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CHAPTER TWO
CLOSE AS STRANGERS

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      Katherine Baker was actually decent with mornings. As long as she went to bed at a decent time and could get her hands on a cup of coffee within the first thirty minutes of her being awake, she could more or less function like a human being despite the early morning hour. Sophia Benjamin, however, didn't like to get up out of bed until at least eight. Which made standing there with Sophia at five in the morning annoying.

      "Why did Fury want you to leave so early?" Sophia asked. She had her sunglasses on, looking more or less hungover even though Katherine knew she only did her heavy drinking on Saturdays. "And why the hell did I agree to see you off? We said goodbye yesterday, didn't we? That was the only necessary goodbye. I didn't need to go through it again this morning."

      "You know, talking incessantly might make the morning even worse for you," Katherine noted offhandedly, taking a sip of her coffee. She saw the corners of Captain Rogers's lips turn up at the jab. He was standing next to the two, suitcase at his feet and ready to go. Someone had obviously shown him the coffee maker (and offered to make it for him because she doubted he operated it himself), because he had a cup in his hand and took the occasional sip from it. Sophia had barreled outside with two coffee cups in hand ten minutes prior, so Katherine had the steaming cup to keep her fingers warm. 

      Sophia didn't grace her with a response, simply lifting her own coffee cup to her lips. She'd been even more comatose that morning when she'd introduced herself to Captain Rogers with a lazy handshake and a quiet muttering of her name. He'd hung back while Sophia walked them out to the plane Fury had arranged to pick them up. Katherine could see his eyes drinking in the sight of the two friends. Katherine knew he was filing away information about the two of them by the way they interacted. Her therapist said it was something she did, too. Check out who surrounded them to assess if they were a threat or not. 

      "We're ready for you, Cap," the pilot said, giving the Captain a big smile. Rumors had been circulating around the S.H.I.E.L.D. base ever since he had woken up from his somewhat-coma; the rumors ranged from where he had gone to any secret HYDRA bases he must have destroyed that history books didn't know about. Several agents had already asked her about what it was like to be in the same room. Katherine narrowed her eyes just a smidge at the pilot's eagerness. Sure, being in the presence of Captain America was cool. But his excitement was skirting on the edge of being unprofessional. "I've got to say it, sir. I'm a huge fan. I mean, all you did for this country? It's amazing."

      "Thank you," Captain Rogers replied, obviously uncomfortable. Katherine had already filed away the small fact that he didn't like praise. His shoulders, despite being broad, seemed to shrink in just the tiniest bit. She supposed he felt like it had been his duty to fight for the country and that no one should be thanking him for something he was obligated to do. She could relate, in regards to feeling like it was her duty to fight for S.H.I.E.L.D after what they had done for her, but that was only a sliver of what she was sure Captain Rogers felt. "I appreciate the support."

      "Can I get a picture?" the pilot asked. Katherine's eyes narrowed even further into an icy glare. She was fully prepared to say something in the Captain's defense, especially when she saw him tense up even more, but Sophia had easily read his emotions and came to his defense before Katherine had the chance.

      "Hey," Sophia said, lowering her sunglasses from her eyes to send the pilot an intense scowl.  "He's a human being, not a museum exhibit. Go get ready to fly their plane, asshole." 

      The pilot had the decency to look embarrassed, his cheeks coloring before he stuttered out an apology and fumbled in his haste to get away from Sophia and on the plane. Katherine couldn't help the smile that came to her lips and the laugh that snuck out. Captain Rogers had a small blush forming on his cheeks, from Sophia's defense of him or Sophia's language, Katherine wasn't sure. "I doubt he'll even look in your direction for the duration of the flight," Katherine said under her breath to the Captain. 

      "Probably not," he agreed.

      Sophia shrugged, looking wildly unconcerned as she took another sip of her coffee. "His problem, not mine." Then, her face fell a little. "Are you sure you have to be gone for six months?"

      "Fury's orders." 

