A/N: Chloe's meant to look like the actress Riley Voelkel!

Weeks had turned into two months and Seren was happy to see that Steve was adjusting well into their world. He still needed help learning things but for the most part, he was finally getting it. S.H.I.E.L.D. was definitely looking into the matter of offering him an actual job but up until now, Steve had rejected every offer. Seren understood he wasn't ready for that kind of thing yet. He was still healing and although things were going well...there were a couple matters that Seren felt could use some improvement. At the very least, they deserved more attention.

Naturally, Steve hadn't disclosed much about his past. Seren understood that would take a good while. She was a patient woman. The only thing she wanted was for him to know that she was there if he ever decided to talk about it. She felt like on a certain level, he did want to open up but there were a lot of complicated feelings that he couldn't work out alone. And he certainly wasn't asking for her help on it either.

They talked more about himself and what he did before the war came around, what his childhood was like, the things he liked to eat and the places he liked to go to. Some would say that was pointless conversations, that it was just normal stuff, but Seren thought it was a huge step in the right direction. He still wouldn't touch the subject of the war beyond a couple sentences, though.

Seren was a patient woman, but she was also a concerned kind of woman. She was a worrier, to put it in simple terms. She worried about Steve closing off permanently. She had to do something to help push him, even if it was a gentle little push.

So she went and called for that "little push".

"And you really think I can help?" A tall blonde woman walked alongside Seren down the street. Her lips curved into a smirk. "Jesus, Seren, I'm not...Jesus."

Seren rolled her eyes and kept walking, picking up their speed down the sidewalk once she saw the gym coming up. "You've done this before. It's worked on Romanoff and for it to work on someone like her, it has to help Steve too."

The blonde woman flipped her head in Seren's direction, her long, dirty blonde curls bouncing with the movement. Despite her attempt at being stoic, Seren could see the bursting excitement she felt knowing who she was about to meet. "How do I know he's not going to freak out on me?"

"Because I like to think that I know him enough to be sure."

"Oh," the blonde stopped just outside the gym's entrance, crossing her arms as she gazed at Seren, "So does that mean that you've finally told him what you are?"

Seren looked away. "Don't compare it, Chloe," she mumbled.

'Chloe' chuckled. "Oh Seren, I admire your tenacity when it comes to your missions."

"This isn't a mission," sighed Seren.

"That's not what it says on the paperwork," chirped Chloe, grinning when Seren deadpanned her. "Okay," she raised her hands in defense.

"I beg you to take this seriously," Seren warned as she reached for the door handle. "Be professional, alright?"

Chloe knew better than to disobey Seren's orders. "Fine, lead the way Stardust."

"Shh!" Seren exclaimed, nearly letting the door handle go. "He doesn't know about that!"

"What?" Chloe laughed out of surprise. "Dude, that is your thing! How could you not tell Captain America that you basically have your own alter-ego?"

"Because it's not pertinent," Seren said like it was obvious. "I keep my S.H.I.E.L.D. missions and assignments away from Steve. He doesn't feel all that great around the organization."

"But this is you we're talking about," Chloe said, gesturing at Seren, "Does he know about Iron Man?"

"Yes."

"You're the counterpart but for S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

"It doesn't matter!" Seren exclaimed. "To Steve, I am not an agent, I am certainly not Stardust, I'm just Seren. And you know what?" A light smile touched her lips. "That's been really nice."

Chloe's playfulness disappeared once Seren started. Chloe knew more than anyone what Seren's life was like. "Well...I'm happy for you. Who knew it took finding a presumably dead history icon iced in the Artic for you to get that feeling."

Seren sighed heavily. "You are simply too much sometimes, you know that?" Chloe giggled in return. "C'mon." Seren led her inside and to Chloe's surprise, the gym was entirely empty.

"Woah, how much money does the guy have to rent the place for himself?" Chloe whispered, ignoring the scolding glare that Seren threw her over her shoulder.

Steve had of course stationed himself in front of a punching bag. Seren decided to skip over the line of extra punching bags on the ground. All the closed up feelings had to come out somewhere, she supposed.

"Steve," Seren called gently.

The man stopped halfway through a punch to see her and the blonde woman across him. "Seren…" He took that moment to study the second woman. He'd gotten to know the S.H.I.E.L.D. employees around him, at least the basics so he wasn't a complete stranger to them and he was sure that he had never seen that woman before. Seren hadn't really introduced him to any of her personal friends so he wondered where this woman had come from.

