Not much to say. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Sorry for the wait.

I do not own anything Marvel related and I do not make any money off this, though I wished I did. :)

Chapter 7:

Freezing Loneliness

It was a very cold day and Toni was learning this the hard way. Yes, when Agent Carter escorted her out, she knew it was cold, but she didn't expect it would be this cold. She could see her breath. She wished she had a coat, because this sweater wasn't keeping her warm at all. Though she knew, she should be grateful that they let her keep it as she did steal it from a nurse. It did provide her some protection that her regular clothes would not have given at all. Her simple black shirt wouldn't do anything but draw attention.

Toni couldn't guess what day or month this was, because one, she didn't know how long she had been out and two, she wasn't sure how time travel worked or how far she back. She could have gone back 75 years or 75.23 years, and she had no clue how to find out without looking like an idiot, not that she didn't already look at one. Right now, she looks like a chicken without a head. Normally, she knew New York like the back of her hand, but now, she was completely lost. The whole city was different and she couldn't find her away around to save her life, but more importantly, she was unable to locate her father's building. Maybe that was for the best, because there was no way for her to sneak into that company.

Toni glanced down at her broken arm, as it was useless. Even if she was able to hack into that company, the cast would only slow her down and probably get her caught, which was something she couldn't afford. It would also be very stupid to rush in without a second thought, and Toni Stark was not stupid. There was no telling what kind of defenses her father had, but they had to be excellent for the time even if they couldn't compare to her time; however, she knew her father would probably fight her on that.

"I don't even know if Peggy was telling me the truth. It could be a trap," she reasoned. If they wanted to catch her in the act and have a reason to hold her, that would be the way to go. "And how would I even know if he's in New York?" Stark Industries had offices across the country (even the world) and Howard had hidden labs that Toni couldn't begin to locate even with the future knowledge she had. So she could be risking her future to break in for a device that wasn't even there, and she wasn't sure she wanted to do that.

She needed a plan and she would come up with a plan before she tried anything. Or at least, wait until her broken arm wasn't so useless…. That could be months, she thought to herself. Could she wait that long? The longer she waited the more damage she could be doing to the timeline, which she couldn't have. She would like to be born and the tiniest thing could change that. However, she had other more practical things to worry about like where she was going to stay. It was freezing and she wouldn't last long out here for long, but she had nowhere to go. She had no money on her to rent a room and there was no one she could turn too. She had no friends in this time that could take her in.

Toni paused as she thought about her situation, which had never happened to her before. Toni Stark was never without means or opportunities, and now, she had nothing. She was stuck with no money, and it pissed her off. How did anyone get along in life with no money? She couldn't even afford to buy something to eat and food was so much cheaper in the 1940's. "Stupid Stomach," she muttered to herself as it was growling. "Come to think about it, I don't remember the last time I ate." Sure, she had gone days without eating, but she always had the ability to get food. Now, she couldn't. She didn't like that feeling, and she didn't know how anyone could deal with that feeling.

She would admit that she was a spoil brat going up (Some would say still), although she would deny that to Rogers. Every desire (besides her desire to feel her father's love) she had was fulfilled, and every worry she had been taken care of. She didn't have to worry about how she would pay her rent, put food on the table, or last the week. She was very lucky to be born a Stark, and she was relearning how lucky she was. For that, she was very thankful for her father.

"What am I to do?" she asked herself, holding her cold self. Trying to keep herself warm, she kept walking, and every few steps, she would hop. If she could get past her pride, she would try to find a homeless shelter for the night, but she had no idea of where to locate one. There was no internet to Google homeless shelter, but she supposed she couldn't be lazy and use a phone book, which she hadn't used in ages. Did she even remember how to use one? Did they even have payphones?

Maybe, she could lift someone's wallet…I can't do that to some poor bastard, she thought after thinking about it. She couldn't do that to someone, even if she was a heartless bitch, because they probably needed it for his family, who was probably worse off than she. Though I could pay him back once I get to the future, she reasoned. Maybe she could-

"Hey!"

Was someone speaking to her? Why would someone be talking to her? She was no one in this time, and there were other people around her, who the voice was most likely speaking to.

"Hey!"

