recruited | open rp post!

She's hard to forget from the war. The stubborn nurse who always gave Dum Dum a run for his money when he came back from an op or just drinking with a new injury. Forcing the bigger man into submission long enough to be treated. He got to know her more when he had to hold Dum Dum down during certain procedures. Things where four hands were required. Steve Rogers never leaves a man to suffer alone. She rebuffs nearly every advance made on her by Bucky or any other soldier. She can keep a tent full of soldiers quiet long enough to make medical announcements. She's something special.

He remembers saying goodbye to her at HQ. After planning the assault on Red Skull. He gave her a smile and said he'd be back for an exit physical when this was all over. With Red Skull out of the way getting after Hitler would become much easier. War could end. But his plane goes down and Steve wakes up in a whole new world. Cold and different than what he's grown used to. He settles into the new swing of things. Treading water a bit here and there, but ultimately Captain America stays busy. Like he always should.

The Avengers are the ones that notices the disturbance. The vibrations shifting and the smallest hole being ripped through the dimension. Not even Steve fully understands the science, but Tony's practically foaming at the mouth. Bruce following behind him equally as excited, but less obvious about it. When they track down the anomaly Steve is the only one to recognize her. It's a beat or two before Natasha recognizes her from old SHIELD reports she'd memorized years before. But it doesn't make sense to her. It doesn't make sense to him either. But she's there. Just like he remembers.

Escorting her back to the compound is quick and painless. He sets her up in a room and leaves her to collect herself. Whatever she needs. He doesn't want to crowd too close. Overwhelm her. Tony and Bruce start in on finding her a way back. Trying to understand what happened and turn fiction into science. Neither wanting to believe fairies were responsible for anything. Natasha loans her clothes and Clint stays back. No real vested interest. Thor however is more jolly than he should be and likely comes by too often to check on her status and ask if she needs food. Eventually Steve turns the big guy away.

He knocks quickly on her door hoping to check up on her himself. Maybe talk if she needs it. Explain exactly what happened with a little more detail.

It has to be a dream.

There's too much noise and too much that's beyond comprehension. Super soldiers she can stomach. It's science. It makes sense. But that one singular thing seems normal in comparison to everything else. There's just one familiar face, one thing that makes any sort of sense in this madness (though the name Stark plastered on so much is enough to catch her attention, too), and Claire's alarmingly quiet throughout it all. Not herself. Shell shocked. She recognizes that much. Better to shut it down, stop the panic, and when the time comes she'll sort it all out.

Except it takes quite a long time for that to happen. There's a lot of people. A lot of strange things.

She's fiddling with her new clothing when there's a knock. Claire's quite a bit taller than Natasha, less curves, and so the clothes hang awkwardly on her frame and she's glad there's at least a long, cozy robe to wrap around the shirt that's not quite long enough to cover her middle and the jeans that just barely stay at her hips while not managing to get to her ankles. It's enough for now.

She expects Tony or Bruce or Thor--he's the most difficult of the group to swallow, really--and so it's with a barely withheld sigh that she goes to open the door.

"Really, I'm fi--oh. Hello." How awkward. She's very much not fine and very much obviously relieved to see Steve instead of Thor, and she minds her manners after a long moment, stepping back so that he can enter.

"Welcome to my cell."

He still hasn't told her everything. Tony's apparent connection to Howard probably something she might have deduced, but he's happy to explain. He's happy to tell her what happened to Howard later. She likely deserves to know. He'll bring her up to speed on Peggy and the ultimate twist that was Bucky's fate. There's so much he'll have to tell her, but he's not looking to overwhelm her with information. He doubts she'd be able to handle it that well given everything else she's had to swallow.

Steve musters up a smile. Though maybe muster isn't the right word with her. It's easy to smile seeing her. Mostly because she's one of the few faces from his time that hasn't changed. Bucky's doesn't count. Despite the lack of aging things aren't the same there. "Hi." He waits for a nonverbal invitation before stepping into her space. A soft chuckle escaping as she proceeds to describe it as her cell. Steve looks around for a moment before letting his gaze settle on her.

"Most cells don't come with televisions or wifi. But I've only seen a few." He shrugs. "How're you--uh--" He struggles to find the right word. Running through a list of them in order to describe this situation. He knows it's disorienting. He knows that better than most. "--I guess coping? I know it's a lot. I felt the same way when I woke up."

"Wifi. The internet." Look, someone explained things to her. Not that there was much comprehension there when she was given a child's explanation of how to choose something to watch and something called a "Netflix." She's not really done more than sit on the edge of her bed and and stare at each object in the room. A place she retreats to now, sitting gingerly and trying to look braver than she feels.

"Then I suppose you know how I'm coping." Not great, but what other option is there but to try and do better? A deep breath heaves her shoulders and she shakes her head. "Everything I know is gone. I belong in a museum."

Tony will probably come around with a crash course. He's better with that stuff. He understands it. Probably knows how to explain it to people of a certain age. People that didn't grow up with it. For as sarcastic and smug as Tony can seem he does know how to talk. Especially about things that he's passionate about. These days he's squashed a little of the obnoxious ego, but it still rolls under the surface. He just hopes that he keeps it in check around Claire. She probably needs more than ego and smarmy remarks at this point.

