Steve Rogers has a little sister, Norma Grace Rogers, who became an Army nurse during the war. Captured in Italy, Grace is taken by HYDRA, unbeknownst to Steve and Bucky. They find her frozen in a forgotten HYDRA outpost 70 years later, her memory g...
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Bucky, Steve, and Grace rode the elevator to the Common Room floor in silence. Grace subconsciously clasped her hands tightly together at her waist. Steve did not miss the action. It had always been one of her nervous ticks. He put his arm around her shoulders, gently squeezing her to his side.
"You'll be okay, Grace. Bucky and I will be there," he said.
Bucky slowly reached over and covered her hands with his flesh hand. Without thinking, her fingers automatically wrapped around his.
"You'll be just fine, okay?" he murmured.
Suddenly, an unbidden image - a memory flashed in Grace's inner eye.
The ride to the docks was a quiet one. Bucky drove, and Steve and Grace sat up front, her luggage placed in the backseat. Steve had one arm around Grace, holding her close as she rested her head on his shoulder. Although Grace always dismissed their worries, Bucky could tell she was terrified of what lay ahead. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her clasp her hands in her lap and her knuckles turn white. He reached over, without taking his off the road, and covered her heads with one of his own. He felt her fingers shift and wrap themselves around his. She squeezed his hand in both of hers to let him know she got his silent message. He looked over at her for a moment.
"You'll be just fine, okay?" he murmured.
"Thanks, Sarge," she answered, squeezing his hand again, then releasing it.
"Thanks, Sarge," she murmured back, squeezing his hand for a moment.
Bucky quickly glanced at her, opening his mouth to speak, but the door suddenly dinged open. They made their way to the living room area where Bruce and Clint were waiting for them.
"Hello again, Miss Rogers," Bruce said, extending his hand.
"Hello, Dr. Banner," she answered shyly.
"Hey, Cap, Barnes," Clint greeted. "I know you two are gonna hate me for saying this, but Fury's order is for Grace to be evaluated...in private."
"Excuse me?" Steve frowned. "She's been awake for three weeks and now he wants to just interrogate her?"
"I'm not leaving her by herself," Bucky said stubbornly.
"Look, no one is being interrogated," Clint replied calmly. "I talked Fury into letting Bruce in on this so that wouldn't happen. It was supposed to be either me or Nat with her in a small windowless room in SHIELD headquarters."
"What?!" Steve's frown deepened.
Clint held his hand out in a placating gesture. "I managed to talk him into letting us do it here in the Tower, with Bruce as a buffer, and let me ask the questions since Grace knows me."
"I'll okay," Grace suddenly piped up. "Clint is safe." She looked up at Steve. "He won't do anything bad to me."
"How do you know that?" a voice sounded behind them. Tony waltzed into from the kitchen.
"If he ever wants me to make him oatmeal raisin cookies, he won't."
Tony's eyebrows shot up at her calm, even reply. "Cookies? You're threatening him with no dessert and you think that will work? Alice, he's an assassin; he's practically on the dark side. They already have cookies."
"Not like hers, they don't," Clint answered.
"Hmm...Sounds like I need to try these better-than-the-dark-side's cookies." Tony mused. "When do you plan on baking these amazing cookies?"
Clint rolled his eyes. "Did you need something, Tony?"
"No, just wondering what all the hubbub in here was," he nonchalantly answered. "You know I don't like to be left out, Legolas."
"Well, nothing special's happening in here. Just Barton interrogating Grace," Bucky grumbled.
"Interrogating? Who's interrogating?"
"There's no interrogation," Clint glared at Bucky. "Fury just has a few questions he wants me to ask Grace. Now you guys would please vamoose..." He motioned for them to leave.
"Okay, but Brucey stays to make sure you don't go all SHIELD agent on her," Tony said as he turned to leave.
"That was the plan anyway, Tony," Bruce replied.
"Oh, good," Tony answered over his shoulder. "Let me know if these two don't play nice, Alice."
"I will, Mr. Stark," Grace answered with a faint smile.
Steve turned to Grace and took her hands. "You give a shout if you need us, okay? We'll just be in the kitchen."
"I'll be fine," she assured him once more. "I trust Clint."
Steve gave her a quick hug. "Come on, Buck. Let's go so they can get this over with."
Bucky nodded. Taking on her hands in his flesh one, he gave it a quick squeeze before following Steve out of the room.
"Why don't you sit down, Miss Rogers," Bruce motioned to the sofa. Grace did as she was told, and Clint came over and sat a little distance away. Bruce took a chair across from them.
"Like I said, my boss just has a few questions for you. Just answer as best you can, okay?" Clint said soothing voice. Grace nodded. "Okay," he nodded. "What's your name?"
"Grace."
"Grace...?"
"Um...Rogers...?"
"You don't sound very sure on that," he commented.
Grace shrugged. "That's what Stevie told me my name was."
"Okay then, what is the first thing you remembered when you woke up?"
Grace swallowed. "HYDRA," she murmured. "I am-was their asset. I was their Shadow."
Above is a drawing I found on Pinterest. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the artist's name. It's kinda how I picture Grace if she had come home and lived through the fifties.