      "Yeah. Worth a shot," she mumbled before flinging her arms around Katherine's body, hugging her close. "Bring me back a souvenir. I've never been to Delaware before." Katherine smiled sadly and hugged Sophia even closer, if that was possible. In her weeks of watching Captain Rogers, and even before that, Sophia had been the only person to get Katherine's mind off that day in Austria. But Sophia had been saving her way before that. Sophia released Katherine and raised her cup in the Captain's direction. "Captain Rogers, have a safe flight. Take care of Agent Baker, yeah? She's plenty self-sufficient but I feel better requesting it."

      "I'll do my best," Captain Rogers said politely. "It was nice meeting you, Agent Benjamin. Thanks for... well, thanks for earlier," he said, and a small amount of pink appeared on his cheeks again at the memory.

      "Anytime. See you soon, Katie," she said, jamming her elbow in Katherine's ribs before taking a step back. Katherine rolled her eyes before letting out a sigh and beginning the ascent up the stairs to the cabin of the plane. She couldn't see the pilot anywhere in sight, which brought a small smile to her lips as she took a seat, setting her coffee down in the cup holder next to her. Captain Rogers followed her inside, choosing the seat across from her. She didn't have the energy to tell him that usually people in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s planes sat as far away from each other as possible, and she didn't particularly care that he was so close, so she ignored it. 

      The tugging of the plane as it pulled back used to scare her, but after so many years with S.H.I.E.L.D., she was used to it. She could see Captain Rogers's fingers tighten where he had them rested on his knee, but that was the only reaction she could see. Then, they were taking off, lifting from the ground and leaving Sophia as nothing more than a speck in the distance. Katherine tried not to feel lonely, watching her best friend fade away as the plane lifted into the sky, but it was more difficult than she'd anticipated. After years of having Sophia conveniently close, it felt like a small part of Katherine was being left behind.

      "You guys are close," Captain Rogers said faintly after about ten minutes of silence. Katherine lifted her eyes to look at him. His fingers had completely loosened from their grip and he was sitting as relaxed as ever in his seat, as if flying didn't affect him. He had probably been in much more dangerous aircrafts in the war, but this had been the first plane ride since he crashed the Valkyrie. She could see where the earlier fear had come from. "You and Agent Benjamin, I mean." 

      She was surprised he had taken the initiative and started conversation. He didn't seem like the type to start conversations unless it was necessary. Still, even through her surprise, she tried to smile politely. "We've been friends since I was ten-years-old. She's a constant in my life at this point."

      He nodded, but didn't ask any more questions. She figured that he assumed it wasn't his place, and he had just been making an observation before. There was a sadness in his eyes again, clouding over the blue and making him look at least ten years older than his appearance.  The two lapsed into silence again, Katherine staring out the window and wishing the plane ride would fly by so she could hide herself in whatever room Fury had set up for her. She was fully expecting Captain Rogers not to talk to her again, so he surprised her again when he cleared his throat quietly. "I can't place your accent. Where are you from?"

      She gave him a tight smile. Though her accent wasn't as pronounced as it had been when she was first taken under Fury's wing, it was still easy to tell that she wasn't from America. "I was born in Sweden," she responded and try as she may, she couldn't keep the bitterness out of her tone. She hadn't been back to Sweden since the day her family had been murdered. She always wanted to visit their graves but could never bring herself to buy a plane ticket. There was a part of her that didn't want to see them buried in the ground. Knowing they were gone and seeing it written in stone were two very different things. "I moved here when I was young."

      "And how long have you worked with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he asked. She appreciated that he was trying to keep the conversation going, but this line of topic wasn't one she wanted to venture into. 

      "About the same amount of time I've been in America," she answered, leaning back on the seat and clasping her hands on her lap. "I started off just doing tech stuff. I could navigate my way around a computer pretty decently when I was a teenager. Then I became an agent."

      He seemed to understand that asking about her work in the field would be pointless. Even after knowing her for less than twelve hours, he knew it was a sore subject. So he didn't bother. It was silent again for a significant amount of time, the only noise surrounding them being the buzzing of the plane. "Agent Baker... can I ask what happened to Annie?"

