Author's Note: Steve and Eleanor never met in 2013
Eleanor's P.O.V
Tuesday, June 14th, 2016
It was my 22nd birthday. Once I interrogated these last two agents, I had the rest of the day off, and I was excited to spend it with my dad. I was officially out of college and working at Avengers Tower. Dad wasn't happy when he first found out, but slowly came to accept it as time went on. Natasha continued to be somewhat of a training mentor to me, and she quickly became one of my closest friends, along with Wanda.
As I walked down the hallway to the interrogation room, I checked my phone to see a text from my friend Maddy wishing me a happy birthday. I texted her back before putting my phone in my blazer pocket and walking into the interrogation room.
I placed the file down in front of the last two Hydra agents we captured, before taking a seat in front of them. "You guys are in a lot of trouble," I said to them. "Attempting to steal classified documents and killing twenty civilians." I dramatically whistled as I sat back in my chair. "I could talk to my superiors and see if we could discuss an early release, so long as you tell us why you wanted said documents."
The two agents stiffened in their chairs and looked at me, confused. "Солдат? (Soldier?)" The blonde agent asked. Now it was my turn to be confused.
"I'm sorry?" I asked. "I didn't quite get that."
"Где находится актив? (Where is the asset?)" The brown-haired agent asked me as they leaned closer towards me, and I looked at him with the same expression.
"I don't understand," I told them. "Now, are you going to tell me why you wanted these documents, or what?" Both men looked at each other before the blonde-haired man clasped his hands together and started to speak.
"отказываться от (Abandon), свет (Light), Реактор (Reactor), Двадцать два (Twenty-two), чёртово колесо (Ferris Wheel), кукла (Doll), сорок пять (Forty-five), большое горе (Heartbreak), урон (Loss), лед (Ice)," I gave him a blank look as I tried to read his next move. The agents smirked slightly at me before saying, "Зимнее солнцестояние. Готовы выполнить? (Winter Solstice. Ready to comply?)" Ok. that's it.
"Look, I don't know what game you're playing, but it isn't working," I told them and grabbed the file. "Let me know when you want to talk." As I stood up, the brown hair agent grabbed my wrist and held me there. Well, that is going to leave a mark.
"отказываться от (Abandon), свет (Light), Реактор (Reactor), Двадцать два (Twenty-two), чёртово колесо (Ferris Wheel), кукла (Doll), сорок пять (Forty-five), большое горе (Heartbreak), урон (Loss), лед (Ice)." He repeated and I pulled my wrist from his grip with ease. I then made my way out of the room and towards the observation room.
I walked in and saw my dad walk towards me as I entered. I was moving my wrist around when he grabbed it and looked me over. "Are you ok?" He asked, and I nodded as I glanced at the Hydra agents on the other side of the glass. Everett Ross walked over to my dad and me.
"Are you alright?" Ross asked, and I nodded again. "Do you have any idea what they were saying to you?"
"No, sir," I answered as my dad dropped my hand. "I wish I did, though." Both men followed my gaze to the agents on the other side of the glass.
"Yes, well, until we can get a translator here, we don't want you in the same room as them again." Agent Ross explained, and I gave him the file in my hand. "Looks like you have the rest of the day off to celebrate your birthday." I gave my superior a small smile as he went back to work, and my dad walked out of the room with me.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Dad asked worriedly, and I nodded. The situation was more confusing than anything. I think they said the words doll and light. Maybe a light doll? Whatever the hell that meant, but I couldn't be sure. I'll have to wait until the translator can tell us what they said.
With that in mind, I smiled at my dad and said, "I'm fine, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to Coney Island with me today. You know, like we did when I turned 15?" I hope he says yes; we haven't had a day together since the Avengers were created, because my dad always got pulled away by calls or missions. All I wanted for my birthday was to spend time with him without any interruptions.
"Sunshine, I'm sorry," And there goes all my hopes for today. "But I have to go give a talk in an hour," Dad explained. I was quick to cover up the hurt look on my face. Luckily, SHIELD had trained me to do that, along with lying. "But we'll do something tomorrow, ok? Maybe dinner and a movie?" I smiled and nodded in agreement.
When I looked up, he smiled at me before he turned around and began to walk to the car, waiting for him outside. "Yeah…tomorrow," I mumbled before turning around and going down to the lockers.
