Ava looked at the pieces of the bookshelf she was attempting to put together and huffed. Here she was, nineteen years old, a nursing degree, fluent in five different languages and she couldn't put together a stupid bookshelf. Until this morning she had thought that she was a relatively intelligent person. She'd been at it for almost two hours and all she had to show for it was a lopsided half bookshelf and two sore fingers. Hammers were not her thing. Knives, a good pistol or even her own hands and she could hold her own, but not hammers. Ignoring the mess she had made she went into the small kitchen in the apartment and started to make something to drink. The British believe tea could solve any mess, maybe it could solve the one in the living room. As she stood waiting for the kettle to whistle she noticed a large paper file on the counter. Natasha must have left it this morning before leaving, she had left around 6:30 for a mission to Malta. Nat had told her that she'd be back in a week at most, so she had a ton of time to make the mess in the living room go away. Natasha hadn't told Ava about this mysterious file though, and she hoped that it wasn't important for the mission that her friend was currently on. There was no way to ask now, though, since Nat had gone dark for this one. She huffed, knowing that the temptation was too great not to snoop. At the top of the folder written in sloppy handwriting that was definitely Natasha's were the words 'For Steve'. Maybe Ava was supposed to drop this off when she went into work on Monday. She didn't know a Steve, but maybe she would be getting more info soon. "Thanks Nat. No info, no instructions." Ava said to no one in particular. Opening the file she frowned, Steve must be pretty important, or maybe just high up, because French mercenaries were kinda serious. Like level five at least. Technically, Ava had level four clearance, but this was a bit different. She had only made it to the second page of the file, seriously, the rap sheet on these men was extensive, when there was a knock on the door. She couldn't help but jump, company wasn't expected and she'd met most of the neighbors. Everyone in the complex seemed friendly, but not 'unexpectedly dropping by to say hello' friendly. Of course it could be anyone, so Ava opened a drawer in the kitchen and grabbed a small handgun that was stored there. One couldn't be too careful when it came to working for SHEILD.