      It was common knowledge that Captain Rogers had two best friends during his time in the war. James Buchanan Barnes, or Bucky according to all the history books, had been Steve Rogers's childhood friend. They'd grown up in Brooklyn together and Bucky had fought by Captain America's side with the rest of the Howling Commandos. From what she remembered from her history classes, Bucky had died while falling off a train during one of their mission, the other had been a pretty nurse who the Captain and Bucky had met when they were teenagers. Annabell Cohen, a World War II nurse who had travelled with the Howling Commandos as their medic, had been in the Valkyrie with Captain Rogers when it had gone down.

      Captain Rogers had been found in the ice, but nobody had seen any sign of Annie. If she were being honest with herself, she was surprised that the woman hadn't been brought up yet. Katherine should have expected the question.

      "We didn't find her in the ice," Katherine answered slowly, with as much gentleness as she could muster. "There wasn't any history on HYDRA operating on her like Erskine did with you so—"

      "You don't think she made it," he concluded softly, interrupting Katherine's rambling with a short and blunt sentence.

      Katherine slowly shook her head. "Howard Stark never stopped looking for her. He actually bought her a headstone. There's no body there, but it's in Brooklyn. We can... we can arrange for you to go back and visit her, if you want. When we get back." Again, she felt sorry for him. Though she'd lost all her family, she had family in the form of Sophia and her other coworkers. Captain Rogers had no one. Bucky Barnes was dead. Annie Cohen was dead. Howard Stark was dead. 

      He didn't say anything, but he nodded at her to acknowledge that he had at least heard her sentiments. They retreated back into comfortable silence, Katherine sighing every once in a while. Even though the plane ride was only about forty-five minutes, she could feel each millisecond passing by as slow as molasses. Standing from her seat suddenly and walking to the cabinet that held all the movies S.H.I.E.L.D. stocked, she grabbed the first one she saw, which happened to be The Wizard of Oz. She almost snorted at the irony of it. Captain Rogers would most likely be familiar with this one. "Want to watch a movie to make the time pass?" she questioned, holding up the case. His eyes barely scanned over the promo photo on the front of it before nodding, seemingly as interested in a distraction as she was.

      It was all too easy to put the movie in the small drive made for the screen across from them. When the movie started, Katherine leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. This wasn't one of her favorite movies, but she could put up with it for the Captain's sake. 

      "You can sleep if you want to," Captain Rogers said quietly, as if speaking in a normal volume would rouse her from the edge of sleep. Katherine wanted to laugh. 

      "I don't sleep well on planes." She didn't sleep well anywhere, but especially on planes. The day Fury had found her, he'd brought her back to the plane and she'd fallen asleep almost immediately, her tears serving as a lullaby. She'd woken to the loud noise of the engine outside and had started screaming, thinking the bad guys were back to take her, finish her off like they had her parents. "You can sleep if you want to, though," she parroted, repeating the phrase back to him. If he fell asleep, she wouldn't feel the need to keep up with conversation. It wasn't that she minded talking to him. It just felt forced.

      "I'm fine," he said, giving her a small smile. That was the only explanation she received as he turned his attention to the screen. She noticed the difference within their postures immediately. While she was leaning back and relaxing into the plane's seats, he was still straight and rigid, as if ready to dart in front of a bomb or bullet at any given moment. It wasn't just the posture of a soldier. It was the posture of a man who had grown up with beating after beating, always prepared for the next attack. It was a look she recognized in most of the field agents at S.H.I.E.L.D. When she had still been a field agent, she had been similar. "Have you been to Delaware?"

      His question caught her off guard and she turned her head to look at him. His eyes were politely diverted away from the screen and on her instead. "Um, no I haven't." She didn't bother asking if he had been. When would he have had the time, being frozen for seventy years? He simply nodded.

      More silence.

      Katherine was relieved when after forty minutes of the movie, their pilot's voice filtered through the cabin, announcing that they were going to be arriving shortly. They landed smoothly, Katherine grabbing her bag immediately as soon as the pilot cleared them to stand. After shooting a quick text to Sophia to tell her that they'd made it to their destination safely, a big black car pulled up to take the pair to their home for the next six months. The driver rolled down the window and Katherine gave him a small smile. "Morning Lionel. You get some coffee for this early morning trip?"

