Liz let herself into Pops' apartment on the ground floor after closing up the shop for the evening. She hung her messenger bag on a hook by the door, "Hungry, Pops?" Liz called from the entry area. Liz had planned on cooking dinner for the two of them. Her own stomach was grumbling.
When Pops did not answer right away, Liz walked into the living area where she saw him sitting in his armchair on the phone, muttering angrily into the handset for the landline. Liz noticed the television was muted on what looked to be a courtroom drama. Pops hung the phone up rather brashly when he saw Liz.
"Sorry, Sunshine," Pops said.
Liz furrowed her eyebrows, "Everything okay, Pops?"
"Yes, yes. I was just trying to get through to Veterans' Affairs. It seems to be a busy time for them," Pops un-muted the television, stood up from his chair, and joined Liz on the way to the kitchen, "I took the liberty of ordering Chinese," he said, pointing out a brown paper bag sitting on the counter. There was a red pagoda printed on it.
"Pops, I was going to make you something," Liz complained over another grumble from her stomach.
"I had a craving," Pops explained, handing her a plate, "Besides, it sounds to me like your tummy isn't going to protest."
Liz laughed as she emptied the paper bag of food containers and began filling her dish, "It does smell good."
They made their way to the dining table adjacent to the living area to sit down. Liz tuned into the show playing on the television across the room, some lawyer show where everyone looked to be far too serious. She quickly lost interest as she dove into her chicken lo mein ravenously.
"So, you never told me how your date with Steve went," Pops began out of the blue.
Liz almost choked on her noodles, "What are you talking about?" She looked at him incredulously, "We haven't gone on a date."
"The other day?" Pops seemed like he was trying to remind her, "He took you out on that motorcycle of his."
She remembered the afternoon vividly. Liz and Steve had taken a ride together just after she had given Jason a good whack in the face, and after Steve had almost put him through the side of the van. It was the closest she had been to Steve since the morning they had accidentally woken up together. Liz had sat behind him on the bike with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. Steve rode them through town for the better part of an hour, his back keeping her warm and acting as a shield against the wind of the open road, and she had loved every minute of it. She had not felt that much of a rush in longer than she could remember. Despite the fact that Steve had no helmets to supply for either of them, Liz had felt completely safe and comfortable with him.
"That wasn't a date," Liz defended. Or was it? Liz asked herself. It had not been officially labeled as a "date", but now Liz could not help but wonder if maybe it had meant something.
"Pity," Pops answered between forkfuls of brown rice, "Steve's a good lad. He'd be lucky to have you as his lady."
Liz sighed, "I don't need to be anyone's lady. And I—"
Pops cut her off, "I know, I know. You have too much to do around here and all that nonsense. You can keep telling yourself that all you want, Sunshine. Doesn't change the fact that you two are smitten with each other."
Liz could not help but laugh, albeit rather nervously, "'Smitten?' Seriously, Pops, who still says 'smitten'?"
"I will take that blatant attempt at changing the subject as confirmation that I'm correct," Pops winked at Liz.
Suddenly, loud music started blaring from the television across the room. Liz turned to see what looked to be some news report being introduced.
"Good evening, America. I'm Nick Bryson for WHiH World News. We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming with this breaking story: President Ellis was taken hostage just moments ago by unknown parties at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. during the Center's annual Gala. We have reports of S.H.I.E.L.D. mobilizing in the area. Our own correspondents are en route..."
Liz was caught off guard by this and felt slightly alarmed. That's not too far from here... Liz thought. She looked at Pops for a moment; his concentrated gaze never left the television.
"I'm receiving word that Lorena Rodriguez is now on the scene," Nick Bryson informed his viewers, "Lorena, what can you tell us?"
The camera switched to live footage of the news correspondent walking the front lines of a police perimeter around the building, speaking into the microphone and sounding winded, "Local police and S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives are cordoning the entire area as we speak, Nick," the newscaster was walking briskly with the camera hurrying behind her, "There are still some civilians running out of the building... I can hear what sounds like helicopters heading in this direction. Most likely S.H.I.E.L.D. enforcements flying in from the Triskelion just across the river... Wait, yes! Yes, I can confirm that two S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopters are coming in for a landing..."
The camera panned and zoomed in on the helicopters making their descent. The chopper sound filled the room as the news correspondent waited for the noise to subside before continuing her report. Several operatives in full, heavy tactical gear began jumping out of the hovering helicopters before they each lifted away from the scene and into the rapidly setting sun.
