Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: And now: Captain America!

Chapter 2: Meeting with a Legend:

Director Fury immediately dragged me into the apartment, past the man in the doorway, and into a large living room area. Once there, he looked me over intensely while he motioned for the door to be closed behind us.

"Do you know who this is?" he asked, his tone harsh. With that sole eye focused on me like a laser beam, I had the sudden feeling that my next words would either save my life, or get me killed.

As I tried to pull my thoughts together, the other man came into the room, blue eyes puzzled as he looked at me. I felt excitement bubble up inside, completely overriding my fear. Then my brain started working again.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "It's just that…you look a lot like a favorite hero of mine. You're probably related to him somehow, right? Maybe a grandson, or a great-grandson?"

Fury seemed to relax a little. "Which hero are you talking about?" he asked, very carefully.

Shifting uncomfortably in my chair –he was really good at intimidation– I whispered, "Captain America?"

Both men looked at each other and, at some unspoken agreement, both sat down. Director Fury scowled as he eyed me closely. "How do you know that?" he demanded. "As I recall, his face wasn't revealed to the public, to preserve his true identity."

I blushed. "My great-grandmother knew a few of the girls who danced in the shows he put on during World War II. They told her and my grandmother all about him, and even gave them a few discreetly taken photos of him without the mask. Some of the girls also had husbands or boyfriends who were rescued from prison camps by the Captain, when he decided to quit his shows and get more involved in the war efforts."

My fingers nervously clenched and unclenched in my lap. "My grandmother stayed a fan of his, and kept all of the memorabilia her mother's friends had given her, even after he went missing-in-action. She showed her collection to me when I was little, and she still tells me stories about him whenever I see her." My cheeks got even redder. "He's a forgotten hero."

Now it was my turn to eye someone. The man to my left could easily pass as the Captain: same blonde hair, blue eyes, facial features, everything. It was impossible, of course –Captain America had disappeared seventy years ago, never to be seen again. Given the time that had passed, he had to be dead or a very old man by now, since he'd be ninety or a hundred years old.

'It has to be a descendant,' I reasoned with myself. 'Or a clone, but science hasn't come that far yet, as far as I know. No, this has to be a grandson, or even a distant relative that looks like him.'

Descendant or not, this guy was as good-looking as the one in my grandma's old photos. He was very fit, but not too fit –there was a good deal of muscle showing through his clothes, but they weren't overly large or straining at the seams. He was tall, too, because he towered over me even when sitting. That physique, combined with his all-American looks, made for a very fine specimen of a man. No doubt every female who saw him stopped to stare as he walked by.

That's when I realized that he was blushing a little. "Great-grandmother and grandmother, huh?" he muttered. "I guess I have been gone a while."

After he said that, everything that Fury had previously said about my new job clicked inside my brain. This had to be the Captain America! Why else would a secret government agency want to help a soldier reenter society?

"Oh, my gosh, it's you!" I said, astounded. "You're Steve Rogers! You're Captain America!"

He smiled a little and looked embarrassed as he nodded. When my brain cleared again, a flood of questions began nagging at me. "You haven't aged a day since you disappeared," I said dumbly. "How is that possible?"

I managed to get the short version of his life's story from Director Fury. I was told how Steve Rogers had become Captain America, and why he was the only one of his kind. After he quit performing in public shows, he'd gone into taking down Nazi weapon factories all over Europe, battling the forces of one of Hitler's top lieutenants, Red Skull. On his last mission, Captain America had been fighting the evil, super-powered Nazi on a massive airplane bound for the US. Red Skull had died while flying to destroy the US, and the good Captain had crashed the plane into the Arctic to prevent the weapons onboard from killing millions of people. After nose-diving into the ice of the far north, Captain America had been frozen in suspended animation until some scientists or explorers found him.

"After he was revived, we tried to break the news to him in a fashion we thought would be gentle on him," Fury explained. "It didn't work out too well. I thought a personal tutor would be a good idea, and began a search for the right person to help in this situation. When Isaac Jacobs sent me another e-mail on how he was doing, I remembered his letters about you, and decided that you were what we needed."

"And here we are," I muttered, struggling to wrap my mind around the whole thing. "Okay, as weird as this all is, I've signed up for this job, and I'm going to do my best by you, Captain. We'll start slow, see what ways you learn best, and move on from there. Okay?"

"You can call me Steve," he said, smiling a little.

I shifted in my seat a little. "Um, no, actually, I can't. You see, Steve is my dad's name, so calling you that would be just too weird for me. I'm going to call you Cap, short for Captain."

