"Sausage"
"Absolutely not"
"Well you're not getting that weird pepperoni and pineapple thing again"
"Why not!?! That was amazing!"
"It was a concoction straight from hell"
"Your face is straight from hell"
"I have the face of an American hero!"
"An American hero with horrible taste in pizza!" Jo quickly ducked out of the way of a flying pillow. "Just for that I'm ordering extra pineapple" Jo quickly rushed into the bathroom and locked the door before Steve could come barging in.
"Jo come on!" Steve continued to bang on the door as Jo opened the Papa John's app on her phone. She quickly ordered a pepperoni and pineapple pizza and a small sausage pizza for Steve because she didn't feel like being that mean, today anyways.
"So what movie do you wanna watch?" Jo asked skipping, yes skipping, out of the bathroom.
"Did you really order a pizza with pineapple on it" Steve groaned, Jo smiled and nodded. "I hate you"
"And this is the thanks I get for introducing you to Harry Potter!" Steve rolled his eyes and plopped down on the couch. Just a typical Friday night for Captain America and the shield agent not many people knew about.
"So, what are you doing tomorrow?"
"Still not telling you"
"Oh, come on!" Steve groaned. "We're partners! Why all the secrecy?"
"Because Fury said so, and besides, don't you have your own mission to worry about?"
"Yeah! One my partner is not going to be there for"
"I've already asked Natasha to go with you" Actually, Fury had a mission for Natasha that required her to go on Steve's mission, but Steve wasn't allowed to know that.
"You know how I feel about secrets"
"You work for Shield, secrets are now your middle name" Jo countered. Steve had no comeback for that, he knew what he had been signing up for when he joined. The doorbell rang and Jo ran to get the pizza.
The next morning Jo was up before sun rise. She ran into Steve, who was going out for a run, as she headed to the garage.
"Have fun on your secret mission that you will not tell me about"
"Have fun on your mission that I know everything about" Jo winked and Steve groaned as they went their separate ways. Jo smiled at her motorcycle, well, okay it was Steve's but he wasn't going to need it today. A burst of adrenalin raced through her as the engine roared to life. The ride to the dinner was only a couple of hours and Jo was going to enjoy every moment of it.
"Two cups of coffee, a blueberry muffin, and a plate of fries please" Jo ordered handing the waitress her menu.
"Fries? For breakfast? Lord help me, I might just tell Steve I'm alive so I can tell him to make you eat healthier" Jo just smirked and Phil shook his head. For the past two years Phil and Jo had been meeting at this diner once a month for breakfast, or just whenever they could. "So, what did you tell him this time?"
"I'm on a super-secret mission that I can't tell him anything about because Fury ordered me not to" Phil laughed.
"You are going to drive him nuts"
"That's the plan" Jo chuckled. "So, how's your team doing? Find any more on Tahiti?"
"Sadly no, I've been denied access, but I'm still digging"
"How's Sky?"
"Better, she's been a great asset to the team" Jo nodded. She had met the team on a few occasions and even gone on missions with them. Sky was by far her favorite, second to Coulson of course. Though she never truly trusted Ward, but kept to her opinions to herself not wanting to cause drama amongst the group. "How is it with you and Cap?"
"Good, we do make a great team. I like having him in my life, even if he's just my friend. He's more like an older brother actually, which is kind of weird"
"Does he- "
"No, he still doesn't know who I am and I think it's for the best. He's still struggling a bit with living in this century. More so because we do things so differently. He's used to it being good and bad, black and white, no grey areas. You know what I mean?" Phil nodded.
"Things were simpler in his time, sometimes I wish the world hadn't changed so much"
"You and me both" Jo responded, she smiled at the waitress who set down their coffee and food.
"Enjoy your meal!"
"Thanks!" Phil and Jo said at once. "How's your mother?"
"Doing okay, her memory is getting worse. Though I hate to say it, it's good for me. Steve's been visiting her and so far, she has yet to mention me surprisingly"
"Have you visited her?"
