I was there in Manhattan in 2012. I was there in Washington DC in 2014. I was in Sokovia when the murder-bots tried to destroy the world. It's the greatest of luck, isn't it? The Avengers have saved my life more times than I can count. I owe them so much. 

It was just my luck that, when I landed in Germany, trying to get away from my life in rural Ohio, a voice over the PA system told us to evacuate the airport as soon as possible. I was in the parking lot and had just finished packing my stuff into my rental car. Something inside me just screamed 'Avengers'. I had never really been the person to follow my gut- for all I knew it could have just been gas- but something here felt urgent. I needed to see if I was right.

I found them in the very same parking garage, only a few levels down. To say I was disappointed that Iron Man, War Machine, Vision, and Black Widow weren't there would have been a major understatement. There was, however, a man I didn't recognize. Something big was about to happen, something bad, but this was my one chance to tell them what they needed to know, to tell them how much they meant to so many people. 

The man I knew to be James Barnes saw me first, half hiding behind a column because I was afraid to approach them. I resisted the urge to wave at him. 

"Steve," Barnes said, alerting the rest of the group to my presence. Captain America turned around to look at me and I almost fainted. I sucked in a deep breath and moved out from behind the column. 

"Ma'am, you shouldn't be here. It isn't safe," Captain America said, walking forward to intercept me. I had to bite my lower lip to keep from screaming out of excitement. I couldn't believe this was happening. This had to be a dream. I mean, Captain America just called me "Ma'am". I straightened myself out, after all, I was in the presence of superheroes. 

"I know. I probably shouldn't be here and I probably shouldn't be distracting you from whatever seriousness you guys are up to, but you do so much for all of us normal people that I thought I should give something back to you." I pulled a slip of paper out of my pocket that I had carried around since 2012 and offered it to the blonde beauty in front of me. "My phone number and address. If you need anything, a shower, a bed, food, a place to lay low for a while, call me. Kara Lewis." I stood there for a second, refusing for my eyes to wander to the others. As Captain America took the paper, I felt my face heat up and let out a chuckle (well, it was more like a giggle, but that's embarrassing). 

"Yeah, I'm gonna go...golly gee..okay. If you hear me scream, I'm not in any danger, I just have negative amounts of mental stability and you guys are superheroes...superheroes, man....and you have stuff to do...okay. Bye." I turned and walked away after that, feeling like an idiot. 

"Thank you, Kara," I heard the Captain call after me. I turned around to wave and tripped backwards over a rock. A few of them lurched froward to make sure I was okay, but I popped back up. 

"Sorry," I said, lifting my hands in an apology. "I'm gone." 

I couldn't help but feel stupid all the way back to my hotel. I turned on the TV and clicked through the channels until I saw something on the news channel that caught my eye. They were going through all of everything that had happened while I was on the plane to Germany. The Sokovia Accords, The UN bombing, James Barnes as the suspect, Iron Man on the case. Everything suddenly made sense. That's what they were doing at the airport, trying to get away. I sighed deeply as the News casters talked about my heroes as criminals. I just hoped they'd all make it out alive. 

I never expected them to turn up on my doorstep 3 months later. 

I was sitting in my home, back in Ohio. It was one of my off days from both my jobs and I was lounging in my pajamas, rewatching Harry Potter, when a knock came to the door. I stood and straightened my wrinkling pajama shorts. I opened the door to find Captain America, holding the Falcon upright. 

"Captain America." His name came out as a gasp. I was about to start crying from joy when I saw a bullet hole in the Falcon's side. 

"Ma'am..."

"Bring him inside, quickly." I held the door open and glanced back and forth outside as Captain America brought his wounded friend inside. "Lay him on the couch." 

I ran to the bathroom as he did so to get the medkit. As a part time nurse, I thought have a medical kit always fully stocked at all times would be a good idea. I guess I was right. I rushed back to my tiny living room, hardly noticing that Harry Potter was still playing in the background. 

"Can you help?" the Captain asked. I attempted to smile. 

"I said I would, didn't I?" After pulling a pair of gloves on to my hands, I cut the Falcon's shirt down the middle. I had to keep myself from screaming once again. The first reason was because this guy was seriously ripped and the second was because, in all honesty, I had never dealt with a bullet wound before. 

"I'm alright, Cap. Had worse," Falcon said, his eyes half closed. 

"Hush, no talking," I scolded.

"Sorry, Doc." 

"What can I do?" Captain asked. 

"I...uh...need water. Clean water. There are bowls in the cupboard above the sink." I turned back to my patient with a swab in my hands. "This is going to hurt." 