"Said to the guy that's actually in one." He shakes his head. "Smithsonian. Long story." That exhibit still makes him pause. So much of his life on display. He wonders just how serious the world takes him at times. "The feeling of everything being gone doesn't ever go away. Especially when you have walking reminders like Tony. It's hard not to look at him and see Howard, but it gets bearable with each day." He wants to make it better, but he knows it just takes time. "You're not alone, Claire. I know it feels like you are, but you aren't."

"That must mean you aren't alone, either." She's not sure how long he's been here. Long enough to have a place in the world, even when he's from another time entirely. A wry smile as she bites back something that might smart. You have it easier. He's a hero. Her?

"Suppose I can't just wander into a hospital and find something to do. I'm outdated." The world doesn't need a World War II nurse. A hero? Apparently it can't have enough. She shakes her head and looks down at her hands folded on her lap. Her hands shake when they're not clasping one another.

"They're not going to be able to find a way to send me back, are they?"

He bites his tongue. Almost explaining that for some time he was alone. Surrounded by SHIELD agents and Fury. People telling him it'll be okay and that he just needs to properly slide back into the world. But not one of them understood the difficulty of it all. Seeing the world so drastically changed. It didn't matter if he was a hero once upon a time before the ball got rolling he was Steve Rogers. The world had forgotten about Captain America.

Steve shakes his head quickly. "You're not outdated, Claire. You're just a little behind." He refuses to admit that. She was one of the smartest nurses he knew back during the war. Quick thinking. Clever. She always had the answer. "You're surrounded by a bunch of people who get shot at constantly. We could use a few more hands that know how to patch up a bullet wound. We'll get you caught up if you want." Tony can make miracles happen. Bruce as well.

There's a heavy sigh that unintentionally falls from his lips. "Truthfully I don't know. I wanna say yes. Tony built a suit that flies from metal. Bruce turns into a giant green monster. Thor's trying to find another tear out there. He's a god. You're surrounded by a lot of impossible people. They sort of specialize in this. We're not gonna give up on you. You have my word."

She lifts an eyebrow at that. A little? Medically speaking, she might as well be from the middle ages. But she understands that he's trying to help, trying to make her feel better, and though she doubts anything can do that right now, she appreciates the effort. He's always been a sweetheart. Good to see that hasn't changed.

"And if I do go back, what? They'll think I'm mad. That Captain America is now in 2000-something, and I've been there to see it." She motions at the room around them. "How am I supposed to explain all this, or simply go on as usual? And what stops me from screwing up history?"

Maybe a little isn't the right way to put it, but Steve knows she's smart enough to catch on. She was one of the smartest women he knew back then. She could easily catch up on what she needed. Tony would figure something out for her. Some way to fast track and apply the knowledge she had before to things now. He knows it seems bleak now for her, but that's just the fear talking. Eventually her instincts will kick in.

"I doubt Howard or Peggy will think you're crazy. Howard's always been a forward thinker." Steve gives a light raise of his shoulders. Not entirely sure that he has all the answers she wants. He's just as empty and lost as the rest of them. "I don't know, Claire. Maybe one day you'll make things better if that happens."

I don't know aren't the best words to hear. Leaning forward, elbow on her knees, Claire cradles her face in her hands.

"This is just--a lot. I'm sorry." For what? She doesn't know, either. So much unknown.

They aren't, but he doesn't want to lie to her. He doesn't want to pretend he has all the answers. Because it's not the truth. But one thing Steve does know is that he'll figure this out for her and with her. Together. He's not gonna stop until he can make this easier on her.

He steps towards the bed and takes a seat. He reaches out tentatively and presses a warm hand to the middle of her back. "Don't apologize. I know I don't have the answers now, but that doesn't mean we won't find them. It's just gonna take some time."

The touch goes mostly unnoticed, though she does lift her head to look at him. "And until then? I doubt anyone here is going to let me wander down the street with how quickly you all brought me here. What if I meet... some descendant of mine? Or stumble into some nursing home and find myself, if I somehow manage to cling to life this long?"

Christ.

"Hey. No. We're not treating you like a prisoner, Claire. Nat's actually on that right now. She's trying to hunt you down and anyone that might have come from you. She'll get those answers and then we'll make a plan." It's a lot to swallow. The fact that you could still exist out there somewhere. Older. Different. Aged. He doesn't want to think too long about it because it makes him think of Peggy. How time took her mind in pieces. "We only brought you here so quickly cause we wanted to give you some stability. When I first woke up from the ice they thought it'd be better to ease me into things. So, they stuck me in some set up room to make me think I was still in my time period. Only the details were wrong. All of them. All it did was scare me. So, I ran. I ran and suddenly I found myself in the middle of Times Square. Overloaded and trying to make sense of things. I didn't want that for you." He wants to ease her into this if he can.