There were a few glances toward the person calling, but they all turned away once they realized he wasn't talking to them. Maybe, he's really calling to me? She turned and her mouth almost dropped. It was Rogers, but it wasn't Rogers, well the Rogers she knew at least. There in front of her was a small man (if she could call him that), and one word came to mind when she saw him: shrimp. She was sure that he was the smallest man on the planet…Okay, being overly dramatic, and it made her wonder how the hell he became Captain America.

Okay, she knew how; it was his personality and his innocence that got him noticed by the Dr. Erskine. Even now, she could see how kind and sweet he was (oh, it did make her sick a little) just by looking into his eyes, his beautiful eyes. Did I just refer to his eyes as beautiful? What's going on with me? Whatever it was, she didn't care for it one bit. She was Toni F-ing Stark and she did not compliment people unless they were Pepper or Rhodey and she really didn't compliment Steve Rogers.

"Rogers," she muttered as he came closer. She tried to make herself look less pathetic and fragile than she really was, because even in this time, she didn't need his pity. However when he looked her over, Toni knew he was seeing past her deception. She had no idea how he did that, when no one else could.

"Are you crazy?" he asked.

That wasn't the question she was expecting from him, but she had an answer: she wasn't crazy…well not yet anyhow. However, she wasn't able to voice it as her brain was going into overdrive. It was hard to think pass the small person in front of her. He must've been teased so much, she thought, sadly. She wasn't aware of his life before he became an America's icon, but as he didn't speak about it, she was sure it wasn't good. She didn't blame him on that one, because she didn't want to talk about her messed up childhood as well.

"Hello?"

Shaking out of her thoughts, she smiled weakly. "I'm not crazy."

"Then why are you out here without a coat?" he asked, softly. There was worry in his voice, which shocked her, as she was a complete stranger to him in this time. "It's very cold out here."

"I know," she stated annoyed. She wasn't stupid; she knew it was cold out here. "Do you always ask strangers if they are crazy or am I just lucky?" she asked. She didn't know what was up with herself these days. Her mood was constantly changing and she was beginning to wonder if she was bipolar.

Rogers took a step back. "No, Ma'ma, I didn't mean any disrespect. I just wanted to make sure you were okay as no dame should be out here without a coat."

She didn't know if she should be insulted or touched by what he said, so she picked insulted. Toni could never go wrong with that. "I'm quite capable in taking care of myself, you know." She held her broken arm close to her body.

"I never said you weren't."

"Good, because I'm not," Toni stated, eyeing him. "Do you know where the closer homeless shelter is?" she asked. Though she had no interest whatsoever in going, she knew she had no other choice; plus, it would be nice to get out of the cold. She didn't know how much more she could stand it.

"…A homeless shelter? Why?" He was concerned about her and it was clear. Toni wished she knew the reason, because why would a stranger be worried about someone he didn't know? "There aren't many around and I don't know of any off the top of my head." He stepped toward her. "Why would you need a shelter? Why can't you go home? I can walk with you if you like."

It was a really sweet of him, but it was a bit creepy as well. If she didn't know Rogers, she would think he was some kind of serial killer. "Why? So you can murder me in dark alley?" she joked. You know, Rogers could be the prefect serial killer with the right strategy, she thought as no one would suspect him, the shrimp.

Toni didn't think it was possible but Steve's face was red like a cherry and his mouth was moving a mile per second. "No…I-I'm…being….f-friendly…." There was a pause as he took a deep breath. "I just wanted to make sure you get home safe."

"If there was a home for me to go to, I wouldn't be asking for a homeless shelter," she replied. She held the bag, with her belongs, tight in discomfort. And there was pity in his eyes, which was something she really didn't want. It almost made her want to punch him.

He took a long look at her. "Wait, why is that? Did something happen? Don't you have any friends or family to take you in?" he asked, not giving her any time to answer.

"You're asking a lot of personal questions," she countered. Remind me later when I get to my time to beat Rogers. He's annoying, she told herself. Sure, he was annoying in her time, but he didn't ask so many questions in her time. He knew better.

Hearing her comment, Rogers looked like someone kicked his puppy. "I don't mean to intrude, but I can't believe such a beautiful dame like yourself don't have anyone to turn to." His face was flushed as he spoke.

"Dame?" she smiled. She didn't think she was ever referred to that before in her life. "I'm dame. Interesting."

Rogers stared at her confused. She had him going around in circles, which wasn't too hard to do. "Again, I don't mean to disrespect you," he stated, unsure of what to say anymore.

