Who I Am - Chris Young.
"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future." - Alex Haley.
"I need your answer now, Ms Rogers." Nick said calmly from the seat behind his desk, glancing up at the blonde woman standing in front.
"That's why you called me in?" Katie raised an eyebrow at him, arms crossed. "Couldn't you have just called and asked me?"
"Katherine," Nick narrowed his eyes at her. "I'm really not in the mood for your games today. What is your answer?"
Katie sighed before sitting back in one of the two chairs Nick had placed in front of his desk, crossing her legs. "Who else is on board with the program? Obviously Natasha."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Obviously?"
"Clint is missing," Katie pointed out. "Natasha would drop everything to find him."
Nick nodded. "Yes, Agent Romanoff is on board. Dr. Banner is with us as well, Romanoff picked him up not too long ago. Coulson went to talk to Stark, but no one's really a hundred percent sure what he'll do. We have no way to talk to Thor. And of course, your father."
Katie gave a stiff nod as her eyes shifted to look out the window behind Nick, at the busy streets of D.C..
Yes, her father. The same father who she still had yet to call. The father she'd left in a sitting room about three weeks ago and hadn't talked to since. Yes, that father.
She couldn't do it. No matter how many talks she had with her mother or Phil, no matter how many times Nick tried to sit them down in a room together, she couldn't do it. She even tried to call him herself once or twice, with no luck. She always stopped herself.
Because it was just as Phil said, "I think, you need to open up a bit more…"
And it took Katie a while to realize way she couldn't open up to her father. She thought it was all because she was afraid of him leaving. But soon, she realized that was only part of the reason. It was because she looked up to her father so much. She was scared of disappointing him.
She never had to worry about disappointing anyone growing up. She was the only kid at S.H.I.E.L.D. for the most part. She didn't have anyone to be compared to.
But now, Katie was grown up. She wasn't a little kid anymore. And what if she wasn't what her father wanted? What if she wasn't what he thought his kid would be like? What if she was just a big overall disappointment?
So, it was three weeks later. And Katie had still yet to talk to him.
And she felt so bad.
Nick and Phil - mostly Phil - had both told her how worried and upset Steve was. She knew he wanted to get to know his daughter, but it's what might happen after he got to know her that Katie was worried about.
Sure, now Steve wanted to talk to her, to know everything about her and her life, but the 'what if' question was always in the back of Katie's mind. What if once he knew her life and what she was like, he realized it wasn't going to work and he left. Katie was sure her heart couldn't handle it anymore.
"I thought," Katie finally spoke up after a moment of silence, her eyes shifting back to Nick. "That you didn't want me anymore because me and Steve aren't on talking terms."
"I said I wanted you to talk to your father to make this team work," Nick corrected her. "But, if you don't want to talk to him, that's fine with me. We'll make it work."
"Wow. You must be very desperate."
"Trust me," Nick's face hardened. "Loki has made me very desperate."
"Loki." Katie repeated slowly. "Thor's brother, right?"
Nick nodded, his face still giving away his hatred for the God in question.
"And if I do join your team, I'll see him more." Katie said softly, almost like she was talking to herself, causing Nick to sigh.
"Katherine," He said, leaning forward. "I want you on this team because you can fight and shoot a gun just as good as Agent Romanoff. You can hold your own. Besides, I thought it was something you'd want to do. And, you are one of the few people left who have been with S.H.I.E.L.D. from the start." Nick paused for a moment as he studied her. "However, if you don't want to join this team because you're scared of seeing your father, that's fine with me."
"I'm not scared of seeing my father," Katie snapped at him, her face forming a glare.
"Well, you're sure as hell are acting like it."
Katie continued to glare at Nick, her mind working over time. She wasn't scared to talk to her father, she was scared of being hurt. How many times did she have to explain herself?
Running a hand through her hair as she leaned back in the chair, Katie sighed.
"Where is everyone now?"
"Agent Romanoff and your father are in Germany to get Loki-"
"Wait a minute," Katie leaned forward, cutting him off. "The mission's already started and you're only talking to me now?"
"Yes," Nick snapped. "So, as you can imagine, I am very busy and this is a crucial time. Right now we can use all the help we can get and you'd be a huge asset. I need you to listen right now." Katie wondered if she really was so big of an asset for Nick to actually take time to come talk to her for this. She was kind of flattered.
The woman didn't reply as she stared at the Director with crossed arms as he continued.
"Dr. Banner is at one of our labs, to locate the Tesseract."
"The Tesseract?" Katie repeated, eyes narrowed slightly. "The cube Uncle Howard fished out of the when he was trying to find Steve?"
Nick nodded. "Dr. Banner believes Loki wants to create a portal to another world with it."
"Ahhh," Katie crossed her arms, leaning back in the chair. "Lovely."
"Katherine," Nick spoke suddenly, causing Katie to give him a questioning look. "Just like you said, if you join this team, you will be seeing your father a lot more. There's no denying that."