I pulled out my locker key from my jacket pocket and sighed. You just had to have a business talk today. You couldn't have done it on any other day that wasn't your daughter's birthday?! I sighed as I closed my eyes and held in my tears. All I asked for was to spend my birthday with my dad like I had my entire life. I glanced at the two Coney Island tickets I had pinned to my locker door. That's when the first tear fell, but I was quick to wipe it away when I heard the entrance to the locker room open.
"Eleanor?" I turned to see Natasha there. I gave her a small smile, but I knew she saw straight through it. She was one of my best friends and gave me a little smile in return.
"Hey Nat," I said to her, and she walked up to me, then handed me a big blue bag.
"This is from Wanda and me," Nat explained, and I took it from her hands before opening it. Inside was a beautiful black leather jacket; I pulled it out as my jaw dropped.
"Oh my god!" I gasped and pulled the ex-assassin into a hug. "I love it!"
Nat pulled away and smiled at me. "Well, try it on." She said, and I laughed as I took my blazer off and handed it to her. I put the jacket on, and it was perfect. "Perfect fit." I gave her another hug and mentally decided to wear it to Coney Island. "So, are you and your dad going to Coney Island?"
My expression fell, and I shook my head, "Umm, no. He has another business talk," I looked back at the tickets in my locker. "But since I already got the tickets, I was just going to go anyways."
"Alright," Nat said sadly, and I turned back to my locker to grab my bag. "I have to go." I nodded and waited for her to walk out before I grabbed one of the tickets. I slammed the locker closed, put my blazer away in the gift bag, and decided to stop by my apartment before heading to the amusement park.
〜〜〜
I walked into my apartment and closed the door behind me. Once I walked into my bedroom, I kicked off my high heels, took off my new leather jacket, and walked over to my closet. I pulled out a pair of light blue ripped jeans, a bright pink shirt, and my black converse. I placed them on my bed and was halfway through changing my clothes when my phone rang. As soon as I pulled down my shirt, I ran to my bag and put the call on speaker.
"Hello?" I asked as I looped my belt through the belt loops of my pants.
"Hey, sweetie," My mom said over the phone.
"Hey, mom, how's the company?" I asked her. She was still in California after she and dad decided to take a break from their relationship. I knew this would happen eventually, but it seemed like the events of Socovia pushed mom to her limits.
"Good, everything is running smoothly. How's your birthday going? Are you and your dad going to go celebrate tonight?" She asked me, and I started to put on my shoes.
"Yeah - umm -" Dad decided to have one of his business talks on his daughter's birthday, meaning we'll end up celebrating it tomorrow, even though all I fucking wanted was to spend today with him. "Dad and I are going to go out to dinner tonight." I lied.
"He's working today, isn't he?" Mom asked, and I sighed.
"Is it that obvious?"
"He's your father. He's always working." I chuckled, and I heard my mom sigh over the phone. "So, what are you going to do until you can pull your father away from his work?"
"Well, my original plan was to go to Coney Island with dad, like we did for my 15th birthday, but since I already bought the tickets, I'm just going to go on my own," I explained.
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry." Mom apologized, and I took her off the speaker as I held the phone to my ear.
"Mom, do not apologize for dad. He loves me, I know, but lately, it feels like he's more in love with his work. It's not your fault," I explained to her. "I'll be fine and call you when I get home tonight, ok?"
"Alright, have a fun time and call me if you want me to send the jet to come and get you." Mom said, and I laughed.
"I will mom," I told her. "I love you."
"I love you too. Happy Birthday, sweetheart."
"Thanks, mom," I said.
"Bye," She said.
"Bye." I then ended the phone call and stood up from my place on the bed. Sticking my phone in my back pocket, I put on my jean jacket and grabbed my purse before leaving my flat.
〜〜〜
It was around 3 pm when the taxi dropped me off outside the amusement park. I gave the lady at the gate my ticket, to which she placed a wristband on my arm in return. I walked in and looked around at all of the games with a sad smile on my face.
As I walked around, I saw fathers and daughters playing darts and ring toss. Lucky girls. Shaking my head, I headed towards the food shack and got some popcorn before walking around again. I would have played some games, but what was the point if there was no one there to share the fun with.
My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and I looked at it to see it was my dad. Made reservations for Thursday at the Ritz. I scoffed and shut off my phone before putting it into my bag. I've been pushed back to Thursday now. What? Was the great Iron Man too busy tomorrow to spend quality time with his daughter?!
I threw away my empty box of popcorn before making my way to the Ferris Wheel; it was always my favorite ride as a kid. I loved looking at the city from such a high view. It was a long line, mainly filled with loving couples and parents who bothered to spend time with their kids, but it wasn't like I had anything else to do today.