Toni waved it off. "Don't worry about it. I'm not insulted this time and I was joking with you. Geez, you need to lighten up." He couldn't take a joke in her time as well, which was funny and interesting. "Anyways, the homeless shelter. Do you know anyone who would know of one?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Maybe, Bucky would know." It would be useless to ask why she needed a homeless shelter again because she wasn't going to tell him why.

Bucky? She thought to herself. What was a Bucky? Or was it a who? She would assume it was a person as she doubted Rogers was a type of person who would name an inanimate object. "Bucky?" she asked. "That isn't a weapon you kill helpless, not that I am helpless, women with?" she joked again. Though I'm helpless at the moment. She didn't like that thought at all.

Again, Rogers stared at her. "No," he stated a little bit too strongly. "He's my roommate. His name is James Barnes, but I call him Bucky," he said quickly.

The word cute came to her mind when she thought about Rogers. She couldn't understand how he could be so innocent when he was who he was. Sure, he wasn't the Famous Captain yet and he hadn't faced any traumatic experiences yet, but he was like this in the future as well. Though she couldn't be sure, she believed it wasn't because of the time he grew up in. "How did you come up with the nickname Bucky?" That a part that she was curious about and she would like to hear that story.

A flash of red crossed his face. "Long story," he joked.

Wait!... Barnes, if she remembered correctly, had died in the war while working with Captain Rogers, and she had heard from her father that Rogers didn't take it well. "And how does that help me?" she asked. She started to feel pity for him, which annoyed her. She hated when people felt pity her, so she assumed he would as well.

"Come with me and maybe, he'll be able to help."

He really was naïve, wasn't he? Or was it just this time? She would give him the benefit of the time for now. "If I didn't already think you were a murderer, I do now," she laughed.

"You joke a lot," he reasoned. There was an annoyance in his voice.

"Yup," she stated. Maybe, I should just cool it. "If I insult you, I'm sorry. It's who I am or so I am told….a lot of people call me an asshole for my teasing. That I don't take anything serious." Maybe, that was why she couldn't keep friends. She took a deep breath. "Any help would be great though."

"I'm fine. It didn't bother me," he stated.

She knew he was lying, because she had seen it in his face and had heard it in his voice; however, she wasn't going to call him on it.

"I live this way," he smiled. She followed him.

*O*O*

Without knowing where he lived (she knew it was somewhere in Brooklyn), she had no idea if they were close, which made the walk even more awkward. They had walked mostly in silence as she had no idea of what to say to him. She didn't want to insult him again, because it would happen again if she said something as Toni Stark was an asshole.

As they walked, Toni kept noticing him glancing back at her. What's going on in that head of his? She asked herself. Was it because of the neighborhood they were walking into? It was bad. Was he embarrassed by where he lived? He shouldn't be. She already knew who he was and where he came from (not the whole story but still); he didn't need to worry about what she was thinking… But maybe he should, she thought, knowing how judgmental she was at times.

"So what do you do for a living?" she asked, knowing very little of what he did before becoming the Captain. She just knew he was a poor kid from Brooklyn.

He looked back at her. "I draw for newspapers and stuff."

"That sounds cool," she said, trying to start up a conversion. She could only take so much silence. "Can I see some of your work?" She had never seen Rogers' work as he was very guarded with it. She had asked a few times, which only resulted in him glaring at her and asking why she even cared.

"If you really want to." Rogers smiled lightly as he looked back. "What do you do?" he asked, changing the subject. "Are you a nurse?"

Urgh, why did I ask that? Since she was so smart, she should've guessed that he was going go ask that. Now, how was she going to response to that? There was really nothing she could say without looking crazy. "I don't know," she stated, saying the first thing off her mind.

He stopped and turned to her. "What?"

"I don't remember much," she lied. She knew it would be the best answer, because he wouldn't be able to question her. "I woke up in a hospital a few days ago with no memory of who I was or where I was," she stated slowly.

"Wait, the hospital couldn't find your family?"

"No."

"And they just let you go?"

He was angry and Toni could tell. Again, it was cute to see how he reacted over a total stranger. "Well, I didn't want to stay there, and I'm stubborn."

"How would you know you are stubborn?" he asked.

Toni looked at him. "Good, question. I don't know but this present me is," she laughed.

"So you figure a homeless shelter is better than the hospital?" he asked with smile.

Toni had to admit, though not out loud or to him, that he had a nice smile. "I don't like to rely on people. And I do remember some things, just not a whole lot." She decided it would be foolish to have total memory lost.

