Steve managed to calm Jess down enough to walk her upstairs to his apartment, glaring at the neighbors who stood outside staring disapprovingly. It was the first time Steve had seen her so upset or even shed a tear. It was also the first time she ever mentioned having contact with her family.

Jess walked inside and sat down on Steve's couch, leaning down to put her head in her hands. She hated how she'd acted moments ago downstairs, but she had to get it out. The anger, the frustration, she needed a release. This whole day had been a mess of a mixture of things, she just wanted it to end.

''Here,''

She looked up to see Steve holding out a glass of water to her, a light and comforting smile on his face.

''Thanks,''

Taking a sip of the cool water, she felt the couch dip next to her where Steve now sat. She didn't like burdening him like this, he didn't need to deal with her problems. If he knew what she had been doing that day, stealing from the organization he worked so hard to protect people's freedom for, she didn't know if he'd be this willing to help her out.

''I'm sorry about your mom,'' he told her quietly.

Jess looked over to him with a nod, appreciating his words. She knew she hadn't really let him into her personal life, she hadn't even told him a single word about her family, but there was a good reason for it.

''Was she sick?'' he asked gently.

''Yeah,'' Jess took another sip of water before sitting back on the couch further and pulling a pillow into her lap.

''But I guess she was old, too. She had me later in her life when she was like 48, but when I was 16 my dad died and she didn't handle it well, stopped taking care of herself and, well, I guess she never got better. I tried to take care of her as much as I could, but I was still a kid, I didn't know what I was doing. A year later they put her into full time care and tried to get me into a foster home, so that's when I left,''

''You ran away?''

''Until I was 18 and they couldn't put me in the system,'' she nodded. ''I went back to see my mom, but she'd gotten worse. She developed early-onset Alzheimer's disease. For the past year she hasn't remembered me and it only upset her every time I visited, so I just stopped,''

Steve had no idea so much had been going on in her life. He never wanted to pry, but he had always wondered.

''I mean I was always closer with my dad, but...she was my mom, and she didn't know who I was. I'm my family's sole survivor and I'm a week away from turning 21,'' she shook her head. ''It's not right,''

Steve put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. He knew what it was like to lose loved ones and especially to be the only one left. Although their situations and circumstanced were much different, this was just another thing they had in common.

''You're not gonna be all alone, you know?'' Steve looked down at her. ''I won't let that happen,''

''You don't know a lot of things about me,'' she told him sadly, knowing just how much she was hiding.

''I know whatever you want me to know, and that's okay,'' he smiled. ''You're my friend, you won't be alone,''

Jess woke up the next morning to the sun shining onto her face as she laid on Steve's couch. She had been so upset the night before that it exhausted her. It still didn't feel right knowing that her mother had died, that she really was the last one of her family left. There was no uncles and aunts, no brothers or sisters, it was just Jess now.

She'd always been a very independent person, she didn't need people around her constantly, but she always knew there was at least one person still out there who she could call family. Now they were gone, just like the rest, and she was angry.

''I got your key,'' Steve walked over, noticing her sitting up awake. ''I explained I was a good friend of Jessica Bennett and was concerned you left on some appliances. Building manager's a bit too trusting,''

''Everyone trusts Captain America,'' she pointed out. ''Thanks. And thanks for everything, really,''

''Don't worry about it. Do you want some coffee? Breakfast?''

Jess looked up at him, seeing how much he was trying to make her feel better and comfort her. He knew nothing he could do would make up for losing her mother, but he cared about her.

''Sure,'' she smiled lightly. ''It'll be nice to have some breakfast instead of serving it for once,''

She sat there for a moment, running over everything that happened in her head. She'd have to get a flight out of town today and sort everything out for her mother, something she wasn't looking forward to doing. Jess didn't want to keep thinking of it, but it was the only thing she could think of.

''Did the manager say anything about my broken door?''

''Uh,'' Steve shrugged. ''I think some neighbors might have told him a little about-''

''Yeah, figured that,'' she shook her head. ''Not one of my best moments,''

''Hey don't worry about it, they had no idea what you were and are going through,''

''Well, at least they won't have to see me for a few days. I have to go back home to Brooklyn and deal with everything,'' she hung her head low, the thought upsetting her.

