Stay awake. Oh, and never pull another all-nighter. Never again.

Jacqueline groaned at the constant babbling her thoughts were running through. Really, though. Waking up this morning, she swore to never stay up all night, for any reason. However, given the kind of job she currently has, that promise won't be kept for very long. Standing in the main lobby, it was more quiet than usual. Only a few people were out, walking to different locations. Everyone else was in briefings. Honestly, the silence was lulling her more into falling asleep.

Impending footsteps and a voice calling out her name startled Jacqueline. She jumped and Alex was right in front of her with the cup of coffee she had asked him to fetch for her. "Here's your emergency coffee."

She quickly took the cup and breathed out a thank you, before taking careful sips. "It's hot." She retracted her lips from the cup, cringing at the faint pain on her lips.

Alex gave an amused scoff, "Of course it's hot, who wants to drink cold coffee?"

Jacqueline shot him a glare, before taking another drink. I don't need your sarcasm right now. She didn't need to say it. Alex was perfectly capable of reading what she was thinking, especially if she was annoyed with him.

He took a moment to assess Jacqueline and his lips cinched to the side. "You know, not to offend or anything, but you look like absolute hell."

"God," Jacqueline pulled the cup away and narrowed her eyes at him. "Alex, you know sometimes there are things you just shouldn't say."

"When it comes to the truth, I just let it all out."

She quirked her eyebrow up in response, "You might need to work on that."

He let out a low chuckle. "Seriously, you look like you haven't slept in days."

"That's because I haven't," she brought the cup up to her mouth, pausing momentarily to say, "well, at least not that much."

"Oh?" Alex raised his eyebrows, curiously. "What have you been doing?"

"I've been brushing up on my knowledge of American history," she fumbled with the lid for a moment, "and I've been collecting music as well."

"That seems like an odd reason to pull an all-nighter."

"I'm going up to Vancouver with Rogers."

"Oh."

This wasn't a subject she had discussed with him yet. For one, she had been prepping for the trip, no time to chat. And two, she was sure that he would hear it from someone else. Clearly, that hasn't happened yet, which surprised her. Word always got around fast here. It could also be in part to Alex not surrounding himself with gossip. He'd rather stay in a room on his own than listen to people talk on and on about something.

"So, why were you picking out music?"

"American history can be tedious to learn," she answered, nonchalantly. "Plus, music is a big part of our country's culture—movies as well. I'm trying to add a little fun to this. God knows he could use it."

"Seventy years of music, movies, and TV shows, how the hell did you narrow all of this down to a cohesive list?"

She rolled her eyes, emitting how exhausting the process was for her. "Honestly, I don't even know how I managed to do it—but I did. I feel like I deserve a damn medal."

"If I had one, I'd give it to you."

Jacqueline smiled at Alex going along with her little line. At least he knew how to always make her smile. Alex was an interesting guy, she had to admit. Some people described him as being a smart ass. And he could be that way, depending on who he was talking to. If he didn't like the person, he would annoy them with that persona. And while his sarcasm can get annoying at times, Jacqueline couldn't imagine working at SHIELD without him.

"Are you ready to spend some quality time with Rogers?"

"You're making it sound creepy," she admitted, quietly. "I already don't think it's a good idea, but what can I say? I feel bad for him; I want to help him. Plus, I can't really tell Fury no."

"Fair enough." Alex turned in time to see Steve walking out into the main lobby with a small entourage behind him. "Speaking of Rogers,"

Alex moved to stand next to her, both of them watching silently as Steve made his way over to them. Jacqueline noticed that Steve looked more alert. The way someone looked like after they slept an adequate amount of time. However, she had no idea whether Steve actually slept through the entire night. But, when he got closer she noticed how blank his face looked, except for his eyes. Heavy and void. He seemed so much older than what his physical being was showcasing.

"Captain Rogers." She greeted once he was standing in front of her.

"Agent Lewis."

Jacqueline offered him a smile, hoping that it would lighten his mood. The corner of his lips curled in a very brief smile. It wasn't much. She was going to take whatever she could get from him. The two had only stared at each other, causing Alex to lean sideways until he was in view of Steve's sight.