"That's good at least," he replied.

"Anyhow, it's getting colder. Let's start walking again," she stated.

"Oh," he muttered as he was struck with a thought. He unzipped his jacket. "Here, use my coat."

"No...NO!" Toni objected. She did not want that. "You keep it."

Rogers looked taken back by her objection but he still insisted. "You're shivering. How long have you been out here in the cold without a coat? Didn't they give you anything?"

Again, his innocent and sweetness was shocking to her. "No, they didn't," Toni answered as he wrapped his coat around her shoulders. She didn't know if it was just her or if the coat, but she was really warm now. "You're going to be cold now."

Rogers was wearing a long sleeve dress shirt, which didn't seem to provide him with any warmth. "I'm not going to let a lady freeze." He smiled his innocent cute smile. "And we almost at my apartment. I'm fine."

"k," she muttered, still amazed at his character. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." From this point, he walked next to her. "How much do you remember?"

"My name is Toni and…" She paused as she thought about what she 'wanted to remember.' "And that's about it. I don't know who my family is, but I suspect they would've found me if I had any or if they cared. I remember a few things that I like and don't like." She shrugged. "…Not much if I think about it."

"No last name?"

"Nope, that would be helpful, wouldn't it?" she joked. She eyed him from the corner of her eye. This conversion was the longest conversion she had with Rogers without an argument.

"It would be," he smiled back. He reached a little over her shoulder at his height now and it was weird to look down at him, because in her time, he was the one that had to look down. "I'm not surprise you can't remember," he stated. "When I found you, you were a mess. There had been a big gash and blood on your face."

Toni was taken back as she had totally forgotten about him finding her. She thought she had been seeing things when she was found in that empty lot. "That was you? That must've been an ugly sight." Without thinking, she reached her hand to cut on her forehead. The good thing about being out for a week was that most of her nicks and scratches were healed. The slash on her forehead was mostly healed with a small band aid covering it.

Rogers stopped in front a building, which she assumed was his apartment. "I was. I was worried that you weren't alive as I didn't think anyone could survive that. So I'm glad that I ran into you, because I couldn't get you out of my mind."

She eyed as he led her to the building. "Thinking about me?"

"Yea, just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were in such a bad shape," he stated as the opened the door for her. She followed him in knowing he wasn't going to hurt her. "It's good to see you're okay, well for the most part."

As Toni walked up the stairs behind him, she realized she had never asked him for his name. Yes, she already knew his name, but he didn't know she knew it. Wait….she thought as she remembered something. She had called him Rogers before and she was sure he had heard it. "I think I remember you now. Rogers was it?" she asked.

"Yea, Steve Rogers."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Rogers," she said. It felt very weird to call him Mister.

"You can call me Steve."

Rogers had never asked her to call him Steve, and she didn't know if she would be comfortable enough to call him that if he asked. Besides, they mostly just called each other by their last name and she was good with that as they weren't really friends. "Thanks, Steve."

*O*O*

"This is it," Rogers announced as they came across a door at the end of the hallway.

Toni looked around, and if the hallway was used to judge, that apartment wasn't going to be a million bucks apartment, but she wasn't going to complain. She was out of the cold and she was very thankful for that. Maybe, she could sleep in the lobby instead of a shelter. "This seems like a nice building," she said, forcing out the words.

After unlocking the door, Roger pushed the door open and walked in. Toni followed in after him and shocked at the state of apartment. "This is…nice." She wasn't expecting this from Rogers.

"It's home," he smiled.

She didn't know what to expect from the Rogers of this time, but she wasn't expecting a messy as hell apartment from Rogers, who never had a hair out of place. He was as neat as they came. "No, girlfriend to help clean?" she asked, knowing that he didn't have an important other. He was innocent as they came to love, and she wasn't even sure he ever kissed a girl before.

His face got red again. "N-No," he stuttered.

"So this is a bachelor pad. That makes sense."

"Hey, it is-" Rogers started.

"About time you got home," a man interrupted as he entered the main room from what appeared to be a bedroom. He gave Rogers a smile before turning to eye her.

"Hey, Bucky," Rogers greeted. "Sorry, I'm late. I got a little distracted."

"Doing what?" Barnes asked, still eyeing her. There was a question look in his eyes as he studied her. It was clear that his roommate didn't bring random women home with him.

