Invisible - Hunter Hayes.
"A happy family is but an earlier heaven." - George Bernard Shaw.
"Captain," Fury sighed. This was the first time since Steve met him that he actually looked troubled. "There's something you need to know."
Steve watched the Director with a confused look. He'd 'woken up' about a month ago now and Steve spent the first half of that month getting to know this strange and different world as well as catching up anything that happened since he went down.
Fury also gave him a few files of people Steve knew - Peggy, Howard, Phillips, the Howling Commandos - so he could 'catch up', as Fury had put it.
Basically, it was so Steve could find out who was dead and who was still alive.
To find out now that there was still more for him to know, that there was something Fury still had to talk him, it was confusing.
He didn't fully trust Nick Fury yet, but he figured the man would tell him everything he needed to know.
"You were supposed to found out about this earlier, when you first woke up," Fury continued. "But, complications arose and, well, I'm telling you about this now."
"Sir?" Steve spoke up when he saw Fury hesitate for a slip moment.
"You were supposed to meet her earlier-"
"Her?" Steve questioned, but stopped talking when Fury shot him a look for cutting him off.
"She's like you, Cap." Fury told him. "The difference is, she hasn't been on ice for seventy years."
"Like me?" Steve's eyebrows pinched together, his mind working overtime to figure out what the hell Nick Fury was talking about. Who was this 'her'?
"She's going to come in here in a few moments to explain everything to you," Fury informed him. "But, just know that, yes. She is like you in the sense that she has super-solider serum in her veins."
Now Steve was beyond confused. How the hell did someone else have the super-solider serum present in their DNA? As far as he knew - and had everyone told him this, even Dr. Erskine - he was the only one who took the serum.
Then, Steve realized what Fury just said. She was coming by in a few minutes to answer his questions. Why? Who was the woman and why would she come to answer his questions? Yes, he wanted to find out how she was like him, but that was really the only question that mattered to him at the moment.
"Well," Fury spoke up, dragging Steve out of his confused thoughts. "She has a lot more of you running in her veins then just the serum."
"Sir?" Steve questioned again, confusion now written all over his face.
"Cap," Fury leaned forward, resting his arms on his elbows. "Did you and Ms Carter ever spend some, quality time together?"
Steve felt the blush start to climb up his neck and rise on his cheeks as his eyes shifted down for a moment before looking back up at Fury, who had a serious look on his face.
Steve had no idea why he was asking him these questions, but he was more confused than ever now. Besides, he grew up in the 40's, he wasn't used to people asking him these questions.
"Sir, why does that matter?" Steve questioned instead of giving Fury a direct answer, through he had a feeling Fury knew the answer anyways.
The Director sighed, before sitting back in his chair and looking Steve dead in the eyes to let him know he was serious.
"You have a daughter, Cap."
Three weeks later (Present Day).
Steve woke up with a start, these five little words echoing around in his head as his eyes snapped opened. It took him a moment to realize exactly where he was. But the dark walls around him were lit up by the early morning sky shining through the window and the familiar furniture brought him back to the present day.
He was in his apartment. The one S.H.I.E.L.D. had given him.
Running a tired hand over his face, Steve sat up in the bed. His muscles and bones popped in and out of place as he stretched. Looking over at the clock on the bedside table, it told him it was just after four in the morning. Great.
This wasn't a surprise. Steve had gotten used to not being able to sleep at night. It's been the same thing for the past for weeks, going to sleep late and waking before daybreak.
Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Steve slowly stood up. He pushed off the bed before making his way out into the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee and something to eat.
When he first woke up in 2012, Steve couldn't go to sleep without dreaming about the plane going down and leaving Peggy behind. He always woke up to the last words Peggy had said to him echoing around in his head.
Now, it was a mix of the plane going down and that day Fury telling him he had a daughter.
He had a daughter. The word still seemed foreign to him. He never in his life had dreamed he would have a daughter. Or any kid for that matter. Growing up, no one would even dance with the small, skinny kid for Brooklyn. Then, after the serum and after Bucky died, Steve didn't even know if he was going to live long enough to even think about kids. He had to take down HYDRA. Even if it meant killing himself in the process.
Of course, he'd never meant to have a kid, far from it.
That night he sat in that burnt down old bar, the night he wanted to get drunk so badly but failed. The night he was so messed up over Bucky dying. The night Peggy came to talk to him. That's when it happened. Steve would never forget it. And, he didn't mean for it to happen. It just, did.
And now, to know he had his own daughter... He still couldn't believe it.
And she was more beautiful than he could've imagined.
As Steve took some eggs out of the fridge, he thought back to the day Fury told him he had a daughter, which was also the day he met her.
