A/N: If you don't like the character's, plot or pairings, then don't read.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Captain America, only my character/s

WORD COUNT: 2, 943

Chapter 2:

Hey Stranger!

Seph couldn't stop thinking about Steve.

It was one of those moments when she knew that something could never happen and yet she found herself wondering. During the long journey to her apartment building, he had kept hold of her arm and they both talked and talked for ages.

"So, what were you doing at a bus stop? I thought you'd have some fancy car or something." Seph inquired, her freezing fingers curling around his arm, absorbing his warmth a little more.

"I have a bike, but it's at the auto shop. It's an old model, so it needs a little maintenance. I was going to catch the bus back but I saw a gal shivering in the cold and dark and well, it just doesn't sit well with me." Steve explained, looking down at to see her biting her bottom lip, hiding a smile.

"Thank you," Seph looked up at him sincerely. "It's not every day, a good looking guy hands me his jacket. Even if that guy is Captain America."

Steve chuckled. "Nah, I'm just an average guy. I'm sure guys are linin' up for a dance with you."

"Not as many as you'd think. When I was younger, probably. But, nowadays, I'm man repellent." Seph sighed.

"So, you're nobody's girl?"

"Are you offering?" Seph wiggled her eyebrows. At Steve's expression she quickly placated, "kidding! I'm kidding! Don't get your stars all spangled." She joked, making Steve rub a hand over his mouth, hiding a smile.

"So really, nobody?"

Seph shook her head, "I've got two full time jobs. I'm raising my only nephew and I've got a mortgage and bills to pay. I'm way too busy for a relationship." Seph, realizing that what she said sounded way too dark to be a normal conversation, she looked up and smiled at him, attempting to shift the conversation to a lighter venue, "and you? Any special girl hanging off your arm?"

"It's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience." Steve said, glancing to her before looking straight ahead, but something was niggling at what she said, "you're raising your nephew?" Seph nodded, not understanding why he was focusing on that. "Shouldn't your brother or sister be looking after their son?" He looked down again, only to see that her face had become blank, her eyes haunted.

"My sister passed away two years ago." Seph answered, her voice dark and guarded. It was obvious she didn't want to speak about it and frankly, she didn't have to. He may be Captain America but he was still human. Living Legend or not, he didn't need to know her life story and the tragedy that ensued. It wasn't his business.

Steve knew better than to pry so he didn't. "I'm sorry."

Seph shrugged. "It's been tough, especially on Joey. Not having his mum. I-" She stopped. "Sorry. I don't think I should say anymore. It's- it's still too hard." Seph offered a shaky smile but she turned forward, her speed increasing, causing Steve to widen his stride.

"It's alright. I'm sorry." Steve offered, but gained no response from the gorgeous, troubled woman walking next to him.

Seph's sculpted dark brows furrowed. What she had kept tight-lipped from everyone, including her nephew for two years, she was about to pour her heart to the war hero who was walking her home. She didn't catch what he said next.

"Huh?" She offered, having only slightly heard his voice, her brows lifting from their troubled look into one of surprise and she looked up at Steve, who chuckled. She was deep in thought.

"I said I was sorry." Steve said.

"Oh! It's okay!" Seph was quick to placate him, her other hand that wasn't linked to his, rubbed his hand, the same electric current running through both of them and even though she tried to let go, she couldn't. Steve didn't even realize that his fingers had wrapped around hers.

They continued to walk until she stopped, looking up at her building. "Wow, you live pretty far from the bus stop."

"Yeah, both of my jobs are pretty far from where I work. But I have to sacrifice to make a living. Hopefully, some day, I won't have to live far from home and be away from Joey as much. I can work closer and earn twice the amount."

Steve smiled at her ambitiousness. "I see that you work at the restaurant. But what about this second job?" He lingered, genuinely curious.

Seph smiled, she didn't want him to leave just yet, she was actually. . . enjoying herself for once. "Poppy's Diner. Until noon and then I go home, change quickly and then I'm off to Reserve. Seven days a week. Both places actually serve really great food." Seph said, hopeful that he might show up one of those seven days and she slipped off his jacket, handing it back to Steve. "Goodnight, Steve and thank you." She started for the door, "oh!" She alerted Steve and he turned, midway through pulling his jacket back on. "It'd make me feel better if you got home safe too." She took out her pad and pen and quickly scribbled, ripping the sheet of paper from the pad, she handed it to Steve. "Text me."

Steve accepted the paper and he grinned, acknowledging it. "I'll make sure to let you know." He shrugged his jacket on.