"Captain Rogers," Alex stuck his hand out, which Steve took in his own, "Agent Devane, we haven't had the opportunity to meet yet."

"Nice meeting you, Agent."

"It must be pretty strange, right?" Alex gestured around them, "with how different everything is."

"It certainly is different." Steve offered with a single nod.

Jacqueline side-eyed Alex and then nudged him in the side. Understanding the memo, Alex cleared his throat, "Well, I'll leave you two at it then. Again, an honor to meet you, Captain Rogers."

As he turned to leave, Alex glanced back at Jacqueline, who raised her coffee up at him, silently thanking him once again for retrieving the drink for her. When her attention was back on Steve, the look in his eyes was something she was unprepared for. Absent and dazed, but with hints of readiness. His shoulders were fixed back, hands cupped together in front of him. She recognized that stance. It was the way soldiers would stand, the at ease stance that everyone was familiar with. He was waiting for her to inform him of what was happening. Of course, he had no idea. It wasn't something he would admit, but he needed someone to point him in the right direction. He didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry for all of that." Jacqueline apologized on Alex's behalf.

"It's fine. He was the first person I met who doesn't seem fazed by all of this."

"That's Devane for you." She supported Steve's claim rather easily. Nothing ever really seemed to bother him. "Captain Rogers, did Fury give you any details as to what is going to happen?"

Steve shook his head. "Only that I would be advised by you."

"Very well." She took a glance around, then motioned for Steve to follow. "I think it would be best if we start heading out now. You're probably tired of being here."

Steve didn't answer, he only followed Jacqueline. She took them towards the back of the building where a car was waiting for them. From there, they would be taken to a private runway and take a flight out to Vancouver. It was going to be a simple trip that would only take a few hours, no more.

When they arrived at the vehicle, Jacqueline opened the car door and motioned for Steve to enter. Only to have him insist that she go in first. Ah, the old saying. Ladies first. I'll indulge him. She went to step in when a wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to stumble back. Not getting enough sleep was starting to take its effect. And the coffee wasn't going to do that much for her.

It took her a moment, but she finally felt it. A hand pressed up against her back. She must have almost fallen on Steve. "Are you okay?" His voice was laced with genuine concern.

The question only made her feel embarrassed and she felt her cheeks grow warm. She almost fell against Steve Rogers; she can't imagine how much worse it would have been if she had collapsed from exhaustion. "I'm alright."

"Are you sure?"

Jacqueline drank what was left of her coffee and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." One of the security personnel took Jacqueline's empty cup. She offered her thanks before stepping into the car, this time fully succeeding in the endeavor. Once they were settled in, the driver took off.

"Okay, I am taking you up to a safe house in Vancouver. SHIELD has placed several safe houses in various locations. That way agents, or people like you, can seek refuge if they need it."

"Why a safe house?"

"It's just until we can set up another residence for you. Fury thought it might help if you got away from the city."

"So, I'm going to be dropped off at this house and then, left alone?" The faint quizzical look on Steve's face only confused her. Would he rather be alone? Considering that he's been asleep for seventy years, not able to interact with anyone, having company would be nice. But, she couldn't read his mind.

"No," she shook her head, this was going to be a little awkward. "I'm going to be staying up there with you. There is another place I'll be at, it's not that far from where you'll be." He was going to question why she was staying up there but she continued. "You mentioned to Fury about what happened while you were sleeping. That's what I'm here for."

"You're going to be giving me some history lessons."

She shrugged. "Like I said, we're going to help you in any way that we can. If that requires me to drag you through tedious history lessons, then so be it."

