Well, I am amazed that I've already had favourites and follows on this story already and she's not even been introduced yet!. She does appear in this chapter though. It's only fair that I bring her in. Thanks to Ladyamesindy for the Beta.

Six months after the 'Loki Incident'

Steve Rogers was surprised to be pulled into a coffee shop of all things, after their shopping trip. Why Natasha had seemed so enthused, he had no idea. It was an old style coffee shop: The Khardomah Café.

"So just why did you bring me here, then Tasha?" Steve asked the Natasha, as they walked into the café, bags under their arms. Steve did offer to carry her bags but as Natasha Romanoff was more stubborn than he was, the woman carried her own books.

Natasha shifted the bags under her arm and pushed open the door, giving the man with her a small smile. Sitting at a table a little further away from the door, she set her bags down with Steve following. He had expected a diner – instead it was a coffee shop with a chequerboard effect floor and large black and white pictures along the sides of the wall.

"Well, I came here with Pepper and although Pepper didn't appreciate it, I thought you might like it." The woman had an almost playful tilt to her head. He would be suspicious if he wasn't so taken with the pictures, the surroundings, the jukebox…

Steve gave a small hum to the back of his throat as he looked round. He really did want to open one of the new art pads he had bought and just start to draw. That was why he was shopping with Natasha - not someone he would usually spend much time with out of the training room or their occasional wee small hours conversations after a nightmare or bout of insomnia. During one of these talks, Natasha mentioned an art shop she had found and the idea of the shopping trip had been born. The coffee shop had been an unexpected addition.

"My name is Zoe and I'll be your waitress today. Can I get you anything?" The British with just a trace of a US accent, caught his attention. For a moment, Steve was reminded of Peggy. He wondered where this young woman originally was from in England - and how close their towns or cities would have been... Looking up, he saw a young woman, chestnut hair coiled up on the back of her head and a few loose strands either side. But it was her hazel eyes that made him stare. She smiled and her eyes seemed to shine.

"Erm… hello ma'am," Steve murmured, trying to remember how to form a coherent sentence right then. It seemed to be beyond his capabilities. Luckily, Natasha took over.

"Two cappuccino coffees and two pieces of carrot cake." The red head gave the woman her broadest smile and nodded her thanks, the young woman walked away. The narrow pencil skirt Zoe was wearing caught his attention and framed her legs - and other parts of her anatomy. He felt himself starting to go red and heard a chuckle next to him. Natasha was watching his embarrassment.

"We should give you training in talking to women, Captain." The woman next to him murmured. "We spar, perhaps we should be training you in other areas also."

Maybe Natasha was right. It had been a good few months since the attack on New York and he still found it difficult to talk to women. Natasha and Pepper were both different - off limits and he also worked with them. Sighing, he stared over at a large picture of a street he recognised in Brooklyn from when he was a kid. There was a part of him wondered if he or someone he used to know was in one of the pictures. Fat chance.

A tray being put in front of him brought his attention back as the waitress put the tray in front of them. The waitress gave him what seemed a genuine smile and he returned it. "Thank you, ma'am." She blushed a little and dipped her head as she made her way back behind the counter.

"She seems nice." Natasha said quietly, blowing on her coffee. Steve frowned, the seed of a suspicion forming in his mind.

"Are you trying to set me up, Natasha?" The assassin simply gave a small chuckle and picked up her cup.

"Actually she wasn't working here when I came last time, it was a man." She shrugged. Steve found it difficult to believe in what Natasha said sometimes. He had often wondered how Clint coped with it, though the man didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, he was almost envious of how close these two were. Or maybe he just liked the idea of being in a relationship.

Using a fork, he started to eat the overly gooey cake which he found he liked, icing and all. "I'll need a session in the gym just to burn the cake up alone!" He smiled at Natasha and took in his surroundings.