"I know." Katie replied softly, looking at her lap.
"But it's not only your father you will be seeing a more of. You'll be seeing a lot of Stark too." Nick pointed out. "When's the last time you saw him?"
"I don't see how any of this matters," Katie looked up at Nick, her voice not as hard as she would like it to be, before sighing after seeing Nicks face. "He was five."
"You want to know what I think?" Nick leaned back in his chair, not waiting for Katie to answer. "I think you should join the team. You need to open up more."
"So I've been told."
"Get to know the team. Get to know Stark. And your father." Nick continued. "You don't need to spend your life alone Katherine, not when you have the chance to have people around who can relate to you, especially your father."
Nick paused for a moment, studying Katie for a moment before speaking again when she didn't say anything and didn't look like she was going to.
"He wants to get to know you, your father really does." Nick told her. "You are the only one is this world that he can relate to and actually talk to. And he's the same for you. You both need each other, Katherine. No matter how hard you try to push him away."
Katie didn't say anything as she sat there, watching Nick. But, she didn't have to open her mouth anyways. She already knew that Nick knew her answer. He knew her answers most of the time before she even did.
"So," Katie finally spoke up. "Will I get a nickname out of all this too?"
Katie could see Nick's lips start to pull up in a smile, before his expression went back to unreadable, like always.
"Phil will be going with you to the base," Nick informed her as he stood up, Katie following his lead with a confused look.
"Base? You mean everyone isn't meeting here."
"It's not safe on the ground," Nick told her. "Not when Loki already tore apart one of our other bases. We have somewhere safer to meet."
Katie was about to open her mouth and question Nick ever further, before an agent suddenly knocked on the door and came in.
"Sir, the car's ready and Agent Romanoff would like you to call her once you're on the plane."
Nick gave the agent a nod before turning to Katie. "We better get moving. A car will be at your place to pick you up in a few hours. Pack light. You'll be introduced to the team once you get there."
"Umm, okay?" Was all Katie could say as she followed Nick out of his office and into the hallway, where Nick turned towards her.
"I'll see you there, Ms Rogers." Nick gave her one finally nodded before turning and walking away.
As Katie watched Nick slowly started to disappear down the hall, she couldn't help from calling out to him.
"Where exactly is there?!"
"We're taking this plane to the Helicarrier, which is acting as a safe house and base right now."
Katie nodded at Phil from her seat on the side of the small plane they were in, Phil standing up a few feet away from her.
True to his words, a car came to Katie's apartment two or so hours later. She only had a small bag packed to take with her. And now, she was sitting on a plane with Phil, heading towards the Helicarrier.
"So, what's happened so far?" Katie wondered. "With the mission."
"All I know as of now, is that Loki went to Stuttgart, Germany." Phil informed her. "Agent Romanoff and ah… Captain America went there to stop him. Soon, Stark joined them."
"And they're on their way back now?"
Phil nodded. "Yes. The three of them are on their way back, along with Loki."
Katie nodded as she shifted her eyes away from Phil and crossed her arms and legs.
Something didn't add up.
Loki wouldn't just go with them easily. She'd never met the guy, or even seen him in person for that matter, but from everything she'd read about him, she knew that he wouldn't go down without a fight. Then again, she hadn't been there in Germany, so she couldn't really judge what had happened. Still, she was pretty sure that Natasha and Steve hadn't been gone very long.
Before her thoughts could go any further, however, the sound of Phil clearing his throat caused Katie to look up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Can I help you?"
"I, umm, I talked to your father earlier." Phil pointed out, nervousness in his voice.
"Hmmm," Katie nodded her head, her movements becoming stiff. "Did you now?"
Phil nodded once more, turning to look out the window in the front of the plane. Katie could tell by the look on his face that he was debating on if he should bring the subject up or not.
Katie really wished he'd pick not to bring it up. Unfortunately it seemed like the world hated her lately.
"He's really upset, Katie." Phil finally said, turning to Katie only to find her sitting there with an unreadable look on her face.
"So you keep telling me."
"I'm serious, Katherine."
Katie's head snapped up as Phil walked over and sat down next to her, a sober look on his face. Katie knew this was serious as she pinched her eyebrows together.
Phil never called her Katherine.
"He's trying to hide it. But everyone can tell he's hurt." Phil explained. "The first few days after your talk, he wanted to hear from you again. Then, when nothing got back to him…" Phil trailed off with a sigh. "He's hurting Katie. He'd never tell anyone and hides it well, but he's hurt."
Katie sat still as she listened to Phil. For awhile, the only sound that could be heard was the wind outside the plane and after some time Katie felt the plane start to slow down, informing them they were getting close to the Helicarrier.
What Phil told her was true. She knew, because Nick had told her the same story (of course, he was a little less compassionate). And when Nick told her this story, it broke her heart. Just to know that her father thought it was his fault that Katie wouldn't talk to him… It killed her.
It wasn't his fault. It was completely hers.
"What I don't understand," Katie finally spoke. "Is how you had a normal conversation with Captain America without saying something stupid."
Katie expected Phil to glare at her, or say something like how funny she was with a lot of sarcasm in his voice. But, when all Katie got back was silence, she turned to Phil with a raised eyebrow only to see a slightly pink face.
"Oh my god," A smile broke out on Katie's face. "What did you say?"
"Nothing," Phil answered quickly, before his face turned serious. "Listen. My point is, you need to talk to him Katie-"
"I wish people would stop telling me that." Katie snapped her head towards Phil as she took a breath in through her nose. She tried to remain cool - she was 65 years old after all - but, sometimes even Katie forgot her age and acted like a teenager.
"I know I need to talk to him." Katie ran a hand through her hair. "I know I should have called him weeks ago." But, it's my life and my business. "Okay? I'm trying. I've tried." You all think I should talk to him, but you have no idea what I've gone though in my life. "It's just… it's hard to talk to someone who you thought was dead." No one knows what it's like to live so much longer than a normal human. Not even the one person on this planet who is like me.
This were the kind of battles Katie had with herself sometimes over the years. Her mental age always fighting with her physical age. And it was frustrating as hell. She thought it probably had something to do with hormones or something.
Katie let out a deep breath, eyes closed for a moment before she stared at the wall across from her, Phil not saying a thing.
Katie thought it would feel good to finally get all that - or at least some of it - off her chest, but it didn't. It just made her feel more alone if anything.
The plane started to go down as Phil and Katie remained silent, and it wasn't until the plane hit the deck of the Helicarrier that Phil spoke.
"Don't snap at me, just let me finish what I have to say," Phil said as they both stood up, walking off the plane, Katie listening to him. "You should talk to him. I know you don't want to, or can't, open up to him. Not yet at least. But, you do have to just explain to him that none of this is his fault."
Both Katie and Phil stepped out of the plane and onto the deck of the Helicarrier, the bright sun beating down on them as the wind blew Katie's blonde waves around like crazy.
"It's not that easy, Phil." Katie said as the made their way inside. "I wish it was, but it isn't."
Phil sighed. "Just, try to talk to him, okay? For both your sake and the sake of this team."
"Phil, for you, I'll try to." Katie replied, giving him a small smile.
She was glad Phil decided to drop the topic after that. She knew they both could continue talking about this for hours, but she truly didn't want to right now.
They stepped inside the Helicarrier in silence and Katie let Phil lead the way down the halls.
"So," Katie spoke after a few moments. "Did you embarrass yourself?"
Katie almost laughed out loud as she saw Phil's cheeks turn a shade of pink again as he nodded his head slightly.
"Oh, Phil. What did you say now?"
"I ah," Phil cleared his throat. "I may have told him I watched him while he was sleeping."
Katie couldn't stop the laugh that worked its way up her throat and out of her mouth as she followed Phil around a turn and they headed towards a door.
"You never!" Katie managed to breath out through all the laughing, Phil's face turning redder.
"I'm glad someone finds it funny."
"I'm sorry, Phil." Katie placed a hand on his shoulder after she claimed down. "I shouldn't be laughing over your little crush."
"I don't have a crush."
Katie couldn't help but smirk. "You sure about that, agent?"
As they reached the door, Phil turned to Katie, giving her a glare. However, before he could say anything, the door flew open and a dark-haired women was standing there.
"Ms Rogers," She gave Katie a nod as Katie turned fully around and gave her a smile.
"Agent Hill," Katie also nodded. "I see Nick gave you the memo about my name change."
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Phil crack a smile, before going back to the poker face he was known best for. Maria, however, didn't even blink at the comment. But, Katie was used to that by now. Maria took her job seriously and Katie respected that.
"The team is in there now," Maria informed him. "Loki is in containment. Direction Fury is just about to explain the situation. He said you could come in when you got here."
Katie nodded as the smile slipped off her face, her stomach turning. She didn't realize how nervous she was about meeting the team until now.
Then again, it made sense for her to be this nervous.
Natasha she wasn't nervous about seeing. The woman was a good friend. The others however, she was more edgy about meeting. Not only would she be meeting Dr. Banner and Thor, one of whom turns green when angered and the other a god, but she was also seeing Tony for the first time in fourty-odd years. Not to mention she would be seeing her father again for the first time in three weeks.
Yeah, she had a right to be a bit nervous.
Taking a deep breath through her nose, Katie followed behind Maria - Phil following behind Katie - as Maria lead them into the main area on the Helicarrier. There, Katie could see a big number of people at work, all around different screens, along with a big table in the middle of the back.
As they made their way towards the table, Katie finally got a good look at the team for the first time. And they were all fixed on Nick as he talked to them.
She saw Thor standing with his back to her, and he looked every bigger in person. Bruce was standing close to the back all with Natasha dressed in her black cat suit, sitting at the table. But, the two people that caught her eyes were Tony and Steve.