They remained silent for the rest of the car ride and the plane ride. Several times throughout Jacqueline thought about sparking up a conversation, but she didn't want to annoy him. Steve seemed comfortable sitting in his own thoughts, she didn't want to interrupt that. Instead, she occupied herself with studying him, which sounded a little creepy when she thought about it. One thing that was so relevant was how calm he was. That confused her. If Jacqueline were in Steve's position, being calm would be like a foreign sensation for her. But this was a man who fought in several skirmishes during WWII. She's only been on minor missions, nothing compared to what he has witnessed. He's a soldier, a fighter. Natasha had always advised Jacqueline to uphold a sense of calm during high-intensity situations. While this moment isn't a fight, it was more of a metaphorical battle. It was Steve against the 21st century. Remaining calm is his way of familiarizing himself with the reality of it all.

She couldn't help but admire that. Despite all of the training she received, all that she had learned, Jacqueline was well aware of what she was capable of handling. If she were to fall into a coma-like sleep for seventy years and wake up in the future, forget calm. She would probably lose her mind. Although, Jacqueline had to take a step back to really analyze this further. Outwardly, Steve was calm and reserved. Internally, he was probably falling apart. Nearly every single person he cared about are dead. The very thought alone made her stomach churn.

Something like that would undoubtedly cause a person to suffer from depression. Her back straightened when that came to thought and she eyed him warily. Maybe Steve should talk with someone, only if the situation called for it. I should still talk with Fury about that. Jacqueline could step into that position, but she wasn't a professional with any of that. Steve would need someone who knew what they were doing. Still, they were going to be spending at least a week together. Establishing a form of trust was crucial. Through that bond she would be able to show Steve that he wasn't alone. He may feel like it, but he's not.

By mid-afternoon, the plane touched down in Vancouver. Several times during the flight, Jacqueline had slipped into sleep. They were more like micro-naps. She was hoping that Steve didn't notice; he did. However, he said nothing about it. A black SUV was waiting for them on the runway. As they were stepping off, the few bags that they had brought with them were loaded into the back of the car. Steve took particular interest in a huge duffel bag that was being handled. It only managed to catch his attention for a brief second, then it was over.

The route to the safe house was relatively simple. A short drive through the city and the rest was open land. Jacqueline had only been out to Vancouver a handful of times and always looked forward to the scenery of it all. Fury made it clear that this wasn't a vacation. However, any time that Jacqueline is able to get away from the city, she considers it a vacation.

The drive was soon over. Luscious woods were what greeted them, with a small pond and the safe house, which looked rather normal. Of course, it had to look normal in an effort to not be conspicuous. But this place was out in the middle of nowhere. There was no way someone would just stumble upon it. When they got out of the car, Jacqueline took out her duffel bag while Steve took out his own, which was a rather small bag. Made sense, he had little to no personal possessions, but it did contain items that SHIELD had given to him. After advising one of the personnel to take the rest of her belongings to her location, she led the way towards the front door.

"It looks so, normal."

Jacqueline chuckled at Steve's remark and took a quick glance at the structure. "It kind of has to be, you know being a safe house and everything. Although, given its location, it probably didn't really matter how it looked."

After unlocking the door, Jacqueline pushed it open and motioned for Steve to walk in first. She made sure that Steve was the one to go in first. She had already humored him with the whole car thing, not that she had a problem with it. She placed her bag down on the table once inside. The place still looked the same. The last time she had been here was a few years ago. Jacqueline was always taken back by how warm the safe house looked. There was always a sense of comfort that surrounded her when she was here.

Steve had taken in the location, familiarizing himself with the surroundings. He was going to be staying here for a while. Might as well try and get used to it. Jacqueline watched him quietly, allowing him time to adjust to it. He had turned back around and seeing that she was looking at him, Steve gave her a questioning look. "What's wrong?"

Jacqueline, noticing that she had been staring, broke her gaze quickly and shook her head. "Sorry. Nothing. How do you like it?"

"It's fine." He looked around him, "not that I really have that much of a choice."

She nodded at his words, "Trust me, I think this safe house is much better than any apartment in the city."

"Why is that?"

Jacqueline shrugged, not knowing why she had said that. "I mean it's just personal preference. I'm more of a seclude myself in a peaceful place kind of girl. I don't really like living in the city, but I have to because of my job."