3 months later

Zoe's POV

"He's in here again, Zoe. Your favourite customer." Zoe grinned a little even if it was a throwaway line from her boss, Alex. Zoe found herself propelled forward behind the till. "Hey Zoe, I just need to get some change. Mind the shop for five for me, would'ya?"

Zoe smirked and said, "Course not, though if you're after the new blond in next doors' bookshop, I hear she's taken. The girl was sporting quite the flashy ring when I saw her yesterday." Splaying her fingers, she wiggled her ring finger as if she had an engagement ring on it. Once, a long time ago... Alex shook his head.

"She's not my type, Zoe. I prefer the red heads to the blonds." Zoe rolled her eyes in mock-irritation and handed him some money out of the till to get banked and changed. You wish...

"No running away with the money." Zoe smirked as she handed him the money to put in his jacket.

"Only if you come with me, sweetcheeks!" Alex rubbed his stubble and winked at her then walked out of the shop, his lucky leather bike jacket protecting him from being robbed. Or so he explained to Zoe when she first started working for him a year earlier.

It had been a few months since the man with the smile and the stunning red haired woman (what she called them in her own mind), had been in the coffee shop. Since then, the man had been in a few times a week. He always stayed an hour or more, soaking up the atmosphere and occasionally putting a song or two on the jukebox. The man intrigued her, she had to admit. She assumed he was married to the red haired woman, though she wore no ring. The two just seemed to have such a good rapport was all. Yet after that first time, he was always alone.

Walking over to the man, she smiled and asked him what she could get him. By now it was a well worn routine, as it was with all regular customers. "Would you like the usual?" The usual being a coffee with cream. The man smiled back at her and that cute grin that made her immediately smile back at him.

"Mmhmm, and I think I'll have a piece of apple pie. I need something to work off at the gym later." The man with the smile patted his ribs. Zoe's eyes being drawn to his chest and she found herself swallowing hard. The man looked like he really did not need to to work anything off. At all. In fact, he looked as if he had a body most men would be proud of.

Zoe felt her cheeks redden from watching his large hand running over his abs. Damn the man was seriously sexy. But he's also married. One thing she did not do was go after another woman's man, it was too complex and also became too painful.

"I'll just get your coffee, sir. Back in a moment." She heard a chuckle as she started to walk behind the white counter, hoping the blush on her cheeks would die down. Pouring cream into a small jug, she made the black coffee from the coffee maker, cutting a piece of apple pie. Placing all the items onto a tray with a napkin, she took the tray over to his table.

"And it's Steve, not sir."

Zoe smiled a little."Well I didn't think sir was your birth name. Mine is Zoe."

She heard him chuckle warmly as she found herself plucking at the edging of the blue apron she was wearing. Normal she would put her hand out to shake, but over the last few years, it was something she was not comfortable with. A strange effect of her previous relationship.

Zoe was relieved the phone rang."I'll just get that," she said, as she walked quickly behind the counter.

"Thank you, Zoe." She heard, the use of her name for the first time and had to take a deep breath to answer the phone. Men did not normally affect her like this – why him?

Steve sat down later on, journal on his knee. He'd kept up with his journal as much as he could since Dr Anders had given him it. It was rare he took it with him to his therapy sessions but he had a feeling his next session would mention Zoe. He saw her smile though he thought it strange she did not offer her hand to shake. He had been mid-way to offering his when he saw how uncomfortable the young woman looked. Frowning a little, he found he was concerned for her. It was not a normal reaction. Putting his thoughts out of the way, he opened the journal and started to write.

Well, I've finally plucked up courage to talk to that young woman in the café. Zoe, her name was. A beautiful name. For all her smiles and musical laughter, she holds some deep pain. I recognise that awkwardness in myself, though her situation could not be the same. I would be a lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to seeing her again. As Bucky would say, 'You'd be a fool not to, she's a good looking dame.'

(nb: 'The Kardomah Café' was the name of a chain of cafes in Britain, mainly in the the 1950's. There are one or two still around and there is still a brand of tea using the name Khardomah. Useless fact of the day :P)