"No, though I think I might. Say goodbye before she goes, her health isn't improving so I know it will be soon"
"I'm sorry Jo" Phil had a sad smile on his face. Though Jo had never visited her mother since escaping Hydra, Phil was the only one who knew how closely Jo was looking after her mother. Sending her favorite flowers with no name, leaving money in places for her to find when things were tight, doing her best to make sure no harm reached Peggy or her family.
"It's alright. She's had a good life, one I know she loved, that's what's important" Jo tossed a fry into her mouth. Phil and Jo talked for a few more hours before saying their goodbyes.
Jo parked the bike exactly where she took it from. She made her way upstairs and put the keys back in Steve's apartment. He shouldn't be back for another hour or two anyways so she highly doubted Steve noticed his bike had been missing. Jo headed back to her own apartment and changed into some sweats and crawled into bed. She was about to fall asleep when her phone rang. Jo groaned and reached over to answer it.
"What?"
"We have a slight problem"
"What is it?" Jo asked instantly sitting up.
"Nothing to really panic about, but Steve found out about the mission Fury had sent me on" Nat explained. "He's pissed"
"Does he know I knew?"
"No, maybe you shouldn't tell him"
"Jo!" Steve called as he entered her apartment.
"Is that Steve?"
"Yep! If you'll excuse me, I apparently have damage control tonight" Jo hung up and threw on a sweatshirt before heading into the living room. "Geez Steve, couldn't this wait till tomorrow. It's nearly midnight!"
"Did you know about the mission Fury gave Romanoff?"
"Steve, I- "
"Did you!"
"Yes" Jo sighed. "And before you ask I'm sure you already know why I didn't tell you"
"Because Fury said not to" Jo nodded in response. "Because whatever Fury says goes!"
"Well, he is the director"
"You know what I mean! Want to know what I found out about today? Project Insight! Did you know about that too?"
"Actually, no" This surprised Jo, why didn't she about whatever this was? "What is it?"
"Shield has built three helicarries they plan to launch. They have some new kind of engine that Stark invented so they never need to come out of the air. They can predict threats before they already happen"
"So, they basically anyone who is a threat these helicarries will what? Shoot them down?"
"Exactly! They're holding a gun to everyone on Earth and claiming it's protection. Fury say's it's freedom, but it's fear they're using to control the people" Jo shook her head. This was insane! Sure, Shield had done things she had never been on board with but this was a whole other level.
"I agree with you on this Cap, but can we do? We work for Shield, not run it"
"Maybe that should change"
"You want to take over Shield!"
"No, I meant the part about us working for them"
"So, you're gonna quite?" Jo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I don't know!" Steve exclaimed, he sat on the couch and put his head on his hands. Jo sighed and sat down beside him. "Jo, what do I do?"
"Go to YOUR apartment, shower, sleep, eat food, and maybe sleep some more. You're angry and tired, which is never a good time to make important decisions"
"How are you the responsible one?"
"Cause mentally you're still technically in your twenties while I, am a mature woman in her seventies" Steve laughed and hugged Jo.
"Your hair is getting pretty long" Steve commented as he stood up.
"Yeah, thinking about growing it out, Nat says it makes me look like I'm actually a girl" Jo grumbled, Steve chuckled and ruffled Jo's blonde hair that was already a mess.
"Hey, I'm going to visit Peggy tomorrow, wanna come?"
"No thanks, I've got some paperwork I need to do"
"Oh, come on Jo, you still have yet to meet her!" Steve pleaded. Ever since Steve had found out Peggy was alive and started to visit her, he had been trying to get Jo to come meet her. He always said it was because he wanted to prove to Peggy that he did in fact have a friend.
"Maybe next time, now goodnight!" Jo exclaimed playfully pushing Steve out the door.
Steve left his apartment the next morning a little earlier than necessary. He wasn't due to see Peggy for another hour so he decided to stop by one of Sam's VA meetings. He entered the building and could hear a woman in the middle of sharing.
"I think it's getting worse. I got pulled over by a cop last week, he thought I was drunk. I had swerved to miss a plastic bag, thought it was a ID." Steve leaned against a wall in the back as the woman finished.