Steve nodded. His eyes landed on the duffel bag and nodded at it. "What is in the bag?"

Jacqueline pursed her lips into a thin smile and unzipped the bag. "This contains everything I'm gonna need to teach you. You know, help you catch up with everything you missed."

It was rather thoughtful. However, Steve didn't know how she was going to cover seventy years in just a week. "How exactly are you planning on doing that?"

She reached into the bag and pulled out a box of DVDs. "With these," she set them down on the table. "It's a historical documentary series that my father owns, I borrowed it for the time being."

Steve stared at the box set, "This is going to get that job done?"

"Of course it will," she assured and then pulled out her phone. "If there is something we missed, we can always check the internet."

"Internet?"

Jacqueline paused and after thinking about it pressed her lips into a thin line. You are such an idiot, Jackie. Steve doesn't know what the internet is. "Right. Okay, the internet is basically a series networks that we use to look up information on. We can watch videos, send information, do pretty much anything with it. If you need something answered, the internet will be your best friend."

The only answer Steve gave was a nod because he was too wrapped up in his mind trying to comprehend what the internet was. Her explanation was very simplified. If she were to go into extreme detail, they would be talking about it for quite some time. Shaking his head, his eyes settled on the object in her hand. "What is that?"

"It's a cell phone. You can charge it, carry it around with you. They were first created back in the 70's and then around the 2000's, smartphones were developed." Jacqueline turned on her phone, revealing the lock screen and swiped to the right, bringing up the home page with various icons. Steve was so enamored by it; she couldn't help but smile. She made a quick run through with what applications were and showing him the basic ones, like the call and messaging app. Just enough to give him an idea of how it operates.

"You want to test it out?" She gave him an encouraging look, inching the phone closer to him.

He eyed the phone, obviously hesitant and slowly shook his head. "No, that's fine."

She placed the phone down on the table, making sure to turn off the screen. "I'm fairly certain they will be issuing you your own phone pretty soon. So, I'll help you get acquainted with the thing."

"Sounds good to me."

Jacqueline smiled and focused her attention on her bag. She began to pull out other DVD's, movies that she picked out. Classics. At least, they were classics to her and her father. That was also a rather difficult task. Choosing what movies to show him while they were here. With only a week at their disposal, they weren't going to get through every single film. She had to be selective.

The last thing that Jacqueline pulled out were a few hardcover books, which Steve seemed to gravitate towards, immediately. A few of them had the name Stephen King on the front cover, of course, he had no idea who that was. But, given with how many of his books she brought, he must be pretty well known and a good writer too. He inched closer, narrowing down on one in particular and read the title, "From Here to Eternity." Picking up the book, he examined the binding and the cover, "You like to read."

"I love to read, that's all thanks to my father. He made it a habit to read something every night before I went to bed. As I got older, he recommended books to me and I would just devour them."

"What is it about?"

Jacqueline couldn't shake away the irony of this particular moment. The plot of the book and who had asked her the question. "It's about members of the Army Infantry who were stationed in Pearl Harbor. And it takes place a few months before the attack from the Japanese."

Steve breathed out a quiet laugh, "Isn't that a little ironic?" He opened the book and skimmed through the pages until he stopped on a page that was bookmarked. And he couldn't help but noticed that she was well half way through the book. "How long ago did you start reading this?"

Jacqueline only had to think for a brief moment. "I read all of that in about two days."

Steve raised his brow and gazed at her. "Two days?" She nodded. "So, I'm guessing you're a fast reader."

"I only read when I have time to relax and when I do, I don't stop. Especially if it's a book that I really like."

"Then you answered my next question."

She quietly chuckled and then thought of something. "Well, I'll finish this book within the next day or so. When I get done, you can read it if you want."

"Thank you." He didn't think on her offer. The response was instantaneous. Really, there was no reason for him to take time considering it. He was rather interested in this book, for some reason. "What's all of that?" He pointed at the other plastic cases that were spilling out from the duffel bag.