      Lionel was a regular driver for S.H.I.E.L.D. Katherine had gotten to know him when she had been a field agent, and he'd been the one to drive her back to Headquarters when she'd landed after Austria. He was an older man of about sixty-four, had three kids, and ten grandkids. His wife had passed away of cancer, but he spoke about her as if he was still around. He showed Katherine pictures often. "Good morning Agent Baker," he said happily, then held up his cup as evidence of his caffeine.

      She clicked her tongue. "Come on Lionel, you know it's Katherine to you. Pop the trunk?" She asked. Lionel got out of the car and took her bag in his hand, placing it gently in the trunk of the car. He did the same with the Captain's bags. "Lionel, this is Captain Rogers. Captain, this is Lionel. He's an official driver for S.H.I.E.L.D." Katherine tried to send a look in the Captain's direction to let him know Lionel was one of the good ones. 

      "It's nice to meet you, sir," Captain Rogers said, holding out his hand for a shake.

      "You as well. Thanks for all your service," Lionel said happily, accepting the handshake Captain Rogers offered. "You riding up front, Katherine?" he asked then, walking around to the passenger side and opening up the door so she could get in. 

      "Captain Rogers," Katherine asked, looking at him through the tint of her sunglasses. "Would you like the front?"

      He shook his head. "All yours, Agent Baker."

      Katherine slid into the passenger seat and watched somewhat in amusement as Captain Rogers struggled to get into the car. Though it wasn't a small car by any means, he wasn't exactly average-sized. "Lionel," Katherine said conversationally, "I know you've got pictures of your new grandchild."

      Lionel tilted his head back and let out a loud laugh. "I'll go on and on about the baby, you know that. I'll show him off before we get driving," Lionel mentioned, pulling out his phone and pulling up a picture of his newest grandson. "Meet David Edward Albright," he said, sliding the phone over to Katherine. There was a small baby swaddled in blue, with a surprised look on his face.

     "He looks so sweet, Lionel. Congrats, Grandpa." She handed the phone to Captain Rogers os he could see. He smiled softly at the photo, nodding to her when he was done looking at it.

      "Congratulations, sir. He looks happy and healthy," the Captain said.

      Lionel grinned and put his phone back in his pocket before starting the ignition back up. "Alright, let's get you to the safe house." He checked all his mirrors and waved to the pilot before pulling out of the landing zone and getting on the main freeway. "I'm going to be your driver while we're here. You aren't confined to the house, per se, but Fury would prefer if you stayed in there most of the time. I'm going grocery shopping every Sunday, so if you need anything just write it down on the list."

      "I appreciate it, Lionel." Katherine hated that it wouldn't be easy to leave the house, but she understood why. It was, she supposed, the point of a safe house.

      The drive was shorter than she'd expected. It seemed like they were in the car for only about six minutes before Lionel was pulling up to the safe house S.H.I.E.L.D. owned. Katherine had never been to this particular safe house, but it looked the same as the others. Neutral, big, and nondescript. Lionel dragged the car to a stop and turned the ignition off, giving Katherine a small smile before he was getting out and opening up the back door for Captain Rogers. While she was in the car by herself, she stared at the house, willing it to change her mind about this whole endeavor, as if it had magical powers. 

      "Katherine?" Lionel's voice rang through her ears. When her eyes focused once more, she realized he had opened her door and was waiting for her to get out. She sent him a grateful smile when he held out his hand to help her, gripping onto it and propelling herself from the front seat. "I'll give you guys a tour when we get inside. It's got all the amenities, and a home gym." He probably assumed the super soldier needed to know this information. In the small period after Austria but before Captain Rogers had been found, Katherine had practically lived in the training compound S.H.I.E.L.D., foolishly believing that hitting a punching bag could get rid of the nightmares that plagued her when she tried to sleep. After waking up after seventy years in ice, Katherine figured the Captain might be visiting the home gym more often than not.

