Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel; only Rebecca and the world surrounding her.

Just Keep Breathing - We The Kings

Welcome to Lithe from the To Build A Home Series!

Thanks to Werewitchling, BlackcatLover13 & Guest and everyone that reviewed, favorited, and subscribed to this story so far!

I hope you're ready for Steve, because Becca is...well she certainly thinks she is.

Just Keep Breathing

2 A.M., too tired to sleep
When what you want's not what you need
And when these walls don't feel like home
Remember that you're not alone

2012

Her fingers tapped delicately against the metal arm rest of the chair as her eyes danced across the mahogany desk across from her. The usual New York City skyline still sat behind the floor to ceiling windows, the only thing changed in that scenery was the construction of new buildings in the distance. Her father's new Stark Tower was one of them.

Sitting there reminded Becca of the first time she was in Director Fury's office 4 years ago now. Only now he wasn't on edge or absolutely terrified from the dead man that was laying in her apartment at the time. No, so much had changed in the past few years, herself included. She would like to say that she was a confident 24-year-old with the world at her fingertips.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Fury apologized as soon as the door opened for him to walk through.

"No problem, not much going on for myself at the moment." She shrugged, her eyes following him around the desk. If it was possible he looked more stressed than usual. But still to the average eyes no one could notice that.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." He finally sat in the seat behind the desk, hands coming to fold on the glass desk. "I'm assuming you've done your homework."

She nodded at the code word. The homework being the folders Agent Coulson had given her a few months back regarding the possibility of the 'team' of Avengers. "Yes, sir. New developments?"

"Not exactly." He looked at the metal clock on the wall before back to her. "As we speak, Captain Rogers is being moved into his new apartment. As you know, we've had him upstate at the safe house the past few months, letting him…adjust."

"That's one way to put it." Becca couldn't even begin to think of what the man is going through right now. She got angry if she slept too late in the day, this was a whole other level. There was no comparison. Ever since the day he woke up in the SHIELD office he had honestly been on her mind quite a bit.

It was hard not to. She's heard the stories, read the reports, but there was something almost suffocating at the idea of these circumstance being true with why he was in the world today.

"Did you hear me, Agent?"

Becca jumped back into the moment, a blush growing across her cheeks from not paying attentions. Something that rarely happens to her. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, I want you to be primary contact for Captain Rogers."

There was no doubt she looked like a cartoon character at that moment. Eyes went wide and her jaw had dropped a bit. She didn't know what to say or how to even communicate at all with the request.

"He's had these few months to situate, but he's going to need some help." Director Fury stood from his chair, walking over to his windows to look out the same view she had admired a few minutes ago. "I'm not asking you to babysit him or having to hold his hand every time he leaves his apartment. Just help him when he needs it and support him when not. Guide him in reevaluating the world."

"Why me?" She managed to sputter out.

"You've come a long way in these past 4 years. I would like you to become more involved in SHIELD administrations. That is if you're up for it-"

"-I am." This was the whole reason for her working so hard. To be where her grandfather wanted her. "This isn't about my grandfather knowing Captain Rogers, is it?"

He looked back at her, hearing that undermining in her voice that he remembered when she had started at SHIELD. "It doesn't have to be if you don't want it to."

Becca nodded, thinking over the options. Having the national hero know she was a Stark might be helpful to her. Get the Captain to trust her perhaps, but she also didn't want it to be that easy. If she was going to be his 'handler' in a sense this time around, she wanted to create a relationship between Rebecca and Steve, not Agent Bex 'Stark' and Captain America.

"I would rather gain his trust first as a person before my family is brought up."

Fury nodded, heading back to his desk, looking for something. "This is exactly why I wanted you on this." He handed her a piece of paper, almost the size of a business card with an address written on it. "I let Rogers know you were coming over this afternoon, so he was prepared for you."

"Are you saying I'm much to handle, sir?" She smiled looking at the paper before back up to him.

"You certainly are something, Agent Bex."

She took the steps slowly; her nerves were tingling through her body on hyper speed today for some reason. She would never admit it outload but she was very nervous at the moment. The last time she had seen him in person was the brief passing the day he finally woke up. The bags in her hands felt like they were going to slip right through her fingers from her sweaty palms. She had never been that good at one-on-ones. It was hard for her to open up or start conversation with people since the world thinks they already know her.

Finally stopping at his floor, Becca stood outside his door trying to catch her breath. She could have very easily taken the elevator but she was wasting as much time as possible. She knew he couldn't be angry or aggressive of a person. She had heard plenty of stories about him when she was growing up. She could remember the high praise her grandfather had for him and the seldom hatred from her father at the mention of Captain America.

She didn't have time to finish her thoughts as the door was being pulled open. Becca must have looked like a deer in headlights and a complete weirdo. But she couldn't help the warming in the deep pit of her stomach at the soft smile directed down at her.

"Hello." Steve's deep rich voice fell over her like a blanket. "Have you been standing out her long?"

"No." Her voice jumped, immediately regretting the eagerness in her voice. "I mean, no, I just got here. I'm-"

"Agent Bex." He nodded, finishing her introduction. "Director Fury said you'd be stopping by."

"My name's Rebecca actually." She told him, walking over the threshold he had motioned for her to enter. "or Becca for most people, Captain." She didn't know exactly how to address him.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca." He closed the door softly and then answered her silent question. "And please, call me Steve."

Becca casually looked around the living room, taking in the modern looking furniture and knick-knacks. SHIELD had definitely given him the bare minimum, which was probably a good idea given the fact that to Steve, a few months ago was still 1940s. It was that moment Becca could practically feel the lonesome in the room and also coming off of the man standing taller than her. It was then that the young girl put it on her own shoulders to help him.

"What's in the bags?" His hands came to rest deep in the front pockets of his pants.

"Supplies. Kitchen?" She asked, smacking herself mentally for being so nervous a few minutes ago.

Steve nodded and showed her to the room. He watched her silently. He couldn't help but look her over intently. Her bright hazel eyes had been on his mind since he saw her for the first time the few months prior. She held a type of atmosphere about her that encompassed anyone she was near.

"You didn't have to do this." Steve stepped up to the counter across from her. He felt very overwhelmed by everything she was laying out.

"Nonsense. It's the least I could do to help you out." She gave him another soft smile. "I don't know if you've been out yet, but New York food stores are the equivalent of nightmares half of the time." She watched his eyes widen in terror. "Don't worry. I'll be sure to go with you the first time. Ease the insanity."

"Thank you for that." The soldier eased lightly at her words. To think he was willing to go to war but the thought of going out into this new world made him a nervous wreck. "So how long have you been working for SHIELD?"

"Oh…about four years now." Becca put the cold food in the fridge, at least knowing where that would be placed.

"Do you mind me asking how you got involved?"

Her eyebrows casually lifted, not use to the question being asked. No one usually asked that question because they believed they already knew the answer. But standing there in front of Steve, his clear blue eyes shining with pure curiosity and not judgement made her want to start clean. This man didn't know her past and for once she could befriend someone for how she was approached.

"Sorry." Steve shook his head, taking her slice as a boundary breach. "That wasn't my place to ask."

"No, it's okay. I just…someone had tried to kill me and it kinda turned into this big ordeal. But anyways, I wanted to be able to fend for myself and I guess you could say in a way SHIELD saved me."

He nodded, his fingers playing with the plastic bag on the counter in front of him. "I understand the whole 'fending for yourself' thing. I guess that's the whole reason I became this guy." He gestured to his body. "I just wanted to help people."

"And you did, Steve." Becca smirked, recalling his past that she had heard so much about. "It might not seem like it right now, given the situation you're in, but I promise you it did." A small grin filled his lips, appreciating the words. "So, where does this stuff go?"

Steve immediately walked behind the counter to assist her. They spent most of the time with Becca explaining to him what most of the foods were. She was going to leave but Steve's puppy dog eyes got the best of her. She could already tell those ocean eyes were going to be trouble on her point.

"You don't have a job to get to at SHIELD?" He asked her, pouring her some water to keep himself busy. He was also worried he was keeping her from something important, that he wasn't keeping her here against her will.

"I'm just on call at the moment. My team is currently on their own adventures at the moment." She gladly accepted the glass, the two still standing across from each other at the counter. It felt easier than sitting down.

"Team?"

"Yeah, STRIKE Team Delta." Becca watched him let the words run through his head, hoping to understand. "STRIKE is more for counter-terrorist special missions, as a whole group. Team Delta is myself and my two partners."

"So, you're mostly overseas?" Steve questioned. For a moment happy to have someone to take his mind off of his problems at hand.

She wobbled her head from side to side. "For the most part, now at least. At the beginning I was more taking whatever they gave me when I wasn't in school."

The blonde man leaned his hands against the counter, eyebrows dropped down in a crease that she was quickly understanding he did whenever he was deep thinking on something. "School? How old are you exactly?" As the words left his mouth, Steve's eyebrows had now shot up on his forehead and his mouth gaped. "Oh jeez! I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked that! That was horribly rude of me."

"Steve, it's okay." Becca couldn't help but giggle at his eagerness to change his wording. "I'm 24. 25 in June. I was finishing college when I started SHIELD."

He nodded, letting her know he was paying attention but refused to meet her eyes. Obviously still feeling self-conscious at his actions, making her feel for him. She watched his hand come up to run lightly through the front swoop of his hair.

"You don't have to keep apologizing to me, by the way." She whispered, letting her words fall softly in the sunlight filled room. "I can't say I understand what you are going through, or ever will, but I do understand you're adjusting to a new era. I'm not here to judge you or tear you apart over not knowing something. I'm just here as a helping hand whenever you need me." Steve's blue eyes finally found hers again, but his shoulders were still slouched over. "Whatever you need, don't be afraid to ask."

He let a deep breath out of his nose, nodding in understanding. "I appreciate that, ma'am."

"Of course. But you keep calling me ma'am then I'll for sure feel way older than I am." She smiled bright at him, taking a sip of her water.

This gained a soft smile from him finally. "Won't happen again."

"I can't believe you're just casually hanging out with Captain America. What's next? Going to be going on missions with him and leaving me in the dust?"

Becca rolled her eyes at Clint's laugh ringing through her cell phone. "Well with you gone for the good part of 2 years lately, I don't see why not."

"…rude."

"You're welcome." She sung, finally laughing as well. She sat alone in their office, leaning back in her chair with her feet crossed on the desk. "How's the alien lifestyle?"

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Boring as hell." He groaned, getting her to chuckle more at his pain. "Mostly just on watch."

"From the rafters, Hawkeye?" She flipped one her smaller knives around in her fingers, the easiness falling so easily in between them even after time apart.

"Alright, smartass. Is all that you've been up to is babysitting?"

Becca dropped the knife on the desk to run a hand through her hair to push it off of her face. "I'm not babysitting. Simply being a nice person to a guy that is literally out of his element."

Clint became quiet on his end of the line, a grin that she couldn't see falling across his face. His thoughts going back to when he originally told her to never lose her true self, and hearing this made him incredibly happy. "Proud of you, kid."

She blushed at the softness of his words. "Thanks, Clint." Hearing that she made him proud, and that all of the hard work the two went through together paid off, was overwhelming for her. It's been about 2 weeks now since she first met Steve and they had been slowly getting to know each other. He had plenty of questions to ask, and once he understood she was willing to answer anything he let them out one at a time. Their time together had mostly been spent at his apartment, since he was still a bit weary to leave his apartment. She understood, but hoped he would get out of that habit soon.

A knock on the open door broke her concentration, seeing Garrett standing there with a smile on his face. She waved him in, dropping her feet from her desk. "Hey, I've got to get going." She explained to Clint.

"Yeah," he sighed in defeat of exhaustion, "me too. Gotta call up those kids for a bit."

"Tell them hi for me." She used those words to not alert of Garrett of anything to do with Clint's family.

"Will do. I'll talk to you later, Bec."

"Talk to you later." She tapped the end button on the screen before giving her attention to Garrett who had made himself comfy on the couch. "Well look what the dogs dragged in!"

"Funny." He ran his fingers across the busted lip knowing that she automatically took notice to it, even if it was almost healed at this point. It was one thing everyone took notice to with Agent Bex, she took notice to everything, whether that be physical or mental. She could sense situations, which was good for her job for sure. "You should see the other guy."

"Where you've been?"

"Denmark. A lot colder than I expected."

"Well, it is winter. You should have packed warmer." She smiled, letting their riff continue.

"I knew I should have let you pack for me." The grin stretching across his split lip.

It was something they started early on together, after a horrible mission she had been on. They wouldn't talk about the death toll or the horrible things they would have had to do, simply use small talk. But it was so much more than that. It was a way for each of them to fall back into the real world.

"What have you been up to, while waiting for my return home?"

She rolled her eyes but played along, giving herself a southern twang. "Oh, dear Mr. Neilsen, don't you worry about little ole' me. I've just been here doing my chores and making sure the kids were taken care of. The normal life of a housewife."

Garrett couldn't help but laugh at her over the top accent, almost seeing her with her hands on her hips, looking at him in distaste in a country home of sorts. It was almost comical at how much Becca loved the city when she had such a southern belle air about her. She loved country music, you would only see her in shorts when it had a touch of warm in the air, and a smile that warmed everyone's heart. It was a starch opposite to her alter ego 'Lithe'.

"Says the girl who is twirling a knife right now."

The brown-haired girl looked down at her hands in confusion before letting out a high laugh. She hadn't even realized she picked the weapon back up, it just became second nature at this point. "This isn't a good habit, is it?"

"I mean you could be doing drugs?" He shrugged. "Seriously though, what have you been up to?"

"Well," she now kept her eyes on the blade, "Captain America is alive and well."

"So I've heard." Garrett rose an eyebrow at her statement. "What, do they have you, Agent Bex, taking care of him?" He said it sarcastically but as seeing the scrunch of her nose he knew it was true. "Holy crap, you really are in charge of him, aren't you?"

"Are you going to give me shit like Clint just was, too?" She pointed the knife at him in a false threatening way.

He raised his hands from his lap in defense. "Not in the slightest. That just…it makes sense." Her eyebrows rose into her hairline, questioning. "You've got enough heart to take on something as…drastic as that situation."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." She raised from her seat, putting her knife back in the holster at her hip.

"Good, you were supposed to." He used his sly smile that he did plenty of times on her, that flirtatious behavior never fully leaving between them.

"Take me to lunch." Becca broke her eye contact with him to head to the door.

He huffed but pulled himself up anyways. "So bossy."

She was absolutely delighted to be able to walk outside in the March weather and not feel like she was getting slapped in the face by the frigid temperature. It was finally starting to feel like spring, she only wished it would stay. Becca walked down the busy city street with her bag slung over her shoulder and a coffee cup in hand. As she came up to the one outside café, a puff of blonde hair with a brown leather jacket caught her attention. She smirked softly at the sight of the soldier and decided to take a second to say hello.

She stopped behind him and glanced over his shoulder to see him sketching on the placemat. It was a small but detailed work of the city scape. But the main focus was Stark tower sitting in the forefront. "Wow. A man of many talents."

Steve looked over his shoulder at her voice, jumping slightly in his seat. His nerves immediately calmed at the brunette. "Rebecca. Hi!"

"Hey, Steve." She couldn't help the soft smile that constantly fell across her face whenever she was with him. "It's good to see you're out and about." She walked around to the front of the table, leaning against the back of the chair.

"Yeah, you can only spend so much time reliving your past in the same four walls." He leaned forward with his arms on the table, playing with the cap of his pen.

"Fresh air will definitely clear your head, even if it's just for a split second."

"Do you want to stay, sit down for a bit?" He motioned to the chair that she was tapping her fingers against.

She scrunched her face in sadness. "I really wish I could, but I've got a meeting that I'm no doubt already going to be late for." She watched his blue eyes slowly cloud over with rejection if just for a quick second, nearly breaking her heart on the spot. "But, hey if you're free later do you want to hang out?"

"Hang out?" He tilted his head in confusion at the saying.

She laughed softly, looking down before glancing back up. "It means spending time together for any allotted time." Becca explained, seeing the light glow back into his eyes. "I was planning on cooking dinner tonight, since I've been eating out for the past few days anyways. So, if you weren't busy you could come over to my apartment, have dinner, talk, not talk, whatever."

Steve smiled wide at her blabbering, but nodded his head. "I would very much like that."

"Great! Uh, let me give you my address." She took the pen he offered her and scribbled down her address on the placemat next to his drawing. She also tagged on her phone number just in case. "So, I'll see you, say around 7?"

He nodded, reading over the address before looking up at her. "Sounds like a hang out. Did I say that right?"

Becca couldn't help but giggle. "We'll work on it. See you later, Captain."

"It's Steve, Rebecca."

"And it's Becca, Steve." She shot back at him with a wink and headed off back into the city street to actually try to make it to her meeting in somewhat of a decent time.

She cleaned her apartment from top to bottom as soon as she got home, not like she was a person that kept things a mess, but she was anxious at the thought of her guest being there at any second. She made sure there was no recognition that she was a Stark anywhere for Steve to possibly see until she was ready. She wanted to tell him, but she wasn't ready to deal with the responsibility. Or how he would act knowing the information.

The sound of a knock on her door, snapped her back into her body from where she was in the kitchen, at the stove. She checked her appearance once in the mirror. Sure, this wasn't anything more than a friendly night, but she wanted to make some sort of care to how she looked. She wasn't going to deny Steve Roger was an attractive man, but that was it.

Becca opened the door, seeing Steve on the other side, hands deep in his pockets. "Hey, glad you made it."

"Hope I'm not late." He smiled back at her, walking across the threshold she had motioned to him.

"Nonsense." She grabbed his jacket from him as he slid it off his broad shoulders, hooked on her coat rack next to the door. "I was just finishing up dinner. Do you want a beer?" She asked, walking back into the kitchen.

"Oh, um…" He contemplated what the correct and proper response was. Was that to forward of him to accept the alcohol even though a) he couldn't get drunk and b) this was a different time period. This was a common offering.

"It's just a beer, Steve. I'm not asking for your hand in marriage." Becca smiled, two bottles in her hands. She thought he looked like an adorable golden retriever who was trying his best to be house trained.

"Right." Steve laughed softly and walked forward to grab the offering. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." She knocked the neck of her bottle with his as a cheer before the two took a drink. "Did you find the place okay?" The girl asked, walking back into the kitchen to check on the stove.

"For the most part. I had only ever been in this part of the city a few times." He leaned against the counter opposite her, thinking of the old Hell's Kitchen he used to know. "It was mostly gangs and shipping on the Hudson."

"You're from Brooklyn, right?"

"Yes." He watched her flow around the kitchen as light as a feather. She was enchanting to watch to him, that was one thing he had noticed quickly about her. She walked easily, never making a sound on the floor, and right now in her element she kept turning on her toes. "Are you from New York?" He managed to ask, as she stopped to slice the bread on the cutting board beside him this time.

"Originally from Manhattan, but my father moved us to California when I was around 7." She brushed off the crumbs on her hand before holding the board, asking him to bring it to the table. The conversation paused for a second while she fixed up their plates of spaghetti, since she decided not to do anything crazy for the guy. A simple comfort food shouldn't be a problem.

"So, you moved back here by yourself?" Steve asked, sitting across from her at the small dining room table.

"Mhmm." She answered, swallowing a bit of her pasta. "I moved back when I got into college."

"Where did you go?"

"Juilliard. I focused in dance."

The super soldier nodded, twirling the pasta on in fork. It now made sense to him why she moved with such elegance. "Do believe even dance the same way anymore?"

"Oh, you would definitely be surprised." She laughed, thinking of the day he was shown the new way of music and dance. "But I'm proud to say I could swing to any big bang song they put on like a pro, thank you. But I'm more into ballet and contemporary."

"Wow, I'm very impressed. Maybe I could see you perform one day?"

"For sure. Obviously with SHIELD that didn't become my career but it's now my hobby. It's easier for me to release my energy into it." She drank a sip of beer, allowing the liquid to coat her throat to ask about the next question. "Well you've also got more tricks up your sleeve."