It took 30 minutes before I got to the front of the line, and by sheer luck, I got a compartment alone. Thank god, the last thing I needed was to deal with some stranger. I looked out toward Manhattan as I reach the top of the Ferris Wheel. It stops, with me at the top, for a while, but I didn't care. God, I loved this view, and it almost made me forget about my dad ditching me.
After a good five minutes, the Ferris Wheel made it's back down, and I got off. I began to walk around the amusement park again and noticed how everyone seemed to be staring at me oddly. I looked back at them and saw all the women had dresses on that went down to their knees. Weird. Don't they own a pair of shorts or jeans? I made eye contact with one of the ladies, and she looked at me in disgust. Ok, who put you in a bad mood?
I didn't see the two men in front of me, until I ran into them, which seemed to knock me out of my thoughts. My purse slipped out of my hands as I fell to my knees. The person I bumped into stood up and brushed some dirt off him. His friend, however, lightly grabbed my arm and helped me up while picking up my purse as well.
"I'm so sorry, Ma'am," He apologized, as he handed me my purse and I gently took it before looking up at him. To say he wasn't attractive would be lying. His bright blue eyes could make any woman swoon, and his charming smile was hypnotizing. Mr. Blue-Eyes looked me up and down, confused by my clothing, yet amused by it.
He chuckled and gestured to the guy next to him as he defended his friend, "My friend wasn't looking where he was walking." Turning my head, I looked at the person I ran into. He was very short and scrawny, but his face seemed so familiar. His name was sitting on the tip of my tongue, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't say his name. "What's your name, doll face?" Blue-eyes asked me, and I looked back at him.
"Umm," I was speechless, and an embarrassed blush was painted on my cheeks. I looked down, trying to avoid eye contact, and noticed he had a newspaper in his hand. "Can I see that?" I asked him as I gestured towards the paper. The man looked down at the paper and handed it to me with a smile. I looked at the front of it and noticed the date.
Wednesday, June 14th, 1939. What. The. Fuck.
"What is it, doll?" Blue-eyes asked me. I looked at him, confused; the word doll seems to confuse me, even though I knew it was a common nickname for this period.
"Nothing. It's nothing." I said quickly. "And it's fine. Honestly, I wasn't looking where I was going either." I told Steve who was looking awkwardly at the floor. I then handed the newspaper back to his friend and took my purse out of his hand. "I just remembered I have to be somewhere right now."
Running out of the amusement park, I ignored all the looks I was receiving and hailed a taxi. "Where to miss?" The driver asked and looked me up in down, which only caused me to groan.
"The closest clothing store, please," I told him and got in.
"Where you from sweetheart? Because people don't dress like that around here." The driver asked me.
"Does that matter?" I asked him. He gave me a scowl and didn't talk for the rest of the drive. I was thankful because it gave me time to think.
How did I end up here? The last thing I did was ride the Ferris Wheel, but there was no indication that I traveled back in time when I was riding it. But that was the only thing that made sense. My parents are going to be so worried. Or at least mom will, I doubt dad will even notice I'm gone until Thursday when I miss our dinner reservation.
"Here you go." The driver said, and I got out of the car.
"How much do I owe you?" I asked him.
"Three even," he answered, and I paid him.
"Thank you," I said as I walked to the clothing store. If I'm going to be stuck in 1939, I am not going to have people staring at me every time I walk down the street.
The bell attached to the door chimed as I walked in, and the cashier looked up at me. She looked over at me. "Hello," she greeted as I walked up to her.
"Hi -" I said.
"Ava." She told me.
"Hi, Ava," Ava gave me a warm smile. "I was wondering if you could help me find something to wear?" I asked her.
Ava looked at my outfit and nodded. "Yes, I believe I can." She said and walked around the counter to me. "Now, do you have a budget?" I looked into my wallet and saw I had about 103 dollars in my purse because I knew I needed money for the amusement park and taxi.
"Under 80?" I asked, and she seemed surprised that I had that much money.
"Wait here," She told me.
As I waited for Ava to return, I looked around the shop. It was a large department store; it was small and cozy. The room had a warm atmosphere, which made me feel comfortable, considering my situation. There were men's and women's clothing everywhere. Anything from suits to skirts, but I could tell she didn't get a lot of customers yet enough to stay open. I spotted a sign on the window that read 'Help Wanted' in big, bold letters.
"Are you the only one who works here?" I asked her while she was in the back of the store. Ava walked back over to me with four dresses in her hands.
"No, my friend Bella works here too, but she's currently on her honeymoon with her newly wedded husband," Ava then looked at me. "They won't be back for another week. Why? Do you happen to be looking for a job?" She asked.
"Yeah," I answered. "And a place to stay."
"Well, I own the apartment above the store. You could stay with me until you get a place of your own." She offered as she leads me to the changing room.
"I couldn't possibly-"
"Don't be silly. I can tell by your clothes that you're not from around here, and you're going to need someone to show you around." Ava then ushered me into the dressing room. "As for the job, I have an opening as a cashier. Do you think that would work?"
"Yeah, I think that could work," I said as I got out of the dark green dress and put it in the pile of dresses I didn't like.
"Well, I'll go get the paperwork, while you pick a dress," Ava explained and walked away.
I looked at the four dresses below me and sighed. Dresses were not my thing, but then again it was uncommon for women to wear pants, much less jeans, in 1939. I picked up the light pink dress and held it in my hand, with a disgusted look on my face. Nope. I wouldn't be caught dead wearing this color.
Underneath was a pretty blue dress that was more my style. I put it on and looked in the mirror a few times. I could work with this. I undid the buttons in the front, and yet the dress drop to the ground before grabbing the red dress. As I looked in the mirror, I smiled. I love the red dress, but I also loved the blue; I wish I didn't have to choose. Sighing, I got back into my regular modern clothing, then looked at the price tag of each dress. Holy shit, ten dollars for each dress! I guess I didn't have to choose after all.
I walked out of the dressing room; I made my way to the front counter. Ava had the paperwork waiting for me, "What?" She asked.
"Um," I let out a small laugh then smiled at her. "Nothing. Do you have any shoes?" I asked her.
"Yup, in front of the shop," Ava answered. "Did you want me to ring these up while you looked at them?"
"Yeah, if you wouldn't mind," I answered and then made my way to the front of the store. I looked at the shoes until I found an essential pair of black high heels. I grabbed my sizes then made my way back to Ava.
"Oh, those will go with both dress quite nicely." She said to me with a smile. "Anyways, that will be 27 dollars and 89 cents." I handed her 28 dollars as she placed all the clothes in a bag for me along with the receipt. I then grabbed the job application and filled out as much as I can.
Name? Eleanor - I paused for a moment, remembering that I couldn't write down Stark. There was a high chance my grandpa was here. So, how about Eleanor Star. Birthdate? Well, 1939 minus 22 equals 1917. So I guess my birthday is now June 14, 1917. I had no physical disabilities or any illnesses. What position are you applying for? Cashier. Where did you graduate from? I almost wrote down Harvard, but then I remembered how there was no proof I went there since it was 1939 and not 2012. I didn't lie on two questions, that's good, right? After a minute or two, I handed her back the application, and she looked it over.
"So this is your first job?" Ava asked me, and I nodded. "Well, everything looks like it's in order. Also, happy birthday."
"Thank you," I said.
"Come on. I'll show you where you'll be staying." Ava said. I grabbed my shopping bag and followed her upstairs.
She unlocked the front door to her apartment and held open the door for me. "Thank you," I said and looked around the living room.
It was smaller than my apartment in 2016, but that was to be expected. Mine cost around 5,000 dollars and was given to me by my dad for Christmas. Despite the fact the I didn't ask him to buy me one. But Ava's was cozy and cute. I followed her towards the back of the apartment.
She showed me a small bedroom that had a twin bed placed in the corner of the room. "This will be your room, mines the one across the hall," Ava informed me as I looked around the room. The walls were a soft shade of pink, and there was a wardrobe by the door. "The shop closes in an hour, so you can start tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you, Ava," I said to her as she began to walk out of the room.
"Your welcome, Eleanor," Ava said and then closed the door behind her.
I placed the shopping bag on my bed and started to put my clothes away in the wardrobe. Once that was done, I turned to the little window that looked out on the street outside. I could see Manhattan from here, and it seemed the same. Except I knew my dad wasn't there. My grandpa maybe, but he wasn't even my grandpa yet.
I turned away from the window and grabbed my purse. I pulled out my wallet and looked at the little photo of my mom, dad, and me on my 18th birthday. I kept it because this was the one year where we did have a gigantic party. It was just the three of us. We had pizza, watched movies, and ate some ice cream. I touched my golden star necklace softly as I felt tears running down my face as I sat down on the bed.
As I cried myself to sleep, I only had two thoughts running through my head: I want to go home. Please just let me go home.