"Some stuff you leave there, other stuff you bring back" Sam began, "It's our job to figure out how to carry it. Is it gonna be in a big suitcase, or in a little man purse? It's up to you."
The meeting ended and people said their goodbyes as they left. Some stayed back to chat for a moment. Sam smiled at Steve as he walked over.
"Look who it is, the running man"
"Caught the last few minutes, it's pretty intense"
"Yeah brother, we all got the same problems. Guilt, regret"
"You lose someone?" Steve asked.
"My wingman, Riley, flying a night mission. Standard PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn't done a thousand times before" Sam explained. "Till an RPG knocked Riley's dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do, like I was up there just to watch."
"I'm sorry"
"After that, I had a real hard time finding a reason to be over there you know?"
"You happy now, back in the world?"
"Hey, the number of people giving me orders is down to about zero. So, hell yeah, you thinking about getting out?" Sam asked.
"No" Steve paused, "I don't know, to be honest I don't know what I would do with myself if I did"
"Ultimate fighting?" Steve scoffed. "Just a great idea off the top of my head. Seriously man, you could whatever you wanted to do" Sam encouraged. "What makes you happy?"
"I don't know" Steve sighed. Steve had no clue what he would do if he quiet. The army had been his whole life before and after being in the ice. There was no Peggy to build a future with, no Bucky for him to hang out with. Sure, he had Jo and he was grateful to have someone who understood what he was going through, he viewed her more as a little sister though. But Steve knew there were things Jo kept from him, things she may never tell him. He understood that, Jo had been through things no adult should have to go through, let alone a kid. He just wished he had someone. Someone he trusted and who trusted him.
"You should be proud of yourself Peggy" Steve stated, he gazed at the photographs of Peggy and her children. Peggy hummed in response.
"I have lived a good life; my only regret is that you didn't get to live yours" Peggy smiled sadly at Steve. "What is it?"
"For as long as I can remember I just wanted to do what was right, guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore. And I thought I could throw myself back in, follow orders, serve," Steve paused for a moment and sighed. "It's just not the same."
"You're so dramatic" Peggy chuckled, Steve smiled. "Look, you saved the world! We rather, mucked it up"
"You didn't" Steve stated. "Knowing you helped found Shield was kind of the reason I stayed"
"Steve" Peggy whispered, she took his hand in hers. "The world has changed, none of us can go back. All we can do is our best, and sometimes the best we can do, is to start over" Peggy began to cough and Steve quickly grabbed her a cup of water.
"Here" Steve said gently, holding up the glass. Peggy looked at him and her eyes widened.
"Steve" She whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Wha- You're alive! You came back" Steve smiled sadly. This was not the first time this had happened, but it didn't hurt any less each time it did. "It has been so long" Peggy cried, tears welling up in her eyes. So, Steve said what he always said.
"Well I couldn't leave my best girl, not when she owes me a dance" Peggy smiled, but it quickly faded.
"Steve have you found her? Oh Steve! You have to find her!"
"Find who Peggy?"
"Steve, they took her! Oh please, you must get her back!"
"Peggy what are you talking about?" Steve asked, trying to keep his tone steady. This had never happened before, who was Peggy talking about?
"Our daughter! Steve, they took our daughter!" Peggy cried, tears streaming down her face. "I couldn't find her, oh how did I lose her? How did they take her from me!" Peggy continued to cry. Steve felt like the room was spinning. Their daughter? He had a daughter? A doctor came in and tried to calm Peggy down, he asked Steve to leave and he didn't argue.
"We need to talk"
"Sure, come on in, I'm not doing anything important at the moment" Steve ignored Fury's sarcasm and marched right over to his desk. He had looked through Peggy's records as best he could with his limited knowledge of computers. But he had found nothing helpful. The only file that might have been of any help was sealed and Fury was the only one who might have access to it.
"Do I have a daughter?" This was the first time Steve had seen Fury surprised. "Do I have a- "
"Yes" Steve took a step back in surprise.