"Now, learning just history can get quite boring. So, I thought maybe I should try and put a little 'fun' in this. These are movies, TV shows and a whole CD set of music that you missed out on. Films and music have come a long way; they are just as important to our country's culture as our history is. Also, I was given these a few years ago, but I never used them." Jacqueline reached into the bag and pulled out two decent sized sketchbooks and handed them over to Steve, who took time to examine them with a good amount of admiration in his eyes.

He had always loved to draw and he would draw on any form of paper he could get his hands on. It was not only his way of being expressive but to also just pass the time. Drawing was often his way of escaping the harsh realities of growing up, mostly with how ill he was.

"When I was younger," she hesitated, "Peggy told me that you always loved to draw." At the mere mention of her name, Steve's gaze was instantly on her.

"You knew Peggy?"

"Yeah. Both of my parents are former SHIELD agents. I was around her constantly." Maybe now it was time to tell him, keeping it from him no longer really seemed logical. "Captain Rogers, Peggy is still alive."

For the first time, Steve's features lit up, eyes cleared and mouth parted as if he was trying to form words but nothing was coming out. "How is she?" Steve finally managed to ask.

Oh boy. "She's fine. All things considered." The look of confusion that crossed his face urged her to continue, there was no use in stopping now. "Peggy got diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years ago." Jacqueline paused, the image of her father flooded her mind. "She currently lives in Washington D.C., getting the care that she needs."

"Was she happy? I mean, after..." Steve's voice trailed off, hoping that Jacqueline would understand what he was asking. She did.

"Yes. She actually got married and had children." This was uncomfortable. Jacqueline knew that Peggy loved Steve, there was no denying it. And it was also relatively easy to spot, especially since Jacqueline was around her constantly growing up. Whenever Peggy spoke about Steve, she saw it, how much emotion and care went into how she talked about him. Even after she got married, it was still evident that Peggy held him close to her. "She had a really happy life and she still is happy, despite everything."

Jacqueline chewed on her bottom lip, thinking that it was a rather bad idea to tell him all of this about Peggy. Perhaps waiting a few more days would have been more sufficient. Too late now. Once again, Steve looked lost—his shoulders slumped in posture and his gaze lowered until he was staring at the book. He was glad—glad that Peggy moved on, that she found someone to share a life with...someone she had a family with. He was happy. But, he couldn't shake the feeling of how unfair it all was to him. Not only Peggy but everyone he knew, they were able to live out their lives, while he was literally frozen. Stuck, unable to move forward with them. It was so unfair.

"I'm glad." He had been silent for so long that when he finally spoke, it made Jacqueline jump. "She was able to move on. That's good."

Smiling sadly, she continued, "She never forgot about you. She would always tell me little things about you. Always focus on the man, that was her advice for me. She made sure that your memory was never forgotten." Did she really mean to say that? Part of her was saying yes, she did mean to. The other was scolding her for not just keeping that to herself.

"Can I see her?" He asked, his voice was slow and quiet, making him sound so young. Much younger than he looked, it caught her off guard. When he looked at her, his eyes were gentle and unwavering. How can this be the same man?

"Of course you can." She replied without hesitation. "I'll just need to talk with a few people. But, you are more than welcome to see her."

He responded well to her answer, his features softened and he allowed the smallest smile to slip through. It was infectious, she found herself smiling as well. She was actually very relieved that telling him this didn't have the opposite effect.

"Captain Rogers, I will say that I think right now, the focus should just be on you. And making sure that you're well adjusted."

Steve didn't seem to disagree, he only nodded in response. "But, there is something that I think we should clear up."

Her back straightened. Oh god.

He set down the book and glanced up at her, "We aren't at headquarters anymore. You don't have to keep on addressing me as Captain Rogers. You can just call me Steve."

To say she was relieved was an understatement. It seemed like he was going to go into something much more important. She nodded in her compliance and relief, "Well since we are going by first name basis, you can call me Jackie or Jacqueline, either is fine."

Steve silently repeated her name, only he didn't use her nickname, he used her full name. At first, she thought that it was a misinterpretation on her part. It wasn't until he spoke she realized that she had read his lips correctly.

"Alright, Jacqueline. What's the plan?"

She couldn't help but smile at hearing someone use her full name. Granted, at her job, some people used her full name, but it was a rarity. Her parents never call her Jacqueline unless she was in trouble, everyone calls her Jackie. And here was Steve, using her full name. It didn't bother her; it was just strange hearing someone use it.

"Well, if you want, you can start watching the first DVD from this," she tapped the box collection, "and I could probably make you something to eat."

"You don't have to do that."

She shrugged. "I really don't mind. Headquarters doesn't always have the best food and I can only imagine it's been a while since you've had a really good meal."

He smiled again, emitting a small laugh to follow it. "And I promise," she continued, "my food is edible, my mom always vouches for it."

Steve thought about the offer, very tempted to try and convince her that she didn't need to. However, when his stomach rumbled that seemed to finalize the decision for both of them. Jacqueline raised a brow at him, waiting for him to verbally agree to her offer.

After a beat, Steve nodded, "Thank you."

The plan that Jacqueline quickly made up didn't exactly go the way she wanted it to. Correction, the cooking part went accordingly, watching the documentary didn't go as planned. As Jacqueline was gathering everything she needed to make her mom's lasagna, they both found themselves carrying on small conversations. One after the other, they didn't really know how to stop. One of the things that Steve made sure to point out was how he knew virtually nothing about her. Just that her parents were former agents and she was close with Peggy. Jacqueline had decided that they should save the documentary until after the food was done, and while she agreed to tell Steve things about herself, he offered his help with the cooking.

This was something she didn't expect. Cooking with Steve Rogers, how riveting that was for her. She didn't go into painstaking details about her life, just mundane ones. She was an only child, born in Massachusetts and moved to New York when she was five. Attended the academy and eventually started working for SHIELD. But, she spent a good amount of time talking about her parents, about how much they meant to her.

"It was just the three of us, so we had a lot of time to spend together."

From her duffel bag, Jacqueline pulled a few family photos. Steve scanned over the one of her parents. While looking at the photo, Steve noticed how Jacqueline looked more like her mother, but he could see hints of her father as well. Turning the picture over, the date 1978 was scrawled on the back. Steve was immediately taken back with memories of his mother. How it was just the two of them and with how sickly he was growing up, his mother hovered over him. God, he missed her. There was a lot that he missed.

Another photo on the table caught his eye. When he glanced down, a familiar face was staring back at him. He quickly picked up the photo, the name slipped right past his lips. "Addie."

Jacqueline, who was washing her hands at the sink, craned her neck to look back at Steve. She turned off the faucet and dried her hands with the kitchen towel.

Steve finally looked up, turning the photo over to show her. "How do you know Addie?"

Oh, this was bound to happen. Jacqueline had planned on bringing up the subject of Addie but wasn't sure when to. Jacqueline slowly approached him, her eyes scanned the photo quickly. "She's, uh, she's my grandmother." She winced at the look on Steve's face, complete shock. "Your world just keeps getting smaller, doesn't it?"

All he could do was look at her. His eyes were glazed over as he took in her features. She was definitely a perfect blend of her parents. But he could pick up the subtle similarities to Addie; her nose and chin. He felt odd. The last memory he had of Addie was hearing her voice through the Valkyrie's comms.

You saved Joe's life. Now let me help you, please Steve.

Their goodbye was quick and hasty. One wouldn't even consider it a proper farewell. For him, that happened only days ago. But no. It has been nearly seventy years since she said those words to him. And now her granddaughter, of all people, is helping him adjust to living in the 21st century. This couldn't just be a coincidence, could it?

Steve turned the photo back over, focusing on the image before him. "Is she, uh, is she okay?"

Oh boy. Jacqueline bit on her lip, thinking of the easiest way to break the news to him. There wasn't going to be one. "She...she actually passed away a bit back. Actually, it was a few months before I was born."