He didn't look happy about that, but he didn't argue, which was nice of him. Meanwhile, Director Fury looked satisfied with the whole thing. "Good. Now, Adena, I know this might be odd for the both of you, but I'd like for you to share this apartment with the Captain. That way, if he's got any questions, you'll be right here, instead of having to trade phone calls at all hours."

At that, the Captain looked scandalized. "It doesn't seem right, sir," he protested. "I mean, I'm sure that – Adena, is it? – would rather have a place of her own."

Fury looked over at me. "Oh, I'm sure that she realizes that this might be the best solution for everyone," he said, a bit of an edge in his voice.

Actually, I did. There were over seven decades of history and culture to teach, most of which I was rusty on. At least this way, if he had any questions, I'd be right there to (hopefully!) offer answers and provide a sympathetic ear if he got nostalgic for his old life. Being in close proximity would be the best bet for the both of us.

"I agree with you, Director," I replied. "As awkward as this will be for you, Captain, it might be best for you to have someone constantly with you, just in case you start getting overwhelmed with the 21st century. And I don't mind sharing a space, as long as I've got my own room and, possibly, my own bathroom. We can work everything out around that."

"This apartment has two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths," Fury said, getting to his feet. "As for necessities, I can either have agents pack up your belongings and ship them here, or you can buy everything you need and the agents can put your things into storage. An advance on your pay can be arranged, but the rent here is covered, so you won't have to worry about that."

I thought about it. "There are some things I want shipped here. I'll give you a list; anything else I can probably buy while the rest goes into storage." I gave a small smile. "I'll likely lose the last couple months' rent on my apartment, but I guess I can handle that."

Fury waved aside my worries. "I'll take care of that. You'll get your money back, if only because you might need a cushion in your bank account." He reached into his coat and pulled out a pre-paid credit card and a set of keys. "Here, use the card to buy a few things until I advance you some of your pay -it should last a week or two, if you're careful. If not, the Captain's got funds we've been providing for him. A car's waiting outside to take you wherever you want to go. The keys are for the apartment and the mailbox downstairs."

As I accepted the card, he got up from his seat and looked at the two of us. "I'll have my people leave a phone message for your parents, explaining that you've taken an excellent government position and have relocated here to New York. In the meantime, you two play nice. I might need the Captain's services at any time, and it would be nice if he were a little more familiar with modern things."

With that, he was gone, and the two of us still sitting merely looked at each other with embarrassment and discomfort. I could only imagine what the Captain was thinking about all this, and probably didn't want to know.

"Well, I guess I should go shopping," I muttered. "We can start everything tomorrow, if you'd like."

He nodded. "It is pretty late. We'll start bright and early tomorrow."

Taking a deep breath, I stood up. "I should be back in a couple hours." Swallowing hard, I said, "It's nice to meet you, Cap. I'm Adena Philips."

As soon as she was gone, Steve sat and stared at the closed door, wondering if this was a good idea or not.

Of course it was. This woman, Adena, had managed to accept his story at face value, and hadn't run screaming from the room, or fainted –that showed the girl had guts, for all that she was a civilian.

'But that might be what I need,' Steve thought to himself, letting out a breath as his head fell into his hands. 'I need someone who is patient, and won't bark out a bunch of information while expecting me to remember it in a hurry.'

And she seemed nice enough, even if she wanted to call him 'Cap.' He couldn't see how or why she wouldn't use his first name, but he was willing to let it go –for now, anyway. Maybe, after they got used to one another, she'd drop the nickname and use his real one. But for the present time, Steve would let her get away with calling him 'Cap,' if it made her more comfortable.

Rubbing his hands over his face, Steve sat back and closed his eyes. It had been so disheartening, listening to her talk about him living in a time when her great-grandmother and grandmother were young. Just thinking about all of the years that had passed made his stomach turn.

'All of my friends, they're gone. Even if they'd lived long lives, they're all gone now.' His comrades in arms, men who were like brothers to him and had run head-long into battle at his side, were long dead and buried while he'd been frozen in ice. And Peggy…

No, he couldn't think about Peggy –it hurt too much, thinking of how she must have felt, after losing contact with him. Steve could only hope that she had led a full and happy life with someone else.

Outside, the sounds of traffic and people drew Steve out of the dark thoughts that plagued him. Here was a chance for him to start a new life –he'd have to be strong and accept it.

Going to the window, Steve stood at the large pane of glass and looked down, watching the traffic below. Tomorrow was going to be a new day, and after Adena got back, perhaps the two of them could get to know each other a bit better.

'Maybe it won't be so bad,' he thought, trying to look on the bright side, even though his heart really wasn't in it.

