Chapter 6: Where Olivia Invites Steve into Her House. No, Get Your Mind Out of the Gutter

When I first woke up, I felt as if the whole thing was a dream. My head was fuzzy, as if I was waking up from a long night of sleep. The room was dim and I couldn't really make out anything; all I knew was that I was lying on a hard surface with a blanket, which was a bit weird, but I figured I was still somewhere in my room.

With a groan I slowly sat up, my head spinning. "Oh. . ."I moaned. "God, I feel horrible." "I guessed you would," said a voice to my left. "I went and got you a bottle of cold water—" I, not recognizing the voice, almost got whiplash because I snapped my head to the left so quickly. There was the tall, broad shouldered blonde boy, staring at me with blue eyes filled with compassion and a cold water bottle in his hands.

He looked nervous to approach me, yet still worried at the same time, and yet again I sat a Captain America-ish shield on the ground and the red, white and blue costume that he wore. And yet again, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I had fainted because I had figured out that I was lying in the middle of some underground safe house with the one and only Captain America.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y—" I never got a chance to finish my sentence, because I fainted again right then and there.

0o0o0

When I woke up the final time, there was a bottle of water at the foot of the table I was lying on. I was aware that this time, it hadn't been a dream. This was real. This was actually happening. I felt even worse than before; now I was stuck with a headache and the feeling of intense grogginess.

"Uh, please don't faint again, Miss," He was near the corner of the room this time, still giving me those pleading, compassionate sky blue eyes. "I've been waiting for you to wake up for fifteen minutes or so now." I stared for a few moment, blinking to make sure I had all my bearings together. I was really sitting in a room with a teenaged Steve Rogers.

Oh dear God. How did this even happen?

"Oh, no, no, I. . .I'm all fainted out. . ." There were so many questions I wanted to ask, so many things I wanted to say, but for some reason I just didn't know how to politely word them without sounding like some kind of idiot. I slowly sat up, my head wheeling. Okay, alright, so this is. . .actually happening.

Wow.

I swung my legs, struggling to get off of the table and to stand up. Steve rushed to my aid, grabbing my arm to steady me. Ehmigawd. Screamed my brain. Steve Rogers is touching me. OHHHHHHHH my God. "Thanks," I murmured. "How long. . .how long was I out?" Once I was stable and on my own two feet, he let go of my arm and I think I whimpered. "I'm not exactly sure," he answered. "But it has to be at least an hour or so since you first walked down here."

I couldn't help but groan. This wasn't good. I'd be super late for school, and I wouldn't even have a good excuse. What was I supposed to say? I fainted because I saw Captain America in a place where I wasn't even supposed to be. How believable did that sound? Oh, and speaking of that. . .

I turned and looked at him, studying his features. Yup, this was definitely Cap. "What are you. . .what are you doing here?" I asked shakily. His eyebrows went up. "Oh, I'm sorry, does this place belong to you?" he asked. "Because if it does I—" I shook my head, giving a flip off my wrist as if to wave the subject. "No, it doesn't but. . .that's not what I meant," I began.

"I mean, Steve, you're Captain America so. . ." Upon hearing the words "Captain" and "America", his expression instantly changed to a look of completely surprise. I only continued talking. "How are you. . .real? And why are you so. . .so young?" He suddenly looked at me quizzically. "Real?" he repeated in confusion. With a sigh, he ran a hand through his hair.

"I know I'm not still in New York—at least not my New York; well, it's not my New York either, it's. . .the other New York. Future New York," A small smile spread on my face as he continued to talk. Yup, this was most definitely Steve. "But this, here, isn't really the actual New York this is. . .some other New York. Some different New York. I mean," He chuckled nervously. "Stark Tower is. . .is gone. Like, completely gone. And all day today people have been telling me—kids mostly—that I had a 'nice costume'. Someone even mentioned Halloween and—"

All the while I had been nodding in agreement, and I figured that I better interrupt now and explain things to him. "Yeah. That's because here. . .you're not real." Steve froze. He cocked his head at me, squinting confusedly. "What?" he asked, and I nodded again. "This. . .this isn't you New York, you're right. Here, the Avengers don't exist. You don't exist. Your world doesn't exist."

He began to pace as I continued to explain, his brilliant blue eyes leveled at the floor. "You guys are comic book characters, movie characters, and nothing more. That's it. You're. . .fictional superheroes. You're not real, not in this realm slash dimension." Steve was shaking his head. "No, this. . .this can't be possible. . ." I chuckled a bit nervously. "That's what I've been thinking, which is exactly why I fainted."

He paused and looked at me, a deep look in his eyes that told me he was thinking. His blonde hair was now disheveled, and I noticed his suit was still kind of damp from the intense storm last night. "Maybe. . ." he murmured. "It was the portal." As I frowned in confusion—what the hell was he talking about?—he snapped his fingers. "Yes, that has to be it. The portal."

"There was a portal?" I asked gently, and he nodded. I'm having a conversation with Captain America. Said my brain. OMG. This is amazing. "Yes, and we all got sucked into it. . .and I must have ended up. . .here. In this dimension, in this New York." I could only shrug, because I didn't exactly know all the details. "Possibly," I commented. "Sounds probable."

He stared past me at the wall, lost in a sea of thoughts. "Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get back home," he murmured. "And I have no idea how to do that." I shrugged. "Well, maybe I could help you." I offered. What? There was no way in hell I was about to let Steve Rogers wander away from me. This was my big chance! I was going to get to hang out with a real, actual Avenger.

How many fan girls get this opportunity? That's right, none!

"I live in a huge house, I could lend you a room and you could stay for however long you needed." I offered calmly. But Steve shook his head, which wasn't a good sign. "Oh no, I couldn't impose on you like that—" "Of course you can! Impose away!" I joked with a grin, and he smiled a little. "We don't mind, really, we have more than enough space. Sometimes that house gets really creepy because it's so empty." "Alright," he finally agreed, and I began to grin so hard my cheeks started to burn. "Thank you."

"No problem!" I blurted quickly, rocking from heel to toe in excitement. "My pleasure, really." "Um, miss, what's your name?" he asked carefully. "I don't think you told me—" "Oh! Sorry! Yeah," I giggled nervously. God I sound like an idiot, I thought. How could I not have told him my name?! Who DOES that? I outstretched my hand, still beaming. "Wilde, Olivia. Olivia Wilde," I fumbled over my words.

But Steve merely smiled and shook my hand—he had a firm, hard handshake, and he looked me in the eye. Nervously, I looked away, suddenly very interested in my shoes. "Nice to meet you, Miss Wilde," he said. "But shouldn't you be in school?" I was shaking my head and shrugging before I knew it. "No, I don't have school today," This lying thing. . .it's really becoming chronic now. I hadn't meant to say that, it just came out.

Before awkward silence had a chance to set in, I quickly spoke up. "I should show you back to the house now," I said. "Oh, and, before we get there. . .I have to warn you. . .we may have to sneak in." Steve frowned at me. "Sneak in?" he repeated in confusion. "What for?" Apparently, lying didn't come to me when I needed it to. "Ah. . .just. . .go with the flow." I said with a nonchalant shrug.

Steve was still looking at me suspiciously, so I knew I wasn't completely off the hook yet.

Well this wasn't good, was it?