"Been shot before," Falcon replied, voice slurred. I knew how to take out a bullet and fix up the wound, but I had never done it before. I sucked in a deep breath and went to work. The Captain set a bowl next to me. I pulled a rag out of of the medkit and started cleaning the wound and the blood off of his skin. I pulled out a large pair of pliers out of my medical kit. I sucked in a deep breath and pressed the pliers inside the wound. The Falcon let out a pained grunt. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." I mumbled. "I...uh...what...um." My breath went ragged as I felt the bullet with the tweezers. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." I said as he curled his hands around the couch cushion. "I got it." I breathed deeply and pulled the bullet from the wound and set them both on the ground. I took a cloth and pressed it against the bleeding wound. I felt Captain America put his hand on my shoulder. 

"You're doing great, Doc," Falcon said, looking slightly pale. "I'm not dead, am I?" I smiled uneasily. 

I turned to the Captain. "Keep pressure here while I thread a needle." 

Captain nodded and traded places with me on the floor. I threaded the needle as quickly as my trembling, bloody hands could. Captain removed the cloth when I told him I was ready. 

"It didn't hit anything important," I said aloud as I began to sew up the wound. It was around that time that Falcon fell into unconsciousness. 

"Hey, Falcon, stay with me pal," I said as I finished sewing up the wound. "How much blood has he lost?" 

Captain stammered. 

"A lot, I think. It took a while to get here."

"It is a little tricky to find me. Well, he's going to need more blood," I told him. I finished tying up the thread and cut the needle away. I pulled the makeshift blood transfusion kit I had in my possession ever since the Alien's invaded. I pulled the plastic off of the two needles with my teeth. The Captain started to roll up his sleeves, but I shook my head at him. 

"Oh no, Captain. Sorry, but your blood is too precious. Besides, I'm O positive."

I found the vein in my arm and stabbed the needle into it before gently pushing the other needle into Falcon's vein. I watched the blood move smoothly through the tube, from my body to his. The Captain watched Falcon's face. 

A few minutes later, I felt my eyes start to droop. 

"It's working," the Captain said, seeing the color returning to his friend's face. He looked over at me with a smile, only to find that I was half unconscious. "I think that's enough for now." 

I shook my head wearily, trying to perk my body back up. 

"I'm alright. He needs more." My voice was raspy and my throat tight. Captain shook his head.

"No, Miss Devereaux-"

"Kara. My name is Kara." 

"Kara...I can't let you die of blood loss trying to save his life. You can give him more later. He'll be fine." 

I looked over at the Captain, his beautiful blue eyes staring back at me. For a second, I thought it was all a dream. He gave me a stiff nod. I sucked in a deep breath and, as I let it out, pulled the needle from my arm. I lifted the tubing up so the rest of the blood inside would still go to the Falcon. I covered the small puncture hold in my arm with a cotton ball and kept it there with a rubber band. Once I removed the needle from the Falcon's arm, I did the same. 

I struggled to stand, my legs wobbling underneath me. Lucky for me there was a Super Soldier standing right next to me. He took my arm to stabilize me. 

"Are you alright?" He asked in the kindest voice I had ever heard in my entire life. 

"Well, Captain America and the Falcon are in my house, I just pulled my first bullet out of someone and did a DIY blood transfusion, and the world is spinning. I think I'm doing pretty alright," I said with a droopy smile. Captain America helped me to my small table, an amused smile on his face. 

"I guess you are." He looked at me for a few moments, as if trying to figure out if I had something up my sleeve. "Thank you for this. I didn't know where else to go." 

"Don't worry about it. It's not every day a small town girl like me gets to help her heroes." 

After a few more moments of silence, I spoke up again. 

"So, Captain America-"

"Steve."

"Oh no, I can't call my hero Steve." 

"If I get to call you Kara, you call me Steve."

"Fine then, Steve, do superheroes drink coffee?"

"They do." 

"Good. Cause I really need some coffee." 

The two superheroes stayed at my house for a week, giving the Falcon time before they go back to their super secret base in Wakanda where someone more professional could help. I could hardly sleep knowing that two of my personal heroes were asleep in my house, just a few feet away from me. It was almost too much for my little heart to take. There were a few times, in the morning, when Steve would walk around without a shirt on, seemingly forgetting that I lived there. I would literally have to crawl through my bedroom window and leave the house so I could pull myself together and breathe properly. I mean, what would you have done? I didn't know that anyone could look so beautiful half naked. Of course, he apologized profusely after each time, but I assured him it was a sight for sore eyes. He always laughed. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared they were going to break something when I went to work in that week. I didn't have much in my tiny house, but what I did have meant something to me. I wouldn't have been happy if someone broke in trying to kill them and they smashed my grandmother's favorite vase. But they were good house guests. Steve made dinner before I got home (or breakfast, depending on what time of day I arrived back at my house). The Falcon (who forced me to call him Sam once he woke up) always made the couch after he slept in it. They cleaned the dishes. They didn't track mud into the house. Sam took out the trash once or twice. Steve even cleaned my bathroom without ruining my make-up. 

