The Master of Deduction and Deception
LaGuardia Airport. New York. Day. Steve
The standard SHIELD black SUV had parked outside of the large airport, allowing Steve to get out and quickly grab his suitcase and bag from the trunk. His gaze scanned the bustling crowd of people, trying to spot a familiar brunette woman.
"Looking for someone?" A sweet feminine voice asked him.
He turned around, smirking when he saw Daphne grinning at him innocently. She was wearing something similar to him; a grey sweater, dark jeans and a pair of black, combat-style boots. The only difference between their outfits was that Steve's sweater was navy instead of grey.
"Actually yes, she's a close friend of mine and looks a lot like you, funnily enough. I don't suppose that you've seen her?"
She feigned a look of deep thought, putting a hand to her chin and humming. "Unfortunately, no. I haven't, but I'll let you know if I do."
"Much appreciated," he thanked her.
They both looked at each other for a moment before they started laughing like children. "A close friend, eh? I'm insulted. We're meant to be married, remember?" She scolded.
"How could I forget?" He joked, playfully.
She pulled him into a one-armed hug, by his waist. "Aw, come on, Stevie. You know you love me."
Steve's face started to heat up, for some reason unknown to him, but brushed it off with a small chuckle, ruffling her soft hair as he pulled away, much to her apparent dismay.
"Hey," she cried out indignantly, smoothing down her auburn tresses. "Don't ruin the perfection."
"Oh, no. God forbid I should ruin the perfection," he agreed dramatically, causing Daphne to start laughing again.
She picked up a duffel bag, that was on the ground next to her, and lifted up the handle of a suitcase, looking up at him with a dazzling smile. "Let's go, pretty boy. We got a plane to catch."
Steve grabbed his own luggage and followed her as she entered the large building, navigating her way through. They stopped at a desk and Daphne smiled at the man behind it, quietly murmuring something to him. She then gave him their names and showed him the passports, waiting as he gave her the tickets. The mutant woman put both hers and Steve's suitcase on the conveyor belt, next to the desk. She thanked the man and turned to give Steve his ticket.
The brunette glanced up at the large screen showing the aeroplane times, muttering to herself. "Okay, we've got ten minutes until the plane leaves. We'd better get to our terminal."
The soldier nodded and kept close to her as they made their way to Terminal C. He then realised that they still looked like themselves and gently tugged Daphne back, halting her. She looked back at him in question, hiking her duffel bag up higher on her shoulder.
He voiced his concerns. "We're not covered by your illusion."
"It's fine. SHIELD will fake records showing a Lucas and Lilia Ross getting on a plane to Moscow," she stated mysteriously. "Anyway, not everybody here is what they seem."
He caught on quickly. "That worker behind the desk? He was an agent?"
Daphne nodded, smirking. "There are multiple agents here, making sure we get onto the plane without a hitch." When Steve gave her a look of disbelief, she carried on. "How else can we get a duffel bag of weapons onto an aeroplane?" She asked rhetorically, gesturing towards her own bag.
He chuckled at her words, hearing the truth ring through, before grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the terminal.
As the pair had reached the gatehouse, they stopped in front of the metal detectors. Steve noticed that Daphne was discreetly looking around for an agent, her eyes lighting up in recognition as she saw a young woman next to one of the large machines.
They had placed all metallic items onto a conveyor belt, inconspicuously giving the duffle bags to the agent, without anyone realising, so that they wouldn't be scanned through.
The mutant and soldier swiftly walked through the detectors and picked up their bags, making their way towards the gate. As the two got closer to the terminal, they noticed that people were already going onto the plane.
Daphne and Steve stopped next to the gate which would lead to their aeroplane and showed the tickets to the 'worker' - who just happened to be another SHIELD agent.
They were allowed through the gate and walked through the Jetway towards the plane. Steve allowed his companion to enter the plane first, holding an arm out. She smiled at his polite behaviour. "Well, I see chivalry isn't dead yet."
Once they had boarded, they were kindly gestured to where their seats would be - towards the back of the jet, apparently.
Steve was amazed by the deluxe interior of the aircraft, not thinking that it would look this grand. Daphne glanced back towards him and chuckled at his awed expression.