Liz thought she caught a glimpse of a familiar disc-shaped shield in the midst of the operatives forming up on the pavement, "Pops, did you see th—"
"Nick, I don't believe my eyes!" Lorena exclaimed suddenly, "Captain America himself has his boots on the ground here at the Kennedy Center. I repeat: Captain America appears to be taking charge of the team that just landed."
Liz flew out of her dining chair and onto the sofa in front of the television so that she could get a better look at the man on the screen, the alleged "Captain America". She was still convinced that this was some new hopeful attempting to fill the hero's shoes as opposed to the man she had grown up hearing inspiring stories about from Pops and her father. Liz absentmindedly clutched the dog tags hanging around her neck as she continued to watch.
"The last time Captain America appeared was during the Battle of New York last year," Lorena, the newswoman, explained. This man had suddenly become the entire focus of the story, "We still do not know the identity of the man behind the mask. But it is now clear that he is working closely with the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division."
Liz tuned out the news correspondent, who was now doing nothing more than stating the obvious. The camera zoomed in as best it could to focus solely on the captain, who was turning back and forth as he seemed to give orders to his team. He wore a helmet that covered the top half of his face, a rugged chin strap obscuring most of the lower half. If not for the ostentatious red, silver, and blue shield with a star on it, he would have easily blended in with the other operatives gathered around him. Liz noticed that this uniform looked much different than the one she had seen in the footage from the Battle of New York. This one was more subdued, stealthy even, in mostly navy blue and black tones. The familiar silver star remained on his chest, matching stripes emanating out from it and across his broad shoulders.
On the captain's command, half of his team began their approach to the building. For a moment, he paused and turned directly to look at the camera that was on him.
"I need to make a phone call," Pops said suddenly from behind Liz. She turned to him briefly, confused by the stern tone in his voice. Liz did not question him as he disappeared quickly into the adjacent bedroom and closed the door.
Liz turned her attention back to the screen. Another operative armed with a bow in his hand and a quiver on his back had appeared in the frame with the captain. That one looks familiar... I think he was at the Battle of New York, too... They called him Hawkeye, Liz recalled. After a brief exchange, the two of them, along with their remaining team members, started toward the building. The camera zoomed out to catch the group rounding the far corner and disappearing from view.
Liz watched for a few minutes as nothing particularly interesting happened. She decided to return to her dinner to pass the time. She lowered the television volume to a less obnoxious level as the news anchors began going back and forth with their speculations on the identity of Captain America.
Liz did not take long to devour her lo mein, even with the occasional glance at the television to see if there had been any developments in the story. Once her plate was cleared, Liz made her way back to the kitchen in search of an egg roll and some soy sauce. As she was heading back to the table, she could not help but overhear Pops in the other room. She could not make out all the words, but Liz was able to determine that Pops seemed to be rather upset with someone named "Nicholas" on the other end of the call.
Pops returned from the other room looking disgruntled as Liz returned to her chair at the table. She watched as Pops took his seat in a bit of a huff and returned to his dinner without a word, looking at the television intently. He was acting strangely, which made Liz begin to worry.
"Everything okay, Pops?" Liz asked for the second time that evening, her egg roll laying forgotten on the plate in front of her.
Pops brought his attention back to Liz with a delayed smile, "Fine, fine," he waved off, "So where were we? Oh, yes. Your 'not-a-date' date with Steve."
Liz rolled her eyes as she put her attention back on her egg roll, "Not much to tell. There was some traffic, but the weather was nice." Maybe if I don't look interested, he'll stop bringing it up, Liz hoped silently.
"Did the two of you watch the movie he borrowed?" Pops asked nonchalantly.
Liz thought for a moment. That night seemed like such a long time ago already, although it was only last week, "Roman Holiday?" She asked, clarifying.
"Mhmm," Pops confirmed through a mouthful of food.
"We—" Liz started, "I fell asleep," she corrected mid-sentence. She did not want to have to explain Steve inadvertently spending the night in her apartment to her grandfather. She was uncomfortable enough as it was with this line of questioning. Liz spent the remainder of their meal trying to skirt around Pops' inquiries on the topic.
When they were finished eating, Liz began to gather their dirty plates and silverware.
"Thank you, Sunshine," Pops said warmly as he handed her his empty dish.
Liz returned a smile. She watched Pops' gaze suddenly shift back to the television.
"Something's happening," Pops informed her. He got up and went over to the couch to watch. Liz set the plates back down on the table and joined him as Pops raised the news report's volume.