Katherine Stephanie Rogers.
When she first walked into the room, for a spilt moment, Steve thought it could have been Peggy in a blonde wig.
But, as she walked closer and Steve actually looked at her, he realized how much like him she actually was. Yes, she had her mother's face, but she had his nose and eyes, plus his blond hair. He also realized Fury had been right when he'd said she was like him, had the serum in her DNA. He could tell by how fit and healthy she looked.
As they sat and talked, Steve couldn't help but realize how guarded she really was.
Sure, she laughed and joked and smiled. But to Steve, it looked like a big act. Like she was on her guard.
Still, he loved hearing the stories about how she grew up - even if they were only one or two - and he was interested in hearing just how much like him she really was. Because, while Steve was the only person to turn into a super-solider, she was the only person born to be a super-solider.
The more they talked, the more Steve noticed how much she really was hiding. He realized this first because of the fact that when she talked about Howard, her face would drop and a haunted look entered her eyes.
It wasn't until then when he realized how hard of a life Katie really did have.
Steve may have been frozen of seventy years and be out of his time, but Katie had to live with the times. She had to deal with everyone growing old while she stayed young. She had to watch everyone around her die while she was left alone in the world.
And yes, Steve'd found out that everyone he loved and cared about where gone when he woke up, and it pained him so much. But, to stand back and watch the people you love leave and not be able to do anything about it…
With breakfast and coffee made, Steve walked over to his small kitchen table, place his food and drink in front of him as he sat down, his eyes shifting to the phone.
Steve knew he shouldn't have brought up the topic of how hard her life must have been, but for some reason, he hadn't been able to stop himself.
Yes, he was her father. But he'd also only just met the girl. It wasn't his place to ask her about it, and she probably didn't want to talk about it at the time. Actually, Steve knew she didn't want to talk about it by the way she walked out on him, her last words still rang in his head from time to time.
"I'll.. I'll call you. Sometime. And we… we can…"
He knew then that he wouldn't be hearing from her for a few days at least. But, it had now been three weeks and he still hadn't heard anything.
He really screwed up.
However, when he mentioned it to Fury after about a week of hearing nothing, Fury had told him it wasn't his fault. That she just needed time because this was a big change for her too.
And Steve respected and understood that. But he still couldn't help his eyes from shifting to the phone now and then. And he still couldn't help but blame himself, even just a bit.
Maybe, if he'd never brought up how hard her life must have been, maybe if he'd kept his mouth shut, she'd still be talking to him now. They could have been starting to get to know each other and maybe even be on their way to trust each other. Maybe, they would be a few steps closer to being father and daughter.
But now, instead of taking a few steps forward, Steve felt like he'd ended up taking a dozen steps back. If that was possible.
He just wanted to know his daughter. That's all.
The one person left on this Earth who was like him and who was his flesh and blood, wouldn't talk to him. Great.
Well, the one person besides Peggy.
Steve knew Peggy was still alive. The files Fury handed him proved that to him, along with Katie telling him. He even knew her phone number and address. But, he couldn't bring himself to go see her. He couldn't walk in there and tell Peggy he'd messed everything up with Katie, or at least he thought he did. And he knew Peggy would ask if he'd met her yet, and Steve couldn't lie to her. Not about that.
Not being able to take it anymore - all the emotions and thoughts were giving him a headache - Steve left his breakfast and coffee on the table, basically untouched, as he got up and went to change into his gym clothes.
He needed to get his head straight, and as he walked out of the apartment and locked up, Steve knew the only way to do that was at the gym.
Steve's punches hit the bag with as much force as he could as he let his mind wander. The gym was empty - it wasn't even five in the morning - so Steve had the whole place to himself. However, instead of getting his head straight like he'd hoped, with every hit and punch he made, a new memory or image flashed before him.
Shots being fired and running through the woods with the Howling Commandos.
Fighting with HYDRA.
"There's not enough time." Steve heard his own words echoing off the walls as an image of the plane going down flashed before him. "I have to put her in the water."
The Tesseract.
The picture of Peggy he'd had in front of him when the plane went down as her voice echoed around him.
"You won't be alone."
"Oh my God," That was the first words Steve could remember hearing, faintly, as he suddenly started to feel very cold. "The guy's still alive!"
Anger and frustration started to boil up inside of Steve as a different set of images started to flash before him as he hit the punching bag more and more.
Peggy holding a baby in her names as she smiled down upon the sleeping form.
A little girl with long, blonde hair running as fast as she could while the Howling Commandos tried to catch her, her laugh ringing in the air.
"What story would you like to hear tonight?" Peggy asked softly to the little girl as she tucked her in at night.
Howard helping the blonde try on a shield that looked just like his.
"You have a daughter, Cap." Fury's words rang louder than before, as one final image of Katie flashed before him, looking like she did now. Then, he gave the bag on last punch and it went flying across the room, hitting the wall.
Steve stared at the bag that now laid on the floor, his breathing deep and hallow. The images started to come back, but he didn't want to think about them now. Instead, he walked over to the number of punching bags that were placed on the floor, picking one and hooking it up.
He came prepared.
However, just as Steve started punching the new bag, he heard footsteps come into the room followed by a deep voice.
"Trouble sleeping?"
Steve stopped pushing the bag long enough to look up and see Nick Fury standing just a few feet away from him.
"I slept for seventy years, sir." Steve said after he sighed and went back to punching the bag. "I think I had my fill."
"Then you should be out," Fury said as he slowly walked toward Steve. "Celebrating. Seeing the world."
Steve stopped for good this time as he glanced over at Fury for a moment before walking over towards his gym bag.
"I went under, the world was at war." Steve said as he took the wraps. "I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost." Like the chance to watch your daughter grow up. Or to even just actually know her.
"We've made some mistakes alone the way. Some very recently."
Steve looked up at Fury as he zipped his bag up. There was an unreadable look on his face that Steve came to figure out was always there.
"You here with a mission, sir?"
Fury nodded. "I am."
"Trying to get me back in the world?"
"Trying to save it."
Steve give Fury a questioning look as Fury opened a file that was in his hands, passing it to Steve as he sat down on the branch, next to his bag.
On a piece of paper in front of him, was a picture that made Steve's insides boil.
"HYDRA's secret weapon."
"Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you," Fury informed Steve. "He thought what we think, the Tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That's something the world sorely needs."
Steve took a deep breath through his nose as he closed up the file and handed it back to Fury. "Who took it from you?"
"His name is Loki," Fury said, taking the file. "He's… not from around here." Fury looked up at Steve. "There's a lot we'll have to bring you up to speed on if you're in. The world has gotten even stranger than you already know."
"At this point," Steve stood up, looking at Fury. "I doubt anything would surprise me."
"Ten bucks says you're wrong."
Steve almost snorted out loud as he reached for his bag. "I don't know, you already told me I have a daughter."
"That's another thing." Fury spoke up, causing Steve to turning around to look at Fury.
"What?"
"I asked Katherine to help you on this mission."
Steve froze, his eyes going slightly wide at Fury's words.
Fury asked Katie, his daughter, to going on a mission with him. The same Katie and daughter who hadn't - and wouldn't - talk to her father after meeting him three weeks ago. What was Fury thinking? Actually, what was Katie going to say? Or, what did had she already said? Did she want to work with her father, or did she turn the mission down before Fury even got to full sentence out?
Steve didn't even know Katie did missions. Then again, there was a lot of things Steve didn't know about his daughter. Things he wanted to know. If only she would just call him.
"I've asked a number of people actually," Fury explained when he realized Steve wasn't going to say anything. "Katherine being one of them."
"What did she say?" Steve asked, looking back at Fury with slightly pinched eyebrows.
He may hardly know his daughter, and he knew she was probably capable of handling herself, but he still didn't like the idea of her going on a dangerous mission.
It must be the protective father side of him. The side Steve didn't even know he had.
"She hasn't given me an answer yet." Fury pointed out. "She can be quite unreliable when it comes to getting back to someone."
At that comment, Steve did snort out loud. "I know."
"I know it's been a while, Cap," Fury said. "But she'll come around. I've known Katherine for a while now, and though she is very stubborn, she always comes though."
"She gets that from her mother," Steve smiled to himself, and he could have sworn he see the corners of Fury's lips start to turn up.
However, the smile soon fell and Steve sighed as he picked up his bag, turning toward Fury. "I know she's had a hard life, and I know I shouldn't push her and give her some time. I just… I just wish she'd open up a bit more to me."
"That's the thing, Captain. Katherine has a problem opening up to people. Just, show her you'll always be there, and she'll come around." Fury informed him.
Steve nodded before walking over and picking up one of the punching bags left on the floor.
"There's a debriefing package waiting for you back at your apartment." Fury called out after him as Steve started to walk away. "Is there anything you can tell us about the Tesseract that we ought to know now?"
"You should have left it in the ocean." Steve replied, walking out of the gym as he made a promise to himself.
He was going to show Katie he was going to be there for her. Always.
On the short side, but next chapter will be way longer and may even involve some other characters ;)
Again, thank you to Tospringe for helping me out with this chapter and fixing it for me, and thank you to all you for reading this story. It means a lot!
Tumblr and twitter links are in my profile :)