      Lionel walked the two of them to the front door. Instead of a key, there was a touchpad next to the doorbell, where Lionel punched in the code 1945. Katherine nearly snorted. Fury was nothing if not witty. The door slid open with a small clicking sound and Lionel let Katherine walk in first, her eyes surveying the foyer. It was a standard layout, not too complicated to understand. She could see the kitchen from the entrance, and immediately set her bag down to walk towards it. She could hear the two men following behind her slowly as she opened up the fridge, surveying its contents. There was a package of sliced cheese, bread, butter, and a half empty carton of milk. "You might want to make that list sooner rather than later," Lionel advised, giving her a small smile.

      "Will do," she said, making a mental reminder to make the three of them grilled cheeses for lunch before Lionel swept his hand towards the living room, as if to indicate he was going to give them a tour. 

      "The living room," Lionel said, pausing for the two to walk into the room, "and you can find the Internet key on the side of the television." It was another practical setup. A long couch, a loveseat of the same material, a coffee table, and a sturdy looking TV stand with a screen on top. "There's two rooms and a bathroom upstairs, and two rooms and a bathroom downstairs."

      "I'll take a downstairs room," Captain Rogers said almost immediately. When Katherine raised a brow, he gave her a blank look. "So I can be near the door if anyone comes in." Huh, Katherine thought. Practical answer. "You can take one of the upstairs rooms if you'd like," he said.

      Katherine didn't want to tell him that she couldn't take an upstairs room because she still felt the smoke and debris from the day she'd found her family dead in their house. Now, she had to be on the bottom level of wherever she stayed. It was often hard, especially when she was put in hotel rooms, but a little extra cash and usually people were willing to accommodate. She wanted Captain Rogers to feel comfortable and feel like he had the whole floor to himself, but this was one thing that he couldn't negotiate her out of.

      "I have to be near a door too," she said vaguely, but let out a breath of relief when he nodded in understanding. "We'll go put our stuff down and then start making a grocery list. Lionel, we have ingredients to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Want one?"

      Lionel had tasted Katherine's cooking only once, but he seemed to remember it, for he nodded enthusiastically. He made himself at home, sitting at one of the barstools as Katherine grabbed her bags and made her way down the lower level hallway. She assumed Captain Rogers followed behind her because she could hear his footsteps, heavy enough to let her know he was present but light enough to suggest he had experience sneaking into places in the war.

      The first room was a cream color, with a basic matching headboard, dresser, and television stand that looked like it was made of dark oak wood. The bed seemed like it belonged in a hotel room, impersonal in its beige and white comforter. The bathroom was directly across the hall from this bedroom, and Katherine turned to look at the Captain.

      "I can take the upstairs bathroom if you want, since there's only one down here." She watched him open his mouth to argue, some sort of sense of propriety telling him he should let her have it, but she cut him off. "It's the least I can do, really. I'm going to be using the upstairs bathroom anyway, so you can either argue with me and have it be pointless, or just take the downstairs bathroom." She flashed him a small smile to let him know there was no sting behind the statement, but he still frowned.

      "If you're sure," he said slowly, deciding that arguing with her would probably be futile.

      "Positive." The second bedroom was similar in its decor, but the walls were slightly more yellow than the other room and looked like it was a little smaller. "Which room do you want?" she asked.

      "If you have to use the upstairs bathroom, I think it's only fair you pick your room."

      Katherine gave him a rueful smile, but immediately dropped her bag in the smaller room. She didn't need much space, and the bigger room was closest to his bathroom anyway. She heard him deposit his things in the bigger room before the two of them congregated in the kitchen once more. The Captain sat next to Lionel as Katherine grabbed the To-Do list posted on the side of the fridge and dropped it in front of Lionel. The man, prepared as ever, already had a pen in his pocket. "Captain Rogers, if you have any food requests, you can let Lionel know. I'm going to make some grilled cheese sandwiches."

      She didn't hear if the Captain had any requests, for she grabbed the three ingredients out of the fridge and rummaged around in the cupboards underneath the stove until she found a skillet. Buttering the bread, she put down the slices of cheese and prepared five sandwiches, knowing Captain Rogers would probably want at least two. She turned on the stove and used the butter to make sure the bread wouldn't stick. Then, she plopped the first sandwich in the skillet, listening to the hissing sound it made as food hit the pan.