Tony was standing next to Bruce, a smug look on his face as he said something to Nick, and Katie was almost knocked off her feet by how much he looked like Howard, smug like and all.
Steve, however, was sitting at the table a few seats down from Natasha, dressed in his Captain America outfit. It was obviously a different one than what he wore back in the 40's - more than likely something S.H.I.E.L.D. gave him - but Katie still felt her heart clinch at the sight of him.
The number of times growing up she wanted to see her father, dressed up in his Captain America outfit… She'd asked Howard to make her one once, but Peggy had drawn the line at the shield.
Seeing him sitting there really made Katie rethink talking to him later…
However, before her thoughts could go any further, her, Maria and Phil got close enough to hear what Nick was saying to the team.
"I've called in for help." Nick informed them, and Katie could see a confused look started to form on everyone's faces.
"Help?" Steve questioned as Tony snorted.
"You called forward, how did you put it, 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' and you think we need help?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Is this like a manager for your little boy band?"
Even though his back was turned to her, Katie could still tell Nick gave Tony a hard look for the comment.
"She's one of you and she's been around for… a nice while now."
Katie almost snorted out loud at that.
"A nice while?" Thor raised an eyebrow and Nick nodded.
"How long is a nice while exactly?" Tony asked, while a look of understanding formed on Natasha's face, before it turned smug.
"She's been around since S.H.I.E.L.D. first got lifted off the ground."
"Seriously?" Tony laughed. "That would make her like, seventy years old!"
"Sixty-five actually."
The words left Katie's mouth before she could stop them. Everyone's eyes suddenly shifted to her as she walked up the steps and headed towards Nick, Maria going to stood off to the side along with Phil.
Silence fell as Katie looked around the table area, taking everyone in as they did the same to her.
Thor was the first person Katie's eyes landed on. Then again, how could they not, he was so big. Katie was far from being a tiny girl - being average height, well built and all - but she looked like an ant standing next to Thor. He stood there with his arms crossed as he eyed her curiously.
Natasha was sitting at the table, leaned back in her chair, arms crossed with a smirk on her face. When Katie's eyes met hers, Natasha gave Katie a small nod, which the blonde returned with a little smile on her face. It'd been a while since Katie had last talked to Natasha. And Katie really liked her, she felt like she could be herself around her. And around Clint. After all, they knew all about Katie and who her father was.
Shifting her eyes, Katie found Bruce and Tony watching her closely. Bruce had a curious look on his face as he eyed the blonde in front of them, while Tony had a raised eyebrow and still had a slightly smug look on his face. Katie had to look away because of the pain that started to form in her chest at how much he was reminding her of Howard.
Then again, the pain didn't stop as Katie's eyes flicked to her father. When she saw him watching her with a confused, hurtful and upset look on his face however, Katie had to look away. She didn't want to show weakness around the team when she hadn't even really met them yet, and she knew if she looked at her father any longer she wouldn't be able to take it.
She could only imagine the thoughts that were running though his head at the moment.
As Katie stood there, next to Nick, she watched as everyone's eyes studied her with everyone besides Natasha and Steve looking curious. And she didn't blame them. Standing before them after all was a woman who had been around since S.H.I.E.L.D. started, looking only twenty-five.
Then again, to Bruce, Thor and Tony, the person standing in front of them was more a blonde, blue-eyed, twenty-five year old dressed in black pants with black heeled boots and a white, flowing top with a black leather jacket.
To the three boys, she was the perfect human being.
"Sixty-five?" Tony broke the silence, a smirk forming on his lips. "Someone's specific. Are you this woman's granddaughter or something?"
The blonde raised her eyebrows at Tony before a small smile formed on her lips, and she couldn't help but see a pained look starting to form on Steve's face.
She didn't know why at first, but then she remembered something her Uncle Howard always used to tell her.
The look she just pulled caused her to look just like her mother.
"Not exactly," Katie couldn't help by give Tony a small smirk before Nick stepped in.
"Allow me to introduce you all to your newest teammate, Katherine Rogers."
At the name Rogers everyone's head - including Steve's - snapped up. Steve, because Katie told him she never went by Rogers but went by Carter instead. Everyone else, however, looked up in shock and confusion. Well, everyone besides Natasha, who seemed to be enjoying everything that was going on.
"Rogers?" Bruce questioned, breaking the silence.
"Any relation to Cap here, Katherine?" Tony asked, causing Katie to shift her gaze from Nick to him.
Silence fell around the room, causing Katie to glance up at Nick again. She thought he'd be the first to answer but when she found him watching her, she realized he wanted her to answer this one.
Looking away from Nick, Katie shifted her eyes to Steve, who was watching her with slightly pinched together eyebrows. She could tell by the look on his face that he was wondering how she was going to answer this.
Sighing, Katie realized there was only one way out of this. Besides, it wouldn't be a good idea to start off joining a team by flat out lying to them.
"Yes, actually. There is," Katie replied, her eyes still locked with Steve's before she looked up at everyone else. "He's my father."