Steve had gotten a text from Natasha at 10:00 that morning, one he had been expecting for the past week. He'd asked her about a file, something about a new organized crime group that had just gotten on SHEILD's radar. So far nothing had happened, but he wanted to stay in the loop and had asked Natasha for more information. The text had been simple "INFO YOU WANTED MY PLACE. COME GET." So here he was, getting. Knocking he waited patiently, hearing someone shuffling within the apartment. There was a small bump and a feminine voice said something in Russian that Steve roughly translated into 'crap'. The voice wasn't exactly Natasha's though, it was higher, softer even. Did he have the wrong address? Natasha had given him her new address a few weeks ago, she was getting a bigger apartment for young Ava to come and live with her. The door opened and a young woman peeked through the small crack, "Can I help you?" Steve blushed, maybe this was the wrong place. He opened his mouth to speak when the door closed. The man frowned, before stepping back as the door swung open. "Steve?!" "Yes, miss. Steve Rogers." He held out his hand and she took it, giving it a small shake. "I'm Ava Romanov, it's nice to meet you, Captain Rogers." "Oh, you're Ava. Of course!" "Yep! Natasha left something here for you. Come on in." The man nodded and the girl, Ava, moved to let him in the apartment. "Is Natasha here?" Steve asked taking a moment to survey the place, which was kind of a mess. There was a large furniture kit in the living room floor that seemed to be a work in progress. "No, she got called out for a mission last night. She won't be back for a few days. Sorry about the mess. I'm not good with furniture." Steve turned to the girl and gave her a smile, "Don't worry about it, I just moved too, although all of my furniture was put together when I got there." Ava laughed, "Yeah, we wanted to make the place our own. I personally voted for a fully furnished place." The young woman gestured towards the small kitchen off of the living room before turning and walking into it, casually placing the gun she had been holding on the counter. The action left him baffled, before he remembered exactly who had raised this young woman. Steve took a moment to observe the girl. She was small, petite in every since of the word, unassuming even. He would describe her as pretty, in the way that made him think she would have men lining up at her door during his time. Her hair was dark, a deep brown, if not black, Steve was leaning towards black. She had big blue eyes, clear as the sky and Steve couldn't help but think that they were the same color. But, her small stature is what bothered him the most, or perhaps he just didn't like feeling like a giant standing in front of her. She had moved towards him, reaching to hand him the file and it solidified how tiny she was. Maybe she reached 5 feet, but Steve seriously doubted it. "Here's the file. It looks pretty important." The man looked down at the seemingly innocent file and nodded. "It is. Did you read it?" The girl hesitated for a micro second and then sighed, "Why do I feel like your some kind of human lie detector? I read the first page and a half..." Before she could say more the kettle whistled and Ava gave him a small smile. "Would you like some tea, Captain? I was making some to help me tackle the bookshelf in the living room." "That would be nice, but please, call me Steve." "Do you like Chai? We also have some Earl Grey." Steve peeked into the kitchen and watched as she pulled out two bags of tea, "To be honest... I have no idea what either of those taste like. I'm not a big tea drinker." Ava turned around and smiled at him. "How do you like your coffee?" The man gave a sigh of relief, he didn't want to offend the young woman. "Black." "Black it is... do you like Starbucks? Cause we have those K cups." "Like the Keurig? Tony got me one of those as an apartment warming gift. Starbucks is fine with me." Steve moved into kitchen and leaned against the counter as the girl moved around, grabbing different things in order to make her tea while his coffee brewed in the machine. "Tony... as in Tony Stark?" "Yeah, he insisted on helping me pick things out. He and Natasha have been trying to get me acquainted to the 'modern world'." His coffee sputtered and she walked over and grabbed it, handing it to him. "Thank you." Came the blonde's polite reply. "You're welcome. How has it been? The whole readjusting thing, if you don't mind me asking." "I try and watch a movie or two a week. I've made it into the 60's in history... and I thought my era was dangerous." "Yeah... I know what you mean... Kennedy, The Beatles... moon walks. Good and bad years, one of my favorite movies was made then. Have you seen The Sound of Music yet?" Steve shook his head, "It's on my list." "Your list?" Steve looked bashful, grabbing his coffee and looking into. "I have this list... of things I need to listen to, watch, read or even look up." Ava took a sip of her tea and nodded. "Thats a smart way to look at it.. can I see it?" The man smiled and nodded, pulling the little pad of paper out of his back pocket and handing it to her. "Star Wars... Star Trek... Elvis, the Beatles, the Cold War. All good things to know about." She flipped the page and continued reading. "Red bull, who told you to drink Red Bull?" "A young man at work." "Who the heck drinks Red Bull at the office? That stuff is gross and extremely unhealthy, espresso is what you need. But not the stuff you get here, you have to go to Europe for the good stuff." Steve couldn't help but laugh, the face the young woman was making was one of disgust. "Good to know." "Please tell me you haven't tried weed either. I'm marking that out. Along with the Red Bull." She did so, frowning at the two words and muttering something in Russian. The blonde could see Natasha in this young woman, a softer, less guilty version of the red head. There had been no asking permission, instead she just did what she thought was best for him. Something Nat did, something that Steve was grateful for. "Now the farmer's market is a good idea. Its a great way to be a part of a community and get some healthier alternatives to produce from Walmart. Do you have a car?" Steve shook his head and Ava frowned. "I have a bike." "You'll need more room if you want to go... we could take Natasha's car." Steve looked shocked and the girl hesitated. "I mean... I could definitely use the produce and it's Saturday. If you don't have to go to work we can go together. That is... if you'd like to go."

The farmer's market was on the edge of DC and Steve insisted on driving, being careful as it was Natasha's car. It was crowded, since it was a beautiful day, but they found a parking spot within few minutes. "Perhaps we should stick together." The man looked down at Ava and watched as she took in the parking lot and first few stalls of the market. "It's up to you. This is a pretty public area." "Just to be sure." The girl just nodded and gave him a smile. "Is there anything you need?" Steve asked, scanning the stalls. "Just some fruits and veggies. I was planning on doing take out for dinner." "Really? Do you know any good places? I'm from New York so I'm picky about my pizza." "Yeah there's this mom and pop place just down the block from the apartment. I can't remember what it's called at the moment, but we'll pass right by in on the way back, I'll point it out." Steve nodded and they continued through the market. The two made an interesting pair, Ava moving confidently through the crowds and Steve sticking close by, not saying much but nodding encouragingly at her when she picked something up and asked him about it. He considered himself responsible for the girl, since she was all alone at the moment. That's probably why Natasha texted him this morning, knowing he didn't have to work. What the super soldier didn't know is that Ava was thinking the same thing, knowing that Natasha had left that folder so that she could look after the man while the red head was away.

"So was that up to par, Mr. New York?" The two were sitting on the couch in Ava and Natasha's apartment two pizza boxes sitting on the floor in front of them. A newly assembled book shelf sat in the corner and the credits for The Sound of Music played in the background. "It's not New York, but it's pretty close. And I'm not a fan of musicals, but that one is good. I like the woman in it, and the fact that the family stood against the Nazi regime." Ava laughed, "How'd I know that you'd like that?" Steve just shook his head and stood, picking up the pizza boxes and moving to throw them away. "Is there anything else that needs to be assembled before I leave? Your bed is intact, right?" "Of course, Natasha put that together as soon as we got home from IKEA. I have no idea why I even tried to put that stupid bookshelf together on my own. I've never put anything together before in my life." Ava stood and stretched, jumping at the sound of her phone ringing. The number on the screen was foreign to the girl and she smiled, "It's Nat. I'll tell her that you picked up the file." Steve just nodded and she picked up,

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ava." The voice on the line was much too masculine to be Natasha.