I cried when they left. I didn't let them see, of course, but after I closed the door I felt the tears build up so quickly. I didn't know them leaving affected me so bitterly. I guess it was because my life was the same old thing, day in and day out. Go to the hospital, patch up some people, go to the studio, teach teenagers to dance, go home, eat food and watch movies. Nothing ever seemed to change, until Steve and Sam showed up at my door. I made sure, before they left, to tell them that any of their friends, any of the Avengers, were welcome in my home. 

I won't say they took my hospitality for granted, but they didn't waste an opportunity when they saw one. The first 2 months were only emergencies. Then, maybe, Hawkeye- sorry, Clint- would think the coffee at Starbucks was over priced or Steve would need some help understanding a new fad (which I wasn't very useful for, seeing as I lived outside of the Fad Bubble). T'challa scared the crap out of me when he first appeared inside my house in his Blank Panther suit, but the guy was a real teddy bear. 

Eventually, they started dropping by as friends. Every week or so I'd come home from work and see that Natasha Romanoff had gotten into my chocolate stash or the Wanda had another nightmare. I saw Tony Stark only once and never James Rhodes, which made me sad, but I knew they'd come around eventually. Ant-Man, or Scott Lang, he always knew when I had a bad day because he'd always be in my house with a bottle of wine and an endless array of jokes. 

There was someone else I never saw: James Barnes. I asked Steve about it on one of the days when they were all over for coffee and bacon. We were out on the balcony alone, so I felt awful and awkward when he sighed deeply and looked down at the view below us. I put my hand on his shoulder in hopes to comfort him without speaking, because it was obvious he didn't want to talk. I lowered my hand. 

"You know, my mom's a psychologist. If any of you ever need to talk, I've learned a thing or two." 

Steve found it in himself to smile, which brought a smile to my own face. 

Life moved so fast those days that I hardly had time to think. However, after 6 months of Avengers dropping in at random times, it all stopped. For an entire month, I saw none of them. It gave me all the time in the world to think. 

What was I doing, pretending to be friends with the Avengers, superheroes? I wouldn't be able to help them when it finally mattered. I wouldn't be able to fight. I was a stick and the only strength I had was from dancing. And what was I doing trying to give them psychiatric help? Who was I kidding?

So, I added another thing to my daily schedule. I started taking an MMA class and taught myself to shoot a gun. I was hoping, at the very least, I would be able to defend myself when it really mattered. I thought, maybe, just maybe, if there was a battle the the Avengers needed my help, I could actually be useful. (Again, who was I kidding? A normal human with minimal training helping gods and super soldiers? Ridiculous.)

Just when I was starting to worry that my friends weren't coming back, a disgruntled man showed up at my door. Again, I was wearing my pajamas. It was hot that day, so I was only in a tank top and short shorts. Yeah, that's what I was wearing upon my first meeting of The Winter Soldier aka Steve's best friend aka Bucky aka James Barnes. 

Wonderful.

***

Heyyyyy, y'all. So I've had part of this story written since Civil War came out. It's an AU and I don't even know if I'm going to include the Canon infinity war when it comes out. I honestly just want this to be a light hearted (with minimal angst, but, you know me, I can't help myself), fluffy story about a small town girl with no super powers and nothing really special about her except her big heart (and lack of luck) falling in love with the ex-assassin who is James Barnes. I want it to be beautiful.

How she reacts to her new friends is sort of how I'd expect any normal person to react to meeting the Avengers; awkward, fangirly, maybe a little bit of drooling. She's supposed to be sort of like a real human being, unlike in most stories that have civilians in them. 

I would love to implore you to read my other Bucky Barnes fanfiction, Flesh and Bone, which is dark and gritty and nothing like this one at all. It would mean the world to me. 

All of the other author's notes won't be this long, but I just want you guys to know how much I truly love, care, and appreciate you. Your support means the world to me.

If you have any suggestions, just let me know, I'd love to hear them and try to incorporate them into my story. Thank you all for joining me on this journey.

with great love and admiration,
authorsbane