The group of - how did Tony say it earlier? - 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' fell silent the moment the words left Katie's mouth. And, if it wasn't for the situation, Katie probably would have laughed at the looks on their faces.
Bruce, Thor and Tony all had a very similar looks. A mix of confusion and curiosity. Thor's eyebrows were narrowed together slightly, as if he was trying to figure out how it was possible for Katie and Steve to be father and daughter. Bruce stood with wide eyes as they shifted between Katie and Steve, like he was looking for connections. Tony, however, looked like a fish out of water with his mouth hung open, head turning between father and daughter like he was watching a ping-pong match.
Meanwhile, Natasha really did look like she was about to burst out laughing. She knew Katie was Captain America's daughter. Katie had ended up telling her years ago, just a few days after they'd met. After meeting for the first time, it didn't take Natasha long to realize Katie was hiding something from her. And if you've ever tried to hide something from Natasha, you'd know it isn't a very good idea.
Steve, however, was watching Katie with weary eyes.
His mind was working overtime, trying to figure out the young woman standing next to Nick. But, he just couldn't understand her. She'd met him once, then didn't talk to him for three weeks, and now she's telling the whole team she was his daughter.
Steve couldn't figure out how her mind worked.
But he had his mind make up.
He was determined to take Katie aside after, to talk to her, to let her know that he wasn't going anywhere and was willing to make this work if she wanted to. If anything, they could sit down, talk, and figure out how to make this work for the team. Because Steve knew if two team members where off, the whole team was going to be.
Katie, however, was looking at anyone and anywhere besides Steve. Though she could feel his eyes on her, and now and then she'd catch sight of them out of the corner of her eye.
Katie didn't need to be smart to know that, at some point, Steve was going to try and talk to her. The problem was that Katie had no idea what to say to him.
There were a million and one things she wanted to say to her father. A million things she wanted to know about him. But, was she ready to finally sit down and talk to him, again?
She didn't know yet.
"Wait. One. Minute." Tony spoke up, breaking the long moment of silence as he turned to Steve. "Cap. I didn't you know you were married."
Steve turned around in his chair, giving him a confused look as Katie raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not."
"Then you actually had sex before you were married?" Tony gasped dramatically. "You were allowed to do that back in the 40's?"
Steve gave Tony a hard look, a tiny bit of blush on his cheeks. Katie rolled her eyes and Bruce and Natasha sighed while Thor still looked confused.
"You're very funny." Katie said, sarcasm lacing her voice as Tony turned and gave her a smirk.
"And you look very young for a sixty-five year old." Tony commented as he walked around the table up to Katie. "What do you use? Face cream? Botox? Plastic surgery?"
"Really, Stark?" Steve spoke up as Katie raised her eyebrows at Tony, who turned to Steve with a smug look on his face.
"What's the matter, Rogers? Don't like me this close to your daughter? Don't worry, she's too old for me anyways."
Katie let out a dry laugh and, for a split second, she was glad she'd stopped seeing Tony when he was only five. Because she had a funny feeling he'd have her driven up the wall.
"You're unbelievable."
"I'm Tony actually. Tony Stark. But yeah, I'm unbelievable too." Tony held to his hand, but Katie didn't take it, rolling her eyes instead.
"I know who you are."
"Of course you do."
"Stark," Natasha spoke up for her seat at the table, her eyebrows pinched together. "Leave the girl alone."
Before Tony could shot back a witty comeback, however, Katie spoke up as she gave Natasha a look. "I can take care of myself, Nat."
Natasha rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face. "Sure you can."
"Wait," Tony stepped forward, looking between the two women. "You two know each other?"
"Yeah. We trained together a few years ago." Katie told him, and out of the corner of her eye, she say Steve look down at the table.
Something else he didn't know about his daughter, probably.
"She was pretty good too." Natasha commented, causing Katie let out a soft snort.
"I do not understand." Thor spoke up before Katie could say anything, looking between Katie and Steve with curious eyes. "You both look of the same age. I thought you mortals aged fast then Asgardians?"
Katie gave Thor a small smile as she took a deep breath through her nose. It was obvious really, that once she'd said she was the daughter of Captain America, the questions would start coming.
"Well, physically, we are the same age." Katie's eyes flicked towards Steve for a split moment before looking back at Thor. "Seems like if you have super-solider DNA, you live longer than the normal human." Katie informed them all before walking up the Thor, smile on her face. "Thor, right?"
Returning the smile, Thor nodded. "Pleasure to meet you, Lady Katherine."
Katie let out an airy laugh. She'd never been called Lady Katherine before, and she's been called a lot of things. However, before she could correct him on her name, another voice spoke up.
"How much longer, exactly?"
Turning to her right, Katie found Bruce watching her with curious eyes. She couldn't blame him, it's not every day you met someone like Katie and Steve. Plus, she read Bruce's file. She knew about all the research he did, so for all Katie knew, he could have already suspected that with the serum, you aged slower.