"First Class," she told him in explanation. "SHIELD doesn't shy away on the price."
The super-solider could only nod as they maneuvered their way to the back, taking in the large plush seats with wide TV's in front of them - civilian passengers talking animatedly as they waited for take-off.
The two Avengers made it to the back of the jet and Daphne had opened a door that led into a large room, that contained a few sofas and a large television, with a coffee table and even a bar.
The mutant woman plopped down heavily on one of the white sofas, dumping her duffel bag onto the table in front. Steve placed his own bag on top, opening it and pulling out a thick file that was identical to Daphne's.
"So then," she began with a grin. "Let's begin, shall we?"
The next few hours, between them, was spent vigorously revising over their cover stories and facts, not wanting there to be any gaps in the intricately-designed lie. They had placed their fake wedding rings on, preparing for when they started the descent into Moscow.
Steve looked over at Daphne tiredly, double-taking when he saw her. He had been so absorbed in what he was reading that he had not noticed her lie upside-down on the sofa whilst playing around with an easily-concealed blade, her hair trailing to the floor, surrounded by piles of paper. She looked like she was about to pass out at any minute, making him worry about the knife in her fumbling hands.
She accidentally dropped the blade on the floor - much to Steve's delight - looking at it with a sort-of longing gaze, apparently too lazy to pick it up. Instead, she grabbed, what looked to be, a photo from next to her and squinted, analysing it, muttering to herself as she frowned. "Steve, does this look like a squirrel to you?" She asked, exhaustion slurring her words slightly.
The woman showed him the paper she was holding, revealing one of the pictures SHIELD had managed to gain through heavy, undercover surveillance. It was of several men moving large crates - of weapons, most likely. But in no way did it look like the woodland creature she spoke of.
"Go to sleep, Daph," Steve told her softly, smiling at her delirium.
"I don't wanna," she whined, pouting as she crossed her arms in childish defiance, still sat upside-down.
"You need sleep."
She raised an eyebrow. "Says who?"
"Me."
"Are you worried?" She asked randomly after a pause, throwing Steve off-guard.
"About what?"
"About the mission."
He paused in his reply, not knowing if he felt worried about it or not. Sure, it seemed like a difficult mission, but was there really anything about it that troubled him?
"No," he decided with confident finality.
Daphne just chuckled at his answer. "So you mean to say that we're both about to face a large group of mutants, that hate the human race and have incredible powers, and you're not concerned at all?"
"Well, when you put it like that it sounds quite bad," he laughed.
"That's because it is. It's like me saying that I'm going to jump inside an active volcano but I'm not going to die."
"Completely different circumstances, Daph," he reminded her, chuckling.
She remained quiet for a moment, making Steve wonder what was going on in her strange but intriguing mind.
"But seriously though," she started. "Does this look like a squirrel?" She asked whilst laughing, holding up the photo that she had been staring at previously.
Steve shook his head in amused fondness. "You should get some sleep, Daph."
"Nope," the mutant replied, popping the 'p'.
"Not this again," he groaned. "Can you not be difficult, please?"
"I don't think I have that ability," she answered, smirking.
"You should learn it."
The two stared at each other for a long moment, neither wanting to concede defeat.
"I will never give in. I will always be hyper-aware and vigilant," Daphne warned him.
"Don't be too sure about that," he replied, his lips quirking upwards in a smirk. "You look like you're about to fall unconscious."
"Maybe that's what I want you to think," she countered. "I'm a female version of Sherlock Holmes, my dear Watson. A master at deduction and deception."
Steve just looked at her, wondering about her mental stability. Though he was pleased to realise that he knew who Sherlock Holmes was. "There are some big differences between you two though. Like how he's male and also a fictional character."
"Ah, but the little things are infinitely the most important," she quoted smugly, rubbing her eyes. "And anyway, Sherlock is real. He's just in the body of Benedict Cumberbatch."
"Isn't that a TV show?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it that considering it only has three episodes in a series," she mumbled out, blinking rapidly as if to keep awake.
"Same thing."
"Pot-a-to, pot-ah-to," she slurred.
"Sleep," he told her again, not backing down despite her drunkard-like behaviour.
"Sleep, those little slices of death - how I loathe them."
"Daphne-"
"Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep!" She cried out dramatically, flinging her arms outwards.
Steve exhaled in pure exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air. He leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes and reveling in the silence. After a few minutes, he risked a look towards the eccentric mutant, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that she was asleep.
He took this moment to just watch her as she slept, her face completely relaxed. People say that you look younger as you sleep, and Daph was no exception to that. She seemed so innocent and pure, which contrasted greatly to when she was awake.
The super-soldier frowned at the uncomfortable angle she was sleeping at - which happened to be upside-down. He got up and gently picked her up, being careful not to jostle her too much. She was very light, he noticed - sparking tinges of anxiety in his mind. Does she eat enough?
He carefully placed her back onto the sofa, laying her head down slowly before finding a warm blanket and draping it over her unconscious form.
Steve brushed a piece of hair away from her face softly, smiling at the sleeping young woman. It was times like these when he wondered about the extent of their relationship. Could they be something more? He felt... different, when he was with her and, for a brief moment, he was reminded of Peggy. Sure, he had felt something for the strong dame he knew back in the 40's but never really had the chance to pursue it. Now, he had another opportunity. The question was; would he act upon it?
》》》》》》
Moscow. Evening. Daphne
Daphne felt herself being shaken softly, her name being called in a gentle but firm tone. She mumbled sleepily and snuggled inwards, effectively curling into a ball. Like a cat, she thought ironically. Tony would be pleased.
Cue more shaking. She exhaled in annoyance and tried to slowly peel open her reluctant eyes, squinting at the sudden burst of light. The mutant waited for her blurry eyesight to clear to a - somewhat - normal level, before focusing in on the person who had so rudely awoken her.
She caught a glimpse of deep, luscious blue eyes and soft blonde hair. The artificial lights, from around them, made the man in front of her look sort of angelic. Is this Heaven?
The man let out a rich laugh. "No, it's Earth, Daph," he told her in a deep voice.
Oh crap, did I say that out loud? And how does this angel know my name?
"Yes, you did. And I'm no angel." He sounded like he was smiling.
Daphne frowned tiredly, wondering why the man's voice sounded familiar. She closed her eyes again, rubbing them before trying to actually focus on her surroundings. She noticed several small, circular windows set at regular intervals along the large room she was in - showing that it was about late evening. There were a few sofas and an expensive-looking TV. She rested her eyes on the male before her, her now-unclouded vision revealing the man who she just thought was an angel. Steve.
Of course. Just my amazing, freaking luck.
Said angel was currently sporting a massive grin on his handsome face, making her run a hand through her hair, trying to hide her utter embarrassment.
"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty," Steve said, a hint of laughter in his voice.
"No!" She groaned, stretching out whilst making small, whiny sounds.
She hoped dearly that he would not mention what she had apparently said in her semi-conscious state. But, unfortunately fate was not so generous to her.
"So I'm an angel now?"
She didn't even have to look at him to know that he probably had a smug smirk on his face at her inadvertent admission. So, she decided to keep her flaming face hidden from his eyes that was probably filled with amusement.
"Please, Steve. I was drunk on sleep. You can't hold anything that I may or may not have said, against me."
"What happened to being 'hyper-aware and vigilant'?" He jibed playfully, quoting what she had said a few hours earlier.
"It went out of the window with my pride," she muttered in a low voice, though knowing that the super-soldier could still hear her.
"Come on, Daph," he said lightly, seeming to cover a chuckle before removing her hands from her face and pulling her up swiftly, into a seated position.
Daphne sighed softly, trying to forget the mortifying experience she just had to endure. "So, why did you wake me up anyway? You disrupted my dream of never-ending chocolate," she asked, feigning a pout. She had lied about the dream of chocolate. In actuality, her unconsciousness was taunted with coal-black eyes. She minutely grimaced as she remembered, not wanting to dwell upon it for too long.
"We're about five minutes away until we land at the airport."
"So, what you're saying is that, you woke me up when I could've had five more minutes of sleep?"
"Pretty much, yep," he answered bluntly.
Daphne shook her head with an expression of mock disgust. "Wow. You are pure evil."
"How can I be evil when I'm an angel?" Steve quipped, trying to smother his laughter.