      "Grab whatever fruit is in season," Katherine said after a while. "Also, if I give you some recipes, can you just pick up the ingredients?"

      "Sure," Lionel replied, then leaning over to Cap, he whispered, "Katherine's an awesome cook. She'll keep you fat and happy."

      The laugh she let out was short, but amused. "That's my goal." She flipped over the sandwich.

      It felt oddly... domestic. Cooking while Captain America sat at the counter felt like something from a dream. If there was one thing Katherine Baker didn't do well, it was domestic. Since her parents died when she was still a child, she didn't remember what family life was like. She remembered sitting around her dining table in Stockholm, eating and discussing what went on throughout their days. Other than that, she couldn't remember anything else. Maybe it was why she loved to cook so much, because it brought back that sense of familiarity.

    Setting the completed sandwich on a plate she found after looking through some cupboards above her head (and having to stand on her toes for a short amount of time before she felt confident that her grip would hold), she slid it towards Lionel. "Dig in," she said as a way of telling him it was done, carefully setting another sandwich in the skillet. 

      "Where'd you learn to cook like this?" Lionel said after taking a bite of his sandwich. Captain Rogers looked back and forth between them in confusion. Katherine imagined why he was questioning Lionel's surprise. He came from a time where it was basically the woman's job to cook. She was sure he was pretty progressive in the treatment of women, but she was wary of his surprise. Still, he'd been a big supporter of Peggy Carter, so she decided he probably wasn't too sexist in his views. 

      "Gender roles have changed a lot over the last couple decades," she said to Captain Rogers as she flipped the second sandwich over. "Women have a lot more autonomy and aren't really confined to the kitchen or house anymore."

      He looked chagrined, like he had done something to offend her. "I'm sorry, Agent Baker. I didn't mean to—"

      She cut him off with a smile. "I wasn't saying it because you offended me. I'm just letting you know." She plated the second sandwich and started on the third one. "Trust me, if you offend me, I'll tell you. And I'll try to keep in mind that you probably didn't mean it." She hoped her small smile took away some of the sting of her statement and was appeased that she hadn't hurt her feelings too much when he nodded.

      "I appreciate it. I guess you've got a lot to teach me."

      That was another thing. Katherine had no idea where to even start. How would she explain the Internet? Netflix? The things she took for granted she was suddenly being forced to explain. She flipped over the third sandwich in silence, listening to the sounds of Lionel eating the rest of his grilled cheese. Katherine plated the third one and slid it over to the Captain, then started the work on her own sandwich. 

      "I'm staying in another safe house we have nearby. I'm going to unload my stuff and then come back to grab that grocery list from you. I'll see you later. It was nice to meet you, Captain Rogers." Lionel shook the Captain's hand, but stepped around the counter to give Katherine a big hug. "Don't burn the house down."

      "No promises," she replied, hugging him back before she let her arms fall back down as she flipped her sandwich over. "Thank you again, Lionel. I'm glad it's you babysitting us for the next six months."

      "Katherine," he chastised, clicking his tongue, "don't think of it as babysitting. We're keeping you guys safe."

      Katherine didn't bother replying. It was most definitely babysitting. The Captain had just woken up, who was going to be an enemy to him in this time that wasn't already dead? And her enemies had long since been dead, especially after her trip to Austria. She waved Lionel off, watching him head out the front door and listening to the sound of the key pad locking the door. "So Captain Rogers," she said to fill the sudden silence with sound, "what are some of your favorite meals? I can cook mostly everything."

      He looked surprised, as if she wasn't going to take him into account when she sent Lionel out for food. "I don't suppose you can make a Coney Island hot dog?" he said quietly, but the joke was enough to have Katherine chuckle under her breath. 

      "Coney Island worthy, unfortunately not, but I can make hot dogs."