He went quiet, as if he was holding his breath. Addie was dead. He had worked himself up to a false sense of hope. After waking up, he was convinced that Peggy was gone as well. But she wasn't. The minute he saw Addie's photo he thought the exact same thing. "I'm sorry." He finally managed to say something.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault."

When he said nothing else, Jacqueline resumed with the cooking. The silence from him was unnerving. When she looked back at him, he was in a daze, only in the company of his memories, not paying attention to anything else. And he was just staring at the picture of Addie, it worried her. She decided to switch the mood. Taking out the CD's that she made, Jacqueline played them on a small radio. Making sure to explain to Steve what exactly these were. A playlist that she put together of popular music, starting from 1946 and all the way up until early 2000's. She thought it would be easy for him to listen to the progression of music, and this was the most tedious thing she had ever done. No one will ever understand how difficult it was to create this thing, especially since there were many different songs to choose from. She decided to just choose the ones that were the most popular. It made the process so much easier.

With the music playing, they were able to comfortably descend into a routine. Between cooking the ingredients and layering them, Jacqueline was surprised at how comfortable she was around him. It no longer felt like she was cooking with Captain America, rather, it felt like she was spending time with an old friend. Jacqueline knew that it had nothing to do with her, it was all Steve. He was just so normal.

During the time that the food was cooking, Steve spilled out information about himself. Nothing too personal or intimate. Just like Jacqueline, it was all mundane. He talked a little bit about his mother, Sarah and how he met his best friend, Bucky. There was a lot he was leaving out, just mentioning their names, particularly Bucky's, would make him hesitate. Made sense. From what she had gathered from looking at the files, Bucky had died during a mission a few weeks prior to Steve's crash. For Steve, that grief and anguish were still fresh, even though it's been nearly seventy years, to him it was only weeks. She didn't need to know anything about him. That would take place as the next week dragged on. The subject of Steve's past was sensitive and she made sure to assure him that he didn't need to say anything. His current situation was different.

When the food was finally done, Jacqueline was rather relieved about it. That means they could get on with the original plan; watching the documentary. After piling on servings for themselves, Jacqueline turned on the first DVD. As they watched, it reminded Jacqueline how much she really disliked watching documentaries, particularly the ones that have to do with history. She never really found much fascination or interest in American history. It was always the subject that she struggled with in school. It was just so boring to her. It was a stark contrast to her father, who loved history, who loved learning every little detail. Not her. She spent most of her time concentrating on eating the food on her plate, while Steve was engrossed with both watching and eating.

The first hour or so were covering things that Steve already knew; how the war started and a few events that happened. Everything else was all new to him; the Potsdam Conference, the establishment of the United Nations and the Nuremberg Trials. Steve tried to grasp the concept of everything he was learning through this program. However, one event did pause their viewing since it rattled Steve. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. During the entire section, Steve never paid attention to what was being said, only the images that were being broadcast on the screen. Buildings that were decimated, bodies buried in the rubble, survivors that were trying to escape the chaos. He was present in this war, he fought battles and witnessed the carnage. But, not like this. The United States was responsible for this. He was disturbed. To the point that Jacqueline eventually paused the screen.

"Are you okay?"

"They dropped those bombs on Japan."

She paused, briefly and then nodded. "Yeah." When Steve didn't respond, she didn't know what to do or say. Honestly, she should have expected some kind of reaction like this. "It's disturbing, I know, not exactly one of our shining moments," she paused and scoffed. "Then again, we didn't really have a lot of good moments. A lot of the things we've done have been problematic and controversial."

"What do you think?" He asked.

She raised her brows, "About what?"

"About dropping the bombs. Do you think it was the right choice?"

He was really hitting down the nail. After placing her plate on the table, Jacqueline settled back and tucked her knees to her chest. She felt like she was in the middle of a group discussion in history class. She could just picture the teacher staring at her, waiting to see what kind of response she was going to give. "Personally and morally, it wasn't the right thing to do. But, Truman thought he was making the right choice. The plan to invade Japan had an estimation of casualties in the millions." She shrugged, "he probably thought that was the best decision in order to lower the number of casualties. I mean, no one can justify it, even now it's still debated as to whether he made the right choice."