Toni, who was still wearing Rogers' coat, was eyeing Barnes right back. She had no idea of why they were having an eye staring contest, but she wasn't going to lose. She didn't lose often and she refused to be beat by James Barnes, even if he was a delicious eye candy.

"You know that girl I found in that lot. This is her," he answered.

Barnes glanced toward his best friend before turning back to Toni, who had turned away. She sensed a battle between the two starting and she wanted nothing to do with it, even if it was all about her. She turned and looked for a way out, but she saw none, even if she was very good at sneaking. However, she might be able to go out the front door without them noticing. "Hi," she waved, unsure what to say.

"Hello," Barnes replied, trying to be nice.

"You know, I tried to talk him into taking me to a homeless shelter but it didn't work," she shrugged. "He just brought me here instead."

He stared at her confused. "Why would you go to a shelter?"

Rogers answered, "She had nowhere else to go."

"And you brought her here?" Barnes asked, still eyeing her.

Okay, she knew she was eye candy herself, but he didn't need to stare at her like that. People were only allowed to stare at her like that if they were about to have sex. She wouldn't mind to see how he was in bed but she knew that wasn't going to happen. That would be a very bad idea.

"I wasn't going to leave her out in the cold," Rogers countered.

"I get that, but can I talk to you in private, Steve?" Barnes asked, pointing to his room.

Toni knew what that meant; they wanted to talk about her without her in the room. Normally, she would make a scene and demand they say it in front of her face, but she doubted that would be wise in this situation. "Don't mind me," she waved the two off as she wondered off to the window.

"Thanks," Barnes said as he dragged Rogers off into one of the bedroom and closed the door.

Toni watched from the corner of her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe, she could just leave now and they would never know…. Or okay, they would but that was beside the point. They wouldn't find out until she was gone and that would be too late for them to find her… Besides, she didn't need to be here and she didn't need their charity. I should just go, she thought, even if it was foolish.

Turning her attention to the window, she stared out. "Of course, it would start snowing. If there's a God, he hates me, a lot," she sighed. Taking a long slow breath, she thought. After a few minutes of silence, she crossed to the front door. "I should give this back," she stated, taking off Rogers' warm coat. "I should probably put more clothes on, though."

In her bag, she had the t-shirt and jeans she came in from the future, and though it did not fit the time, it would keep her warmer than she was. She took out the articles and laid them on the couch. Without taking off the nurse's uniform (an annoying dress), she went to put her jeans, but she didn't know where to begin. She got down on the floor and laid out her jeans in front of her. Using one leg to hold down the pants, she slid the other leg in. After she had one leg in a little bit, she put the other one in. "How am I going to pull them up?" she whispered to herself.

Toni got to her knees and tried to pull her pants up that way, but she couldn't keep them up with one hand as each time she pulled one side up, the order side fell. "Ah," she uttered in her struggle as she fell forward. If it wasn't for the chair, she would've fallen on her face. She looked up at the closed door, waiting to see if they heard. Not hearing anything, she turned her attention back to her pants.

After laying herself on the ground, she had been able to work her pants up as she used her legs to push herself off the ground. "Now, here comes the hard part," she told herself. After a few attempts of trying to button them, she decided it would be useless if she couldn't hold one side still. She would need both hands. After freeing her broken arm from the sling, she tried to reach it down to hold her pants still, but she couldn't hold it for long. It was painful to work her arm like that but she needed to button her pants. "Got it," she whispered after a few moments of pain.

Before returning her arm to her sling, she turning the shirt inside out (so no one could see the symbol on the shirt), and pulled it over the dress. It was difficult but it was easier than putting on the pants. She just had to put it over her head and slide her arms through. She almost got stuck at one point, but it didn't take much strength to pull it down. After she was able to straighten her shirt, she put the sweater back over.

"What else do I have in this bag?" she asked. With her good arm she reached into her bag (not caring about her broken phone), she pulled out the boots she had been wearing. "Yes," she said, loudly. She turned and eyed the door that the guys disappeared behind. Did they hear her that time? "They've been in there a long time." She wasn't going to wait for them to come out.

After changing shoes and put the nursing shoes back into the bag (she might need them for later), she crossed to the door. "Bye, Steve," she whispered as she opened the door. Even now, saying his first name was weird, and she would probably never say it again.

I hoped you enjoyed this.

:) And now I can sleep. Yay, sleep.

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