"Where is she? Is she alive? What happened- "
"I can't tell you that" Steve's anger rose at alarming rate.
"If I have a daughter I have a right to know where she is!" Steve growled. "Something happened to her! Peggy said someone took her! And from the looks of it she was never found"
"She was found, well, more like she escaped" Fury held up his hand to keep Steve from interrupting him. "I know who she is and where she is, but I will not tell you because she asked me not to"
"What? Why would she- "
"She's lived a hard life, most of which she has spent alone. She never went back to Peggy because by the time she escaped her captors Peggy had already married and moved on, she didn't want to ruin what Peggy had built. When she heard you were alive, I do believe she wanted to meet you, and tell you who she is. But she didn't want to burden you"
"Burden me! How could she- "
"You were about to wake up in a completely different world than the one you knew. Almost everyone you knew was dead, she thought you didn't need to worry about being someone's father on top of all that" Steve sat down on the chair in front of the desk.
He had a daughter? How did this... Well, he knew how THAT happened, but he couldn't understand what compelled her to think she would be a burden. He had to find her, at least ask if he could get to know her. She would be in her seventies by now, maybe even married with kids. Oh God, what if he was a grandfather! Steve took deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
"I've told her multiple times it would be a good idea for her to tell you who she is, but I guess she got so used to being alone it's hard for her to see her life any other way"
"She wants to be alone? Why would she want that?"
"Can't lose anyone if you have no one to lose" Now Steve understood. She had lost everything, probably at a young age from what Steve had gathered. No wonder she didn't want to let anyone in.
"How did you find her?"
"She's Peggy Carter's daughter, she was on our missing persons list long after she was presumed dead" Fury stated. "I saw to it myself she was alright after we found her."
"Thank you, for looking after her"
"My pleasure, well, mostly. She can be a stubborn ass sometimes, I assumed she got that from you" Steve slightly smiled.
"You know I'm going to look for her"
"Wouldn't expect anything less, I'd help you, but she's someone I could never betray" Fury stated, Steve knew he meant it. Even though he wished Fury would tell him where she was, Steve was glad his daughter had someone like Fury watching her back.
Steve knocked on Jo's front door. He needed help and Jo was one of the only people he trusted.
"Oh, so you knock now?" Jo said as she swung open the door. She walked back into her living room and sat on the couch. Steve walked in to see she was in the middle of an episode of Friends. Considering the importance of his visit, he decided to not mention she wasn't supposed to watch it without him.
"I need your help"
"That's what I'm here for, on my good days. What's up?"
"I need to find someone"
"Like a girlfriend or...?"
"No! Not like that!" Steve exclaimed, Jo just smirked. "I, I found out I have a family member who isn't dead and I need your help finding them" Jo instantly went serious.
"Who are they?"
"I have a daughter" Steve answered.
"How do you know this?"
"Peggy, she started talking about how our daughter had been taken and that I needed to find her. I tried looking threw some Shield files but got nothing, so I talked to Fury and-"
"You talked to Fury?"
"Yeah, he apparently knew I had a daughter all along. He said he had told her I was alive when they found me but she didn't want me to even know she existed. She said she didn't want me to worry about being a father with everything else I would have going on. Fury thinks it's actually because she got so used to being alone that she doesn't want to let anyone in. Which is understandable, she lost so much when she was taken and when she escaped Peggy had already remarried and built a life for herself. She didn't want to mess that up."
"Do you know who took her?"
"No, I know don't have much to go on but you gotta help me! She's my kid!"
"But Steve, if she doesn't want to be found- "
"No one should have to be alone, she's spent her whole life like that! She thinks she'd be a burden but to be honest it would be nice to have someone who I could call family" Jo remained silent for a few minutes.
"Alright, fine. I'll help you"
"Thank you, Jo, you have no idea what this means to me" Steve went to hug her but she held up her hand to stop him.
"But promise me something"
"What?"
"If she pushes back, says she doesn't want you in her life, then you have to let her go" Steve knew that would be the right thing to do, even if it killed him.
"I promise."