Out Of Time

fourteen

Agent Coulson kept telling Y/N that being in a different time would get easier as time went on, but Y/N felt like it was just getting harder. For the past month, Y/N has been living at SHIELD's DC Headquarters, the Triskelion. Agent Coulson said it's to ease her into society, but she knows that they're just waiting to see if she will do something. For the most part, she stays silent, going through the motions to do the testing and training SHIELD wants. Coulson is the closest thing she has to a friend. He's there everyday, trying to get her to open up more. She appreciates it, but ends up hiding her tears every time he mentions his love for Captain America and his vintage trading cards. She usually excuses herself to the restroom quickly after her brother is mentioned.

Y/N began struggling with the concept of time. For her, she lost Bucky and fought side by side with Steve a few weeks ago. For everyone else, it was decades ago. Director Fury is careful when it comes to sharing information about the people she knew. At first, he explains SHIELD, what it is and who founded it. The next day, Fury lets Y/N know that Peggy is alive. She immediately insists on seeing her, convincing him that it would help her. Peggy was brought in three days later. Peggy was much older than Y/N now. 87 years old, but still going strong. The two women held onto each other and cried. Peggy tells her of Steve's last moments, and how he had promised her a dance.

"Howard searched for both of you, endlessly," Peggy stated as she gripped onto Y/N's hands. "He found the cube but never could find a trace of you or Steve."

"How is Howard?" Y/N asked. Peggy paused, looking down at their clasped hands. "Peggy? What's wrong?"

"Howard... He... He and his wife, Maria, died in a car accident in 1991."

"What?"

"Official report says it was an accident. But..."

"But Howard helped found SHIELD. So it couldn't have been an accident... I just... Howard... He..."

"He never stopped looking for you two. Said it owed it to you."

"He didn't owe me a thing... Did he have any children?"

"Yes, one. His name is Anthony. He goes by Tony though and is way too much like his father for his own good."

In the weeks that followed, Y/N began to have nightmares about falling out of the plane and the blue cube. Coulson, who was staying in the room next door on Fury's orders, frequently comforted Y/N at night after waking up to her screaming. It wasn't uncommon for Coulson to her Y/N call out for Steve or Bucky. It hurt him to hear her to desperate for them.

After Y/N had been awake for about a month and a half, Fury brought in two of his best Agents, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff, to train her. Y/N threw herself into it, welcoming a distraction. Just like back in the forties, she was passing all the tests with flying colors. When she wasn't training, she was studying up on what she had missed and learning all the new technology. Everyone was surprised at how fast she was adapting to the twenty first century. Y/N really struggled with it, she just wouldn't let it show. She knew that she needed to push herself in order to be able to actually live a life in this new age.

Though the government wanted to make a huge deal about Y/N's discovery, Fury and the rest of SHIELD had convinced them to not tell the press. Fury saw Y/N as an asset for information in the field. He also knew that Y/N didn't want all the attention that would come with the world knowing that she had survived.

As she trained and was tasked to go on missions as a field agent, she became close with the agents that were tasked to watch her. It was nice. She had woken up in a new time without anyone, but they had become her little family.

It had been almost two years after she had woken up, when Director Fury threw a file on Y/N's desk.

"What's this?" She questioned, carefully picking up the large file.

"Your first solo assignment," Fury responded.

"Sir, I don't know if-"

"You're ready, Agent Rogers. You've passed every test, even better than Romanoff. You've successfully completed every team mission you've been on, exceeding every expectation in the book. Frankly, you're over qualified for this mission."

"What exactly is the mission?" Y/N asked as she began flipping through the file.

"Personal security to the CEO of Stark Industries, Tony Stark."

Y/N's head snapped up to look at Fury. "Howard's son? I thought he was missing."

"The US Military found him about four hours ago. He's on his way home and you've already been hired. His personal assistant, as well as the board of his company, seemed very desperate to get him a personal security guard."

"Am I suppose to go under cover?"

"Yes."

"How do we know Howard never talked about me? Or had a picture of me with him?"

"No need to worry. He didn't."

"Oh." It kind of stung a little, the fact that Howard never mentioned her. "What name am I using?"

"Y/N Barnes."

She sucked in a breath, clenching her eyes shut. "Really?"

"We thought it would be the only name you'd be comfortable with. Too late to change it now. Your alias background files are already public knowledge, you should review them the way there."

"When do I leave?"

"You have an hour to pack up, then you and Agent Coulson will be flying out to Los Angeles. Coulson is going to be your point guy on this. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Why this case, sir? Out of any case, why Tony Stark?"

Fury sighed. "I knew Howard, personally."

"You did? Why haven't you-"

"I never said anything because you haven't needed to know. And you don't need to know everything I know just yet."

"You can't-"

"I can do whatever I want, Agent. You work for me. Now, quit wasting time. Romanoff will help you pack."

Y/N gave a simple nod as Fury turned around and left her office. She glanced back down at the file, brushing her fingers over Tony's pictures. He was so Howard's son. She sniffled, not really wanting to cry, but it was moments like this that made her miss the forties. Natasha Romanoff was already in Y/N's room, packing, when she arrived.

"Are you excited?" Romanoff smiled. "First solo assignment."

"Yeah... I just..." Y/N sighed. "I just wish that it wasn't Howard's son. It's going to be weird."

"From what I understand, he's even more of a playboy than his father."

"That's not helping, Nat. And if he's such a playboy, why am I going?"

"Fury is convinced you're up for the job. I thought you'd be more excited than this."

"I'm just nervous, I guess. I don't feel ready."

"You don't feel ready? Hell, if you don't feel ready, I shouldn't be going out in the field." Nat took Y/N by the shoulders, turning her to face her. "You're more than ready. You got this."

"I got this."