Chief!"
Peggy's head swiveled in the direction of the noise as someone ran past her towards the chief's office.
"Chief Phillips!"
She went back to her work only to be interrupted a few minutes later.
"Carter. My office, Barnes! You too."
Peggy looked up at her new desk partner and they stood, walking towards him.
—-
"Call them in."
Barton made a quick exit and came back in with two ladies, one looking to be in her early thirties, and the other one barely a teenager.
"Tell us what happened, Mrs. Samuels."
The older woman was frantic, hands wringing and face flushed. Eyes red and puffy from crying, Peggy's heart sank just looking at her.
"We were at the park. I was watching her play and we were having a great time! And then my dog—" she choked up, biting back another cry, "my dog pulled his leash out of my hand and went running, I freaked out and ran after it! I was only gone maybe two minutes —" she cried now in earnest, "when I came back, my baby, she was gone! I couldn't find her anywhere! I tried not to panic but then I noticed my purse was gone too. My wallet, my phone! All my pictures of her!" The woman's breathing was heavy and the flush of a panic attack was evident.
"Okay, Mrs. Samuels? We're going to do everything in our power to find her. I just need you to stay calm, take deep breaths." Her new partner, Barnes, said calmly. The woman nodded and clutched at his sleeve. She noticed with surprise that he did not withdraw or act annoyed as the woman held to him like a lifeline. Her old partner, Fred, would have basically shoved the lady off. Point for Barnes.
Peggy looked to the young teen, "and you?"
The girl looked incredibly nervous, but she swallowed and said, "I was at the park with my friends and uh, I saw the guy. I thought it was her dad… I didn't know it wasn't until she—" she points to Mrs. Samuels, "was screaming for her." Her eyes dropped to the floor and Peggy realized she felt guilty.
"It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. Did you get a good look at his face?"
The girl nodded, "yeah, he walked right past me."
They lead the ladies to the waiting room and settle them in there.
"Okay," Peggy started, looking at Phillips. "We should call in Greg, he can sketch the guy, but also the little girl since her purse with her pictures is gone."
Phillips nodded but Barton spoke up. "Greg's in South Dakota. His grandma's funeral, remember?"
Peggy sighed, that's right. Of course the one time in that man's entire life he took some personal time, they needed him.
Phillips grew positively annoyed. "Call the 87th, maybe they can send their—"
"Sir?" Peggy and Phillips turned to Barnes who looked the tiniest bit uneasy, "I know I'm new here, so I'm not exactly sure about protocol in this precinct, but I know someone, real good at sketching and portraits, would be more than happy to help out. Lives close by too. Way closer than the 87th."
Phillips considered this for a moment before nodding. His grim expression matched theirs. In cases like this, time couldn't be wasted.
—
Peggy walked back to her desk and saw Barnes on his personal cell.
"No— No, I'm not— Steve! I'm not! I'm not pulling your leg here, we need you. And I said you could be here quickly, can you or not?"
There's a pause and her partner lets out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, yeah, bring your stuff. You'll probably prefer to have your own supplies. Okay, see you soon."
He hung up and looked to her. "He's on his way, should be here in less than 10."
She nodded and sat down. "Friend of yours?"
Barnes nodded, tapping a pencil on his desk. "Yeah, brothers basically. Grew up in Brooklyn together."
"I assume he's an artist?"
Barnes huffed a breath. "He should be. Went to art school and everything but—" She noticed him shift uncomfortably. "Times are tough. Hard to make a living on art when you don't have connections. So he's an artist, yeah, but not for a living."
She tilted her head, "but good enough for this?"
He glanced up and stared at her, unyielding, "absolutely."
She nodded.
—
9 minutes later Barton was walking someone into the precinct.
Barnes motioned for her to follow him, and she obliged.
The man's appearance surprised her. He was shorter than her, fair, blonde hair and an angular face. But he held his shoulders squared and looked around him with interest.
"Carter? This is Steve Rogers. Steve, this is my partner Peggy Carter."
His eyes caught hers and she saw them widen just infinitesimally, before he was nodding and grabbing her outstretched hand. Another point for Barnes. He must not have described her to this friend. Fred had made his buddies well aware that he was partnered with a 'hot chick', and they'd all given her a once over upon meeting her. She'd hated that. Wanted to sock each and every one of them. But Steve just met her eyes and kept them there, giving her a small smile.
"Nice to meet you." He said.
"Same. Although under the circumstances—" He snapped straight at that.
"Of course, I shouldn't have—"
"No, no—" she said, easing his tension, "you're fine. Let's get to work shall we?"
He nodded firmly and motioned for them to lead the way.
—
They brought Steve to the room with the two ladies and Peggy watched as he unslung the leather satchel that was over his shoulder onto the ground. She expected him to get out supplies but instead he walked over to the older woman and held out his hand for her. She looked at it questioningly and she watched as he smiled softly and spoke.
"My name is Steve Rogers. I'm going to draw your daughter so we can find her, is that okay?"
The woman nodded, taking his hand and grasping at it, another lifeline. Steve's smile grew even softer, "you describe her as best you can, including what she was wearing, and anytime you see me start to veer off what she looks like, you tell me okay?"
The woman nodded, wiping the fresh tears away.
"Okay, let's get started." Steve dragged a chair over to hers, angling it so the woman could watch him draw. He tugged a large sketch pad out of the bag and several art pencils, erasers, and a charcoal smudger.
Peggy's eyebrow raised at that. Never had she seen Greg be so thoughtful or personal. Not that Greg was rude. He wasn't, and truthfully, after drawing so many missing people, you must become desensitized or it could overwhelm you, but even so, something about his manner... She glanced at Barnes who was staring at the two sitting in front of them... He must have felt her eyes because he glanced up, looking at her and when she made a small 'I'm impressed' expression, he beamed and nodded as if to say you don't know the half of it.
—
"A little bit rounder, and her nose tips out a bit to a point."
Peggy watched Steve make the necessary adjustments and then turn it towards the mom to really look.
The woman started crying again, something she kept doing off and on. "That's her. That's my little girl." Steve's hand immediately snaked out to rest on the woman's shoulder and he didn't react in surprise when the woman leaned in to hug him. He just hugged her back.
"Okay," Barnes said, "We'll get this circulating, you said she's 4 years old correct?"
"Yes," the woman sniffled, letting Steve go. "4 years and 7 months."
"Okay," Barnes said, holding his hand out for the portrait. Steve ripped it out of the book carefully and handed it to him. "Steve, would you now draw the perpetrator? This young lady will be able to describe him to you."
Steve nodded, and Barnes left, taking the portrait. Steve shifted his chair to face the younger one. "I'm Steve, what's your name?"
"Sadie."
"Okay, Sadie, I'm here to listen as you describe the man. Any detail you can remember. Tattoos, piercings, scars, and eye color would be very helpful if you remember any of those things. If you don't, that's okay, it's better to not include it so we don't get anyone mixed up, okay?"
The girl nodded, leaning in towards Steve, keeping her eyes on his hands.
He held the sketchbook in front of him and turned towards the mother, "would you like to watch as I draw him? Or prefer not to look?"
Peggy once again felt surprised. What a considerate question to ask.
"I'll just listen to her describe him." The mother whispered, "I'll look after."
Steve nodded, turning back towards the teen, "what about you, would you like to watch, just in case you need to correct me?" The girl looked nervous, and Steve spoke again, "whatever you prefer. I want you to be in a comfortable mindset so you can focus on remembering him."
Sadie ducked her shoulders and whispered, "I think I won't look, that way I'm not—-" She paused, her cheeks flushing, "I don't want to be influenced by your drawing."
The way Steve beamed lit up the whole room, "are you an artist?"
The girl blushed, "I like it, I paint a lot."
Steve nodded encouragingly, "well, that's a real wise thing you've just said. Sometimes looking at something else can muddle the details. Okay, let's get started. The fresher the memory the better."
Peggy watched with interest as they began.
—
At the end, she watched Steve take a deep breath and turn the sketchbook towards the girl. "Is this him?"
The girl's eyes widened, taking it in, "yes! That's him! Except—" She studied the portrait, "there's something—" She paused, looking unsure.
"What is it?" Steve asked earnestly, "whatever details you can remember, anything could be important."
"His chin." She pointed at the man's chin, "he had the line.. You know the—" She pointed at her chin, drawing a vertical line.
"A cleft?" Steve asked, "he had a cleft in his chin?"
The girl nodded and he set to work, adding it in. She watched as he scrubbed the page with the knuckle of his pointer finger instead of the scrubber. She'd noticed he'd abandoned it halfway through the first portrait, opting for his fingers, and the side of his fist instead of the tools.
She found herself staring at his hands, his thin, elongated fingers and steady movements were hypnotizing to watch. The almost single minded focus he had while also paying close attention to the girl in front of him made her opinion of this man she barely knew rise steadily.
A minute or two passed by before he turned the sketch pad to the girl again, "like this?"
"Yes," the girl rasped, "that's him."
He nodded and tore the page off gently. His face turned towards her, and she noticed a large smudge mark under his eye, where he must have wiped his finger at some point. For some reason, the smudge was such a charming character trait she felt her mouth turn up into a smile.
He smiled earnestly back at her, "here you go ma'am."
She took it and thanked him. "I'll go submit this," she said to the girls, "I'll be right back."
They nodded at her and she disappeared out the door. Passing Barnes in the hallway on his way back.
"How'd it go?"
"He's very good." Peggy stated simply, eyeing the drawing in her hand. Greg was a good sketch artist, but the portrait staring back at her was so well done, so well thought out that she felt like if she saw this man on the street she would instantly recognize him. He wasn't drawn dark and scary as some sketch artists had a tendency to do. Villianize the portrait and make it harder for people to recognize the face beyond it. But this portrait was unbiased. A detailed drawing of a man.
Barnes seemed relieved, if unsurprised. "I know. He's great. I wish he would believe me." He clammed up and rubbed at his eyes, "sorry, not the time. Thanks, I'll go escort him out."
Peggy reached out and put her arm on his shoulder, "let him stay, if he'd like. I'm sure knowing his drawing helped find them would be—" She didn't have a word, but he seemed to understand.
"Okay, yeah, he'd like that."
She nodded and continued on her way.
—
Not twenty minutes later, she walked back into the room and stopped at the sight before her. Barnes and Steve were talking back and forth animatedly, describing some scenario from their childhood and arguing good-naturedly. At first Peggy felt a surge of annoyance, now wasn't the time to be telling silly stories, but then she noticed that the young teen seemed at ease and even laughed at them. The mother was still subdued, but she seemed a bit more relaxed.
Peggy admonished herself. They weren't being silly. They were purposefully distracting the girls from the horrid nature of the situation.
She cleared her throat and they looked up at her arrival.
"Mrs. Samuels? Both pictures have been sent out to the cops on patrol and those canvassing all have them, along with the news outlets and any other relevant parties. Sadie? Your parents are on their way to pick you up. Is there anything I can get either of you while you wait?"
They shook their heads and she turned to Steve, still with the smudge mark on his face, "what about you?"
He ducked his head, "no, I'm good. Thanks."
She nodded and walked back out, listening as they resumed their story.
—
Not two hours later they got a call. Some grandmother who'd noticed her rather aloof neighbor had brought home a little girl he'd claimed to be his niece. But then she'd watched the local news and recognized the photos shown immediately.
Peggy and Barnes were one of the first cars dispatched and they went in, ready to do what was necessary to bring the little girl home.
The man answered the door and immediately sprinted out the back door. "You find the little girl!" Barnes shouted, taking off after the man, "I'll get him."
Peggy nodded and began searching each room methodically, calling the girls name.
A small crying sound caught her attention and she entered what appeared to be a little girl's bedroom. She tried the closet door and found it locked.
"Lila? Please step back, I'm going to break the lock, okay?"
She didn't hear a response, but she didn't wait. She stepped to the side, not wanting to kick the door inwards. She kicked out, slamming her boot against the side of the doorknob, Once, twice, before it cracked and fell to the floor, releasing the lock. She reached her finger into the now vacated hole and pulled the door open.
A small girl who looked exactly like her portrait sat huddled in the back, wide scared eyes peering out at her. Peggy knelt down, getting onto the girls level.
"Hello," she said calmly, "I'm Peggy. I'm a police officer and I'm here to collect you to take you back to your mother. Would that be okay?"
The little girl nodded and sprang forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Peggy's clasped her arms around the little girl, stroking her hair and offering small notes of safety, "You're okay. We're going to take you home, we're going to get you back to your mom."
She carried the girl to their vehicle and set her gently inside. She looked out and heard movement.
Barnes rounded the corner, the man handcuffed in front of him. The man had a contusion on his face and Barnes had a scrape on his chin, but other than that looked okay.
"Guy thought breaking into someone else's house to escape would be a smart idea." Barnes said as he set him on the curb. "Just another charge to add."
Peggy nodded, glaring at the man who refused to meet their eyes.
"Have you read him his rights?" Barnes nodded yes. "Whose bedroom was that?" Peggy asked, "how many little girls have you brought home before?"
The man glared at the ground. Refusing to speak.
"Barnes?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you get the name and contact information of the woman who called this in? Maybe she remembers him bringing in other 'nieces'."
The man's eyes snapped up to hers and the fear finally showed. Peggy glared at him and he looked back to the ground.
"You got it, boss." Barnes said with an appreciative nod.
She didn't mind that nickname at all.
—-
"BABY!" The mother cried, running down the hallway and collapsing onto her knees in front of her little girl. "Baby, I'm so sorry, I'm so so sorry! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" The mother continued to hug and kiss on her little girl as she was led to a desk to make sure the report was complete.
Peggy looked up to watch Steve and the young girl exit the room they'd been waiting in. Her parents had arrived but she'd requested to stay just a little bit longer. "You both were extremely valuable in this case, thank you very much."
Steve smiled but looked at the girl. "Don't look at me, without their great descriptions I woulda just been the guy with the pencil." He nudged the girl's shoulder and she smiled, relief clear across her features. "I hope you continue with your art." He said in a serious voice, looking at her with an earnest but kind expression. "I can tell you have the eye for it just by how you described the guy. You've got raw talent, make sure you sharpen that up, okay? Don't let anyone talk you out of it."
The girl stared up at him in a bit of awe and nodded her head. He smiled and waved goodbye, heading off towards Barnes.
"You really were quite the help, Sadie." Peggy stated. "If art doesn't work out, maybe you could be a police officer." The girl smiled at her and her eyes wandered. Peggy followed her eyeline to see it land on Steve and the girl's eyes widened in realization.
"Maybe I could do both? Be a sketch artist to find other kids who go missing."
Peggy fought to keep her voice steady as she smiled at the girl, "that sounds like a wonderful idea. When you graduate, be sure to apply here."
The girl beamed and threw her arms around Peggy's waist. Peggy hugged her back and smiled at the parents who were looking at their daughter very fondly.
They waved their farewell and Peggy cleared her throat before walking back towards her desk. Barnes sat at his desk, talking to Steve who was leaning against the edge.
"You were very helpful." Peggy said honestly, giving credit where credit was due. "I've been on more missing children's cases than I care to remember and they very rarely end that quickly or happily. Your drawings helped accomplish that."
She watched the man blush fiercely, and duck his head. "That's very kind of you to say." He scrubbed at the back of his neck and stood up, grabbing his bag, "I should get going. Nice to meet you Officer Carter, see ya tonight, Buck."
He waved and disappeared quickly.
Peggy stood stock still, her eyes trained on Barnes who was desperately trying to avoid her.
"Barnes?"
He winced, "hmm?"
"Did he just call you… Buck?"
He sighed and leaned back in his chair, making it squeak. "Yeah."
Her nose scrunched. "And why, pray tell, is that?"
The squeak of his chair was the only thing audible for a minute before he sighed and looked at her, a don annoyance in his eyes. "Steve and I met when we were kids, right? And back then I didn't like my first name."
"You didn't like the name James?"
"Nope. Thought it was boring. But my middle name wasn't much better."
"What is your middle name?"
"Buchanan."
Her eyes widened, realizing where this was headed, "no…"
"Yep. So, I asked everyone to call me Bucky." He winced, "Steve has called me Bucky or Buck for so long it's just a habit now. It's a real hard habit to break."
She laughed, her hand clutching her ribs as she laughed, causing Chief Phillips to poke his head out his door at the disturbance. She bit back and flopped into her chair. Barnes rolled his eyes at her, but there was a smile.
"He has a nickname for your nickname?" Barnes nodded and she laughed again, quieter this time. "Do you have a nickname for him?"
"I tried Stevie for a while, but it didn't stick."
She nodded and then the pictures that sat on Barnes desk, waiting to be put into evidence drew her eyes. "He's really very good."
"I try telling him that everyday."
"What does he do?"
"He works for a local bookshop, does typesetting at a local paper station, and works nights doing janitorial at that bank on 37th."
She looked at him in surprise and Barnes instantly got defensive, "Brooklyn's not as cheap as it used to be." he shut his mouth and looked away.
"That's not what I was going to comment on," Peggy clarified. "Three jobs is a lot for anyone to handle. I don't look down on that, that's impressive."
Barnes relaxed ever so slightly. "He took on the third job when I got deployed. Helped cover for things while I was gone." She'd seen his record. A decorated Sergeant. At first she'd been worried he'd be another meathead looking to replicate the thrill of war. But he wasn't. He was a dedicated partner and respectful so far. Much more so than Fred had ever been.
"He seems like a great friend."
"He is."
"You're meeting up with him tonight?"
"Yeah, I've convinced him to come bowling with me and some of my war buddies. They're a hoot. They like Steve alot, but he always feels—-" he cut off again. And Peggy realized it's when he feels like he's about to broach privacy. It's an honorable trait, but she is curious.
"He feels what?" She puts on a concerned and open expression, one she uses often in her job.
Barnes sighed, eyeing her with an inspecting eye before speaking, "Steve tried to enlist with me. But he was 4F'd. Too many issues. Asthma alone got him rejected. So now when I hang out with the guys he gets self-conscious. It's ridiculous. It's not his fault he couldn't serve. And none of them care one lick. And hell. He probably helped save that little girl's life today. That means the world to that mom."
Peggy nodded, in complete agreement. "So, bowling."
"Yeah. It's something all of us can agree on."
"I've never been."
He looked up at her in surprise, "really? Haven't you lived here since you were like 16?"
"Yes, and I've still never been bowling."
He scoffed, "you gotta go sometime. It's a blast, Steve's wicked good, perfect aim the little bastard." Peggy laughed and she looked down at her hands innocently before asking the question she'd wondered when seeing the smudge on his cheek.
"Will Steve's girlfriend be going tonight?"
Barnes' head snapped up, but she didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on her computer screen.
"Steve doesn't have a girlfriend."
"Oh." She could feel his eyes on her. "Any particular reason why not?"
"Girls have been all too willing to overlook the man inside for what they deem not datable on the outside."
The sharpness of these words, the harshness of them tell her she's entered some sort of test.
"What, he's only asked out idiots?"
He smiled, leaning back in his chair again, then his face grew somber. "he's asked out exactly one girl in his entire life and he was 13 when he did that. She rejected him on the spot and he's never tried since."
She eyed him, "so he's a coward?"
Barnes bristled. "The kid has been sick his whole life. He was doing okay in his early teens. That's when he tried. After she rejected him, he didn't turn into a coward, he just vowed that he wouldn't ask again until he thought he'd found the right partner. Then his ma…" he paused, " then college. He definitely hasn't found the right one. You should see the way girls treat him whenever we go out. They act like he's invisible. Something to be stepped on."
"Well, that's their loss. He seems lovely."
Barnes stared at her, then his watch. "Hey, Carter, you got plans tonight?"
She huffed at him and laughed, "my, you work quickly."
"You're the one who asked the question about Steve having a girlfriend first."
"I—" She paused. She had indeed asked that question. He grinned at her and she scrunched her nose at him. "I suppose I'm not busy this evening."
"How would you like to join me and a bunch of rowdy idiots? We could teach you how to bowl, and we can get to know each other a little more, as partners. you know, likes, dislikes, family and friends?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and he responded in kind.
"I think that sounds like a lovely time."
"Great," he grinned, "you'll fit right into our group."
"I hope that's a compliment." She said laughing.
His smile was genuine as he looked at her, "it is."
—-
Hope you liked this one! If you like the AU be sure to let me know and I could probably think of a few more moment to write about :D