"Lucifer was an angel," she pointed out to him. But seeing the smug expression on his face, she just looked up towards the ceiling, sighing softly and then spoke to no one in particular. "I will never hear the end of this."
"It'd be worse if Stark found out about this," he told her, chuckling at her forlorn expression, which quickly morphed into downright horror.
"No! Steven Grant Rogers, I forbid you to even mention what I said. And if you do, I will make your life very uncomfortable."
The soldier raised an eyebrow at her. "Don't you do that anyway?"
She grinned widely, quickly forgetting his threat. "Ah, sassy. You're learning."
"Well, I have the best teacher-"
"Aw, Steve. That's so sweet of you," she gushed, waving her hand as if to brush off the compliment.
"-which is Stark of course," he finished jokingly. Say what now?
This wiped the beaming smile off her face, of course, and it was soon replaced with a scowl.
"Okay, Stevie-poo-" she started with a finger pointed at him.
"Never call me that," he interrupted, grimacing at the name.
But Daphne soldiered on, ignoring his request completely. "-if that's how you wanna play, then that's what you'll get. But I warn you, I am the sass-master."
"Maybe it's time for a new one," he retorted.
Challenge accepted.
Daphne crossed her arms. "Bring it on, Stevie. Bring it on."
Their staring match was broken by the disembodied voice of a female flight attendant. "Please can all passengers take their seats and make sure to buckle their seatbelts. We are about to start our descent to Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow."
The message was repeated in several different languages for the benefit of people who did not speak English as Daphne and Steve sat on two separate, comfy chairs and buckled up.
The plane landed quickly onto the airport strip and, as the passengers started to pile out of the aeroplane, Daphne prepared to place the illusion on the both of them.
"Okay, we don't know if Eichenberg has people inside of the airport to check if Lucas and Lilia Ross has arrived, so I'm going to start the disguises now, just to be safe."
Steve nodded in agreement and seemed to unconsciously tense up, making the mutant woman laugh.
"It's not going to hurt, Steve."
She closed her eyes and pictured the images of their aliases, starting with Steve's. Lucas Ross had dark blonde hair that must have been expensive to style, forest green eyes and a well-defined jawbone. He didn't seem to have any physical flaws. Of course, Daphne mentally scoffed. Even in the image, he exuded an air of arrogance and a need for attention that probably stemmed from an unhappy childhood.
How the hell did SHIELD make these people so realistic? She wondered, knowing that they must have used some kind of advanced technology to create the fake personas.
A mass of golden swirls engulfed Steve and Daphne as she conjured the façade, morphing their regular features into the artificially-made ones.
She then focused onto Lilia Ross, who had deep chocolate coloured hair, so dark it could almost be mistaken for black, and stormy grey eyes that seemed incapable of showing any emotion - other than a steely glare.
After maybe a minute or two, Daphne Collins and Steve Rogers were gone - now replaced with Lilia and Lucas Ross, multi-billionaires. The young mutant had also disguised their clothes so that they were now wearing warm, winter outfits that looked as expensive as a gold mine. The perks of being me.
Steve - Lucas - looked down at his new body, and then at her, in awe. "Woah," he said in a slightly higher voice than his usual, but still masculine nevertheless.
"Ready to kick some butt?" Daphne - Lilia - asked her now-husband. Her voice was deeper but very clear and soft.
"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied with a smirk.
Kickasscanadiandaughternumber1; Thank you so much, and I quite enjoy Daphne's humour - it's a lot like my own. And to be honest, I have no clue how they're gonna get together yet - still working on that. But if you have any awesome ideas, please let me know. And I'm very glad that you love my story *gives big hug*
Guest; I'm glad that you love their relationship. I tried my best not to rush anything to make it seem a bit more realistic. And thank you, I'm working on my next chapter now.
I'm a terrible person... This is mostly just a filler and It's taken me God-knows-how-long to finish this chapter. I've now realised that I haven't updated in over two weeks. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?! I apologise profusely for that delay. This chapter has been the bane of my existence and I've had to keep on re-writing.
And I know I promised action, but this chapter would have been waaaaay too long otherwise. I'm sorry again.
Thank you if you have still stuck with this story and I hope you enjoy this chapter despite the delay. Please R&R.
Love you all,
-Jess xo