"What's that, Lorena? You're breaking up," news anchor Nick Bryson said as he listened into an earpiece, holding two fingers against it in an effort to enhance the sound. The camera cut away from the newsroom and back to the correspondent on the scene at the Kennedy Center.
"An explosion was heard just moments ago, Nick, and we've been pushed back by authorities from the perimeter," Lorena informed, "But we still have a clear view of the front of the building where operatives appear to be exiting via the north-eastern doors. There is a small amount of smoke now rising from the north face of the building," The camera zoomed into the concrete pavilion in front of the Kennedy Center. Liz could make out a few men in tactical gear taking a position on the neatly gardened medians in the cover of the small trees that grew there. Spotlights were being targeted on the doors from one of the troops to aid in visibility during the darkening twilight. The doors flew open as a tight group of soldiers spilled out of them. In the center, the spotlight highlighted the red and silver stripes of a shield held aloft, reminding Liz of a maneuver she had seen the Roman Army use in some of Pops' old films. Liz noticed that the shield now showed signs of wear, smudged with black ash.
"It appears that Captain America and his team are delivering President Ellis to safety!" Lorena Rodriguez informed. The camera showed the president being whisked off to a helicopter that was standing by on the ground. The camera panned back to the captain, who had lowered the shield to his side as he handed off the president. The rugged helmet that once protected him was missing. For the first time, the camera caught a clear view of Captain America's face as he turned back to guide other civilians as they exited the building.
Liz gasped loudly as her hands came up to cover her mouth. Her eyes were wide, "Oh my God..."
"Damn it, Steve!" Pops shouted simultaneously at the television, standing up abruptly.
The media went into a frenzy as they tightened the frame on Steve's face. Liz sat there stunned for a moment, staring at his familiar features. One side of his face was smeared with something dark. It took her a long moment to register Pops' reaction. Liz tore her eyes away from the screen to look at her grandfather. He looked angry where she would have expected to see disbelief. Then, it clicked.
"Steve?" Liz questioned with a pointed gaze, her voice barely audible.
Pops sighed and sat back down on the couch. He did not answer, instead closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose.
Liz felt her temper start to rise, "Steve?!" She asked. It was the only word she could formulate at the moment.
Pops opened his eyes and turned to her with a worried expression, "Lizzie, there's no need to be alarmed..."
"Oh! Is that so? 'No need to be alarmed'— I'm well past 'alarmed'!" Liz exclaimed, "What the hell is going on, Pops? Did you know about this?"
"This wasn't supposed to happen," Pops stated calmly, "Fur— the director personally promised to keep him out of the cameras. He wasn't ready—"
"What does that mean?" Liz interrogated. When Pops remained silent, Liz continued, "You knew! And you hid it from me," she accused, "What else are you hiding?" Liz was standing now, pacing back and forth with her hands on her hips as adrenaline spiked through her, "Are you back with S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Liz had been taught early on that Pops' position in that particular government agency was meant to be kept as a secret that only his closest family should know. It was something that had been rarely talked about in their house, but Liz believed she was well within her right to bring it up given the current situation.
"Liz, I'm not going to lie to you, but—"
"But you can't tell me the truth. That's unacceptable!" Liz waved her hands in the air in exasperation and paced toward the dinner table, where she began anxiously gathering the previously forgotten dishes.
"Liz, Sunshine..." Pops had followed her, "You know that this has always been a place where men and women of service, and their families, could come and get their feet back on the ground. A place where they could feel at home as they began their transition back to normal life. Captain Rogers is no different."
Liz dropped the dishes onto the table, trembling. She looked at Pops incredulously, "Steve Rogers? You mean the Steve Rogers?" she asked, her voice cracking. There was no way that the Steve she knew was the Captain America from World War II. It can't be possible...
Pops nodded slowly, "Yes, dear. The very same."
"H-How?" Liz stuttered. Captain Steve Rogers gave his life to save the world. That was a fact.
Pops shook his head, "It is not my place," he stated, implying that he would not be volunteering any more information on the subject.
Liz's temper began to flare again, "I am so sick of everyone that I care about lying to me!" Liz gathered the plates that had fallen and stormed to the kitchen. She had had enough.
Pops continued to follow Liz, standing in the hall outside of the kitchen archway, "Lizzie, you have to understand that I'm obligated to protect privileged information."
Liz dropped the dishes into the sink with a loud clatter. She spun to face her grandfather with her hands on her hips, "And you have to understand that we are all the family we have left," Liz motioned with her hand to point out Pops and herself for emphasis, "And family shouldn't lie to each other!" Liz crossed the threshold into the hallway and brushed past Pops, grabbing her messenger bag off the hook by the door.
