I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been really really busy and have had no time to write. Hopefully, I'll be able to write during Thanksgiving break and update a lot to make up for all the long waits! Thank you to everyone for reviewing! It means so much to me! Thank you thank you thank you! And thank you to Aulizia for all of her encouragement and support! Thank you :) I hope you guys like this chapter! And I know I said I was going to do Winter Soldier soon but I realized I needed more time to develop Charlie and Steve's relationship. Sorry! I will come to it soon just not as soon as planned. lol Please enjoy and let me know what you think! :)

"Did you burn your eggs again?"

"No."

"Did Captain America just lie to me?"

"No, I didn't burn my eggs…that much," Steve replied with a smile. Charlie's laughter echoed through the phone and Steve's smile broadened wider. This had been the start to their conversations for the past few times they'd called each other. Charlie would ask about his cooking experiments and Steve would try to cover up that he'd burned something. Charlie always knew he was lying.

"Did I ever tell you how many times I tried to enlist in the army?" Steve asked.

"Can't you only do it once?" Charlie asked, eyebrows raised. She had her hair back in her usual ponytail but instead of flour dusting her face, she had grease. Charlie was doing her "annual cleaning" of the diner oven and it wasn't very pleasant. Frequently, she would move out of the vision of her camera and come back with a sick look on her face.

"Well, you're supposed to," Steve said, "But I chose differently."

"Chose differently? Or was it more you didn't accept their answer?"

"It was a little bit of both."

Charlie gave him an amused look.

"Alright, I didn't accept their answer," Steve rolled his eyes. He took a sip of his orange juice and took a bite of his slightly burnt eggs. Steve had made breakfast after his morning run and decided to call Charlie as he ate. He'd talked to her more than he thought he would when they had said goodbye. But, she was just so easy to talk to. And she made him laugh and forget about his missions and nightmares and the feeling of wrongness that was settling into his new job. Steve couldn't help but feel that he was missing something or that he wasn't being told something. It frustrated him. He may have been frozen for 70 years but that didn't mean he only followed orders. He could think too.

"So, how many times did you try to enlist?" Charlie asked. She grimaced for a moment as she pulled out an indescribable black mass from the oven.

"Five times," Steve muttered. Suddenly he hoped that she would forget the question and move on to something else. He didn't want her to think he was desperate to be in the army or for her to guess how weak and frail he used to be. It didn't sit well in his stomach. He wasn't quite sure why.

"What was that?" Charlie asked, her head in the oven. Steve sighed and pushed his eggs around.

"Five times," Steve repeated.

"Five times!? How did you pull that off?" Charlie asked. She poked her head out to look at Steve. He squirmed slightly under her gaze.

"I went to different enlisting stations and said I was from there. Dr. Erskine finally accepted me but I didn't realize it was for the super soldier serum." Charlie tilted her head to the side and her eyes grew curious.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Steve scrunched his eyebrows. Charlie wasn't reacting like he expected. Maybe he should expect the unexpected from her though because she never did what he thought she would.

"Why did you enlist so many times?" Charlie asked sincerely, "I can't imagine it was to kill people. You didn't seem like that type of person when I met you." How could she have known that? Steve thought. Was he that transparent or could Charlie just read him really well? Did it matter?

"Why did I do it?" Steve thought a moment and he was thrown back to that moment in the little evaluation station at the World Fair. Do you want to kill Nazis?

"I didn't want to kill anyone but I didn't like bullies, no matter where they're from. I still hold to that," Steve explained. Charlie smiled slightly and nodded her head.

"What?" Steve challenged.

"You're a good man Steve Rogers, you know that right?" Charlie asked. Steve blinked.

"A good man? I don't know about that anymore. I've done a lot of bad stuff too Charlie," Steve looked down at his hands and saw all the men he'd hit with his shield, all of the bones he's broken, the lives he'd taken.

"Steve, do you want to kill people?" Steve looked back at his phone that was propped against the milk.

"No, I just said I didn't."

"Do you go out of your way to get into fights?"