Steve wrung his hands together, eyes focused on the paused screen. "And to think, we were supposed to be the good guys. And then we drop these bombs on two cities."

"You're gonna see a lot of that, Steve." Jacqueline continued. "You will see a lot of moments in which we were not at our best."

Could it be any worse than this? If it was possible, Steve couldn't fathom what that could be. This was already morally unjustified, what else has this country done since he's been gone? He will find out, soon enough. There were still several DVD's that needed to be watched, would he be able to stomach it? Most likely. He wanted to know everything, he wanted to see the progression of his country's social morale—or the depletion.

Jacqueline had offered to turn off the whole thing completely if Steve wasn't in the mood to continue. But, he declined. There wasn't that much for them to finish and he vouched to finishing it. They didn't have that much time and there was still a lot more for him to get through. So, they did. There was silence between them. Only the narrator's voice provided sound. Steve never asked any more questions. He remained still, eyes focused on the screen, taking in the information as it flashed across the monitor. Jacqueline's eyes flickered over to him, light from the TV washed over his face and his eyes, they looked almost glazed over. He was a wonder.

She blinked. Did she really just think that? Yes, she did. But, it was true. They were in a safe house, in the middle of nowhere. The first time they had met was in the confines of headquarters. Here everything was relaxed, Steve no longer had the tension built up on his shoulders. He was at ease. Again, this was a man she had only heard stories of. Being able to sit with him, talk to him, being able to cook food for him, it was almost mesmerizing. She really couldn't explain the feeling to herself. But, what she had thought previously was true. This was a wonder; he was a wonder.

...

It was late. The house was lit with only a few of the kitchen lights. The TV was off; the documentary had been finished. Jacqueline placed the two plates into the sink and turned to the island. The dish that had contained a whole lasagna, was almost gone, with only a corner of food left. Steve was really hungry. He had gotten up several times to cut himself more portions. She had no problem with it. At least it was good. She was afraid he wouldn't like it. Honestly, he could have absolutely hated the dish and just lied, saying that he liked it to make her feel better. But, that was just her own little paranoia working against her.

Taking out a container from the cabinet, Jacqueline scooped out the portion into the container and looked up when she saw Steve standing on the other side.

"You don't have to clean up."

"No, it's okay." She snapped on the lid and set it aside, "I don't mind. I'll just finish cleaning up here, then I'll head out to my place."

Steve nodded. "Sorry about eating practically all of it."

"You don't need to be sorry." She was bemused by his apology, so much so that she felt her lips spread with a smile. "I'm actually glad that you liked it."

"I did." His smile shot down any doubt she had about him not liking it. One thing she noticed early on, Steve was a little easy to read. "I enjoyed it a lot, thank you." He finished.

"You're very welcome." She took a quick glance over at the clock and tapped her finger against the counter, "It's pretty late. You might want to try and get some sleep."

Steve, who had been looking at Jacqueline's book, glanced up, making immediate eye contact. He held the look, for only a few seconds, before breaking the contact. "Yeah, probably. Are you sure you don't want me to help?" He gestured at the dirty dishes.

She dismissed his offer with a wave. "Don't worry about it, it's not that much. I'll handle this, you go get some rest."

He didn't move—he remained still, eyes still on hers with a gentle stare. This time, she couldn't make out what he was thinking. Okay, maybe he's not that easy to read. As a reflex, she merely smiled at him, which seemed to snap his reality back into place.

"Thank you," he was thanking her again, not that she could complain. "Thank you for everything you're doing."

"You're welcome."

With one final glance, Steve went to find a room to stay in but made sure to say one last thing. "Goodnight, Jacqueline."

A breath caught in her throat, the way he said her name, it sounded different coming from him. Swallowing a few times, she was finally able to regain her voice. "Goodnight, Steve."

A/N: So we finally have Jackie and Steve alone now. Next chapter is one of my favorites in terms of the conversation that they have! If you can, please leave a comment! They are always appreciated!!