She was far taller than Seren, a good 4 or 5 inches like himself. She had plump cheeks and very long wavy blonde hair. She had green eyes like Seren though Steve thought this woman's eyes were less shiny in comparison to Seren's. She wore a pair of high-waisted, faded black jeans with a velvet blue long sleeved shirt tucked underneath.

"I cannot believe this is real," Chloe said, clearly taking him in. Her cheeks seemed plumpier when she smiled. "That you're real."

"Steve, this is Agent Chloe Winters." Seren shook her head disapprovingly.

"Also her best friend," Chloe waved a hand, happy to add the detail. Seren shook her head again. Steve was pretty sure that between the two, Seren was the more serious one.

"Forgive her," Seren clapped a hand over Chloe's shoulder. "She's a bit on the young and dumb side."

Chloe shoved Seren's hand off her. "Screw off you jerk!"

Well, she definitely spoke differently from Seren. Even the way she acted was different. Chloe carried herself with some type of boisterous energy that Seren didn't really express. Maybe Seren was like that on missions but not with him, least not right now. Chloe didn't seem to care who she spoke to.

"We are literally only 2 years apart," Chloe said, huffing.

Seren went on like she hadn't been interrupted. "Agent Winters works primarily out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. bases. She's in and out, doing solo missions." Chloe smirked upon Seren's obvious disapproval over her work situation. "But she's someone I thought could help you."

"Is she giving me lessons?" Steve presumed, making Chloe laugh.

"I'm not a teacher. I, um...I have a unique set of abilities that help occasionally with, uh, feelings," Chloe stepped towards him, shooting him a half smirk.

"She's good Steve, I promise," Seren said to him. "Above all, Chloe is my best friend and she's practiced her abilities for a while now. I've overseen it myself."

"Yeah, I wonder why," Chloe said, shooting Seren a knowing look. "It's not like you found me or anything—oh wait."

"Found?" Steve repeated, now eyeing Chloe strangely. "How do you mean?"

Chloe purposely kept her mouth shut. The first thing Seren had told her when they arranged this meeting was to not say anything about S.H.I.E.L.D. missions.

"Steve's got a lot of things on his mind and S.H.I.E.L.D. already bombarding him with job offers. He doesn't need anymore irrelevant information."

Chloe figured Seren was right but questions like this one couldn't be bombarding if he was directly asking. "Let's just say, Seren saved my life one day."

Seren flushed on the spot. "We're not here to talk about me. Chloe, want to give him a little preview?"

Chloe knew better than to think it was an actual question. It was an instruction. She nodded. Instead, her gaze settled ahead of her at nothing in particular. Steve noticed light blue lines appearing on her face. They seemed to glitter white in several parts but if he was being honest it looked more like technology was taking her over, like a computer.. He had heard that this modern world contained a lot of enhanced humans. Some of them were good and some of them or not, surprisingly. He wondered if Chloe was one of these enhanced humans, like he presumed Seren was.

"What...what's happening to her?" Steve got the faint feeling that Chloe wasn't really there with them anymore. Her face had gone blank while the blue streaks continued marking her face and even her hands.

"Chloe had an accident a couple years ago," Seren explained quietly, "She's got a piece of alien technology that merged with her mind. It's given her special abilities that really do help."

"But is it hurting her?" Steve couldn't tear his eyes from Chloe. Her eyes had a stark blue glow in them. The streaks of blue had only intensified. He was thankful for all the help but he would refuse if it meant that it would hurt someone.

"Sometimes," Seren answered honestly. "But not right now. Trust me, if that was the case, we would know. Chloe's had many episodes in the past."

"Seren, I don't know…"

Seren was so close to saying 'trust me' that she barely caught herself. She was very careful to avoid commitment words like those around him. It had only been a few weeks since she met Steve and he was nowhere near that level with anyone. "I know what I'm doing," she told him. "Chloe's done this before, including to me. She can help you."

"What exactly can she help me with?"

"The things you don't want to talk about, you can do with her without actually having to talk. Chloe can help you release those feelings as if you had actually talked about them."

Steve naturally hesitated. "And she won't know what about?"

Seren shook her head. "Nope. Part of her abilities."

Chloe suddenly gasped, the blue glow fading from her eyes. "Sorry," she flashed them both a smile. "Sometimes the Hive takes me for a ride. It gave some subtle information about you, though. You are exhibiting quite the emotions…not surprising."