      His eyes lightened as he found another topic they could talk about. "So you've been to Coney Island?" Katherine had only been twice, but he looked so happy that there was something he understood and knew that she didn't have the heart to tell him that. Instead, she simply nodded and slid the grocery pad closer to her. She wrote down the ingredients for hot dogs and her homemade macaroni and cheese, figuring the two went together pretty well. "Did you... did you ride the Cyclone?"

     She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. In reality, she hadn't gotten off the Cyclone. The first time she'd been to Coney Island had been a trip when she was nine, back when she thought New York was the coolest place to ever exist. Tall enough to ride thanks to a growth spurt that randomly hit, she had ridden it with her father while her mother stayed back with her little brother, Charlie. He hadn't stopped complaining that Katherine had gotten to ride it and he hadn't. She remembered being mean about it, as older siblings were, sticking out her tongue at him and making fun because he was still too young.

      He had died less than a year later.

      The next time she had gone was with Sophia and her family. But while Sophia and her parents had walked around to take in all the sights of Coney Island, Katherine had stayed near the Cyclone, getting in and out of line. She'd probably ridden it fifteen times before the emotions she felt were enough to have her sitting on a bench with her arms wrapped around her knees. He'd wanted to ride it. He'd wanted to ride it, and she'd made fun of him. It was funny, the things someone wished they could take back.

      "Yeah, I've ridden the Cyclone." She didn't say anything else about Coney Island, instead jotting down the ingredients she'd need. "Want to do a pizza night? What toppings do you like?"

      He seemed surprised at the change in topic, but he recovered pretty quickly. "I just do cheese and pepperoni."

      "You have a boring taste in pizza," she mentioned, smiling at him to let him know she didn't mean it in a bad way. Nevertheless, she jotted down his request and added a couple more ingredients that she'd add to her pizza. "Breakfast foods?"

      "No offense, Agent Baker, but I haven't really had the chance to figure out what food I like to eat. At home and in the war, food was given to me and I ate it."

      She could have slapped herself for being so stupid. "Right," she managed to breathe out, simply writing down the basic breakfast staples. He could pick and choose what he liked. "Sorry," she whispered softly, not raising her face so he wouldn't see the look there and start feeling guilty. It was quiet between them for another few moments, the only sound being the scratch of the pen on the pad of paper. Once she was done writing down everything she'd need for their meals, she put the grilled cheese ingredients away, filling the skillet with soap and depositing it in the sink. 

      "Let me do the dishes," Captain Rogers said, standing from the barstool and making his way around to her side of the sink. Before she could protest, he sent her a small smile. "It's the least I can do. Lunch was great."

      "Alright," Katherine acquiesced reluctantly, stepping away from the sink and making her way to her room. Her shoes padded down the hallway until she was standing in her room for the next six months. Toeing off her shoes, she set them in the corner of the room before lugging her suitcase onto the bed. Sophia would be making fun of her if she were here, poking fun at the way Katherine had to unpack within thirty minutes or she'd explode. A small smile crossed Katherine's face as she thought of Sophia's expression, shocked and disgusted, like it always was when Katherine did something Sophia never did. Like unpack early or eat dinner before dessert. In most ways, Sophia was immature like a child, but she balanced out Katherine's maturity well. And she was Katherine's best friend.

      As if Sophia could hear her thoughts, her phone buzzed. Katherine's eyes roamed over the text. My mom is mad you didn't say goodbye to her. A call is in your future.

      And if there was one thing about Sophia that Katherine loved the most, it was that Sophia had opened her family to Katherine. After being on her own since ten years old, it was hard at first to interact with Sophia's parents. She was the quiet, weird kid that lived at S.H.I.E.L.D. She'd seen Sophia's father around the building, but she hadn't given him a second thought because surely, no one would want her in their house. But then Sophia's mother had leaned over and given Katherine the biggest hug she'd received since her mother's death. Katherine remembered hugging her so tightly, she was afraid Wendy would burst under the weight of Katherine's arms.

      Katherine had cried into Wendy's shoulder for thirty minutes straight, hugging her with the grip of a lost child.

      She smiled down at the text message, quickly typing out a reply. Tell her I'm sorry and that I'll call her soon. Boring at S.H.I.E.L.D. without me?