"Liz—" Pops started, but Liz did not stick around to hear him finish. She opened the door to the apartment and walked out briskly, slamming it shut behind her.
Liz took the stairs two at a time leading up to the third floor to her own apartment. She opened and slammed her own door abruptly, tossed her messenger bag onto the couch, and began pacing as a panic set in, Oh, God... He's the Steve Rogers? I've been living across the hall from Captain Freaking America?! Liz started to tremble as she walked nervous circles around her living room. Her eyes landed on the shelving which held dozens of movie cases. Liz thought to every time she had watched a movie with Steve, and how he had never seen it before, Except that one time we watched The Wizard of Oz... Jesus, it makes sense... Liz then started thinking back to all the times Steve had asked her questions about something technological, He seemed worse than Pops with it at first... Oh my God, how is this even possible?
Liz's heart was racing. She spotted her laptop sitting on her dining room table and immediately went to it and sat down. She flipped it open and began a hunt for any and all information pertaining to Captain America's efforts during World War II. She could not find much. I wouldn't put it past S.H.I.E.L.D. to scrub the internet of any detailed information... Liz tapped the table with her fingers anxiously. Her search eventually led her to the video clips of the news footage that she had just seen broadcasted downstairs. Social media users had lost their minds trying to identify the "new" Captain America. Steve Rogers, you have broken the internet...
Liz watched the clip of Steve unmasked on a loop. Each time she found herself growing more enraged, He's been lying to me this whole time. Damn it, I'm such an idiot... How could I let this happen again? Liz stood up from her chair again and cursed mentally for allowing herself to become so enamored with someone she was realizing she knew next to nothing about. She had never really pressed Steve for any specific information about his past. Liz had been taught early by Gran and Pops not to ask their veteran tenants too many personal questions so as not to inadvertently trigger any unwanted memories.
He owes me an explanation, Liz decided, I'm not going to tolerate being lied to like a child! She grabbed her laptop and exited her apartment, leaving the door slightly ajar. Liz crossed the hall and set up camp on the floor in front of Steve's door.
And then she waited, scouring the internet for any information that could benefit her position in an anticipated altercation with Steve. Liz did not have to wait long before she heard light footsteps coming up the stairs. She braced herself, ready to call Steve out on everything.
Liz was slightly disappointed to see that it was Kate who had ascended to the third floor instead.
"Liz?" Kate furrowed her eyebrows, "What are you doing?"
Liz sighed loudly, "I'm waiting for Steve. I need to talk to him."
"I take it you saw the news, then?" Kate already seemed to know the answer to her question.
"Yes," was Liz's only response. She felt her teeth clench involuntarily.
"So you're going to ambush Steve in the hallway? That will end well," Kate rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"He lied to me! Am I just supposed to pretend that's okay?" Liz defended, crossing her arms.
Kate sighed in irritation, "Maybe it wasn't lying, so much as just leaving out specific details..."
"He wasn't honest, and that's basically the same thing," Liz retorted.
"You can only be this angry for one reason," Kate began after a pause, "You're in love with him, Liz."
"Oh. My. God," Liz brought her hands up to hold her head in exasperation, "I can't be in love with Captain America! Do you have any idea how utterly ridiculous that sounds?" She was starting to get really tired of everyone trying to play matchmaker.
Kate sighed as she began to unlock her apartment door, "You keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better," Kate started. She offered a half-smile before continuing, "I'll be here if you need me. I have ice cream if tonight ends badly."
Liz did not respond as Kate's door gently clicked shut.
Liz sat on the floor with her laptop for a long while, trying to gather as much information as she could as she waited. An hour passed, and then another. Liz was beginning to question her resolve when she realized that her leg had fallen asleep. She covered her mouth as she tried to suppress a yawn. Just as she was beginning to consider giving up for the night, Liz heard slow, heavy footsteps from the stairwell below.
* * * Author's Notes * * *
Thank you all for bearing with me during these slow updates! It has been increasingly difficult to find good chunks of time to sit down and write with everything going on back in real life. Special thanks as always to whimsymuse for keeping me on track and for being a fantastic beta reader ^__^
I am still so amazed that this story has developed such a large following! Thank you all for your support :-)
So what do you all think? Does Liz have a right to be so upset? Should Pops have been honest with her from the beginning? Has Steve betrayed Liz's trust by keeping his true identity a secret? I love reading through all of your comments and theories, so please don't be shy!
I hope this chapter lives up to all of your expectations. Thanks for reading!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *