The loneliness was the worst part.

The culture shock of another time was rough, but he could adapt. Modern technology was also confusing, and frustrating. Steve missed simply reading a book instead of having to download it onto a tablet, and cellphones were weird. Why couldn't he just talk to someone? That was so much faster, and simpler. The fashion was strange, and at times it made him blush. He didn't want those women to think he was being disrespectful, or inappropriate. He did wish Peggy was here to see this, though. Women were no longer fighting (as hard) to get such important positions and be recognized for anything other than being mothers and wives. Lucy would have loved it, too.

Lucy. His heart clenched. He hadn't even gotten the chance to say goodbye to his sister. She'd already lost Bucky just a short time before that, and she'd been a mess when Steve had to go on another mission. Guilt flooded his chest, making it hurt when he remembered how she'd begged him to come back to her.

"But why does it have to be you?"

Steve felt his heart grow tight as he stared at his baby sister. Her eyes were still bloodshot from crying for so long, her small, thin frame still trembling. She'd just been on shift a few hours ago; still clad in her white nurse's uniform. He almost flinched when he saw the blood splatter across the skirt.

When had he allowed her to get so involved in all of this?

"You know why, Lucy." He told her regretfully, and the smaller blonde bit her lip, shaking her head.

"No." She whispered, her face tightening in anger and fear. "I don't. I don't know why, Steve, ok? Bucky is dead, and if you go and something happens, then I'm-" Her voice broke, and she stopped, pressing the back of her hand to her lips. Her shoulders were shaking as she attempted to suppress her sobs, and Steve didn't bother to wait anymore.

Surging forward, he wrapped his arms around his sister. It was still a little weird, having her be smaller than him. Ever since she turned thirteen, they'd been about the same size. When he first got the serum, she had joked that it meant Steve had finally become a 'big brother'.

"It's ok, Lucy." He whispered, holding her close as she sobbed. "It's going to be ok, I promise."

He felt her pulling away, and he looked down to see her tearful blue eyes staring up at him. So much like his own.

"It won't be ok. It will never be ok again."

Lucy had been alone; completely alone. Bucky's death had destroyed her in so many ways, and to know that his baby sister had been left by herself while he was on ice had shattered his heart. She was the first one he'd asked about when he woke up, but Nick Fury had regretfully informed him of her death.

When Fury had first told him about Lucy's child, he'd felt a storm of thoughts and emotions. Joy, anger, sadness, confusion, disappointment. Joy that Lucy had at least one good thing in her life after he and Bucky were gone. Anger that she had been on her own for almost all of it. Sadness and disappointment that he never got to meet his nephew. And confusion as to when she'd met someone and gotten married. His gorgeous sister had attracted quite a bit of attention from the male population, but she never had eyes for anyone except Bucky; they'd been the definition of soulmates, even if it sounded a little corny. Then again, it would have been selfish and immature to assume she shouldn't have moved on. If anybody deserved happiness, it was Lucy.

But every new detail that came to light was more painful than the first. His little sister had become a widow at a young age, developing Alzheimer's and slowly losing bits and pieces of herself. His nephew, named after himself and Bucky, had been watching after Lucy his entire life. He had only one daughter.

Steve's last living family.

And that's where he sat now. In a conference room at S.H.I.E.L.D. in New York, waiting to meet her. He fidgeted in his seat, straightening his shirt and his pants. He wasn't sure how you were supposed to dress to meet your great-niece-that-didn't-know-about-your-existence for the first time, so he'd settled for a regular button up and corduroy's.

Would she be happy to see him? Would she be angry? Fury had told him that this descendant of his had a few secrets and abilities of her own but had refused to tell him. He'd appreciated that; if Lucy's grandchild had secrets, he wanted to hear them from her. Or not, if she didn't want to talk.

How long had he been here? It felt like forever. Fury said they'd be there within twenty minutes. Had it been twenty minutes, or had it been hours? There wasn't a clock in the room.

Unable to hold in his impatience any longer, Steve stood. The coffee pot in the corner was full, and he was aching for a cup. He hadn't slept much last night; tortured by nightmares and haunted by his sister's face.

Right as he was setting the pot back in its place, an opening door made him look up-

-and he froze.

That blonde hair, those blue eyes. The exact same shade he remembered. Her round, gentle face that was darkened by the sun. The same small frame. The same narrowed eyes, that little crease between her eyes as she looked around the room. It was a good thing he wasn't holding the carafe anymore; he would have dropped it.

It felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs. Steve could only stare at her. For one terrifying moment, he thought he might be dreaming. He thought he might wake up in a few seconds only to find himself once again alone in this brand-new world and time. But the longer he stared, the more aware he was that this was really happening. His lips parted, and finally, he spoke. Softly, a whisper. Like he was afraid being too loud would make her disappear.

"Lucy?"

But the young blonde in front of him only narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "Um, no."

And then her eyes shifted from blue to a deep, rich indigo, and Steve felt his heart drop.

It really wasn't her.

Elexis shifted nervously in her spot. The man in front of her was staring at her like he'd just seen a ghost. His face had gone white, and his hands were shaking. His eyes, a familiar shade of blue, were staring holes right through her own. He stood there, completely frozen, and Lex was just beginning to wonder why Fury hadn't come in behind her when he spoke.

"Lucy?" It was a whisper, soaked in incredulity, with a hint of desperation poking at the corners. Lex acted before she could think. Her head cocked to the side, and she felt her eyes narrow in suspicion. How did this man know her grandmother?

"Um, no."

He looked extremely familiar, and that's when it hit her: He looked a lot like her father. As she spoke, his face fell, and he blinked several times before clearing his throat and looking down at the floor, taking a deep breath.

Right as her brain was wrapping around the idea of who this man was, she heard footsteps, and then Fury's presence was behind her.

"Captain, I'd like you to meet your great-niece. Elexis Lucille Hager, this is Captain Steven Grant Rogers. Your grandmother's older brother."

In Elexis's opinion, Fury was very appropriately named. All he seemed to do from the moment they'd met was piss her off.

After firmly instructing her that her bracelet's true purpose was to remain between them and dropping the bomb that her grandmother hadn't, in fact, been hallucinating on a grand scale by telling everyone her older brother was Captain America, he'd marched her down the hall. He continued to ignore her questions, only offering yes or no answers to certain things, and finally stopped outside a door. Lex was pissed, but her curiosity and desperation for answers ate at her for a short time until she opened the door.

And now we come full circle.

She sat across from the man, (sorry, Captain America) as he shifted in his seat, clearly trying to think of something to say. Lex was more than happy to keep the silence; she wasn't good with anything too emotional. It was laughable, considering her heritage, but ever since the battle she found herself shying away from human interaction more and more.

It was just so damn exhausting.

Finally, her great-uncle/America's first superhero leaned forward and smiled softly at her. "I, uh, I'm sorry about earlier."

Lex smiled stiffly and shook her head. "It's ok."

"No, I should have handled myself better." He told her, running a hand over his face. "It's just- you look so much like her. It really threw me off for a second."

This time, she couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. "Dad used to say the same thing. Every time I got mad over something when I was little, he would mess up my hair and say, 'You look just like Nana when you're mad'."

At the mention of her father, the mood in the room visibly darkened. Steve cleared his throat, shifting in his chair again. "I'm, um, I'm sorry about your dad."

"Please don't." Her voice wasn't sharp, not like she wanted it to be. It was quiet and tired, breaking at the end. She fought to regain control over her emotions. It was still an overly sensitive subject. "It's over. It happened a long time ago."

"No, but you were alone." Steve said regretfully, "And you shouldn't have-"

"I said, stop- AHHHH!"

Her body jolted as the familiar sharp pain of being shocked wracked through her system, cutting off her sentence. It was such a violent shock that she actually fell out of her chair, gritting her teeth as she hit the ground. Steve was at her side in an instant, his face drawn in worry as he put his hands on her shoulders.

"Elexis! Elexis, what's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm-I'm fine." She forced out, cursing herself mentally. She hadn't meant to use charmspeak. It happened when she got upset over certain things. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry-?" Steve's sentence was cut short when his eyes fell on the silver cuff on her wrist. He grabbed her hand, holding it up. "What the hell is this?"

"Nothing." Lex snatched her wrist back, momentarily surprising him with her strength. "Can we just- can we drop it, please?"

Steve didn't speak again, but he helped her gently back into her seat and sat in the chair next to her, now, blue eyes occasionally flickering to the cuff as he continued speaking. She knew he hadn't forgotten; no doubt he'd be asking Fury about it later.

"So, it says you're his only child."

Lex sighed through her nose. She'd been worried about this conversation. Clearing her throat, she gave her well-rehearsed response.

"I was. He was married for over fifteen years to another woman that already had children. They weren't biologically his, but after they divorced, they would visit us a lot." She paused, then chuckled softly. "I considered them siblings, but I haven't seen them since he died."

"What about your mom?"

She let her face slip into a blank expression, then shrugged. "I don't know; I never met her. I've met some half-siblings from her previous relationships, though. They were in the same foster home I was sent to after my dad died."

"They weren't married?"

Lex couldn't stop her scoff. "Yeah, mom doesn't do long term relationships. Let's just say she appreciates variety."

Steve cleared his throat awkwardly, and Lex pressed her lips together. She shouldn't be talking crap about her mom. She didn't want her great-uncle thinking Aphrodite was someone who could be disrespected, even if he didn't know who she technically was yet. She could tell him eventually; if he wanted to know, that is.

Or if he'd even believe her.

They sat in awkward silence for a few more seconds, but Steve broke it. He leaned forward, his face softening. "So, what are you doing now?"

"School, mostly." She shrugged. "I waitress at this nightclub during this week to make an income. My foster home sent me off with some money when I left to make sure I could take care of myself." Camp Half-Blood did do that. Usually, when a child with less of a strong scent wanted to live away from the camp, they'd fix her up with a few months' worth of rent money to keep her going until she found her footing.

"What are you studying?"

"Folklore and Mythology."

Steve raised his eyebrows, sitting forward, and Lex resisted the urge to flinch. Oh, boy. Here we go. Here comes the 'you need to pick a more realistic major' talk.

"That sounds interesting. What drew you to that?"

She couldn't stop the way her eyebrows nearly flew to her hairline, raising her eyes to meet his. He was sitting forward, looking genuinely interested in what she was saying.

"Um, I guess the way I was raised." She shrugged. "The foster home I was raised in was more a group home, and the administrators were really big on those things." She smirked a little. "Just about everything there had a tie to Greek Mythology."

"And you enjoy that?"

She shrugged. "It's… something I'm passionate about."

Steve nodded, smiling warmly, then stood. "Come on."

Lex cocked an eyebrow at him. "Where?"

"I'm hungry. And the cafeteria here actually has some pretty good options."

Lex snorted. "Cafeteria food? Your standards are low." But she got to her feet anyway, moving to follow him out of the room.

"What can I say?" Steve shrugged. "It's better than the rations I got when I was your age."

Elexis rolled her eyes. "'Your age'. You're what? Twenty-six?"

"Ninety-seven."

"Wow. Your moisturizer must have cost a fortune."

Once they were in the cafeteria, they settled in with their own respective meals. Steve was enjoying a rather large roast beef sandwich while Elexis settled in with a bowl of cheddar and broccoli soup. It was her go-to comfort food; her dad always made it for her when she was sick.

"Favorite color?"

Lex tilted her head in thought. "Not sure. Blush pink or indigo, I guess. Depends on the mood I'm in." She sipped her soda. "Favorite food?"

"Well, normally I would say any type of hot meal, but lately with all these new options I'm not really sure." He gestured to his sandwich. "Roast beef is pretty good."

"How has it been?" Lex asked, unable to force her curiosity down. "Being here?"

Steve didn't answer right away, and Lex cursed herself. Maybe it was too personal of a question. But then he shrugged, fiddling with some chips on his plate.

"It's… strange. Things are objectively better in this time, child labor laws, laws against racial segregation, woman's suffrage, vaccines. But it's been kind of a culture shock." He shrugged, then pulled out an iPhone and set it on the table. "I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to do with this thing. I barely know how to answer it."

"How many contacts do you have?" Lex joked, avoiding using the phone. Fury would be pissed if a monster showed up at headquarters, and she didn't feel like arguing anymore with him that day. Nor did she have her weapons with her to kill it. Both of her rings were missing.

"Not many." He nodded at her. "Don't you have one of these things?"

"A phone? Nah, I guess I never saw the point." She brushed off lamely, praying he'd take the excuse. Luckily for her, he just nodded and took another bite of his sandwich. She released the breath she was holding.

Still not sure how I'm supposed to tell him. Or if I even should.

"So," Steve started slowly, and Lex raised an eyebrow at him. She had a feeling she knew what he was going to ask. "Can I, um, can I ask you about Lucy? And your dad?"

Elexis swallowed some of her soda, staying quiet. A part of her didn't want to answer. Talking about that side of her family was painful, especially since she considered them her past. It felt like reopening an old wound. But another part of her, the part that was excited to meet a member of her mortal family, told her she should. They weren't just her grandmother and father, they were Steve's sister and nephew.

"Dad had me pretty late in life." She explained lowly, not meeting his eyes as she swirled her spoon through her soup. "Like I said before, he was married originally, and adopted his ex-wife's children when they first got together. He never wanted kids, I guess. From what I understand, my grandfather wasn't a very great guy and it was because of him my dad never initially planned on getting married."

Steve tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

Lex shrugged. "I'm not sure. My dad always told me that Nana got pregnant with him while she and my grandpa were still dating, so that's why they got married. But I guess he was never the 'good husband' type."

Steve looked thoughtful, and a little confused and angry, but he nodded at her. "Ok. Keep going."

"Anyway, my dad and his ex-wife divorced when he was in his thirties." She smiled a little, "And then he met my mom. My mom was… gorgeous, he tells me. He was smitten from the second he laid eyes on her, and she must have felt the same. They dated for a while, but then she disappeared for work." A frown replaced her expression, not escaping Steve's notice. "She was pregnant with me before she left, so she dropped me off with him and then left again."

Steve's eyebrows went up, and she snorted derisively. "I know. A different era. I was able to learn her name and a little about what she was like from some of my siblings, but I've never met her."

"Do you want to?"

The question caught her completely off-guard, and she floundered for an answer. After several seconds of not being able to speak, she shrugged, casting her eyes down to her food and stirring her spoon.

"I don't know, honestly."

A heavy silence followed her admittance, and both blondes sat there without knowing what to really say. But finally, Lex forced a smile on her face and sat forward, folding her hands in front of her and resting her elbows on the table.

"Tell me about Nana. Before she was a grandma, I mean."

This time, Steve's face softened visibly, and his eyes seemed to lose focus as he stared at a point on the wall behind her.

"Oh, man. Lucy, was… well, she was amazing. She was absolutely stunning, for one. As soon as she hit fourteen, me and Bucky had to chase the boys away. I swear, half the fights I got into was over a comment some punk made about her or to her."

Lex cocked her head to the side, "Bucky? Who's that?"

Steve's expression changed quickly. It went from nostalgic and happy to grim and hopeless. He shifted in his seat, fiddling with the edges of his plate. He was quiet for a few moments, almost like he was unsure of what to say. Or if he should even say anything at all.

But finally, he looked back up at her and smiled sadly.

"A friend."