Nodding, Katie walked closer to Bruce.
"About ten times longer, actually." She said, stopping a few feet away from Bruce as she stuck her hand out. "Dr. Banner, it's nice to meet you."
Bruce smiled, shaking her hand. "You as well, Katherine."
"Call me Katie," Katie told me before looking around at everyone else. "The only one who calls me Katherine is Nick, and that's only because he won't not call me that."
Nick shot Katie a hard look. But before he could say anything, Tony cut him off.
"So, if you're Caps off-spring and have that serum,," He questioned. "Does that mean you are a super-solider like your old man?"
Katie raised an eyebrow at Tony, trying to figure out if he was serious. Why the hell would Nick ask her to help if she was just a normal human?
"Yes, Stark." Katie answered. "I'm like… Steve."
"Hmmm," Tony hummed, raising an eyebrow. "Steve?"
"Tony." Bruce spoke up as he pinched the bridge of his nose as Katie's eyebrows narrowed. "Drop it."
"What? I wasn't doing anything wrong."
As Tony gave Bruce an innocent look, Katie suddenly felt someone's eyes on her. And when she looked to her right, she found Natasha watching her. When their eyes met, Natasha's eyes flicked down the table towards Steve.
It was only then that Katie realized Steve was quiet through-out this whole conversation, and she could basically see his mind reeling.
Steve listened on as Katie walked around to each team member, introducing herself to them. All he could think about was what he was going to say to her.
Katie was obviously keeping her distance from him. The three weeks of not calling or trying to talk had him quickly get the hint. And the fact that she wouldn't even look at him right now was a bonus.
She's been - and was - keeping her distance. Steve guessed the tricky part was trying to get Katie to just look at him. Next he could figure out what he was actually going to say.
He didn't want to scare her off like he had last time, so he was obviously going to have to be careful with what he was going to say to her. Unfortunately, Steve had no clue how to even start a conversation.
Feeling someone's eyes on him, Steve looked up from the table only to see Katie watching him. However, the moment their eyes met, she looked away, causing Steve to let out a silent sigh.
Katie shifted her eyes back to Natasha, giving her a small shrug. Natasha, however, just gave her a look that clearly said they were going to have to talk later.
"If we are done here…" Nick started to speak to his team. However, he stopped and let out a sigh when he heard Tony let out a low whistle.
Unfortunately for Katie - and Steve - Tony noticed their little, somewhat awkward, interaction. Katie could feel Tony's gaze on her as her eyes flicked to Steve once more, only to see Steve watching her. Steve gave her a tiny smile before Katie had to shift her eyes back once again, not being able to look at him.
However, the moment Tony let out a whistle, the whole team shifted to look at him while an annoyed yet hard look appeared on Nick's face.
"Ohhh," Tony crossed his arms over his chest, a smug look on his face. "Do I sense some tension in the air?"
While some of the team members gave Tony a confused look, Steve and Katie knew what he was talking about.
Steve's eyes slicked towards Katie for a split moment, before turning back to Tony, his eyebrows pinched together.
Katie, however, let out a dry laugh as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"This is going to be fun."
"What does Man of Iron mean?" Thor spoke up, confusion on his face as he liked around at the other Avengers, some of which looked just as confused.
It wasn't hard to tell that there was some tension around Steve and Katie. But then again, they only met each other about a month ago. They were still trying to get to know each other. At least, this is what the other Avengers picked up. But obliviously, Tony noticed something more.
"It would seem," Tony smirked. "That there are a few family problems between the Rogers'."
"Stark." Natasha snapped, sending Tony a hard look. "Back off."
"Tony," Bruce stepped in. "I don't think know is the time for-"
"I'm just stating the oblivious." Tony shrugged, cutting Bruce off before pointing at Steve and Katie. "Though just so you two know, it's not very professional to bring your at-home problems to work."
"Enough." Nick spoke up just as Katie stepped forward, eyes pinched together in a glare. "Stark, you and Banner head to the lab and try to locate the cube. The rest of you," Nick looked between Thor, Katie, Natasha and Steve, trying to decide where to put them before sighing. "Just… Try to keep this plane in the air."
As Nick walked away, Maria followed behind him in a heartbeat, only casting the team before her a quick look. Phil, however, gave Katie a small smile before sharing a quick look with the rest of the team, also following after Nick.
Silence once again fell around the team as everyone tried to figure out what to do now.
Katie knew she had only just joined the team and was still getting to know people - hell, she'd only just met them - but she still felt like she was a guest. Someone who just happened upon this team and was for the time hanging out with them.
So, she decided to make it her personal mission to get to know the team a bit better.
Then again, how to hell was she going to do that when she couldn't even talk to her own father?
"Well," Tony spoke up, breaking the silence around them. "I have a few questions for mini Cap and Papa Cap."
"Seriously, Stark?" Steve gave Tony a pointed look.
Katie sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose. "Didn't Nick give you a job to do?"