"No. I only fight when someone can't fight for themselves or when I need to stand up to something that's not right."

"That right there, is why you're a good man Steve. You have a good heart that doesn't want bad or evil or whatever is wrong in this world. You're actions, whether good or bad, do not define you. The reasons behind those actions, that's what makes you a good man," Charlie said. Steve sat in silence, taking in her words. The term "good man" had been used to describe him before. He could hear Dr. Erskine and the clink of the glasses during that last night before Steve was changed forever. His body had changed but had he changed?

"Charlie, what do you think you're doing?" a voice floats from his phone. Steve looked back at the phone to see Charlie looking over her shoulder as Nathan walked in.

"Tarnation girl, are you cleaning? That's my job," Nathan scolded.

"I was up early and thought I might was well do something. Plus you don't like to work," Charlie responded.

"That's an act. I don't mind work. It keeps me young. Hey Steve," Nathan waved.

"Hello Nathan," Steve smiled and waved back.

"You should tell Charlie to come visit you sometime because she needs a break."

"Nattie!"

"Seriously, she works non-stop day and night. I don't think she knows how to take a break, let alone rest!"

"That's enough Nattie! I know how to rest," Charlie retorted. She wiped her hands on a dirty towel, getting most of the grease off of her hands. Nathan just rolled his eyes.

"Go talk to Steve and stop bugging me. I need to work," Nathan disappeared from view and Charlie sighed. She picked up the phone and walked outside, coming to sit on the porch.

"Sorry about that."

"It's fine," Steve chuckled.

"I do know how to rest. Though I wish I could travel."

"Why don't you?" Steve asked. Charlie looked away from the camera, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't know. It's not that I'm afraid but maybe nervous? I'm not sure. I guess, I don't know if I'll be able to. If I'll be normal," Charlie shut her mouth quickly after that last statement. Steve could see that she had said something she didn't want to. Why wouldn't she feel normal? Steve thought. That's something for her to tell you when she's ready.

"Well, you never know unless you try," Steve ventured safely.

"Yeah I guess," Charlie replied quietly. Please don't close up, Steve thought. What can I say? Steve thought about her response and tried to think of a way that didn't pry but that lifted her up.

"Charlie, you are unique. Yeah, you like old music but that's okay. And maybe there's something else you're worried about, but that's not the point. The point is you are the only you out there. Don't judge or compare yourself to others because that doesn't make sense. You can't compare an orange to an apple. Yes, they're both fruit but their different. That's what makes them delicious. So, that's kind of like humans. Yes, we're all humans but we're different and that's what, that's what…um…"

"Makes us delicious?" Charlie was smiling softly.

"Well I was trying to think of a different word but my mind went blank. Sorry that was kind of a long rant," Steve said sheepishly. Charlie chuckled.

"No it wasn't that long. It was…it was what I needed to hear," Charlie said, taking a breath.

"Thank you."

"Your welcome." Charlie smiled and then her eyes darted to the right as she listened to something behind her.

"I have to go. Nana needs me in the house. Thanks for talking with me Steve," Charlie beamed.

"Your welcome. And if you ever venture over to Washington D.C., you have a friend to stay with," Steve replied.

"Thank you. Bye Steve!"

"Goodbye Charlie," Steve watched as Charlie's face disappeared from the screen. Steve shook his head and stretched his arms. Wait, what had he just said? Did he say that Charlie could stay with him if she ever came to Washington D.C.? Steve froze at the thought. That was like inviting a girl over to your house. No, that was inviting a girl over to your house. But that's not what I meant! Steve thought. I meant as a friend, to return the hospitality she showed me! She didn't think something else did she? Steve ran his hands through his hair. The thought of Charlie coming over and staying for a couple of days gave him a funny feeling. Why should I feel weird? It would just be as friends, right? His phone buzzing cut off Steve's panicking thoughts. It was Fury, calling him back to the office for some strategy on a mission coming up. Steve took the opportunity and pushed the confusing thoughts away. He would deal with the issue if it came up later.