Still the hero, still looking out for others. It's a different picture that's painted when he explains. If anyone would understand this--it'd be him. She tries not to think about the possibilities. She's either old, very old, or buried in the ground. Perhaps not even that. A life time has passed. Maybe she died in a car accident, like her parents, or got ill, or never made it back home after the war.

"Sorry," she apologies again, shaking her head and looking back down at her lap. "I'm just... scared. This doesn't feel real. I shouldn't be able to talk to you."

Him, of all people. They all thought he was lost forever.

"No more apologizing." He smiles. "I don't accept them cause they're not needed." He doesn't want her thinking she's done anything wrong or it's her fault. Because it's not. He won't pin that on. Not now. Not when everything is so clear up in the air for her. "I know. It's pretty scary, but nothing bad's gonna happen to you here, Claire. I'm gonna make sure of that."

Whatever this world offers he'll make sure it's not chaos. Just a calm. "But you can. I'm right here. I can listen as much or as little as you want me to."

"I don't even know what I can say," she says softly. She's scared. She wants to go home--but how can she? Her head is swimming and she's pretty sure if she moved to stand right now she'd topple to the floor.

"Though I don't think I said that it's good to see you again." Especially after thinking he was dead. But her initial shock at seeing him might have conveyed as much.

Steve lets out a chuckle at that. That's understandable. The shock of arriving here likely overrode any sort of shock of seeing him alive again. Peggy went through the same thing back when he sought her out. Though the memory lapses tended to make them relive that moment. It kills him every single time.

"It's good to see you too. It's been a long time since I've seen someone from home that looks the same. Part of me keeps expecting to blink and you'll just be gone." It's a sad smile, but all Steve's got these days are sad smiles.

Inappropriate, maybe, but she doubts they're simply just an army nurse and solider anymore, so there's only a moment of hesitation before Claire leans over to wrap both arms around Steve. She's need a damn hug, and maybe he does, too. Two people out of their times. It's terrifying... but it could be worse. They could be alone.

"At least I wasn't put on ice." Or whatever. That bit still confuses her, astounds her, but it all leads to this.

The hug comes as a surprise. Steve freezes at first. It's not often he gets hugs of this nature. Not often he gets hugged period. The Avengers are not really a group that does too much touching. But he returns the hug. Because it's Claire and he still remembers her kindness during the war. Someone you could more than count on back then.

"A few people have tried to convince me it's good for the skin." He squeezes her a little tighter. The ice confuses him as well. But they've come to the conclusion the ice and the serum worked in tandem to keep him preserved like that.

"Well," she says on a shaky breath out, "You haven't aged a day, that's for certain."

Pulling back some, but not entirely, she dares to lightly touch his cheek with her fingertips. He should be a corpse. Yet here he is, alive and well, just like the last time she saw him.

"You always were remarkable."

"They tell me I look pretty good for a ninety-seven year old. Still pretty spry too." Most people know Captain America now. Either from the past or from his entrance during the invasion of New York. It's hard to really go anywhere and just be Steve. Steve Rogers is almost starting to become the persona as opposed to Captain America. He worries sometimes.

But his smile gets a little bigger when she touches his cheek. He knows she's trying to connect what she remembers from the past to the man she sees before her. "I dunno about remarkable, but I hold my own." Still too humble for his own good.

"Apparently so. I think--I saw someone with a Captain America shirt, on the journey over here." The shuffle between vehicles and quick jaunt through the city. Strange, that. Her hand falls away, resting on his arm instead, grounding herself.

"You're popular."

That earns a laugh. It's been a few years since the thawing out and Steve still has trouble understanding how so many people like Captain America. He always thought he'd wind up outdated. Too old fashion for people of the modern world. But they seemed to like him just fine. The merchandise back during the war was easy to follow. They were trying to raise money for the war efforts, but these days he doesn't really get it.

"Captain America's popular." He corrects. "Not so much me. I'm still just Steve." At least that's how he sees himself. Simply Steve. Kid from Brooklyn. "But you haven't seen popularity until you've seen one of Tony's Stark Expos. They're a big deal."

"Stranger and stranger still. Just Steve, even when you're... gallivanting about with gods and--whatever Stark's boy is. Though he's all grown up, isn't he?" A lifetime since her time, and she doesn't bother asking about Howard Stark. Dead and buried, likely. No use in asking about anyone really.

"It's a shame the world still needs Captain America."

She needs to spend some time alone with Thor and then think about calling him a god. Technically it's what he is, but he also hogs a bathroom like nobody's business. He grins when she talks about Tony. Whatever he is. He knows that thought. That feeling. Trying to figure out what future you walked into when that'in the skies. "He is. I think Howard would've been pretty proud of who he is now." He knows Tony has more daddy issues than the law would allow, but he knows something must've happened to Howard. Something must've changed the man he knew after he went into the ice. He just hopes it wasn't him.

"You weren't the only one to think this. I always thought he'd be a little outdated by this point. But since Stark started helping people it seems like people keep cropping up all over with agendas. World's a lot more broken than people thing. SHIELD just used to do a good job of covering it up."

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