I had to admit, the amount on the card Director Fury had given me was beyond generous. I guess he really had to like or admire the Captain, to give me this much to spend on things I needed.

After buying enough clothing to last a couple weeks, and all the accessories needed for them, I splurged a bit on bathroom necessities and a bottle of perfume. I then did a quick consideration, and remembered that I hadn't seen a computer in the apartment, and decided to get a laptop and a tablet, both fully loaded. The electronics could make Cap's history learning go smoother, especially since almost everything was on the Internet.

'Of course, I'll have to teach him how to use it, but that shouldn't be too hard,' I told myself as the driver took me back to the apartment building. 'I'll set them both up tonight, so that they're ready for tomorrow.'

Back at the apartment, some of the guards actually came out to help lug my purchases into the building and the apartment, though I handled the laptop and tablet myself. Cap's jaw dropped when he saw how much I'd bought, but I ignored his expression.

"Could you show me where my room is?" I politely asked. I hadn't been given the grand tour, and wanted to know where I'd be sleeping for however long I'd be here. Getting over the amount of shopping I'd done, Cap nodded and motioned for me to follow him.

To my right was the kitchen, fully equipped, while on my left was a closet for coats. Attached to the kitchen was a huge living room/dining room area, all simply furnished: a dining table with room for six in the eating area; a couch, loveseat, lamps, small end tables, and a large LCD television mounted on the wall. There was a desk in the corner by the large windows where I could set up the laptop, and a beautifully polished coffee table in front of the couch. Simple, but elegant; secret governments really knew how to take care of their 'valuable assets.'

Branching off of the larger area in opposite directions were two areas that I guessed were bedrooms. Since Cap led me to my right, I guessed that the other one was his –it made for a good arrangement, when it came to privacy.

We passed by a small bathroom, which I guessed was for visitors to the apartment, and he opened a door that led to a fairly spacious bedroom. The bed was dark wood, with a matching headboard and footboard; on either side of the bed were mahogany bedside tables, each with a white lamp. The sheets were a dull gold-and-white that was tasteful and went well with the furnishings.

A desk sat in the corner, below a window that looked towards the red brick wall of the building next door. Mercifully, there were no windows in the neighboring building, so there were no nosy, peeping-tom neighbors to worry about.

There was a spacious closet door on my left, beside a small wardrobe, and to my right was the bathroom, complete with a spacious counter for all of my girly accessories. It looked like something out of a nice hotel –comfortable, simple, tasteful, and roomy. Whoever designed this had probably worked for the hospitality industry at some point, and brought their skills with them.

"Very cool," I said, smiling as I turned towards my new roommate.

"If you're cold, I could turn up the heat," Cap said, looking anywhere but at me.

I had to hold back a laugh. "No, no, the word cool is slang," I explained. "It's a word that means something other than its original definition."

I then had to spend several minutes explaining that 'cool' could be used in a variety of ways, as well as the different contexts and meanings it could have. Cap looked a bit bewildered at first, but after I gave a few examples and had him try out the word a bit, he seemed to get it.

"Cool," he muttered. "It seems to be a handy word. I'll definitely have to remember that one."

"Yup, it's a good word," I replied with a grin. "Now, I'm going to try and put this stuff away, then set up the tablet I bought, so that we can use them tomorrow or the next day. They'll help a lot with the teaching and learning processes, and get you accustomed to technology, too."

Again, he looked a bit lost, so I had to explain what a tablet was. I was pleasantly surprised that he seemed interested in the tablet, if only because of the touch-screen feature, so I silently made the tough decision to let him have it, if he wanted it, as well as the laptop. Personally (and selfishly), I wanted the tablet, and had bought it with the intension of keeping it, since I didn't have one of my own. However, Cap needed it more than I did, so I decided to let it go.

Being the nice guy that he was, Cap graciously helped lug my things (minus the electronics) to my room, and left me alone to unpack. Rolling up my sleeves, I quickly went to work.

I worked fast, and was done in about an hour. Pleased with my progress, I headed for the kitchen to raid the fridge. To my complete shock, the fridge was almost entirely empty; all I managed to find were a dozen eggs, still in the carton, a gallon of milk, a few cubes of butter, and orange juice. That was it.

"Not one for buying groceries, huh?" I asked over my shoulder.

Cap came to stand beside me. "Sorry. I'm not familiar with today's brands and foods, so an agent occasionally comes by with the most basic groceries." He looked a little uncomfortable. "We can go shopping, I guess, as part of the learning process."

Since it was getting pretty late, I had a feeling that the only grocery places that'd be open right now would be the local convenience store. 'Well, that's a lesson that'll have to wait until tomorrow.'