"Don't forget!" Seph pointed at him, before pulling out her keys and walking inside the apartment building, going up the staircase.

(..)

She did a get a text that night, but she hadn't gotten anything else over the next week.

Seph sighed, rubbing down the counter of Poppy's.

Yesterday had been Friday and she had prepared a more than tolerable birthday for Joey. She even got a smile from him when he opened her present and saw that it was a limited edition 1944 Captain America comic, penned and drawn by Steve Rogers himself. She had gone through hell and back to get it for him and she knew he loved it.

Today, Joey had gone to a friend's house, leaving only a note by her bedside table that read, 'Be back soon, don't worry. -Joey :)'

"Hey, sexy!" The sleazeball regular walked in Poppy's, making her jaw clench.

"I don't speak to people who don't call me by my name." Seph sang, ready to break the glass ketchup bottle over his head.

"Well, you did just speak to me, but that's not the point. I'm actually wondering what you look like under that dress. Wanna give me a sneak preview?" Kyle said, a smarmy grin curving his too large lips as she rolled her eyes. He sat down on the customer side of the island.

Starting down, she murmured to herself, "Lord give me strength not to bash him with a frying pan." Seph sighed, cleaning the marble top before walking back, dreading it already.

"So, babe, when are we going back to my place? I know you won't be able to resist me for long." Kyle asked, trying to grab her hand.

Smacking his away, she answered plainly, "when I grow a third leg and my brain shrinks to the size of a pea." Kyle looked confused, so she liberated him, "well, I can only kick one leg at a time if I have two, so the third one is for you and my brain would have to be a pea if I ever even considered going out with a man whore like you." Seph's smile was sickly sweet, it was just too sweet to be real.

Jason, the head of the wait staff chuckled, looking at Kyle. "Give it up, bro. She's not interested." Jason was about the same age as Seph, with dark ginger short hair, pale skin and a light smattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose. He was tall and muscular, good looking and engaged to a wonderful Italian boy; Vincent.

Seph smiled at him thankfully, opening the small push door and she walked through, before hearing the front door jingle, but when she went to look up to greet whoever it was; Kyle turned and smacked her ass. "Every girl is interested in Kyle." He referred to himself in the third person.

All the regular patrons in the entire diner knew to never touch any part of Persephone without her express permission, unless they were a friend.

It was suddenly quiet.

Kyle grinned, turning back to the table, so Seph looked to Jason who gestured his hand for her to go for it. Seph grabbed Kyle by the shoulder, turning him to face her and she reared her left hand back and letting it snap quickly, pushing all of her weight and power into that one blow; sending the asshole right over the island. "Touch my ass again and I'll throw you out the window." Seph warned as Jason pulled Kyle up by his collar, his crooked nose now even more crooked, with blood spurting out from his nostrils as he whimpered, being roughly escorted out.

All the regulars cheered while they new customers looked on in fright and appreciation.

As everyone went back to their food, now having been fed their daily dose of action, Seph heard a familiar voice near the doorway."Well, I thought I was going to have to step in and defend your honor, but I liked how you handled it." The fiery redhead turned to see a smiling Steve Rogers, his large frame encased in the same brown leather jacket with a white tee and a pair of brown jeans with a different pair of black boots.

"Steve!" Seph called, walking to him, the clear excitement on her face was enough to make him smile, but then her cheeks turned pink and she slowed down, nodding as she tried to look nonchalant. "'Sup?" She asked, her cheeks still tinted.

Steve chuckled, she was obviously trying to play it off. 'A bit too late.' He thought. "Well, I met a beautiful lady last week who recommended this place and one other; and I thought, 'why not? Maybe I'll see her again.'" Seph's cheeks tint turned into a paint as she looked up at him. He silently thanked Nat for telling him to go for it.

"Want something to eat? All that flirting must have made you hungry." Seph's smile turned crooked and her eyes glittered with mischief as he let out a huff, playing along with her as he patted his stomach.

"You certainly know the way to a man's heart."

"Straight through his stomach." Seph lead him to the front of the diner and he sat down on the chair attached to the long island and she handed him a menu.

"What would you recommend?" Steve asked, looking up from the seemingly endless options.

"Well, it depends, if you want something light or something heavy."

"Definitely something light, but isn't that just like soup or something?" Steve questioned, making Seph giggle as she took the menu from him and flipped to the salad list. "Apart from soup, you could have the chicken Caesar salad, that's really good." She offered, looking up at him, a bit surprised to see that he was watching her.

