Daughter of the Shield

Chapter 1

August of 1939
Peggy Carter stood on the small balcony of the apartment she had just purchased in Brooklyn. Steve would have loved the view. Peggy looked down at her growing stomach, smiling at the thought of the little one growing inside her. Upon finding out she was pregnant Peggy was the most terrified she had ever been. And knowing she would have to raise Steve's child without him crushed her. But she had to be strong, for both her and the child. "We're going to be alright" She whispered. The baby kicked in response.

1956
"Hey, Mom!" Peggy smiled as her now sixteen-year-old daughter entered her office.
"Hi hon, I'm almost done and then we can go get lunch" Joann nodded and took a seat on her mom's chair. "I have to go give this to Uncle Howard and then we can go" Peggy grabbed some files and ruffled Joannes blond hair before heading out. A few minutes later a man, who was obviously a SHIELD agent stepped in.
"Your Mother sent me to bring you to the car" Joann nodded and followed the man out of the building. Upon stepping outside Joann did not see the usual car her mother had them ride in.
"What's going-" A hand wrapped itself around her mouth before she could finish. Joann instantly stomped on the man's foot, probably breaking a toe or two. She broke free and started to sprint away. Two more men rounded the corner and grabbed her, the third one limped over and helped the other two. She tried to scream but they shoved a cloth over her mouth. Whatever chemical it had been soaked it knocked her out within seconds.

1994
Joann Carter sat in a small cafe somewhere in Chicago. It was no New York but she could never go back there. After escaping Hydra she had gone back to Brooklyn, only to find her mother had married and had kids. Joann was not exactly surprised. How could she not expect her Mother to move on after ten years? Joann did not want to ruin what Peggy had built, so she left.
"Another black coffee?" Joann looked up to see the waitress.
"Yes please," the waitress smiled and refilled Joann's mug. A few minutes late the waitress returned with a chocolate croissant. "I didn't order this"
"The man over there paid for it. Says he's a friend of yours" Joann looked across the cafe to see a man who looked to be in his thirties starring at her. He smiled and slightly waved. His appearance screamed Shield agent, but he could be Hydra for all she knew. The man stood up and approached her table. Joanne quickly grabbed her butter knife and hid it in her lap. She would not go down without a fight.
"My name is Phil Coulson, may I sit?"
"Something tells me you're going to no matter what I say" Joann kept an emotionless expression as the man sat down.
"I'm a representative from Shield, we've been looking for you for a long time Miss Carter" He showed his Shield badge to prove his claim.
"Why?"
"Your mother was director of Shield for some time, she found it. You've been on our missing person's list for almost forty years" Phil seemed surprised that Joann thought no one was looking for her.
"I was presumed dead in 1966, so why would Shield still be looking for me ?" Joann wasn't buying it. They knew something, something that made her valuable to them.
"An agent saw you in London last year. Imagine our surprise at finding out Joann Carter is alive and well but hasn't aged a day" There it was! They wanted to know more about her abilities.
"So let me guess, you want to bring me in, to see if you can duplicate what makes me stay young and strong so you can make more soldiers just like my father"
"Quite the opposite, we want to help you. You've been on your own since you escaped the Hydra base you were held at. The current Director wants to bring you in as an agent. You could be a valuable asset to our team" Phil explained. He wasn't lying. Joann always knew when someone was lying. "We don't know what you've been through or even how you escaped. But I promise you, I will personally see to it that you are not experimented on or used for such things"
"I have one condition"
"Name it"
"My mother must never know I'm alive" Peggy had built a life, had grieved and moved on. It would not be fair for Joann to suddenly show up and mess up that all up.
"Alright, can I ask why?"
"No, I just met you, I don't trust you and I have no reason to do so."
"That's fair, can I ask why you've accepted my offer?"
"I don't have a job, I have no place to live. You're offering me an opportunity that I'd be an idiot to turn down. But if you betray me in any way, I'm gone"
"You've got a deal" They shook on it.

2009
"Good to see you Agent Jo" Joanne, who now went by Jo, smiled as she stepped off the quinjet.
"Make it quick Coulson, I'm tired and smell like the sewers" She had just returned from a mission in Spain. Spain did not have nice sewers.
"Just wanted to see how the mission went" Phil had personally trained Jo over the years during which they had become good friends. Phil never liked that Jo went on missions alone, but it was better to keep her a secret. Plus, she worked better when she didn't have to worry about anyone else.
"It went fine, I caught the guy and confiscated the weapon. Can I go shower now?" Phil laughed but nodded. Jo didn't even say goodbye before heading to her apartment.

Jo owned a small place in Brooklyn. When she found out she would have to live in New York to work with Shield, she made it mandatory that she wanted to live in her home. There was no chance of running into her mother since Peggy moved a few years after Jo disappeared. Understandable, why would she want to live in the place that reminded her of her dead daughter? Jo happily took a shower and threw on some sweats and a t-shirt. She was not due to debrief on the mission till tomorrow. You can bet she planned to sleep till then. Sadly, those plans were interrupted by a phone call.
"What?"
"This is Director Fury"
"Nice to hear from you Director, again I ask, What?" Normally Fury what of have at least chuckled, but his tone remained serious.
"I need you to come in"
"Why?"
"Don't question me right now, just get to my office girl!" Fury hung up before she could argue. Jo groaned and went to put on a pair of jeans.

"God damn it, Fury! I just finished a mission, what do you want now?" Jo exclaimed walking into the Director's office. Fury sat behind his large desk, with Coulson standing beside him. Well, something was definitely wrong.
"Have a seat, Jo" Normally Jo would have argued, but something in Fury's expression made her sit.
"What's going on?"
"How much do you know about your father?" This took Jo by surprise. They had discussed her mother before, but everyone knew Jo's father was a topic she hated to discuss.
"Same as you. Super Soldier serum turned him into Captain America. He saved the world by plummeting a plane full of nukes into the Atlantic. Body was never recovered"
"Until now"
"What?"
"We found him, Jo, we found your dad. His body froze in that ocean, and he survived" Phil said lightly. They were nervous, afraid of how Jo would react.
"Where is he?"
"Being monitored by our best doctors till he wakes up. We thought it might be good for you to be there when he does, to help him understand what happened" Jo stared at Fury for a moment.
"Let me make this clear, you will not tell him I exist. As far as Steve Rogers knows, he has no daughter. I will not see him, I will not speak to him, and that is final" Jo walked out before either of them could argue.
"Jo!" Jo did not turn around at the sound of Coulson following her. "Jo, what's going on?" he passed her and blocked Jo's path.
"I don't want to discuss it" She tried to step by but Coulson wasn't having it.
"No, come on! Talk to me" Jo sighed. Coulson was the only friend she had. He deserved her trust.
"I never knew him. He died before my mom could even tell him she was pregnant. You know me, I'm better off alone. Besides, the guy is about to wake up and find himself in a completely different century with all his friends dead. He doesn't need the responsibility of being a father to make things more complicated."
"But don't you think it would make things better for to at least know he has family left?"
"Who would want me as their family?" this time, Phil didn't stop her.