Biting back a sigh, I went to the cupboard and, much to my relief, found bread, strawberry jam, and some peanut butter. There was a bag of chips, too, so I was able to scrounge up peanut butter on toast, a couple handfuls of chips, and a glass of milk to snack on while Cap looked at the laptop box.

"What's in here?" he asked.

I swallowed my mouthful of toast. "Laptop computer," I replied, my voice rough from the thick peanut butter. I took a gulp of milk to wash it down and cleared my throat. "Sorry. It's a portable computer that can easily fit in your lap –thus the name, laptop. I'll start setting it, and the tablet, up after I finish eating."

He gave me a sad smile. "You know, back in my day, computers were big enough to fill whole rooms. It's hard to believe that technology has come so far since then."

"If you think that's impressive, wait until I show you the tablet," I teased before polishing off my snack. Chugging down the milk in my glass, I rose and headed for the kitchen. "Some computers still are big enough to fill rooms; those are either servers or super-computers, which have to calculate things humans can't. But for normal people, we have these."

Once I'd cleaned up, I broke out the laptop and set it on the desk by the window. As I unwound the cords and plugged it into the outlet, Cap watched with interest as it booted up. It was an Apple, so it was all ready to go after a quick load of software. I was majorly relieved that this place had wireless access, but sadly didn't have the password to log on.

Cap took one look at my disappointed face, and asked what was wrong. I told him, and to my surprise, he reached into a drawer in the desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. "When I first moved in here, I found this on the desk. I'm not sure what these are for," he admitted, clearly embarrassed, "but maybe you can figure it out."

A quick scan of the paper gave me the login password for the wireless and cable internet within the building. Within a minute, I was in, and the laptop was ready for use. I then took the opportunity to set up the tablet as well, with Cap watching the whole time.

"I'll teach you how to use it tomorrow," I promised while biting back a yawn. "Right now, I'm going to try and get some sleep. You should, too. We've a lot of ground to cover, so we're definitely going to need our rest."

Even through the haze of sleepiness, I could see that he looked troubled and sad. Reaching out, I put a hand on his arm, the muscles there going taught before relaxing.

"I know this is hard on you," I said softly. "I was brought here to teach a man that I thought was long dead -I can only imagine how you feel, being that person. You probably feel more lost than I do. But I promise to help you as best I can, and to be a friend when you need one. The sense of loss you have will probably never go away, but it will gradually fade, in time."

Those honest blue eyes of his looked into mine, and something in them seemed to shift. I couldn't tell what it was, but it did seem to make a difference in him. Whether that was a good change or not, that remained to be seen, but I think a little of what I said got to him. Either way, he managed a smile as he thanked me and wished me pleasant dreams.

After wishing him the same, I went and prepped for bed, which I happily fell into. I was asleep within minutes, but my last thought was of poor Captain Rogers, and how he must be sleeping tonight.

Lying awake in bed, Steve thought over what Adena had told him just an hour ago. She had given him a small bit of comfort by promising to help him as best she could, and to be there whenever he needed her. That was far more than anyone else had offered so far, even Director Fury.

Closing his eyes, he tried remembering everything that had happened since he'd woken up in S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters a week ago. Most of it was a blur, with him being brought up to date on where and when he was, right before he'd been moved to this apartment. Since then, Steve had been alone, trying to figure out how he was going to fit into this whole new century. In those times of loneliness, anger and despair, Steve had found himself back at S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, in their gym, taking out his frustrations on the punching bags that hung in the boxing area. Most of those bags didn't make it through the night, though the exercise made it easier for him to fall asleep.

Now, things were different. 'Director Fury had promised help, but I never really expected him to actually find someone –at least, not so soon.' But here she was, sleeping just down the hallway from him, in the same apartment.

Steve scowled as he opened his eyes to gaze at the ceiling. He didn't approve of sharing a place with a woman he barely knew, even if the morals of this era were very different than the ones he'd been brought up with. In all likelihood, this might be considered a normal living situation, though he didn't like it very much. He could imagine his mother spinning in her grave because of this.

'I guess I'd better get ready for a lot of surprises.' Lord knows there would probably be thousands of them coming his way, and soon.

At least he had someone there to help him. It was a very comforting thought, one that actually made him smile a bit as he closed his eyes. For the first time in a week, Steve Rogers slept decently, without the need to punch something.

AN: If anyone manages to find a typed up script of the Avengers movie online, could you please Private Message me? Otherwise, I'll have to rely on memory in order to get this fic done accurately. Thanks, and please review?