"I know all those words, but that sentence makes no sense to me." - Matt Groening

Kwalbs - Walk

Steve grabbed Rosie's arm, and drug her into a small room off the hallway. She let him for a moment, as she was caught up in seeing everyone. Loki, trapped in a box staring into her soul through the cameras. Bruce Banner, someone she had admired for his scientific advances looking at her with curiosity, and jealousy. Thor Odinson, the crown prince of a far away planet, and the only story Coulson ever seemed to bring up on a regular basis. Natasha Romanoff, a friend. Who seemed to sense her fear, her anxiety all through this. The only one other than Phil or Nick who seemed to know anything that was going on. Clint Barton, her trainee. The man she managed to convince that his life meant something. She even introduced him to his wife. The agent she trained after her fake death, felt like a son she had never had. Was kidnapped and under the force of a Alien scepter. Then there was her father. Giving her those puppy dog eyes she had herself. Watching her every move as she walked on the ship and now dragging her into this room. It was almost all too much.

"What was that out there?" He said, leaning against the door.

"What? I told them who I was. Tony would have been like a brother to me, if I didn't push him away. Natasha and I are friends, we went on a mission together. Thor and Bruce could really care less."

"No. I meant that you ignore my calls. It's been two months. I just want to get to know my daughter. And you come waltzing in. Did I do something to you?" Steve asked, his posture relaxing and his eyes softening.

"I spent sixty eight years of my life. My entire life. Knowing you were dead. I grew up on stories of you. I wanted to be like you for the longest time. I got in fights, and people bullied me for always being a little smaller. I could run though. But I never ran from a fight. Never ran from a chance to be like you. My brother and sister idolized me. Everyone who knew, treated me different. Like, the little girl whose dad was dead. I grew up and it was the same. The woman whose mom is dying. And then you show up. And my life is redefined. Everything I knew was thrown in the trash. I can't just let you be in my life. It's going to take some time to get over everything. To let you in. Dad. Look at me. I can't adjust overnight. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ignoring, and telling the Avengers. The Avengers that I was your daughter. What?" She stopped to look at Steve.

"You called me Dad." Steve said, just under a whisper.

"Yeah. I did." Rosie said, looking at him curiously. "Do you want me… not too?" She said, a look of fear, and embarrassment beginning to spread.

"No. No. It's okay. Call me what you want. I'm just not used to it."

"Yeah me neither." She said, a smile replacing the worry. "Wanna know something?"

"Yeah. Of course."

"As a teenager, I had a poster of you. On my wall, and I'd talk to it-to you. When I'd have problems. When a boy broke my heart. When I wondered if I could ever be normal. If Mum would back it back safe from a mission."

"Really?" Steve said, eyes studying her.

"Gosh, now I sound stupid and pathetic." Rosie mumbled, and ran a hand over her face.

"No. No. It's sweet. Thanks for telling me." He smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We should go check on Tony. Knowing him. He might be toying around with Bruce trying to get the Hulk to make an appearance." She smiled, and nodded toward the door.

"Good idea." Steve replied.

Rosie and Steve walked into the lab right as Tony had taken a small shock device and used it on Bruce. Bruce shouted in pain, but remained calm under the circumstances he was in.

"You crazy?" Steve yelled, Rosie on his heels as she watched for a moment.

"Sure as hell." Tony answered. "You really have the lid sealed on that don't you? What's your secret? Mellow Jazz, Bongo Drums, huge bag of weed?"

"Is everything funny to you?" Steve said, raising his tone. Rosie, placed a hand on his shoulder. Holding him back a little. Keeping him from saying something worse than he already had.

"Funny things are." Tony retorted.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship is not funny." Rosie said seriously. Watching him with an older sister look. Like 'I'm gonna tell mom if you're not good.' And by mom, that would be her Mom. Peggy Carter. "No offense though, Bruce."

"It's alright. I wouldn't have come onto the ship if I couldn't handle a few shocks here or there." Bruce, smiled and continued to work.

"You're tiptoeing big guy." Tony said, pointing a device at Bruce, going to get some Blue Berries from a secret hiding spot.

"And you need to focus on the problem at hand, Mr. Stark." Steve said, eyeing Tony. Seeing more of Howard in him than ever before.

"You don't think I am?" Tony said. "Why is Fury calling us now, rather than before all of this? Hmm? I can't do the equation without all the variables."

"You think he's lying to us?" Steve said, Rosie raised a brow and watched the men in the room. She made eye contact with Bruce Banner for a few moments before she broke it off, and looked down.

"He's a spy. His secrets have secrets." Tony said popping a few berries in his mouth. "It's bugging him too."

"D'Ahhhhh. I just wanna finish my work here." Bruce said gesturing over the scepter. His eyes down except when he looked up and met Rosie's gaze again.

"Doctor?" Steve asked.

"A warm light for all mankind. Loki's jab about the cube."

"We heard it." Rosie answered. Tony offered a the bag to Bruce. He took a few as he began to explain himself.

"Well. I think that was meant for you. Even if Barton didn't tell Loki. It was still all over the news."

"The Stark Tower? That big ol' ugly-" Steve stopped, as once again Rosie put a hand on his shoulder, and Tony gave a look that could kill. "... building in New York?"

"It's powered by an arc reactor. A self sustaining energy source. That building will run itself for what, a year?" Bruce asked.

"It's just a prototype. I'm kinda the only name in clean energy right now. So, that's what he's getting at."

"So why did Shield didn't Shield bring him in on the Tesseract project? What are they doing in the energy building in the first place."

"I should probably look into that when my description finishes looking through Shield's files."

"Wait." Rosie spoke. "Did you say?"

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge." Rosie jumped at the mention of Jarvis. Tony noticed this vividly. But, continued to talk. "Every dirty secret Shield has tried to hide."

"Including me?" Rosie asked, as they all looked to her.

"And yet you're confused on why they didn't want you around." Steve broke the silence.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? That's historically not awesome." Tony said.

"Thanks." Rosie chided.

"I think Loki is trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war, and if we don't focus. He'll succeed." Steve said, eyeing Tony. "We have orders. We should follow them."

"Following orders isn't my style." Tony said, popping a handful of blueberries into his mouth, giving that grin that he used all the time.

"You really like your style don't you?" Steve replied.

"Out of all of us in this room. Who is A.) wearing a Spangly outfit, and B.) not of use?" Tony said, winking. Rosie rolled her eyes.

"Steve, Rosie, tell me none of this smells a little funky to you." Steve nodded, and Rosie folder her arms.

"Just find the cube." Steve said, leaving the room.

"I'll go talk to Nick. I mean. Maybe I can get something out of him? I mean, I'm the only other Alpha member on the ship. I full access to all files. Perks of being the former Director's Daughter. Mum and I practically trained him." Rosie said, looking at Bruce and Tony. Who gave small nods, as she sighed and left the room. Hopefully things would turn out better.