"Hive?" Steve arched an eyebrow at her.

"I'm sort of part of this Hive Mind..." Chloe trailed off then glanced at Seren. "You told him about the alien tech, right?"

"Yes," Seren nodded.

"It's like I'm connected on this other level that humans biologically can't be on. S.H.I.E.L.D. says that my brain's unlocked past the 10% functions of human brains," Chloe explained like it was nothing. She did have years of processing, after all. She had come to accept what she became...eventually. "Would you like to get started?"

Steve still wouldn't openly agree nor disagree. He was in the middle. "But it's not gonna hurt you is it?"

"Usually doesn't, but you'll know if it does. Trust me." Chloe smiled nonchalantly, leading Steve to conclude that she'd gone through many moments of pain. He understood that. "So, do you want to try it?"

"I have no idea what it is but...I guess?" He had come to know that Seren wouldn't purposely hurt him. He noticed straightaway how cautious she was around him and he really appreciated it. It was nice. She wanted to ease him into the new world as best as possible.

Chloe smirked. "Good answer."

"So, uh...alien technology?" He asked when she approached him. She looked perfectly normal, of course then he remembered the blue streaks and glowing eyes.

Chloe's smirk turned briefly into a smile. "I basically touched something I shouldn't have." Her smirk returned. "I'm always touching things I shouldn't be."

That was another understatement but for his sake, she would spare him the story. Seren was very clear that they shouldn't overburden him with unnecessary information. To say, Steve still didn't know about Seren's unique biology. He still thought she was enhanced! Chloe laughed but she wasn't surprised Seren was going through all this trouble to keep the truth hidden.

Seren rolled her eyes behind them. "She sticks her nose where it doesn't belong, literally. It's her job."

"I'm a special S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a specific concentration on investigation," Chloe explained. "These abilities of mind come in handy to find people that don't want to be found."

"She's good at what she does, basically," Seren gestured for Chloe to start. Chloe tended to go off on tangents sometimes.

Chloe raised her hands to Steve's face, motioning beforehand that she was about to touch him. He gave her the complying nod to do it. Her fingers crawled to the sides of his head. Steve actually felt a pinch as if something had actually latched onto his skin.

"It's alright, it's just the Hive working," Chloe explained as her eyes fell shut. "It's connecting to your mind."

"Am I supposed to be doing something? Or feeling something?" Steve asked because there was nothing of the sort so far. He only knew that he had a woman touching his face.

Chloe said nothing but smiled and gave a light shake of her head. Several more minutes passed in silence, almost leading Steve to declare this attempt a fail...until he felt it. His entire body stiffened after giving a subtle jolt, one that Seren was able to catch.

He felt Chloe's presence in his head but it wasn't painful, nor did it feel like an invasion of privacy. Something about her touch, about her powers, allowed Steve to finally relax. He could calm down. He wasn't saying anything but he was sure that Chloe was seeing snippets of his past. Steve didn't care. She had no idea - she could never comprehend - what all of it entailed, but she was helping. He was allowing her to see things and in return she was feeding him calmness, she was the ears he could spill to without having to talk. It was...nice, peaceful even.

Seren smiled from her spot. She knew straight away when Chloe's powers worked. She was relieved to see that this time was no exception either.

Chloe stepped back with a proud smile on her face. "Ah, told you it'd work." She grinned despite the disapproving look Seren was throwing at her back. "How do you feel?"

"I...don't know…" Steve was trying to work through the odd feelings lingering from Chloe's trick. "I mean...I feel like a weight's been lifted off me."

Chloe shrugged. "I have that effect."

"Chloe," warned Seren.

"What? It's a literal part of my abilities," Chloe sighed then looked at Steve again. "How do you feel, Captain?"

Now, Steve was beginning to feel a small inkling of peace that, with seconds, grew to become substantial. It was as if he really had gotten things off his chest - parting words to Peggy, even a last moment with his best friend Bucky, it had all been said. He was, frankly, amazed. "How did...how did you do that?"

Chloe chuckled. "I will sound terrible saying this but I literally have no idea! I just know that it works most of the time!"

"Well...thank you," Steve passed a hand through his damp hair.