"Yes." Tony nodded. "But I never listen to Fury."
"Come on Tony," Bruce spoke up. "Let's head to the labs. You'll have time to talk to Katie later."
"Fine," Tony sighed dramatically as he made his way towards to doors, Bruce following behind him. "I'd much rather try to get you to turn into the green rage monster anyways."
That was the last they heard of Tony as him and Bruce walked out the door and the room fell silent for a short moment, until Katie spoke up.
"Well. He's a pain in the ass."
"You don't have to be as smart as him to figure that out." Natasha commented as she stood up. "Well, I'm going to head to the gym."
"What?" Katie asked, watching as Natasha walked past her.
Turning around, Natasha raised an eyebrow at Katie, and the blond could easily see what she was doing. Natasha wanted Katie and Steve to be alone and talk. The only thing was, Katie didn't want to talk to her father right now. So, thank god Thor was still standing there.
"Lady Natasha," Thor spoke up, stepping forward. "Would you show me where I can get some sustenance?"
Never mind.
Natasha nodded, giving Thor a smile.
"Ahh," Katie spun around only to see Thor and Natasha's backs as they walked out the door. However, just before she disappeared, Natasha gave Katie a pointed look.
Then, she was gone.
Katie took a deep breath through her nose as she ran a hand through her hair.
She was going to kill Natasha later on.
Turning around, Katie saw Steve stand up from his chair he was sitting at, a look of determination and sadness on his face.
Katie knew what he was going to say, and she was hoping to stop him before he could start.
"Listen, I-"
"Can we talk?" Steve cut her off as he walked towards her, stopping a few feet away.
Steve watched as Katie lightly bit on her bottom lip, his eyes shifting down to see her index finger starting to lightly tap on her right leg.
I do the same thing… When I'm thinking about something. I tap my finger too.
Eyes shifting back up, Steve studied Katie, the wheels turning in her head as she looked off to the side. She was obviously thinking about something.
Should I? Katie thought over and over. Should I talk to him?
Sighing, Katie finally looked back up at Steve. She realized that there really was no getting out of this. There we floating in the sky for God sakes! It wasn't like she had many places to run and hide.
"Sure. Yeah." Katie nodded. "Let's talk."
"I feel like I'm in trouble." Katie laughed dryly as she followed Steve the first room they saw. A small, boring room that contained a television, couch, two chairs and a coffee table.
Steve casted Katie a weary look before sitting down in one of the two chairs as Katie sat down on the couch, facing him, her eyes looking anywhere but him.
They both sat in silence for a few moments, until it got to the point where Steve actually thought he'd have to start talking first. However, this caused him to almost jump when Katie turned to him.
"Listen," She started. "Before we start, I just wanted to say, it isn't your fault I haven't talked to you."
And she wasn't lying, all of this was far from Steve's fault. It was Katie's. She was the one who couldn't let anyone in. She was the one who was sacred of being a disappointment to her own father. She was the one who was scared to get close to anyone. Because, getting close to people meant they saw the real you. And Katie' didn't even really know who the 'real Katie' was anymore.
"Did I say something to you that made you upset?" Steve questioned.
He knew Katie just said it wasn't his fault, but he still couldn't help but feel like it was. After all - to him at least - it seemed like their talk to had been going along pretty well until he spoke up at the end.
"No. No, you never." Katie shook her head, looking up at Steve. "it's just… I had, have, some… things, I had to deal with."
"What kind of things?" Steve asked before he could stop himself, causing Katie to cast him a weary look.
"Some personal things."
Steve sighed, leaning back in his chair as he ran a hair through his hair. He was right. It was going to be hard talking to Katie, and even harder to get her to open up.
"Katie," Steve spoke up, the name sounding foreign on his throat. "I know that… I don't know you-"
"You're right."
Steve stopped, raising his eyebrow slightly at Katie, who was looking off to the side. "I'm sorry?"
"You're right." Katie repeated, turning to look at Steve. "You don't know me."
Katie didn't say it in an over-dramatic teenage way like they did in the movies. In fact, Steve wasn't offended by her words at all. If anything, the reason he felt a pain in his chest was because of the look in Katie's eyes.
The normally baby-blue eyes that were so much like his, were now dull and held a sadness and emptiness to them that made Steve just want to pull his daughter into a hug. But he knew he couldn't.
"But I want to." He told Katie softly, but she just snorted and leaned back against the couch, almost like she couldn't believe that someone would want to get to know her.
Which was actually what she was thinking.
Sure, Steve wanted to get to know her now. But, Katie wasn't as she appeared. All the jokes and confidence was just an act. When Steve got to know his daughter and see who she really was…
Steve knew he had to say something. He was losing her and soon, he was sure Katie would walk out again. He had to let her know he was serious about all this.
"When you're nervous, you make jokes." Steve stated suddenly, cause Katie to lift her eyes. "Don't you?"
