Respect | S. Rogers [1]

43 | TRUTHS & APOLOGIES

May 2012
SHIELD Helicarrier

Not even half an hour after she had started reviewing her sketches a knock sounded on her door.

She stood up from the small bed in the room and walked to the sliding door opening it, she was taken back at the person on the other side.

"Steve?"

"Hi, uh...are you...busy?" he asked apprehensively.

She shook her head. "No, no I mean I was doing something but wasn't really getting anywhere...do you... want to come in?" she offered.

He looked surprised but then recovered, it was why he had gone there in the first place. "Yeah, if that's okay," she nodded moving aside so he could come in.

She motioned him to sit down and he did it on the edge of the bed. Slowly she walked over to him, sitting beside him, keeping a distance that wasn't either too short or too far.

There was a moment of silence both of them deep in their thoughts, processing that it was the first time they had been alone together in more than six decades.

"I wanted to apologize," he said to her. "I... I was wrong in treating you harshly the past few days," he glanced at her and she looked back. "Everything has changed so much and... I guess it was easier to hold on to the anger I felt against you than trying to give you a chance because that meant that what I was feeling when I went into...you know which was the only thing that remained constant for the past months would change too. And I'm just tired of changes, for good or bad. And it was wrong for me to put you in the middle of my own struggles and not even giving you a chance to explain because of my selfish reasons. So, I'm sorry."

His eyes no longer carried that resentment towards her, instead they were looking at her with regret, shame. She smiled faintly at him. "Thank you, and it's okay. I forgive you. I understand too."

Steve nodded looking down at his hands. "I am sorry."

"I know. I'm sorry too," she told him and he glanced at her with a frown confused. "For back then, for lying to you, I didn't want to do it, but I didn't think there was another way," she told him and his brows relaxed, though his expression was grave.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize for that. I know there's a lot I don't know and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to or don't feel ready."

Rose scoffed in disbelief. "I've waited for this moment way too long, trust me. If I tell you anything it's not because I'm forcing myself to do it," she explained to him.

He nodded and she continued. "I did work for Hydra but it wasn't by choice. Dr He-My father...he was a scientist who was recruited by them. He had this twisted idea that I was meant to do great things... my mom-," she paused breathing shakily, "she took me away from him as a way to protect me from him and what he wanted to do with me and ran away, but by then it was too late and my father had resources that he used to track us down. He and Hydra kidnapped us. I was seven, I think."