"Then that's what I'll have." Steve's eyes never left hers as she nodded, turning back as she cleared her throat.

Her entire body tingled with the feeling that he was watching her walk away. "Oh, sweet baby Jesus." Seph whispered to herself and tried very hard not to sway her hips just to tease him.

Steve grinned as she walked back to the kitchen. After a few minutes of waiting, he replayed the punch in his mind. She was definitely strong and she knew how to deliver it powerfully and swift in a cramped situation, her entire body seemed to do the work for her instead of her brain. Persephone Brandt was not the fragile, defenseless woman he had initially thought, and he rather liked that. He also noted that she didn't call for help or look to anyone else to help; she dealt with the problem herself. She wasn't a damsel in distress, looking for her knight in shining armor. She was a fighter looking for a kindred spirit, who would let her be herself and have the same freedom.

Seph came back with the plate of chicken Caesar salad and set it in front of him, her cheeks still flushed even though she was shivering. "Anything to drink?" Seph hoped he didn't notice her shaking, she had to step into the meat freezer to cool off otherwise she was going to experience spontaneously combustion right in front of Captain America. She even stuck a piece of chilled packaged chicken fillets to her forehead for good measure.

"Just some water, please."

Seph nodded, grabbing a glass and a pitcher of cold water, before setting the full glass beside his plate.

"Thank you." Steve nodded at her to which she reciprocated before patting his hand and walking with her pad and pencil in hand to an elderly couple and she spoke to them animatedly, before taking their order and putting it on the bar to be prepared, doing her rounds before she came back to Steve, who had finished his food.

"Did you enjoy it?" Seph asked, taking his plate and just without really meaning to, she refilled his glass of water.

"My source has good taste in food." Steve quipped, making Seph chuckle.

"Well, I'm glad your source pointed you here." Seph leaned in, her elbows resting on the counter as she looked at him, their faces closer.

"Are you?" One dark blonde brow raised, he was obviously enjoying himself.

"I thought my hints fell on deaf ears. Either that, or you just weren't interested; because I never got a text back." Seph poked the hard muscle of Steve's chest. God, now she was wishing she had just tapped him with her hand instead of her finger.

"I'm sorry. I had some work to attend to and I didn't have my phone with me. I got your text when I came back." Steve looked genuinely sheepish as he gazed up at her.

"I don't think Captain America would lie, so I'll just have to take your word for it." Seph wiped the counter-top before looking back at him, "at least you made it home alright."

Steve chuckled at her amused expression and she set the towel near the coffee maker behind her and checked her watch before looking back at him. The super soldier stood and quickly fixed his jacket, intending on leaving the establishment and chickening out of what he has wanted to ask for at least a week, before looking at her shyly, "Er, Persephone,"

"Mmm?" She hummed, smiling at the way he called her by her full name. She liked the way it rolled off his tongue. It just sounded so good when he said it.

"Would you like to- umm- do you- err- would you be willing-"

"Jesus, ask me out already!" Seph laughed, grabbing his hand to stop his stammering.

With all his modern flirtatiousness, he was still just a bumbling kid from Brooklyn, especially when it came to Seph, who was a gorgeous dame. "Wouldyouliketogooutonadatewithme?" The words flew out of Steve's mouth like bullets from a machine gun and her eyebrows lifted in surprise at his quick words. Her astonished expression turned into one of beguilement.

"I would be honored to go on a date with you, Steve." Seph grinned, before looking to the side and back to him. "Once I call Reserve and tell them I can't come in on whatever day we decide."

"Saturday?" Steve offered. He wasn't going to be busy on this particular weekend.

"Saturday it is." Seph smiled, "Pick me up at 6:30. You remember where I live, yeah?" Seph asked, writing her address down for him.

"It was pretty dark out when I walked you home, I remember the building." Steve suggested as she nodded and handed him the piece of paper with her neat and cursive writing on it, spelling out her residence and her apartment number. "Thank you." He said, smiling at her.

"See you on Saturday, Captain." Seph raised one eyebrow, her eyes smoldering as she watched him leave as he looked back at her, his eyes were a deep electric blue and his lips curved into a sinful smirk before he left.

Persephone Brandt had a date with Captain Steve Rogers.

Hey guys!

Well, now we know a little bit about Seph's personality and Steve's thoughts on her! I know this is moving a bit fast, but I just wanted to set everything up for the main plot!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, make sure to keep an eye on this story so you can read the next one! Reviews are always welcome!

~Munsurieya