"Ryan? How'd you get this number? I just got this phone two days ago."

"Geez, don't sound so excited to hear from me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just this number is new, no one is supposed to have it yet. For security reasons. I am happy to hear from you, just surprised is all."

"I have some friends who are higher up, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. We all left in such a hurry I didn't really get to say goodbye."

"I know, but it was just protocol. Besides I'll see you soon, once I can give you my location I'm sure you'll be coming by this way. We'll get lunch with Nat and we can all catch up. How are you doing? Have you been evaluated and reassigned yet?" Ava heard a deep breath on the other end of the line and frowned. Steve had been cleaning up in the kitchen but had gotten a bit curious and now stuck his head into the living room to see the frown on his new friend's face. He waved to get her attention and mouthed 'Is everything okay?' Ava nodded and gave him a quick smile as Ryan began speaking again.

"Yeah, I'm in New York right now. They've assigned me to clean up here for now, then I think I'll be transferred to the Triskelion."

"D.C., really? Thats such a big base."

"Ava… I know that you're there as well. You don't have to pretend, not with me." There was a smile in her friends voice. But something didn't sit right with Ava, for some reason he didn't sound like her best friend.

"I know, but my location isn't available to anyone. No one is supposed to know that yet. Not until we're sure that it's safe."

"Like I said, I've got connections, besides no one else knows." There was a male voice that said something in the background and Ryan gave a quick muffled reply before speaking to Ava. "Hey, I thought that I'd have more time to talk but I have to go. I just wanted to make sure that you were safe and to tell you that I miss you. I'll see you sooner than you think. Bye, Ava."

"Okay, Ryan, I miss you too. I'm glad that you called, I really am. Stay safe, I'll see you soon." The girl hung up and Steve walked in and smiled. "I know you were listening." Ava gave the man a mock stern look. "You can't prove anything, Miss Romanov. Is everything okay?" "Yeah, of course. That was Ryan, my best friend. He knows where I am and wanted to make sure that I was okay. The thing is Natasha told me that no one was supposed to know I was here. And he sounded weird. Cocky, almost. He didn't give me any details, but he's hiding something."

Steve had intended to leave after cleaning up, but after the strange phone call that Ava received and the mixed emotional response he decided to stay. The girl didn't give any other explanation, just asked him if he had see a movie called The Breakfast Club. "Well, its one of Natasha's favorites. It's not one of mine, but it's gotten popular again over the years and its on Netflix." The super soldier looked at the clock and realized it was only 9:00 and he wasn't working tomorrow that he knew of. Maybe she'd want to talk about it while they watched the movie. "Sounds good. Do you have any popcorn?"

They had made it halfway through the movie and Ava kept looking at her cell phone. "Tell me about this best friend of yours. You think he has changed?" In reply she scooted her body so she was completely facing him, and he took that as a good sign. "Ryan is my best friend in the entire world. When I was 12 Fury decided that I needed to be protected, so I was moved to Alabama where there was a safe house for young gifted children. I was still young and while I spoke English and Spanish fluently I was used to hearing Russian and suddenly I was surrounded by Americans who I believed spoke a different dialect of English. I could barely understand anyone and then Ryan showed up. Here came this confident kid who made friends in a heartbeat and had the same type of accent as the natives. When we first met he took one look at me and decided that he was in charge of my well being. I wasn't always eating or taking my meds, that didn't last long with him there." Steve smiled. "Because of him I became the person that I am today. Somewhere in that first year he became a friend and not a protector. We told each other things that no one else knew. He knows things that not even Natasha knows. He was there for moments when Natasha was not able to be, like the first time I tried shrimp grits or my first dance. Nat was there for birthdays and Christmases, but Ryan was there during my moments of self doubt and the moments of crazy confidence. I have quite a few of those." "And you think he's changed?" Steve prompted. "I think SHEILD changed him. I understand it, he's seen horrible things on the job, but there's something else. Something is different… I just don't know what it is. I might just be paranoid." Steve shook his head, "Trust your instincts. Sometimes you just know that something is wrong with someone you care about. If it's important you don't want to look back and realize that you could have done something and you didn't." Ava nodded and looked back at the screen. "I've never been one for change."