Katie gave Steve a, somewhat, confused look as her eyebrows pinched together lightly. But, Steve could tell that she knew what he was talking about.
"What?"
"When we first met," Steve explained. "One of the first things you did was make a joke. You did the same thing when we walked into the room. You were nervous."
Katie pinched her eyebrows together more. "How do you know I was nervous?"
"Both times you were tapping your finger, something you said you did when you are thinking about something," Steve said. "But I think you also do it when you're nervous."
Katie fell silent, her eyes shifting from Steve to her hands folded on her lap.
He was right.
And Steve knew this. He knew he was right. He also knew, as he watched Katie, that he had to say what he had to say now, or it would never be said.
"I know… I know you haven't had the easiest life," Steve spoke up, clearing his throat as Katie slowly lifted her eyes. "And I know it's probably been a while since anyone's ever been there for you. But, Katie, I want to get to know you. I want to be there for you. You don't have to be alone. I…" Steve trailed off, taking a deep breath. "I want to get to know my daughter."
Katie froze in her spot, her eyes still locked on Steve.
Steve told her before that he wanted to get her know her. None of this information was new to her, so it shouldn't make her act this way, right? Wrong.
Because Steve didn't want to know Katie. He wanted to get to know his daughter.
The problem was, Katie didn't know how to be Steve Rogers' daughter.
She was Peggy Carter's daughter. She was Howard Stark's 'niece'. Hell, at times she'd even thought of herself as Chester Phillips granddaughter. But being Steve Rogers' daughter was one thing Katie didn't know.
Yes, he was her father. But, he'd never been around. And she would have turned out differently if he'd been there for her growing up… Right?
Katie softly bit down on her bottom lip as she stared at the wall behind Steve.
He also said she didn't want her to be alone, but being alone was all she knew. Well, she wasn't completely alone. She still had her mother. But, for the better part of thirty years, she'd been by herself. She would come home to empty and cold apartments. She'd cook supper for herself and have no one to talk to as she ate.
And because that'd been her life for so long, Katie didn't know any other way of living. At the end of the day, she was still the only one like her.
Until now.
Katie told her heart to shut up. She already had her own thoughts to deal with, she didn't need something else to listen to.
"Katie?"
Looking up, Katie found Steve watching her with tired eyes. Maybe she'd been off in her own little world longer than she thought.
However, as Katie looked into her fathers eyes, she felt her stomach started to twist in knots and her mouth started to work on its own.
"I… I can't remember the last time someone wanted to know me." Katie spoke softly, and she could tell by the look on Steve's face that she didn't need to explain herself to him.
People - meaning the people who know who she was - wanted to know Captain America and Peggy Carter's daughter. They wanted to know how much like her father she was. They wanted to know what her life had been like growing up young and beautiful. But hardly anyone wanted to know Katherine Rogers.
"I know this is hard," Steve spoke in a gentle tone, almost fatherly-like, as he picked his words carefully. "But I really do want to get to know you, Katie."
"I just…" Katie paused for a moment to clear her thought, which suddenly started to go dry. "I need time."
Katie almost flinched when she saw the look of hurt and disappointment flash across Steve's face.
"Time?" He said in a strained voice. "Time."
"I know that this is hard for you too," Katie said quickly. "I know that this isn't fair to you, me making you wait around like this. I just… It's… I need more time."
"Katie," Steve sighed, but Katie spoke up before he could carry on.
"You were dead," She blunted out before she could stop herself. "I grew up thinking you were gone, that I was never going to see you again. And I expected that. So, to have you here now-" Katie stopped and swallowed as she felt her throat tighting, before speaking in a low tone. "You were dead."
Silence fell
"How much more time?" Steve questioned softly, but Katie continued to look down at her lap.
She could feel all her emotions bubbling up in her stomach, and she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to… She need to hit something.
Slowly, Katie started to stand up as she ran a hand through her hair, gripping the roots tightly for a moment before letting her hand fall.
"I don't know."
Her voice was low and soft, and she hated it. She hated how weak and small she felt right now. She hated it and she need some air, she needed to get away.
Slowly looking up, Katie's baby-blue eyes met Steve's pleading ones. Pleading her to stay and to open up. Wanting her to talk to him.
But she couldn't.
Katie took in a breath, about to say something but no words came out. However, her eyes said everything she couldn't. She was telling Steve how sorry she was and how much pain she was feeling right now just by looking at him.
Without another breath, Katie turned around and headed towards the door. He hand froze on the doorknob and, for a moment, Steve thought she was actually about to turn around.
But he was wrong.
Steve stayed rooted in place as he watched Kate slowly turn to doorknob and pushed the door open, stepping out of the room. Just before to the door closed behind her, however, Katie turned around and Steve caught her eye for a split second before the door shut.
And in that spilt second, Steve saw what Katie wanted to badly to tell him.
I'm sorry.
Long one, but I hope you guys still enjoyed it!
Please note, this use to be chapters 5 and 6 before I combined them to make one chapter.