      Sadie is trying to make up for the whole Captain America fiasco. She's cornered me three different times and apologized.

      Katherine grinned and tossed her phone onto the bed, beginning the process of taking out all her clothes from her suitcase. She hung her shirts, folded her pants and transferred them to the dresser, and deposited all her socks and undergarments in the top drawer of the dresser. She faintly heard the sound of the front door opening with Lionel's return, but she ignored it in favor of getting her suitcase situated and off her bed. Grabbing the bag of toiletries she had brought, she left the room and made her way past the kitchen, sending an absentminded wave to Lionel before heading towards the stairs. The bathroom was the first door she saw, so she pushed the door open and rearranged her toiletries in the cabinets before heading back down the set of stairs. 

      When she was back in the kitchen, she saw Captain Rogers had finished the dishes and was being subjected to photos of Lionel's children and grandchildren. She grinned, moving beside them and clapping Lionel on the shoulder. "Captain Rogers's is going to know all your grandkids' names by the time we're out of here, huh?"

      "I don't mind," Captain Rogers said almost immediately, but the longing look on his face said otherwise. As a man who had missed out on having kids and grandkids, Katherine figured he minded a lot more than he was letting on. "They're cute kids."

      "That they are," Katherine agreed, ripping off the strip of paper she'd written the grocery list on. "Here you are, Lionel. If you want to stay for dinner tonight, I'm cooking hot dogs and mac 'n' cheese."

      "I'll be here. See you guys later." He gave another affectionate hug to Katherine before he was out the door again, making Katherine sigh. 

      "He seems nice," Captain Rogers said softly. "His grandkids are cute. Do you see them much?"

      "Usually only for holidays. I try to visit for Christmas and stuff. His son Allan is around my age, so we keep in touch. He's got the twin girls, Serena and Kristen." 

      "And what about Lionel's wife?"

      Katherine frowned. "She actually... she passed away a couple years ago. Cancer." Though she had only met Lionel's wife twice, she was a kind woman that Katherine had been sad to see go. Her kids loved her in such an obvious way that it made Katherine's chest ache. "She was incredible though. I only met her a couple times, but she was one of those people that took all kids under her wing, you know?"

      "Bucky's mom was like that," Captain Rogers agreed, nodding his head, "Annie too. The first time Buck and I met Annie, she demanded I put warmer clothes on and then sent us on our way with soup." He chuckled, remembering the ghosts of his past. "And then when she met Howard, the most stubborn guy on the planet, they were like fire and gasoline." His smile faded, most likely because of all that he'd lost.

      Katherine Baker hadn't know Howard Stark when he was alive, but she'd heard stories. By the time she had gotten to S.H.I.E.L.D., he'd already been gone for three years. He'd married Maria Stark in the sixties and had started a family with her, but she knew from working at S.H.I.E.L.D. over the years that he'd been in love with Annabell Cohen when she was alive.

      "I've heard stories about them all growing up. It's hard not to, in S.H.I.E.L.D. They all sound like incredible people."

      "Yeah," he replied quietly, jovial mood apparently gone.

      The two of them sat in the kitchen for at least five minutes, just remembering. It was oddly cathartic, standing with someone with such a different life experience than her, but knowing pain was pain across the board. "So," she said suddenly, cutting into their depressive staring with a forced smile, "I'm going to put on the TV." She awkwardly pointed to the television in the living room. His eyes followed her thumb, recognizing the screen from his experience with it last night but not mentioning anything.

      She didn't wait for his reply, simply moving into the living room and grabbing the remote to the television. Though she wasn't sure what channel she was choosing, she just wanted something to fill the silence that had been left by them both. Clicking on a random movie, she leaned against the couch pillows and stared at the screen, feeling more exhausted than she ever had in her life.

      The couch dipped when he sat beside her, a polite five feet between them. They didn't talk. They didn't have to. They just watched the movie in more silence. She wasn't sure if he even understood it, but he didn't seem to want to. It was a distraction for him, just like it was for her.

      When Lionel returned with groceries, their dinner was spent in relative silence.

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