"So how's Wakanda?" Eva asked, holding the phone to her ear in one hand and mixing the pancake batter with the other.

"Lots of trees," Alvie said, "you'd love it. Eva, I really am sorry I never told you I was Athena."

"Right," said Eva, "you should be. Al, honey, what the hell did you do to end up how you are now?"

"A series of things that I thought were good ideas at the time," said Alvie, "how far back d'you want me to go?"

"… You know what? Don't even bother. Athena and Alvie are two ontologically distinct people, in my book."

"Nice long word, there."

"Vision has affected me somewhat, I will admit." Eva paused as the sound of Rachel Carson yowling at something echoed around the kitchen. "My cat's going crazy at something. I need to go. And I'm glad you're safe, Alvie. Other stuff doesn't matter."

"Okay. I'll call you next week."

"It's a date," said Eva, and hung up. I need normal friends, she thought, bending down to scratch her cat behind the ears. "What's the matter, Rachel Carson? You haven't developed any kitty superpowers, have you? I wouldn't be surprised."

Rachel Carson was sat by the closed balcony door, mewling at something hovering outside it between the leaves of Eva's potted plants. "Is that… Redwing?" Eva said out loud, walking up to the door. Yes, she would recognize that little drone anywhere. She opened the window and Redwing swooped into the middle of her lounge, where it paused in midair. A small screen popped out of its back and flashed a message at her.

Roof.

Eva's eyes widened, and she didn't even bother to put shoes on as she vaulted her plants and ran up the fire escape to the rooftop allotment. There, leaning on the wall of the shed, was:

"Sam!"

"Hey, baby," he said, hugging her. "Figured you'd be pissed if I left it at a phone call."

"I was pissed," she said, "extremely pissed. How'd you even get Redwing? I thought they had confiscated all your gear!"

Sam held up his wrist and tapped the smart watch he was wearing. "Through the ventilation shaft of the holding facility. They underestimated the ingenuity of cute flying things. Speaking of cute flying things – me. I'm not even supposed to be here."

"I figured that," said Eva, "Alvie's a political refugee on the other side of the world and she's not in half the amount of trouble you are. Sam, you need to go."

"I needed to see you first," he said. "Eva –"

"It's not me," she said, "it's you. Right? Sam, I get it. I'm over the rage stage of you dumping me, I can think straight now. I can't… I can't date a runaway superhero. It's dangerous, and stressful, and it's not worth it. I quit my job at the HQ, as well. I think coffee for the world's most obnoxious superpeople is more than enough, don't you? But thanks for coming to see me. But if you could tell your mom that it's not my fault we broke up, that'd be grand. I'm more scared of her than I am most evil villains."

Sam laughed. "Sure," he said. "You deserve better than to be caught up in all this, anyway."

"I don't, but I appreciate the thought. Bucky Barnes… he was innocent, wasn't he? Is he okay?"

"He's… safe," said Sam. "And you were right. The UN was nothing to do with him."

"Told you so." She rose up onto tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Be careful with whatever it is you do next."

"You too. Keep an eye on Anna for me. She was one step away from becoming another Zemo, y'know. The only thing that stopped her was you."

"All I did was talk to her."

"It worked better than fighting, didn't it?"

"Yeah," said Eva, "I guess it did. I'll see you again, maybe."

"Hopefully," Sam said, and saluted. "Miss Kresk."

"Avenger Wilson." She gave him one last smile and went back downstairs. Jerk, she thought affectionately, closing the balcony door behind her and scratching Rachel Carson behind the ears. "Come on, Rachel Carson. I got the evening off work and Vertigo on DVD. Sounds like a party to me, huh?"

A/N story time with SiriusLOCKED: okay so the other day I went up to this really low-key gig to see this blues singer I like, and I kind of drunk quite a lot of whisky because go hard or go home, and then the singer guy forgot the lyrics to his own song and I kindly, innocently and without malice, offered to google them for him, and then the internet did not yield the lyrics and he took the piss out of me for the best part of a song for failing him while I flipped him off because I was drunk and could not make sensible decisions. So yeah, that was one of the best nights of my life. PM me if you want the video link of me embarrassing myself, because it does exist but to preserve the last of my dignity I am NOT sharing it publically. Anyhoo. How's your summer going?