap clothes with a single bag of belongings.

"Wow," Clint said, looking around the room. "This is way nicer than my apartment and I've been working at SHEILD for a long time."

"You think your apartments bad?" Kate asked, making a face. "My neighbor's cat died in the air vents in my building and didn't even notice she was gone."

Clint grimaced. "Okay, that's pretty bad."

Ella held onto her bag tightly, thinking she would dirty the nice room if she put it down. Her jaw dropped as she looked at what was sitting in the center of the room. "Oh my god, is that a television?" it was glossy and flat. Ella had seen other televisions while she tried to get to New York, but this one was far better.

"Mhhm." Kate said. "I bet it has HBO. Have you heard of Game of Thrones?"

"Slow down, Kate." Clint said. "That's probably not a good show to watch first."

Kate pouted. "Yeah, you're right… do you know how to use it."

"Not even close." Ella said.

"We didn't have television." Steve added.

"Wow." Kate said, shaking her head sadly. She turned to Ella, nodding towards the couch. "Come on, I'll help you."

Both girls sat on the couch, Kate teaching Ella while Steve and Clint spoke in the kitchen. Steve decided that he liked these two agents. They were down to earth… kind. It wasn't much longer until the food arrived.

Ella focused on the buttons on the remote as her brother brought in boxes of pizza. She now knew how to change channels, volume, and turn it off and on.

"Those are the basics." Kate assured her. "I'll teach you more later."

Ella was starving. The food was hot, delicious, and new. She ate two pieces in the same time that it took Kate to finish the crust of her first.

"Wow," Kate said, pulling up another piece. "You sure can eat."

"Well, I haven't really had a full meal in 70 years." Ella said. She sighed heavily, taking off her hat and placing it on her lap. She pulled out the hair ties, running her hands through her hair. It felt good to finally unwind a bit.

"Oh!" Kate said, reaching into her bag. "I forgot to give these to you."

She handed Ella and Steve both what Ella learned were called cell phones. She studied it, turning it over. It fit in her palm, her thumb hit a button and the screen lit up. There was a high quality photograph of the ocean as the background. She beamed, Steve peeking over her shoulder.

"I'll never get over some of this new technology." Steve said, shaking his head softly.

"Here, let me show you how to use it." Kate said, scooting her chair close to Ella.

While they finished off the pizza, Ella intently learning about her cell phone. She liked that it did more than calling. It sent messages too! It was amazing.

"You see," Kate said, showing Ella how to use emojis. "Most people don't really call anymore. They text, Instagram, snapchat…" she trailed off, seeing she lost the siblings. "Sorry, I'll slow down."

"We'll learn eventually." Ella said.

"I'm sure you will." Kate said. "So, now you have both mine and Clint's numbers… if you need anything either call of next… maybe text I don't like talking."

Ella laughed. "Okay."

"You know what," Kate said, smiling. "Tomorrow, I'm taking you shopping. I'll be here at eleven because tomorrows my day off and I want to sleep in. I'll help you get some nice clothes. You'll look great, no more Target jeans; Nordstrom's has some that will fit you better."

"Thanks Kate."

They said their goodbyes. It was well past twelve, Ella was tired. She decided to take a bath, making another joke to her brother about not having a bath in 70 years. She wondered how much longer it would be funny.

There were soaps sitting around the rim of the bath that connected to her room. She made use of them all, pouring them into the bath, the flowery aromas filling up the room. Ella took off her locket, placing it on the marble of the sink. She stripped down and sunk into the water, immediately dunking her head under.

The warm water felt amazing. She had felt cold for so long, it hadn't really left since she got out of the chamber. The hot water helped. Not only that, it helped unwind the tension in her muscles. Ella scrubbed her body with anything she could get her hands on.

She sat in the water for a long time, until it turned cool. Ella sat in the tub as the water drained out, leaving behind bubbles at the bottom of the tub.

Ella dried off and wrapped a towel around herself. She wandered into her room, peeking into the drawers to see if there was something else beside the clothes in her bag. She was lucky, there were some basic clothes in there. Again, no skirts or dresses or nightgowns but Ella didn't expect there to be. There were some underclothes. She put some of those on before tugging on a t-shirt that she found along with a pair of sweat pants, which were very comfortable.

Ella went out into the living room, hair still damp. She found him sitting on the couch, reading a book. He looked up when he saw her, smiling.

"Better?"

"Much."

Ella sat on the couch, curling her legs under herself as she sat. She played with her hair, looking at the blank TV and the room around her. It was all insane.

Steve put the book down and looked at his sister, resting his chin in his palm. "Why?"

Ella was confused. "Why what?"

"Why did you follow me to war?"

Ella sighed heavily, pursing her lips. "I had to follow you, Steve. I followed you through Brooklyn, I followed you to basic training, I followed you to England, I followed you to war, and then I followed you to the next century." She smiled weakly. "I guess it's always gonna be like this, huh?"

Steve walked up to his sister, hugging her tightly. "I guess so."

Ella embraced her brother, still amazed that she had another chance. Finally, she released him and yawned. "I love you. I'm going to bed now, okay? Maybe I can make breakfast tomorrow or something. It's been a while since I cooked."

"Sounds good." Steve said. "Goodnight."

"Night!"

Ella went into her room, shutting off her lights and crawling into her bed. It felt like a cloud, the blankets giving off a soft warmth. Ella buried her head into the pillow, eyes shutting slowly. It wasn't much longer until she was asleep. She just hopped that when she woke up, this wouldn't all be a dream.

Authors note:

Another chapter! Clint and Kate, a couple of my fav characters. I'm glad to have them in here. I hope you all are enjoying this!

Don't forget to review!