Steve's eyes jumped up to her, not fully understanding the question. But also worried that she was going to start talk about his role as Captain America. "Excuse me?"

"Drawing. Seeing that little sketch today…you clearly have had your hand in that before."

"Oh." His heart beat slowly down a bit at the mention of another topic. "It's just something that I picked up as a kid. Like you said, it releases some energy."

"Well I would love to see more of your drawings as well."

The two mentally shook on letting the other get an inside look at what they loved to do. Dinner continued on, Steve constantly thanking her and complementing on how delicious the food was. Becca was honestly just happy to not burn anything. She could handle a few recipes, but she wouldn't go out and say she was an amazing cook by any means.

Not wanting the night to end, Becca asked if he wanted to stay and watch a movie which he was up to, not wanting to go home yet either since he was feeling more and more adventurous with the day.

"So are you feeling up to something new or would you like something…um-"

"Old?" He laughed, seeing her try to find the right words to not disrespect him.

"I was going to say vintage," she giggled as well, "but sure let's go with old." She was just happy to hear the light sound of his laugh that was also deep. It easily bubbled in her chest.

"Anything you want, is fine."

Becca decided to pick out one of her favorite's 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', deciding it was a good in between from the 40s and now. The two took their spots on either ends of the couch and both got engrossed in the movie. She didn't know when it happen, but Becca had fallen asleep some part during the movie, after a long day it just came easy for her.

She's not exactly sure what it was that woke her up, but she did know it was late, the apartment was dark despite the black faint of the tv screen still on. It was the sound of heavy breathing that fully woke her up now. She turned to her right and saw the spot next to her was empty from where Steve was sitting before she had fallen asleep. She followed the breathing to the left, seeing a figure standing at the dining room table. From the shoulders and height, she could assume it was Steve.

"Steve? You okay?" Her voice was whisper, not wanting to break the silence in the apartment, since she didn't know what exactly was going on. Yet with her question he still didn't answer. "Steve?" She stood up now, slowly making her way over to him. Becca watched his shoulder heave up and down, hands gripping tightly to the chair.

As she moved, she automatically knew she shouldn't have touched his shoulder but she did. As soon as her hand lightly made contact, the larger man spun on his heels looming over her. She didn't have time to register what was happening before he was grabbing her, forcing her harshly against the wall. One hand held her arm while the other was around her throat, gripping tighter and tighter by the second.

"Steve!" She rasped out, her free hand clawing at his hand, but it wouldn't budge. He was looking at her but his eyes weren't focused. Like he was sleep walking, stuck in a daze between reality and dream. Her nails dug at his fingers but she wasn't strong enough to break away from him. With only so much oxygen left in her lungs, she could comprehend enough to pull the small knife she had on her belt.

Without knowing what else to do, Becca made a swipe at the super soldier's forearm, leaving a red line in his skin. At the slice, Steve seemed to regain consciousness, hands coming off of Becca and immediately holding his arm. At the release, Becca coughed to gather air as she fell to the ground. The knife clattered to the floor, hands coming up to hold against her own neck now.

"Rebecca?" Steve's voice broke the apartment, full of confusion. His eyes went from his arm, to her crumbled on the ground, to the knife beside her. His eyes focusing on her holding her neck. "Did I do this?"

"Steve, it's okay." She attempted to gargle out, trying to soothe him but also trying to get the dark spots to leave her eyes.

"I…I did this. I…" He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, his throat going dry at the seeing the pain he clearly put her in.

Becca slowly stood up, not wanting to make herself any dizzier than she already was. "Steve, stop, don't-"

"I hurt you, Rebecca." Steve's eyes see in the redness from what he guessed was his hand around her neck. The one person that he was slowly starting to form a friendship with, the only person he had to trust in this world. And he had almost killed her. "I have to go."

"Steve, please!" She tried to get him to stop, but he was grabbing his coat and was out the door in a matter of seconds.

Becca slumped back over to her couch, sitting down and letting her head fall in her hands. Things just got a whole lot worse for the man out of time, more than she thought possible.

Dun Dun Dun!

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