"If you need another session, Seren can contact me...seriously, at any time." Chloe rocked on her feet for a moment, looking very much like she had something else to say. It was a sight for Steve, but Seren seemed to be annoyed by it. "Sorry," Chloe eventually said with a halfhearted laugh, "It's just...it is an honor to meet you. My, uh, my grandfather served in the war...he didn't make it. Gave my pregnant grandmother quite the news."

"I'm sorry," Steve nodded at her.

"He died fighting for us, our hero," Chloe said, tucking a long strand of her blond hair behind her ear.

"Many good people died," Steve said quietly and while Seren didn't know yet that he was actually talking about something specific, Chloe did because she had seen it.

"Your best friend," she said, biting her lower lip. At his startled expression, she explained, "Things slipped through and, uh...that seemed to be a recurring memory. Good looking fella…"

"Chloe!" Seren scolded, making the woman in question wince.

"Sorry!"

Steve laughed at the pair. It was the only reason why Seren didn't go further with Chloe. His laughs were rare.

"It's fine," he told them, "He would've gotten a kick out of that."

"Oh, you've learned a slang line," Chloe laughed. "That's good. Don't worry, once you're more out there, I'll send you some stuff."

"Okay, time to go Chloe," Seren announced, already turning Chloe away from Steve.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Chloe shook Seren's hands off her and took off, only stopping by the doorway to give a mock salute at them.

"Chloe!" Seren was exasperated and her Chloe only laughed. Steve might have done the same behind Seren. "I'm sorry about her," Seren said once they were alone. "She means well but her personality is quite…"

"It's fine," Steve assured her. "It's kind of familiar, actually." He just couldn't place it yet. "But she did help. Thanks for that."

Seren beamed. "Great! I'm glad it did!"

"Can I ask you something, though?"

"Anything!"

"...what's a Starbucks?"

Seren's face fell flat. Steve only sheepishly stared at her, waiting for the answer.

"Did you see that in Chloe's mind?"

Steve nodded. "I'm guessing that whole trick opens up both minds?"

"Sometimes," Seren confirmed and chuckled in the end. "I guess it is time I introduce you to that. It's everywhere. Picture every 2 blocks. But moving on, I've got some news for you. S.H.I.E.L.D. finally found you a new apartment to live in with all the commodities you deserve. It's bigger than the one you're in right now. All expenses paid, of course."

Steve was naturally bewildered by all the exchanges for him, even more so abashed. "That's great but I can get a job, you know."

Seren smirked as she brought her arms across her chest. "You can, one day, but right now that's still some time away. You don't even know what a Starbucks is."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Okay, but it doesn't mean I can't pull my weight."

"Steve, you fought in World War II and you slept for 67 years...let us do this for you," Seren unfolded her arms, letting them hang on her side. "Plus, I chose what went into that apartment and it would be really rude not to even see it...right?"

Steve smiled whether he wanted to or not. "Right…" He supposed it would be rather rude not to give the new apartment a try. Seren had been nothing but kind to him ever since he woke up.

"You want to go do that right now?"

"Yes ma'am," he gave a dutiful nod that had Seren laughing as she once again reminded him that he didn't need to say 'ma'am' to her. It was a little old fashioned.

A/N:

Alrightie! So this chapter was basically an introduction to the second OC of this timeline. If some of you guys have read my one shots about Chloe, then you have a better idea of who she is and the fact that she'll eventually be paired up with Bucky. But for those who haven't read her one shots, Chloe's going to be a main OC in the next fic, alongside Seren. During this fic, she'll be making appearances but the main OC will be Seren!

But fun fact, there will actually be 3 OCs in the same time line (Seren, Chloe and a Black Panther OC ;)).

P.S As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars"

For the Reviews:

crossMIRAGE19: Thank you SOOOOO much for your reviews! I loved reading through them, they really made my day! When I first started this fic, I was a bit nervous trying to get a better pov of Steve since I felt like the Avengers movie just kinda scrapped through it by deleting his most important scenes. Hence, why I decided to go ahead and write a little bit about him on the streets. So to hear that I've got it right really meant a LOT. And for the story in general, I'm striving really hard to write things differently to give diff povs too. Give it some twists, you know?

highlander348: Hi! So Seren's not enhanced but she does have abilities. For now she's keeping it a secret but we'll get to know what she can do in about 2 chapters. For now, I'll say that her abilities have to do with space! And the question of whether or not she's stronger than Steve is actually a huge question throughout this fic. And it sort of gets answered in a not so nice way ;).