Steve looked over to her immediately, realizing she'd never actually told him about her home before, or where it even was.

''Brooklyn?''

Jess looked up, realizing she hadn't told him that before.

''Uh, yeah. I mean I've moved around a lot, but Brooklyn's where I was born and where I grew up, mostly,''

''Why didn't you tell me that before?''

Jess shrugged.

''I don't know, I haven't been back in a while, I go from place to place a lot,'' she defended. ''I have many homes I guess,''

Steve walked over and handed her the coffee, putting his hands on his hips and shaking his head.

''Huh, I guess there is a few things I don't know about you,''

''I did warn you,''

It was a few hours later when Jess was ready to leave. She hadn't been back home to Brooklyn for over a year, she didn't know what to expect. When her father died, it had crushed her. Her mother took care of the arrangements since Jess was only 16, but now she was gone. Jess had to do this all on her own, this was her family and she was going to take care of it herself.

Walking down from Steve's apartment, she'd ran into some of her neighbors who had witnessed her dramatic meltdown the night before, but she just kept walking. After packing a light bag and making sure everything important, including documents and information that involved SHIELD, was locked up she grabbed the flash drives and took them with her.

''You all set?'' Steve asked when she walked out of her apartment.

''I think so,'' she nodded.

Steve walked her out of the building where her taxi was waiting and asked her again if she was sure she wanted to do this on her own. However Jess was quite stubborn and politely declined his offer to go with her again. He tried his best to look out for her, but he had to remind himself she in face wasn't a child. She'd make it this far on her own, she was more than capable.

''Call if you need anything then,'' he insisted.

''I will. Oh, would you mind just telling Joe at the diner that I'll be gone for a few days, I totally forgot,''

''No problem,''

Jess smiled in appreciation before she moved close to hug him. She may have been the last one in her family left, alone in that sense, but she was glad to have someone like Steve. He was not only a great friend, but he was the only one she had. Her gratefulness soon turned to guilt though when she reminded herself of just how much he didn't know about her, about how much she was hiding from him.

''Travel safe,'' he told her before she leaned down to pick up her bag.

''I'll see you when I get back,'' she opened the door to the taxi. ''Hey don't turn your music on, the neighbors might start to pick on you now that I'm gone,''

It was just like she remembered it. In fact it was exactly how she remembered it considering no one had been here since then. Her home had dust mingling in the air, cracks in the walls and creaky floorboards, but it was still her home. The place she grew up in, where she was shaped and molded into the person she was today.

Photos still hung on the wall of her family, once happy and all together. A reminder that she hadn't always been alone, things hadn't always been like this.

Jess ran her fingers along the glass of the photo frame, tracing over the faces of her parents the dust and spiderwebs collected beneath her fingertips. Her mother and father, young at heart, smiling happily with their five year old daughter.

''At least you guys are together now,'' she whispers, tears stinging her eyes. ''I love you both,''

She stared at the photo for a while longer, trying to burn that image into her mind. When she thought of her dad she wanted to remember his smile and how he made her laugh and when she thought of her mom she wanted to remember how caring she was, her sweetness. She was alone now, but they'd always be watching over her, she knew.

The house still had power and water thanks to the fund her father set up before he died, making sure Jess and her mother had a home, but he couldn't predict what would happen to them, that it would become abandoned for so long. The house would belong to Jess now.

It wasn't long before Jess had to go to sort things out. She had been putting it off ever since her plane landed, but she couldn't any longer. Once she went and signed all the paperwork and organized a funeral and all of that, it would be official. Her mother would be gone, and she hated thinking about it.

When she arrived at the care facility where her mother had been living, the nurses didn't look twice at her. Of course they wouldn't recognize her, she rarely visited.

''Hi, I'm uh, not sure what to do. My mother Alice passed away yesterday,'' Jess walked over to the woman at reception.

''Oh I'm sorry sweetie,'' the woman looked at her sympathetically. ''Can I have your name?''

''Jessica Barnes,''

So I hope you guys like this? Anyway I have a whole plot thing planned out so I hope you get into the story because I'm sure it'll get better from this point onwards! Please review