𝐷𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑒~ 𝐵.𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑠

S E V E N T E E N

So now that you're all caught up with my tragic life story let's find out how Steve was alive and what he wanted.

"What are you doing here?" I ask the blond man that I lost over seventy years ago. "Director Fury sent me, hes from shield, you do know what shield is right?" He says making me smile, "I mean considering I helped found it, it'd be a bit concerning if I didn't." He laugh, "how are you still alive?" He asks me making me shrug, "I had an accident, and now I'm different." He looks confused, "different how?" I grow a snowflake from my fingertip making his eyes widen, "we don't really know, but it's water, I can control water freeze it boil it, you name it and I can probably do it."

"What happened to you?" He asks his eyes still very very wide, "if you want the short story, there was an attempted murder on me I was then thrown into a lake where something, I don't know what, healed me it's inside of me, a part of me now and why I can do the water tricks." He nods, "so you can just make it." I shake my head, "there's water molecules everywhere Steve, on our skin, in the air, inside of us, do you know humans are around sixty percent water?" He looks dumbstruck.

"Anyways what happened to you?" I ask, "I've been stuck in the ice for seventy years." I wince, "that's rough, but I know how you feel, I froze myself twice."

"What did Fury want?" I ask remembering what he had said around two minutes ago. "He needs your help." I shrug, "with what?" He hands me a file, "the tesseract?" He nods, "yeah no I'm not dealing with that." His mouth drops, "what?" He asks me in disbelief, "I told them not to mess around with it I'm not cleaning up the mess I tried to prevent." I shrug moving past him to continue to collect my things.

"You're kidding." I shake my head, "no I'm not." I tell him slinging my bag over my shoulder, "now if you excuse me I have to leave because my location is compromised." He grabs my arm to stop me, "Rosie please, I'm asking you to help." I look into his stupid puppy dog eyes and it turns out I still couldn't resist them, "fine, let's go." I say making him grin.

• • •

So that's how I found myself sat inside the Quinjet, beside Steve who is watching the footage of the Hulk's attack on the Army at Culver University. "We're about forty minutes out from base, sir." The pilot says, Agent Coulson stands up from his seat and walks over to us. "So, this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum that was used on me?" Steve asks as I play games on my phone.

"A lot of people were. You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula." I feel myself stop at the mention of that name, I shake away the memories associated and have to restart the game cause I died.

"Didn't really go his way, did it?" Steve asks as he watches the hulk rage. "Not so much. When he's not that thing though, guy's like a Stephen Hawking." I don't even have to look up to know that Steve is confused. "He's very smart like Einstein." I tell him making him nod.

"I gotta say, it's an honor to meet you, officially." Coulson says to Steve who smiles at him. "I sort of met you, I mean, I watched you while you were sleeping." I snort as Steve looks down. He stands up, closes his laptop and walks to the side with Coulson following. "I mean, I was... I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. You know, it's really, it's just a... just a huge honor to have you on board."

"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job." Steve says making me look at him, it was just so crazy to see that he was the exact same Steve I had grown up with. "Oh, you are. Absolutely. Uh... we've made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input." I try and hide my smile as I look down, he'd have to wear his uniform again I'd pay to see that.

"The uniform? Aren't the stars and stripes a little... old fashioned?" He asks, "well you're old fashioned." I say making him shoot me a playful glare. "With everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old fashioned."

• • •

"Agent Romanoff, agent Williams, Captain Rogers." Cookson says, "Burns and I'm not an agent anymore." I correct as Steve shoots me an inquisitive look, "sorry Miss." I shake my head, "it's ok." He nods and then leaves. "Williams?" Steve asks, "it's a long story." I say not wanting to get into it right now.

"Ma'am?" Steve says to agent Romanoff, "Hi." She says looking at us, I wave and then go back to my phone. "It was quite the buzz around here, finding you in the ice. I thought Coulson was gonna swoon. Did he ask you to sign his Captain America trading cards yet?" She says to Steve who looks to me confused, "Trading cards?" I nod, "They're vintage, he's very proud." Romanoff tells him.

"Dr. Banner." Steve says as we notice Bruce approach us, "Oh, yeah. Hi. They told me you'd be coming." He says, "Word is you can find the cube." Bruce nods, "Is that the only word on me?" He asks nervously. "Only word I care about." Classic Steve.

"Hey." I wave as he spots me, his eyes widen and his mouth drops, "You- you're Rosalie Williams, the famous movie star? But your dead?" He says in shock, "I wish." I mumble before shaking my head, "unfortunately not, I have not yet figured out how to die, but don't worry I'm working on it." I tell him making him crack a smile, "no I'm sorry that wasn't funny, I had a freak accident in the 40s and here we are." He nods still a bit shocked, "my parents were big fans my mom made me watch all your movies." He says making me smile, "that's cute, it's nice too meet you and I don't go by Williams anymore, I went back to Burns." He nods, "right after what happened I don't blame you." Steve looks to me again in confusion but I give him a look to say that I'll tell him later.

"It must be strange for you, all of this." Bruce says referring to the modern world, "Well, this is actually kind of familiar." Steve says after looking at a group of men in training.

"Gentlemen, you might want to step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breath." The Helicarrier starts to shake as it prepares to take "sail". Others abord strap down planes and Quinjets in preparation, "Is this a submarine?" Steve asks, "Really? They wanted me in a submerged, pressurized metal container?" I smile reassuringly at him, "you'll be fine." The two move closer to the edge of the Helicarrier. Four huge lift fans mounted on the sides starts to lift into the air as the ship takes flight. Steve watches in awe while Bruce just smiles.

"Oh, no. This is much worse." He says, before we all go inside. The doors part and we enter the bridge of the ship. A flurry of activity, dozens of agents sit in front of their viewscreens. Agent Hill shouts instructions to leave. "Gentlemen." He says spotting us, "lady." He says once he looks at me, I then watch Steve gives Fury 10 bucks. "Burns, thank you for coming." He says, "yeah yeah, you owe me."